Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 23 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 February

We may not be required to give our lives for our faith but we all have to suffer something for our beliefs and our fidelity. It is when things are difficult that faith is really faith. A faith that is good only in good times is scarcely faith at all. We are all called to witness to our faith in some way.   Polycarp was recognised as a Christian leader by all Asia Minor Christians—a strong fortress of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ.   His own strength emerged from his trust in God, even when events contradicted this trust.   Living among pagans and under a government opposed to the new religion, he led and fed his flock.   Like the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and kept them from more persecution in Smyrna.   He summarised his trust in God just before he died: “Father… I bless Thee, for having made me worthy of the day and the hour…” (Acts of Martyrdom, Chapter 14).

father-i-bless-thee-stpolycarpst-polycarp-pray-for-us

 

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Quote/s of the Day – 23 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 February

“Eighty and six years have I served Christ,
nor has He ever done me any harm.
How, then, could I blaspheme my King who saved Me?….
I bless Thee for deigning me worthy of this day
and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs
and drink the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Let us, therefore, foresake the vanity of the crowd
and their false teachings and turn back to the word
delivered to us from the beginning.”

“You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour
and after a little is extinguished
but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment
and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.”

~~~~~ St Polycarp

quotes-of-st-polycarpyou-threaten-me-with-fire-st-polycarp

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

One Minute Reflection – 23 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 February

There is a time and judgment for everything………Eccl 8:6

REFLECTION – “Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,’ helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man.”…………..St Polycarp

PRAYER – God of goodness, let me never allow an opportunity for good to be wasted. Help me take advantage of every moment at my disposal to do good.   St Polycarp pray for us, amen.

stand-fast-therefore-st-polycarp

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

Our Morning Offering – 23 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 February

St Polycarp’s Prayer

May God the Father
and the Eternal High Priest Jesus Christ,
build us up in faith and truth and love
and grant to us our portion among the saints
with all those who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray for all saints,
for kings and rulers,
for the enemies of the Cross of Christ
and for ourselves we pray
that our fruit may abound
and we may be made perfect
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen

st-polycarps-prayer-may-god-the-father-and-the-eternal-high-priest-jesus-christ

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Lenten Preparation Novena

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Reflection – “He thought he was as sure of the blessing as if he had not sold the birthright.”

And then, when all is done and over and their souls sold to Satan, they never seem to understand that they have parted with their birthright.   They think that they stand just where they did, before they followed the world, the flesh, and the devil; they take for granted that when they choose to become more decent, or more religious, they have all their privileges just as before.   Like Samson, they propose to go out as at other times before, and shake themselves.   And like Esau, instead of repenting for the loss of the birthright, they come, as a matter of course, for the blessing.    Esau went out to hunt for venison gaily and promptly brought it to his father.   His spirits were high, his voice was cheerful.   It did not strike him that God was angry with him for what had past years ago. He thought he was as sure of the blessing as if he had not sold the birthright.     (Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman)

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Lenten Preparation Novena

DAY THREE

Today Lord I choose life,
I choose Your love and the challenge to live it and share it,
I choose hope, even in moments of darkness,
I choose faith, accepting You as Lord and God,
I choose to let go of some part of my burdens, day by day handing them over to You,
I choose to take hold of Your strength and power ever more deeply in my life.
I choose repentance and reparation and suffering, for all my sins
and those of all the world.
Forgive me my Lord!
May this truly be for me a time of new life, of change, challenge and growth.
May I come to Easter with a heart open to dying with You
and rising to Your new life, day by day.   Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
(Mention your special intention)
Amen.

day-three-novena-prep-lent

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 22 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 February

From the beginning, the specialness, or primacy, of Peter has been recognized.   On the feast of the Chair of Peter, we celebrate our unity as a Church.   We celebrate the love, presence and protection of Christ for us, the Church.    The title Chair of Peter refers to the chair from which a bishop presided, a symbol of his authority.   When the title refers to Saint Peter, it recalls the supreme teaching power of Peter and his successors.  Its first occupant stumbled a bit some of its later occupants have also stumbled a bit, sometimes even failed scandalously.   As individuals, we may sometimes think a particular pope has let us down.    Still, the office endures as a sign of the long tradition we cherish and as a focus for the universal Church.   It is from the chair, from the pastoral power given him, that the pope shepherds Christ’s flock.   When the pope cautions world leaders, pleads for peace, or condemns social injustice, people listen and respond.   What makes the world listen to this man?  The answer lies in Scripture and in Tradition.  Peter is named first among the apostles of Jesus; he was often their spokesman and leader; he was the first to preach after Pentecost and he was the leader in defending Christ and his message AND THE OCCUPANT OF THE CHAIR STILL IS!

Holy Father St Peter and all the Saints and Popes in Heaven, Pray for us!

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Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 22 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 22 February

“He who deserts the chair of Peter,
upon whom the Church was founded,
does he trust himself to be in the Church?”

~~~~~ Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage and Martyr

De Catholicae Ecclesiae Unitate, 251

he-who-deserts-sty-cyprian

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

One Minute Reflection – 22 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 February

“On this rock I will build my Church’,,,,,,,,,,Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “How blessed is the Church of Rome, on which the Apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood!” (De Praescriptione Hereticorum, 36)…….Tertullian
“I decided to consult the Chair of Peter,
where that faith is found exalted by
the lips of an Apostle;
I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there,
where once I received the garment of Christ.
I follow no leader save Christ,
so I enter into communion with Your beatitude,
that is, with the Chair of Peter,
for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built”
(cf. Le lettere I, 15, 1-2)…………..St Jerome

PRAYER – Holy Father, send Your Divine Enlightener into the hearts of all Your faithful, filling us with the strength to fulfil our mission as the followers of the Chair of St Peter. And most of all, we pray Lord Holy God to inspire and light the way of our Holy Father, Francis. Sustain and guide him, keep him in health and strength, to lead Your people by the Light of the Way and the Truth. Holy Father, have mercy on us, Holy Spirit guide and lead us, Lord Jesus Christ be our intercessor and teacher, amen.

on-this-rock-matthew-16-18on-this-rock-i-willbuild-my-church-matthew-16-18how-blessed-is-the-church-of-rome-tertulliani-decided-to-consult-the-chair-of-peter-st-jerome

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 22 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 22 February

Show me, O Lord, Your mercy
and delight my heart with it.
Let me find You whom I so longingly seek.
Behold, here is the man whom the robbers seized,
manhandled, and left half dead on the road to Jericho.
Kind-hearted Samaritan, come to my aid!
I am the sheep who wandered into the wilderness.
Seek after me and bring me home again to Your fold.
Do with me according to Your Will,
that I may abide with You all the days of my life
and praise You with all those who are with You
in heaven for all eternity. Amen
By St Jerome

show-me-o-lord-your-mercy-st-jerome

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION

Lenten Preparation Novena

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Reflection – Do I despise the great gift of God’s Love?

“Is it not, I say, quite a common case for men and for women to neglect religion in their best days? They have been baptised, they have been taught their duty, they have been taught to pray, they know their Creed, their conscience has been enlightened, they have opportunity to come to Church.   This is their birthright, the privileges of their birth of water and of the Spirit;  but they sell it, as Esau did.    They are tempted by Satan with some bribe of this world and they give up their birthright in exchange for what is sure to perish and to make them perish with it.    Esau was tempted by the mess of pottage which he saw in Jacob’s hands.    Satan arrested the eyes of his lust and he gazed on the pottage, as Eve gazed on the fruit of the tree of knowledge  of good and evil.    Adam and Eve sold their birthright for the fruit of a tree—that was their bargain.    Esau sold his for a mess of lentils—that was his.   And men now-a-days often sell theirs, not indeed for any thing so simple as fruit or herb but for some evil gain or other, which at the time they think worth purchasing at any price; perhaps for the enjoyment of some particular sin, or more commonly for the indulgence of general carelessness and spiritual sloth because they do not like a strict life and have no heart for God’s service.    And thus they are profane persons, for they despise the great gift of God.”  –    (Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman)

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Lenten Preparation Novena

DAY TWO

Lord, during this Lenten Season,
nourish me with Your Word of life
and make me one
with You in love and prayer.

Fill my heart with Your love
and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ.
Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness.
Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass.

Father, our source of life,
I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand;
let me walk more readily in Your ways.
Guide me in Your gentle mercy,
for left to myself I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings,
help me to pass from my old life of sin
to the new life of grace.

Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
(Mention your special intention)

Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom.
I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever.  Amen

day-two-21-feb

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 February

St Peter Damian was a reformer but he reformed his own life before he tried to reform others.   Example is still the most powerful influence in changing others and preaching is useless if it is not joined to a holy life.   Before we can change others, we have to change ourselves.   Lent is nearly here – a great place to work on our progress or to begin all over again.

St Peter Damian, pray for us!

st-peter-damian-pray-for-us-2st-peter-damian-21-feb

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

Quote/s of the Day

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day

“He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire and gives us strength…
As the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.”

“The best penance is to have patience with the sorrows God permits.
A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill the duties of everyday
with exactitude and to study and work with all our strength.”

“Through a woman [Eve] a curse fell upon the earth;
through a woman [Mary] as well there returned
to the earth, a blessing.”

St Peter Damian

he-pours-light-into-our-minds-st-peter-damian84791e84504fcc717afbaafbf2d0eb9ethrough-a-woman-st-peter-damian

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

One Minute Reflection – 21 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 February

For whom the Lord loves he reproves,
he chastises the one he favours………….Proverbs 3:12

REFLECTION – “When you are scorned by others and lashed by God, do not despair.
God lashes us in this life to shield us from the eternal lash in the next.”………..St Peter Damian

PRAYER – Infinitely just God, help me to accept Your corrections and turn them to my benefit. Let me never despair about my weaknesses but entrust myself to Your goodness and mercy. Help me Lord! St Peter Damian, pray for us, amen.

proverbs-3-12when-you-are-scorned-by-others-st-peter-damianst-peter-damian-pray-for-us

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 February

(Excerpt 2 from the Universal Prayer
attributed to Pope Clement XI)

I pray to You, Lord,
enlighten my understanding,
strengthen my will,
make clean my heart,
make holy my inward being.
Give me sorrow for my past sins
and let me not fall into temptation.
Help me to rise above my natural weaknesses,
let me grow stronger in all that is good and true.
Grant me, O good and loving God,
to love You as You deserve,
to turn away from all that is self-centred.
Let me seek Your Kingdom above all,
let me live as a pilgrim in this world,
give me right respect for all who have claim on me.
Give me a tender care for any who depend on me.
Let me cherish my friends
and let me forgive my enemies from my heart.
Grant me all this, my heavenly Father
for I give You all of myself
through Christ our Lord, amen.

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Lenten Preparation Novena

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A Meditation for this ‘Prelude to Lent’

“Each of us must come to the evening of life.   Each of us must enter on eternity.   Each of us must come to that quiet, awful time, when we will appear before the Lord of the vineyard and answer for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad.   That, my dear brethren, you will have to undergo. … It will be the dread moment of expectation when your fate for eternity is in the balance and when you are about to be sent forth as the companion of either saints or devils, without possibility of change.   There can be no change; there can be no reversal.   As that judgment decides it, so it will be for ever and ever.   Such is the particular judgment. … when we find ourselves by ourselves, one by one, in His presence and have brought before us most vividly all the thoughts, words and deeds of this past life.   Who will be able to bear the sight of himself?   And yet we shall be obliged steadily to confront ourselves and to see ourselves.   In this life we shrink from knowing our real selves.   We do not like to know how sinful we are.   We love those who prophecy smooth things to us and we are angry with those who tell us of our faults.   But on that day, not one fault only but all the secret, as well as evident, defects of our character will be clearly brought out.   We shall see what we feared to see here and much more.   And then, when the full sight of ourselves comes to us, who will not wish that he had known more of himself here, rather than leaving it for the inevitable day to reveal it all to him! …………………….We can believe what we choose.   We are answerable for what we choose to believe.”– (Blessed Card. John Henry Newman)

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Lenten Preparation Novena

DAY ONE

Lord, during this Lenten Season,
nourish me with Your Word of life
and make me one
with You in love and prayer.

Fill my heart with Your love
and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ.
Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness.
Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass.

Father, our source of life,
I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand;
let me walk more readily in Your ways.
Guide me in Your gentle mercy,
for left to myself I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings,
help me to pass from my old life of sin
to the new life of grace.

Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
(Mention your special intention)

Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom.
I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever.

Amen.

day-one-20-feb

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 20 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

You might think that if the Blessed Mother of God appears to you and speaks to you, you are a saint.    But that is not necessarily true.    What is true is that Mary chose to come to children who the year before had been visited by the Angel of Peace, children who had listened to the angel’s message and prayed the prayer the angel taught them.    They responded to Mary in the same way and prayed the Rosary and offered sacrifices for sinners and for the conversion of the world.    They were children who wanted to please God and that is why the Church has declared them Blessed.

Francisco and Jacinta died within a short time, as the Lady had said they would. They were beatified on May 13, 2000.    At that time Lucia los Santos was a Carmelite nun in Portugal. Sister Lucia died February 13, 2005 at age 97.   The shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is visited by up to 20 million people a year and is the source of many conversions and miracles.

Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta Pray for us!

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February

“We were burning in that light
which is God and we were not consumed.
What is God like?
It is impossible to say.
In fact we will never be able to tell people”

~~~~~ Blessed Francisco Marto of Fatima

we-were-burning-in-that-light-bl-francisco-marto

“Speak ill of no one and avoid the company
of those who talk (bad) about their neighbours.”
~~~~~ Blessed Jacinta Marto of Fatima

speak-ill-of-no-one-bl-jacinta

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 20 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 February

The Angel of Fatima’s Prayer

O Most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee
the most precious Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity of Jesus Christ
present in all the tabernacles of the world,
in reparation for the outrages,
sacrileges and indifferences
by which He is offended.
By the infinite merits of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
I beg the conversion of poor sinners.
Amen

the-angel-of-fatimas-prayer

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 19 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 February

Disaster does not always have to be the ruin of everything and very terrible blows of bad fortune can lead to great blessings.   St Conrad of Piacenza’s bad fortune made him reflect on his own way of life.   A man was almost executed through his neglect and he realised that God deserved better, in fact God deserved the very best of him.   The rest is the story of a man who made way for the Holy Spirit, who cleared the path for His entry and thus found his joy in God and became a delightful friend to all, a conduit of love and miracles.   It is a lesson to be pondered.

St Conrad of Piacenza, Pray for us!

st-conrad-of-piacenza-pray-for-us-3

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 19 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 19 February

Making a path for the Holy Spirit

Conversion has two elements for its completion.
First, we need to rid ourselves of the things that hinder gospel living. That includes not only “stuff” but also habits, attitudes, mindsets, lifestyles etc. that hinder hearing and living the Gospel.
Secondly, conversion calls us to commit our lives to Jesus and His gospel call.
It calls for practising charity, having hope, learning how to love all people.
If we only clean out our lives, we create a vacuum into which all sorts of things can enter (cf. Luke 11:24-26).
Our inner housecleaning ordinarily should open a path for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.

~ Lester Bach OFM Cap, Seeking a Gospel Life

Today’s Saint of the Day, St Conrad of Piacenza is a perfect example of making the path!   St Conrad Pray for us!

making-a-path-for-the-holy-spiritst-conrad-of-pacenza-pray-for-us-2

 

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

One Minute Reflection – 19 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 February

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain…….1 Cor 15:58

REFLECTION – “Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in His sight is what you are
and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received…but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”…………St Francis of Assisi

PRAYER – God of mercy, teach me to live as You have ordained. Help me to follow Your commandments with courage and steadfast devotion. As St Conrad learnt courage through adversity, help me too to use the events of my life, both good and bad, to give only my best to all I meet. St Conrad of Piacenza, pray for us, amen.

1-corinthians-15-58

keep-a-clear-eye-st-francis-of-assisist-conrad-of-piacenza-pray-for-us

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 19 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 February

Prayer for Enlightenment

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
grant us in our misery the grace to do for You alone
what we know You want us to do
and always to desire what pleases You.
Thus, inwardly cleansed, interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow in the footprints of
Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, by Your grace alone, may we make our way to You,
Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity and simple Unity
and are glorified God all-powerful forever and ever.
Amen.

(From “A Letter to the Entire Order”)

prayer-for-enlightenment-franciscan

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 18 February

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Thought for the Day – 18 February

Faithful to the promises he made as a Dominican, to preach the Gospel after having contemplated it in prayer, Fra Angelico put his creativity at the disposal of the Lord.   With brush and paint in hand, he used his talents to transmit to all people the sublimity and the redemptive strength of the divine mysteries.

Between 1425 and 1447, Fra Angelico carried out his activity for the Dominican convents and other ecclesiastical institutes at Fiesole, Florence (most especially at the convent of San Marco), Cortona and Orvieto.   The fame of his genius merited him the esteem of the Sovereign Pontiffs Eugenio IV and Nicolas V, who contracted him for the task of frescoing several rooms in the Vatican Palace (1445-49).

Fra Angelico died on February 18, 1455, in the convent of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome and was buried in the adjoining Basilica, where his body was covered by a simple slab on which was carved his portrait.   With a personality that was uncomplicated and clear, Brother Giovanni had lived a poor and humble life, refusing honours and positions.

The virtue and the profound religious spirit which characterized the life of this artist and Dominican is reflected in his spirituality, his purity and the luminosity of his art.   Even before his official recognition as a blessed of the Church, he had been given by the faithful the title “Beato Angelico.”   In a moving ceremony on October 18, 1984, Pope John Paul II, on his knees in front of Fra Angelico’s tomb, proclaimed him solemnly to be the universal patron of all artists.

The Incarnation was one of Fra Angelico’s favourite themes and he painted over 25 variations of it.   His painted meditations, so needed at the time of the early Renaissance, are still necessary today.   God became man to bring us closer to Himself by way of all things human.   He makes all things new by fashioning them into possible vehicles of grace for us, so that by visible realities and concrete concepts, we can arrive at an understanding and a love of higher, invisible realities, all leading to God Himself.  Without art our lives would be much depleted. L   et us pray for artists today, especially those who can lift our hearts and minds to God that the Lord may come to them and guide their hands.

Blessed Fra Angelico, Pray for us!

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

Quote of the Day – 18 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 February

Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar said Angelico’s art embodies the motto of the Dominican Order contemplata aliis tradere, that is,
“communicating to others the contemplated mysteries”.
Another writer expressed a similar judgment: fece teologia dipingendo la bellezza, che mostrò la luce del Risorto nelle creature da lui redente: “he did theology by painting the beauty that shows the light of the Risen Christ in creatures”.

Author of the Lives of the Artists – Vasari – wrote of Fra Angelico that “it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety.”

he-did-theology-bl-fra-angelico

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

One Minute Reflection – 18 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 February

Well done you are an industrious
and reliable servant…… Come share
your master’s joy…………Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “In God’s house we must try to
accept whatever job he gives us:
cook, kitchen boy, waiter, stable boy or baker.
For we know that our reward depends not
on the job itself but on the faithfulness
with which we serve God.”……..Pope John Paul I
Fra Angelico’s painting was the fruit of the great harmony between a holy life and the creative power with which he had been endowed………St John Paul

PRAYER – O God, in Your providence You inspired blessed Fra Angelico to portray the beauty and sweetness of heaven. By his prayers and the example of his virtues, grant that we may manifest this splendour to our brothers and sisters. Blessed Angelico, pray for us! Through Christ our Lord, amen.

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 18 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 February

Excerpt from the ‘Universal Prayer’ – attributed to Pope Clement XI

Lord, I believe in You: increase my faith.
I trust in You: strengthen my trust.
I love You: let me love You more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship You as my first beginning,
I long for You as my last end,
I praise You as my constant helper,
And call on You as my loving protector.

Guide me by Your wisdom,
Correct me with Your justice,
Comfort me with Your mercy,
Protect me with Your power.

I offer You, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on You;
My words: to have You for their theme;
My actions: to reflect my love for You;
My sufferings: to be endured for Your greater glory.

Grant this through Christ our Lord, amen.

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 17 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 February

Since criminals and people with evil purposes often band together for their common interests, good people often have to do the same.   Faced with the immorality and blood feuds of thirteenth century Florence, the Seven Holy Founders banded together for their own spiritual good and succeeded in founding a whole new religious order.   Good companions are on of the most powerful helps toward a holy life,  for all of us are faced in a new and urgent way with the challenge to make our lives decisively centred in Christ.   In this new day, we often find those ‘good companions’ online, let us too band together and live a holy life amidst the dangers around us!

Seven Holy Founders, Pray for us!

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 17 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 February

“Mary means enlightener, because She brought forth the Light of the world. In the Syriac tongue, Mary signifies Lady.”
~~~~~ St Isidore of Seville

“Let me say something concerning this name also, which is interpreted to mean Star of the sea, and admirably suits the Virgin Mother.”
~~~~~ St Bernard

“Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary’s maternal intercession.”
~~~~~St Thomas Aquinas

“God the Father gathered all the waters together
and called them the seas or maria [Latin, seas].
He gathered all His grace together
and called it Mary or Maria . . .
This immense treasury is none other than Mary
whom the Saints call the ‘treasury of the Lord.’
From Her fullness all men are made rich.”
~~~~~ St Louis de Montfort

“This most holy, sweet and worthy name was ’eminently fitted to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea, the illuminated or illuminatrix. Mary is interpreted Lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to men She is the Star of the sea; to the Angels She is illuminatrix, and to all creatures She is Lady .”
~~~~~St Bonaventure

“When you find yourself tossed by the raging storms on this great sea of life, far from land, keep your eyes fixed on this Star to avoid disaster. When the winds of temptation or the rocks of tribulation threaten, look up to the Star, call upon Mary!”
~~~~~ St Bernard

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

One Minute Reflection – 17 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 February

O children, listen to me; instruction and wisdom do not reject!…………Proverbs 8:32-33

REFLECTION – “Let Mary never be far from your lips
and from your heart.
Following her, you will never lose your way.
Praying to her, you will never sink into despair.
Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.”
……St Bernardine of Siena

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant me the grace to have Mary as my constant intercessor. Allow me to reach out to her as my mother, to lead me to her Son, for she is Your beloved Daughter, who carried Your Son to us in order that we might see our way and be able to reach our home in heaven. Holy Founders of the Servites, pray for us all that we may be blessed by the intercession and protection of Mary our Mother and please pray for us all, amen.

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 17 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 February

From the Servite Vigil of our Lady I

Loving Mother,
woman of prayer,
we turn to you and pray:
support our prayers
for ourselves,
for all your Servants,
for our friends and families,
for those who share the Christian faith
and for every person on earth
that all may know peace and salvation.

Ask the Father that we may truly know Christ,
be filled with the gifts of the Spirit,
protected in all adversity
and freed from every evil.
Help us to build God’s kingdom:
a kingdom of everlasting praise,
a kingdom of justice and peace
that will endure forever and ever.
R. Amen.

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