Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … We are preferred to them …’

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One Minute Reflection –30 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31 – John 6:1-15 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“When the people, therefore, had seen the sign which Jesus had worked, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet Who is to come into the world..” – John 6:14

REFLECTION – “Governing the entire universe, is a greater miracle, than feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread, yet no-one marvels at it. People marvel at the feeding of the five thousand, not because this miracle is greater but because, it is out of the ordinary. Who is even now providing nourishment for the whole world if not the God, Who creates a field of wheat from a few seeds?! Christ did what God does. Just as God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, so Christ multiplied the five loaves in His Hands. For there was power in the Hands of Christ. Those five loaves were like seeds, not because they were cast on the earth but because, they were multiplied by the One Who made the earth!

This miracle was presented to our senses, in order to stimulate our minds … and so make us marvel at “the God we do not see because of His works, which we do see” (Rom 1:20). For then, when we have been raised to the level of faith and purified by faith, we shall long to behold, although not with our eyes, the invisible God Whom we recognise, through what is visible.  This miracle was performed for the multitude to see; it was recorded for us to hear. Faith does for us, what sight did for them. We behold with the mind, what our eyes cannot see and we are preferred to them because of us, it was said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20:29).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on Saint John’s gospel, 24).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who justly suffer for our sins may find relief in the help of Thy grace.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the KING Prayers, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Be Thou My Vision

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Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Be Thou My Vision
By St Dallan Forgaill (c530- 598)
Martyr

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy Presence my Light.

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my Battle-shield, Sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, First in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

St Dallan here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/29/saint-of-the-day-29-january-st-dallan-forgaill-c-530-598/

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 March – “Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

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One Minute Reflection – 29 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” –Saturday of the 3rd Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 – John 8:1-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

REFLECTION – “One after another all withdrew.”
The two were left alone, the woman in need of mercy and Mercy.
But the Lord, having struck them through with that dart of justice, deigned not to heed their fall but, turning His eyes away from them, “again He wrote with His Finger on the ground.”

But when that woman remained alone and all had gone, He raised His eyes to her. We have heard the Voice of Justice; let us listen too to the voice of clemency…
This woman expected to be punished by Him, in Whom sin could not be found.
But He, Who had driven back her adversaries, with the Voice of Justice, lifting the eyes of mercy to her, asked her: “Has no-one condemned you?” She answered, “No-one, Lord.”
And He said: “Neither do I condemn thee. I, by Whom, perhaps, thou wast afraid of being condemned because thou hast found no sin in Me; neither do I condemn thee.”

What is this, O Lord?
Do you favour sins, then?
Certainly not!
But take note of what follows: “Go, henceforth, sin no more.”
The Lord did condemn, therefore but He condemned the sin, not the sinner … Let them be careful, then, those who love the goodness in the Lord but who fear His truthfulness…
The Lord is gracious, the Lord is slow to anger, the Lord is merciful BUT the Lord is also just and the Lord is abounding in truth (Ps 85:15).
He gives you time for amendment but you prefer to take advantage of the delay, rather than to reform your ways.
Did you act wickedly yesterday? Be good today. Have you spent today in evil? At any rate change your behaviour tomorrow!

This, then, is the meaning of the words He addresses to this woman,  “Neither do I condemn you but, having been made secure concerning the past, be on your guard in the future. I, for My part, will not condemn you, I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded, that you may gain what I have promised.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace –Tractate 33 on the Gospel of John, 5-8

PRAYER – O Infinite Goodness – Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Doctor of the Church

O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved,
for having offended Thee
and with my whole heart,
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more because I have offended Thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who art worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of Thy grace,
never more to offend Thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle, Refuge of Sinners By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent,

Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 March – ‘ … Leave behind earthly sandals. …’ St Ambrose

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One Minute Reflection – 28 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Friday in the 3rd Week in Lent – St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14 – Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor sack, nor bread, nor money; neither have two tunics.” – Luke 9:3

REFLECTION – “This is a great vision. But if you wish to see it, remove the sandals from your feet. Remove every chain of sin. Remove the chains of the world. Leave behind earthly sandals. Jesus sent the Apostles without sandals, without money, gold and silver, so that they would not carry earthly things with them. The one who seeks to do good is praised, not for his sandals but for the swiftness and grace of his feet.  The Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Therefore, remove the sandals from your feet, that they may be beautiful for preaching the Gospel!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Flight From the World 5).

PRAYER – O God, Who, through blessed John, made Thy faithful people conquer the enemies of the Cross by the power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his intercession we may avoid the snares of our spiritual enemies and may be found worthy to receive from Thee, the crown of justice. Through esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Salvete Christi Vulnera – Hail, Holy Wounds of Jesus, Hail!

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Our Morning Offering – 28 March – The Feast of the Holy Five Wounds

Salvete Christi Vulnera
Hail, Holy Wounds of Jesus, Hail!
Anonymous Latin Hymn, 17th Century

Hail, holy Wounds of Jesus, hail,
Sweet pledges of the saving Rood,
Whence flow the streams that never fail,
The purple streams of His dear Blood.

Brighter than brightest stars ye show,
Than sweetest rose Thy scent more rare,
No Indian gem may match Thy glow,
No honeys’ taste with Thine compare.

Portals ye are to that dear home
Wherein our wearied souls may hide,
Whereto no angry foe can come,
The Heart of Jesus Crucified.

What countless stripes our Jesus bore,
All naked left in Pilate’s hall!
From His torn flesh flow red a shower
Did round His sacred person fall!

His beauteous brow, oh, shame and grief,
By the sharp Thorny Crown is riven;
Through Hands and Feet, without relief,
The cruel nails are rudely driven.

But when for our poor sakes He Died,
A willing Priest by love subdued,
The soldier’s Lance transfixed His side,
Forth flowed the Water and the Blood.

In full atonement of our guilt,
Careless of self, the Saviour trod
Even till His Heart’s best Blood was spilled
The wine-press of the wrath of God.

Come, bathe you in the healing flood,
All ye who mourn, by sin opprest;
Your only hope is Jesus’ Blood,
His Sacred Heart your only rest.

All praise to Him, the Eternal Son,
At God’s right hand enthroned above,
Whose Blood our full redemption won,
Whose Spirit seals the gift of love.

Office Hymn at Lauds on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood and for the Fridays of Lent.
Translated by – Henry Nutcombe Oxenham (1829-1888) for whom I find little information.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENVY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – ‘ … The nature of an envious person is such, that he makes the praises of others food for his own disease …’

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One Minute Reflection – 27 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Thursday of the Third Week in Lent – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Wisdom 10:10-17 – Luke 6:6-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“On another Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and was teaching and there was a man whose right hand was withered. ” – Luke 6:6

REFLECTION – “ The miracle sometimes converts to faith those who had disbelieved the word but the Pharisees watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.  The nature of an envious person is such, that he makes the praises of others food for his own disease and is wickedly maddened by their reputation.  Once more He spoke thus;  “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”  And why did He do this? Perhaps it might be to move the cruel and unpitying Pharisee to compassion. The man’s malady [his withered hand] perhaps might shame them and persuade them to dispel the flames of their envy.

This question is most wise indeed and a most suitable statement to meet their folly. If it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath and nothing prevents the sick being pitied by God, cease picking up opportunities for fault-finding against Christ and bringing down, on your own head, the sentence which the Father has decreed, against those who dishonour the Son. You have heard the Father where He says of the Son, by the voice of David, “I will crush His foes before Him and strike down those who hate Him.” But, if it is not lawful to do good on the Sabbath and the law forbids the saving of life, you have made yourself an accuser of the law.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church. Doctor of the Incarnation (Known a\s the Pillar of Faith) – (Commentary on Luke, Homily 23)

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who to defend the honour paid to sacred images, filled blessed John with heavenly learning and wondrous strength of soul, grant that, by his intercession and example, we may imitate the virtues of those whose images we honour and may enjoy the help of their patronage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – Hail, Most Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord!

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Our Morning Offering – 27 March – The Feastday of St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

Hail, Most Precious
and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord!
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Confessor, Father
and Doctor of the Church

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered
and let those, who hate Him,
flee from His Presence.
As smoke vanishes, let them vanish
and as wax melts by the presence of fire,
so let the demons perish by the presence
of those who love God
and who sign themselves
with the Sign of the Cross
and say in gladness:
Hail, Most Precious
and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord,
for Thou drives away the demons
by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ
Crucified on thee, Who went down to hell
and trampled on the power of the devil
and gave us thee, His venerable Cross,
for driving away all enemies.
O Most Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord,
help me, with our holy Lady,
the Virgin Mother of God
and with all the Saints, throughout the ages.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 March – – ‘But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace?’ – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 26 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Exodus 20:12-24 – Matthew 15:1-20 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hypocrites, well did Isaias prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from Me and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrine, the precepts of men.’ ” – Matthew 15:7

REFLECTION – “The law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death” (Rm 8:2) … Saint Paul says that the Law of Moses has been given to prove our weakness and not just to prove it but, to increase it and thus, force us to find the Doctor. … “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rm 5:20; cf 3:20) … But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace?  Because it was written on tablets of stone, not the tablets of flesh, that are our hearts (2 Cor 3:3) ….

It is the Holy Spirit Who writes “the Law of the Spirit of life” not on stone but in the heart; this Law of the Spirit oL life that is in Jesus Christ in Whom the Passover has been celebrated in truth (1 Cor 5:7-8), has delivered you from the law of sin and death.  Do you want to have proof, of the manifest and certain difference separating the Old Testament from the New? … Hear what the Lord spoke by the mouth of one of the Prophets. … ”I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts” (Jr 31:33). So if God’s Law is written in your heart, it does not bring forth fear [as at Sinai] but pours a secret sweetness into your soul.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 155, 6 ).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – – ‘… Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Mary said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.” – Luke 1:38

REFLECTION – “You have heard, O Virgin, that you are to conceive and bring forth a Son and that this will not be through the power of man but, by the virtue of the Holy Spirit. The Angel awaits your reply, for it is time that he should return to God Who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for a word of mercy, we, who are groaning under the sentence of condemnation. See, the price of our salvation is offered to you; if you consent, we shall at once be delivered. By the Eternal Word of God were we all created and behold, we will all die. By your brief answer, we shall be refreshed and recalled to life! …

Hasten, then, O Lady, to give your answer; hasten to speak the word so longed for by all on earth, in limbo and in Heaven. Yes, the King and Lord of all things, Who has “greatly desired your beauty” (Ps 44:12), desires, as eagerly, your word of consent by which He has purposed to save the world. He, Whom you pleased by your silence, will be yet more pleased by your reply. Hark! He calls to you from Heaven – “O most beautiful among women, let me hear your voice” (Sg 1:8; 2:14) … Answer the Angel quickly, then; yes, through the Angel give your consent to your God. Answer one syllable, receive the Word; utter your own word and conceive that which is Divine. Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting! …”

“Behold,” she says, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily 4 on the “Missus est” [He was sent] #8-9).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly, the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

Our Morning Offering – 25 March – Blessed Shall be Her Name

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Our Morning Offering – 25 March – The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise You and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March –  ‘… By the word of an Angel …’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” –Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel – Daniel 9:21-26 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “So the Lord now manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order which He Himself bears, He, by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed that which was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.

The power of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken, when the Angel in truth, brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal, belonged to a man.  For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.

The former was seduced to disobey God and so fell but, the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.

As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the Dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the Mystery of Thy Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Hail Gabriel, Hail, a Thousand Hails!

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Our Morning Offering – 24 March – The Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel

Hail Gabriel, Hail, a Thousand Hails!
By Fr Fr Frederick W Faber CO (1814-1863)

Hail Gabriel, hail, a thousand hails
For thine whose music still prevails
To charm the list’ning ear;
Angelic word, sent forth to tell
How He the Eternal Word should dwell
Amid His creatures here.

Heaven’s voice of sweetness, uttered low,
Thy words like strains of music grow
Upon the stilly night;
Clear echoes from the mind of God
Which steal through Mary’s blest abode
In pulses of delight.

O voice, dear voice, the ages hear
That hail of thine, still ling’ring near,
An unexhausted song
And still, thou com’st with balmy wing
And still, thou sweetly seem’st to sing,
Thine Ave to prolong.

Take up in Heaven, for us thy part
And singing to the Sacred Heart,
Thy strains of rapture raise
And tune with endless Ave still
The voices of the Blest and fill,
The ear of God, with praise.

The Above is an excerpt from Fr Faber’s 14 stanza Hymn.
Tune: “Pembroke” J. Foster, 1807-1885.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” – Luke 11:17

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – The Third Sunday in Lent – Ephesians 5:1-9 – Luke 11:14-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” – Luke 11:17

REFLECTION – “No-one can have God as his father, if he does not have the Church as his mother… The Lord warned us of this when He said: “Whoever is not with Me, is against Me and whoever does not gather together with Me, scatters.”  The person who breaks the peace and concord of Christ, acts against Christ; the person who gathers together, outside of the Church, scatters the Church of Christ.

The Lord said: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30) It is also written of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost: “These Three are One.” (1 Jn 5:7) From now on, who can believe, that the unity which has its origin in this Divine harmony which is linked with this heavenly Mystery, can be divided up in the Church … through conflicts of will? Whoever does not observe this unity, neither observes the law of God, nor faith, in the Father and the Son – he keeps neither life, nor salvation.

In the Gospel, this sacrament of unity, this bond of concord, in indissoluble cohesion, is shown us through the Lord’s Tunic. It could neither be divided nor torn but they drew lots, so as to know who would put on Christ (Jn 19:24) … It is the symbol of unity which comes from on high!” – St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church (On the unity of the Church).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, Almighty God, hear the prayers of the humble and stretch forth the right hand of Thine majesty to protect us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – God of Mercy and Compassion

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – The Third Sunday in Lent

God of Mercy and Compassion
By Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Composer

God of mercy and compassion,
Look with pity upon me,
Father, let me call Thee Father,
‘Tis Thy child returns to Thee.

Refrain:
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy.
Let me not implore in vain,
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.

By my sins I have deserved
Death and endless misery,
Hell with all its pains and torments,
And for all eternity.
(Refrain)

By my sins I have abandoned
Right and claim to heav’n above.
Where the Saints rejoice forever
In a boundless sea of love.
(Refrain)

See our Saviour, bleeding, dying,
On the cross of Calvary;
To that Cross my sins have nail’d Him,
Yet He bleeds and dies for me.
(Refrain)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 March –  “I shall arise and shall go to my Father” – Luke 15:18

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One Minute Reflection – 22 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent –Ferial Day – Genesis 27:6-40 – Luke 15:11-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I shall arise and shall go to my Father” – Luke 15:18

REFLECTION – “As the prodigal son, I will return to my Father’s house and I will be welcomed back home. I shall do the same, as he did – will the Father not grant my prayer too? O forgiving Father, here I am at Thy door and I knock, open to me, let me enter, so that I may not ruin myself, go away and die! Thou made me Thy heir and I neglected my inheritance and squandered my goods – from now on, may I be as a mercenary and as a servant to Thee.

As of the tax collector, have mercy on me and I shall live by Thy grace! O Son of God, forgive my sins as Thou did with the adulteress. Save me from the waves, as Thou did with Peter. Have mercy on my lowness, as Thou did for the good criminal and remember me! O Lord, come search for me, like the lost sheep and Thou will find me; carry me on Thy shoulders, Lord, to the house of Thy Father.

As Thou didst, with the blind man, open my eyes that I may see Thy Light! As for the deaf, open my ears, that I may hear Thy Voice! As for the paralytic, heal my disability so that I may praise Thy Name. As for the leper, cleanse me of my sin with Thy hyssop (cf Ps 50:9). As the young girl, the daughter of Jairus, make me live, our Lord. As Peter’s mother-in-law, heal me, for I am sick. As the young boy, the widow’s son, raise me up, that I may stand up again. As Thou did with Lazarus, cry out to me with Thy Own Voice and undo my bandages. For I am dead because of sin, like as for a sickness, raise me up from my ruin that I may praise Thy Name!

I beg Thee, Lord of Heaven and earth, come save me and show me Thy Way, so that I may come towards Thee. Bring me back to Thee, Son of the Good Lord and fill me with Thy Mercy. I will come to Thee and then will I be filled with joy!” – St Jacob of Sarug (c451-521) Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Father (A poem).

PRAYER – Grant that our fasting may be beneficial to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that by chastising our flesh, we may obtain strength for our souls. Through tJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, GOD ALONE!, LENT, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – A Lenten Offering

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Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent

 Lenten Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this Lent
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its Infinite Merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask of Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day
be united together in Heaven,
for all eternity.
Amen

Posted in Lady POVERTY, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 March – ‘ … Oh! how holy and rich is the impoverishment which is caused by almsgiving! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 21 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Feast of the Holy Shroud – St Benedict OSB (c 480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism.–Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6 – Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “The possessions which we have, are not our own –God has given them to us to cultivate and He wishes us to render them fruitful and profitable … Always deprive yourself, therefore, of some part of your means, giving them to the poor with a willing heart … It is true that God will return it to you, not only in the next world but also in this, for there is nothing which makes a person prosper, in temporal matters, so much, as almsgiving. But until such time as God shall repay it, you will always be impoverished to that extent. Oh! how holy and rich is the impoverishment which is caused by almsgiving!

Love the poor and poverty, for by this love you will become truly poor, since, as Scripture says: “We become like the things which we love” (cf Hos 9:10). Love makes those who love, equal to one another: “Who is weak and I am not weak?” says St Paul (2 Cor 11:29). He might have said: “Who is poor, with whom I am not poor?” For love made him become, such as those whom he loved. If, then, you love the poor, you will be truly participating in their poverty and poor like them. Now, if you love the poor, be often among them; be pleased to see them in your house and to visit them in theirs; associate willingly with them; be glad that they are near you in the Churches, in the streets and elsewhere. Be poor in speech with them, speaking to them as their equal but be rich in deed, giving them of your goods, as one who possesses more abundantly.

Will you do even more? … Become a servant of the poor; go to serve them … with your own hands … and at your own expense. This service has more glory in it than a throne!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Introduction to the devout life, Part three Ch 15).

PRAYER – May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedict, commend us to Thee, O Lord, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. T hrough Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 21 March – Faithful Cross! Above All Other

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Our Morning Offering – 21 March – The Feast of the Holy Shroud of Jesus

Faithful Cross! Above All Other
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

Faithful Cross! above all other,
one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
for awhile the ancient rigour
that thy birth bestowed, suspend
and the King of heavenly beauty
gently on thine arms extend.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
One in might and One in glory
while eternal ages run.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Lady POVERTY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 March –True Wealth, True Poverty

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One Minute Reflection – 20 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Ferial Day – Thursday in the Second Week in Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10 – Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The poor man died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham, far off and Lazarus in his bosom. …” – Luke 16:22-23

REFLECTION – “When I say that God does not incline His ear to the rich man, do not go so far as to think, my friends that God fails to answer those who have gold and silver, servants and lands.
If they were born in that state and occupy that class of society, let them call to mind the saying of the Apostle Paul:
“Tell the rich in the present world, not to yield to pride” (1Tm 6:17).
People who do not yield to pride are poor before God, Who inclines His ear to the poor and needy (Ps 85:1).
Indeed, they know their hope does not lie in gold or silver, or in those things, of which they have an abundance, for a time.
It suffices that possessions are not causing their loss and that, if they do nothing for their salvation, at least they are not an obstacle to it … Therefore, when someone despises those things which feed one’s pride, he is one of God’s poor and God inclines His ear towards him, for He knows the troubles of his heart.

It is true, my brethren that the poor man Lazarus, covered with sores, who lay at the rich man’s door, was carried by Angels into the bosom of Abraham.
This is what we read and believe.
Whereas ,the rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted splendidly everyday, was thrown down to the torments of hell.

But was it really the merit of his destitution which won for the poor man, his being carried away by Angels?
And was the rich man delivered up to torment because of his lavish lifestyle?
We need to acknowledge that it was humility which was honoured in that poor man and pride which was punished in the rich man!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church(Discourses on the Psalms 85,3).

PRAYER – In Thy mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and since Thou have given them the desire to serve Thee, lend a gracious ear to their prayers.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PARTIAL Indulgence, PLENARY Indulgences, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 20 March – Look Down, O Lord By St Cajetan (Indulgenced)

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Our Morning Offering – 20 March – Thursday after the Second Sunday in Lent

Look Down, O Lord
By St Cajetan (1480-1547)

Look down, O Lord, from Thy sanctuary
and from the high habitation of Heaven
and behold this Sacred Oblation
which our great High Priest,
Thy Holy Servant, the Lord Jesus,
immolates unto Thee, for the sins of His brethren
and be propitious to the multitude of our iniquities.
Behold, the Voice
of the Blood of Jesus, our Brother,
cries to Thee from the Cross.
Graciously hear, O Lord,
be appeased, O Lord, hearken and do.
Delay not for Thy own sake, my God
because Thy Name is invoked upon this city
and upon Thy people
and do with us,
according to Thy mercy.
Amen

Plenary Indulgence on the First Thursday of each month for Communicants visiting the Blessed Sacrament
and reciting this prayer.
Partial Indulgence of seven years and seven Quarantines,
on all other Thursdays. –Pope Pius VII.
“Quarantines” signifies a strict Ecclesiastical penance of forty days, performed according to the practice of the early Church. Hence an Indulgence of “Seven Quarantines,” for instance, implies. the remission of as much temporal punishment, as would be blotted out by the corresponding amount of Ecclesiastical Penance i.e. 7 x 40 = 280 days.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Lady POVERTY, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on WISDOM, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 March – ‘… God gave him His most glorious Son to care for …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 March – “The Month and the Feastday of Saint Joseph” – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6 – Matthew 1:18-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep …” – Matthew 1:20

REFLECTION – “How faithful in humility was the great Saint we are celebrating! That cannot be said in all its perfection for, in spite of what he was, in what poverty and lowliness he lived, all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed, his great virtues and dignity! … Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came, beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank, to behold and wonder at his humility, while he sheltered that dearest Child in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment, so as to feed the little Boy and the mother entrusted to him.

There is no doubt at all that St Joseph was braver than David and wiser that Solomon [who were his ancestors]. Nevertheless, seeing him reduced to the exercise of carpentry, who could have discerned this, unless they were enlightened by a heavenly light, so hidden did he keep the remarkable gifts with which God had favoured him? And what wisdom did he not have? For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for … the universal Prince of Heaven and earth … Nevertheless, you can see how low and humbled he was brought, more than can be said or imagined … he went to his own Country and Town of Bethlehem and none but he was turned away from all those inns … Notice how the Angel turns him about with both hands. He tells him, he has to go to Egypt and he goes; he orders him to return and he returns. God wants him to be always poor … and he submits to it with love and, not only for a while, for he was poor his whole life long!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Conferences No 20)

PRAYER – May the merits of Thy most holy Mother’s Spouse help us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that through his intercession we may receive what we cannot obtain by our own efforts. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, PRAYERS to the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 19 March – Glorious St Joseph!

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Our Morning Offering – 19 March – “The Month and the Feastday of Saint Joseph”

Glorious St Joseph!
Prayer for the Intercession
of St Joseph in All Our Needs
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
grant us thy paternal protection,
we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ.
O thou, whose power extends
to all our necessities
and can render possible for us,
the most impossible things.
Open thy fatherly eyes
to the needs of thy children.
In the trouble and distress
which afflicts us,
we confidently have recourse to thee.
Deign to take under thy charitable charge
this important and difficult matter,
cause of our worries.
Make its happy outcome
be for God’s glory
and for the good of His devoted servants.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 March – ‘ … The whole world is divided against itself, for the sake of faith in Christ. …’St Jerome

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One Minute Reflection – 18 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church – Ecclesiasticus 39:6-14 – Matthew 10:23-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” … Matthew 10:27

REFLECTION – “He had said previously, “What I tell you in the dark, declare in the light and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.” He now explains what follows after this proclamation.  The whole world is divided against itself, for the sake of faith in Christ. Every house contains both unbelievers and believers. And a necessary conflict has been sent to break an evil peace.  It is written in Genesis, God did a similar thing to the rebellious people who streamed out of the east and rushed to build a tower, by which they meant to reach the heights of Heaven. God divided their languages. For this same reason, David prays in the Psalm, “O God, scatter the peoples who delight in war.” – St Jerome (343-420) Priest, Monk, Translator of the Sacred Scriptures into Latin, Father and one of the original 4 Doctors of the Latin Church (Commentary on Matthew 1)

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, through the intercession of the blessed Bishop Cyril, so to acknowledge Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou have sent, that we may be found worthy to be forever numbered among the sheep who hear His Voice.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 18 March – In Thy Name By St John Chrysostom

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Our Morning Offering – 18 March – Tuesday after the Second Sunday in Lent

In Thy Name
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Oh Almighty God,
Who hast given us grace
at this time, with one accord,
to make our common
supplications unto Thee
and hast promised that,
when two or three are gathered together
in Thy Name,
Thou wilt grant their requests,
fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of Thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us, in this world,
knowledge of Thy Truth
and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 March – “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

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One Minute Reflection – 17 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – St Patrick (c386-461) “The Apostle of Ireland,” Bishop, Confessor – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 44:16-27 – 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “The Word of the Father, Only-begotten Son of God, Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20), is the great Merchant Who has brought us the price of our redemption. It is a truly precious exchange which we can never value sufficiently, when a King, Son of the King Most High, has become the Coin, the Gold has paid our dues, the Just Man is given for the sinner. Truly unmerited mercy, perfectly disinterested love, astonishing goodness …, it is a completely disproportionate purchase, in which the Son of God is delivered up for the servant, the Creator is put to death for the one He has created, the Lord is condemned for His slave.

O Christ, these are Thine Works, Thou Who descended from Heaven’s brightness into our hellish darkness, to bring Light to our gloomy prison. Thou came down from the Right Hand of the Divine Majesty, into our human misery, to redeem the human race, Thou Who descended from the Father’s glory, to death on the Cross, to triumph over death and its author. Thou art the only One and there is no other but Thee Who could have been drawn to redeem us through Thine Own Goodness…

Let all the merchants of Teman (Bar 3:23) withdraw from this place … it is not they but Israel [Thy] beloved whom [Thou hast] chosen, Thou Who hide these mysteries from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to those babes and humble servants of Thine (Lk 10:21) … O Lord, I willingly embrace this purchase since it concerns me!… I remember all the things Thou hast done, Thou Who desire that I should keep them alive … Therefore, I shall profit by this talent which Thou hast lent to me until Thy return and will stand before Thee with great joy. O God, grant that I may then hear these sweet words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Mt 25:21).” – St Bernard O.Cist. (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, known as the Last Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church (Selected sermons, no 42: The Five Purchases).

PRAYER – O, God, Who graciously sent blessed Patrick, Thy Confessor and Bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations, grant through his merits and intercession that by Thy mercy, we may be able to accomplish what Thou command. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate

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Our Morning Offering – 17 March – St Patrick (c386-461) “The Apostle of Ireland,” Bishop, Confessor

Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate
(also known as “The Deer Cry”)

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
His Eye to watch, His Might to stay,
His Ear to hearken to my need;
the Wisdom of my God to teach,
His Hand to guide, His shield to ward;
the Word of God to give me speech,
His Heavenly Host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
the vice which gives temptation force,
the natural lusts which war within,
the hostile men who mar my course;
of few or many, far or nigh,
in every place and in all hours
against their fierce hostility, …….
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all who love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation:
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The TRANSFIGURATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 March – This is My Beloved Son ”’

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One Minute Reflection – 16 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” –The Second Sunday in Lent – Thessalonians 4:1-7 – Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And lo a Voice out of the cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased, hear ye Him.” –Matthew 17:5

REFLECTION – “He leads them up a high mountain to show them the glory of His Divinity and to let them know that He was Israel’s Saviour, as revealed by His Prophets … They saw Him eat and drink, get tired and rest, sleep, suffer anguish to the point where His sweat became like drops of blood, all things which did not seem to have much to do with His Divine nature but only, with his human nature. This is why He leads them up a high mountain, so that the Father may call Him “My Son” and show them He really was His Son and He is God.

He leads them up a high mountain and shows them His royalty before suffering, His power before dying, His glory before being insulted and His honour before undergoing ignominy. In this way, when He will be captured and Crucified, His Apostles will understand that He did not undergo this because of weakness but, to consent and willingly so, for the salvation of the world.

He leads them up a high mountain and shows them the glory of His Divinity, before His Resurrection. In this way, when He will rise from the dead in the glory of His Divinity, His disciples will testify that He did not receive this glory as a reward for having suffered – as if He needed to but thatH this gloryH belonged to Him long before the centuries, with the Father and in the Father as He Himself will say, as He approaches His voluntary Passion “Now glorify Me, Father, with Thyself, with the glory I had with Thee before the world began” (Jn 17:5).” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon at Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thy Only-begotten Son strengthened the Mysteries of faith, by the testimony of the fathers and, by the Voice coming down in a shining cloud, miraculously betokened the complete adoption of Thy children, mercifully grant that we, be made co-heirs with that King of glory and sharers in that same glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The TRANSFIGURATION

Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Lux Alma, Jesu – Light of the Anxious Heart by St Bernard

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Our Morning Offering – 16 March – The Second Sunday of Lent

Lux Alma, Jesu
Light of the Anxious Heart
By St Bernard (1091-1153).
Father & Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Light of the anxious heart,
Jesus, Thou dost appear,
To bid the gloom of guilt depart,
And shed Thy sweetness here.

Joyous is he, with whom,
God’s Word, Thou dost abide;
Sweet Light of our eternal home,
To fleshly sense denied.

Brightness of God above!
Unfathomable grace!
Thy presence be a fount of love
Within Thy chosen place.

To Thee, Whom children see,
The Father ever blest,
The Holy Spirit, One and Three,
Be endless praise addrest.

Translation by Cardinal Newman (1800-1890).
There are eight translations.
Liturgical Use: Hymn for Lauds on the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
This Hymn is a cento from St Bernard’s Jesu Dulcis Memoria.

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – ‘ … A greater proof than the impact and supernatural character of miracles! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – St Clement Mary Hofbauer CSsR (1751-1820) “The Apostle of Vienna” – Ember Saturday – Acts 1:15-26 Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I praise Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to little ones.” – Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “The fact that the all-powerful God has been able to humble Himself even to the humility of the human condition, constitutes a greater proof than the impact and supernatural character of miracles! Indeed, when Divine power effects something of great sublimity, this is, after a fashion, in conformity with and appropriate to God’s nature … On the other hand, that God descended even to our lowliness is, in a certain way, the expression of an overwhelming power which, is not in the least restrained, by what is contrary to its nature…

Neither the expanse of the heavens, the brightness of the stars, the governing of the universe, nor the harmony of created things, reveal the splendid power of God so much, as His indulgence, which leads Him to lower Himself to the weakness of our nature … God’s goodness, wisdom, justice and power, are revealed in His plans on our behalf: goodness in His Will to “save that which was lost” (Lk 19,10); wisdom and justice, in His manner of saving us; power in the fact, that Christ became “in the likeness of men” (Phil 2,7-8) and made Himself conformable to the humility of our nature.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church (Catechetical Discourse 23-26 ; SC 453).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and of blessed N.St Clement Mary Hofbauer and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).