Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 October  – ‘… Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 20 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St John Cantius (1390-1473) Confessor – The Feast of Mater Admirabilis / Mother Most Admirable – James 2:12-17 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36

REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain. … May your door be open to Him who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light which “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1:9).  It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves, shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.

So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true, He could enter but He does not wish to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure.  Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give Light to all. Those who long to receive the Light, Who shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene . Indeed, the sun we see each day, gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that by following the example of blessed John, Thy Confessor, we may advance in a knowledge of holiness and, by showing pity for others, obtain Thou forgiveness through his merits. 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 IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 20 October – O Purest of Creatures, Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid

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Our Morning Offering – 20 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of Mater Admirabilis / Mother Most Admirable

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 19 October – “The Month of the Holy Rosary” – The “Our Father”

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Thought for the Day – 18 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“The Month of the Holy Rosary”
The “Our Father”

“Our Lord exhorted His disciples on many occasions to pray often and with confidence, if they wished to be heard.
Everything which they asked His heavenly Father, in His name, He said, they would obtain.
Ask, He said and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
Finally, He insisted that we ought to pray and never to give up.
In other words, life can be a continuous prayer if we offer to God all our thoughts, words and actions.

The ideal Christian prayer is to do the Will of God at all times from the motive of pure love.
The Apostles, however, who had not made that much progress in the spiritual life, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1).
It was then that Our Lord composed the most beautiful of prayer, the “Our Father” (Mt 6:9-13).
When we recite it, we speak to God, in the words of Jesus Christ Himself and unite our weak voices, with the powerful Voice of the Son of God.
We address the Eternal God, moreover, by the name of Father.
Even in the Old Testament, God is often referred to in this way.
Then, however, He figured as the Father of the chosen people, whereas now, He is the Father of all.
He is our Father, the Father of all mankind and of all races, whom He has willed to redeem from the slavery of sin.
The term “Our Father” has taken on a new and fuller meaning.
Our weak prayer becomes united to that of Jesus, our first-born Brother and to the prayers of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Confessors, who form and have formed, throughout the centuries, the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church.
We need no longer feel that we are on our own, for through the Communion of Saints, our entreaties are joined to those of the entire Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant.
We can be confident, therefore, that our prayer will be heard!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – ‘ … What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love?…’ St Gregory the Great – Matthew 22:1-14

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One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the Holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously made blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, glorious by the gift of remarkable penance and sublime contemplation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by the merit of his prayers, we may the more easily understand the things of Heaven by curbing our passions. 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 LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara

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Our Morning Offering – 19 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor

Hear Me, O Lord
By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Hear me, O Lord,
my soul’s delight,
joy of my heart,
not because of my merits
but because of Thy boundless goodness.
Teach me, enlighten me, direct me,
help me in all things
that I may never say
or do anything
but that which I know
to be pleasing in Thou sight.
Guide me, O God,
my Love, my Light and my Life!
Amen

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 October – And He sent them two-by- two … Luke 10:1

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

“And He sent them two-by- two before His Face, into every city and place, whither He Himself was to come.” – Luke 10:1

REFLECTION – “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’ (Mt 13:31). This small seed for us, is the symbol of Jesus Christ, Who, sowed into the garden where He was buried, rose from it shortly after, through His Resurrection, as a big tree.

One could say that when He Died He was like a small seed, a small seed because of the humiliation of His Flesh but, a big tree because of the glorification of His Majesty. He was like a small seed when He appeared completely disfigured before our eyes but, like a large tree when He rose again like “the most handsome of men” (Ps 44:3).

The branches of this mysterious tree are the holy preachers of the Gospel, of whom the Psalmist indicates the reach: “Their report goes forth through all the earth, their message, to the ends of the world” (Ps 19:5; cf Rom 10:18). The birds rest on these branches while the souls of the just, who have been raised above earth’s attractions on the wings of holiness, find, in the words of these preachers of the Gospel, the consolation they need in the sorrows and difficulties of this life.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermons on Matthew, Ch 13).

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 CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on TRUTH, 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, 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – “He sells all he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

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One Minute Reflection – 16 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – The Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – St Hedwig (1174-1243) Widow – Proverbs 31:10-31 – Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He sells all he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “ Our Lord Jesus Christ frequently and insistently, repeated “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24) … and elsewhere – “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor,” after which he adds: “then come, follow me” (Mt 19:21).

For someone who understands it, the parable of the merchant is saying the same thing – “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field which a person finds and hides again and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Undoubtedly, the precious pearls here refer to the Kingdom of Heaven and our Lord shows us that it is impossible to gain it unless we give up all we possess: wealth, esteem, high birth, and those things which others greedily seek after.

Our Lord has also declared that it is impossible to be properly busied about one’s tasks when the mind is distracted by all sorts of things – “No-one can serve two masters,” He said (Mt 6:24). That is why the “treasure in Heaven” is the only one we should choose to fix our heart on – for “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:21) … To summarise, it is a matter of our raising our hearts to the life of Heaven in such a way that we would be able to say – “Our citizenship is in Heaven” (Phil 3:20). Above all, it is to begin to be like Christ, Who “although He was rich, made Himself poor for our sake” (2 Cor 8:9).” – St Basil the Great (330-379) Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church (Greater monastic Rules, 8).

PRAYER – O God, Who taught blessed Hedwig to forsake worldly vanities that she might, humbly follow Thy Cross, with her whole heart, grant through her merits and example, we may learn to renounce the perishable delights of the world and, by embracing Thy Cross, overcome all things opposed to our salvation. 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, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 October –  “Many will come … ” – Matthew 8:11

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One Minute Reflection – 15 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2 – Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Many will come from the east and the west and will recline… at the banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven” – Matthew 8:11

REFLECTION – “I have seen our Lord in the Gospel accomplish many miracles and, reassured by them, have strengthened my fearful words. I have seen the centurion throw himself at the Lord’s feet, nations send their firstfruits to Christ. The Cross has not yet been erected and already, pagans hasten towards their Master. The words “Go, teach all nations” have not yet been heard (Mt 28,19) but the nations are already hastening. Their race precedes their call, they are burning with desire for the Lord. The sound of preaching has not yet been heard but they are hurrying towards the One Who preaches. Peter… has now been instructed and they gather around the One Who is teaching him; the light of Paul has not yet blazed beneath Christ’s standard and nations are coming with incense to adore the King (Mt 2:1).

And now, see how a centurion begs Him and says to him: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, suffering dreadfully.” Here is a new miracle indeed! The servant, whose limbs are paralysed leads his master to the Lord; the slaves’ sickness gives health to his owner. Seeking his servant’s healing, he finds our Lord and while he is seeking for his slave’s cure, he becomes Christ’s conquest!” – Basil of Seleucia (Died c 468) Archbishop (Homily 19 on the centurion, PG 85, 235f).

PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we rejoice on the feast-day of blessed Teresa, Thy Virgin, we may be so nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to learn how to serve 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 CARMELITES, CATHOLIC TIME, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE

Our Morning Offering – 15 October – O My God, Source of All Mercy! Prayer To Redeem Lost Time By St Teresa

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Our Morning Offering – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin

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

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 DOCTRINE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 October – ‘ … Her foundation remains unshaken …’

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One Minute Reflection – 14 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy 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 – “ You have undertaken the office of a Bishop and now, seated in the stern of the Church, you are steering it in the teeth of the waves. Hold the rudder of faith fast that you may not be shaken by the heavy storms of this world. The sea, indeed, is vast and deep but fear not, for He hath founded it upon the seas and prepared it upon the floods. Rightly then, the Church of the Lord, amid all the seas of the world, stands immoveable, built as it were, upon the Apostolic rock and her foundation remains unshaken, by all the force of the raging surge. The waves lash but do not shake it and, although this world’s elements often break against it with a mighty sound, still, it offers a secure harbour of safety to receive the distressed.

Yet, although it is tossed upon the sea, it rides upon the floods and perhaps chiefly, upon those floods of which it is said, “The floods have lifted up their voice. For there are rivers which shall flow out of his belly, who has received, to drink from Christ and partaken of the Spirit of God.” These rivers then, when they overflow with spiritual grace, lift up their voice. There is a river too which runs down upon His Saints like a torrent. And there are the rivers of the flood which make glad the peaceful and tranquil soul. He who receives, the fulness of this stream, as did John the Evangelist, as did Peter and Paul, lifts up his voice and, like as the Apostles, loudly heralded forth to the farthest limits of the world, the Gospel message, so he also begins to preach the Lord Jesus.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father & Doctor of the Church (Letter 2: 1-2)

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 GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – My Oldest Friend

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Our Morning Offering – 14 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels”

My Oldest Friend
By John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath,
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death….

Mine when I stand before the Judge,
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till
My sin is burn’d away.

And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come,
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,
Thy wings shall waft me home.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy 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/

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

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour, so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him, Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

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 AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, CONSECRATION Prayers, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Our Morning Offering – 13 October – Act of Consecration and Reparationto the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 13 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” and The Holy Angels” and Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (the name she gave herself when Lucia asked her name).

Act of Consecration and Reparation
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Queen of Heaven and Earth
and tender Mother of men,
in accordance with thy ardent wish
made known at Fatima,
I consecrate to thee, myself, my brethren,
my country and the whole human race.
Reign over us and teach us
how to make the Heart of Jesus reign
and triumph in us and around us,
as It has reigned and triumphed in thee.
We wish to atone for the many crimes
committed against Jesus and thee.
We wish to call down upon our country
and the whole world,
the peace of God in justice and charity.
We promise to imitate thy virtues,
by the practice of a Christian life
without regard to human respect.
We resolve to receive Holy Communion
on the first Saturday of every month
and to offer thee five decades
of the Rosary on this day,
together with our sacrifices
in the spirit of reparation and penance.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – ‘ … Here He gives us a complete image of the Resurrection …’

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One Minute Reflection – 12 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Pentecost XVIII – Nuestra Señora del Pilar / Our Lady of the Pillar – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8 – Matthew 9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” – Matthew 9:2

REFLECTION – “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic: ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee,‘” The Lord is great! for the sake of the former he forgives the latter! He answers the prayer of the first and pardons the sins of the second.
O men, why is it that today your fellow traveller is unable to do anything for you, when, with the Lord, His servant has the right to intervene and to receive?

You who judge, learn to pardon and you who are ill, learn to beseech. If you have no hope of immediate pardon for grave sins, turn to intercessors, turn to the Church who will pray for you. Then, for her sake, the Lord will grant you the pardon He might have denied you. We do not ignore the historical truth of the paralytic’s cure but, above all, we acknowledge the healing of his interior self, whose sins are forgiven. …

The Lord wants to save sinners; He demonstrates His Divinity by His knowledge of what is secret and, by the wonders of His deeds. “Which is easier to say,” he asks: “’Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Rise and walk’?” Here He gives us a complete image of the Resurrection since, in curing the wounds of soul and body … the whole man is healed!” – St Ambrose (340-397) ArchBishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint Luke’s Gospel V, 11-13).

PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and bod y and by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full, of eternal happiness.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 FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, MARIAN HYMNS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 11 October – The God Whom Earth and Sea and Sky

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Our Morning Offering – 11 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – The Feast of the Divine Maternity

The God Whom Earth and Sea and Sky
(For Mary, The Mother of God
For the Annunciation, Advent and Christmas)
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

The God whom earth and sea and sky
Adore and praise and magnify,
Whose might they claim, whose love they tell,
In Mary’s body comes to dwell.

O Mother blest! the chosen shrine
Wherein the Architect Divine,
Whose Hand contains the earth and sky,
Has come in human form to lie.

Blest in the message Gabriel brought,
Blest in the work the Spirit wrought,
Most blest, to bring to human birth
The long desired of all the earth.

O Lord, the Virgin-born, to You
Eternal praise and laud are due,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Spirit blest for evermore.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, Quotes Self-Oblation, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 October – ‘ … He weighs the heart and not the substance …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy 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 – “No-one should say to himself, even when he regards others who have left a great deal behind: “I want to imitate those who despise this world but I have nothing to leave behind.” You leave a great deal behind, my friends, if you renounce your desires. Our external possessions, no matter how small, are enough for the Lord, He weighs the heart and not the substance and does not measure the amount we sacrifice for Him but the effort with which we bring it…. The Kingdom of God has no assessment value put on it but it is worth everything you have… To Peter and Andrew it was worth the nets and boat they gave up; to the widow it was worth two small coins (Lk 21:2); to another person it was worth a cup of cold water (Mt 10:42). The Kingdom of God, as I said, is worth everything you have. Think about it, my friends, what has less value when you purchase it, what is more precious when you possess it?

But perhaps a cup of cold water offered to someone who needs it, is not enough, even then the Word of God gives us assurance…: “Peace on earth to men of goodwill!” (Lk 2:4). In the sight of God, no hand is ever empty of a gift, if the deep places of the heart are filled with goodwill… Although I have no gifts to offer outwardly, yet I find within myself something to place on the Altar of Thou praise… Thou art better pleased with an offering of our heart! (cf. Ps 55:13).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospel no 5).

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 ACT of REPARATION, CATHOLIC TIME, CONSECRATION Prayers, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 10 OctoberAct of Consecration and Reparationto the Sacred HeartBy Pope Leo XIII

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Our Morning Offering – 10 October – Friday Devotion: The Passion – This day should always be a day of repentance and a day in which we recall Christ’s complete self-sacrifice to save us from our sins.

Act of Consecration and Reparation
to the Sacred Heart
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

Most sweet Jesus,
Redeemer of the human race,
look down upon us
humbly prostrate before Thine Altar.
We are Thine and Thine we wish to be
but, to be more surely united with Thee,
behold each one of us,
freely consecrates himself today
to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never known Thee,
many too, despising Thy precepts,
have rejected Thee.
Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus
and draw them to Thine Sacred Heart.
Be Thou King, O Lord,
not only of the faithful,
who have never forsaken Thee
but also of the prodigal children,
who have abandoned Thee,
grant that they, may quickly return
to Thy Father’s House
lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be Thou King of those
who are deceived by erroneous opinions,
or whom discord keeps aloof
and call them back
to the harbour of truth
and unity of faith,
so that there may be
but one flock and one Shepherd.
Be Thou, King of all those.
who are still involved
in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism
and refuse not, to draw them
into the Light and Kingdom of God.
Turn Thine Eyes of Mercy
towards the children of the race,
once Thy chosen people –
of old they called down upon themselves
the Blood of the Saviour;
may it now descend upon them,
a laver of redemption and of life.
Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church,
assurance of freedom
and immunity from harm;
give peace and order to all nations
and make the earth resound
from pole to pole, with one cry:
“Praise be to the Divine Heart
which wrought our salvation;
to It be glory and honour forever!”
Amen

The above prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII was included in the 1899 Encyclical, Annum Sacrum, issued by Leo XIII as he Consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Consecration was influenced by two letters written to the Holy Father by Blessed Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, who stated that in visions of Jesus Christ, she had been told to request the Consecration.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MISSION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 October – Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house … Luke 10:5 (‘… This greeting of peace did not dry up; …’)

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One Minute Reflection – 9 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy 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/

“Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.
And, if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him but if not, it shall return to you.” – Luke 10:5-7

REFLECTION – “As you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house,‘” (Lk 10:5) so that the Lord Himself might enter and remain there, as with Mary. … This greeting is the Mystery of Faith which shines forth in the world. Through it, enmity is stifled, war is ended and people acknowledge one another. The effect of that greeting was hidden by a veil in spite of the fact that it prefigures the Mystery of the Resurrection … when the light rises and dawn chases night away. From the moment Christ sent out His disciples, people began to give and receive this greeting, a source of healing and blessing. …

This greeting with its hidden power … is amply sufficient for us all. That is why Our Lord sent it out, together with His disciples, as forerunner, so that it might bring about peace and, carried by the voice of the Apostles whom He sent, prepare the way before them. It was sown in every dwelling … it entered into all who heard it, so as to separate and set apart, the children it recognised as its own. It remained in them but it denounced those who were alien to it, for they did not welcome it.

This greeting of peace did not dry up; it began in the Apostles and then sprang up in their brethren, revealing the Lord’s inexhaustible treasures. … Present in those who offered greetings in this way and in those who welcomed the greeting, this announcement of peace was neither diminished nor divided. It announced that the Father is near and is in everyone; it revealed that the Son’s mission is bound up with all, even if its object is to be with His Father. It will not cease to proclaim that images are now brought to completion and Truth will cast all shadows away at last.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church (Diatessaron 8: 3-4).

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 FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The ANNUNCIATION, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The INCARNATION

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – Through Thee, to Us, Our Saviour Came, Sweet Lady of the Rosary!

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Our Morning Offering – 9 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels”

Through Thee, to Us, Our Saviour Came
Sweet Lady of the Rosary
By St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)

Through thee, to us, our Saviour came,
Through thee, to Him, we fain would go.
Our lives are marred by wrong and shame,
Yet, confidence in thee we know.
The friendship thou dost give to all
Who love thy name, shall ever be
Assurance thou wilt hear our call,
Sweet Lady of the Rosary!

Thou art our Strength upon the way,
Our Morning Star, to cheer and guide;
Our Beacon Light to show the day,
And lead us to the Saviour’s Side;
A Comforter in ev’ry pain
We find, O Mother blest, in thee,
And seek we, never, thee in vain,
Fair Lady of the Rosary!

Thy praises, Mary, we would sing,
And all our faculties employ,
That unto thee our hearts might bring
A glory-crown of love and joy.
Bless thou each humble effort made
In thy regard and grant that we,
May by thy influence be swayed,
Our Lady of the Rosary!

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 October – ‘ … Let us aim to make Jesus Christ reign in us! …’ for He is the Kingdom …

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One Minute Reflection – 8 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow – 1 Timothy 5:3-10 – Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it and in his joy, goes and sells all he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “Never be obsessed about appearing to be superior or in control. I do npt share the opinion of someone who said to me a few days ago that, to keep a firm hold on one’s authority, one should let one’s superiority be seen. My God! Our Lord Jesus Christ, never spoke like that! In both Word and Example, He taught us quite the contrary, telling us that He hHmself, had come, not to be served but to serve and, whoever wishes to be first among you, must become the slave of all (Mk 10:44-45)…

For this reason, give yourself to God, so that you can speak in the lowly spirit of Jesus Christ, confessing that your teaching, is not your own, nor does it come from you but is the Gospel’s. Above all, imitate the simple Words and comparisons made by Our Lord in Holy Scripture when speaking to the people. Alas! What wonderful things might He not have taught the people! What secrets might He not have disclosed about the Divinity and Its marvellous perfections, He Who was His Father’s Eternal Wisdom! But yet, you see how He speaks intelligibly and makes use of familiar comparisons of labourer, vinedresser, field, vine, mustard seed. This is how you ought to speak, if you would make yourself understood by the people to whom you are proclaiming the Word of God.

Something else, to which you ought to give special attention, is to rely heavily on the Son of God’s method of acting. In other words, when you have to do something, you should ask yourself: “Does this conform to the Sayings of the Son of God?” If you find that it does so, then say: “Let us do it when the opportunity arises” but, if not, say: “I’ll have nothing to do with it.” In addition, when there is some question of carrying out a good work, say to the Son of God: “Lord, if Thou were in my place, what would Thou have done in this instance? How would Thou have taught this people? How would Thou have consoled this sick person in body or soul?”… Let us aim to make Jesus Christ reign in us!” – St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) Priest, Confessor, Founder of religious communities (Conversations; Counsels to Antoine Durand 1656)

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 Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, St Francis de Sales

Our Morning Offering – 8 October – Prayer for the Intercession of St Joseph in All Our Needs By St Francis de Sales

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Our Morning Offering – 8 October – “The Month of The Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and today St Joseph’s Wednesday

Glorious St Joseph!
Prayer for the Intercession
of St Joseph in All Our Needs
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
grant us thy paternal protection,
we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ.
O thou, whose power extends
to all our necessities
and can render possible for us,
the most impossible things.
Open thy fatherly eyes
to the needs of thy children.
In the trouble and distress
which afflicts us,
we confidently have recourse to thee.
Deign to take under thy charitable charge
this important and difficult matter,
cause of our worries.
Make its happy outcome
be for God’s glory
and for the good of His devoted servants.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, INDULGENCES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUEENSHIP of MARY, THE ASSUMPTION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 October – “Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

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One Minute Reflection – 7 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – The 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/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “Let us honour the Queen of Heaven, Mother of Life, source of mercy, overflowing delights, leaning on her Beloved. Let us praise her, knowing full well that our praise will be insufficient.

Risen above the tallest trees of Paradise and exalted above the highest peaks of mountains, she will penetrate Heaven with incredible majesty accompanied by the singing of the Choirs of Celestial Angels and surrounded by the dancing of Angels. Happy are those who dwell in Thine House, O Lord, they will praise Thee without end! In Thee we praise, not Eve, who introduced the poison but Mary, who gave Life, who is the mother and nursemaid of all, the life of all the living. In thee we praise even our own mothers.

May all hear and rejoice, the humble virgin rises, crowned, to the throne of glory, may the humble rejoice. May those who exalt themselves in their presumption fall. Mary who gives herself as a holocaust to the fullness of grace. May the Blessed Virgin, unique in her merits, stand in the presence of her Creator, interceding always in our favour. She will be radiant in the fullness of glory, she who brought forth, from her virginal womb, the King of Glory.” – St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist. (1108-1159) Cistercian Bishop (Marian Sermon VII)

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 QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Our Morning Offering – 7 October – The Holy Rosary by Pope Leo XIII

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Our Morning Offering – 7 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – 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 "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 September – “Be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” – Luke 12:40

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

“Be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “Let our “loins be girded and our lamps lit”; let us be like “servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast” (Lk 12:35). Do not let us be like those unbelievers who say: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Cor 15:32). The more unsure the day of our death is, the more painful are the trials of life and the more too, we should fast and pray since, to all intents and purposes, tomorrow we die. Our Lord said to His disciples: “Yet a little while and you will no longer see Me and again, a little while and you will see Me” (Jn 16:16). Now is the time of which He said: “You will grieve but the world will rejoice” (v. 20); now is the time in this life of suffering when we journey apart from Him. “But,” He adds, “I shall see you again and your hearts will be full of joy and no-one will take your joy away from you” (v. 22).

Even now, the hope we thus put in the One Who is faithful to His promise, will not leave us without some joy, until we are filled with overwhelming joy on the day when “we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn 3:2), when “no-one shall take our joy away from us” … “A woman in labour,” says our Lord, “is in anguish because her hour has arrived. But when she has given birth to a child, she feels immense joy because a child has been born into the world” (Jn 16:21). This is the joy no-one can take away from us and with which we will be filled when we pass from our present understanding of faith into eternal Light. So let us fast and pray now because we are in the days of childbirth.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace [Sermon 210, 5 (7)]

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 CHRIST the KING Prayers, Gerard MANLEY HOPKINS SJ, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 6 October – I Love Thee, God, I Love Thee, O Deus Ego Amo Te

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Our Morning Offering – 6 October

I Love Thee, God, I Love Thee
O Deus Ego Amo Te
By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
Translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

I love Thee, God, I love Thee—
Not out of hope for Heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
in the everlasting burning.
Thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach Thine arms out dying,
For my sake suffered nails and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death and this for me,
And Thou could see me sinning.
Then I, why should not I love Thee,
Jesu so much in love with me?
Not for Heaven’s sake, not to be
Out of hell by loving Thee,
Not for any gains I see,
But just the way that Thou didst me
I do love and will love Thee.
What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?
For being my King and God.
Amen

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 October – ‘ … The Lord asks of us only two things …’

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One Minute Reflection – 5 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Pentecost XVII – St Placidus and Companions – Ephesians 4:1-6 – Matthew 22:34-46 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Master, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” … Matthew 22:36

REFLECTION – “The Lord asks of us only two things – love of His Majesty and love of our neighbour. These are what we must work for. By observing them with perfection, we do His Will and so, will be united with Him. But how far, as I have said, we are from doing these two things, as we ought, for so great a God! May it please His Majesty to give us His grace, so that we might merit, if we wish to reach this state that lies within our power.

The most certain sign, in my opinion, as to whether or not we are observing these two laws, is whether we observe well, the love of neighbour. We cannot know whether or not we love God, although there are strong indications for recognising that we do love Him but, we can know, whether we love our neighbour. And be certain that the more advanced you see you are, in love for your neighbour, the more advanced you will be in the love of God, for the love His Majesty has for us, is so great that to repay us for our love of neighbour, He will, in a thousand ways, increase the love we have for Him. I cannot doubt this. That is why, it is important for us to walk, with careful attention, to how we are proceeding in this matter, for if we practice love of neighbour with great perfection, we shall have done everything.  I believe that, since our nature is bad, we will not reach perfection in the love of neighbour, if that love does not rise from love of God, as its root.” – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Carmelite (Interior Castle, Fifth Dwelling Places, Ch 3).

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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE

Our Morning Offering – 5 October – Lord, My God, My Only Hope! Let Me Never Tire of Seeking Thee

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 5 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Pentecost XVII

Lord, My God, My Only Hope!
Let Me Never Tire of Seeking Thee
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace

O Lord, our God, we believe in Thee,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
As far as I have been able,
as much as Thou hast given me the power to do so,
I have sought for Thee.
I have desired to see that in which I believe;
much have I striven and laboured.

Lord, my God, my only Hope,
let me never tire of seeking Thee
but make me seek Thy Face with constant ardour.
Give me the strength to seek for Thee–
Thou Who hast made me find Thee,
Who hast given me, more and more,
the hope of finding Thee.

Thou seest my strength and my weakness;
do Thou sustain the one and heal the other;
Thou seest my strength and my ignorance,
where Thou hast opened to me, come, make me welcome;
where Thou hast closed to me, open to my plea.
Give me to remember, understand to know
and to love Thee alone.
Amen