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.”
St Andrew Kim Taegon the first native Korean priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea.
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
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.”
Our Lady of la Salette
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.
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.
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!”
St Pope John Paul
“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.
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
Thought for the Day – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
It is said that Robert Bellarmine was so short that he used to stand on a stool to be seen over the high pulpits of Europe.
But he was a giant in many other ways. He devoted his life to the study of Scripture and Catholic doctrine. His writings help us understand that the real source of our faith is not merely a set of doctrines but rather the person of Jesus still living in the Church today.
When it comes down to it, what matters is Christ and Him Crucified, what matters is He who is love.
“Sweet Lord, you are meek and merciful.” Who would not give himself wholeheartedly to your service, if he began to taste even a little of your fatherly rule? What command, Lord, do you give Your servants? “Take my yoke upon you,” You say. And what is this yoke of Yours like? “My yoke,” You say, “is easy and my burden light.” Who would not be glad to bear a yoke that does no press hard but caresses? Who would not be glad for a burden that does not weigh heavy but refreshes? And so You were right to add: “And you will find rest for your souls.” And what is this yoke of Yours that does not weary, but gives rest? It is, of course, that first and greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty and love, the fullness of which You are, O Lord, my God?” Is it not true that You promise those who keep your commandments a reward more desirable than great wealth and sweeter than honey? You promise a most abundant reward, for as Your apostle James says: “The Lord has prepared a crown of life for those who love him.” What is this crown of life? It is surely a greater good than we can conceive of or desire, as Saint Paul says, quoting Isaiah: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.” – from On the Ascent of the Mind to God by Saint Robert Bellarmine
Quotes of the Day – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“Charity is that, with which no man is lost and without which, no man is saved.”
“When we appeal to the throne of grace, we do so through Mary, honouring God by honouring His Mother, imitating Him by exalting her, touching the most responsive chord in the Sacred Heart of Christ, with the sweet name of Mary.”
“The school of Christ, is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place… Love will be the whole syllabus.”
“LOVE is a marvellous and heavenly thing. It never tires and it never thinks it has done enough!”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
Work with anxious concern to achieve your salvation….Philippians 2:12
REFLECTION – “You have been created for the glory of God
and your own eternal salvation….this is your goal;
this is the centre of your life;
this is the treasure of your heart.
If your reach this goal, you will find happiness.
If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.”….St Robert Bellarmine
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me to do everything for Your honour and glory.
Grant me the grace to work out my salvation with anxious concern each day of my life.
St Robert Bellarmine, as you worked tirelessly for the salvation of souls, so now
pray for us all, as tirelessly, that we may achieve eternal joy, amen.
I Place myself in Your Presence (Prayer before Holy Mass or at Eucharistic Adoration) Bl John Henry Newman
I place myself
in the presence of Him
in whose Incarnate Presence
I am before
I place myself there.
I adore You, O my Saviour,
present here as God and Man,
in soul and body,
in true flesh and blood.
I acknowledge and confess,
that I kneel before
that Sacred Humanity,
which was conceived
in Mary’s womb
and lay on Mary’s bosom,
which grew up to man’s estate
and by the Sea of Galilee
called the Twelve,
wrought miracles
and spoke words of wisdom
and peace.
Which, in due season
hung on the Cross,
lay in the tomb,
rose from the dead
and now reigns in heaven.
I praise and bless and give myself
wholly to Him,
who is the true Bread of my soul
and my everlasting joy.
Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY THREE – 16 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
I am greatly comforted and very content in Jesus’ company and who could describe the help it is to me to have Him continually by my side? This company makes me much more careful not to do anything which would displease God. It seems to me as if Jesus is constantly watching me. If it sometimes happens that I lose the presence of God, I soon hear Our Lord calling me back to my duty. I cannot describe the voice He uses to call me back but I know that it is very penetrating and the soul who hears it finds it almost impossible to refuse what He asks.
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.
Whenever You called, he answered,
serving Your people for the greater good of their souls
and for your Glory.
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
Thought for the Day – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius & Cyprian
It seems fairly true to say that almost every possible false doctrine has been proposed at some time or other in the history of the Church. Men like Cornelius and Cyprian were God’s instruments in helping the Church find a prudent path between extremes of rigorism and laxity. They are part of the Church’s ever-living stream of tradition, ensuring the continuance of what was begun by Christ and evaluating new experiences through the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before.
Cornelius and Cyprian encouraged each other to lead virtuous, self-sacrificing and loving lives for God. There is no greater gift that one friend can offer to another. Today let us think of ways to help our friends grow closer to God.
One Minute Reflection – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius and Cyprian
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…Matthew 6:10
REFLECTION – “We must carry out the will of God rather than our own. This is what we pledge to do in the “Our Father”, which we recite every day.
What a travesty it would be if, after praying that God’s will be done, we should carry out that will halfheartedly and only because we are obliged to do so!…St Cyprian of Carthage
PRAYER – Lord God, heavenly Father, You gave Sts Cornelius and Cyprian to Your Church as faithful shepherds and steadfast martyrs. Strengthen our faith and our courage by their prayers, so that we may strive with all our power, to do Your will at all times, wholeheartedly! Amen
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer:
through the Holy Spirit
you became the Mother of Jesus;
from the Holy Spirit may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit your flesh conceived Jesus;
through the same Spirit may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus,
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit,
Mary, you could say:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word”;
in the Holy Spirit,
lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son;
in the same spirit,
Mary, let me love your Jesus. Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY TWO – 15 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
I implore you to be faithful and humble and always to keep the great Mother of God before your mental gaze, she who humbled herself more profoundly the more she was exalted. Never, ever be exalted at your virtues but repeat that everything comes from Godand give Him the honour and glory.
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.
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 – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
“Jesus came into the world to learn how to be a man and by being a man, walk with men. He came into the world to obey and He obeyed. But He learned this obedience from suffering. Adam left Paradise with a promise, a promise that lasted for so many centuries. Today, through this obedience, this self-abnegation, this humiliation, through Jesus, that promise becomes hope. And the people of God walk with sure hope. Even the Mother, ‘the New Eve’, as Paul himself calls her, in order to participate in her Son’s journey, learned, suffered and obeyed. And thus she becomes Mother”.
The Gospel shows us Mary at the foot of the Cross. Jesus says to John, “Behold your mother.” Mary – the Pope said – “is anointed Mother.
And this is our hope. We are not orphans, we have Mothers: Mother Mary. But the Church is Mother and the Mother Church is anointed when it takes the same path of Jesus and Mary: the path of obedience, the path of suffering and when she has that attitude of continually learning the path of the Lord. These two women – Mary and the Church – carry on the hope that is Christ, they give us Christ, they bring forth Christ in us. Without Mary, there would be no Jesus Christ; without the Church, we cannot go forward.
“Two women and two mothers” – continued the Pope Francis – “and next to them our soul, which in the words of Isaac, the abbot of Stella, is “feminine” and is like “Mary and the Church.
Today, looking at this woman by the Cross, steadfast in following her Son in His suffering to learn obedience, looking at her we see the Church and look at our Mother. And also, we look at our little soul that will never be lost, if it continues to be a woman close to these two great women who accompany us in life: Mary and the Church. And just as our fathers left Paradise with a promise, today we can go forward with a hope: the hope that our Mother Mary, steadfast at the Cross and our Holy Mother, the hierarchical Church, give us.” (Pope Francis 15 September 2014 “Santa Marta”)
Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady our Mother, Our Lady our Consoler, pray for us all!
Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
“When a woman is in travail, she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world’ (Jn. 16:21). The first part of Christ’s words refer to the “pangs of childbirth” which belong to the heritage of original sin; at the same time these words indicate the link that exists between the woman’s motherhood and the Paschal Mystery. For this mystery also includes the Mother’s sorrow at the foot of the cross – the Mother who through faith shares in her Son’s amazing “self-emptying”: ‘This is perhaps the deepest ‘kenosis’ of faith in human history.”
St John Paul
“While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her Son’s life, a Life that she loved far more than her own; so that she not only suffered in her soul all that her Son endured in His Body but moreover, the sight of her Son’s torments, brought more grief to her heart, than if she had endured them all in her own person”.
St Anselm
‘By the cross of our salvation
Mary stood in desolation
While the Saviour hung above
All her human powers failing,
Sorrow’s sword, at last prevailing,
Stabs and breaks her heart of love…
Virgin Mary, full of sorrow,
From your love I ask to borrow
Love enough to share your pain.
Make my heart to burn with fire,
Make Christ’s love my own desire,
Who for love of me was slain.’
Stabat Mater
“If you want to assist at Mass, with devotion and with fruit, think of the sorrowful Mother at the feet of Calvary.”
One Minute Reflection – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Near the cross of Jesus, there stood his mother…..John 19:25
REFLECTION – During the entire course of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, never deviated in the slightest from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son.
This was true both in the most sweet joys Mary experienced and in the cruel sufferings she underwent, which made the the Queen of Martyrs…..Pope Pius XII
PRAYER – Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart. Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Traditional Prayer to our SORROWFUL MOTHER
O Mother of Sorrows, you, who beneath the Cross of Jesus
were given to us as our Mother, look down with pity on us,
your children, who weep and mourn in this vale of tears.
By that sword of sorrow which pierced your Heart
when you looked upon the Face of your dead Son,
obtain for us that comfort we so sorely need in our sufferings.
You were given to us, as our Mother, in the hour of your greatest grief
that you might be mindful of our frailty and the evils that press upon us.
Without your aid, O Sorrowful Mother, we cannot gain the victory
in this struggle against flesh and blood.
Therefore, we seek your help, O Queen of Sorrows,
lest we fall prey to the wiles of the enemy.
We are orphans in need of the guiding hand of our Mother
amid the dangers that threaten our destruction.
You whose grief was boundless as the sea,
grant us by the memory of those sorrows the strength to be victorious.
Intercede further, O Mother of Sorrows, for us
and all who are near and dear to us,
that we may ever do the Will of your Son
and may direct all our actions to His honour
and to the furtherance of devotion to your sorrows. Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Christians “exalt” (raise on high) the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. Adoration of the Cross is, thus, adoration of Jesus Christ, the God Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture for our redemption from sin and death. The cross represents the One Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our salvation. The cross is a symbolic summary of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ — all in one image.
The Cross — because of what it represents — is the most potent and universal symbol of the Christian faith. It has inspired both liturgical and private devotions: for example, the Sign of the Cross, which is an invocation of the Holy Trinity; the “little” Sign of the Cross on head, lips and heart at the reading of the Gospel; praying the Stations (or Way) of the Cross; and the Veneration of the Cross by the faithful on Good Friday by kissing the feet of the image of Our Saviour crucified.
Placing a crucifix (the cross with an image of Christ’s body upon it) in churches and homes, in classrooms of Catholic schools and in other Catholic institutions, or wearing this image on our persons, is a constant reminder — and witness — of Christ’s ultimate triumph, His victory over sin and death through His suffering and dying on the Cross. (Fr FRANCISCO NASCIMENTO)
We adore You Christ and we praise You, for by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY ONE – 14 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
“Jesus keeps nothing for Himself of what is done for love of Him, and He will repay us very lavishly. Don’t let us make our happiness depend on enjoying wonderful health, or else we should be just like those foolish worldly people to whom it is not given to know the secrets of heaven…. Continue to love Jesus and make an effort to love Him more and more, without wanting to know anything else, He alone will steer us to the haven of salvation.”
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.
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
One Minute Reflection – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
We proclaim Christ – yes, Christ nailed to the cross; and though it is a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to Greeks, yet to those who have heard his call, Jews and Greeks alike, he is the power of God and the wisdom of God...1 Corinthians 1:23-24
REFLECTION – “We are celebrating the Feast of the Cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light… Had there been no Cross, Christ could not have been Crucified. Had there been no Cross, Life Itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if Life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have obtained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the Gates of Paradise would not stand open. Had there been no Cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled… The Cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as His triumph!”….St Andrew of Crete (c660-740)
PRAYER – O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven. For you placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered through Christ. O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus. We adore you Christ and we praise you, for by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Traditional Prayer to the Holy Cross
Hail, O Holy Cross!
my light and my strength!
Hail, standard of peace empurpled by the Blood of Jesus
and ornamented by His Sacred Members
as with precious stones!
O Venerable Cross, work of the love of God
and the cruelty of men!
O Cross, the terror of Hell and the object of the veneration
of Heaven and earth,
receive the homage of my faith,
my gratitude
and my love!
I consecrate myself entirely to You
and I attach myself to You forever,
as my Saviour was attached to You
for love of me.
I earnestly beseech You, in virtue of the Precious Blood
which empurpled You,
to take me under Your protection,
to be my support in suffering,
my strength in temptation,
my counsel in doubt,
my light in darkness,
my rule of conduct during life,
my confidence and pledge of salvation at the hour of death.
May Jesus, the Incarnate God, Our Saviour,
Who shed His Blood when nailed to You,
protect me through You
and conduct me to my Heavenly home! Amen
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – 14 September, also called Feast of the Triumph of the Cross and Holy Cross Feast.
This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mount Calvary by St Helena and preserved in Jerusalem but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629.
The lessons from the Breviary tell us that Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back to Jerusalem on his shoulders. He was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to Mount Calvary a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: “Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross.” The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and continued the journey.
The Discovery of the True Cross, by Italian painter Agnolo Gaddi c.1350-96. Fresco, c.1385. Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy.
In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulchre and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335 and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on the latter date.
The feast slowly spread from Jerusalem to other churches, until, by the year 720, the celebration was universal.
The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. To follow Christ we must take up His cross, follow Him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His suffering and Cross.
We make the Sign of the Cross before prayer which helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.
WHY DO WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS?
It’s easy to understand that the Cross is special because Christ used it as the instrument of our salvation. But after His Resurrection, why would Christians continue to look to the Cross? Christ Himself offered us the answer: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The point of taking up our own cross is not simply self-sacrifice; in doing so, we unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ on His Cross.
When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The “unbloody sacrifice” offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross. When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so that we might rise with Him.
“For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block and unto the Gentiles foolishness . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Today, more than ever, non-Christians see the Cross as foolishness. What kind of Saviour triumphs through death?
For Christians, however, the Cross is the crossroads of history and the Tree of Life. Christianity without the Cross is meaningless: only by uniting ourselves to Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life.
O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.
You must be logged in to post a comment.