Category: SACRAMENTS

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 1 May – Concerning Spiritual Communion

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Thought for the Day – 1 May – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LVI: … Concerning Spiritual Communion

“Although actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is limited to once a day, you are, nevertheless, at liberty to communicate in spirit every hour.
And nothing except your own negligence can prevent you from receiving the inestimable benefits to be derived from such a union with Him.
It is worth noting that, Spiritual Communion is sometimes of greater benefit to the soul and more acceptable to God, than many Sacramental Communions received with little preparation and less affection.

When, therefore, you are properly disposed to receive the Son of God spiritually, be assured that He is ready thus to come to you as food and nourishment.
By way of preparation, think of Jesus and after contemplating the multitude of your offences, declare to Him your sincere sorrow for them.
Then, with profound respect and unshaking faith, beg Him to graciously condescend to enter your heart; entreat Him to replenish it with grace as a remedy against its inherent weaknesses and, as a shield against the violence of its enemies.
Everytime you succeed in mortifying your passions, or in performing an act of virtue, take that opportunity of preparing your heart for the Son of God, as He has commanded.
Then, addressing yourself to Him, fervently beg the blessings of His
Presence, both as the Physician of your soul and as its Protector.
Ask Him ever to dwell within your soul and so to take possession
of it as to repel its would-be destroyers.

Recall too, your last Sacramental Communion and inflamed with love for your Saviour, say to Him:
“When, O God, shall I receive Thee again?
When will that happy day return, when once again Thou wilt dwell within my heart?”
If, however, you desire to communicate spiritually with an increase of devotion, begin to prepare for it overnight.
Let every mortification and every act of virtue, tend to make your soul a more fitting abode for His spiritual Presence.
In the morning, as you awake, meditate upon the innumerable advantages to be derived from Holy Communion.
Recall that the soul regains her lost virtues, recovers her pristine purity and is rendered worthy to partake of the merits of the Cross.
The very reception of the Sacrament is highly pleasing to the Eternal
Father, Who desires everyone to enjoy this Divine Gift.
Later endeavour, to excite within your soul, an ardent desire of receiving Him in compliance with His holy will.
Let your words match the sentiment as follows:
“O Lord, since I am not permitted the joy of Thy Sacramental
Presence this day, let Thy Goodness and Omnipotence decree the cleansing of my soul from the stain of sin that healed of my wounds, I may deserve to receive Thee in spirit.
Everyday and every hour, fortified anew by Thy grace, may I courageously resist my enemies, particularly that failing against which, for the love of Thee, I wage unceasing war.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 30 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Four)

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Thought for the Day – 30 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Four)

“After Communion strive to be deeply recollected, shutting out from your heart the multiple petty encroachments of worldly distractions. Entertain the Divine Guest with such sentiments as are expressed in the following prayer:

“O Sovereign Lord of Heaven, what has brought Thee from celestial heights to the depths of earthly hearts?”
His answer will be simply, “Love.”
And you must reply: “O Eternal Love, what is it you ask of me?”

And He will answer again:
“Nothing but love.
I would have no other fire within thee but charity, the ardent flames of
which will conquer the impure flames of passion and make thee
pleasing in My sight.
Long have I wished that thou wert all Mine and I all thine.
And long have I desired that surrender of thy will ever solicitous
for frivolous liberty and worldly vanities, for only when thy will is attuned to Mine can the first wish be realised.
Know, then that I would have thee die to self, that you might live to Me.
I would have thee give Me thy heart that I might make it like unto Mine which broke on Calvary out of love for mankind.
Thou knowest Who I Am and yet thou knowest that, in some measure, I have made thee My equal in an excess of love.
When I give Myself entirely to thee, I ask nothing but thyself in return.
Be Mine and I shall be satisfied.
Will nothing, think nothing, understand nothing, see nothing but Me and My Will.
Let thy nothingness be lost in the depths of My Infinity and find there thy happiness, as I find repose in thee.”

Finally, offer to the Eternal Father, His Only-Begotten Son:
First in thanksgiving for the unspeakably great favours He has rendered, in bestowing them on you.
In petition for such things as are needed by you and those for whom you are obligated to pray; remember also, in your petitions, the Souls in Purgatory.
Let this entire offering be made in commemoration of and in union with, the offering made by Christ on Calvary’s hill, when bleeding on the Cross, He offered Himself to His Eternal Father.
Similarly, you may offer for the same intention, the Sacrifice of the Mass, wherever it may be celebrated that day, throughout the Catholic world.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/27/thought-for-the-day-27-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/28/thought-for-the-day-28-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god-part-two/
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/29/thought-for-the-day-29-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god-part-three-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

“Meditating on this truth, let each man say within himself:

“Who could have imagined, O Lord, that a God of such Infinite greatness would bestow His affections on such an abject and insignificant creature as myself!
What could be Thy design, O King of glory?
What canst Thou expect of me who am but dust?
I see clearly, O my God, by the Light of Thy burning charity which enlightens me with knowledge and enkindles me with love that Thy design, was one divorced from all self-interest.
For Thy wish in so graciously bestowing this Sacrament, is to transform me into Thee that I may live in Thee and Thou in me.
Such an intimate union will ultimately remake my heart, fashioning from a vessel of earth, a delicate instrument attuned to things Divine!”

Then, full of joy and wonder at the indications of Divine Love given us by Christ and aware that His only purpose is the transformation of our hearts from things of earth, to things of Heaven, let us offer a sacrifice, and consecrate the will, the memory and understanding, to the sole task of pleasing Him in the gracious acceptance of His Holy Will.

After this, recognising our incapacity to dispose ourselves properly, unaided by His Grace for proper reception of the Eucharist, let us strive earnestly to obtain that Grace by ejaculations such as the following:

“O heavenly food, when shall I be united to Thee, to be consumed joyfully in the fire of Divine Love?
O Divine charity, when shall I live in Thee, by Thee and for Thee alone?
O heavenly manna, Sovereign good, joy of my heart, when shall I, loathing all other food, seek Thee alone?
O life of eternal joy, when shall I dwell in Thee alone?
O my Loving And almighty Lord, free my heart from the tyranny of its passions and vicious attachments; adorn it with Thy heavenly virtues and with gentle compulsion, force it to rejoice in loving and pleasing Thee.
Then O Lord, will I open my heart and bid Thee enter; then shalt Thou come, my only Treasure, to transform my heart by Thy Divine Presence.”

Such are the tender and affectionate sentiments which we should form on the evening before and, on the morning of, reception of Holy Communion.”

PART ONE
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/26/thought-for-the-day-26-april-the-manner-in-which-we-ought-to-receive-the-blessed-sacrament/

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God

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Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part One)

“If our motive in receiving Holy Communion be a desire of increasing our love of God, we should recall the Love which God has for us.
The preparation consists in an attentive contemplation of this Sovereign Lord of boundless Power and Majesty, Who, not satisfied with creating us to His Image and Likeness, nor with the immolation of His only Son on our behalf, left this Son to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, to be our food and support in all our necessities.
Consider well the greatness and uniqueness of this Love in the following manner:

  1. In its duration we find that God’s Love for us is eternal and unceasing; for, as He is eternal in His Divinity, so is He eternal in His Love.
    Before time was, God determined to give His Son to mankind in this marvellous manner.
    Let these words, then, echo joyfully within your heart: “In the abyss of eternity, my littleness was so loved by the most high God that He thought of me and with Love ineffable, wished to give me His Son to be my food and my nourishment!”
  2. Our strongest passions for earthly things recognise certain limits which they cannot exceed but, the Love of God for us, is limitless.
    The advent of His Son, equal to Himself in Majesty and Perfection, was a testimony to that boundless Love.
    Thus is the Gift equal to the Love and the Love to the Gift and both are Infinite, beyond the borders of human understanding.
  3. In Loving us God was not constrained by any power or necessity but heaped innumerable benefits upon us out of the magnitude of Divine Love.
  4. Neither have human merit or previous good works, rendered us worthy of this remarkable Gift.
    If God has loved to excess or given of Himself unstintingly, it is rather to be attributed to the immensity of Divine charity.
  5. God’s Love for us is untainted by the blemish of the self-interest present in human affections.
    For what is the totality of human greatness to Him, the Source of all happiness and glory?
    How could we possibly add glory to Glory itself?
    The advantages, then, are all on the side of man.    ”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, INGRATITUDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 26 April – The Manner in Which We Ought to Receive the Blessed Sacrament

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Thought for the Day – 26 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LIV: … The Manner in which We Ought
to Receive the Blessed Sacrament (Part Two)

“You will recall, we are discussing various requirements to be observed for approaching this Divine Sacrament, at three different times:
Before Communion (completed in Part One);
At the moment of reception of Communion (No 2 below);
After Communion (No 3 below).

  1. When we are about to receive the Body of Our Lord, let us quickly consider the faults committed since our last Communion and, in order to conceive a more perfect sorrow, let us remember that we committed them as callously as if Christ had not died for us on Calvary’s tree – such a remembrance should fill us with shame and fear, for having basely preferred a trifling compliance to our own will, to the obedience due to so gracious a Master.
    But when we consider that, in spite of this ingratitude and infidelity, this God of all charity still condescends to visit us and live within us, then let us approach Him with confidence and open hearts; for when He lives within, no tainted affections of the world may steal in.
  2. After Communion, we are to remain in profound recollection, adoring Our Lord with great humility and saying within our souls: “Thou seest, O God, of my soul,
    my wretched propensity to sin;
    Thou seest how domineering is this passion
    and that, of myself, I cannot resist.
    It is Thou Who must fight my battles
    and if I share in the combat,
    it is Thee from Whom I must expect
    the Crown of victory!     ” Then addressing ourselves to the Eternal Father, let us offer to Him, this beloved Son, Who now dwells within our breast; let us offer Him thanksgiving for innumerable benefits and implore Him, for the grace which will make our victory complete.

Finally, let us resolve to fight courageously against the enemy from whom we suffer most.
Thus we may expect victory, since if we are not wanting in petition, God is not wanting in bestowing and, sooner or later, victory will be ours!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/25/thought-for-the-day-25-april-the-manner-in-which-we-oughtto-receive-the-blessed-sacrament-part-one/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BAPTISM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, Quotes on SALVATION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – “Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”- St Mark Evangelist

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – St Mark Evangelist

“For the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve and to give His Life
as a ransom for many …”

Mark 10:45

“Go into the whole world
and preach the Gospel
to every creature.”
Mark 16:15

“You have heard what the Lord said
to His disciples after the Resurrection.
He sent them out to preach the Gospel
and they did so.
Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds
and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5).
Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us
and the ends of the earth.
In a few words the Lord, addressing Himself
to His disciples, set out what we are to do
and what we have to hope for.
Just as you have heard, He said:
“Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.”
He asks for our faith and offers us salvation.
What He offers us, is so precious
that what He asks of us, is as nothing.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“At that time, the Lord appointed
seventy-two others
and sent them forth …”
Luke 10:1

“By saying that He is sending them
as the Father has sent Him, therefore,
He summarised, in a few words,
the character of the Apostles’ mission.
In this way, they would know that they were bound
to call sinners to repentance,
to heal the sick, whether of body or soul
and in all their dealings as stewards,
not by any means to follow their own will
but the will of Him Who sent them and,
finally, to save the world,
insofar as it received the teachings of the Lord.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Love is the most necessary of all virtues.
Love in the person who preaches the Word of God
is like fire in a musket.
If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands,
he would hardly make a dent in anything
but, if the person takes the same bullet
and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill.
It is much the same with the Word of God.
If it is spoken by someone who is filled
with the fire of charity-
the fire of love of God and neighbor-
it will work wonders!”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

“It is above all, the Gospel
which supports me during my prayer.
There, I find all which
my poor little soul needs.
There, I always discover new lights,
hidden and mysterious meaning.
… Just when I need it, I discover lights
which I had not seen before.”)

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 April –Prayer Before Holy CommunionBy St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II

Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
Who according to the Will of the Father
and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost,
has, by Thy Death. given Life to the world,
I adore and revere this, Thy Holy Body
and this, Thy Holy Blood
which was given up
and poured forth, for the many,
unto remission of sins.
O merciful Lord,
I beg of Thee Mercy,
that through the power of this Sacrament,
Thou will make me one of that many.
Through faith and love, make me feel
the power of these Sacraments,
so I may experience their saving power.
Absolve and free from all sin
and punishment of sin, Thy servants,
Thy handmaidens, myself,
all who confessed their sins to me,
those whom I have promised,
or am obliged, to pray for
and so too, those who themselves hope
or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee.
Make our Church rejoice
in Thy constant protection and consolation.
Amen

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, LENT 2026, MAUNDY THURSDAY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Maundy Thursday – 2 April – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Last Supper

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Maundy Thursday – 2 April – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Maundy Thursday
The Last Supper

It was most fitting that the Sacrament of the Body of the Lord should have been instituted at the Last Supper.

  1. Because of what that Sacrament contains.
    For that which is contained in it, is Christ Himself. When Christ in His natural appearance was about to depart from His disciples, He left Himself to them in a Sacramental appearance, just as in the absence of the Emperor there is exhibited the Emperor’s image. Whence, St Eusebius says, “Since the Body He had assumed was about to be taken away from their bodily sight and was about to be carried to the stars, it was necessary that, on the day of His Last Supper, He should Consecrate for us, the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, so that which, as a Price was offered Once, should, through a Mystery, be worshipped unceasingly.”
  2. Because, without faith in the Passion, there can never be Salvation.
    Therefore, it is necessary that there should be forever among men, something which would represent the Lord’s Passion and the chief of such representationd in the Old Testament, was the Paschal Lamb.
    To this there succeeded in the New Testament, the Sacrament of the Eucharist which is commemorative of the past Passion of the Lord, as the Paschal Lamb was a foreshadowing of the Passion to come.

And, therefore, was it most fitting that, on the very eve of the Passion, the old sacrament of the Paschal Lamb having been celebrated, Our Lord should institute the new Sacrament.

  1. Because the last words of departing friends remain longest in the memory, our love being at such moments most tenderly alert.
    Nothing can be greater in the realm of sacrifice than that of the Body and Blood of Christ, no offering can be more effective.
    And hence, in order that the Sacrament might be held more securely in all veneration, it was in His last leave-taking of the Apostles, when Our Lord instituted it.

Hence, St Augustine says, “Our Saviour, to bring before our minds with all His Power, the heights and the depths of this Sacrament willed, ere He left the disciples to go forth to His Passion, to fix it in their hearts and their memories as His last Act.”

Let us note that this Sacrament has a threefold meaning:
(i) In regard to the past, it is commemorative of the Lord’s Passion which was a true Sacrifice and because of this, the Sacrament is called a Sacrifice.
(ii) In regard to a fact of our own time, i.e. to the unity of the Church and that through this Sacrament, mankind should be gathered together.
Because of this, the Sacrament is called Communion.
St John Damascene says, the sacrament is called Communion because, by means of it, we communicate with Christ and this because we hereby share in His Body and in His Divinity and because by it, we are communicated to and united with one another.
(iii) In regard to the future, the Sacrament foreshadows that enjoyment of God which shall be ours in our Fatherland.
On this account, the Sacrament is called “Viaticum” since it provides us with the means of journeying to that Fatherland.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Devotions for the Month of April – The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

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Devotions for the Month of April

The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

The Month of April is dedicated both to devotion to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Eucharist – the proof of the promise of the love of God and of ETERNAL LIFE.

“My brethren, when was it that the Lord made Himself recognised? — When He broke the bread. — So, we ourselves are convinced, too, that when we break the bread, we recognise the Lord. — If He had not wanted to be recognised until that moment, it was for our sakes, we, who were not to see Him in the flesh but who were yet to eat Him in the flesh. ” – St Augustine (354-430) Father, Doctor of Grace

“I am the Resurrection and the Life,
he who believes in Me,
although he be dead, shall live.”

John 11:25

“I am the Living Bread
Who came down from Heaven.
If any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live forever
and the Bread that I will give,
is My Flesh, for the Life of the world.”

John 6:51-52

“For His Body, has been given to you
under the appearance of bread
and His Blood, under the appearance of wine,
so that, when you have partaken
of the Body and Blood of Christ,
you might be One Body and One Blood with Him.
So shall we become Christ-bearers [“Christophers”].
His Body and Blood are diffused through all our members – see, then,
how we become participants
in the Divine Nature!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386)
Father and Doctor of theChurch

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, LENT 2026, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – – But Jesus he delivered up to their will. – Luke 23:25

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Our Morning Offering – 1 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Spy Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12 – Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25

REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going, of His own accord, to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the Prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.

For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and Who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up, or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).

PRAYER – O God, Who to drive far from us, the power of the enemy, didst will that Thy Son should suffer for us on the gibbet of the Cross, grant us Thy servants, that we may obtain the grace of the resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, BAPTISM, LENT 2026, QUOTES on DEATH, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION, The SECOND COMING, Thomas Aquinas

Passion Tuesday – 24 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Burial of Christ

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Passion Tuesday – 24 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Tuesday
The Burial of Christ

“She hath wrought a good work upon Me.
She in pouring this ointment upon Me hath done it for My Burial.”
Matt xxvi. 10-12.

It was fitting that Christ should be Buried.

  1. It proved that He had really died.
    No-one is placed in the grave unless he is undeniably dead. And, as we read in St Mark (ch xv), Pilate, before he gave leave for Christ to be Buried, made careful enquiry to assure himself that Christ was indeed Dead.
  2. The very fact that Christ rose again from the grave, gives a hope of rising again through Him, to all others who lie in their graves.
    “As it says in the gospel, All who are in the grave shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. And they who hear shall live.”(John v. 28, 25),
  3. It was an example for those who, by the Death of Christ, are spiritually dead to sin, for those, that is, who are hidden away from the turmoil of human affairs.
    So St Paul says, “You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col iii. 3).
    So too, those who are Baptised, since by the Death of Christ they die to sin, are as it were, buried with Christ in their immersion, as St Paul again says, We are buried together with Christ by Baptism unto death (Rom vi. 4).

As the Death of Christ efficiently wrought our salvation, so too, is His Burial effective for us.
St Jerome, for example, says, “By the Burial of Christ, we all rise again” and explaining the words of Isaias (liii. 9), He shall give the ungodly for His Burial, “This means He shall give to God the Father, the nations lacking in filial devotion, for through His Death and Burial He has obtained possession of them.”

The Psalm (Ps Ixxxvii. 6) says, “I am become as a man without help, free among the dead.”
Christ, by being Buried showed Himself free among the dead indeed, for His being enclosed in the Tomb, was not allowed to hinder His coming forth in the Resurrection.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION

Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – St Margaret of Cortona (

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – St Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297) Penitent

“This morning, my soul is greater
than the universe, since it possesses Thee,
Thou Whom Heaven and earth cannot contain!”

“Hide nothing from your Confessor …
a sick man can only be cured
by revealing his wounds.”

“In times of desolation,
God conceals Himself from us
so that we may discover, for ourselves,
what we are without Him.”

St Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297)
Penitent

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on TIME, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 December – “ I baptise with water but, in the midst of you, there has stood One Whom you do not know.” – John 1:26

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One Minute Reflection – 14 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Advent III, Gaudete – Within the Octave – Philippians l 4:4-7 – John 1:19-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ I baptise with water but, in the midst of you, there has stood One Whom you do not know.” – John 1:26

REFLECTION – “I baptise with water but, in the midst of you, there has stood One Whom you do not know.” John did not baptise with the Spirit but, with water, since he was unable to take away the sins of those being baptised. He washed their bodies with water but not their hearts with pardon. Why did one whose baptism did not forgive sins baptise, except that he was observing his vocation as forerunner? He, whose birth foreshadowed a greater birth, by his baptising, foreshadowed the Lord, Who would truly baptise; he ,whose preaching made him the forerunner of Christ, by baptising, also became his forerunner, using a symbol of the future Sacrament.

With these other mysteries he makes known the Mystery of our Redeemer, declaring that He has stood among men and not been known. The Lord appeared in a human body – He came as God in flesh, visible in His Body, invisible in His Majesty. He goes onto say about Him: “He who comes after me, was made before me” (Jn 1:15) … he revealed the reason for this precedence when he said: “because He was before me. ” He means, “Even though He was born after me, He surpasses me, in that the time of His Birth does not limit Him. He, Who is born from His Mother in time, was begotten of His Father before time!”

John reveals the great humility and reverence he owes Christ by saying: “I am not worthy to undo the strap of His sandal.” It was the custom among the ancients, that if someone was unwilling to take the wife, he should be taking, he, who should have come to her as bridegroom, by right of relationship, would undo his sandal. How did Christ appear among men, if not as the Bridegroom of holy Church?… But since people considered John the Christ, a fact which he denied, he was right to declare his unworthiness to undo the strap of Christ’s sandal. It is as if he was saying … “I am not unjustly usurping, for myself, the name of Bridegroom” (Cf Jn 3:29).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospels 4).

PRAYER – Lend Thy ear to our prayers, O Lord, we beseech Thee and brighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy coming. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, SACRAMENTS, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 10 December – Holy Purity

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Thought for the Day – 10 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

Holy Purity

“Since Mary excelled so much in this virtue and had so great a love for it, she will obtain for us from God, the grace necessary for us to preserve it, as long as we pray humbly to her, especially in times of temptation.

Let us remember, that at Baptism, we became members of the Mystical Body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit (Cf 1 Cor 6:15-20).
We are obliged to avoid defiling this temple and making the Mystical Body of Christ a dwelling-place for the devil!
It is not true to say, that this is an impossible fight.
We know, from our own experience, that we can win.
We have often battled with, or fled from occasions of sin.
We have prayed and made sacrifices, in order to avoid sin and, with the help of God and the protection of the Blessed Virgin, we have won!
After our victory, we have felt elated and have experienced that peace, which only God’s grace can bestow.
If we have succeeded so many times, why cannot we do the same always?
There is no need to be afraid.
If we do all that we can, God’s grace will do the rest.
“I can do all things in Him, Who strengthens me,” Phil 4:12) says St Paul.
“God is faithful,” he writes elsewhere “and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength but, with the temptation, will also give you a way out, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13).

If we remain pure, we shall see God.
We shall see Him in the work of His creation in this world and we shall see and enjoy Him forever in Heaven.
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/21/thought-for-the-day-21-may-holy-purity/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St PAUL!, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The RESURRECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 December – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 13:14

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One Minute Reflection – 4 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church – Romans 13:11-14 – Luke 21:25-33 – – – – – – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 13:14

REFLECTION – “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the Life of Him, Whom you have put on in this Sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your Baptism in Him. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Such is the power of this Sacrament: it is a Sacrament of new life which begins here and now, with the forgiveness of all past sins and will be brought to completion, in the resurrection of the dead. You have been buried with Christ by Baptism into death, in order that, as Christ has risen from the dead, you also may walk in newness of life.

You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord but He, to Whom your steps are directed, is Himself the sure and certain Way for you – Jesus Christ, Who, for our sake became man. For all who fear Him, He has stored up abundant happiness which He will reveal to those who hope in Him, bringing it to completion, when we have attained the reality which, even now, we possess, in hope.

This is the octave day of your new birth. Today is fulfilled in you, the sign of faith that was prefigured in the Old Testament by the circumcision of the flesh, on the eighth day after birth. When the Lord rose from the dead, He put off the mortality of the flesh; His Risen Body was still the same Body but it was no longer subject to death. By His Resurrection, He consecrated Sunday, or the Lord’s Day. Though the third after His Passion, this day is the eighth after the Sabbath and thus also, the first day of the week.

And so, your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realised, is sure and certain because you have received the Sacrament or sign of this reality and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the Right Hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your Life, appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (An excerpt from: Sermon 8 – On the Paschal Octave).

PRAYER – O God, Who willed to foreshow divinely that blessed Peter Chrysologus would be a great Doctor to rule and teach Thy Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may be worthy to have him as our intercessor in Heaven, who on earth was a teacher of life. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Our Morning Offering – 26 November – “A Short Act of Spiritual Communion

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Our Morning Offering – 26 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory”

A Short Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My Jesus,
I believe that Thou art present
in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things
and I desire Thee in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually, into my heart.
As though Thou were already there,
I embrace Thee
and unite myself wholly to Thee,
permit not, that I should ever,
be separated from Thee.
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 October – The cripple beside the pool of Bethsaida was waiting

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One Minute Reflection – 24 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – The Feast of St Raphael the Archangel – Tobias 12:7-15 – John 5:1-4 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the water (by the Angel). ” – John 5:3

REFLECTION – “The cripple beside the pool of Bethsaida was waiting for someone (to help him into the pool). For whom was he waiting, if not for the Lord Jesus, born of a Virgin? When He came, it was no longer only a matter of some mere prefiguration which was healing people but Truth itself, was healing them all. And so it was, He, Whose descent was awaited, He of Whom God the Father spoke to John the Baptist: “On Whomever you see the Spirit descend and remain, He is the One Who will Baptise with the Holy Spirit” (Jn 1:33) … But why did the Spirit come down like a Dove, if not so that you might see and acknowledge that the Dove which righteous Noah sent out from the ark, was the image of that Dove and, might recognise in it, a prefiguring of the Sacrament of Baptism. ..?

Can you still waver, when the Father is unquestionably proclaiming to you in the Gospel: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17); when the Son, over Whom the Holy Spirit was manifested, in the form of a Dove, is proclaiming it too; when the Holy Spirit, Who descended in the form of a Dove, is also proclaiming it; when David proclaims: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over vast waters” (Ps 28:3)? Scripture also affirms that Fire came down from Heaven at Gideon’s prayers and again, that Fire was sent to consecrate the sacrifice at the prayer of Elijah. (Jgs 6:21; 1Kgs 18:38).

Do not attend to a Priest’s personal worth but to his office … Believe that our Lord Jesus is present, when invoked at the prayer of the Priest, He Who said: “Where two or three are gathered together, there Am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:0). How much more, then, does He deign to grant us His presence where the Church is, where the Mysteries are celebrated. And so, you have gone down to the Baptistery. Remember what you have said – that you believe in the Father, you believe in the Son, you believe in the Holy Ghost … With similar words of commitment. you asserted your belief in the Son, as you believe in the Father, your belief in the Holy Spirit as you believe in the Son, with this sole difference – that you profess the need to believe in the Cross of our only Lord Jesus.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Mysteries 24).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave blessed Raphael the Archangel as a traveling companion to Your servant Tobias, grant us, Your servants, ever to be protected by his guardianship and by his help.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, HOLY COMMUNION, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians

“An apostolic missionary
must have both heart and tongue
ablaze with charity.”

“Love is the most necessary of all virtues.
Love in the person who preaches the Word of God
is like fire in a musket.
If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands,
he would hardly make a dent in anything
but, if the person takes the same bullet
and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill.
It is much the same with the Word of God.
If it is spoken by someone who is filled
with the fire of charity-
the fire of love of God and neighbor-
it will work wonders!”

“Lord, by the Words of Consecration ,
the substance of the bread and wine,
is converted into the substance
of Thy Body and Blood.
All powerful Lord, say over me
the Word which will change me into Thee.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/10/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-octoberber-st-anthony-mary-claret/

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – ‘ … What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love?…’ St Gregory the Great – Matthew 22:1-14

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One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the Holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously made blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, glorious by the gift of remarkable penance and sublime contemplation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by the merit of his prayers, we may the more easily understand the things of Heaven by curbing our passions. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)“Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart“

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Virgin

“Keep your heart in peace
and let nothing trouble you,
not even your faults.
You must humble yourself
and amend them peacefully,
without being discouraged or cast down,
for God’s dwelling, is in peace.”

“You will be consoled
according to the greatness
of your sorrow and affliction;
the greater the suffering,
the greater will be the reward.”

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

“The most efficacious means
to foster devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
is through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

In Thy Divine Heart
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

Lord Jesus,
let my heart never rest
until it finds Thee,
Who are its Source,
its love and its happiness.
By the wound in Thy Heart
pardon the sins I have committed,
whether out of weakness,
or out of evil desires.
Place my weak heart
in Thy own Divine Heart,
continually under Thy
protection and guidance,
so that I may persevere in doing good
and in fleeing evil,
until my last breath.
Amen

Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart
in the Blessed Sacrament
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God,
Whom I believe to be really present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar,
receive this most profound Act of Adoration
to supply for the desire I have,
to adore Thee unceasingly
and in thanksgiving,
for the sentiments of love
which Thy Sacred Heart
has for me in this Sacrament.
I cannot better acknowledge them,
than by offering Thee,
all the Acts of Adoration,
resignation, patience and love
which this same Heart has made
during its mortal life
and which it makes still
and which it shall make eternally in Heaven,
in order that through it,
I may love Thee, praise Thee
and adore Thee worthily,
as much as it is possible for me.
I unite myself to this Divine Offering
which Thou dost make to Thy Divine Father
and I consecrate to Thee,
my whole being,
praying Thee, to destroy in me,
all sin and not to permit
that I should be separated from Thee,
in time and eternally.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/10/17/quote-s-of-the-day-17-octoberber-st-margaret-mary-alacoque/

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
“Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart“

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – St Edward King and Confessor (c1003-1066) – Sirach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour, so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him, Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

PRAYER – O God, Who crowned blessed King Edward with the glory of eternity, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate him on earth that we may be worthy to reign with him in heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 September – ‘ … But how to bring this plan to fruition? …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 September – The Feast of theN ativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Pentecost XVI – Proverbs 8:22-35 – Matthew 1:1-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary and of her was born Jesus , Who is called Christ.” – Matthew 1:16

REFLECTION – “In the beginning man had been formed out of pure and stainless earth (Gn 2:7) but his nature had been deprived of its innate dignity, when it was stripped of grace by the fall of disobedience and, was cast out of the land of life. In place of a Paradise of delight, it had nothing but a corruptible life, to hand on as its hereditary patrimony, a life from which death would follow, together with its consequence – the corruption of the race. We had,all of us, preferred the world here below to that on high. No hope of salvation remained; the state of our nature cried to Heaven for aid. There was no law which could cure our infirmity… In the end, according to His good pleasure, the Divine shaper of the universe decided to bring a new world, another world into being – a world of harmony and youth – from which the overwhelming contagion of sin and of its companion, death, would be cast out. A wholly new life, free and unencumbered, would be held out to us, who would find in Baptism a new and wholly Divine birth…

But how to bring this plan to fruition? Was it not fitting that a most pure and stainless virgin should first of all place herself at the service of this mysterious plan and should bear within her womb, the Infinite Being in a manner transcending the natural law?… Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had drawn from the virgin stainless earth, a little clay with which to fashion the first Adam, so He made use of another kind of earth, so to speak, when He brought about His Own Incarnation, namely that pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all creatures. In her He remade us anew, using our own substance and He, Adam’s Creator, became a new Adam, so that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (650-740) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that, as the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin stood for the beginning of our salvation, so may the solemn Feast of her Nativity, bring about an increase of peace. Through Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN Aspirations and Ejaculations, MARIAN Saturdays, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The LAMB of GOD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 September– “Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27

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One Minute Reflection – 6 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Our Lady’s Saturday – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16 – Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here:

“Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27

REFLECTION – “By the Spirit, from the womb of the Virgin, was born our Head, the Son of Man and, by the same Spirit, in the waters of Baptism, we are reborn as His Body and as sons of God. And just as He was born without any sin, so we are reborn in the forgiveness of all our sins. As on the Cross, He bore the sum total of the whole Body’s sins in His own physical Body, so He gave His members the grace of rebirth, in order that no sin might be imputed to His Mystical Body. It is written: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no sin. The blessed man of this text is undoubtedly Christ, Who forgives sins, insofar as God, is His Head. Insofar as this Man is the Head of the Body, no sin is forgiven Him. But, insofar as the Body that belongs to this Head, consists of many members, sin is not imputed to it.

Just as in Himself, it is He Who justifies Himself. He alone is both Saviour and saved. In His own Body on the Cross, He bore what He had washed from His Body by the waters of Baptism. Bringing salvation through wood and through water, He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world which He took upon Himself. Himself a Priest, He offers Himself as Sacrifice to God and He Himself, is God. Thus, through His own Self, the Son is reconciled to Himself as God, as well as to the Father and to the Holy Ghost.” – Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (An excerpt from his Sermon 42),

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ACT of ADORATION, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The ADORABLE HEART of JESUS, The NINE FIRST FRIDAYS

Our Morning Offering – 5 September – Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart for the First Friday today

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Our Morning Offering – 5 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – First Friday

Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God,
Whom I believe to be really present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar,
receive this most profound Act of Adoration
to supply for the desire I have,
to adore Thee unceasingly
and in thanksgiving,
for the sentiments of love
which Thy Sacred Heart
has for me in this Sacrament.
I cannot better acknowledge them,
than by offering Thee,
all the Acts of Adoration,
resignation, patience and love
which this same Heart has made
during its mortal life
and which it makes still
and which it shall make eternally in Heaven,
in order that through it,
I may love Thee, praise Thee
and adore Thee worthily,
as much as it is possible for me.
I unite myself to this Divine Offering
which Thou dost make to Thy Divine Father
and I consecrate to Thee,
my whole being,
praying Thee, to destroy in me,
all sin and not to permit
that I should be separated from Thee,
in time and eternally.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 September – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 1 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Giles (c650 – c710) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus Sir ach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour, so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him, Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

PRAYER – May the pleading of blessed Giles Abbo,t make us acceptable unto Thee O Lord, we pray that what we may not have through any merits of our own, we may gain by means of his patronage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ACT of ADORATION, ACT of CONTRITION, ACT OF FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY, ACT of LOVE, ACT of PERFECT CONTRITION, ACT of REPARATION, EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH

Thought for the Day – 23 August – Evening Prayer

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

Evening Prayer

“A page in the story of our lives is closed.
For all we know, it may be our last.
Sleep is a symbol of death.
How can we be certain that this night will not be our last?

A large number of people die during their sleep.
For this reason, our night prayers should include an Act of sincere and perfect Contrition for our sins, an Act of Love for God, our supreme benefactor and an Act of complete resignation to His Will.

When we are in bed, we should repeat the words of Jesus on the Cross, “Father, into Thy Hands, I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46).
If this prayer is on our lips and in our heart, we can sleep in peace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 August – ‘ … Even today! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Fourteen Holy Helpers – 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 – Mark 16:15-18 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And these signs shall follow them who believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents and, if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hand upon the sick and they shall recover.” – Mark 16:17-18

REFLECTION – “The Lord said to the Eleven: “And these signs shall follow them who believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents and, if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hand upon the sick and they shall recover.” In the primitive Church all the signs the Lord lists here, were fulfilled to the letter, not only by the Apostles but, many other of the Saints. The Gentiles would not have abandoned the worship of idols if the Gospel preaching had not been confirmed with so many signs and wonders. Indeed, did not the disciples preach “a Crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” according to Saint Paul’s saying? (1 Cor 1:23) …

As for us, from now on, signs and wonders are no longer needed, it is enough for us to read or hear an account of those which have happened. For we believe in the Gospel, we believe in the Scriptures which relate them. And yet, signs still take place daily and, if we would mark them well, we would acknowledge that they have far more worth than the concrete miracles of former times.

Everyday Priests administer Baptism and call to conversion – is not this to cast out demons? Everyday they speak a new language when they explain holy Scripture by replacing the old letter with the newness of its spiritual sense. They put serpents to flight, when they free sinners’ hearts from their attachment to evil with gentle exhortation … They cure the sick, when they reconcile weak souls to God with their prayers. Such are the signs the Lord had promised his Saints – it is these they accomplish even today!” – St Bruno of Segni O.Cart. (c1030 -1101) Cistercian Bishop (Commentary on Saint Mark’s Gospel).

PRAYER – PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us with the annual festival of Thy 14 holy Saints, mercifully grant, that we, who celebrate the anniversary of their death, may also strive to equal the courage of their Martyrdom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 August – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 4 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221) Confessor, Founder – 2 Timothy 4:1-8 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously enlightened Thy Church by the good works and teaching of St Dominic, Thy Confessor, grant by his intercession, that she may never be deprived of temporal helps and may ever advance in spiritual growth. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, HOLY COMMUNION, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 4 July – Act of Spiritual Communion By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 4 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the First Friday of July

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

I desire, good Jesus,
to receive Thee in Holy Communion
and since I cannot now receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually
and to refresh my soul with Thy sweetness.
Come, my Lord, my God and my All!
Come to me
and never let me ever again
be separated from Thee by sin.
Teach me Thy blessed ways,
help me with Thy grace to imitate Thy example,
to practise meekness, humility,
charity and all the virtues of Thy Sacred Heart.
My divine Master, my one desire is to do Thy will
and to love Thee, more and more.
Help me, that I may be faithful to the end, in Thy service.
Bless me in life and in death,
that I may praise Thee, forever in heaven,
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, INDULGENCES, PAPAL PRAYERS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY VIATICUM

Thought of the Day – 3 July – A Forgotten Jewel in the Catholic Crown

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Thought of the Day – 3 July – Thursday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart and The Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

A Forgotten Jewel in the Catholic Crown

“Thy most loving Heart of Jesus,
dwells in this Sacrament burning with love for us.
It is there, continually performing
thousands of good deeds towards us.”

St John Eudes (1601-1680)
“Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts”

On this date, we celebrate the Feast of The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus which occurs on the Thursday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart.

On 9 November 1921, Pope Benedict XV instituted the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to be celebrated on the Thursday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart with a Proper Mass and Office.
In instituting the Feast, Pope Benedict XV wrote:

“The chief reason for this Feast, is to commemorate the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Mystery of the Eucharist. By this means the Church wishes, more and more, to excite the faithful to approach this Sacred Mystery with confidence and, to inflame their hearts with that Divine Charity which consumed the Sacred Heart of Jesus, when, in His Infinite Love, He instituted the Most Holy Eucharist, wherein the Divine Heart guards and loves them by living with them, as they live and abide in Him.
For, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, He offers and gives Himself to us as Victim, Companion, Nourishment, Viaticum and Pledge of our future glory!”

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
By Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O Fount of every good!
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and sincerely repenting of my sins,
I present to Thee my poor heart.
Give it back to me
humble, patient,
pure and in everything,
conformed to Thy wishes.
Make me, O good Jesus,
live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in dangers,
comfort me in afflictions,
grant me health of body,
succour in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing in all my works
and the grace of a holy death.
Amen

Indulgence – 100 days
Once a day
Pope Benedict XV
4 December 1916