Category: POETRY

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, GOOD FRIDAY, INDULGENCES, POETRY, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – St Gabriel the Archangel

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel

“O holy Angel who didst strengthen Jesus Christ our Lord,
come and strengthen us also, come and tarry not!”

An indulgence of 300 day

The Angel of the Agony
John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Jesu! by that shuddering dread which fell on Thee;
Jesu! by that cold dismay which sicken’d Thee;
Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrill’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee;
Jesu! by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee;
Jesu! by that innocence which girded Thee;
Jesu! by that sanctity which reign’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee;
Jesu! spare those souls which are so dear to Thee;
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee;
Hasten, Lord, their hour and bid them come to Thee;
To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze on Thee.
Amen

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Posted in POETRY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 8 February – The Mantle of St John de Matha – A Legend of “The Red, White and Blue”

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Quote of the Day – 8 February –St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) Confessor, Priest, Founder of The Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives

Excerpt from
The Mantle of St John de Matha
A Legend of “The Red, White and Blue”
(1154–1864)
By John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892).

A STRONG and mighty Angel,
Calm, terrible and bright,
The Cross in blended red and blue
Upon his mantle white!

Two captives by him kneeling,
Each on his broken chain,
Sang praise to God who raiseth
The dead to life again?

Dropping his Cross-wrought mantle,
“Wear this” the Angel said;
“Take thou, O Freedom’s Priest, its sign,—
The white, the blue and red.”

Then rose up John de Matha
In the strength the Lord Christ gave,
And begged through all the land of France
The ransom of the slave.

The gates of tower and castle
Before him open flew,
The drawbridge at his coming fell,
The door-bolt backward drew.

For all men owned his errand
And paid his righteous tax;
And the hearts of lord and peasant
Were in his hands as wax.

At last, outbound from Tunis,
His bark her anchor weighed,
Freighted with seven-score Christian souls
Whose ransom he had paid!

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), POETRY, St JOHN HENRY Cardinal NEWMAN!, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The SIGN of the CROSS

Traditional February Devotion – The Most Holy and Blessed Trinity

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Traditional Catholic Devotions

February is traditionally the Month of the Blessed Trinity, with the Holy Family being celebrated together with the Holy Name of Jesus in January.

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost.

(50 Days. 100 Days if made with Holy Water
Blessed Pope Pius IX, 1865.)

WHENE’ER across this sinful flesh of mine
I draw the Holy Sign,
All good thoughts stir within me and renew
Their slumbering strength divine,
Till there springs up a courage high and true
To suffer and to do.

And who shall say but hateful spirits around,
For their brief hour unbound,
Shudder to see and wail their overthrow?
While on far heathen ground
Some lonely Saint hails the fresh odour, though
Its source he cannot know.

John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Oxford – 25 November 1832

Posted in Holy Family PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY SPIRIT, The KINGDOM of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 9 January – Adveniat Regnum Tuum! Thy Kingdom Come!

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Our Morning Offering – 9 January – The Holy Family – Within the Octave of Epiphany

Adveniat Regnum Tuum!
Thy Kingdom Come!
By Katharine Tynan (1861-1931)

Thy Kingdom come ! Yea, bid it come!
But when Thy Kingdom first began
On earth, Thy Kingdom was a home,
A Child, a woman and a man.

The Child was in the midst thereof,
O, Blessed Jesus, holiest One!
The Centre and the Fount of Love
Mary and Joseph’s little Son.

Wherever on the earth shall be
A child, a woman and a man,
Imaging that sweet trinity
Wherewith Thy Kingdom first began,

Establish there Thy kingdom! Yea,
And o’er that trinity of love
Send down, as in Thy appointed day,
The brooding Spirit of Thy Dove!

Katharine Tynan (1861-1931) was an Irish born Poet and Writer and a friend of the Jesuit Poet, Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins. She contributed to many periodicals and magazines such as the Jesuit published Studies, the Dominican published Irish Rosary, Irish Monthly, Hibernia and Dublin University Review, besides her own private publications.
After her marriage, the addition of her husband’s name, “Hinkson” is often appended to her publications.

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), HYMNS, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 8 January – Of the Father’s Love Begotten

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Our Morning Offering – 8 January – Within the Octave of Epiphany

Of the Father’s Love Begotten
(Excerpt)
By Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens (c 348-c 413)
Trans. J M Neale (1818-1866)

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the world began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the Ending he,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.

Blessed was the day forever,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Saviour of our race
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His Sacred Face
Evermore and evermore.

Glory be to God the Father,
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be the Holy Ghost,
Persons Three, yet Godhead One,
Glory be from all creation
While eternal ages run,
Evermore and evermore.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

Our Morning Offering – 6 January – Crudelis Herodes, Deum Regem

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Our Morning Offering – 6 January – The Epiphany of the Lord

Crudelis Herodes, Deum Regem
Hymn for The Epiphany
By Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450)
Poet
Unknown translator

Why impious Herod, vainly fear
That Christ the Saviour cometh here?
He takes no earthly realms away
Who gives the crown that lasts for aye.

To greet His birth, the Wise Men went,
Led by the star before them sent;
Called on by light, towards Light they pressed,
And by their gifts their God confessed.

In holy Jordan’s purest wave
The heavenly Lamb vouchsafed to lave;
That He, to whom was sin unknown,
Might cleanse His people from their own.

New miracle of power divine!
The water reddens into wine:
He spake the word and poured the wave
In other streams than nature gave.

All glory, Lord, to Thee we pay
For Thine Epiphany today.
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.

Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450), recounting Christ’s life from His Birth to His Resurrection.
Its 23 stanzas each begin with a consecutive letter of the Latin alphabet, making the poem an abecedarius.
It is one of the oldest parts of the Roman Catholic liturgy, with two Hymns formed from the first seven and four later verses.
There have been monastic translations into English and later translations into many other languages.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 29 December – Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise, A Solis Ortus Cardine

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Our Morning Offering – 29 December – The Fifth Day of the Octave of Christmas – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise
A Solis Ortus Cardine
By Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450)
Trans Fr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)

Afar from where the sun doth rise
To lands beneath the western skies,
Homage to Christ our King we pay,
Born of a Virgin’s womb this day

Blessed Creator, Thou didst take__
A servant’s likeness for our sake,
And didst in flesh our flesh restore
To bid Thy creature live once more.

Chaste was the womb where Thou didst dwell,
Of heavenly grace the hidden cell;
Nor might the blessed Maid proclaim
Whence her dread Guest in secret came.

Down from on high God came to rest__
His glory in a sinless breast;
Obedience at His word believed,
And virgin innocence conceived.

Ere long, that holy child she bore
By Gabriel’s message named before,
Whom yet unborn, with eager pride,
The swift forerunner prophesied.

Fast doth He sleep, where straw doth spread,
A humble manger for His bed.
A Mother’s milk that strength renewed,
Which gives the birds of heaven their food.

Glory to God, the angels cry;
Earth hears the echo from on high;
Mankind’s true Shepherd and it’s Lord
By shepherd hearts is first adored.

“A Solis Ortus Cardine…” (Latin for “From the Pivot of the Sun’s Rising”) is a poem by Christian Poet, Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450), recounting Christ’s life from His Birth to His Resurrection.
Its 23 stanzas each begin with a consecutive letter of the Latin alphabet, making the poem an abecedarius.
It is one of the oldest parts of the Roman Catholic liturgy, with two Hymns formed from the first seven and four later verses.
There have been monastic translations into English and later translations into many other languages..

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, Gerard MANLEY HOPKINS SJ, JESUIT SJ, POETRY, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – LITTLE Jesus … A Child My Choice

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day

“Open wide your door
to the One Who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart and run to meet
the Sun of Eternal light
that illuminates all men.”

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

“Christ is the Morning Star,
Who, when the night
of this world is past,
gives to His saints,
the promise of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Let all your desires then,
be directed toward Him,
the Infinite One,
the Giver of all Good.”

Bl Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306)

A Child My Choice
By St Robert Southwell (1561-1595)
Martyr

Let folly praise that fancy loves,
I praise and love that Child
Whose heart no thought,
Whose tongue no word,
Whose hand no deed defiled.

I praise Him most, I love Him best,
all praise and love is His;
While Him I love, in Him I live
and cannot live amiss.

Love’s sweetest mark,
laud’s highest theme,
man’s most desired light,
To love Him life,
to leave Him death,
to live in Him delight.

He mine by gift,
I His by debt, thus each to other due;
First friend He was,
best friend He is,
all times will try Him true.

Though young, yet wise;
though small, yet strong;
though man, yet God He is:
As wise, He knows;
as strong, He can;
as God, He loves to bless.

His knowledge rules,
His strength defends,
His love doth cherish all;
His birth our joy,
His life our light,
His death our end of thrall.

Alas! He weeps, He sighs, He pants,
yet do His angels sing;
Out of His tears,
His sighs and throbs,
doth bud a joyful spring.

Almighty Babe, Whose tender arms
can force all foes to fly,
Correct my faults,
protect my life,
direct me when I die!

Moonless Darkness
By Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

Moonless darkness stands between.
Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem-Star may lead me
To the sight of Him, Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord, Thou art holy;
Make me meek, Lord, Thou wert lowly.
Now beginning and alway,
Now begin, on Christmas Day.

‘Ex Ore Infantium’
(From the Mouth of Chrildren)
By Francis Thompson (1859–1907)

LITTLE Jesus, wast Thou shy
Once and just so small as I?
And what did it feel like to be
Out of Heaven and just like me?
Didst Thou sometimes think of there,
And ask where all the Angels were?
I should think that I would cry
For my house all made of sky;
I would look about the air,
And wonder where my Angels were;
And at waking ’twould distress me—
Not an Angel there to dress me!

Hadst Thou ever any toys,
Like us little girls and boys?
And didst Thou play in Heaven with all
The Angels that were not too tall,
With stars for marbles? Did the things
Play Can you see me? through their wings?
And did thy Mother let Thee spoil
Thy robes, with playing on our soil?
How nice to have them always new
In Heaven because ’twas quite clean blue!

Didst Thou kneel at night to pray
And didst Thou join thy hands, this way?
And did they tire sometimes, being young,
And make the prayer seem very long?
And dost Thou like it best, that we
Should join our hands to pray to Thee?
I used to think, before I knew,
The prayer not said unless we do.
And did thy Mother at the night
Kiss Thee and fold the clothes in right?
And didst Thou feel quite good in bed,
Kiss’d and sweet and Thy prayers said?

Thou canst not have forgotten all
That it feels like to be small
And Thou know’st I cannot pray
To Thee in my father’s way—
When Thou wast so little, say,
Couldst Thou talk thy Father’s way?—
So, a little Child, come down
And hear a child’s tongue like thy own;
Take me by the hand and walk
And listen to my baby-talk.
To Thy Father show my prayer
(He will look, Thou art so fair),
And say: ‘O Father, I, Thy Son,
Bring the prayer of a little one.’

And He will smile that children’s tongue,
Has not changed, since Thou wast young!

Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English Poet and Catholic Mystic. One of his most famous works is the rivetting “The Hound of Heaven.”
Among Thompson’s devotees was the young JR R Tolkien, who purchased a volume of Thompson’s works in 1913–1914 and later said that, it was an important influence on his own writing

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, HYMNS, POETRY, The O ANTIPHONS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 December – Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 December – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

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

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

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

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

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

The story of Fr Mohr and his composition of this 204th Anniversary of the first sound of this favourite Catholic Christmas Carol, here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/24/thought-for-the-day-24-december-today-the-200th-anniversary-of-the-first-performance-of-the-beloved-carol-silent-night/

The Midnight Hour
(Fr or Br) Frederick M Lynk, SVD

The Virgin Mother kneels upon the floor
And holds her Baby in her arm,
Her heart is gladder than her lips can say,
To keep her newborn Baby snug and warm,
A Babe more sweet and fair and dear
Than any rosebud in the bright sunshine,
Whose little eyes look straight into her own,
O, blessed maid, God’s Son is also thine.

‘Twas holy midnight, when He came to earth:
As pours a sun ray through a limpid glass,
Not leaving any mark upon its face;
A drop of dew upon the fresh green grass,
A little star that fell upon her lap,
A cooing Babe, that seeks her virgin breast.
The hopes of all the sin-cursed world
Upon this Baby’s eyelids rest.

And ever since the midnight hour is holy,
And millions of human hearts are stirred,
To wonderment and love for Him, Who came,
To save the world, God’s Own Incarnate Word.
He came in darkness, He who was The Light,
His Godhead shone from clear blue Baby eyes,
The curse of earth’s first sin, was lifted then,
That midnight hour re-opened paradise!

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, INDULGENCES, POETRY, St JOHN HENRY Cardinal NEWMAN!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – The Holy Guardian Angel

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – The Holy Guardian Angel

“See that you despise not
one of these little ones,
for I say to you
that their Angels in Heaven,
always see the face of My Father.”

Matthew 18:10

“Be good!
This will make your angel happy.
When sorrows and misfortunes,
physical or spiritual, afflict you,
turn to your Guardian Angel,
with strong trust
and he will help you.”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

“O Angel of God, whom God
hath appointed to be my Guardian,
enlighten and protect,
direct and govern me.
Amen.”

(Indulgence of one hundred days each time.
Plenary once a month if said daily)

My Oldest Friend
By John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath,
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death….

Mine when I stand before the Judge,
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till
My sin is burn’d away.

And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come,
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,
Thy wings shall waft me home.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/02/quotes-of-the-day-2-october-holy-angels/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, OUR Cross, POETRY, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – Martyrs

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – Saint Susanna of Rome (Died c 295) Virgin Martyr and and St Philomena (Died 304) Virgin Martyr – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 21:9-19

“But others were racked,
not accepting deliverance
that they might find
a better resurrection.”

Hebrews 11:35

The Passion of Andrew:
Hail, O Cross, yes, hail indeed!

“Hail, O Cross, inaugurated by the Body of Christ
and adorned with His limbs
as though they were precious pearls.
Before the Lord mounted you,
you inspired an earthly fear.
Now, instead, endowed with heavenly love,
you are accepted as a gift.

Believers know of the great joy that you possess
and of the multitude of gifts you have prepared.
I come to you, therefore,
confident and joyful,
so that you too may receive me,
exultant as a disciple of the One
Who was hung upon you….

O blessed Cross, clothed in the majesty
and beauty of the Lord’s limbs!…

Take me, carry me far from men
and restore me to my Teacher,
so that, through you,
the One who redeemed me by you,
may receive me.

Hail, O Cross, yes, hail indeed!”

“Without the Cup of the Lord
preserving the holy bond of love,
even if a man should deliver his body
to be burned, he gains nothing!”

St Fulgentus of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)

“We should not forget,
that the devil has his martyrs
and that he infuses into them
a false constancy.
It is not the punishment
but the cause,
that makes the Martyr;
that is – the confession
of the True Faith.”

St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The TRANSFIGURATION

Our Morning Offering – 6 August – Quicumque Christum Quaeritis

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Our Morning Offering – 6 August – The Transfiguration of Our Lord

Quicumque Christum Quaeritis
All Ye Who would the Christ Descry
By Prudentius (c 348 – c 413)
(Aurelius Prudentius Clemens)
The Renowned Poet

All you who would the Christ descry,
Lift up your eyes to Him on high:
There mortal gaze hath strength to see
The token of His Majesty.

A wondrous sign we there behold,
That knows not death nor groweth old,
Sublime, most high, that cannot fade,
That was ere earth and Heaven were made.

Here is the King the Gentiles fear,
The Jews’ most mighty King is here,
Promised to Abraham of yore,
And to his seed forevermore.

‘Tis He the Prophets words foretold,
And by their signs shown forth of old.
The Father’s Witness hath ordained
That we should hear with faith unfeigned.

Jesu, to Thee our praise we pay,
To little ones revealed today,
With Father and Blest Spirit One
Until the ages’ course is done.

The Hymn Quicumque Christum quaeritis is the twelfth and last poem in the Cathemerino of Prudentius, originally written in honour of the Epiphany. Its 208 lines has furnished four hymns to the Roman Breviary, Latin below the image.
On the Feast of the Transfiguration the verses are above are used.
There is a short biography of Prudentius here: https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/08/quote-s-of-the-day-8-january-take-courage-it-is-i-and-bl-titus-zeman/

Quicumque Christum quaeritis,
Uculos in altum tollite:
Illic licebit visere
Signum perennis glorias.

Illustre quiddam cernimus,
Quod nesciat finem pati,
Sublime, celsum, interminum,
Antiquius ccelo et chao.

Hic ille Rex est Gentium,
Populique Rex Judaici,
Promissus Abraha patri,
Ejusque in aevum semini.

Hunc et Prophetis testibus,
Iisdemque signatoribus
Testator et Pater jubet
Audire nos, et credere.

Jesu, tibi sit gloria,
Qui te revelas parvulis,
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu
In sempiterna saecula.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MIRACLES, OUR Cross, POETRY, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY CROSS, The LAST THINGS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – ‘God hanging from a Cross …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood

“Many indeed are the wondrous happenings
of that time:
God hanging from a Cross,
the sun made dark
and again flaming out;
for it was fitting,
that creation should mourn
with its Creator.
The temple veil rent,
Blood and Water flowing
from His side –
the one as from a Man,
the other as from what was above man;
the earth shaken,
the rocks shattered because of the Rock;
the dead risen to bear witness
to the final and universal
resurrection of the dead.
The happenings at the sepulchre
and after the sepulchre,
who can fittingly recount them?
Yet not one of them, can be compared,
to the Miracle of my Salvation.
A few drops of Blood
renews the whole world
and do, for all men,
what the rennet does for the milk –
joining us and binding us together!”

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

“The Word of the Cross
Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight:
Hard rind without, to hold the heart of Heaven.
Yet sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His Life upon that rood
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless take from Thy Hands the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt’s not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself hadst none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave, that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!

St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)
Father of the Church

“He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His Blood.
He who created the Host of Angels,
was bound at the hands of soldiers
and He who is to judge the living and the dead,
was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1).
Truth was exposed to false witnesses,
was slandered, struck, covered with spittle,
hung on the Wood of the Cross –
the Lord of Glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8)
endured every outrage and suffering
without Himself needing these trials. …

So there is nothing surprising about it,
if we submit to even one of these trials,
since such is our condition …
Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted,
afflicted by the cutting off of our wills.”

St Theodore the Studite (759- 826)
Monk at Constantinople, Father
(Catecheses 1)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, POETRY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 July – Saints Peter and Paul

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 July – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul

“Yes, the Apostle chosen
to be His co-worker,
merited to share,
the same Name as Christ.
They built the same Building together –
Peter does the planting,
the Lord gives the increase
and it is the Lord, too,
Who sends those,
who will do the watering (cf 1 Cor 3:6f).”

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

“Nothing escaped the Wisdom
and Power of Christ,
the elements of nature lay at His service,
spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. …
And yet, out of all the world,
Peter alone was chosen
to stand at the head,
for the calling of all the peoples
and the oversight of all the Apostles
and Fathers of the Church.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“There are the gates of our true country,
the two lights of the immense world.
There Paul’s voice is heard like thunder;
there Peter withholds or hurls the bolt .
The former opens the hearts of men,
the latter opens Heaven.
Peter is the Foundation-stone,
Paul the Architect of the temple
where stands the Altar
by which God is propitiated.
Both together form a single Fountain,
which pours out its healing
and refreshing waters.”

St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)
“The Troubadour of Christ”

St Paul’s Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason, I bow my knees
before the Father, from Whom
every family in heaven and on earth
takes its name.
I pray that, according to the riches
of His glory, He may grant
that you may be strengthened
in your inner being with power through His Spirit
and that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith,
as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power
to comprehend, with all the Saints,
what is the breadth and length
and height and depth
and to know, the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him Who, by the power at work within us,
is able to accomplish abundantly,
far more than all we can ask or imagine.
To Him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus,
to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.

Posted in ART DEI, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, POETRY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Quote/s of the Day – 22 June – St Paulinus of Nola

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor, Father.

“To my mind,
the only art, is the Faith
and Christ is my Poetry.”

“It is not surprising if,
despite being far apart,
we are present to each other
and without being acquainted,
know each other
because, we are members of One Body,
we have One Head,
we are steeped in One Grace,
we live on One Loaf,
we walk on One Road
and we dwell in the Same House!”

St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/22/quote-s-of-the-day-22-june-st-paulinus-of-nola-st-john-fsher-st-thomas-more/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, OUR Cross, POETRY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 May – ‘You touched me’

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 May – The Memorial of St Monica (322-387) Mother of St Augustine – 1 Timothy 5:3-10, Luke 7:11-16

“My grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

“Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight.
I do not know what there is now for me to do
or why I am still here,
all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.”

Saint Monica,
on the conversion
of St Augustine

“Our Lord and Saviour lifted up His Voice
and said with incomparable majesty:
“Let all men know, that grace comes after tribulation.
Let them know, that without the burden of afflictions,
it is impossible to reach the height of grace.
Let them know,
that the gifts of grace increase,
as the struggles increase.
Let men take care not to stray and be deceived.
This is the only true stairway to paradise
and without the cross,
they can find no road to climb to Heaven.”

St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)

Late Have I Loved You
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Late have I loved You,
Beauty so ancient and so new,
late have I loved You!
Lo, you were within,
but I outside,
seeking there for You,
and upon the shapely things
You have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me
but I was not with You.
They held me back far from You,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in You.
You called, shouted,
broke through my deafness.
You flared, blazed,
banished my blindness.
You lavished Your fragrance,
I gasped
and now I pant for You.
I tasted You
and now I hunger and thirst.
You touched me
and I burned for Your peace.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – The Holy Cross

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross

The Word of the Cross
Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight:
Hard rind without, to hold the heart of Heaven.
Yet sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His Life upon that rood
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless take from Thy Hands the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt’s not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself hadst none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave, that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!

St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)
Father of the Church

Faithful Cross! Above All Other
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

Faithful Cross! above all other,
one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
for awhile the ancient rigour
that thy birth bestowed, suspend
and the King of heavenly beauty
gently on thine arms extend.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
One in might and One in glory
while eternal ages run.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, ONE Minute REFLECTION, POETRY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FREE WILL, QUOTES on GRACE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY SPIRIT, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 April – Joined to Christ

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One Minute Reflection – 29 April – The Memorial of St Peter Martyr of Verona OP (1205–1252) Martyr, Priest – 2 Timothy 2:8-10; 3:10-12, John 15:1-7

“I am the vine, you the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, the same bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

REFLECTION – “The Lord calls Himself, the vine and those united to Him, branches, in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with Him and how important it is for us to remain in His love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, Who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Saviour, those who are joined to Him, as branches are to a vine, share in His own nature.

On the part of those who come to the vine, their union with Him depends upon a deliberate act of the will; on His part, the union is effected by grace. Because we had goodwill, we made the act of faith that brought us to Christ,and received from Him, the dignity of adoptive sonship which made us His own kinsmen, according to the words of Saint Paul: – He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

The prophet Isaiah calls Christ the foundation because, it is upon Him that we as living and spiritual stone, are built into a holy priesthood to be a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. Upon no other foundation than Christ, can this temple be built. Here Christ is teaching the same truth by calling Himself the vine, since the vine is the parent of its branches and provides their nourishment.

From Christ and in Christ, we have been reborn through the Spirit, in order to bear the fruit of life; not the fruit of our old, sinful life but the fruit of a new life, founded upon our faith in Him and our love for Him. Like branches growing from a vine, we now draw our life from Christ and we cling to His holy commandment in order to preserve this life. Eager to safeguard the blessing of our noble birth, we are careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us and Who makes us aware of God’s presence in us.

Let the wisdom of John teach us how we live in Christ and Christ lives in us – The proof that we are living in Him and He is living in us, is that He has given us a share in His Spirit. Just as the trunk of the vine gives its own natural properties to each of its branches, so, by bestowing on them the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, gives Christians a certain kinship with Himself and with God the Father because they have been united to Him by faith and determination to do His will in all things. He helps them to grow in love and reverence for God and teaches them to discern right from wrong and to act with integrity.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from: Commentary on the Gospel of John).

PRAYER – Saint Thomas Aquinas in Eulogy for Saint Peter the Martyr
Here silent is Christ’s Herald;
Here quenched, the People’s Light;
Here lies the Martyred Champion
Who fought Faith’s holy fight.

The voice the sheep heard gladly,
The light they loved to see
He fell beneath the weapons
Of graceless Cathari.

The Saviour crowns His Soldier;
His praise the people psalm.
The Faith he kept adorns him
With Martyr’s fadeless palm.

His praise new marvels utter,
New light he spreads abroad
And now the whole wide city
Knows well the path to God.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, NOTES to Followers, POETRY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – Good Friday – ‘Put on Christ’

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

GOOD FRIDAY
A Day of Deep Mourning,
Fasting and Abstinence!

The Word of the Cross

Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight:
Hard rind without, to hold the heart of Heaven.
Yet sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His Life upon that rood
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless take from Thy Hands the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt’s not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself hadst none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave, that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!

St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)
Father of the Church

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Father, Abbot, Theologian, Writer

“On whose dear arms, so widely flung,
The weight of this world’s ransom hung,
The price of humankind to pay
And spoil the spoiler of his prey
All hail, O Cross, our only hope!”

St Venantiu Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Our Morning Offering – 13 April – In Your Hour of Holy Sadness

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Our Morning Offering – 13 April – Wednesday of Holy Week

In Your Hour of Holy Sadness
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Doctor of the Church

In Your hour of holy sadness
could I share with You, what gladness
should Your Cross to me be showing.
Gladness past all thought of knowing,
bowed beneath Your Cross to die!
Blessed Jesus, thanks I render
that in bitter death, so tender,
You now hear Your supplicant calling,
Save me Lord
and keep from falling from You,
when my hour is nigh.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, ONE Minute REFLECTION, POETRY, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 April – “Behold the hour is at hand … ” – Matthew 26:45

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One Minute Reflection – 10 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60

“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” – Matthew 26:45

REFLECTION – By St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop (Jesus, Only Son of the Father, § 708-724)

“Because of sin, O innocent One,
You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat;
When You return in the Father’s glory
Do not judge me together with him.

You were put to scorn with sacrilegious spittle
On account of the first created man’s shame;
Wipe away the dishonour of the impudent man’s sins,
With which my face is covered…

You have put on crimson,
Set the scarlet cloak over You
As a dishonour and an affront,
As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be (Mt 27:28).

Remove sin’s shirt of hair from me,
Crimson red, colour of blood,
Reclothe me in the garment of joy
With which You clothed the first man.

Kneeling, they made sport,
Acting ridicule, they mocked;
When they saw it, Heaven’s armies
Worshipped in fear.

This You underwent that You might remove
The shame, of being sin’s accomplice, from Adam’s nature in us
That, from my soul and my conscience,
You might suppress my sorrowing shame…

Following the judge’s verdict,
You received the terrible blows of flagellation
Over Your whole body
And on Your limbs’ every part.

As for me who, from foot to head
Suffer unbearable pain:
Be pleased to heal me once again
As through the grace of Baptism’s fount.

In exchange for the thorns of sin
That the curse caused to grow up for us (Gn 3,18)
A Crown of Thorns was set on Your Head
By the labourers in Jerusalem’s vineyard (Mt 21,33f.).

Pull out the thorns of sin from me,
Which my enemy planted within me,
And heal in me the bite of the wound
That the marks of sin might be erased.”

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who, to provide mankind an example of humility for it to imitate, willed that the Saviour should assume our flesh and suffer death upon the Cross, mercifully grant that we may be found worthy of the lesson of His endurance and the fellowship of His Resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, POETRY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 March – Persevere

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 March –Thursday of the First Week of Lent – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28

“You are rewarded,
not according to your work,
or your time
but according to the measure
of your love.”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

“Then steer your ship with steady arm,
Trust Me and rest your soul.
Your little boat I’ll keep from harm,
I’ll guide it toward its goal. …
Be therefore, steadfast, calm and true,
Your God is at your side.
Through storm and night
He’ll see you through
With conscience as your guide.”

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross OCD.(1891-1942
Edith Stein
“At the Helm”

“I think He intends to try you
like gold in the crucible,
so as to number you
amongst His most faithful servants.
Therefore, you must lovingly embrace
all occasions of suffering,
considering them
as precious tokens of His love.
To suffer in silence
and without complaint,
is what He asks of you.”

“Go courageously to God,
along the way He has traced out for you,
steadfastly embracing the means
He offers you.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

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

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in ARMOUR of CHRIST, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MARTYRS, MODESTY, ON the SAINTS, POETRY, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES

Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – St Robert Southwell

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)

“We … are under an obligation
to be the light of the world
by the modesty of our behaviour,
the fervour of our charity,
the innocence of our lives
and the example of our virtues.
Thus shall we be able
to raise the lowered prestige
of the Catholic Church
and, to build up again,
the ruins that others by their vices have caused.
Others, by their wickedness,
have branded the Catholic Faith
with a mark of shame,
we must strive,
with all our strength, to cleanse it
from its ignominy
and to restore it
to its pristine glory!”

“Christianity is warfare
and Christians are spiritual soldiers.”

“Not where I breathe
but where I love,
I live.”

“When Fortune smiles,
I smile to think,
how quickly she will frown.”

“Where sin was hatched,
let tears now wash the nest.”

“The path to Heaven is narrow,
rough and full of wearisome
and trying ascents,
nor can it be trodden without great toil
and, therefore, wrong is their way,
gross their error
nd assured their ruin,
who, after the testimony
of so many thousands of Saints,
will not learn where to settle their footing!”

“The Epiphany”
By St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Martyr

To blaze the rising of this glorious sun
A glittering star appeareth in the east
Whose sight to pilgrim toil three sages won
To seek the light they long had in request,
And by this star to nobler star they pace
Whose arms did their desired sun embrace.

Still was the sky wherein these planets shined
And want the cloud that did eclipse their rays,
Yet through this cloud their passage they did find,
And pierced these sages’ hearts by secret ways,
Which made them know, the Ruler of the skies
By Infant tongue and looks of babish eyes.

Heaven at her light, earth blusheth at her pride
And of their pomp these peers ashamed be,
Their crowns, their robes, their train they set aside
When God’s poor cottage, clouts and crew they see,
All glorious things their glory now despise
Since God contempt doth more than glory prize.

Three gifts they bring, three gifts they bear away,
For Incense, Myrrh and Gold, Faith, Hope and Love
And with their gifts the givers’ hearts do stay,
Their mind from Christ, no parting can remove,
His humble state, His stall, His poor retinue
They fancy more than all their rich revenue.

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Priest and Martyr

Posted in FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), INDULGENCES, POETRY, St JOHN HENRY Cardinal NEWMAN!, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Traditional February Devotion – The Most Holy and Blessed Trinity

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Traditional Catholic Devotions

February is traditionally the Month of the Blessed Trinity,
with the Holy Family being celebrated together with the Holy Name of Jesus in January.

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost.

(50 Days. 100 Days if made with Holy Water
Blessed Pope Pius IX, 1865.)

WHENE’ER across this sinful flesh of mine
I draw the Holy Sign,
All good thoughts stir within me and renew
Their slumbering strength divine,
Till there springs up a courage high and true
To suffer and to do.

And who shall say but hateful spirits around,
For their brief hour unbound,
Shudder to see and wail their overthrow?
While on far heathen ground
Some lonely Saint hails the fresh odour, though
Its source he cannot know.

John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Oxford – 25 November 1832

Posted in CARMELITES, MARTYRS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 28 January – Before Jesus Crucified (Sweet Jesus, Please Abide with Me!)

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Our Morning Offering – 28 January – Memorial of St Peter Nolasco (c 1182–c 1256) Confessor

Before Jesus Crucified
(Sweet Jesus, Please Abide with Me!)
By Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942)
Martyr

Dear Lord, when looking up at Thee,
I see Thy loving eyes on me,
Love overflows my humble heart,
Knowing what a faithful friend Thou are.
A cup of sorrow I foresee,
Which I accept for love of Thee,
Thy painful way I wish to go,
The only way to God I know.
My soul is full of peace and light,
Although in pain, this light shines bright.
For here, Thou keepest to Thy breast.
My longing heart to find there rest.
Leave me here freely all alone,
In cell where never sunlight shone.
Should no-one ever speak to me,
This golden silence makes me free!
For though alone, I have no fear,
Never were Thou, O Lord, so near.
Sweet Jesus, please, abide with me!
My deepest peace I find in Thee.
Amen

Posted in Holy Family PRAYERS, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Our Morning Offering – 9 January – O House of Nazareth The Blest

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Our Morning Offering – 9 January – Sunday within the Octave of Epiphany and the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

O Gente Felix
O House of Nazareth The Blest
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

O house of Nazareth the blest,
Fair hostess of the Lord,
The Church was nurtured at thy breast
And shared thy scanty hoard.

In all the spreading lands of earth.
The wandering sun may see
No dearer spot, no ampler worth
Than erst was found in thee!

We know thy humble tenement
Was heaven’s hermitage:
Celestial heralds came and went
In endless embassage.

There, whatsoever Joseph asks
Christ hastens to fulfil;
While Mary loves the household tasks
That wait her joyous will.

There, Joseph toileth at her side
Her joys and griefs to share,
With thousand ties knit to his bride,
Of love and work and prayer.

Yet how their bosoms constant burn
And deeper ardours prove
In love of Christ, whose eyes return
Tokens of mutual love.

O then, in all the homes of earth,
Be Love the bond of life:
May it enthrone at every hearth
The peace that husheth strife.

All praise to thee, O Jesus,
Who parents dost obey;
Praise to the sovereign Father
And Paraclete for aye.
Amen.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, JESUIT SJ, POETRY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

Quote of the Day – 7 January – “The Epiphany”

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Quote of the Day – 7 January – The Second Day within the Octave of Epiphany

“The Epiphany”
By St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Martyr

To blaze the rising of this glorious sun
A glittering star appeareth in the east
Whose sight to pilgrim toil three sages won
To seek the light they long had in request,
And by this star to nobler star they pace
Whose arms did their desired sun embrace.

Still was the sky wherein these planets shined
And want the cloud that did eclipse their rays,
Yet through this cloud their passage they did find,
And pierced these sages’ hearts by secret ways,
Which made them know, the Ruler of the skies
By Infant tongue and looks of babish eyes.

Heaven at her light, earth blusheth at her pride
And of their pomp these peers ashamed be,
Their crowns, their robes, their train they set aside
When God’s poor cottage, clouts and crew they see,
All glorious things their glory now despise
Since God contempt doth more than glory prize.

Three gifts they bring, three gifts they bear away,
For Incense, Myrrh and Gold, Faith, Hope and Love
And with their gifts the givers’ hearts do stay,
Their mind from Christ, no parting can remove,
His humble state, His stall, His poor retinue
They fancy more than all their rich revenue.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CHRISTMASTIDE!, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 4 January – Of the Father’s Love Begotten

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Our Morning Offering – 4 January – Christmas Weekday “Month of the Most Holy Name”

Of the Father’s Love Begotten
(Excerpt)
By Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens (c 348-c 413)
Trans. J M Neale (1818-1866)

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the world began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the Ending he,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.

Blessed was the day forever,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Saviour of our race
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His Sacred Face
Evermore and evermore.

Glory be to God the Father,
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be the Holy Ghost,
Persons Three, yet Godhead One,
Glory be from all creation
While eternal ages run,
Evermore and evermore.

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian Poet, born in the Roman Province of Tarraconensis (now Northern Spain) in c 348. He probably died in the Iberian Peninsula some time after 405, possibly around 413.
Prudentius practised law with some success and was twice Provincial Governor, perhaps in his native country. Towards the end of his life (possibly around 392) Prudentius retired from public life to become an ascetic, fasting until evening and abstaining entirely from animal food and writing poems, hymns and controversial works in defence of Christianity. Prudentius later collected the Christian poems written during this period and added a preface, which he himself dated 405.
The poetry of Prudentius is influenced by early Christian authors, such as Tertullian and St Ambrose, as well as the Sacred Scriptures and the Acts of the Martyrs. His hymn Da, puer, plectrum – “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”) and the hymn for Epiphany O sola magnarum urbium (“Earth Has Many A Noble City”), both from the Cathemerinon, are still frequently in use today, although many others are too but perhaps less frequently..

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, POETRY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The DIVINE INFANT, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – ‘He has come down to earth, to take you to heaven …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – The Sixth Day in the Christmas Octave, Readings: 1 John 2:12-17, Psalm 96:7-10, Luke 2:36-40

“She [Anna] spoke about the child to all
who were awaiting
the redemption of Jerusalem…”

Luke 2:38

“He has come down to earth
to take you to heaven,
He became mortal
that you might become God
and put on your original beauty.”

St Romanos Melodios (c 490-c 556)
Monk, Composer of Hymns, Poet

“The Angel said to the shepherds,
“This is a sign for you” (Lk 2: 12),
you who are humble,
you who are obedient,
you who are not haughty (Rom 12: 16),
you who are keeping vigil
and meditating on God’s law,
day and night (Ps 1:2).
“This is a sign for you,” he said.
What is this sign?
The sign the Angels promised,
the sign the people asked for,
the sign the prophets foretold,
the Lord Jesus has now made
and He shows it to you. …”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“Listen! the reason He is called Saviour
is because, for all those
to whom He is united,
He gains salvation.
Now salvation means,
to be delivered from all ills and,
at the same time,
to find all blessings forever –
Life instead of death,
Light in place of darkness
and, instead of the slavery
of the passions and unworthy deeds,
the complete freedom granted
to all those, who are united to Christ,
Saviour of all beings.
Thus they will possess,
without being able to lose it,
all joy, all happiness, all blessedness (…)
that that none can ever know,
or conceive, or see,
if not sincerely and ardently
attached to Christ.”

St Symeon the New Theologian (c 949-1022)

Who lives in Love
By St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Martyr

Who lives in Love, loves least to live
and long delays doth rue,
if Him he love by Whom he lives,
to Whom all praise is due,
Who for our love did choose to live
and was content to die,
Who loved our love more than His life
and love with Life did buy.
Let us in life, yea with our life
requite His Living Love,
for best we live when least we live,
if Love our life remove.
Mourn, therefore, no true lover’s death,
life only him annoy
and when he taketh leave of life
then Love begins his joys.

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN POETRY, POETRY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 26 December – Christ, the Child

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 December – The Second Day in the Christmas Octave

Christ, the Child

“Oh great God! Oh perfect Child!
The Son is in the Father
and the Father is in the Son.
How could the teaching this Child gives,
not be irreproachable?
It includes us all to guide us all, His children.
He has stretched out His hands to us
and we have placed in them all our faith.
To this little Child, John the Baptist himself
also gave testimony – “Behold,” he said,
“the Lamb of God,” (Jn 1:29).
Since Scripture has called children ‘lambs,’
it has called “Lamb of God”
the Word of God Who became man for us
and Who wanted to become like us in all things,
the Son of God Himself, the child of the Father.”

St Clement of Alexandria (150-215)
Theologian, Father

“Maker of the sun,
He is made under the sun.

In the Father He remains,
From His mother He goes forth.

Creator of heaven and earth,
He was born under heaven.

Unspeakably wise,
He is wisely speechless.

Filling the world,
He lies in a manger.

Ruler of the stars,
He nurses at His mother’s bosom.

He is both great in the nature of God
and small in the form of a servant.”

“He became small because you were small –
understand how great He is
and you will become great along with Him.
This is how houses are built,
how the solid walls of a building are raised.
The stones brought to construct the building increase,
you, too, increase, understanding how great Christ is
and how He who appeared to be small is great,
very great indeed…”

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

“He is an infant,
He does not speak,
He only cries but these cries
are cries of love
which invite us to love Him,
cries that demand our hearts.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

A Christmas Carol
By G K Chesterton (1874-1936)
English Catholic Convert, Writer, Poet.

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world
But here the world’s desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.