Our Morning Offering – 12 April – Monday of the Second week of Easter
Jesu, be You my Life!
Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914)
Supernumerary Private Chamberlain to St PopePius X
I cannot live alone another hour,
Jesu, be You my Life!
I have not power to strive,
be You my Power
in every strife!
I can do nothing
– hope, nor love, nor fear.
But only fail and fall.
Be You my soul and self,
O Jesu dear.
My God and all!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Holy Saturday
Sabbatum Sanctum
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I look at You, my Lord Jesus
and think of Your most holy Body
and I keep it before me,
as a pledge of my own resurrection.
Though I die, as die I certainly shall,
nevertheless, I shall not forever die,
for I shall rise again.
O You, who are the Truth,
I know and believe with my whole heart,
that this very flesh of mine will rise again.
I know, base and odious as it is at present,
that it will one day, if I be worthy,
be raised incorruptible
and altogether beautiful and glorious.
This I know,
this by Your grace,
I will ever keep before me.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 31 March – Wednesday in Holy Week
Sonnet to our Lord Crucified
Anonymous, of Spanish origen
I am not moved to love Thee, O my God,
That I might hope in promised heaven to dwell,
Nor am I moved by fear of pain in hell,
To turn from sin and follow where Thou trod.
Thou move me, Lord, broken beneath the rod,
Or stretched out on the Cross, as nails compel
Thy hand to twitch.
It moves me that we sell,
To mockery and death, Thy Precious Blood.
It is, O Christ, Thy love which moves me so,
That my love rests not on a promised prize,
Nor holy fear or threat of endless woe,
It is not milk and honey but the flow
Of Blood from blessed wounds before my eyes,
That waters my buried soul and makes it grow.
Amen
Spanish:
No me mueve, mi Dios, para quererte,
Elcielo que me tienes prometido,
Mi me mueve el infierno tan temido,
para dejar por eso de ofenderte.
Tu me mueves, Senor, mueveme el verte
Clavado en una cruz y escarnecido,
Mueveme el ver tu cuerpo tan herido,
Muevenme tus afrentas y tu muerte.
Mueveme, en fin, tu amor de tal manera,
que aunque no hubiera cielo, yo te amara,
Y aunque no hubiera infierno, te temiera.
No me tienes que dar porque Te quiera,
Porque, aunque lo que espero no esperara,
Lo mismo que te quiero Te quisiera.
Who wrote it? Who knows?
The names fell from the pages,
Lost and never
To return to where
The eyes of the reader
Might ever see them.
‘I am no-one,
Constructing eternity so,
I can live forever’
Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Times and the Memorial of St Patrick (c 385-461)
Excerpt of the Lorica
St Patrick (c 385-461)
I arise today
Through God’s strength, to pilot me;
God’s might, to uphold me,
God’s wisdom, to guide me,
God’s eye, to look before me,
God’s ear, to hear me,
God’s word, to speak for me,
God’s hand, to guard me,
God’s way, to lie before me,
God’s shield, to protect me,
God’s hosts, to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation,
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
God of Mercy and Compassion
By Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Composer
God of mercy and compassion,
Look with pity upon me,
Father, let me call Thee Father,
‘Tis Thy child returns to Thee.
Refrain:
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy.
Let me not implore in vain,
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.
By my sins I have deserved
Death and endless misery,
Hell with all its pains and torments,
And for all eternity.
(Refrain)
By my sins I have abandoned
Right and claim to heav’n above.
Where the saints rejoice forever
In a boundless sea of love.
(Refrain)
See our Saviour, bleeding, dying,
On the cross of Calvary;
To that cross my sins have nail’d Him,
Yet He bleeds and dies for me.
(Refrain)
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736 was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist and organist. His best-known works include his Stabat Mater and the opera La serva padrona (The Maid Turned Mistress). His compositions include operas and sacred Masses and music. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.
Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent
O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis
O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Your Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Your honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing but that leads to You,
nor grieve for anything, that leads away from You.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all that is Yours be dear to me
and You, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without You
and may I desire nothing apart from You.
May all labour and toil delight me when it is for You.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 March – Saturday of the Third week of Lent
Mother of Sorrows, of Love, of Mercy
By Fr Lawrence Lovasik SVD (1913-1986)
Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs,
accept the sincere homage of my childlike love.
Into your heart, pierced by so many sorrows,
welcome my poor soul.
Receive it as the companion of your sorrows
at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus
died for the redemption of the world.
Sorrowful Virgin, with you,
I will gladly suffer all the trials,
misunderstandings and pains
which it shall please our Lord to send me.
I offer them all to you in memory of your sorrows,
so that every thought of my mind
and every beat of my heart,
may be an act of compassion and of love for you.
Loving Mother, have pity on me,
reconcile me to your Divine Son Jesus,
keep me in His grace and assist me
in my last agony,
so that I may be able to meet you in heaven
and sing your glories.
Mary, most sorrowful Mother of Christians,
pray for us.
Mother of love, of sorrow
and of mercy, pray for us!
Amen. Amen!
Our Morning offering – 11 March – Thursday of the Third week of Lent
Rescue Me, Most Merciful God
By Father Martin von Cochem OSFC (c 1630-1712)
Most merciful God,
remember at how great a price
Thou didst purchase me
and how much Thou didst suffer for me.
For the sake of that inestimable price,
do not permit me to be lost,
rescue me,
number me amongst the sheep
of Thy fold.
With them, I will then
praise and magnify Thy loving kindness,
to all eternity.
Amen
Fr Martin von Cochem was a German Capuchin theologian, preacher and prolific ascetic writer.
Father Martin’s works embrace a great variety of subjects: a huge volume of apologetics against Protestantism, the life of Christ, lives of the Saints, edifying narratives, the setting forth of certain points in Christian asceticism, forms of prayer, methods to be followed for the worthy reception of the sacraments, etc.
The prayer above is from the renowned “The Four Last Things.”
Our Morning Offering – 18 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday
O God, Creator of Us All,
Deus, Creator Omnium
Stanbrook Abbey
O God, Creator of us all,
From Whom we come, to Whom we go,
You look with pity on our hearts,
The weakness of our wills You know.
Forgive us all the wrong we do
And purify each sinful soul.
What we have darkened, heal with light
And what we have destroyed, make whole.
The fast by law and prophets taught,
By You, O Christ, was sanctified.
Bless all our penance, give us strength,
To share the Cross on which You died.
O God of mercy, hear our prayer,
With Christ Your Son and Spirit blest,
Transcendent Trinity in Whom,
Created things all come to rest.
Quote of the Day – 3 February – The Memorial of St Blaise Bishop Martyr (Died c 316)
The Blessing of the Throats is a Sacramental of the Church, ordinarily celebrated today, the Feast day of Saint Blaise.
Saint Blase was, according to various accounts, a Physician before becoming a Bishop. His cult spread throughout the entire Church in the Middle Ages because he miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died due to a fishbone in his throat. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.
If the Blessing is conferred during Mass, the Blessing follows the homily and general intercessions, or, for pastoral reasons, the Prayer of Blessing may take the place of the final Blessing of the Mass. When the Blessing is given outside Mass, it is preceded by a brief celebration of the Word of God. If the Blessing is to be celebrated at Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, it is given after the Reading and Responsory (and homily) and before the Gospel Canticle.
The Blessing may be given by touching the throat of each person with two candles which have been Blessed yesterday, on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. The candles are held together in the form of a Cross.
Through the intercession
of Saint Blaise,
Bishop and Martyr,
may God deliver you
from ailments of the throat
and from every other evil.
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Do we not need to honour and imitate the Holy Family in today’s culture and society which attacks families in so many ways? We know why, too. Back in 1981 Sister Lucia of Fatima wrote to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra who was commissioned to establish the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. In 2008 he revealed the dire warning she gave him in that letter, which turned out to be true, as proven by the events we have seen rapidly unfolding in the world.
Lucia wrote, “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family.
Do not be afraid…because, whoever works for the sanctity of Marriage and the Family, will always be fought against and opposed, in every way because this is the decisive issue.”
“In our day the very foundations of family life have been shaken by the failure of so many marriages. For this reason the devotion to the Holy Family of Nazareth takes on a new meaning and a new importance. The modern family must again be rejuvenated and filled with the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth. It must recapture the spirit of faith, the spirit of subjection to the will of God. It is for this intention that we should offer our prayers and sacrifices during the month.” — The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, OSB.
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus,
ever to follow the example
of Your Holy Family,
that in the hour of our death
Your glorious Virgin Mother
together with blessed Joseph
may come to meet us
and we may be worthily,
received by You
into everlasting dwellings,
who lives and reigns,
world without end.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 January – Mary’s Saturday, as always
Into the Arms of Your Mercy
By St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Into the Arms of Your Mercy,
O Mary, my Queen,
I cast myself, into the arms of your mercy.
I place my soul and body,
in your blessed care
and under your special protection
from this world.
I entrust to you,
all my hopes and consolations,
all my anguish and misery,
my life and the end of my life.
Through your most holy intercession
and through your merits,
grant that all my works
may be directed and carried out,
in accordance with your will
and the will of your Divine Son.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 January
O Jesus, Sweetest Love
Prayer Before Holy Comminion
Or Act of Spiritual Communion
1940 Fr Francis Xavier Lasance (1860–1946)
O JESUS, sweetest Love, come Thou to me.
Come down in all Thy beauty unto me.
Thou Who didst die for longing of me
And never, never more depart from me.
Free me, O beauteous God, from all but Thee;
Sever the chain that holds me back from Thee;
Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee;
Thou art my all! O bind me close to Thee.
O suffering Love, Who hast so loved me;
O patient Love, Who wearies not of me.
YOU ALONE O Love! You weary not of me!
Ah! Weary not till I am lost in Thee,
Nay, weary not, till I am found in Thee.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 20 January – Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity
ACT of FAITH
O MY GOD,
I firmly believe
that Thou art one God in Three Divine Persons,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
I believe that Thy Divine Son became Man
and died for our sins
and that He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths
which the Holy Catholic Church teaches
because Thou hast revealed them,
Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.
Amen
ACT of HOPE
O MY GOD,
relying on Thy almighty power
and infinite mercy and promises,
I hope to obtain pardon of my sins,
the help of Thy grace
and Life Everlasting,
through the merits of Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Redeemer.
Amen
ACT of CHARITY
O MY GOD,
I love Thee above all things,
with my whole heart and soul
because Thou art all-good
and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbour as myself
for the love of Thee.
I forgive all who have injured me
and ask pardon.
of all whom I have injured.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 January – Sunday in Ordinary Time
O Lord, My God,
I Am Not Worthy
Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy
that You should come into my soul
but I rejoice that You have come to me
because, in Your loving kindness
You desire to dwell in me.
You ask me to open the door of my soul,
which You alone have created,
so that You may enter into it
with Your loving kindness
and dispel the darkness of my mind.
I believe that You will do this,
for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene
when she approached You in tears.
Neither did You withhold forgiveness
from the tax collector
who repented of his sins
or from the good thief
who asked to be received into Your kingdom.
Indeed, You numbered as Your friends,
all who came to You with repentant hearts.
O God, You alone are blessed always,
now and forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 January – The Feast of Our Lady of Banneux/Our Lady of the Poor (1933)
O Virgin of the Poor,
Our Lady of Banneux
Prayer of Monsignor Louis-Joseph Kerkhofs (1878-1962)
Bishop of Liège at the time of the apparitions
O Virgin of the Poor,
May you ever be blessed!
And blessed be He Who deigned to send you to us.
What you have been and are to us now,
you will always be to those
who, like us and better than us,
offer their faith and their prayer.
You will be all for us,
as you revealed yourself at Banneux:
Mediatrix of all graces,
the Mother of the Saviour, Mother of God.
A compassionate and powerful Mother
who loves the poor and all people,
who alleviates suffering,
who saves individuals and all humanity,
Queen and Mother of all Nations,
who came to lead all those
who allow themselves to be guided by you,
to Jesus,
the true and only Source of eternal life.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 January – The Octave of Epiphany and the Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
I Owe You a Most Particular Duty
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
I am well aware, Almighty God and Father,
that in my life I owe You a most particular duty.
It is to make my every thought
and word speak of You.
In fact, You have conferred on me,
this gift of speech
and it can yield no greater return
than to be at Your service.
It is for making You known as Father,
the Father of the only-begotten God
and preaching this to the world,
that knows You not
and to the heretics,
who refuse to believe in You.
… Grant that I may express what I believe.
Amen
Excerpt from a Sermon On the Trinity (Lib 1, 37-38: PL 10, 48-49) by Saint Hilary of Poitiers. It is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the feast of St Hilary, today.
One Minute Reflection – 10 January – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord , Readings: Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah 12:2-3,4,5-6, 1 John 5:1-9, Mark 1:7-11
“I have baptised you with water but he will baptise you, with the Holy Spirit.” – Mark 1:8
REFLECTION – “Today, the Lord Jesus has come to be baptised. He wanted to wash His body in the water of the Jordan.
Someone might say: “Why did He who was the Holy One want to be baptised?” So listen.
Christ was baptised, not in order to be sanctified by the water but so that He, Himself would sanctify the water and would purify the waves, that He touched by His personal action.
Thus, we have to do with the consecration of the water much more than with that of Christ. For the moment the Lord was washed, all the waters became pure in view of our baptism. The spring was purified so that grace might be obtained for the people who would come afterwards. Thus Christ was the first to go to His baptism, so that the Christian people might follow Him without hesitation.
And in this I perceive a mystery.
Did not the column of fire go ahead into the Red Sea in this way, so as to encourage the children of Israel to walk behind it? It crossed the water first so as to break a path for those who would follow.
According to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, this event was a symbol of baptism (1 Cor 10:1f.). Without any doubt, when the people were covered by the cloud and carried by the water, it was a kind of baptism.
And all that was fulfilled by the same Christ our Lord, who in the column of His body now precedes the Christian people to baptism, just as He preceded the children of Israel across the sea, in the column of fire. The same column, which in times past enlightened the eyes of those who were walking, now gives light to the hearts of the believers. Then it marked a solid path in the waves, now in this bath, it strengthens the steps of faith.” – St Maximus of Turin (?-c 420) Bishop – Sermon for the feast of the Epiphany
PRAYER – By the Benedictines of Stanbrook
When Jesus comes to be baptised,
He leaves the hidden years behind,
The years of safety and of peace,
To bear the sins of all mankind.
The Spirit of the Lord comes down
Anoints the Christ to suffering,
To preach the word, to free the bound
And to the mourner comfort bring.
Our everlasting Father, praise,
With Christ, His well-beloved Son,
Who with the Soirit reigns serene,
Untroubled Trinity in One.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany
Lord, May Your kingdom Come Into My Heart
By Fr Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Lord, may Your kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment,
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is,
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything
which has been caused by You?
Every moment and every event is guided by You
and so contains Your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify You in everything
that happens to me.
In whatever manner You make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences
because Your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me
because all my moments,
manifest Your love.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent
“May We Love Only You”
“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening
and the day is almost over.”
Luke 24:29
“You hide your heart from man –
hide it from God if you can.
… Where will you go?
Where will you flee?
Do you want to hear some advice?
If you want to flee from Him – flee to Him.
Flee to Him by Confessing, not from Him, by hiding,
for you cannot hide but you can Confess.
Tell Him. “You are my refuge” (Ps 32[31]:7)
and let there be nursed in yo,
the love that alone leads to life.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace
May We Love Only You
By St Columban (543-615)
Loving Saviour,
be pleased to show Yourself to us who knock,
so that in knowing You,
we may love only You,
love You alone,
desire You alone,
contemplate only You, day and night
and always think of You.
Inspire in us the depth of love
that is fitting for You to receive as God.
So may Your love pervade our whole being,
possess us completely
and fill all our senses,
that we may know no other love
but love for You,
Who are everlasting.
May our love be so great,
that the many waters of sky, land and sea
cannot extinguish it in us –
many waters could not extinguish love.
May this saying be fulfilled
in us also, at least in part,
by Your gift,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen
“How good and pleasant it is
to dwell in the Heart of Jesus!
Who is there who does not love a heart so wounded?
Who can refuse a return of love
to a Heart so loving?
Amen.”
St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
“Who could ever soften this heart of mine
but YOU alone O Lord!”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“Christ first of all,
Christ in the centre of the heart,
in the centre of history
and of the cosmos.
Humanity needs Christ intensely
because, He is our “measure.”
There is no realm,
that cannot be touched
by His strength;
there is no evil,
that cannot find remedy in Him,
there is no problem,
that cannot be solved in Him.
Either Christ or nothing!”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
“During the night
we must wait
for the light.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity
“Only God fills the soul and fills it wholly.
Let scientists go on asking – Where is God?
He is where those clever ones,
arrogant in their knowledge, cannot reach.”
Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)
Advent Reflection – 7 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalms 85:9 and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Luke 5:17-26 and the Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church
Let us adore the Lord, the King who is to come.
And amazement seized them all and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”- Luke 5:26
REFLECTION – “The Word of God has come to dwell in man; he became “Son of man” in order to accustom man to receive God and God to dwell in man, as it has pleased the Father. See now why the sign of our salvation, Emmanuel born of a Virgin, has been given by the Saviour Himself (Is 7:14). Indeed, it is the Saviour Himself who saves men, since of themselves they cannot save themselves. (…) The prophet Isaiah has said: “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak! Take courage, frightened hearts; be strong, fear not! Here is your God who comes with vindication; he himself comes, he comes to save us,” (Is 35:3-4). For it is only by God’s help and not of ourselves, that we can stand up to our salvation.
And here is another text where Isaiah predicted that the one who saves us is neither simply a man nor an incorporeal being: “It was not a messenger or an angel but the Lord himself who saved his people. Because of his love and pity he forgave them; he redeemed them himself,” (Is 63:9). Yet this Saviour is also truly man, truly visible: “City of Zion, behold: your eyes shall see our Saviour” (…) And another prophet has said: “He will again have compassion on us and cast into the depths of the sea all our sins,” (Mi 7:19) (…) From the land of Judah, from Bethlehem (Mi 5:1) will come the Son of God, He who is also God, to pour out His praise on all the earth (…) Thus God has become man indeed and the Lord Himself has saved us, by giving us the sign of the Virgin.” – St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 130-c 202) Bishop, Church Father, Theologian and Martyr – Against the heresies III
PRAYER – Prayer of St Ambrose
O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 6 December – Second Sunday of Advent
Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church
Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the light of Christ.
For Christ is that morning star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 30 October – Making our way to Life
“A person who wishes to become the Lord’s disciple
must repudiate a human obligation,
however honourable it may appear,
if it slows us, ever so slightly,
in giving the wholehearted obedience
we owe to God.”
St Basil the Great (329-379)
O Lord,
You have given us Your word
for a light to shine upon our path,
grant us so to meditate on that word
and follow its teaching,
that we may find in it,
the light that shines more and more
until the perfect day.
Amen
St Jerome (343-420)
“The Man of the Bible”
Father and Doctor of the Church
“Rest is in Him alone.
Man knows no peace in the world
but he has no disturbance
when he is with God.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
“We must make our way towards eternity,
never regarding what men think of us,
or of our actions,
studying only to please God.”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“Christ first of all,
Christ in the centre of the heart,
in the centre of history
and of the cosmos.
Humanity needs Christ intensely
because, He is our “measure.”
There is no realm,
that cannot be touched
by His strength;
there is no evil,
that cannot find remedy in Him,
there is no problem,
that cannot be solved in Him.
Either Christ or nothing!”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
“Only one thing is necessary:
Jesus Christ!
Think unceasingly of Him. ”
St John Gabriel Perboyre CM (1802-1840)
Martyr for Christ
“Our vocation, yours and mine,
is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn,
Jesus does not say to us;
“Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and reap them,”
our mission is still loftier.
Here are Jesus’ words: “Lift up your eyes and see….”
See how in My Heaven there are places empty,
it is for you to fill them! …
each one of you is my Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8f),
ask Me for labourers and I shall send them,
I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!”
“Let us go forward in peace,
our eyes upon heaven.
the only one goal of our labours.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
Doctor of the Church
“We must always be ready.
Let our faith be lively and active
and our minds turned towards God,
Who is waiting for us.
There is no need to be afraid.
He is good and merciful.
He desires our salvation.
This is a wonderfully consoling thought.
God desires my salvation!
Let us surrender ourselves to Him, therefore,
as if we had to die this very moment!”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Our Morning Offering – 13 October – Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
O God of Our Life
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church
God of our life,
there are days
when the burdens we carry
chafe our shoulders
and weigh us down;
when the road
seems dreary and endless,
the skies grey and threatening;
when our lives
have no music in them
and our hearts are lonely
and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light,
run our eyes
to where the skies are full of promise;
tune our hearts to brave music;
give us the sense of comradeship
with heroes and saints of every age;
and so quicken our spirits
that we may be able
to encourage the souls of all
who journey with us on the road of life,
to your honour and glory.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 1 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Job 19:21-27, Psalms 27:7-8, 8-9, 13-14, Luke 10:1-12 and The Memorial of St Romanos the Melodios (c 490-c 556) and St Thérèse of the Child Jesus/Lisieux OCD (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church
“We implore You,
O All-Holy, Long-Suffering
Life and Restoration,
Source of goodness,
look down from heaven
and visit all those
who ever trust in You;
rescue our life, Lord,
from all constraint and affliction,
and, in the faith of truth, guide us all.
At the prayers of the
Immaculate Mother of God and Virgin,
Save your world
and those in the world
and spare us all,
You who, for us,
became man without change,
only Lover of mankind.”
St Romanos the Melodios (c 490-c 556)
(On the Life of Christ, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord)
“Our vocation, yours and mine,
is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn,
Jesus does not say to us;
“Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and reap them,”
our mission is still loftier.
Here are Jesus’ words: “Lift up your eyes and see….”
See how in My Heaven there are places empty,
it is for you to fill them! …
each one of you is my Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8f),
ask Me for labourers and I shall send them,
I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!”
“Prayer is an aspiration of the heart.
It is a simple glance directed to Heaven.
It is a cry of gratitude and love
in the midst of trial as well as joy.”
“She is more mother
than Queen.”
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me,
it is the good God.
Death is no phantom, no horrible specter,
as presented in pictures.
In the catechism it is stated,
that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all!
Well, I am not afraid of a separation
which will unite me to the good God forever.”
“Let us go forward in peace,
our eyes upon heaven.
the only one goal of our labours.”
More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-october-the-memorial-of-st-therese-of-lisieux-o-c-d-1873-1897-doctor-of-the-church/
AND:
“In the Heart of the Church, I Will Be Love”
https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/01/thought-for-the-day-1-october-in-the-heart-of-the-church-i-will-be-love/
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
Doctor of the Church
Novena to Our Angel Guardian – Day Five – 27 September
(Indulgence of 300 days, each day of the Novena)
Opening Prayer
Deus in adjutorium:
V/. O God +, come to my assistance
R/. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Gloria Patri…
DAY V.
Most faithful guide,
my angel-guardian,
I pray thee,
by the mission which God has confided to thee
to lead me on the road to heaven,
obtain for me grace to follow faithfully and constantly
the light which thou hast shown me,
of the evil which I must avoid
and of the good which I must do
and do not cease to excite me
to the practice of all virtue,
till the last moment of my life.
And this special intention of virtue
which I make unto thy prayers
…………………….. (the special virtue you desire).
Amen
Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri.
Novena to Our Angel Guardian – Day Three – 25 September
(Indulgence of 300 days, each day of the Novena)
Opening Prayer
Deus in adjutorium:
V/. O God +, come to my assistance
R/. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Gloria Patri…
DAY III.
Most perfect executor of the Will of God,
my faithful guardian,
I pray thee,
by the vigilant and loving eagerness
with which thou fulfils
the duty of my guardianship
which God has confided to thee,
obtain for me the grace
of being always anxious
to know and accomplish perfectly,
to the last moment of my life,
everything that God asks of me.
And this special intention of virtue
which I make unto thy prayers
…………………….. (the special virtue you desire). Amen
Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri.
Novena to Our Angel Guardian – Day Two – 24 September
(Indulgence of 300 days, each day of the Novena)
Opening Prayer
Deus in adjutorium:
V/. O God +, come to my assistance
R/. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Gloria Patri…
DAY II.
Most mighty spirit,
my angel-guardian,
I pray thee,
by that supreme felicity thou dost enjoy
in seeing God without a veil,
even whilst watching over me,
obtain for me grace to walk
without ceasing in the presence of God,
so that I may live as a perfect Christian
till my last breath.
And this special intention of virtue
which I make unto thy prayers
…………………….. (the special virtue you desire). Amen
Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri.
Novena to Our Angel Guardian – Day One – 23 September
(Indulgence of 300 days, each day of the Novena)
Opening Prayer
Deus in adjutorium:
V/. O God +, come to my assistance
R/. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Gloria Patri…
DAY I.
O most powerful angel,
thou who art my guardian,
I beseech thee,
by the sovereign hatred thou hast for sin
because it offends God,
Whom you love with a pure and perfect love,
obtain for me a sincere
and lasting sorrow for my sins
and an implacable hatred against all sin,
of what kind soever,
so that I may never more offend my God,
till the last moment of my life.
And this special intention of virtue
which I make unto thy prayers
…………………….. (the special virtue you desire).
Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri.
Our Morning Offering – 18 September – Friday of the Twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time
Lord, May Your Kingdom Come into My Heart
By Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Lord, may Your kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment,
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is,
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything,
which has been caused by You?
Every moment and every event is guided by You
and so, contains Your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify You
in everything that happens to me.
In whatever manner You make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences,
because Your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me
because, all my moments,
manifest Your love.
Amen
