Category: OPEN HOUSE…Conversations with…

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SILENCE

Thought for the Day – 26 February – Interior Silence

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Interior Silence

“It is much easier to recollect ourselves in the Church in front of the Altar.
For this reason, one could not sufficiently recommend a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every morning before going to work and every evening, before going to bed.

The ideal is always daily Mass and Holy Communion.
This will be tiring and maybe, inconvenient.
But God is infinitely good and will handsomely reward us for anything we do out of love for Him or, for our own spiritual welfare.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/18/thought-for-the-day-18-february-interior-silence/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/18/thought-for-the-day-18-february-interior-silence-2/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St PAUL!, The HEART, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – Begone, Satan!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-11

“Begone, Satan!
for it is written:
The Lord thy God shalt thou adore
and Him only shalt thou serve.”

Matthew 4:10

“Do not, therefore, lose your confidence,
which has a great reward.
For you have need of patience that,
doing the will of God,
you may receive the promise.
For yet a very little while
and He Who is to come,
will come
and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:35-37

“Expect temptation to your last breath.”

St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

“The demons that wage war on us,
through our shortcomings in virtue,
are those which teach —
impurity, drunkenness, avarice and envy.
Those that wage war on us,
through our excessive zeal for virtue,
teach — conceit, self-esteem and pride.
They [the demons] secretly pervert,
what is commendable,
into what is reprehensible!”

St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662)
Father of the Church

“It might even be said that we are fortunate
to have temptations, for these are the times
of spiritual harvest when we gather up for Heaven. …
If we were thoroughly saturated
with God’s Holy Presence,
it would be easy for us to resist the enemy.
With the thought ‘God sees you!’ we would never sin!

There was a saint who complained to our Lord
after being tempted and said to Him:
“Where were Thou, my most loveable Jesus,
during that awful storm?”
Our Lord answered:
“I was in the centre of thou heart…”

St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)
The Curé of Ars

“When tempted,
turn immediately to your
Guardian Angel and ask him,
with all your heart,
“My Guardian Angel help me now.
Do not let me offend my God!”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

“Why, we may ask,
does God permit us to be tempted?
He wishes us to realise, that only with His help,
can we aspire to the supernatural life
and triumph over our enemies.
Apart from Him, we shall be lost
but close to Him, we shall be invincible!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CONFESSION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Thought for the Day – 25 February – The Sacrament of Penance

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacrament of Penance

“St Charles Borromeo had the habit of going to Confession everyday.
This was not the result of scruples on his p[art, it was simply that he was supernaturally enlightened so as to perceive, even his smallest faults and he was anxious to remove, from his soul, the slightest trace of sin.

We do not have to follow his example but, weekly or fortnightly Confession is strongly recommended by spiritual writers.
It is a great loss to neglect Confession for too long a period.
We are deprived of the graces of this Sacrament, our fervour grows cold and we slip easily from venial into mortal sin.

Let us decide to make a good Confession every week whenever we find it possilbe.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/23/thought-for-the-day-23-february-the-sacrament-of-penance/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/23/thought-for-the-day-22-february-the-sacrament-of-penance/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 24 February – The Duties of Our State

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Duties of Our State

“Let us be content, or at least, resigned in the position in which Providence has placed us.
Let us pay special attention to those things which we are obliged to do.
Anything which is not necessary should be left until later, even if it is more pleasant or seems more worthwhile in itself.
Let us never become involved in business which is incompatible with our state or dangerous to our eternal welfare.
Let us not make light of minor offences against the duties of our state.
Smaller transgressions gradually become greater.
Above all, let us try to sanctify our calling.
It is one thing to work conscientiously, another to work in a spirit of holiness.,
Even pagans can do their duty earnestly.
Doing our duty is only a help to our eternal salvation if it is done with God’s grace for the purpose of serving Him, for His love and glory.
This should be our manner of behaviour.
If it is, we can claim to have sanctified our state in life and to have made our work holy.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/16/thought-for-the-day-16-february-the-duties-of-our-state/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/16/thought-for-the-day-16-february-the-duties-of-our-state-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CATECHESIS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2023, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on VANITY, St Francis de Sales

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 24 February – THE THIRD CONDITION NECESSARY for fasting well,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 24 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Feast of St Matthias, Apostle

“ Lord, Thou hast proved me
and known me:
Thou hast known my sitting down
and my rising up.”
Psalm 138:1-2

“Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me,
for I Am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”
Matthew 11:29-30

ON FASTING 3
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE THIRD CONDITION NECESSARY for fasting well, is to look to God and to do everything to please Him, withdrawing within ourselves in imitation of a great Saint, St Gregory the Great, who, withdrew into a secret and out-of-the-way place, where he remained for some time without anyone knowing where he was, being content that the Lord and His Angels knew it.

This is what Cassian, that great Father of the spiritual life, teaches us so well in the book of his admirable Conferences. (Many Saints held it in such esteem that they never went to bed without reading a chapter from it to recollect their mind to God.)
He says: “What will it profit you to do what you are doing for the eyes of creatures? Nothing but vanity and complacency which are good for Hell alone. But if you keep your fast and do all your works to please God alone, you will labour for eternity, without delighting in yourself or caring whether you are seen by others or not, since what you do is not done for them, nor do you await your recompense from them. We must keep our fast with humility and truth and not with lying and hyocrisy – that is, we must fast for God and to please Him alone.” …

This is all I wish to tell you regarding fasting and what must be observed in order to fast well.
The first thing is that your fast should be entire and universal – that is that you should make all the members of your body and the powers of your soul fast – keeping your eyes lowered … mortifying the hearing and the tongue, so that you will no longer hear or speak of anything vain or useless; … the memory, in filling it with the remembrance of bitter and sorrowful things and avoiding joyous and gracious thoughts; keeping your will in check and your spirit at the foot of the Crucifix, with some holy and sorrowful thought.
If you do this, your fast will be universal, interior and exterior, for you will mortify both your body and your spirit.
The second condition is that you do not observe your fast or perform your works, for the eyes of others and the third, is that you do all your actions and consequently, your fasting, to please God alone, to Whom be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – (Excerpt from the Sermon given for Ash Wednesday on 9 February 1622).

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 23 February – The Order of the Day

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Order of the Day

“Once we have decided on our manner of behaviour towards God, it is necessary to determine how we shall act in regard to our neighbour.
We can have quite a number of unexpected matters to which we must attend during the day but normally, we have a good idea what kind of people we shall be dealing with.

There will be people who are an occasiuon of sin.
We must try to avoid these but, if that is not possible, we must be on our guard and rely on the weapons of divine grace to protect us.
There will be troublesome and annoying people with whom we must be patient and restrained.
There will be people who are in want, either materally or spiritually, whom we must enlighten and assist.
We shall meet difficulies and complicated problems to deal with which we must ask God for insight and prudence.

If we live in intimate union with Our Lord, we shall be competent to deal with all the business of the day, especially with the unexpected and even the shocking.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/15/thought-for-the-day-15-february-the-order-of-the-day/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/15/thought-for-the-day-15-february-the-order-of-the-day-2/

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on VANITY, St Francis de Sales

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 23 February – THE SECOND CONDITION is never to fast through vanity but always through humility.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 23 February – Ash Thursday

“Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord,
he shall delight exceedingly in His Commandments.”
Psalm 111:1

“But you, when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not be seen fasting by men …”
Matthew 6:17-18.

ON FASTING 2
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE SECOND CONDITION is never to fast through vanity but always through humility. If our fast is not performed with humility, it will not be pleasing to God. All our ancient Fathers have declared it so but particularly, St Thomas, St Anbrose and the great St Augustine. St Paul, in the epistle which he wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 3) … declares the conditions necessary for disposing ourselves to fast well during Lent. He says this to us: “Lent is approaching. Prepare yourselves to fast with charity, for if your fast is performed without it, it will be vain and useless, since fasting, like all other good works, is not pleasing to God unless it is done in charity and through charity. When you disciopline yourself, when you say long prayers, if you have not charity, all that is nothing. Even though you should work miracles, if you have not charity, they will not profit you at all. Indeed, even if you should suffer martyrdom, without charity, your martyrdom is worth nothing and would not be meritorious in the eys of the Divine Master. For all works, small or great, however good they may be in themselves, are of no value and profit us nothing, if they are not done in charity and through charity,”

I say the same now – if your fast is without humility it is worth nothing and cannot be pleasing to the Lord! … Now, according to the Apostle, all that is done without charity is not pleasing to God, so I say, in the same way with this great Saint, that if you fast without humility, your fast is of no value. For if you have not humility you have not charity and if you are without charity, you are also without humility.
It is almost impossible to have charity without being humble and to be humble withou having charity. These two virtues have such an affinity with one another that the one can never be without the other!

But what is this fast through humility?
It is never to fast through vanity.
Now how can one fast through vanity?
… To fast through vanity is to fast through self-will, since this self-will is not without vanity or, at least, not without a temptation to vanity.
And what does it mean to fast through self-will.
It is to fast as one wishes and not as others wish – to fast in the manner which pleases us and not as we are ordered or counselled.

Let each one of us examine our consciences and we will find that all that comes from ourselves, from our own judgement, choice and election, is esteemed and loved far better, than that which comes from another!” – (Excerpt from the Sermon given
for Ash Wednesday on 9 February 1622).

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 22 February – The Early Hours of the Day

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Early Hours of the Day

“If possible, it is desirable to begin the day by visiting Jesus.
He is always in the Tabernacle, waiting patiently and lovingly for us to visit Him.
Why could we not spend at least one half-hour with Him?
There are twenty four hours in the day.
Must we spend them in sleep, work, amusements and conversation without ever pausing to speak with Jesus?

What about Mass and Holy Communion?
It is true that we are not obliged to go to Mass on weekdays, nor have we a strict obligation to receive Holy Communion, except during the Paschal period.
But a genuine Catholic should not be satisfied with doing only what is commanded under pain of mortal sin.
He should love Jesus so much that he will experience an urgent need of communication with Him.
He should be ready to sacrifice a little of his early morning sleep, for the purpose of receiving Jesus in Holy Communion – if he is so blessed as to be near an early morning Mass.
Never forget (and pray for them) that there are thousands, perhaps millions who are deprived of this great grace of living near a Church!
There is no surer way of being able to resist the temptations of the day and of acquiring peace of spirit.
The practice of daily Communion can transform a man’s life.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/14/thought-for-the-day-14-february-the-early-hours-of-the-day/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/14/thought-for-the-day-13-february-the-early-hours-of-the-day/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE

Thought for the Day – 21 February – Lord, That I May See!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Lord, That I May See!

“The restlessness and intensity of living, make us see things as differently from what they really are.
But one day, the veil of the temple will be rent asunder before our frightened eyes and eternal Light will break upon us.
Then, we shall be blind no longer but, we shall see everything in the Light of eternity.

Let us place ourselves now, in the state in which we should like to find ourselves at that moment.
Let us consider ourselves and everything else, in the Light of eternity.
Then our blindness will disappear.
Since we shall see everything in God’s way, we shall direct all our thoughts and actions toward Him alone!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/21/thought-for-the-day-21-february-lord-that-i-may-see/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/21/thought-for-the-day-21-february-lord-that-i-may-see-2/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 12 February – The Causes of Discontent

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Causes of Discontent

“There is only one reason for our dissatisfaction.
It is given by St Augustine, profound observer that he was of the human heart: “You have made us for Yourself alone, O God and our hearts will always be restless, until they rest in You” (Confessions 1, 1:11).
If anyone rushes in all directions looking for happiness, he will never find it.
The created things of the world cannot satisfy our hearts which are on a far higher plane than these worldly things are.
Worse still, a man may look for happiness in pleasure or in sin but he will find only bitterness and disgust.

Let us look to God alone.
If we do everything for Him, a gleam of eternal happiness will brighten up our earthly pilgrimage!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/13/thought-for-the-day-13-february-the-causes-of-discontent/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/13/thought-for-the-day-13-february-the-causes-of-discontent-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRIDE

Thought for the Day – 10 February – SELF-LOVE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

SELF-LOVE

“There are three tiny blossoms which can scarcely be seen – those of the corn, the olive and the vine.
Nevertheless, from these we receive grain, oil and wine – three very precious commodities.
These three little blossoms are almost invisible in comparision with other larger flowers, such as that of the magnolia which do not yield any useful fruit.
They should present us with a starting-point for meditation.
Would we like our actions to be valuable in the sight of God and bring forth good fruit?

Let us be humble and suppress love of self.
Then God will look on us with favour.
He will give us His grace and make fertile the work which we do purely for Him.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Is 4:6).

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/12/thought-for-the-day-12-february-self-love/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/12/thought-for-the-day-12-february-self-love-2/

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on POVERTY

Thought for the Day – 9 February – The Love of Our Neighbour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Love of Our Neighbour

“A few hundred yards from the centre of a big City, one often finds groups of hovels in which large numbers of families are living, herded together in poverty.
There, in the wintertime, these poor people suffer from the cold and damp and, in hot areas, from the burning heat in summer.
Often their hovels are badly roofed and protect from neither the cold nor the heat.
They are hungry and have not even a loaf of bread to kill the pangs of their deprived bodies.

Not very far away, there are luxurious mansions and expensive villas and up and down the streets, drift splendidly upholstered cars, carrying men and women for whom the only thing in life that matters, is pleasure and comfort.

“Love your neighbour as yourself” the Gospel says.
How far we still are from the realisation of this command!
Men would need to go to these poor hovels to do the Spiritual Exercises.
They would need to live in these places for at least a month.
Many ideas would be changed and many hearts transformed if this were done.
The slums, shacks, caves, shipping and even cardboard boxes and other hovels in which men have to live, bear sad testimony to the fact that the Gospel has not yet been understood by many and that Christian charity has still a long way to go.

Consider before God, if you are responsible, even in some small way, for this wretched state of affairs.
Form the resolution of contributing, as far as possible, to the relief of so much want and suffering.
Now is the time – Lent is nearly here!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/11/thought-for-the-day-11-february-the-love-of-our-neighbour/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/11/thought-for-the-day-11-february-the-love-of-our-neighbour-2/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 8 February – The Use of Creatures

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Use of Creatures

“St Ignatius Loyola investigates this subject in his Spiritual Exercises.
He writes that we ought to use things, insofar as they bring us nearer to our final end.
We ought to avoid things completely, he continues, insofar as they separate or distract us from this end.

The function of creatures in our regard, is to lead us nearer to God, to remind us of God and to make us love God.
But if they are a source of scandal to us, we must avoid them.
The Gospel is very strict on this matter when it says, “If thy hand or foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee” (Mt 5:29-30; 18:8).

This means that we must be ready to give up anything or anyone, rather than endanger our souls and risk the loss of Divine grace and eternal life.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/09/thought-for-the-day-9-february-the-use-of-creatures/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/09/thought-for-the-day-9-february-the-use-of-creatures-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 7 February – Religion and Action

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 7 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Religion and Action

“If we wish to be true and sincere Christians, it is not enough to believe, nor is it enough to attend the ceremonies of religion,
We must act like true Christians.
As St Gregory the Great writes, “We shall really be faithful Christians only when we practise, in our actions, what we promise in our words” (Sermon 29).
Since Christianity is above everything else, the religion of charity, it is essential that we should be on fire with the love of God and our our neighbour.
As St Augustine says, faith without charity is the faith which even the devil possesses (De Caritas 10).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/07/thought-for-the-day-7-february-religion-and-action/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/07/thought-for-the-day-7-february-religion-and-action-2/

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 6 February – Religion and Devotion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 6 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Religion and Devotion

“We must not be satisfied simply to carry out the acts of religion, however exactly.
We must fulfil them with love.
It is the spontaneous homage of the mind and the heart that God wants most of all.
The body must also pay its tribute of subjection to its Creator but if the mind and heart are cold and distracted, this tribute is worthless.
There is no religion without devotion.
“This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from me” (Mt 15:8; Mk 7:6).
Consider this complaint of Our Lord.
Let us earnestly examine our conduct.
Religion is useless if it is not fed by the active fire of charity.
Anyone who is content to go to Mass on Feast Days and stand in the Church silently and indifferently like a candlestick without a candle, is not a true and sincere Catholic.
Religion must be deeply felt.
It must be penetrated by devotion and charity.
Only then will it inspire real Christian activity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/06/thought-for-the-day-6-february-religion-and-devotion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/06/thought-for-the-day-6-february-religion-and-devotion-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SLOTH, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 5 February – IDLENESS

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

IDLENESS

“There is another weighty reason which should prevent us from living in idleness.
The Holy Spirit warns us that: “Idleness is an apt teacher of mischief” (Ecclus 33:29) and “he who follows idle pursuits, is a fool” (Prov 12:11).
In other words, sloth is a great studity and is the father of the vices.
If anyone is inactive, he learns nothing.
Since our bodily and spiritual faculties were made for action, it necessarily follows that when they are not working for a good or useful purpose, they find an outlet in other directions, which lead to disorder and sin.
Without work and prayer, there is only inactivity which leads to sin.
It is fatal to remain idle.
God warns us that we must render an account of every idle work (Mt 12:36).

St Thomas Aquinas notes that an idle word is usually a venial sin but can also be a mortal sin (Summa Theologiae II-II, q 72, a 5).
What should be said then of those who live in idleness, while there is so much work to be done for the glory of God, for our own good and for the good of others?
Anyone who loves God is never idle, says St Jerome.
The love of God works wonderful things – if it does not, it cannot be called love!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/05/thought-for-the-day-5-february-idleness/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/05/thought-for-the-day-5-february-idleness-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 February – “Ora et labora” – Work and Sanctity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

“Ora et labora” – Work and Sanctity

“Everyone imagines that there are innumerable problems in the world to be solved.
As a matter of fact, there are but they can all be reduced to one in the end – the problem of sanctity.
If we were all saints, or at any rate sincerely trying to put into practice the maxims of the Gospel – all the other questions would be answered.

For a Christian, work should mean the employment of his bodily and spiritual energies for the glory of God, for his own benefit and for the common good.
He can work to earn his daily bread, for personal satisfaction, for the advancement of science, art, or society.
These are all good motives.
But the Christian must also have a higher motive.
Even as he is living for eternity, so must he work for eternity.
He must realise that God will admit us to Heaven if we have worked for love of Him and in union with Him.
Like everything else in our lives, work must be raised to a supernatural level.
We must work patiently because it is our duty and the will of God.
In this way, we shall make use of the talents which God has given us, not only for our own benefit but also, as a means of helping so many of our fellowmen, who are dependent on us.

Then work will be something other besides an expenditure of energy and an atonement for our sins.
It will be a pleasure because we shall know that God is counting every moment of sacrifice which we are willingly enduring for His sake.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/04/thought-for-the-day-4-february-ora-et-labora-work-and-sanctity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/04/thought-for-the-day-4-february-ora-et-labora-work-and-sanctity-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Thought for the Day – 3 February – WORK

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

WORK

“Since the fall of Adam. work is not only a pleasure but, a burden and an atonement too.
It is deceitful to hold forth the promise, of a paradise of workers, a possibility in which no intelligent person could be expected to believe.
The so-called social plan for workers, designed to create a paradise upon earth, produces only a system of regimentation, in which men cease to be free and become insignificant cogs of the all-powerful state mechanism.
We MUST oppose this degradingly materialistic conception of labour.
Work is a command of God, Who, after the sin of Adam, told him and his sons: “In the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” (Gen 3:19).

Let us accept from God this high responsibility of co-operation with Him, in His work of creation and redemption.
Let us accept it alike, when it is a pleasure and when it is a sacrifice.
Let us accept it with the cheerfulness of the Saints, or at least, with resignation.
Let us realise that by working, we purify our souls and atone for our sins.
We also make ourselves useful to our brothers on earth because, the work of our hands and of our minds, exercises a social function, especially on behalf of the abandoned classes.
It is an apostolate of expiation and redemption for large numbers of souls who are sunk in ignorance and sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/03/thought-for-the-day-3-february-work/

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, The DIVINE INFANT

Thought for the Day – 2 February – The Purification of Our Lady and the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Purification of Our Lady and
The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

“During the ceremony, a devout man, enlightened by God, entered the temple.
He asked and obtained, the privilege of holding the Divine Infant in his arms.
This was Simeon, a holy old man to whom the Holy Ghost had revealed that before he died, he would see the expected Messiah, the Redeemer of the sinful race.
Overjoyed as he held Jesus in his arms, he exclaimed: “Now Thou doet dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace” (Lk 2:29).

May God grant that when we come to the end of our mortal lives, we may too have the pleasure of clasping Jesus to our hearts.
Then we can say with confidence in God’s Mercy: Receive Thy servant in peace, O Lord. Forgive him and receive him into everlasting happiness.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRAMENTS

Thought for the Day – 1 February – Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

“Divine Worship:
We have a strict duty to honour and obey God.
“I, the Lord, Am your God,” He tells us in the first commandment of the Decalogue.
“You shall not have other gods besides me.”
We are obliged, therefore, to worship God both internally and externally, since both soul and body are created by God.
Internal worship is especially necessary, for without it, external worship would be an empty formality.
It is useless to kneel before the Altar, to assist at Sacred Rites and to recite vocal prayers if, all the time, our minds are elsewhere and we are lacking in the love of God.
Spiritual adoration and prayer, are more important than the bowed head and the bended knee.

It would be a grave error, however, to imagine that internal adoration is sufficient and there is not need to assemble in the Church, to observe Feast days or to participate in Sacred Rites and receive the Sacraments, as the Church commands.
Everything should be subject to God.
The Church was founded by Christ and endowed by Him with the authority to lay down the exact manner in which we should pay homage to Almighty God.
She has the right to dictate the feasts and ceremonies in which we are obliged to participate.
Anyone who refused to obey the Church, is guilty of disobedience to God.
“He who hears you hears me,” said Jesus Christ to His Apostles and through them to their successors “and he who rejeccts you, rejects me” (Lk 10:16).

How do we adore God?
Are we among those who pray with their lips and not from the heart?
Or do we believe that private devotion is quite sufficient and that there is no need to subject ourselves to all the laws of the Church?
Some laws we agree with, some we do not and choose to ignore.
In either case, we have gone astray and should be unable to gain God’s favour and cannot be regarded as members of His Church!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES

Thought for the Day – 31 January – Outward Appearances

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

Outward Appearances

“Men of the world look at the outward appearance of things and are often satisfied with that.
Many of them desire and long for physical beauty, wealth, high social status and honours.
It does not matter to them if beneath this splendid facade, there are concealed, a mean and impoverish spirit, a corrupt and dishonest heart, an egotism indifferent to noble ideals and an astuteness intent on ousting potential rivals.
All this is unimportant, as long as they are successful and can keep up appearances,

We tend to live for what others think and say about us, in other words, for external appearances.
Is this you?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 30 January – The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Most Terrifying Passage
in the Gospel

“Why should the Eternal Judge punish or reward us in accordance with our own deeds of charity and of mercy towards our unfortunate fellowmen?
Simply because Christianity consists mainly of charity, since God Himself is charity.
“God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
When charity is genuine, being the love of God above all things and of our neighbour as ourselves, it is “the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14) and “bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7).

True love, in the Christian sense, presupposes faith, hope and all other virtues, whereas faith without charity is, as St Paul says, as futile as “a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).
Even the devils have faith but their faith will not save them.
“He who does not love,” St John tells us, “abides in death” (1 Jn 3:14).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/24/thought-for-the-day-24-november/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 29 January – True Peace

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

True Peace

“This absolute and loving abandonment to the Will of God in all things, brings complete inner peace but, it does not exclude conflict.
Interior peace is the result of the practice of virtue and, therefore, of the struggle against evil.
When Our Lord had repeated several times that He had given us His peace, He said too: “Do not think that I have come to send upon upon the earth; I have come to bring a sword, not peace.” (Mt 10:34).

These apparent contradictory words of Our Lord, are explained by the fact that the peace of Jesus does not consist in inactivity but demands action and strife and the conquest of evil.
It is a militant peace which Our Lord desires us to possess.
Only when we have controlled our passions, when we have made our wills entirely subject to the Will of God and have renounced ourselves, so that the Justice and Charity of Jesus Christ can triumph in us, only then shall we reach those serene heights, where storms from below cannot come near us and the peace of God reigns supreme!

We find examples of this true and perfect peace among the Saints, Martyrs and Apostles.
We read of the Apostles that “they departed … rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41).
This is an example of that genuine peace which is the result of victory in the combat against evil and of complete and loving submission to the Will of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/01/thought-for-the-day-1-february-true-peace/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/30/thought-for-the-day-30-january-true-peace/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the LIGHT, CONSECRATION Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MARIAN PRAYERS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, PURGATORY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the POPE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SAINT of the DAY, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY NAME, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

“The measure of love,
is to love without measure.”

“Since God often sends us His inspirations
by means of His Angels,
we ought frequently to offer Him,
our aspirations, through the same channel.
… Call on them and honour them frequently
and ask their help in all your affairs,
temporal, as well as spiritual.”

“Anxiety is the greatest evil
that can befall a soul, except sin.
God commands you to pray
but He forbids you to worry.”

“Friendships begun in this world
will be taken up again,
never to be broken off. ”

“Have patience with all things
but chiefly, have patience with yourself.
Do not lose courage
in considering your own imperfections
but instantly set about remedying them,
everyday begin the task anew.”

“Do not look forward
to the changes and chances
of this life in fear –
rather look to them with full hope that,
as they arise, God, whose you are,
will deliver you out of them.
He is your keeper.
He has kept you hitherto.
Do you but hold fast to His dear hand
and He will lead you safely through all things
and, when you cannot stand,
He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to
what may happen tomorrow.
Our Father will either shield you from suffering,
or He will give you strength to bear it.”

“Thus we do not say that the Pope
cannot err in his private opinions,
as did John XXII;
or be altogether a heretic,
as perhaps Honorius was.
Now, when he, [the Pope],
is explicitly a heretic,
he falls ipso facto, from his dignity
and OUT of the Church! …”

“During the night
we must wait for the Light.”

Hail, Sweet Jesus!
Prayer to Christ
in His Passion and Death
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Hail, sweet Jesus!
Praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ,
Who, of Thou own accord, embraced death,
and recommending Thyself to Thy heavenly Father,
bowing down Thy venerable Head,
did yield up Thy Spirit.
Truly thus giving up Thy life for Thy sheep,
Thou hast shown Thyself, to be the Good Shepherd.
Thou died, O Only-begotten Son of God.
Thou died, O my beloved Saviour,
that I might live forever.
O how great hope,
how great confidence have
I reposed in Thy Death and Thy Blood!
I glorify and praise Thy Holy Name,
acknowledging my infinite obligations to Thee.
O good Jesus,
by Thy bitter Death and Passion,
give me grace and pardon.
Give unto the faithful departed,
rest and life everlasting.
Amen.

Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God
Act of Consecration
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Indulgence of 300 days, for each recitation
St Pius X, 17 November 1906

Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God,
I ………., most unworthy though I am to be thy servant,
yet touched by thy motherly care for me
and longing to serve thee,
do, in the presence of my Guardian Angel
and all the Court of Heaven,
choose thee this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother
and I firmly purpose to serve thee evermore myself
and, to do what I can, that all may
render faithful service to thee.
Therefore, most devoted Mother,
through the Precious Blood thy Son poured out for me,
I beg thee and beseech thee,
deign to take me among thy clients
and receive me as thy servant forever.
Aid me in my every action
and beg for me the grace never,
by word or deed or thought,
to be displeasing in thy sight
and that of thy most holy Son.
Think of me, my dearest Mother
and desert me not at the hour of death.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-january-st-francis-de-sales/

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 28 January – Blessed are Those who Love Peace

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are Those who Love Peace

“Peace is especially opposed to sentiments of anger and hatred against our brothers.
It commands us to love and help them.
Hatred is the heritage of Cain because God says that “he who does not love, abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murdere. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn 3:15).
A man who hates his brother may not actually kill him but, he is guilty of murdering him in his heart!
As a result, he loses peace of soul because, as St Augustine points out (Sermon 82), by hating someone, you create disorder in yourself and destroy that Divine harmony which was the gift of Divine grace and charity.

If we wish to preserve interior peace, we must cast out from our hearts, every vestige of hatred for our neighbour and entertain love, understanding and forgiveness, for all.
By loving our enemies, we place ourselves above them by an act of true Christian nobility.
We imitate Jesus, Who forgave His executioners and prayed for them from the Cross.

A fit of anger is like a moment of madness.
It is a great misfortune for anyone to yield to it.
He speaks and acts like a man who has lost his reason and allows himself to be carried away by blind passion.
When the moment of insanity is over, he will be ashamed of himself and of all that he has said and done.

It is necessary to be masters of ourselves and of our feelings.
Never speak or act until anger has subsided within you.
By persevering in co-operation with the grace of God, we presercve that inward calmness which is a reflection of the peace of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/31/thought-for-the-day-31-january-blessed-are-those-who-love-peace/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/29/thought-for-the-day-29-january-blessed-are-those-who-love-peace/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 27 January – How to Guard Holy Purity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How to Guard Holy Purity

“Let us examine our conscience now and we shall perceive that everytime we have fallen in any way, it was always because we did not put into practice, the remedies suggested.
So let us not lose courage but renew out determination to employ, at the first sign of danger, the necessary means of defending our purity.
It will be a difficult struggle at times.
But the grace of God will never let us down, as long as we do our best to co-operate with it.
Each one of us should remember that God “is faithful and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength but, with the temptation, will also give you a way out that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13).
Our first reward will be that exhilaration of having fought hard and won!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/30/thought-for-the-day-30-january-how-to-guard-holy-purity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/28/thought-for-the-day-28-january-how-to-guard-holy-purity/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PURITY, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 26 January – Blessed are the Clean of Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are the Clean of Heart

“St Paul warns us in the following words: “Do thou not know that thy members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in thee, Whom thou hast from God and that thou art not thy own? For thou hast been bought at a great price. Glorify God and bear Him in thy body” (1 Cor 6:19-20).

We who are temples of the Holy Ghost, redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus, must keep unsullied the purity of our hearts, the lily of our innocence.
We must do this no matter what sacrifices it may cost us.
Those stern words from the Gospel, “if thy right eye is an occasion of sin to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee,” (Mt 5:29) refer in a special way to the obstacles we must overcome and the sacrifices we must make to preserve this beautiful virtue.
There can be no half measures!
We must be prepared to go to any lengths, even to accept death if necessary, like St Maria Goretti.
Even as we should be ready to face Martyrdom for the Faith, so we must be ready to face Martyrdom, in order to preserve purity of heart and soul.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/29/thought-for-the-day-29-january-blessed-are-the-clean-of-heart/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/27/thought-for-the-day-27-january-blessed-are-the-clean-of-heart/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, St PAUL!, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Saul, Paul

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – Acts 9:1-22, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Acts 9:4.

“So Saul was led to Ananias –
the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep.
But the Shepherd,
Who guides everything from Heaven above,
reassures him…
“Do not fear, I will show him
what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake”
(Acts 9:16).
What wonder is this!
The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep…
The Lamb who died for the sheep,
teaches it not to be afraid any more!”

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

“Now Paul rejoices with Stephen,
with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ;
he exults with Stephen,
he reigns with Stephen.
There, where Stephen arose,
the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes,
there too, Paul has risen
with the help of Stephen’s prayers!”

St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)
Bishop in North Africa

“Yet I live, no longer I
but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who has loved me
and given himself up for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“It is possible that, as he lay dying,
Stephen looked up at Saul
and uttered his last prayer for this sincere
and honest young Jew, who had been led astray
by the prejudice and passion of the mob.
… Let us endeavour too, to suffer, pray
and work for the conversion of our fellowmen,
so many of whom, are wandering
in the darkness of error
or struggling in the clutches of vice.
Let us try, by our sufferings,
prayers and good example,
to draw down God’s grace
on our unhappy brothers.
If we succeed, we shall share
in the merits of their good actions
and we shall have ensured
our own everlasting salvation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on TRUTH

Thought for the Day – 24 January – Following Jesus, the Divine Model

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Following Jesus, the Divine Model

“When we have renounced ourselves and have embraced our cross with resignation and love, we must follow Jesus.
We must follow Him in a special way as the infallible Teacher of truth.
The teachings of men cannot satisfy our intellects.
Still less, can they satisfy our hearts.
What they teach is either incomplete or false.
This is proved by the fact that the doctrines of mean have succeeded and replaced one another, down through the Centuries while “the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

The teaching of Christ produces an extraordinary renovation in the individual, in the family and in society.
It is this renewal which we call Christianity and Christian civilisation.
There is a wide chasm between paganism and Christianity.
This gulf would be even wider, only for the fact that Christianity has not yet been fully put into practice throughout the universe.
There is only one reform necessary.
This is to realise the Christian ideal everywhere.
We must begin by carrying it out ourselves.
Let us follow Jesus, Who is saying to us: “I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6). “He who follows Me does not walk in darkness” (Jn 8:12).

Let us follow our Divine Master and we shall be sure that we are travelling towards Heaven!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – ‘If you will be perfect …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – St Timothy (1st Century) Disciple of St Paul, Bishop and Martyr – 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Luke 14:26-33.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“So likewise, everyone of you,
who does not renounce all
that he possesses,
cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33

“He seems to demand of us
the most entire renunciation…
So, if we keep back for ourselves ,
any earthly goods or any perishable supplies,
our minds will remain sunk in them,
as though in mud.
Then, inevitably, our souls will become unable
to contemplate God and will be unmoved
by desire for the splendours of Heaven
and for the good things promised us.
We shall only be able to acquire those good things,
if we ask for them unceasingly,
with a burning desire that will, besides,
make easy the effort needed to gain them.”

“A person who wishes
to become the Lord’s disciple
must repudiate a human obligation,
however honourable it may appear,
if it slows us, ever so slightly,
in giving the wholehearted obedience
we owe to God.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“If you wish to enter into life,
keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth,
believe in Me.
If you will be perfect,
sell all.
If you will be My disciple,
deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life,
despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in Heaven,
humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me,
carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross
find the life of blessedness
and of true Light.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56

“True spiritual life consists in this:
that man keep his eyes on God, constantly,
long for nothing but for God,
keep nothing in mind but God,
and begin every single action,
in God’s Name
and direct it to Him.”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)