Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 October – “The harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few.” – Luke 10:2

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One Minute Reflection – 18 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – The Feast of St Luke, the Evangelist – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, Luke 10:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few.” – Luke 10:2

REFLECTION – “All the farmer’s work naturally leads towards the harvest. So how could Christ call a ‘harvest’ a work that was still in its initial stages? Idolatry reigned over all the earth .… Everywhere there was fornication, adultery, debauchery, greed, theft, wars . … The earth was filled with so many evils! No seed had yet been sown there. The thorns, thistles and weeds which covered the ground, had not yet been pulled up. The ground had not yet been ploughed, no furrow had yet been drawn.

So how could Jesus say, that the harvest was abundant? … The Apostles were probably distressed and frustrated: “How are we going to be able to say anything, to stand upright before so many people? How can we, the Eleven, correct all the inhabitants of the earth? Shall we, who are so ignorant, be able to approach scholars; shall we, who are so stripped of everything, be able to meet armed men; shall we, who are subordinates, be able to approach people in authority? We know only one language – shall we be able to argue with the barbarians, who speak foreign languages? Who will bear with us, if they do not even understand our language?”

Jesus did not want such reasoning to discourage them. So He called the Gospel a ‘harvest.‘ It is as if, He told them: “Everything is prepared, all the preparations have been made. I am sending you out to harvest the ripe grain. You shall be able to sow and reap, on the same day!” When the farmer leaves his home to go out and gather the harvest, he is brimming over with joy and shining with happiness. He thinks neither of the suffering, nor the difficulties he might encounter . … Christ says, lend Me your tongue and you shall see the ripe grain going into the King’s granaries. And so, He then sends them out, telling them: “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20).” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily on the abundant harvest, 10, 2-3)

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, that Luke, Thy holy Evangelist, who for the honour of Thy Name bore continuously in his body the suffering of the Cross, may intercede on our behalf. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 18 October – Holy and Learned, Great Saint Luke

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Our Morning Offering – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke, the Evangelist

Holy and Learned, Great Saint Luke
Prayer/Hymn in Honour of St Luke
“Plausibus Luca canimus”
Trans the Benedictines of
Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK

Holy and learned, great Saint Luke,
we praise you,
Closely you followed in the steps of Jesus,
As supreme witness to His life and teaching
Shedding your life-blood.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
You left in writing, for all time to study
Stories unrivalled for their depth and beauty,
Christ’s love revealing.

Yours are the records
which we read with pleasure
Of the beginning of the Church so fervent,
Under the impulse of the true and living
Spirit of Jesus.

Paul’s earnest helper, sharer in his travels,
Zealous as he was, with a heart as loving,
Make our souls also steadfast and devoted
To the Lord Jesus.

Tender physician, use your gift of healing,
Comfort our weakness with a faith unswerving,
So that rejoicing, we may praise forever
God the Almighty.
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 October – “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to the little ones.” – Matthew 11:25

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One Minute Reflection – 17 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Virgin – Ephesians 3:8-9, 14-19, Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to the little ones.” – Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “When more obscure Mysteries are presented to your timid nature by your faith, Christian soul, take courage and say [like Mary], “How shall this be done …? ” (Lk 1:34), not in a controversial spirit but with the love of a disciple. Let your questioning be your prayer, your love, your piety, your humble desire – not seeking to plumb the depths of God’s majesty but looking for salvation, in the healing acts of the God, Who saves us. …

No-one “knows a man’s thoughts, except the spirit of the man which is in him; so also, no-one comprehends the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:11). Hasten then to be a sharer in the Holy Spirit. He is present when He is called upon; nor could He be called upon, if He were not present. When, on being called upon, He comes, it is with the abundance of the blessings of God. He is the flowing of “the river which gives joy to God’s city” (Ps 45:5). And if, when He comes, He finds you humble and still and respecting the Words of God, He will rest upon you (Lk 1:35) and He will reveal to you, what God the Father withdraws from the wise and prudent of this world and those things, will begin to dawn upon you which Wisdom (1 Cor 1:24) could say to the disciples when on this earth but which they were unable to bear, until the Spirit of Truth came, Who was to teach them all Truth (Jn 16:12-13).” – William of Saint-Thierry O.Cist. (c1075-c1148) Cistercian Monk, Mystic, Theologian, Writer (The Mirror of Faith 6).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, Who wondrously revealed the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to blessed Margaret Mary, the Virgin, grant us, by her merits and through imitating her, to love Thee, in all things and above all things, so that we may be found worthy to possess a lasting dwelling place in Thou Heart itself. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 17 October – Be My Strength, O Sacred Heart! By St Margaret Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 17 October – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Virgin

Be My Strength, O Sacred Heart!
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I fly to Thee,
I unite myself to Thee,
I enclose myself in Thee!
Receive my call for help, O my Saviour,
as a sign of my horror, of all within me
contrary to Thy holy love.
Let me die rather a thousand times,
than consent to sin against Thee!
Be my strength, O God –
defend me,
protect me.
I am Thine and desire forever to be Thine!
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SLOTH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The BEATITUDES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – ‘ … And, the greater their purity, the more they will see!’

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One Minute Reflection – 16 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Proverbs
31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a treasure, hidden in a field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “Some of the brethren think that they are excluded from the Holy Ghost’s gifts of grace. Because they neglect to practise the commandments, they do not know that he who has an unadulterated faith in Christ, has within himself, the sum total of all the Divine gifts. Since, through our laziness, we are far from having an active love for Him — a love which shows us the Divine Treasures within us — we naturally think that we are excluded from these gifts.

If, as St Paul says: “Christ dwells in our hearts through faith” (Eph 3:17) and, “all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are hidden in Him” (Col 2:3), then, all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are hidden in our hearts! They are revealed to the heart, in proportion to our purification by means of the commandments. This is the treasure, hidden in the field of your heart which you have not yet found because of your laziness. Had you found it, you would have sold everything and bought that field. But now, you have abandoned that field and give all your attention to the land nearby, where there is nothing but thorns and thistles! It is for this reason that the Saviour says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8) for He is hidden in the hearts of those who believe in Him. They shall see Him and the riches that are in Him, when they have purified themselves, through love and self-control. And, the greater their purity, the more they will see!” – St Maximus the Confessor (c580-662) Abbot and Theologian (Centuries of love 4:69).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on PURITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 16 October – Praeclara Custos Virginum! Blest Guardian of All Virgin Souls!

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Our Morning Offering – 16 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Praeclara Custos Virginum!
Blest Guardian of All Virgin Souls!
By Anonymous Latin, 18th Century
Trans. Fr Edward Caswall C.Orat. (1814–1878)

Blest Guardian of all virgin souls!
Portal of bliss to man forgiven!
Pure Mother of Almighty God!
Thou hope of earth and joy of Heaven!

Fair Lily, found amid the thorns!
Most beauteous Dove with wings of gold!
Rod from whose tender root there sprang
That healing Flow’r long since foretold!

Thou Tow’r, against the dragon proof!
Thou Star, to storm-toss’d voyagers dear!
Our course lies o’er a treacherous deep;
Thine be the light by which we steer.

Scatter the mists that round us hang;
Keep far the fatal shoals away
And while through darkling waves we sweep,
Open a path to life and day.

O Jesu, born of Virgin bright!
Immortal glory be to Thee!
Praise to the Father infinite
And Holy Ghost eternally.
Amen

This Hymn originated as the Hymn for Vespers in the Office of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is used for Matins on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Tune: “From High Heaven” Leipzig melody, 1539.

Posted in CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TIME

Our Morning Offering – 15 October – O My God, Source of All Mercy!

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Our Morning Offering – 15 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin, Doctor of the Church

O My God, Source of All Mercy!
Prayer To Redeem Lost Time
By St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

O My God,
Source of all mercy!
I acknowledge Thine sovereign power.
While recalling the wasted years which are past,
I believe, that Thou, Lord,
in an instant, canst turn this loss into gain.
Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe
that Thou canst do all things.
Please restore to me the time lost,
giving me Thine grace,
both now and in the future
that I may appear before Thee,
in the “wedding garment!”
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The GOOD SHEPHERD

One Minute Reflection – 14 October – “Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 14 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – – St Callistus I (c218- c223) Confessor, Pope, Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the almighty and eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains… The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – O God, Who behold how we fail in our weakness, mercifully restore us to Thy love, through the examples of Thy Saints. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, To JESUS through MARY

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – Look Down, O Mother Mary! By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 14 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Mary’s Day

Look Down, O Mother Mary!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Transl, Fr Edmund Vaughan, CSSR in 1863

Look down, O Mother Mary!
From thy bright throne above;
Cast down upon thy children
One only glance of love.

And if a heart so tender
With pity flows not o’er,
Then turn away, O Mother!
And look on us no more.

See how, ungrateful sinners,
We stand before thy Son;
His loving heart upbraids us
The evil we have done.

But if thou wilt appease Him,
Speak for us—but one word;
Thou only canst obtain as
The pardon of our Lord.

O Mary, dearest Mother!
If thou wouldst have us live,
Say that we are thy children,
And Jesus will forgive.

Our sins make us unworthy
That title still to bear
But thou art still our Mother,
Then show a Mother’s care.

Open to us thy mantle,
There stay we without fear,
What evil can befall us
If, Mother, thou art near?

O sweetest, dearest Mother!
Thy sinful children save;
Look down on us with pity,
Who thy protection crave.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October –‘ … Stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks …’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – St Edward King and Confessor (c1003-1066) – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning …” – Luke 12:35

REFLECTION – “It is so that our spirit may be detached from its fantasies that the Word invites us, to shake off this heavy sleep, from the eyes of our souls, so that we may not slide away from the true reality, by clinging to what lacks substance. That is why He sets before us an image of vigilance when He says: “Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning”… The meaning of these symbols is clear enough. Someone who is girded with temperance, lives in the light of a pure conscience because, filial trust enlightens his life, like a lamp. Lit up by the truth that person’s soul is detached from the sleep of illusion because, no empty dreams are leading it astray. As the Word says – if we do this, we shall enter into a life like that of the Angels…

Indeed, these are they who wait for the Lord at His return from the wedding and who are seated by the heavenly gates, with watchful eyes, so that the King of Glory (Ps 23:7) might once more pass through, when he returns from the marriage feast and enters again into the beatitude above the heavens. “Coming forth like the groom from his bridal chamber” (Ps 18:6)…, He united to Himself like a virgin, the nature we had prostituted to idols, once He had restored its virginal integrity, through sacramental regeneration. The nuptials, having now been accomplished, since the Church has been espoused by the Word… and brought into the chamber of His Mysteries, the Angels awaited the return of the King of Glory to the blessedness which matches His nature.

Hence, the text says that our lives ought to be like those of the Angels. Just as they live far from vice and self-deception, ready to welcome the second coming of the Lord, so we too ought to remain awake at the doors of our dwellings and stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks at the door.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church, Brother of St Basil the Great (Sermons on the Song of Songs No 11).

PRAYER – O God, Who crowned blessed King Edward with the glory of eternity, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate him on earth that we may be worthy to reign with him in heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 13 October – Prayers of the Angel of Peace of Fatima

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Our Morning Offering – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition

Prayers of the Angel of Peace of Fatima
(Given to the three children by the Angel
who preceded Our Lady’s first appearance to them.)

I.
My God,
I believe, I adore,
I hope and love Thee.
I ask pardon for those
who do not believe,
who do not adore,
who have no hope
and who do not love Thee.

II.
Most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
I offer to Thee,
while I adore them –
the Most Precious
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
present in all the Tabernacles
throughout the world,
in reparation for the outrages
by which He is Himself, offended.
By the Infinite Merits
of His Sacred Heart
and by the intercession
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg of Thee,
the conversion of sinners.

The Angel of Peace

One day in the spring of 1916, when three little children, Lucia dos Santos, aged ten and her little cousins, Francisco Marto, aged nine,and his little sister Jacinta, only seven years old, were tending sheep near the village of Fatima, Portugal, the appearance of an oval of light, of unusual brilliance, startled them.
The dazzling light seemed to advance, from the end of the field toward the cave, in which the young shepherds had sought shelter.
In the midst of this light they beheld a young man who announced himself as the Angel of Peace.
He taught the little seers a new prayer and then vanished.

A few months later, the Angel of Peace made his second appearance and urged the children to offer up sacrifices and prayers at all times.
Upon asking what was meant by “sacrifice,” they were told to offer everything in reparation to God, for the sins by which He is offended and, as a petition for the conversion of sinners.
“Thus you will bring peace to our country,” was the Angel’s promise.
At this last saying, the children were baffled.
Reading their thoughts, the Angel revealed that he was the Guardian Angel of Portugal.

In the Autumn of the same year, the Angel appeared a third time.
He carried a host in his right hand extended over a Ciborium which he held with the left hand.
Again the Angel taught the children a beautiful prayer and before parting distributed Holy Communion to the three little ones.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Our Morning Offering – 12 October – Sweet Angel of Mercy!

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Our Morning Offering – 12 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels”

Sweet Angel of Mercy!
By Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Sweet Angel of mercy!
By Heaven’s decree
Benignly appointed
To watch over me!
Without thy protection,
So constant and nigh,
I could not well live;
I should tremble to die.

All thanks for thy love,
Dear companion and friend!
Oh may it continue
With me to the end!
Oh cease not to keep me,
Blest guide of my youth,
In the ways of religion
And virtue and truth.

Support me in weakness,
My spirit inflame;
Defend me in danger,
Secure me from shame,
That safe from temptation,
Or sudden surprise,
I may mount the straight path
That ascends to the skies.

When Satan his snares
For my ruin shall lay,
Be thou, gentle comrade,
My comfort and stay
And in every event
Which may happen to me,
Make all my desires
With thine to agree.

When I wander in error,
My footsteps recall,
Remove from my path
What might cause me to fall.
Preserve me from sin
And in all that I do,
May God and His glory
Be ever in view.

O thou who didst witness
My earliest breath,
Be with me, I pray,
In the hour of death.
Console me in sadness,
Refresh me in pain
And teach me how best
I may mercy obtain.

That, cleansed by confession
Complete and sincere,
From every defilement
Afflicting me here,
All glowing with love,
I may gladly depart.
With faith on my lips
And with hope in my heart.

Nor then do thou leave me,
Angelical friend!
But at the tribunal
Of Judgement attend
And cease not to plead
For my soul, till, forgiven,
Thou bear it aloft
To the Palace of Heaven!

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on ZEAL, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 October – ‘ … We must do this too, when we are feeling low … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity – Apocalypse 21:2-5, Luke 19:1-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … He climbed up into a sycamore tree that he might see Him …” – Luke 19:2

REFLECTION – “I’m writing with the desire to see you, a bold and good shepherd, pasturing and guiding the sheep entrusted to you with perfect zeal and thus, imitating the sweet Master of Truth, Who gave His life for us who are His sheep, who have strayed away from the path of grace. True…, we cannot do this without God and we cannot possess God while remaining on earth. But here is a sweet remedy – when our hearts are reduced to nothing and feeling small, we must do as Zacchaeus did. He was not tall and he climbed a tree to see God. This zeal of his, allowed him to hear these sweet words: “Zacchaeus, go home, for I must dine with you today.”

We must do this too, when we are feeling low, when our hearts are constricted and lacking in charity. We must climb the tree of the most holy Cross and there, we shall see, we shall touch God. There we shall find the fire of His inexpressible charity, the love that propelled Him, even to the humiliation of the Cross that raised Him up and made Him desire His Father’s honour and our salvation, with the craving of hunger and thirst… If this is what we want, if our carelessness does not get in the way, we can, in mounting the tree of the Cross, fulfill in ourselves, this word issuing from the mouth of Truth: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all things to Myself” (Jn 12,32 Vg). Indeed, when the soul is thus raised up, it sees the blessings of the Father’s goodness and power…, it sees the mercy and lavishness of the Holy Spirit, that is to say, the inexpressible love holding Jesus bound to the wood of the Cross. Nails and bonds cannot hold Him there, only charity… O climb this most holy tree where hang, the ripe fruits of all the virtues that the body of the Son of God bears, ardently hasten. Dwell within the holy and sweet love of God. O sweet Jesus, Jesus love.” – St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church (Letter 119, to the prior of the Olivetan Monks).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, maybe assisted by her intercession with Thee.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, Quotes on SALVATION

Our Morning Offering – 11 October – O Mary, Mother of God

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Our Morning Offering – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

O Mary, Mother of God
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted,
O Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of the universe,
thou art above all the saints,
the hope of the elect
and the joy of all the blessed.
It is thou who hast reconciled us with God;
thou art the only refuge of sinners
and the safe harbour of those
who are shipwrecked;
thou art the consolation of the world,
the ransom of captives,
the health of the weak,
the joy of the afflicted
and the salvation of all.
We have recourse to thee
and we beseech thee
to have pity on us.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 October – ‘ … Stay close to Him at all times …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572) Confessor, Priest of the Society of Jesus, – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “We must follow Christ, cleaving to Him, nor should we forsake Him until we die. As Elisha said to his master: “ As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you ” (2 Kgs 2:2) … So, let us follow Christ and stay close to Him! “To be near God is my good” says the Psalmist (72:28). “ My soul clings fast to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me ” (Ps 62:9). And Saint Paul adds : “ Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes One Spirit with Him ” (1 Cor 6:17). Not just One Body but One Spirit. His whole body lives from the Spirit of Christ through the Body of Christ, we attain to the Spirit of Christ. Remain, therefore, by faith, in Christ’s Body and you will become One Spirit with Him. You are already united to His Body through faith, in vision, you will also be united to Him in spirit. Not that we shall see without a body when we are above but our bodies will be spiritual (1 Cor 15:44).

“Father,” Christ said : “I pray that they may all be one, as Thou, art in Me and I in Thee, that the world may believe” this is what union through faith is. And later He asks: “” this is union through vision.

This is how we are spiritually nourished by the Body of Christ – by having a pure faith in Him, by continually seeking the content of this faith in assiduous meditation and, in this way, discovering, with our minds, what it is we are looking for, by loving passionately, the object of our discovery and imitating, as far as possible, Him Whom we love and, even as we imitate Him, by staying close to Him at all times, so that we may come to everlasting union with Him.” – Guigo II “The Angelic” O.Cart. (Died c1188) The 9th Prior of Grande Chartreuse, from 1174 to 1180 (Meditation 10).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, model of true humility and its reward, we beseech Thee, that as Thou made blessed Francis one of Thy glorious imitators, by his contempt for earthly honours, grant us to follow his example and to share in his glory.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, Our MORNING Offering, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 10 October – Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 10 October

Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayers to the Sacred Heart
1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite love,
broken by our ingratitude
and pierced by our sins,
yet loving us still,
accept the Consecration
we make to Thee,
of all that we are
and all that we have.
Take every faculty
of our souls and bodies,
only day by day
draw us, nearer and nearer
to Thy Sacred Heart,
and there, as we shall hear the lesson,
teach us Thy Holy Way.
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on TRUTH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 October – Go. Behold, I send you forth …

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One Minute Reflection – 9 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; 4:15-18, Luke 10:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go. Behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves.” – Luke 10:3

REFLECTION – “The Lord of all bestowed on His Apostles the power of proclaiming the Gospel. And, it is through them that we have come to understand the truth, that is to say, the teaching of the Son of God. To them, the Lord said: “Whoever listens to you, listens to Me. Whoever rejects you, rejects Me and rejects the One Who sent Me” (Lk 10:16). For we have not known the message of salvation from any, besides those who brought the Gospel to us.

This is the Gospel they first of all preached. Then, by God’s will, they handed it onto us in their Writings ,so that it might become “the pillar and foundation” of our faith (1Tm 3:15). It is not permissible to say they preached before, they had acquired perfect understanding, as some people rashly claim, who boast of being correctors of the Apostles. For indeed, after our Lord had been raised from the dead and the Apostles had been “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49) by the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were filled with assurance about everything and possessed perfect knowledge. Then, they went forth “to the ends of the world” (Ps 18:5; Rom 10:18), proclaiming the Good News, of all the good things which have come to us from God and announcing peace on earth to men. Each and all, possessed the Gospel of God in equal measure.” – St Irenaeus (c130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against the heresies III, 1).

PRAYER – O God, Who in a wondrous way graciously urged blessed John, Thy Confessor, to propagate Thy faith among the pagans and through him brought together a new religious family in Thy Church for the education of the faithful, grant Thy servants, so to profit by his teaching that we may reach everlasting rewards.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 October – “Everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.” – Matthew 22:5

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One Minute Reflection – 8 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow – Ephesians 4:23-28, Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.” – Matthew 22:5

REFLECTION – “Everything is ready. Come to the marriage feast.” But the people invited asked to be excused. They went “one to his farm, another to his business”… This astonishing busy-ness and constant agitation which stir the world, are seen, alas, only too often. The prodigious amount of clothing, food, buildings which we have and the many things, half of which would be ample enough, make one dizzy. This life should be nothing other, than a passage to eternity. With all our strength, we have to pull ourselves away from this exuberant activity and diversity, from all that is not absolutely necessary and, we must become recollected in ourselves, become attached to our vocation, consider where, how and in what manner, the Lord has called us – one to interior contemplation, the other to activity and a third… to interior quiet, in the calm silence of divine darkness, in unity of spirit.

Even these latter, are sometimes called by God to exterior, sometimes to interior actions, according to His good pleasure, yet,, the man pays no attention to his call. But if the person, who is called, interiorly to noble and calm silence, in the emptiness of the dark cloud, (Ex 24:18) was always wanting to forgo all charitable work because of it, then it would not be good. And unfortunately, the numbers of those today, who wish to carry out extra works of charity, are very rare . … The Gospel tells us too that the Master found one of His guests seated at the banquet who was not wearing the wedding garment. The wedding garment, which, this guest was lacking, is pure, true and divine charity, the true intention of seeking God which excludes all love of self and of all which is foreign to God – it wants only that which God wants. … To those who seek themselves, our Lord says: “My friend, how did you come in here without the garment of true charity?” They sought the gifts of God, rather than God Himself!” – Father Johnnes Tauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian (Sermon 74 in honour of St Cordula (Died c450) Virgin Martyr, Companion of St Ursula).

PRAYER – O Lord, our God, Who through Thy Only-begotten Son revealed secrets to blessed Bridget, grant that through her kind intercession, we, Thy servants, may rejoice and be glad in the revelation of Thy eternal glory. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, CONSECRATION Prayers, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, St Francis de Sales, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 8 October – An Act of Consecration to the Holy Trinity

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Our Morning Offering – 8 October – The 19th Sunday after Pentecost

An Act of Consecration to the Holy Trinity
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

I vow and consecrate to God
all that is in me:
my memory and my actions
to God the Father;
my understanding
and my words
to God the Son;
my will and my thoughts
to God the Holy Ghost;
my heart, my body,
my tongue, my senses
and all my sorrows
to the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ,
“who was content to be betrayed
into the hands of wicked men
and to suffer the torment of the Cross..”
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 October – ‘… Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary – Proverbs 8:22-24, 32-35, Luke 1:26-38 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Mary said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.” – Luke 1:38

REFLECTION – “You have heard, O Virgin, that you are to conceive and bring forth a Son and that this will not be through the power of man but, by the virtue of the Holy Spirit. The Angel awaits your reply, for it is time that he should return to God Who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for a word of mercy, we, who are groaning under the sentence of condemnation. See, the price of our salvation is offered to you; if you consent, we shall at once be delivered. By the Eternal Word of God were we all created and behold, we will all die. By your brief answer, we shall be refreshed and recalled to life! …

Hasten, then, O Lady, to give your answer; hasten to speak the word so longed for by all on earth, in limbo and in Heaven. Yes, the King and Lord of all things, Who has “greatly desired your beauty” (Ps 44:12), desires, as eagerly, your word of consent by which He has purposed to save the world. He, Whom you pleased by your silence, will be yet more pleased by your reply. Hark! He calls to you from Heaven – “O most beautiful among women, let me hear your voice” (Sg 1:8; 2:14) … Answer the Angel quickly, then; yes, through the Angel give your consent to your God. Answer one syllable, receive the Word; utter your own word and conceive that which is Divine. Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting! …”

“Behold,” she says, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily 4 on the “Missus est” [He was sent] #8-9).

PRAYER – O God, Whose Only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has merited for us the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating on these Mysteries in the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, QUOTES on DEATH, ROSARY QUOTES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Our Morning Offering – 7 October – The Holy Rosary

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Our Morning Offering – 7 October – Our Lady of the Holy Rosary/Our Lady of Victory – Commemorating the Victory of Lepanto – 1571

The Holy Rosary
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

Accept, mighty Maid, we beseech thee,
This prayer with its fragrance of flowers;
With one soul we seek thus to reach thee
And hail thee, God’s Mother and ours.

Thy heart is made glad by our praying;
Thy bounty is generous and wise;
Thy hands are enriched for conveying
What God’s tender Mercy supplies.

We kneel at thy Shrines in the Churches;
Oh, gently look down from above,
And welcome the heart that then searches
For worthy expressions of love.

Let others present precious caskets
Of gems, or heap Altars with gold;
Slight prayer-beads shall serve us for baskets
To bring thee the garland they hold.

With violets lowly we fashion
This wreath and with these combined
Red roses–our faith in the Passion
With Chastity’s lilies entwined.

Our minds, as the Mysteries vary,
Are active, our hands play their part
And always thy name, Holy Mary!
Oft-uttered, rejoices the heart.

Be with us, we trust thee to guide us
Through life and when labouring breath
At the last, seeks thine aid, be beside us
To help at the hour of our death.
Anen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 October – ‘ … Blessed watch!… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 6 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Bruno O.Cart (c1030-1101) Priest, Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search: https://www.drbo.org/ – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “How blessed, how happy are those servants, “whom the lord when He comes shall find watching!” (Lk 12:37) Blessed watch, in which they watch for God the Creator of the universe, who fills all things and surpasses all!

Would that myself too, wretched though I be, yet His poor servant, He might deign so to arouse from the sleep of idleness, so to kindle with that fire of Divine Love that the flame of His Love, the longing of His so great Charity, would mount above the stars and the Divine Fire would ever burn within me!

Would that I were of such deserving, that my lamp might ever burn by night in the temple of my Lord that, to all entering the house of my God, it might give light (cf Mt 5:15). Lord, grant me, I pray Thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ Thy Son, my God that love which knows no fall, so that my lamp may feel the kindling touch and know no quenching, may burn for me and for others, may give light!” – St Columban (543-615) Monk, Irish Missionary, Abbot, Writer, Reformer, Teacher, Miracle-worker, Founder of numerous Monateries in present-day France and Italy. (Spiritual Instructions No 12:2)

PRAYER – May we be aided by the intercession of St Bruno, Thy Confessor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we, who have grievously offended Thy Majesty by sin, may, by his merits and prayers, obtain forgiveness for our offenses. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MERCY, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 6 October – O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me

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Our Morning Offering – 6 October

O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me
By St Jerome (347-419)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, show Thy mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man
on the way to Jericho,
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep which went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me home,
in accord with Thy will.
Let me dwell in Thy house
all the days of my life
and praise Thee,
forever and ever
with those who are there.
Amen.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on The SOUL, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 October – ‘ … Everyone without God has a dead soul. ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 5 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. … be afraid of him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell. ” – Luke 12:4-5

REFLECTION – “The Gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because, there is always a dimension of life in the soul which can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul, is present with the body that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God), ought to be with the soul that it may not die.

How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul, the body dies and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before, a lively, not a contemptible object. There are in it still, its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house – its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead, cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no-one there within it to hear. Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it. This then we can know and hold for certain – the body is dead without the soul and the soul is dead without God. Everyone without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather, should bewail sin! Bewail ungodliness! Bewail disbelief! – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 65).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, maybe delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 5 October – I Will Love Thee, Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 5 October

I Will Love Thee, Lord
By St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)

I will love Thee, Lord,
in every way
and without setting limits
to my love.
Thou set no limits to what Thou
hast done for me;
Thou hast not measured Thy gifts.
I will not measure my love.
I will love Thee, Lord,
with all my strength,
with all my powers,
as much as I am able.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 October – “For My yoke is sweet and My burden light.” – Matthew 11:30

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One Minute Reflection – 4 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Francis of Assisi OFM (c1181–1226) Confessor, Founder – Galatians 6:14-18, Matthew 11:25-30 Scripture Search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For My yoke is sweet and My burden light.” – Matthew 11:30

REFLECTION – “People who complain about the roughness of the Lord’s yoke have possibly not completely rejected, the heavy load of the lusts of the world, or, if they did reject them, they have enslaved themselves to them again, to their greater shame! Outwardly, they carry the yoke of the Lord but inwardly, they submit their shoulders to the burden of the world’s cares. They set on the balance of the Lord’s yoke, the hardships and difficulties which they inflict on themselves… As for the yoke of the Lord – it is “sweet and its burden light”.

Indeed, what is sweeter, what more glorious, than to see oneself lifted up above the world by the scorn one shows it and, seated at the summit of a conscience at peace, to have the whole world at one’s feet? Then, one sees nothing to desire, nothing to fear, nothing to envy, nothing of one’s own which might be taken away, no evil which might be caused one, by another. The eyes of the heart turn towards “an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading which is kept for us in Heaven” (1 Pt 1:4). With a sort of greatness of soul, one gives little importance to this world’s goods – they pass away; to the pleasures of the flesh – they are contaminated; to the world’s pomp – it fades and, in one’s joy, one repeats the words of the Prophet: “All mankind is grass and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of the Lord remains forever” (Is 40:6-8)… In charity – and nowhere but in charity – dwells true tranquillity and true sweetness, for, it is the yoke of the Lord!” – St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (The Mirror of charity I:30-31).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the good works of blessed Francis enriched Thy Church by establishing a new religious family, grant us to imitate him by emulation of him, by looking upon the things of earth as nought and ever to rejoice in sharing Thy heavenly gifts. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, GOOD FRIDAY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 4 October – I Beg Thee, Lord By St Francis of Assisi

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Our Morning Offering – 4 October – St Francis of Assisi OFM (c1181–1226) Confessor, Deacon, Founder, Mystic, Stigmatist.

I Beg Thee, Lord
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181–1226)

I beg Thee, Lord,
let the fiery, gentle power
of Thy love
take possession of my soul
and snatch it away,
from everything under Heaven,
that I may die,
for love of Thy love,
as Thou saw fit, to die
for love of mine!
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on INNOCENCE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 October – ‘ … And Who is this Child ?… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 3 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873–1897) – Isaias 66:12-14, Matthew 18:1-4 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself, as this little child, he is the greater in the Kingdom of heaven.”- Matthew 18:4

REFLECTION – “The Lord said to His Apostles, who were already adult and mature: “Unless you turn and become like this little child, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 18:3&4)… He urges them to rediscover their childhood… in order that they might be born again to innocence of heart: “No-one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit” (Jn 3:5).

“Unless you turn and become like this little child” – He does not say “these children” but “this child”- He only chooses one, only suggests one. And Who is this Child Whom He puts forward as an example to His disciples? I do not think it was a child of one of the people, one of the crowd, who offers an example of holiness to the Apostles, on behalf of the whole world. No, I do not think this Child comes from the people but from Heaven. This is a question of that Child from Heaven of Whom the Prophet Isaiah speaks: “A Child is born to us, a Son is given us” (9:5). This is the innocent Child, incapable of meeting insult with insult, or blows with blows and Who – better still – prays for His enemies even during His agony: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34)., The Lord overflows in this way, in His unfathomable grace, out of the innocence of heart which nature gives to children. He is that Child Who asks little ones to imitate and follow Him!” – St Maximus of Turin (Died c420) Bisho, Father (Homily 58).

PRAYER – O Lord, Who said: Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow the footsteps of blessed Thérèse the Virgin, in humility and simplicity of heart that we may obtain everlasting rewards.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 3 October – Let Me Sing the Song of Love

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Our Morning Offering – 3 October – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)

Let Me Sing the Song of Love
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)

Deepen Thy love in me, O Lord
that I may learn, in my inmost heart
how sweet it is to love, to be dissolved
and to plunge myself into Thy love.
Let Thy love possess
and raise me above myself,
with a fervour and wonder beyond imagination.
Let me sing the song of love.
Let me follow Thee into the heights.
Let my soul spend itself in Thy praise,
rejoicing for love.
Let me love Thee more than myself
and myself, only for Thy sake.
Let me love others, as Thy law commands.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING

One Minute Reflection – 2 October – See, I am sending My Angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. – Exodus 23:20

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One Minute Reflection – 2 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels – Exodus 23:20-23; Matthew 18:1-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“See, I am sending My Angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you, to the place I have prepared.” – Exodus 23:20

REFLECTION – “To His Angels He has given command about you that they guard you in all your ways” (Ps 90:11). What respect these words should arouse in you, to what fervour they should give birth, what trust they should inspire! Respect on account of their presence, fervour on account of their watchfulness, trust on account of their vigilance… They are there at your side, then, not just with you but for you. They stand beside you to protect and help you. What return will you make to the Lord for all the good He has done for you? (Ps 115:31). It is to Him, alone, we should give thanks and honour for their aid; it is He, Who has commanded them. “Every perfect gift,” (Jas 1:17) comes from Him alone. But we are, on no account, to fail in thanksgiving regarding the Angels, in view of the great charity, with which they obey Him and the great need we have of their assistance!

So let us be full of respect and thanksgiving for such vigilance on their part; let us love them in return and honour them as best we are able, as much as we ought… In God, let us love the Angels, knowing that one day we shall be sharers in the inheritance and that between then and now, the Father allows and arranges that they may be our guides and instructors. For “we are God’s children now” even though it has not yet been clearly revealed, (1 Jn 3:2) since we are still children subject to stewards and tutors and, for the present, we seem no different from servants.

Nevertheless, small though we be and long and dangerous though the road may be which remains for us to travel, what do we have to fear under so good a guardian?… The Angels are faithful, wise and powerful – what have we to fear? Let us only follow them and hold fast to them and we shall abide under the protection of the God of Heaven!” – St Bernard (1090-1153) Cistercian Abbot, called the Last Father and the Doctor of Light of the Church (12th sermon on Psalm 90).

PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy wondrous providence graciously send Thy Angels to watch over us, grant that we, who pray to Thee maybe ever under their protection and may rejoice in their unending companionship. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).