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Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THEOLOGICAL

Thought for the Day – 12 December – The Theological Virtues of Our Lady

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

The Theological Virtues of Our Lady

“The three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, shone like constellations throughout the life of Mary.
“Blessed is she who has believed” (Lk 1:45), St Elizabeth said of her.
Mary’s life was one long act of faith and of love.
She lived continuously in the presence of God, being united to Him by lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity.
Her spirit of constant prayer was the result of her intense practice of these theological virtues.
When the Archangel Gabriel came down from Heaven, to bring her the tidings of her divine motherhood, he found her absorbed in prayer.
When St Elizabeth praised and called her the Mother of her Lord, Mary, from the depths of her faith, attributed everything to God and glorified Him in her Magnificat.
When the baby Jesus was born in the cave of Bethlehem, she adored Him with faith, hope and love, as her God and future Saviour.
When she realised that Herod was searching for her Son to put Him to death, she placed her confidence in Him.
She fled with Him into Egypt and brought Him back later, to their land, always with the same faith, hope and love.
Her faith and hope were not weakened by the loss of Jesus in Jerusalem, only her mother’s love was disturbed, on this occasion.
When it seemed in that hidden life of Nazareth, that Jesus was leading a life of pointless silence, her faith and hope in Him, did not fade, while her love grew greater from day to day.
In the triumphs and sorrows of His public life, she continued to practice, to an extraordinary degree, these three virtues – on the road to Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, at the removal of Our Lord’s body from the Cross, at the tomb, at the glorious Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost.
At last, when she was alone in this world without Jesus, these three virtues seemed to burn more brightly in her soul.
She thought only of Jesus, hoped in Jesus alone and loved Jesus alone.
Then Jesus rewarded the lively faith, expectant hope and flaming charity of His Mother, for on her assumption into Heaven, these three virtues shared in her triumph and coronation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WISDOM, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 11 December – Christ’s Work in Us

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Thought for the Day – 11 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Christ’s Work in Us

“It is not enough that Jesus live in us ; He must increase and act in us continually.
The Spiritual life is like natural life.
It cannot stop, for to halt would mean death!
If Jesus is our life, He should live in us with ever-increasing intensity.
Life is like a stairway, we are either going up or coming down.

If we continue to climb energetically towards Jesus, we shall be coming nearer to Christian perfection.
If, on the other hand, we halt, the supernatural life of Jesus in us, will begin to weaken.
Tepedity will replace fervour and sin will succeed tepidity.
It is difficult to remain unchanged because, life involves movement.
‘Jesus Christ,” writes St Augustine, “was born a baby but, He did not remain one. He grew to boyhood, to adolescence and then, to maturity.”

It is necessary for us to grow also.
More precisely, it is necessary that Jesus grow continuously in us through faith, charity and good works.
“Court the good,” admonishes St Paul, “from a good motive always … until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:18-19).

It is not enough that Christ be born in us, it is necessary that He increase to the fullness of perfection (Cf Eph 4:13-16).
“Jesus increases daily,” writes Origen, “in the soul of the holy and just man, which mirror His grace, His wisdom and His sanctity. In the soul of the unfortunate sinner, however, Christ decreases and dies.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 10 December – The Divine Counsellor

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

The Divine Counsellor

“It is often difficult and unpleasant to take advice from someone whom we dislike but, when we really like somebody, his advice is always acceptable and we are inclined to take it to heart.
Counsel is the light of the soul, which points out to us which path to follow.
Often we are surrounded by darkness, we do not know which way to turn, for uncertainty and discouragement have paralysed our will.
Now Jesus, as St John tells us, is the light which enlightens every man who comes into this world – He is full of grace and truth (Jn 1:9-14).
If we love Jesus, we shall always receive from Him the light and counsel which we need – His enlightenment is clear and His counsel satisfies fully the needs of our hearts.

How can we have this light and this counsel?
Jesus speaks to our souls in many ways.
He speaks to us when we read the pages of the Gospel; when we recollect ourselves in His presence during meditation; when we visit Him in the Tabernacle and speak to Him really and truly present under the Eucharistic species and, when we ask Him, in all our difficulties, for holy inspiration which will guide us and direct us towards what is good.
God will never deny His light and counsel to a humble supplicant.

Nobody can speak to our souls with greater efficacy than Jesus Christ.
“Listen to the interior Master,” wrote St Margaret Mary Alacoque.
“Never do anything without seeking His advice.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 9 December – THE SALVATION OF SOULS

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

THE SALVATION OF SOULS

“If you still belong to the category of those who desire to be good and virtuous, remember that your obligations do not stop at this.
You are obliged to work as hard as possible, for the return of sinners to the fold and for the reawakening of the faith of the indifferent.

A man who really loves God, cannot remain inactive when he witnesses the desertion of so many of his fellow-men, the corruption of public and private morals and the continuous insults offered to the Creator of the human race.
ANYONE WHO REMAINS INACTIVE BECOMES AN ACCOMPLISH!

Everyone is obliged to do his best to prevent the spread of such errors and evils.
Do NOT make the excuse that there is very little which you can do.
Although the resources of those who are still faithful, may be individually insignificant, they become, when combined, an irresistible force.

Remember that you have three invincible weapons – prayer, mortification and sacrifice.
These are the weapons which can and should be employed in order to convert the world and to establuish the Kingdom of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SIN, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 8 December – THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

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

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

“Let us read the first chapter of St Luke’s Gospel in order to try and understand, as far as possible, the Immaculate Conception and the sublime holiness of Mary.
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women’” (Lk 1:26-28).
The Blessed Virgin was troubled when she heard these words but the Angel reassured her.
He told her that she had found favour with God and added, that she would become the Mother of God, for the Word would become flesh in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, in such a manner that in her nature, the privileges of virginity and of the divine motherhood, would be miraculously united.
Mary then gave her assent to the will of God and, her ‘fiat’ placed her on a pedestal, high above all the generations of humanity and all the choirs of the angelic kingdom.

It is on this passage of the Gospel, that the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, chiefly depends.
She was full of grace and the supremely beloved of God.
How then could she have been subject to the rule of sin which we inherited from Adam?
If her soul had been stained with sin at the first moment of her conception, she would not have enjoyed the special favour of God and the plenitude of grace.
She was, moreover, predestined to become the Mother of God.
Was it possible that the divine Word, Who was to become her Son, could have permitted her soul to have been sullied, even for a single instant, by sin, which deprives us of grace and makes us enemies of God?
It was on good grounds, therefore, that the Church defined, that from the first moment of her conception, Mary was free from all taint of sin, by a singular privilege conferred on her by God and through the merits of her divine Son, Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ACT of PERFECT CONTRITION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, I BELIEVE!, INDULGENCES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY

Thought for the Day – 7 December – INDULGENCES

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

INDULGENCES

“Indulgences are among the means by which we can help to satisfy the Divine Justice for our own offences and for those of the faithful depared.

Unfortunately, very few Christians understand the true nature of indulgences.
As a result, they neglect to fulfil the conditions necessary to gain them.

Canon Law defines an indulgence as “the remission in the sight of God of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven, which, the proper ecclesiastical authority concedes from the treasury of the Church, for the living, by way of absolution and for the dead, by way of suffrage” (Canon 911).
The main requirement is to be in the state of grace, which sinners can attain by means of the Sacrament of Penance, or by an Act of PERFECT CONTRITION.
If properly made, Confession takes away sin and eternal punishment but, not temporal punishment.
This may be cancelled by means of penance, prayer and good works.
In the early days of the Church, the penitential system was most severe (I wish it were so again!)
According to the degree of gravity, different sins drew penances of days, weeks or months of fasting on bread and water.
As times changed, the Church reduced these penalties and granted indulgences instead.

What we may ask, is the theological basis for these indulgences?
It is the spiritual treasury which is at the disposal of the Church, made up of the infinite merits of our Redeemer and added to, by the merits of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints.
These merits are communicated to us by the Church by reason of the consoling Dogma of the Communion of Saints, according to which, the Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant, constitutes one Mystical Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head.

The Church has power to dispose of this immense treasure by reason of the injunction given to her by her Founder, when He said to St Peter: “Whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19).
There are no reservations – the injunction applies, not only to sin but, also to its punishment.
It is clear that indulgences are not merely a dispensation from the penitential discipline in the eyes of the Church, as certain heretics held and still hold but also, in the sight of God.
Indulgences reflect, both the mercy and the justice of God.
They reflect His justice because complete satisfaction is rendered by the merits of Jesus Christ.
They reflect His mercy because these merits are applied to us poor sinners and also, by way of suffrage, to the souls of our departed friends.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, GOD the FATHER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior)

Thought for the Day – 6 December – The Glory of God

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

The Glory of God

“The whole of creation manifests the glory of God.
The grass of the field, the trees of the forest, the insects and birds of the air, the creatures on the earth and in the sea, the stars in the sky – they all speak to us of the power and beauty of the Creator.

You also were created by and for God, Who is the beginning and end of all things.
In all thoughts, actions and affections, therefore, you should seek the glory of God.
God, indeed, has no need of your small contribution to enhance His glory.
His glory is complete and perfect in Himself, in Heaven and in Hell.
God does not need you but, you need God.
It is your strict obligation, not only to proclaim the glory of God but, also, to work for its triumph in yourself and in all things.

The man who loves God above all things seeks only His glory.
The man who loves himself more than he loves God, however, seeks his own petty, worldly glorification and strays away from the main road of life which should lead him towards God.

Holiness consists in love – not earthly love, of course, but supernatural love.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 5 December – Daily Progress

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

Daily Progress

“Everyday of our lives should be a further step towards perfection.
Holiness should be our goal in life.
If we set before ourselves any illusory targets at which to aim, we are making a serious mistake and shall have cause, in the end, to appreciate the truth of the prophet’s warning: “You have sowed much and brought in little” (Agg 1:6).
Jesus Christ, moreover, has given us this commandment: “You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).

The ideal is high, certainly and, it is impossible for human resources but Jesus assures us, that nothing is impossible with God (Cf Lk 18:27).
We can do nothing without God’s help but, with His grace, we can do everything.
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

Naturally, we cannot hope to accomplish everything in one day.
We should desire to reach the highest possible level of perfection and not to be discouraged by the many difficulties which we are sure to encounter on the way.
But, it would be presumptuous to expect to achieve perfection in a single moment.

The road to sanctity is long and arduous.
It is essential to stride this path resolutely and with complete confidence in God.
We should go forward with enthusiasm, not depending on our own poor resources but, on divine grace.

This is a matter of life and death and here we speak of eternal life.
If we cease to advance and fall into indolence and inacitivity, God will leave us to ourselves and we shall be lost.
A man who is not advancing in the spiritual life must lose ground sooner or later because, he is not obeying the command of Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 4 December – True Love of Self

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

TRUE LOVE of SELF

“There is a passage in the Gospel which might lead us to believe that we are forbidden to love ourselves.
“Amen, amen, I say to you,” Jesus declares, “unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone but, if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting” (Jn 12:24-25).

These words command us to hate ourselves in this world if we wish to attain salvation in the next life.
In what sense, however, does Christ mean that we are to hate ourselves?
He certainly means, that we should mortify our lower inclinations, deny our selfish ambitions, die to the world and be prepared to lose life itself, rather than offend God in any way.
This is the kind of hate to which He urges us, a hatred of any perversion of our nature or of our faculties.
If we prefer our own will, to that of our Creator, or love Him less than we love ourselves, or, worse still, if we forget and ignore Him in favour of passing pleasures, then, we invert the order of spiritual and moral values established by God and create a disorder which could lead us into sin.

Instead, we should love God above all things and subjugate our thoughts, desires and affections to Him.
We should be prepared to forget ourselves for His sake and even to sacrifice life itself or His honour and glory.
Then, our self-hatred will become a sublime love, which will bring us victory in our battle against our sensual inclinations.
It will give us peace and resignation in suffering and, at the hour of death, will give us that consolation and joy, which the martyrs experienced when they shed their blood for the sake of Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WATCHING

Thought for the Day – 3 December – Recollection

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

Recollection

“The Holy Spirit places the following words on the lips of the prophet Jeremias.
“With desolation is all the land made desolate, because, there is none that considereth in the heart” (Jer 12:11).
Dissipation is the mark of the worldly and of the mediocre.
The worldling is dissipated because, instead of seeking happiness in God, he looks for it in earthly pleasures and even in sin.
The mediocre Christian, on the other hand, oscillates between God and the world.
He fails to make a definite choice between virtue and sacrifice on one side and his own comfort and satisfaction on the other.

The dissipated soul is absorbed in many things and has no time to reflect on the eternal truths or to think of God and of spiritual progress.
As a result, it is incapable of solid virtue, or, if it achieves this for a while, it soon evaporates.
The man who is recollected retires silently into the presence of God whenever he can.
He derives consolation from conversation with God and responds generously to His inspirations.
The man who is dissipated, wastes the graces which God gives him, is deaf to His appeals and because he is too much in contact with material things, ends by forgetting Heaven and by being drawn by His passions towards spiritual destruction.
By depriving us of God’s grace, dissipation leads to sin and to the death of the soul.
Have we not had personal experience of this?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PEACE

Thought for the Day – 2 December – Exactly What is the Peace of Jesus Christ?

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

Exactly What is the Peace of Jesus Christ?

“The spirit of peace pervades the Gospel.
When Jesus is born, choirs of angels sing above the stable in Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest ad on earth, peace among men of good will” (Lk 2:14).
When our Saviour has risen gloriously from the dead, He appears to His disciples and greets them with the words: “Peace be to you.”
Finally, when He is departing from this earth, He leaves his peace to His followers as their inheritance. “Peace I leave with you,” He says to them, “my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled or be afraid” (Jn 14:27).

Exactly what is the peace of Jesus Christ?
It is much different from worldly peace, presuming that the world can give some kind of peace.
St Paul says of the Saviour that “he himself is our peace” (Eph 2:14).
How are we to understand what is meant by this?
The Apostle himself explains when he writes: “Having been justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).
Jesus Christ, therefore, is our peacemaker.
He has shouldered our iniquities and has offered Himself to the Father as a victim of expiation and of reconciliation.
It is at the price of Christ’s precious blood, that we have regained peace with God and freedom from our sins.
This is the peace which our Lord has given us.
Let us remember, however, that if we return to the slavery of sin, we shall lose at once, the jewel of peace which Jesus Christ has bestowed on us.
“There is no peace to the wicked” (Isa 48:22).
We have experienced on many occasions how true this is.
Sin destroys peace of soul because it deprives us of Jesus, without Whom, peace cannot survive.
Let us resolve, therefore, to remain always close to our Lord and far from sin.
Then only shall we be able to preserve our peace of mind in the midst of temptations and of earthly sorrows.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Thought for the Day – 1 November – The Feast of All Saints

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

The Feast of All Saints

“Today’s feast should inspire in us, a burning desire to become holy.
Men long for many things in this world, things which are often useless and, even sinful.
They desire riches, pleasure, honours, success and material comfort.
These things may be lawful but, they cannot satisfy the human heart, which is made for God.
Whenever we achieve any of our ambitions in this world, are we in fact, happy or even perfectly satisfied?
The truth is, that we are not! because, the soul is greater than the objects which surround us. God alone can fill and satisfy it.

Sanctity should be our principal ambition.
We should yearn to be more closely united to God, so that His Divinity may be reflected in our thoughts and in our actions.
If we enjoy God’s friendship, we shall become more like God and shall be lifted up above petty mundane considerations.
Perhaps, we doubt our ability to reach such a high spiritual level?
Even so, we should, nevertheless, desire to reach it and, not just in a passing and indifferent manner but, constantly and actively.
We should keep our desire alive by repeating it to ourselves and by continually praying for God’s grace to fulfil it.
“I intend to become holy,” said little Dominic Savio and he kept the promise which he had made to God.
Many people have formed the same resolution, both desert hermits and University professors, both humble workmen and rulers of nations.
Since we ought to have the same intention, what is there to prevent us?
Let us make this resolution now and put it into effect, with the help of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DEATH, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Thought for the Day – 31 October – “Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death”

“We have come to the end of this month, which we have dedicated to Mary and her blessed Rosary.
Let us remember, however, that apart from this Month of October, we should dedicate our whole lives to her, up to our final moment of death.
We are always in need of Mary’s patronage and intercession with God.
Let us always have recourse to her, therefore, especially in danger and in suffering but, most especially, at the decisive moment of death, for this is the moment on which eternity depends.
This day will arrive sooner or later but, it will certainly come, “at an hour that you do not expect” (Lk 12:40).

In the second part of the Hail Mary, the Church places on our lips, these words of supplication: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”
How many times we have recited this prayer?!
But do we ever think of death?
Let us remember that a mediation on death is the most valuable lesson in life.
One day, we shall find ourselves face-to-face with God, drawing our last breath on earth.
It may be on a sick bed, it may be in the middle of a street – we do not know.
It may be after a long illness at the end of which we are comforted by the Holy Sacraments and blessed by a Priest, or it may be quite unexpected.
But, it is certain that death will come.
Let us aim, therefore, at being always prepared, so that it may not come when we have no good works to offer and when our hearts are full of ourselves and of worldly interests.
Like Mary, let us lead lives of holiness and we shall be sure to die holy deaths.
Let us beseech our heavenly Mother to be by our side at that final moment to sustain us in the conflict and to consign our souls to her divine Son, Jesus. Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 30 October – “Prayer to Mary, Our Mother”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Prayer to Mary, Our Mother”

“There is a story told of a devout man who was wavering before the onslaught of temptation and was accustomed to kneel before a statue of Our Lady and say this simple prayer: “Show yourself a mother to me.”
When the same man had fallen into sin and, although full of remorse, had not succeeded in reforming, he went one day to Mary’s Altar and pitifully repeated his usual prayer.
Immediately, he heard a gentle voice replying – “Show that you are my son.”

If we wish Our Lady to be a mother to us, we must also show her that we are her children.
Earthly mothers are delighted to think that their offspring take after them.
In the same way, Mary wishes to see, a reflection of her own sanctity in our thoughts, desires and actions.
All this demands sacrifice, of course.
It demands hard work, fervent prayer and constant watchfulness over ourselves.
If we do all that we can and never lose courage, God will not refuse us His help and our good Mother, will not, fail to intercede for us!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HOPE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 29 October – Mary, Our Hope – “our life, our sweetness and our hope.”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Mary, Our Hope”

“In the beautiful prayer, known as the Salve Regina or Hail, Holy Queen, the Church salutes Mary as “our life, our sweetness and our hope.”
Mary is our hope, because, she gave us our Saviour, Jesus and, because, she prays to Him continually for the graces which we need.
Following the example of Luther, modern Protestants raise the objection that Mary cannot be regarded as a source of hope, because, all our trust should be placed in God.
Anyone who places his trust in creatures, draws down God’s curse upon himself, they say and, they go on to quote from Jeremiah: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man” (Jer 17:5).
But this is true only, when we trust in creatures independently of God, as if we can derive any good from them, without recourse to God.
We invoke Mary, however, as the Mother of God and our mediatrix with Him.
She is our hope, insofar as she obtains for us from God, the graces and favours which we require.
St Bernard assures us, that God has placed in Mary’s hands, all the riches which He wishes to bestow on us (Serm de aquaed).
“He will never experience eternal ruin,” says St Anselm, “for whom Mary has once prayed.”
St Bernard calls upon Mary as the foundation of all his hope (Ibid).
Let us remember, that Mary is our loving Mother who wishes us to pray to her, because, she knows that if she intercedes on our behalf, she will certainly be heard.
It should be most consoling to us to have such a good and powerful Mother in whom, we can safely trust in every peril and in every necessity.
Let us pray to her with love and faith, in the certainty that, we shall be answered in the way that is best for us.
Let us say along with St John Damascene: “O Mother of God, if I place my trust in you, I shall be saved. If I am under your protection, I have nothing to fear, because to be devoted to you, is to possess a weapon of salvation which God grants only to those, whom He desires to redeem” (Serm de Nat, cap 4).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, THE ASSUMPTION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 28 October – “Mary, Mother of God”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Mary, Mother of God”

“The near-infinite greatness of Mary, flows from the fact, that she is the Mother of God.
The Eternal Word of the Father, consubstantial with Him in nature and equal to Him in majesty, willed to become man in order to set us free from the slavery of sin and to regain Heaven for us.
He became man in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary.
He took a human body and soul and was born of her, as the God-Man.
For this reason, there is attributed to His Divine Person, the title of Son of Mary and to Mary, the title of Mother of God.

There is a relationship between Mary and each of the three Divine Persons, for she is the daughter of God the Father, the spouse of the Holy Spirit by whose power the Word became incarnate in her and the mother of the Word made Man.
She is, moreover, in the words of Dante, the “termine fisso di eterno consiglio” (Paradiso 33:1-3).
In other words, she is the centre of the eternal plan which God established for the redemption of the human race.
It was God’s eternal design to reunite creation to the Uncreated, by means of Mary.
She became the mother of the Eternal Word, in whom the divine and human natures were indissolubly united.
He redeemed us by His infinite merits but, in this work of redemption, He employed the co-operation of His holy Mother.
All the graces, privileges and virtues of Mary, flow from this great mystery of her divine Motherhood.
As befitted the future Mother of God, she was conceived free from the stain of original sin and full of grace.
Her mortal life was a continuous ascent towards the highest peak of sanctity.
When she died, she was assumed body and soul into Heaven, where she was crowned in glory, as Queen of Angels and Queen of Saints.
When we consider the sublime nobility of Our Lady, we should be moved to love and venerate her.
This love and veneration does not subtract in the slightest from God’s glory, because, she is the Mother of God.
In fact, it is a great advantage to us, to imitate her and to call on her to intercede for us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE

Thought for the Day – 27 October – “Holy Mary”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Holy Mary”

“The Angel’s greeting was later completed by the salavation of St Elizabeth.
As soon as Elizabeth saw the Blessed Virgin coming to visit her, she cried out in humble veneratin: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!” (Lk 1:42).

In the first part of the Hail Mary, then, we pay her the words of the Gospel, the highest tributes ever accorded to any human creature, proclaiming her to be full of grace, blessed among women and Mother of the Redeemer.
The second part, which was later added by the Church, is a heartfelt supplication addressed to Mary as the Mother of God and our Mother.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.”
It would be hard to find a more touching plea.
We ask our heavenly Mother to intercede for us now because we have such great need of her assistance in this vale of tears and temptations.
May she be always by our side, to shelter us beneath her mantle!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The ANNUNCIATION, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The INCARNATION, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 26 October – “Hail Mary … Holy Mary”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Hail Mary … Holy Mary”

“After the Lord’s Prayer, there is no more beautiful prayer than the Hail Mary, which we should recite with particular devotion in the decades of the Holy Rosary.
At the beginning of the Rosary, we can imgine that we are witnesses of the Annunciation to Mary, in her home at Nazareth.
An Angel descends from Heaven and bows before the Blessed Virgin as she kneels, absorbed in prayer.
“Hail, full of grace,” he says, “the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women” (Lk 1:26-28).
We should join with the Angel of God in repeating these words fervently and devoutly.

The constant repetition of this prayer is very pleasing to Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother.
When we greet her with the words of the Angel, we remid her of the great mystery of the Incarnation, which was the beginning of her lofty mission as co-redemptrix and the dawn of Christian civilisation.

Even when we say these words over and over again, they can never become monotonous.
When a son is speaking to his mother, every word possesses an unlimited warmth and meaning because, it is the expression of a boundless love.
When we recite the decades of the Rosary, we should think of the heavenly Mother who is watching over us and listening to us, eager to console and assist us.
She loves us with a maternal love but, she requires us to love her also and to prove that we are her children by imitating her virtues.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 25 October – “Deliver Us From Evil”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Deliver Us From Evil”

“Deliver us from evil, amen.”
This is our last request in the Lord’s Prayer.
God is our Father, Creator and Redeemer.
Who cannot desire our ruin but only our welfare.
Nevertheless, He wishes us to ask Him everyday, to deliver us from evil.

We ask God to deliver us from evil of any kind.
There is nothing to prevent us from beseeching Him to save us from physical ills, such as sickness or hardship or any of the other many afflicions of life.
God loves us and, therefore, does not wish us to have to suffer.
He loves us, however, as He knows best and so desires our true welfare.
He knows that suffering and sorrow are our necessary heritage in life.
They are the salt which preserves us from corruption.

It would be fatal for us to be always happy in this world, for then, we should forget God and our true everlasting happiness.
By all means, let us ask humbly for deliverance from bodily ills but, let us not complain, if God does not grant our request.
He alone knows what is best for us, now and in the future.

Finally, when we ask God to rescue us from material evils, we should do so in a spirit of submission and resignation to His holy will.
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
We should keep in mind the words of Jesus Christ.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).
Where are we to follow Him?
To Calvary, of course.
We must suffer and die as He did.
Only afterwards can we achieve everlasting happiness.

Deliver us from evil, therefore, O God.
Deliver us if possible, from bodily and from earthly ills but, let Your will be done.
We realise, that there is a purpose in suffering, the mission of which, is to purify us and lead us more easily to You.
We shall thank You, if You hear our plea but, we shall be no less grateful, if it pleases You to reject it.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 24 October – “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

“Let no man say, when he is tempted,” St James warns us, “that he is tempted by God; for God is no tempter to evil and he himself tempts no-one. But everyone is tempted by being drawn away and enticed by his own passion. Then, when passion has conceived, it brings forth sin but when sin has matured, it begets death” (Js 1:13-15).

When we ask God during the Pater Noster not to lead us into temptation, we should really beseech Him to rescue us from temptation.
We should not request this in any absolute sense, however, for it would be a poor soldier who would refuse to be tried in battle.
Our prayer should be prompted by a holy fear of offending God.
We should ask Him, therefore, either to set us free from temptations or to grant us the grace to overcome them.
We should then co-operate earnestly with divine grace in resisting these temptations and should adopt the means necessary to overcome them.

In the first place, we should never go voluntarily into an occasion of sin.
What use is it asking God to rescue us from temptations, if we immediately proceed to go in search of them?
When possible, therefore, avoid the occasions of sin.
“He who loves danger,” says the Holy Spirit, “will persist in it” (Ecclus 3:25).
If duty or charity compels us to expose ourselves to danger, God will certainly help us.
But, if we fail to recognise our own frailty and expose ourselves voluntarily to the risk of committing sin, God is not obliged to work a miracle to save us.
Our presumption and imprudence will be severely punished.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, OPEN HOUSE...Conversations with..., QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 23 October – “As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”

“When we ask God to forgive us, we promise to forgive those who have offended us.
Unless we are to be guilty of deception, therefore, we must pardon them.
If we refuse to forgive, God will not forgive us.
Jesus tells us in the Gospel, to pardon offences not seven times but, seventy times seven (Cf Mt 18:22).
In other words, we must always be prepared to forgive.
He tells us to return good for evil and to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us.

Not alone did Jesus command us to do this but, He also set us an example.
While He was suffering fearful torments on the Cross and was surrounded by jeering enemies, He turned to His heavenly Father and uttered those sublime words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:24).

How could we gaze at the Crucifix and dare to refuse forgiveness to anyone?
No matter how grave may seem the injuries done to us by our neighbour, let us remember, that they are insignificant in comparison with the insults which we have dared to offer to the infinite majesty of our Creator.
They are as the hundred denarii compared with the ten thousand talents of Christ’s parable (Mt 18:24-28).

If we wish to receive God’s pardon, therefore, let us be prepared to forgive.
Let our forgiveness be sincere, however and, not a mere formal token.
The forgiveness freely granted by a heart scourged by the injuries of others, is a pleasing sacrifice offered to God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 22 October – “Forgive Us Our Debts”

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Forgive Us Our Debts”

“When we have asked God for nourishment for soul and body, we go on to implore forgiveness for our debts, whether they have been contracted in the course of nature, or of grace, or of sin.
We owe everything to God.
There was a time when we did not exist and, in His divine omnipotence He created us from nothing.
Our bodily powers and spiritual faculties are His gifts to us.
If we enjoy health, it is He Who has given it to us.
If we have any ability, it comes from Him.
Anything which we have been able to achieve as the result of mental or manual labour, has been made possible by His help.

Who is it but God Who rescues us from the many perils which surround us?
Who but He enables us to overcome so many difficulties?
How many times we should have died, if He had not sustained us!

Let us think back over our past lives.
How much reason we have to be grateful to God, Who has watched over us continually like a loving Father.
The conservation of life, is a continuous act of creation.
When we recite the Pater Noster, therefore, we should express our filial gratitude to God and ask for His continued protection.
Every moment of life is a new gift of God and an act of His infinite love in our regard.
Let us be grateful and love Him generously in return.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 21 October – Our Daily Bread

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
Our Daily Bread

“In the Pater Noster, Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily bread – that is, for sufficient bread for today, not for tomorrow.
In this way, He warns us not to be too preoccupied with the future but, to trust in Providence and accept, from God’s hands, from day to day, whatever is necessary for us.
God is our Father and loves us as His children.
Knowing this, why should we worry about the future?

We are in the hands of God, Who looks after all His children.
Let us entrust ourselves completely to His care.
This does not mean that we should indulge in any kind of fatalism, expecting everything from God and doing nothing ourselves.
We cannot and should not expect unnecessary miracles.
We are under an obligation to work because work, is the result of and the punishment for, sin.
It enable us to co-operate with God in His work of creation and has ben ennobled and sanctified by Jesus Christ, Who chose to be “the carpenter’s son,” (Mt 13:55) and a carpenter Himself (Cf Mk 6:3).
We should work, therefore but, should not worry!

When we have done everything of which we ae capable, we should leave the rest to Divine Providence.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 21 October – Write Your Blessed Name, Upon My Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 21 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

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

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

Posted in GOD is LOVE, GOD the FATHER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 20 October – “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”

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Thought for the Day – 20 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”

“In the second part of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask the universal Father, on behalf of ourselves and of our brethren, for all things necessary for soul and body.
Since we have already paid homage to God, our Creator and our Redeemer and, have prayed for the triumph of His kingdom and for the accomplishment of His will in Heaven and on earth, Our Lord does not forbid us to think now of ourselves and to pray for our own needs.
“Give us this day our daily bread,” we ask, intending to pray, both for our spiritual and material requirements.

We should not delude ourselves into imagining that it is we who produce the fruits of the earth.
A grain of wheat dies beneath the soil but God has infused into it, a mysterious force as a result of which, in dying, it generates new life.

The moisture of the soil, the warmth of the air and the light of the sun combine to develop this mysterious life-force, which produces the green stalk and then the flaxen ear of corn which provides us with bread.
It is God Who has given this vital power to this tiny seed, as well as to all the other seeds of the soil.
It is He Who has endowed the soil with the nutritive elements from which the seeds draw life and it is He, Who sends the dew, the rain and the sunshine, which cause the flowers to blossom and the plants to bear fruit.

We should ask God humbly, therefore, to “give us this day our daily bread.”
Our own labours would be futile without the intervention of the all-powerful Creator.
We are capable, neither of producing, nor of destroying a single atom nor a single seedling.
Without God, we are incapable of achieving anything, either inthe natural or in the supernatural order.
Therefore, we must ask Him to provide us with what we need.
He is supremely good and loves us very much.
His Providence will not leave us in want, even if we are often obliged to work hard in co-operation with Him to procure the necessaries of life.
The birds have no granary, yet they manage to find enough seed to keep them alive because God is watching over them.
How could we suppose, that He will not look after us, if we turn to Him with trust and perseverance?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 20 October – Only What You Will or Will Not

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Our Morning Offering – 20 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Only What You Will or Will Not
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Grant me Your grace,
most merciful Jesus,
so that it may be with me
and work with me
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant that I may always want
and desire that which is
most acceptable and pleasing to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
and be in perfect accord with it.
Let me always will or not will,
the same with You
and may I not be able to will
or not will
anything, except
what You will or will not.
Amen

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 19 October – The First Part of the “Our Father”

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Thought for the Day – 19 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The First Part of the “Our Father”

“The Pater Noster, being God’s own composition, is the most perfect of prayers.
It covers, moreover, all our obligations and all our needs.
It may be divided into two parts, the first of which refers to God, the second to ourselves.
We should ask, first of all for whatever is important to God and then, for whatever concerns ourselves.
This is the command of Jesus.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice and all these things shall be given you besides” (Mt 6:33).

When we have invoked our Father in Heaven, we go onto pray: “Hallowed be Thy name.”

Let us think about this.
What do we look for first of all when we pray?
Is it the glory of God, or, is it our own self-interest?
Which occupies the principal place in our thoughts, God, or our own ego?
Let us remember that we have been created for the glory of God.
We shall not find happiness, unless, we seek God’s glory alone, for God is our true welfare.

We must not allow ourselves to become absorbed in insignificant worldly objects, which can never completely satisfy us.
Rather, must we keep our minds on God.
“God alone is sufficient,” said St Teresa.
Without Him, there is nothing good within us or around us.

When we say “Hallowed be Thy name,” moreover, we should not only give God’s glory precedence over all our desires but, we should also make an act of reparation for the countless blasphemies by which His name has been injured.
How can we remain passive and inert, while our Creator and our Redeemer is being continually blasphemed and offended?
At the very least, we can set against the diabolical insults of many of our fellow-men, our own humble and loving prayer: “May Thy name, my God, be blessed and glorified.“

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 18 October – The “Our Father”

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Thought for the Day – 18 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The “Our Father”

“Our Lord exhorted His disciples on many occasions to pray often and with confidence, if they wished to be heard.
Everything which they asked His heavenly Father, in His name, He said, they would obtain.
Ask, He said and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
Finally, He insisted that we ought to pray and never to give up.
In other words, life can be a continuous prayer if we offer to God all our thoughts, words and actions.

The ideal Christian prayer is to do the will of God at all times from the motive of pure love.
The Apostles, however, who had not made that much progress in the spiritual life, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1).
It was then that Our Lord composed the most beautiful of prayer, the “Our Father” (Mt 6:9-13).
When we recite it, we speak to God, in the words of Jesus Christ Himself and unite our weak voices, with the powerful Voice of the Son of God.
We address the Eternal God, moreover, by the name of Father.
Even in the Old Testament, God is often referred to in this way.
Then, however, He figured as the Father of the chosen people, whereas now, He is the Father of all.
He is our Father, the Father of all mankind and of all races, whom He has willed to redeem from the slavery of sin.
The term “Our Father” has taken on a new and fuller meaning.
Our weak prayer becomes united to that of Jesus, our first-born Brother and to the prayers of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Confessors, who form and have formed, throughout the centuries, the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church.
We need no longer feel that we are on our own, for through the Communion of Saints, our entreaties are joined to those of the entire Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant.
We can be confident, therefore, that our prayer will be heard!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE

Thought for the Day – 17 October – The Fifth Glorious Mystery – The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

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Thought for the Day – 17 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Fifth Glorious Mystery
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary
as Queen of Heaven and Earth

“When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed.
A halo of light surrounded her, as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth.
It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the Immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them, by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them, by reason of her dignity as Mother of God.
What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son?”
What Angel could command Him, as she could, in her role of Mother?

Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have.
She participated in the Passion of her Son Jesus,offering herself along with Him, as a victim of expiation.
She made a contribution, in the supernatural order of the Redemption, which neither Angel nor Saint, could have made.
With Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race.
Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed, in paying homage to her.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SIN, THE ASSUMPTION

Thought for the Day – 16 October – The Fourth Glorious Mystery – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 16 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Fourth Glorious Mystery
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven

“The fourth Book of Kings tells us, that the prophet Elias was brought up into Heaven in a fiery chariot without having first endured the pains and humiliations of death (Cf 4 Kings 2:11).
Why did God not do likewise in the case of the Blessed Virgin, commanding His Angels to bear her to Heaven before death struck her innocent body?
As St Paul says, it was sin which caused death to enter the world.
From the moment of her conception, Mary was free from the slightest taint of sin, for she was immaculate and full of grace.
Nevertheless, according to the most widely held tradition, Mary chose to die, even as her divine Son had willed to die.
Jesus “was offered because it was his own will” (Isa 53:7).
The same is true in Mary’s case, with only this difference.
Jesus died a cruel death after the most hideous tortures in the midst of a blaspheming and hate-ridden mob.
Nothing like this happened to Mary, although she is called the Queen of Martyrs because of the sword which pierced her soul at the sight of her divine Son, dying in such agony.

Jesus willed, however, that the immaculate body of His Mother would remain intact.
It was only her great love and intense desire of being reunited with her Son, which gradually consumed her mortal life.
Her ever-increasing love for God, broke the bonds of her mortal frame until she went to sleep at last, in the Lord.

If only our death could be the same!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci