Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, ONE Minute REFLECTION, POETRY, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 April – “Behold the hour is at hand … ” – Matthew 26:45

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One Minute Reflection – 10 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60

“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” – Matthew 26:45

REFLECTION – By St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop (Jesus, Only Son of the Father, § 708-724)

“Because of sin, O innocent One,
You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat;
When You return in the Father’s glory
Do not judge me together with him.

You were put to scorn with sacrilegious spittle
On account of the first created man’s shame;
Wipe away the dishonour of the impudent man’s sins,
With which my face is covered…

You have put on crimson,
Set the scarlet cloak over You
As a dishonour and an affront,
As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be (Mt 27:28).

Remove sin’s shirt of hair from me,
Crimson red, colour of blood,
Reclothe me in the garment of joy
With which You clothed the first man.

Kneeling, they made sport,
Acting ridicule, they mocked;
When they saw it, Heaven’s armies
Worshipped in fear.

This You underwent that You might remove
The shame, of being sin’s accomplice, from Adam’s nature in us
That, from my soul and my conscience,
You might suppress my sorrowing shame…

Following the judge’s verdict,
You received the terrible blows of flagellation
Over Your whole body
And on Your limbs’ every part.

As for me who, from foot to head
Suffer unbearable pain:
Be pleased to heal me once again
As through the grace of Baptism’s fount.

In exchange for the thorns of sin
That the curse caused to grow up for us (Gn 3,18)
A Crown of Thorns was set on Your Head
By the labourers in Jerusalem’s vineyard (Mt 21,33f.).

Pull out the thorns of sin from me,
Which my enemy planted within me,
And heal in me the bite of the wound
That the marks of sin might be erased.”

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who, to provide mankind an example of humility for it to imitate, willed that the Saviour should assume our flesh and suffer death upon the Cross, mercifully grant that we may be found worthy of the lesson of His endurance and the fellowship of His Resurrection. 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 franciscan OFM, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 10 April – To Thee O Jesus, Hosanna!

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Our Morning Offering – 10 April – Palm Sunday

To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

To Thee, O Jesus,
do I turn, as my true and last end.
Thou art the River of Life
which alone can satisfy my thirst.
Without Thee, all else is barren and void.
Without all else, Thou alone art enough for me.
Thou art the Redeemer of those that are lost,
the sweet Consoler of the sorrowful,
the Crown of Glory of the victors,
the recompense of the Blessed.
One day I hope to receive of Thy Fullness
and to sing the song of praise, in my true home.
Give me only on earth, some few drops of consolation
and I will patiently await Thy Coming,
when I hope to enter into the joy of my Lord.
Hosanna!

Posted in "Follow Me", ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MERCY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 April – “He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.” – John 12:25

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One Minute Reflection – 9 April – Saturday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week in Lent – Jeremias 18:18-23, John 12:10-36

“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I Am ,there also shall My servant be.” – John 12:25-26

REFLECTION – “… We are being towed along by a world that passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but do not take into account the coming judgement. We will not run to meet the Lord as He comes…

Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back… By the very fact of His delay, of His still waiting, our Lord proves His desire to see us come back to Him, His desire that we should not perish. In His great goodness, He continues addressing these words to us: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather he would change his ways and live ”(Ez 33,11). So let us turn back to Him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time’s Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel, who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23,43)!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Sermons” of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 167).

PRAYER – O Lord, may the people dedicated to You, desire to serve You more and more, that, taught by these sacred rites, they may be enriched by more precious gifts, as they grow in favour with Your majesty. 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, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 9 April – O Afflicted Virgin! By St Alphonsus Liguori

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Our Morning Offering – 9 April – Saturday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week in Lent

O Afflicted Virgin!
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O afflicted Virgin!
O soul, great in virtues
and great also in sorrows!
for both arise from that great fire of love
thou hast for God;
thou “whose heart can love nothing but God.”
O Mother, have pity on me,
for I have not loved God
and I have so much offended Him.
Thy sorrows give me great confidence
to hope for pardon.
But this is not enough;
I wish to love my Lord
and who can better obtain this for me
than thou,
thou who art the Mother of fair love?
O Mary, thou dost console all,
comfort me also.
Amen.

Posted in HYMNS, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FASTING

Our Morning Offering – 8 April – The Glory of These Forty Days

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Our Morning Offering – 8 April – Friday of Passion Week, the Fifth Week in Lent

The Glory of These Forty Days
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Great Father & Doctor of the Church

The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise,
for Christ, by Whom all things were made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.
Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God Who gave the law.
And to Elijah, fasting, came
the steed and chariots of flame.
So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lion’s might.
And John, the Saviour’s friend, became
the herald of Messiah’s Name.
Then grant, O God, that we may, too,
return in fast and prayer to You.
Our spirits strengthen with Your Grace,
and give us joy to see Your Face.
Amen!

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 April – “He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:50

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One Minute Reflection – 7 April – Thursday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week of Lent Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50

“He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:50

REFLECTION – “A sinful woman has proclaimed to us that God’s love has gone forth in search of sinners. For when He called her, Christ was inviting our whole race to His love and, in her person, He was drawing all sinners to His forgiveness. He spoke to her alone but He was drawing all creation to His grace. (…)

Who would not be struck by the mercy of Christ, who accepted an invitation to a Pharisee’s house, in order to save a sinner! For the sake of the woman who hungered for forgiveness, He, Himself felt hunger for the table of Simon the Pharisee and all the while, under the guise of a meal of bread, He had prepared for the sinner, a meal of repentance! …

In order that you may have the same experience, reflect within yourself that your sin is great but that it is blasphemy against God and an injury to yourself, to despair of His forgiveness because your sin seems to you to be too great. He has promised to forgive your sins, however many they are; will you tell Him you cannot believe this and dispute with Him, saying that your sin is too great and He cannot heal your sickness? Stop at that point and cry out with the prophet: “Lord, I have sinned against you” (Ps 51[50]:6). At once He will reply, “As for me, I have overlooked your fault, you shall not die.” Glory to Him from us all, through all ages! Amen, Amen.” ~ An Anonymous Christian Syrian Writer of the 6th century [ACW} (From a collection of homilies on the sinful woman, 1, 4.5.19.26.28 (Eastern Syrian)

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, weakened by excessive self-indulgence, may be restored by the earnest practice of healing self-denial. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who livetsand reigns withTthee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 7 April – O Holy Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 7 April – Thursday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week of Lent

O Holy Lord
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

O Holy Lord,
Father Almighty, everlasting God,
for the sake of Your bounty
and that of Your Son,
Who for me,
endured suffering and death;
for the sake of the most excellent
holiness of His Mother
and the merits of all His Saints,
grant unto me, a sinner,
unworthy of Your blessings,
that I may love You only,
may ever thirst for Your love,
may have continually
in my heart the benefits of
Your Passion,
may acknowledge my own wretchedness
and, may desire to be trampled upon
and to be despised by all men.
Let nothing grieve me, save my guilt.
Amen

Posted in GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 April – ‘ … But, we are able to fall from His Hands, if we are negligent!’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 April – Wednesday of Passion Week, the Fifth Week of Lent – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-19, 25, John 10:22-38

“And I give them everlasting life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand.” – John 10:28

REFLECTION – “For “no-one snatches us away from His Hands,” according to what was said in the Gospel according to John.
Yet, it is not written, that just as no-one snatches us away, no-one also falls from His Hands.
For one who is self-determined is free.
And, I say, no-one will snatch us away from the Hand of God, no-one can take us.
But, we are able to fall from His Hands, if we are negligent!” – Origen (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father (Homilies on Jeremiah, 18).

PRAYER – In Your mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Your faithful people and since You have given them the desire to serve You, lend a gracious ear to their prayers. 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 "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, LENT 2021, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 6 April – I Will Love and Follow You

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Our Morning Offering – 6 April – Wednesday of Passion Week, the Fifth Week of Lent

I Will Love and Follow You
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

Oh my Lord,
Let my heart expand in Your love.
Let me learn to know
how sweet it is, to serve You,
how joyful it is, to praise You
and to be absorbed in Your love.
Oh, I am possessed by love
and rise above myself
because of the great fervour I feel,
through Your infinite goodness.
I will sing the canticle of love to You
and I will follow You, my Beloved,
wherever You go
and may my soul never weary of praising You,
rejoicing in Your love.
I will love You more than myself
and myself, only for Your sake.
I will love all others in You
and for You,
as Your law of love commands.
Amen

(Book 3 Ch 5:6)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – “The Jews sought to kill Him.” – John 7:1

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One Minute Reflection – 5 April – Tuesday in Passion Week – Daniel 14:27-42, John 7:1-13 and the Memorial of St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

“The Jews sought to kill Him.” – John 7:1

REFLECTION – “I am the true vine,” Jesus says (Jn 15,1)… People dig trenches around this vine; that is to say, cunningly dig traps. When they plot to make someone fall into a snare. it is as if they dug a pit in front of Him. That is why He mourns about it, saying: “They have dug a pit before me” (Ps 56[57],7)…

However, they discovered that these traps caused no harm to the vine. To the contrary, in digging these pits they themselves fell into them (Ps 56[57],7)… Then they kept on digging: not just His Hands and His Feet (Ps 21[22],17) but they pierced His side with a lance (Jn 19,34) and uncovered the interior of that Sacred Heart, which had already been wounded by the spear of love. The Bridegroom says in the song of His love that: “You have wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse” (Sg 4,9 Vg.). O Lord Jesus, Your Heart has been wounded with love by Your spouse, Your friend, Your sister. Why, then, was it necessary for your enemies to wound you again? O you enemies, what are You doing?… Do You not know that this Heart of our Lord Jesus’,already pierced, is already dead, already open and cannot be touched by any other suffering? The Heart of the Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus, has already received the wound of love, the death of love. What other death could touch Him?… The martyrs also laugh when they are threatened, rejoice when they are struck, triumph, when they are killed. Why? Because they have already died through love in their hearts, “dead to sin” (Rm 6,2) and to the world!

Thus Jesus’ Heart has been wounded and put to death for our sake… Physical death triumphed for a moment but only to be conquered forever. It was blotted out when Christ rose from the dead because “death has no power over Him anymore” (Rm 6,9). – St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church (The Mystical Vine, ch. 3, § 5-10).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously enlightened Your Church by the virtues and preaching of blessed Vincent, Your Confessor, grant that we, Your servants, may be taught by his example and delivered from all harm by his intercession. 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 LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FASTING

Our Morning Offering – 5 April – A Lenten Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 5 April – Tuesday in Passion Week

A Lenten Prayer
By St Pope Pius V (1504-1572)

Look with favour, Lord,
on Your household.
Grant that,
though our flesh be humbled,
by abstinence from food,
our souls, hungering after You,
may be resplendent in Your sight.
Amen

St Pius V is the Pope of the Council of Trent, the Counter Reformation, the excommunication of Elizabeth I for Heresy and persecution of English Catholics and of the Battle of Lepanto, amongst many other illustrious and holy achievements.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 April ‘ … As long as we keep the seed of Truth … and His commandments …’

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One Minute Reflection – 4 April – Monday in Passion Week – Jonas 3:1-10, John 7:32-39 and the Memorial of St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church

“You shall seek me and shall not find me …” – John 7:34

REFLECTION – “To seek Jesus is often something good, for it is the same as to seek the Word, the Truth and Wisdom. But you will say, that the words “to seek Jesus” are sometimes said about those who want to harm Him. For example: “They tried to seize Him but no-one laid a finger on Him because His hour had not yet come.” … He knows from whom He distances Himself and with whom He remains, without being found yet, so that if someone seeks Him, that person will find Him at the favourable time. The Apostle Paul said to those, who did not yet possess Jesus in this way and, who did not contemplate Him: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who shall go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who shall go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). What is it He does say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” (Rom 6:6-8)

When in His love for humankind, the Saviour said: “You will look for me,” (Jn 8:21) He let us glimpse the things pertaining to the reign of God, so that those, who look for Him, do not do so outside of themselves saying: “’Here, He is here’, or ‘He is there.’ The Gospel tells them: “The reign of God is already in your midst.” (Lk 17:21) As long as we keep the seed of Truth that has been placed in our soul and His commandments, the Word will not distance Himself from us. But if evil spreads in us to corrupt us, Jesus will tell us: “I am going away. You will look for me but you will die in your sins.” – Origen (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Father (Commentary on Saint John, 19,12).

PRAYER – O God, Who granted to Your people blessed Isidore, as a minister of salvation, grant, we beseech You, that we who cherished him on earth as a teacher of life, may be found worthy to have him as an intercessor 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 CHRIST the LIGHT, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE

Our Morning Offering – 4 April – Lord Jesus, Think on Me

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Our Morning Offering – 4 April – Monday in Passion Week

Lord Jesus, Think on Me
By St Synesius of Cyrene (375-430)
Bishop of Ptolemais

Lord Jesus, think on me
and purge away my sin,
from earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
With care and woe oppressed,
let me Thy loving servant be
and taste Thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray,
through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heav’nly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the flood is past,
I may eternal brightness see,
and share Thy joy at last.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 3 April – O God, Creator of Us All, Deus, Creator Omnium

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Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Passion Sunday

O God, Creator of Us All,
Deus, Creator Omnium
Stanbrook Abbey

O God, Creator of us all,
From Whom we come, to Whom we go,
You look with pity on our hearts,
The weakness of our wills You know.

Forgive us all the wrong we do
And purify each sinful soul.
What we have darkened, heal with light
And what we have destroyed, make whole.

The fast by law and prophets taught,
By You, O Christ, was sanctified.
Bless all our penance, give us strength,
To share the Cross on which You died.

O God of mercy, hear our prayer,
With Christ Your Son and Spirit blest,
Transcendent Trinity in Whom,
Created things all come to rest.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 April – ‘I will be with those who love Me.’

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One Minute Reflection – 2 April – Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Isaias 49:8-15, John 8:12-20 and the Memorial of St Francis of Paola OM (1416-1507)

“You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would then know My Father also.” – John 8:19

REFLECTION – “[Christ speaks:]
I became useless to those who knew Me not
because I shall hide Myself, from those who possessed Me not.
And I will be with those who love Me.
All my persecutors have died
and they, who trusted in Me, sought Me because I am living!
I arose and am with them and will speak by their mouths.
For they have rejected those who persecute them
and I threw over them, the yoke of My love.
Like the arm of the bridegroom over the bride (cf Sg 2,6),
so is My yoke over those who know Me.
And as the bridal feast is spread out by the bridal pair’s home,
So is My love, by those who believe in Me.

I was not rejected,
although I was considered to be so
and I did not perish,
although they thought it of Me.
Sheol saw Me and was shattered
and Death ejected Me and many with Me.
I have been vinegar and bitterness to it
and I went down with it as far as its depth.
Death was released
because it was not able to endure My Face.

And I made a congregation of living, among his dead (1P 3,19; 4,6)
and I spoke with them, by living lips;
in order that My word may not fail.
And those who had died ran toward Me
and they cried out and said, “Son of God, have pity on us.
And deal with us according to Your kindness
and bring us out from the chains of darkness.
And open for us, the door
by which we may go forth to You,
for we perceive, that our death does not approach You.
May we also be saved with You
because You are our Saviour.”

Then I heard their voice
and placed their faith in My Heart.
And I placed My Name upon their forehead (Rv 14,1)
because they are free and they are Mine! – Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century) N° 42

PRAYER – O God, the greatness of the humble, Who raised blessed Francis, Your Confessor, to the glory of Your Saints, grant, we beseech You, that, by his merits and our imitation of his life, we may happily attain the rewards promised to the humble.
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, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The LAMB of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 2 April – O Lamb of God

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Our Morning Offering – 2 April – Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent

O Lamb of God
By St Irenaeus (c 130 – c 202)
Bishop & Martyr,
Father of the Church

O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us and have mercy upon us,
You who art Yourself, both victim and Priest,
Yourself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom You have redeemed,
O Saviour of the world.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – Lazarus, come forth!

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One Minute Reflection – 1 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 3 Kings 17:17-24, John 11:1-45

“Lazarus, come forth! And at once he who had been dead came forth, bound feet and hands with bandages and his face was tied up with a cloth. ”- John 11:43-44

REFLECTION – “Here we have a man past the prime of life, a corpse, decaying, swollen, in fact, already in a state of dissolution, so that even his own relatives did not want the Lord to draw near the tomb because the decayed body enclosed there, was so offensive . And yet, he is brought into life by a single call, confirming the proclamation of the resurrection, that is to say, that expectation of it, as universal, that we learn by a particular experience to entertain. For as in the regeneration of the universe, the Apostle tells us that “the Lord himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel” and by a trumpet sound, raise up the dead to incorruption — so now too, he who is in the tomb, at the Voice of command, shakes off death as if it were only sleep. He rids himself of the corruption that had come on his condition of a corpse, leaps forth from the tomb whole and sound, not even hindered as he leaves by the bonds of the grave cloths round his feet and hands.” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–c 395) Father of the Church (On the Making of Man, 25).

PRAYER – O God, Who by Your wondrous sacraments renew the world, grant that Your Church may benefit from Your eternal decrees and not be deprived of temporal help. 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 CATHOLIC TIME, CHRIST the KING, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JESUIT SJ, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 1 April – My God, I Love Thee

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Our Morning Offering – 1 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

My God, I Love Thee
By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) (Attri)
Transr: Fr Edward Caswall CO (1814-1878)

My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heav’n thereby,
nor yet for fear, that loving not,
I might forever die
but for that Thou didst all mankind
upon the Cross embrace;
for us didst bear the nails and spear
and manifold disgrace.

And griefs and torments numberless
and sweat of agony;
e’en death itself and all for man,
who was Thine enemy.
Then why, most loving Jesus Christ,
should I not love Thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heav’n,
nor any fear of hell.

Not with the hope of gaining aught,
nor seeking a reward
but as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever loving Lord!
E’en so I love Thee and will love
and in Thy praise will sing,
solely because Thou art my God
and my eternal King!
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FASTING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 March – ‘ … May our Lord Jesus Christ also touch us … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 31 March – Thursday of the Fourth week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke :,11-16.

“And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”- Luke 7:14

REFLECTION – “Observe how He joins miracle to miracle. In the former instance, the healing of the centurion’s servant, He was present by invitation but here, He draws near without being invited. No-one summoned Him to restore the dead man to life, but He comes to do so of His own accord. He seems to me to have purposely made this miracle also follow upon the former.

The dead man was being buried,and many friends were conducting him to his tomb. Christ, the Life and Resurrection, meets him there. He is the Destroyer of death and of corruption. He is the One in Whom we live and move and are. He is Who has restored the nature of man ,to that which it originally was and has set free our death-fraught flesh, from the bonds of death. He had mercy upon the woman and that her tears might be stopped, He commanded saying, “Weep not.” Immediately the cause of her weeping was done away with.

Christ raised him who was descending to his grave. The manner of his rising is plain to see. “He touched,” it says, “the bier and said, ‘Young man, I say unto thee, arise.’” … What is more powerful than the Word of God? Why then did He not work the miracle by only a word but also, He touched the bier? It was, my beloved, that you might learn, that the Holy Body of Christ is productive for the salvation of man. The Flesh of the Almighty Word is the Body of Life and was clothed with His might. Consider that iron, when brought into contact with fire, produces the effects of fire and fulfils its functions. The Flesh of Christ also has the power of giving Life and annihilates the influence of death and corruption because it is the Flesh of the Word, Who gives Life to all. May our Lord Jesus Christ also touch us that delivering us from evil works, even from fleshly lusts, He may unite us to the assemblies of the saints.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Luke, Homily 36).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God, that we, who are chastising the flesh by fasting, may rejoice in this holy practice and thus, with earthly passions subdued, we may the more readily direct our thoughts to heavenly things. 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, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, Quotes on SALVATION

Our Morning Offering – 31 March – Forgive Me, Good Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 31 March – Thursday of the Fourth week in Lent

Forgive Me, Good Jesus
By St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)

Lord,
I confess that up until now
I have not lived as a Christian.
I am not worthy
to be numbered among Your elect.
I recognise that I deserve to be damned
but Your mercy is great
and, full of confidence in Your grace,
I say to You that I wish to save my soul,
even if I have to sacrifice my fortune,
my honour, my very life,
as long as I am saved.
If I have been unfaithful up to now,
I repent, I deplore,
I detest my infidelity,
I ask You humbly to forgive me.
Forgive me, good Jesus
and strengthen me,
that I may be saved.
I ask You not for wealth,
honour or prosperity,
I ask You for one thing only,
to save my soul.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … The Potter Who made us, saw those empty eyes… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38

“I am the light of the world. When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and spread the clay upon his eyes,” – John 9:5-6

REFLECTION – “He who “enlightens everyone coming into this world” (Jn 1,9) is the true Mirror of the Father. Christ passes by as the refulgence of the Father’s glory (Heb 1,3) and casts out the blindness in the eyes of those who cannot see. The Christ Who comes from Heaven passes by, that all flesh might see Him… only those who are blind could not see Christ, Mirror of the Father… Christ has opened this prison; He has opened the blind man’s eyes, who then saw in Christ, the Mirror of the Father…

The first man was created radiant but, once he had left the serpent, he found himself to be blind. This blind man began to be reborn when he started to believe… The man born blind was seated… without asking any doctor for ointment to heal his eyes… The Maker of the world comes along and reflects His image into the Mirror. He sees the wretchedness of the blind man seated there begging. What a miracle of God’s strength! It heals what it sees and enlightens that which it visits…

He who created the earthly orb has now opened the orbs of the blind man’s eyes… The Potter Who made us, (Gn 2,6; Is 64,7) saw those empty eyes… He touched them, mixing His saliva with earth and rubbing on this paste. The material that was used to form the eyes to begin with, has now healed them. Which is the greater marvel -to create the orb of the sun or to recreate the eyes of the man born blind? The Lord, seated on His throne, made the sun to shine; passing through earth’s public squares He allowed the blind man to see. Light has come without our asking for it and, even without making supplication, the blind man was freed from his infirmity from birth.” – Unknown Author, a homily written in North Africa in the 5th or 6th Centuries, incorrectly attributed to Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533).

PRAYER – Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church

Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the Light of Christ.
For Christ is that Morning Star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 30 March – O Lord and Master of My Life

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Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

O Lord and Master of My Life
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity,
lust for power and idle talk.
But give to me, Thy servant,
a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love.
O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own faults
and not to condemn my brother.
For blessed art Thou to the ages of ages.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 March – ‘ … Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 29 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Exodus 32:7-14, John 7:14-31

“But of the people, many believed in him …” – John 7:31

REFLECTION – “If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ because He Himself is the Way: This is the Way; walk in it. And Augustine says: Make man your way and you shall arrive at God. It is better to limp along the Way, than stride along off the Way. For a man who limps along the Way, even if he only makes slow progress, comes to the end of the Way but one who is off the Way, the more quickly he runs, the further away is he from his goal.

If you are looking for a goal, hold fast to Christ because He Himself is the Truth, where we desire to be. My mouth shall reflect on the Truth. If you are looking for a resting place, hold fast to Christ because He Himself is the Life. Whoever finds Me finds life and receives salvation from the Lord.

Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe. You will not be able to go astray because He is the Way. He who remains with Him does not wander in trackless places; he is on the right Way. Moreover, he cannot be deceived because He is the Truth and He teaches every Truth. And He says: For this I was born and for this I have come, to bear witness to the Truth. Nor can he be disturbed because He is both lLfe and the giver of life. For He says: I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Priest, Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from: Exposition on John – Chapter 14).

PRAYER – May the sacred practice of fasting, we beseech You, O Lord, win for us increased holiness of life and the continuing help of Your mercy. 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, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Lord Jesus Christ, the World’s True Sun

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Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Lord Jesus Christ,
the World’s True Sun
By Fr Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536)

Lord Jesus Christ,
the world’s True Sun,
Ever-Rising, Never-Setting.
Whose life-giving warmth
begets, preserves,
nourishes and gladdens
all things in Heaven and on earth,
Shine in our hearts, we pray;
scatter the night of sin
and the clouds of error.
Blaze within us,
that we may go our way
without stumbling,
taking no part in the
shameful deeds of those
who wander in the dark
but rather, walking all our lives,
as children of the Light.
Amen.

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, more commonly known as ‘Erasmus,’ was a Dutch Priest, Philosopher and Catholic Theologian, who is considered one of the greatest scholars of the northern Renaissance.[2][3][4] As a Catholic priest, he was an important figure in classical scholarship who wrote in a pure Latin style.

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Thy Holy Will

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Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Thy Holy Will
By St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Lord,
grant that I may always
allow myself to be guided by Thee,
always follow Thy plans
and perfectly accomplish Thy Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do,
whatever Thou may require of me.
Help me to respond
to the slightest prompting
of Thy grace,
so that I may be Thy trustworthy instrument,
for Thy honour.
May Thy Will be done in time
and eternity –
by me, in me and through me.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – God, my God, May I Always Abide in You By St John Damascene

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Our Morning Offering – 27 March – Fourth Sunday of Lent “Laetare Sunday”

God, my God,
May I Always Abide in You
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

God, my God,
inextinguishable and invisible fire,
You make Your Angels flaming fire.
Out of Your inexpressible love,
You have given me Your divine Flesh as food
and through this communion
of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood,
You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity.
Permeate all my body and soul,
all my bones and sinews.
Consume my sins in fire.
Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind.
Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me,
together with Your blessed Father
and All-Holy Spirit,
that I may always abide in You,
through the intercession
of Your immaculate Mother
and all Your saints.
Amen

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 March – “Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

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One Minute Reflection – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11

“Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

REFLECTION – “One after another all withdrew.”
The two were left alone, the woman in need of mercy and Mercy.
But the Lord, having struck them through with that dart of justice, deigned not to heed their fall but, turning His eyes away from them, “again he wrote with his finger on the ground.”

But when that woman remained alone and all had gone, He raised His eyes to her. We have heard the voice of justice; let us listen too to the voice of clemency…
This woman expected to be punished by Him, in whom sin could not be found.
But He, who had driven back her adversaries with the voice of justice, lifting the eyes of mercy to her, asked her: “Has no-one condemned you?” She answered, “No-one, Lord.”
And He said: “Neither do I condemn you. I by Whom, perhaps, you were afraid of being condemned because you have found no sin in Me; neither do I condemn you.”

What is this, O Lord?
Do you favour sins, then?
Certainly not!
But take note of what follows: “Go, henceforth sin no more.”
The Lord did condemn, therefore but He condemned the sin, not the sinner… Let them be careful, then, those who love the goodness in the Lord but who fear His truthfulness…
The Lord is gracious, the Lord is slow to anger, the Lord is merciful BUT the Lord is also just and the Lord is abounding in truth (Ps 85[86],15).
He gives you time for amendment but you prefer to take advantage of the delay, rather than to reform your ways.
Did you act wickedly yesterday? Be good today. Have you spent today in evil? At any rate change your behaviour tomorrow.

This, then, is the meaning of the words He addresses to this woman, “Neither do I condemn you but, having been made secure concerning the past, be on your guard in the future. I, for My part, will not condemn you, I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded, that you may gain what I have promised.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace –Tractate 33 on the Gospel of John, 5-8

PRAYER – O Infinite Goodness – Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Doctor of the Church

O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved,
for having offended Thee
and with my whole heart,
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more because I have offended Thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who art worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of Thy grace,
never more to offend Thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, OUR Cross, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 26 March – My Sorrowful Mother,Help Me to Bear My Crosses By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

My Sorrowful Mother,
Help Me to Bear My Crosses
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My sorrowful Mother,
by the merit of that grief
which you felt
at seeing your beloved Jesus
led to death,
obtain for me the grace
to bear with patience,
those crosses which God sends me.
I will be fortunate
if I also shall know how
to accompany you
with my cross until death.
You and Jesus,
both innocent,
have borne a heavy cross
and shall I,
a sinner who has merited hell,
refuse mine?
Immaculate Virgin,
I hope you will help me
to bear my crosses with patience.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – The Annunciation – ‘ … Chosen from among all other beings …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 March – The Annunciation – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1,26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a litle clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45), that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HOPE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The ANNUNCIATION

Our Morning Offering – 25 March – O Mary, My Hope!

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Our Morning Offering – 25 March – The Annunciation

O Mary, My Hope!
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

I salute you, O Mary!
you are the hope of Christians.
Receive the prayer of a sinner,
who loves you tenderly,
honours you in a special manner
and places in you the whole hope
of his salvation.
From you I have my life.
You reinstate me in the grace of your Son:
you are the sure pledge of my salvation.
I beseech of you, therefore, to deliver me
from the burden of my sins,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
banish from my heart the love of the world,
repress the temptations of my enemies
and so rule my whole life, that by your means
and under your guidance,
I may obtain everlasting happiness in heaven.
Amen