Quote of the Day – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
“I look at Jesus in His Eucharist.
Could His love have provided
anything more beautiful?
If He is bread, let us too become bread…
let us give ourselves.”
Category: MORNING Prayers
Sunday Reflection – 17 June – Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Sunday Reflection – 17 June – Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
….What happens in Spring? Plants blossom, trees flower. I will ask you some questions. Can a sick tree or plant fully blossom if it is sick? No! Can a tree, a plant which is not watered by rain or artificially, blossom nicely? No. And can a tree and a plant whose roots have been removed or which have no roots flower? No. Without roots, can they flower? No! And this is a message: Christian life has to be a life that must blossom in works of charity, in doing what is good. But if you have no roots, you cannot blossom, and who is the root? Jesus ! If you are not with Jesus, there in the roots, you will not blossom. If you do not water your life with prayer and the sacraments, will you bear Christian flowers? No! Because prayer and the sacraments water the roots and our life blossoms. I hope that your Spring may be bloom beautifully, as blooming as Easter will be; blossoming with good works, virtue and doing good to others. Remember this, this is a very beautiful verse from my country: “What blossoms a tree bears come from what lies underneath it”. Never cut off Jesus’ roots.
During Mass, after breaking the consecrated Bread, that is the Body of Christ, the priest shows it to the faithful, inviting them to participate in the Eucharistic banquet. We know the words that ring out from the sacred altar: “Happy are those who are called to his Supper. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Inspired by a passage in the Book of Revelation — “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9): it says “marriage” because Jesus is the Spouse of the Church — this invitation calls us to experience intimate union with Christ, the source of joy and holiness. It is an invitation which brings happiness and at the same time spurs us to an examination of conscience enlightened by faith.
Although we are the ones who stand in procession to receive Communion; we approach the altar in a procession to receive communion, in reality it is Christ who comes towards us to assimilate us in Him. There is an encounter with Jesus! To nourish oneself of the Eucharist means to allow oneself to be changed by what we receive. Saint Augustine helps us understand this when he talks about the light he received when he heard Christ say to him: “I am the food of strong men; grow and you shall feed upon me; nor shall you convert me, like the food of your flesh, into you but you shall be converted into me” (Confessions VII, 10, 16: pl 32, 742).
Each time we receive Communion, we resemble Jesus more; we transform ourselves more fully into Jesus. As the Bread and the Wine are converted into the Body and Blood of the Lord, so too those who receive it with faith, are transformed into a living Eucharist.
You reply “Amen” to the priest who distributes the Eucharist saying “the Body of Christ”; that is, you recognise the grace and the commitment involved in becoming the Body of Christ. Because when you receive the Eucharist, you become the Body of Christ. This is beautiful; it is very beautiful. As it unites us to Christ, tearing us away from our selfishness, Communion opens us and unites us to all those who are a single thing in Him. This is the wonder of Communion: we become what we receive!
Let us approach the Eucharist: receiving Jesus who transforms us into Him makes us stronger. The Lord is so good and so great!
Pope Francis, General Audience, 21 March 2018
One Minute Reflection – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
One Minute Reflection – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”….Matthew 6:19-21
REFLECTION – Reflecting on his own priestly vocation, St Pope John Paul II wrote in 1996 that Brother Albert had played a role in its formation …..“because I found in him a real spiritual support and example in leaving behind the world of art, literature and the theatre and in making the radical choice of a vocation to the charity” ………..St John Paul speaking of St Albert Chmielowski (Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination)
PRAYER – Father of goodness, make me realise and understand that each and all of my brothers represent the face of Jesus and that He is the only way to You for us all! Help me to extend all of myself to my neighbour in loving imitation of Your Son. St Albert Chmielowski, pray for us that we too may be a light in the darkness of this world, to all who call out to us in their pain and suffering. And please pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 June – The Month of the Sacred Heart, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Our Morning Offering – 17 June – The Month of the Sacred Heart, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
I Pray You Lord
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I pray You Lord,
in Holy Communion,
to give me the grace
of a cheerful heart,
an even temper,
sweetness, gentleness
and brightness of mind,
as walking in Your light
and by Your grace.
I pray You to give me the spirit
of overabundant, ever-springing love,
which empowers and sweeps away,
the vexations of life
by its own richness and strength
and which, above all things,
unites me to You,
who are the fountain
and the centre of all mercy,
loving kindness and joy.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 16 June – The Memorial of St Benno of Meissen (1010-1106)
Thought for the Day – 16 June – The Memorial of St Benno of Meissen (1010-1106)
Saint Benno lived during a difficult political time and managed—despite threat, imprisonment and punishment—to remain true to the teachings of the Church and his role as priest and bishop, servant of his people.
At a time when the Church is criticised and attacked from both the inside and outside, we look to saints like St Benno as inspiration. His witness provides example to each of us, inspiring fidelity to our Holy Father and to the Magisterium, in all things and truth, even when these are the “hard decisions” to make.
St Benno, Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 16 June – Month of the Sacred Heart and the Memorial of St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246)
Quote of the Day – 16 June – Month of the Sacred Heart and the Memorial of St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246) Mystic – The first known female Stigmatist and one of the first Devotees of the Sacred Heart (St Lutgarde here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/saint-of-the-day-16-june-st-lutgarde-of-aywieres-the-first-known-woman-stigmatic-of-the-church-and-one-of-the-first-promoters-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/)
“So be it, Lord, so long as Your Heart’s love
is mingled with mine
I have and hold my heart in You.
For with You as my shield,
my heart is secure for all time.”
St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246)
One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Saturday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:33-37
One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Saturday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:33-37
“Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”…Matthew 5:33-37
REFLECTION – “Again the Law says: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” (Ex 21:24) but Our Lord admonishes us not only to bear patiently the blows of one who strikes us but humbly to turn to him the other cheek. (Mt 5:39) And so the object of the Law is to teach us not to do to others what we do not wish to suffer and, therefore, it cuts away our wrong-doing, through our fear of suffering. But now the object must be, to cast away our hatred, our love of pleasure, our vainglory and the rest of our unruly desires.
I repeat that the aim of Christ, our Master, is precisely to teach us how we come to commit all our sins; how we fall into evils. First He sets us free, through holy baptism, giving us the forgiveness of our sins, then He gives us the power to do good, if we desire it and no longer to be dragged down into sin, so to speak, by force.”…St Dorotheus of Gaza (c 500-c 565), monk in Palestine – Instructions, no. 1, 6-8 ; SC 92
PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us Your grace, we pray to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. Grant, that St Benno of Meissen, who has gone before us, may by his prayers intercede for us all. We pray to You Lord Jesus, Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 16 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Our Morning Offering – 16 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Be the Heart of My Heart
By St John Eudes (1501-1680)
O Heart all lovable
and all loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 15 June – St Bernard of Menthon C.R.S.A (c 1020-1081)
Thought for the Day – 15 June – St Bernard of Menthon C.R.S.A (c 1020-1081)
Saint Bernard’s life was one of simple service in a difficult environment. His hospitality was legendary and his works survive today in the form of the hospices he established. His community—the Houses and Congregations of Saints Nicholas and Bernard—remains active today, maintaining the Alpine hospices as well as one in the Himalayas. Upon his death, he was interred at the cloisters of Saint Lawrence. Numerous miracles were reported at the site of his burial, as well as in Saint Bernard’s pass. We are inspired by the love of Saint Bernard to extend ourselves to those in need, never missing an opportunity to show God’s love. Saint Bernard reminds us of the epistle of Saint Peter:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen
1 Peter 4: 7-11
St Bernard of Menthon, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
“O most Sacred,
most loving Heart of Jesus,
You are concealed
in the Holy Eucharist
and You beat for us still.”
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“I beg and entreat you,
by the love of God
and by the respect which we owe Him,
to apply yourselves to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ
with all the fidelity of which you are capable
and to venerate His Divine Majesty
with the deepest respect,
above all in the Sacrament of the Eucharist,
in which He is hidden in all the greatness
of His divine and human natures,
wherein He is present as entirely,
as powerfully and as infinitely,
as He is in heaven.”
St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
One Minute Reflection – 15 June – Friday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:27-32
One Minute Reflection – 15 June – Friday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:27-32
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress and whoever marries a divorced woman, commits adultery.”…Matthew 5:31-32
REFLECTION – “Married love particularly reveals its true nature and nobility when we realise that it takes its origin from God, who is love… Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves alone… develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives. The marriage of those who have been baptised is, in addition, invested with the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, for it represents the union of Christ and His Church (Eph 5:32).
In the light of these facts the characteristic features and exigencies of married love are clearly indicated. This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life but also to grow, so that husband and wife become, in a way, one heart and one soul and together attain their human fulfilment.
It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner, loves not only for what he receives but loves that partner, for the partner’s own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.
Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage… Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being.”…Blessed Paul VI – Humanae vitae, 8-9
PRAYER – Yours is the day and Yours, the night, Lord God and we are Your children. Grant we pray, that the weakness of our humanity, the drive of our emotions and flesh may not overpower us. Lead us Lord, through the dangers of our day, give us strength and true love, wishing only our final home for those who share our lives, especially our spouse. Mary, pray for us, that we may imitate your faithfulness in all things, St Joseph be a guide and a support to us all. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Our Morning Offering – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart
By St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church
O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
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 His infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of You for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfill perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in heaven for all Eternity.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 June – The Memorial of St Methodius I of Constantinople (8th Cent – 847) “Defender of Icons”
Thought for the Day – 14 June – The Memorial of St Methodius I of Constantinople (8th Cent – 847) “Defender of Icons”
Iconoclasm is still with us today, within and without the Catholic Church. Let us consider this statement from the Second Council of Nicaea that St Methodius fought all his life to defend:
“Following the divinely inspired teaching our of holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (for we know that this tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her), we rightly define with full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of the precious and life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God and the venerated angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of mosaic or another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, in houses and on streets.”
And, from our present-day Catechism of the Catholic Church, we have these words:
“The contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration, so that the mystery celebrated, is imprinted in the heart’s memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful”…CCC 1162.
St Methodius, “Defender of Icons”, Pray for us
Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
Speaking of: Seeking Thomas à Kempis
“Man sees your actions
but God your motives.”
“What else does anxiety
about the future bring you
but sorrow upon sorrow?”
“He who loves
with purity,
considers not,
the gift of the lover
but the
love of the giver.”
“Nothing, how little so ever it be,
if it is suffered for God’s sake,
can pass without merit
in the sight of God.”
“Who has a harder fight,
than he who is striving,
to overcome himself?”
“Habit is overcome by habit.”
“Love wakes much and sleeps little
and, in sleeping, does not sleep.
It faints but is not weary;
it is restricted in its liberty
and is great freedom.
It sees reasons to fear
and does not fear
but, like an ember or a spark of fire,
flames always upward,
by the fervour of its love, toward God
and through the special help of grace,
is delivered from all perils and dangers.”
“For a small reward,
a man will hurry away on a long journey;
while for eternal life,
many will hardly take a single step.”
“In the Cross is salvation;
in the Cross is life,
in the Cross is protection against our enemies,
in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness,
in the Cross is strength of mind,
in the Cross is joy of spirit,
in the Cross is excellence of virtue,
in the Cross is perfection of holiness.
There is no salvation of soul,
nor hope of eternal life,
save in the Cross.”
“He will be with you also,
all the way, that faithful God.
Every morning when you awaken,
to the old and tolerable pain,
at every mile of the hot uphill dusty road
of tiring duty,
on to the judgment seat,
the same Christ there as ever,
still loving you,
still sufficient for you, even then.
And then, on through all eternity.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
One Minute Reflection – 14 June – Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:20-26.
One Minute Reflection – 14 June – Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:20-26.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift...Matthew 5:23-24
REFLECTION – “The Church does not exist for us to remain divided when we come to it but rather so that our divisions might be nullified. That is what the assembly means. Thus if we have come for the Eucharist, let us not do anything in contradiction to the Eucharist, let us not hurt our brother. You have come to give thanks for the kindnesses you have received, therefore, do not separate yourself from your neighbour.
Christ offered his body to everyone without distinction when he said: “Take and eat, all of you.” Why do you not admit everyone to your own table? … You are remembering Christ and you disdain someone who is poor? … You are taking part in this divine meal; you should be the most compassionate of all people. You have drunk the Lord’s blood and you do not acknowledge your brother? But even if you have ignored him until now, at this table you must acknowledge him. We must all be in the Church as in one common house, we form only one body. We have only one baptism, one single table, one single source, as well as one single Father.”…St John Chrysostom (345-407), Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the 1st Letter to the Corinthians, no 27 -cf Eph 4:5; 1 Cor 10:17 )
PRAYER – Lord God, true light and creator of light, grant that faithfully following the instructions of Your Son and pondering all that is holy, we may ever live in the splendour of Your presence. By the gifts of the Holy Spirit, may we always be light to our neighbour. Mary, Mother of Love and our loving mother, by your prayers, may we grow in charity and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord amen.
Our Morning Offering – 14 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Our Morning Offering – 14 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lord Give me Your Heart!
By St Claude de la Colombiere
O God, what will You do to conquer
the fearful hardness of our hearts?
Lord, You must give us new hearts,
tender hearts,
sensitive hearts,
to replace the hearts that are made of
marble and of bronze.
You must give us Your own Heart, Jesus.
Come, lovable Heart of Jesus.
Place Your Heart
deep in the centre of our hearts
and enkindle in each heart a flame of love
as strong, as great,
as the sum of all the reasons
I have for loving You, my God.
O Holy Heart of Jesus,
dwell hidden in my heart,
so that I may live only in You
and only for You,
so that, in the end,
I may live with You
eternally in heaven.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Not only the Nativity, a central point of Christ’s love for humanity but also the vision of the Crucified One inspired in Anthony thoughts of gratitude to God and esteem for the dignity of the human person, so that all believers and non-believers might find in the Crucified One and in His image a life-enriching meaning.
St Anthony writes: “Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you, so that you may look at the Cross, as in a mirror. There you will be able to know, how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other, than the Blood of the Son of God, could heal. If you look closely, you will be able to realise, how great your human dignity and your value are…. Nowhere other than looking at himself, in the mirror of the Cross, can man better understand how much he is worth” (Sermones Dominicales et Festivi III, pp. 213-214).
In meditating on these words we are better able to understand the importance of the image of the Crucified One for our culture, for our humanity that is born from the Christian faith. Precisely by looking at the Crucified One we see, as St Anthony says, how great are the dignity and worth of the human being. At no other point can we understand how much the human person is worth, precisely because God makes us so important, considers us so important that, in his opinion, we are worthy of his suffering; thus all human dignity appears in the mirror of the Crucified One and our gazing upon him is ever a source of acknowledgement of human dignity…..Pope Benedict XVI (General Audience – February 10, 2010)
St Anthony of Padua, pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves…Phil 2:3
REFLECTION – “The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”…St Anthony of Padua
PRAYER – Almighty, everliving God, You gave St Anthony of Padua to Your people as a preacher and teacher and a patron in their needs. Grant that we may learn from his words inspired by Your Holy Spirit and by his prayers, grow in faith, hope and humility. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
O God, send forth Your Holy Spirit
By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
O God,
send forth Your Holy Spirit
into my heart
that I may perceive,
into my mind,
that I may remember,
and into my soul,
that I may meditate.
Inspire me to speak
with piety,
holiness,
tenderness
and mercy.
Teach, guide and direct my thoughts
and senses, from beginning to end.
May Your grace,
ever help and correct me,
and may I be strengthened now
with wisdom from on high,
for the sake of Your infinite mercy.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 12 June – Tuesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:13-16 and the Memorial of St Gaspar Bertoni C.S.S. (1777-1853)
Thought for the Day – 12 June – Tuesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:13-16 and the Memorial of St Gaspar Bertoni C.S.S. (1777-1853)
“You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world”
At about the time of the Mission, St Gaspar suffered a physical relapse and sickness continued as a constant companion until his death. Shortly after, on 27 July 1816, the “Stimmate”, a small private chapel, with several rooms attached, named after the Stigmata of St Francis, was bequeathed to a priest in Verona. Just a few months later, the Stimmate was given to Father Bertoni with the stipulation that he continue to teach the youth. Fr Bertoni and confreres, Fr Mariani and layman, Paul Zanolli move into the Stimmate on 4 November 1816 resolving, “never again to leave,” thus establishing the new religious community. Suspicion lingered about all religious groups after the French Revolution and the Napoleonic conquest of Verona but since the school was a very visible reason for the men to be together at the Stimmate, the authorities did not object. In 1833, Father Bertoni had 180 young people in his care. The Oratory, which remained quiet during the period of repression, flowered into a beautiful movement blossoming admiration from visitors throughout Italy. It was a powerful instrument for God. Father Bertoni was asked regularly to pray and to intercede for the sick. Many people recovered for whom he prayed. He always acknowledged that thanks were due to the Madonna, or Saint Joseph, or St Zeno (patron of Verona).
Over the years following his first illness,Father Bertoni endured over 300 operations, all without anaesthesia, to lacerate leg ulcers and to remove gangrene which invaded his right leg. At age 61, St Gaspar was confined to his bedroom “between his bed and wheelchair.” He spent the remaining 14 years of his life in that bare room with empty walls, adorned only by his beloved Crucifix.
By his every action, by his every word, St Gaspar lived every moment in the Light of Christ, sending the rays to all around him, in good and bad times, never ceasing to live the mission given to us all, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!
St Gaspar Bertoni, pray for us, that we may always strive to be salt and light, amen!
Quote of the Day – 12 June – The Memorial of Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist (1884-1949) (celebrated by the Carmelite Order today)
Quote of the Day – 12 June – The Memorial of Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist (1884-1949) (celebrated by the Carmelite Order today)
“I want to be like Mary, to be Mary for Jesus,
to take the place of His Mother.
When I receive Jesus in Communion,
Mary is always present.
I want to receive Jesus from her hands,
she must make me one with Him.
I cannot separate Mary from Jesus.
Hail, O Body born of Mary.
Hail Mary, dawn of the Eucharist!”
Bl Maria Candida of the Eucharist OCD (1884-1949)
One Minute Reflection – 12 June – Tuesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:13-16.
One Minute Reflection – 12 June – Tuesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:13-16.
“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.“…Matthew 5:16
REFLECTION – “…We have a task and a responsibility for the gift received: the light of faith, which is in us through Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit, we must not keep as if it were our property. Instead, we are called to make it shine in the world, to give it to others through good works. And how much the world needs the light of the Gospel, which transforms, heals and guarantees salvation to those who receive it! By giving itself, the light of our faith is not extinguished but reinforced. Instead, it can fail, if we do not nourish it with love and with works of charity….Therefore, the mission of Christians in society is to give “flavour” to life with the faith and love that Christ has given us.”…Pope Francis, Angelus 5 Feb 2017
PRAYER – Holy Almighty Father, we pray that we may be the light of Your divine Son and the salt of the earth. Help us, we pray, to ever strive to be both the light and salt of the earth and “may the protection of Mary Most Holy, first disciple of Jesus and model, be of help to believers who live every day their vocation and mission in history. May our Mother help us, to let ourselves always be purified and illumined by the Lord, to become in turn “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” …(Pope Francis Angelus 5 Feb 2017)
Our Morning Offering – 12 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Our Morning Offering – 12 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Most Sacred, Most Loving Heart
By Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus,
You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist,
And You beat for us still.
Now, as then, You say:
“With desire I have desired.”
I worship You with all my best love and awe,
With fervent affection,
With my most subdued, most resolved will.
For a while You take up Your abode within me.
O make my heart beat with Your Heart!
Purify it of all that is earthly,
All that is proud and sensual,
All that is hard and cruel,
Of all perversity,
Of all disorder,
Of all deadness.
So fill it with You,
That neither the events of the day,
Nor the circumstances of the time,
May have the power to ruffle it;
But that in Your love and Your fear,
It may have peace.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Thought for the Day – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with Saint Paul—he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles—and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians.
When a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the official representative of the church of Jerusalem to incorporate them into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem.
Later Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the gentiles. Enormous success crowned their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer sacrifice to them as gods—Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes—but the two said, “We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God” (see Acts 14:8-18).
But all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision and even the best of friends can have differences. When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelised, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp, that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.
When Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with gentiles for fear of his Jewish friends, we learn that “even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (see Galatians 2:1-13)
Barnabas is spoken of simply as one who dedicated his life to the Lord. He was a man “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thereby, large numbers were added to the Lord.” Even when he and Paul were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia—modern-day Turkey—they were “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
Come O Holy Spirit, come, fill the hearts of Your faithful!
St Barnabus, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Speaking of: “Seeking Sainthood”
“Pray as though everything depended on God.
Work as though everything depended on you.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Teach us to give
and not to count the cost.”
“It is not hard to obey
when we love the one,
whom we obey.”
St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“Let us begin in earnest to work out our salvation,
for no one will do it for us, since even He Himself,
Who made us without ourselves,
will not save us without ourselves.”
St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
“You cannot be half a saint;
you must be a whole saint
or no saint at all.”
St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
One Minute Reflection – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle – Today’s First Reading Acts of the Apostles 11:21b-26.13:1-3.
News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad and he exhorted them all, to remain faithful to the Lord, with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord...Acts 11:22-24
REFLECTION – “While we cannot see God, there is something we can do, to open a way, for the eye of our understanding to come to Him. It is certain that we can see now in His servants, one whom we can in no way see in Himself. When we see them doing astonishing things, we can be sure that God dwells in their hearts… None of us can look directly at the rising sun by gazing at its orb. Our eyes are repelled as they strain to see its rays. But we look at mountains bathed in sunlight and see that it has risen. Because we cannot see the Sun of righteousness (Mal 3,20) Himself, let us see the mountains bathed in His brightness, I mean the holy apostles. They shine with virtues and gleam with miracles… The power of His divinity, is in itself, like the sun in the sky; in human beings it is like the sun shining on earth…”…St Pope Gregory the Great (c 540-604), Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel, no 30)
PRAYER – O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, should be set apart to convert the nations, grant that the Gospel of Christ, which he strenuously preached, may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed. We pray you Lord, that by the intercession of St Barnabas, we too may grow in faith and love and live to glorify Your kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Our Morning Offering – 11 June – Memorial of St Barnabas, Apostle
Steer the Ship of my Life, Lord
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Steer the ship of my life, Lord,
to Your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from
the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can see the right direction
in which I should go.
And give me the strength
and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough
and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring
hardship and danger in Your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B and the Memorial of Bl John Dominici O.P. (c 1355-1419)
Thought for the Day – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B and the Memorial of Bl John Dominici O.P. (c 1355-1419)
Why should we worry what future generations think of us? That seems pretty insecure, to worry about what others who don’t even exist yet think. It seems much better to worry about whether or not we are doing the right thing. That’s not easy in our culture, because there is not widespread agreement on precisely what that right thing is.
Most of us will fade into the past without much comment by future generations. That shouldn’t frighten us; it should motivate us. Doing the right thing for people of faith–acting according to the demands of our human nature and according to the commands of God–should be the primary motivation: not some imagined stamp of approval down the road but the approval of our loving Maker. For people who don’t believe in God or an afterlife, it is even more critical to do what is right because it doesn’t seem like being on the right side of history matters much if you’re not going to exist.
Historical hindsight can be 20/20 but too often our rearview mirror gives a picture that is not so clear. Bl John Dominic knew not to worry about the vicissitudes of human chroniclers, agonising about his place in the historical annals. Instead, he acted according to his well-formed conscience and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That is why he is a great saint. He was a world-famous celebrity, now mostly forgotten, except by the One who truly matters. (Br Dominic Bouck)
Blessed John Dominici, Pray for us!
Sunday Reflection – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B
Sunday Reflection – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B
“The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass gives boundless honour to the Most Blessed Trinity because it represents the passion of Jesus Christ and because, through the Mass, we offer God the merits of Our Lord’s obedience, of His sufferings and of His Precious Blood. The whole of the heavenly court also receives an accidental joy from the Mass.
Several doctors of the Church—together with St Thomas Aquinas—tell us that, for the same reason, all the blessed in Heaven rejoice in the communion of the faithful because the Blessed Sacrament, is a memorial of the passion and death of Jesus Chris and that by means of it, men share in its fruits and work out their salvation”
St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Adore and praise the immense love Jesus has for you in this Sacrament of Himself.
In order not to leave you a lonely orphan in this land of exile and misery, He comes from heaven for you personally, to offer you companionship and consolation.
Thank Him, therefore, with all your love and all your strength;
thank Him in union with all the saints!”…Fr Vincent M Lucia “Come to me”
Quote of the Day – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B
Quote of the Day – 10 June -Tenth Sunday of the Year B
“If we approach with faith, we too will see Jesus…
for the Eucharistic table takes the place of the crib.
Here, the Body of the Lord is present,
wrapped not in swaddling clothes,
but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”
AnaStpaul 
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