Category: MORNING Prayers

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

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March – ‘The Chief Physician’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 Marcr – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44 and the Feast Dy of St Gabriel the Archangel

“At that time, Jesus rose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a great fever and they besought Him for her.” – Luke 4:38

REFLECTION – “Now Simon’s mother-in-law was kept in her bed sick with a fever.” May Christ come to our house and enter in and by His command, cure the fever of our sins. Each one of us is sick with a fever. Whenever I give way to anger, I have a fever. There are as many fevers as there are faults and vices. Let us beg the Apostles to intercede for us with Jesus, that He may come to us and touch our hand. If He does so, at once our fever is gone. He is an excellent Physician and truly the Chief Physician. Moses is a physician. Isaias is a physician. All the Saints are physicians but He is the Chief Physician.” – St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of Mark 75).

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of Your Incarnation, mercifully grant that we, who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Holy Name PRAYERS, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Behold Me, O Sweet Lord, Behold Me! By St Aelred

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Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

Behold Me, O Sweet Lord, Behold Me!
By St Aelred of Rievaulx O.Cist. (1110-1167)

Behold me, O Sweet Lord, behold me!
For I hope. that in Your Loving Kindness,
O Most Merciful One,
You will behold me,
either as a loving Physician to heal,
a kind Teacher to correct,
or an indulgent Father to pardon…
confident in Your Sweet Powerful Mercy
and most Merciful Power,
I ask, in virtue of Your Sweet Name
and of the Mystery of Your Sacred Humanity
that, mindful of Your Kindness
and unmindful of my ingratitude,
You forgive me my sins
and heal the languors of my soul.
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST, The TEN COMMANDMENTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 March – ‘But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace?’ – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20

“Hypocrites, well did Isaias prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from Me and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrine, the precepts of men.’ ” – Matthew 15:7

REFLECTION – “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death” (Rm 8:2) … Saint Paul says that the Law of Moses has been given to prove our weakness and not just to prove it but, to increase it and thus force us to find the Doctor. … “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rm 5:20; cf. 3:20) … But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace? Because it was written on tablets of stone, not the tablets of flesh, that are our hearts (2 Cor 3:3) ….

It is the Holy Spirit Who writes “the Law of the Spirit of life” not on stone but in the heart; this Law of the Spirit of life that is in Jesus Christ in Whom the Passover has been celebrated in truth (1 Cor 5:7-8), has delivered you from the law of sin and death. Do you want to have proof of the manifest and certain difference separating the Old Testament from the New? … Hear what the Lord spoke by the mouth of one of the prophets. … ”I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts” (Jr 31:33). So if God’s Law is written in your heart, it does not bring forth fear [as at Sinai] but pours a secret sweetness into your soul.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 155, 6 ).

PRAYER – Breathe in Me, O Holy Spirit By St Augustine (354-420)

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
that I always may be holy.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on GRACE, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Inflame our Hearts with Your Love By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

Inflame our Hearts with Your Love
Prayer To the Holy Spirit
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

You made Mary full of grace
and enflamed the hearts of the Apostles
with a holy zeal.
Inflame our hearts with Your love.
You are the Spirit of Goodness,
Give us the courage to confront evil.
You are Fire, set us ablaze with Your love.
You are Light, enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly important.
You are the Dove, give us gentleness.
You are a soothing Breeze,
bring calm to the storms that rage within us.
You are the Tongue,
may our lips ever sing God’s praises
You are the Cloud,
shelter us under the shadow of Your protection
O Holy Ghost, melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us an earnest desire
to please You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PEACE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 March – – Forgive and be at peace

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One Minute Reflection – 22 March – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent – 4 Kings 4:1-7, Matthew 18:15-22 – “The Month of St Joseph”

“Then Peter came up to him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times but seventy times seven.” – Matthew 18:21-22

REFLECTION – “He is our peace, for He has made both one. Since we think of Christ as our peace, we may call ourselves true Christians, only if our lives express Christ by our own peace. As the Apostle says: He has put enmity to death. We must never allow it to be rekindled in us in any way but, must declare, that it is absolutely dead. Gloriously has God slain enmity, in order to save us, may we never risk the life of our souls by being resentful or by bearing grudges. …

No, since we possess Christ who is peace, we must put an end to this enmity and live as we believe He lived. He broke down the separating wall, uniting what was divided, bringing about peace by reconciling in His single person, those who disagreed. In the same way, we must be reconciled not only with those who attack us from outside but also with those who stir up dissension within; flesh then will no longer be opposed to the spirit, nor the spirit to the flesh. Once we subject the wisdom of the flesh to God’s law, we shall be re-created as one single man, at peace. Then, having become one instead of two, we shall have peace within ourselves.

Now peace is defined as harmony among those who are divided. When, therefore, we end that civil war within our nature and cultivate peace within ourselves, we become peace. By this peace we demonstrate that the name of Christ, which we bear, is authentic and appropriate.

When we consider that Christ is the true light, having nothing in common with deceit, we learn that our own life also must shine with the rays of that true light. Now these rays of the Sun of Justice are the virtues which pour out to enlighten us so that we may put away the works of darkness and walk honourably as in broad daylight. When we reject the deeds of darkness and do everything in the light of day, we become light and, as light should, we give light to others by our actions. If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything wicked or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of His Name. For the quality of holiness is shown, not by what we say but by what we do in life.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) – Bishop and Father of the Church (Excerpt from his treatise, On Christian Perfection).

PRAYER – Holy God, grant we pray, Your Holy Spirit of love and divine grace to grow ever more in faith and love. . By our prayers and love for You and our neighbour, may we merit Your divine assistance. Lord Jesus, help us to dwell often on the manner in which we are following You. Let us strive each day to become more and more like You in all things and, to become beacons of Your Light, to all the world. Holy Mother of God, pray for us, St Joseph pray for us. Through Christ, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, now and forevermore. Amen

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – A Lenten Offering By St Thérèse

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Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

A Lenten Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this Lent
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask of Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day
be united together in heaven,
for all eternity.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 March – ‘… Towards You, then, Lord, are all things turned…’

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One Minute Reflection – 21 March – Monday of the Third Week of Lent – 4 Kings, 5:1-15, Luke 4:23-30 and the Memorial of St Benedict OSB (c 480-547)

“There were many widows in Israel” – Luke 4:25

REFLECTION – “My wretched soul is naked and cold and benumbed, it longs to warm itself at the fIre of Your love… Out of my wide wilderness and the great emptiness of my heart, I have collected only these few tiny twigs like the widow of Sarepta; so that,, when I do come to the tabernacle of my house, I may have a handful of flour and a vessel of oil to eat before I die (1Kgs 17,10f.). Or maybe, Lord, I shall not die as quickly as all that! It may be rather that “I shall not die at al, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Ps 117[118],17).

So I stand in the house of solitude… I open my mouth in Your direction, Lord; I breathe in the Spirit. And sometimes, Lord,… You do put something in my heart’s mouth but You do not permit me to know just what it is. A savour I perceive, so sweet, so gracious, and so comforting that… I should seek nothing more. But when I receive this thing, neither by bodily sight, nor by spiritual sense, nor by understanding of the mind, do You allow me to discern what it is. When I receive it, then I want to keep it, and think about it and assess its flavour but forthwith, it has gone… But every time this happens I hear the Lord say to me: “The Spirit blows whither he will. ” And I know, even in myself, that He breathes not, when I will but when He Himself wills…

I know that it is to You alone, O Fount of Life, that I must lift up my eyes, that “in your light I may see light” (Ps 35:10). Towards You, then, Lord, are all things turned… But in the meantime, Lord, how much longer are You going to put me off? How often must my wretched, harassed, gasping soul trail after You? “Hide me,” I beseech you, “in the secret place of Your Face away from the troubles of men, protect me in Your tabernacle from the strife of congues!” (Ps 30[31],21).” – William of Saint-Thierry (c 1085-1148) Cistercian Monk, Theologian (The Contemplation of God 12).

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech You, in Your mercy, pour forth Your grace into our hearts, that, as we abstain from material food, so may we restrain our senses from sin. May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedict, commend us to You, O Lord, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. 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 LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 March – O God, Be With Us

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Our Morning Offering – 21 March – Monday of the Third Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Benedict OSB (c 480-547)

O God, Be With Us
By St Benedict (c480-547)

O God,
from Whom to be turned,
is to fall,
to Whom to be turned,
is to rise,
and in Whom to stand,
is to abide forever.
Grant us in all our duties, Thy help,
in all our perplexities, Thy guidance,
in all our dangers, Thy protection,
and in all our sorrows, Thy peace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, HYMNS, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 20 March – Thou Hope of All the World and Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 20 March – The Third Sunday of Lent

Thou Hope of All the World and Lord
Attri to St Boniface (672-754)
Sarum Rite Breviary
Transl. Fr Alan G McDougall (1895-1964)

Thou Hope of all the world and Lord,
Bestower of the great reward,
Receive the prayers Thou servants raise;
Accept our psalms and hymns of praise.

And though our consciences doth proclaim
Our deep transgressions and our shame,
Cleanse us, O God, we humbly plead,
From sins of thought and word and deed.

Our sins remember Thou no more,
Forgive – Thy mercy can restore;
So, take upon Thee, Lord our care,
That, pure in heart, we make our prayer.

Therefore, accept, O Lord, this tide,
Of fast which Thou have sanctified,
That we, may reach by mystic ways
The Sacraments of Paschal days.

May He, Who is the Threefold Lord,
On us confer this high reward,
In Whom so long as worlds abide,
One Only God, is glorified.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, ONE Minute REFLECTION, St JOSEPH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 March – “Joseph, son of David ” – Matthew 1:20

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One Minute Reflection – 19 March – St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 1:18-21

“Joseph, son of David ” – Matthew 1:20

REFLECTION – “There is no doubt that Joseph was a very holy and trustworthy man, since the Mother of the Saviour was to be his wife. He was the “faithful and prudent servant” (Mt 24:45), for God established him to be His Mother’s support, the foster father of His flesh and the assistant for His plan of salvation.

We must recall, that he was of the House of David. He was son of David, not only by bonds of the flesh but even more, because of his faith, holiness and piety. God found in him, a second David, to whom He could confidently entrust His plans, even the most hidden. He revealed to him, as to another David, the mysteries of His Wisdom and disclosed to him, what no teacher in the world, could know. He allowed him to see and listen, to things that so many kings and prophets had wished to see and hear but which,, in spite of their desire, they had not been able to see or to hear (Mt 13:7), even more,, He made him carry and guide, embrace, nurture and protect Him. Both Mary and Joseph belonged to David’s race; in Mary was fulfilled the promise once made by the Lord to David, while Joseph was the witness of this fulfilment.” – St Bernard (1090-1153) (Surname de Fontaine) Priest, Cistercian Monk, The Last Father and Doctor Mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor) (Homily on the “Missus est”, 2, 16).

PRAYER – May the merits of Your most holy Mother’s spouse help us, we beseech You, O Lord, that through his intercession, we may receive what we cannot obtain by our own efforts. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in HYMNS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 19 March – Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail!

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Our Morning Offering –19 March – St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail!
By Father Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Chaste spouse of Mary hail!
Pure as the lily flow’r
In Eden’s peaceful vale.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Prince of the house of God!
May His best graces be
By thy sweet hands bestowed.

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Comrade of Angels, hail!
Cheer thou the hearts that faint,
And guide the steps that fail.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
God’s choice wert thou alone!
To thee the Word made flesh,
Was subject as a Son.

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Teach us our flesh to tame
And, Mary, keep the hearts
That love thy husband’s name.
Mother of Jesus! bless,
And bless, ye Saints on high,
All meek and simple souls
That to Saint Joseph cry.
Amen.

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

One Minute Reflection – 18 March – “They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”- Matthew 21:39

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One Minute Reflection – 18 March – Friday of the Second Week of Lent – Genesis 37:6-22Matthew 21:33-46 and the Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor and Father & Doctor of the Church

“They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”– Matthew 21:39

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)… Here is one example of these snares: “They brought a woman who had been caught in adultery” to our Lord Jesus, “saying: ‘Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ ” (Jn 8,3f.)… And here is another: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to the Emperor or not?” (cf. Mt 22,17)…

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 any more” (Rm 6,9). – St Bonaventure (1221-1274), Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (The Mystical Vine, ch. 3, § 5-10)

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech You, Almighty God, through the intercession of the blessed Bishop Cyril, so to acknowledge You, the only true God,and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, that we may be found worthy to be forever numbered among the sheep who hear His Voice. 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 Holy Name PRAYERS, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 18 March – O Sweet Name of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 18 March – Friday of the Second week of Lent

O Sweet Name of Jesus
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

O sweet Name of Jesus,
holy above all names
in Heaven and on earth
and to which every knee,
both of men and of Angels in Heaven,
on earth and in hell bends.
You are the Way of the just,
the Glory of the Saints,
the Hope of those in need,
the Balm of the sick,
the Love of the devout
and the Consolation
of those that suffer.
O, Jesus, be to me a help and a protector
so that Your Name may be blessed for all times.
Amen.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Excerpt of the Lorica

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Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Thursday of the Second Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Patrick (c 385-461) “The Apostle of Ireland”

Excerpt of the Lorica
By St Patrick (c 385-461)

I arise today
Through God’s Strength, to pilot me;
God’s Might, to uphold me,
God’s Wisdom, to guide me,
God’s Eye, to look before me,
God’s Ear, to hear me,
God’s Word, to speak for me,
God’s Hand, to guard me,
God’s Way, to lie before me,
God’s Shield, to protect me,
God’s Hosts, to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation,
Amen

Posted in INDULGENCES, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, Quotes on SALVATION, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 16 March – O Most Compassionate Jesus!

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Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

O Most Compassionate Jesus!
By Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day
6 October 1870

O Most compassionate Jesus!
Thou alone art our salvation,
our life and our resurrection.
We implore Thee, therefore,
do not forsake us
in our needs and afflictions
but by the agony of
Thy Most Sacred Heart
and by the sorrows of
Thy Immaculate Mother,
succour Thy servants,
whom Thou hast redeemed
by Thy most Precious Blood.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 March – Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post to which God has called you!

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One Minute Reflection – 13 March – The Second Sunday of Lent – Daniel 3:47-51, Matthew 17:1-9 and “The Month of St Joseph”

“Lord, it is good for us to be here” – Matthew 17:4

REFLECTION – “Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post to which God has called you!

But embrace the Cross with patience and hide in God’s breast with your troubles: fix your eyes on the Lamb immolated for your sake and always be content with what God gives you and destines for you. We must act like this because we are sure that God is calling us and has chosen for us ,what will make us the most pleasing in His sight. Thus you will go from light to light and the pains endured for the sake of Jesus Crucified will be delightful to you, whereas the pleasures and consolations of the world ,will become bitter.

You will begin to taste, even in this life, a foretaste of eternal life, for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father. Thus it tastes the divine sweetness. But it will never taste it in Heaven, if it is not clothed with it on earth, where we are pilgrims and travellers. When it is clothed with it, it tastes God by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish; its mind will be opened and contemplate the ineffable love that God has made known in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love and love for created things, to love only God.

So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy, so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent [20 Feb 1622])

PRAYER – O God, Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not burn us, Your servants.
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 DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 13 March – How Great is Your Goodness, Lord!

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Our Morning Offering – 13 March – The Second Sunday of Lent

How Great is Your Goodness, Lord!
By Archbishop Baldwin
of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)

How great is Your goodness, Lord,
Who does not shrink from letting Your servant,
place You upon his heart!
How great my own worth,
since You have chosen me
to have part in Yours,
to have You abiding in me,
to love You as You deserve, above myself.
Lord, take from me this hard heart
and give me a new, clean heart
of flesh and blood.
You who make my heart pure,
take possession of mine
and make it Your home.
Hold it and fill it,
You, Who are higher than my topmost height,
more inward than my inward being.
You, the Seal of Holiness,
Beauty of beauties,
engrave on my heart, Your Image
and the imprint of Your mercy.
Be, O God, my eternal love
and my inheritance.
Amen

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD is LOVE, GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Prayer of Praise

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Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Saturday of Ember Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor

Prayer of Praise
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor
“Father of the Fathers”

It is only right,
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father
and Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
by Your wondrous condescension
of loving-kindness toward us, Your servants,
You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus,
You paid the debt of Adam for us
to the Eternal Father by Your Blood
poured forth in loving-kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of eternal happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness
of Your Love!
Amen

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 March – “Do you wish to be healed?” John 5:6

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One Minute Reflection – 11 March – Ember Friday of the First Week of Lent – Ezechiel 18:10-28, John 5:1-15

“Jesus said to him, “Do you wish to be healed?” The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool’ … Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk.” And at once the man was cured.” – John 5:6-8

REFLECTION – “We read in the Old Testament that in the times of Noah, since all humankind had been won over by sin, heaven’s floodgates opened and rain poured down for forty days… This was a symbol – it was less about a flood, than about a baptism. For it was indeed a baptism that bore away the misdeeds of the sinners and spared the uprightness of Noah. And so today, just as it was then, our Lord has given Lent to us so that the skies can open for the same number of days to inundate us with the floods of divine mercy. Once washed in the saving waters of baptism, this Sacrament enlightens us and, just as formerly, its waters bear away the evil of our sins and confirm the uprightness of our virtues.

Today’s situation is just the same as in Noah’s time. Baptism is flood to sinners and consecration for the faithful. In Baptism the Lord rescues justice and destroys injustice. We can see this in the example of one and the same man – before he was cleansed by the spiritual commands, the Apostle Paul, was a persecutor and blasphemer (1Tm 1,13). But once he had been bathed with the heavenly rain of Baptism, the blasphemer died, the persecutor died, Saul died. Then the Apostle, the just man, Paul, came to life… Anyone who lives Lent in a religious manner and observes the Lord’s decrees will see sin die in him and grace come to life… such as these die as sinners and live as righteous persons.” – St Maximus of Turin (?-c 420), Bishop – Sermon for Lent 50

PRAYER – Forgive my sins, O my God, forgive my sins:
the sins of youth, the sins of age, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body,
the sins which, through frailty, I have committed, my deliberate and grievous sins,
the sins I know and the sins I do not know, the sins I have laboured so long to hide from others, that now they are hidden from my own memory.
Let me be absolved from all these iniquities and delivered from the bond of all these evils, by the Life, Passion and Death of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Have Mercy, Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Ember Friday of the First Week of Lent

Have Mercy, Lord
By St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Doctor of the Church

Have mercy, Lord,
on all my friends and relatives,
on all my benefactors,
on all who pray to Thee for me
and on all who have asked me
to pray to Thee, for them.
Give them the spirit of fruitful penance,
mortify them in all vices
and make them flower
in all Thy virtues.
Amen