Thought for the Day – 18 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Our Parish
“Just as every Christian belongs to a family, so also, he belongs to a Parish. The Parish should be the necessary complement of the family, in which everyone can receive the complete formation which he needs. The family is the first cell in the organism of the Church. The parents should regard their duties as Sacred and, in a way, Priestly. They are joined together, not only for the purpose of procreating children but, also of educating them. This is a lifty honour and responsibility. They do not possess, however, the means of completing the education of their children. They can do a great deal but they cannot do everything, for they are not, in fact, Priests possessing the necessary means of communicating the supernatural life through the Sacraments and through the authoritative Word of God.
Parents are the natural guardians of their children but, in the Church, there is a spiritual father to assist them, namely, the Parish Priest. No good Catholic should ignore the existence of his Parish Priest and of his Parish. In his Parish Church, he has received the priceless gift of supernatural life through the Sacrament of Baptism. There too, he recited his childhood prayers, obtained forgiveness for his sins in the Confessional, received the Sacrament of Confirmation, made his First Holy Communion and received, perhaps, the Nuptial blessing at his marriage. There will come a day when he will be borne to his Parish Church for the last time, to receive from the Priest, his final blessing and prayers for the repose of his soul.
We should love our Parish, therefore, in the same way as we love our family and, we should cherish our Parish Church. It is not enough to visit any Church but, we should give pride of place to our own, which houses our spiritual family and our spiritual history and holds, for us, so many precious memories of the past. We ought to make a special point of attending it, for our own benefit and that of our children and in order to give good example.”
Our Morning Offering – 13 November – The Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost – All Saints of the Benedictine & Cistercian Orders
Act of Spiritual Communion By St Bernard O. Cist (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness of assisting at the Holy Mysteries, O my God, I transport myself in spirit to the foot of Your Altar. I unite with the Church, which, by the hands of the Priest, offers You, Your adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice. I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name. I adore, I praise and thank You, imploring Your mercy, invoking Your assistance and presenting to You, the homage I owe You as my Creator and the love due to You, as my Saviour.
Apply to my soul, I beseech You, O Merciful Jesus, Your infinite merits; apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray. I desire to communicate spiritually, that Your Blood, may purify, Your Flesh, strengthen and Your Spirit, sanctify me. May I never forget that You, my divine Redeemer, died for me. May I die to all that is not You, that hereafter, I may live eternally with You. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preacher
“These, my much loved ones, are the bequests which I leave to you, as my sons – have charity among yourselves, hold fast to humility, keep a willing poverty.”
“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then, more effectively, than during my life.”
St Dominic OP (1170-1221)
“Eternal life flows from this Sacrament because God, with all sweetness, pours Himself out upon the blessed.”
“Mary is the divine Page on which God the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son. Let us draw near to her and read her!”
St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
“At His Transfiguration Christ showed His disciples, the splendour of His Beauty, to which He will shape and colour, those who are His : ‘He will reform our lowness configured to the Body of His Glory.”
“Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues.”
“To love is to will the good of the other.”
“The greatest kindness one can render to any man consists in leading him from error to truth.”
St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 1274) Angelic Doctor of the Church
“The eternal God asks a favour of His bride: “Hold Me close to your heart, close as locket or bracelet fits.” No matter whether we walk or stand still, eat or drink, we should at all times wear the golden locket “Jesus” upon our heart.”
Bl Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)
“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God – The Father is your Table, the Son is your Food and the Holy Spirit waits on you and then makes His Dwelling in you.”
“Charity is the sweet and holy bond which links the soul with its Creator; it binds God with man and man with God.”
St Catherine of Siena OP (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life like a burning flame devouring the corruption of vice and filling the heart so full, that there is no place for vanity.”
“A vain question deserves nothing but silence. So learn to be silent for a time; you will edify your brethren and silence will teach you, to speak when the hour is come.”
St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)
St Dominic’s Blessing By St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221)
May God the Father, Who made us, bless us. May God the Son, send His healing among us. May God the Holy Ghost, move within us and give us eyes to see with, ears to hear with, and hands, with which Thy work, might be done. May we walk and preach the Word of God to all. May the Angel of peace watch over us and lead us at last, by God’s grace, to the Kingdom. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – All Souls Day – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – 1 Corinthian 15:51-57, John 5:25-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life but they who have done evil, until the resurrection of judgement.” – John 5:28-29
REFLECTION – “Let them weep who lack all hope of resurrection; it is not the will of God that takes it away from them but the inflexibility of what they believe. There has to be a difference between the servants of Christ and the pagans. This is what it is – they mourn for those close to them, whom they think to be dead forever; they see no end to their weeping, reach no rest for their grief …, whereas, for us, death is not the end of our existence but the end of our life. Since our existence is restored by a condition that is better, therefore, the coming of death sweeps away all our tears.…
How much greater is our comfort, who believe that our good deeds are the promise, of better rewards after death. As for the pagans, they have their consolation, in thinking that death is a rest from all our trials. Since they think their dead are denied the enjoyment of life, they also think them, to be deprived of every faculty of sense and freed from the pain of the hard and continual sorrows, we bear in this life. We, on the other hand, just as we should have a more elevated spirit because of the reward we expect, so, we should also better bear our pains because of this consolation. … Our dead have been sent on, not far from us but before us – they, whom death will not take but whom, eternity will receive!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church (On the death of his brother, I, 70-71).
PRAYER – O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain, by our loving prayer,s the forgiveness which they have always desired. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
One Minute Reflection – 29 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Mary’s Saturday (Salve sancta parens) – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “By the Spirit, from the womb of the Virgin, was born our Head, the Son of Man and, by the same Spirit, in the waters of Baptism, we are reborn as His Body and as sons of God. And just as He was born without any sin, so we are reborn in the forgiveness of all our sins. As on the Cross, He bore the sum total of the whole Body’s sins in His own physical Body, so He gave His members the grace of rebirth, in order that no sin might be imputed to His Mystical Body. It is written: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no sin. The blessed man of this text is undoubtedly Christ, Who forgives sins, insofar as God, is His Head. Insofar as this Man is the Head of the Body, no sin is forgiven Him. But, insofar as the Body that belongs to this Head, consists of many members, sin is not imputed to it.
Just as in Himself, it is He Who justifies Himself. He alone is both Saviour and saved. In His own Body on the Cross, He bore what He had washed from His Body by the waters of Baptism. Bringing salvation through wood and through water, He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world which He took upon Himself. Himself a Priest, He offers Himself as sacrifice to God and He Himself, is God. Thus, through His own self, the Son is reconciled to Himself as God, as well as to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.” – Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (An excerpt from his Sermon 42),
PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full of eternal appiness.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).
Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – Blessed Severinus Boethius (c 475-524) Martyr, Layman, Theologian, Philosopher.
Prayer of Bl Severinus Boethius (c 475-524) Martyr
“O Father, enable our minds, to rise to Thy ineffable dwelling place. Let us find the light and direct the eyes of our soul to Thee. Dispel the mists and the opaqueness of the earthly mass and shine out with Thy splendour. Thou art the serene and tranquil abode of those who persevere in their goal of seeing Thee. Thou art, at the same time, the Beginning, the Vehicle, the Guide, the Way and the Goal. Amen.”
“Love binds people too, in Matrimony’s Sacred Bonds where chaste lovers are met and friends cement their trust and friendship. How happy is mankind, if the Love that orders the stars above, rules, too, in their hearts.”
“One’s virtue is all that one truly has because it is not imperiled, by the vicissitudes of fortune.”
“Contemplate the extent and stability of the heavens and then, at last, cease to admire worthless things.”
“A man content to go to Heaven, alone … will never go to heaven!”
Thought for the Day – 21 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”
“We should not ask only for food for the body but for spiritual nourishment. “Not by bread alone does man live” says Holy Scripture “but, by every word which comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4; cf Deut 8:3). The soul must be nourished, as well as the body, for it has its own life which is worn away by the daily conflict against sinful inclinations and by the constant struggle to achieve sanctity. It needs to be nourished by the word of God, by His grace and especially, by receiving the Author of grace frequently in Holy Communion. We should ask, before anything else, for the grace of God and for the true Bread of Life, which descends from Heaven. “Whoever eats this Bread shall live forever.”
Let us ask for the life-giving Bread, for ourselves and for our unfortunate brothers who are living apart from Jesus, in a state of spiritual death. May daily Communion become, once more, the inexhaustible source of the spiritual life and of Christian virtue which it was in the early days of the Church.”
Our Morning Offering – 17 October – Memorial of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Virgin
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.
Our Morning Offering – 9 October – The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
O Jesus, Sweetest Love, Come Thou to Me (1940) By Fr Francis Xavier Lasance (1860–1946)
O JESUS, sweetest Love, come Thou to me. Come down in all Thy beauty unto me. Thou Who didst die for longing of me And never, never more depart from me. Free me, O beauteous God, from all but Thee; Sever the chain that holds me back from Thee; Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee; Thou art my all! O bind me close to Thee. O suffering Love, Who hast so loved me; O patient Love, Who wearies not of me. Thou alone O Love! Thou weary not of me! Ah! Weary not till I am lost in Thee, Nay, weary not, till I am found in Thee. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” and the Mermorial of St Pope Linus (c 10 – c 76) Successor to St Peter – Osee 14:2-10, Luke 7:36-50
“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38
REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”
When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.”– St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through the same Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 24 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Holy Viaticum
“When the Prophet Elias was afraid and discouraged because the chosen people had abandoned God and slain all the other Prophets, he fled into the desert. One day he was tired and dejected and lay down to sleep in the shade of a Juniper tree. He was awakened suddenly by an Angel of the Lord, who showed him, on two successive occasions, a hearth cake which he pressed him to eat. The Prophet ate and drank “and walked in the strength of that food, forty days and forty nights, unto the mount of God” (Cf 3 Kings 19:4-8).
Some commentaters see, in this bread which Elias ate, an image of the Blessed Eucharist and, in his journey to the mount of God, our own voyage through life to eternity.
Sometimes, we too feel tired along the way and it seems to us that God has abandoned us. Often we are troubled and sorrowful, humbled by our many lapses into sin, despairing of ever becoming holy. On such occasions, like Elias, we need nourishment, the nourishment of the Blessed Sacrament. This spiritual food which contains the Real Living Jesus, the Author of Grace, is all that can give us the courage and strength, to continue our journey and to overcome the obstacles which we encounter on the way.
Let us have frequent recourse to this wonderful means of sustenance, through which, Jesus supplies us with the supernatural strength which we need. Then we shall be able to repeat the words of St Paul: “I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13).”
One Minute Reflection – 13 August – Anticipated Vigil of the Assumption and the Feast of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, Luke 11:27-28
“Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “By the Spirit, from the womb of the Virgin, was born our Head, the Son of Man and, by the same Spirit, in the waters of Baptism, we are reborn as His Body and as sons of God. And just as He was born without any sin, so we are reborn in the forgiveness of all our sins. As on the Cross, He bore the sum total of the whole Body’s sins in His own physical Body, so He gave His members the grace of rebirth, in order that no sin might be imputed to His Mystical Body. It is written: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no sin. The blessed man of this text is undoubtedly Christ, Who forgives sins, insofar as God, is His Head. Insofar as this Man is the Head of the Body, no sin is forgiven Him. But, insofar as the Body that belongs to this Head, consists of many members, sin is not imputed to it.
Just as in Himself, it is He Who justifies Himself. He alone is both Saviour and saved. In His own Body on the Cross, He bore what He had washed from His Body by the waters of Baptism. Bringing salvation through wood and through water, He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world which He took upon Himself. Himself a Priest, He offers Himself as sacrifice to God and He Himself, is God. Thus, through His own self, the Son is reconciled to Himself as God, as well as to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.” – Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (An excerpt from his Sermon 42),
PRAYER – O God, Who chose for Thy dwelling the virginal womb of the blessed Mary, grant, we beseech Thee, that, with the help of her protection, we may with joym take part in her festival. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 11 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Hail, O Mother! By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
Hail, O Mother! Virgin, heaven, throne, glory of our Church, it’s foundation and ornament. Earnestly pray for us to Jesus, your Son and Our Lord, that through your intercession, we may have mercy on the day of judgement. Pray that we may receive, all those good things which are reserved for those who love God. Through the grace and favour of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be power, honour and glory, now and forever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 10 August – St Lawrence (Died 258) Martyr “Keeper of the Treasures of he Church” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, John 12:24-26
“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I Am ,there also shall My servant be.” – John 12:25-26
REFLECTION – “… We are being towed along by a world that passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but do not take into account the coming judgement. We will not run to meet the Lord as He comes…
Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back… By the very fact of His delay, of His still waiting, our Lord proves His desire to see us come back to Him, His desire that we should not perish. In His great goodness, He continues addressing these words to us: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather he would change his ways and live ”(Ez 33,11). So let us turn back to Him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time’s Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel, who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23,43)!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Sermons” of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 167).
PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, to extinguish the flames of our sins, as Thou granted St Lawrence to overcome the fires of his tortures. 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).
One Minute Reflection – 31 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Confessor– Romans 8:12-17, Luke 16:1-9.
“Then to another he said: ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note, write one for eighty.’” – Luke 16:7
REFLECTION – “What the Gospel of “the unjust steward” says, is also an image of this matter. He says to the debtor [of one hundred measures of wheat], “Take your bill, sit down and write eighty” and the other things that are related. You see that he said to each man, “Take your bill.” It is evident from this, that the ‘documents of sin‘ are ours but God writes ‘documents of justice.‘ The Apostle says, “For you are an epistle written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of the heart.” You have in yourselves, ‘documents of God’ and ‘documents of the Holy Spirit.’ If you transgress, you yourself write in yourselves, the handwriting of sin. Notice, that at anytime, when you have approached the Cross of Christ and the grace of Baptism, your handwriting is fastened to the Cross and blotted out in the fountain of Baptism. Do not rewrite later, what has been blotted out, or repair what has been destroyed. Preserve only the documents of God in yourself. Let only the scripture of the Holy Spirit remain in you.” – Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father (Homilies on Genesis, 13)
PRAYER – O God, Who, to spread abroad the greater glory of Thy Name through St Ignatius, strengthened the Church militant with new power; grant that we ,who are struggling on earth, may, by his help and after his example, be found worthy to be crowned 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).
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.”
One Minute Reflection – 22 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – St Mary Magdalen (1st Century) Penitent – Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7, Luke 7:36-50.
“She began to bathe His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38
REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”
When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.”– St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).
PRAYER – May the prayers of blessed Mary Magdalen help us, O Lord, Who was moved by her prayers, her love and peniteance, that we too may learn true repentance and sorrow for our sins..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).
Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – 1 Corinthians 7:25-3, Matthew 13:44-52
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; he who finds it, hides it and in his joy. goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Luke 12:34
“We have had Your treasure hidden within us, ever since we received baptismal grace, it grows ever richer at Your sacramental table.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
“O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven, or else your God-given soul will be buried in the earth! Gold comes from the depth of the earth — the soul, from the highest Heaven. Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold to where the soul resides, than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold. That is why God orders those who will serve in His Army here below, to fight as men stripped of concern for riches and unencumbered by anything.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Doctor of Homilies” Father and Doctor of the Church
“Where is the heart that loves? On the thing it loves. Therefore, where our love is, there our heart is held captive. It cannot leave it; it cannot be lifted higher, it cannot go either to the right or the left; see, it is fixed. Where the miser’s treasure is, there is his heart and where our heart is, there is our treasure.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of St Elizabeth Queen of Portugal TOSF (1271-1336) – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; he who finds it, hides it and in his joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Luke 12:34
“We have had Your treasure hidden within us, ever since we received baptismal grace, it grows ever richer at Your sacramental table.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Let your door stand open to receive Him, unlock your soul to Him, offer Him a welcome in your mind and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the Sun of the everlasting Light.”
St Ambrose (c 340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“ He who finds Jesus, finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas he who loses Him, loses more than the whole world. The man who lives without Jesus, is the poorest of the poor, whereas no-one is so rich, as the man who lives in His grace. … Let all things be loved, for the sake of Jesus but Jesus, for His own sake.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
“You leave the land just as it is when you depart, you do not carry anything away. Our first aim is to go to God, we are not on earth for anything but this!”
Thought for the Day – 23 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!”
Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Frequent Communion
“For the practice of daily Communion, however, we should have the approval of our Confessor. We should be fully determined to preserve ourselves free from every sin, especially from grave sin, for otherwise, we could not approach the Eucharistic banquet (if anyone receives Jesus with mortal sin on his soul, he commits a terrible sacrilege). This practice, moreover, should help us to avoid every deliberate imperfection and venial sin and should inspire in us, a lively spirit of Christian charity. “Receive Communion everyday,” said St Augustine, “because it will help you everyday … but you must live in a manner which will entitle you to communicate daily” (De Verbo Domini – Sermon 28).
Frequent Communion, therefore, will enable us to set out upon the road to perfection, without relaxing in our resolution and without any false scruples. “Two kinds of people,” wrote st Francis de Sales, “should receive Communion frequently – the perfect and the imperfect; the perfect in order to preserve their holiness; the imperfect, in order to reach perfection.” (Introduction to the Devout Life c 2).
Let us ask the advice of our regular Confessor. We shall be fortunate if we can approach the Sacred Banquet everyday, or at least very often, for we shall be sure that we are on the path to holiness.”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Solemnity of Corpus Christ. Sunday within the Octave and the Memorial of St Juliana Falconieri OSM (1270 – 1341) Virgin
“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love. It signifies Love, It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”
“ O precious and wonderful banquet that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness!”
Adoro te Devote Trans. Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore, Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more, See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived – How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed, What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do, Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.
On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men, Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken – Both are my confession, both are my belief, And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see, But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he, Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move, Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.
O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified, Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died, Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind, There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican, Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran— Blood whereof a single drop has power to win All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below, I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so, Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight. Amen
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus/Doctor communis
“There is no more efficacious means than this, (Eucharistic Adoration) for nourishing and increasing the piety of the people, toward this admirable pledge of love, which is a bond of peace and of unity.”
St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592)
“The Holy Eucharist, is a fire that purifies and consumes all our miseries and imperfections. Do everything in your power to make yourself worthy of the Eucharist and this Divine Fire, will take care of the rest.”
St Hyacinth of Mariscotti (1585-1640)
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest, after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me Water from the side of Christ, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me Good Jesus, hear me Within Your wounds, shelter me from turning away, keep me From the evil one, protect me At the hour of my death, call me Into Your presence lead me to praise You with all Your saints Forever and ever, Amen
Act of Spiritual Communion By St Bernard (1090-1153 Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness of assisting at the Holy Mysteries, O my God, I transport myself in spirit to the foot of Your Altar. I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the Priest, offers You, Your adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice. I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name. I adore, I praise and thank You, imploring Your mercy, invoking Your assistance and presenting to You, the homage I owe You as my Creator and the love due to You as my Saviour.
Apply to my soul, I beseech You, O Merciful Jesus, Your infinite merits; apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray. I desire to communicate spiritually, that Your Blood, may purify, Your Flesh, strengthen and Your Spirit, sanctify me. May I never forget that You, my divine Redeemer, died for me. May I die to all that is not You, that hereafter, I may live eternally with You. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 19 June – St Juliana Falconieri OSM (1270–1341) Virgin and Foundress of the Religious Sisters of the Order of Servites, Mystic, Ecstatic, Ascetic.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Florence, St Julian Falconieri, Virgin, Foundress of the Sisters of the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was placed among the Holy Virgins by the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement XII.”
St Juliana Falconieri, Virgin By Fr Francis Xavier Weninger SJ (1805-1888)
The Roman Martyrology, enlarged by Benedict XIV announces today, the festival of St.Juliana. Florence in Italy, is the place where St Juliana was born, in 1270. Her parents were of the illustrious house of Falconieri and were long without issue, until, at last, the fruit of many prayers, this holy daughter was given to them. It was looked upon as a sign of her future holiness, that Juliana, when an innocent child, pronounced the two blessed names of Jesus and Mary, without having been taught by anyone to utter them. Even in her childhood, she endeavoured, so earnestly, to attain Christian virtues, that her uncle, St Alexius, of the Order of Servites, who was her instructor, hesitated not to say to her mother, that she had not given birth to a mortal maiden, but to an Angel.
And in truth, Juliana’s conduct was such, that she resembled an Angel, rather than a human being. Never was it seen, that she raised her eyes to look at the face of any man, much less that she ever regarded the other sex with boldness. Her horror of sin was innate, so that she trembled when she only heard the name of it, nay, she was seen to sink to the ground, as one dead, when a crime was only mentioned. Regardless of her temporal wealth and of many advantageous offers of marriage, she made a vow, in presence of St Philip Benizi, by which she Consecrated her virginity to God, when she was not yet fifteen years of age. She was the first of her sex who entered the Order of the Servites. Many of the highest nobility followed her example. Juliana prescribed certain rules for them, in the composition of which, she showed extraordinary wisdom and holiness. Hence she is justly recognised and honoured, as the Foundress of the Sisterhood of the Servants of Mary.
St Philip Benizi, (one of the Seven Holy Founders) who not only enlarged the Order of the Servites but also, guided those who belonged to it, in a most exemplary manner, was so thoroughly convinced of the virtues of Juliana, that he said, before his death, that there was no-one more fit to be entrusted with the government of the whole Order–men as well as women–than Juliana. She, however, had quite a different opinion of herself and, although, she was appointed to guide others, she performed, with the utmost willingness, the most menial services for those under her. She was so deeply devoted to prayer, that she continued whole days in this exercise, during which time, she often fell into ecstasies and was favoured with divine apparitions. The time unoccupied by work and prayer, she usually spent in reconciling hostile minds, for which kind office, she was peculiarly qualified and also, in converting sinners, many of whom her persuasions brought to the knowledge of their faults, or in nursing the sick, to whom she was devoted with a mother’s love.
Anxious to conquer herself, she more than once sucked the putrid matter from the ulcers of the sick and God, in consideration of such heroic self-abnegation, instantly restored them to health. She was as severe to herself as she was tender towards others. The rest, which she took at night on the bare floor, was very short – as she occupied the greater part of the night in prayer. She chastised her innocent body with scourges and chains of wire. She fasted every Saturday on water and bread. Two days of every week she lived almost without earthly nourishment, as she then received the Bread of Angels, the Blessed Eucharist. On other days, she partook of food but only of very little and that of the most ordinary kind, as otherwise she refused to touch it.
This continual rigour eventually impaired her health and caused her most severe pains, which at last, in the 70th year of her age, ended her life. She had suffered, in this manner, for many years, with the most cheerful and edifying patience. Only one thing pained her exceedingly in her last day,: which was, that, as she could not retain any food, the Priest could not give her the Blessed Sacrament, for which she longed so ardently. Flying for refuge to God, she prayed that He would not permit her to die without this great consolation. Soon after, as if convinced that God would bestow upon her an extraordinary grace, she requested the Priest to bring the holy Eucharist, at least to her room and hold it to her breast. The Priest consented to her request but no sooner had the Blessed Sacrament been placed near her breast, than it suddenly disappeared and at the same time, the countenance of Juliana expressed a great interior satisfaction and happiness. Whilst the Priest strove to recover from his surprise, the servant of God, miraculously fed with the Bread of Life, expired without a struggle. After her death, they found on the left side of her breast, the form of the Host, bearing the image of the Crucified Saviour, like a seal pressed into the flesh. This led to the belief, that the holy virgin had been, in an unprecedented way, comforted in her last hour with the Blessed Eucharist. The fame of this miracle and of many others with which God honoured her after her death, won for Juliana, the esteem of the whole Christian world. Her holy body was buried in the magnificent Church which her father had built in honour of the Blessed Virgin and in memory of the Annunciation.
Thought for the Day – 16 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Feast of Corpus Christi
“This is the Feast of Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. Let us enkindle in ourselves a more intense faith and love – let us adore and love Him on behalf of those who neglect to do so. Let us resolve to live a Eucharistic life.
Aspiration: I adore You at every moment, O Living Bread from Heaven, O most wonderful Sacrament.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 June – Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.
“But when our kind and loving Father rained down the Word, He Himself, became spiritual nourishment to the good. … And then, we are to throw out the old and carnal corruption, our old diet, receiving in exchange a totally new diet — Christ Himself, as we ingest Him for Him to remain hidden there. Then, with our Saviour enshrined in our souls, as it were, we can correct the affections of our flesh.”
St Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Father of the Church
“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him.”
John 6:57
“This bread you see on the Altar, consecrated by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. This cup consecrated by the word of God, or rather its contents, is the Blood of Christ. In these two elements our Lord desired to hand over, for our veneration and love, His Body and Blood, shed for the remission of our sins. If you have received them with a good disposition, then you are what you have received. As the apostle Paul declares: “We are, all of us, one bread, one body” (1 Cor 10,17)…”
St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace
Source of all we have or know, feed and lead us here below. Grant that with Your saints above, Sitting at the feast of love, We may see You face to face.
Amen Alleluia!
Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we Adore and Love You!
( The last Verse of the Lauda Sion, the Eucharistic Hymn/Sequence By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
“Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace, as though we had already received Him.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
“It is enough for us to love Him and to be ready to keep His commandments. Such an act of sincere and effective love for Jesus, will cause Him to enter and to remain in our hearts, even after the sacramental species has been consumed. This is Spiritual Communion, which consists mainly in the yearning for Jesus. “I have come to cast fire upon the earth and what will I but, that it be kindled” (Lk 12:49).”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
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
One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.
“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him..” – John 6:57
REFLECTION – “Or think of it this way: Whereas people desire meat and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst, real satisfaction is produced, only by that meat and drink that make the receivers of it, immortal and incorruptible. He’s talking here about the fellowship of the saints where there is peace and unity, full and perfect. Therefore, our Lord has chosen, for the types of His Body and Blood, things that become one out of many.
Bread is a quantity of grains united into one mass, wine a quantity of grapes squeezed together. Then He explains what it is to eat His Body and drink His Blood: “He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him.” So then, to partake of that Meat and that Drink, is to dwell in Christ and Christ in you. Whoever does not dwell in Christ and in whom, Christ does not dwell, neither eats His Flesh nor drinks His Blood; rather, he eats and drinks the Sacrament of it, to his own damnation!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 26).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption. 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). EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us. COR JESU Eucharisticum, cordis sacerdotalis exemplar, miserere nobis. – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 177 St Pius X, 11 September 1907.
Our Morning Offering – 14 June – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church
O Christ, Our Master and Our God By St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
O Christ, our Master and our God, King of the ages and Creator of all, I thank You for all the good things You have given to me and for the reception of your most pure and life-giving Mysteries. I pray You, therefore, O good Lover of humankind, keep me under Your protection, in the shadow of Your wings. Grant that with a pure conscience, until my last breath, I may worthily partake of Your Holy Things, for the forgiveness of sins and for life everlasting. For You are the Bread of Life, the Fountain of Holiness and the Bestower of Blessings and to You, we give glory together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever, Amen.
Thought for the Day – 11 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Sacred Heart and the Holy Viaticum
‘From a sudden and unprovided death, O Lord, deliver us. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me now and in my last agony. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. Amen.’
Quote’s of the Day – 8 June – Ember Wednesday within the Octave of Pentecost – Acts 2:14-21, John 6:44-52.
“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
“I Am the Bread of Life”
John 6:35
“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
“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God – The Father is your Table, the Son is your Food and the Holy Spirit waits on you and then makes His Dwelling in you.”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down!”
St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)
O Lord, My God, I Am Not Worthy Prayer Before Holy Communion By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God, I am not worthy that You should come into my soul but I rejoice that You have come to me because, in Your loving kindness You desire to dwell in me. You ask me to open the door of my soul, which You alone have created, so that You may enter into it with Your loving kindness and dispel the darkness of my mind. I believe that You will do this, for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene when she approached You in tears. Neither did You withhold forgiveness from the tax collector who repented of his sins or from the good thief who asked to be received into Your kingdom. Indeed, You numbered as Your friends, all who came to You with repentant hearts. O God, You alone are blessed always, now and forever. Amen
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.