Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “Although the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars”

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One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Memorial of St Anacletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Petet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19

“Upon this rock I will build my church” – – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Although the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74[75],40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose Feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord Himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears: it they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show what they were capable of, before strengthening them, so that all might know, that their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1,13)…

Hence we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart: our Fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered, with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great – to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2 Cor 11,25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1 Cor 4,12-13)… And what shall we say of Peter? Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was…: his cross has been his road to Heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk Sermon 18, for the feast of S (ints Peter and Paul ; PL 195, 298).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Anacletus thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.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 CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION

Our Morning Offering – 13 July – Prayer for the Gift of Prayer By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 13 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” 1 Petet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19

Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us, all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your Name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 12 July – O Most Compassionate Jesus!

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Our Morning Offering – 12 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

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, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 July – ‘… It is no accident whether a person believes or not. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 11 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Memorial of St Pius I, Pope (Died c 154) Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee but My Father Who is in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:17

REFLECTION – “Faith in Me, He intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this He establishes throughout His discourses, showing, that this faith requires a noble sort of soul and one drawn on by God. The expression “that the Father gives Me” shows, that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows, that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to Me, shall be saved,” meaning, they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these, I took up flesh and the form of a servant.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of John 45)”

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Pius thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.. 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 JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, PURGATORY

Our Morning Offering – 11 July – Daily Offering to the Father

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Our Morning Offering – 11 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Daily Offering to the Father
Attri To St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood
of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home,
and in my family.
Amen

You might see fantastic claims for this prayer, especially printed on Holy Cards, such as the release of 1000 souls from Purgatory, each time it is prayed. Nowhere in St Gertrude’s writings, is this wild promise made so be careful of treating prayers and devotions as amulets or magical charms. And further, this prayer is claimed to have been written by heer but this is very uncertain.
The Church has summarily condemned prayer cards containing a promise to release one or more souls from Purgatory, or any other ‘miraculous’ claims.
Such an easy way to release 1,000 souls seems inconsistent with the Church’s understanding of Purgatory and, given all the means the Church employs to help the dead, such as special Masses or Indulgences applicable only to the dead.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – ‘ … Run with eager desire to this Source of Life …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 19:30-35

“But one of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth, Blood and water.” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Take thought now, redeemed man and consider how great and worthy is He, Who hangs on the Cross for you… Arise, then, beloved of Christ! Imitate the dove ‘that nests in a hole in the cliff’ (Jr 48:28), keeping watch at the entrance ‘like the sparrow that finds a home’(Ps 84:4). There, like the turtledove, hide your little ones, the fruit of your chaste love. Press your lips to the Fountain, draw water from the wells of your Saviour; for this is the spring flowing out of the middle of paradise, dividing into four rivers, inundating devout hearts, watering the whole earth and making it fertile.

Run with eager desire to this Source of Life and Light, all you who are vowed to God’s service. Come, whoever you maybe and cry out to Him, with all the strength of your heart. O indescribable Beauty of the most high God and purest Radiance of Eternal Light! Life that gives all life, Light that is the Source of every other light, preserving, in everlasting splendour, the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of Your Divinity from the dawn of time!

Eternal and inaccessible Fountain, clear and sweet stream, flowing from a hidden spring, unseen by mortal eye! None can fathom Your depths nor survey Your boundaries, none can measure Your breadth, nothing can sully Your purity. From You flows ‘the river which gladdens the city of God’ (Ps 46:5) and makes us cry out with joy and thanksgiving, in hymns of praise to You, for we know, by our own experience, that ‘with You is the Source of Life and in Your Light we see light’ (Ps 36:10).” – St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church (The Tree of Life, 29-30, 47, – Breviary)

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who made Thy Only Begotten Son the Redeemer of the world and willed to be reconciled by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to worship in this Sacred rite the price of our salvation and to be so protected by its power against the evils of the present life on earth, that we may enjoy its everlasting fruit in Heaven. 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).
Aspiration: Precious Blood, ocean of Divine Mercy, Flow upon us.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 10 July – Glory Be to Jesus, Who in Bitter Pain

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Our Morning Offering – 10 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” and the Solemnity of the Most Precious Bloodof our Lord Jesus Christ

Glory Be to Jesus,
Who in Bitter Pains
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori 1696–1787) [Attrib]
Transl. Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
(An Indulgence of 100 days)

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pain
Poured for me the life-Blood
From His sacred veins.

Grace and life eternal
In that Blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind.

Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream,
Which from endless torments
Dost the world redeem.

Abel’s blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the Blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Oft as it is sprinkled
On our guilty hearts,
Satan in confusion
Terror-struck departs.

Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel-hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

Lift ye then your voices;
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the Precious Blood.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”

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One Minute Reflection – 9 July – Our Holy Mother’s Saturday and the Feast of Our Lady Queen of Peace – Ecclesiasticus 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, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and, by the intercession of glorious and Blessed Mary, ever virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full 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).

Posted in HYMNS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES on PEACE

Our Morning Offering – 9 July – Most Gracious Mary, Queen of Peace

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Our Morning Offering – 9 July – Feast of Our Lady Queen of Peace

Most Gracious Mary, Queen of Peace
Unknown Author

Most gracious Mary, Queen of Peace
Embrace us with your love.
May our desire sincerely be,
To praise our God above.

Implore for us the Spirit’s gifts
To follow in your way;
Let wisdom and humility,
Guide all we do and say.

In confidence we witness Christ,
Whose Truth has set us free.
May we pursue what leads to peace,
For all humanity.
Amen

The Author of this Marian Hymn is unknown. With common meter (ie 8.6.8.6) it is sung to the tune New Britain ie the same tune that is widely used for Amazing Grace.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The SIN of PRESUMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – ‘ … the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood”– The Memorial of St Elizabeth Queen of Portugal TOSF (1271-1336) – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52.

“So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 13:49-50

REFLECTION – “Our Lord was an example of incomparable patience. He bore with a “devil” among His disciples even to His Passion (Jn 6,70). He said: “Let them grow together until the harvest lest you uproot the wheat when you pull out the weeds” (cf. Mt 13,29f.). As a symbol of the Church, He preached that the net would bring back to shore, namely the end of the world, every kind of fish, both good and bad. And He made it known, in various other ways, whether openly or in parables, that there would always be a mixture of good and bad. But, nevertheless, He stresses, that we have to protect the Church’s discipline when He says: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18,15)…

Yet today, we see people who think of nothing but stern commandments, who order that troublemakers be reproved, ‘not giving what is holy to the dogs,’ treating, like the publicans, ‘anyone who despises the Church, cutting off the scandalous member from the body‘ (Mt 7,6 ; 18,17 ; 5,30). Their stormy zeal so troubles the Church, that they pull out the weeds before their time and their blindness makes of them enemies, of the unity of Jesus Christ…

Take care not to let these presumptuous thoughts enter our hearts, trying to separate ourselves from sinners, so as not to be soiled by contact with them, wanting to form a band of pure and holy disciples. We will achieve nothing but breaking up our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. To the contrary, let us remember the parables of Scripture, their inspired words, their striking examples, where we are shown that, until the end of the world and the day of judgement, the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, so long as these latter, have not played a part in their sins.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (On Faith and Works – Excerpt ch 3-5)

PRAYER – Most merciful God, Who among other admirable gifts, endowed blessed Queen Elizabeth with the special grace of calming the tumult of war; grant by her intercession that, after the peace for which we humbly pray, we may attain everlasting 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).

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 8 July – An Old Morning Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 8 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood”

An Old Morning Prayer – Excerpt
From The Blossoms of the Cross — 1894
The Sisters of St Joseph

I rise In God’s strength,
In God’s power,
In the Agony of Christ,
In the Cross of Christ,
In Christ’s Precious Blood,
These will sustain me against my enemies,
visible and invisible.
I rise in the blessing of Christ
which my dearest Jesus left to the whole world.
Protect me, All-Holy Trinity,
God the Father, Who created me,
God, the Son, Who redeemed me in His Precious Blood,
God, the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in Holy Baptism.
God, the Father, I give myself to Thee!
God, the Son, I commend myself to Thee!
God, the Holy Ghost, teach me!
Mary, Mother of God, assist me!
All you Saints of God, pray for me!
All you Holy Angels, protect me!
The Cross of Christ preserve me!
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – ‘What harvest is this? …’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 July – The Memorial of Saint Cyril (827-869) and Saint Methodius (826-885) “Apostles to the Slavs,” Sibling Brother Bishops, Confessors – Romans 8:18-23, Luke 10:1-9

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send labourers into His harvest.” – Luke 10:2

REFLECTION – “The gospel that has just been read to us invites us to seek out what this harvest might be of which the Lord says to us that: “The harvest is indeed great, the laborers are few, so pray the lord of the harvest that He send labourers into His harvest.” So it was that,, in addition to those twelve disciples whom He called Apostles (those who have been sent), He sent out seventy-two others. All of them, as His own words reveal, were sent to work at a harvest that had already been prepared.  What harvest is this? They were not going to reap a harvest from the Gentiles, where nothing had yet been sown, so we must think of a harvest among the Jews. It was in order to reap this harvest that the Lord of the harvest came. But to the other peoples He sent, not reapers but sowers. Among the Jews, then, there was a harvest but elsewhere, the sowing. And it was particularly, while reaping among the Jews, that He chose the Apostles. Harvest time had come, the harvest was ripe, for the prophets had done their sowing among them…

Did not the Lord declare to His disciples: “You say the harvest will be a long time. I tell you, look up and see, the fields ripe for harvest,” (Jn 4,35)? And again, He said: “Others have done the work and you are sharing the fruits of their work,” (ibid v.38).  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the prophets, have done the work, they worked hard to sow the seed. At His coming, the Lord found the harvest to be ripe and He sent out the reapers, with the scythe of the Gospel.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 101).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of the blessed brothers, Cyril and Methodius, who, by the power of the Holy Ghost were moved to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PARTIAL Indulgence, PLENARY Indulgences, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 7 July – Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father By Servant of God Pope Pius VII

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Our Morning Offering – 7 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

By the Merit of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merit
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.

Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.

Note of Interest: On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and entered a trance and began to levitate, in a manner, that drew him to the Altar. This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among participants at the Mass , which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 July – ‘The Vessel of life …’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul – Romans 8:18-23, Luke 5:1-11

“And getting into one of the boats, the one that was Simon’s, He asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, He began to teach the crowds from the boat.” – Luke 5:3

REFLECTION – “Ordinarily, people are not given life on a boat but transported. Nor are they comforted on a vessel but anxious about its journey. Notice also, that this boat is not a boat that is given to Peter to be piloted — rather, it is the Church, which is committed to the Apostle to be governed. For this is the vessel that does not kill but gives life to those borne along by the storms of this world, as if by waves. Just as a little boat holds the dying fish that have been brought up from the deep, so also the vessel of the Church gives life to human beings who have been freed from turmoil. Within itself, I say, the Church gives life to those who are half-dead, as it were.” – St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420) Bishop, Father (Sermon 110).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Your Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things, the teaching of those, from whom she first received the faith. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 6 July – Your Blood, The Fire of Love!

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Our Morning Offering – 6 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Your Blood, The Fire of Love!
By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

O sweet Jesus, my Love,
to strengthen my soul
and to rescue it from the weakness
into which it has fallen,
You have built a wall around it
and have mixed the mortar with Your Blood,
confirming my soul and uniting it
to the sweet will and charity of God!
Just as lime mixed with water
is placed between stones to cement them together,
so You, O God, have placed between
Your creature and Yourself,
the Blood of Your only-begotten Son,
cemented with the divine lime
of the fire of ardent charity,
in such a way that there is no Blood
without fire, nor fire without Blood.
Your Blood was shed, O Christ, by the fire of love!
Amen.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Our Morning Offering – 25 June – John, the Chosen One

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Our Morning Offering – 25 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

John, the Chosen One
Lauds Hymn
for the Nativity of St John the Baptist
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

God called great prophets to foretell
the coming of His Son.
The greatest, called before His birth,
was John, the chosen one.

His life was filled with joy and hope;
he knew he must decrease,
and that we must prepare a place
where Jesus may increase.

John searched in solitude for Christ
and knew Him when He came.
He showed the world the Lamb of God
and hailed Him in our name.

That lonely voice cried out the truth
Derided and denied.
As witness to the law of God
His mighty Martyr died.

We praise You, Trinity in One,
the light of unknown ways,
the hope of all who search for You
whose love fills all our days.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 June – ‘ … They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi –1 Corinthians 11:23-29, John 6:56-59.

“For as often as you shall eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the Death of the Lord, until He comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26

REFLECTION – “In our offering of the Holy Sacrifice we fulfil the Command of our Saviour, as recorded by the Apostle Paul: The Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread and after He had given thanks, broke it and said: This is My Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. The same way, after the supper, He took the Cup saying: This Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you shall proclaim the Death of the Lord until He comes.

This Sacrifice is offered, then, to proclaim the Lord’s Death; it is offered in remembrance of Him Who laid down His Life for our sake. As He says: Greater love than this no man has, that he lay down his life for his friends. Because Christ died for us out of love, we ask, when we make remembrance of His Death, at the time of Sacrifice, that we too may be granted love through the coming of the Holy Spirit. We pray, that by the Love which Christ had for us when He braved the Cross, we may receive the grace of the Spirit and be crucified to the world and the world to us. The Death Christ died, He died to sin, once for all but the Life He lives, He lives to God. Let us imitate our Lord’s Death and also live a new life. Strengthened with the gift of His Love, let us die to sin and live for God.

For God’s Love has been poured out in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us. Indeed our sharing in the Lord’s Body and Blood, when we eat His Bread and drink His Cup, teaches us, that we should die to the world and that we should keep our life hidden with Christ in God, crucifying our flesh with its vices and evil desires.

That is why all the faithful who love God and their neighbour, truly drink the Cup of the Lord’s Love even though, they may not drink the cup of His Bodily Suffering. And becoming inebriated from it, they put to death, whatever in their nature is rooted in earth. They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not indulge fleshly desires. They do not fix their gaze on visible things but contemplate things, which the eye cannot see. Thus they drink the Lord’s Cup by preserving the holy bond of love; without it, even if a man should deliver his body to be burned, he gains nothing. But the gift of love enables us to become, in reality, what we celebrate as Mystery in the Sacrifice.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533) Bishop, Father (An excerpt from Against Fabianus).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that we may always fear and love Thy Holy Name, for Thou never fails to guide those whom Thou firmly establish in Thy love. 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).
MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. – Indulgence 100 Days, Once a Day. Raccolta 161 Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 23 June – O Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Gertrude the Great

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Our Morning Offering – 23 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart”

O Sacred Heart of Jesus
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Fountain of eternal life,
Your Heart is a glowing Furnace of Love.
You are my Refuge and my Sanctuary.
O my adorable and loving Saviour,
consume my heart with the burning fire
with which Your Heart is enflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces
which flow from Your love.
Let my heart be united with Your Heart.
Let my will be conformed to Your Will in all things.
May Your Will be the Rule of all my desires and actions.
Amen

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, PLENARY Indulgences, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 June – ‘ … Even if they are signed with His Name

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One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“ … For he who eats and drinks unworthily, … eats and drinks judgement upon himself.”- 1 Corinthians 29

REFLECTION – “Christ has hidden enemies. All those who live unjust and irreligious lives are Christ’s enemies, even if they are signed with His Name and are called ‘Christians’ I mean the ones to whom he is going to say, “I do not know you” and they say to him, “Lord, in your name we ate and drank. In your name, we performed many deeds of power. What did we eat and drink in your name?”

You see that they did not value their food very highly and yet, it was with reference to It, that they said they belonged to Christ. Christ is the Food that is eaten and drunk. Even Christ’s enemies eat and drink Him! The faithful know the Lamb without spot on which they feed, if only they fed on It in such a way that they are not liable to punishment! The Apostle says, “Whoever eats and drinks unworthily is eating and drinking judgment upon himself.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 308).

PRAYER – O God, Who promised to those who forsake all things in this world for Thee, a hundred-fold reward in the world to come and life everlasting, mercifully grant that, following closely in the footsteps of the holy Bishop, Paulinus, we may look upon earthly things as nought and long only for those of Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
SWEET HEART of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more! – Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – Plenary Once a Month – Raccolta 162 – Pope Pius IX 26 November 1876.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on STRENGTH, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 22 June – Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart!

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Our Morning Offering – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

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

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

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – He who eats this Bread shall live forever. John 6:59

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One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Tuesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – Christ is “the bread of life” for those who believe in Him: to believe in Christ is to eat the bread of life, to possess Christ within one, is to possess eternal life…
“I am the bread of life,” He says; “your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they are dead” (Jn 6,48f). By this is to be understood ,spiritual death. Why are they dead? Because they believed in what they saw and did not understand what they could not see… Moses ate manna, Aaron ate it and many others, too, who pleased God and are not dead. Why are they not dead? Because they understood, in a spiritual fashion, they were spiritually hungry, they tasted the manna spiritually, so that they might be spiritually satisfied. “This is the bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats it will never die” (v.50).
This manna – that is to say, Christ, who Himself spoke like this…, was prefigured by the manna but was able to do more than manna could. For manna could not, of itself, prevent dying spiritually… But the righteous saw Christ in the manna, they believed in His coming and Christ, of whom manna was the symbol, grants to all who believe in Him that they should not spiritually die. Hence He says: “This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats it will never see death.” Here on earth, here now, before your eyes, your eyes of flesh: here is to be found the “bread from heaven” (v.51). The “bread of life” we spoke of a moment ago is now called “living bread.” Living bread because it contains, within itself, the life that abides and can deliver from spiritual death and bestow life. First He said: “Whoever eats it will never die” now he speaks clearly, concerning the life He gives: “Whoever eats this bread will live for ever” (v.58). Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190) Cistercian – The Sacrament of the Altar II

PRAYER – O God, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, Thy Kingdom come!
Indulgence 300 Days. Everytime Raccolta 178 St Pius X, 4 May 1906.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PARTIAL Indulgence, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – O DIVINE Heart of JESUS, Pope Leo XIII

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Our Morning Offering – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart”

O DIVINE Heart of JESUS
Pope Leo XIII
Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day
Raccolta 167
13 March 1901.

O DIVINE Heart of JESUS,
grant, we beseech Thee,
eternal rest to the souls in purgatory,
the final grace to those who shall die today,
true repentance to sinners,
the light of the faith to pagans
and Thy Blessing to me and mine.
To Thee, O most compassionate Heart of JESUS!
I commend all these souls
and I offer to Thee, on their behalf,
all Thy merits,
together with the merits
of Thy most Holy Mother
and of all the Saints, Angels
and all the Sacrifices of the Holy Mass,
Communions, prayers and good works,
which shall be accomplished today,
throughout the Christian world.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Could anything be of more intrinsic value? St Thomas Aquinas

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One Minute Reflection – 20 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Pope Silverius (Died 538) Martyr – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – “Since it was the Will of God’s Only-Begotten Son, that men should share in His Divinity, He assumed our nature in order that, by becoming Man. He might make men gods . Moreover, when He took our flesh. He dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered His Body to God the Father, on the Altar of the Cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His Blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed, from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His Body as food and His Blood as drink, for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet which brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law, it was the flesh of calves and goats, which was offered but here, Christ Himself, the True God, is set before us as our food! What could be more wonderful than this? No other Sacrament has greater healing power; through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all, may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no-one can fully express the sweetness of this Sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which, we renew the memory, of that surpassing love for us, which Christ revealed in His Passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love, more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful, that our Lord instituted this Sacrament at the Last Supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual memorial of His Passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all His Miracles, while, for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Dominican Priest and Theologian, Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from On the Feast of the Body of Christ).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Sylvester thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. 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).
O HEART of love, I place all my trust in Thee; for though I fear all things from my weakness, I hope all things from Thy mercies. – Ejaculation of Saint Margaret Mary – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 180 St Pius X, 3 June 1908.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MISSION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 June – Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city …’ Luke 14:21

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One Minute Reflection – 19 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Solemnity of Corpus Christ. Sunday within the Octave – 1 John 3:13-18. Luke 14:16-24.

“The servant went and reported this to his Master. Then the Master of the house was angry and commanded His servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here, the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame…” – Luke 14:21

REFLECTION – “He turned to the Gentiles from the careless scorn of the rich. He invites both good and evil to enter, in order to strengthen the good and change the disposition of the wicked for the better. The saying that was read today is fulfilled, “Then wolves and lambs will feed together.” He summons the poor, the maimed and the blind. By this, He shows us, either that handicaps do not exclude us from the Kingdom of Heaven that the Lord’s mercy forgives the weakness of sinners. Whoever glories in the Lord, glories as one redeemed from reproach, not by works but by faith.

He sends them into the highways because Wisdom sings aloud in passages. He sends them to the streets because He sent them to sinners, so that they should come from the broad paths, to the narrow way which leads to life. He sends them to the highways and hedges . They, who are not busied with any desires for present things, hurry to the future on the path of goodwill. Like a hedge, which separates the wild from the cultivated and wards off the attacks of wild beasts, they can distinguish between good and evil and extend a rampart of faith against the temptations of spiritual wickedness.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 7).

PRAYER – O God, Who miraculously fortified blessed Juliana, Thy Virgin, in her last illness with the precious Body of Thy Son, grant, we beseech Thee, that with her merits pleading for us, we also, refreshed and strengthened by the same Sacrament in our dying agony, may be brought to our heavenly home. 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).
MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen. Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 161 Pope Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, Our MORNING Offering, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 June – O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

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Our Morning Offering – 19 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Solemnity of Corpus Christ.
Sunday within the Octave

O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
By The League of the Sacred Heart
1929 (Ireland)

O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
overflowing with gentleness,
tenderness and charity,
I bury in the abyss of Thy Mercy,
all my iniquities and all my negligence.
I offer Thee
my labours and my sufferings,
my sorrows and my miseries,
I recommend to Thee
my life and my death.
Solace my doubts Sweet Jesus,
calm my fears
and grant, that day-by-day,
I may become more united to Thy Sacred Heart,
learning Thy love and Thy holiness.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 18 June – O Mary, Mother of God By St Ephrem

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Our Morning Offering – 18 June – The Memorial of St Ephrem of Syria (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

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

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

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, INDULGENCES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – ‘… The very substance of eternal life!’

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One Minute Reflection – 17 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Friday within the Octave of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.”- John 6:59

REFLECTION – “It is wonderful that God rained manna on our fathers and they were fed with daily food from Heaven. And so it is written: Man ate the bread of angels. Yet, those who ate that bread all died in the desert. But the food that you receive, that living Bread which came down from Heaven, supplies the very substance of eternal life, and whoever will eat it, will never die, for it is the Body of Christ!

Consider now which is the more excellent – the bread of Angels or the Flesh of Christ, which is indeed the Body that gives Life. The first was manna from Heaven, the second is above the Heavens. One was of Heaven, the other is of the Lord of the Heavens; one subject to corruption if it was kept till the morrow, the other free from all corruption, for if anyone tastes of it with reverence, he will be incapable of corruption. For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, Blood flows from Christ. Water satisfied their thirst for a time; Blood cleanses you forever. The Jew drinks and still thirsts but when you drink, you will be incapable of thirst. What happened in symbol is now fulfilled in reality.

If what you marvel at is a shadow, how great is the reality, whose very shadow you marvel at. Listen to this, which shows, that what happened in the time of our fathers was but a shadow. They drank, it is written, from the rock that followed them and the Rock was Christ! All this took place as a symbol for us. You know now what is more excellent – Light is preferable to its shadow, reality to its symbol, the Body of the Giver, to the manna He gave from Heaven.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from On the Mysteries).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous Sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
MAY the HEART of JESUS be loved everywhere. 100 Days, Indulgence Once a day – Pope Pius IX 23 September 1860.

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 17 June – Be the Heart of My Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 17 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart”

Be the Heart of My Heart
By St John Eudes (1601-1680)
Apostle of the Sacred Heart

O Heart all Lovable
and all Loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole Principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen

St John Eudes is the Author of the Proper for the Mass and Divine Office of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin. St John was an ardent proponent of the Sacred Heart and dedicated himself to it’s promotion and celebration. The Masses he compiled for both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were both first celebrated during his lifetime. He preached missions across France, including Paris and Versailles, while earning recognition as a popular Evangelist and Confessor. St John Eudes was also a prolific writer and wrote on the two Holy Hearts despite opposition from the Jansenists.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 June – ‘… Whoever does not dwell in Christ …’

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One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him..” – John 6:57

REFLECTION – “Or think of it this way: Whereas people desire meat and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst, real satisfaction is produced, only by that meat and drink that make the receivers of it, immortal and incorruptible. He’s talking here about the fellowship of the saints where there is peace and unity, full and perfect. Therefore, our Lord has chosen, for the types of His Body and Blood, things that become one out of many.

Bread is a quantity of grains united into one mass, wine a quantity of grapes squeezed together. Then He explains what it is to eat His Body and drink His Blood: “He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him.” So then, to partake of that Meat and that Drink, is to dwell in Christ and Christ in you. Whoever does not dwell in Christ and in whom, Christ does not dwell, neither eats His Flesh nor drinks His Blood; rather, he eats and drinks the Sacrament of it, to his own damnation!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 26).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption. 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).
EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us.
COR JESU Eucharisticum, cordis sacerdotalis exemplar, miserere nobis. – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 177 St Pius X, 11 September 1907.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – Lauda Sion Salvatorem

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Our Morning Offering – 16 June – Corpus Christ, The Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

Lauda Sion Salvatorem
Sion, Lift Up thy Voice and Sing
(Excerpt)
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

Sion, lift thy voice and sing,
Praise thy Saviour and thy King,
Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true,
Dare thy most to praise Him well,
For He doth all praise excel,
None can ever reach His due.

Special theme of praise is Thine,
That true living Bread divine,
That life-giving flesh adored,
Which the brethren twelve received,
As most faithfully believed,
At the Supper of the Lord.

Let the chant be loud and high,
Sweet and tranquil be the joy
Felt to-day in every breast;
On this festival divine
Which recounts the origin
Of the glorious Eucharist.

St Thomas Aquinas wrote the Liturgy for Corpus Christi when Pope Urban IV added the Solemnity to the universal Church’s Liturgical calendar in 1264. He provided a great sequence, one of the great poems chanted or recited before the proclamation of the Gospel.
Lauda Sion is one of only four medieval sequences which were preserved in the Roman Missal published in 1570 following the Council of Trent (1545–1563)—the others being Victimae Paschali Laudes (Easter), Veni Sancte Spiritus (Pentecost) and Dies irae (requiem masses).
(A fifth, Stabat Mater, would later be added in 1727.)
Before Trent, many feasts had their own sequences. The existing versions were unified in the Roman Missal promulgated in 1570.
The Lauda Sion is still sung today as solemn Eucharistic hymn, though its use is optional in the post-Vatican II Ordinary form.
As with St Thomas’s other three Eucharistic Hymns, the last few stanzas of the Lauda Sion are often used alone, in this case, to form the “Ecce Panis Angelorum”.