Category: PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY SOULS

November Devotion:  The Holy Souls in Purgatory

Posted on by AnaStpaul

November Devotion:  The Holy Souls in Purgatorynovember-the-month-of-the-holy-souls-1-nov-2017,2018,2019.jpg

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

daily offering to the father - most precious blood - st gertrude 1 july 2019

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.
Ameneternal rest 1 nov 2019

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Thought for the Day – 1 November -The Idea of a Saint by St John Henry Newman

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

The Idea of a Saint

Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“Very various are the saints, their very variety is a token of God’s workmanship but, however various and whatever was their special line of duty, they have been heroes in it, they have attained such noble self-command,
they have so crucified the flesh,
they have so renounced the world,
they are so meek,
so gentle,
so tenderhearted,
so merciful,
so sweet,
so cheerful,
so full of prayer,
so diligent, so forgetful of injuries – they have attained such great and continued pains,
they have persevered in such vast labours,
they have made such valiant confessions,
they have wrought such abundant miracles,
they have been blessed with such strange successes,
that they have set up a standard before us of truth, of magnanimity, of holiness, of love.

They are not always our examples, we are not always bound to follow them – not more than we are bound to obey literally, some of our Lord’s precepts, such as turning the cheek or giving away the coat – not more than we can follow the course of the sun, moon or stars in the heavens;
but, though not always our examples,
they are always our standard of right and good,
they are raised up to be monuments and lessons,
they remind us of God,
they introduce us into the unseen world,
they teach us what Christ loves,
they track out for us the way which leads heavenwards.
They are to us who see them, what wealth, notoriety, rank and name are to the multitude of men who live in darkness – objects of our veneration and of our homage.

Give me grace, O Jesus,
to live in sight of that blessed company.
Let my life be spent in the presence of Thee
and Thy closest friends.
Though I see them not,
let not what I do see seduce me, to give my heart elsewhere.
Because Thou hast blessed me so much
and given to me friends,
let me not depend or rely or throw myself
in any way upon them
but on those with whom
Thou did surround Thyself on earth
and now delight Thyself in heaven.
Be my soul with Thee
and, because with Thee,
with Mary and Joseph
and Elizabeth and John.
Amenall saints - give me grace o jesus st john henry newman 1 nov 2019.jpg

All Holy Saints in Heaven, not forgetting You, St John Henry, Pray for Us!holy-saints-pray-for-us-1-nov-2018 and 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 30 October – You are the Giver of all Heavenly Gifts

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Our Morning Offering – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

You are the Giver of all Heavenly Gifts
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

You are fire, enkindle in me Your love.
You are light, enlighten my mind
with the knowledge of eternal things.
You are the Dove, give me innocence of life.
You are the gentle Breeze,
disperse the storms of my passions.
You are the Tongue,
teach me how to bless You always.
You are the Cloud,
shelter me under the shadow of Your protection.
And lastly, You are the Giver of all heavenly gifts,
animate me,
I beseech You, with Your grace, sanctify me
with Your charity, enlighten me
with Your wisdom, adopt me by Your goodness as Your child
and save me in Your infinite mercy,
so that I may ever bless You, praise You and love You,
first during this life on earth,
and then in heaven for all eternity.
Amenyou are the give of all heavenly gifts - you are fire - st alphonsus liguori 30 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, HYMNS, MINI SERIES, PAPAL SERMONS, POETRY, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD, VATICAN Resources

Thought for the Day – 29 October – How to speak about God?

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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

Excerpt – Part One
Year of Faith – How to speak about God?

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.firmly i believe and truly st john henry newman 29 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 27 October – Adoro te Devote, latens Deitas!

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Our Morning Offering – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Adoro te Devote, latens Deitas!
I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity
By St John Paul II (1920-2005)

We adore You, O wonderful Sacrament
of the presence of the One
who loved His own “to the end.”
We thank You, O Lord,
who edifies,
gathers together
and gives life to the Church.
O divine Eucharist, flame of Christ’s love
that burns on the altar of the world,
make the Church, comforted by You,
evermore caring, in wiping away,
the tears of the suffering
and in sustaining the efforts
of all who yearn for justice and peace.
And you, Mary, “Eucharistic” Woman
who offered your virginal womb
for the incarnation of the Word of God,
help us to live the Eucharistic Mystery
in the spirit of the “Magnificat.”
May our lives be a never-ending praise
of the Almighty who concealed Himself
beneath the humility of the Eucharistic signs.

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas. ..
Adoro te… adiuva me!

I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity
I Adore You, help me!adoro te devote latens deitas st john paul 27 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Our Morning Offering – 25 October – O Sacred Heart of Jesus by St John Henry Newman

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Our Morning Offering – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

O Sacred Heart of Jesus
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
living and quickening source of eternal life,
infinite treasure of the Divinity
and burning furnace of divine love.
You are my refuge and my sanctuary,
O my amiable Saviour.
Consume my heart with that burning fire
with which Your Heart is ever inflamed.
Pour down on my soul
those graces which flow from Your love
and let my heart be so united with Yours,
that our wills may be one
and mine in all things,
be conformed to Yours.
May Your divine will
be equally the standard
and rule of all my desires
and of all my actions.
Ameno sacred heart of jesus by st john henry newman 25 oct 2019

Posted in GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 24 October – May I know You and Make You known

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Our Morning Offering – 24 October – Thursday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

May I know You
and Make You known
By St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
Founder of the Claretian Missionaries

O my God and my Father,
may I know You
and make You known,
love You
and make You loved,
serve You
and make You served,
praise You
and make all creatures praise You.
Grant, my Father,
that all sinners be converted,
all the just persevere in grace
and all of us
attain to eternal glory.
Amenmay I know you and make you known - st anthony mary claret 24 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD is LOVE, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Thought for the Day – 24 October – Pardon us, O Lord, Pardon us

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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 XVIjohn-14-9-he-who-seen-me-god-does-not-leave-us-groping-in-the-dark-pope-benedict-18-may-2019 and 23 oct 2019.jpg

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.
Amenpardon-us-o-lord-pardon-us-by-william-saint-thierry-20-april-2019-holy-sat adn 23 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Quote of the Day – 23 October – “Crazy with love”

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Quote of the Day – 23 October – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer

“Yes, my gentle Redeemer,
let me say it,
You are crazy with love!
Is it not foolish for You
to have wanted to die for me?
But if You, my God,
have become crazy with love for me,
how can I not become crazy with love for You?”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

from “The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ”yes my gentle redeemer - st alphonsus liguori 23 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SAINT of the DAY, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 23 October – Jesus, My Saviour, Help Me

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Our Morning Offering – 23 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer celebrated today by the Redemptorists

Jesus, My Saviour, Help Me
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Jesus, my Saviour, help me.
I am resolved truly to love You
and to leave all to please You.
Help me to free myself
from everything that hinders me
from belonging wholly to You
who have loved me so much.
By your prayers, O Mother Mary,
which are so powerful with God,
obtain for me this grace
to belong wholly to God.
Amenjesus my saviour help me by st alsphonsus liguori 23 oct 2019 feast of the holy redeemer.jpg

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Be with Us, More and More

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Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Be with Us, More and More
By St John Paul II (1920-2005)

Be with us, more and more.
Meet us more and more often
because we need it so much.
Speak to us by your motherhood,
by your simplicity and by your holiness.
Speak to us
by your Immaculate Conception!
Speak to us continually!
And obtain for us the grace–
even if we are distant–
of not becoming insensitive
to your presence in our midst.
Amenbe with us more and more - st pope john paul 22 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY NAME, The RESURRECTION

Sunday Reflection – 20 October – One Name That Lives

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Sunday Reflection – 20 October – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C and World Mission Sunday

One Name That Lives

By Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“There is just one Name in the whole world that lives – it is the Name of One who passed His years in obscurity and who died a malefactor’s death.   (Two thousand yeas) have gone by since that time but still It has It’s hold upon the human mind.   It has possessed the world and It maintains possession.   Amid the most various nations, under the most diversified circumstances, in the most cultivated, in the rudest races and intellects, in all classes of society, the Owner of that great Name reigns.   High and low, rich and poor, acknowledge Him.   Millions of souls are conversing with Him, are venturing at His word, are looking for His presence.

Palaces, sumptuous, innumerable, are raised to His honour.   His image, in it’s deepest humiliations, is triumphantly displayed in the proud city, in the open country, at the corners of streets, on the tops of mountains.   It sanctifies the ancestral hall, the closet and the bedchamber, it is the subject for the exercise of the highest genius in the imitative arts.   It is worn next to the heart in life, it is held before the failing eyes in death.

Here, then, is One who is not mere name, He is no empty fiction, He is substance, He is dead and gone but still He lives – as the living, energetic, thought of successive generations and as the awful motive power of a thousand great events ….

O my own Saviour, now in the tomb but soon to arise, You have paid the price – it is done – consummatum est – it is secured.

O fulfil Your Resurrection in us and as You have purchased us, claim us, take possession of us, make us Thine.”

Amen

Holy God, we praise Thy Name!o fulfil your resurrection in us - st john henry newman 20 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 17 October – A Martyr’s Prayer, St Ignatius of Antioch

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Our Morning Offering – 17 October – Thursday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr and St Francois Isidore Gagelin (1799-1833) Priest and Martyr

A Martyr’s Prayer
By St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107)
Father of the Church, Martyr

I am the wheat of God,
and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts,
that I may be found the pure bread of God.
I long after the Lord,
the Son of the true God and Father, Jesus Christ.
Him I seek, who died for us and rose again.
I am eager to die for the sake of Christ.
My love has been crucified
and there is no fire in me that loves anything.
But there is living water springing up in me
and it says to me inwardly,
“Come to the Father”
Ameni am the wheat of god - st ignatius of antioch 17 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TIME, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 16 October – Lean on His Goodness

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 October – The Memorial of St Margaret Mary Alacoque VHM (1647-1690), St Gerard Majella CSsR (1726-1755)

“O Heart of love,
I put all my trust in Thee,
for I fear all things,
from my own weakness,
but I hope for all things,
from Thy Goodness.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)o heart of love i put all my trust in thee 16 oct 2019

“Consider the shortness of time,
the length of eternity
and reflect how everything here below
comes to an end and passes by.
Of what use is it, to lean upon,
that which cannot give support?”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)consider the shortness of time - st gerard majella 16 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR

Our Morning Offering – 16 October – The One Thing Necessary

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Our Morning Offering – 16 October – Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Gerard Majella (1726-1755), Redemptorist Brother

The One Thing Necessary
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Founder of the Redemptorists

O my God,
help me to remember,
that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world
at the hour of death?
To love You, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin
and nothing else in this life,
for to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember,
that I came into this world with nothing,
and shall take nothing from it when I die.
To gain You, I must leave all.
But in loving You,
I already have all good things,
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help
and the eternal dwelling place
Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask
in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray,
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for You.
Grant me perseverance in doing Your will
and never let me be separated from You.
My God and my All,
make me a saint.
Amente one thing necessary st alphons liguori 16 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 15 October – A Love Song

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Our Morning Offering – 15 October – The Memorial of St Teresa of Jesus/Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church

A Love Song
By St Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
Your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.
Handsome lover, selfless giver,
Your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.
I am Yours, You made me.
I am Yours, You called me.
I am Yours, You saved me.
I am Yours, You loved me.
I will never leave Your presence.
Give me death, give me life.
Give me sickness, give me health.
Give me honour, give me shame.
Give me weakness, give me strength.
I will have whatever You give.
Amena love son by st thresa of avila - 15 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – The Grace of Thy Love

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Our Morning Offering – 14 October – Monday of the Twenty Eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Grace of Thy Love
By Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O My God,
strengthen me with Thy strength,
console me with Thy everlasting peace,
soothe me with the beauty of Thy countenance,
enlighten me with Thy uncreated holiness.
Bathe me in Thyself
and give me to drink,
as far as mortal man may ask,
of the rivers of grace
which flow from the Father and the Son,
the grace of Thy consubstantial,
co-eternal Love.
Amenthe grace of they love - st john henry newman - 14 oct 2019

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘I offer You these humble prayers…’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:11–19 and the Memorial of Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar

And he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. …Luke 17:16

REFLECTION – “O Heart of Jesus all love, I offer You these humble prayers for myself and for all those, who unite themselves with me, in spirit to adore You.
O holiest Heart of Jesus most lovely, I intend to renew and to offer to You, these acts of adoration and these prayers, for myself, a wretched sinner and for all those, who are associated with me in Your adoration, through all moments which I breath, even to the end of my life.   I recommend to You, O my Jesus, Holy Church, Your dear spouse and our true Mother, all just souls and all poor sinners, the afflicted, the dying and all mankind. Let not Your Blood be shed for them in vain.   Finally, deign to apply it in relief of the souls in Purgatory and of these in particular….” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)luke 17 16 and he fell on his face and thanked him - o holiest heart of jesus - st john henry newman 13 oct 2019

PRAYER – Lord God, open our hearts to Your Grace, that we may be filled with Your light and overflow with gratitude for Your merciful love.   May we love and adore and worship You in return.   Although we are sinners, our hearts long to thank You in total trust and humble thankfulness.   Grant that by the prayers of Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar, we may grow in holiness.   Through Your only Son, our Saviour and Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen._bl alesancdrina of balazar pray for us 13 oct 2019

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 13 October – O Good Jesu By St John Henry Newman

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Our Morning Offering – 13 October – Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C and today, John Henry Newman will be Canonised

O Good Jesu
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.
Body of Christ, be my salvation.
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins.
Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains.
Passion of Christ, my comfort be.
O good Jesu, listen to me.
In Thy wounds, I fain would hide.
Ne’er to be parted, from Thy side.
Guard me, when my life shall fail me,
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end,
Ameno good jesus - soul of christ - st john henry newman 13 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MISSION, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – ..’What the saints have understood and lived’

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One Minute Reflection – 12 October – Saturday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:27–28 and the Memorial of Blessed Jan Beyzym SJ (1850–1912), “Apostle of the Lepers of Madasgascar”

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” … Luke 11:28

REFLECTION – “Jesus was speaking to the crowd.   Some of them did not understand and were debating and a woman said:  “Blessed is she who has been your mother and bore you!”   A woman who shouts that out, it’s marvellous, things like that!   Ordinary people in the authentic, how profound!   This is the moment when Jesus will say:  “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”   He wants to move away from that family environment – today one would speak of one’s “circle”.   In mountainous districts or the countryside, family bonds are very close, they form a kind of little tribe.   Jesus distances himself from that.
Someone said to Him: “Your mother and your brothers are waiting outside — Who is my mother?   Who are my brothers?   Those who do the will of God” (cf. Lk 8:20-21) — He establishes a society that is transnatural, not founded on shared sensibilities, social conditions of class and origin.   No, it’s another thing altogether.   To this woman He will say:  “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”   But the woman had listened to the word of God since she had said to Him:   “Blessed is she who has been your mother!” (Lk 8:19-21; 11:27-28).   It is not blame that Jesus directs at her, on the contrary, it is a confirmation, saying:   ‘Blessed are you for having understood that there is something greater than familial relationships, something which adds to familial relationships what they are capable of bearing of light when they are received but which are of another order.’
Well then!   See what has been proclaimed to us, what the saints have understood and which they have lived.” ... Cardinal Charles Journet (1891-1975) Theologian – Conferences given at Geneva between 1972 and 1974 on St. John’s gospel.luke 11 28 blessed rather are those - card charles journet - blessed are you for having understood 12 oct 2019.jpg

PRAYER – “O my God, whatever is nearer to me than You, things of this earth and things more naturally pleasing to me, will be sure to interrupt the sight of You, unless Your grace interfere. Keep You my eyes, my ears, my heart, from any such miserable tyranny. Keep my whole being fixed on You. Let me never lose sight of You and while I gaze on You, let my love of You grow more and more every day.” … Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)   May we run the race in obedience and love of the Will of our God, as Blessed Jan Beyzym did, always seeking Your Face in those who are the least and whose prayers we beg.   Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.bl jan beyzym pray for us 12 oct 2019.jpg

raise my heart by bl john henry newman 4 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 12 October – O Mother of Jesus and my Mother

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Our Morning Offering – 12 October – Saturday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C – a Marian Saturday

O Mother of Jesus and my Mother
By Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O Mother of Jesus and my Mother,
let me dwell with you, cling to you
and love you with ever-increasing love.
I promise the honour,
love and trust of a child.
Give me a mother’s protection,
for I need your watchful care.
You know better than any other
the thoughts and desires of the Sacred Heart.
Keep constantly before my mind
the same thoughts,
the same desires,
that my heart may be filled with zeal
for the interests of the Sacred Heart
of your Divine Son.
Instil in me a love of all that is noble,
that I may no longer be easily turned to selfishness.
Help me, dearest Mother,
to acquire the virtues that God wants of me,
to forget myself always,
to work solely for Him,
without fear of sacrifice.
I shall always rely on your help
to be what Jesus wants me to be.
I am His; I am yours, my good Mother!
Give me each day your holy and maternal blessing
until my last evening on earth,
when your Immaculate Heart
will present me to the heart of Jesus in heaven,
there to love and bless you
and your divine Son for all eternity.
Ameno mother of jesus ad my mother - 12 oct 2019 john henry newman .jpg

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 10 October – Unite Me to Your Sacred Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 10 October – Thursday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Angela Truszkowska (1825-1899)

Unite Me to Your Sacred Heart
By Blessed Angela Truszkowska (1825-1899)

My Lord, You bid us to suffer,
therefore, my poor soul desires it.
I want to suffer, O Jesus
but with You,
to suffer but for the love of You,
to suffer but in silence and in solitude,
so that no-one would know
that I suffer, only You,
so that only You would hear the groanings of my soul
and only You would see my tears.
Ah! Teach me, O Lord,
to suffer in that way,
teach me to suffer without seeking any consolation,
to suffer without craving the sympathy of creatures,
to suffer without even
expecting the eternal joys of heaven.
Teach me to suffer,
not because suffering is the source of merit and glory
but because it unites us to You
and makes our hearts
like unto your Sacred Heart.
Amen

(The text was written on sheets of paper bound together with two works of St Alphonsus Ligouri.   Mother Angela gave this book to Sr Anna Bielska as a gift on the first anniversary of her profession, 8 December 1861.)unite me to your sacred heart - bl angel truszkowska 10 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 9 October – Be Merciful, Be Gracious

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Quote of the Day – 9 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:1–4 and the Memorial of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Be Merciful, Be Gracious
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Be merciful, be gracious, Lord, deliver me.
From the sins that are past,
From Your frown and Your ire,
From the perils of dying,
From any complying
With sin or denying
My God, or relying
On self,
at the last,
From the nethermost fire,
From all that is evil,
From the power of the devil,
Your servant deliver,
For once and forever,
By Your Birth and By Your Cross,
Rescue me from endless loss,
By Your death and burial,
Save me from a final fall,
By Your rising from the tomb,
By Your mounting up above,
By the Spirit’s gracious love,
Save me in the day of doom.

Amen

Bl John Henry Newman

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-october-the-memorial-of-blessed-john-henry-newman-1801-1890/be-merciful-be-gracious-bl-john-henry-newman-30-april-2019AND 9 OCT 2019

Posted in HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – Praise to the Holiest in the Height

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Our Morning Offering – 9 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

 

Praise to the Holiest in the Height
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.

O loving wisdom of our God,
When all was sin and shame,
He, the last Adam, to the fight
And to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.

And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence, and His very self
And essence all-divine.

O generous love! that He, who smote
In man for man the foe,
The double agony in man
For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly,
And on the cross on high,
Should teach His brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.Praise to the Holiest in the Height - bl john henry newman - 9 oct 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Our Morning Offering – 7 October – Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary (Excerpt)

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Our Morning Offering – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Bl Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) – Apostle of the Holy Rosary and the Month of the Holy Rosary

Excerpt from the
Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii
also known as
Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary
By Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926)

O Blessed Rosary of Mary,
sweet Chain,
which binds us to God,
Bond of love,
which unites us to the Angels,
Tower of salvation
against the assaults of hell,
safe Port in our universal shipwreck,
we shall never abandon you.
You will be our comfort
in the hour of agony.
To you, the last kiss of our dying life.
And the last word from our lips
will be your sweet name,
O Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii,
O dearest Mother,
O Refuge of Sinners,
O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted.
Be Blessed everywhere,
today and always,
on earth and in Heaven.
Amensupplication to the queen of the holy rosary by bl bartholomew longo 7 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 6 October – ”O Blessed Host”

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Our Morning Offering – 6 October – Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

”O Blessed Host”
Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Diary 159

O Blessed Host, in golden chalice enclosed for me,
That through the vast wilderness of exile I may pass –
pure, immaculate, undefiled.
Oh, grant that through the power of Your love
This might come to be.

O Blessed Host, take up Your dwelling within my soul,
O Thou my heart’s purest love!
With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.
Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.

O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven,
Though Your beauty be veiled
And captured in a crumb of bread,
Strong faith tears away that veil.
Ameno blessed host - st faustina 6 oct 2019 sun 27C.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MYSTICS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 5 October – Christ Jesus, I trust in you! 

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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)

christ jesus i trust in you 5 oct 2019 st faustina

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.
Amendivine-mercy-3-oclock-prayer-div-mercy-sunday-28-april-2019 and 5 oct 2019.jpg

St Faustina Kowalska, Pray for Us!st faustina pray for us 5 oct 2019 no 2

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 5 October – O Mary, My Mother

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Our Morning Offering – 5 October – Saturday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, the Memorial of St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) and a Marian Saturday

O Mary, My Mother
By St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

O Mary, my Mother
and my Lady,
I offer You my soul, my body,
my life and my death
and all that will follow it.
I place everything in Your hands.
O my Mother,
cover my soul with Your virginal mantle
and grant me the grace
of purity of heart, soul and body.
Defend me with Your power against all enemies
and especially against those
who hide their malice
behind the mask of virtue.
O lovely lily!
You are for me a mirror,
O my Mother!
Amen

(Diary 79)o mary my mother - st faustina - 16 feb 2019.jpg

Posted in franciscan OFM, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 4 October – St Francis’ Morning Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 4 October – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)

Morning Prayer
of St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

Lord, help me to live this day,
quietly, easily;
to lean on Your great strength,
trustfully, restfully;
to wait for the unfolding of Your will,
patiently, serenely;
to meet others,
peacefully, joyfully;
to face tomorrow,
confidently, courageously.
Amenmorning-prayer-of-st-francis.5 july 2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 3 October -Jesus, What a True Friend You are

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Our Morning Offering – 3 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Jesus, What a True Friend You are
By St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Jesus, what a true friend You are
and how powerful.
May You be blessed forever, Lord,
for offering Your hand of love
in my darkest,
most lonely moments,
for loving me
more than I love myself
and for putting up with
such a stubborn soul as mine.
Amenjesus what a true friend you are 3 oct 2019 by st teresa of avila.jpg