Quote of the Day – 25 July
“Considering that when the Saints lived in this world,
they were at liberty to roam the earth,
do you really think that in Heaven,
God would have them tied to a post?”
St Thomas More
Category: MORNING Prayers
One Minute Reflection – 25 July
One Minute Reflection – 25 July
Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”……Matthew 20:28
REFLECTION – “…we can learn much from St James: promptness in accepting the Lord’s call even when He asks us to leave the “boat” of our human securities, enthusiasm in following Him on the paths that He indicates to us over and above any deceptive presumption of our own, readiness to witness to Him with courage, if necessary to the point of making the supreme sacrifice of life. Thus James the Greater stands before us as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ. He, who initially had requested, through his mother, to be seated with his brother next to the Master in His Kingdom, was precisely the first to drink the chalice of the passion and to share martyrdom with the Apostles.
And, in the end, summarising everything, we can say that the journey, not only exterior but above all interior, from the mount of the Transfiguration to the mount of the Agony, symbolises the entire pilgrimage of Christian life, among the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God, as the Second Vatican Council says. In following Jesus, like St James, we know that even in difficulties we are on the right path.”…..Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, June 21, 2006
PRAYER – Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of Your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that Your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 July
Our Morning Offering – 25 July
Prayer for the Intercession of St James
O glorious Apostle, Saint James,
who by reason of your fervent
and generous heart
was chosen by Jesus to be witness
of His glory on Mount Tabor
and of His agony in Gethsemane;
you, whose very name is a symbol
of warfare and victory:
obtain for us strength and consolation
in the unending warfare of this life,
that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus,
we may be victors in the strife
and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
The Chaplet of St Charbel Makhluf
The Chaplet of St Charbel Makhluf
THE CHAPLET
The chaplet is made up of five sets of beads, three red, one white and one blue. Five black beads, divide the sets. A medal of the saint connects the beads, with a single white bead following the medal and preceding the five sets.
The red beads are for the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the virtues by which religious share in the Passion of Christ.
The white beads represent the Holy Eucharist, and the blue beads love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother.
ORDER OF RECITATION
On the first white bead after the medal say the “Father of Truth” prayer. On each black bead recite an “Our Father”.
On the first three red beads say the “Hail Mary” in honor of Saint Charbel’s fidelity to the vow of poverty.
On the second set of red beads say the “Hail Mary” in honor of Saint Charbel’s fidelity to the vow of chastity.
On the third set of red beads say the “Hail Mary” in honor of Saint Charbel’s fidelity to the vow of obedience.
On the three white beads say the “Hail Mary” in honor of Saint Charbel’s love for the Eucharist.
On the three blue beads say the “Hail Mary” in honor of Saint Charbel’s devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Conclude with the prayer to obtain graces on the medal.
Father of Truth Prayer
Father of Truth, behold Your Son, a sacrifice pleasing to You. Accept this offering of Him who died for me; behold His blood shed on Golgotha for my salvation. It pleads for me. For His sake, accept my offering. Many are my sins, but greater is Your mercy. When placed on a scale, Your mercy prevails over the weight of the mountains known only to You. Consider the sin and consider the atonement; the atonement is greater and exceeds the sin. Your beloved Son sustained the nails and the lance because of my sins so in His sufferings You are satisfied and I live.
Prayer to Obtain Graces
Lord, infinitely holy and glorified in Your saints, You have inspired Charbel, the saint monk, to lead the perfect life of a hermit. We thank You for granting him the blessing and the strength to detach himself from the world so that the heroism of the monastic virtues of poverty, chastity, and obedience might triumph in his hermitage. We beseech You to grant us the grace of loving and serving You, following his example. Almighty God, who have manifested the power of Saint Charbel’s intercession through his countless miracles and favors, grant us this grace (here mention your intention) which we request from You through his intercession. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 24 July – The Memorial of St Charbel of Makhluf
Thought for the Day – 24 July – The Memorial of St Charbel of Makhluf
In 1950, Father George Webby, a Maronite priest from Scranton, visited Lebanon, took a photo of monks outside the wall of the monastery in which St. Charbel had lived and upon development of the picture saw that St. Charbel miraculously appeared with the monks, according to information provided by St. Anthony’s Church.
Art work for holy pictures of this saint is now taken from this photo. Can you see him? (Hint: smack dab in the middle) click on the picture and then zoom in….
St. Charbel is listed among The Incorruptibles, saints whose bodies were found intact years after burial. His body kept pouring oil and blood until the year before his canonization in 1977.
“…a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed, a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people. May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God…” ……….Pope Paul VI, October 9, 1977
St Charbel Makhluf, Pray for us!
Watch – “The Saint Charble Song” …it’s special…
A beautiful ode to Saint Charbel, written by J. Michael Thompson- (a Catholic Composer, professor of ecclesiastical chant):
The mountain heights of Lebanon
Resound with songs of joy;
The cedars of that ancient land
Stand tall as we employ
Our hymns of praise and thankfulness
For Sharbel’s saintly ways,
Lived out in strict humility
That guided all his days.
True monk and hermit of the hills,
Saint Maron’s modest son
Scorned wealth and comfort in his life
That heaven’s crown be won.
Of Mary, heaven’s Queen and Gate,
Devoted son was he,
Who cherished all the ancient rites
With great humility.
Fierce lover of the lowly life,
True father of the poor,
As you have done, so help us all
To struggle and endure,
That Christ be praised in ev’ry life,
That riches not ensnare
Or rule us in our daily walk;
That strong may be our prayer!
O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
One God in persons three,
Receive this hymn we offer now,
And keep your Church e’er free
To follow, as Saint Sharbel did,
Enflamed with love so bright
That we, with eyes fixed firm on Christ,
May vanquish sin’s dark night.
Quote of the Day – 24 July
Quote of the Day – 24 July
“Those in the Catholic Church,
whom some rebuke for praying to Saints
and going on pilgrimages,
do not seek any Saint as their saviour.
Instead, they seek saints as those whom their Saviour loves
and whose intercession and prayer for the seeker
He will be content to hear.
For His Own sake, He would have those He loves honoured.
And when they are thus honoured for His sake,
then the honour that is given them for His sake ‘
overflows especially to Himself.”
St Thomas More
One Minute Reflection – 24 July
One Minute Reflection – 24 July
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let them say among the nations: The LORD is king……1 Chronicles 16:31
REFLECTION – “Great is the gladness in heaven and earth today for the beatification of Charbel Makhluf, monk and hermit of the Lebanese Maronite Order. Great is the joy of the East and West for this son of Lebanon, admirable flower of sanctity blooming on the stem of the ancient monastic traditions of the East and venerated today by the Church of Rome.”……Bl Pope Paul VI at the Beatification ceremny at the closing of the Second Vatican Council, in 1965.
PRAYER – Lord, infinitely Holy and Glorified in Your Saints, You have inspired Charbel, the saint monk, to lead the perfect life of a hermit. We thank You for granting him the blessing and the strength to detach himself from the world so that the heroism of the monastic virtues of poverty,obedience, and chastity, could triumph in his hermitage. We beseech You to grant us the grace of loving and serving You, following his example. Almighty God, Who has manifested the power of St Charbel’s intercession
through his countless miracles and favours, grant us our intentions through his intercession. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 July
Our Morning Offering – 24 July
Eternal God, our Refuge
By St Boniface
Eternal God, the refuge and help of all Your children,
we praise You for all You have given us,
for all You have done for us,
for all that You are to us.
In our weakness, You are strength,
in our darkness, You are light,
in our sorrow, You are comfort and peace.
We cannot number Your blessings,
we cannot declare Your love:
For all Your blessings we bless You.
May we live as in Your presence,
and love the things that You love,
and serve You in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Thought for the Day – 3 July
Thought for the Day – 3 July
St Bridget was an exceedingly active and busy person, besides her deep and mystical life of prayer and communion with God. Her maid, nevertheless told others after the Saint’s death, that she was “kind and meek to every creature and that she had a smiling face” regardless of what we would today consider to be the ‘stress’ of her activity. Truly holy people are gentle with others, eminently kind and compassionate toward all and this is the first sign of genuine holiness. How I treat others, is pretty much a mirror of what is going on in my heart. If I aim to see God’s face in all and my heart is on fire with love of Him, then how I treat others will shine forth and reflect this love!
St Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 July
Quote/s of the Day – 23 July
“There is no sinner in the world,
however much at enmity with God,
who cannot recover God’s grace,
by recourse to Mary
and by asking her assistance.”
“True wisdom, then, consists in works, not in great talents,
which the world admires;
for the wise in the world’s estimation . . . are the foolish
who set at naught the will of God
and know not how to control their passions.”
St Bridget of Sweden
One Minute Reflection – 23 July
One Minute Reflection – 23 July
You have heard that it was said:
“You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”
But I say to you: ‘ love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you.’…..Matthew 5:43-44
REFLECTION – “We must show love for those who do evil to us and pray for them.
Nothing is dearer or more pleasing to God than this.”…St Bridget of Sweden
PRAYER – God of love, grant me the great grace to show love and forgiveness for those who do evil to me. Let me at least be able to pray for their salvation, won for them too, by your Divine Son, Jesus th Christ. St Bridget of Swden, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 July
Our Morning Offering – 23 July
Prayer in Praise and Thanksgiving
By St Bridget of Sweden
To You be praise indeed, O eternal God
and endless thanksgiving for the fact
that You deigned to become a human being
and that for us in the world,
You willed to consecrate Your venerable Body
out of material bread
and lovingly bestow it on us as food
for the salvation of our souls!
Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 July
Thought for the Day – 22 July
In short, without the generous contribution of many women, the history of Christianity would have developed very differently.
This is why, as my venerable and dear Predecessor John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem: “The Church gives thanks for each and every woman…. The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine “genius’ which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms which the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope and charity: she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness” (n. 31).
As we can see, the praise refers to women in the course of the Church’s history and was expressed on behalf of the entire Ecclesial Community. Let us also join in this appreciation, thanking the Lord because He leads His Church, generation after generation, availing Himself equally of men and women who are able to make their faith and Baptism fruitful for the good of the entire Ecclesial Body and for the greater glory of God….
“The story of Mary of Magdala reminds us all of a fundamental truth. A disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for His help, has been healed by Him and has set out following closely after Him, becoming a witness of the power of His merciful love that is stronger than sin and death………..”Pope BENEDICT XVI – General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall – Wednesday, 14 February 2007
St Mary of Magdala, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 22 July
Quote/s of the Day – 22 July
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine”
Isaiah 43:1
“Just as a woman had announced the words of death
to the first man, so also a woman was the first
to announce to the Apostles the words of life.”
….St Thomas Aquinas (Super Ioannem, ed. Cai, 2519)
The Wonders of the Holy Name – Fr Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. – “Revealing the Simplest Secret Ever of Holiness and Happiness.” Part Thirteen – 22 July
Previous – here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/the-holy-name/
The Doctrine of the Holy Name contd
The Passion:
The second meaning of the word Jesus is –
Jesus-dying-on-the-Cross for St. Paul tells us that our
Lord merited this most Holy Name by His sufferings
and death.
Therefore when we say Jesus we should also
wish to offer the Passion and Death of Our Lord
to the Eternal Father for His greater glory and
for our own intentions.
Just as Our Lord became man for each one of
us, as if that one were the only one in existence,
so He died not for all men in general but for
each one in particular. When He was hanging
on the Cross He saw me, He saw you, dear reader, –
and offered every pang of dreadful agony, every
drop of His Precious Blood, all His humiliations,
all the insults and outrages for me, for you, for
each one of us. He has given us all these infinite
merits as our very own. We may offer them
hundreds and hundreds of times every day to
the Eternal Father for ourselves and for the WorId.
We do this every time we say Jesus. At the
same time let us wish to thank Our Lord for all
He has suffered for us.
It is appalling that many Christians know so
little of this Holy Name and all that it means. As
a result they are losing every day precious graces
and forfeiting the greatest rewards in Heaven.
Sad, deplorable ignorance!
How to share in 500.000 Masses:
The third intention we ought to have when
saying Jesus is to offer all the Masses that are
being said all over the World for the glory of God,
for our own needs and for the World at large.
About 500.000+ Masses are celebrated daily. And
we can and should share in all these.
The Mass is Jesus. He once more becomes man,
renews the Incarnation in every Mass as really as
when He became man in His mother’s womb. He
also dies on the Altar as really and truly as He
died on Calvary. The Mass is said not only for
all those who assist at it in Church but for all those
who wish to hear it and offer it with the priests.
All we have to do is to say reverently Jesus.
Jesus with the intention of offering these Masses
and participating in them. By doing this we have
a share in all of them.
It is a wonderful grace to assist at and to offer
one Mass; what will it not be to offer and share in
500.000 Masses every day!
Therefore every time we say Jesus, let it
be our intention.
1. To offer to God all the infinite. love
and merits of the Incarnation.
2. To offer to God the Passion and Death
of Jesus Christ.
3. To offer to God all the 500.000
Masses being celebrated in the World
for His glory and our own intentions.
All that we have to do is to say the one word
Jesus but knowing what we are doing.
St Mechtilde was accustomed to offer the Passion
of Jesus in union with all the Masses of the
World for the souls in Purgatory.
Our Lord once showed her Purgatory open and
thousands of souls going up to Heaven as the
result of her little prayer.
When we say Jesus we can offer the Passion
and the Masses of the World either for ourselves
or for the souls in Purgatory or for any other
intention we please.
We should always. too, offer them for the World
at large and our own country in particular.
One Minute Reflection – 22 July
One Minute Reflection – 22 July
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” …….John 20: 13-15
REFLECTION – “When Mary Magdalen came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: “The disciples went back home,” and it adds: “but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.” We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for Him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see Him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: “Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved….Jesus says to her: Mary. Jesus is not recognised when He calls her “woman”; so He calls her by name, as though He were saying: ‘Recognise me as I recognise you; for I do not know you as I know others; I know you as yourself.’ And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognises who is speaking. She immediately calls Him ‘Rabboni’, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.” – from a homily by St Pope Gregory the Great
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ made Mary of Magdala the first herald of Easter joy. Grant that, following her example and helped by her prayers, we may, in this life, proclaimn he living Christ and come to se Him reigning with You in glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 July
Our Morning Offering – 22 July
You are Christ
St Augustine
You are Christ,
my Holy Father,
my Tender God,
my Great King,
my Good Shepherd,
my Only Master,
my Best Helper,
my Most Beautiful
and my Beloved,
my Living Bread,
my Priest Forever,
my Leader to my Country,
my True Light,
my Holy Sweetness,
my Straight Way,
my Excellent Wisdom,
my Pure Simplicity,
my Peaceful Harmony,
my Entire Protection,
my Good Portion,
my Everlasting Salvation.
May the live coal of Your Love grow hot within my spirit
and break forth into a perfect fire;
may it burn incessantly on the altar of my heart;
may it glow in my innermost being;
may it blaze in hidden recesses of my soul;
and in the days of my consummation
may I be found consummated with You!
Amen.
The Wonders of the Holy Name – Fr Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. – “Revealing the Simplest Secret Ever of Holiness and Happiness.” Part Twelve – 21 July
Previous – here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/the-holy-name/
The Doctrine of the Holy Name contd:
The Incarnation
God became man for love of us but what does
it avail us if we do not understand this love.
God the Infinite, Immense, Eternal, all-powerful,
God, the mighty Creator, the God that fills Heaven
with His Majesty hid all His power, His Majesty,
His greatness and became a little child in order
to become like us and so to gain our love.
He entered into the pure womb of the Virgin
Mary and there lay hidden for nine whole months.
Then He was born in a stable between two
animals. He was weak and defenseless like every
child. He was poor and humble. He passed 33
years working, suffering, praying, teaching His
beautiful Religion, working miracles, doing good
to all. He did all this to prove His love for each
of us and so constrain us to love Him.
This stupendous act of love was so great that
not even the highest Angels in Heaven could
have conceived it possible had not God revealed
it to them.
It was so great that the Jews, God’s chosen
people, who were expecting a saviour were
scandalised at the thought that God could humble
Himself so much.
The Gentile Philosophers, notwithstanding their
vaunted wisdom, said that it was madness to think
that the Almighty God could do so much for love
of man.
St. Paul says that God exhausted all His power,
wisdom and goodness in becoming man for us,
“He emptied Himself out.”
Our Lord confirms the words of the Apostle for
He says: “What more could I do?”
All this God did not do for all men in general but
for each one of us in particular. Think; think
of this.
Do you believe, do you understand. dear reader,
that God loves you so much, that He loves you
so intimately, so personally? What a joy, what
a consolation if you really knew and felt that the
great God loves you – you so sincerely.
He has done still more for He has made over
to us all His infinite merits so that we can offer
them to the Eternal Father as often as we like, a
hundred, a thousand times a day.
And that is what we can do each time we
say Jesus, if only we remember what we are
saymg.
A Doctrine, you may have never heard it before?
But now at least that you know the infinite
wonders of the Name of Jesus say this Holy
Name constantly, say it devoutly.
And in future when you say Jesus remember that
you are offering to God all the infinite love and
merits of His Son. You are offering Him His own
Divine Son, You cannot offer Him anything holier,
anything better, anything more pleasing to Him,
anything more meritorious for yourself .
How ungrateful are those Christians who never
thank God for all He has done for them. Men
and women live 30, 50, 70 years and never think
of thanking God for all His wonderful love.
When you say the Name of Jesus remember, too,
to thank Our Sweet Lord for His Incarnation.
When He was on Earth He cured ten lepers of
their loathsome disease. They were delighted and
went away full of joy and happiness but only one
came back to thank Him! He was very hurt and
said: “Where are the other nine?”
Has He not much more reason to feel grieved
and hurt with you and me who thank Him so
little for all He has done for us in the Incarnation
and in His Passion.
St. Gertrude was wont to thank God often with
a little ejaculation for His goodness in becoming
man for her. Our Lord appeared to her one day
and said: “My dear Child every time you honour
my Incarnation with that little prayer I turn to
my Eternal Father and I offer all the merits of
the Incarnation for you and for all those who do
as you do”.
Shall we not then try to say often Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus sure of receiving a like wonderful grace.
Thought for the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor
Thought for the Day – 21 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor
“It is surprising that St Lawrence of Brindisi was able to continue without interruption his work as an appreciated and unflagging preacher in many cities of Italy and in different countries, in spite of holding other burdensome offices of great responsibility. Indeed, within the Order of Capuchins he was professor of theology, novice master, for several mandates minister provincial and definitor general, and finally, from 1602 to 1605, minister general. In the midst of this mountain of work, Lawrence cultivated an exceptionally fervent spiritual life. He devoted much time to prayer and, especially, to the celebration of Holy Mass — often protracted for hours — caught up in and moved by the memorial of the Passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord.
Moreover, with the unmistakable ardour of his style, Lawrence urged everyone and not only priests, to cultivate a life of prayer, for it is through prayer that we speak to God and that God speaks to us: “Oh, if we were to consider this reality!”, he exclaimed. “In other words that God is truly present to us when we speak to Him in prayer; that He truly listens to our prayers, even if we pray only with our hearts and minds. And that not only is He present and hears us, indeed He willingly and with the greatest of pleasure wishes to grant our requests”.
St Lawrence of Brindisi teaches us to love Sacred Scripture, to increase in familiarity with it, to cultivate daily relations of friendship with the Lord in prayer, so that our every action, our every activity, may have its beginning and its fulfilment in Him. This is the source from which to draw so that our Christian witness may be luminous and able to lead the people of our time to God.”…….Pope BENEDICT XVI (General Audience) – St. Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 23 March 2011
St Lawtence of Brindisi, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 21 July
Quote/s of the Day – 21 July
“The word of God is replete with manifold blessings, since it is, so to speak, a treasure of all goods. It is the source of faith, hope, charity, all virtue, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all the beatitudes of the Gospel, all good works, all the rewards of life, all the glory of paradise…For the word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will. It enables man to know God and to love Him. And for the interior man who lives by the Spirit of God through grace, it is bread and water, but a bread sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, a water better than wine and milk. For the soul it is a spiritual treasure of merits yielding an abundance of gold and precious stones. Against the hardness of a heart that persists in wrongdoing, it acts like a hammer. Against the world, the flesh and the devil it serves as a sword that destroys all sin.”
“The Holy Spirit sweetens the yoke
of the divine law and lightens its weight,
so that we may observe God’s commandments
with the greatest of ease and even with pleasure”
St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor
One Minute Reflection – 21 July
One Minute Reflection – 21 July
“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”………..Matthew 12:6
REFLECTION – “My dear souls, let us recognize, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist. In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us. It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one, that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love, a supreme and most ardent love, by way of pure grace and charity. Ah! One needs to love Him back with one’s whole, whole, whole, living, living, living and true, true, true heart!!” …… St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor
PRAYER – Lord God, You bestowed on St Lawrence of Brindisi the spirit of counsel and fortitude, so that Your name might be glorified and souls be saved. At the intercession of St Lawrence, grant that we may see what we have to do and, in Your mercy give us the strength to do it and the courage, love and charity to persevere. Grant above all, that by his prayers we may love You above all and with all we are. St Lawrence pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 21 July
Our Morning Offering – 21 July
St Francis’s Prayer Before the San Damiano Crucifix
Most High, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart
and give me
true faith,
certain hope
and perfect charity,
sense and knowledge,
Lord, that I may carry out
Your holy and true command.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 20 July – Memorial of St Apollinaris
Thought for the Day – 20 July – Memorial of St Apollinaris
Following Jesus involves risks—sometimes the supreme risk of life itself. Martyrs, like St Apollinaris, are people who would rather accept the risk of death than deny the cornerstone of their whole life: faith in Jesus Christ.
Everyone will die eventually—the persecutors and those persecuted.
The question is what kind of a conscience people will bring before the Lord for judgment. Remembering the witness of past and present martyrs can help us make the often small sacrifices that following Jesus today may require.
There are no patterns and the saints break all molds.
God is interested in us right where we are and our own particular circumstances are as good a place as any to be a saint. Holiness is within our reach!
St Apollinaris and all you saints in heaven, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 20 July
Quote/s of the Day – 20 July
“Let sleep find you holding your Bible
and when you head nods let it be resting
on the sacred page.”
St Jerome (343-420) One of the Original 4 Doctors
“The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind’s eye.
In it we see our inner face.
From the Scriptures we can learn
our spiritual deformities and beauties.
And there too we discover the progress
we are making and how far we are from perfection.”
St Gregory the Great (540-604) One of the Original 4 Doctors
“The Old Testament is like a radio
with its hidden voice
announcing the One to come.
The New Testament is like a television
because the Word became both audible and visible.”
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
The Wonders of the Holy Name – Fr Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. – “Revealing the Simplest Secret Ever of Holiness and Happiness.” Part Eleven – 20 July
Previous – here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/the-holy-name/
The Doctrine of the Holy Name:
We shall now explain the doctrine of the Holy
Name – the most important chapter in this booklet
– in order to show our readers whence comes
the power and the divine value of this Name and
how the Saints worked their wonders with it and
how we ourselves can obtain by its means every
grace and blessing.
You may ask, dear reader, how it is that one
word can work such prodigies?
I answer that with a word God made the World.
With His word He called out of nothing the Sun,
the Moon, the Stars, the high .Mountains and the
vast Oceans. By His word He sustains the whole
Universe.
Does not the priest, too, in Holy Mass, work a
prodigy of prodigies, does He not transform the
little white host into the God of Heaven and
Earth by the words of Consecration and though
God alone can pardon sin, does not the priest also
in the confessional pardon the blackest sins and
the most awful crimes?
How? because God gives to His words this infinite
power.
So, too, God in His immense goodness gives to
each of us an all -powerful word with which
we can do wonders for Him, for ourselves and for
the World. That word is Jesus.
Remember what St. Paul tells us about It.
That it is “a Name above all Names” and that:
“In the Name of Jesus every knee shall bend in
Heaven, on Earth and in Hell”.
But why?
Because Jesus signifies God-made-man – viz the
Incarnation. When the Son of God became man
He was called Jesus so that when we say Jesus
we offer to the Eternal Father the infinite love,
the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, in a word, we
offer Him His own Divine Son Himself, we offer
Him the great mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus
is the Incarnation.
How few Christians have any adequate idea of
this sublime mystery and yet it is the greatest
proof that God has given or could give us of His
personal love for us. It is everything to us.
One Minute Reflection – 20 July
One Minute Reflection – 20 July
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction and for training in righteousness,so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work……..2 Timothy 3:16-17
REFLECTION – “We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: that knowledge which shows us heaven, will not bring us to the possession of it and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remain slight, weak and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives. For this all the saints affected solitude and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world, as much as their circumstances allowed them.” – St. Apollinaris
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, St Apollinaris fought unto death for the law of his God. He was not afraid of the words of evil men, for he was like a house that is founded on rock. Grant that we too, may be founded on rock and be planted in good saoil to yield many fruits. St Apollinaris, please pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 20 July
Our Morning Offering – 20 July
Prayer for Reconciliation and Peace
St Pope John Paul
O God, Creator of the universe,
who extends Your paternal concern
over every creature
and guides the events of history
to the goal of salvation,
we acknowledge Your fatherly love
when You break the resistance of mankind,
and, in a world torn by strife and discord,
You make us ready for reconciliation.
Renew for us the wonders of Your mercy;
send forth Your Spirit that He may work
in the intimacy of hearts,
that enemies may begin to dialogue,
that adversaries may shake hands and peoples
may encounter one another in harmony.
May all commit themselves
to the sincere search for true peace –
which will extinguish all arguments,
for charity -which overcomes hatred,
for pardon – which disarms revenge.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 19 July
Thought for the Day – 19 July
Today is the Feast of St John Plessington, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, he was imprisoned for two months and then hung, drawn and quartered on 19 July 1679. Here are the words of the speech the saint gave before his martyrdom:
The scaffold speech of Fr John Plessington
The Scaffold Speech Page 1
The Scaffold Speech Page 2
Dear Countrymen.
I am here to be executed, neither for Theft, Murder, nor anything against the Law of God, nor any fact or Doctrine inconsistent with Monarchy or Civil Government. I suppose several now present heard my trial the last Assizes and can testify that nothing was laid to my charge but Priesthood and I am sure that you will find that Priesthood is neither against the Law of God nor Monarchy, or Civil Government. If you will consider either the Old or New Testament (for it is the Basis of Religion […], St Paul tells us in Hebrews 7:12 that the Priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the Law, and consequently the Priesthood being abolished, the Law and Religion is quite gone.
But I know it will be said that a Priest ordained by authority derived from the See of Rome is by the Law of Nation to die as a Traitor, but if that be so what must become of all the Clergymen or England, for the first Protestant Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome, or none at all, as appears by their own writers, so that Ordination comes derivatively to those now living.
As in the Primitive times, Christians were esteemed Traitors and suffered as such by National Law, so are the Priests of the Roman Church here esteemed, and suffer such. But as Christianity then was not against the law of God, Monarchy or Civil Policy, so now there is not any one Point of the Roman Catholic Faith (of which Faith I am) that is inconsistent therewith, as is evident by induction in each several point.
That the Pope hath power to depose or give licence to Murder Princes is no point of our Belief. And I protest in the sight of God and the Court of Heaven that I am absolutely innocent of the Plot so much discoursed of, and abhor such bloody and damnable designs. And although it be Nine Weeks since I was sentenced to die, there is not anything of that laid to my charge, so that I may take comfort in St. Peter’s words, 1 Peter 14-16, “Let none of you suffer as a Murderer, or as a Thief, or as an Evil doer, or as a Busy Body in other men’s matters, yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed or Sorry”. I have deserved a worse death, for though I have been a faithful and true Subject to my King, I have been a grievous sinner against God; [others would have lived] in a greater perfection [than] I have done had they received so many favours and graces from him as I have.
But as there was never sinner who truly repented and heartily called to Jesus for mercy, to whom he did not show mercy, so I hope by the merits of His Passion, He will have mercy on me, who am heartily sorry that ever I offended him.
Bear witness, good hearers, that I profess that I undoubtedly and firmly believe all the Articles of the Roman Catholic Faith, and for the truth of any of them (by the assistance of God) I am willing to die, and I had rather die than doubt of any Point of Faith, taught by our Holy Mother the Roman Catholic Church.
In what condition Margaret Plat one of the chiefest witnesses against me was before and after she was with me, let her nearest relations declare. George Massey, another witness, swore falsely when he swore I gave him the Sacrament, and said Mass at the time and place he mentioned, and [I] verily think that he never spoke to me, or I to him, or saw each other but at the Assizes week. The third witness, Robert Wood, was suddenly killed but of the Dead why should I speak? These were all the witnesses against me, unless those that only declared what they heard from others. I heartily and freely forgive all that have been or are any way instrumental to my Death, and heartily desire that those that are living may heartily repent.
God bless the King and the Royal Family and grant his Majesty a prosperous Reign here and a crown of glory hereafter, God grant peace to the Subjects and that they live and die in true Faith, Hope, and Charity.
That which remains is that I recommend my self to the mercy of Jesus, by whose merits, I hope for mercy. O Jesus, be to me a Jesus.
FINIS
And we too, recommend ourselves to the mercy of Jesus, now and at the hour of our death, amen. St John Plessington, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 19 July
Quote/s of the Day – 19 July
“But I know it will be said that a Priest ordained by authority derived from the See of Rome is by the Law of Nation to die as a Traitor but if that be so, what must become of all the Clergymen or England, for the first Protestant Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome….?”
“Bear witness, good hearers, that I profess that I undoubtedly and firmly believe all the Articles of the Roman Catholic Faith and for the truth of any of them (by the assistance of God) I am willing to die and I had rather die than doubt of any Point of Faith, taught by our Holy Mother the Roman Catholic Church.”
St John Plessington
Martyred because he was a Priest by Elizabeth I of England
One Minute Reflection – 19 July
One Minute Reflection – 19 July
For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also…Hebrews 7:12
REFLECTION – ” If you will consider either the Old or New Testament (for it is the Basis of Religion […], St Paul tells us in Hebrews 7:12 that the Priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the Law and consequently the Priesthood being abolished, the Law and Religion is quite gone.”…….St John Plessington
PRAYER – Holy God, help us to pray continually for our priests, to respect them and consider them as representatives of You. Grant that the law of our lands may never regard them as men of God and of the law. St John Plessington, you were martyred because you were a priest of God, please pray for all our priests and for us, amen.
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