Category: HOLY COMMUNION

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 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 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 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 "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 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 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 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

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Beloved Sacrament!

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Within the Octave of the Sacred Heart and the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

Give me Thyself, O My God
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Give me Thyself, O my God,
give Thyself to me.
Behold I love Thee
and if my love is too weak a thing,
grant me to love Thee more strongly.
I cannot measure my love, to know
how much it falls short of being sufficient
but let my soul hasten to Thine embrace
and never be turned away,
until it is hidden in the secret shelter
of Thine presence.
This only do I know,
that it is not good for me
when Thou art not with me,
when Thou art only outside me.
I want Thee in my very self.
All the plenty in the world
which is not my God,
is utter want!
Amen

“I understand that, each time
we contemplate the Host,
with desire and devotion,
in which is hidden
Christ’s Eucharistic Body,
we increase our merits in Heaven
and secure special joys to be ours later
in the Beatific Vision of God.”

“O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Fountain of Eternal Life,
Thine Heart is a glowing furnace of Love.
Thou art my Refuge
and my Sanctuary.”

St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

“The faith I have, when I am in the
Presence of the Blessed Sacrament,
is so strong, I find it impossible
to express what I feel…
When the time comes to leave,
I must force myself to overcome, the inclination
to prolong my stay with Jesus.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 29 June – Holy Communion

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Thought for the Day – 29 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Holy Communion

“Let us go to Him, with repentance, with humility and with love.
Then He will make us holy. (Cf Pt 2).

Aspiration: May the most Holy and Divine Sacrament, be at all times praised, adored and thanked.”

Antonio Cardinal Baccl

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-holy-communion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/16/thought-for-the-day-16-april-holy-communion/

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on the POOR, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

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

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

St Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297)
Penitent

“What graces, gifts and virtues
the Holy Mass calls down!”

“If you practice the holy exercise
of Spiritual Communion a good many times each day,
within a month you will see
yourself completely changed.”

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

St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)

“The Most Blessed Sacrament
is Christ made visible.
The poor sick person
is Christ again made visible.”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 21 June – The Eucharistic Life

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

The Eucharistic Life

“The Eucharistic life which is the life of union with Jesus, especially by means of daily Communion, transforms us and makes us holy.
It preserves and increases in us, the grace which is the supernatural life of the soul.
The Eucharist, of itself, does not bestow grace because, it is a Sacrament of the living.
It is our food and food is not given to the dead but, to the living.
For this reason, we should receive Holy Communion free from the stain of sin.
The Eucharist, moreover, remits venial sin, strengthens us in our resolution and increases our charity.
Venial sin, is a sickness of the soul.
Just as natural food banishes listlessness and vulnerability to disease, our Eucharistic nourishment has the same effect on our spiritual life.

It is because the Blessed Eucharist increases our love for Jesus, that it weakens our evil inclinations.
The Eucharist and sin, are mutually exclusive of one another because, the Eucharist is Jesus and sin is the devil.
Our Eucharistic food, moreover, produces, in our souls, a spiritual consolation which is a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.

Let us listen to Jesus living within us.
He will enable us to forget our worldly cares and will raise us to a higher plane where, by God’s Infinite Goodness, we shall continue to grow in virtue.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/08/thought-for-the-day-8-august-the-eucharistic-life/

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 19 June – Spiritual Communion

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

Spiritual Communion

“St Thomas Aquinas calls the Eucharist “the Sacrament of Love” (Opuse 38:25).
When love is ardent and sincere, it longs for constant contact with the beloved.
Spiritual Communion can be made in a single instant, for it requires only an Act of Faith and an Act of Love.
Jesus, come into my heart, for I have need of You.
I love You, my Jesus, keep me close to You always.

Aspiration: O Jesus, I cling to You, with all my heart!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/28/thought-for-the-day-28-june-spiritual-communion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/12/thought-for-the-day-12-february-spiritual-communion/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – Corpus Christi

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Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Corpus Christi

“He who eats My Flesh
and drinks My Blood,
abides in Me and I in him. ”

John 6:57

“Receive the Body and Blood of Christ
very frequently. The sight of a Christian’s lips
red with the Blood of Christ terrifies the enemy.
He immediately recognises the sign of his own ruin.
He cannot stand the Instrument of Divine Victory,
by which he was taken captive and cast down.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Doctor of the Church

“Everything in us which is strong, steadfast,
firm, happy and joyful to carry out God’s commands,
bear with misfortune, act obediently, stand up for justice –
all these things come from this Bread’s strength,
this Wine’s gladness.
Happy are they whose deeds are strong and joyful!
And since no-one can do it of themselves,
happy are they who have an eager desire
to cleave to what is just and right
and to be strengthened in everything
and rejoice through Him … ”

Baldwin of Canterbury (c1125-1190)
Cistercian Abbot of Forde Monastery and
Archbishop of Canterbury

“The Saviour has instituted
the most glorious Sacrament
of the Eucharist,
which truly contains His Body and His Blood,
so that, whoever eats it will live forever.
Therefore, those who receive it frequently,
with devotion, strengthen their spiritual life
and well-being, to such an extent,
that it is almost impossible for them
to be poisoned by any kind of evil attachment.”

(Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 20)

“I often speak with my Teacher, Jesus,
in the Blessed Sacrament
because I learn from Him.
Jesus is the Teacher of the science of holiness.
I go to Him because I would like to learn,
from Him, how to become a Saint.
Of what use to me is all knowledge
and education, if I do not become holy?”

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

Posted in GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, In the PRESENCE of GOD, LENT- 2025, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 19 April – The Entombment

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Lenten Meditations – 19 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Easter Eve
The Entombment

Read St Luke xxiii:50-56

[50] And behold there was a man named Joseph, who was a counsellor, a good and just man, [51] (the same had not consented to their counsel and doings;) of Arimathea, a city of Judea; who also himself looked for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went to Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus. [53] And taking Him down, he wrapped Him in fine linen and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewed in stone, wherein never yet any man had been laid. [54] And it was the day of the Pasch-eve and the sabbath drew on. [55] And the women who were come with him from Galilee, following after, saw the sepulchre and how hhs body was laid. [56] And returning, they prepared spices and ointments and, on the sabbath day, they rested, according to the commandment. [Luke 23:50-56]

+1. When Our Lady’s mournful task was finished, the Body of Jesus was laid in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, there to remain until the hour of its joyful Resurrection.
Let us contemplate It as it lies there – disfigured by countless wounds and scars so apparently helpless, yet, nonetheless, the joy of God and worthy of our highest adoration. Passive and cold and motionless – but soon to be radiant with the most dazzling beauty; dead – but living with a Divine Life.
Learn from this (a ) the glory of suffering; (b) the power of apparent helplessness when God is with us; (c) the beauty of passive obedience; (d) the true life of those who are dead to the world!

+2. What was Our Lord doing while thus apparently inactive in the silent tomb?
He was beginning His Work of triumph, delivering countless souls from purgatory and from limbo, consoling the Patriarchs and Prophets, fulfilling His promise of Paradise to the good thief, trampling upon Satan and changing the kingdoms of this world into the Kingdoms of God and of His Christ.
So it is with us. When we seem useless and doing nothing, we are often really doing the greatest things for God.

+3. The tomb where Christ is laid is to be the model of my soul when I receive Holy Communion, silent from all the din of earthly things, cleansed from all stain of sin by a good Confession and firm resolution to amend, dedicated to Him alone, His Sacred Body embalmed by my love and wrapped in the clean winding-sheet of purity of intention.
Thus will His Presence there be the pledge of my Resurrection with Him.

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on SIN, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 16 April – Jesus Dies on the Cross

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Meditations – 16 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Wednesday in Holy Week
Jesus Dies on the Cross

Read St Luke xxiii:45-48

[45] And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the middle.
[46] And Jesus, crying with a loud Voice, said: Father, into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit. And saying this, He gave up the ghost. [47] Now the centurion, seeing what was done, glorified God, saying: Indeed this was a just man. [48] And all the multitude of them who were come together to that sight and saw the things which were done, returned, striking their breasts. [Luke 23:45-48]

+1. After Our Lord has hung in agony upon the Cross, for three hours, at last the time approach’s when His deliverance is at hand.
He has endured every possible form of suffering, bodily and mental. His Body has been subjected to a physical torture far worse than the accumulated sufferings of the Martyrs; His Sacred Soul has been rent asunder with an anguish and desolation more awful than any, save the eternal anguish of hell. He has sacrificed His honour, His reputation; He has been esteemed a fool and a madman. Now, there is only one sacrifice more He can make,for mankind, to His Eternal Father, – the sacrifice of His Life. He is determined to give up all for us, to be obedient, even tuno death.

+2. What was it, caused the Death of Our Lord?
Not the executioners, not the Jews, not the agony of the Cross – they were but instruments.
It was sin.
Sin contains a malice sufficient, even to rob God Our Lord and King, of Life!
What a strange mystery sin is! And how strange that we do not hate it more, when we see its power to destroy!

+3. Jesus’ Death was no transient occurrence.
He still mystically dies for us each day and each hour. When we receive Holy Communion, we exhibit the Death of the Lord until He Comes and, therefore, His Sacred Passion and Death, should be the chief subject of our thoughts whenever we approach the Holy Table and especially, on the eve of the solemn day when He instituted the Sacrament of His Love.

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, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

1 April – Devotions for the Month of April – The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament – ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

“If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed,
even on this earth,
to stand, as it were,
on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem
and enjoy the contemplation,
of that everlasting Feast,
like the blessed Apostles,
who, in following the Saviour as their leader,
showed and still show,
the way to obtain the same gift from God.
They said – See, we have left all things and followed Thee.
We too follow the Lord
and we keep His Feast
by deeds rather than by words.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – ‘ … We are all beggars of God. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31 – John 6:1-15 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“When, therefore, Jesus had lifted up His eyes
and seen, that a very great crowd
had come to Him, He said to Philip,
“Whence shall we buy bread
that these may eat?”
John 6:5

“AND SO CHRIST shares the foodstuffs and,
there is no question, He wants to give it to all.
He withholds it from no-one,
for He provides for everyone.
Nevertheless, when He breaks the loaves
and gives them to the disciples,
unless you hold out your hands
to receive your portion,
you will collapse along the way…”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

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