Quote of the Day – 1 February
“God, into Your hands receive my spirit.”
– Bl Benedict Daswa’s last words
Quote of the Day – 1 February
Quote of the Day – 1 February
“God, into Your hands receive my spirit.”
– Bl Benedict Daswa’s last words
Category: MORNING Prayers
One Minute Reflection – 1 February
One Minute Reflection – 1 February
Be on guard and pray that you may not undergo the test………Mt 26:41
REFLECTION – Jesus, who feared nothing, experienced fear and asked to be freed from death – although He knew it was impossible.
How much more must we persevere in prayer before temptation assails us – so that we may be freed when the test has come!…………..St Ephrem
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to work out my salvation in fear and trembling. Let me pray daily that I may withstand temptation and carry out Your will in all things. Bl Benedict Daswa you who withstood all attempts to sway you into evil ways for the love of God, please intercede for us that we may too be freed when the test comes. Bl Benedict pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 1 February
Our Morning Offering – 1 February
PRAYER OF SAINT EPHREM OF SYRIA
Lord Jesus Christ,
King of kings,
You have power over life and death.
You know even things
that are uncertain and obscure,
and our very thoughts and feelings
are not hidden from You.
Cleanse me from my secret faults,
and I have done wrong and You saw it.
You know how weak I am,
both in soul and in body.
Give me strength, O Lord,
in my frailty and sustain me in my sufferings.
Grant me a prudent judgement, dear Lord,
and let me always be mindful of Your blessings.
Let me retain until the end Your grace
that has protected me till now, amen.
Thought for the Day – 31 January
Thought for the Day – 31 January
In the beginning, Don Bosco’s work was disappointing and seemingly impossible. He had little money, no collaborators and hundreds of boys to take care of. But he persisted, overcame all obstacles including persecution and saw one of his boys become a Saint – Dominic Savio. He cried to God in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary, help of all of us and neither disappointed him!
His ethos was to educate the whole person—body and soul united. He believed that Christ’s love and our faith in that love should pervade everything we do—work, study, play. For John Bosco, being a Christian was a full-time effort, not a once-a-week, Mass-on-Sunday experience. It is searching and finding God and Jesus in everything we do, letting their love lead us. Yet, because John realised the importance of job-training and the self-worth and pride that come with talent and ability, he trained his students in the trade crafts, too. For it is the whole of us which becomes our eternal prayer to our Lord, it is every breath we take and every deed we accomplish!
St John Bosco Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 31 January
Quote/s of the Day – 31 January
“Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you.”
“Jesus could have limited his presence only to the celebration of Mass, but no! He wanted to make a permanent dwelling among us. Night and day he awaits us and offers himself to us at all times. Like a most tender mother, he opens his arms to us. He is there generously to give us his gifts. He is there to draw us to him and lead us to paradise with him. Oh! Let us go visit him often.”
“I beg you to recommend to everyone, first, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and then reverence for most holy Mary.”
“Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus…My dear ones, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”
“We envy the shepherds who went to visit the grotto of Bethlehem to see Him, kissed His little hand and offered Him their gifts. “Lucky shepherds!” we exclaim. And yet there is no reason to envy them, for their fortune is ours, too. The same Jesus they visited in the grotto is in our tabernacle. The only difference is that the shepherds saw Him with the eyes of the body, whereas we see Him with the eyes of faith. Nothing will please Him more than our frequent visits to Him.”
“There are two things the devil is deadly afraid of: fervent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.”
~~~ St John Bosco (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 31 January
One Minute Reflection – 31 January
Whoever welcomes one such child for my sake welcomes me….Mt 18:5-6
REFLECTION – “Do you want to do something good and holy – indeed very holy and divine? Then work for the salvation of all young people.”…..St John Bosco
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to see You in all children as well as in all human beings. And let me work to bring forth Your image and likeness in them. St John Bosco has been an example to us all – help us to heed his words. St John Bosco, pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 31 January
Our Morning Offering – 31 January
A PRAYER OF
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
O love eternal,
my soul needs
and chooses You eternally!
Ah, come Holy Spirit,
and inflame our hearts
with Your love!
To love – or to die!
To die – and to love!
To die to all other love
in order to live in Jesus’ love,
so that we may not die eternally.
But that we may live
in Your eternal love,
O Saviour of our souls,
we eternally sing,
“Live, Jesus!
Jesus, I love!
Live, Jesus, whom I love!
Jesus, I love,
Jesus who lives and reigns
forever and ever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 30 January
Thought for the Day – 30 January
A Christian, who seriously considers that he is to live here but a moment and will live eternally in the world to come, must confess that it is a part of wisdom to refer all his actions and views to prepare himself for that everlasting dwelling, which is his true country. Our only and necessary affair is to live for God. to do His will and to sanctify and save our souls. If we are employed in a multiplicity of exterior business, we must imitate St Bathilde, when she bore the whole weight of the state. In all we do, God and His holy will must be always before our eyes and to please Him must be our only aim and desire.
Shunning the anxiety of Martha and reducing all our desires to this one of doing what God requires of us, we must with her call in Mary to our assistance. In the midst of action, while our hands are at work, our mind and heart ought to be interiorly employed on God, at least virtually, that all our employments may be animated with the spirit of piety: and hours of repose must always be contrived to pass at the feet of Jesus, where in the silence of all creatures we may listen to His sweet voice, refresh in Him our wearied souls and renew our fervour.
While we converse with the world, we must tremble at the sight of its snares, and be upon our guard that we never be seduced so far as to be in love with it, or to learn its spirit. o love the world, is to follow its passions; to be proud, covetous and sensual, as the world is. The height of its miseries and dangers, is that blindness by which none who are infected with its spirit, see their misfortune, or are sensible of their disease. Happy are they who can imitate this holy queen in entirely separating themselves from it! Not only a slave but a queen – St Bathilde was both and yes, BOTH MAY BE SAINTS!
St Bathilde PRAY FOR US!
(Partially taken from Vol. I of “The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints” by the Rev. Alban Butler, the 1864 edition published by D. & J. Sadlier, & Company)
Quote of the Day – 30 January
Quote of the Day – 30 January
”Let not that man presumes to look for mercy from God, who offends His Holy Mother!”
–Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
One Minute Reflection – 30 January
One Minute Reflection – 30 January
O children, listen to me, instruction and wisdom do not reject!…………Prv 8:32-33
REFLECTION – “Let Mary never be far from your lips and from our 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 – Lord Jesus, help me to have continual recourse to Your holy Mother. Grant that she may watch over me as she lovingly watched over You in Your home in Nazareth. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 January
Our Morning Offering – 30 January
Prayer to Spend the Day Well by Blessed James Alberione
Dear and sweet Mother Mary,
keep your holy hand upon me;
guard my mind,
my heart and my senses,
that I may never commit sin.
Sanctify my thoughts,
affections,
words and actions,
so that I may please you and your Jesus, my God,
and reach heaven with you.
Jesus and Mary,
give me your holy blessing;
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thought for the Day – 29 January
Thought for the Day – 29 January
St Gildas the Wise lived in difficult times when the light of Christianity seemed to be dying and a whole nation was lost to the faith. Yet he himself kept the faith and managed to live a holy life amidst the ruins. The man of faith walks by the light of Christ and St Gildas is a true example that the darkness of the world does not affect our progress and our sight, for Christ is our vision.
St Gildas the Wise, Pray for us.
Quote of the Day – 29 January
Quote of the Day – 29 January
“Just as the stars are the ornament of the firmanent, so the virtues are the ornament and light of the soul.
Virtue is, so to speak, heaven in our hearts.”
~~~~ St John Climacus
One Minute Reflection – 29 January
One Minute Reflection – 29 January
Win your neighbour’s trust while he is poor, so that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity.
In time of trouble remain true to him,so that you may share in his inheritance when it comes………..Sir 22:23
REFLECTION – “Every virtue can attract the friendship of others to us. For every virtue is a good and anything good is lovable to all and renders lovable all who possess it. Friendship blossoms, grows and is strengthened in the measure that virtue develops.”…….St Thomas Aquinas
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, our true Friend, help me to cultivate virtues and so gain friends. In turn let my friends also pursue virtues – making our friendship closer and bringing us all into Your eternal Friendship in heaven, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 29 January
Our Morning Offering – 29 January
Be Thou my vision by St Dallan Forghaill
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
Today, 29 January, is also the Memorial of St Dallan Forghaill (c530- 598)
Born in Connaught, Ireland, he was known for his learning and reputedly went blind because of his intensive studying. St Dallan was an early Christian Irish poet known as the writer of the “Amra Choluim Chille” (“Elegy of Saint Columba”) and “Rop Tú Mo Baile”(“Be Thou My Vision”). He died at the hands of pirates at Inis-coel. Legend has it that St. Dallan made his own head reattach to his body after he was beheaded and thrown into the sea.
Here is a version by Audrey Assad of Be Thou My Vision – St Dallan – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Optrm7lF16s
Thought for the Day – 28 January
Thought for the Day – 28 January
For St Thomas, the goodness of God can be seen in everything and the whole of creation is a mighty love song of God. He learned more at the foot of the Crucifix and before the Blessed Sacrament, he said, than in all his readings and writings. We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of His revelation, the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ who is here with us always in the Holy Sacrament.
St Thomas Aquinas Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January
“Faith has to do with things that are not seen
and hope with things that are not at hand.”
“The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable
as the death of Jesus on the cross.”
“To love is to will the good of the other.”
“If you can live amid injustice without anger,
you are immoral as well as unjust.”
“In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick
and unless he takes medicine, he will die.
Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick
on account of sin.
For that reason he needs medicine
so that he may be restored to health –
and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”
“To pretend angels do not exist
because they are invisible is to believe
we never sleep because we don’t see
ourselves sleeping.”
“To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself
is a mark of perfection but to bear with patience
wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection
and even of actual sin.”
“All the efforts of the human mind
cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.”
~~~ ST THOMAS AQUINAS (Saint of the Day)
Our Morning Offering – 28 January
Our Morning Offering – 28 January
The Offering of the Day
Grant us this day, Lord,
a vigilant heart,
that no alien thought can lure
away from You;
a pure heart,
that no unworthy love can soil;
an upright heart,
that no distress can overcome.
And give us, Lord,
understanding to know You,
zeal to seek You,
wisdom to find You
and a hope,
that will one day take hold of You.
Through Christ our Lord, amen.
(Adapted from a prayer of St Thomas Aquinas)
Thought for the Day – 27 January
To the long list of authorities Ursulines were to obey—Ten Commandments, Church, parents, civil laws—St. Angela added “divine inspirations that you may recognize as coming from the Holy Spirit.” A refreshing and liberating rule. Also a dangerous one, for when it’s obeyed, the Holy Spirit may act in unexpected ways.
Sometimes the “tried and true” ways are no longer adequate and new ways have to be found to bring the Gospel to the world. Saints like Angela Merici had to find new ways to do the old tasks and innovation has always been a part of genuine sanctity. New wineskins are often needed for the eternally new wine of the Gospel and the saints were not only holy people, they were often creative geniuses, as well and this IS the Holy Spirit!
St Angela Merici Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 27 January
Quote/s of the Day – 27 January
“Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve [the poor] than they have of your service.”
“Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need He will stretch out His saving hand.”
“Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.”
“Consider that the devil doesn’t sleep, but seeks our ruin in a thousand ways.”
“As our Saviour says: “A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit.” He says: A good tree, that is, a good heart as well as a soul on fire with charity, can do nothing but good and holy works. For this reason Saint Augustine said: “Love, and do what you will,” namely, possess love and charity and then do what you will. It is as if he had said: Charity is not able to sin.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 January
One Minute Reflection – 27 January
The servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all…….2 Tm 2:24
REFLECTION – “Exercise pleasantness toward all, taking great care especially that what you have commanded may never be done by reason of force.
For God has given free will to everyone and therefore, never forces anyone – but only indicates, calls and persuades.”……………St Angela Merici
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me how to deal pleasantly with those I in my life. Help me to persuade rather than attempt to force others to do what must be done. Help me always to lead by example and by my life. St Angela Merici, pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 27 January
Our Morning Offering – 27 January
Excerpt from St Angela Merici’s Daily Prayer
My God, do Thou enlighten the darkness of my heart
and give me grace to die
rather than ever offend Thy divine Majesty.
Place a guard around my affections and my thoughts,
so that they may never turn aside from Thee and Thy ways
and banish me not from Thy presence,
in which afflicted hearts find such consolation.
My God, I am filled with grief on seeing
I cannot look into the innermost secrets of my heart,
without being ashamed to raise my eyes to heaven,
believing myself worthy to be cast into hell;
and when I see within myself so many faults,
deformities, unworthiness and sin,
I feel myself drawn by day and night,
in my going forth, or at home, at work,
or communing with my thoughts
to pray with all my strength
and to beg of Thee, O my God,
mercy and time to do penance.
Vouchsafe then, O Lord, I beseech Thee,
to forgive me the offences
and sins into which I have fallen
and I beseech Thee also to pardon
the sins of my parents,
relations and friends and those of the whole world;
and I beg of Thee by Thy holy Passion,
by Thy precious blood shed for love of us,
by Thy holy name of Jesus,
that this adorable name may be blessed
in heaven and on earth
and by the heavenly choirs of angels and archangels.
I regret, O Lord, that I have begun so late
to serve Thy divine Majesty.
Accept, I beseech Thee, O Lord,
all my thoughts, words and actions,
together with my whole being;
and placing all at the feet of Thy divine Majesty,
I beg Thee to accept them,
unworthy as I am of such a favour. Amen
Thought for the Day – 26 January
Thought for the Day – 26 January
St Paul makes it clear to Timothy that he is to proclaim the Word with persistence BUT “through all patience.” This is the most important part of these instructions! Growth in the Spirit is a lifelong journey, in which great patience is needed. The one who proclaims the Word needs patience in dealing with the one being taught. This is a human enterprise and humans are notoriously slow to understand, accept and implement the Word of God in their lives. Christians are to proclaim the Word without being judgmental. So, as Paul tells Timothy so he tells you and me to go forth, proclaim the Word, live your faith, treat others with respect and kindness and do it all with patience and love. Thus faith is the centre of the Christian’s life and from that centre he radiates Christ’s love to all whom he meets. (Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois)
In these letters, we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate, great communion in Christ, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others, fears within myself,” as Paul says. Through it all, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes, “hurry to me.”
Sts Timothy and Titus Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 26 January
Quote of the Day – 26 January
“Proclaim the word;
be persistent
whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince,
reprimand,
encourage,
through all patience and teaching.” …………..St Paul (2 Tm 4:2)
One Minute Reflection – 26 January
One Minute Reflection – 26 January
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God………..2 Tm 1:1-8
…….to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our saviour.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done…………Ti 1:1-5
REFLECTION – …. we consider together the two figures of Timothy and Titus, we are aware of certain very significant facts………. it clearly appears that (Paul) he did not do everything on his own but relied on trustworthy people who shared in his endeavours and responsibilities. The sources concerning Timothy and Titus highlight their readiness to take on various offices that also often consisted in representing Paul in circumstances far from easy. In a word, they teach us to serve the Gospel with generosity realizing that this also entails a service to the Church herself..”………………Pope Benedict XVI
PRAYER – Father of light, let my life be illumined by the light of Christ and enable me to radiate the Gospel to others. Teach me, like Sts Timothy and Titus to give my all to the service of the Bride of Christ, His Mystical Body, the Church. Sts Timothy and Titus, pray for us. amen.
Our Morning Offering – 26 January
Our Morning Offering – 26 January
To the Most Holy Trinity
by Blessed James Alberione (Founder of the Pauline Family)
Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore You, I thank You, I love You!
And through the hands of Mary
most holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
entirely to You
for life and for eternity.
To you, Heavenly Father, I offer,
give and consecrate myself
as Your son/daughter.
To you, Jesus Master, I offer,
give and consecrate myself
as Your brother/sister and disciple.
To you, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as “a living temple”
to be consecrated and sanctified.
Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence
of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live,
through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union
with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life may be
a “glory to the Father, to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 25 January
Thought for the Day – 25 January
We marvel at the total conversion of the man whom we celebrate today. We marvel at his zeal, his influence, and his transparent honesty in speaking about himself: “I am the foremost of sinners but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” ( 1 Tim 1:15-16). That sums up the importance of this feast for us, who are among those who follow in Paul’s footsteps and believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, and are still making good on our own conversion.
In the end, the same thing that converted Saul is the only thing that will convert us: the deep conviction that “Christ loves us with all the inexhaustible charity of God’s own heart.” (Christ is Passing By, no. 59) For St Paul the time came and then everything changed—he changed, the world changed. He discovered that he possessed the age-old love which the Lord had pledged to his fathers: I have loved you with a timeless love. (Jer 31:3) And “in being loved by Christ,” concludes Saint John Chrysostom, “he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise, countless blessings.”…………Rev. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But the bottom-line is this: the question is “what is it about” and the answer is “love”.
St Paul Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 25 January
Quote of the Day – 25 January
“He who would keep the grace of God,
let him be grateful for grace when it is given
and patient when it is taken away.
Let him pray that it may be given back to him
and be careful and humble, lest he lose it.”
Thomas à Kempis – The Imitation of Christ
One Minute Reflection – 25 January
One Minute Reflection – 25 January
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………..Galatians 2:20
REFLECTION – “Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is and in what our nobility consists and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead……………The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else”…….St John Chrysostum
PRAYER – O God, who instructed the whole world through the preaching of the Apostle St. Paul, grant that we who celebrate the Feast of his conversion today, may through his patronage and prayers, begin too to understand our greatest gift, that we are LOVED by You! This we ask of You through Christ our Lord. St Paul Pray for Us! Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 25 January
Our Morning Offering – 25 January
Saint Paul’s Prayer (Ephesians 3: 14-21)
This, then, is what I pray,
kneeling before the Father,
from whom every fatherhood,
in heaven or on earth takes its name.
In the abundance of his glory may he,
through his Spirit,
enable you to grow firm
in power with regard to your inner self
so that Christ may live
in your hearts through faith
and then, planted in love
and built on love,
with all God’s holy people
you will have the strength
to grasp the breadth and the length,
the height and the depth,
so that, knowing the love of Christ
which is beyond knowledge,
you may be filled
with the utter fullness of God.
Glory be to him whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine;
glory be to him
from generation to generation
in the Church and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen
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