One Minute Reflection – 22 April – St Pope Soter (Died c174) Martyr and St Pope Caius I (Died 296) Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Upon this rock I will build my church” – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “Though the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74:40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears – if they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show ,what they were capable of before strengthening them, so that all might know their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1:13)…
Hence, we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart – our fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great: to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2Cor 11:25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul, it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1Cor 4:12-13)…, And what shall we say of Peter?,, Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today, in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was… his cross has been his road to heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (Sermon 18, for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul PL 195, 298).
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Soter and Caius, Thy Martyrs and Sovereign Pontiffs, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherds of the whole Church. ThroughJesus 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 Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 31 March – – Friday in Passion Week, The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
“Blessed is the soul, which thus everywhere, finds Jesus Christ Crucified!” St Francis de Sales
FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“St Paul, the incomparable master, the great Doctor of the Infant Church, made Jesus Christ on the Cross the delightful object of his love, the sweet subject of his discourses, the end of all his aspirations in this world and the foundation of all his hopes in eternity. “I have judged myself,” he says, “to know nothing but my Jesus Crucified; God forbid that I should ever glory in any other thing. than in the Cross of my Jesus and think not that I have any other life, than that of the Cross; for I assure you, that I so feel and behold everywhere, the Cross of my Saviour, that by His grace I am altogether crucified to the world and the world is entirely crucified to me.” Blessed is the soul, which thus everywhere, finds Jesus Christ Crucified!” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).
Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – Tuesday in Passion Week and the Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; neither have two tunics.”
Luke 9:3
“Pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, to which you have been called …”
1 Timothy 6:11-12
“The love of Jesus is noble and generous, it spurs us on to do great things and excites us to desire always, that which is most perfect. Love will tend upwards and is not to be detained by things beneath. Love will be at liberty and free from all worldly affections… for love proceeds from God and cannot rest but in God, above all things created. The lover flies, runs and rejoices, he is free and not held. He gives all for all and has all in all, because he rests in One Sovereign Good above all, from Whom all good flows and proceeds.”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471) (Book III, Chapter V, 3-4)
“Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a Father and a most loving Father at that, Who would rather let Heaven and earth collapse, than abandon anyone who trusted in Him.”
St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)
“Crosses, contempt, sorrows and afflictions, are the real treasures of the lovers of Jesus Christ Crucified.”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-11
“Begone, Satan! for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve.”
Matthew 4:10
“Do not, therefore, lose your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of patience that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise. For yet a very little while and He Who is to come, will come and will not delay.”
Hebrews 10:35-37
“Expect temptation to your last breath.”
St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
“The demons that wage war on us, through our shortcomings in virtue, are those which teach — impurity, drunkenness, avarice and envy. Those that wage war on us, through our excessive zeal for virtue, teach — conceit, self-esteem and pride. They [the demons] secretly pervert, what is commendable, into what is reprehensible!”
St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church
“It might even be said that we are fortunate to have temptations, for these are the times of spiritual harvest when we gather up for Heaven. … If we were thoroughly saturated with God’s Holy Presence, it would be easy for us to resist the enemy. With the thought ‘God sees you!’ we would never sin!
There was a saint who complained to our Lord after being tempted and said to Him: “Where were Thou, my most loveable Jesus, during that awful storm?” Our Lord answered: “I was in the centre of thou heart…”
St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859) The Curé of Ars
“When tempted, turn immediately to your Guardian Angel and ask him, with all your heart, “My Guardian Angel help me now. Do not let me offend my God!”
St John Bosco (1815-1888)
“Why, we may ask, does God permit us to be tempted? He wishes us to realise, that only with His help, can we aspire to the supernatural life and triumph over our enemies. Apart from Him, we shall be lost but close to Him, we shall be invincible!”
Our Morning Offering – 6 February – St Titus (Died c96) Bishop, Confessor
O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith
O Fathers of our ancient faith, With all the heav’n, we sing your fame Whose sound went forth in all the earth To tell of Christ and bless His Name.
You took the Gospel to the poor, The Word of God alight in you, Which in our day is told again, That timeless Word, forever new.
You told of God, Who died for us And out of death triumphant rose, Who gave the Truth which made us free and changeless through the ages goes.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Whose gift is faith that never dies, A light in darkness now, until The Day-Star in our hearts arise.
O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.
Saint of the Day – 6 February – St Titus (Died c96) Bishop, Confessor, Disciple of St Paul, Missionary, Peacemaker, Teacher, Administrator, Friend – Patron of Crete.
Saint Titus, Bishop and Confessor From the Liturgical Year, 1904
We are to celebrate today, the Feast of a holy Bishop of the Apostolic Age–a Disciple of the Apostle St Paul. Little is known of his life but, by addressing to him, one of his inspired Epistles, the Apostle of the Gentiles has immortalised his memory. Wheresoever the Faith of Christ has been or shall be preached, Titus’ name has been venerated by the Faithful and, as long as the world lasts, the holy Church will read to her children, this Epistle, which was written, indeed, to a simple Bishop of the Isle of Crete but was dictated by the Holy Ghost and, therefore, destined to be a part of those Sacred Scriptures, which contain the Word of God. The counsels and directions given in this admirable Letter, were the rule of the holy Bishop, for whom St Paul entertained a very strong affection. St Titus had the honour of establishing the Christian Religion in that famous Island, which was one of the strongholds of Paganism. He survived his master, who was put to death by Nero. Like St John, he sweetly slept in Christ at a very advanced age, respected and loved by the Church he had founded. As we have already observed, his life left but few traces behind it; but these few are sufficient, to prove him to have been, one of those wonderful men, whom God chose as the directors of His infant Church.
Titus, Bishop of Crete, was initiated into the Christian faith by Paul the Apostle and being prepared by the Sacraments, he shed so bright a light of sanctity on the infant Church that he merited to be chosen as one of the Disciples of the Doctor of the Gentiles. Being called to bear the burden of preaching the Gospel, so ardent and persevering was he, in the discharge of that duty that he endeared himself to St Pau,l so much, as to make the Apostle say in one of his Epistles that being come to Troas, to preach the Faith in that City, he found no rest for his heart because he found not there his brother Titus. And having, a short time after this, gone to Macedonia, he thus expresses his affection for his disciple in these terms -“ But God who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”
Being sent to Corinth by the Apostle, he acquitted himself in this mission (which mainly consisted in collecting the alms, given by the piety of the faithful, towards alleviating the distress of the Hebrew Church) with so much prudence and patience that he not only confirmed the Corinthians in the Faith of Christ but made them so desirous of a visit from Paul, who had been their first teacher in the faith that they shed tears of longing affection.
After having undertaken several journeys both by sea and land, in order to sow the seed of the Divine Word among people of various tongues and Countries and, after having supported, with great firmness of soul, countless anxieties and fatigues, in order to plant the standard of the Cross – he landed at the Island of Crete, in company with his master, St Paul. The Apostle made him Bishop of the Church which he had founded in that Island and it is not to be doubted but that Titus so discharged his duty, as that he became a model to the Faithful, according to the advice given to him by his master, in good works, in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity.
St Titus left with St Paul
Thus did he become a shining light, pouring forth the rays of the Christian Faith on them that were sitting in the darkness of idolatry and lies, as in the shadow of death. Tradition tells us that he passed into Dalmatia, where he laboured with extraordinary zeal to enlist that people under the Banner of the Cross.
At length, full of days and merit, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, he slept in the Lord, the death of the just, on the vigil of the nones of January (4 January) and was buried in the Church in which the Apostle had appointed him Minister of the Word. St John Chrysostom and St Jerome pass great eulogium upon this holy Bishop and his name is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on the day abovementioned but in establishing his Feast to be celebrated, with an Office and Mass, throughout the Catholic world, by the Clergy secular and regular, the Sovereign Pontiff Pius the Ninth ordered it to be kept on the first vacant day following the anniversary of the Saint’s death, which is today, 6 February.
St Titus (First Century-c96) Bishop, Confessor, Disciple of St Paul, Missionary, Peacemaker, Teacher, Administrator, Friend – Patron of Crete. The New Testament does not record his death.
Saint Pedro Bautista Blásquez y Blásquez OFM (1542-1597) Priest Martyr and the 26 Martyrs of Japan – Died by Crucifixion on 5 February 1597. Canonised on 8 June 1862 by Pope Pius IX.
St Amand of Moissac St Amand of Nantes St Andrew of Elnone Bl Angelus of Furci St Antholian of Auvergne St Brinolfo Algotsson Cassius of Auvergne Bl Diego de Azevedo St Ethelburga of Wessex Bl Francesca of Gubbio St Gerald of Ostia St Gonsalo Garcia OFM St Guarinus St Guethenoc St Hildegund St Ina of Wessex St Jacut St Liminius of Auvergne St Maximus of Aurvergne St Mel of Ardagh St Melchu of Armagh St Mun of Lough Ree St Relindis of Eyck St Revocata St Saturninus St Tanco of Werden St Theophilus St Theophilus the Lawyer
St Vaast of Arras (c 453-539 or 540) Bishop – The First Bishop of Arras, France , Hermit, Ascetic, Miracle-worker, Advisor to King Clovis. The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Arras in Belgian Gaul, today in France, Saint Vedastus, Bishop, who, sent by Saint Remigius Bishop of Rheims to the devastated City, catechised King Clovis, re-established the Church and held it for about forty years and brought to an end, the need of work for evangelisation among the previously still pagan peoples of the region.” St Vaast is another Patron of eye diseases, problems and blindness. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/06/saint-of-the-day-6-february-saint-vaast-of-arras-c-453-539-or-540/
St Victorinus of Auvergne
Martyrs of Emesa: St Luke the Deacon St Mucius the Lector
Our Prayers to the Saints – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle
Dear Saint Paul, My Patron
Dear Saint Paul, whom I have chosen as my special Patron, pray for me that I, too, may one day glorify the Blessed Trinity in Heaven. Obtain for me your lively faith that I may consider all persons, things and events, in the light of Almighty God. Pray that I may be generous in making sacrifices of temporal things to promote my eternal interests, as you so wisely did. Set me on fire with a love for Jesus that I may thirst for His Sacraments and burn with zeal for the spread of His Kingdom. By your powerful intercession, help me in the performance of my duties to God, myself and all the world. Win for me the virtue of purity and a great confidence in the Blessed Virgin. Protect me this day and everyday of my life. Keep me from mortal sin. Obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – Acts 9:1-22, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Acts 9:4.
“So Saul was led to Ananias – the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep. But the Shepherd, Who guides everything from Heaven above, reassures him… “Do not fear, I will show him what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). What wonder is this! The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep… The Lamb who died for the sheep, teaches it not to be afraid any more!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Now Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ; he exults with Stephen, he reigns with Stephen. There, where Stephen arose, the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes, there too, Paul has risen with the help of Stephen’s prayers!”
St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533) Bishop in North Africa
“Yet I live, no longer I but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who has loved me and given himself up for me.”
Galatians 2:20
“It is possible that, as he lay dying, Stephen looked up at Saul and uttered his last prayer for this sincere and honest young Jew, who had been led astray by the prejudice and passion of the mob. … Let us endeavour too, to suffer, pray and work for the conversion of our fellowmen, so many of whom, are wandering in the darkness of error or struggling in the clutches of vice. Let us try, by our sufferings, prayers and good example, to draw down God’s grace on our unhappy brothers. If we succeed, we shall share in the merits of their good actions and we shall have ensured our own everlasting salvation.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – Acts 9:1-22, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” – Acts 9:4.
REFLECTION – “From Heaven’s height Christ’s Voice overturned Saul. He received a command to carry out his persecutions no more and fell face downwards to the ground. He had first to be knocked down and afterwards raised up – first struck, then healed. For Christ would never have come to live in him, if Saul had not died to his former life of sin. Cast down to the earth in this way, what was it he heard? “Saul, Saul, why are thou persecuting Me? It is hard for thou to kick against the goad” (Acts 9:4-5). And he replied: “Who are you, Lord?” Then the voice from on high continued: “I am Jesus of Nazareth, Whom thou art persecuting.” The members are still on the ground, while the Head cries out, from the heights of Heaven. He is not saying: “Why art thou persecuting My servants?” but “Why art thou persecuting Me?”
And Paul, who had put all his energy into his persecutions, is already preparing to obey: “What do Thou want me to do?” The persecutor is already transformed into the preacher, the wolf has become a sheep, the enemy, a defender. Paul learns what he is to do – if he has become blind, if this world’s light is held back from him for a while, it is so as to make the light within shine in his heart. Light is taken away from the persecutor, so that it may be given to the preacher; at the very moment he no longer saw anything of this world, he saw Jesus. This symbolises the believer – those who believe in Christ, must fix the eyes of their soul on Him, without paying attention to outward things…
So Saul was led to Ananias – the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep. But the Shepherd, Who guides everything from Heaven above, reassures him… “Do not fear, I will show him what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). What wonder is this! The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep… The Lamb who died for the sheep, teaches it not to be afraid any more!” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of Grace of the Church (Sermon 279).
PRAYER – O God, Who taught the whole world by the preaching of Thy blessed Apostle Paul, grant, we beseech Thee that we, who today celebrate his conversion, may draw closer to Thee, by way of hia example.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).
Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – 25 January
From the Liturgical Year, 1904
We have already seen how the Gentiles, in the person of the Three Magi, offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem and received from Him, in return, the precious gifts of faith, hope and charity. The harvest is ripe; it is time for the reaper to come. But who is to be God’s labourer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of Mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the Gospel of Salvation to the uttermost parts of the world but, not one among them, has, as yet, received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision (Gal 2:8), is sent especially, as was Christ Himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel (Mt 15:24). And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:26) which he solemnly does, by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman Centurion.
But the Church is to have one more Apostle – an Apostle for the Gentiles – and he is to be the fruit of the Martyrdom and prayer of St Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh and yet, Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is then, from Heaven, where He reigns, impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be His disciple, just as, during the period of His active life, He called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow Him and hearken to His teachings. The Son of God will raise Saul up to the Third Heaven and there, will reveal to Him, all His Mysteries and when Saul, having come down again to this earth, shall have seen Peter (Gal 1:18) and compared his Gospel with that recognised by Peter (Ibid 2: 2) – he can say, in all truth that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus (Gal 1:1) and that he has done nothing less. than the great Apostles (2 Cor 11:55).
It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul that this great work is commenced. It is on this day, that is heard the Almighty Voice which breaketh the cedars of Libanus (Ps 28:5) and can make a persecuting Jew become, first a Christian and then an Apostle. This admirable transformation had been prophesied by Jacob, when, upon his death-bed, he unfolded, to each of his sons, the future of the tribe of which he was to be the father. Juda was to have the precedence of honour; from his royal race, was to be born the Redeemer, the Expected of nations. Benjamin’s turn came – his glory is not to be compared with that of his brother Juda and yet, it was to be very great – for, from his tribe, is to be born Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile nations!
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: Conversion of Saint Paul
These are the words of the dying Prophet – Benjamin, a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey and in the evening, shall divide the spoil (Gen 49:27). Who, says an ancient writer (These words are taken from a Sermon, which for long time was thought to be St Augustine), is he, that in the morning of impetuous youth, goes like a wolf, in pursuit of the sheep of Christ, breathing threatenings and slaughter against them? Is it not Saul on the road to Damascus, the bearer and doer of the high-priest’s orders and stained with the blood of Stephen, whom he has stoned by the hands of all those, over whose garments he kept watch? And he, who, in the evening, not only does not despoil but, with a charitable and peaceful hand, breaks to the hungry the bread of life – is it not Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin, the Apostle of Christ, burning with zeal for his brethren, making himself all to all and wishing even to be an anathema for their sakes?
Oh! the power of our dear Jesus! how wonderful! how irresistible! He wishes that the first worshippers at His Crib should be humble Shepherds – and, He invites them by His Angels, whose sweet hymn was enough to lead these simple-hearted men to the Stable, where lies, in swaddling-clothes, He Who is the hope of Israel. He would have the Gentile Princes, the Magi, do Him homage – and bids to arise in the Heavens, a Star, whose mysterious apparition, joined to the interior speaking of the Holy Ghost, induces these men of desire, to come from the far East and lay, at the feet of an humble Babe, their riches and their hearts. When the time is come for forming the Apostolic College, He approaches the banks of the sea of Tiberias and, with this single word: Follow me, He draws after Him such as He wishes to have as His Disciples. In the midst of all the humiliations of His Passion, He has but to look at the unfaithful Peter and Peter is a penitent. Today, it is from Heaven that He evinces His power – all the Mysteries of our Redemption have been accomplished and He wishes to show mankind that He is the Sole Author and Master of the Apostolate and that, His alliance with the Gentiles, is now perfect – He speaks – the sound of His reproach bursts like thunder over the head of this hot Pharisee, who is bent on annihilating the Church. He takes this heart of the Jew and, by His grace, turns it into the heart of the Apostle, the Vessel of election, the Paul, who is afterwards to say of himself: I live, not I but Christ liveth in me (Gal 2:20).
The commemoration of this great event was to be a Feast in the Church and it had a right to be kept, as near as might be to the one which celebrates the Martyrdom of St Stephen, for Paul is the Protomartyr’s convert. The anniversary of his Martyrdom would, of course, have to be solemnised at the summer-solstice – where, then, place the Feast of his Conversion if not near Christmas and thus our own Apostle, would be at Jesus’ Crib and Stephen’s side? Moreover, the Magi could claim him, as being the conqueror of that Gentile-world, of which they were the first-fruits.
Andrea Schiavone: Conversion of Saul
And lastly, it was necessary, in order to give the Court of our Infant-King its full beauty that the two Princes of the Church – the Apostle of the Jews and the Apostle of the Gentiles – should stand close to the mystic Crib – Peter, with his Keys and Paul, with his Sword. Bethlehem thus becomes the perfect figure of the Church and the riches of this season of the Cycle are abundant beyond measure. Amen.
St Apollo of Heliopolis Bl Archangela Girlani St Artemas of Pozzuoli St Auxentius of Epirus St Bretannion of Tomi St Donatus the Martyr St Dwynwen (Died c 460) Virgin Princess, Nun. St Eochod of Galloway St Joel of Pulsano St Juventinus of Antioch St Maximinus of Antioch St Palaemon
Thought for the Day – 7 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Problem of Suffering
“Jesus is the Head of the Mystical Body of the Church and we are its members. We ought to suffer with submission and love, as He did. Rebellion increases and aggravates the pain. Resignation and love, on the other hand, lighten it, making it meritorious and even welcome. It is a consolation to suffer with Jesus. St Paul says: “I rejoice now in the sufferings I have for your sake and what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ, I fill up in my flesh, for His Body, which is the Church” (Col 1:24). In other words,the Passion of Christ demands our submissive and joyful co-operation in suffering along with Jesus.
The Acts says of the Apostles, “So they departed from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:41).
“So great is the reward which awaits me,” exclaims St Francis, “every suffering is pure joy to me!” He knew well, that the sorrows of this world are very tiny compared with the wonderful recompense which awaits us in Heaven. “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18).”
One Minute Reflection – 26 December – St Stephen the ProtoMartyr (c 05-c 34) – Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Matthew 23:34-39 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” – Acts 7:59
REFLECTION – “Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time, of our eternal King; today we celebrate the triumphant death of a soldier… Our King, although He is most high, came for our sake, in great humility but He could not come empty-handed. He brought with Him, as it were, a great bonus for His soldiers which not only made them abundantly rich but also gave them, strength to fight and conquer. The gift He brought was love, which brings men into fellowship with the Godhead…
The love, then, that brought Christ down from Heaven to earth, lifted Stephen from earth to Heaven… And Stephen, so as to deserve to win the crown— which is what his name means—had love as his weapon and by it was everywhere victorious. Through love of God, he did not yield to the raging of his enemies and through love of his neighbour, he prayed for those who were stoning him. Through love, he accused those, who were in the wrong that they might be corrected. Through love, he prayed for those stoning him, to save them from punishment. Trusting in the strength of love, he overcame the cruel raging of Saul and so, won for himself, as a companion in men, the man who had been his persecutor on earth, This holy and untiring love, ardently desired to acquire as converts by his prayers, those whom he had been unable to convert by argument.
Now Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ; he exults with Stephen, he reigns with Stephen. There, where Stephen arose, the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes, there too, Paul has risen with the help of Stephen’s prayers.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533) Bishop in North Africa (Sermon 3, 1-3, 5-6).
PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to imitate what we celebrate, so that we may learn to love even our enemies because we keep the anniversary of the death of him, who knew how to plead, even for his persecutors with our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son. 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 – 7 December – St Ambrose (340-397) – Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
“Take nothing for your journey …”
Luke 9:3
“This is a great vision. But if you wish to see it, remove the sandals from your feet. Remove every chain of sin. Remove the chains of the world. Leave behind earthly sandals. Jesus sent the Apostles without sandals, without money, gold and silver, so that they would not carry earthly things with them. The one who seeks to do good is praised, not for his sandals but for the swiftness and grace of his feet. ”
“Let God alone be sought, as the Judge of loveliness, Who loves even, in less beautiful bodies, the more beautiful souls.”
“And now, let the feet of our minds. be stretched out. The Lord Jesus wills also, to wash our feet, For He says, not to Peter alone but to each of the faithful: If I wash not your feet you will have no part with Me. [ John 13: 8 ]”
Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus By St Ambrose (340-397) Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One Trans John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Trans 1836
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One Art with the Father and the Son. Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess With Thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue, With all our powers, Thy praise be sung. And love light up our mortal frame, Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high, Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee Doth live and reign eternally.
Apostolorum Passio By St Ambrose (c 340-397)
This happy day is sanctified As Martyr’s glory we recall, The cross bedewed with Peter’s blood, The sword that won a crown for Paul.
The triumph of their Martyrdom United these great souls in death, Whose faith in Christ had crowned their lives In service to their latest breath.
Saint Peter held the primacy, Saint Paul would equal him in grace, When once, as chosen instrument The cause of Christ, he would embrace
Once, Simon, leaving Rome, turned back To give, by death, full praise to God, That by the cross he too should tread The self-same path his Master trod.
Now Rome exults, as well she may And strives to give devotion’s due To one who sealed with his own blood His work as Priest and Shepherd true.
And who can count the crowds that come As loving children to her gate, Where nations’ teacher, holy Paul Once dwelt and gladly met his fate.
Grant us, O Lord, the final grace Of sharing in their joy above, That with such Princes we may praise Your bounty and undying love. Amen
Translation: The Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK
O Lord, Who has Mercy Upon All By St Ambrose (340-397)
O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and enjoy You, for Christ’s sake. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Vigil of the Feast of St Andrew – Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 13:13-14
“And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Matthew 9:2
“Perhaps, your own faith is feeble. Nevertheless, the Lord, who is love will stoop down to you, provided only that you are penitent and can say sincerely, from the depths of your soul: “Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief,” (Mark 9:23)……”
St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Father and Doctor of the Church
“He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His Blood. He who created the Host of Angels, was bound at the hands of soldiers and He who is to judge the living and the dead, was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1). Truth was exposed to false witnesses, was slandered, struck, covered with spittle, hung on the Wood of the Cross – the Lord of Glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8) endured every outrage and suffering without Himself needing these trials. …
So there is nothing surprising about it, if we submit to even one of these trials, since such is our condition … Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted, afflicted by the cutting off of our wills.”
St Theodore the Studite (759- 826) Monk at Constantinople, Father
(Catecheses 1)
“Nothing so curbs the onset of anger, so allays the upsurge of pride. It cures the wound of envy, controls unbridled extravagance and quenches the flame of lust. It cools the thirst of covetousness and banishes the itch of unclean desire… For when I Name Jesus, I set before myself, a Man Who is meek and humble of heart, kind, prudent, chaste, merciful, flawlessly upright and holy in the eyes of all and this same Man, is the all-powerful God Whose way of life heals me, Whose support is my strength.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Father and Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself
Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself Lord Jesus, bind me to Yourself and to my neighbour, with love. May my heart not be turned away from You. May my soul not be deceived, nor my talent or mind, enticed by allurements of error, so that I may never distance myself from Your love. Thus may I love my neighbour as myself, with strength, wisdom and gentleness, with Your help, You who are blessed throughout all ages. Amen.
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ and imitate His example, if he does not study this Jesus, who must inspire and perfect our faith? He must run the race to which he is challenged, the glorious race in which, he overcomes the enemy of the human family and follows the Way of the Cross. Under the lordly banner of that Cross, he will attain eternal life.”
St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824)
(From his first Pastoral Letter as Bishop)
Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
Hear me, O Lord, my soul’s delight, joy of my heart, not because of my merits but because of Thy boundless goodness. Teach me, enlighten me, direct me, help me in all things that I may never say or do anything but that which I know to be pleasing in Thou sight. Guide me, O God, my Love, my Light and my Life! Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 18 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul
“The present Feast, therefore, deserves to be more than a local solemnity, its extension to the Universal Church, is a subject for the world’s gratitude. Thanks to this Feast, we can all make together in spirit today, the pilgrimage, which our ancestors performed with such fatigue and danger, yet never thought they purchased, at too high a price, its holy joys and blessings. “Heavenly mountains, glittering heights of the new Sion!” These are the gates of our true country, the two lights of the immense world. There Paul’s voice is heard like thunder; there Peter withholds or hurls the bolt . The former opens the hearts of men, the latter opens Heaven. Peter is the foundation-stone, Paul the architect of the temple where stands the Altar, by which God is propitiated. Both together, form a single fountain which, pours out its healing and refreshing waters”
St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) Bishop, Father o the Church
Feast of the Holy Relics – 5 November – From the Liturgical Year, 1901.
Relics of the Passion conserved in the Roman Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalem
Had we Angels’ eyes, we should see the earth as a vast field sown with seed for the Resurrection. The death of Abel opened the first furrow and ever since, the sowing has gone on unceasingly, the wide world over. This land of labour and of suffering, what treasures it already holds laid up in its bosom! And what a harvest for Heaven, when the Sun of Justice, suddenly darting forth His rays, shall cause to spring up, as suddenly from the soil, the elect ears ripe for glory! No wonder that the Church herself blesses and superintends, the laying of the precious grain in the earth.
But the Church is not content to be always sowing. Sometimes, as though impatient of delay, she raises from the ground the chosen seed she had sown therein. Her infallible discernment preserves her from error and, disengaging from the soil the immortal germ, she forestalls the glory of the future. She encloses the treasure in gold or precious stuffs, carries it in triumph, invites the multitudes to come and reverence it; or, she raises new temples to the name of the blessed one and assigns him the highest honour of reposing under the Altar, whereon she offers to God, the tremendous Sacrifice.
Religuary of St Anthony of Padua
“Let your charity understand,” explains St Augustine (Aug. Sermo cccxviii, de Stephano Mart. V): “it is not to Stephen we raise an Altar in this place but of Stephen’s relics, we make an Altar to God. God loves these Altars and, if you ask the reason – Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Ps. cxv, 15).” In obedience to God “the invisible soul has quitted its visible dwelling. But God preserves this dwelling; He is glorified by the honour we pay to this lifeless flesh and, clothing it with the might of His Divinity, He gives it the power of working miracles” (Aug. Sermo cclxxv, de Vincentio Mart. II). Hence the origin of pilgrimages to the Shrines of the Saints.
Left–Adoration of the Holy Cross by the Saints in Heaven; Right– Reliquary of St Stephen
“Christian people,” says St Gregory of Nyssa, “wherefore are you assembled here? A tomb has no attractions, nay, the sight of its contents inspires horror! Yet, see what eagerness to approach this sepulchre! So great an object of desire is it, that a little of the dust from around it is esteemed a gift of great price. As to beholding the remains it conceals, that is a rare favour and an enviable one, as those can testify who enjoy the privilege: they embrace the holy body as though it were yet alive, they press their lips and their eyes upon it, shedding tears of love and devotion. What emperor ever received such honour ”(Greg. Nyssa de Theodoro Mart)?”
“Emperors!” rejoins St John Chrysostom; “as the porters at their gates, such have they become with regard to poor fishers. The son of the great Constantine deemed he could not pay a higher honour to his father, than to procure him a place of sepulture in the porch of the fisherman of Galilee” (Chrys. in Epist. II. ad Cor. Hom. xxvi). And again, concluding his commentary on St Paul’s admirable Epistle to the Romans, the golden-mouthed Doctor exclaims: “And now, who will grant me to prostrate myself at Paul’s sepulchre, to contemplate the ashes of that body which, suffering for us, filled up what was wanting of the sufferings of Christ? The dust of that mouth, which spoke boldly before kings, and, showing what Paul was, revealed the Lord of Paul? The dust of that heart, truly the heart of the world, more lofty than the heavens, more vast than the universe, as much, the heart of Christ as of Paul and wherein might be read, the book of grace, graven by the Holy Spirit? Oh! that I might see the remains of the hands, which wrote those Epistles; of the eyes, which were struck with blindness and recovered their sight for our salvation; of the feet which traversed the whole earth! Yes. I would fain contemplate the tomb where repose these instruments of justice and of light, these members of Christ, this temple of the Holy Ghost. O venerable body, which, together with that of Peter, protects Rome more securely, than all ramparts” (Chrys. in Epist. ad Rom. Hom. xxxii)
Chains of St Peter
The wrist bone of St Paul held in Goza, Malta
In spite of such teachings as these, the heretics of the sixteenth Century profaned the tombs of the Saints, under pretext of bringing us back to the doctrine of our forefathers. In contradiction to these strange reformers, the Council of Trent expressed the unanimous testimony of Tradition, in the following definition, which sets forth the theological reasons of the honour paid by the Church, to the relics of Saints:,
“Veneration ought to be shown, by the faithful, to the bodies of the Martyrs and other Saints, who live with Jesus Christ. For they were His living members and the temples of the Holy Ghost; He will raise them up again to eternal life and glory and through them, God grants many blessings to mankind. Therefore, those who say that the relics of the Saints are not worthy of veneration, that it is useless for the faithful to honour them, that it is vain to visit the memorials or monuments of the Saints, in order to obtain their aid, are absolutely to be condemned and, as they have already been long ago condemned, (Conc. Nic. II. cap. vii), the Church now condemns them once more” (Conc. Tird. Sess. xxv. De invocatione, veneratione et reliquiis Sanctorum).
One Minute Reflection – 26 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Upon this rock I will build my church” – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “Although the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74[75],40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose Feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord Himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears: it they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show what they were capable of, before strengthening them, so that all might know, that their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1,13)…
Hence we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart: our Fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered, with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great – to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2 Cor 11,25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1 Cor 4,12-13)…And what shall we say of Peter? Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was… his cross has been his road to Heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (Sermon 18, for the feast of S (ints Peter and Paul ; PL 195, 298).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through 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 – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke, the Evangelist – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, Luke 10:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Luke, the beloved physician, sends greetings … ”
Colossians 4:14
“And we have sent along with him (Titus), the brother (Luke) whose services to the Gospel are praised in all the churches and what is more, who was also appointed by the churches, to travel with us in this work of grace …”
2 Corinthians 8:18-19
The Magnificat The Canticle of Mary Luke 1:46-55
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour He looks on His servant in her lowliness Henceforth all ages will call me blessed: The Almighty works marvels for me, holy is his Name! His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear Him. He puts forth His arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty. He protects Israel, His servant, remembering His mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons forever.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8 Scripture search – https://www.drbo.org/
“Do not, therefore, lose your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of patience that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise. For yet a very little while and He Who is to come, will come and will not delay.”
Hebrews 10:35-37
“Everyone without God, has a dead soul. You, who bewail the dead, rather, should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“We have the Providential love of God as our guide. When there is a ship at sea and heads towards the port, nobody doubts that it is led by a pilot and one could doubt that there is a God who guides the universe only because He cannot be seen? By His Providential Love, God arranges and regulates events, regulates everything, with gentleness and wisdom. I advise you to abandon yourself completely into the hands of Divine Providence. “
Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)
The Love of Your Name
“My God, Sweetness beyond words, make bitter all the carnal comfort that draws me from love of the eternal and lures me to its evil self, by the sight of some delightful good in the present. Let it not overcome me, my God. Let not flesh and blood conquer me. Let not the world and its brief glory deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness. Give me courage to resist, patience to endure and constancy to persevere. Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit, rather than all the consolations of the world and in place of carnal love, infuse into me the love of Your Name.”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471) The Imitation of Christ (Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)
One Minute Reflection – 15 August – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Judith 13:22-25; 15:10, Luke 1:41-50
“For behold, henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.” – Luke 1:48
REFLECTION – “If Saint Mary Magdalene – who had been a sinner and from whom the Lord had cast out seven demons – merited to be glorified by him to the extent that her praise abides forever among the assembly of the saints, who can measure the extent to which “the upright rejoice and dance for joy in the presence of the Lord” with regard to holy Mary, who knew not man? … If the Apostle Peter, – who was not only unable to watch for one hour with Christ but, who even went so far as to deny him, – afterwards won such favour that the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were entrusted to him, of what praises is holy Mary not worthy, who bore the King of Angels Himself in her womb, He Whom the Heavens cannot contain? If Saul, who “breathed murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” … was the object of such mercy … that he was “caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body,” it is not surprising, that the holy Mother of God – who stayed beside her Son through all the trials He endured, from His cradle onwards – should have been lifted up to Heaven, even in her body and exalted high above the Choirs of Angels.
If there is “joy in heaven before the angels over one sinner who repents”, who can tell what joyful and lovely praises rise up before God, concerning Holy Mary who never sinned? … Indeed, if those who “once were darkness” and have now become “light in the Lord” “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father,” who is able to tell “the eternal weight of glory” of Holy Mary, who came into the world “like dawn arising, beautiful as the moon, resplendent as the sun” and of whom was born “the true light which enlightens everyone coming into the world?” Moreover, since our Lord said: “Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, there will my servant also be,” where do we think His Mother must be, who served Him with such eagerness and fidelity? If she followed Him and obeyed Him, even to death, no-one can wonder, that now, more than anyone else, she “follows the Lamb wherever he goes.” – St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) – Cistercian Monk – 2nd sermon for the Assumption
PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who took up, body and soul, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son, into heavenly glory, grant, we beseech Thee, that, always devoting ourselves to heavenly things, we may be found worthy to share in her glory. 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 – 14 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Christian Joy
“In his letters, St Paul frequently exhorts the early Christians to be joyful. “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice” (Phil 4:4). “The fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, kindliness” (Cf Gal 5:22). But we are to remember that “The Kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink but, in justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).
St Paul emphasises that this joy need not be lost in times of tribulation. “I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our troubles” (2 Cor 7:4). In the life of a Christian, joy andsorrow are not mutually exclusive but, complement and perfect one another.
This does not mean that Christianity essentially transforms human nature and banishes the pangs of suffering. It means simply that everything in human nature, is purified and elevated, so that, it may be deserving of Heaven, where true and lasting happiness is to be found. “Be fervent in spirit,” says St Paul, “serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope,” (Rom 12:12)“and as sorrowful, always rejoicing” (2 Cor 6:10.”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 August – St Lawrence (Died 258) Martyr “Keeper of the Treasures of he Church” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, John 12:24-26
“If it dies, it produces much fruit”
John 12:24
“Through the glorious achievements of the holy Martyrs with which the Church blossoms everywhere, we are ourselves, proving to our own eyes, how true are the words we have been singing that: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Ps 116[115]:15). For it is precious both in our sight and in the sight of Him, in Whose Name. the death took place.”
“And all who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“Do not love your life in this world! If you truly love yourselves, do not thus love your life and then, you will save your life!”…
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
“In conformity with the philosophy of Christ, let us make of our life, a training for death.”
St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church
Quote of the Day – 3 August – The Finding of the Relics of St Stephen, Protomarty – Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-60. Matthew 23:34-39
“It is possible that, as he lay dying, Stephen looked up at Saul and uttered his last prayer for this sincere and honest young Jew, who had been led astray by the prejudice and passion of the mob. … Let us endeavour too, to suffer, pray and work for the conversion of our fellowmen, so many of whom, are wandering in the darkness of error or struggling in the clutches of vice. Let us try, by our sufferings, prayers and good example, to draw down God’s grace on our unhappy brothers. If we succeed, we shall share in the merits of their good actions and we shall have ensured our own everlasting salvation.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 July – The Memorial of St Pantaleon (Died c 305) Martyr, Lay Physician, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – 2 Tim. 2:8-10; 3:10-12, Matthew 10:26-32
“And all who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“The very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Matthew 10:30
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are, each day, of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions, so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
“When he has begun to follow Me, according to My teaching and precepts, he will find many people contradicting him and standing in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him. Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside the Church but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds. Although these glory, in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute faithful Christians.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post, to which God has called you!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.”
Thought for the Day – 13 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Grace of God
“It is astonishing to consider how much St Paul accomplished when he had been transformed by the grace of God. Formerly, a persecutor of Christians, he became the Apostle of the Gentiles. Enlightened by faith and inspired by charity, he travelled the globe, spreading everywhere, the religion of Jesus Christ.
He feared neither the anger of the hostile Jews, nor the tribunals of the Roman judges, neither long and difficult journeys, nor scourging, shipwreck and imprisonment. “The love of Christ impels us,” (2 Cor 5:14) he said. It was the love of God which drove him on and on, until he met his martyrdom. But what about ourselves? We also have received grace from God. Often we hear His voice appealing to us to abandon our sinful ways, to practise virtue, to love Him more ardently and to prove our love, by deeds. If we co-operate, we shall be able to say with St Paul: “by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace in me has not been fruitless,” (1 Cor 15:10) and “I have laboured … yet, not I but the grace of God with me” (ibid).
It is wise to recall, however, that Judas also received special graces from God. He did not correspond with them and was probably damned for eternity. If we fail to correspond with God’s graces, the result will be tragic for ourselves.”
Thought for the Day – 6 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul
St Peter, Prince of the Apostles St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles
“It is good to admire the fidelity of St Peter and the designs of Divine Providence in making him the visible Head of the Church but, it is far better, to follow his example. His love for Jesus, led him to leave his family and his fisherman’s trade, in order to follow Our Lord. It led him to undertake long voyages, to endure imprisonment and to face martyrdom. What can we do for the love of Jesus? Remember that, if love is to be sincere, it must be generous and effective.
Secondly let us meditate on and imitate, the ardent and fearless faith of St Peter. He was not afraid to preach the teaching of Christ before the Sanhedrin. He was not afraid of Herod, who cast him into prison.
He was not afraid of the Roman Emperor, who caused him to be crucified. Our faith should be steadfast and lively, like his!
Finally, let us imitate Peter in his repentance. Although he loved Jesus very much and had such great faith in Him, in a moment of weakness and of imprudence, he denied Him three times. All his life, however, be wept bitterly for this sin. Whenever he heard a cock crowing, it was as if an arrow had pierced his heart. He was not satisfied, until he was hanging upon the cross like his Divine Master and could prove his love for Jesus by a Martyr’s death.”
St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles
We can learn many other virtues from St Paul, besides his zealous love for God and for his fellowmen. We can also learn from him, the virtues of humility and of apostolic fervour. The Apostle of the Gentiles reached such heights of sanctity, as to feel himself transformed into Christ Himself and to deserve to be taken up into the third Heaven, where he enjoyed a foretaste of eternal happiness. Nevertheless, he considered himself unworthy to be called an Apostle and he realised, that all his gifts came to him from God. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as from ourselves but our sufficiency, is from God” (2 Cor 3:5). Whenever we succeed in any project, we should think on the same lines because, it is only when we are humble and depend on the grace of God, that the success of our actions will redound to the glory of our Creator. If the cancer of ambition or of self-love, should corrupt our purity of intention, our work would not be blessed by God and would not make us worthy of everlasting life. Let us repeat often: “All for You, with You and in You, my God.”
Quote/s of the Day – 6 July – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul
“Yes, the Apostle chosen to be His co-worker, merited to share, the same Name as Christ. They built the same Building together – Peter does the planting, the Lord gives the increase and it is the Lord, too, Who sends those, who will do the watering (cf 1 Cor 3:6f).”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Nothing escaped the Wisdom and Power of Christ, the elements of nature lay at His service, spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. … And yet, out of all the world, Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head, for the calling of all the peoples and the oversight of all the Apostles and Fathers of the Church.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church
“There are the gates of our true country, the two lights of the immense world. There Paul’s voice is heard like thunder; there Peter withholds or hurls the bolt . The former opens the hearts of men, the latter opens Heaven. Peter is the Foundation-stone, Paul the Architect of the temple where stands the Altar by which God is propitiated. Both together form a single Fountain, which pours out its healing and refreshing waters.”
St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) “The Troubadour of Christ”
St Paul’s Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the Saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know, the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him Who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly, far more than all we can ask or imagine. To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
AnaStpaul 
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