Quote of the Day – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
“When I was born,
my mother laid me on a bed of straw
and I desire no better pallet when I die,
asking only to be in the state of grace
and worthy of salvation.”
One Minute Reflection – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
….because they exchanged God’s truth for a lie
and have worshipped and served the creature
instead of the Creator, who is blessed for ever….Romans 1:25
REFLECTION – “The world has grown old; the human race is adrift.
Well, yes, if we abandon humanity to its natural course, to its fatal direction.
No, if the power from on high that is preserved in the religion of Jesus and in His Church,
is poured out anew on all ranks of the human race and restores them to life.”… Blessed Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
PRAYER – Holy God, teach me gratitude for Your love, teach me faithfulness no matter what difficulties I face.
Jesus, my Lord, Your Church is my guide and my understanding, help me to always be true to her, my holy mother!
Blessed Anton, pray for the Church and all God’s people, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 24 September
Eternal Father,
today, while I am fully conscious,
totally lucid and completely free,
I offer You my life with all its mystery and suffering.
Indeed, Eternal Father,
I offer You my life as an ultimate act of love,
as an act of infinite gratitude,
as an act of faith in Your mercy.
My God and Father,
accept this prayer I am making to You now
for the day when You will call me back to You.
If I am unconscious at the final moment of my life,
if anguish and doubt assail me,
if medication prevents me from thinking of You,
I want my last heartbeat to be an act of perfect love,
telling You with Jesus,
“Into Your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Amen.
Thought for the Day – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
There can be no doubt that Padre Pio dedicated his life to prayer and suffering. Every breath he took was a prayer—never for himself, always for others. From the beginning of his life, he was able to easily travel from this world to the next, through deep prayer. He used this connection with God to recommend to him the prayers of his spiritual children. This ability to make contact with the powerful presence of God through prayer enabled him to bless and pray with those in most need, wherever they were in the world. Padre Pio in prayer visited South America, the United States and parts of Europe. Those he visited would know that Padre Pio was present by the unmistakable aroma of violets and roses. Those who got closest to him noticed an odour of flowers emanating from the stigmata. To this day, forty-six years after his death, people will still insist that they have caught the scent of roses after praying for someone through the intercession of Padre Pio.
Padre Pio’s priority was to be simply “a friar who prays.” His intense prayer was offered up day and night for all his spiritual children and his religious community. He had a filial love for our Blessed Lady and spent much of his day praying the rosary. But Padre Pio was first and foremost a brother to the Capuchin Franciscan community of Our Lady of Graces friary. Like the others, he daily lived the rule and life of the Order of Friars Minor. The first chapter of the rule of Saint Francis outlines that the rule is simply to observe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, living in obedience and in chastity, without property. As a Capuchin Franciscan, he promised obedience and reverence to the pope and to his superiors in the Capuchin order. No doubt it pained him greatly when the cult of sanctity built up around him, causing difficulties for the order with Church authorities.
Shortly before he died, the stigmata began to heal. When his body was examined by the doctors, they found that fresh, white skin had grown over the healed wounds. His life on earth was over, his earthly sufferings endured. He was journeying to the house of the Father where he prays for us all today in the presence of God.
Referring to that day’s Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30) at Padre Pio’s canonisation Mass in 2002, Saint John Paul II said: “The Gospel image of ‘yoke’ evokes the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo endured. Today we contemplate in him how sweet is the ‘yoke’ of Christ and indeed how light the burdens are whenever someone carries these with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.”
St Padre Pio pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
“Do not be daunted by the cross.
The surest test of love consists in suffering for the loved one
and if God suffered so much for love,
the pain we suffer for Him becomes as lovable as love itself.”
“The greater your sufferings, the greater God’s love for you.”
“Do not fear! Jesus is more powerful than all hell.”
“In all the free time you have,
once you have finished your duties of state,
you should kneel down and pray the Rosary.
Pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament
or before a crucifix.”
“Do you not see the Madonna always beside the tabernacle?”
“When you gossip about a person it means
that you have removed the person from your heart.
But be aware, when you remove a man from your heart,
Jesus also goes away from your heart with that man.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 September – – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised….Hebrews 10:36
REFLECTION – “The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self:
there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection, except at the price of pain.”………St Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)
PRAYER – “And you, Blessed Padre Pio, look down from heaven upon us assembled in this square and upon all gathered in prayer before the Basilica of Saint John Lateran and in San Giovanni Rotondo. Intercede for all those who, in every part of the world, are spiritually united with this event and raise their prayers to you. Come to the help of everyone; give peace and consolation to every heart. Amen!” – from the homily of Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Padre Pio
Our Morning Offering – 23 September – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
Stay With Me, O Lord
St Padre Pio
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life
and without You I am without fervour.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light
and without You I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much
and alway be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is,
I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late
and the day is coming to a close
and life passes, death, judgment and eternity approach.
It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop
along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness,
the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.
O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognise You as Your disciples did,
at the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light
which disperses the darkness,
the force which sustains me,
the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death,
I want to remain united to You,
if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for,
Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will,
Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You
and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth
and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.
Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY NINE – 22 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
How fortunate we are to be slaves of this great God who submitted Himself to death for us.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God,
You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people,
of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio laboured endlessly for the salvation of souls.
Through his powerful intercession,
many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
His life was a celebration of love for You
and an oblation of himself in gratitude to You.
We pray that You will bless us too
with total love and thanksgiving.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………… (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)
As Bishop but choosing to live in absolute simplicity, St Thomas became a dynamo of activity in his archdiocese.
The see was immensely wealthy and he used the wealth for the benefit of the poor and his many charities.
Each day several hundred poor came to his door and each one was fed and given alms.
He took destitute orphans under his care and set up dowries for poor girls.
He paid his servants to find abandoned infants and took care of them.
When a nearby town was plundered by bandits, he sent money to rebuild and ransom the captives.
He tried to resign several times, to retire to a life of prayer but his requests were refused.
In August 1855, he had a heart attack and prepared for the end.
He ordered that all he owned be given to the poor and that after he died his bed be given to the local prison.
Whilst he was dying, Mass was offered in his presence and he died peacefully at the Altar of his Lord.
He was known as “the model of bishops”, “the almsgiver” and “the father of the poor.”
What overwhelming generosity our saints present! St Thomas of Villanova earned even derisive laughs with his determined shabbiness and his willingness to let the poor who flocked to his door take advantage of him. He embarrassed his peers but Jesus was enormously pleased with him.
Their trust in Divine Providence is so great that they give away anything and everything, never counting the cost.
They know in total trust, that they will be provided for.
This is our “mark” – this generosity to the poor, this utter self-giving and mercy. This total trust in Divine Providence. We are often tempted to tend our image in others’ eyes without paying sufficient attention to how we look to Christ. St Thomas still urges us to rethink our priorities.
We will be known by our fruits!
St Thomas of Villanova please pray for us.
Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“What great profit you gain from God when you are generous!
You give a coin and receive a kingdom;
you give bread from wheat and receive the Bread of Life;
you give a transitory good and receive an everlasting one.
You will receive it back, a hundred times more than you offered.”
“I am, notwithstanding, inexcusable, if I do not love You;
for You grant Your love to all who desire or ask it.
I cannot see without light:
yet if I shut my eyes in the midst of the noon-day light,
the fault is in me, not in the sun.”
One Minute Reflection – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.”…Ephesians 4:26-27
REFLECTION – “Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little.
Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother
and as he is, in the way of salvation,
God can make him a saint, in spite of his present weakness.”….St Thomas of Villnova (1488-1555)
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant us the grace to withold our anger, to always put a guard on our tongues and to speak with charity. St Thomas of Villanova, you preached temperance in all things and lived a life of charity in word and deed, please pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
I Will Love You, Lord
By St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)
I will love You, Lord,
in every way
and without setting limits to my love.
You set no limits
to what You have done for me;
You have not measured out Your gifts.
I will not measure out my love.
I will love You, Lord,
with all my strength,
with all my powers,
as much as I am able.
Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY EIGHT – 21 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
Is it possible that you are never satisfied with yourself? Jesus loves you with a loving partiality in spite of all your unworthiness. He sends down a torrent of graces upon you and yet you complain. It is about time this ended and you convinced yourself that you are greatly in the Lord’s debt. Hence, less complaints, more gratitude and a great deal of thanksgiving. You ought to ask Our Lord for just one thing – to love Him. All the rest should be thanksgiving.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God,
You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people,
of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio laboured endlessly for the salvation of souls.
Through his powerful intercession,
many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
His life was a celebration of love for You
and an oblation of himself in gratitude to You.
We pray that You will bless us too
with total love and thanksgiving.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………… (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
“On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive Him,
as it were, when we freely assent to His promptings
and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done.
Christ, since He dwells in the hearts of His chosen ones
through the grace of His love, enters so that He might eat with us
and we with Him. He ever refreshes us by the light of His presence
insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven.
He Himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.”
“That gaze overtook him completely, it changed his life.
We say he was converted. He Changed his life.
As soon as he felt that gaze in his heart, he got up and followed Him.
This is true: Jesus’ gaze always lifts us up.
It is a look that always lifts us up and never leaves you in your place,
never lets us down, never humiliates. It invites you to get up –
a look that brings you to grow, to move forward, that encourages you,
because the One who looks upon you loves you.
The gaze makes you feel that He loves you.
This gives the courage to follow Him: ‘and he got up and followed Him.'”
One Minute Reflection – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
“Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me.“…
Matthew 9:9
REFLECTION – “Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with His merciful understanding of men.”
He saw the tax collector and, because He saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, He said to him: “Follow me.”
This following meant imitating the pattern of His life – not just walking after Him.
Saint John tells us: “Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
“And he rose and followed him.”
There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him.
Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words.
By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, He instructed him to walk in his footsteps.
In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in His gift.” – from a homily by St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord, You showed Your great mercy to Matthew the tax-gatherer,by calling him to become Your Apostle,supported by his prayer and example, may we always answer Your call and live in close union with You.
We make our prayer, in union with God our Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. St Matthew, Apostle of Christ, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
We thank You, heavenly Father,
for the witness of Your apostle
and evangelist Matthew
to the Gospel of Your Son our Saviour
and we pray that, after his example,
we may with ready wills and hearts
obey the calling of our Lord to follow Him;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY SEVEN – 20 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
May the Grace and peace of the Holy Spirit always be at the centre of your heart. Place your heart in the open side of the Saviour and unite it with the King of your heart who is within it as on a royal throne, in order that He might receive homage and obedience from all other hearts. Keep your hearts door open, so that everyone can approach Him and gain an audience at all times. May the King of all saints also be the King of your heart!
Let us Pray:
Gracious God,
You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
and teach us to visit Our Lord when He quietly waits in the Tabernacle,
begging Him to unite our hearts to His.
Gracious God, St Pio lived totally for You
teach us too this great act of self-giving and complete oblation.
Grant us the grace of approaching the Altar of Sacrifice
with thanksgiving and complete reverence.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Thought for the Day – The Memorial of the Korean Martyrs – Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati
For centuries, Catholicism was often seen as a threat to Korean customs and traditions, so Christianity took root in Korea only after much struggle and effort. But when it did begin to take root, those roots were strong.
Saint Andrew’s own Father had been martyred when he was a young boy but this did not dissuade him from become a priest, in fact, it strengthened his vocation. As a priest he helped other missionaries to come to Korea to spread the Gospel but this was soon discovered. So he was was captured, tortured and killed for his faith, when it was discovered that he smuggled missionaries into Korea from China. St Paul Chong also risked his life many times making repeated trips to China to find priests to come to serve the young Korean Church.
At their 1984 canonization ceremony, Blessed John Paul II called Saint Andrew Kim, Saint Paul and their 111 companions “the leaven” that lead to the splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.
How are we called to be “leaven” today—the leaven that will lead to the flowering of the Church in our own land? What will we do today that will lead souls to Christ? What will our Christian witness look like today in our own limited capacity?
Andrew wrote to his fellow Christians the following words: “We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honour of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?” How easy it is to fall into this nominal Christianity, when we fail to allow our faith to influence our conduct, our attitude.
Through the martyrdom and intercession of Andrew Kim, Paul Chong and all the Martyrs for Christ, may God grant us the strength that we too may remain faithful to God’s commandments even unto death, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. (Fr Kevin Estabrook)
Today there are approximately four million Catholics in Korea and has the fourth largest number of saints in the Catholic world. Since 1984, Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companions were declared “Venerable” on 7 February 2014 and on 16 August 2014, they were beatified by Pope Francis during the Asian Youth Day in Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul, South Korea. There are further moves to beatify Catholics who were killed by communists for their faith in the 20th century during the Korean War.
Holy Martyrs of Korea, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – The Memorial of the Korean Martyrs – Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati
“We have received baptism, entrance into the Church
and the honour of being called Christians.
Yet what good will this do us,
if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”
“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.”
One Minute Reflection – 20 September – The Memorial of the Korean Martyrs – Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati
Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?…Luke 24:26
REFLECTION – “The Korean Martyrs have borne witness to the crucified and risen Christ. Through the sacrifice of their own lives they have become like Christ in a very special way. The words of Saint Paul the Apostle could truly have been spoken by them: We are “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies . . . We are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”.
The death of the martyrs is similar to the death of Christ on the Cross because like His, theirs has become the beginning of new life. This new life was manifested not only in themselves – in those who underwent death for Christ – but it was also extended to others. It became the leaven of the Church as the living community of disciples and witnesses to Jesus Christ “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians”: this phrase from the first centuries of Christianity is confirmed before our eyes.”…St Pope John Paul on the occasion of the Canonisation of the Korean Martyrs (1984)
PRAYER – O God our Holy Father, You have created all nations and You are their salvation. In the land of Korea Your call to Catholic faith formed a people of adoption, whose growth You nurtured by the blood of Andrew, Paul and their companions. Through their martyrdom and their intercession grant us strength that we too may remain faithful to your commandments even until death. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 20 September
Prayer for Charity
By Pope Benedict XVI
Father, Your truth is made known in Your Word.
Guide us to seek the truth of the human person.
Teach us the way to love because You are Love.
Jesus, You embody Love and Truth.
Help us to recognise Your face in the poor.
Enable us to live out our vocation to bring love
and justice to Your people.
Holy Spirit, You inspire us to transform our world.
Empower us to seek the common good for all persons.
Give us a spirit of solidarity and make us one human family.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer is based on Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).
Quote/s of the day – 19 September – The Feast of Our Lady of La Salette
“Do you say your prayers properly, my children? Oh! my children, you must say them, morning and evening.
When you can do no more, say a Pater and an Ave Maria; and when you have the time to do better, you will say more.”
Pope John Paul II wrote about La Salette on 6 May 1996.
“The message of La Salette was given to two young shepherds in a period of great suffering. La Salette is a message of hope – a hope sustained by the intercession of her who is the Mother of all peoples… At La Salette, Mary clearly spoke of the constancy of her prayer for the world: she will never abandon the people created in the image and likeness of God, those to whom it has been given to become children of God. May she lead to her Son all the nations of the earth.”
Thought for the Day – 19 September – The Memorial of St Januarius
Jesus said that we would know a tree by its fruits. When it comes to miraculous stories like the one of Januarius’ blood, it’s best to look at the lives of the faithful. Does this strange phenomenon bring people to deeper conversion? Are they more in love with Jesus and his Church because of it? After viewing the ancient bubbling blood, are the witnesses more charitable, just, prudent, chaste, kind and merciful? Are those witnesses inspired to become witnesses – literally, martyrs – themselves?
For over 400 years folks have found a deeper faith in Christ and His Church because of the blood of Januarius. Some have even turned to Jesus for the first time because of it. Repentance, conversion and discipleship are, no doubt, good fruits.
Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Sometimes, that blood is bubbling.
St Januarius, Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 19 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of La Salette: Special Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette (First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God….2 Corinthians 5:20
REFLECTION – “Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, 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 God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.”…Pope Benedict XVI (2010)
PRAYER – Holy Virgin of Reconciliation, do not reject our prayers but intercede for us, obtain for us the grace to love our Lord Jesus above all else. May we console you by a holy life and so come to share the eternal life Christ gained by his cross. Our Lady of La Salette, pray for us, amen.
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY FIVE – 18 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
St Therese of the Child Jesus used to say, “I don’t want to choose either to die or to live but let Jesus do as He likes with me.” I see clearly that this is the image of all souls who are stripped of self and filled with God… What St. Therese has said ought to be said by every soul inflamed with love of God.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Gracious God, St Pio lived totally for You
teach us too this great act of self-giving and complete oblation.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Thought for the Day – 18 September – The Memorial of St Joseph of Cupertino
St Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1668) was an Italian mystic whose life is a wonderful combination of a complete lack of natural capacity and an extraordinary supernatural efficiency.
He lacked every natural gift.
He was incapable of passing a test, maintaining a conversation, taking care of a house, or even touching a dish without breaking it.
He was called Brother Ass by his companions in the monastery.
Joseph could not comment on any passage of Scriptures except one: “Beatus venter qui Te portavit” [Blessed be the womb that bore Thee].
When the time came for his examination for the diaconate, the Bishop opened the Gospels at random and his eyes fell on that one text Joseph knew well. Joseph was able to expound on it with success. A year later came the tests for the priesthood. All the postulants except Joseph were very well prepared. The Bishop called on a number of the candidates, who responded superbly. Supposing that all were at the same intellectual level, the Bishop approved all of them without questioning the rest. Joseph was among the candidates who were asked nothing. Therefore, on March 4, 1628, Joseph became a priest at 25 years of age despite his limitations and the opinion of men.
There is a misconception about efficiency that defines it purely in terms of production. This is wrong because to do something is not an end in itself. What explains the action is the end one has in mind.
The right notion of efficiency is to do what one is supposed to do according to his vocation. Therefore, in order to be efficient, each one should ask if he is accomplishing the plans of God for him. If he works in collaboration with the plans of God, the grace will multiply his efforts and he will do much more than he is capable of otherwise. This rule, which applies to St Joseph of Cupertino, also applies to St.Thomas Aquinas, who is situated at the other pole of human capacity.
Even though he was poorly gifted humanly speaking, St Joseph of Cupertino did the will of God, sanctified his soul and allowed God to shine through his incapacity in a way that attracted the admiration of multitudes. Even today, when one of us hears about his extreme incapacity and the marvelous things God did through him, we do not forget his name. It is the application of that passage of the Magnificat: “For He has found humility in His handmaid, and all generations shall call me blessed.” Once we hear about the incapacity of St.Joseph of Cupertino and his humility in accepting the will of God, his name remains in our memories forever.
St Joseph of Cupertino represents one side of the scale that gives a perfect equilibrium to the Catholic Church. Both he and St Thomas Aquinas are necessary for that perfect balance. I think that in Heaven the two could be closely joined glorifying Our Lady and Our Lord.
What is the application for us? If we received gifts from nature or from God, let us admire St Joseph of Cupertino in order to be detached from them and use them well. If we lack qualities or have to endure sufferings, let us admire him and follow his example of confidence in order to accomplish what God has planned for us.
St Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – September, the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows
“When she was asked to become the mother of the Messiah,
Mary’s faith enabled her to give a humble and generous response….
Mary’s faith was frequently tested during the public life of Jesus,
especially when she witnessed the rejection of her son.
At the foot of the cross, her pilgrimage of faith had its moment
of most severe testing. Mary continued to believe that,
because Jesus was the Son of God,
His sacrifice would bring salvation to humanity.”
“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s Will in all things.
From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone.
From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!”
“From the nature of His work, the Redeemer
ought to have associated His Mother with His work.
For this reason we invoke her under the title of
Co-redemptrix. She gave us the Saviour,
she accompanied Him in the work of redemption,
as far as the Cross itself, sharing with Him the
sorrows of the agony and of the death in which
Jesus consummated the redemption of mankind.”
One Minute Reflection – 18 September – The Memorial of St Joseph of Cupertino
Each one has his own gift from God…..1 Corinthians 7:7
REFLECTION – “Clearly, what God wants above all, is our will,which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God, from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession.” – Saint Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to be holy in the way that You have laid out for me. Let me carry out my duties of my state of life to the full and grant me the grace to carry my crosses in honour of You. Only in You may I attain holiness, learning to give myself, my will, my heart and my soul only to You. St Joseph of Cupertino, you who were so disadvantaged, achieved by the grace of God, sanctity in this life and now behold His Face through all eternity. We ask for your intercession, amen.
Our Morning Offering – September 18
Lord,Give me Your Heart
By St Claude de la Colombiere
O God, what will You do to conquer
the fearful hardness of our hearts?
Lord, You must give us new hearts,
tender hearts, sensitive hearts,
to replace hearts that are made
of marble and of bronze.
You must give us Your own Heart, Jesus.
Come, lovable Heart of Jesus.
Place Your Heart deep
in the centre of our hearts
and enkindle in each heart
a flame of love as strong,
as great, as the sum of all the reasons
that we have for loving You, my God.
O holy Heart of Jesus,
dwell hidden in our hearts,
so that we may live only in You
and only for You,
so that, in the end, we may live
with You eternally in heaven.
Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY FOUR – 17 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
I often think that there is only one thing in this base world which can soothe the most acute pain which pierces the heart when we see ourselves far from God, the source and consolation of distressed souls. That one thing is solitude, for here the soul enjoys sweet rest in the One who is its true peace. I want the heavenly Father to grant you the grace of stability in all your resolutions, not least of all your resolution to grow in holiness and to be silent and reduce to silence everything around you, so that you may hear the divine voice of the Beloved and establish with Him a tranquil and everlasting dialogue.
Recollect yourself continually, and may your whole life be hidden in Jesus and with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, that is to say, in the silence of meditation and prayer.
Try to be always more docile to grace and more and more generous with Jesus, making absolutely everything around you and within you to be silent. Don’t worry; rest trustfully in the divine Mercy.
Silently adore the delicacy of the workings of divine grace
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
AnaStpaul 
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