One Minute Reflection – 1 July – The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Mark 5:21-43
“I say to you, arise!”...Mark 5:41
REFLECTION – “Then He entered the room where the child was and, taking the child by the hand, said to her: ‘Talitha koum’. The girl arose immediately and walked around.’ Let us desire Jesus to touch us and at once we too will walk. Whether we are paralysed or whether we commit wrongful deeds, we find ourselves unable to walk. Perhaps we are lying on the bed of our sins as if on a real bed. No sooner will Jesus touch us than we shall at once be healed.”…St Jerome (347-420) Father & Doctor
PRAYER – “By Your grace, Lord, touch our hands, we who are lying down; raise us up from the bed of our sins; cause us to walk. When we have walked, give the command that we should be given something to eat. Lying down, we cannot walk and, if we are not upright, we cannot receive the body of Christ, to whom be glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for endless ages. Amen”…St Jerome (347-420) Father & Doctor
Our Morning Offering – 1 July – Month of the Most Precious Blood
Constant Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
Precious Blood,
ocean of divine mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
most pure offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
hope and refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen.
July is the month dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. Among devotions to the humanity of Christ (e.g., The Holy Name, The Holy Face, Sacred Heart), the Precious Blood of Jesus has the most biblical precedent since it is mentioned so frequently in the New Testament (over 75 times).
Saint Peter, our first Pope, specifically refers to the blood of Christ as “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled” (1 Peter 1:19).
In fact, it might even be said that the entire Old Testament is a lesson in “blood sacrifice” as an anticipation of Christ’s obedient and merciful sacrifice on the wood of the life-giving cross.
St Paul could rightfully be called the “Theologian of the Precious Blood.”
The Apostle even tell us to place our “faith in His blood”: “… whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,” (Romans 3:25).
This reveals that the Precious Blood of Jesus is not an abstraction, but a true devotion to the Divine Person of Christ.
In Ephesians, the Apostle teaches us that our redemption was purchased “through His blood” (Eph 1:7) and in Hebrews, he teaches that the entire New Covenant is rooted in the Precious Blood of Jesus:
“….he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, to cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.” (Hebrews 9:12–15)
Saint John the Apostle stresses the love of God and the Precious Blood when he writes: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” (Rev 1:5). Elsewhere, Saint John explains that the Blood of Jesus continues to be applied to us: “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn 1:7).
St John Chrysostom calls the Precious Blood “the saviour of souls”, St Thomas Aquinas, “the key to heaven’s treasures”, St Ambrose, “pure gold of ineffable worth”, St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, “a magnet of souls and pledge of eternal life”. The sins of mankind, in their number, in their offence to the Supreme Being, in the effects on transgressors, are immense, yet, the Precious Blood of Jesus is not frightened by numbers, it has in Itself the power to appease an angered God and to heal wounded creatures.
The Precious Blood is a cleansing bath. Unlike all other blood, which stains, the Blood of Jesus washes clean and white. According to the words of St John, in the Apocalypse, the Angels wonder and the question is asked: “These that are clothed in white robes, who are they?” The Lord answers: “These are they that have washed their robes and have made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” For no other reason did the Precious Blood flow but to regain for the souls of men the beautiful dress of innocence and, once regained, to preserve it throughout life and into eternity.
The Blood of the Saviour is a well of consolation for troubled hearts. Can anyone, confidingly, look at the Sacred Blood trickling down from the Cross without taking courage to carry on, in spite of the difficulties which are the common lot of all? One glance at the Cross must be able to drive away fear. And, another, must be able to instil trust in Him who did not rest until the last drop, mingled with water, flowed out of an opened Heart. He, who was willing to do so much for men, must be willing to overlook and forget the frailties which they deeply regret; He must be willing to come to their assistance when harassed, to defend them when tempted, to comfort them when afflicted. The Blood of Jesus must be for Christians what the north-star is to sailors.
Would that men on earth honoured the Precious Blood in the manner in which they who are in heaven give honour and praise and thanksgiving! They proclaim that It purchased the glory which they enjoy. Without It, they would have remained slaves of Satan and outcasts from the eternal mansions of God. Let us profess that we owe to the Sacred Blood of Jesus all that we have in this life and that to It we shall owe all that we shall enjoy in a better and eternal life! The New and Everlasting Covenant must be mediated through the Blood of One who is absolutely perfect, sinless and obedient to God the Father – our Lord Jesus Christ.
Daily Offering to the Father
Eternal Father,
I offer You
the Most Precious Blood
of Your divine Son, Jesus,
for sinners everywhere,
sinners in my home, in my family
and in the universal Church.
I offer It too, in supplication,
for the holy souls in purgatory
and for the needs of holy mother Church.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 30 June – The Memorial of Blessed Raymond Lull T.O.S.F. (c 1232 – c1315) Martyr
“The Beloved created and the Lover destroyed. The Beloved judged and the Lover wept. Then the Beloved redeemed him and the Lover again had glory. The Beloved finished His work and the Lover remained forever, in his Beloved’s companionship.”
“Death has no terrors for a sincere servant of Christ, who is labouring to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 June – Saturday of the Twelth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 8:5-17 – The Memorial of The First Holy Martyrs of the Church of Rome & Blessed Raymond Lull T.O.S.F. (c 1232 – c1315) Martyr
“I say to you, many will come, from the east and the west and will recline with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven.”…Matthew 8:11
REFLECTION – “And the saints who preceded us are also waiting for us, slow and lazy as we are. Their joy is not perfect so long as there is reason to weep over our sins. The apostle testifies to this for me when he says: “Without us, they were not to be made perfect.” (Heb 11:40) So see: Abraham is waiting. Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets are waiting for us to possess perfect beatitude with us… If you are holy, you will have joy when you leave this life but that joy will only be complete when not one of the members of the Body we are all to form together is missing anymore. You will also wait for others in the same way as you were awaited. Now if you who are only one member cannot have perfect joy if another member is absent, how much more our Lord and Saviour, who is both the author and the head of the entire Body… Then we will have come to the maturity of which the apostle Paul said: “The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me.” (Gal 2:20) Then our pontiff will drink the new wine in the new heaven, on the new earth, in the new human person, with the new human persons, with those who sing the new song.”…Origen (c185-253)
PRAYER – Grant us Lord, a true knowledge of salvation, so that freed from fear and from the power of our foes, we may serve You faithfully, all the days of our life and attain the light and joy of our heavenly home. By the blood of the Martyrs and the glory of the Communion of Saints, strengthen us with their faith and endurance. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in unity with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 30 June – The Memorial of The First Holy Martyrs of the Church of Rome & Blessed Raymond Lull T.O.S.F. (c 1232 – c1315) Martyr
My Lord, My Light St Paschal Baylon O.F.M. (1540-1592)
I desire to love You,
my Lord, my Light,
my Strength, my Deliverer,
my God and my All.
What have I in heaven, O Lord,
and what do I want
besides Your love and grace?
You are the God of my heart,
You are my portion,
my inheritance for eternity.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
We would probably go to confession to Peter, sooner than to any of the other apostles. He is perhaps a more striking example of the simple fact of holiness. Jesus says to us as he said, in effect, to Peter: “It is not you who have chosen me but I who have chosen you. Peter, it is not human wisdom that makes it possible for you to believe but my Father’s revelation. I, not you, build my Church.”
Paul’s experience of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus was the driving force that made him one of the most zealous, dynamic and courageous ambassadors of Christ the Church has ever had. But persecution, humiliation and weakness became his day-by-day carrying of the cross, material for further transformation. The dying Christ was in him; the living Christ was his life.
We owe our faith to these two great Apostles and like Jesus, Himself, their death was our life!
St Peter, the foundation of our home on earth, incomparable St Paul, “the chosen vessel”, you were partners in death and share the glorious crown. You are both lamps to guide our feet, lights and jewels of the Universal Church, please Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
“Their sound has gone out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the world”
Psalm 19
“Where Peter is, there is the Church. Where the Church is, there is Jesus Christ. Where Jesus Christ is, there is eternal salvation.”
St Ambrose (340-397)
One of the original four Doctors of the Church
“There is one day for the passion of two apostles. But these two also were as one; although they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, Paul followed. We are celebrating a feast day, consecrated for us by the blood of the apostles. Let us love their faith, their lives, their labours, their sufferings, their confession of faith, their preaching.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“There must be general rejoicing, dearly beloved, over this holy company whom God has appointed for our example in patience and for our confirmation in faith. But we must glory even more in the excellence of their fathers, Peter and Paul, whom the grace of God has raised to such a height among all the members of the Church that He has set them like twin lights of eyes in that Body whose head is Christ.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father & Doctor of the Church
Today the Lord repeats to me, to you…: Follow Me! Waste no time in questioning or in useless chattering; do not dwell on secondary things but look to what is essential and follow Me. Follow Me without regard for the difficulties. Follow Me in preaching the Gospel. Follow Me by the witness of a life shaped by the grace you received in baptism….. and holy orders. Follow Me by speaking of Me, to those with whom you live, day after day, in your work, your conversations and among your friends. Follow Me by proclaiming the Gospel to all, especially to the least among us, so that no one will fail to hear the word of life, which sets us free from every fear and enables us to trust in the faithfulness of God. Follow Me!
One Minute Reflection – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 16:13–19
And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” …Matthew 16:18-19
REFLECTION – “And so it is with Rome, where the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, gave with their blood their final witness. The vocation of Rome is of apostolic origin and the ministry which it is our lot to exercise here, is a service for the benefit of the entire Church and of mankind. But it is an irreplaceable service, because it has pleased the Wisdom of God to place the Rome of Peter and Paul, so to speak, on the road that leads to the eternal City, by the fact that Wisdom chose to confide to Peter—who unifies in himself the College of Bishops—the keys of the kingdom of heaven. What remains here, not through the effect of man’s will but through the free and merciful benevolence of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, is the soliditas Petri, such as our predecessor Saint Leo the Great extolled in unforgettable terms: “Saint Peter does not cease to preside over his See and preserves an endless sharing, with the Sovereign Priest. The firmness that he received from the Rock which is Christ, he himself, having become the Rock, transmits it equally to his successors.”…Blessed Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) – Exhortation on Christian Joy, 1975
PRAYER – Lord our God, You give us the great joy of devoting this day to the honour of the apostles Peter and Paul. Provide us, by their intercession, with help for our eternal salvation. Grant that Your Church may follow their teaching to the full, because these are the men who first taught us to worship You in Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
What Fairer Light?
Hymn for the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul Elphis, c 493, wife of Boethius c 477– 524 Translation: R A Knox, 1888-1957
What fairer light is this than time itself doth own,
The golden day with beams more radiant brightening?
The princes of God’s Church this feast day doth enthrone,
To sinners heavenward bound their burden lightening.
One taught mankind its creed, one guards the heavenly gate,
Founders of Rome, they bind the world in loyalty;
One by the sword achieved, one by the cross his fate;
With laurelled brows they hold eternal royalty.
Rejoice, O Rome, this day, thy walls they once did sign
With princely blood, who now their glory share with thee.
What city’s vesture glows with crimson deep as thine?
What beauty else has earth that may compare with thee?
To God the three in one eternal homage be,
All honour, all renown, all songs victorious,
Who rules both heaven and earth by one divine decree
To everlasting years in empire glorious.
Thought for the Day – 28 June – The Memorial of St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 135 – c 202) Father of the Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church
III. Only One Faith (#172-175)
172 Through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples and nations, the Church has constantly confessed this one faith, received from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism and grounded in the conviction, that all people have only one God and Father. St Irenaeus of Lyons, a witness of this faith, declared:
173 “Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received the faith from the apostles and their disciples. . . guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as dwelling in but a single house and similarly believes as if having but one soul and a single heart and preaches, teaches and hands on this faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth.”
174 “For though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the Tradition is one and the same. The Churches established in Germany have no other faith or Tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of the Celts, nor those of the East, of Egypt, of Libya, nor those established at the centre of the world. . .” The Church’s message “is true and solid, in which one and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world.”
175 “We guard with care the faith that we have received from the Church, for without ceasing, under the action of God’s Spirit, this deposit of great price, as if in an excellent vessel, is constantly being renewed and causes the very vessel that contains it to be renewed.”
From the treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus
“The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to His Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world into which, according to His own words, the devil too had been cast down like lightning. If we are not to be scorched and made unfruitful, we need the dew of God. Since we have our accuser, we need an Advocate as well.
And so the Lord in His pity for man, who had fallen into the hands of brigands, having Himself bound up his wounds and left for his care two coins, bearing the royal image, entrusted him to the Holy Spirit. Now, through the Spirit, the image and inscription of the Father and the Son have been given to us and it is our duty to use the coin committed to our charge and make it yield a rich profit for the Lord.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 June – The Memorial of St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 135 – c 202) Father of the Church – Today’s Readings: 2 Kings 24:8-17, Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9, Matthew 7:21-29
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; deliver us and forgive our sins, for thy name’s sake!…Psalm 79(78):9
REFLECTION – “For this is why the Word became man and the Son of God became the Son of man – so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.”… St Irenaeus
PRAYER – Grant us Lord, a true knowledge of salvation, so that, freed from fear and from the power of our foes, we may serve You faithfully, according to Your Word, all the days of our life. Grant that by the prayers of St Irenaeus, we may always work for the truth, for unity and for love and peace. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 28 June – The Memorial of St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 135 – c 202) Father of the Church
O Lamb of God By St Irenaeus
O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us and have mercy upon us;
You who art Yourself, both victim and Priest,
Yourself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom You have redeemed,
O Saviour of the world.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 27 June – The Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour ( Under the Protection of the Redemptiorists – CSsr)
An artist about to paint an icon prepares himself spiritually by prayer, confession, Holy Communion and sometimes fasting. He prays even while painting, for he sees himself as an instrument of the Holy Spirit, the principal artist, Who will use the icon as an instrument to channel graces to those who reverence it and pray before it. In most cases, the artist does not even sign his name to his work.
In Western art, there is little difference in the styles used in sacred art as compared to secular art; only the subject matter is different. Icons, however, are not meant to be realistic as far as physical representation, but rather to portray eternal truths in a way that immediately transports the viewer to a spiritual plane. Perhaps the simplest way to describe it is as theology in line and colour. The images are rendered in an extremely stylised, non-naturalistic way. The folds of garments appear as simple geometric forms, while faces and bodies show portray human nature transformed by grace into the divine.
In the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the Child Jesus is not portrayed with the physical proportions of an infant but appears almost as an adult in miniature form. This has been interpreted to indicate that He is God, having infinite knowledge. Yet He is human as well, for He clings to His Mother’s hand in fear, while gazing up toward the angel over His shoulder. One of His sandals has come loose, indicating the haste with which He had run to her.
Why is the Child Jesus so frightened? The angels in the picture are holding instruments of His Passion and death, with the angel on the left bearing the gall, the lance and the reed, while the angel on the right holds the cross and nails. Their hands are covered with a cloth or veil, much like the humeral veil that the priest holds when blessing with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance at Benediction.
The face of Our Lady is grave and sorrowful, with her large eyes directed not at Jesus, but at us. One feels that she is pleading with us to avoid sin, which has caused her Son to suffer so much for us. Her gaze makes us a part of the picture and the pain it portrays. “Will you not love my Son, Who has loved you so much?” she seems to say.
Our Lady is clothed in the colours of royalty; her tunic is of dark red and her mantle is dark blue with a green lining. (According to another interpretation, the dark red is said to be the colour worn by virgins at the time of Christ, while blue was the colour worn by mothers in Palestine.) The Child Jesus also wears the colours of royalty. Both Jesus and Mary have golden halos, but Christ’s halo is decorated with a cross as a sign of His Divinity and Passion. Jewelled crowns were placed on the heads of both Mother and Child of the original icon by order of the Vatican in 1867. (The crowns were removed when the icon underwent restoration in the 1990’s.)
The Greek initials next to the head of Our Lady identify her as “Mother of God,” while those next to the Child are the abbreviation for “Jesus Christ.” The letters over the angels’ heads indicate the one on the left as St Michael and the one on the right as S. Gabriel.
The 8-pointed star on Our Lady’s veil tells us that she is the Star of the Sea, the Star that leads us to Jesus. The small ornate cross to the left of the star reinforces this concept.
Mary’s mouth is small to indicate her spirit of silence and prayer. Her eyes are large, for they see all of our troubles and needs and are always turned toward us.
Christ’s hands, turned palms down into His Mother’s, indicate that He has placed the graces of the Redemption in her keeping. Our Lady’s hand does not clasp those of her Son but remains open, inviting us to put our hands in hers along with those of Jesus.
As in other icons, the background of the painting is gold to symbolize Heaven, where Jesus and Mary now reign in glory. This light of Heaven shines through their clothing, illuminating not only the picture itself but those who behold it. This radiance speaks to us of God’s light and grace, strengthening and consoling us as we journey through life to our heavenly goal.
Finally, it is of no small significance that Our Blessed Mother herself referred to the icon by the title of “Holy Mary of Perpetual Succour.” Surely this, along with the symbolism we see in the picture, should assure us of the loving concern and tenderness our Blessed Mother has for us and her ardent desire to be a source of perpetual help to all who call upon her.
In answer to Pope Pius IX’s injunction to “make her known,” the Redemptorists commissioned several artists to paint copies of the original icon. More than 2,300 such copies, similarly touched to the original, have been sent to other houses of the order around the world. Pope Pius IX also received a copy, which he enshrined in his private chapel and was often seen kneeling before it in prayer. (Excerpt from Sister Mary Agatha, CMRI)
Part of the tradition is that Mary had made it clear that she wished her image to be situated between the great basilicas of St John Lateran (the Pope’s Cathedral) and St Mary Major, her own basilica. For the best part of 300 years from the year 1500, it was famous for the many miracles and graces granted to those who made the pilgrimage to the church of St Matthew on the Via Merulana, which was destroyed during the Napoleonic war.
In January 1855, the Redemptorist priests purchased Villa Caserta in Rome along the Via Merulana and converted it into their headquarters. Without realising it, the property they had purchased was once the church and monastery of Saint Matthew, the site which the Virgin reportedly chose as the icon’s shrine.
Decades later, Pope Pius IX invited the Redemptorist Fathers to set up a Marian house of veneration in Rome, in response to which the Redemptorists built the Church of St Alphonsus Liguori at that location. The Redemptorists were thus established on the Via Merulana, not knowing that it had once been the site of the Church of San Matteo and shrine of the once-famous icon.
Mother of Perpetual Succour, Pray for us!
THANKSGIVING PRAYER
O Mother of Perpetual Succour,
with grateful hearts we join you
in thanking God
for all the wonderful things
He has done for us,
especially for giving us,
Jesus, your Son, as our Redeemer.
O God, our Creator,
we thank You for the gift of life
and all the gifts of nature:
our senses and faculties,
our talents and abilities.
We thank You for creating us
in Your image and likeness
and for giving us this earth
to use and develop,
to respect and cherish.
Despite our failures,
you continue to show Your love for us today
by increasing the life of Your Spirit in us
at the Eucharistic table.
Finally, we thank You, loving Father,
for giving us Mary,
the Mother of Your Son,
to be our Mother of Perpetual Succour.
We are grateful for all the favours
we have received through her intercession.
We pray that those past favours
may inspire us to greater confidence,
in your loving mercy and to seek the aid
of our Mother of Perpetual Succour.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor
“He who receives Communion is made holy and divinised in soul and body in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling… Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough so that it leavens the whole mass; …Just as by melting two candles together, you get one piece of wax, so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus is fused together with Him by this Communion and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”
“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility.
If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread and you will learn generosity.
If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels and charity will come to blossom in your heart.
If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life and you will become temperate.
If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food and you will grow fervent.
Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels and the spotless Flesh of Christ, will make you pure and chaste.”
“Our Saviour went to the wedding feast to make holy the origins of human life.”
“From Christ and in Christ, we have been reborn through the Spirit, in order to bear the fruit of life, not the fruit of our old, sinful life but the fruit of a new life founded upon our faith in Him and our love for Him. Like branches growing from a vine, we now draw our life from Christ and we cling to His holy commandment, in order to preserve this life.”
“That anyone could doubt, the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God, fills me with astonishment. Surely, she must be the Mother of God, if our Lord Jesus Christ is God and she gave birth to Him!”
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor
One Minute Reflection – 27 June – Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 7:15-20
“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.”…Matthew 7:17
REFLECTION – ” I recommend great fidelity to the movements of the Holy Spirit. Your baptism and confirmation have implanted it like a living fountain in your soul. Listen to His whisperings and put to flight all other inspirations with one blow. If you keep this fidelity, little by little the divine Spirit will become your guide and will bear you along with Him into the bosom of God. ”Sursum corda”: “Lift up your hearts”, the introductory words to the preface of the Mass.”…Blessed Columba Marmion (1858-1923) Abbot
PRAYER – God our Father, You open the gates of the kingdom of heaven to those who are born again of water and the Holy Spirit. Increase the grace You have given, so that the people who have been purified from all sin, may not forfeit the promised blessing of Your love. Grant that the Holy Spirit may ever guide and bear us in His inspiration. We make our pray through Christ, our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 June – The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) and the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and the Mother of God of Gietrzwald, Poland
Hail, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
Hail, Mother and Virgin,
eternal Temple of the Godhead,
Venerable Treasure of Creation,
crown of virginity,
support of the true faith,
on which the Church is founded, throughout the world.
Mother of God,
who contained the infinite God
under your heart,
whom no space can contain.
Through you, the most Holy Trinity, is revealed,
adored and glorified,
demons are vanquished,
Satan cast down from heaven into hell
and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.
Through you, the human race,
held captive in the bonds of idolatry,
arrives at the knowledge of Truth.
What more shall I say of you?
Hail, through whom kings rule,
through whom the Only-Begotten Son of God
has become the Star of Light
to those sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 26 June – The Memorial of St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Excerpt from St John Paul’s Homily
on the Canonisation of St Josemaria – 6 October 2002
“All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8,14). These words of the Apostle Paul, … help us understand better the significant message of today’s canonisation of Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. With docility he allowed himself to be led by the Spirit, convinced that only in this way can one fully accomplish God’s will.
This fundamental Christian truth was a constant theme in his preaching. Indeed, he never stopped inviting his spiritual children to invoke the Holy Spirit to ensure that their interior life, namely, their life of relationship with God and their family, professional and social life, totally made up of small earthly realities, would not be separated but would form only one life that was “holy and full of God”. He wrote, “We find the invisible God in the most visible and material things” (Conversations with Josemaría Escrivá, n. 114).
This teaching of his is still timely and urgent today. In virtue of the Baptism that incorporates him into Christ, the believer is called to establish with the Lord an uninterrupted and vital relationship. He is called to be holy and to collaborate in the salvation of humanity.
To fulfil such a rigorous mission, one needs constant interior growth nourished by prayer. St Josemaría was a master in the practice of prayer, which he considered to be an extraordinary “weapon” to redeem the world. He always recommended: “in the first place prayer; then expiation; in the third place but very much in third place, action” (The Way, n. 82). It is not a paradox but a perennial truth: the fruitfulness of the apostolate lies above all in prayer and in intense and constant sacramental life. This, in essence, is the secret of the holiness and the true success of the saints.
May the Lord help you, dear brothers and sisters, to accept this challenging ascetical and missionary instruction. May Mary sustain you, whom the holy founder invoked as “Spes nostra, Sedes Sapientiae, Ancilla Domini!” (Our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, Handmaid of the Lord).
May Our Lady make everyone an authentic witness of the Gospel, ready everywhere to make a generous contribution to building the Kingdom of Christ! May the example and teaching of St Josemaría be an incentive to us, so that at the end of the earthly pilgrimage, we too may be able to share in the blessed inheritance of heaven! There, together with the angels and all the saints, we will contemplate the face of God and sing His glory for all eternity.”
Mary, Our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, Handmaid of the Lord, Pray for us!
Our Morning Offering – 26 June – The Memorial of St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Come, O Holy Spirit by St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Come, O Holy Spirit:
enlighten my understanding
to know Your commands;
strengthen my heart
against the wiles of the enemy;
inflame my will…
I have heard Your voice,
and I don’t want to harden my heart to resisting,
by saying ‘later… tomorrow.’
Nunc coepi! Now!
Lest there be no tomorrow for me!
O, Spirit of truth and wisdom,
Spirit of understanding and counsel,
Spirit of joy and peace!
I want what You want,
I want it because You want it,
I want it as You want it,
I want it when You want it.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 25 June – Monday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 7:1-5 & The Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye”
Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth. Each person finds his good by adherence to God’s plan for him, in order to realise it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. Jn 8:32)…
Charity is love received and given. It is “grace”. Its source is the wellspring of the Father’s love for the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Love comes down to us from the Son. It is creative love, through which we have our being; it is redemptive love, through which we are recreated. Love is revealed and made present by Christ (cf. Jn 13:1) and “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). As the objects of God’s love, men and women become subjects of charity, they are called to make themselves instruments of grace, so as to pour forth God’s charity and to weave networks of charity.
This dynamic of charity received and given is what gives rise to the Church’s social teaching…: the proclamation of the truth of Christ’s love in society. This doctrine is a service to charity but its locus is truth… Development, social well-being, the search for a satisfactory solution to the grave socio-economic problems besetting humanity, all need this truth. What they need even more is that this truth should be loved and demonstrated. Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalised society at difficult times like the present….Pope Benedict XVIEncyclical « Caritas in veritate
“To illustrate this view of Maximus’ ministry in his city, I would like to point out for example Sermons 17 and 18, dedicated to an ever timely topic: wealth and poverty in Christian communities. In this context too, the city was fraught with serious tensions. Riches were accumulated and hidden. “No one thinks about the needs of others”, the Bishop remarked bitterly in his 17th Sermon. “In fact, not only do many Christians not share their own possessions but they also rob others of theirs. Not only, I say, do they not bring the money they collect to the feet of the apostles but in addition, they drag from priests’ feet their own brethren who are seeking help”. And he concluded:“In our cities there are many guests or pilgrims. Do what you have promised adhering to faith, so that what was said to Ananias will not be said to you as well: “You have not lied to men but to God'”(Sermon 17, 2-3).”…Pope Benedict Homily on St Maximus 31 October 2007
Quote/s of the Day 25 June – The Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)
“At Christmas He was born a man; today He is reborn sacramentally. Then He was born from the Virgin; today He is born in mystery. When He was born a man, His mother Mary held Him close to her heart; when He is born in mystery, God the Father embraces Him with His voice when he says: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: listen to Him. The mother caresses the tender baby on her lap; the Father serves His Son by His loving testimony. The mother holds the child for the Magi to adore; the Father reveals that His Son is to be worshiped by all the nations.”
“The light of Christ is an endless day that knows no night.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 June – Monday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”…Matthew 7:5
REFLECTION – “Let us especially resolve not to judge others, not to doubt their good will, to drown evil in an abundance of good, sowing loyal friendship, justice and peace all around us.”… St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
PRAYER – God of power and mercy, be with us in our endeavours to be true to Your commandments and be light in our world. Grant that we may always act in true humility towards our neighbour, assisting where we are able without allowing our hearts to pass judgment on things we do not see and understand. May our Mother Mary be with us and lead us to the truth of Her Son. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 25 June – Monday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
O Light Eternal Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O Light eternal,
surpassing all created brightness,
flash forth the lightning from above
and enlighten the inmost recesses of my heart.
Cleanse, cheer, enlighten
and vivify my spirit with all its powers,
that it may cleave to You in ecstasies of joy.
Oh, when will that happy
and wished-for hour come,
that You may fill me with Your presence
and become all in all to me?
So long as this is not given me,
my joy will not be complete.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, B
John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity—total dependence on the Father, in Christ. Except for the Mother of God, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than he, for the pure gift that the Father gives. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil—all stem from his fundamental and total placing of his life within the will of God.
The Benedictus, below, is prayed every morning in the Breviary and so, the Church remembers this “forerunner of Jesus” at the beginning of every day. The opening words of this Canticle are the source of its Latin title, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel”.
What does it mean for Catholics, that we sing this song about John the Baptists at the start of every new day? After having been “silenced” by sleep throughout the night, God opens our mouths and one of the first things we do, is to sing this blessing of God, whose dawn breaks forth to shine on us and guide our way to peace.
In the Benedictus, we join ourselves to the mission of St John the Baptist, who came to prepare a way for the Lord by being a witness of God’s salvation, living a simple and penitential life and calling others to do the same. Our work each day, then, is to use our voice – like Zechariah and his son – and the witness of our lives, to make God’s presence known wherever we go and to whom whomever we encounter.
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 us.
So His love for our fathers is fulfilled
and His holy covenant remembered.
He swore to our father Abraham, our father, to grant us,
that free from fear and saved 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 us into the way of peace.
Glory 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 Israel.
Sunday Reflection – 24 June – Help to Holiness by St Alphonsus Liquori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
St Alphonsus helps us, with:
Help To Holiness – Desire And Resolution
Holiness means loving God.
To love God, we must first desire to love Him.
If we do not want something, we will, certainly go to little trouble to obtain it!
So it is with the love of God.
He that has a small wish to advance in divine love will become lukewarm and, continuing this tepidity,
will soon fall totally away from God.
On the other hand whoever aspires after holines, and makes daily efforts to advance, will, little by little, attain it.
Saint Teresa assures us:
God leaves no deisre without its reward.
But let us not trust to our own efforts, to advance in holiness but hope for all, from and through God.
He will give us strength which, of course, we do not possess. I can do all things in him who strengthen me.
Philippians 4:13
Many desire holiness but never take the means to gain it!
They want to do great penance and practice great prayer,
but such desires are mere fancies.
Saint Teresa often said: The devil has no dread of irresolute souls.
RESOLUTIONS
Let us then fix our minds in the ways of God.
Let us resolve to meditate each day on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us resign ourselves in peace to God’s plan for us.
Let us endeavour, in the time remaining to us, to give all to God.
Jesus has given Himself to us,
may God help us to give ourselves to Him.
Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, B
“The true secret of love consists in this: we must forget self like St John the Baptist and exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus.”
St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
“His name is John” (Lk 1:63) …which in Hebrew means “God is benevolent”. God is benevolent to human beings, He wants them to live; He wants them to be saved. God is benevolent to His people, He wants to make of them a blessing, for all the nations of the earth. God is benevolent to humanity, He guides its pilgrim way, towards the land, where peace and justice reign. All this is contained in that name: John!”
“Look today to John the Baptist, an enduring model of fidelity to God and His Law. John prepared the way for Christ, by the testimony of his word and his life. Imitate him with docile and trusting generosity.”
One Minute Reflection – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, B
“He was a burning and shining lamp”…John 5:35
REFLECTION – “Our Lord says that John is a lamp: “He was a burning and shining lamp” (Jn 5:35). But the light of a lamp pales, when the sun shines, it’s flame dies down, overcome by an even more radiant light. What sensible person uses a lamp in full sunlight?… Who would still come for John’s baptism of repentance (Mk 1:4) when Jesus’ baptism brings salvation?… St Maximus of Turin (?-c 420) Bishop – Sermon 99 ; PL 57, 535
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You sent St John the Baptist, to the people of Israel to make them ready for Christ the Lord. Give us the grace of joy in the Spirit and guide the hearts of all the faithful, in the way of salvation and peace, as they harken to the voice of John, the Lord’s herald and bring them safely to Jesus, whom John foretold. St John the Baptist, may your intercession for the Church, bring us to the Light and the Way. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever amen.
Our Morning Offering – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
Prayer Before Holy Communion By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy,
that You should come into my soul
but I am glad that You will come to me,
because in Your loving kindness,
You desire to dwell in me.
You ask me to open the door of my soul,
which You alone have created,
so that You may enter into it,
with Your loving kindness
and dispel the darkness of my mind.
I believe that You will do this
for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene
when she approached You in tears.
Neither did You withhold forgiveness
from the tax collector,
who repented of his sins,
or from the good thief,
who asked to be received into Your kingdom.
Indeed, You numbered as Your friends
all who came to You with repentant hearts.
O God, You alone are blessed always,
now and forever.
Amen
The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist – 24 June. Patronages – Baptism; bird dealers; converts; against convulsions; convulsive children; cutters; epilepsy; epileptics; farriers; hail; hailstorms; Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Malta; lambs; lovers; monastic life; motorways; printers, spasms; tailors; Genoa, Italy; Quebec; Sassano, Italy; Diocese of Savannah, Georgia; Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina; Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas; Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey; Diocese of Portland, Maine.
“Today, 24 June, we are celebrating the Solemnity of St John the Baptist. He is the only saint — with the exception of the Virgin Mary — whose birth the liturgy celebrates and it does so because it is closely connected with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, from the time when he was in his mother’s womb, John was the precursor of Jesus: the Angel announced to Mary his miraculous conception as a sign that “nothing is impossible to God” (Lk 1:37), six months before the great miracle that brings us salvation, God’s union with man, brought about by the Holy Spirit.
The four Gospels place great emphasis on the figure of John the Baptist, the prophet who concludes the Old Testament and inaugurates the New, by identifying Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the Anointed One of the Lord. In fact, Jesus Himself was to speak of John in these terms: “This is he of whom it is written ‘Behold I send my messenger before your face, / who shall prepare your way before you. Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he!” (Mt 11:10-11).
John’s father, Zechariah — Elizabeth’s husband and a relative of Mary — was a priest of Old Testament worship, he did not immediately believe in the announcement of such an unexpected fatherhood. This is why he was left mute until the day of the circumcision of the child to whom he and his wife gave the name God had indicated to them, that is, John, which means “graced by God”. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke thus of his son’s mission: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” (Lk 1:76-77).
All this came to pass 30 years later when John began baptising people in the River Jordan, calling them to prepare themselves with this act of penance for the imminent coming of the Messiah, which God had revealed to them during their wanderings in the desert of Judaea. This is why he was called the “Baptist”, the “Baptiser” (cf. Mt 3:1-6). When one day Jesus himself came from Nazareth to be baptised, John at first refused but then consented; he saw the Holy Spirit settle on Jesus and heard the voice of the heavenly Father proclaiming him His Son (cf. Mt 3:13-17). However, the Baptist’s mission was not yet complete. Shortly afterwards he was also asked to precede Jesus in a violent death: John was beheaded in King Herod’s prison and thus bore a full witness to the Lamb of God who had recognised him and publicly pointed him out beforehand.
Dear friends, the Virgin Mary helped her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth when she was expecting John to bring her pregnancy to completion. May she help all people to follow Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, whom the Baptist proclaimed with deep humility and prophetic fervour.”….Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, 24 June 2012
Here is a great sermon from St Augustine on the reason for this Solemnity: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/06/24/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist-24-june/
Thought for the Day – 23 June – The Memorial of St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)
Fr Cafasso was truly a man of God, a holy priest. All his words and acts breathed forth the delicious odour of celestial virtue. Some saw in him a resemblance to St Philip Neri on account of his humility, others to St Alphonsus Liguori for his learning, others to St Vincent de Paul for his devotion to the poor and those in prison, others to St Aloysius Gonzaga for the innocence and purity of his life, others to St Francis de Sales for his burning love for God and his gentleness of manner, others to the Cure of Ars for the austerity of his life and his work in the Confessional.
Devotion to the Eucharist gave energy to all Joseph’s other activities. Long prayer before the Blessed Sacrament has been characteristic of many Catholics who have lived out the Gospel well. His great devotions were: to the Passion, to the Sacred Heart, to the Mass, to the Stations of the Cross, to the Blessed Sacrament, to our Blessed Lady, to St Joseph, to many of the Saints, to the Souls in Purgatory in whose favour he recommended the his works and sufferings.
But the most telling element of his life, the one we should learn most from, was his compassion. St Joseph realised that harshness with the weak, only does harm – for what straw can stand up in a gale? It was his consummate compassion that was noted by everyone and he could face the most hardened criminals with his easy laugh and gentle manner. He knew, that it is LOVE alone that conquers!
AnaStpaul 
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