Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 22 December – The Magnificat, The Canticle of Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December

The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary
Luke 1:46-55

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour
He looks on His servant in her lowliness
Henceforth all ages will call me blessed:
The Almighty works marvels for me,
holy is his Name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear Him.
He puts forth His arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, His servant,
remembering His mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons forever.the-magnificat-luke-1-46-55-22dec2018 today's gospel

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the day – 21 December – St Peter Canisius and the Hail Mary

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Thought for the day – 21 December – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius S.J. (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church

St Peter Canisius and the Hail Mary
“Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”

On today’s feast of St Peter Canisius S. J., Catholics may wish to thank this Doctor of the Church for giving us the second half of the Hail Mary prayer.

This 16th-century saint, known as the second Apostle of Germany, followed in the giant footsteps of St Boniface, who evangelised Germany a thousand years earlier.   He was also quite active at the Council of Trent and wrote much on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The first half of the Hail Mary, of course, comes from Scripture.   What many Catholics don’t know is that the second half of this Catholic prayer is due to the intervention of St Peter Canisius at the Council of Trent.   St Peter began adding on to the scriptural part of the Hail Mary the second half of this familiar prayer, “Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.”   It was Trent that officially accepted the prayer and included it in their famous Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.hail mary and ave maria -stpetr canisius holy mary - 21dec2018

This learned saint was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1925.   He was a holy and learned Jesuit, who wrote catechisms based on Trent’s Roman Catechism, which he helped generate.   He also wrote a breviary and many works on Mary.

Saint Peter’s main mission was to counter the Protestant revolt in Germany.   He was providentially born just four years after Martin Luther penned his 95 theses.   To withstand the errors of the Protestant deformers, St Peter wrote his catechism in 1555, which was called a Summary of Christian Doctrine.   This catechism basically enshrined what came to be known as the Counter-Reformation.

St Peter Canisius, Pray for Us!canisius-pray-for-us-2016

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori – 21 December

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

21 December

Jesus is a prisoner in the womb of Mary

“Consider the painful life that Jesus Christ led in the womb of His mother and the long-confined and dark imprisonment that He suffered there for nine months.   He had His senses but He could not use them.   A tongue but He could not speak.   Eyes but he could not see.   Hands but He could not stretch them out.   Feet but He could not walk.   For nine months, He had to remain the womb of Mary, a voluntary prison but also a prison of love. He was innocent but He had offered Himself to make payment for our debts and our crimes.

What gratitude and love we should demonstrate for our Lord in return for the love and goodness that He has given us.   He has put Himself into chains, in order to deliver us from the chains of evil.

O my Jesus, You are the innocent one. I implore You to bind my poor soul to Your feet by Your holy love, so that it may never again be separated from You.”

Scripture

“Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Luke 1:42luke 1 42 blessed are you among woman - o raidant dawn 21dec2018

Prayer

O Radiant Dawn,
splendour of eternal light, sun of justice!
Come and shine on those
who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.o-radiant-dawn-21-dec-2017

Advent Action
Dawn never happens quickly.   Long before dawn, while it is quite dark, the birds start their sounds of joy.   Slowly the night changes from dark, to charcoal, to haze, to light. Today’s Scripture presents to us the image of waiting.   In the Gospel, Mary and Elizabeth, wait and wonder together and the Lord waits, St John the Baptist waits.   Oftentimes, we are called to wait.   We must believe that in our waiting, the dawning also exists. We know that the Lord will always draw us from darkness into His cleansing light. Patience is a virture – displayed so wonderfully and painfully by the Lord.   How can we give into our impatience?   Rest in Me, remember me in the womb of My mother Mary and learn patience!

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

Our Morning Offering – 21 December – Pope Benedict’s Favourite Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 21 December – Pope Benedict’s Favourite Prayer – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius (1521-1397) Doctor of the Church

The Universal Prayer
By Saint Peter Canisius

Almighty, eternal God, Lord, heavenly Father,
look with Your eyes of undeserved compassion
on our sorrow, misery and need.
Have mercy on all the Christian faithful,
for whom Your only-begotten Son,
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, was content to give Himself
into the hand of sinners
and shed His precious Blood on the wood of the Holy Cross.
For the sake of the Lord Jesus, most gracious Father,
avert our well-deserved punishments,
present danger and future threats, harm and outrage,
arms and warfare, dearth and misfortune,
sickness and sorrowful, miserable times.
Enlighten and strengthen in all goodness our spiritual leaders
and earthly rulers, that they may do everything
to further Your honour as God, our salvation,
the common peace and the welfare of all Your people.
Grant us, O God of peace, a true unity in faith,
free of all division and separation.
Convert our hearts to true repentance and amendment of life.
Kindle in us the fire of Your love; give us hunger and zeal
for justice in all things, so that we, as obedient children
through life unto death, may be pleasing to You
and find favour in Your sight.
We also pray, O God, as You willed that we should pray,
for our friends and enemies, for the healthy and the sick,
for all Christians in sadness and distress,
for the living and the dead.
To You, O Lord, be entrusted whatever we do,
whatever our path, our work and our dealings,
our living and dying.
Let us delight in Your grace here in this world
and attain the next with all Your chosen ones,
to praise, honour and extol You in unending joy and blessedness.
Grant us this, O Lord, heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.the universal prayer by st peter canisius 21dec2018 no 4

“The [prayer] I like most…the ‘General Prayer’ by Peter Canisius from the sixteenth century. It remains unchangingly pertinent and beautiful.”
From Pope Benedict, Last Testament, New York, Bloomsbury, 2016, 8.

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 20 December – St Bernard “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.”

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Thought for the Day – 20 December – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:26-38

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Abbot and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Homily 4

” In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”   But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.   And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.   And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”…Luke1:26-31

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son – you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit.   The angel awaits an answer – it is time for him to return to God who sent him.   We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion, the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you.   We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be and behold, we die.   In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise.   Abraham begs it, David begs it.   All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death.  This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet.   It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.

Answer quickly, O Virgin.   Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord.   Answer with a word, receive the Word of God.   Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word.   Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

Why do you delay, why are you afraid?   Believe, give praise and receive.   Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident.  This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence.   In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary.   Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.   See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter.   If He should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow, you would begin to seek Him afresh, the One whom your soul loves.   Arise, hasten, open.   Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.luke 1 38 and mary said behold - the price of our salvation - st bernard 20dec2018

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us 20dec2018

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Quote of the Day – 20 December

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Quote of the Day – 20 December

“Christ…took our nature, when He would redeem it,
He redeemed it by making it suffer in His own Person –
He purified it, by making it pure in His own Person.
He first sanctified it in Himself,
made it righteous,
made it acceptable to God,
submitted it to an expiatory passion
and then, He imparted it to us.
He took it,
consecrated it,
broke it
and said,
“Take and divide it among yourselves.”

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)christ took our nature when he would redeem it bl john henry 20dec2018

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

20 December

Jesus offered Himself for our salvation from the beginning

“Consider that the divine Word knew that all the sacrifices of goats and bulls offered to the Father in times past had not been able to satisfy for the sins of humankind but that it required a divine person to pay the price of redemption.   “My Father” said Jesus, “all the victims previously offered to You have not paid the debt, nor could they have paid the debt, necessary to satisfy Your justice.   You have given me my humanity, in order that by shedding my blood, I might please You and save humanity.   Behold I come.   Here I am.   I am ready. I accept everything and I submit myself in everything, to Your will.”

O my Jesus, I am weak, grant me strength against temptation. I am infirm, I hope that Your precious blood will be my medicine. I am a sinner but I hope that Your grace will make me a saint.   I acknowledge that I have co-operated with my own ruin but this day, I promise always, to call upon You and in this way co-operate with Your grace.”

Scripture
” Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?   And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
Psalm 24:3-4advent with st alphonsus - psalm 24 3-4 who shall ascend - 20dec2018

Prayer
O KEY OF DAVID,
and Sceptre of the House of Israel,
who opens and no-one shuts,
who shuts and no-one opens:
Come and bring forth the captive from his prison,
he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.o-key-of-david-20-dec-2017

Advent Action
The Pharisees, dressed in fine robes and living in palaces, are rejected.   Advent is the time to ask Jesus to change us. He is coming, He invades the world, He changes everything, forevermore – He will change us if we ask – “Lord, come to me this day. Change me. Restore me to Your kingdom.”
“If we would please this Divine Infant,
we too must become children,
simple and humble;
we must carry to Him flowers of virtue,
of meekness, of mortification, of charity;
we must clasp Him in the arms of our love.”…St AlphonsusIf we would please this divine infant - st alphonsus liguori 20dec2018

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 20 December “God of Hope”

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Our Morning Offering – 20 December

Advent Prayer – God of Hope

God of hope,
who brought love into this world,
be the love that dwells between us.
God of hope,
who brought peace into this world,
be the peace that dwells between us.
God of hope,
who brought joy into this world,
be the joy that dwells between us.
God of hope,
the rock we stand upon,
be the centre, the focus of our lives
always and particularly this Advent time.
Through Him,
who is our hope,
our joy,
our love,
our peace,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever,
amen.Advent prayer -god of hope 20 dec 2018

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 19 December – “You will be speechless….” Origen

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Thought for the Day – 19 December – “You will be speechless….” Origen

“But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Luke 1:20

“You will be speechless… until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words”.   Voice and word are not the same thing where we are concerned, since a voice can be heard without it conveying any meaning, without words and the word can likewise be communicated to our minds without a voice, as in the wandering of our thoughts.    In the same way, since the Saviour is Word…, John differs from Him in being voice, by comparison with Christ, who is Word.   This is what John himself answered to those who asked him who he was: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths’” (Lk 3:4; Jn 1:23).

Perhaps this is the reason – because he doubted the birth of the voice that would reveal the Word of God – why Zachariah lost his voice but recovered it again when that voice was born who is the Word’s forerunner (Lk 1:64).   Since, for the mind to be able to grasp the word intended by the voice, we must hear the voice.   It is also why, according to the time of his birth, John is slightly older than Christ – for we perceive the voice before the word.   Thus John points to Christ since it is with the voice that the Word is made known. Likewise, Christ was baptised by John, who admitted his need of being baptised by Him (Mt 3:14)… In brief, when John pointed to Christ it was as a man pointing to God, the incorporeal Saviour, as a voice pointing to the Word…”…Origen (c.185-253)

Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened and he spoke this prophecy:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.

The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and His forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has visited His people and redeemed them.

He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
in the house of David, His servant,
as He promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were His prophets of old.

A Saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So His love for our fathers is fulfilled
and His holy covenant remembered.

He swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us,
that free from fear and safe from the hands of our foes.
we might worship Him in justice and holiness
all the days of our lives, in His Presence.

As for you, little child,
you shall be called the prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare His ways before Him,

to make known to His people their salvation,
through forgiveness of all their sins,
the loving kindness of the heart of our God,
who visits us like the dawn from on high.

He will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death,
and to guide them into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever.
Amen

Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened and he spoke this prophecy: 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israelthe Benedictus - BEST - 19dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION

Quote of the Day – 19 December

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Quote of the Day – 19 December

“Having clothed Himself with a created essence,
He made it the instrument of His humiliation –
He acted in it,
He obeyed and suffered through it…
That Eternal Power, which, till then,
had thought and acted as God,
began to think and act as a man,
with all man’s faculties, affections
and imperfections, sin excepted.
Before He came on earth,
He was infinitely above joy and grief,
fear and anger,
pain and heaviness
but afterwards, all these properties
and many more,
were His as full as they are ours.”

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)having clothed himself - bl john henry newman no 3 19dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The PASSION, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

19 December

The passion of Jesus lasted throughout His whole life

“Consider that when Abraham was leading his son Isaac to death, that he did not give him notice of it beforehand, even during the short time that was necessary for them to arrive at the mount.   But the eternal Father chose that His incarnate Son, whom He had destined to be the victim for the atonement of our sins, should know the sorrow He was to endure from the very first moment that He was in His mother’s womb.  The whole life, then, of our blessed Redeemer and all the years that He spent, was a life of pain and tears. His divine heart never passed one moment free from suffering.   The martyrs have suffered but assisted by grace, they suffered with you and fervour.   Jesus Christ suffered but He suffered with a heart full of weariness and sorrow and He accepted all, for our love.

O sweet, O amiable, O loving heart of Jesus, I thank You.   O afflicted and loving heart of my Lord, I thank You for all that You suffered for me!”

Scripture

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
Psalm 71:4advent with st alphonsus rescue me o my god psalm 71-4 o sweet 19dec2018

Prayer

O ROOT OF JESSE,
that stands for an ensign of the people,
before whom the kings keep silence
and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication,
come, to deliver us and tarry not.o-root-of-jesse-19-dec-2017

Advent Action
Speechless I stand before You, contemplating the Father’s mysterious design for our salvation.   I revere the elaborate preparations the Father puts in place for Your coming into our midst as one of us.    First, He prepares a mother for You, preserving her from sin right from conception and filling her with grace.   Then, in the fullness of time, He approaches her announcing His plan and the role she has to play in it.   Then, He takes care of her heart-broken husband, Joseph, announcing to him the mystery of Your incarnation.   And finally, the Father raises one more prophet to prepare the field for Your mission and to introduce You to our world.
Today, Your Word invites me to reflect on the role of the Baptist in Your redemptive work and challenges me to make space for You to be born in our world and in my heart.
Lord, let my life be a pointer to You as John’s was…I beg You!

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 19 December 

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Our Morning Offering – 19 December

A 10th Century Catholic Advent Prayer

Unknown Author

You are our eternal salvation,
The unfailing light of the world.
Light everlasting,
You are truly our redemption.
Grieving that the human race was perishing
through the tempter’s power,
without leaving the heights
You came to the depths
in Your loving kindness.
Readily taking our humanity
by Your gracious will,
You saved all earthly creatures,
long since lost,
Restoring joy to the world.
Redeem our souls and bodies, O Christ,
and so possess us as Your shining dwellings.
By Your first coming, make us righteous;
At Your second coming, set us free:
So that, when the world is filled with light
and You judge all things,
We may be clad in spotless robes
and follow in Your steps, O King,
Into the heavenly hall.   Amen10th-cent-advent-prayer-you-are-our-eternal-salvation-16-dec-2017

Posted in ADVENT, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

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Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

The Gospel message on this feast relates the story of the Annunciation.   God asks a woman, His creature for a favour to be Mother of His Son and at the same time, He respects her freedom.   She is free to say “yes” or “no.”   There is a moment of waiting in heaven and on earth – God waits for her answer, the heavenly messenger waits for her answer, the first parents Adam and Eve wait for her answer, all confined in hell wait for her answer.   With grateful heart, we thank Mary, the Wise and Prudent Virgin, for saying “yes” to God on our behalf.   Her simple words: “Let what you have said be done to me” (Lk 1:38) brought down to us the Saviour and has changed the world forever  . She obeyed the Angel, not the Devil and thus she pleased God – “Blessed are you because of your belief that the promise made to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).

At the offertory, the Church blesses “Our Lady of Expectation” with the Angel’s greeting “Rejoice, so highly favoured.   The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:29);  “Of all women you are the most blessed and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42).   Mary is doubly blessed – in her virginity and motherhood and thus stands as an ideal and inspiration for every woman single or married.   Her virginal womb is blessed with the Divine Life.   She is the Mother of every child ever conceived under the mother’s heart.   What an example she offers to all expectant mothers to welcome, to nurture life and to bring it to the full maturity of Christ’s humanity.   At the same time, we must pray for the end of abortion, the greatest evil in our days and to promote the civilisation of love and family life.

The Holy Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of Expectation”, is a great educator of the Christian family.   Christmas is a family celebration.   We all want to be home for Christmas.   She teaches us how to love and enjoy our own humanity and the humanity of her Son, we celebrate on Christmas Day.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!maranatha - come lord jesus - 18 dec 2018 ourladyofexpectation

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Quote of the Day – 18 December – Mary’s Fiat

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Quote of the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

“Mary said, Behold I am the handmaid

of the Lord”

luke 1 38 - mary said, behold i am the heandmaid of the lord - 4 may 2018

Let what you have said be done to me

Luke 1:38luke 1 38 - let what you have said be done to me - 18dec2018 ourladyofexpectation

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

18 December

Jesus made Himself a child to gain our confidence and our love.

“Consider that the Son of God has made Himself little in order to make us great. He has given Himself to us, that we might give ourselves to Him.   He has come to show us His love, that we may respond to it by giving Him ours.   Let us, therefore, receive Him with affection, let us love Him and call upon Him with all our needs.

“A child gives easily” says St Bernard. Children readily give whatever is asked of them. Jesus came into the world as a child to demonstrate that He was ready and willing to give all.   If we wish for light, Jesus has come to enlighten us.   If we desire strength, He will strengthen us.   If we wish for pardon, He has come to pardon us.   In short, He has come to give us all that we need.

O my Jesus, You have descended from heaven to give Yourself entirely to us.   How can we turn our backs on You?   I have been loved by You and I have also been ungrateful.  O my Redeemer, forgive the injuries that I have committed against You.”advent with st alphonsus - o my jesus 18dec 2018

Scripture

“It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep….Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
Romans 13:11,12

Prayer

O LORD AND RULER
of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with outstretched arms.

Advent Action
Are we in the core group of Christians who embody and live the purest form of the Gospel?   Or do we find ourselves among the masses that acknowledge Jesus, enjoy being Christian but don’t pursue it at any deep level?   The two requirements in the Gospel are that we repent and believe.   If we repent, we do no wrong and speak no lies. If we believe with all our hearts, we follow the Star to the Manger.   Let these last few days be a time when we begin the journey to the Christmas core – to the Christ Child.   “Let us make ourselves ready to celebrate Christmas by contemplating Mary and Joseph- Mary, the woman full of grace who had the courage to entrust herself totally to the Word of God;  Joseph, the faithful and just man who chose to believe the Lord rather than listen to the voices of doubt and human pride.   With them, let us walk together toward Bethlehem.” ...Pope Francis – Angelus, 22 December 2013o-lord-and-ruler-18-december

Posted in ADVENT, DANTE ALIGHIERI!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, Our MORNING Offering, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 December – Maiden yet a Mother by Dante Alighieri

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Our Morning Offering – 18 December – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation

Maiden yet a Mother
By Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Tr Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)

Maiden yet a mother,
daughter of thy Son,
high beyond all other,
lowlier is none;
thou the consummation
planned by God’s decree,
when our lost creation
nobler rose in thee!

Thus His place prepared,
he who all things made
‘mid his creatures tarried,
in thy bosom laid;
there His love He nourished,
warmth that gave increase
to the root whence flourished
our eternal peace.

Nor alone thou hearest
When thy name we hail;
Often thou art nearest
When our voices fail;
Mirrored in thy fashion
All creation’s gird,
Mercy, might compassion
Grace thy womanhood.

Lady, let our vision
Striving heavenward, fail,
Still let thy petition
With thy Son prevail,
Unto whom all merit,
prayer and majesty,
With the Holy Spirit
And the Father be.

Maiden Yet A Mother is a translation of a poem by Durante (Dante) degli Alighieri (c 1265–1321).   It is based upon the opening verses of Canto 33 of the Paradiso from his Divine Comedy in which St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) praises and prays to the Virgin Mother on behalf of Dante.   It was translated from the original Italian into English by the Catholic convert, Monsignior Ronald A Knox (1888-1957).maiden-yet-a-mother-dante-10-dec-2017

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

17 December 

The Heart of Jesus in the womb of His Mother

“Consider that whatever Jesus suffered in His life and in His Passion was all placed before Him while He was in the womb of Mary.   He accepted everything that was proposed to Him with delight but in accepting all things and in overcoming the natural repugnance of sense, O my God, what anguish and oppression did the innocent heart of Jesus suffer. Our Redeemer accepted each moment even though He continually had before His eyes that confusion which He would one day feel at seeing Himself stripped naked, scourged and suspended by three iron nails, ending His life in the midst of insults and curses.   And for what?   To save us miserable and ungrateful sinners.

My beloved Redeemer, how much did it cost You to raise me from the ruin, which I brought on myself through my sins?   What can I do without Your grace? I can do nothing but pray that You will help me but even this prayer comes from the merits of Your suffering and death!   O my Jesus, help me!”

Scripture

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1

Prayer

O WISDOM
You came forth from the mouth of the Most High
and reaching from beginning to end,
You ordered all things mightily and sweetly.
Come and teach us the way of prudence

Advent Action
Time is fast approaching for Eternity to break into time.   And today we begin our special preparations to celebrate Your birthday.   Your Evangelist, Matthew, begins his Gospel by tracing Your origin as a human being.   You did not come to us as bolt from the blue.   You fully belong to our human stock.   Matthew’s list of Your genealogy is disturbing, if not shocking.   Of course, Your ancestors include great patriarchs of the chosen people.  But it also includes some of ill repute!   It begins with Abraham begetting Isaac.  Ishmael, the first son of Abraham, is not in the picture.   The story continues with Isaac begetting Jacob and not the elder son Esau.   Again, Jacob begets Judah, ignoring Joseph who was obviously the best of the brothers.   With these unreasonable choices, Matthew seems to impress on us that often God does not choose the best or the noblest or the saintly.   Thank You, Lord, for it is only Your unpredictable graciousness that made You choose me and employ me in Your service!   Only by my prayer, ‘O my Jesus, help me’ can I live up to this choice.   And so I increase my prayer this week. (Fr Joseph Thena SSP)_O Wisdom 17 dec 2018

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Prayer/Hymn to Our Lady of Good Remedy

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Our Morning Offering – 17 December – The Memorial of St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) – Founder of the Trinitarians and the Devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy

Prayer/Hymn to Our Lady of Good Remedy

O Mary, you accept our prayers
and lovingly grant remedy,
we ask you with humility,
remain with us continually.

Be with us if we fall in sin
and feel its cruel captivity,
break all the bonds which hold us chained,
and cleanse our hearts’ iniquity.

Help us when love is growing cold
and worldly lures lead us astray,
let heaven shine within our hearts
lest we forget salvation’s way.

Assist us in our sufferings,
when body soul or spirit fail.
Bring peace and calm into our lives
until the light of heaven prevail.

Be with your children at death’s hour,
protect them in your great pity,
that with your aid, they may enjoy
rewards throughout eternity.

With grateful hearts we sing your praise
with hymns unto the Trinity,
for giving us in all our needs
the Virgin as a remedy.
Amen.Breviary prayer hymn to our lady of good remedy - 17dec2018 stjohn of matha

From the Breviary Office of Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy

Posted in ADVENT, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL PRAYERS, PAPAL SERMONS, The CHRIST CHILD, The NATIVITY of JESUS, Uncategorized

Gaudete Sunday – The Blessing of the Christ Child Figurine

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Gaudete Sunday – The Blessing of the Christ Child Figurine

Pope Benedict XVI St Peter’s Square
Third Sunday of Advent, 14 December 2008

This Sunday, the Third Sunday in the Season of Advent, is called “Gaudete Sunday”: “rejoice”, because the Entrance Antiphon of Holy Mass takes up St Paul’s words in the Letter to the Philippians where it says:  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice”.   And immediately after he explains the reason, because “The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4: 4-5).   This is the reason for joy.   But what does “the Lord is at hand” mean?   In what sense must we understand this “closeness” of God?   The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Philippi, is evidently thinking of Christ’s return and invites them to rejoice because it is certain.   Yet, St Paul in his Letter to the Thessalonians, warns that no one can know the moment of the Lord’s coming (cf. 1 Thes 5: 1-2) and puts people on guard against any kind of alarmism, as if Christ’s return were imminent (cf. 2 Thes 2: 1-2).

Thus the Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, already at that time understood increasingly better that God’s “closeness” is not a question of space and time but rather of love:  love brings people together!

This coming Christmas will remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and in front of the manger we shall be able to savour Christian joy contemplating in the newborn Jesus the Face of God who made Himself close to us out of love.

In this light, it gives me real pleasure to renew the beautiful tradition of the Blessing of the Christ Child figurines, the miniature statues of the Baby Jesus to be placed in the manger.   I address you in particular, dear boys and girls of Rome, who have come this morning with your Baby Jesus figurines that I now bless.   I invite you to join me, following attentively this prayer:

God, our Father
You so loved humankind
that You sent us Your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to You.

We pray that with Your Blessing
these images of Jesus,
who is about to come among us,
may be a sign of Your presence and
love in our homes.

Good Father,
give Your Blessing to us too,
to our parents, to our families and
to our friends.

Open our hearts,
so that we may be able to
receive Jesus in joy,
always do what He asks
and see Him in all those
who are in need of our love.

We ask you this in the name of Jesus,
Your beloved Son
who comes to give the world peace.

He lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.Gaudete sunday the blessing of the Christ child figurine - pope benedict 16dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 16 December 2018

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Thought for the Day – 16 December 2018 – The Third ‘Gaudete’ Sunday of Advent

Saint Augustine (354-430)
Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Sermon 293

John is the voice but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning.   John is the voice that lasts for a time, from the beginning, Christ is the Word who lives forever.

Take away the word, the meaning and what is the voice?   Where there is no understanding, there is only a meaningless sound.   The voice without the word strikes the ear but does not build up the heart.

However, let us observe what happens when we first seek to build up our hearts.   When I think about what I am going to say, the word or message is already in my heart.   When I want to speak to you, I look for a way to share with your heart what is already in mine.

In my search for a way to let this message reach you, so that the word already in my heart may find a place also in yours, I use my voice to speak to you.   The sound of my voice brings the meaning of the word to you and then passes away.   The word which the sound has brought to you is now in your heart and yet it is still also in mine.

When the word has been conveyed to you, does not the sound seem to say – the word ought to grow and I should diminish?   The sound of the voice has made itself heard in the service of the word and has gone away, as though it were saying – my joy is complete.   Let us hold on to the word;  we must not lose the word conceived inwardly in our hearts.

Do you need proof that the voice passes away but the divine Word remains?   Where is John’s baptism today?   It served its purpose and it went away.   Now it is Christ’s baptism that we celebrate.   It is in Christ that we all believe, we hope for salvation in Him.   This is the message the voice cried out.

Because it is hard to distinguish word from voice, even John himself was thought to be the Christ.   The voice was thought to be the word.   But the voice acknowledged what it was, anxious not to give offence to the word.   I am not the Christ, he said, nor Elijah, nor the prophet.   And the question came:  Who are you, then?   He replied:  I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness – Prepare the way for the Lord!

The voice of one crying in the wilderness is the voice of one breaking the silence.   Prepare the way for the Lord, he says, as though he were saying:  “I speak out in order to lead Him into your hearts but He does not choose to come where I lead Him, unless you prepare the way for Him.”

To prepare the way means to pray well – it means thinking humbly of oneself.  We should take our lesson from John the Baptist.   He is thought to be the Christ, he declares he is not what they think.   He does not take advantage of their mistake to further his own glory.

If he had said, “I am the Christ,” you can imagine how readily he would have been believed, since they believed he was the Christ even before he spoke.   But he did not say it, he acknowledged what he was.   He pointed out clearly who he was;  he humbled himself.

He saw where his salvation lay.   He understood that he was a lamp and his fear was that it might be blown out, by the wind of pride.”

I speak out in order to lead Him - st augustine - 16 dec 2018

“The very Son of God, 
older than the ages, 
the invisible,
the incomprehensible, 
the incorporeal, 
the beginning of beginning, 
the light of light, 
the fountain of life and immortality,
the image of the archetype, 
the immovable seal,
the perfect likeness,
the definition and word of the Father:
He it is who comes to His own image 
and takes our nature for the good of our nature
and unites Himself to an intelligent soul 
for the good of my soul, 
to purify like by like.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Churchthe-very-son-of-god-st-gregory-of-naziazen.17dec2017.gaudete sunday 2017

Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

 

come o come emmanuel - 16 dec 2018

 

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

16 December – Gaudete Sunday

God has given His only Son to save us

“Consider, that the eternal Father has given His Son to the world, for the light and life of all people, in order that He might win salvation.
Consider also, that the Father, in sending His Son to be our Redeemer and Mediator has, in a certain sense, bound Himself to forgive us and love us. On the other hand, the divien Word, having accepted the invitation of His Father, has also bound Himself to love us – not for our own merits but rather, to fulfil the merciful will of His Father.”

Scripture
Have no anxiety about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6

Prayer (St Alphonsus)

O infinite God
and only love of my soul,
I thank You,
for having given me Your Son.
For the sake of this same Son,
accept me
and bind me with chains of love
to my Redeemer.
Amengaudete-sunday-17-dec-2018 REJOICE

Advent Action
We begin this third week of Advent asking to feel the joy that comes from knowing our Lord’s coming to us is near.
In these precious days ahead, we are praying, longing, hoping in the background of our everyday lives.
His mission is to the poor, the brokenhearted, prisoners and captives.   His mission is for us.   It is “good news,” full of healing, liberty and release.   We can smile today as we imagine the freedom He has won for us and how liberating it will be to live it, with Him, for others.
It is right to give our God thanks and praise and to follow His mission in our lives.
Jesus will come again, very soon!ero-cras-tomororow-i-will-come-17-dec-2017

Posted in ADVENT, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY

Our Morning Offering – The Third Sunday of Advent – 16 December 2018

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Our Morning Offering – The Third Sunday of Advent – 16 December 2018

How Beautiful
By Daryl Madden

How beautiful
Your light this day
Reflection of
Colours arrayed

How beautiful
Your precious gift
Our daily bread
The soul to lift

How beautiful
Your living Word
Let soul be lead
By Spirit heard

How beautiful
Your blessed grace
Our gift, Your light
Souls to embrace

By courtesy of the Poet Daryl Madden

https://darylmadden.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/how-beautiful/comment-page-1/#comment-3319how beautiful poem prayer by daryl madden 16 dec 2018

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 15 December – The Threefold Coming of the Lord

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Thought for the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

The Word of the Lord will come to us – The Threefold Coming of the Lord

St Bernard Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church

We know that the coming of the Lord is threefold – the third coming is between the other two and it is not visible in the way they are.   At His first coming the Lord was seen on earth and lived among men, who saw Him and hated Him.   At His last coming All flesh shall see the salvation of our God and They shall look on Him whom they have pierced. In the middle, the hidden coming, only the chosen see Him and they see Him within themselves and so their souls are saved.   The first coming was in flesh and weakness, the middle coming is in spirit and power and the final coming will be in glory and majesty.

This middle coming is like a road that leads from the first coming to the last.   At the first, Christ was our redemption, at the last, He will become manifest as our life but in this middle way He is our rest and our consolation.

If you think that I am inventing what I am saying about the middle coming, listen to the Lord Himself:  “If anyone loves me, he will keep my words and the Father will love him and we shall come to him.”   Elsewhere I have read:  Whoever fears the Lord does good things – but I think that what was said about whoever loves Him was more important, that whoever loves Him will keep His words.   Where are these words to be kept?   In the heart certainly, as the Prophet says I have hidden your sayings in my heart so that I do not sin against you.   Keep the word of God in that way – Blessed are those who keep it. Let it penetrate deep into the core of your soul and then flow out again in your feelings and the way you behave, because if you feed your soul well it will grow and rejoice.   Do not forget to eat your bread, or your heart will dry up.   Remember and your soul will grow fat and sleek.

If you keep God’s word like this, there is no doubt that it will keep you, for the Son will come to you with the Father, the great Prophet will come, who will renew Jerusalem and He is the one who makes all things new.   For this is what this coming will do, just as we have been shaped in the earthly image, so will we be shaped in the heavenly image.   Just as the old Adam was poured into the whole man and took possession of him, so in turn will our whole humanity be taken over by Christ, who created all things, has redeemed all things and will glorify all things.

Come Lord Jesus, my light, my life, I thank You!come-lord-jesus-15-december-2017-the-golden-thread

Posted in ADVENT, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

“Into this world, this demented inn
in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all,
Christ comes uninvited.”

Thomas Merton OCSO (1915-1968)into this world this demented inn - thomas merton - 15 dec 2018

“At this Christmas, when Christ comes,
will He find a warm heart?
Mark the season of Advent,
by loving and serving the others,
with God’s own love and concern.”

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

(Love:  A Fruit Always in Season)at this christmas when christ comes - st mother teresa 15 dec 2018

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL Apostolic EXHORTATIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

The greatest sorrow of Jesus

“Consider Jesus, who revealed to the Venerable Agatha of the Cross, that which afflicted Him more than any other sorrow was hardness of the hearts of humanity.   This sorrow, was the bitter chalice that Jesus begged the Father to remove from Him, saying, “Let this chalice pass from me.  ” What chalice?   The contempt with which His love was treated. Our Lord revealed to St Catherine of Siena that this was the reason that He exclaimed from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

Knowing this sorrow, let us change our will, repent of our sins and resolve to love God. In this way, we shall then find peace, that is, the divine friendship that we seek.   We beg the Lord for the necessary grace to execute what we propose.   We call upon our Blessed Lady and ask that she not cease to pray until we are changed and made into what God wishes us to be.”

Scripture
“So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Matthew 17:12b

Prayer (St Alphonsus)

“O my most amiable Jesus,
how much have I caused You to suffer?
In the future,
I will love You above all things,
ready to give up my life a thousand times,
in order to accomplish Your will.
Mary Holy Mother,
I beg your prayer and loving care.
Please help us all.
Amen”

Advent Action
Today’s Scriptures encourage us to look for the signs of Jesus, who will restore life to us. “Lord, help me see the signs of Your coming.   Let me not be blinded by the glare of business or the millions of lights in malls and on trees.   Rather, let me look for You in the small things of the day, with my heart longing for You.    “Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb.   He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith.   He will dwell forever, in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.” [Blessed Isaac of Stella (c 1100-1170) Cistercian Monk]   Amen!”advent with st alphonsus - so also will matthew 17 12 - o sovereign god 15dec2018

“Now is the time to say to Jesus: 
“Lord, I have let myself be deceived;
in a thousand ways I have shunned Your love, 
yet here I am once more, 
to renew my covenant with You. 
I need you. 
Save me once again, Lord,
take me once more into 
Your redeeming embrace”.

Pope Francis – The Joy of the Gospelnow-is-the-time-to-say-to-jesus-15-dec-2018-from-the-joy-of-the-gospel

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 15 December “Saturdays with Mary”

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Our Morning Offering – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

O Most Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

0 most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness,
Daughter of the most high King,
Lady of the Angels,
Mother of all the faithful,
On this day and all the days of my life,
I entrust to your merciful heart,
my body and my soul,
all my acts, thoughts, choices,
desires, words, deeds,
my entire life and death,
So that, with your assistance,
all may be ordered to the good
according to the will of your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ameno most blessed and sweet virgin mary - st thomas aquinas - 27 april 2018

Posted in ADVENT, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

14 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent

Jesus suffers so much in order to gain our hearts

“Consider that Jesus suffered for our love.   During His entire life, He had no other purpose than the glory of God and our salvation.   Even though He could have saved us without suffering, He chose to embrace a life of suffering. He was poor, despised and deprived of every comfort, with a death that was more desolate and bitter than any death ever endured by a martyr or penitent.   All of this, was done for the sole purpose of helping us understand the greatness of His love for us.

Saint Bonaventure exclaims, ‘It is a wonder to see a God endure such sufferings, shedding tears in a stable, poor in a workshop, languishing on a cross, in short afflicted and troubled His whole life, all because of His love for sinful humanity.'”

Scripture
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:17

Prayer (St Alphonsus)

“O sovereign God,
help me not to be ungrateful
for all that You have given me.
Help me to die in love with You.
Mary, my hope, help me.
Pray to Jesus for me.”

Advent Action
“O my Lord Jesus, whose love for me has been so great as to bring You down from heaven to save me, teach me, dear Lord, my sin—teach me its heinousness—teach me truly to repent of it—and pardon it in Your great mercy! I beg You, O my dear Saviour, to recover me! Your grace alone can do it. I cannot save myself. I cannot recover my lost ground. I cannot turn to You, I cannot please You, or save my soul without You. I shall go from bad to worse, I shall fall from You entirely, I shall quite harden myself against my neglect of duty, if I rely on my own strength. I shall make myself my centre instead of making it in You. I shall worship some idol of my own framing instead of You, the only true God and my Maker, unless You hinder it by Your grace. O my dear Lord, hear me! I have lived long enough in this undecided, wavering, unsatisfactory state. I wish to be Your good servant. I wish to sin no more. Be gracious to me and enable me to be what I know I ought to be.”…Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)advent with st alphonsus friday 2nd week isaiah 48 17 14dec2018

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRIST the KING, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 14 December – O King of Gentleness

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Our Morning Offering – 14 December – The Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

O King of Gentleness
By St John of the Cross

O blessed Jesus,
give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.o king of gentleness - st john of the cross - 14dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori 13 December – Thursday of the Second week of Advent

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori

13 December – Thursday of the Second week of Advent

Jesus suffers during His whole life

“Consider that all the sufferings that Jesus endured in His life and death were all present to Him from the first moment of His life. Consider that even from His childhood, He began to offer them to fulfil His role as our Redeemer.   What martyrdom did the loving heart of Jesus constantly endure in beholding all sins of humankind!   Saint Thomas says that the sorrow which Jesus felt, at the knowledge of the injury dome to His Father and of the evil that sin would cause to the souls that He loved, surpassed the sorrow of all contrite sinners that ever existed.

St Margaret of Cortona, never ceased to shed tears for her sins.   One day her confessor said to her, “no more tears, Margaret, it is enough, our Lord has already forgiven you,” “What”, answered the saint, “how can my tears and my sorrows suffice for the sins which my Jesus was afflicted all His life long?”

My beloved Redeemer, I thank You!   I could die of sorrow when I think of how I have abused Your infinite goodness.   Forgive me, my Love and come and take entire possession of my heart.”

Scripture
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and men of violence, take it by force.”
Matthew 11:12

Prayer

Lord God,
true Light and Creator of Light,
empty us today
of the many worldly distractions
that lead us from You.
The darkness of our heart
is our enemy and we are beleaguered.
Help us Lord, that faithfully
seeking all that is holy,
and begging Your grace,
we may ever live in the
splendour of Your presence.
Amen

Advent Action
“Saint Paul teaches: “Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the unseen powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens,” (Eph 6:12).   Like Joshua, let us set out to war, attacking the greatest city in the world, namely wickedness and let us throw down the arrogant walls of sin.   Would you look around for which path to take, which battlefield to choose?   No doubt you will find my words extraordinary;  nevertheless, they are true – limit your quest to yourself alone. In you lies the combat you are going to engage, within yourself the structure of evil and sin to pull down, your enemy emerges from the depths of your heart.   It is not I who say this but Christ.   Listen to him: “From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy” (Mt 15:19).   Do you realise the power of this enemy force that advances against you from the depths of your heart?   Those are our real enemies.”…Origen (c.185-253)advent with st alphonsus - my beloved redeemer - 13dec 2018

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

Our Morning Offering – 13 December – Prayer of St Philip Neri

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 13 December – The Memorial of Blessed Antonio Grassi Cong. Orat. (1592 – 1671)

Mary, I Love You
By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Founder of the Oratorians

Mary, I love you.
Mary, make me live in God,
with God and for God.
Draw me after you, holy mother.
O Mary, may your children persevere in loving you.
Mary, Mother of God and mother of mercy,
pray for me and for the departed.
Mary, holy Mother of God, be our helper.
In every difficulty and distress,
come to our aid, O Mary.
O Queen of Heaven,
lead us to eternal life with God.
Mother of God, remember me,
and help me always to remember you.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Pray for us,
O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray to Jesus for me.
Amenmary I love you by st philip neri - 26 may 2918