Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 27 December

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Our Morning Offering – 27 December

Nativity Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (AD 306-373)

The feast day of Your birth
resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike
enjoy Your day.
Your day is celebrated
from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate
them soon lapse.
But Your festival
will be remembered until
the end of time.
Your day is a means and
a pledge of peace.
At Your birth heaven and earth
were reconciled,
Since You came from heaven
to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped
away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day
of Your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines
for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent
spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren,
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds
are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth
from the virgin womb, amen.

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Christmas is………….

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Christmas is………….

… a gift of love wrapped in human flesh and
tied securely with the strong promises of God.
… angelic music in the form of a carol
and oratorio with a celestial descant.
… “glory to God,” “good will to man,”
and “joy to the world.”
… “peace on earth” for those who accept it
and live in unity with God’s will.
… a man on duty tending sheep, or machine,
who senses the upward call and stops to worship.
… a tall green tree which serves as festive altar
for any household which discovers the true meaning behind it all.
… a ringing bell calling a distraught humanity
to gladness and hope.
… a glowing hearth gently placed
in the winter of man’s loneliness.
… an altar to which man can bring his heartache for comfort,
his lostness for guidance and his sin for forgiveness.
… the sparkle of anticipation and the steady light of faith
in the eyes of a little child as he hears the old, old story.
… the shining star of hope in the sky of all mankind.
… more than words can tell,
for it is a matter for the heart to receive, believe and understand

Author Unknown

christmas-is

 

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Celebrating the CHRISTMAS SEASON 26 December: The FEAST of ST STEPHEN

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Celebrating the CHRISTMAS SEASON 26 December: The FEAST of ST STEPHEN

“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Daily Meditation:
The gates of heaven opened for Stephen, the first of the martyrs;
in heaven, he wears the crown of victory. Entrance Antiphon

We remember the first martyr today to emphasize the invitation we have
as followers of Jesus to witness to his presence in our world, even when
it is unpopular, counter-cultural, or may even cost us our lives.

May we ask for the grace today to pray for our enemies and to
surrender even our lives in sharing this Good News with others.

Closing Prayer:
God of all great love,
you know how full of courage Stephen was
and how full of fears I am.

Help me to have the strength to be a witness for my faith,
standing up for those who are weaker,
speaking out for what I believe
and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

Lord, give me a share in your compassion and understanding
that I might pray for those who oppose me,
those who ridicule me,
and those who dismiss me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

christmas-26-dec

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

Quote of the Day – 26 December

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Quote of the Day – 26 December

“Above all, St Stephen speaks to us of Christ, of the Crucified and Risen Christ as the centre of history and our life.  We can understand that the Cross remains forever the centre of the Church’s life and also of our life.  In the history of the Church, there will always be passion and persecution. And it is persecution itself which, according to Tertullian’s famous words, becomes “the seed of Christians”, the source of mission for Christians to come.”

~~~~ Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience delivered by Pope Benedict XVI in January 2007

the-cross

Image “The Stoning of St Stephen by Adam Elsheimer 1604

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 December

God is love and he who lives in love lives in God and God in him…..1 Jn 4:16

REFLECTION – Love is the source of all good things.  It is an impregnable defense and the way that leads to heaven.  Those who walk in love can neither go astray nor be afraid.  Love guides and protects them and brings them safely to their journey’s end……….St Fulgentius

PRAYER – Loving Father, pour forth Your love into my heart and help me always to act in accord with it.  Let me be ruled by Your love in all things so that I may experience it completely with You in Heaven.  St Stephen you are an example of total love, pray for us all! Amen.

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st-fulgentius1226stephen17

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 December

Christmas Prayer of St Pope John XXIII

O sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which You alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters,
children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also Your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts
love and gratitude for Your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in Your love.
And give us Your heavenly peace, amen.

christmas-prayer-of-st-john-xxiii

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DEVOTIO, MORNING Prayers

The Benedictus

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It is appropriate that today, Christmas Day 2016, we adopt the practice of praying this great prayer, EVERY DAY!

The Benedictus was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the Benedictus is part of Lauds because it is the song of thanksgiving for the coming of the Redeemer in the first part of the canticle.
It is believed to have been first introduced by Benedict of Nursia. According to Durandus, the allusion to Christ’s coming under the figure of the rising sun had also some influence on its adoption. It also features in various other liturgical offices, notably at a funeral, at the moment of interment, when words of thanksgiving for the Redemption are specially in place as an expression of Christian hope.

The Benedictus

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to His people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of His servant David.
Through His holy prophets He promised of old
that He would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant.
This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship Him without fear,
holy and righteous in His sight all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
to give His people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever, amen

benedictus

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, The WORD

Celebrating the CHRISTMAS SEASON – 25 December – Christmas Day

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Celebrating the CHRISTMAS SEASON – Christmas Day

Christmas is not the end of Advent. It is a real season of the Church year. We usually miss it because the consumer society that some of us live in has nothing to offer us, except for days to return gifts. Too often, within days after Christmas day, the decorations are down and it is over.Lorenzo Costa

This year, let’s try to really celebrate Christmas and the days that follow. Let’s enter a new Season, which has its own spirit and desires and graces.

Special Feasts begin the season and we continue the story, so that we enter more deeply into the story of Jesus’ coming to be one with our life, but also that we might enter more deeply into how Jesus comes this year to bless each of us.

CHRISTMAS DAY

“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”

Daily Meditation:
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God. John 1

We plan to celebrate the family Christmas morning, with our traditional customs,
perhaps with a Christmas tree gift sharing with the children.
When we come to church to celebrate our faith together,
there is a different feel than midnight Mass or even an early
morning Mass.
Still, the choir draws us in immediately.
We look at each other and smile and we see the bright eyes of
the elderly and single friends around the community.
We know why we are here, and it is easy to join in the singing.

Let us give thanks today. Let us repeat the sounding joy of a faith-filled Christmas.
Let us go forth to share glad tidings with our family and friends.
Let us help our Lord usher in an age of justice and peace,
beginning in our our hearts this day.

In times past, God spoke in partial and various way to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son. Hebrews 1

Closing Prayer:
This day feels so different already, dear Lord.
You promised the glory of this day by the birth of Jesus.
So humble, so simple, such a complete act of love.

Make me one of your people of the light
and help me to be faithful to your word.
I am filled with the joy of the world
and ask you to fill my heart
with a longing for your justice and peace.

My savior – you are here with me on this day,
bringing life to the waiting world.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life, amen.

christmas-day

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers

Thought for the Day – 25 December

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Thought for the Day – 25 December

On this day, the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his foster-son, help round out the scene.

But if we were to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery.

On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “non-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts.

The precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame, however, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation, the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning, some scholars insist, God intended to enter the world as one of us, the beloved people. Praise God!

And a Holy and Happy Christmas to All!  May the Christ Child live in your hearts!

edward_burne-jones_star_of_bethlehemmy-christmas-wishes

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 25 December

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 December

“Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day,
even every moment in the interior temple
of your spirit, remaining like a baby in
the bosom of the heavenly Father,
where you will be reborn each moment
in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul of the Cross

“Meister Eckhart once said: ‘What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?’

“Lord, we do far too much celebrating your actual coming in our hearts. I believe in God, but do I believe in God-in-me? I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in God-on-earth? I believe in God out there, but do I believe in God-with-us?

“Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen.”

st-paul-of-the-cross

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

One Minute Reflection – 25 December

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One Minute Reflection – 25 December

Mary gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger…………Lk 2:7

REFLECTION – “The One who is seated on the throne of heaven is laid in a stable.
A God Who is beyond access is touched by the hands of human beings!”………………..St John Chrysostum

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, let me welcome Your Son as my Redeemer now. Then help to go to meet Him with confidence when He comes to be my Jude at the end of my earthly life. Lord Jesus, the Christ who came to us as a Babe, I love You! Amen

luke-2-7st-john-chrysostumone-minute-ref

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 25 December

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Our Morning Offering – 25 December

Nativity Prayer of St. Augustine

Let the just rejoice,
for theirJjustifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their Saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born.

The Barbadori Altarpiece is a painting by Filippo Lippi, dated to 1438 (detail)

st-augustine-nativity-prayer-for-christmas-day

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Thought for the Day – 24 December

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Thought for the Day – 24 December

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION

St Alphonsus Liguori

“A child is born to us, and a son is given to us” -Isa. 9:6

CONSIDER that after so many centuries, after so many prayers and sighs, the Messiah, whom the holy patriarchs and prophets were not worthy to see, whom the nations sighed for, “the desire of the everlasting hills,” our Saviour, has come;  He is already born and has given Himself entirely to us: “A child is born to us, and a son is given to us.”
The Son of God has made Himself little, in order to make us great.
He has given Himself to us, in order that we may give ourselves to Him.
He has come to show us His love, in order that we may respond to it by giving Him ours.
Let us, therefore, receive Him with affection.
Let us love Him and have recourse to Him in ill our necessities.
“A child gives easily,” says St. Bernard; children readily give anything, that is asked of them. Jesus came into the world as a child in order to show Himself ready and willing to give us all! good gifts: “The Father hath given all things into his hands.”
If we wish for light, He has come on purpose to enlighten us.
If we wish for strength to resist our enemies, He has come to give us comfort.
If we wish for pardon and salvation, He has come to pardon and save us.
If, in short, we desire the sovereign gift of divine love, He has come to inflame our hearts with it and, above all, for this very purpose, He has become a child and has chosen to show Himself to us worthy of our love, in proportion as He was poor and humble, in order to take away from us all fear and to gain our affections.
“So,” said St. Peter Chrysologus, “should He come who willed to drive away fear and seek for love.” And Jesus has chosen to come as a little child to make us love Him, not only with an appreciative but even a tender love.
All infants attract the tender affection of those who behold them- but who will not love, with all the tenderness of which they are capable, a God whom they behold as a little child, in need of milk to nourish Him, trembling with cold, poor, abased and forsaken, weeping and crying in a manger, and lying on straw?
It was this that made the loving St. Francis exclaim: “Let us love the child of Bethlehem, let us love the child of Bethlehem. Come, souls and love a God who has become a child and poor, who is so lovable and who has come down from heaven to give Himself entirely to you.”

let-us-love-the-child

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 December

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 December

“Christ is the Morning Star,
who, when the night of this world is past,
gives to His saints the promise of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day.”
– St Bede the Venerable

“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.”
-St Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.”  – St Augustine

st-bede-the-venerablechristmas-quotehe-the-word

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

One Minute Reflection – 24 December

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One Minute Reflection – 24 December

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us……..Jn 1:14

REFLECTION – The sun’s rays light up the world without separating themselves from the sun.   In like manner, the Son of God comes down to earth to enlighten us without separating Himself from the Father with Whom He is entirely one………..St Anthony of Padua

PRAYER – Come Lord Jesus and give me new courage, for I trust in Your love. By Your renewed coming at Christmas and in the Eucharist, raise me to heavenly glory.  On the Memorial of Sts Tarsilla and Emiliana, we implore them to Pray for us, amen.

the-word-became-fleshdec-24-the-suns-rays-st-anthony

sts-emiliana-tarsilla-dec-24

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers

Our Morning Offering – 24 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 December

Nativity Prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Let Your goodness Lord appear to us, that we
made in Your image, conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength
we cannot imitate Your majesty, power and wonder
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.
Amen

st-bernard-nativity-prayer

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Thought for the Day – 23 December

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Thought for the Day – 23 December

St John of Kanty is a typical saint: He was kind, humble and generous, he suffered opposition and led an austere, penitential life. Most Christians in an affluent society can understand all the ingredients except the last: Anything more than mild self-discipline seems reserved for athletes and ballet dancers. Perhaps we will realise that Christmas is a good time at least to reject self-indulgence.  And do it for the salvation of YOUR SOUL and NOT for the size of your hips!

St John of Kanty, Pray for us!

pray-for-us-st-johnprayergraphic_johnofkantyst-john-of-kanty-dec-23

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Quote of the Day – 23 December

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Quote of the Day – 23 December

“Fight all error but do it with good humour,
patience, kindness and love.
Harshness will damage your own soul
and spoil the best cause.”

~~~St. John of Kanty (Saint of the Day)

quoe-st-john-of-kanty

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

One Minute Reflection – 23 December

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One Minute Reflection – 23 December

On coming into the world, Jesus said ….. “”For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).   By one offering He has forever perfected those who are being sanctified.

REFLECTION – Jesus Christ, the God-Man, was born in a manger and is spiritually reborn on the altar.  He suffered on Calvary and continues to offer Himself on the altar.

In His earthly life He spread His teaching and worked miracles among the crowds.  In the Eucharist, He spans the centuries and communicates Himself to all………..St John Chrysostum.

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, in contemplating the birth of Your Son in time and in the Eucharist, may I ever attain a new birth.  May I through love of You, give my all to my neighbour in true charity.  Help me to learn from St John of Kanty to live in humility and whom we ask for intercession. St John of Kanty, Pray for us! Amen

john-6-38131029691288fb5eb308d48c66351305st-john-kanty-pray

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Our Morning Offering – 23 December

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Our Morning Offering – 23 December

We love You, O God
and desire to love You more and more.
Grant that we may love You
as we wish to love You
and as we should love You.
O dearest Friend who has loved us
so deeply and redeemed us;
come and take Your place in our hearts.
Watch over our lips, our steps and our deeds
and we no longer fear for soul and body.
Yes, give us love, most precious of gifts,
which knows no enemies.
Give our hearts that pure love borne of
our love for us, that we may love others
as You love us.
O most loving Father of Jesus Christ
from whom all love flows, grant that our hearts,
frozen in sin and grown cold toward You,
may be warmed in the divine glow.
Help and bless us in your Son.
Amen
Excerpt from a Prayer of St Anselm of Canterbury

st-anselm

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 22 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul
………If we examine Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus, we find very similar motifs to Matthew’s – Matthew tells us that Herod, having been duped by the Magi, furiously lashed out, ordering the murder of every boy in Bethlehem under two years of age. Not exactly the reaction of someone who is just delighted that the Christmas season has arrived!  Luke sets up his story as the tale of two rival Emperors: Caesar, the king of the world and Jesus, the baby king. While Caesar rules from his palace in Rome, Jesus has no place to lay his head; while Caesar exercises rangy power, Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes; while Caesar surrounds himself with wealthy and sophisticated courtiers, Jesus is surrounded by animals and shepherds of the field. And yet, the baby king is more powerful than Augustus – which is signaled by the presence of an army (stratias in the Greek) of angels in the skies over Bethlehem.

All four of the Gospels play out as a struggle, culminating in the deadly business of the cross, between the worldly powers and the power of Christ. For Jesus is not simply a kindly prophet with a gentle message of forgiveness; he is God coming in person to assume command. He is the Lord. And the entire New Testament couldn’t be clearer that his Lordship means that all those who follow a contrary rule – meaning, pretty much every one of us – are under judgment.

To be sure, the distinctive mark of Jesus’ Lordship is love, compassion, forgiveness and non-violence – but this is not the stuff of sentimentality and warm feelings. It is a provocation, a challenge, a call to conversion of the most radical kind

Bishop Robert Barron –  Why Christmas should bother everybody – December 15, 2016 –

ARE WE READY for the challenge?

birth-of-the-king

 

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Quote of the Day – 22 December

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Quote of the Day – 22 December

“Jesus was born in a cave in Bethlehem because, Sacred Scripture tells us, “there was no room for them in the inn.”
—I am not departing from theological truth when I say that Jesus is still looking for shelter in your heart.”

~~~St. Josemaria Escrivä

st-josemaria-escriva

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

One Minute Reflection – 22 December

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One Minute Reflection – 22 December

A child is born to us, a son is given us;  upon his shoulder dominian rests……Is 9:5

REFLECTION – In adoring our Saviour’s birth, it is our origin that we celebrate.  Christ’s temporal generation is the source of the Christian people, the birth of His Mystical Body. All of us encounter in this Mystery a new birth in Christ…………….St Leo the Great.

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, in celebrating the birth of Your Son on earth, let me also celebrate my birth in His Mystical Body.  Grant that I may thus be brought closer to You in union with Your only Son.  Saints and Martyrs and all Christ’s Holy Ones, Pray for us! Amen

isaiah-9-5quote-st-leo-the-greatgolden

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December

I beseech You, O my God,
that I may know You,
love You
and rejoice in you.
If in this life I cannot do these things fully,
grant that I may at the least progress in them
from day to day.
Advance in me the knowledge of You now,
that in the life to come it may be complete.
Increase in me the love of You here,
that there it may be full. O God of truth:
I pray that I may obtain that which You promise,
that my joy may be made full.
And in the meantime,
let my mind meditate on it;
let my soul hunger after it
and my whole being long for it,
till at last I enter into the joy of my Lord,
who is God, blessed forever. Amen.

St. Anselm of Canterbury

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Thought for the Day – 21 December

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Thought for the Day – 21 December – St Peter Canisius

St Peter’s untiring efforts are an apt example for those involved in the renewal of the Church or the growth of moral consciousness in business or government. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press and can easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his life a passion for the transmission of truth. Whether we have much to give, as Peter Canisius did, or whether we have only a little to give, as did the poor widow in the Gospel (see Luke 21:1–4), the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the world but not of the world.

In 1565, the Vatican was looking for a secret agent. It was shortly after the Council of Trent and the pope wanted to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. What would be a simple errand in our day, was a dangerous assignment in the sixteenth century. The first envoy who tried to carry the decrees through territory of hostile Protestants and vicious thieves was robbed of the precious documents. Rome needed someone courageous but also someone above suspicion. They chose Peter Canisius. At 43 he was a well-known Jesuit who had founded colleges that even Protestants respected. They gave him a cover as official “visitor” of Jesuit foundations. But Peter couldn’t hide the decrees like our modern fictional spies with their microfilmed messages in collar buttons or cans of shaving cream. Peter traveled from Rome and crisscrossed Germany successfully loaded down with the Tridentine tomes — 250 pages each — not to mention the three sacks of books he took along for his own university!

St Peter believed in the importance in learning and understanding the Catholic faith. If it is available to you, resolve to read a portion of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Don’t try to read too much but consider reading a page a day. Before we can spread our faith we must have a solid foundation in ourselves.

Prayer:

Saint Peter Canisius, you saw the good in even the most troublesome of people. You found their talents and used them. Help me to see beyond the behaviour of others that may bother me to the gifts God has given them and please Pray for us all! Amen

st-peter-canisius-dec-21canisius-pray-for-us

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

Quote of the Day – 21 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 21 December

“If you have too much to do, with God’s help you will find time to do it all.”

~~~ St Peter Canisius SJ (Saint of the Day)

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Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 December

God who is mighty, has done great things for me, holy is his name…….Lk 1:49

REFLECTION – “While remaining the Mother of our Judge, Mary is a mother to us, full of mercy.
She constitutes our protection. She keeps us close to Christ and she faithfully takes the matter of our salvation into her charge.”……………….St Peter Canisius (Saint of the Day)

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You have filled Mary with grace and made her a Co-Redeemer with Christ Your Son. Grant that I may have constant recourse to her and attain the salvation she helped win for the world. St Peter Canisius Pray for us! Amen

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Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 21 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 December

Let my eyes take their sleep
but may my heart always keep watch for You.
May Your right hand bless Your servants
who love You.
May I be united with the praise
that flows from You, Lord Jesus,
to all your saints; united with the gratitude
drawn from Your heart, good Jesus,
that causes Your saints to thank You;
united with Your passion, good Jesus,
by which You took away our guilt;
united with the divine longing
that You had on earth for our salvation;
united with every prayer
that welled from Your divine heart, good Jesus
and flowed into the hearts of Your saints.
Amen

~~~ St Peter Canisius SJ (Saint of the Day)

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 20 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 December

St. Dominic of Silos came to know God in the solitude of a shepherd boy. It was this love of solitude that drew him into monastic life where he could be alone with his God. Most of us are so busy we scarcely have time for Sunday Mass. We should cultivate a little solitude, too.  It is easy to form habits – is it not?  Especially those that give us pleasure.  Our greatest pleasure should be communing with God it too becomes a habit – this one is indispensable!

St Dominic de Silos Pray for us!

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Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote of the Day – 20 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 20 December

“If we would please this Divine Infant,
we too must become children,
simple and humble;
we must carry to Him flowers of virtue,
of meekness, of mortification, of charity;
we must clasp Him in the arms of our love.”

~~~ St Alphonsus Liguori

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