Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in MORNING Prayers

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 4: Hope and Healing

Isaiah 9:2-7a His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace

Psalm 34:1-14 Seek peace, and pursue it

Revelation 7:13-17 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes

John 14:25-27 Peace I leave with you

Within the Caribbean, violence is a problem to which the churches are called to respond. There is an alarmingly high rate of murder, much of which stems from domestic abuse, gang warfare and other forms of criminality. There is also a rising rate of self-harm and suicide in some parts of the region.

Reflection

The kingdom which God promised, the kingdom which Jesus proclaimed and made manifest in his ministry, is a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. What does this Good News mean for those trapped in the darkness of violence? In the prophet’s vision, light shone on those who lived in a land of deep darkness. But how can Christians bring the light of Jesus to those living in the darkness of domestic and gang violence? What sense of hope can Christians offer? It is a sad reality that division among Christians is a counter-sign, which hampers the communication of hope.

However, the quest for peace and reconciliation between the different churches and confessions is the opposite of that. When Christians strive for unity in a world of conflict, they offer the world a sign of reconciliation. Christians who refuse to enter a logic of privilege and status, who refuse to demean others and their communities, give witness to the peace of God’s kingdom, where the Lamb guides the saints to springs of the water of life. This is a peace the world needs, and one which brings healing and comfort to those afflicted by violence.

Prayer

God of all comfort and hope,
your resurrection defeated the violence of the cross.
As Your people,
may we be a visible sign
that the violence of the world will be overcome.
This we pray in the name of our risen Lord.

Amen.

The right hand of God
is pointing in our land,
pointing the way we must go;
so clouded is the way,
so easily we stray,
but we’re guided by the right hand of God.DAY 4 - 21 January 2018 - OCTAVE OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2018 - 18-25 JAN

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Day SIX – 21 January

Various daily acts cause our conversion and ultimately our sanctification to grow: examining our conscience and admitting our faults; undertaking works of penance and reconciliation; receiving the correction others give us with an open and humble heart; reaching out to the poor; standing up for what is right and just; accepting the suffering and persecution that come our way; desiring to better our life (see CCC1435).

LET US PRAY:

Glorious St Paul,
your conversion is a powerful witness to the world
that God loves us and does not give up on us,
no matter how far we stray.
Help me to live a life of ongoing conversion.
True conversion means converting my life to the
design of God, the plan He has for me right now.
Pray for me, that I may be filled with passion
for the evangelisation of all those around me,
that my life may be a beacon of the light of Christ.
May the witness of my life inspire other sinners to conversion.
May faith move me to believe that God can
and will change the things in me that seem impossible to rectify.
In this confidence, I entrust to you, St Paul,
these, my intentions
…………………………..
(mention your request)

I ask this through Christ, Our Lord, amen.day6stpaul-2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Francis de Sales – Day SEVEN – 21 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day SEVEN – 21 January

“Our intellect is ordinarily full of ideas, opinions and considerations suggested by self-love.   This is the root of many conflicts within the soul, putting before us all sorts of reasons dictated by human prudence to justify our pretensions.   People who make use of this false prudence, instead of enlightening their intellect, obscure it.   They reject advice given to them and let those reasons prevail in their minds which support their own opinions, even wrong ones.   Make use of the virtue of prudence because it is good but make good use of it.   Employ it only rarely, with simplicity and solely for the glory of God.” (St Francis de Sales – Sermons 30; O. IX, pp. 297-298)

O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially
……………………………..
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven
even as I walk each day with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble
in my attempt to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny:
eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer.
………………………………………
(mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all, You desired that St. Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Francis de Sales, pray for us.DAY SEVEN - ST FRANCIS DE SALES NOVENA - 21 JAN 2018jpg

Posted in DEVOTIO, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 21 January 2018 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 21 January 2018 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM “This is My Body”the eucharist is the hope - st saturninus - 21 jan 2018

“What the Sunday celebrations of the Eucharist represented for Christians at the time of the persecutions is shown in a moving way in the acts of the North African Martyrs, Saturninus and companions, who died under the Diocletian persecution in 305.*
They were the first martyrs of the Eucharist. Their words and example might constitute a strong call and the starting point for an examination of conscience for us modern Christians.
To the Roman judge who accused them of having transgressed the emperor’s order not to hold meetings and hand out the Scriptures, the martyrs responded one after the other:

” A Christian cannot live without the Eucharist and the Eucharist without the Christians.   Don’t you know that the Christian exists for the Eucharist and the Eucharist for the Christian?”
“Yes, I participated with the brothers in the meeting, I celebrated the mysteries of the Lord and I have with me, written in my heart, the divine Scriptures… The Eucharist is the hope and salvation of Christians.”**

* Acta ss. Saturnini et sociorum martyrum (ca.304), 9, 11 (ed PT Ruinart, Acta martyrum 1959). A phrase of these acts: “Sine dominico non possumus” is sometimes translated: ‘We cannot live without Sunday.’ A suggestive translation but unfortunately inexact. The neuter noun dominicum indicates the ‘celebration of the Lord’s Mysteries’, ‘the Lord’s Banquet’, namely ‘the Lord’s Supper’ of 1 Cor 11:20.
The term recurs with such meaning in the African writers of the time – Tertullian, Ad Uxorem, 2,4; Cyprian, De opere et eleemosynis, 15.
The accent is therefore on the Eucharist, not on Sunday, the latter is included indirectly, inasmuch as the Lord’s Supper, was celebrated as a rule and for a certain period exclusively, on Sunday. The complete meaning of dominicum is, therefore, that of “Sunday celebration of the Lord’s supper.”
** Acta, 10-13.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 January – The Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 January – The Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr

One of the most beloved of female saints, Saint Agnes is renowned for her virginity and for keeping her faith under torture.   A girl of only 12 or 13 at the time of her death, Saint Agnes is one of eight female saints commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass (the First Eucharistic Prayer).

As Pope John Paul II said to the young people, they should not wait until they are older to become saints.   For the World Youth Day, the Holy Father proposed nine “patron saints” — nine Saints and Blesseds who died at a very young age, like St Thérèse of Lisieux and Blessed Kateri Tekawitha, who died at the age of 24.   One of these nine patrons is St Agnes, who died around 304 at the age of around 13.   She declared that she would never accept any spouse except Jesus Christ.

“I do not think that the world has radically changed since the time that Agnes lived her short life in the world, some nineteen centuries ago.   It is always the same strong and greedy world that we know today.   The same world with three heads, which the martyrs of the first three centuries of Christianity had to face, still hinders the road to Heaven in our twentieth century:  pride, impurity and the thirst for power stand armed against the Kingdom of Christ,

“Times are bad.”   We, Catholics, are living in a time of paganism.   Our governments and society are about as pagan as the governments and society in the times of paganism in Rome.   Many do not adore the true God anymore; they rather adore at the altars of Venus, or of Moloch, or of some other false deity of the human passions, just like the Romans did.” (Bishop William Adrian of Nashville 1970)

St Agnes’ life, heroism and death inspire us to be pure also.   Her name means pure in Greek and lamb in Latin.  She is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years, experience, or human effort.   It is a gift God offers to all.

St Agnes pray for us!bernardo-lorente-german-sevilla-1680-sevilla-1759-e2809csaint-agnese2809d-pray-for-us

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

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – The Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – The Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr

“Christ made my soul beautiful
with the jewels of grace and virtue.
I belong to Him whom the angels serve.”christ made my soul - st agnes - 21 jan 2018

“You may stain your sword with
my blood but you will never profane
my body that I have consecrated to Christ.”

St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyryou may stain your sword - st agnes - 21 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018: Day Three – 20 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018
Day Three – 20 January

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 3:  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit

Exodus 3:4-10  God frees those who are in human bondage

Psalm 24:1-6  Lord, we are the people who seek your face

1 Corinthians 6:9-20  Therefore glorify God in your body

Matthew 18:1-7  Woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

Many Christian churches in the Caribbean share a concern about the issue of pornography, especially via the internet.   Pornography has destructive consequences for human dignity, particularly for children and young people.   Like slavery, it commodifies human beings, ensnares those addicted to it and damages wholesome loving relationships.

Reflection

The book of Exodus demonstrates God’s concern for people in human bondage.   God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush was a powerful declaration of his will to free his people.   God observed their misery, heard their cry and so came to deliver them. God still hears the cry of those who are subject to enslavement today and wills to deliver them.   While sexuality is a gift of God for human relationships and the expression of intimacy, the misuse of this gift through pornography enslaves and devalues both those caught up in producing it and those who consume it.   God is not impervious to their plight and Christians are called to be similarly concerned.

St Paul writes that we are called to give glory to God in our own bodies, which means that every part of our lives, including our relationships, can and should be an offering pleasing to God.   Christians must work together for the kind of society that upholds human dignity and does not put a stumbling block before any of God’s little ones but, rather, enables them to live in the freedom which is God’s will for them.

Prayer

By Your heavenly grace, O God,
restore us in mind and body,
create in us a clean heart and a pure mind
that we may give glory to Your Name.

May the churches attain unity of purpose
for the sanctification of Your people,
through Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.

Amen.

The right hand of God
is healing in our land,
healing broken bodies, minds and souls;
so wondrous is its touch,
with love that means so much,
when we’re healed
by the right hand of God.DAY 3 - 20 JAN - OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY - 20 JAN 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Day FIVE – 20 January

“Conversion to Christ,” says Pope Benedict XVI, “ultimately means this:  to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and of God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.”

LET US PRAY:

Glorious St Paul,
your conversion is a powerful witness to the world
that God loves us and does not give up on us,
no matter how far we stray.
May every circumstante of my life be an occasion
to change my way of thinking,
to renounce self-will and
to surrender myself to the wisdom and tenderness of Jesus Christ
who is acting to make me His saint.
Pray that I may love God’s will and providence for me.
In this confidence, I entrust to you, St Paul,
these, my intentions
………………………………
(mention your request)

I ask this through Christ, Our Lord, amen

St Paul Pray for us!day5novenastpaul-2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Francis de Sales Day SIX – 20 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day SIX – 20 January

“Do not pay any attention to the kind of work you do but rather to the honour that it brings to God, even though it may seem quite trivial.   Desire only to do the Divine Will, following Divine Providence, which is the disposition of Divine Wisdom.   In a word, if your works are pleasing to God and recognised as such, that is all that matters.   Work hard every day at increasing your purity of heart, which consists in appraising things and weighing them in the balance of God’s will.” (St Francis de Sales Letters 280; O. XIII, p. 53)

O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially
………………..…………….
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven even as I walk each day
with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble in my attempt to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny:
eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer.
…………………….(mention your particular need)
O God, for the salvation of all, you desired that St. Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we, infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

St Francis de Sales, pray for us.DAY SIX - ST FRANCIS DE SALES NOVENA - 20 JAN 2018jpg

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

By contemplating death, we focus our minds on how better to live, so that when the moment comes–as it does for all of us–we need not be afraid or ashamed of our nakedness in the sight of God, as our first parents were, in the rebellion of original sin, which brought death into the world.
As the ancient saying commands us, memento mori, remember that you must die.
How we live our lives, will determine, whether we will join with the saints, in the victory of Christ over death.   Indeed, the saints are excellent examples for us, of how to live–and how to die–with grace, love and forgiveness.

St Sebastian, Martyr for Christ, Pray for us!  (The Image is the Bernini Statue in the Vatican)st sebastian - pray for us no 2- 20 jan 2018

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

Quote/s of the Day – – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

“Last Words”

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”

St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)
(Last words addressed to his executioners)lord jesus, receive my spirit - st sebastian - 20 jan 2018

“If all the swords in England were pointed
against my head, your threats would not move me.
I am ready to die for my Lord,
that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.”

St Thomas à Becket, Martyr (1118-1170)
(Last words addressed to his murderers)if all the swords - st thomas a becket - 20 jan 2018

“Long live Christ the King!”
“Viva Cristo Rey!”

Blessed Miguel Pro, Martyr (1891-1927)
(Last words addressed to his executioners)viva cristo rey - bl miguel pro - 20 jan 2018

“This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively:
if I have held communication with foreigners,
it has been for my religion and for my God.
It is for Him that I die.
My immortal life is on the point of beginning.
Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death
because God has eternal chastisements in store
for those who have refused to know Him.”

St Andrew Kim Taegon, Martyr (1821-1846)
(Last words addressed to his murderers)this is my last hour of life - st andrew kim taegon - 20 sept 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

One Minute Reflection – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 January – The Memorial of St Sebastian, Martyr (Died C 288)

What will separate us from the love of Christ?   Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?   …No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us   For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.…Romans 8:35,37-39romans 8-35,37-39

REFLECTION – “From the very beginning of the life of the Church, Christians have always believed that the blood of martyrs is a seed for Christians, as Tertullian said.   Today too, in a dramatic way, the blood of a great number of Christian martyrs continues to be shed on the field of the world,with the certain hope that will bear fruit in a rich harvest of holiness, justice, reconciliation and love of God.   But we must remember that one is not born a martyr.   Archbishop Romero remarked, ‘We must be willing to die for our faith, even if the Lord does not grant us this honour. … Giving life does not only mean being assassinated;  giving life, having the spirit of martyrdom, means offering it in silence, in prayer, in the honest fulfillment of one’s duty;  in this silence of everyday life, giving life a little at a time.’”...Pope Francis 30 October 2015but we must remember that one - pope francis - 20 jan 2018

PRAYER – Grant us, Lord, the spirit of fortitude.   Teach us, by the example of St Sebastian, to render obedience, to you rather than to men and by his prayer, may we gain courage in the face of evil.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.st sebastian - pray for us - 20 jan 2018

sebastian-2-pray for us 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 20 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 January

I love You, O my God
By St John Vianney (1786-1859)

I love You, O my God
and my only desire is to love You
until the last breath of my life.
I love You, O my infinitely lovable God,
and I would rather die loving You,
than live for an instant without loving You.
I love you, O my God
and I desire only to go to heaven
to have the happiness
of loving You perfectly.
I love You, O my God
and my only fear is to go to hell
because one will not have
the sweet solace of loving You there.
O my God,
if my tongue cannot say
at all times that I love You,
at least I want my heart
to repeat it to You as I breathe.
Ah! Do me the grace to suffer
while loving You,
to love You while suffering.
And, that when I die, I not only will love You
but experience it in my heart.
I beg You that the closer I come to my final end,
You will increase and perfect my love for You, amen.i love you o my god - st john vianney - 20 jan 2018

 

 

 

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, VATICAN Resources

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS DAY 2 – 19 JANUARY

Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 2: No longer as a slave but a beloved brother

Genesis 1:26-28 God created humankind in God’s own image

Psalm 10:1-10 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Philemon No longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother

Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which victims are forced or tricked into sex work, child labour and the harvesting of organs for the profit of the exploiters. It is a global, multimillion-dollar industry. It is also a growing problem across the Caribbean. Reformed Churches in the Caribbean have joined with the Council for World Mission and the Caribbean and North American Council for Mission to educate Christian communities to end the scourge of human trafficking.

Reflection

One of the first things we learn about God in the Hebrew and Christian Bible is that God created humankind in his own image. However, this profound and beautiful truth has often been obscured or denied throughout human history. For instance, in the Roman Empire, the dignity of those enslaved was denied. The Gospel message is entirely different to this. Jesus challenged the social norms that devalued the human dignity of Samaritans, describing the Samaritan as the ‘neighbour’ of the man who had been attacked on the road to Jericho – a neighbour to be loved, according to the Law. And Paul, made bold in Christ, describes the once-enslaved Onesimus as ‘a beloved brother’, transgressing the norms of his society and affirming Onesimus’s humanity.

Christian love must always be a courageous love that dares to cross borders, recognising in others a dignity equal to our own. Like St Paul, Christians must be ‘bold enough in Christ’ to raise a united voice in clearly recognising trafficked persons as their neighbours and their beloved brothers and sisters, and so work together to end modern-day slavery.

Prayer

Gracious God,
draw near to those who are victims of human trafficking,
assuring them that you see their plight and hear their cry.

May your Church be united in compassion and courage to work for that day
when no one will be exploited
and all will be free to live lives of dignity and peace.
This we pray in the name of the Triune God
who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
Amen.

The right hand of God
is lifting in our land,
lifting the fallen one by one;
each one is known by name,
and rescued now from shame,
by the lifting of the right hand of God.

For DAY ONE go here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/the-octave-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-18-25-january-2018/

DAY 2 - 19 JAN - OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY - 19 JAN 2018

For DAY ONE go here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/the-octave-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-18-25-january-2018/

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD, SPEAKING of .....

On the Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906) – 19 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

On the Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906) – 19 January

As today we have been thinking of all our Priests, let us pray:

Pope Benedict’s Prayer for Priests

LORD JESUS CHRIST,
Eternal High Priest, You offered Yourself to the
Father on the altar of the Cross and through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave Your priestly
people a share in Your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial
priesthood may be ever more conformed to You,
the divine Master.
May they preach the
Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to Your own Heart,
single- minded in service to You and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy,simple and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Your Mother and ours,draw all priests and the flocks
entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
AMEN
BENEDICTUS PP. XVIpope-benedicts-prayer-for-priests-19-oct-2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Day FOUR – 19 January

For St John Paul, conversion means returning to God “through evaluating earthly realities in the unfailing light of His truth.”   The proof of St Paul’s conversion is his profession:  “For me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21).   Conversion is a conversion to the will and design of God:  “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

Let us Pray:

Glorious St Paul,
your conversion is a powerful witness to the world
that God loves us and does not give up on us,
no matter how far we stray.
Help me to live a life of ongoing conversion.
True conversion means converting my life to the
design of God, the plan He has for me right now.
Pray that I will love God’s will and providence for me.
May I learn to truly surrender myself to wisdom and tenderness of God.
Pray that I may love God’s will and providence for me.
In this confidence, I entrust to you, St Paul,
these, my intentions ………………..
(mention your request)

I ask this through Christ, Our Lord, amen.

St Paul Pray for us!day-4-novena-st-paul.-2018

 

 

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

Novena to St Francis de Sales: Day Five – 19 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day FIVE – 19 January

“This poor life is only a journey to the happy life to come.   We must not be angry with one another on the way but rather we must march on as a band of brothers and sisters united in meekness, peace and love.   I state absolutely and make no exception:  do not be angry at all if that is possible.   Do no accept any pretext whatever for opening your heart’s door to anger.   Saint James tells us positively and without reservation,” … a man’s anger does not fulfil God’s justice.”   [St Francis de Sales Jas 1:20] (INT. Part III, Ch. 8; O. III, p. 162)

O blessed Francis de Sales, who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially
…………………………..
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven
even as I walk each day with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise
cause me to stumble in my attempt
to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity
with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny:
eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer.
…………………………….
(mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all,
You desired that St Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, amen.

St Francis de Sales, pray for us.DAY FIVE - ST FRANCIS DE SALES NOVENA - 19 JAN 2018jpg

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, SPEAKING of .....

Thought for the day – 19 January – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906) Saints and Lawyers?

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the day – 19 January – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906)

Speaking of Saints and Lawyers?

A lawyer was visited by Satan who promised that if he sold his soul to him, he would be wealthy, have a beautiful wife who would never leave him and all his cases would be successes.

The lawyer said “Yeh, but what’ the catch?”

So many ‘official’ saints were Lawyers – I have been trying to work this out, what is the connection between holiness and the mind of the lawyer?   Especially in the light of the general opinion we all have of lawyers, something akin to the second-hand car salesman! In other words, a bit of a lier and a cheat, at the very least, someone who shines and polishes the little bit of truth available to him.   Perhaps it is just this – this ability to grab the bit of truth available and make it grow, make it shine, make it the reason why we must have that car or why the judge must release the prisoner?

So the saintly lawyers, grab the bit of truth and delve deeper and further until they find the whole truth – this must be it!   And in that digging they, of course, find the ONLY truth – Jesus the Christ and His Church!   Then, if they were good lawyers, that natural instinct, to delve, to dig, will continue and in that effort, sanctity is achieved.

Here are some, I could find on a quick search, who kept their eye on heaven:
Blessed Anacleto González Flores
Blessed Angelo Carletti
Blessed Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam
Blessed Antonio Franco
Blessed Augustine Novello
Blessed Bartholomew Longo
Blessed Bernardine of Fossa
Blessed Charles Steeb
Blessed Contardo Ferrini
Blessed Demosthenes Ranzi
Blessed Dermot O’Hurley
Blessed Gennaro Maria Sarnelli
Blessed Giacomo Villa
Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini
Blessed Henry of Segusio
Blessed Humbert of Romans
Blessed Jacopone da Todi
Blessed James the Almsgiver
Blessed Jean of Hainaut
Blessed John of Vercelli
Blessed John Storey
Blessed José Perpiñá Nácher
Blessed Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi
Blessed Manuel Basulto Jiménez
Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre
Blessed Mark Fantucci
Blessed Nazju Falzon
Blessed Paul Burali d’Arezzo
Blessed Paul of Wallachia
Blessed Peter de Geremia
Blessed Pierre de Barellis
Blessed Pietro of Gubbio
Blessed Pope Innocent XI
Blessed William Scott
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Saint Amphilochius of Iconium
Saint Andrew Avellino
Saint Aprus of Toul
Saint Bernadine Realino
Saint Bertrand of Aquileia
Saint Charles Borromeo
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen
Saint Francis de Sales
Saint Germanus of Auxerre
Saint Gregory Barbarigo
Saint Ivo of Kermartin
Saint James of the Marches
Saint Jerome
Saint John Houghton
Saint John of Avila
Saint John of Capistrano
Saint Josemaria Escriva
Saint Liphardus of Orleans
Saint Paulinus of Nola
Saint Philogonius of Antioch
Saint Raymond of Penyafort
Saint Richard of Chichester
Saint Salvius of Albi
Saint Satyrus of Milan
Saint Sylvester Gozzolini
Saint Theophilus the Lawyer
Saint Thomas a Becket
Saint Thomas More
Saint Tryphillius of Leucosia
Saint Turibius of Mogroveio
Venerable Cesare Baronio
Venerable Luis de Trelles y Nogerol

Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, pray for us that we too shine and polish the truth until we meet you in heaven as saints!blessed marcelo - no 2 pray for us

 

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 19 January – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906) “Speaking of Priests”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 January  – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906)

“Speaking of Priests”

“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)the power of the priest - st bernardine - 19 jan 2018

“The worthy priest is
an angel of purity,
in mind and body,
a cherub of light and knowledge,
a seraph of love and Charity,
an apostle of zeal in work and sanctity,
a little god on earth
in power and authority,
in patience and benignity.
He is the living image of Christ in this world,
of Christ watching, praying, preaching,
catechising, working, weeping,
going from town to town,
from village to village,
suffering, agonising, sacrificing Himself
and dying for the souls
created to His image and likeness. . .
He is the light of those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
He is the destroyer of error,
schisms and heresies,
the converter of sinners,
the sanctifier of the just,
the strength of the weak,
the consolation of the afflicted,
the treasure of the poor.
He is the confusion of hell,
the glory of heaven,
the terror of demons,
the joy of angels,
the ruin of Satan’s kingdom,
the establishment of Christ’s empire,
the ornament of the Church. . .”

St John Eudes (1501-1680)the worthy priest is...-st john eudes - 19 jan 2018

“What tongue, human or angelic,
may ever describe a power so immeasurable
as that exercised by the simplest priest in Mass?
Who could ever have imagined that the voice of man,
which by nature hath not the power,
even to raise a straw from the ground,
should obtain through grace,
a power so stupendous,
as to bring from Heaven to earth,
the SON of GOD?”

St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)what tongue,human or angelic - st leord of port maurice - 19 jan 2018

“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.”

“The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.
When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“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.”

St Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney, the Cure of Ars (1786-1859) – Patron of Priestsst john vianney - 3 quotes on the priesthood - 19 jan 2018

To be Continued ……………….

smiley winking

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD, SAINT of the DAY, SPEAKING of ....., The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 January – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre (1835-1906)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 January – The Memorial of Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre (1835-1906)

And Jesus called to him the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits… So they went out and preached that men should repent...Mark 6:7,12mark 6 - 7,12

REFLECTION – “‘O Priest! You are not yourself because you are of God.   You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ.   You are not you own because you are the spouse of the Church.   You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man.   You are not from yourself because you are nothing. What then are you?   Nothing and everything.   O Priest!   Take care lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you: “He saved others, himself he cannot save!”‘ ...St NorbertO Priest! - St Norbert

PRAYER – O Lord of all, today we pray for our priests. All our priests from the Holy Father to our the newly ordained. Keep them holy and for yourself O Lord. Keep them in the image of Your Son, our High Priest, Jesus Christ. Keep them pure in heart, loving in spirit, filled with charity for all and most of all, with the greatest of love for You. Bless their hearts and their hands, that administer Your Eucharistic Son to your faithful. Grant that the prayers of Blessed Marcelo Spínola, may intercede for all our priests and ourselves. Amenblessed marcelo - pray for us

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January: Day THREE – 18 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Day THREE – 18 January

“Suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him…. (he) heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?…I am Jesus….” They led (Saul) by the hand” (Acts 9:3,4,5,8)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaks of conversion as an act of obedience toward a reality that does not originate from us, that precedes us:  the concrete God. (Joseph Ratzinger – The Nature and Mission of Theology {Ignatius, 1995 p 58})

Let us Pray:

Glorious St Paul,
your conversion is a powerful witness to the world
that God loves us and does not give up on us,
no matter how far we stray.
Help me to live a life of ongoing obedience to God
and conversion of my wilful heart.
Pray that I may renounce self-will
and surrender myself to my Creator
who has a plan to make me a saint.
May faith move me to believe that God can and will,
change the things in me that seem insurmountable.
Pray that I may love God’s will and providence for me.
In this confidence, I entrust to you, St Paul,
these, my intentions
………………………………….
(mention your request)

I ask this through Christ, Our Lord, amen.

St Paul Pray for us!day-three-st-paul - 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Francis de Sales – Day Four: 18 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day Four – 18 January

“Self-love dies only when our body dies, so we must, while we live in this land of exile, continue to counterattack its assaults on our senses and its underhanded tactics.   It is enough if we firmly withstand, giving no wilful or deliberate consent … When we feel within ourselves the first movements of self-love or of other passions, let us prostrate ourselves immediately before the heart of God and tell Him, in a spirit of confidence and humility, “Lord, have mercy on me because I am a very weak creature.”   Then let us tranquilly rest in peace and put ourselves at God’s disposal.” (St Francis de Sales Letters 1675; O. XIX, pp. 272-273)

O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me
under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially ……………………..
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven even as I walk each day
with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble in my attempt
to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity
with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny, eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer
………………………..…….
(mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all, You desired that St Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many long the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

St Francis de Sales, pray for us.DAY FOUR - ST FRANCIS DE SALES NOVENA - 18 JAN 2018jpg

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

Thought for the Day – 18 January – The Memorial of St Margaret of Hungary (1242-1270)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 January – The Memorial of St Margaret of Hungary (1242-1270)

A young woman of extraordinary beauty, St Margaret attracted the attention of suitors even though she was a nun.   Ottokar, the king of Bohemia, was determined to marry her.   For political reasons, Béla liked the idea.   He asked Margaret to get released from her commitments and marry Ottokar.   Béla had not bargained for the steely resistance of his strong-willed daughter.   She responded to his request with defiance:

“When I was only 7-years-old, you tried to espouse me to the Polish Duke.   You will remember my answer then.   I said that I wished to serve Him only to whom you had espoused me at my birth.   As a child, I would not yield to your will in opposition to God’s claims on me.   Do you think that I am likely to give in to you now that I am older and wiser?   And am I more capable of grasping the greatness of the divine grace that has been given me?   Then, my Father, stop trying to turn me from my determination to remain a religious.   I prefer the heavenly kingdom to that which has been offered me by the King of Bohemia.   I would rather die than obey these commands of yours that will bring death to my soul.   Mark my words. If matters ever come to such a pass and I am driven to it, I will surely put an end to the whole affair by mutilating myself, so that I shall never again be desirable to any man.”

So Béla backed down.   Witnesses say that had he persisted, gritty Margaret would likely have fulfilled her threat.   Butler’s Lives of the Saints says that she performed “marvellous” service to the sick, so nauseating that its “details cannot be set out before the fastidious modern reader.”   Out of sympathy for the poor, Margaret also imitated their squalor. She so neglected all personal hygiene, for example, that she repulsed her sisters.   And for long periods she denied herself food and sleep.   Since she was a princess and the convent was built for her, no one seems to have been able to temper her excesses.

The church recognises Margaret of Hungary as a saint in spite of the traces of wilfulness and pride that seem to have marked her life.   But she excelled in charity and “love covers over many a sin” (1 Peter 4:8).   Those of us who want to be holy but have many “in-spite-ofs” to contend with, can be glad of that!

St Margaret of Hungary, pray for us!st margaret of hungary - pray for us 2 - 18 jan 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRAMENTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – “Speaking of the Holy Eucharist/Holy Mass”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – “Speaking of the Holy Eucharist/Holy Mass“

“Let us return from that Table,
like lions breathing out fire,
terrifying to the devil!”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Churchlet us return from that table - st john chrysostom - 18 jan 2018

“O Sacrament of Love!
O sign of Unity!
O bond of Charity!
He who would have Life finds here indeed
a Life to live in and a Life to live by.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Churcho sacrament of love - st augustine - 18 jan 2018

“What does the poor man do
at the rich man’s door,
the sick man in the presence of his physician,
the thirsty man at a limpid stream?
What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God.
I pray. I adore. I love.”

St Francis of Assisiwhat does the poor man do - st francis - 18 jan 2018

“Put all the good works in the world
against one Holy Mass;
they will be as a grain of sand
beside a mountain.”

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)put all the good works - st john vianney - 18 jan 2018

“When you look at the crucifix,
you understand how much Jesus loved you then.
When you look at the Sacred Host,
you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”when you look - st mother teresa - 18 jan 2018

“Unless we believe and see Jesus
in the appearance of bread on the altar,
we will not be able to see Him
in the distressing disguise of the poor.”

St Mother Teresaunless we believe - st mother teresa - 18 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 January – The Memorial of St Margaret of Hungary (1242-1270)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 January – The Memorial of St Margaret of Hungary (1242-1270)

Just as the Father who has life sent me and I have life because of the Father, so the man who feeds on me will have life because of me...John 6:57john 6 57 - 18 jan 2018

REFLECTION – “The Holy Eucharist, is a fire that purifies and consumes all our miseries and imperfections.   Do everything in your power to make yourself worthy of the Eucharist and this Divine Fire, will take care of the rest.”…St Hyacinth of Mariscotti T.O.R.(1585-1640)the holy eucharist - st hyacinth - 18 jan 2018

PRAYER – Living God, You have given me the Eucharist as my food for heavenly life.   Help me to partake of it often and so be strengthened on my pilgrim journey on earth.   Grant that St Margaret of Hungary, may add us all to her prayers, that by her intercession, we too may learn the true way home.   Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.st margaret of hungary - 18 jan 2018

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

Our Morning Offering – 18 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 January

Daily Prayer “Grant me Grace”
By St Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Grant me grace,
O merciful God,
to desire ardently
all that is pleasing to You,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully,
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise and glory of Your name.
Amengrant me grace - st thomas aquinas - 18 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Paul in preparation for the Feast of The Conversion of St Paul on 25 January

Day TWO – 17 January

Saul of Tarsus, the “Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6) had often prayed in the Psalms “You have said, ‘seek my face.’   My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’…Bow your heavens, O Lord and come down!….Flash forth the lightening …Stretch forth your hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me.” (Ps 27:8-9; 144:5,6,7).

And that is EXACTLY what happened when Saul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus!

LET US PRAY:

Glorious St Paul,
your conversion is a powerful witness to the world
that God loves us and does not give up on us,
no matter how far we stray.
May every circumstance of my life be an occasion
to change my way of thinking,
to renounce self-will and
to surrender myself to the wisdom
and tenderness of Jesus Christ
who is acting to make me His saint.
Pray that I may love God’s will and providence for me.
In this confidence, I entrust to you, St Paul,
these, my intentions
………………………………………..
(mention your request)

I ask this through Christ, Our Lord, amen.

St Paul Pray for us!day-two-novena-st-paul - 2018 VERSION

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Announcing the NOVENA to Blessed BENEDICT DASWA – Memorial 1 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Announcing the NOVENA to Blessed BENEDICT DASWA – Memorial 1 February

Begins 23 January

We are encouraging people in all the Dioceses of Southern Africa (SACBC region) to pray for the favours and graces they need during the nine days prior to the Feast on 1 February.   This novena will commence on 23 January and conclude on 31 January.   We also invite people to make three acts of kindness each day of the Novena in remembrance of the three acts of charity which Blessed Benedict performed the day he was martyred.

The NOVENA PRAYER in various languages

The Novena Prayer in various languages for opening or downloading:

English english-novena     

Afrikaans afrikaans_combined

French french-novena

Portuguese portuguese-novena

South Sotho s-sotho-novena

North Sotho sepedi-novena

XiTsonga tsonga-novena

TshiVenda venda-novena

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO BL BENEDICT DASWA - BEGINS 23 JAN

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Francis de Sales Day Three – 17 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day Three – 17 January

“I desire very little and what I do desire I desire very little;  I have hardly any desires but if I were to begin my life all over again I would want to have none at all … Ask for nothing, refuse nothing; we must simply abandon ourselves into the hands of Providence, without nourishing any other desire but to do whatever God wills.   St Paul practised this act of absolute abandonment at the very moment of his conversion.   When he was deprived of his sight, he immediately said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” [cf. Act 22:10]   From that moment on he put himself completely at God’s disposal.   All our perfection consists precisely in the practical application of this principle. ” (St Francis de Sales Spiritual Treatises XXI, O. VI, pp. 383-384)

O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially …………………….
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven even as I walk each day
with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble
in my attempt to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity
with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny: eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer.
………………………………………. (mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all, You desired that St Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

St Francis de Sales, pray for us.DAY THREE - NOVENA TO ST FRANCIS DE SALES - 17 JAN 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 17 January – The Memorial of St Anthony Abbot (251-356) 

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 January – The Memorial of St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

In an age that smiles and jeers at the notion of devils and angels, a person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause.   And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race,” one who devotes a whole life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all ages.   Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ.   Even in God’s good world, there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us.

Our most powerful protection IS
the Sign of the Cross:

“Let us not then be ashamed
to confess the Crucified.
BE THE CROSS OUR SEAL,
made with boldness by our fingers,
on our brow and in everything,
over the bread we eat and the cups we drink,
in our comings in and goings out,
before our sleep,
when we lie down
and when we awake,
when we are in the way
and when we are still.
Great is that preservative,
it is without price,
for the poor’s sake,
without toil,
for the sick,
since also its’ grace is from God.
It is the Sign of the faithful
and the dread of evils –
for He has triumphed over them in it,
having made a shew of them openly –
for when they see the Cross,
they are reminded of the Crucified;
they are afraid of Him,
Who hath bruised the head of the dragon.
Despise not the Seal
because of the freeness of the Gift
but for this,
rather honour thy Benefactor!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)

Father & Doctor of the Church

“The Sign of the Cross
is the most terrible weapon
against the devil. 
Thus the Church wishes not only,
that we have it continually
in front of our minds,
to recall to us 
just what our souls are worth 
and what they cost Jesus Christ 
but also that we should make it
at every juncture ourselves: 
when we go to bed, 
when we awaken during the night, 
when we get up, 
when we begin any action, 
and, above all, 
when we are tempted.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)the sign of the cross - st john vianney.- new version - 17 jan 2018 jpg

St Anthony Abbot Pray for us!st anthony abbot - pray for us