Category: CONFESSION

Posted in CATECHESIS, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, St Francis de Sales, VENIAL SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – It shall be loosed also in Heaven …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – 1 Peter 5:1-4, 10-11; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth,
it shall be bound also in Heaven
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth,
it shall be loosed also in Heaven.”

Matthew 16:19

“But He still follows behind us and counsels us,
although we have despised Him,
He still does not cease to call us.
We turn our backs on His face, so to speak,
when we reject His Words,
when we trample His Commandments underfoot
but He, Who sees that we reject Him,
still calls out to us by His Commandments
and waits for us by His patience,
stands behind us and calls us back
when we have turned away.”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“We fight the monsters of Africa
in imagination
but, from lack of attention,
we allow ourselves, in reality,
to be killed by the little serpents
which lie in our way!”

(Intro to the Devout Life III:37)

“Do not content yourself
with confessing your venial sins
merely as to the fact
but accuse yourself too,
of the motive which induced you
to commit them.”

(Introduction to the Devout Life,
Part II, Chapter 19).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Yet, after all it is the natural
and most suitable means of preparation.
It helps us to bring into subjection,
that lower nature which rebels against
the sovereignty of our King.
It detaches us from finding our satisfaction
in earthly things.
It is, in itself, an act of obedience to our King.
It renders us humble and teaches us
to put our necks under the yoke.
It saves us from being separated
from the Kingdom we are to share
by the long prison of Purgatory.
Learn from all this, to love penance!”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 January – ‘ … Our God, … wants us to confess … in this world, so that we may not be ashamed … in the next. … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – Saint Pope Marcellus I (Died 309) – 1 Peter 5:1-4, 10-11; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19

REFLECTION – “For our wellbeing and salvation, all the Holy Scriptures warn us constantly and humbly, to confess our sins, not only before God but also before a holy and god-fearing man. This is what the Holy Ghost advises us to do through the mouth of James the Apostle: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed” (5:16) … and the psalmist says: “I confess my faults to the Lord and Thou took away the guilt of my sin” (Ps 31:5).

We are always wounded by our sins and, in the same way, we should always have recourse to the medicine of Confession. For indeed, if God wants us to confess our sins, it is not because He would be unable to know what they are but because, the devil wants to find something of which to accuse us before the Judgement Seat of the Eternal Judge. That is why he would rather we thought more about excusing them than accusing ourselves of them. Our God, to the contrary, being good and merciful, wants us to confess them in this world, so that we may not be ashamed because of them in the next. So, if we confess them, then He, on His part, shows Himself to be merciful; if we acknowledge them, then He forgives … As for ourselves, my brethren, we are really your spiritual physicians, seeking with all concern to heal your souls.” – St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon to the laity No 59 ).

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously hear the prayers of Thy people, that we may be helped by the merits of blessed Marcellus, Thy Pope and Martyr, whose sufferings we celebrate. 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 ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on SACRILEGE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, VENIAL SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – ‘Make ready then the vessel of your soul …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Advent Preparation and Penance

“Make ready then the vessel of your soul
that you may become a son of God
and an heir of God
and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17);
if, indeed, you are preparing yourself
that you may receive;
if you are drawing near in faith
that you may be made faithful;
if of set purpose,
you are putting off the old man!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“If they, must regard themselves
as useless servants, who have done all their duty,
what must I do, who have done
so small a part of what I ought to have done?”

St Andrew Avellino CR (1521–1608)

“What better penance
can a heart do
which commits faults,
than to submit
to a continual abnegation
of self-will?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“What hope would you entertain
of the recovery of the man, who,
instead of taking the medicine prescribed by his physician, drank a cup of poison instead?
God! What can the Sacrament of Penance be
to those who conceal their sins but a deadly poison
which adds to their guilt, the malice of Sacrilege?
What, then, does the sinner do, when he conceals
his sins in Confession?
He tramples underfoot, the Blood of Jesus Christ.
And should he afterwards receive the Holy Communion
in a state of sin, he is, according to St Chrysostom,
as guilty as if he threw the Consecrated Host into a sink …
Accursed shame! how many poor souls
do you bring to hell?
… Unhappy souls! they think only of the shame
of confessing their sins and do not reflect
that, if they conceal them, they shall be
certainly damned!”

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

“Unfortunately, our only return for God’s
continual favours, has been negligence,
ingratitude and sin!
Since it is an offence against God,
Who is infinitely good and amiable,
even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for
by the merits of all the Angels
and of all the Saints of Heaven.
Therefore, it was necessary for the Son of God,
made Man, to offer Himself
as a Victim of Expiation, on our behalf.
Remembering His Infinite Merits,
we should humbly ask God –
‘forgive us our debts.‘ that is, our many sins
and failings and, whatever punishment is owing to us,
for every sin demands some expiation,
either in this life or in the next!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 September – Awake and arise!

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 September – Ferial Day – Galatians 5:16-24, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Young man,
I say to thee,
arise!”

Luke 7:14

“I shall arise and shall go to my Father”

Luke 15:18

“Awake, O Sleeper and Rise from the Dead”

Ephesians 5:14

“Listen to the Lord’s appeal:
‘Come, then, return to Me
and learn to know Me as your Father,
Who repays good for evil,
love for injury
and boundless charity
for piercing wounds!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“As the prodigal son,
I will return to my Father’s house
and I will be welcomed back home.
I shall do the same, as he did –
will the Father not grant my prayer too?
O forgiving Father, here I am at Thy door
and I knock, open to me, let me enter,
so that I may not ruin myself, go away and die!
Thou made me Thy heir
and I neglected my inheritance
and squandered my goods –
from now on, may I be as a mercenary
and as a servant to Thee.”

St Jacob of Sarug (c451-521)
Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Father

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CONFESSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher and St Thomas More – Martyrs

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher (1469-1535) Bishop, Martyr, Cardinal and St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr, Confessor.

“Contrition is to have sorrow at heart
and great repentance of all sins
and to have steadfast purpose to keep
and abstain himself from all deadly sins.
For he who has intention, to return to deadly sin,
his confession avails him nothing!”

“Whether we eat or drink,
wake or sleep,
laugh or weep,
our life here is always
drawing to an end.”

“Is it not a wonderful thing
that He, that is, the Lord
and Author of all liberty,
would thus be bound with ropes
and nailed hand and foot unto the Cross?
Thus, whoever, with a meek heart
and a true faith,
muses and marvels over this
most wonderful book (I speak of the Crucifix),
he shall come to more fruitful knowledge
than many others who, each day,
study their common books.”

St John Fisher (1469-1535)
Bishop, Martyr, Cardinal

“The soul cannot thrive
in the absence of a garden.
If you do not want Paradise,
you are not human
and if you are not human,
you do not have a soul!”

“We cannot go to Heaven in featherbeds.”

“[How can anyone] be silly enough
to think himself better than others
because his clothes are made
of finer woolen thread than theirs.?
After all, those fine clothes
were once worn by a sheep
and they never turned it into
anything better than a sheep!”

“Pride thinks it’s own happiness
shines the brighter, by comparing it
with the misfortunes of others.”

St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Martyr, Confessor

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/07/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-july-st-john-fisher-and-st-thomas-more/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CONFESSION, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – ‘ … Bridegroom and Bride …’

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One Minute Reflection – 20 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Pope Silverius (Died 538) Martyr – Jude 1:17-21; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19

REFLECTION – “Bridegroom and Bride, that is Christ and the Church, are as one, be it in receiving confession or in bestowing absolution. All this makes clear why Christ had to tell each of us: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Mt 8:4)… It follows that apart from Christ, the Church cannot grant forgiveness and that Christ has no will to forgive, apart from the Church. The Church’s authority to forgive extends only to the repentant, to those, that is, whom Christ has already touched; Christ, on His part, has no intention of regarding as forgiven, one who despises the Church.

Doubtless, Christ need accept no restraints to His power of Baptising, Consecrating the Eucharist, Ordaining Priests, forgiving sins and the like but, the humble and faithful Bridegroom, prefers to confer such blessings, with the co-operation of His Bride. “What God,” then, “has joined, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19:6). “I say this is a great mystery and refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:32)… To remove the Head from the Body (Col 1:18) were to ruin the whole Christ, irreparably. Christ, apart from the Church, is no more the whole Christ, than the Church is complete, if separated from Christ. Head and Body go to make the whole and entire Christ.” – Bl Isaac of Stella (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (Sermon 11, §11-814).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Sylverius Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. 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).

ALL PRAISE, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS. Indulgenced– 50 Days, once a day. 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CONFESSION, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR

Thought for the Day – 25 September – Frequent Confession and Communion

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Thought for the Day – 25 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Frequent Confession and Communion

“Frequent Confession keeps us prepared for a good and holy death.
We do not know when our lives will end and, therefore, it is necessary to keep ourselves pure and free from sin in the sight of God.
We know that death will come to us when we least expect it, as the Gospel assures us and it will come like a thief.
It is necessary to be always ready for the great encounter with our Eternal Judge.

In this way, the natural fear of death will be diminished.
Being free from sin through the infinite mercy of God, we shall face, with greater courage, the journey into eternity and we shall realise that the good sister, Death, has come to release us from bondage and save us from the danger of ever offending God again!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/29/thought-for-the-day-29-september-frequent-confession-and-communion-part-one/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/20/thought-for-the-day-20-april-frequent-confession-and-communion/

Posted in CONFESSION, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 18 August – Two Paths to Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 18 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Two Paths to Heaven

“The second path to Heaven, however, demands sacrifice on our part.
Our repentance must be practical and supernatural.
It should lead us to confess our sins in the Sacrament of Penance and to regain God’s friendship in Holy Communion.
After that, our way must be one of self-mortification: “Unless you repent,” Jesus warns us, “you will all perish” (Lk 13:51).

The first penance which we must perform, is to offer to God, all the physical and moral sufferings which are in store for us during life and at the hour of death.
Then, we must add our own voluntary acts of self-denial.
The generosity of the Saints, in this regard, was rewarded by the lasting friendship of God.
As for ourselves, we should remember that Jesus, Himself, has warned us that we shall be lost if we neglect to do penance (Ibid).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/26/thought-for-the-day-26-august-two-paths-to-heaven-part-one/
PART TWO: https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/17/thought-for-the-day-17-march-two-paths-to-heaven-part-two/

Posted in CONFESSION, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 18 July – Our Dominant Passion

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Thought for the Day – 18 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Our Dominant Passion

“We can conquer our predominant passion by the following means:
(a) Fervent prayer.
(b) A daily Examination of Conscience ,in the course of which we shall discover, whether we have made any progress, in the way of perfection and, shall renew our good resolutions.
(c) Weekly, or at least, fortnightly Confession.
(d) Daily, or at least, frequent Communion.
(e) Avoidance of the occasions of sin and employment of the necessary means to overcome sin.
(f) The performance of good actions which, are opposed to our predominant passion.
(g) Determination to fight and to conquer because we are convinced that it is absolutely necessary to do so.

There can be no half measures, for the only alternative to victory is defeat!
If we are conquered, we shall be slaves of passion in this life and shall be everlastingly unhappy in the next.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/20/thought-for-the-day-20-july-our-dominant-passion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/07/21/thought-for-the-day-21-july-our-dominant-passion/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, OUR Cross, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher and St Thomas More

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher (1469-1535) Martyr, Bishop and St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr, Confessor

“I reckon in this realm,
no one man,
in wisdom, learning
and long approved virtue together,
meet to be matched
and compared with him.”

St Thomas More speaking of St John Fisher

“Penance is a needful thing to the sinner,
who desires to recover health of his soul.
And, in doing penance, there be three things
to be considered:
serious compunction of heart,
confession of mouth
and satisfaction by deed.”

“Beware of those prophets who speak unto you
and deceive you!
They prophecy nothing
but the imaginations and forgings
of their own minds
and not the truth of Holy Scripture!”

St John Fisher (1469-1535)

Give Me Thy Grace, Good Lord!
A Prayer of Hope
By St Thomas More (1478-1535)

Give me Thy grace, good Lord.
To set the world at naught.
To set the mind firmly on Thee
and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths.
To be content to be solitary.
Not to long for worldly pleasures.
Little by little, utterly to cast off the world
and rid my mind of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things
but that the hearing of worldly fancies,
may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God,
piteously to call for His help.
To lean into the comfort of God.
Busily to labour to love Him.
To know mine own vileness and wretchedness.
To humble myself under the mighty Hand of God.
To bewail my sins past,
for the purging of them,
patiently to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here.
To be joyful in tribulations.
To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To bear the Cross with Christ.
To have the last thing in remembrance.
To have ever before mine eyes,
my death that is ever at hand.
To make death no stranger to me.
To foresee and consider,
the everlasting fire of Hell.
To pray for pardon before the Judge come.
To have continually in mind,
the Passion that Christ suffered for me.
For His benefits, unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again, that I before have lost.
To abstain from vain conversations.
To shun foolish mirth and gladness.
To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance,
friends, liberty, life and all,
to set the loss at naught,
for the winning of Christ.
To think my worst enemies, my best friends,
for the brethren of Joseph
could never have done him
so much good with their love and favour,
as they did him, with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man,
than all the treasures of all the princes and kings,
Christian and heathen,
were it gathered and laid together,
all in one heap.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 June –Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth … Matthew 16:19

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 29 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Acts 12:1-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19

REFLECTION – “Bridegroom and Bride, that is Christ and the Church, are as one, be it in receiving confession or in bestowing absolution. All this makes clear why Christ had to tell each of us: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Mt 8,4)… It follows that apart from Christ, the Church cannot grant forgiveness and that Christ has no will to forgive, apart from the Church. The Church’s authority to forgive extends only to the repentant, to those, that is, whom Christ has already touched; Christ, on His part, has no intention of regarding as forgiven, one who despises the Church.

Doubtless, Christ need accept no restraints to His power of Baptising, Consecrating the Eucharist, Ordaining Priests, forgiving sins and the like but, the humble and faithful Bridegroom, prefers to confer such blessings, with the co-operation of His Bride. “What God,” then, “has joined, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19,6). “I say this is a great mystery and refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5,32)… To remove the Head from the Body (Col 1,18) were to ruin the whole Christ, irreparably. Christ, apart from the Church, is no more the whole Christ, than the Church is complete, if separated from Christ. Head and Body go to make the whole and entire Christ.” – Bl Isaac of Stella (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (Sermon 11, §11-814).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Thy Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things the teaching of those from whom she first received the faith. 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).

ALL PRAISE, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS. Indulgenced– 50 Days, once a day. 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD, VENIAL SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – ‘“She began to bathe His feet with her tears …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Thursday in Passion Week – Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“Do not content yourself
with confessing your venial sins
merely as to the fact
but accuse yourself too,
of the motive which induced you
to commit them.”
(Introduction to the Devout Life,
Part II, Chapter 19).

“We must be very sorry for faults
with a repentance which is strong,
constant, tranquil
but not troubled, unquiet or fainthearted.”
(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 9, Chapter 7).

“Christ was more concerned
with St. Peter’s repentance and remorse,
than with his sin.”
(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, VII, 8)

​St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in CONFESSION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 16 March – Purification

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Thought for the Day – 16 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Purification

“We should also value Indulgences as a means of spiritual purification.
They ought not to be treated lightly.
Jesus gave His Church, the power of loosing and binding every bond of sin.
As long as we have the necessary dispositions, therefore, it can draw on the merits of Christ and of the Saints, to release us from the temporal punishment due to the sins which have already been forgiven us.
It achieves this by the concession of Indulgences.
These require, on our part, the fulfilment of certain conditions, a sincere sorrow for sin and, a strong resolution never to offend God again.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/19/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification-2/

Posted in CONFESSION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Thought for the Day – 25 February – The Sacrament of Penance

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Thought for the Day – 25 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacrament of Penance

“St Charles Borromeo had the habit of going to Confession everyday.
This was not the result of scruples on his p[art, it was simply that he was supernaturally enlightened so as to perceive, even his smallest faults and he was anxious to remove, from his soul, the slightest trace of sin.

We do not have to follow his example but, weekly or fortnightly Confession is strongly recommended by spiritual writers.
It is a great loss to neglect Confession for too long a period.
We are deprived of the graces of this Sacrament, our fervour grows cold and we slip easily from venial into mortal sin.

Let us decide to make a good Confession every week whenever we find it possilbe.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/23/thought-for-the-day-23-february-the-sacrament-of-penance/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/23/thought-for-the-day-22-february-the-sacrament-of-penance/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, INDULGENCES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 25 July – Purification

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Purification

“We should also value Indulgences as a means of spiritual purification.
They ought not to be treated lightly.
Jesus gave His Church, the power of loosing and binding every bond of sin.
As long as we have the necessary dispositions, therefore, it can draw on the merits of Christ and of the Saints, to release us from the temporal punishment due to the sins which have already been forgiven us.
It achieves this by the concession of Indulgences.
These require, on our part, the fulfilment of certain conditions, a sincere sorrow for sin and, a strong resolution never to offend God again.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/19/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 February – ‘Persevere to the end’

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 February – Septuagessima Weekday – 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 10:1-5, Matthew 20:1-6

“Even so, the last shall be first
and the first last;
for many are called
but few are chosen.”

Matthew 20:16

“This is the time for Confession.
Confess the sins you have committed
in word or deed,
by day or by night.
Confess during this “favourable time”
and on “the day of salvation,”
receive Heaven’s treasure… ”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350),
Father & Doctor of the Church

“… We must all rejoice exceedingly,
to be even the last,
in the Kingdom of God!”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father and Doctor

“From now on, then,
if God has no need of your goods,
neither does He have to give you this great thing,
if you refuse to love Him,
all He requires is love,
without which nothing constrains His giving.
Love, then and you will receive
the Kingdom, love and you will possess it…
Love God more than yourself
and already, you begin to have
what it is your desire to possess fully, in heaven.”

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor magnificus
Doctor Marianus

“Rejoice and be happy!
Persevere to the end
and prefer to die
rather than abandon the post,
to which God has called you!”

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

Posted in CONFESSION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 February – “Until the harvest” – – Matthew 13:30

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One Minute Reflection – 6 February – The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – Readings: Colossians 3:12-17, Matthew 13:24-30

“Suffer both to grow until the harvest” – Matthew 13:30

REFLECTION – “Nor must one imagine that the Body of the Church, just because it bears the name of Christ, is made up during the days of its earthly pilgrimage, only of members conspicuous for their holiness, or, that it consists only of those whom God has predestined to eternal happiness. It is owing to the Saviour’s infinite mercy, that place is allowed in His Mystical Body here below, for those whom, of old, He did not exclude from the banquet (cf. Mt 9:11). For not every sin, however grave it may be, is such as of its own nature to sever a man from the Body of the Church, as does schism or heresy or apostasy. Men may lose charity and divine grace through sin, thus becoming incapable of supernatural merit and yet, not be deprived of all life, if they hold fast to faith and Christian hope and if, illumined from above, they are spurred on, by the interior promptings of the Holy Spirit to salutary fear and are moved to prayer and penance for their sins.

Let everyone then abhor sin, which defiles the mystical members of our Redeemer but,, if anyone unhappily falls and his obstinacy has not made him unworthy of communion with the faithful, let him be received with great love and let eager charity see in him a weak member of Jesus Christ. For, as the Bishop of Hippo remarks –
“it is better to be cured within the Church’s community than to be cut off from its Body as incurable members. As long as a member still forms part of the Body, there is no reason to despair of its cure; once it has been cut off, it can be neither cured nor healed.’”- Venerable Pius XII (1876-1958) – Pope from 1939 to 1958 – Encyclical – Mystici Corporis Christi, 1943.

PRAYER – All-powerful and ever-living God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, help us in our battle with sin and the devil. By our prayers, Your holy sacraments and the strength of the Holy Spirit, may we be ever vigilant of the evil one. Hear the prayers of our Queen and Mother, the Blessed Virgin of Mercy on our behalf dear Lord. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in BAPTISM, CONFESSION, CONFIRMATION, EXTREME UNCTION, HOLY COMMUNION, HOLY ORDERS, HOLY SPIRIT, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 21 April – The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

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Thought for the Day – 21 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

“It is a great dignity to be a Christian.
By Baptism, we become sons of God, heirs to Heaven, temples of the Holy Spirit and members of the Mystical Body of Jesus, which is the Church.
God’s grace raises us to the supernatural order and makes us, as St Paul expresses it, sharers in the divine nature.
By the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit fortifies our faith and gives us the strength to resist the temptations of the devil and to fight like loyal soldiers, for the triumph in ourselves and in others, of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Penance, is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin.

Although, we are all wretched sinners, by this give of the divine mercy, we can recover our lost innocence and return to the grace and friendship of God.
Moreover, in order to prevent us from falling back into sin, Jesus give us Himself in the Blessed Eucharist, which is called, by St Thomas Aquinas, the greatest miracle of His infinite love (Opusculum 56, Officium de festo Corporis Christi, lectures 1-4).

But this is not all.
If it is our vocation for form a family, God consecrates our union at the altar and gives us the graces necessary, to sanctify it, so that it may produce a good Christian family.
If God has called us, on the other hand, to become spiritual fathers of the souls redeemed by His Precious Blood, He raises us to this high dignity, by the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Finally, when we shall have come to the end of our mortal lives, the Priest will be still by our side, to wash away, by the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, the last traces of sin and to comfort us in our passage to eternity.
The whole life of a Christian, is a chain of favours which accompany him, from the cradle to the grave.
We should be grateful to God for the goodness with which He has treated us and continues to treat us.
We should co-operate generously with His gifts by recognising the lofty honour it is, to be a Christian and by living in accordance with this dignity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on GRACE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 20 April – Frequent Confession and Communion

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Thought for the Day – 20 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Frequent Confession and Communion

“The purifying and reforming action of frequent Confession is completed by the practice of receiving Communion, as frequently as possible.

Sacramental Confession gives us the grace of God, while Holy Communion gives us the Author of that grace, Jesus Christ, living and really present, Who comes to dwell in our poor hearts.
How can anybody who goes frequently to Confession and Communion sin?
How can any man cast himself once more into the clutches of the devil after experiencing the heavenly consolation of the Eucharist?

Do not protest that we are not worthy to go to Holy Communion frequently…
It is true that we are not worthy but, we have a great need of this divine nourishment.
If we wait until we are worthy, we shall never approach the Sacred Banquet but, if we realise our need of Jesus, we shall want to receive Him everyday.
This was the practice of the early Christians, who were persevering in prayer and in the ‘Breaking of Bread’ that is, in receiving Holy Communion.
From the divine Eucharist, they gained the courage to endure martyrdom.
A good life is a slow martyrdom – we, who must be virtuous, have a continual need of Holy Communion, the food of the strong!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/29/thought-for-the-day-29-september-frequent-confession-and-communion-part-one/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 9 April – The Repentance of St Peter

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Thought for the Day – 9 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Repentance of St Peter

“Peter had denied his Master three times.
He was standing in the courtyard of the High Priest, waming hmself before a brazier and not even thinking of the depths to which he had descended.
Jesus, caluminated, struck and mocked, as if He were a criminal, forgets altogether about Himself.
Moved by compassion for the leader of His Apostles, now become a perjurer, He turns His gaze towards him.
Peter is jerked back to his senses by this look, which is at the same time, stern and affectionate.
He realises at last, the level to which he has fallen.
He is stricken to the heart and feels a sudden tightness in hs throat.
“And Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:62).

Peter saw clearly, at this stage, the chasm into which he had fallen.
He thought of all the gifts and favours which he had received from Jesus and recalled the prophecy which his Master had made.
“A cock will not crow ths day, until thou hast denied, three times, that thou knowest me” (Lk 22:34).
He remembered, also, how he had sworn that he would never deny Jesus.
Now he saw himself in the role of the prodigal son or the lost sheep … and, as he wept bitterly, he saw again, the reproachful, yet loving gaze of Jesus.
His grief found an outlet in hIs tears and he was filled with confidence, that Jesus, in His infinite goodness, wuld forgive him.

If we should fall (as we often do, unfortunately), let us rise again immediately, as Peter did.
Let us weep for our sins and kneeling before Jesus, represented by the Priest, let us confess our faults and tell God, that we shall never offend Him again. ”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, St PETER!, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Lenten Journey Day Forty – 30 March – I confess that I am deserving of all scorn and contempt.

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Lenten Journey Day Forty – 30 March – Tuesday of Holy Week, Readings: First: Isaiah 49: 1-6, Psalm: Psalms 71: 1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17, Gospel: John 13: 21-33, 36-38

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“The cock will not crow before you deny me three times.” – John 13:38

Truly, my sins have deserved nothing but hell and everlasting damnation.
I confess that I am deserving of all scorn and contempt.
Neither is it fitting that I should be remembered among Your devoted servants. And although it is hard for me to hear this, yet for truth’s sake I will accuse my sins against myself, so that I may more easily deserve to beg Your mercy.
What shall I say, guilty as I am and full of all confusion?
My tongue can say nothing but this alone: “I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned; have mercy on me and pardon me. Suffer me a little that I may pour out my grief, before I go to that dark land that is covered with the shadow of death.” (Job 10:20-21)

What do you especially demand of a guilty and wretched sinner, except that he be contrite and humble himself for his sins?
In true sorrow and humility of heart, hope of forgiveness is born, the troubled conscience is reconciled, grace is found, man is preserved from the wrath to come and God and the penitent meet with a holy kiss.

To You, O Lord, humble sorrow for sins is an acceptable sacrifice, a sacrifice far sweeter than the perfume of incense. This is also the pleasing ointment which You would have poured upon Your sacred feet, for a contrite and humble heart You will not spurn (Ps 51:19). There is the place of refuge from the wrath of the enemy, there, watever has been defiled, is washed away.
(Book 3 Ch 52:2b-4)

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – St John Climacus

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – The Memorial of St John Climacus (c 525-606) Father of the Church

“A servant of the Lord
stands bodily before men
but mentally,
he is knocking at the gates of heaven.
with prayer.”

“Confession is like a bridle
that keeps the soul,
which reflects on it,
from committing sin
but anything left unconfessed,
we continue to do without fear,
as if in the dark.”

St John Climacus (c 525-606)
Father of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-march-st-john-climacus-humility/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, INDULGENCES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 16 March – Purification

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Thought for the Day – 16 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Purification

“God has given us two supernatural means of purifying ourselves after we have sinned – the Sacrament of Penance and Indulgences.
The Sacrament of Penance is the plank of salvation to which we can cling when we have been shipwrecked by sin and, by means of Indulgences, we can draw on the infinite treasury of the merits of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints, in order to make partial or total satisfaction for the temporal punishment due to our sins.
In this way, we can shorten our purgatory in this life and escape it in the next!

We should make good use of the Sacrament of Penance.
If we fall into mortal sin, let us have recourse at once to this fount of grace.
Even when we are not in mortal sin, let us be faithful to the practice of weekly or at least, fortnightly, confession.

We should not abuse this great gift simply because it seems such a simple method of obtaining pardon.
God is infinitely just, we must remember and, He expects us to co-operate with His graces.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One Here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification/Adv

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Twenty-eighth of our Lenten Journey – ‘… Despise the world and seek to live for God… ‘

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Day Twenty-eighth of our Lenten Journey – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12, Psalms 46:2-3, 5-6,8-9, John 5:1-16

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“Do you wish to be healed?” – John 5:6

I WILL bring witness against myself to my injustice and to You, O Lord, I will confess my weakness.

Often it is a small thing that makes me downcast and sad. I propose to act bravely but when even a small temptation comes, I find myself in great straits. Sometimes, it is the merest trifle which gives rise to grievous temptations. When I think myself somewhat safe and when I am not expecting it, I frequently find myself almost overcome by a slight wind. Look, therefore, Lord, at my lowliness and frailty, which You know so well. Have mercy on me and snatch me out of the mire, that I may not be caught in it and may not remain forever utterly despondent.

That I am so prone to fall and so weak in resisting my passions, oppresses me frequently and confounds me, in Your sight. While I do not fully consent to them, still their assault is very troublesome and grievous to me and it wearies me exceedingly, thus to live in daily strife. Yet from the fact that abominable fancies rush in upon me, much more easily than they leave, my weakness becomes clear to me.

Oh that You, most mighty God of Israel, zealous Lover of faithful souls, would consider the labour and sorrow of Your servant and assist him in all his undertakings! Strengthen me with heavenly courage, lest the outer man, the miserable flesh, against which I shall be obliged to fight, so long as I draw a breathw, in this wretched life and which is not yet subjected to the spirit, prevail and dominate me.

Alas! What sort of life is this, from which troubles and miseries are never absent, where all things are full of snares and enemies? For when one trouble or temptation leaves, another comes. Indeed, even while the first conflict is still raging, many others begin unexpectedly. How is it possible to love a life that has such great bitterness, that is subject to so many calamities and miseries? Indeed, how can it even be called life, when it begets so many deaths and plagues? And yet, it is loved and many seek their delight in it.

Many persons often blame the world for being false and vain, yet do not readily give it up because the desires of the flesh have such great power. Some things draw them to love the world, others make them despise it. The lust of the flesh, the desire of the eyes and the pride of life lead to love, while the pains and miseries, which are the just consequences of those things, beget hatred and weariness of the world.

Vicious pleasure overcomes the soul that is given to the world. She thinks that there are delights beneath these thorns because she has never seen or tasted the sweetness of God or the internal delight of virtue. They, on the other hand, who entirely despise the world and seek to live for God, under the rule of holy discipline, are not ignorant of the divine sweetness, promised to those who truly renounce the world. They see clearly how gravely the world errs and in how many ways it deceives.
(Book 3 Ch 20)

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 13 March – Mortification and Penance

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Thought for the Day – 13 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Mortification and Penance

“Our Lord reiterates many times, the command to do penance.
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17).
He even insists on penance as a necessary condition for salvation.
“Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same manner” (Lk 13:3).
It is a stern command and it may even seem cruel to some.
Why does the infinitely good God, Who is our loving Father, wish us to impose penances and sufferings on ourselves?
The answer is simple.
God makes us suffer and do penance because He knows that it is necessary for our salvation.
It is because He loves us and desires our welfare.

Mortification and suffering are necessary for two reasons.
They are particularly necessary because, we are all sinners and must expiate our sins.
Secondly, they are necessary because, without penance and suffering, we become attached to the world and forget all about Heaven, which is our real home.
In His love for us, therefore, God commands us to do penance.

The Saints were gluttons for penance and mortifiation and went as far as imposing on themelves, sufferings which horrify us today.
What are we doing in the way of penance?
Let us remember the command of Jesus: “Unless you repent, you will all perish!” (Ibid).”

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/25/thought-for-the-day-25-march-mortification-and-penance/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Repent!

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Wednesday of the First week of Lent, Readings: Jonah 3:1-10,Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19, Luke 11:29-32

“The sign of Jonah”

Luke 11:29

“Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your hearts, not your garments
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger,
rich in kindness
and relenting in punishment.”

Joel 2:12-13

“… In the conceitedness of our souls,
without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward
as those who have resisted sin to the death!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Today, for those who will not repent
at the approach of the kingdom of heaven,
the reproof of the Lord Jesus is the same…
As for when the end of the world will be,
that is God’s concern…
Even so, the time is very near for each of us,
for we are mortal.”

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

“My children, eternal life is being offered to us,
the kingdom of heaven is made ready
and Christ’s inheritance awaits us …
So let us run from now on with increased energy
and above all you, lazy, recalcitrant,
dull of heart, friends of murmuring who,
unless you improve, are like the cursed fig tree.
… Let us seek out the fight,
bravely pour with our sweat,
adorn ourselves with crowns,
gain praises and gather up,
like a treasure,
“what eye has not seen
and ear has not heard
and what has not entered the human heart”
(1 Cor 2:9).

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“And when I hear it said,
that God is good and He will pardon us
and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing,
oh, how it grieves me!
The infinite goodness
with which God communicates with us,
sinners as we are,
should constantly make us love and serve Him better
but we, on the contrary,
instead of seeing in His goodness
an obligation to please Him,
convert it into an excuse for sin,
which will, of a certainty,
lead in the end,
to our deeper condemnation.”

St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

Posted in BAPTISM, CONFESSION, CONFIRMATION, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD, SACRAMENTS, St PETER!, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 22 February – The Church

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Thought for the Day – 22 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

The Church

“Besides being our infallible teacher, the Church is also our affectionate Mother.
Along with the inexhaustible treasury of His graces, it has inherited, from Jesus, His infinite love fo all mankind.
Let us consider what the Church does and has done for us.
As soon as we are born into this mortal life, She gives us, through the waters of Baptism, a second life, which is supernatural and everlasting.
When we are a little older and exposed to the onslaughts of evil, She stengthens us in gace by means of another Sacrament and makes us soldiers of Christ.
She raises us up.
In the Sacament of Penance, She gives us God’s forgiveness and the spiritual strength to rise agin.
Moeover, She gives us Jesus Christ Himself, in the Blessed Eucharist.
By means of another Sacament, she elevates those who receive the power of Orders.
In yet another, She blesses and consecrates matrimonial love and the pure marriage union.
When we are dying, She comes, compassionately to our side again and, through the final Sacrament, gives us strength and purity of purpose, for the great journey into eternity.
Nor is this enough.
She is present with her prayers and blessings, even by our coffin nd by our graveside.

We owe the Church more than obedience!
We owe Her our love!
We should love very much, this good Mother, who accompanies us from the cradle to the grave, from our birth upon earth, to our spiritual birth into everlasting happiness!” Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/19/thought-for-the-day-19-january-the-church-jesus-masterpiece/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, INDULGENCES, LENT, LENT 2021, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PURGATORY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 19 February – Purification

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Thought for the Day – 19 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Purification

“God has given us two supernatural means of purifying ourselves after we have sinned – the Sacrament of Penance and Indulgences.
The Sacrament of Penance is the plank of salvation to which we can cling when we have been shipwrecked by sin and, by means of Indulgences, we can draw on the infinite treasury of the merits of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints, in order to make partial or total satisfaction for the temporal punishment due to our sins.
In this way, we can shorten our purgatory in this life and escape it in the next!

We should make good use of the Sacrament of Penance.
If we fall into mortal sin, let us have recourse at once to this fount of grace.
Even when we are not in mortal sin, let us be faithful to the practice of weekly or at least, fortnightly, confession.

We should not abuse this great gift simply because it seems such a simple method of obtaining pardon.
God is infinitely just, we must remember and, He expects us to co-operate with His graces.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One Here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-purification/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 30 January – Depending Always on Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Depending Always on Jesus

“We must continue to trust in Jesus even when we have been guilty of imperfection or of sin.
Sin, according to St Thomas Aquinas, is the denial of love and, therefore, of God, Who is charity.
It places a distance between God and the soul.
Precisely because of this, whenever we fall into sin or imperfection, we should return immediately to Jesus and ask Him to support us once more, in our weakness.
There is no need to be afraid.
It was for this purpose that He became man and suffered and died for love of us.
We can be sure, that whenever we return to Him, in a spirit of repentance, He will receive us lovingly and will grant us forgiveness,
He will support us with His omnipotent power, so that we may not fall again.

We must, as St Francis de Sales writes, lean on the arm of Jesus, as the child leans securely on the arm of it’s mother.
“It matters little,” he adds, “where she walks, on a grassy plain or on a steep path surrounded by precipices.”
She, is his mother and she carries him; that is enough to make him happy and content.
We must trust Jesus in this way, relying always on His support in joy and in sorrow, in moments of trial and in moments of satisfaction, in life and in death.
Let us not be afraid; Jesus is better and stronger than our earthly mother.
If He guides and supports us, we can be sure of Heaven, no matter what happens!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONFESSION, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, INCORRUPTIBLES, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – Our Lady of Sorrows and of St Catherine of Genoa

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows and of St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

‘By the cross of our salvation
Mary stood in desolation
While the Saviour hung above
All her human powers failing,
Sorrow’s sword, at last prevailing,
Stabs and breaks her heart of love…
Virgin Mary, full of sorrow,
From your love I ask to borrow
Love enough to share your pain.
Make my heart to burn with fire,
Make Christ’s love my own desire,
Who for love of me was slain.’

Stabat Mater

“The spear which opened His side
passed through the soul of the Virgin,
which could not be torn
from the heart of Jesus.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“Whoever you are, who love the Mother of God,
take note and reflect
with all your innermost feelings,
upon her, who wept for the Only-Begotten as He died…
The grief she felt in the Passion of her son,
goes beyond all understanding.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)

“Near the cross stood His mother, speechless;
living she died;
dying she lived.”

St Alphonsus (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

More Sorrowful Mother here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/15/quote-s-of-the-day-15-september-the-memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows/

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“Any time spent before the Eucharistic presence,
be it long or short,
is the best-spent time of our lives.”

“We must not wish anything other
than what happens from moment to moment,
all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness.”

“And when I hear it said,
that God is good and He will pardon us
and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing,
oh, how it grieves me!
The infinite goodness
with which God communicates with us,
sinners as we are,
should constantly make us love and serve Him better
but we, on the contrary,
instead of seeing in His goodness
an obligation to please Him,
convert it into an excuse for sin,
which will, of a certainty,
lead in the end,
to our deeper condemnation.”

“The one sole thing, in myself,
in which I glory,
is that I see in myself,
nothing, in which I can glory.”

“Oh, what peril attaches to sin, wilfully committed!
For it is so difficult for man to bring himself to penance
and without penitence,
guilt remains and will ever remain,
so long as man retains unchanged,
the will to sin,
or is intent upon committing it.”

“I see clearly with the interior eye,
that the sweet God loves, with a pure love,
the creature that He has created
and has a HATRED for nothing but SIN,
which is more opposed to Him,
than can be thought or imagined.”

St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)