MORNING Prayers – Page 162

Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251)

Posted on July 25, 2018July 24, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251)

The Christopher Prayer

Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow us to fill with Your light
the world around us.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out our mission
of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand,
that by Your grace
our gifts are Your blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Your Spirit of love
to give glory to You
in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire
to go forth
as the bearers of Your Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ bearers,
that in seeing us
only He is visible.
Amen the christopher prayer - written by me - 25 july 2018

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 24 July – The Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf

Posted on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 July – The Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf

Joseph Makhluf was born in 1828 at Beqa-Kafra, Lebanon. His peasant family lived a strong faith, were attentive to the Divine Liturgy and had a great devotion to the Mother of God.

At the age of 23, Charbel (the name he chose when entering Novitiate) left his closely knit family to enter the Lebanese-Maronite Monastery called Notre-Dame de Mayfouk. Following studies and profession at St Cyprian de Kfifane Monastery, he was ordained in 1859.

For the next seven years, Charbel lived in the mountainous community of Anaya. After that he spent the next twenty-three years in complete solitude at Sts Peter and Paul Hermitage near Anaya. He died there on Christmas Eve, 1898.

Charbel had a reputation for his austerity, penances, obedience and chastity. At times, Charbel was gifted with levitations during prayer and he had great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament.

In all things, Charbel maintained perfect serenity. He was beatified in 1965 by Blessed Pope Paul VI and canonised by him in 1977.

The spirit of Charbel still lives in many people. His miracles include numerous healings of the body and of the spirit. Thomas Merton, the American Hermit, wrote in his journal: “Charbel lived as a hermit in Lebanon—he was a Maronite. He died. Everyone forgot about him. Fifty years later, his body was discovered incorrupt and in short time he worked over 600 miracles. He is my new companion. My road has taken a new turning. It seems to me that I have been asleep for 9 years—and before that I was dead.”

At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, on 5 December 1965 when St Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI, he said:

“…a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed…a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people… May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance, and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God…”

St Charbel Makhluf, Pray for us!

The Chaplet of St Charbel here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/the-chaplet-of-st-charbel-makhluf/
And listen to this special song too:

and the lyrics here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/thought-for-the-day-24-july-the-memorial-of-st-charbel-of-makhluf/ st charbel makhluf pray for us - 24 july 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 24 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50

Posted on July 24, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 24 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven,
is my brother and sister and mother.”…Matthew 12:50

It is a matter of real sorrow when God has given us strength to break stronger fetters, those of vanity and sin, that we neglect our own progress and the attainment of such great blessings, because we will not detach ourselves from trifles.
Not only do we not advance, we fall back.
For it is well known, that on the spiritual road, not to go on overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose.
As wood can never be transformed into fire, if one necessary degree of heat is missing, so the soul, that has even one imperfection, can never be perfectly transformed in God.

St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 July 2018 – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50

Posted on July 24, 2018July 23, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 July 2018 – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50 and the Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf (1828-1898)

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother.”…Matthew 12:50

REFLECTION – “His mother is the whole Church, since it is she, who, by God’s grace, gives birth to Christ’s members, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him. Again, His mother is every holy soul who does the Father’s will and whose fruitful charity is made known in those, to whom she gives birth for Him, “until he has been formed in them” (cf Gal 4:19)…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

PRAYER – Almighty Father, You made us Your children, You called us from all ages and You formed us by Holy Mother Church. Grant, we pray, that by Your grace, we may be ever faithful to her and be guided by Your Holy Spirit of love. O God may Your holy Saint Charbel Makhluf intercede for us that, being made imitators of the Lord’s Passion, we may merit to be co-heirs of His Kingdom. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen. st-charbel-pray-for-us 24 july 2017(1)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 24 July

Posted on July 24, 2018July 23, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 July

Morning Prayer to the Holy Spirit
By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
enlighten our minds
to perceive the mysteries
of the universe in relation to eternity.
Spirit of right judgment and courage,
guide us and make us firm
in our baptismal decision
to follow Jesus’ way of love.
Spirit of knowledge and reverence,
help us to see the lasting value
of justice and mercy
in our everyday dealings
with one another.
May we respect life
as we work to solve problems
of family and nation,
economy and ecology.
Spirit of God,
spark our faith, hope and love
into new action each day.
Fill our lives with wonder and awe
in Your presence
which penetrates all creation.
Amen spirit of wisdom and understanding - morning prayer to the holy spirit - st augustine - 24 july 2018

FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)

Posted on July 23, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)

“The thief on the cross certainly did not receive
the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues
but as a grace and a mercy from God.
He can serve as an authentic witness
that our salvation is given to us
only by God’s mercy and grace.
All the holy masters knew this
and unanimously taught
that perfection in holiness
can be achieved only through humility.”

St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)

MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 July – The Memorial of St Bridget of Sweden – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:38-42

Posted on July 23, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 July – The Memorial of St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373) – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:38-42

“…There is something greater than Solomon here.”…Matthew 12:42

REFLECTION – “O Lord, make haste and illumine the night. Say to my soul that nothing happens without You permitting it and that nothing of what You permit, is without comfort.”…St Bridget there is something greater than solomon matthew 12 - 42 - o lord make haste and illumine - st bridget of sweden - 23 july 2018

PRAYER – “O Jesus, Son of God, You Who were silent in the presence of Your accusers, restrain my tongue until I find what should say and how to say it. Show me the way and make me ready to follow it. It is dangerous to delay, yet perilous to go forward. Answer my petition and show me the way. As the wounded go to the doctor in search of aid, so do I come to You. O Lord, give Your peace to my heart. “(St Bridget). And we ask God our Father that the prayers of St Bridget may serve as an aid as we strive to attain virtue, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st bridget of sweden pray for us - 23 july 2018

JESUIT SJ, LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 23 July

Posted on July 23, 2018July 22, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time B

A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez S.J. (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of You,
when You, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy, to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure:
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure.
Amen a-prayer-to-seek-st-alphonsus-rodriguez-16-feb-2018-no.2. used 23 july 2018. lenten-prayer

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

Posted on July 22, 2018July 22, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

“When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: “The disciples went back home,” and it adds: “but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.”

We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for Him who she thought had been taken away.

And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see Him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: “Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved”…. Jesus says to her: “Mary.” Jesus is not recognised when He calls her “woman”, so He calls her by name, as though He were saying: ‘Recognise me as I recognise you, for I do not know you as I know others, I know you as yourself.’

And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognises who is speaking. She immediately calls Him ‘Rabboni’, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.”

from a homily by St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor

St Mary Magdalen, Pray for us!

BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

Posted on July 22, 2018July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.”...Mark 6:31

REFLECTION – “So they got into the boat and went away by themselves to a deserted spot”… The people followed them. They showed how concerned they were for their salvation by the effort they made in going along the deserted road, not on donkeys or in carts of various kinds but on foot. In return Jesus welcomed those weary, ignorant, sick and hungry people, instructing, healing and feeding them as a kindly saviour and physician and so letting them know how pleased He is by believers’ devotion to Him.”…Saint Bede the Venerable (c 673-735) Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint Mark’s gospel, 2 ; CCL 120, 510)
“Today we could pray during this mass for our shepherds, that the Lord may give them the grace to walk with the people and to be present for them with much tenderness and closeness. When people find their shepherd, they feel that special sensation only felt in the presence of God. The amazement comes from the feeling of the closeness and tenderness of God in the shepherd.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 30 January 2018 come away with me - mark 6 31 and so they got into the boat - st bede - 22 july 2018

PRAYER – Be gracious, Lord, to us who serve You and in Your kindness increase Your gifts of grace within us, so that fervent in faith, hope and love, we may be ever on the watch and persevere in doing what You command. Guard, protect and inspire our own shepherds, our priests who serve Your people, keep them faithful, loyal and prayerful. May our Mother, the most Holy and Pure Blessed Virgin Mary, keep our priests and all of us at her side. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, one God with Holy Spirit, forever and ever, amen. bl virgin mother mary protect and pray for our priests - 22 july 2018

MORNING Prayers, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Posted on July 22, 2018July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Sit laus plena, sit sonora

Remember, Mother Church, the holy and venerable hands,
the hands that, taking bread, broke and gave it,
the hands that have strengthened the bolts of your gates,
the hands that blessed your children within you (cf. Ps 147:12).
Remember the voice of Him whose word runs swiftly,
blessing and saying, “Take and eat, this is my Body”;
“This chalice is the new testament in my Blood” (cf. 1 Cor 11:24-25).
Remember the Crucified, the Risen One, the Lord of glory
whose Face alone plants peace in your borders,
whose Heart would save your souls from death,
and feed you in time of famine (cf. Ps 32:19).
Remember His hands, His Face and His Heart,
remember His words on the night before He suffered,
and out of your remembering, let praise come to flower on your lips.
Praise to fill that Upper Room,
praise to fill the Church,
praise to fall like a balm on every heart that has forgotten
the language of the Great Thanksgiving.

Remember the chalice of blessing
and adore the Blood of Christ.
Remember the bread that we break
and adore the Body of Christ.
Remember the one Bread by which we,
though many, are made one (cf. 1 Cor 10:16-17).
Remember the chalice of the Blood
in which every tear of yours dissolves into joy.
Remember the broken Bread
by which every brokenness of yours is made whole.
Remember the chalice offered to those who have nothing to offer.
Remember the Bread given to those who have nothing to give.
Remember and into your remembering,
welcome the immensity of a silence that seeks only to adore. remember the chalic of blessing - sunday reflection - 22 july 2018 - from vultus christi

(Excerpt By Dom Mark, Vultus Christi)

DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL SERMONS, SAINT of the DAY, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

Posted on July 22, 2018July 22, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

“Just as a woman
had announced
the words of death
to the first man,
so also, a woman was the first
to announce to the Apostles
the words of life.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

“…Sometimes in our lives,
tears are the lenses
we need to see Jesus…”

Pope Francis 2 April 2013

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year

Posted on July 22, 2018July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

You are Here for me, Lord Jesus
Eucharistic Prayer

You are here for me, Lord Jesus
and I am here for You.
You have made Yourself all mine,
and I would make myself all Yours.
You are all attentive to me,
and I would be all attentive to You.
You have turned Your Face toward me,
and I would hold my face turned toward You.
Love of me has pierced Your Heart;
would that love of You would pierce my heart.
You humble Yourself even to seek my company;
how can I not seek Your company
Why have You done all
in Your power to be present to me?
But I love You Lord,
Stay with me!
Amen you are here for me lord jesus - eucharistic prayer - sunday 22 july 2018

franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

Posted on July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

St Lawrence’s compassion for the poor moved him to make a dangerous trip to Spain to oppose an oppressive tyrant. He realised that evil has to be opposed and that if good men do not oppose it, the evil will continue and grow.

Our voices – small as they may be – individual or collective – MUST be heard, always, in the cause of truth and justice.

St Lawrence of Brindisi, pray for us!

DOCTORS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

Posted on July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

“God is love and all his operations proceed from love.
Once he wills to manifest that goodness
by sharing His love outside Himself,
then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation
of His goodness and love and glory.
So, Christ was intended before all other creatures
and for His own sake.
For Him all things were created
and to Him all things must be subject
and God loves all creature,
in and because of Christ.
Christ is the first-born of every creature
and the whole of humanity.
as well as the created world,
finds its foundation and meaning in Him.
Moreover, this would have been the case,
even if Adam had not sinned.”

“God is love
and all His operations
proceed
from
LOVE…”

“For Him all things were created
and to Him all things must be subject
and God loves all creature,
in and because of Christ.”

“Christ is the first-born of every creature
and the whole of humanity.
as well as the created world,
finds its foundation and meaning in Him.”

“The Holy Spirit sweetens the yoke
of the divine law and lightens its weight,
so that we may observe God’s commandments
with the greatest of ease and even with pleasure” the-holy-spirit-st-lawrence-of-brindisi- 21 july 2018

“The word of God is replete with manifold blessings,
since it is, so to speak, a treasure of all goods.
It is the source of faith, hope, charity, all virtue,
all the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
all the beatitudes of the Gospel,
all good works,
all the rewards of life,
all the glory of paradise…”

“…The word of God
is a light to the mind
and a fire to the will.”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor

DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

Posted on July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – Saturday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church – Today’s Readings: Micah 2:1-5, Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14, Matthew 12:14-21

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased….
and in his name will the Gentiles hope.”…Matthew 12:18,21

REFLECTION – “My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us, in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist. In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us. It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one, that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love, a supreme and most ardent love, by way of pure grace and charity. Ah! One needs to love Him back with one’s whole, whole, whole, living, living, living and true, true, true heart!!” …… St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor

PRAYER – Lord God, You bestowed on St Lawrence of Brindisi the spirit of counsel and fortitude, so that Your name might be glorified and souls be saved. At the intercession of St Lawrence, grant that we may see what we have to do and, in Your mercy give us the strength to do it and the courage, love and charity to persevere. Grant above all, that by his prayers we may love You above all and with all we are. St Lawrence pray for us, amen. st-lawrence-of-brindisi-pray-for-us - 21 July 2017

DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 21 July

Posted on July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church – Today’s Readings: Micah 2:1-5, Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14, Matthew 12:14-21

“Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds!”…Micah 2:1

The Peace Prayer

By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love,
where there is injury, pardon,
where there is doubt, faith,
where there is despair, hope,
where there is darkness, light
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St Francis of Assisi (1181/82-1226)

peace prayer - st francis - 16 feb 2018 - a prayer a day for lent

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 20 July – The Memorial of Bl Gregory Lopez (1542-1596)

Posted on July 20, 2018July 20, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 July – The Memorial of Bl Gregory Lopez (1542-1596)

There are no patterns for sainthood and the Saints break all moulds.
God is interested in us, right where we are. He has placed us there and our own particular circumstances are as good a place as any other to become a saint . Holiness is within our reach! Only He knows where our pathways will lead. As Blessed Gregory and all our Saints show, it is about abandoning ourselves to Him and living our lives, where we are, in and for Him alone, keeping our eyes ever fixed on Christ . Over the course of time, our prayer evolves from acceptance of God’s will to a conscious act of love of God, to a devotion to and imitation of the person of Jesus, the Logos.

His Biographer, Fr Francisco de Losa said:
“His soul appeared to be disengaged from all things else by a pure union with God.”

And as López said to him: “It is much better to treat with God than with man….The eyes of the true man are always fixed on Christ, who is his head and the soul that is touched with love of God is like a needle that is touched with the lodestone always pointing to the North.”…Blessed Gregory

An old print of this servant of God states in a few lines:

“The miser runs o’er sea and land
His riches to increase,
But Lopez, on the other hand,
For poverty and peace.”

Many miracles were ascribed to him in life and after death. In February, 1620, the King of Spain ordered his Treatise on the Apocalypse published, adding, “I do not wish to lose a single moment in procuring the canonisation of this holy man, who,” as he says elsewhere, “passed thirty-three years in solitude in a marvellous penance, humility and love of God and his neighbour and had an admirable gift of prayer and understanding of the Holy Scriptures and the supernatural and human sciences, with the general approbation of the prelates and people of Mexico.” In fact, in the examinations that took place, bishops and theologians of all the religious orders, bore unanimous testimony to his extraordinary virtue and progress in the science of the saints.

Blessed Gregory Lopez, please pray for us!

MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

Posted on July 20, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

” And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless…”.…Matthew 12:7

“I desire mercy”:
namely, the loyalty of a heart,
that recognises its own sins,
that mends its ways and returns,
to be faithful to the covenant with God.
“And not sacrifice”:
without a penitent heart,
every religious action is ineffective!”

” If our heart is closed,
if our heart is made of stone,
then the stones will end up
in our hands and, then,
we will be ready
to throw them at someone.”

Pope Francis – General audience, 13 April 2016

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 July

Posted on July 20, 2018July 20, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 July – Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s First Reading: Isaiah 38:1-6.,1-22,7-8 and the Memorial of Bl Gregory Lopez (1542-1596)

“O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!” ….Isaiah 38:3

REFLECTION – “Thus, in whatever place a truly spiritual man is and in whatever, he is employed, his eyes and his heart are always fixed on Jesus Christ.”…Blessed Gregory Lopez

PRAYER – Almighty Father, let Your light so penetrate our minds, that walking by Your commandments, we may always follow You, our leader and our guide. Turn our hearts to see Your Son who “goes before us” and help us to never lose sight of His saving way. May the prayers of all Your holy ones in heaven, who are our examples and those of Blessed Gregory, be of assistance to us as we walk our earthly journey. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, amen. bl gregory lopez pray for us - 20 july 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 20 July

Posted on July 20, 2018July 19, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 July

I Have Only Today!
By St Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church

My life is an instant,
an hour which passes by;
My life is a moment,
which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God,
That to love You here on earth,
I have only today.
Amen i have only today - my life is an instant - st t of the child jesus - 20 july 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Posted on July 19, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…Matthew 11:28-30

The light burden of the law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Priest, Translator of the Bible,

Father & Doctor of the Church

“Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfil the law of Christ.” Sin is a burden as the psalmist attests when he says: “My sins weigh heavy upon me.” But the Lord has carried this burden for us, teaching us, by His example what we ourselves should do. For it is He who bore the burden of our sins; He was stricken for our sake (cf Is 53:8) and invites those who are weighed down by the heavy burden of the Law and of their sins to carry the easy burden of virtue, saying: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:30).

Therefore, whoever holds out a hand to the person who begs for support, not despairing of a neighbour’s salvation, who weeps with those who weep, is weak with those who are weak and who regards other’s sins as though they were his own – such a one, fulfils through charity, the law of Christ. What is this law of Christ? “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34). What is the law of the Son of God? “Love one another as I have loved you.” How has the Son of God loved us? No one has greater love than this, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

Someone who shows no clemency, who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears, no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality, such a one does not fulfil the law of Christ.

Someone who comes to the assistance of the poor weighed down by the burden of destitution and makes friends with dishonest wealth (Lk 16:9), such a one shoulders the needs of his neighbour. This is the one to whom Jesus will say after the general resurrection: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Mt 25:34-35). but the lord has carried this burden for us teaching us by his example - st jerome - 19 july 2018

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – The Memorial of St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyr of England

Posted on July 19, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – The Memorial of St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyr of England

“But I know it will be said that a Priest, ordained by authority derived from the See of Rome, is by the Law of Nation, to die as a Traitor but if that be so, what must become of all the Clergymen or England, for the first Protestant Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome….?”

“Bear witness, good hearers, that I profess, that I undoubtedly and firmly believe, all the Articles of the Roman Catholic Faith and for the truth of any of them, (by the assistance of God), I am willing to die and I had rather die, than doubt of any Point of Faith, taught by our Holy Mother the Roman Catholic Church.”

St John Plessington (c 1637-1679)
Martyred because he was a Catholic Priest

by Elizabeth I of England

John Plessington was born at Dimples Hall, near Garstang, Lancashire in 1637, the son of Robert Plessington and Alice Rawstone, into a family at odds with the authorities, for both their religious and political beliefs. Educated by Jesuits at Scarisbrick Hall, at Saint Omer’s in France and then at the College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain, he was ordained in Segovia on 25 March 1662. He returned to England in 1663 ministering to Catholics in the areas of Holywell and Cheshire, often hiding under the name William Scarisbrick. He was also tutor at Puddington Hall near Chester. Upon arrest in Chester during the Popish Plot scare caused by Titus Oates, he was imprisoned for two months, and then hanged, drawn and quartered for the crime of being a Catholic priest. His speech from the scaffold at Gallow’s Hill in Boughton, Cheshire was printed and distributed:

He said: “I know it will be said that a priest ordayned by authority derived from the See of Rome is, by the Law of the Nation, to die as a Traytor but if that be so what must become of all the Clergymen of the Church of England, for the first Church of England Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome, or not at all, as appears by their own writers so that Ordination comes derivatively from those now living.”

He was martyred in 1679. He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI, and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs on 25 October 1970 by Blessed Pope Paul VI.

A lot more detail about St John here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/saint-of-the-day-19-july-st-john-plessington/

and his scaffold speech here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/thought-for-the-day-19-july/

St John Plessington, Pray for Us!

ART DEI, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

Posted on July 19, 2018July 19, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

REFLECTION – “Jesus asks us to go to Him, for He is true Wisdom, to Him who is “gentle and lowly in heart”. He offers us “his yoke”, the way of the wisdom of the Gospel which is neither a doctrine to be learned, nor an ethical system but rather a Person to follow: He Himself, the Only Begotten Son, in perfect communion with the Father.”…Pope Benedict, XVI, General Audience, 7 December 2011

PRAYER – “Holy God, our Father, we turn to You in confidence as children and pray, give us meekness of heart, make us “poor in spirit” that we may recognise that we are not self-sufficient, that we are unable to build our lives on our own but need You, we need to encounter You, to listen to You, to speak to You. Help us to understand that we need Your gift, Your wisdom, which is Jesus Himself, in order to do the Your will in our lives and thus to find rest in the hardships of our journey.” Blessed Jozef Puchala, Holy Martyr for Christ, Pray for us, amen. (Adapted from the same homily above.) bl jozef puchala martyr - 19 july 2018- pray for us

NOTE: The Image used for the Reflection above is called “Christ the Consolator” by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890). You would be mistaken in believing that this great Artist was a Mormon but of course, he was a Danish Artist of a Christian leaning (Mormons are NOT Christians and were begun by Joseph Smith in the 1820s in New York), studied and was inspired and drawn to Catholicism (but did not convert) in Rome and was vastly influenced by Rembrandt (a protestant) in Holland. The Mormons have used his artworks endlessly – in their temples, advertising and media, he would be highly indignant I believe, without a doubt!

MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 19 July

Posted on July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Abbot Louis de Blois O.S.B. (1506-1566)

Lord my God,
rescue me from myself
and give me to You.
Take away everything
that draws me from You
and give me all those things
that lead me to You,
for the sake of Christ, our Lord.
Amen lord-my-god-abbot-louis-de-blois-osb-aprayer-of-self-dedication - no 2 - used again 19 july 2018 - 24 august 2017

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD

Thought for the Day – – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

Posted on July 18, 2018July 18, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much!
The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands.
Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto.
But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious?

The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.

When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

Prayer for Priests
By St John Vianney

God, please give to Your Church today
many more priests after Your own heart.
May they be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers
of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of Your grace
in the sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Your Son,
Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother,
be the twin fountains of fruitfulness
for their ministry.
Amen prayer for priests by st john vianney - no 3 - 18 july 2018

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

Posted on July 18, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

“He made them,
the vicars of His love.

St Ambrose (340-397)

Father & Doctor of the Church

“The power of the priest,
is the power of the divine person,
for the transubstantiation of the bread,
requires as much power,
as the creation of the world.”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“St Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary
and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest,
yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts.
If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord.
Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle?
It was the priest.
Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life?
The priest.
Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage?
The priest.
Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul,
for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ?
The priest – always the priest.
And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up,
who will restore it to calmness and peace?
Again the priest.
You cannot recall one single blessing from God,
without finding, side by side with this recollection,
the image of the priest.”

“If I were to meet a priest and an angel,
I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel.
The latter is the friend of God
but the priest holds His place.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

“Day after day, it is necessary to learn,
that I do not possess my life for myself.
Day by day, I must learn to abandon myself,
to keep myself available for whatever He, the Lord,
needs of me at a given moment,
even if other things seem more appealing
and more important to me,
this means giving life, not taking it.”

Pope Benedict XVI

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

Posted on July 18, 2018July 18, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them, to the childlike”…Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “O my Saviour and my God! This ought to astonish us. We run after knowledge as if all our happiness depended on it. Woe to us if we don’t have it! We certainly need it but in its fullness, we ought to study but in moderation. Other people claim understanding of business and pass for people of substance and negotiation in the world. These are the ones from whom God takes away perception of Christian truths, from the learned and knowing of this world. Who does He give it to, then? To simple, ordinary people… Gentlemen, true religion is to be found among the poor. God enriches them with living faith, they believe, touch, taste the words of life… For the most part they preserve their peace in the midst of trouble and distress. What is the reason for this? Faith. Why? Because they are simple, God causes those graces to abound in them, that He refuses to the rich and learned of this world.”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You. Grant that by the intercession of St Frederick, we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You, Through Jesus Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen. st frederick pray for us - 18 july 2018

FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 18 July

Posted on July 18, 2018July 17, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 July – Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”...Matthew 11:27

May the Lord Jesus Touch Our Eyes
Origen (c 185-253) Father of the Church

May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes,
as He did those of the blind.
Then we shall begin to see in visible things
those which are invisible.
May He open our eyes to gaze,
not on present realities
but on the blessings to come.
May He open the eyes of our heart,
to contemplate God in Spirit,
through Jesus Christ the Lord,
to whom belong,
power and glory,
through all eternity.
Amen may the lord jesus touch our eyes - by origen - 18 july 2018

GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 17 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

Posted on July 17, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 July – Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

To be converted and return to the Lord
Verse Homily of
Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)
Syrian monk and Bishop

I will go back to my Father’s house like the prodigal son (Lk 15:18) and He will welcome me.
For I was dead through sin as though by sickness;
raise me up from my distress that I may praise Your name!
O Lord of heaven and earth, come to my help and show me Your way,
that I may come to You.
Draw me to You, Son of the Most Good
and bring Your compassion to completion.
I will set out towards You and there be filled with joy.
Knead for me now the grain of life at this time when I am crushed.

I set out in search of You and the Evil One spied on me like a thief (cf. Lk 10:30).
He bound and chained me in the pleasures of this wicked world:
he imprisoned me in its pleasures and slammed the door in my face.
There was no one to free me, so that I might set out in search of You, O Lord, my good!…
O Lord, I long to be Yours and walk Your way.
See how I meditate Your commandments by day and by night (Ps 1:2).
Grant my request and accept my prayer, O merciful one!
Do not cast off the hope of Your servant, for he is waiting for you.

Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)

the prodigal son - large

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St Charbel Makhluf, Pray for us!

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St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)

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Sit laus plena, sit sonora

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St Lawrence of Brindisi, pray for us!

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Blessed Gregory Lopez, please pray for us!

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The light burden of the law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Priest, Translator of the Bible,

Father & Doctor of the Church

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St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyred because he was a Catholic Priest

by Elizabeth I of England

St John Plessington, Pray for Us!

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St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

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St Ambrose (340-397)

Father & Doctor of the Church

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St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

Pope Benedict XVI

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To be converted and return to the Lord Verse Homily of Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521) Syrian monk and Bishop

Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)

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St John Plessington (c 1637-1679)
Martyred because he was a Catholic Priest

To be converted and return to the Lord
Verse Homily of
Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)
Syrian monk and Bishop