Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Sexagesima Weekday
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.
One Minute Reflection – 20 February – Sexagesima – 2 Cor. 11:19-33; 12:1-9, Luke 8:4-15
“But that upon good ground, these are they who, with a right and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast and bear fruit in patience.” – Luke 8:15
REFLECTION – “Note that Jesus does not say: The careless received some seed and lost it, the rich received other seed and choked it and the superficial received some seed and betrayed it. It is not His intention to rebuke them severely, lest He should cast them into despair. Christ leaves the reproof to the conscience of His hearers. Remember also in the parable of the net ,that much was gathered in, that was unprofitable. But He speaks this parable as if to anoint His disciples and to teach them, that they are not to be despondent even though those lost, may be more than those who receive the word. It was with this same ease that the Lord Himself continued to sow, even He who fully foreknew the outcomes.
But why would it be reasonable to sow among thorns or on rocks or on the pathway? With regard to the seeds and the earth, it cannot sound very reasonable. But in the case of human souls and their instructions, it is praiseworthy and greatly to be honoured. For the farmer might be laughed at for doing this, since it is impossible for a rock to bear fruit. It is not likely that the path will become anything but a path or the thorns anything but thorns. But with respect to the rational soul, this is not so predictable. For here, there is such a thing as the rock changing and becoming rich land. Here it is possible, that the wayside might no longer be trampled upon or lie open to all who pass by but that it may become a fertile field. In the case of the soul, the thorns may be destroyed and the seed enjoy full security. For had it been impossible, this Sower would not have sown. And if the reversal did not take place in all, this is no fault of the Sower but of the souls who are unwilling to be changed. He has done His part. If they betrayed what they received of Him, He is blameless, the Exhibitor of such love to humanity.
But mark this carefully: there is more than one road to destruction! There are differing ones and wide apart from one another. For they who are like the wayside are the coarse-minded and indifferent and careless but those on the rock, such as fail, from willed weakness only.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily 44).
PRAYER – St Paul’s Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason, I bow my knees
before the Father, from Whom
every family in heaven and on earth
takes its name.
I pray that, according to the riches
of His glory, He may grant
that you may be strengthened
in your inner being with power through His Spirit
and that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith,
as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power
to comprehend, with all the Saints,
what is the breadth and length
and height and depth
and to know, the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him Who, by the power at work within us,
is able to accomplish abundantly,
far more than all we can ask or imagine.
To Him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus,
to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 20 February – “Month of the Most Blessed Trinity” – Sexagesima
An Act of Oblation to the Most Blessed Trinity
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity
I vow and consecrate to God
all that is in me,
my memory and my actions,
to God the Father;
my understanding and my words,
to God the Son;
my will and my thoughts,
to God the Holy Spirit.
I consecrate my heart, my body,
my tongue, my senses and all my sorrows,
to the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ,
Who consented to be betrayed
into the hands of wicked men
and to suffer the torment
of the Cross for me.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 19 February – Hail Holy Mother! – Sirach 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28
“While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you,” he replied, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good, unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart, than in her flesh.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace (Holy Virginity 3).
PRAYER – Grant us, Your servants, O Lord God, we beseech You, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and by the intercession of THE glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake in the fullness of eternal happiness. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 19 Februaryy – Mother Mary’s Day
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Oh, my Mother!
By St Charles of Mount Argus (1821-1893)
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Oh, my Mother!
How sweet it is to come to thy feet,
imploring thy perpetual help!
If earthly mothers cease not
to remember their children,
how can thou,
the most loving of all mothers, forget me?
Grant then, to me, I implore thee,
thy perpetual help in all my necessities,
in every sorrow
and especially in all my temptations.
As we are all thy children,
I ask for thy unceasing help
for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners
and console all earthly mothers
who are now weeping over their children.
Open the gates of heaven
to those we loved upon earth
and who are now suffering in purgatory.
Obtain for us, dear Mother,
that having earnestly invoked thee on earth,
we may see thee, love thee
and eternally thank thee,
hereafter in heaven.
Amen
Our Morning Offering -18 February – Septuagesima Weekday
Lord Jesus, Think on Me
By St Synesius of Cyrene (375-430)
Bishop of Ptolemais, Father
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
St Synesius, a native of Cyrene, born circa 375. His descent was illustrious. His pedigree extended through seventeen centuries and in the words of Gibbon, “could not be equaled in the history of mankind.”
He became distinguished for his eloquence and philosophy and as a statesman and patriot he took a noble stand. When the Goths were threatening his Country he went to the court of Arcadius and for three years, tried to rouse it to the dangers that were coming on the empire. But Gibbon says, ”The court of Arcadius indulged the zeal, applauded the eloquence and neglected the advice of Synesius.”
In 410 he was made Bishop of Ptolemaïs (modern Libya) but much against his will. He died in 430. We have extant one hundred and fifty-five epistles and ten hymns written at different periods of his life.
One Minute Reflection – 16 February – Septuagesima Weekday – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-6
“… Do you not know that those who run in a race, all indeed run but one receives the prize? So run as to obtain it. ..” – 1 Corinthians 9:245
REFLECTION – “Let nothing intervene to hinder the progress of any who travel alongside each other … but let us walk with agile step though the road be rough and hard, let us show a brave and manly spirit, overcome obstacles, pass along from pathway to pathway, from hill to hill, until we climb onto the mountain of the Lord and make a home for ourselves in the holy place of His impassibility.
For now, let us persevere, children, dear children, let us be patient for a little, brothers, dear brothers.… Who will be crowned without having fought? Who will go to rest if he is not tired (cf. 2 Tim 2:5-6)? Who will gather the fruits of life without having planted virtues in his soul? Cultivate them, prepare the earth with the greatest care, take trouble over it, sweat over it, children, God’s workers, imitators of the angels, competitors with incorporeal beings, lights for those who are in the world (cf. Phil 2:15)!” … St Theodore the Studite (759-826) Monk (Catechesis 28).
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech You, graciously hear the prayers of Your people, that we who are justly punished for our sins may be mercifully delivered for the glory of Your name. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 17 February – Feast of the Flight into Egypt
My Beloved Redeemer
Prayer for the Flight into Egypt (Excerpt)
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church
My beloved Redeemer,
I have many times driven Thee out of my soul
but now I hope, that Thou
have again taken possession of it.
I beseech Thee,
do Thou bind it to Thyself
with the sweet chains of Thy love.
Oh, do Thou make Thyself loved,
make Thyself loved by all the sinners
who persecute Thee,
give them light,
make them know the love
Thou hast borne them
and the love Thou deserves,
since Thou goes wandering over the earth
as a poor Infant,
weeping and trembling with cold
and seeking souls to love Thee!
O Mary, most holy Virgin,
O dearest Mother
and companion of the sufferings of Jesus,
do thou help me always
to carry and preserve thy Son
in my heart,
in life and in death!
Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 16 February – “Month of the Most Blessed Trinity” – Septuagesima Weekday – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-6
“Have I not a right to do what I choose? Or are you envious because I am generous?” – Matthew 20:15.
REFLECTION – “The householder said to them, “I wish to give to this last one as I give even to you.” And since the obtaining of His Kingdom comes from His goodwill, He properly adds, “Or am I not allowed to do what I wish?” It is always foolish to question the goodness of God. There might have been reason for loud complaint, if He did not give what He owed but not, if He gives what He does not owe. And so, He adds, “Or is your eye evil because I am good?”
But no-one should boast of his work or of his time, when, after saying this, Truth cries out: “So the last will be first and the first last.” We know what good things we have done and how many they are; we do not know with what exactitude our Judge on high will investigate them. Indeed, we must all rejoice exceedingly, to be even the last, in the Kingdom of God!” – St Pope Gregory the Great,(540-604) Father and Doctor.
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech You, graciously hear the prayers of Your people, that we, who are justly punished for our sins, may be mercifully delivered for the glory of Your Name. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 16 February
O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis
O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Your Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Your honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing but that leads to You,
nor grieve for anything, that leads away from You.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all that is Yours, be dear to me
and You, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without You
and may I desire nothing, apart from You.
May all labour and toil delight me when it is for You.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 15 February – “Month of the Most Blessed Trinity” – the Commemoration of Sts Faustinus and Jovinus – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-16
“When evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the labourers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last even to the first.’” – Matthew 20:8
REFLECTION – The last ones, receiving the generosity of the Master instead of troubles, are first to receive their reward, since all those, after the Lord’s coming, have become — through Baptism and the union with the Spirit — “sharers in God’s nature” and are called sons of God. For the prophets too have become sharers in the Spirit but not in the same way as the faithful, since the Holy Spirit is ,in some way, like a leaven for the souls of the faithful and changes the entire man to another condition of life. And so, we have become “participants in God’s nature” and openly we cry “Abba, Father.” The more ancient peoples did not receive the same grace. So Paul too says, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear but you received the Spirit of sonship.” The ancients then received a spirit of slavery without the honour of adoption. Since, therefore, we really are first to receive a denarius, we must, of necessity, be said to be honoured above the rest!” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Incarnation of the Church (Fragment 226).
PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us each year by the feast of Your holy Martyrs, Faustinus and Jovinus, graciously grant that, as we rejoice in their merits, we may be inspired by their example. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 15 February – The Commermoration of Sts Faustinus and Jovinus (Died c 120) Martyrs – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-16
Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Trans John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Trans 1836
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, Thy praise be sung.
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Doth live and reign eternally.
Thought for the Day – 14 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Unfortunately, there are many who never give the slightest thought to God when they rise in the morning.
Or perhaps they think that a quick mechanical Sign of the Cross satisfies all their religious obligations.
A good Catholic could not behave in this fashion.
He kneels to say his morning prayers and raises his mind and heart to God in acts of thanksgiving, reparation and love.
Only in this way, can he begin the day with peace and confidence, knowing that during it, he will have continual need of God’s assistance.
If hitherto you have not behaved like this, make up your mind to begin everyday in future, by offering yourself to God, along with all your work, plans and worries.
This offering will be a wonderful spiritual advantage throughout the day.”
PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/14/thought-for-the-day-14-february-the-early-hours-of-the-day/
One Minute Reflection – 14 February – “Month of the Most Blessed Trinity” – The Memorial of St Valentine (176-273) Bishop and Martyr, 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-16
“The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.” – Matthew 20:1
REFLECTION – “To hire labourers for his vineyard.” What is the vineyard of God here? Not men, as elsewhere; for men are called the cultivators of the vineyard. The vineyard is justice and in it different kinds of virtues are placed like vines. For example, gentleness, chastity, patience, high-mindedness and countless other good qualities, which are all in general called virtues. So let us note how earnestly we should cultivate the heavenly vineyard. Adam was put in paradise to cultivate it and work it, but because he neglected it, he was ejected from it. We have been put here to cultivate justice; if we neglect it, we will be cast out, just as the Jews also were cast out, of whom it was written: “Add iniquity to their iniquity, that they may not enter thy justice.” The fall of those going before, should be a warning for those following. But if we the followers have also fallen into ruin, those who were the first to fall, deserve pardon more than we, who follow. A hired hand placed in the vineyard will not only lose his pay if he neglects it but, he will also be charged with the loss of the abandoned vineyard! So we too, if we neglect the justice committed to us, will not only have no reward but, we will also be charged for the justice that has been abolished. For God’s vineyard is not outside us but has been planted inside our very selves. So anyone who commits sin destroys the justice of God within himself but anyone who does good works, cultivates it in himself. The well-cultivated justice of God within you, brings forth grapes, that is, Christ. For those who do just deeds form Christ in themselves, as is written: “My little children, with whom I am again in travail, until Christ be formed in you.”
Anyone who consigns a vineyard to another to work consigns it, not so much for the other’s benefit, as for his own but God, giving His justice to our understanding, gave it, not for His own benefit but for ours. God does not need our labour but we, who do just work, may live because of it. The owner who consigned the vineyard to someone else for his own benefit, expects to receive it back in the same condition as He handed it over. How then will justice not be demanded back from us, in as immaculate a condition as He created it in us, particularly as He gave it, not for His own benefit but for our salvation?
Be aware that we have been hired as labourers. If we have been hired as labourers, we ought to know what our tasks are, for a hired labourer cannot be without a task. Our tasks are the works of justice, not to till our fields and vineyards; not to amass riches and pile up honours but to benefit our neighbours. And although we can do this tilling and amassing without sin, yet they are not our tasks but our daily occupations.
No-one hires a labourer to work, only so that the labourer may eat. So we too have been called by Christ, to do, not merely what pertains to our own benefit but, to do what pertains, to the glory of God. The hired hand, who only works so that he may fill his belly, wanders purposelessly about the house. So we too, if we do only what pertains to our benefit, live without reason on the earth. And just as the hired hand first looks to his work and then to his wages, so we too are Christ’s hired hands and first ought to look at what pertains to God’s glory and to the benefit of our neighbours …. Charity and true love toward God “does not insist on its own way” but desires to perform everything to the wish of the Beloved—than to what pertains to our own benefit.” – An anonymous Ancient Christian Writer (ACW) known as the Incomplete Work on Matthew (Sermon 34).
PRAYER – O glorious advocate and protector, St Valentine,
look with pity upon our wants,
hear our requests,
attend to our prayers,
relieve by your intercession,
the miseries under which we labour
and obtain for us the divine blessing,
that we may be found worthy
to join you in praising the
Almighty for all eternity:
through the merits of
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 February – The Memorial of St Valentine (176-273) Bishop and Martyr
Deus Tuorum Militum
O God, of Those Who Fought Thy Fight
Unknown Author
O God, of those Who fought Thy fight,
Portion and Prize and crown of Light,
Break every bond of sin and shame,
As now we praise Thy Martyr’s name.
He recked not of the world’s allure,
But sin and pomp of sin forswore;
Knew all their gall and passed them by
And reached the throne prepared on high.
Bravely the course of pain he ran
And bore his torments as a man:
For love of Thee, his blood outpoured
And thus obtained the great reward.
With humble voice and suppliant word
We pray Thee, therefore, holy Lord,
While we Thy Martyr’s Feast-day keep,
Forgive Thy loved and erring sheep.
Glory and praise for aye be done
To God the Father and the Son,
And Holy Ghost, Who reign on high,
One God, to all eternity.
Amen
An Ambrosian hymn historically assigned for Matins and Vespers for the Common Feast of a Martyr in the Roman Breviary. It dates probably from the sixth century and is attributed to the Unknown Author of Rex Gloriose Martyrum and Jesu, Redemptor Omnium. The hymn exists in a longer version of eight strophes and a shorter one of four, which is probably earlier.
The Vatican antiphonary provided two different melodies for use in the Paschal season and during the Octave of the Nativity, during which the Feast of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr occurs.
The hymn is a prayer of the Catholic assembly, asking God to forgive the sins of His servants, on the day of the martyr’s triumph over the pleasures of the world and the torture of persecution.
One Minute Reflection – 13 February – Septuagesima Sunday – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-16
“Have I not a right to do what I choose? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Even so the last shall be first and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 20:15-16
REFLECTION – “One of the robbers crucified with Jesus cried out: “Lord, remember me; it is to you I now turn (…). Remember not my works, for of these I am afraid. Every man has a feeling for his fellow-traveller; I am travelling with you towards death; remember me, your fellow-wayfarer. I do not say, Remember me now, but, “when you come in your kingdom” (Lk 23:42).
What power, O robber, led you to the Light? Who taught you to worship that despised Man, your companion on the cross? O Light Eternal, which gives light to them that are in darkness! (Lk 1:79) “Take courage! Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” because “today you have heard my voice, and have not hardened your heart” (Ps 95[94]:8). Very speedily I passed sentence upon Adam … but you, who today have obeyed the faith, today is your salvation. By the tree Adam fell away; by the tree you are brought into paradise (…)
O mighty and ineffable grace! The faithful Abraham had not yet entered but the robber enters! Paul also wondered at this before you, saying, “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rom 5:20). They who had borne the heat of the day had not yet entered and he of the eleventh hour entered. Let none murmur against the Master of the House, for He says, “My friend, I am not cheating you. Am I not free to do as I wish with what is my own?” The robber has a will to work righteousness … I accept his faith … I, the Shepherd, have “found the sheep that was lost”; I lay it on my shoulders (Lk 15:5); since he himself has said, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.” … St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Father, Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech You, graciously hear the prayers of Your people, that we who are justly punished for our sins may be mercifully delivered for the glory of Your name. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 13 February – Septuagesima Sunday
O Lord, My God,
I Am Not Worthy
Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy
that You should come into my soul
but I rejoice that You have come to me
because, in Your loving kindness
You desire to dwell in me.
You ask me to open the door of my soul,
which You alone have created,
so that You may enter into it
with Your loving kindness
and dispel the darkness of my mind.
I believe that You will do this,
for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene
when she approached You in tears.
Neither did You withhold forgiveness
from the tax collector
who repented of his sins
or from the good thief
who asked to be received into Your kingdom.
Indeed, You numbered as Your friends,
all who came to You with repentant hearts.
O God, You alone are blessed always,
now and forever.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 12 February – The Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (1233) – Ecclus 44:1-15, Matthew 19:27-29
“… Jesus said to them, “Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ” … Matthew 19:28
REFLECTION – “In gift-giving it is not the gift itself, that God praises and approves but the will and sincerity of the giver. He excuses and holds more acceptable, the one who gave less but gave it with more perfect sincerity, than the one who gave more, from a fuller store but with less pure affection. Thus, from what is written about the gifts of the wealthy and from the two mites which the widow in the treasury sent for the poor, it is clear, that the same also happens to those who leave everything that they possess, for the love of God, so as to follow undistractedly the Christ of God. They will do everything according to His word.
The one who leaves the greater wealth is not more acceptable than the one who leaves the lesser. This is especially so if he leaves the lesser with his whole heart. What Peter left, along with his brother Andrew, was small and of no value but when they both heard, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men, immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Yet they were not valued lightly by God, who knew that they had done this with great love. God knew that even if they had been endowed with much wealth they would still not have been distracted by it, nor would their desire to follow Jesus have been thwarted by it ….
Those who follow the Saviour, therefore, will sit on the twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and will receive this power in the resurrection of the dead. For this is the regeneration, a new birth, when the new heaven and the new earth are established for those who renew themselves and a New Testament with it’s chalice is given.” … Origen (c 185-253) – Commentary on Matthew
PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, to keep alive the memory of Your most holy Mother’s sorrows, through the Seven holy Fathers enriched your Church with a new family of her Servants, graciously grant that we may be so united with them in their sorrows, as also to share their joys. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 12 February – The Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (1233) and Mary’s Day
Loving Mother
Prayer to Our Lady
From the Servite Vigil of our Lady I
Loving Mother,
woman of prayer,
we turn to you and pray:
support our prayers for ourselves,
for all your Servants,
for our friends and families,
for those who share the Christian faith
and for every person on earth,
that all may know peace and salvation.
Ask the Father that we may truly know Christ,
be filled with the gifts of the Spirit,
protected in all adversity
and freed from every evil.
Help us to build God’s kingdom:
a kingdom of everlasting praise,
a kingdom of justice and peace
that will endure forever and ever.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary at Lourdes
Hail! all Hail! Great Queen of Heaven,
Notre Dame de Lourdes
Unknown Author
First Published in 1905
Hail! all Hail! great Queen of Heaven,
Hail sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes,
‘Neath whose care our weary exile,
Is from countless ills secured.
Refrain:
Then let men and angels praise thee,
Fount of grace to all assured,
While in gladsome strains we are singing,
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes.
Blessed thou above all others,
Mary Mistress of the spheres,
Star of hope, serenely beaming
Through this darksome vale of tears.
Refrain
Happy angels joy to own thee,
O’er their choirs exalted high,
Throned in blissful light and beauty,
Empress of the starry sky.
Refrain
As the fount is still unsealing
Its pure treasures softly fair,
May each drop be fraught with healing,
Dearest Mother, at thy prayer.
Refrain
Our Morning Offering – 10 February
The One Thing Necessary
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
O my God,
help me to remember,
that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world
at the hour of death?
To love You, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin
and nothing else in this life,
for to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember,
that I came into this world with nothing
and shall take nothing from it, when I die.
To gain You, I must leave all.
But in loving You,
I already have all good things,
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help
and the eternal dwelling place
Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask
in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray,
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for You.
Grant me perseverance in doing Your will
and never let me be separated from You.
My God and my All,
make me a Saint!
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 9 February – The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5,13-19.
Jesus said to His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth.
… You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:13, 14
REFLECTION – “You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, He says but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you into two cities only or ten or twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when He says: You are the salt of the earth, He is indicating, that all mankind had lost its savour and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, He requires of these men, those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary, if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it, that these admirable fountains send out their streams, for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth, will order his life so as to contribute to the common good. …
Then He passes onto a more exalted comparison – You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world,” not of one nation or twenty cities but of the whole world. The light He means, is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful, serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents, dissipation, it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket. Here again, He is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them, to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Homily on Matthew).
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, longing for and rejoicing always in our heavenly home as St Cyril of Alexandria so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 February
Lord, for Tomorrow and its Needs
By Sister Mary Xavier (1877)
Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray;
keep me, my God, from stain of sin,
just for today.
Let me both diligently work
and duly pray;
let me be kind in word and deed,
just for today.
Let me no wrong or idle word
unthinking say;
set thou a seal upon my lips,
just for today.
And if today my tide of life
should ebb away,
give me Thy sacraments divine,
sweet Lord, today.
So, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray
but keep me, guide me, love me, Lord,
just for today.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 8 February – The Memorial of St John of Matha (1160-1213) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Matthew 12:35-40
“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning and you yourselves ,like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straightaway open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:35-37
REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But, it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain. May your door be open to Him Who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart, run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.
So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give light to all. Those who long to receive the Light, that shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church – (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).
PRAYER – All-powerful, eternal God and Father, grant us the grace of Your Spirit and fill us with the light of understanding and love. May we learn to truly pray and by our prayers to entreat You to bless us in Your goodness and lead us to true faith in Your eternal light and Word sent to redeem us. May we always be waiting and prepared to open the door of our hearts to Jesus Christ our Lord, who comes in light, love and peace. Grant that by the prayers of blessed Saint John of Matha we may be strengthened. Holy Mother, be our protection and our guide. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 February
Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban (543-615)
Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive Light
from You,
the Light Perpetual,
so that our own
personal darkness,
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen
(This is an excerpt from a much longer prayer and is taken from the wonderful Sermon XII by St Columban/us)
One Minute Reflection –7 February – The Memorial of St Romuald, Abbot (c 951-1027) – Ecclus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29.
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29
REFLECTION – “Seek for nothing, desiring to enter for love of Jesus, with detachment, emptiness and poverty in everything in this world. You will never have to do with necessities greater than those to which you made your heart yield itself – for the poor in spirit are most happy and joyful in a state of privation and he who has set his heart on nothing, finds satisfaction everywhere.
The poor in spirit (Mt 5:3) give generously all they have and their pleasure consists in being thus deprived of everything for God’s sake and out of love to their neighbour … Not only do temporal goods – the delights and tastes of the senses – hinder and thwart the way of God but spiritual delights and consolations also, if sought for or clung to eagerly, disturb the way of virtue.” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual maxims, nos. 352, 355,356, 364; 1693 edition)
PRAYER – Father of might and power, every good and perfect gift comes to us from You. Implant in our hearts the love of Your Name and Your creatures. Increase our zeal for Your service by following behind Your Son with determination and joy. Nourish in us what good and tend it with watchful care. Grant that the prayers and caring love of the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, may help us to follow Jesus our Saviour unreservedly and thus attain eternal life. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 February
Jesus, My Saviour, Help Me!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Jesus, my Saviour, help me!
I am resolved truly to love Thee
and to leave all, to please Thee.
Help me to free myself
from everything which hinders me
from belonging wholly to Thee,
Who has loved me so much.
By thy prayers, O Mother Mary,
which are so powerful with God,
obtain for me this grace,
to belong wholly to God.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 6 February – The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – Readings: Colossians 3:12-17, Matthew 13:24-30
“Suffer both to grow until the harvest” – Matthew 13:30
REFLECTION – “Nor must one imagine that the Body of the Church, just because it bears the name of Christ, is made up during the days of its earthly pilgrimage, only of members conspicuous for their holiness, or, that it consists only of those whom God has predestined to eternal happiness. It is owing to the Saviour’s infinite mercy, that place is allowed in His Mystical Body here below, for those whom, of old, He did not exclude from the banquet (cf. Mt 9:11). For not every sin, however grave it may be, is such as of its own nature to sever a man from the Body of the Church, as does schism or heresy or apostasy. Men may lose charity and divine grace through sin, thus becoming incapable of supernatural merit and yet, not be deprived of all life, if they hold fast to faith and Christian hope and if, illumined from above, they are spurred on, by the interior promptings of the Holy Spirit to salutary fear and are moved to prayer and penance for their sins.
Let everyone then abhor sin, which defiles the mystical members of our Redeemer but,, if anyone unhappily falls and his obstinacy has not made him unworthy of communion with the faithful, let him be received with great love and let eager charity see in him a weak member of Jesus Christ. For, as the Bishop of Hippo remarks –
“it is better to be cured within the Church’s community than to be cut off from its Body as incurable members. As long as a member still forms part of the Body, there is no reason to despair of its cure; once it has been cut off, it can be neither cured nor healed.’”- Venerable Pius XII (1876-1958) – Pope from 1939 to 1958 – Encyclical – Mystici Corporis Christi, 1943.
PRAYER – All-powerful and ever-living God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, help us in our battle with sin and the devil. By our prayers, Your holy sacraments and the strength of the Holy Spirit, may we be ever vigilant of the evil one. Hear the prayers of our Queen and Mother, the Blessed Virgin of Mercy on our behalf dear Lord. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 February – The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed
when we were Baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have You for our Father,
that we may abide in Your Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 4 February
Suscipe
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
Take, Lord
and receive all my liberty,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To You, Lord, I return it.
Everything is Yours,
do with it what You will.
Give me only Your love
and Your grace,
that is enough for me.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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