Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

One Minute Reflection – 3 January – ‘Rise up!’

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One Minute Reflection – 3 January – “Month and Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Readings: John 3: 22 – 4: 6; Psalm 2: 7bc-8, 10-11; Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25

“The people who sat in darkness, have seen a great light and to them who sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.” – Matthew 4:16

REFLECTION – “Because human nature, petrified by the cult of idols and solidified by the ice of paganism, had lost all its motivation towards the good, because of this, the Sun of Justice rises over that rigorous winter and brings in the spring. Just as the rays are rising in the East, the south wind causes this ice to melt by warming the whole mass, so that man, made rigid by the cold, should be penetrated by the Spirit with heat and melt under the rays of the Word and once again, he might become a spring, bubbling up to life eternal. “A breath from him and the waters flow” (Ps. 147:7 LXX). This is what the Baptist openly proclaimed to the Jews, when he told them that the stones would rise up to become children of the Patriarch (cf. Mt 3:9), imitating his virtue.

This is what the Church learns from the Word, when it receives the brightness of truth, through the windows of the prophets and the trellis of the Law. So long as the wall of doctrine and its figurative expression remains, I mean the Law, (cf. Sg 3:9) it shows the shadow of things to come but not the image itself of the realities. But behind the law stands the Truth that follows the figure. First of all it makes the Word shine out for the Church through the prophets, then the Gospel revelation dissipates all shadowy performance in figures. Through it “the dividing wall is broken down” (Eph 2:14) and the air in the house is invaded by celestial light: there is no more need any longer to receive light through the windows, since the true Light itself lightens everything inside, with the rays of the Gospel.

This is why the Word Who raises the broken cries to the Church through the windows: Rise up (from your fall, of course), you who slid in the mud of sin, who were chained by the serpent, who fell to the ground and whom disobedience dragged into falling. Rise up!” – St Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-395) Monk and Bishop, Father of the Church (The Spiritual Spring).

PRAYER – The Love of Your Name

“My God, Sweetness beyond words,
make bitter all the carnal comfort
that draws me from love of the eternal
and lures me to its evil self,
by the sight of some delightful good
in the present.
Let it not overcome me, my God.
Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory
deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness.
Give me courage to resist,
patience to endure
and constancy to persevere.
Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit,
rather than all the consolations of the world
and in place of carnal love,
infuse into me the love of Your Name.”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ
(Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, LITANIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 3 January – The Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 3 January – “Month and Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus”

The Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus received the Church’s approval for private use by Pope Sixtus V in 1585, and public recitation by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. It is one of only six litanies approved for public use.
When this litany is prayed publicly, the congregation’s responses to a leader appear in italics below.

The LITANY of The MOST
HOLY NAME OF JESUS

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us (after each line)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Jesus, Son of the living God,
Jesus, Splendour of the Father,
Jesus, Brightness of eternal Light,
Jesus, King of Glory,
Jesus, Sun of Justice,
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary,
Jesus, most amiable,
Jesus, most admirable,
Jesus, the mighty God,
Jesus, father of the world to come,
Jesus, Angel of great counsel,
Jesus, most powerful,
Jesus, most patient,
Jesus, most obedient,
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Jesus, Lover of chastity,
Jesus, Lover of us,
Jesus, God of peace,
Jesus, Author of life,
Jesus, Example of virtues,
Jesus, zealous Lover of souls,
Jesus, our God,
Jesus, our Refuge,
Jesus, Father of the poor,
Jesus, Treasure of the faithful,
Jesus, good Shepherd,
Jesus, true Light,
Jesus, eternal Wisdom,
Jesus, infinite Goodness,
Jesus, our Way and our Life,
Jesus, Joy of Angels,
Jesus, King of Patriarchs,
Jesus, Master of the Apostles,
Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists,
Jesus, Strength of Martyrs,
Jesus, Light of Confessors,
Jesus, Purity of Virgins,
Jesus, crown of all Saints,
Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
From all evil, deliver us, O Jesus. (after each line)
From all sin,
From Thy wrath,
From the snares of the devil,
From the spirit of fornication,
From everlasting death,
From the neglect of Thine inspirations,
By the Mystery of Thy holy Incarnation,
By Thy Nativity,
By Thine Infancy,
By Thy most divine Life,
By Thy labors,
By Thine agony and Passion,
By Thy Cross and dereliction,
By Thy sufferings,
By Thy Resurrection,
By Thine Ascension,
By Thine institution of the most Holy Eucharist,
By Thy joys,
By Thy glory,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Jesus.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray:

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who hast said:
Ask and ye shall receive,
seek and ye shall find,
knock and it shall be opened unto you;
mercifully attend to our supplications
and grant us the gift of Thy divine charity,
that we may ever love Thee
with our whole heart
and with all our words and deeds
and may never cease from praising Thee.
Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear
and love of Thy holy Name,
for Thou never failest to help
and govern those whom
Thou dost bring up
in Thy steadfast fear and love.
Who livest and reignest for ver and ever.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", Archbishop Alban GOODIER SJ, CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 January – Jesus is ….

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One Minute Reflection – 2 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – and the Feast of the Holy Name celebrated today (Feast 3 January), Readings: Epistle Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 105:47, Isa 63:16, Ps 144:21, Gospel Luke 2:21-24

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus”…Luke 2:21

REFLECTION – “The Name stands as a complete summary and description of our Lord’s character and office and it is under this aspect that it has been regarded by thousands of Saints, whose hearts have melted at its mere sound. To them Jesus is their God, Jesus is their King, Jesus is their Redeemer, Jesus is their Mediator, Jesus is their Saviour, Jesus is their great Priest, Jesus is their Intercessor, Jesus is the Captain under Whom they fight, Jesus is the Leader Whom they follow, Jesus is their Teacher, Jesus is the Giver of their law, Jesus is the Spouse and Shepherd of their souls, Jesus is their Light, Jesus is their Life, Jesus is the Judge before Whom they rejoice to think, that they must one day stand, Jesus is their final and eternal Reward, for which alone they live.

But He is also to them the Mirror of all the most glorious and winning virtues. He is, and His Name tells them that He is, unbounded Charity, infinite Mercy, extremest Kindness, deepest Humility, most devoted Piety, transparent Simplicity, uttermost Poverty, Chastity without a stain. It is the prerogative of love to transform those who love into the likeness of Him Whom they love and as the mere name of one who is loved cannot sound in the ear or be thought of in the mind, without adding to the love which is already there, so the thought of the Holy Name and the mention of the Holy Name have a kind of sacramental power in the hearts of His Saints. The [name] seems to convey the grace which enables men to think like Him, to speak like Him, to act like Him, to sacrifice themselves like Him and to Him and for Him and along with Him, to make Him known to others, not by word only but also by reproduction of Him in themselves and to win all men to love Him.” – Fr Alban Goodier SJ (1869-1939) Archbishop – Excerpted from The Prince of Peace.

PRAYER – O God, who founded the salvation of the human race on the Incarnation of Your Word, give Your people the mercy they implore, so that all may know there is no other Name to be invoked but the Name of Your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 2 January – Jesu, Dulcis Memoria

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Our Morning Offering – 2 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” and the Feast of the Holy Name celebrated today (Feast 3 January)

Jesu, Dulcis Memoria
Prayer, Poem, Hymn
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor Mellifluous
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.
No voice can sing,
no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find?
Ah! this Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shall be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity.
Amen

Jesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century prayer/hymn by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluous. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the translation. Parts of this hymn are used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus on 3 January.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, The HOLY NAME, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 January – ‘Hallowed be Thy Name’ – New Year Resolution?

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One Minute Reflection – 1 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – – The Octave Day of the Nativity of Jesus and the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, Readings: Titus 2:11-15; Luke 2:21.

“At that time, after eight days were accomplished that the Child should be circumcised. His Name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb.” – Luke 2:21

REFLECTION – “In the Old Law (Gen 22;12), it was required that every male child should, on the eighth day after his birth, be circumcised and thus admitted among God’s chosen people. The rite of circumcision in the Old Law, corresponded to the Sacrament of Baptism in the New Law and was the means of remitting original sin. Our Lord, although free from every sin, submitted to this rit,e in order to show, that He was a true Son of Abraham, to manifest respect and obedience to the established law and to prove that He had a real human body. At the time of circumcision, a name was given to the child. Our Lord was called Jesus, which signified His office as Saviour. On this Feast of the Circumcision, therefore, it is most appropriate that we should meditate on the first petition of the Lord’s prayer, “hallowed be thy name.”
I. The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer. 1. In the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer we ask that God’s Name may be honoured, which shows that God’s glory should be our chief desire. 2. This petition does not mean, that God’s essential glory or perfection should be increased, nor that the honour given Him on earth, should be equal to that shown Him in heaven.
II. The objects of this petition. We ask: 1. That we may praise God with our hearts and lips; 2. That those in error may be brought to recognise and revere His Church; 3. That sinners may be converted to His service; 4. That men may learn to refer all blessings to Him as to their Author and Source.
CONCLUSION. Our conduct should be in conformity with this petition, I. Catholics must not cause the Name of God or of His Church to be profaned by their own evil words and, actions. 2. On the contrary, by clean speech and good example, Catholics ought to excite others to exalt the Name of God, to respect the Faith of Christ and to honour His Church. 3. Good resolutions for the New Year.” Excerrpt Catechism of the Council of Trent, (Part IV – Hallowed be Thy Name).

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jeus Christ, may Your Name be hallowed on earth as it is in Heaven. May we bow our heads and revere and honour the Holy Name and teach others to do the same. We offer our hearts and penances in reparation to You for the blasphemies suffered each moment of each day and we resolve to do all in our power to amend this evil. We make our prayer, through Your Son, Jesus our Saviour in union with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.

Posted in Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY NAME, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 1 January – To Christ Crucified

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Our Morning Offering – 1 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord

“His name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel, before He was conceived in the womb” — Luke 2:21

To Christ Crucified
Traditional Irish Prayer
Trans. Brendan Devlin

May the sweet Name of Jesus
Be written deeply
on my heart and mind.
Through the power of His Passion,
Through the force of His Prayer,
Through the shedding of His Blood,
Through the sweetness of His Sweetness,
Through His cruel Death on the Cross,
for the sake of us all.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
be the Saviour of our souls.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus
and Jesus, be with me,
the bond of love,
binding us together
and never be loosed.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The INCARNATION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

One Minute Reflection – 31 December – ‘… He sent His own Mind into the world, as its Lord. …’

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One (maybe 3 minutes today 😘) Minute Reflection – 31 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas, Readings: 1 John 2:18-21, Psalms 96:1-2, 11-12, 13, John 1:1-18

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

REFLECTION – “There is only one God, brethren and we learn about Him only from Sacred Scripture. It is,therefore, our duty to become acquainted with what Scripture proclaims and to investigate its teachings thoroughly. We should believe them in the sense that the Father wills, thinking of the Son, in the way the Father wills and accepting the teaching He wills to give us, with regard to the Holy Spirit. Sacred Scripture is God’s gift to us and it should be understood in the way that He intends: we should not do violence to it by interpreting it according to our own preconceived ideas.

God was all alone and nothing existed but Himself, when He determined to create the world. He thought of it, willed it, spoke the word and so made it. It came into being instantaneously, exactly as He had willed. It is enough then for us to be aware of a single fact, nothing is co-eternal with God. Apart from God, there was simply nothing else. Yet, although He was alone, He was manifold because He lacked neither reason, wisdom, power, nor counsel. All things were in Him and He Himself, was all. At a moment of His own choosing and, in a manner determined by Himself, God manifested His Word and through Him, He made the whole universe.

When the Word was hidden within God Himself, He was invisible to the created world but God made Him visible. First God gave utterance to His Voice, engendering Light from Light and then, He sent His own Mind into the world, as its Lord. Visible before to God alone and not to the world, God made Him visible. so that the world could be saved by seeing Him. This Mind that entered our world was made known as the Son of God. All things came into being through Him but He alone is begotten by the Father.

The Son gave us the law and the prophets and He filled the prophets with the Holy Spirit, to compel them to speak out. Inspired by the Father’s power, they were to proclaim the Father’s purpose and His will.

So the Word was made manifest, as Saint John declares when, summing up all the sayings of the prophets, he announces that this is the Word through Whom the whole universe was made. He says – In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Through Him all things came into being; not one thing was created without Him. And further on he adds: The world was made through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He entered His own creation and His own did not receive Him.” – St Hippolytus of Rome (Died c 236) Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr (An excerpt from his A Treatise against Noetus, Book 1).

PRAYER – All-powerful, ever-living God, we thank You for the human birth of Your Son, which is the source and perfection of our Christian life and worship. Number us among His people, for the salvation of all mankind is found in Him, for the Word became flesh who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CREEDS, I BELIEVE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Our Morning Offering – 31 December – The Apostles’ Creed

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Our Morning Offering – 31 December – The Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 30 December – Beloved and Most Holy Word of God

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Our Morning Offering – 30 December – The Sixth Day of the Octave of Christmas

Beloved and Most Holy Word of God
By St James of the Marches (1391-1476)

Beloved and most holy Word of God!
You enlighten the hearts of the faithful,
You satisfy the hungry,
console the afflicted.
You make the souls of all,
productive of good
and cause all virtues to blossom.
You snatch souls
from the devil’s jaw.
You make the wretched holy
and men of earth,
citizens of heaven!
Amen

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

One Minute Reflection – 29 December – ‘ … light your candles with His Light…’

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One Minute Reflection – 29 December – The Fifth Day of the Octave of Christmas, Readings: 1 John 2:3-11, Psalms 96:1-2, 2b-3, 5-6, Luke 2:22-35 and the Memorial of St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170) Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury

“A light for revelation to the Gentiles” – Luke 2:32

REFLECTION – “Who is there today who, as he holds a lighted candle in his hand, does not immediately think of the old man who today received Jesus in his arms, the Word in the flesh, the Light in the wax and who bore witness ,that He was the Light that shines upon all nations? The old man was himself a burning flame that enlightens and gives witness to the Light, he who, in the Holy Spirit with which he was filled, came to receive, O God, your love within your Temple (Ps 47[48],10) and bear witness, that You are the Love and Light of Your people…

Rejoice, just old man, look now at what you had once foreseen, darkness has disappeared from the world, the nations walk by Your Light (Is 60,3). The whole earth is filled with the glory (Is 6,3) of this Light which, in the past, you used to hide in your heart and which today, illumines your eyes… Embrace the Wisdom of God, O blessed old man and may your youth be renewed (Ps 102[103],5). Receive the mercy of God in your heart and your old age will know the sweetness of mercy. “He will rest in my bosom,” says Scripture (Wsd 1,12). Even when I give Him back to His Mother, He will continue to dwell with me, my heart will be filled with His mercy and, even more, the heart of His Mother… I give thanks and rejoice for you, full of grace, for you gave birth to the Mercy I have received – the Candle which you prepared, I am holding in my hands…

And you, brethren, look at the Candle that burns in the hands of Simeon, light your candles with His Light… Then, not only will you bear a Light in your hands but you yourselves, will be a light for others. A Light in your hearts, a Light in your lives, a Light for your brothers and sisters.” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c 1080-1157), Cistercian Abbot (1st Sermon for the Purification, 2-3).

PRAYER – God our Father, our human nature is the wonderful work of Your hands. Your Son took to Himself our manhood, grant us a share in His Sonship, that as co-heirs with Him, we may strive evermore obediently to gain our final home with the Blessed Virgin, St Thomas à Becket and all Your saints. Through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, now and for evermore, amen.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 29 December – O Dearest Infant by St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 29 December – The Fifth Day of the Christmas Octave

O Dearest Infant
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O dearest Infant,
tell me what You came on earth to do.
Tell me whom You are seeking.
Ah, yes, I now understand…
You have come to die for me, a lost sheep,
in order that I may no more
hide from You but love You.
O Jesus, my treasure,
my life, my love, my all,
if I do not love You,
then whom shall I love?
Where can I find a mother or father,
a friend, or a spouse more loving than You?
And who has ever loved me more than You have?
I am sorry that I have lived so many years in this world
and yet still love You so little,
even having offended You
and sometimes forgotten You.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 December – They could not yet speak but already, they are confessing Christ.

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One Minute Reflection – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents and the Fourth Day of the Christmas Octave, Readings: 1 John 1:5-2:2, Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 2:13-18

“When Herod realised that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the Magi.“” – Matthew 2:16

REFLECTION – “Why, Herod, do you fear when you hear a King is born? He has not come to dethrone you but to overthrow the devil. But you fail to understand, you take fright and fall into a fury. Because you lost the single child you were seeking, you become the cruel murderer of the many. Neither the weeping mothers’ love, nor the mourning of fathers weeping for their sons, nor the screams and howling of the children themselves, holds you back. You massacre these little ones in their bodies because fear is killing you, in your heart. And you think that, if you achieve your end, you will live on for a long time, whereas it is Life itself you are trying to kill! He Who is the source of grace, Who is both small and great, Who is lying in a manger, causes your throne to topple. He accomplishes His design through you, without your knowing it. He gathers together the children of your enemies and makes of them, children of adoption.

These little ones died for Christ without knowing it ; their parents weep for the death of Martyrs. Although they were unable to speak, Christ made them capable of being His Witnesses. See how this King reigns. Already He is setting free and bestowing salvation. But as for you, Herod, you are oblivious of what is happening, you take fright and fall into a rage. And when you get annoyed with a little Child, you are already placing yourself at His service without realising it.

How great the gift of grace is! What are the merits by which these children won the victory? They could not yet speak but already, they are confessing Christ. Their little bodies are as yet unable to engage in combat but already, they are carrying off the Palm of Victory.” – St Quodvultdeus (Died c 453) Father, Bishop at Carthage fromc 437-c 450 (Second sermon on the Creed; PL40, 655).

PRAYER – We praise You, O God, we acclaim You as Lord, the white-robed army of Martyrs praise You. (From the Te Deum).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 28 December – O Jesus, Dear Holy Child By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents and the Fourth |Day of the Octave of Christmas

O Jesus, Dear Holy Child
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)
Doctor of the Church

O Jesus,
dear Holy Child,
my only treasure,
I abandon myself to Thy every whim.
I seek no other joy
than that of calling forth Thy sweet Smile.
Vouchsafe to me, the graces and the virtues
of Thy Holy Childhood,
so that, on the day of my birth into Heaven,
the Angels and Saints
may recognise in Thy Spouse,
Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 27 December – St John, An Exile for the Faith

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Our Morning Offering – 27 December – Feast of St John the Evangelist and the Third Day of the Christmas Octave

An Exile for the Faith
Trans. from the Latin
Fr Edward Caswall C. Orat. (1814–1878)

An exile for the faith
Of thy Incarnate Lord,
Beyond the stars, beyond all space,
Thy soul imprisoned soared:
There saw in glory Him,
Who liveth and was dead;
There Judah’s Lion and the Lamb
That for our ransom bled.

There of the Kingdom learnt
The mysteries sublime;
How, sown in Martyrs’ blood, the faith
Should spread from clime to clime.
The Holy City, bathed
In her dear Spouse’s Light,
Pure seat of bliss, thy spirit saw
And gloried in the sight.

Now to the Lamb’s clear fount,
To drink of life their fill,
Thou callest all; O Lord, in me
This blessed thirst instil.
To Jesus, Virgin-born,
Praise with the Father be,
Praise to the Spirit Paraclete,
Through all eternity.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 December – “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” – Acts 7:60

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One Minute Reflection – 26 December – Feast of St Stephen the ProtoMartyr and The Second Day in the Christmas Octave, Readings: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Psalm31:3-4, 6, 8, 16-17, Matthew 10:17-22

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them” – Acts 7:60

REFLECTION – “Let us imitate our Lord and pray for our enemies … He was Crucified yet, at the same time, prayed to His Father for the sake of those who were crucifying Him. But how could I possibly imitate our Lord, one might ask? If you want to, you can. If you were not able to do it, how could He have said: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”? (Mt 11:29) …

If you have difficulty in imitating our Lord, at least imitate him who is also His servant, His Deacon – I would speak of Stephen. Just as Christ, in the midst of those crucifying Him, without considering the cross, without considering His own predicament, pleaded with the Father on behalf of His tormentors (Lk 23:34), so His servant, surrounded by those who were stoning him, attacked by all, crushed beneath a hail of stones and, without taking any account of the suffering they were causing him, said: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Do you see how the Son spoke and how His servant prayed? The former said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” and the latter said: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Moreover, to make us realise better the fervour with which he was praying, he did not just pray, as he stood beneath the blows of the stones but, he spoke on his knees with sincerity and compassion …

Christ said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Stephen cried out: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Paul, in his turn, said: “I offer up this sacrifice for my brethren, my kin according to race” (cf Rm 9:3). Moses said: “If you would only forgive their sin! And if you will not, then strike me out of the book that you have written!” (Ex 32:32). David said: “May your hand fall on me and my kindred,” (2 Sam 24:17). … What kind of forgiveness do we think we shall receive if we ourselves do the opposite of what is asked of us and pray against our enemies, when the Lord Himself and His servants of both Old and New Testaments, direct us to pray on their behalf?” – St John Chrysostom (345-407) Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon for Good Friday “The Cross and the bandit”

PRAYER – Grant us Your Grace, Lord God Almighty, to practise what we worship. Teach us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. As we keep the feast of Saint Stephen, may we learn from him, who learned from You and prayed, even for the men who stoned him to death. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 December – ‘ … This indeed is wonderful …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 December – The Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – Mass during the day – Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalm 98:1-6, Hebrews 1:1-6, John 1:1-18

Christ has been born for us, come, let us adore Him!

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. … John 1:14

REFLECTION – “Christ has come from the Father, He has come from the Word, He has come from the Holy Spirit, since the whole Trinity accomplished His conception and His incarnation. For to come from the highest Trinity was, no other, than to be conceived and to become, a human being, by the same Trinity. Therefore, it was said: “His going forth is form the highest heaven.” (cf. Ps 18[19]:6)
The Only-Begotten … begotten of the Father eternally, begotten in time, He came forth from His Mother, remaining invisibly with the Father and dwelling visibly with us. For to go forth from the Father was this – to enter upon our world, to be seen openly and to become what, from the nature of the Father, He was not. This indeed is wonderful, He came from Him from Whom He did not depart, going forth from Him, with Whom He stayed, so that without intermission, He was wholly in eternity, wholly in time, wholly was He found in the Father, when wholly in the Virgin, wholly in His own Majesty and in His Father’s at the time, when He was wholly in our humanity.
If you ask how, gather the truth by means of an illustration. A word conceived in the heart goes forth complete in the voice, so that it comes perfectly to others, yet remains wholly in the heart. So the good Word, spoken forth from the heart of the Father, went forth into the broad plain, yet did not leave the Father.” … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) Cistercian Monk and Bishop (On the praises of the Blessed Mary, homily II).

PRAYER – Almighty God, Your incarnate Word fills us with the new light He brought to men. Let the light of faith in our hearts, shine through all that we do and say. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

The Word was God in the beginning and before all time, today, He is born to us, the Saviour of the world.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 25 December – Let Me Love Your Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 25 December – The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Jesus Christ

Let Me Love Your Jesus
By St Ildephonsus (c 607-670)

Virgin Mary, hear my prayer,
through the Holy Spirit,
you became the Mother of Jesus,
from the Holy Spirit,
may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
your flesh conceived Jesus,
through the same Spirit,
may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit,
may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit, Mary, you could say
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word,”
in the Holy Spirit, lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit, you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son,
in the same Spirit, Mary,
let me love your Jesus.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 December – “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel”

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One Minute Reflection – 24 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel” – The Nativity of the Lord, Mass at Midnight – Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalms 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29, Acts 13:16-17, 22-25, Luke 2:1-14

Know today that the Lord will come –
in the morning you will see His glory.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.

“For today in the city of David, a saviour has been born for you, who is Messiah and Lord.” – Luke 2:11

REFLECTION – “Brethren, now we have been told about the miracle, let us turn aside to see this unusual sight as Moses did (Ex 3:3) – in Mary, the burning bush is not consumed, the Virgin gives birth to the Light, without defilement … Let us then run to Bethlehem, the town of the Good News! If we are real shepherds, staying awake on our watch, then it is to us that the voice of the angels is addressed, announcing a great joy … “Glory to God in the highest for peace is coming down to earth!” There where, only yesterday, there was nothing but misfortune, battlefields and exile, now earth receives peace for today “Truth shall spring out of the earth and justice shall look down from heaven” (Ps 84[85]:12). Behold the fruit earth gives to humankind, in reward for the goodwill reigning among men (Lk 2:14). God is joined to man, to raise man to the stature of God.

At this news, my brethren, let us go to Bethlehem to behold … the mystery of the crib, a child wrapped in swaddling clothes rests in a manger. A Virgin, after giving birth, His undefiled Mother, embraces her Son. Let us repeat the words of the prophet along with the shepherds: “As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of our God.” (Ps 47[48]:9)

But why does our Lord seek shelter in this cave at Bethlehem? Why is He sleeping in a manger? Why does He participate in Israel’s census? My brethren, He who brings liberty to the world, comes to be born into our slavery to death. He is born in this cave to reveal Himself to us, who are immersed in darkness and the shadow of death. He rests in a manger because ,He is the One Who makes grass grow for the cattle (Ps 104[103],14). He is the Bread of Life who feeds us with a spiritual food that we too might live in the Spirit… What more joyful feast is there than that of today? Christ, the Sun of Justice (Mal 3,20), comes to illumine our night. What had fallen, is raised up again, what was overcome, is now set free… what was dead is restored to life… Let us all sing today with one voice over all the earth: “Death came through one man, Adam, today salvation has come through one man (cf Rom 5,17)” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–c 395) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon on the Nativity).

PRAYER – Almighty God, Your Incarnate Word fills us with the new Light, He brings to men. Let the light of faith in our hearts shine through all that we do and say. And may the Immaculate Virgin Mother of our Saviour, be ever near to help and protect us. Through Christ, our Lord and Saviour, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, now and for all time and eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMASTIDE!, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 24 December – Silent Night, Holy Night!

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Our Morning Offering – 24 December – Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord/Mass at Midnight

Silent Night, Holy Night!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!
By Father Joseph Mohr (1792-1818)

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, how the light
Radiates love from Thy heavenly face,
At the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

Set to Music by Francis Xavier Gruber (1787-1863)

The story of Fr Mohr and his composition of this 203rd Anniversary of the first sound of this favourite Catholic Christmas Carol, here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/24/thought-for-the-day-24-december-today-the-200th-anniversary-of-the-first-performance-of-the-beloved-carol-silent-night/

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 December – O Emmanuel

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One Minute Reflection – 23 December – O Emmanuel – Readings: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, Psalms 25:4-5,8-9, 10 and 14, Luke 1:57-66

The Lord is at hand, come, let us adore Him.

O Emmanuel,
King and Lawgiver
Desire of the nations,
Saviour of all people,
Come and set us free,
Lord, our God!

“Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed and he spoke blessing God.” – Luke 1:64

REFLECTION – “When John, his son was born, among his neighbours there was concern about what name he should be given. Writing tablets were offered to his father, so that he himself could put down the name that he had decided upon, so that he might express, in writing, what he could not, in speech. Then, in a wonderful manner, when he had taken the tablets in order to begin writing, his tongue was loosened, the written word gave way to speech and he did not write “John” but spoke it. Consider, then, the merit of the holy Baptist: he gave his father back his voice, he restored the faculty of speech to the priest. Consider, I say, his merit – John unloosed the mouth that the angel had bound. What Gabriel had closed, the little child unlocked. When John is born, the father suddenly becomes a prophet or priest, speech attains its use, love receives an offspring, the office recognises the priest.” – St Maximus of Turin (Died c 420) Bishop of Turin (Sermon 6)

PRAYER – Almighty God, now that the birth of Your Son is drawing near, we pray that Your eternal Word, Who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and came to dwell amongst men, will show Your unworthy people, the greatness of His love. And by the intercession of His Holy Mother, may we be granted Your grace. Through Emmanuel, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 23 December – O Come, O come, Emmanuel

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Our Morning Offering – 23 December – O Emmanuel!

O Come, O come, Emmanuel

O Come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high
And order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did give the law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high,
That we no more have cause to sigh.
Refrain

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven’s peace.
Refrain

The favourite O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however, believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 22 December – Prepare for Christ your Saviour!

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, O Rex Gentium/O King of all Nations

Prepare for Christ your Saviour!
Stanbrook Abbey

Throughout a world in shadow,
John’s urgent voice we hear;
Prepare for Christ your Saviour!
The Son of God is near.

He gives a new beginning
To those who turn from sin,
Who answer love with loving
By turning back to Him.

His veiled but certain splendour
Begins to shine from far;
He comes, His Saints around Him,
The bright and Morning Star.

With all who wait in longing,
Give thanks that never cease,
For Him Whom God is sending
To visit us in peace.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Hail MARY!, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 December – O Oriens/O Radiant Dawn

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One Minute Reflection – 21 December – O Oriens/O Radiant Dawn – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, Readings: Songs 2: 8-14 or Zephaniah 3: 14-18a; Psalm 33: 2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1: 39-45

The Lord is at hand, come let us adore Him.

O Radiant Dawn,
Splendour of Eternal Light,
Sun of Justice!
Come and shine on those
who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

“Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” – Luke 1:41-42

REFLECTION – “Everyday we devoutly greet the most Blessed Virgin Mary with the angel’s greeting and we usually add: Blessed is the fruit of thy womb. After she was greeted by the Virgin, Elizabeth added this phrase as if she were echoing the salutation of the Angel – Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. This is the fruit of which Isaiah spoke – On that day the shoot of the Lord shall be splendid and radiant—the sublime fruit of earth. What is this fruit but the holy one of Israel, the seed of Abraham, the shoot of the Lord, the flower arising from the Root of Jesse, the fruit of life, Whom we have shared?

Blessed surely in seed and blessed in the shoot, blessed in the flower, blessed in the gift, finally blessed in thanksgiving and praise, Christ, the Seed of Abraham, was brought forth from the seed of David into the flesh.

He alone among men is found perfected in every good quality, for the Spirit was given to Him without measure so that He alone could fulfill all justice. For His justice is sufficient for all nations, according to the Scriptures. As the earth brings forth its buds and as the garden germinates its own seed, so the Lord God shall bring forth justice and praise before all the nations. For this is the shoot of justice, which the flower of glory adorns with its blessings when it has grown. But how great is this glory? How can anyone think of anything more glorious, or rather, how can anyone conceive of this at all? For the flower rises from the root of Jesse. you ask: “How far?” Surely it rises even to the highest place because Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. His magnificence is elevated above the heavens, so that He, the issue of the Lord, is splendid and glorious, the sublime fruit of earth.

But what is our benefit from this fruit? What other than the fruit of blessing from the blessed fruit? From this seed, this shoot, this flower, surely the fruit of blessing comes forth. It has come even to us; first as a seed it is planted through the grace of pardon, then germinated with the increase of perfection and finally, it flowers in the hope or the attainment of glory. For the fruit was blessed by God and in God, so that God may be glorified through it. For us, too, the fruit was blessed, so that blessed by God, we may be glorified in Him through the promise spoken to Abraham. God made the fruit a blessing for all nations.” – Baldwin of Forde O.Cist ( c 1125– 1190) Cistercian Abbot, Bishop, then Archbishop of Canterbury ( An excerpt from A Sermon on the ‘Hail Mary’).

PRAYER – In Your goodness Lord, as we rejoice at the coming of Your Son in flesh and blood like ours, grant that when He comes again in glory, we may receive the gift of eternal life. And may His Blessed and Immaculate ever Virgin Mother, cast upon us a look of mercy and intercede on our behalf. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Hail MARY!, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 21 December – Hail Mary, the Angelic Salutation

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Our Morning Offering – 21 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Hail Mary, the Angelic Salutation

The Hail Mary/Ave Maria

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Áve María, grátia pléna,
Dóminus técum.
Benedícta tū in muliéribus,
et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Iésus.
Sáncta María, Máter Déi,
óra pro nóbis peccatóribus,
nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstrae.
Ámen.

Today, Catholics may wish to thank St Peter Canisdius (1521-1397), for this Doctor of the Church gave us the second half of the Hail Mary prayer.

This 16th-century Saint, known as the second Apostle of Germany, followed in the giant footsteps of St Boniface, who evangelised Germany a thousand years earlier. He was also active at the Council of Trent and wrote much on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The first half of the Hail Mary, of course, comes from Scripture. What many Catholics don’t know, is that the second half of this Catholic prayer is due to the intervention of St Peter Canisius at the Council of Trent. St Peter began adding onto the scriptural part of the Hail Mary, the “Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” It was Trent that officially accepted this addition to the prayer and included it in their famous Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The O ANTIPHONS

One Minute Reflection – 20 December – “Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

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One Minute Reflection – 20 December – Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent O Clavis David/O Key of David – Readings: Isaiah 7: 10-14; Psalm 24: 1-6; Luke 1: 26-38

The Lord is at hand, come let us adore Him.

O KEY OF DAVID,
and Sceptre of the House of Israel,
who opens and no-one shuts,
who shuts and no-one opens.
Come and bring forth the captive from his prison,
he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to Light, source of Life; she will reduce to oblivion the judgement that weighed on Eve. “The rich among the people seek the face” of this woman, “the kings of the nations shall pay her homage”, they shall “offer gifts”…, yet the glory of the Mother of God is an interior glory: the fruit of her womb.

O woman, so worthy of love, thrice happy, “blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Daughter of David the king and Mother of God, King of the universe, masterpiece in whom the Creator rejoices…: you are to be nature’s full achievement. For you, life is not yours; you were not born for yourself alone but your life is to be God’s. You came into the world for Him, you will serve for the salvation of all people, fulfilling God’s design established from the beginning: the Incarnation of the Word and our own divinisation. Your whole desire is to feed on the words of God, to be strengthened by their sap, like “a green olive tree in the house of God,” “like a tree planted by running water,” you are the “tree of life” who “yielded its fruit in due season”…

He Who is Infinite, Limitless, came to dwell in your womb; God, the Child Jesus, was nourished by your milk. You are the ever virginal Doorway of God; your hands hold your God; your lap is a throne raised up above the Cherubim… You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit, the “city of the living God, gladdened by the runlets of the stream”, that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts. You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.” – St John Damascene (675-749) Monk, Theologian, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily on the Nativity of the Virgin, # 9 ; SC 80) [( Biblical references : Ps 44[45],13; 71[72],11.10; Mt 2,11; Lk 1,42; Is 62,5; Ps 51[52],10; 1,3; cf Gn 2,9, Rv 22,2; cf Ez 44,2; Ps 79[80],2; cf Sg 1,4; Ps 45[46],5; Sg 4,7].

PRAYER – Lord, at the Angel’s message, Mary, the Immaculate Virgin, became the temple of God and was filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, when she received Your divine Word. Grant that, after her example, we may humbly and steadfastly follow Your will. Through Christ the Incarnate Word, our Lord and Saviour, with the Holy Spirit, one God for all ages, amen.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

Our Morning Offering – 20 December – Blessed Shall be Her Name

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Our Morning Offering – 20 December – Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise You and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen,

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, St JOSEPH, The HEART, The HOLY NAME, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

One Minute Reflection – 18 December – O Adonai … O Lord

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One Minute Reflection – 18 December – O Adonai … O Lord – Saturday of the Third Week of Advent, Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8, Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19, Matthew 1:18-25

O LORD AND RULER
of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the flame
of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai,
Come and redeem us with outstretched arms.

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid” – Matthew 1:20

REFLECTION – “Joseph embraced
the Son of the heavenly Father
as he would a newborn babe
and served Him as his God.
He took pleasure in this
as in goodness itself
and he, who was complete righteousness (Mt 1:19),
worshiped Him.

Oh how great was his wonderment!
“How is it, Son of God Most High,
that I should have You as my Son?
I was angered against Your Mother
and thought to put her away.
I never knew that in her womb
so great a treasure lay,
Who straightway made me rich
in the midst of my poverty.

David the King, arose amongst my forebears
and wore the crown,
yet how great is the destitution
to which I have come!
No king, I am a carpenter,
yet a crown has come to me,
since on my heart there rests,
the Lord of all crowns.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Hymn for the Nativity.)

PRAYER – Write Your Blessed Name, Upon My Heart
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Write Your blessed name,
O Lord,
upon my heart,
there to remain so indelibly engraved,
that no prosperity,
no adversity shall ever move me
from Your love.
Be to me a strong tower of defence,
a comforter in tribulation,
a deliverer in distress,
a very present help in trouble
and a guide to Heaven
through the many temptations
and dangers of this life.
Amen.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HYMNS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 18 December – O Purest of Creatures, Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid

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Our Morning Offering – 18 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception”and also the Feast of Our Lady of Expectation

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

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

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

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

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

Raised in the Church of England, Frederick W Faber (born at Calverley, Yorkshire, England, 1814 and died Kensington, London, England, 1863) came from a Huguenot and strict Calvinistic family background. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and ordained in the Church of England in 1839. Influenced by the teaching of John Henry Newman, Faber followed Newman into the Roman Catholic Church in 1845 and served under Newman’s supervision in the Oratory of St Philip Neri. Fr Faber wrote 150 hymns for the use of the Catholic faithful. One of his best known is , “Faith of Our Fathers.”

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 December – O Wisdom … O Sapientia …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 December – O Wisdom … O Sapientia … – Friday of the Third Week of Advent, Readings: Genesis 49: 2, 8-10; Psalm 72: 1-4, 7-8, 17; Matthew 1: 1-17

O Wisdom
O Sapientia

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem,
fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia-
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, coming forth
from the Mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other,
mightily and sweetly ordering all things-
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. … Matthew 1:1

REFLECTION – “The Incarnation of the Word only contributed to the doing of those things that were done and the mystery of humankind’s salvation was never, even in the remotest age, at a standstill.   What the propehts foretold, the apostles announced, nor were those things fulfilled too late, which had always been believed.   But the wisdom and goodness of God, made us all the more receptive of His call …  as the foretelling of it had been ancient and oft-repeated.

And so it was no new counsel, no tardy pity, whereby God took thought for us but from the foundation of the world, He ordained one and the same cause of Salvation for all.   For the grace of God, by which the whole body of the saints is continually made righteous, was increased, not initiated, when Christ was born.   And this mystery of God’s great love, with which the whole world is now filled, was so effectively pre-signified, that those who believed the promise, obtained no less, than those who were the actual recipients.

And so, dearly beloved, since that loving-kindness is now manifest with which all the wealth of divine goodness has been showered on us, Whose call to eternal life has been promoted, not only by the supportive example of those who went before us but, by the visible and bodily appearance of Truth itself, we are bound to keep the day of our Lord’s Nativity with a joy beyond this world…   By the illumination of the Holy Spirit consider who it was who received us into Himself and Whom we have received, since as the Lord Jesus became our flesh by being born, so we also became His Body by being re-born…  For God suggested to us the standard of His own gentleness and humility…  Let us imitate His humility, then, to whose glory we would wish to be conformed.   He Himself will help us and lead us to what He has promised.” … St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church (3rd sermon on the Feast of the Nativity, 4-5).

PRAYER – Collect:
O God, Creator and Redeemer of human nature,
Who willed that Your Word should take flesh
in an ever-virgin womb, look with favour on our prayers,
that Your only Begotten Son, having taken to Himself our humanity, may be pleased to grant us a share in his divinity.
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Queen on Whose Starry Brow Doth Rest

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Queen on Whose Starry Brow Doth Rest
St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530-c 609)
Translation by Monsignor Ronald A Knox (1888 – 1957)

Queen, on whose starry brow doth rest
The crown of perfect maidenhood,
The God who made thee, from thy brest
Drew, for our sakes, His earthly food.

The grace that sinful Eve denied,
With thy Child-bearing, re-appears;
Heaven’s lingering door, set open wide,
Welcomes the children of her tears.

Fate, for such royal progress meet,
Beacon, whose rays such light can give,
Look, how the ransomed nations greet
The virgin-womb that bade them live!

O Jesus, whom the Virgin bore,
Be praise and glory unto Thee.
Praise to the Father evermore
And His life-giving Spirit be.
Amen!

Saint Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) Bishop, Poet, Hymnist, Writer – born c 530 at Rreviso, Italy and died c 609 at Poitiers, modern France of natural causes.
St Venantius was unique, first a travelling lay poet, he later became a Priest and then a Bishop. But he always remained a professional author of poetry, a “Troubadour” of Christ. He is the attributed author of the Ave Maris Stella, amongst many others.