Category: MEDITATIONS – ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on WATCHING, The IMITATION of CHRIST, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 5 April – TEMPTATION

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Thought for the Day – 5 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

TEMPTATION

“Still we must watch,” The Imitation of Christ continues, “especially in the beginning of temptation, for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind but, is withstood upon the threshold, the very moment that he knocks. Whence a certain one has said: ‘Resist beginning; all too late the cure, when ills have gathered strength, by long delay’ (Ovid. Remedia Amoris 5:91). For first there comes into the mind a simple thought, then a strong imagination afterward delights and the evil notion [gains power] and [then come] consent” (Bk 1 c 13).

It is worth meditating on this vivid description of the psychology of temptation and of the simplest remedy, by which it can be combated.
Every temptation is first presented to the mind as a simple thought.
If a man is determined enough, it is quite easy to reject it immediately.
If there is any delay, however, the concept is clothed by the imagination and projected in vivid colours until it arouses the evil inclinations of the senses.
In this way, the idea takes possession of the mind, so that it is almost impossible to set it free.

We must be ready to face such an idea before it takes possession of us.
We should treat it as we would a serpent, not pausing to examine it but, taking to flight at once!
If we are resolute, the grace of God will ensure our safety!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/31/thought-for-the-day-31-march-temptation/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 April – The Love of God

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Thought for the Day – 4 April– Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Love of God

“God’s law is founded on love.
We read in the Gospel how the Pharisees asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment of the Law.
Jesus replied:  “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it.   Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.   On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22:37-40).

If a man wants to know if he is living a good Christian life, therefore, all he has to do is ask himself if he loves God above everything and his neighbour as himself.
If he lacks this love, he is not a true Christian – everything else is insignificant, if not useless.
“Love God,” says St Augustine “and do what you will.”
Why so?
Because, if anyone loves God sincerely, he does not offend Him.
Moreover, he serves Him diligently and promotes His honour and glory by every means in his power.
Nor does he find it very difficult to do this.
Love gives wings to his feet and pours enthusiasm and fervour into his heart.
“He who loves does not feel tired,” says St Augustine.
“Where there is love,” adds St Bernard, “there is no weariness but a gentle pleasure instead.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacc

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, The IMITATION of CHRIST, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 April – Self-Denial

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Thought for the Day – 3 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Self-Denial

“This denial of ourselves to the extent of identifying our will with the Will of God, produces in us, a profound peace.
The Saints scaled this height and found there that tranquility of spirit which led them to rejoice in martyrdom and dishonour.

It was this peace of soul which made the dying St Aloysius Gonzaga smile and say: “I am happy to be going.”
It was this which enabled the saintly, Cardinal Fisher, when he was going to the scaffold, to behold a light which does not fail and say: “Commit to the Lord your way … He will make justice dawn for you like the light (Ps 36:5-6).
This too, is why, the Imitation of Christ tells us that nobody is as free, as he, who knows how to deny himself!””

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/22/thought-for-the-day-22-january-self-denial/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/21/thought-for-the-day-21-january-self-denial/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on Will (Sensual or Inferior), SELF-DISTRUST, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 2 April – Our Martyrdom

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Thought for the Day – 2 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Our Martyrdom

“St Ambrose describes virtue, as a slow martyrdom.
In this sense, we must all be martyrs.
There is only one difference.
The Martyrs of the Church shed their blood and gave up their lives for Jesus, within one hour or one day and gained their reward immediately.
Our martyrdom, on the other hand, will be prolonged.
It will last all our lives and will end only when we accept death with resignation from the Hands of God.
Ours is the martyrdom of virtue.
Let us clearly understand, that solid Christian virtue is a slow and continual martyrdom, which will end with death.
It is not a flower, which springs up spontaneously in the garden of the soul.
It is like a seed which is thrown on the damp earth and must die there slowly, so that it will generate young shoots, which will produce the ears of corn.
“Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But, if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (Jn 12:24-25).
It is necessary, then, to descend into the mire of humility and to remain there until we die.
Only after we have died to ourselves, shall we rise again in God (Cf ibid).
After the death of our lower instincts and vices, we shall find a new life.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Thought for the Day – 1 April – Why God Created Us

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Thought for the Day – 1 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Why God Created Us

“If we are to reach God, Who is our goal, it is necessary for us to know, love and serve Him.
Everything speaks to us of God, from the blade of grass, to the cedar of Lebanon, from the insect which glows in the darkness of the night, to the highest stars of the firmanent.
In the hidden depths of our own being, we hear His Voice.
The more we grow in the knowledge of God, the more we feel the need to love Him.
We see how so much beauty, goodness and power is alone worthy of all our love.

As our Creator, Redeemer and Benefactor, God has the right to the undivided affection of our hearts.
This love should not be empty and sterile, however, it should be active and effective.
Knowing and loving God, we should feel the obligation of serving Him as our Master, in whatever He commands, even when this demands a heavy sacrifice on our part!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/26/thought-for-the-day-26-march-why-god-created-us/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/25/thought-for-the-day-25-march-why-god-created-us/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – Faith, Humility, Perseverance and Grace

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – Thursday of the First Week in Lent – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Then Jesus answering, said to her:
O woman, great is thy faith!
be it done to thee as thou desire
and her daughter was cured from that hour.”

Matthew 15:28

“I implore you to live with me and,
by believing, to run with me;
let us long for our Heavenly Country,
let us sigh for our Heavenly Home,
let us truly feel that here, we are strangers.
What shall we then see?
Let the Gospel tell us:
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
You will come to the fountain,
with whose dew you have already been sprinkled.
Instead of the ray of Light
which was sent through slanting
and winding ways, into the heart of your darkness,
you will see the Light Itself,
in all its purity and brightness.
It is to see and experience this Light
that you are now being cleansed. …
It has been good for us to share
the common Light,
good to have enjoyed ourselves,
good to have been glad together.
When we part from one another,
let us not depart from Him!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“When the sister of St Thomas Aquinas
asked him how to become holy,
he replied that it needed only one thing –
a firm act of the will,
for God will certainly supply
the necessary grace.
The grace of God is the principal weapon
upon which we must depend
in order to gain our victory.
We should pray for it humbly and perseveringly.
There will be victors and losers
in the battle for Heaven,
as well as in earthly contests.
We must make sure,
that we are on the winning side!
For this purpose, we should combine
fervent and constant prayer
with generous co-operation
with the grace of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, INDULGENCES, MARIAN Aspirations and Ejaculations, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for Us!

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners

Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for Us!

(Indulgence 300 days)

Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

(1943 Raccolta – Indulgence 300 days)

“Mary will certainly save repentant sinners
who have recourse to her
but she cannot pay any attention to hardened sinners, who pray to her with their lips,
while their hearts remain steeped in sin.
We must have complete confidence in her
but, we must also have a sincere intention
of raising ourselves under her protection,
from the slavery of sin,
to the friendship of God.”

“Mary, my merciful Mother,
you see how wretched I am
and how often I have fallen.
I wish to reform and sanctify myself
but I am not able without your powerful assistance, the weakness of my nature
is an insurmountable obstacle.
Come to my aid, O Mother of mercy.
Obtain for me, forgiveness f
rom your Divine Son.
Obtain for me too, the grace
of a complete change of heart,
so that I may be truly your child
here upon the earth and share
in your glory in Heaven.
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 February – Bearing fruit with those talents

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 February – The Parable of the Talents

“And he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them,
and gained five more.

Matthew 25:16

“I have chosen you
and have appointed you,
that you should go
and should bring forth fruit
and your fruit should remain,
says the Lord.”

John 15:16

“What dost thou have that thou hast not received?”

St Paul – 1 Corinthians 4:7

“Watch me, O Lord, this day –
for, abandoned to myself,
I shall surely betray Thee!”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“As a general rule, God gives us
three kinds of talents.
There are – (1) material, like health or riches;
(2) intellectual and moral, such
as intelligence, personality and ability;
and (3) supernatural, like Divine grace,
a vocation, or extraordinary powers.
God lavishly distributes all these talens
to whomsoever He pleases
and in accordance with His own hidden dessigns.
We have no right,, therefore, to envy
the talents of others, nor,
to be discontented with our own.
… If we cheerfully accept and offer to God,
our lack of certain talents,
we can gain great merit in His eyes.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOTES to Followers, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, The HEART

A New Life is Beginning … May 2025 be the ONE which Makes Us All Saints!

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May 2025 be the ONE which Makes Us All Saints!

A RESOLVE
For Every Morning of the New Year

I will this day, try to live a simple,
sincere and serene life, repelling
promptly, every thought of
discontent, anxiety, discouragement,
impurity and self-seeking;
cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity,
charity and the habit of holy silence,
exercising economy in expenditure,
carefulness in conversation,
diligence in appointed service,
fidelity in every trust
and a child-like trust in God.

Bishop John H Vincent 1900

“What we need most,
in order to make progress,
is to be silent before this great God
with our appetite and with our tongue,
for the language He best hears
is silent love.”

“Strive to preserve your heart in peace;
let no event of this world, disturb it.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Mystical Doctor of the Church

“Anyone who takes life seriously
in the Christian sense,
will regard it as a difficult journey
towards perfection and towards God.
This journey will be, at the same time,
painful and joyful.
… It is our own loss if we sit down lazily
on the side of the road,
which should lead us to Heaven.
It is even more disastrous,
if we acknowledge defeat
and lay down the spiritual weapons
of prayer and renunciation,
in order to surrender ourselves to sin or to indifference.
Everyday we should say to ourselves,
in the presence of God –
A new life is beginning …
in You, by Your grac and for You!
Amen”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in GOOD RESOLUTIONS, INGRATITUDE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 31 December – The Last Day of the Year

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Thought for the Day – 31 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Last Day of the Year

“Now that the year is almost over, cast your mind back to the good resolutions which you made at the beginning of it.
Have you put these resolutions into effect?
Has there been any improvement in your spiritual life during these twelve months, or must you confess, that it has deteriorated?
How often have you committed sin, perhaps even grave sin, during the year?
When God appealed to you to perform some good action, how often did you refuse Him?

Your future outlook is very dark if your life has developed into a gradual descent towards evil.
Anyday, God could grow tired of your ingratitude and obstinacy and send death to end your infidelity.
Then you would almost certainly, be damned forever.
If you have surrendered to spiritual languor and mediocrity, therefore, it is time for you to stir yourself.
It is time to become more generous with God, to display a greater spirit of self-sacrifice in responding to His appeals and to form further resolutions.

Virtue cannot co-exist with spiritual tepidity, which leads inevitably, towards sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/31/thought-for-the-day-31-december-the-last-day-of-the-year/
ABOVE IS PART TWO
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/12/31/thought-for-the-day-31-december-the-last-day-of-the-year-3/

Posted in JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PEACE, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Thought for the Day – 30 December – The Holy Family – Mary and Joseph

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Thought for the Day – 30 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

As Fr Clarke has left us in the lurch for the last 3 days of December, I am revisiting dear Cardinal Bacci to come to our aid. I pray you, like myself, never tire of his wisdom.

The Holy Family – Mary

“The Blessed Virgin Mary, is the second model proposed for our imitation in the Holy Family.
… We do not read that Mary worked miracles, had ecstasies, or possessed any extraordinary external gifts.
Her sanctity was completely internal.
She trod the ordinary way of perfection, therefore, the way most easily imitated by us and, nevertheless, reached the highest peak of holiness.
Since we are her devoted and affectionate children, let us ask her for the grace to follow her in the way of perfection and of complete resignation to the will of God.
Although we may have to follow her from afar, let us follow with enthusiasm and love..”

The Holy Family – Joseph

“The third member of the Holy Family is St Joseph, the most just of men, faithful to his vocation as the foster-father of the Child Jesus and chaste spouse o the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let us imitate his purity, his utter dedication to the service of God and his burning love for Jesus, Whom he was privileged to clasp to his breast before any other man.
Let us ask him to obtain for us the grace to be able to imitate him in his life so that we may also imitate him in his holy death.
May he, who died with Jesus and Mary by his side, obtain peace for us in our final agony, so that we may expire with the names of Jesus and Mary on our lips and in our hearts.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the FAMILY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Thought for the Day – 29 December – The Holy Family – Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 29 D ecember – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

As Fr Clarke has left us in the lurch for the last 3 days of December, I am revisiting dear Cardinal Bacci to come to our aid. I pray you, like myself, never tire of his wisdom.

The Holy Family – Jesus

“We have in the Holy Family, the highest possible models of perfection – Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
As God, Jesus is essentially holy.
By means of the Hypostatic Union, this sanctity is transmitted also to His human nature.
The holiness of Jesus was only gradually revealed as He grew older because He wished to be like us in everything, save in sin.
As the Gospel says, He “advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men” (Lk 2:52).
Jesus gave us an example of holiness which we should find easier to imitate because it was eternally increasing all the time.
He offered us, as an example, the kind of sanctity which has its beginning and foundation in utter humility and detachment from worldly goods.
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).

Socrates advised his followers to have few desires and to desire these as little as possible, in order to remain content, for the man who is full of desires is always uneasy and restless.
This human counsel is very true but, it is incomplete.
It recommends detachment from earthly things but fails to teach the ardent and practical desire for supernatural things.
Jesus Christ teaches us both.
After He has urged us to become gentle and humble like Himself, after He has told us not to worry about the future and not to fret about what to wear and what to eat, He points out the way in which Providence clothes the lilies of the filed and feeds the birds of the air.
Then He adds: “Seek the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be given you besides” (Cf Lk.12:22-31).

We must limit and moderate our desire for earthly goods, therefore but, should ardently yearn to love God, to serve and obey Him in this life and to enjoy Him forever in Heaven.
This is what the Infant Jesus wishes to teach us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote of the Day – 23 December – Preparation for the Nativity

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Quote of the Day – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Preparation for the Nativity

“Our preparation, finally, should also embrace the will.
In other words, we should make good resolutions
during our Christmas Novena.
We should resolve to be more fervent in prayer,
to be more mortified and, to make greater efforts
to practise virtue.

Everyday and, if possible, every hour,
let us think of and invoke the Divine Child.
Let us ask Him to help us to model our lives on His,
so that they may be full of humility,
of love for God and for our fellowmen,
of perfect resignation to suffering
and of voluntary mortification and penance,
designed to prove our love for Jesus
and to expiate our sins.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 30 November– How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

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Thought for the Day – 30 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

“The third way of remaining attentive to the Presence of God is to contemplate Him living in ourselves.
While it is true that God is present everywhere, He dwells in a special manner in the human soul which is the masterpiece of creation!

When our souls are adorned with His grace, His delight in us is unbounded.
“I will dwell and move among them. I will be their God and they shall be My people” (2 Cor 6:16).
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor 3:16).

God dwells among us, therefore and lives in us as in so many temples.
We should recognise His Presence and listen to His Voice, furthermore, we should adore Him, love Him and pray to Him.
Then, we can sincerely claim to belong entirely to Him.”

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/11/28/thought-for-the-day-28-november-how-to-remain-aware-of-the-presence-of-god/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/11/29/thought-for-the-day-29-november-how-to-remain-aware-of-the-presence-of-god/

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on NATURE - GOD'S CREATION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 29 November – How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

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Thought for the Day – 29 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

“Another way of increasing our sense of the Presence of God, is to perceive Him in all His creatures.
St Therese of the Child Jesus loved to contemplate the image of her Creator in the flowers of the fields and in the stars of the firmament.

God has created all things for our benefit and He is Present in all things.
He sees what use we make of them and can judge whether we employ them to honour Him, Who is our beginning and our end.
The ray of Divine Beauty,which shines in every created thing, should attract us towards its Creator and cause us to adore and serve Him.
Whenever we meet a learned and holy person, moreover, the reflection of God’s Power and Goodness, is even more compelling.
“Learn to love the Creator in the creature,” says St Augustine, “lest the thing which He has made should grip you and you shuld lose Him by Whom you also were created” (In Ps 19),

In other words, let us learn to see the Creator in all His creatures so that these may not enslave us but cause us to love Him, Who is our highest Good.”

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/11/28/thought-for-the-day-28-november-how-to-remain-aware-of-the-presence-of-god/

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Thought for the Day – 28 November – How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day –28 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) [Revisiting our old friend, Cardinal Bacci , until Advent begins on Sunday.]

How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

“It is useful to consider the ways in which we can develop a constant and effective awareness of the Presence of God.
The first way in which we can do this, is by cultivating a lively faith, which will help us to see God everywhere.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord?” (Jer 23:24).

This kind of faith should deepen our sense of God’s Presence and inspire in us sentiments of love and gratitude, which will guide us in all our actions.
We cannot expect that we shall be able to remain in a state of constant contemplation of God, for this is the privilege enjoyed by the blessed in Heaven, for whom faith has been replaced by the Beatific Vision.
We must be satisfied with exciting in ourselves, as often as possible, the active awareness of God’s Presence.
This should be a quiet and peaceful process, not involving undue mental effort or anxiety.

We should be able to attend quite naturally to our work and other obligations and, we should be helped and consoled in this, by directing our thoughts to God from time to time, in order to offer ourselves to Him.
This can easily be done by means of frequent ejaculatory prayer, by renewing, at regular intervals, our intention of doing everything for the love of God and by being prepared to endure, in complete acceptance of the Divine Will, all the hardships and trials of the day.
Whenever it is possible, moreover, we should escape from the care and confusion of the world into a quiet Church.
Here we can kneel in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist and express, in intimate prayer, our love for Him and our desire to serve Him.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS for the SOULS, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY SOULS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – The Holy Souls

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – “The Month and the Feast of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”

“The Holy Souls must sometimes think, reproachfully,
how little their friends on earth do
to aid them in their present sufferings.
Among many other methods of aiding them,
I can offer up for them
all the pains of mind and body
which God sends me, asking God
to accept them in alleviation
of the sufferings of the holy souls.
This will help me to be patient
and to suffer willingly and,
when my time comes, I shall find
that patient suffering for others,
will shorten my time of banishment from God,
in the fires of Purgatory.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Prayer for the Dead
From My Prayer Book, 1927
By Fr Francis Xavier Lasance (1860-1946)

O God, whose property it is,
ever to have mercy and to spare,
we beseech Thee,
on behalf of the soul of Thy servant,
whom Thou hast called out of this world,
look upon her with pity
and let her be conducted
by the holy Angels to Paradise,
her true country.
Grant that she, who believed in Thee
and hoped in Thee, may not be left
to suffer the pains of the Purgatorial fires
but may be admitted to eternal joy.
Through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord,
Who with the Holy Ghost-
liveth and reigneth,
world without end.
Amen

“The example of the Saints should inspire us
to practise great devotion to the Souls in Purgatory.
We should ask them to obtain for us
everything which we need but especially,
the graces necessary for our eternal salvation!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/11/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-november-we-must-live-a-dying-life/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – Abide in Me

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – Vigil of Saints Simon and Jude (Anticipation) – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Abide in Me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abide in the vine,
so neither can you,
unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4

“If, because of your preaching,
men lay aside enmities,
forgive injuries,
avoid occasions of sin
and scandals
and reform their conduct,
you may say that the seed
has fallen on good ground.
But to God alone, give all the glory
and acknowledge yourselves,
ever unprofitable servants.”

St Louis Bertrand (1526-1581)

“[Jesus] is our only Master, Who must teach us;
our only Lord, on Whom we must depend;
our only Head, to Whom alone we should belong;
our only Model, Whom we should imitate;
our only Physician, Who must heal us;
our only Shepherd, Who must feed us;
our only Way, Who must lead us;
our only Truth, Whom we must believe;
our only Life, Who must be our life
and our sole sufficiency in all things
that, in Him, we may have all in All.
Except the Name of Jesus,
there is no other name given under Heaven,
whereby we must be saved
and apart from Jesus Christ,
God has given us no other foundation of our salvation,
our perfection and our glory! ”

St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

“For the branch,” says St Augustine,
“there can be no half-measures.
Either it remains united with the vine,
or it is thrown into the fire.”
The same holds true for each one of us.
We must choose, either close union with Jesus,
or separation and spiritual death.
We must decide between a life of fervour in Christ,
or a life of tepidity and sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Penitance

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – St Mary Magdalen (1st Century) Penitent – Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7, Luke 7:36-50.

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“Remember not our former iniquities,
let Thy mercies speedily prevent us,
for we are become exceeding poor.
Help us, O God, our Saviour
and for the glory of Thy Name, O Lord,
deliver us and forgive us our sins,
for Thy Name’s sake.”

Psalm 78:8-9

“Let us then, my brethren, endure in hope.
Let us devote ourselves, side-by-side with our hoping,
so that the God of all the universe,
as He beholds our intention,
may cleanse us from all sins,
fill us with high hopes from what we have in hand
and grant us the change of heart which saves.
God has called you and you have your calling!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Prayer, appeases the anger of God;
He pardons the sinner
when he prays with humility.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

“We must be very sorry for faults
with a repentance which is strong,
constant, tranquil
but not troubled, unquiet or fainthearted.”

(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 9, Chapter 7).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

In conclusion, let us say this prayer of St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787):
“My soul, look at this Crucified Man …
see how the arms extend to embrace you,
how the head bows forward
to give you the kiss of peace.
See how His side is open to receive you.
What have you to say?
Such a good and loving God deserves to be loved.
O my Jesus!
Adorable Jesus!
O Love of my soul!
How can I ever forget Thee?
How can I ever love anything
apart from Thee!
O suffering Jesus,
may the memory of Thee ever remain
in my heart!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, St JOSEPH, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –10 July – ‘ … Let God steer us where He will.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day –10 July – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 12:46-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For whoever does
the Will of My Father in Heaven,
is My brother and My sister
and My mother.”

Matthew 12:50

“Unfurl the sails
and let God steer us
where He will.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“No-one will have any other desire in Heaven
than what God wills and the desire of one,
will be the desire of all and the desire of all
and of each one, will also be the desire of God.”

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury

“Strive to be faithful
to that which God has called you.”

St Angelica de Merici (1474-1540) Virgin

“It is impossible, that he could be denied
the favours for which he asks
and which we should request him
to obtain for us.
Let us go to him trustingly
but, let us remember,
that the surest way of being heard by him,
is to imitate his wonderful virtues,
especially his humility,
his spirit of prayer,
his purity and his calm desire always,
to do God’s will.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July– My Lord and my God

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 July– “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Leo II (611–683) Pope, Confessor – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16

“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

“Thomas answered and said to Him:
My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“Our hearts were made for Thee, O God
And restless must they be
Until, O God, this grace accord,
Until they rest in Thee!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Each one of us has a thirst
for all that is infinite, eternal and perfect.
God alone can satisfy this thirst.
Just as we are created by God,
so we are created for Him.
Just as we came from God,
so we are gradually travelling back towards Him,
for He is the final goal of our earthly journey.
We should meditate on this great truth
which we were first taught in the Catechism,
namely, that we were created
to know, love and serve God
on this earth and to be happy with Him
forever in Heaven.
God alone is the eternal beauty
which will satisfy our hearts.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOCTRINE, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUEENSHIP of MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 8 June – The Queenship of Mary

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 June – The Queenship of Mary

“She is the eldest daughter of the Great King.
If you enjoy her favour,
she will introduce you
to the Monarch of the Universe.
No-one has so great an interest with Him than Mary,
who was the occasion of His coming down from Heaven
to become man, for the redemption of mankind.”

St John the Merciful (c 552-c 616)

“And as Queen,
she possesses, by right,
the whole Kingdom of her Son.”

Rupert of Deutz OSB (c 1075- c 1130)
Benedictine Abbot

“The Angels rejoiced to see their Queen,
the Apostles rejoiced to see their lady
and both obeyed her, with loving devotion.
… Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins
was led forth by God and her Son,
the King of kings. amid the company of exulting Angels
and rejoicing Archangels,
with the Heavens ringing with praise,
the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled,
in which he said to the Lord:
At your right hand stands the Queen,
clothed in gold of Ophir.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)

“So Mary is a Queen.
And, for our consolation,
we ought to remember
that she is a most tender and kind Queen,
eager to help us in our miseries.
So much so, that the Church wants us
to call her in this prayer, a Queen of Mercy.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-17

“O Queen of Angels and of Saints,
my most powerful and most loving Mother,
have pity on me, for I am surrounded
by such great perils and need so much
to advance in virtue.
Although I am weak and weary,
I desire ardently to imitate
the shining example of thy holidness.
Obtain for me, from thy Divine Son,
the grace to imitate thee,
as far as I am able on earth,
so that one day I may share thy happiness
in the Presence of God for all eternity.
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE

Quote/s of the Day – 2 June – Spiritual Communion

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

“It is enough for us to love Him
and to be ready to keep His commandments.
Such an act of sincere
and effective love for Jesus,
will cause Him to enter
and to remain in our hearts,
even after the Sacramental Species
has been consumed.
This is Spiritual Communion,
which consists mainly in the yearning for Jesus.
“I have come to cast fire upon the earth
and what will I but, that it be kindled”
(Lk 12:49).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

I desire, good Jesus,
to receive Thee in Holy Communion
and since I cannot now receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually
and to refresh my soul with Thy sweetness.
Come, my Lord, my God and my All!
Come to me
and never let me ever again
be separated from Thee by sin.
Teach me Thy blessed ways,
help me with Thy grace to imitate Thy example,
to practise meekness, humility,
charity and all the virtues of Thy Sacred Heart.
My divine Master, my one desire is to do Thy will
and to love Thee, more and more.
Help me, that I may be faithful to the end, in Thy service.
Bless me in life and in death,
that I may praise Thee, forever in heaven,
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, St JOSEPH, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – St Joseph

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – The Octave Day of the Patronage of St Joseph

“Saint Joseph was the just man:
by his constant fidelity -an effect of justice;
by his perfect discretion – a sister to prudence;
by his upright conduct – a mark of strength
and by his inviolable chastity – a flower of temperance.”

St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

“I cannot call to mind
that I have ever asked him,
at any time for anything,
which he has not granted
and I am filled with amazement
when I consider the great favours
which God has given me,
through this blessed Saint;
the dangers from which he has delivered me,
both of body and of soul!”

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

“It is impossible, that he could be denied
the favours for which he asks
and which we should request him
to obtain for us.
Let us go to him trustingly
but, let us remember,
that the surest way of being heard by him,
is to imitate his wonderful virtues,
especially his humility,
his spirit of prayer,
his purity and his calm desire always,
to do God’s will.”

“This holy Patriarch was as resigned
to the poverty of the manger
and the discomforts of exile,
as he was grateful to God for the wonderful gifts
and joys which he had been granted.
He knew that God could have solved,
by a single act of His Divine Will,
all the problems which he encountered throughout life.
But he never asked for such a favour.
His only desire was to do God’s Will perfectly.
Let this be our desire too and let us never cease
to ask God for this grace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – The Patronage of St Joseph

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph Confessoris

“We also should have recourse to St Joseph
in our spiritual and bodily necessities.
St Joseph had to endure a great deal
in order to provide for the wants of the Holy Family
and to protect them from the many dangers
which threatened them.
For this reason, he is especially attentive
to requests of any kind, as long as they are made
with a lively faith and submission to the Will of God.”

“St Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church.
We, who are loved children of the Church
should invoke his special intercession,
therefore, for the triumph and expansion
of the Kingdom of God upon earth.
… If we are loyal sons of the Church,
we should pray that She may triumph.
We should ask for the special intercession
of St Joseph, Her Heavenly Patron.”

“We shall come to the end of our lives too,
perhaps sooner than we imagine.
Let us ask the Holy Patriarch
for the favour of a happy death.
Let us ask him to ensure that Jesus and Mary
will help us too, when we are leaving this world.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/20/thought-for-the-day-20-march-the-patronage-of-st-joseph/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/20/thought-for-the-day-20-march-the-patronage-of-saint-joseph/
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/19/thought-for-the-day-19-march-the-patronage-of-st-joseph/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – My sheep hear My Voice;

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – – Ferial Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My sheep hear My Voice;
I know them and they follow Me.”

John 10:27

“I am like the sick sheep which strays
from the rest of the flock.
Unless the Good Shepherd
takes me on His shoulders
and carries me back to His fold,
my steps will falter
and, in the very effort of rising,
my feet will give way!”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Christ said that the shepherd
enters through the gate
and that He is Himself the Gate,
as well as the Shepherd.
Then, it is necessary,
that He enter through Himself.
By so doing, He reveals Himself
and through Himself, He knows the Father.
But we enter through Him
because through Him. we find happiness.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

“It is never really God Who is silent.
He is forever appealing to us to lead good lives.
He is never really far from us
but is always ready to bestow His gifts on us.
Even when we have sinned,
we hear His Voice prompting us to thoughts of remorse.
Even when we stray away from Him,
He follows and asks us to return to Him.
It is we, who must ensure that the noise of the world,
will not prevent us from hearing His Fatherly appeal
and that sinful temptations
will not destroy His influence over us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – Who is he who overcomes the world?

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Friday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Who is he who overcomes the world?
but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:5

“He wants you to become
a living force for all mankind,
lights shining in the world.
You are to be radiant lights
as you stand beside Christ,
the Great Light,
bathed in the glory of Him
who is the Light of Heaven.”

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“The very prince of the universe, is man;
the crowning point of man, is his heart;
of the heart, is love
and the perfection of love, is charity.
That is why the love of God is the goal,
the crowning point,
the be-all and end-all of the universe.”

(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 1)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

“If we live good lives, hoping for a Heavenly reward
and guided by the action of the Holy Spirit,
dwelling within us, we shall possess this spiritual joy.
Once we possess it, it will be erased, neither by temptation,
nor by suffering, nor by persecution,
as long as our faith remains firm and steadfast.
The sincere Christian accepts pleasure
and pain with equal readiness
because he places everything in God’s hands.
… We must try, at least, to achieve that spirit
of complete resignation to God’s will
which is always rewarded by peace of soul!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY

Quote/s of the Day –7 April – ‘ He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day –7 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“He asks for our faith and offers us salvation.
What He offers us, is so precious
that what He asks of us, is as nothing!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace

“I shall reflect the image of God
in that I feed on love;
grow certain on faith and hope;
strengthen myself, on the virtue of patience;
grow tranquil by humility;
grow beautiful by chastity;
am sober by abstention;
am made happy by tranquillity
and am ready for death,
by practising hospitality.”

ACW – Ancient Christian Writer
Incomplete Work on Matthew
(Homily 40)

“True piety admits no other rule than that,
whatsoever things have been faithfully received
from our fathers, the same are to be
faithfully consigned to our children
and that, it is our duty,
not to lead religion whither we would
but rather, to follow religion whither it leads
and that, it is the part of Christian modesty
and gravity, not to hand down our own beliefs
or observances to those who come after us
but, to preserve and keep what we have received,
from those who went before us.”

St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445)
Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’

“We should also have great confidence
in the continual assistance which God offers us
in the temptations, troubles and trials of life.
When pain torments us,
when humiliations are difficult to bear,
when all is dark. we fear each moment
and we feel abandoned, let us trust in Him,
Who is the Way, the Truth and Life.
He says to us, as He said to Peter floundering in the waves:
“O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?” (Mt 14:31).
He is always ready to console and comfort.
He is always there waiting for our call.
We are not alone!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY CROSS, The LAMB of GOD, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 31 March – The Redemption

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 31 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Redemption

“In conclusion, let us say this prayer of St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787):
“My soul, look at this Crucified Man …
see how the arms extend to embrace you,
how the head bows forward
to give you the kiss of peace.
See how His side is open to receive you.
What have you to say?
Such a good and loving God deserves to be loved.
O my Jesus!
Adorable Jesus!
O Love of my soul!
How can I ever forget Thee?
How can I ever love anything
apart from Thee!
O suffering Jesus,
may the memory of Thee ever remain
in my heart!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/13/thought-for-the-day-13-september-the-redemption/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/31/thought-for-the-day-31-march-the-redemption/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, HOLY SATURDAY, INGRATITUDE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The LAMB of GOD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Thought for the Day – 30 March – The Death of our Saviour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Death of our Saviour

“Jesus had now come to the last morning of His earthly life.
The Blood had been drained from His Body as a result of His fatal Wounds and He felt a great thirst, “I thirst,” He murmured in a weak voice.
He expressed in these words, not only His physical thirst but also, His spiritual thirst for souls.
He had given everything for the eternal salvation of men, yet, He realised with Divine foresight, that many would refuse to co-operate with His infinite love,
His thirst was a burning love for us and it was answered, on the physical level, by the vinegar which was given to Him to drink and in the moral order, by our ingratitude.

Seeing that His mission was fulfilled with His last breath, Jesus entrusted His soul to His Heavenly Father, “Father, into Thy Hands, I commend My spirit” (Lk 23:46).
Then, in order to show that His Death was voluntary, He cried out in a loud Voice, “It is consummated!” (Jn 19:30).
Jesus was dead!

Let us prostrate ourselves before His lifeless Body covered with sores and furrowed with blood.
Let us vow, never to offend Him again.
Let us give Him our minds, our hearts, our souls, our whole being.
Let us love Him more and more!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/14/thought-for-the-day-14-april-the-death-of-our-saviour/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/03/thought-for-the-day-3-april-the-death-of-our-saviour/