Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – Good Friday

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – Good Friday

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit…………….Luke 23:46

REFLECTION – A Few Drops of Blood Renew the Whole World!
Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out;  for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its creator.   The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from His side:  the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man;  the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the rock;  the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead.
The happenings at the sepulchre and after the sepulchre, who can fittingly recount them?   Yet no one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation.   A few drops of blood renew the whole world and do for all men what the rennet does for the milk: joining us and binding us together………..St Gregory Nazianzen – Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – O God, who by the Passion of Christ your Son, our Lord, abolished the death inherited from ancient sin by every succeeding generation, grant that just as, being conformed to him, we have borne by the law of nature the image of the man on earth, so by the sanctification of grace we may bear the image of the Man of heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

b9dff93e30f7d856b7687601d4e3e511

THE MIRACLE OF MY SALVAION-ST GREGORY NAZIANZEN

PIETA

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 14 April – Good Friday

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 April – Good Friday

THE PRAYER
“O SACRED HEAD”
By St. Bernard Of Clairvaux

O Sacred Head surrounded
By crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding Head, so wounded,
Reviled and put to scorn!
Death’s pallid hue comes o’er You,
The glow of life decays,
Yet angel hosts adore You
And tremble as they gaze.

I see Your strength and vigour
All fading in the strife,
And death, with cruel vigour,
Bereaving You of life;
O agony and dying!
O love to sinners free!
Jesus, all grace supplying,
O turn Your face on me!

In this Your bitter Passion,
Good Shepherd, think. of me,
With Your most sweet compassion,
Unworthy though I be;
Beneath Your Cross abiding,
‘Forever would I rest,
In Your dear love confiding,
And will Your presence blest.

O SACRED HEAD-BY ST BERNARD

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS

HOLY THURSDAY: PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Posted on by AnaStpaul
Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers

Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday/The Last Supper of the Lord – 13 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday/The Last Supper of the Lord – 13 April 2017

Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday or the Last Supper. It’s here, at the Last Supper, that we see: (1) the institution of the Eucharist (2) the institution of the sacramental priesthood and (3) references to Baptism and Confession. Sacramentally, then, it’s important and very beautiful.

I. The Eucharist

The Eucharist is straight-forward (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).  It’s also of obvious importance to the early Church: it’s one of relatively few events recorded (nearly verbatim) by St. Paul and the Synoptic Gospels.  As Catholics, we believe that when Jesus said, “This is My Body,” and “This is My Blood of the Covenant,” that He meant “This is My Body,” and “This is My Blood of the Covenant,” and not some other thing, like “this is a symbol.”  Suffice it to say that this language is prefigured in the Old Covenant (Exodus 24:8), and wasn’t symbolic then (as Hebrews 9:18-20 notes).

II. Holy Orders
But let’s talk a bit about Holy Orders.   It’s not coincidental that the priesthood and Eucharist are established simultaneously.    The Eucharistic Sacrifice, after all, requires priests:  a priest, is one who offers sacrifice.    But Christ does something interesting with this notion of priesthood in the washing of the feet (John 13:3-17).   This appears to be a deliberate echo of the washing of the hands and feet done by the sacrificial priests of the Old Covenant (Exodus 30:19-21).    This washing was to symbolise the priest’s unworthiness to approach the Lord, so it’s fitting that the washing of feet occurs at the same time that the Apostles are entrusted with the Eucharist (which they’re not worthy to approach).    But notice what’s different: the Old Covenant focused on self-purification.  The New Covenant is focused on sanctifying others.    This is in keeping with the model of clerical governance that Christ imparts to St. Peter and the Apostles at this Last Supper (Luke 22:24-34).
III. Baptism and Confession
Christ Washing the Feet of Peter (11th c.)

And the washing of the feet doesn’t just represent the priesthood.  It also represents Sacramental Confession.  In John 13:6-10, Jesus and Peter have this dialogue:

He came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not every one of you.”
Obviously, this isn’t about “the removal of dirt from the body” (1 Peter 3:21), but the forgiveness of sins. That’s why Jesus says that Judas isn’t clean, at the end (Jn. 13:10-11).  Well, given that, what’s the bath that Jesus is talking about? It’s Baptism, “the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
If that’s right, what is Jesus saying that the washing of feet represents?  Sacramental confession (CCC 1484, 1486).  It is in this way that we are restored to our Baptismal purity.  And here’s something fascinating: just as Christ doesn’t permit the Disciples to purify themselves, but instructs them to purify one another, the same is true for the priesthood He established, and sacramental confession.
IV. The Priestly Commission
Rogier van der Weyden, Seven Sacraments Altarpiece(detail, right wing) (1450)

Having established all of this, consider Christ’s dual commission.  Immediately after instituting the Eucharist, He orders the Apostles: “do this in remembrance of me” (Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24).    That doesn’t mean “treat this as a symbol,” by the way.    Once again, the Old Testament provides important context.    The Old Covenant contained what’s called the memorial sacrifice or memorial offering (see, e.g., Leviticus 2:9).  The sacrifice wasn’t a mere symbol: the memorial offering of grain actually was grain. And the memorial offering of our prayers (Acts 10:4) aren’t symbols of prayers, but actual prayers.    Likewise, the memorial offering of Christ’s Body and Blood actually is Christ’s Body and Blood.   But each of these memorial offerings also recalls something: in this case, we’re offering up Christ’s Body and Blood, while recalling His Death on Calvary.

So “do this in remembrance of me,” properly understood, is sacrificial language.   The first Eucharist is offered by Christ, who is both the High Priest (Hebrews 9:11), and the willing Sacrificial Victim (1 Corinthians 5:7).   Jesus makes this clear Himself in John 10:17-18: He is in control over everything, including Calvary. But what’s shocking is that He tells the Apostles to carry on His priestly role. To continue to offer the memorial offering of His Body and Blood.

Only slightly less shocking is the second commission, which comes at the end of the washing of the feet (John 13:12-17),

When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Rogier van der Weyden, Seven Sacraments Altarpiece(detail, left wing) (1450)

That’s the mandate (mandatum) that gives Maundy Thursday its name.    Now, this doesn’t sound shocking at first, because it sounds like Jesus is just saying, “be humble.”  And surely, that’s part of it.  But remember what we established earlier:  that the washing of feet is about the sacrificial priesthood and about the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus makes that last part really clear in John 13:6-11.    He’s not calling Judas smelly.   He’s saying Judas is still trapped in sin.  So in that context, Jesus Christ is calling the Apostles not only to be humble, but to (a) forgive sins, and (b) pass on the gift of the priesthood.    He’ll later empower the Apostles to carry out this command to forgive sins by imparting the Holy Spirit upon them (John 20:21-23).    But too often, Christians read the washing of feet as simply a nice gesture, when Christ makes it clear that it’s so much more.

So tonight should be a true celebration of the Sacraments that Christ left us and the beautiful manner in which they are, in God’s Providence, intertwined.   Baptism, to wash us free from our sins.  The Eucharist, the food of life, partaking in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  Confession, to restore us to our Baptismal purity and prepare us for the Eucharist.  And Holy Orders, to carry on His priestly ministry, and to ensure that we should always have the Eucharist and Confession.  by

 

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers

Maundy Thursday of Holy Week – 13 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Maundy Thursday of Holy Week – 13 April 2017

O God, who have called us to participate
in this most sacred Supper,
in which Your Only Begotten Son,
when about to hand Himself over to death,
entrusted to the Church a sacrifice new for all eternity,
the banquet of His love,
grant, we pray,
that we may draw from so great a mystery,
the fullness of charity and of life.
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.

MAUNDY THURSDAY 13 APRIL

The Thirteenth Station:
Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross

st 13

My Jesus, it was with deep grief that Mary finally took You into her arms and saw all the wounds sin had inflicted upon You.    Mary Magdalene looked upon Your dead Body with horror.    Nicodemus, the man so full of human respect, who came to You by night, suddenly received the courage to help Joseph take you down from the Cross.    You are once more surrounded by only a few followers.    When loneliness and failure cross my path, let me think of this lonely moment and this total failure – failure in the eyes of men. How wrong they were – how mistaken their concept of success!    The greatest act of love was given in desolation and the most successful mission accomplished and finished when all seemed lost.    Is this not true in my life, dear Jesus?    I judge my failures harshly.    I demand perfection instead of holiness.    My idea of success is for all to end well – according to my liking.
Give to all men the grace to see that doing Your Will is more important than success.    If failure is permitted for my greater good then teach me how to use it to my advantage.    Let me say as You once said, that to do the Will of the Father is my food.    Let not the standards of this world take possession of me or destroy the good You have set for me – to be Holy and to accomplish the Father’s Will with great love.    Let me accept praise or blame, success or failure with equal serenity.
Amen

The Fourteenth Station:
Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher

ST14

My Jesus, You were laid to rest in a stranger’s tomb.    You were born with nothing of this world’s goods and You died detached from everything.    When You came into the world, men slept and angels sang and now as You leave it, Creation is silent and only a few weep.    Both events were clothed in obscurity.    The majority of men live in such a way. Most of us live and die knowing and known by only a few.    Were You trying to tell us, dear Jesus, how very important our lives are just because we are accomplishing the Father’s Will?    Will we ever learn the lesson of humility that makes us content with who we are, where we are and what we are?
Will our Faith ever be strong enough to see power in weakness and good in the sufferings of our lives?    Will our Hope be trusting enough to rely on Your Providence even when we have nowhere to lay our head?    Will our Love ever be strong enough not to take scandal in the cross?

My Jesus, hide my soul in Your heart as You lie in the Sepulcher alone.    Let my heart be as a fire to keep you warm.    Let my desire to know and love You be like a torch to light up the darkness.    Let my soul sing softly a hymn of repentant love as the hours pass and Your Resurrection is at hand.    Let me rejoice, dear Jesus, with all the Angels in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for so great a love- so great a God- so great a day!
Amen

Stations of the Cross by Mother Angelica

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers

Our Morning Offering – 13 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 13 April

Come, Jesus, for my feet are soiled.
Become once more a servant for my sake.
Pour water into Your basin
and come and wash my feet.
I know these words of mine presume too much
and yet I dread those frightening words of Yours,
“If I do not wash your feet, you can have no part in me.”
Then wash my feet, so that I belong to You.
Yet how can I dare to say, “wash my feet?”
Let Peter say so: he needed only to have his feet washed.
For he was clean through and through.
I too have been washed once in baptism
and yet I need that other cleansing that You spoke of
when You said, “I have anothe baptism to under”;
Cleanse me Lord thoroughly,
by Your saving death. Amen

By Origen of Alexandria

Come Jesus for my feet are soiled by ORIGEN

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Holy Week – Wednesday 12 April – The Last Day of Lent

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Holy Week – Wednesday 12 April  – The Last Day of Lent

He freed us from the power of the enemy.
This is the last day of Lent.
It is “Spy Wednesday,” remembering the day Judas asked,
“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

We read the third song of the Servant who suffers.
And we sense the acceptance, the surrender and the peace of Jesus.
I can imagine the treachery and tranquility of this day,
as I go through the real life drama of my day.
I can begin to feel the joy of the liberation being offered me.

If I haven’t done so already,
this can be a wonderful day to pray through the Stations of the Cross.

The Son of Man came not to be served,
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom for many.
Communion Antiphon  Matthew 20:28

12 APRIL STATIONS 11 & 12

The Eleventh Station:
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

ST 11

It is hard to imagine a God being nailed to a cross by His own creatures.   It is even more difficult for my mind to understand a love that permitted such a thing to happen!   As those men drove heavy nails into Your hands and feet, dear Jesus, did You offer the pain as reparation for some particular human weakness and sin?   Was the nail in Your right hand for those who spend their lives in dissipation and boredom?

Was the nail in Your left hand in reparation for all consecrated souls who live lukewarm lives?   Were You stretching out Your arms to show us how much You love us?   As the feet that walked the hot, dusty roads were nailed fast, did they cramp up in a deadly grip of pain to make reparation for all those who so nimbly run the broad road of sin and self-indulgence?

It seems, dear Jesus, Your love has held You bound hand and foot as Your heart pleads for a return of love.   You seem to shout from the top of the hill “I love you – come to me – see, I am held fast – I cannot hurt you – only you can hurt Me.”   How very hard is the heart that can see such love and turn away.   Is it not true I too have turned away when I did not accept the Father’s Will with love?   Teach me to keep my arms ever open to love, to forgive and to render service – willing to be hurt rather than hurt, satisfied to love and not be loved in return.
Amen

The Twelfth Station:
Jesus Dies on the Cross

st 12

God is dead!   No wonder the earth quaked, the sun hid itself, the dead rose and Mary stood by in horror.   Your human body gave up it’s soul in death but Your Divinity, dear Jesus, continued to manifest its power.   All creation rebelled as the Word made Flesh departed from this world.   Man alone was too proud to see and too stubborn to acknowledge truth.

Redemption was accomplished!   Man would never have an excuse to forget how much You loved him.   The thief on Your right saw something he could not explain – he saw a man on a tree and knew He was God.  His need made him see his own guilt and Your innocence.   The Promise of eternal life made the remaining hours of his torture. endurable.

A common thief responded to Your love with deep Faith, Hope, and Love.   He saw more than his eyes envisioned – he felt a Presence he could not explain and would not argue with.   He was in need and accepted the way God designed to help him.

Forgive our pride, dear Jesus as we spend hours speculating, days arguing and often a lifetime in rejecting Your death, which is a sublime mystery.   Have pity on those whose intelligence leads them to pride because they never feel the need to reach out to the Man of Sorrows for consolation.
Amen

Stations of the Cross by Mother Angelica

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 12 April

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Thought for the Day – 12 April

Talented people like Blessed Angelo of Chivasso see the stupidity of most personal ambition that seeks to lord it over others;  rather, talents and gifts should be for the service of others, for enriching and benefiting their lives.   How often do we put others down in order to make ourselves look better than they?   We must recognise that this attitude is the exact opposite of the words of the Beatitudes, the words of Christ and if we seek such a path, we have a great deal of work to do!

Bl Angelo of Chivasso, pray for us!

BL ANGELO PRAY FOR US.jpg 2

Posted in HOLY WEEK, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote of the Day – 12 April

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Quote of the Day – 12 April

“The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”

St. John of the Cross

THE RD IS NARROW-ST JOHN OF THE CROSS

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

One Minute Reflection – 12 April

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One Minute Reflection – 12 April

……………..yet I live, no longer I but Christ lives in me;   insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me………….Gal 2:20

REFLECTION – “The Crucifix is an open book that all can read.
The crucifix is an infinite declaration of love!”……………St Catherine of Siena

PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, inspire me to read the Crucifix as all the teaching I need. Grant that I may return glory, gratitude and love to You for Your great love for me. Grant too that I may use all the talents given me, as Blessed Angelo of Chivasso did, for the glory of Your Kingdom and the love of all my neighbours. Bl Angelo, pray for us. Amen

my version gal 2 20 snipTHE CRUCIFIX-STCATHERINE OF SIENABL ANGELO PRAY FOR US

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 12 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 April

PRAYER OF ST EPHREM OF SYRIA
(In Honour Of Christ’s Passion)

I give You glory, O Christ,
because You, the Only-begotten,
the Lord of all,
underwent the death of the Cross
to free my sinful soul from the bonds of sin.
What shall I give to You, O Lord,
in return for all this kindness?
Glory to You, O Lord, for Your love,
for Your mercy, for Your patience.
Glory to You,
for forgiving us all our sins,
for coming to save our souls,
for Your incarnation in the Virgin’s womb.
Glory to You, for Your bonds,
for receiving the cut of the lash,
for accepting mockery.
Glory to You, for Your crucifixion,
for Your burial, for Your resurrection.
Glory to You, for being taken up heaven.
Glory to You who sit
at the Father’s right hand and will return in glory.
Glory to You for willing that the sinner
be saved through Your great mercy and compassion.

PRAYER OF ST EPHREM OF SYRIA

Posted in HOLY WEEK, LENT, MORNING Prayers

Holy Week – Tuesday 11 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Holy Week – Tuesday 11 April 2017

God of such unwavering love,
how do I “celebrate”
the passion and death of Jesus?
I often want to look the other way
and not watch,
not stay with Jesus in His suffering.
Give me the strength
to see His love with honesty and compassion
and to feel deeply
your own forgiveness and mercy for me.
Help me to understand
how to “celebrate” this week.
I want be able to bring
my weaknesses and imperfections with me
as I journey with Jesus this week,
totally aware of His love, His suffering for my sins.

APRIL 11

The Ninth Station:
Jesus Falls the Third Time

STATION 9

My Jesus, even with the help of Simon You fell a third time.    Were You telling me that there may be times in my life that I will fall again and again despite the help of friends and loved ones?   There are times when the crosses You permit in my life are more than I can bear.   It is as if all the sufferings of a life time are suddenly compressed into the present moment and it is more than I can stand.
Though it grieves my heart to see You so weak and helpless, it is a comfort to my soul to know that you understand my sufferings from Your own experience.    Your love for me made You want to experience every kind of pain just so I could have someone to look to for example and courage.

When I cry out from the depths of my soul, “This suffering is more than I can bear,” do You whisper, “Yes, I understand”?    When I am discouraged after many falls, do you say in my innermost being, “Keep going, I know how hard it is to rise”?

There are many people who are sorely tried in body and soul with alcohol and drug weaknesses who try and try and fall again and again.    Through the humiliation of this third fall, give them the courage and perseverance to take up their cross and follow You.
Amen

The Tenth Station:
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

ST 10

It seems that every step to Calvary brought You fresh humiliation, my Jesus.    How Your sensitive nature recoiled at being stripped before a crowd of people.    You desired to leave this life as You entered it – completely detached from all the comforts of this world. You want me to know without a doubt that You loved me with an unselfish love.    Your love for me caused You nothing but pain and sorrow.    You gave everything and received nothing in return.    Why do I find it so hard to be detached?

In Your loving mind, dear Jesus, did You look up to the Father as You stood there on that windy hill, shivering from cold and shame and trembling from fear and ask Him to have mercy on those who would violate their purity and make love a mockery?    Did you ask forgiveness for those whose greed would make them lie, cheat and steal for a few pieces of cold silver?

Forgive us all, dear Jesus. Look upon the world with pity, for mankind has lost its way and the principles of this world make lust a fun game and luxury a necessity. Detachment has become merely another hardship of the poor and obedience the fault of the weak.    Have mercy on us and grant the people of this day the courage to see and know themselves and the light to change.
Amen

Stations by Mother Angelica

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 11 April

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Thought for the Day – 11 April

Evil has to be confronted boldly whatever the consequences.   Brave men like Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places.    They followed in the footsteps of Jesus Himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of His day.   There is no longer little chance that we will face such corruption and take a stand in our modern world for evil surrounds us at every turn and so, it should be very clear, in the face of evil, where we stand!   It is our moral duty – Christ, our Lord, can expect no less from us, risky or not, this is our duty – are we ready, willing and able?

St Stanislaus, pray for us!

STANISLAUS PRAY FOR US

Posted in HOLY WEEK, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 11 April

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Quote of the Day – 11 April

“If you really want to love Jesus,
first learn to suffer
because suffering teaches you to love.”

St. Gemma Galgani

if you really want to love Jesus - st gemma galgani

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, HOLY WEEK, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

One Minute Reflection – 11 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 11 April

I know my sheep and my sheep know me…..
for these sheep I will give my life……John 10:14-15

REFLECTION – “Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is at the same time light and love.
That is to say, He is the truth in charity.”…………..Servant of God Pope Pius XII
“If I saw the gates of Hell open and I stood on the brink of the abyss,
I should not despair, I should not lose hope of mercy because I should trust in You, my God.”………………..St Gemma Galgani (Memorial today 11 April)

PRAYER – Lord Jesus, let me be attached to You in truth, love and trust. Grant that I may always follow You as my Shepherd amid the perils and trails of this life. St Gemma Galgani pray for us, amen.

JOHN 10-14-15THE GOOD SHEPHERD-PIUS III should trust in you my God-St Gemma GalganiST GEMMA -PRAY FOR US

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, GOOD FRIDAY, Holy Name PRAYERS, HOLY WEEK, LENT, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Hail, Sweet Jesus! Prayer to Christ in His Passion and Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 April

 

Hail, Sweet Jesus!
Prayer to Christ
in His Passion and Death
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Hail, sweet Jesus!
Praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ,
Who, of Thou own accord, embraced death,
and recommending Thyself to Thy heavenly Father,
bowing down Thy venerable Head,
did yield up Thy Spirit.
Truly thus giving up Thy life for Thy sheep,
Thou hast shown Thyself, to be the Good Shepherd.
Thou died, O Only-begotten Son of God.
Thou died, O my beloved Saviour,
that I might live forever.
O how great hope,
how great confidence have
I reposed in Thy Death and Thy Blood!
I glorify and praise Thy Holy Name,
acknowledging my infinite obligations to Thee.
O good Jesus,
by Thy bitter Death and Passion,
give me grace and pardon.
Give unto the faithful departed,
rest and life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers

Holy Week – Monday 10 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Let me receive Your forgiveness and mercy.
The second Servant song shapes our reflection today
as we watch that amazing dinner scene on Tuesday of this passion week.

We experience the pain of His knowing
that He will be betrayed and denied.
Yet, the hour He is about to face is the hour of His Glory.
And He promises that where He is going, we will surely follow.

Our desire is to celebrate the gift being offered us.

It is too little, he says,
  for you to be my servant,
  to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
  and restore the survivors of Israel.
I will make you a light to the nations,
  that my salvation may reach
  to the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 49

APRIL 10 STATIONS 7&8

The Seventh Station:
Jesus Falls A Second Time

st7

My Jesus, one of the beautiful qualities the people admired in You was Your strength in time of ridicule – Your ability to rise above the occasion.    But now, You fall a second time – apparently conquered by the pain of the Cross.    People who judged You by appearances made a terrible mistake.    What looked like weakness was unparalleled strength!

I often judge by appearances and how wrong I am most of the time.    The world judges entirely by this fraudulent method of discerning.    It looks down upon those who apparently have given their best and are now in need.    It judges the poor as failures, the sick as useless and the aged as a burden.    How wrong that kind of judgment is in the light of your second fall!    Your greatest moment was Your weakest one.    Your greatest triumph was in failure.    Your greatest act of love was in desolation.    Your greatest show of power was in that utter lack of strength that threw You to the ground.

Weak and powerful Jesus, give me the grace to see beyond what is visible and be more aware of Your Wisdom in the midst of weakness.    Give the aged, sick, handicapped, retarded, deaf and blind the fruit of joy so they may ever be aware of the Father’s gift and the vast difference between what the world sees and what the Father sees that they may glory in their weakness so the power of God may be manifest.
Amen

The Eighth Station:
Jesus Speaks to the Holy Women

st 8

My Jesus, I am amazed at Your compassion for others in Your time of need.    When I suffer, I have a tendency to think only of myself but You forgot Yourself completely. When You saw the holy women weeping over Your torments, You consoled them and taught them to look deeper into Your Passion.    You wanted them to understand that the real evil to cry over was the rejection You suffered from the Chosen people – a people set apart from every other nation, who refused to accept God’s Son.
The Act of Redemption would go on and no one would ever be able to take away Your dignity as Son of God but the evil, greed, jealousy and ambition in the hearts of those who should have recognised You was the issue to grieve over.    To be so close to God made man and miss Him completely was the real crime.

My Jesus, I fear I do the same when I strain gnats and then swallow camels – when I take out the splinter in my brother’s eye and forget the beam in my own.    It is such a gift – this gift of faith.    It is such a sublime grace to possess Your own Spirit.    Why haven’t I advanced in holiness of life?    I miss the many disguises you take upon Yourself and see only people, circumstances and human events, not the loving hand of the Father guiding all things.    Help all those who are discouraged, sick, lonely and old to recognise Your Presence in their midst.
Amen

Stations by Mother Angelica

Posted in ART DEI, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 10 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 April

Chartres Cathedral has been called a “sermon in stone and stained glass” and it demonstrates what can happen when faith bursts into culture.   St Fulbert of Chartres recognised that unless faith influences culture, it’s voice remains weak.   It is not enough to believe – we have to make the Christian faith part of our lives and part of the world we live in.   So, as Chartres teaches and impacts our hearts and minds with awe and faith, so our lives too should be a “school of faith” and teach our world with awe and belief!

St Fulbert pray for us!

ST FULBERT PRAY FOR US 2

 

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote of the Day – 10 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 10 April

“As they were looking on, so we too,
gaze on His wounds as He hangs.
We see His blood as He dies.
We see the price offered by the redeemer,
touch the scars of His resurrection.
He bows His head, as if to kiss you.
His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you.
His arms are extended that He may embrace you.
His whole body is displayed for Your redemption.
Ponder how great these things are.
Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind:
as He was once fixed to the Cross
in every part of His body for you,
so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul!”

St. Augustine

AS THEY WERE LOOKING ON SO WE TOO GAZE ON HIS WOUNDS-ST AUGUSTINE

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

One Minute Reflection – 10 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 10 April

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit……Luke 23:45-46

REFLECTION – “He died, but He vanquished death; in Himself He put an end to what we feared;  He took it upon Himself and He vanquished it, as a mighty hunter He captured and slew the lion.
Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist and now it is dead.
O life, O death of death!  Be of good heart; it will die in us, also.   What has taken place in our head will take place in His members; death will die in us also.   But when?   At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt.”…………….St Augustine (Sermon 233:3-4)

PRAYER – God of love, my prayer is simple:  Your son, Jesus, suffered and died for me.
I know only that I cannot have real strength unless I rely on You.   I cannot feel protected from my many weaknesses until I turn to You for forgiveness and your unalterable love. Help me to share this strength, protection and love with others.   St Fulbert of Chartres you worked your whole life to bring the truth and love of God to all, please pray for us, amen.

LUKE 23-45-46he died but he vanquished death-st augustineST FULBERTPRAY FOR US

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

Our Morning Offering – 10 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 April

Excerpt from the Prayer “You are Christ”
by 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.

YOU ARE CHRIST-ST AUGUSTINE

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers

Thought for the Day – Passion or Palm Sunday – 9 April 2017

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Thought for the Day – Passion or Palm Sunday – 9 April 2017 – The Legend of the Vatican Palms

The obelisk in St. Peter’s Square was originally erected in Heliopolis, Egypt sometime between 2494 and 2345 BC. After 63 BC it was moved to Alexandria, then Caligula moved it to Rome in 37 AD.    It moved to its current location in 1586.    It’s the only obelisk in Rome that hasn’t fallen since antiquity.    It used to be topped with a globe that was rumoured to contain Caesar’s ashes.    That turned out to be wrong and today it’s topped with a reliquary that contains a piece of the True Cross.

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That much is true… this a legend I heard in Rome about what allegedly happened when the architect/engineer Domenico Fontana was re-erecting the obelisk for the last time in 1586.    Fontana gathered 900 men and 140 horses (as shown in the engraving above). Pope Sixtus V forbid anyone to speak while the obelisk was raised, so no one would break their concentration.    In silence, the massive team began to lift it.    But one sailor noticed that the ropes were smoking from the friction.    Against the pope’s orders he yelled, “Water on the ropes!”

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Fortunately, they heeded his advice.    The water cooled down the ropes and the obelisk went up successfully.    However the sailor was still hauled in front of the pope for breaking his decree.    But instead of punishing him, the pope thanked him and offered him a reward.    The sailor asked that his family’s farm in Bordighera supply the palms for Palm Sunday every year, as long as they owned the land.

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To this day, the Vatican sources their Palm Sunday fronds from Bordighera.    That much is true too.

The thought is this – “speak out when you know the truth be not afraid!”

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord – 9 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord – 9 April 2017

This Sunday we hold palm branches in our hands,
and wave them to greet our Lord’s entry into the city of our salvation.
Last year’s palms were burned to form the ashes
that marked our foreheads to begin this Lenten journey.
We can place these palm branches – perhaps from each member of the family –
in a special place in our home (maybe cutting a small piece and putting it some place where I work).

Each day this week they can represent our celebration of His love for me.
That symbol can say so many words –
all that I am about to celebrate and accept as love for me,
and all the entry into Jerusalem experiences in my life.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Hosts,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!

STATIONS-PALM SUNDAY

The Fifth Station:
Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

st5

My Jesus, Your tormentors enlisted a Simon of Cyrene to help You carry Your cross.   Your humility is beyond my comprehension.   Your power upheld the whole universe and yet You permit one of Your creatures to help You carry a cross.   I imagine Simon was reluctant to take part in Your shame.   He had no idea that all who watched and jeered at him would pass into oblivion while his name would go down in history and eternity as the one who helped his God in need.   Is it not so with me, dear Jesus?   Even when I reluctantly carry my cross as Simon did, it benefits my soul.

If I keep my eyes on You and watch how You suffered, I will be able to bear my cross with greater fortitude.   Were you trying to tell all those who suffer from prejudice to have courage?   Was Simon a symbol of all those who are hated because of race, coloUr and creed?

Simon wondered as he took those beams upon his shoulders, why he was chosen for such a heavy burden and now he knows.   Help me Jesus, to trust your loving Providence as you permit suffering to weave itself in and out of my life.   Make me understand that You looked at it and held it fondly before You passed it on to me.   You watch me and give me strength just as You did Simon.   When I enter Your Kingdom, I shall know as he knows, what marvels Your Cross has wrought in my soul.
Amen

The Sixth Station:
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

st6

My Jesus, where were all the hundreds of peoples whose bodies and souls were healed by you?   Where were they when You needed someone to give You the least sign of comfort?   Ingratitude must have borne down upon Your heart and made the cross nearly impossible to carry.   There are times I too feel all my efforts for Your Kingdom are futile and end in nothingness.   Did your eyes roam through the crowd for the comfort of just one individual – one sign of pity – one sign of grief?

My heart thrills with a sad joy when I think of one woman, breaking away from fear and human respect and offering.   You her thin veil to wipe Your bleeding Face.   Your loving heart, ever watching for the least sign of love, imprinted the Image of your torn Face upon it! How can You forget Yourself so completely and reward such a small act of kindness?

I must admit, I have been among those who were afraid to know You rather than like Veronica.   She did not care if the whole world knew she loved You.   Heartbroken Jesus, give me that quality of the soul so necessary to witness to spread Your Word – to tell all people of Your love for them.   Send many into Your Vineyard so the people of all nations may receive the Good News.   Imprint Your Divine Image upon my soul and let the thin veil of my human nature bear a perfect resemblance to your loving Spirit.
Amen

Stations of the Cross by Mother Angelica

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers

Quote of the Day – 9 April – Palm Sunday 2017

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Quote of the Day – 9 April – Palm Sunday 2017

“Crowd, celebration, praise, blessing, peace –
it is a climate of joy that is being experienced.
Jesus has reawakened many hopes of the heart,
above all in the humble people, the simple, poor,
forgotten, those who do not count in the eyes of the world.
He understood human misery,
He manifested the face of God’s mercy
and deigned to heal the body and soul. This is Jesus.
This is His heart that looks upon all of us,
that looks upon all of our afflictions, our sins.
Jesus’ love is great.
And so he enters into Jerusalem with this love
and looks upon all of us. It is a beautiful scene,-
full of light—the light of Jesus’ love,
the light of His heart—of joy, of celebrating.”

(Pope Francis, Palm Sunday Homily, 2013)

POPE FRANCIS PALM SUNDAY QUOTE 2013

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

One Minute Reflection – 9 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 April

He touched their eyes and said
“because of your faith it shall done to you”
and they receied their sight……….Matthew 9:29-30

REFLECTION – “The blind men cried out to Christ and overcame the cries of the crowd.
Such is the nature of faith, that the greater are the obstacles it encounters, the more ardent it becomes.” ……………………St Charles Borromeo

PRAYER – O God of infinite brightness, let me give you thanks for Your magnificent gift of light and of all creation.
Help me always to use it wisely and well. Let my faith be my guide and my stronghold! Bl Antony OF PavonI, you are an example to us all, please pray for us, amen.

MATTHEW 9-29 AND 306513fad7011513948412dbe4dbe1952bBL ANTONY OF PAVONI PRAY FOR US

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 9 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 April

YOUR SACRED TABLE

By Saint Francis de Sales

Divine Saviour,
we come to Your sacred table
to nourish ourselves,
not with bread but with Yourself,
true Bread of eternal life.
Help us daily to make a good
and perfect meal of this divine food.
Let us be continually refreshed
by the perfume of Your kindness and goodness.
May the Holy Spirit fill us with His Love.
Meanwhile, let us prepare a place
for this holy food by emptying our hearts.
Amen

DIVINE SAVIOUR-ST F DE SALES

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers

LENTEN REFLECTION – The Fifth Week – Saturday 8 April 2017

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LENTEN REFLECTION – The Fifth Week – Saturday 8 April 2017

Now we rejoice in Your great love.
Our journey has brought us here.
It is as though we too, are gathering in Jerusalem
to celebrate our Passover week.
We are ready to enter into the Passion drama
and to celebrate the Paschal Mystery,
with mind and heart renewed.

We are ready to rejoice that the death of Jesus is “for me”
and that it is the ultimate victory over sin and death –
my sin and my death.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS SAT 8 APRIL

Christ was sacrificed so that he could gather together
the scattered children of God.
John 11:52

Collect:
O God, who have made all those reborn in Christ
a chosen race and a royal priesthood,
grant us, we pray, the grace to will and to do what you command,
that the people called to eternal life
may be one in the faith of their hearts
and the homage of their deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with yYu in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever

st3


The Third Station:
Jesus Falls the First Time

My Jesus, it seems to me, that as God, You would have carried Your cross without faltering but You did not.    You fell beneath it’s weight to show me You understand when I fall.    Is it pride that makes me want to shine even in pain?    You were not ashamed to fall- to admit the cross was heavy.    There are those in world whom my pride will not tolerate as I expect everyone to be strong, yet I am weak.    I am ashamed to admit failure in anything.

If the Father permits failure in my life just as He permitted You to fall, then I must know there is good in that failure which my mind will never comprehend.    I must not concentrate on the eyes of others as they rest upon me in my falls.    Rather, I must reach up to touch that invisible hand and drink in that invisible strength ever at my side.

Weak Jesus, help all men who try so hard to be good but whose nature is constantly opposed to them walking straight and tall down the narrow road of life.    Raise their heads to see the glory that is to come rather than the misery of the present moment.

Your love for me gave You strength to rise from Your fall.    Look upon all those whom the world considers unprofitable servants and give them the courage to be more concerned as to how they stand before You, rather than their fellowmen.
Amen

st4


The Fourth Station:
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

My Jesus, it was a great sorrow to realize Your pain caused Mary so much grief. As Redeemer, You wanted her to share in Your pain for mankind.    When You glanced at each other in unutterable suffering, what gave you both the courage to carry on without the least alleviation – without anger at such injustice?

It seems as if You desired to suffer every possible pain to give me an example of how to suffer when my time comes.    What a humiliation for You when Your mother saw you in such a pitiable state – weak – helpless – at the mercy of sinful men – holiness exposed to evil in all hideousness.

Did every moment of that short encounter seem like an eternity?    As I see so much suffering in the world, there are times I think it is all hopeless.    There is an element of lethargy in my prayers for mankind that says “I’ll pray, but what good will it do?    The sick grow sicker and the hungry starve. ” I think of that glance between You and Mary – the glance that said, “Let us give this misery to the Father for the salvation of souls. The Father’s power takes our pain and frustration and renews souls, saves them for a new life – a life of eternal joy, eternal happiness.    It is worth it all.”    Give perseverance to the sick so they can carry the cross of frustration and agony with love and resignation for the salvation of others.
Amen

Stations of the Cross by Mother Angelica

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 8 April

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Thought for the Day – 8 April

Many faithful Catholics resisted the French Revolution’s anticlericalism and the destruction of the church.    But perhaps the most outstanding opponent of the Jacobins, and certainly the most unusual, was St. Julie Billiart, for she was paralysed and conducted her defiance from her bed.   Overcoming obstacles seems to be part of the business of holiness and sainthood.  St Julie was not only paralysed and crippled but she suffered complete loss of speech!   Somehow, she managed to lead and inspire others in spite of her infirmities.   Nothing is impossible for those who love and trust God – miracles happen and with God and doing His work, remarkable things are accomplished!   Each of us has limitations but the worst malady any of us can suffer is the spiritual paralysis that keeps us from doing God’s work on earth.   So what is stopping us?

St Julie Billiart, pray for us!

ST JULIE BILLIART PRAY FOR US 2ST JULIE BILLIART - APRIL 8

 

 

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

Quote/s of the Day – 8 April

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 April

“Nothing happens by chance;
it is always the disposition of God.”

“Our path has been marked out for us,
let us walk along it bravely,
remembering that Jesus goes before us.”

“How good is the good God who tries us!
If we live by crosses, we shall die of love.”

“Praise be Jesus and His holy cross.
Let us love it, let us carry it .
May this be our happiness
for time and eternity.”

St Julie Billiart (Saint of the Day)

QUOTES OF ST JULIE BILLIART

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

One Minute Reflection – 8 April

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One Minute Reflection – 8 April

By his ‘will’, we have been sanctified
through the suffering of the body of
Jesus Christ……….Hebrews 10:10

 

REFLECTION – “God’s infinite power, His profound wisdom and the reign of His justice were known.
However, the dimensions of His clemency were not yet known. Jesus came as interpreter of the Divinity.”……….St Bernard

PRAYER – Merciful Father, let me not spurn Your clemency which You sent us in Jesus Christ. Grant that Christ’s loving sacrifice may bear fruit in me in accord with Your will for me. St Julie Billiart, you carried your crosses always trusting in the clemency of our God and trusted solely in Christ our companion, please pray for us, amen.

HEBREWS 10-10GOD'S INFINIE POWER-ST BERNARDST JULIE BILLIART PRAY FOR US