Category: OPEN HOUSE…Conversations with…

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH, The ANNUNCIATION

Thought for the Day – 6 March – The Annunciation

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Thought for the Day – 6 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

6th Day – The Annunciation

+1. Our Lady’s peaceful life at Nazareth with her chaste and holy spouse had continued for some weeks or months, when that wondrous message came to her – she was to be the Mother of God. The Son of God became Incarnate in her holy womb!
How it must have transformed her whole life to know that her God dwelt within her!
She was no longer Joseph’s spouse before all else; he had to give place to One holier than he, to One Who was not mere man but God!
Now she was before all and above all, the sacred house in which the Eternal Wisdom of God dwelt under a veil of flesh!

+2. Did Joseph perceive any change in her?
Yes – he was conscious of a dignity, of a grace, of a Divinity encircling Mary which ,with all her holiness, had not been there before.
Mary’s sanctity was transformed. She, herself, who before had been like a beautiful crystal, was now like a crystal through which some brilliant Light continually darted its rays of splendour.
So ought we to be when we receive Holy Communion .
What a change it should make in us!
How in our conversation the recent Presence of our God
within us, should show its Divine effects in our lives!

+3. Why did Mary not tell Joseph?
She could not. She, who always acted under Divine inspiration was inspired to conceal the Divine secret.
How could she, with her humility, reveal this unexampled privilege? She knew all that her silence would bring on her but, until God urged her to speak, she would be silent.
Are we similarly guided by God in all things and, are we anxious to conceal, what exalts us in the eyes of others?

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATECHESIS, GOD ALONE!, MODESTY, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Lord, I am not worthy …

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Ash Thursday – Isaias 38:1-6 – Matthew 8:5-13

“And the centurion, making answer, said:
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst
enter under my roof but only say the word
and my servant shall be healed.”

Matthew 8:8

“Whoever exalts himself
will be humbled
and whoever humbles himself
will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:12

“Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved.
They cannot say with the prophet:
See, God comes to my aid;
the Lord is the helper of my soul.
But anyone who makes himself humble,
like a little child,
is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor if the Church

“Humility is the mother of many virtues
because, from it are born:
obedience, fear, reverence, patience,
modesty, meekness and peace.
He who is humble easily obeys everyone,
fears to offend anyone,
is at peace with everyone,
is kind to all!”

St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555)

“Humility is not just about self-mistrust
but about the entrusting of ourselves to God.
Distrusting ourselves and our own strength
produces trust in God
and from that trust,
generosity of soul is born.”

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

Posted in LENT- 2025, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on PRIDE, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 6 March – The Preliminaries of the Passion

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Lenten Meditations – 6 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)”

Ash Thursday
The Preliminaries of the Passion

Read St. Luke xxii:1-6

[1] Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the pasch, was at hand. [2] And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put Jesus to death but they feared the people. [3] And Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, one of the twelve. [4] And he went, and discoursed with the chief priests and the magistrates, how he might betray Him to them. [5] And they were glad and covenanted to give him money. [6] And he promised. And he sought opportunity to betray Him in the absence of the multitude. [Luke 22:1-6]

+1. During the first days of the week in which He suffered, our Blessed Lord had been teaching all day in the Temple. The assembled crowd had cried ,“ Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is He Who cometh in the name of the Lord.”
It seemed as if He were going to be acknowledged by the voice of the people as the King of Israel. How deceptive are appearances! How often, when all seems to be going well and the cause of Christ about to triumph, some grievous disappointment is at hand!

+2. Side by side with the enthusiasm of the people grew the rage and fury of the chief priests and scribes.
Why did they thus hate Him, Who went about doing good? In their selfishness and cupidity, they feared, lest He should interfere with their influence and they thus lose their position, their reputation, their gains. Pride and self -love blinded their eyes and made them hate, the Son of God, with a bitter hatred.
Am I not sometimes blinded by like feelings? filled with unjust dislike of others because they seem to interfere with my influence or my personal interests?

+3. The chief priests had a great advantage in the fact that, in the little company, which surrounded Jesus, there was a traitor. Judas impelled by avarice, had been first a thief and then, had made overtures to betray his Master. O fatal love of money, to harden the heart of man!
How careful must I be not to set my heart on any earthly possessions, since nothing has a more deadly power than this, to separate me from the love of Jesus!

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 5 March – St Joseph’s Espousal

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Thought for the Day – 5 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

5th Day – St Joseph’s Espousal

+I. Never were husband and wife so eminently suited to each other, as Joseph and Mary. Never was there a union which so exactly symbolised the union between Christ and the Church.
Happy indeed are those who meet with a congenial spouse! Happier still, are those who are content to live in a state of virginity and in the religious life to choose Jesus Christ Himself for their Divine Spouse. They it is, who most nearly approach to the life of Joseph with Mary.

+2. St Joseph and Our Lady lived in perpetual chastity and their union was a closer one than that of any other husband and wife in the whole world.
Their ideas, opinions, hopes,wishes, likes and dislikes, were all the same; Joseph was Mary’s strong support, Mary loved to depend on Joseph. None was ever so obedient, gentle loving and sympathising a wife as Mary. None was ever such a thoughtful, kind, prudent, faithful husband as Joseph.

+3. Of what age was St Joseph at the time of his marriage? Not an old man, for this would have been unseemly; nor very young, for he would not have been a suitable protector for Mary but, about the prime of life. It is true that from the 5th Century onwards, he is represented as a bearded old man but this is partly to represent the dignity of his character, partly, as a portrait of his later years. Joseph was always far advanced in wisdom, counsel, prudence and the love of God.
Would that I were more like him!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, St Francis de Sales, The LAST THINGS

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Ash Wednesday

Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

“Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth,
where rust and moth consume
and where thieves break in and steal
but lay up for yourselves,
treasures in Heaven …”

Matthew 6:19-20

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them;
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together, you have nothing.
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others
you open God’s ear to yourself!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna
“Doctor of Homilies”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Fasting is the death of sin,
the destruction of our crimes
and the remedy of our salvation.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“For the devil may tempt the good
but he cannot find rest in them;
for he is shaken violently
and upset and driven out –
now by their prayers,
now by their tears of repentance
and now. by their almsgiving
and similar good works.”

St Bruno (c1030-1101)

“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries,
let him look at a Crucifix
and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him
and not only forgave His enemies
but, even prayed His Heavenly Father,
to forgive them too.
Let him remember,
that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday,
instead of asking pardon for his sins,
he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“The sacred gift of prayer
is already in the Right Hand of the Saviour;
as soon as ever you shall have emptied yourself of self,
He will pour it into your heart!”

(Letters to Persons in Religion III 19)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“You must be reconciled to your enemies,
speak to them, as if they had never done you
anything but good, all your life,
keeping nothing in your heart but the charity,
which the good Christian should have, for everyone,
so that we may all appear with confidence,
before the tribunal of God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in LENT- 2025, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – Ash Wednesday, The Anticipation of the Passion

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Lenten Meditations – 5 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)”

Ash Wednesday
The Anticipation of the Passion

Read St Matthew xvi:21; xvii:21, 22
“From that time, Jesus began to show to His disciples,that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests and be put to death and the third day rise again.” [Matthew 16:21]

“And when they abode together in Galilee, Jesus said to them: ‘The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men; [22] And they shall kill Him and the third day He shall rise again. And they were exceedingly troubled.” [Matthew 17:21-22]

+1. From the first moment of His Incarnation, our Blessed Lord had ever before His Eyes, the prospect of His approaching Agony and Death. It was present to Him, not vaguely and uncertainly, like pain and suffering to which men look forward but vividly and distinctly, as at the actual time when He suffered. Never, for a single moment, was it absent from His thoughts.
O wondrous Love of our Incarnate God, Who thus employed His Divine Power to protract His sufferings by this continual prospect!

+2. Yet, in spite of this, He was always cheerful and full of brightness and joy of heart.
His coming Agony did not weigh Him down or depress Him. In spite of the bitterness of the chalice, of the unspeakable agony ever present to Him, no cloud overcast His brow, no weakness or dread was manifest to His Apostles, no thought of Self, interfered with His perfect sympathy for others. He was a pattern of Divine unselfishness; the unselfish always forget their own troubles and so can comfort and help
others.

+3. But our Blessed Lord, not only was not cast down by the approaching Passion, He actually longed for it. I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptised and how am I straitened until it be accomplished?
His Love for men was such that He rejoiced in the thought of suffering for us .
How can I ever thank Him as I ought?
How can I show my love for Him Who loved me with so great a Love?

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, LENT, LENT- 2025, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – Preface and Introduction by St Bonaventure

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Lenten Meditations – 5 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)”

PREFACE

THERE is no subject of meditation more pleasing to God and more profitable to the soul, than the Passion of Jesus Christ. It containswithin itself, all sweetness It is the remedy for every evil; the food which nourishes the soul. It is continued still in the Blessed Eucharist and every Mass, is a representation and renewal of the Sacred Passion. It is a subject always in season but especially during the holy time of Lent.
These Meditations deal with some of the main incidents of Our Lord’s Sacred Passion. They are intended to be begun on Ash Wednesday and to end on Holy Saturday.
A few verses of Scripture are suggested to be read before each meditation, as furnishing the subject – matter of
which it treats.

Introduction – How to Meditate on the Passion

St Bonaventure tells us, if we desire to meditate with fruit on the Passion of Jesus Christ, three conditions are necessary. Our meditation must be
+1. HUMBLE – for the Passion is unlike anything else in the world, it is unfathomable to human reason; it is a bottomless ocean of mystery. Reason must bow its head and confess its inability to grasp the Mysteries which even Faith sees only darkly and through a glass. The story of Christ’s humiliation, is to the proud, a sealed book; they see nothing attractive in it. Christ suffering, has no beauty that they should admire Him. I must, therefore, begin by praying for
humility.

+2. FULL of CONFIDENCE – since the Passion is the source of all our confidence. It is the proof of the exceeding Love wherewith Christ loved us.
How can I fear, with the sight before me, of Christ suffering for love of me? It is, too , a medicine for every possible evil, for every temptation for every sin, whatever the malady of my soul –the Passion of Christ can cure it.
At the Foot of the Cross, each mortal wound will be made whole!

+3. PERSEVERANCE – the beauty of the Passion does not appear all at once.
The world considers it a degradation, the careless and the indifferent. pass it by unmoved; even the faithful Christian scarcely penetrates beneath the surface of that Divine Mystery, unless he prays earnestly and continually, to appreciate it. Only gradually and by degrees, are we drawn by the Sacred attractiveness of the Cross
Before I begin my meditations, I must ask God for this spirit of humility, confidence, persistence!

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on CHASTITY, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 4 March – St Joseph’s Betrothal

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Thought for the Day – 4 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

4th Day – St Joseph’s Betrothal

+1. When our blessed Lady arrived at a marriageable age, the Chief Priest summoned all the unmarried men of the House of David that, from them, a husband might be chosen for her.
There is a tradition that, to each of them, a rod was delivered and the High Priest, speaking under Divine inspiration, declared that God would choose a spouse for Mary in the same way in which Aaron was chosen to be the High Priest in the Old Law.
“Whomsoever of these I shall choose, his rod shall blossom (Num xvii:5).
On the morrow the rod of Joseph had budded and blossomed. He was thus declared by God, to be the worthy spouse of His holy Mother.

+2. But Joseph had promised God, to remain ever a virgin.* How could he then consent to marriage? He knew by Divine revelation that Mary had made a similar vow and Mary knew the same of him O happy , O ideal union! where the sublime gift of virginity was united to the
mutual love and dependence of husband on wife and wife on husband.

+3. But thus it is that God provides for His elect.
He plans for them in a way which utterly sets at naught, the prudence of the world. He never disappoints those who leave themselves in His Hands but exercisesH a Divine ingenuity in fulfilling all the desires of their hearts, in most unexpected ways, in return for their submission and obedience to His holy Will.
Thus it is, those who do God’s Will, always do their own will , for their will is His and His Will is theirs.
(* St Thomas in Quæst Sent ii I).

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 3 March – St Joseph’s Childhood and Youth

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Thought for the Day – 3 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

3rd Day – St Joseph’s Childhood and Youth

+1. The names of the servants of God often indicate some leading feature in their work or. in their character.
When God Himself gives the name, this is always the case. Joseph signifies – adding or increasing – and was a forecast of his continuous increase , not only in grace and in favour with God but also, in glory and repute with men as long as the world shall last.
Rejoice in the growing devotion to St Joseph and ask yourself whether your devotion to him grows more and more?

+2. St Joseph is said to have had a boyhood and youth of suffering and, to have been persecuted and ill-treated by his brethren.
We should expect it to be so, since this was the lot of the Patriarch of Genesis and, moreover, one who has such an eminent position in the Church on earth and, such exceeding glory in Heaven, must have been conformed to our Blessed Lord in having a career of suffering.
St Joseph’s character as known to us in Sacred Scripture, is eminently, one purified by having had much to undergo.
Such patience, gentleness, thoughtful charity, cannot be learned except at a heavy price!

+3. Joseph’s trade was that of a carpenter.
The thought of the great Patron of the Universal Church, the husband of Mary, having been a handicraftsman, ought to give us a great respect for manual labour.
The idea that there is in it anything unsuitable to our dignity is a vulgar, unchristian, heathen notion. All the Saints had a love for manual labour.
How much better such a life than that of self-satisfied ease and luxury!
Thank God if you have to labour with your hands.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 2 March – St Joseph’s Parentage and Birth

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Thought for the Day – 2 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

2nd Day – St Joseph’s Parentage and Birth

+1. Although St Joseph lived in poverty and contempt, he came of a noble ancestry. The blood of Kings and Saints ran in his veins and, what is more, he inherited, from them, the virtues of each but in a far higher degree, than that which their original possessor had enjoyed.
How much the good in me is an inheritance from my parents and forefathers!? Yet how ill I have employed the virtues I received from them! Instead of being better than they, like St Joseph, I am the degenerate child of parents far better than myself.

+2. St Joseph, as the greatest of all the Saints next to Our Lady, had all the privileges of other Saints.
Hence, we may piously believe that, like St John, he was cleansed from sin in his mother’s womb.
He was to be Mary’s spouse, he was to occupy the first and foremost place in the family of Jesus, he was, hereafter, to be the Patron of the whole Church! It was, therefore, fitting that he should be endowed with this initial privilege of being, from his birth, a child of God, an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thank God for this privilege bestowed on him!

+3. St Joseph was the connecting link between the Old and the New Dispensation, the first dawn which announces the coming day.
In his youth, he belonged to the Old Law, in his later life, to the New. As the dawn brightens into the glorious day, so St Joseph’s life, beautiful from the first, advanced in splendour continually.
Is this the history of my life? Have I made steady progress
in the love of God?

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the POOR, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – ‘… God’s greatness, is His Mercy.’

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Quinquagesima Sunday

“ For man’s lowliness,
is his gratitude
and, God’s greatness,
is His Mercy.”

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

“Thou art the Good Shepherd;
seek me, Thy lamb
and neglect me not,
who has gone astray.
[John 10:11-14]”

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

“Be generous to the poor orphans
and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord
has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven,
as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“I often speak with my Teacher, Jesus,
in the Blessed Sacrament
because I learn from Him.
Jesus is the Teacher of the science of holiness.
I go to Him because I would like to learn,
from Him, how to become a Saint.
Of what use to me is all knowledge
and education, if I do not become holy?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in CATECHESIS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 1 March – The Foreshadowing of St Joseph

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Thought for the Day – 1 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Ist Day – The Foreshadowing of St Joseph

+I. As the Church of Christ is prefigured in the rites and ceremonies of the Old Law, so too, the chief personages who centre around Our Lord in the Redemption of the world, are foreshadowed in the Old Testament .
We trace the outlines of Our Lady’s graces in Esther, Jahel, Bethsabee, Judith.
So too, St Joseph’s place in the new dispensation is anticipated in the place of the Patriarch Joseph at the Court of Pharaoh. Thus it is that, God in His Love for His chosen ones, paves the way for them centuries before. From the beginning, He has prepared their work and the throne they are to earn in Heaven by their labours and sufferings for Him.

+2. In the life of the Patriarch Joseph, there was throughout, a correspondence to the life of the foster -father of Jesus Christ.
The troubles and persecutions of his early life, his long time of servitude and obscurity, his wondrous purity, his time of patient expectation, his glorious exaltation, his omnipotence with the King, his power to save all who came to him – all these were repeated, or rather, were fulfilled, in St Joseph. Reflect on each of these and consider how St Joseph is a model to us.

+3. We read of the Patriarch that the King of Egypt made him the lord of his house.
So God made St Joseph the lord of that earthly Tabernacle of Flesh in which He dwelt on earth. Joseph ruled Our Lord in His Sacred Humanity. He made him the lord too , of another house in which He sojourned, of the Sacred House which Wisdom built for Himself, in the form of His holy Mother. If St Joseph was thus, the lord of Jesus and Mary, what may we not expect from Him!?

Posted in GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The GREAT TRUTHS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 28 February – How to Begin Heaven on Earth

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Thought for the Day – 28 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

28th Day – How to Begin Heaven on Earth

Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven .
(St Matt vi:10)

+I. In this vale of tears, even the happiest life is misery compared to the life in Heaven.
Even the perfect tranquillity and peace, enjoyed by the Saints of God on earth, is confusion and trouble compared to the peace of Heaven. Yet, we can begin even here, a life which contains the germ of Paradise.
The essential element of Heaven, is union with God,and those, who are united to God by supernatural charity, have in them, the seed of Heaven’s happiness.

+2. This supernatural charity does not consist in feeling, or in the absence of suffering, or in brilliant success or in freedom from temptation.
Our life maybe one continual cross, one long series of failures, as men count failure; we may live in poverty and want and die unheeded and uncared for; yet, such a life, maybe the beginning of Heaven upon earth.

+3. In what then, does supernatural charity consist?
Simply in doing what we know to be God’s Will in the details of our daily life; in having the thought of Him before us as the guiding principle of our actions, of doing all for Him and not for self.
One who consistently leads such a life as this, cannot fail to be happy, in spite of all external miseries, for he carries in himself, the principle which constitutes heavenly happiness.
“Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.”
Pray for this unfailing compliance with the will of God in all that you do and think and are.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 27 February – The Companions of Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 27 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

27th Day – The Companions of Heaven

Their lot is among the Saints.
(Wisdom v: 5)

+1. How much of our happiness depends upon those among whom we dwell! There are some whose very presence is enough and more than enough, to satisfy us; the mere fact of being in their company, is a source of continual pleasure; this is the case with those who are still full of imperfections and fault, how much more, in Heaven, where everyone will be purged of all which offends us in them on earth Everyone of the Saints and Angels, will be, not only a congenial but, a most delightful companion.

+2. But, there will be some, who will feast our souls with their company and conversation beyond the rest – our friends on earth will be our friends in Heaven; we shall recognise each and all. All to whom we have done any kindness for Christ’s Sake, will come to thank us then; above all, any whom we have had the happiness of saving from sin, by precept or example, will never tire of pouring out upon us, the abundance of their gratitude.
What more delicious pleasure than this!?

+3. Yet, there will be dearer companions still!
The Saints of God, our Patron Saints, our Guardian Angel, how shall we linger in their sweet society!
The Saints to whom we have had a special devotion, above all – Our Lady and St Joseph, how surpassingly sweet to be with them!
Yet, all this is only a reflection of the joy we shall derive from
beholding the Lamb Who had been slain, our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Pray to dwell now, in heart, in the company of the Saints and the Angels. 🛐

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 26 February – The Employments of Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 26 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

26th Day – The Employments of Heaven

His servants shall serve Him.
(Apoc xxii:3)

+1. While faith and hope will be at an end in Heaven, the virtue of charity will remain.
There is nothing on earth as sweet as love nothing which fills the heart with such continual joy; nothing which so occupies the soul and causes men to forget all else.
This is the case when the object of our love is a perishable, imperfect creature like ourselves.
How much more when the object of our love is the God of Infinite Beauty containing in Himself, every possible earthly perfection, not only multiplied to an infinite degree but altogether superior in kind and, therefore, a source of greater joy, than all possible created beauty!

+2. A strong love makes the long hours pass away in a stream of unceasing delight; no weariness, no monotony, no desire for anything else.
One thing only limits the perfection of the happiness of love and that is the thought that it cannot last forever.
In Heaven, there will be a stream of delight immeasurably richer and, the joyful consciousness that, there is no fear of its ever coming to an end.

+3. As God is Infinite in His perfections, they will necessarily be inexhaustible. The various phases (if we may use the term) of His Divine Loveliness will never come to an end. After a million years, there will still be the same inexhaustible treasure of multiform delights to be enjoyed and, after a million years, it will not be diminished.
No fear then, of sameness in Heaven, no fear of monotony, it will ever be the same and yet, ever new!
Pray for a greater love of God here on earth.

Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, St PAUL!, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 25 February – Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 25 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

25th Day – Heaven .

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man,
what things God hath prepared
for those who love Him.
(1 Cor ii:9)

+1. These words convey the best idea which the Apostle who had been carried up into the Third Heaven could give, of the happiness of the redeemed.
All the loveliest things we have ever seen, are as nothing in comparison to the sight of Heaven; all the sweetest sounds are discord compared with the music of Heaven; all the joys which have made the longest hours only too short, do not deserve the name of joy, compared with the joys of Heaven. One moment of Heaven, is worth them all!

+2. Whatever God does, He does on a scale worthy of Himself.
The happiness of Heaven will be immeasurable, from the fact of its being, in union with the God of Infinite Love and Beauty. It will be a joy like the joy of Our Lord Himself, since He will say to each of the redeemed – “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Am I doing what I can to insure those words, being addressed to me?

+3. In Heaven, all will be perfectly happy.
Even those who have the lowest places, will have all that their hearts desire. There will be no unsatisfied wish in Heaven, no craving after what we do not possess.
Everyone will have an overflowing cup of pleasure.
Oh, what fools we are not to do more to insure the joy of Heaven!
Pray that you may often think of Heaven and its eternal joys.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The GREAT TRUTHS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 24 February – The End Attained!

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Thought for the Day – 24 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

24th Day – The End Attained!

Then shall the King say to those who shall be
on His Right Hand, Come you blessed of My Father,
possess you the Kingdom, prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
(St Matt xxv:34)

+1. What will be the sentiments of those who, at the General Judgement will find themselves on the Right Hand of the Judge and listen to His Words of Love?
First of all, they will overflow with a delicious sense of happiness and peace; they will scarcely be able to contain themselves with delight; unmixed and unsullied, will be their cup of joy, unlike any of the joys of earth, intoxicating them with its ineffable sweetness!

+2. They will also be amazed and astonished at the reward given to them.
What have I done, O Lord, to deserve all this? When did I minister to Thee as Thou sayest? When did I do anything to earn Thy Words of Gratitude? Who am I that, Thou shouldst thus exalt me? All the little which I did, came from Thee and now, Thou rewardest me, as if it was my own doing.
We bless Thee, we praise Thee, for Thy great goodness,
Thine unspeakable generosity!

+3. They will also look back with wonder on their earthly life. While it lasted it seemed so long, so tedious, perhaps so miserable and now, it is like a moment in the past, like a shadow which flitted by.
How infinitesimal all its sorrows and pains will then seem, all compensated by that first moment of ineffable delight!
Seek to bear that day in heart and mind, when earthly sorrows press heavily.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, The GREAT TRUTHS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 23 February – The Final Sentence

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Thought for the Day – 23 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

23d Day – The Final Sentence

The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment
but the just into life everlasting,
(St Matt xxv:46)

+1. The sentence pronounced at the Last Judgement, will be one of perfect justice.
Every little circumstance will be taken into account – inherited character, natural disposition, fierce passions, favourable or unfavourable circumstances, early training, opportunities of grace sacraments, temptations, everything! All who are lost will confess that they have been treated with perfect justice that, it was their own fault that, it was they, who condemned themselves to eternal separation from God.

+2. The sentence will be, not only just but, merciful.
All the lost will acknowledge that, their punishment is less than they deserved. They will recognise an element of mercy and will be forced amid their despair and hatred of God, amid their curses and blasphemies , to confess that they have been leniently dealt with in comparison with their sins!

+3. The sentence will be irrevocable.
Even at the Particular Judgement, the soul will know its final destiny. But, at the General Judgement, the sentence will be confirmed and ratified in the presence of the holy Angels and the assembled crowd.
How strange it is then that, in view of this, we take so little trouble to secure a favourable sentence!
Pray that to you, may be addressed, the gracious words – “Well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, The GREAT TRUTHS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 22 February – The General Judgement .

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Thought for the Day – 22 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

22nd Day – The General Judgement .

Behold He cometh with the clouds
and every eye shall see Him
and they also who pierced Him .
(Apoc i:7)

+1. At the General Judgement, Christ as Man, will be the Judge of men because He is at once God and Man.
He will, therefore, have not only the most intimate knowledge of all our lives but a sympathy with us, an understanding of our nature from experience which will give Him, in the natural order, the highest qualifications for being our Judge.

+2. On that day, what a complete reverse there will be of all the world’s unjust verdicts!
How many, now ridiculed, despised, condemned, will then be glorious and honoured before men and Angels!
What will my sentiments be on that day, when the thoughts of all hearts will be revealed?

+3. On the Right of the Judge will be the sheep, on the Left, the goats – the one overflowing with celestial delights, the other already filled with the despair of hell.
What will distinguish between them? Simply this – whether they have shown charity to others for Christ’s sake. This and nothing else, will be the test –
“Inasmuch as you have done it to one of My least brethren, you have done it to Me.”
How shall I stand this test?
Ask God to teach you how to secure a place on the Right Hand of the Judge.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST the JUDGE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 21 February – The Particular Judgement .

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Thought for the Day – 21 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

21st Day – The Particular Judgement .

We must all be manifested before
the Judgement-seat of Christ.
(2 Cor v:10)

+1. At the Particular Judgement, we shall see our lives as they never appeared to us before. In an instant, we shall live them over again.
Each thought word, act, will be clear and distinct, with its true character no longer hidden by our own wilful blindness but, in all its foulness, baseness, ingratitude, revealed to us in the bright Light of God.

+2. We shall then stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ, no longer as our Advocate but, as our Judge; no longer pleading for us but dealing out strict justice, according to our deserts. He will be clothed with a Divine glory which will attract us and, at the same time, fill us with dismay, at the thought of having offended Him. St Teresa said that what struck her most forcibly in the vision she had of Him, was how awful would be the anger of One so full of Divine sweetness!

+3. Yet, we need not fear the Judgement if we make Christ our friend now. If we earn His gratitude by doing all we can to please Him, He will not remember our former sins. He will look to what we are, not to what we have been. He will not remember the sins of those who love Him with all their hearts.
The same St Teresa said – “Why should I fear the Judgement when my Judge will be my Best Friend.”
Pray that you may forestall the Judgement by a careful examination of your conscience.

Posted in QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 20 February – Death

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Thought for the Day – 20 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

20th Day – Death

It is appointed unto men once to die.
(Heb ix:27)

+1. Why is death a terror to men?
Because it is the punishment for sin, the penalty which was attached, by God Himself, to the first transgression of His law – “In the day thou eatest of it, thou shalt die the death.”
For this reason we shrink from it as the mark and sign of our fallen and degraded condition.
Disease, corruption, old age, decay, are its forerunners and are invested with the same reproach as testimonies to our being born in sin.

+2. Death is the end of our time of trial.
After it, our destiny will be irrevocably fixed. No more chance of doing penance, no more opportunities of contrition, no more merit, no more grace, no more calls to repentance, no more hope for those who reject God in this life. No wonder, then, men dread it! Yet death is standing at our very door; at any moment the King of Terrors may summon us away.
Am I prepared for the summons?

+3. Yet to those who love God, death loses all its terrors.
For them it is the beginning of their true life. All their hopes have been directed to the unseen world; why should they fear? Their heart is in Heaven and their treasure is in Heaven, their King and Lord is there and all their dearest and best friends and the Angels and the Saints.
How happy are those who are thus detached from this world and ever look to the world to come!
Pray for a happy death!

Posted in Of the Holy Souls in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, The GREAT TRUTHS, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 19 February – The Punishment of Venial Sin

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Thought for the Day – 19 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

19th Day – The Punishment of Venial Sin

Thou shalt not go out from thence
until thou repay the last farthing.
(St Matthew v:26)

Venial Sin is the great evil in the world next to mortal sin and, therefore, it deserves a punishment greater than all the miseries of earth.
God has taught us what sort of an evil it is, by one or two instances of the way in which He visits it in this life.

+1. Moses, the friend of God, the Chosen Ruler of His People, the meekest of men, to whom God conversed as friend with friend, once committed a Venial Sin. He gave way to momentary impatience and lost his temper under provocation. For this, God denied him admission into the Promised Land! After his long and faithful service, God sent him to die on Mount Nebo before the Jordan was crossed. All the forty years of weary travel did not avail him; the Venial Sin cut him off before the goal was reached!

+2. David , the man after God’s Own Heart, in a moment of vanity, determined to number the people, boastfully priding himself on the strength of his fighting men.
In punishment of this, God sent a pestilence which, in less than three days, destroyed seventy thousand Israelites.
Jerusalem itself, would have been decimated, had not David entreated God to avert His destroying Hand.
How God must hate Venial Sin!

+3. After death, there will remain for most, a debt still to be paid for Venial Sin.
It is in Purgatory where we shall see its true character.
No earthly agony even approaches the agony of the Purgatorial Fire. The souls God loves, must be tormented there until they have paid the last farthing.
Alas! what do I still owe?
Am I doing my best to pay the debt and avoid adding to it?
Beg for an intense dread of Venial Sin .

Posted in QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HELL, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 17 February – The Eternity of Hell

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Thought for the Day – 17 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

17th Day – The Eternity of Hell

This is my rest forever and ever.
(Ps cxxxi:14)

+1. The worst aggravation of the sufferings of hell is that, they will never end.
If only they would cease, or be alleviated, after a thousand or a million years, the day of hope would shine on the inmates of that prison-house, even though far away in the dim distance. It is the knowledge that, at the end of countless millions of years, they will still be suffering as they are now which makes the agony of the lost so intolerable.
Forever, never! Forever, never!

+2. Add to this, the frightful monotony of their torments. How wearily the time drags on through a night, sleepless on account of acute pain!
But what will be the monotony of anguish which will make those endless ages drag along in unchanging misery? Nothing to vary the blackness of darkness around them; nothing to vary the worm of remorse ever gnawing at their heart nothing to vary the excruciating agony of the fire which will never be quenched.

+3. All this is the necessary result of their being fixed in an unchanging enmity with God.
If only they could receive in their souls, one spark of the Love of God, hell would at once cease to be hell. One thought of love would turn their agony of despair into joyful hope.
But no such thought will ever come to them.
Make many Acts of Love of God and ask Him that you may never be separated from Him by sin.

Posted in QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SIN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 16 February – The Aggravations of Hell

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Thought for the Day – 16 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

16th Day – The Aggravations of Hell

Here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.
(Ps cxxxi:14)

Every thought of the lost will aggravate, not alleviate, their sufferings. Let us review one or two of the thoughts which will be ever present to their minds.

+1. They might so easily have been saved!
One act of contrition at the last, one grace accepted out of the countless graces which were deliberately set at naught and they might have been with the Angels in Heaven, instead of with the devils in hell. To know that we have just missed some advantage which we might, with a little trouble, have secured for ourselves, is always a tormenting thought. How much more when it is Heaven which is lost!

+2. If the advantage is lost, purely through our own fault, this greatly increases our misery. We fools! We had so many chances, we knew so well we were forfeiting our eternal inheritance! It is this which changes sorrow into remorse and adds to suffering, the horror and blackness of despair!
All through our own fault! What a thought to dwell with me through all eternity!

+3. What is it that we have lost?
This will be the bitterest thought of all.
We have lost the sweet music of Heaven, we have lost the company of the Saints and Angels, we have lost the enchanting happiness of gazing on the Sacred Humanity of Jesus in all its glory and, above all, we have lost the unspeakable joy of the Beatific Vision. We fools!
Pray God that the dread of this thought hereafter, may keep you from sin.

Posted in QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SIN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 15 February – The Eternal Consequences of Sin

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Thought for the Day – 15 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

15th Day – The Eternal Consequences of Sin

Whoever was not found written in the Book of Life
was cast into the pool of fire.
(Apoc xx 15)

Try to represent to your imagination, the eternal prison-house. Listen to the shrieks and howls and cries of despair which issue thence; see the agony written on the faces of the inmates; approach, if you dare, to the devouring flame, taste the burning thirst which longs for one drop of water as an indescribable luxury.

+1. What is it that the lost are suffering here?
The pain of fire. Touch a piece of red- hot iron and see how long you can bear it? Yet, the lost souls in hell, endure an agony far worse than this, not in one portion of their body but in all the entire body.
Their eyes burn in the sockets like molten balls of fire. The fire surrounds them like water, nay, it is within and without them, it dries up their tongue, it consumes their entrails, it penetrates to the very marrow of their bones.
My God, may I never incur this agony!

+2. This fire is no ordinary fire. It is a supernatural fire – the breath of God kindles it.
The torment of burning, as known to us, is a suffering far less than the torment of hell. If the lost could be transferred to a bath of seething, molten lead, it would be a far less suffering, than that of the fire in which they are steeped in hell!

+3. About this fire, there is none of the light of ordinary fire. It carries with it the blackness of utter darkness. No ray of light will ever pierce its hideous gloom, no word of comfort, no relief, no hope of change. Nothing to alleviate the eternal misery which comes of sin.
Pray that if the love of God or hope of Heaven does not keep you from sinning, at least the fear of hell-fire may stop you in time!

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 QUOTES on SIN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 14 February – The Sins of Individual Men

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Thought for the Day – 14 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

14th Day – The Sins of Individual Men

I will recount to Thee all my years,
in the bitterness of my soul.
(Ps xxxviii:15)

+1. When we look at the sin of Adam and see the consequences it entailed, what shall we say of the consequences which the sins of each one of us are likely to bring upon our heads?
Adam’s was a single sin, as opposed to our countless offences. He did not appreciate the results of sin as we do, he had not witnessed the misery which comes from it, as we do, he had not seen the flames of hell kindled by sin, as we do.
How much more grievous then, are the offences of each one of us!

+2. We must remember too, Adam’s sin was forgiven the very day it was committed and God, in His Mercy, sealed His forgiveness by the promise of the Redeemer.
Yet, see the consequences of forgiven sin! The long penance, the spread of moral corruption, the disease and death, the misery and sorrow, the banishment from the Face of God, all these still remained, although the guilt of sin was gone. What reason then, for me to tremble at the thought of all my past sins!

+3. I will glance over my past life and try to recall a few of my many offences.
What a career mine has been! What ingratitude to God! What selfishness, what uncharitableness to others, what meanness, what unfaithfulness to grace, what impurity, what low motives of action, what forgetfulness of God, what idle words, what waste of time, what continual following my own inclinations!
How can I hope to escape the just judgements of God?
Pray for shame and contrition at the sight of your sins!

Posted in QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The GREAT TRUTHS, The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 13 February – The Temporal Consequences of Adam’s Sin

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Thought for the Day – 13 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

13th Day – The Temporal Consequences of Adam’s Sin

In Adam, all die.
(1 Cor xv:22)

No sooner had this first sin been consummated, than a blight fell upon the world. It had become the devil’s empire, for he had made Adam. its king, his slave!
What are the consequences to the inhabitants of the world?

+1. Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise, never again to enter. Their peace was gone, there was confusion within them, concupiscence fought against reason. Pain and sorrow came upon them and disease and death. For nine hundred years, they toiled painfully in weariness upon the earth and after their death, had to wait three thousand years more, before they were admitted to the heavenly Paradise.
And all for one sin!

+2. The effects of their sin were not limited to themselves alone.
All their descendants inherited from them, an inheritance of woe. All the wars, famines, pestilences, all the broken hearts, all the wretched lives of millions, had their source in this one sin.
How almost infinite are the consequences of sin!
Yet, I think so little of my sins and of the punishment I shall have to pay for them!

+3. If we would behold the full malice of Adam’s sin, we must stand beneath the Cross and watch our God dying in unutterable anguish.
It was sin which nailed Him to the Cross.
It was sin which forced from Him, His agonising cry – “My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Pray for a horror of sin, corresponding to its intensity of evil.

Posted in QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 12 February – Man’s First Sin

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Thought for the Day – 12 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

12th Day – Man’s First Sin

Pride is the beginning of all sin.
(Ecclus x:15)

+1. In Paradise before the Fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed a happiness beyond compare. They knew no pain, sickness, sorrow. They were created immaculate and adorned with a high degree of supernatural grace; they were exempt from all concupiscence; their lives passed in a continual round of unfailing delight; each evening God Himself, came to hold sweet converse with them.

+2. What was it which ruined their happiness?
The tempter came and suggested to Eve, a distrust of God, whispered into her ear, motives of disobedience. Eve listened and consented and in her heart, deliberately revolted against God.
Pride
brought with it concupiscence; she looked at the fruit which God had forbidden, took it, ate it, gave it to Adam. He also ate it and thus lost, for himself and all his posterity, the gift of original justice and all the graces and blessings which accompanied it.
One single sin ruined the world!
How ought I to dread and hate sin?!

+3. What was the history of this first sin?
The same as of every sin.
First the listening to the tempter’s voice then a jealousy of God, as of One Who interferes with our happiness; then, a positive revolt and undisguised pride and after this, every other sin, especially the indulgence of bodily appetite and depraved desires.
If I examine myself, I shall find that each sin I commit,
follows the same course.
Pray to avoid the first beginnings of sin.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The GREAT TRUTHS

Thought for the Day – 11 February – The First Sin

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Thought for the Day – 11 February – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations on “The Great Truths”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

IIth Day – The First Sin

God spared not the angels who sinned
(2 St Peter ii:4)

+1. There was a time when sin was unknown in God’s universe. All creatures obeyed Him and were happy and at peace. Thousands and tens of thousands of Holy Angels showed forth the glory of God by their joyful obedience.
Created in a state of supernatural grace, they were each, in his own degree, full of wisdom, of perfect beauty.

+2. Their trial during their time of probation consisted in having to acknowledge their dependence on and their subjection to, God. The larger number of them did so in a spirit of loyal, loving and unwavering obedience. But a third portion of them, led by Lucifer, refused to obey. They conceived an inordinate love of themselves and, from this arose a desire to be independent of God. They would not humble themselves, they considered it unworthy that they should submit to the Will of God in all things. Thus, pride grew up within them and they deliberately placed themselves in opposition to God.

+3. This open rebellion against God, lasted but a moment!
În an instant all their supernatural beauty was gone, the malice of their souls corrupted their whole being! All their beauty was turned to loathsome foulness! Cast out of God’s Heaven, they were hurled down to the lowest hell; outcasts for all eternity, filled with eternal misery and despair.
And all this – the effect of one sin and that, a sin of thought!
Beg of God an appreciation, of the unspeakable evil of pride, of sin!