Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr
“I am ready to die for the holy union,
for the supremacy of Saint Peter
and of his successor,
the Supreme Pontiff.”
St Josaphat’s favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer:
‘Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.”
Thought for the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of the Trinity O.Carm (1880-1906)
To Surrender To Love
By St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
Oh how good it is in silence
To listen to Him over and over,
To enjoy the peace of His presence
and then to surrender, wholly to His love.
O Lamb, so pure and so meek,
You my All, my only One,
How well You know that Your fiancée,
Your little one, hungers greatly for You.
She hungers to feed upon her Master,
Above all to be consumed by Him,
To surrender fully to Him her whole being
So she may be totally taken.
Oh, that I may be possessed by You;
One who lives by You alone,
Yours, Your living host,
Consumed by You on the Cross.
One Minute Reflection – 8 November – Friday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 16:1–8 and The Memorial of St Elizabeth of the Trinity O.Carm (1880-1906)
“The master commended the dishonest steward for his prudence”…Luke 16: 8
REFLECTION – “But what does Jesus wish to tell us with this parable? And with its surprising conclusion? The Evangelist follows the parable of the dishonest steward with a short series of sayings and recommendations on the relationship we must have with money and the goods of this earth. These short sentences are an invitation to a choice that presupposes a radical decision, a constant inner tension. Life is truly always a choice – between honesty and dishonesty, between fidelity and infidelity, between selfishness and altruism, between good and evil.
… As a result, it is necessary to make a fundamental decision between God and mammon, it is necessary to choose between the logic of profit as the ultimate criterion for our action and the logic of sharing and solidarity. If the logic of profit prevails, it widens the gap between the poor and the rich, as well as increasing the ruinous exploitation of the planet. On the other hand, when the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails, it is possible to correct the course and direct it to a fair development for the common good of all. Basically, it is a matter of choosing between selfishness and love, between justice and dishonesty and ultimately, between God and Satan. If loving Christ and one’s brethren is not to be considered as something incidental and superficial but, rather, the true and ultimate purpose of our whole existence, it will be necessary to know how to make basic choices, to be prepared to make radical renouncements, if necessary, even to the point of martyrdom. Today, as yesterday, Christian life demands the courage to go against the tide, to love like Jesus, who even went so far as to sacrifice Himself on the Cross.
We could then say, paraphrasing one of St Augustine’s thoughts, that through earthly riches we must procure for ourselves those true and eternal riches – indeed, if people exist who are prepared to resort to every type of dishonesty to assure themselves an always unpredictable material well-being, how much more concerned we Christians must be to provide for our eternal happiness with the goods of this earth (cf. Discourses, 359, 10). Now, the only way of bringing our personal talents and abilities and the riches we possess to fruition for eternity is to share them with our brethren, thereby showing that we are good stewards of what God entrusts to us . Jesus said: “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much” (Lk 16: 10).
PRAYER – My Lord and my God, You have prayed that we may be in You and You in us. This is the guiding consolation of our life and the source of our prayer. Lead us to Yourself, guide us and teach us, that we may never stray from You and the way You set out. May we share and build the unity of Your people and the goods of the earth. Holy St Elizabeth of the Trinity, in your young life you followed the way of the Lord, the way of the Cross, doing all for God by the love of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for us, amen.
November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
We all want to believe that our deceased friends and loved ones are now happy and at peace with God in Heaven and yet the Catholic Church teaches that: “All who de in God’s friendship but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation but, after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1030)
Since the 16th century, the Catholic Church has dedicated the entire month of November to commemorating all of her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. The Holy Souls in purgatory are those who have died in the state of grace but are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins which are forgiven but for which satisfaction is still to be made. They are certain of entering Heaven but first they must suffer and be purified in Purgatory.
The Holy Souls cannot help themselves. For them, the night has come when no-one can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to be able to shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works and especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore, the Church has always taught us to pray for the Holy Souls in purgatory. Thus, may we all prayer the Eternal Rest, at least, daily for the Holy Souls in Purgatory during the month of November. Many, already add St Gertrude’s Offering of the Precious Blood, to their daily morning offerings.
Eternal Father,
I offer You
the Most Precious Blood
of Your divine Son, Jesus,
in union with all the
Masses said throughout
the world today.
For all the Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
sinners in the universal Church,
those in my own home
and in my family.
Amen
ETERNAL REST
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
and may perpetual light shine upon them,
and may the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year , Gospel: Luke 13:22–30
“The proud person is like a grain of wheat
thrown into water – it swells, it gets big.
Expose that grain to the fire – it dries up, it burns.
The humble soul, is like a grain of wheat,
thrown into the earth –
it descends, it hides itself,
it disappears, it dies
but to revive
in heaven.”
“I sought to hear the voice of God
And climbed the topmost steeple.
But God declared
“Go down again –
I dwell among the people.”
“The humble man receives praise,
the way a clean window
takes the light of the sun.
The truer and more intense the light is,
the less you see of the glass.”
“Strive to enter through the narrow door,
for many, I tell you, will attempt
to enter but will not be able…”…Luke 13:24.
“All, can enter eternal life but for everyone,
the door is narrow. They are not privileged.
The path to the eternal life is open to all
but it is narrow because it’s demanding,
asks for commitment, abnegation
and the mortification of selfishness.”
“To pass through the narrow gate, means
we must commit ourselves to being small,
that is humble of heart like Jesus,
like Mary, His and our mother.”
“Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Thought for the Day – 29 October – Tuesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 13:18-21
Again he said, …”To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in
with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” Luke 13:20
Pope Benedict XVI
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
The important question we ask ourselves today is – how can we talk about God in our time? How can we communicate the Gospel so as to open roads to His saving truth in our contemporaries’ hearts — that are all too often closed — and minds — that are at times distracted by the many dazzling lights of society? Jesus, the Evangelists tell us, asked Himself about this as He proclaimed the kingdom of God – “With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?” (Mk 4:30).
How can we talk about God today? The first answer is that we can talk about God because He has talked to us, so the first condition for speaking of God is listening to all that God Himself has said. God has spoken to us! God is therefore not a distant hypothesis concerning the world’s origin, He is not a mathematical intelligence far from us. God takes an interest in us, He loves us, He has entered personally into the reality of our history, He has communicated Himself, even to the point of taking flesh. Thus God is a reality of our life, He is so great that He has time for us too, He takes an interest in us. In Jesus of Nazareth we encounter the face of God, who came down from His heaven to immerse Himself in the human world, in our world, and to teach “the art of living”, the road to happiness, to set us free from sin and make us children of God (cf. Eph 1:5; Rom 8:14). Jesus came to save us and to show us the good life of the Gospel.
Talking about God means first of all expressing clearly what God we must bring to the men and women of our time, not an abstract God, a hypothesis but a real God, a God who exists, who has entered history and is present in history, the God of Jesus Christ as an answer to the fundamental question of the meaning of life and of how we should live. Consequently speaking of God demands familiarity with Jesus and His Gospel, it implies that we have a real, personal knowledge of God and a strong passion for His plan of salvation without succumbing to the temptation of success but following God’s own method. God’s method is that of humility — God makes Himself one of us — His method is brought about through the Incarnation in the simple house of Nazareth; through the Grotto of Bethlehem, through the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
We must not fear the humility of taking little steps but trust in the leaven that penetrates the dough and slowly causes it to rise (cf. Mt 13:33). In talking about God, in the work of evangelisation, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must recover simplicity, we must return to the essence of the proclamation – the Good News of a God who is real and effective, a God who is concerned about us, a God-Love who makes Himself close to us in Jesus Christ, until the Cross and who, in the Resurrection, gives us hope and opens us to a life that has no end, eternal life, true life. – To be continued/…
Firmly I believe and truly
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Firmly I believe and truly
God is three and God is On
And I next acknowledge duly
Manhood taken by the Son.
And I trust and hope most fully
In that Manhood crucified
And each thought and deed unruly
Do to death, as He has died.
Simply to His grace and wholly
Light and life and strength belong
And I love, supremely, solely,
Him the holy, Him the strong.
And I hold in veneration,
For the love of Him alone,
Holy Church, as His creation,
And her teachings, as His own.
And I take with joy whatever
Now besets me, pain or fear
And with a strong will I sever
All the ties which bind me here.
Adoration aye be given,
With and through the angelic host,
To the God of earth and heaven,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Thought for the Day – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara
Retreat, Holy Land, Lent 1898
“[Christ:] See [My] devotion to men and consider what your own should be. See that humility for man’s good and learn to humble yourself to do good… to make yourself small to win others, not to fear to go lower or lose your rights when it is a matter of doing good, not to believe that in descending you make yourself powerless to do good. To the contrary, by descending you imitate Me, by descending you make use of the same means, for the love of humankind, that I Myself employed, by descending you walk in My way and, therefore, in the truth and you are in the best place to lay hold of life and give it to others… By my incarnation I place Myself on a level with creatures, by My baptism …on that of sinners, descent, humility… Always descend, always humble yourself.
Let those who are first always stand in the last place, through humility and in disposition of spirit, with an attitude of descent and service. Love of men, humility, the last place, in the last place, so long as the divine will does not call you to another, since then you must obey. Obedience before all else, conformity to God’s will. In the first place, be spiritually in the last, through humility, occupy it in the spirit of service, telling yourself, that you are only there, to serve others and lead them to salvation.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
“For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled
and he who humbles himself
will be exalted.”
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
“If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level.
If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height,
you will begin with the lowest foundation.
This is humility.
However great the mass of the building you may wish to design or erect,
the taller the building is to be, the deeper you will dig the foundation.
The building in the course of its erection, rises up high
but he who digs its foundation, must first go down very low.
So then, you see even a building is low before it is high
and the tower is raised, only after humiliation.”
“The three most important virtues are:
humility,
humility
and humility.”
“For it is well known, that,
on the spiritual road, not to go on,
overcoming self,
is to go backwards
and not to increase our gain,
is to lose.”
“We are ever but beginning,
the most perfect Christian,
is to himself but a beginner,
a penitent prodigal
who has squandered God’s gifts
and comes to Him,
to be tried over again,
not as a son
but as a hired servant.”
Quote of the Day – 26 October – Saturday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Marian Saturdays
As we draw to the end of the Month of the Holy Rosary, let us listen to our newest Saint on the Rosary.
A Saint’s Prayer Corner
“Now the great power of the Rosary lies in this, that it makes the Creed into a prayer – of course, the Creed is, in some sense, a prayer and a great act of homage to God but the Rosary gives us, the great truths of His life and death, to meditate upon and brings them nearer to our hearts.
And so we contemplate all the great mysteries of His life and His birth in the manger and so too the mysteries of His suffering and His glorified life. But even Christians, with all their knowledge of God, have usually more awe than love of Him and the special virtue of the Rosary lies in the special way in which it looks at these mysteries, for with all our thoughts of Him are mingled thoughts of His Mother and in the relations between Mother and Son, we have set before us the Holy Family, the home in which God lived.
Now the family is, even humanly considered, a sacred thing, how much more the family bound together by supernatural ties and, above all, that in which God dwelt with His Blessed Mother.”
Below is part of Newman’s cell in the Birmingham Oratory. One sees clearly the Rosary beads hanging on the wall, in a prayer corner with devotional images and items.
Thought for the Day – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:54-59
“Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” … Luke 12:56
“Oh that we could take that simple view of things, as to feel that the one thing which lies before us is to please God! What gain is it to please the world, to please the great, even to please those whom we love, compared with this? What gain is it to be applauded, admired, courted, followed, compared with this one aim, of not being disobedient to a heavenly vision? What can this world offer comparable with that insight into spiritual things, that keen faith, that heavenly peace, that high sanctity, that everlasting righteousness, that hope of glory, which they have who in sincerity love and follow our Lord Jesus Christ?
Let us beg and pray Him day by day, to reveal Himself to our souls more fully,
to quicken our senses,
to give us sight and hearing, taste and touch of the world to come,
so to work within us, that we may sincerely say,
“Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel” and after that receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee – my flesh and my heart fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Thought for the Day – 24 October – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
Jesus foretold that those who are truly His representatives would suffer the same persecution as He did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No-one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and lack of prudence. St Anthony pulled no punches but preached the Truth, fearless in the love of Christ and His Church, His Bride!
From the beginning Anthony wanted to be a priest. His seminary life was exemplary and he was ordained on 13 June 1835. He resolved never to waste a moment of time and during his 35 years as a priest he wrote 200 books and pamphlets and preached some 25,000 sermons.
On one trip, besides travelling, he preached 205 sermons in 48 days, 12 in one day. To make sure his efforts might be recognised for what they were, he started off by reminding his hearers that the ordinary motives for labour are money, pleasure or honour. But these were not his motives:
“… not money, for I do not want a penny from anybody… Nor do I preach for pleasure, for what pleasure can I possibly take in spending myself all day, in being fatigued from early morning until late at night?… I must be in the confessional most of the morning, the whole of the afternoon and in the evening, instead of resting, I have to preach. This is not just for a day, but… for months and years…
Perhaps I labour for honour… no, not for honour either… A preacher is exposed to many calumnies. If praised by one, he is misunderstood by another, treated as the Jews treated Jesus, Who was calumniated by maligners of His person, of His words and works, before they finally seized, scourged and killed Him by a most painful and shameful means. But like the apostle St Paul, I fear none of these things, since I value my soul more than my body. At any cost, I must discharge the ministry I have received from God Our Lord, which is to preach the Gospel… I have no worldly end in view but… that God may be known, loved and served by all the world… that sins and offences against Him may be hindered as much as possible…
Another thing that spurs me on, to preach ceaselessly, is the thought of the multitude of souls which fall in the depths of hell… Who die in mortal sin, condemned forever and ever… I see how many live habitually in mortal sin, so that never a day passes without increasing the number of their iniquities. They commit sin as easily as they drink a glass of water, just for diversion, or for a laugh. These unfortunate ones run to hell of their own accord, blind as bats… If you were to see a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a precipice, would you not warn him? Behold, I do the same and do it I must, for this is my duty… You may tell me that sinners will insult me, that I should leave them alone… Ah no, I can’t abandon them. They are my dear brothers. If you had a beloved brother who, sick and in the throes of delirium, were to insult you with all the angry words imaginable, would you abandon him? I am certain you wouldn’t. You would have even more compassion for him, do your utmost for his speedy recovery. This is how I feel in regard to sin ners. These poor souls are in a delirium and the more in need of our pity…
You may say the sinner doesn’t think of hell, nor even believe in it. So much the worse for him. Do you by chance think he will escape condemnation because of his unbelief? Truth is independent of belief… I must warn sinners and make them see the precipice which leads to the unquenchable fires of hell, for they will surely go there if they do not amend their ways. Woe to me if I do not preach and warn them, for I would be held responsible for their condemnation… How often I pray, with St Catherine of Siena – ‘O my God, grant me a place by the gates of hell, that I may stop those who enter there saying: Where are you going, unhappy one? Back, go back! Make a good confession. Save your soul. Don’t come here to be lost for all eternity!”
Further he boldly proclaimed – “The sole reason why society is perishing is because it has refused to hear the word of the Church, which is the word of life, the word of God. All plans for salvation will be sterile if the great word of the Catholic Church is not restored in all its fullness.”
His own words, are the best description for St Anthony’s life:
“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him, he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering and striving constantly and single-mindedly, for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.”
Thought for the Day – 24 October – The Feast of the Holy Redeemer
St John Paul II from ‘Redemptor Hominis’ his first Enycyclical, ‘The Redeemer of Humankind.’ In it he dealt with the core of our faith, the Person of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the World.
10 . The human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption
We cannot live without love. We remain beings that are incomprehensible for ourselves, our lives are senseless, if love is not revealed to us, if we do not encounter love, if we do not experience it and make it our own, if we do not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer “fully reveals man to himself”, ‘fully reveals us to ourselves’.
If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension we find again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to our humanity.
In the mystery of the Redemption we become newly “expressed” and, in a way, are newly created. We are newly created! “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”64.
If we wish to understand ourselves thoroughly-and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial and even illusory standards and measures of his being-we must with our unrest, uncertainty and even our weakness and sinfulness, with our life and death, draw near to Christ. We must, so to speak, enter into Him with all His own self, we must “appropriate” and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find ourselves. If this profound process takes place within us, we then bear fruit not only of adoration of God but also of deep wonder at ourselves.
How precious must we be in the eyes of the Creator, if we “gained so great a Redeemer” and if God “gave his only Son “in order that we “should not perish but have eternal life”.
God does not leave us groping in the dark. He has shown Himself to us as a man. In His greatness, He has let Himself become small. ... Pope Benedict XVI
Pardon us, O Lord, Pardon us
By William of Saint-Thierry OSB, O.Cist. (c 1075-1148)
Abbot, Monk, Theologian, Mystic, Writer
Friend of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Pardon us, O Lord, pardon us.
We beg to shift the blame for our sins,
we make excuses.
But no-one can hide
from the Light of Your Truth,
which both enlightens those,
who turn to it and exposes those,
who turn away.
Even our blood and our bones
are visible to You,
who created us out of dust.
How foolish we are,
to think that we can rule our own lives,
satisfying our own desires,
without thought of You.
How stupid we are,
to imagine that we can keep our sins hidden.
But although we may deceive other people,
we cannot deceive You.
And since You see into our hearts,
we cannot deceive ourselves,
for Your Light reveals to us,
our own spiritual corruption.
Let us, therefore, fall down before You,
weeping with tears of shame.
May Your judgement,
give new shape to our souls.
May Your power, mould our hearts
to reflect Your love.
May Your grace, infuse our minds,
so that our thoughts reflect Your Will.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke,
Holy and Learned, Great Saint Luke
Prayer/Hymn in Honour of St Luke
Morning Prayer from the Breviary
Holy and learned, great Saint Luke, we praise you,
Closely you followed in the steps of Jesus,
As supreme witness to his life and teaching
Shedding your life-blood.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
You left in writing, for all time to study
Stories unrivalled for their depth and beauty,
Christ’s love revealing.
Yours are the records which we read with pleasure
Of the beginning of the Church so fervent,
Under the impulse of the true and living
Spirit of Jesus.
Paul’s earnest helper, sharer in his travels,
Zealous as he was, with a heart as loving,
Make our souls also steadfast and devoted
To the Lord Jesus.
Tender physician, use your gift of healing,
Comfort our weakness with a faith unswerving,
So that rejoicing we may praise forever
God the Almighty.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr
Tradition holds that St Ignatius was one of the many small children whom Jesus personally took in His arms and blessed. He was a student and follower of St John the Apostle. Simon Peter appointed St Ignatius to serve as Bishop of Antioch. His service and successes were great but perhaps inevitably, St Ignatius was arrested by Roman soldiers and taken to Rome, where he was sentenced to death at the Coliseum, for his Christian teachings, practices and faith.
Some of St Ignatius Letters to the Ephesians, Romans and others have survived. Many were modelled on the New Testament writings of St Paul, St Peter and St John.
From a letter to the Ephesians by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
(Nn. 13-18,1: Funk 1, 183-187)
Try to gather together more frequently to give thanks to God and to praise Him. For when you come together frequently, Satan’s powers are undermined and the destruction that he threatens, is done away with, in the unanimity of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, in which all warfare between heaven and earth is brought to an end.
None of this will escape you if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ. These are the beginning and the en – of life: faith the beginning, love the end. When these two are found together, there is God and everything else concerning right living follows from them. No-one professing faith sins, no-one possessing love hates. A tree is known by its fruit. So those who profess to belong to Christ will be known by what they do. For the work we are about, is not a matter of words here and now but depends on the power of faith and on being found faithful to the end.
It is better to remain silent and to be, than talk and not be. Teaching is good if the speaker also acts. Now there was one teacher who spoke and it was made and even what He did in silence is worthy of the Father. He who has the word of Jesus can truly listen also to His silence, in order to be perfect, that he may act through his speech and be known by his silence. Nothing is hidden from the Lord but even our secrets are close to Him. Let us then do everything in the knowledge that He is dwelling within us, that we may be His temples and He, God within us. He is and will reveal Himself, in our sight, according to the love we bear Him in holiness.
Make no mistake, my brothers, those who corrupt families will not inherit the kingdom of God. If those who do these things in accordance with the flesh have died, how much worse will it be if one corrupts, through evil doctrine, the faith of God for which Jesus Christ was crucified? Such a person, because he is defiled, will depart into the unquenchable fire, as will anyone who listens to him.
For the Lord received anointing on His head, in order that He might breathe incorruptibility on the Church. Do not be anointed with the evil odour of the teachings of the prince of this world, that he may not lead you captive away from the life that is set before you. But why is it that we are not all wise when we have received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we perish in our stupidity, not knowing the gift the Lord has truly sent us?
My spirit is given over to the humble service of the Cross which is a stumbling block to unbelievers but to us salvation and eternal life.
Thought for the Day – 16 October – The Memorial of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
The Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
for those Devoted to His Sacred Heart1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life
and especially at the hour of their death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart
shall be exposed and honoured.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names
written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those
who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months
the grace of final repentance, they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments;
My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.From Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque’s Vision of Jesus
Thought for the Day – 8 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:38–42
Saint Gertrude the Great of Helfta (1256-1301)
The Herald of Divine Love, Book III, SC 143
On a certain occasion, while she was interiorly worrying that she was unable to feel as much desire as was fitting to the glory of God, Gertrude received this divine explanation: that God is fully satisfied when a person, without being able to do more, is in a state of wanting, if possible, to have great desires. Just as great as they would like to have, so they are before God. In a heart filled with the desire, of wanting to desire, God finds greater delights to dwell, than we do in the flowering of early spring.
On another occasion, due to illness, she had been less attentive to God for several days when, regaining consciousness of this fault, she started to confess this negligence to the Lord with a pious humility. And as she was fearing she would have to bear a long delay before recovering the former sweetness of the divine presence, all at once, in a flash, she was aware that God was bending towards her with a truly loving embrace with these words: “Daughter, you are always with me and all that is mine, is yours” (cf. Lk 15:31). She understood by this reply that, even though, through the weakness of nature, a person might sometimes omit to direct their attention to God, nevertheless, in His merciful kindness, He Himself does not neglect to hold all our works, as worthy of an eternal reward, provided only, that we do not deliberately turn away from Him and that we always repent of everything, for which our consciences reproach us.
The Elder Brother’s Prayer
Teach me, my Lord,
to be sweet and gentle in all the events of life,
in disappointments,
in the thoughtlessness of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.
Let me put myself aside,
to think of the happiness of others,
to hide my little pains and heartaches,
so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.
Teach me to profit by the suffering
that comes across my path.
Let me so use it that it may make me
patient, not irritable.
That it may make me broad in my forgiveness,
not narrow, haughty and overbearing.
May no one be less good
for having come within my influence.
No one less pure, less true, less kind,
less noble for having been a fellow traveller
in our journey toward Eternal Life.
As I go my rounds from one distraction to another,
let me whisper from time to time,
a word of love to Thee.
May my life be lived in the supernatural,
full of power for good,
and strong in its purpose of sanctity.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 7 October – Monday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:25-37 and the Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” … Luke 10:37
REFLECTION – “Jesus carries us to the inn. Imagine you are in the arms of Jesus, being carried, half-dead in sin—some of your own making, some done to you—to a place of help. You can rest in His arms. In another surprise, the inn is the Church, the hospital for sinners. The innkeeper might be a priest, family member, or friend who helps you through a dark time in your life.
This is the rest of the story – the Good Samaritan is Jesus!
He always pursues us, even when we don’t ask for it—even in our sins. We must receive the Good Samaritan’s love and mercy first, or we have nothing to give away (1 Jn 4:19). And then our response to this love is repentance—going beyond the mind we have now/giving up the lies we believe about God or ourselves—and then going to confession. This is followed by The Ultimate Challenge – to be that good neighbour or the innkeeper in a world where everyone is wounded by something!
Be like Jesus—be a good spiritual neighbour in a dark and lonely world!
In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need, to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works (cf. Heb 6:10).”…Pope Benedict (3 November 2011)
PRAYER – Almighty Father, may we learn to trust your Son who carries us! Grant us the grace, we pray, to lean on this great gift of faith which You bestow on us and to learn and understand the mystery of Your commandment of love, where love of You and love of neighbour become one. Teach us good Jesus Your ways of true charity and may Your holy and blessed Mother always be at our side, as we pray her Rosary, which grants us peace and strength. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Memorial of St Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
And you, Faustina, a gift of God to our time, a gift from the land of Poland to the whole Church, obtain for us an awareness of the depth of divine mercy, help us to have a living experience of it and to bear witness to it among our brothers and sisters.
May your message of light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred and opening individuals and nations to
the practice of brotherhood.
Today, fixing our gaze with you on the Face of the risen Christ, let us make our own your prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope:
Christ Jesus, I trust in you! Jezu, ufam tobie!
(From St John Paul’s Canonisation Homily, St Peter’s Square, 30 April 2000)
The red and pale white rays, emanating from the Heart of Jesus, in the Image of Divine Mercy represent the blood and water, which gushed forth from His pierced Heart on Good Friday. Jesus asked that all who venerate His mercy, honour His Passion, by remembering Him with this prayer, at 3 O’Clock in the afternoon.
Divine Mercy 3 O’Clock Prayer
St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)
You expired, O Jesus,
but the source of life
gushed forth for souls
and an ocean of mercy
opened up for the whole world.
O Fount of Life,
unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world
and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water,
which gushed forth
from the Heart of Jesus
as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 3 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:1-12 and the Memorial of Blessed Szilárd István Bogdánffy (1911-1953) Martyr
“Let us thank God for this heroic pastor of the Church who followed the Lamb to the very end! May his witness bring comfort to those, who even today, are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.”
We must always pray to the “Lord of the harvest”, namely, God the Father, that He send labourers into His field which is the world.
These imperatives show that the mission is based on prayer, that it is itinerant – it is not idle, it is itinerant, that it requires separation and poverty, that it brings peace and healing, signs of the closeness of the Kingdom of God, that it is not proselytism but proclamation and witness and that, it also requires frankness and the evangelical freedom, to leave, while highlighting the responsibility of having rejected the message of salvation but without condemnation and cursing.
If lived in these terms, the mission of the Church will be characterised by joy.
And how does this passage end? The 72 “returned with joy” (cf. v. 17). It is not an ephemeral joy, which flows from the success of the mission – on the contrary, it is a joy rooted in the promise that — as Jesus says – “your names are written in heaven” (v. 20).
That is, the joy of being His disciples.
Pope Francis
(Angelus 7 July 2019)
Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
“Go your way,
behold, I send you out
as lambs
in the midst
of wolves.”
“He will be with you also, all the way, that faithful God.
Every morning when you awaken to the old and tolerable pain,
at every mile of the hot uphill dusty road of tiring duty,
on to the judgement seat, the same Christ there as ever,
still loving you, still sufficient for you, even then.
And then, on through all eternity.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:1-12 and the Memorial of Blessed Szilárd István Bogdánffy (1911-1953) Martyr
After this the Lord appointed seventy* others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place … Luke 10:1
REFLECTION – “Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which, the compassion of Christ, looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet, with which, He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands, with which, He is to bless others now. … St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, increase our love and trust for and in You, every day. Teach us total abandonment to Your loving providence and thus enable us to do Your will in all things. Blessed Szilárd István Bogdánffy you who suffered great persecutions and trials but always abandoned yourself to the Divine Will, please pray for us that we learn to do the same. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
The Holy Father’s
Prayer Intention
for OCTOBER 2019A Missionary “Spring” in the Church
That the breath of the Holy Spirit
engender a new
missionary “spring”
in the church.
Thought for the Day – 30 September – The Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest, Father and Doctor of the Church (347-419)
An excerpt from his Commentary on Isaiah
“I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ – search the Scriptures and seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what He said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Therefore, I will imitate the head of a household who brings out of his storehouse things both new and old and says to his spouse in the Song of Songs: I have kept for you things new and old, my beloved. In this way permit me to explain Isaiah, showing that he was not only a prophet but an evangelist and an apostle as well. For he says about himself and the other evangelists – How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news, of those who announce peace. And God speaks to him as if he were an apostle – Whom shall I send, who will go to my people? And he answers: Here I am; send me.
No-one should think, that I mean to explain, the entire subject matter of this great book of Scripture, in one brief sermon, since it contains all the mysteries of the Lord. It prophesies that Emmanuel is to be born of a virgin and accomplish marvellous works and signs. It predicts His death, burial and resurrection from the dead as the Saviour of all men. I need say nothing about the natural sciences, ethics and logic. Whatever is proper to holy Scripture, whatever can be expressed in human language and understood by the human mind, is contained in the book of Isaiah. Of these mysteries the author himself testifies when he writes – You will be given a vision of all things, like words in a sealed scroll. When they give the writings to a wise man, they will say – Read this. And he will reply: I cannot, for it is sealed. And when the scroll is given to an uneducated man and he is told: Read this, he will reply: I do not know how to read.
Should this argument appear weak to anyone, let him listen to the Apostle – Let two or three prophets speak and let others interpret, if, however, a revelation should come to one of those who are seated there, let the first one be quiet. How can they be silent, since it depends on the Spirit who speaks through His prophets whether they remain silent or speak? If they understood what they were saying, all things would be full of wisdom and knowledge. But it was not the air vibrating with the human voice that reached their ears but rather, it was God speaking within the soul of the prophets, just as another prophet says: It is an angel who spoke in me and again, Crying out in our hearts, Abba, Father and I shall listen to what the Lord God says within me.”
Thought for the Day – 28 September – The Memorial of St Lorenzo Ruiz (1600-1637) Martyr
“The Lord Jesus by His blood truly redeemed His servants, gathered from every race, tongue, people and nation, to make them a royal priesthood for our God. The sixteen blessed martyrs, by the exercise of their priesthood—that of baptism or of Holy Orders—performed the greatest act of worship and love of God by the sacrifice of their blood united with Christ’s own Sacrifice of the Cross. In this way they imitated Christ the priest and victim in the most perfect way possible for human creatures. It was at the same time an act of the greatest possible love for their brethren, for whose sake we are all called to sacrifice ourselves, following the example of the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for us.
4. This is what Lorenzo Ruiz did. Guided by the Holy Spirit to an unexpected goal after an adventurous journey, he told the court that he was a Christian and must die for God and wοuld give his life for him a thousand times!
(Had I many thousands of lives I would offer them all for him.
Never shall I apostatise.
You may kill me if that is what you want. To die for God—such is my will.)
Here we have him summed up, here we have a description of his faith and the reason fοr his death. It was at this moment that this young father of a family, professed and brought to completion, the Christian catechesis that he had received in the Dominican Friars’ school in Binondo, a catechesis that cannot be other than Christ-centred, by reason both of the mystery it contains and the fact that it is Christ who teaches through the lips of His messenger.
5. The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone’s life and the whole of one’s life must be at Christ’s disposal. Christianity means daily giving, in response to the gift of Christ who came into the world so that all might have life and have it to the full. Or, as so aptly expressed in the theme of my visit to this country – To die for the faith is a gift to some, to live the faith is a call for all.
Dearly beloved, amidst the efforts needed for our own Christian lives and for spreading the light of Christ throughout Asia and the whole world, let us look today to these zealous martyrs who give us deep assurance and fresh hope when they tell us – “In all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us.” And this is the mystery we celebrate today – the love of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Amen.”
Thought for the Day – 27 September – The Memorial of St Vincent de Paul C.M. (1581-1660)
An excerpt from a Writing by St Vincent de Paul
Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor. Although, in His passion He almost lost the appearance of a man and was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, He showed them that His mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor. We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.
Since Christ willed to be born poor, He chose for Himself, disciples who were poor. He made Himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say, that He would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor, as done for or against Himself. Since God surely loves the poor, He also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, He also includes in His affection, anyone who loves or serves the one He loves. That is why we hope, that God will love us for the sake of the poor. So when we visit the poor and needy, we try to understand the poor and weak. We sympathise with them so fully, that we can echo Paul’s words: I have become all things to all men. Therefore, we must try to be stirred by our neighbours’ worries and distress. We must beg God to pour into our hearts sentiments of pity and compassion and to fill them again and again, with these dispositions.
It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave Him for such service. One of God’s works is merely interrupted, so that another can be carried out. So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember, that this very service is performed for God. Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.
One Minute Reflection – 27 September – Friday of the Twenty Fifth week in Ordinary Tim, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:18–22 and the Memorial of St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
“The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.”... Luke 9:22
REFLECTION – “The scene found n the Gospel reading forms a climax of the Synoptic Gospels. It constitutes the watershed in Jesus’ life. To this point, in accord with the mission given Him by the Father, He has acted messianically and has aroused a sense of who He is, especially in His disciples. Because the shift that takes place in this scene is so important, Luke places it in the context of a prayer of Jesus in solitude. By asking His disciples about His identity, He takes the opportunity to reveal the core of His mission.
Yet, the people’s perception of who He is, is so imperfect, that He cannot use it as a point of departure. Peter’s statement, “you are the Messiah of God” hits the target, yet Peter’s image of the Messiah remains an Old Testament and contemporary one – the Messiah as Israel’s liberator. That is why Jesus forbids them to use the title and, more profoundly, that is why He lays out clearly, what is the true task of the Messiah – to be rejected, to die, to rise again. So that this will not be received as some sort of incomprehensible, mythological event, He immediately explains it’s implications for anyone who wishes to be His disciple – “Take up your cross daily” and “follow” the Messiah in this way.
The required faith embraces the act it includes – discipleship – but not by scheming to gain something – rather, by unconditional loss: “Whoever loses his life for my sake … ” … Cardinal Han Urs von Bathasar (1905-1988)
PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the Light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts, the faith You have given us and the Credo we profess, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled in us. May the intercession of St Vincent de Paul, grant us the grace of following the way of the Cross, to stand beneath it with our Mother, the Mother of God, Ave Maria! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Please join me in praying a Novena in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary for the nine days preceding her Feast on 7 October and, of course, October is the month of the Holy Rosary.
This feast was instituted to commemorate the victory of Christianity over the forces of Islam at the battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571. The victory was brought about through the recitation of the Rosary. In thanksgiving for another victory over the same foes in Hungary in 1715, the feast was extended to the entire Church.
In the course of centuries the Rosary has been a source of abundant blessings. In her apparitions at Lourdes, France, in 1858 and again at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, Mary urged Catholics to pray the Rosary daily in order to bring about the conversion of sinners and a lasting world peace. Resolve to say your Rosary every day. Besides being a beautiful tribute of love to your Heavenly Mother, it will be your support and joy in life and your consolation at the hour of death.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
“Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times,
for the Church alone can give you true peace,
since she alone possesses Jesus,
the true Prince of Peace,
in the Blessed Sacrament.”
“Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion,
produces in our souls marvellous effects,
abundant spiritual and material graces
which we, ourselves, do not know…
It is easier for the earth to exist
without the sun
than without the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!”
“Remember – the sinner,
who is sorry for his sins,
is closer to God,
than the just man,
who boasts of his good works.”
“If any one would be first, he must be
last of all and servant of all.”
“The life of a Christian is nothing
but a perpetual struggle against self:
there is no flowering of the soul
to the beauty of its perfection,
except at the price of pain.”
“My past, O Lord, to Your mercy,
my present, to Your love,
my future, to Your Providence.”
Thought for the Day – 17 September – Tuesday of the Twenty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Saint Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski (1822-1895)
From a young age, the life of Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński was marked by his striving after sanctity. Christ was for him “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” He wanted to achieve such a degree of unity with God so as to say after Saint Paul: I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.
He was marked by unfaltering faith and utter trust in Providence. He always placed love of God and Church, devotion to his country and respect for all people in the first place. His great integrity, fortitude and justice were characteristic features of his spirituality. Apart from that, he was full of devotion and mercy marked by Franciscan cheerfulness, humility and straightforwardness – work and poverty. He was described as “the pride of the Polish episcopate”, “martyr”, “faithful son of the Church”.
Also nowadays, we can take the refreshing spirit and light from the treasury of his life. The Canonisation of the Shepherd-Exile encourages reflection on one’s own way of life, family and its revival, the building of the common house, the homeland, under God’s providential care and that of His Holy Mothe and ours.
During his Canonisation homily, on 11 October 2009, Pope Benedict said:
Archbishop of Warsaw, the Founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, was a great witness of faith and pastoral charity in very troubled times for the nation and for the Church in Poland. He zealously concerned himself with the spiritual development of the faithful, he helped the poor and orphans. At the Ecclesiastical Academy in St Petersburg he saw to the sound formation of priests and as Archbishop of Warsaw he instilled in everyone the desire for inner renewal. Before the January 1863 Uprising against Russian annexation he put the people on guard against useless bloodshed. However, when the rebellion broke out and there were repressions he courageously defended the oppressed. On the Tsar of Russia’s orders he spent 20 years in exile at Jaroslaw on the Volga, without ever being able to return to his diocese. In every situation he retained his steadfast trust in Divine Providence and prayed: “O God, protect us not from the tribulations and worries of this world… only multiply love in our hearts and obtain that in deepest humility, we may keep our infinite trust in Your help and Your mercy”.Today his gift of himself to God and to humankind, full of trust and love, becomes a luminous example for the whole Church.
Thought for the Day – 15 September – The Memorial of Blessed Paolo Manna PIME (1872-1952) “A Soul on Fire” – Priest, Missionary in Burma (Myanmar), Superior General of the P.I.M.E., Founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union
In Father Paolo Manna we perceive a special reflection of the glory of God. He spent his entire life promoting the missions. In every page of his writings there stands out the person of Jesus, centre of his life and reason for the missions.
In one of his letters to the missionaries, he stated: “In fact the missionary is nothing if he does not put on the person of Jesus Christ…. Only the missionary who copies Jesus Christ faithfully in himself can reproduce his image in the souls of others” (Letter 6).
Indeed, there are no missions without holiness, as the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio pointed out: “The missionary spirituality of the Church consists in the movement towards holiness. One must stir up a new zeal for holiness among missionaries and in the whole Christian community” (n. 90).
St Pope John Paul II, Beatification Homily, Sunday 4 November 2001
“We missionaries often wonder why the work of the conversion of the non-Christian world goes so slowly. We usually give various reasons to explain this painful fact and in truth, the problem may be considered from many angles, some of which do not concern our responsibility. But for the part that does concern us and it is the main part, the problem has a very clear solution. To save the world, God in His infinite wisdom wanted to have co-workers. God does His part well – do the people called to help Him do their part equally well?
Let us work in such a way that the whole Church, all Christian people, led by their bishops and clergy, truly feel the apostolic duty that is incumbent upon them to promote the propagation of the faith with every means.
Let us work in such a way that that missionaries, the most direct instruments for the conversion of souls, are saints and non-Christians will not be slow to be converted. The missionary problem has been and still is, almost ignored by the Christian people. Those who were interested in the past were always a minority and it is extremely painful to see today too, although some progress has been made, how the enormous question is far from being understood and faced fully by clergy and people. It is extremely painful, because Catholic peoples would have more than enough energies to promote the work of evangelisation more worthily if priests taught, organised and above all inflamed them with a greater spirit of faith and zeal.
Missionaries, also from the human viewpoint, have been excellent people…but neither brilliance nor prudence, nor courage have made them great in our eyes and the eyes of God. They have been great, they have saved many souls, they have founded Churches, mainly because they were holy men, that is, spiritual men. This is the secret, the soul of their zeal, their perseverance and their success; this is the solemn teaching they have handed down to us and which I love to remind you of, so that our missionaries of today and those of tomorrow may always build upon it the first and essential reason for their own sanctification and the sanctification of the souls that are and will be, entrusted to them.
You, missionaries in active service in the field, are particularly concerned with your part of co=operation. Therefore, I say to you, be holy missionaries by following the footsteps of those great missionaries who went before you and, for the part that concerns you, your apostolic duty will have been done to the full. The souls the Lord in His merciful designs has entrusted to each one of you that you may lead them to salvation, will be saved and at the end of your days, you will be able to say with the Divine Redeemer: “(Father) I kept those you had given me true to you name. I have watched over them and not one is lost” (John 17:12).”Blessed Paolo
Of Manna, Father Piero Gheddo writes: He was a great writer, superior general, missionary animator, organiser, a man of revolutionary ideas and initiatives . He was the first in Italy to encourage the clergy to work for Christian unity. But it was above all his holiness, that led him to comply with God’s plan with humility, loyalty and a spirit of sacrifice. He was a man of prayer and in spite of poor health, he achieved much. His missionary animation was genial. He was known to be a “soul on fire”, in love with Jesus Christ, the only love of his life.” (S.L.) (Fides Service 16/1/2004
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.