Category: CONFESSION

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One Minute Reflection – 12 August – ‘… The medicine of confession’

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One Minute Reflection – 12 August – Wednesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22, Psalms 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Matthew 18:15-20 and the Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641)

“Whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” … Matthew 18:18

REFLECTION – “For our well-being 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 godfearing man.   This is what the Holy Spirit 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 you took away the guilt of my sin” (Ps 32[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 and Monk – Sermons to the laity, no. 59matthew 18 18 whatever you bind on earth - our god being good and merciful- 12 aug 2020 st caesarius of arles

PRAYER – Lord, You chose St Jane Frances to serve You, both in marriage and in religious life.   By her prayers help us to be faithful in our vocation and always to work against our perverse inclinations. Only in You and with You and through You may we attain perfection. Lead us Lord!   We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   St Jane de Chantal, pray for us, amen.st jane fances de chantal pray for us 12 aug 2020

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SCANDAL, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Thought for the Day – 20 July – Our Dominant Passion

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

Our Dominant Passion

our dominant passion bacci 20 july 2020

“Among the passions which disturb us, there is one predominant tendency, which is our particular weakness.
Perhaps we are not aware what it is but, those who have to live with us, know it well!
It is essential for us to know it also, in order to make it a special objective in our spiritual combat.

This information may be obtained by praying earnestly to the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to know ourselves, by making a daily examination of conscience and, by seeking the advice of our confessor, of our spiritual director and of any sincere friend.

It is our predominant passion which most often leads us into sin.
It recurs in all our confessions and we have great difficulty in overcoming it.
The predominant passion of Cain was envy, which he failed to combat in time, so that eventually, it caused him to commit fratricide.
Lust was the predominant passion of Mary of Magdala and of St Augustine and until they managed to control it, it led them into many grave errors.
It was because the Apostle Judas, neglected to struggle against his own avarice, that he became a traitor.
There are others who are inordinately proud and ambitious and, still others, who are governed by a craving for pleasure.

What is your predominant passion?
You must know what it is, in order to combat it determinedly, for otherwise, it will lead you into one sin after another, until you are eternally ruined!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on COWARDICE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SPEAKING of ....., The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 June – Speaking of: Sin

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Friday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 19:9, 11-16, Psalm 27:7-9, 13-14, Matthew 5:27-32

Speaking of:  Sin

” It is better for you to lose one of your members,
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.”

Matthew 5:29

matthew 5 29 it is better for you to lose on oe your members... 12 june 2020

“The dragon sits by the side of the road,
watching those who pass.
Beware lest he devour you.
We go to the Father of Souls
but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”

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

the-dragon-sits-by-the-side-of-the-road-st-cyril-of-jerusalem-16-march-2019

“Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation,
for there is no conflict without an enemy,
no victory without strife.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

virtue is nothing - st pope leo the great - 1 feb 2018

“When God forgives a sinner who humbly confesses his sin,
the devil loses his dominion over the heart he had taken.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

when god forgives a sinner who mumbly confesses - st bernard 12 june 2020

“Let the enemy rage at the gate;
let him knock, pound, scream, howl;
let him do his worst.
We know for certain,
that he cannot enter our soul,
except by the door of our consent.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

let the enemy rage at the gate, let him knock - st francis de sales 12 june 2020

“We are generally, 
the carpenters
of our own crosses.”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

we are generally the carpenters of our own crosses - st philip neri 12 june 2020

“The power of evil men
lives on the cowardice of the good.”

the-power-of-evil-st-john-bosco-31-jan-2018 and 12 june 2020

“Do not try to excuse your faults,
try to correct them.”

“Fly from bad companions
as from the bite
of a poisonous snake.”

“Act today in such a way,
that you need not blush
tomorrow.”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

do-not-try-to-excuse-fly-from-bad-act-in-such-a-way-st-john-bosco-31-jan-2019 and 12 june 2020

“That conversation… was as dirty as a sewer!
It is not enough for you to take no part in it.
You must show your repugnance for it strongly!”

St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)

that conversation was as dirty as a sewer - st josemaria escriva 12 june 2020

“For the sinner, hell begins on this earth!”

for-the-sinner-hell-begins-on-this-earth-bacci-4-jan-2020 and 12 june 2020

“The Sacrament of Penance,
is our plank of salvation
in the shipwreck of sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

the sacrament of penance is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin - bacci 29 april 2020

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Thought for the Day – 29 April – The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

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Thought for the Day – 29 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.the sacrament of penance is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin - bacci 29 april 2020
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).the greatest miracle of his ifinite love - eucharist - bacci 29 april 2020
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

it is a great dignity to be a christian - bacci 29 april 2020 CORRECT

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 23 February – The Sacrament of Penance

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

The Sacrament of Penance

“Sin is the shipwreck of the soul.
If the sin is serious, it is a fatal shipwreck.
Confession is the only plank to which we can safely cling, if we want to be brought back to the harbour of God’s grace.
Admittedly, in cases of necessity, we can regain God’s friendship equally well, by an act of perfect contrition, along with the intention of going to confession.
But, an act of perfect contrition demands an act of perfect love of God, which is not altogether easy.
There can always be a doubt as to whether we have achieved the necessary degree of perfection.
If, on the other hand, we receive the Sacrament of Penance with the proper dispositions, not only will it give us grace but confidence and peace of mind as well.
This sacrament, has been very appropriately called, the masterpiece of God’s mercy.
What would be our fate, poor sinners that we are, if God had not given the Apostles and their successors in the Priesthood, the sacramental power of forgiving sins?
We should be very grateful to God, for this great gift!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – “A sower went out to sow”

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9

“A sower went out to sow”

Matthew 13:3matthew 13 3 - a sower went out to sow 24 july 2019.jpg

“Jesus invites us today to look inside ourselves –
to give thanks for our good soil
and to tend the soil that is not yet good.
Let us ask ourselves if our heart is open
to welcome the seed of the Word of God with faith.
Let us ask ourselves if our rocks of laziness
are still numerous and large,
let us identify our thorns of vice
and call them by name.
Let us find the courage to reclaim the soil,
to effect a conversion of our heart,
bringing to the Lord in Confession
and in prayer, our rocks and our thorns.”

Pope Francis

(Angelus, 16 July 2017)let us find the courage to reclaim the soil - pope francis 24 july 2019.jpg