Category: STATIONS of the CROSS

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 September – Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, Mary, His Mother …”

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One Minute Reflection – 15 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” and The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin – Judith 13:22; 13:25 – John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here:

“Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, Mary, His Mother …” –John 19:25

REFLECTION – “Like a sheep beholding its lamb being led to the slaughterhouse (Is 53 :7), Mary followed behind with the other women, consumed with sorrow and crying: “Where are Thou going, my Child? Why do Thou end Thy swift course (Ps 18:6) in this way? Are there still other wedding feasts in Cana? Is it there that Thou are now going so swiftly, to make wine for them out of water? May I come with Thee, O my Child, or would it be better to wait? Speak one word to me, O Word, do not pass before me in silence…, oh Thou Who are my Son and my God…

“Thou art going towards an unjust death and no-one shares Thy suffering. Peter does not go with Thee, he who said: “Even if I have to die, I will never deny Thee” (Mt 26:35). Thomas, who exclaimed: “Let us all die with Him!” (Jn 11:16), has left Thee. And the others too, Thy friends, those who are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28), where are they now!? Not one remains. But Thou alone, O my Child, Thou dies for all. This is Thy recompense for having saved and served all humankind, my Son and my God.”

Turning to Mary, His Mother, He who came forth from her, cried out: “Mother, why do thy weep?… Am I not to suffer? Not to die? Then how could I save Adam? Am I not to dwell in the tomb? How should I bring back to life, those who inhabit the dwelling of the dead? Why do thou weep? Shout aloud, rather: ‘My Son and my God, is suffering of His Own Free Will.’ O wise Virgin do not make thyself like those who are foolish (Mt 25:1); thou stands in the wedding hall, do not become as though thou stood outside… Weep no longer, then but rather say: ‘Take pity on Adam, be merciful towards Eve, O my Son and my God.’

“Be assured, O Mother, thou will be the first to see Me come from the Tomb. I will come to show thee from what misfortunes I have redeemed Adam, what efforts I have expended for his sake. To My friends, I shall reveal their marks which I will show in My Hands. Then thou will see Eve alive, as she was before and in thou joy, thou will cry out: ‘He has saved my parents, my Son and my God!’ – St Romanos Melodios (c490-c556) Monk, Composer of Hymns, Poet (Hymn 25, The Blessed Virgin Mary at the Cross).

PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the Saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Thine Passion. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, POETRY, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – Good Friday – A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – Good Friday

GOOD FRIDAY
A Day of Deep Mourning,
Fasting and Abstinence!

“Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight –
Hard rind without, to hold the Heart of Heaven.
Yet, sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer His Life upon that rood –
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless, take from Thy Hands, the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt is not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thee
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself had’st none!
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!”

St Paulinus of Nola (c354-431)
Father of the Church

“O souls!
Seek a refuge, like pure doves,
in the shadow of the Crucifix.
There, mourn the Passion
of your Divine Spouse
and drawing from your hearts,
flames of love and rivers of tears,
make of them a precious balm
with which to anoint
the Wounds of your Saviour.”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1694-1775)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SECOND COMING, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – There they crucified Him – John 19:18

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One Minute Reflection – 18 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“There they crucified Him and with Him two others, one on either side and Jesus between them. ” – John 19:18

REFLECTION – “Truly, you are a hidden God!” (Is 45:15).   Why hidden?   Because He had neither form nor beauty, yet power was in His Hands.   It was there His fortitude was hidden.

Was He not hidden when He submitted His Hands to brutes and His Palms received the nails?   The print of the nails gleamed on His Hands and His innocent Side received the wound.   They shackled His Feet in fetters, the iron pierced His soles and His Feet were fastened to the tree.   These wounds did God suffer on our behalf, at the hands of His own people, in His own home.   O how marvellous are His Wounds by which the wounds of the world were healed!   How victorious His Wounds, by which He slew death and stung hell! … Therefore, O Church, O dove, You have coverts in the rock and a hollow in the wall in which to rest (cf. Sg 2:14). …

And what will you do … when He comes in the clouds with great power and majesty? (cf Mt 24:30)   He will come down with Heaven and earth ablaze and by the terror of His coming, He will dissolve the elements.   When He has come, the Sign of the Cross will be seen in the sky and the beloved One will show the scars of His Wounds and the prints of the nails, by which He was transfixed in His own home!” … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) – Cistercian Monk, Bishop

PRAYER – Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present and to come and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, that through the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free from sin and secure from all disturbance. 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.
Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee. (Antiphons).

Posted in OUR Cross, QUOTES on JOY, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT, The STATIONS of the CROSS

Lenten Meditations – 9 April – Simon of Cyrene

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Lenten Meditations – 9 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

Wednesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Simon of Cyrene

Read St Mark xv:21

[21] And they forced one Simon a Cyrenian coming out of the country, who passed by, the father of Alexander and of Rufus, to take up His Cross. [Mark 15:21]

+1. Our Blessed Lord falls again and again, beneath the weight of the Cross until it becomes evident to the soldiers that He will never be able to drag it to the place of execution.
They accordingly lay hold of a heathen passing by, Simon the Cyrenian and him they compel to carry the Cross. How little Simon knew the happiness in store for him when those rough soldiers seized him and force him, to the ignominious task, of carrying the instrument of His punishment. for a public criminal!
How often we too fail to recognise God’s wonderful designs of mercy, in the sudden disagreeable and contradictory events and circumstances we encounter!

+2. Simon at first, bore the Cross angrily and reluctantly, chafing under the hardship inflicted upon him. But, as he carries it, somehow an unaccountable change embraced him.
It has the power to change his heart and, to make of him, a devoted follower of the Crucified, one of the pillars of the Apostolic Church.
Thus, many a cross which we reluctantly carry, proves to be really the means of our sanctification and salvation!

+3. Before Simon arrives at the summit of Calvary, the Cross had endeared itself to him.
He has recognised that, to carry it for Jesus, was no hardship but a privilege and a joy. In fact the greatest of his life!
So too, the Saints learn to love their cross, to embrace it, to seek it, to carry it with all joy, to be almost discontented if they are without it. This is the very height of peace and felicity; for those who find their joy in the cross, find cause for rejoicing and happiness, everywhere around them.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT- 2025, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, STATIONS of the CROSS, The LAMB of GOD, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT, The STATIONS of the CROSS

Lenten Meditations – 8 April – Jesus Meets His Holy Mother

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Lenten Meditations – 8 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

Tuesday after the Fifth Sunday in Len
Jesus Meets His Holy Mother

Read St Matthew xvi:24-28

[24] Then Jesus said to His disciples: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. [25] For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he. who shall lose his life. for My Sake, shall find it.
[26] For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? [27] For the Son of man, shall come in the glory of His Father with His Angels and then, will He render to every man according to his works. [28] Amen I say to you, there are some of them who stand here, who shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom. [Matthew 16:24-28]

+1. Our blessed Lady, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, goes forth to meet her Son as He drags Himself up the hill of Calvary.
With what horror and dismay must she have been stricken at the sight of her darling Son and her God, His Divine Beauty obliterated, mangled and torn, covered with blood and filth, unsightly and terrible to behold!
Heartbroken, anguish fills her soul and we may well believe, she would have died of sorrow had she not been miraculously supported by the power of God.
O Mother of God! obtain for me a share in Thy grief and Thy intercession!

+2. What a fresh stab of sorrow to the gentle Heart of Jesus to see His holy Mother, pale and haggard, come to share in His Sacred Passion by her compassion!
None so full of sympathy as He, none so full of acute feeling for the woes of other. If He sorrowfully sympathised with the women on the way, how much more His own Mother, whom He loved far better than all the world beside!
O Mary, obtain for me, a sinner, the Sacred Compassion of Jesus!

+3. Our Lady shared in the Passion of Christ in a way in which no-one else could, none even of the Saints, simply because she too was sinless. She did not need to suffer for herself. She had no sin to expiate. This it is which justifies us in giving her the title of co-Redemptrix. She too, who knew no sin, was made sin for us!
This earned for her ,the privilege of sharing in all the agony of the sinless Lamb of God.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, OUR Cross, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS, The STATIONS of the CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 April – ‘ … By the Cross, we put on Christ …;

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 April – Monday in Passion Week

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church

“He who findeth his life, shall lose it
and he, who shall lose his life for Me,
shall find it. ”
Matthew 10:39

“My dear child, accept this cross from God and bear it –
it will turn into a truly lovable cross,
if you would hand these trials over to God,
accept them from Him with true abandonment
and thank God for them:
“My soul magnifies the Lord”
in everything (cf Lk 1:46).
Whether God takes or gives, the Son of Man
must be raised up on the Cross …
Dear child, leave all that behind;
rather, give your attention to true abandonment …
and think about accepting to bear
the cross of temptation, rather than going
in search of spiritual sweetness …
Our Lord has said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me,
let him take up his cross and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).”

Fr JohannesTauler OP (c1300-1361)
Dominican Priest and Friar,
renowned Preacher and Theologian

Posted in LENT- 2025, STATIONS of the CROSS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 7 April – Via Dolorosa

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Lenten Meditations – 7 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

Monday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Via Dolorosa

Read St Luke xxiii:27-31

[27] And there followed Him, a great multitude of people and of women, who bewailed and lamented for Him. [28] But Jesus, turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me but weep for yourselves,and for your children. [29] For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren and the wombs which have not borne and the breats which have not given suck. [30] Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us and to the hills: Cover us.
[31] For if, in the green wood, they do these things, what shall be done in the dry? [Luke 23:27-31]

+I. Torn and bleeding, scarcely able to sustain the heavy burden of the Cross, with His long garment entangling His feet, dragged on by the brutal soldiers, Jesus treads the Sacred Way of the Cross.
After going a few steps, He stumbles and falls; rising with difficulty, He staggers on a short distance farther and falls again.
O my Lord and my God, I beseech Thee by these Thy most painful falls, grant that I may never again fall into deliberate sin.

+2. On the way, some women express their grief and compassion for Jesus.
His appearance is so pitiable, they cannot restrain their tears. Jesus turns to them, tells them to weep, not for Him but for themselves and for their children.
If sin has wrought such a work of destruction in the Son of God, in Whom evil had nothing to lay hold of, in Whom the green wood could be blackened externally but_not consumed by the flame, what would be its effects on sinners, in whom the fire of sin rages, as in the dry tinder. How ought I to fear the least spark of sin which may kindle the fire of passion in me and destroy me utterly!

+3. One of those holy women, named Veronica, wipes from His face the Blood and sweat, with a handkerchief. On looking at the cloth she sees the impression of His Sacred Ccountenance stamped upon it.
So upon the hearts of all,who do acts of kindness for Christ’s Sake, there is imprinted His Likeness.
Each ,deed of charity tends to produce in our soul, that
Likeness to Him in Whom all holiness consists.

Posted in OUR Cross, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 6 April – Jesus on the Way to Calvary

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Lenten Meditations – 6 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

Passion Sunday – The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Jesus on the Way to Calvary

Read St Matthew xxvii:31

[31] And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and gave His own garments and led Him away to crucify Him. [Matthew 27:31]

+1. It was not really Pilate who condemned Jesus to death, says St Bernard, it was His love for us.
He had been longing all His life through for that moment when He was to carry out His Father’s Will and redeem the world by dying for us.
He knew that the divine mandate meant that without the shedding of blood, there would be no remission of sin. Pilate’s voice, sentencing Him to death, was but the expression of His own love for sinners and of His joyful acceptance of the Cross for their sake.
O Jesus, may I love Thee in return, for such love for me!

+2. The Cross has been prepared beforehand and, as soon as the sentence has been passed, they bring it forward to be laid upon the shoulders of their Victim. Jesus takes the Cross and kisses the instrument of His Agony, as a welcome friend.
He did this, not merely because He loved us and, therefore, loved the Cross but, to teach us to love our crosses, to accept them as gifts from God to be welcomed, not to be feared and rejected, or regarded with aversior and dislike.
How can we dislike them when they make us like unto Jesus and must be borne after Him, if we are ever to share His joy in Heaven?

+3. On Jesus’ Shoulder, there was already, a large, open wound, scarcely covered by the garments thrown upon Him. The weight of the Cross rested on this wound, causing Him the most excruciating agony. It was by this agony, He was earning patience for us, under our bodily sufferings. However severe, they are nothing compared, to that which, the Son of God endured on His Road to Calvary.
Jesus, I implore, grant me patience in my sufferings!

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, ROSARY QUOTES, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 15 September – A Holocaust for our Redemption

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Thought for the Day – 15 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

A Holocaust for our Redemption

“Scourged, crowned with thorns and derided, Jesus is finally condemned to death.
Burdened with the Cross, He sets out for the place of execution in the midst of a crowd of enemies, blasphemers and idle speculators.
Among them , there is only a tiny group which sympathises with Jesus, namely, Mary His Mother, the devout women and the beloved Apostle, St John.

The divine Redeemer goes forward labouriously beneath the heavy weight of the Cross.
He has already lost a large quantity of blood in Gethsemane and during the scourging and crowning with thorns.
His strength seems to be failing but love sustains Him.
Looking feebly around Him, He sees the mocking Jews, the indifferent and disrespectful Roman soldiers and a throng of curious spectators looking for something to amuse them.
Is there nobody else?
Where are those whom He cured miraculously and those whom He comforted and forgave?
Has nobody any pity for Him?
Suddenly the crowd falls silent.
A woman, pale and tearful, is approaching Him, supported by her friends.
She defies the commands of soldiers and the scowls of the executions and comes close to Him.

Here and there, a murmur is heard – It must be His Mother, poor woman!
Jesus and Mary gaze at one another.
It would be impossible for us to guess at the immense depths of love contained in that loving exchange of glances.
Neither utters a word, for no words could express their anguish, nor manifest their love.
They look and understand one another, offering themselves as a holocaust for the redemption of wayward humanity.

Nevertheless, in this silent meeting, there was great consolation for the Heart of Jesus, for He had found someone who loved and understood Him, amongst those malicious throngs.
Why do we not sympathise with Him too and love Him with all our hearts?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 August – “Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

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One Minute Reflection – 22 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Octave Day of the Assumption – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

REFLECTION – “Woman, this is your son. This is your mother.” By what right is the disciple whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s Mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth, in the flesh, to the God-man. But now she is in labour with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross.

At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born, she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf 13:1; 17:1). …

When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more shall she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the firstborn from the dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is indeed the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c 1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13 ; PL 169, 789.

PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a dwelling place worthy of the Holy Spirit, graciously grant, that we, who are devoutly keeping the Feast of her Immaculate Heart, may be able to live according to Thy Heart. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 22 February – Why Should It Happen to Me?

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Thought for the Day – 22 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Why Should It Happen to Me?

“When Jesus had been scourged and crowned with thorns, He was forced to set out towrds the execution-ground on Calvary, carrying the heavy wooden Cross.
On the way, He met a Cyrenean named Simon, who was probably returning from his work in the fields outsdie the city.
The Jews had realised, that Jesus had lost so much blood, that He was unable to bear the weight any longer.
They felt no compassion for Him but they were anxious to save their victim for the final punishment.
With this in mind, they compelled Simon to carry Jesus’ Cross.
The Cyrenean could have said: “Why pick on me? I am tired and must get home …”
But his eyes met the tired gaze of Our Saviour.
He saw that He was covered with wounds and streaming blood.
Simon was deeply moved and willingly lifted the Cross which he carried to the place of execution (Cf Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26).

Picture Jesus, suffering and bleeding on the road to Calvary and Simon removing the Cross from the shoulders of Our Saviour and transferring it to his own.
How can we ever again rebel and complain, when we meet with inconvenience or sorrow?!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/22/thought-for-the-day-22-february-why-should-it-happen-to-me/

Posted in CATHOLIC TIME, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY NAME, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 12 November – To Christ Crucified

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Our Morning Offering – 12 November -Friday, the day of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

To Christ Crucified
Traditional Irish Prayer
Trans. Brendan Devlin

May the sweet Name of Jesus
Be written deeply
on my heart and mind.
Through the power of His Passion,
Through the force of His Prayer,
Through the shedding of His Blood,
Through the sweetness of His Sweetness,
Through His cruel Death on the Cross,
for the sake of us all.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
be the Saviour of our souls.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus
and Jesus, be with me,
the bond of love,
binding us together
and never be loosed.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 9 October – The Second Sorrowful Mystery – The Scourging

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Second Sorrowful Mystery
The Scourging

“The Saints voluntarily imposed on themselves flogging and other severe penances, which would make us shudder in modern times, in order to control their bodily impulses and to expiate, along with Jesus, the sins of their fellowmen.
Today, the pleasure-loving world cries out against such barbaric folly and extravagance.
But you who are a Catholic, educated in the school of Christ Crucified, know that suffering has a mission in your life, that mortification is necessary for the control of the body.

We must make sacrifices in order to combat our evil impulses.
We should avoid weakness and self-indulgence.
Let us always remember that we are followers of Christ Crucified and should, therefore, be prepared to chastise our bodies, even to the point of undergoing martyrdom, if this is necessary, in order to avoid sin and to preserve our chastity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/09/thought-for-the-day-9-october-the-second-sorrowful-mystery-the-scourging/

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 14 September – The Cross of Christ

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Thought for the Day – 14 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Crucifix

“The Crucifix is a simple meditation manual, open and intelligible to all, even to the most illiterate.
Anyone who turns to it, can study the sorrowful gaze of Jesus, His heart pierced with love for men.
His head crowned with thorns, His hands and feet transfixed with nails which support His divine body, streaming blood and writhing in anguish.
The Crucifix should be dear and sacred to every Catholic.
It should stand at the head of his bed, hang around his neck and hold a prominent position in his place of work or study.

Above all, however, the Crucifix should have its place in the heart of every fervent Catholic.
At every moment of his life, in time of sadness and of joy, he should remember, that God became man and suffered and died for him.
He should remember also, that this implies an obligation on his part, to work, suffer and die, for the love of God alone!

Many people meditate on the Crucifix.
They kiss it and claim to love it.
But while they love the Crucifix, they have no love for their particular cross, which they try, by every means in their power, to fling far away from them.
Now, it is very certain, that anyone who does not love his own cross, does not really love the Crucifix, for Jesus has told us that, “if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – ‘The death of death is there and the life of life….’

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“How precious the gift of the Cross,
how splendid to contemplate!
In the Cross there is no mingling of good and evil,
as in the tree of paradise;
it is wholly beautiful to behold
and good to taste.
The fruit of this tree is not death but life,
not darkness but light.
This tree does not cast us out of paradise
but opens the way for our return.”

St Theodore the Studite (750–826)


“Let us then learn from the Cross of Jesus our proper way of living.
Should I say ‘living’ or, instead, ‘dying’?
Rather, both living and dying.
Dying to the world, living for God.
Dying to vices and living by the virtues.
Dying to the flesh, but liv­ing in the spirit.
Thus in the Cross of Christ, there is death
and in the Cross of Christ there is life.
The death of death is there and the life of life.
The death of sins is there and the life of the virtues.
The death of the flesh is there and the life of the spirit.”

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

“There is no better wood
for feeding the fire of God’s love
than the wood of the Cross.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“We ought to glory in nothing
other than, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! …”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775)

A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of You,
when You, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy, to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure:
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure.
Amen

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-september-the-blessed-cross-of-christ/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, LENT, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION, The STATIONS of the CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 September – “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?

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One Minute Reflection – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Readings: Numbers 21:4-9, Psalms 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17

“…And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” – John 3:14-15

REFLECTION – “That brazen serpent was hung up as a remedy for the biting serpents, not as a type of Him that suffered for us but, as a contrast. It saved those that looked upon it, not because they believed it to live but because it was killed and killed with it, were the powers that were subject to it, being destroyed as it deserved. And what is the fitting epitaph for it from us? “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” You are overthrown by the Cross. you are slain by Him, Who is the Giver of Life. You are without breath, dead, without motion, even though you keep the form of a serpent lifted up high on a pole.” – St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Oration 45).

PRAYER – O God, who willed that Your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known His mystery on earth, may merit the grace of His redemption in heaven. For You placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered through Christ. O Cross, You are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus. We adore You O Christ and we praise You, for by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world. Amen.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 14 September – O Cross of Christ

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Our Morning Offering – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cros “”

O Cross of Christ
Stanbrook Abbey

O Cross of Christ, immortal tree
On which our Saviour died,
The world is sheltered by your arms
That bore the Crucified.

From bitter death and barren wood
The tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit
And leaves that never fade.

O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved
While ages run their course,
Foundation of the universe,
Creation’s binding force.

Give glory to the risen Christ
And to His Cross give praise,
The sign of God’s unfathomed love,
The hope of all our days.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TIME, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The STATIONS of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 30 July – A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross

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Our Morning Offering – 30 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of You,
when You, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy, to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure:
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure.
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HOLY WEEK, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – O Cross of Christ

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Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Monday of Holy Week

O Cross of Christ
Stanbrook Abbey

O Cross of Christ, immortal tree
On which our Saviour died,
The world is sheltered by your arms
That bore the Crucified.

From bitter death and barren wood
The tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit
And leaves that never fade.

O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved
While ages run their course,
Foundation of the universe,
Creation’s binding force.

Give glory to the risen Christ
And to His Cross give praise,
The sign of God’s unfathomed love,
The hope of all our days.
Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2021, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, LENTEN THOUGHTS, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 February – LENTEN THOUGHTS

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 February – Readings: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, Mark 1:40-45

LENTEN THOUGHTS

“You can make me clean”

Mark 1:40

“It is the greatest punishment to commit sin,
though we may remain unpunished –
it is the greatest honour and repose to live virtuously,
though we may be punished.”

St John Chrysostom (345-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“I have hidden My glory and,
out of My great love for you,
have freely made My richness poor.
For you, I suffered hunger, thirst, fatigue.
I roamed the mountains, ravines and valleys
looking for you, my lost sheep.
I took the name of Lamb, to bring you back,
calling you with My shepherd’s voice.
And I want to give My life for you,
to tear you away from claws of the wolf.
I bear everything so that you may cry out :
“Blessed are You, the one who comes to call Adam.”

St Romanus the Melodist (c 490-c 556)

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

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

Cast Upon Us a Look of Mercy
By Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)

O Jesus!
Cast upon us a look of mercy,
turn Your Face towards each of us
as You did to Veronica,
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes,
for this we do not deserve
but turn it towards our hearts,
so that, remembering You,
we may ever draw from this fountain of strength,
the vigour necessary to
sustain the combats of life.
Amen

“… Recollect, that heavy Cross
is the weight of our sins.
As it fell upon His neck and shoulders,
it came down with a shock.
Alas! what a sudden, heavy weight
have I laid upon Thee, O Jesus.
… Ah! how great a misery is it
that I have lifted up my hand
against my God.”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, STATIONS of the CROSS

STATIONS OF THE CROSS 10 April 2020 Meditations from Padua Prison with Pope Francis

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GOOD FRIDAY
10 APRIL 2020

STATIONS OF THE CROSS 10 April 2020553px-stations of the cross - jesus meets veronica_(Museo_del_Prado)

Meditations from Padua Prison with Pope Francis

The meditations on the Stations of the Cross this year were prepared by the chaplaincy of the “Due Palazzi” House of Detention in Padua.   Fourteen people were invited by Pope Francis to meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing it to bear on their own situations.   Those invited included five prisoners, a family that was the victim of a murder, the daughter of a man given a life sentence, a prison teacher, a civil magistrate, the mother of a prisoner, a catechist, a volunteer religious brother, a prison guard and a Priest who was accused and then finally acquitted after eight years in the justice system.

These Stations are magnificent!  Let us Pray:

O God, Almighty Father,
in Jesus Christ Your Son
You assumed the wounds and sufferings of humanity.
Today I have the courage to beseech You, like the good thief:  “Remember me!”
I am here, alone before You, in the dark of this prison:
poor, naked, hungry and despised and I ask You to pour out upon my wounds,
the balm of forgiveness and consolation
and the wine of a solidarity that strengthens the heart.
Heal me with Your grace and teach me hope in the midst of despair.
My Lord and my God, I believe, help my unbelief.
Merciful Father, continue to trust in me, to give me fresh opportunities,
to embrace me in Your infinite love.
With Your help and by the gift of the Holy Spirit,
I too will be able to recognise You
and serve You, in my brothers and sisters.
Amen.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2020/documents/ns_lit_doc_20200410_via-crucis-meditazioni_en.html

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, STATIONS of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – Speak to your angel

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – The Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

“Be ever more convinced,
that your guardian angel is really present,
that he is ever at your side.
St Frances of Rome always saw him
standing before her, his arms clasped at his breast,
his eyes uplifted to Heaven but at the slightest failing,
he would cover his face as if in shame
and at times, turn his back to her.”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)be-ever-more-convinced-st-john-bosco-2-oct-2018.jpg

“Do you not greet warmly, all the people you love
and speak to them cordially? —
Well, you and I are going to greet Jesus, Mary and Joseph
and our Guardian Angels, many times a day. “

Furrow, 690

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)do you not greet warmly all the people you love - st josemaria on the guardian angels 2 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONFESSION/PENANCE, HOLY WEEK, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 20 April – Thirteenth & Fourteenth Stations

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The Stations of the Cross – 20 April – Holy Saturday, – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

Pardon us, O Lord, pardon us
By William of Saint-Thierry OSB, O.Cist. (c 1075-1148)
Abbot, Monk, Theologian, Mystic, Writer
Friend of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Pardon us, O Lord, pardon us.
We beg to shift the blame for our sins,
we make excuses.
But no-one can hide
from the Light of Your Truth,
which both enlightens those,
who turn to it
and exposes those,
who turn away.
Even our blood and our bones
are visible to You,
who created us out of dust.
How foolish we are,
to think that we can rule our own lives,
satisfying our own desires,
without thought of You.
How stupid we are,
to imagine that we can keep our sins hidden.
But although we may deceive other people,
we cannot deceive You.
And since You see into our hearts,
we cannot deceive ourselves,
for Your Light reveals to us,
our own spiritual corruption.
Let us, therefore, fall down before You,
weeping with tears of shame.
May Your judgement,
give new shape to our souls.
May Your power,
mould our hearts
to reflect Your love.
May Your grace,
infuse our minds,
so that our thoughts
reflect Your Will.
Amenpardon us o lord pardon us by william saint thierry - 20 april 2019 holy sat.jpg

The Thirteenth Station
Jesus is taken from the Cross, and laid in Mary’s Bosom

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

THE multitude have gone home.   Calvary is left solitary and still, except that St John and the holy women are there.   Then come Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and take down from the Cross the body of Jesus and place it in the arms of Mary.

O Mary, at last you have possession of your Son.   Now, when His enemies can do no more, they leave Him in contempt to you.   As His unexpected friends perform their difficult work, you look on with unspeakable thoughts.   Your heart is pierced with the sword of which Simeon spoke.   O Mother most sorrowful, yet in your sorrow there is a still greater joy.   The joy in prospect nerved you to stand by Him as He hung upon the Cross, much more now, without swooning, without trembling, you receive Him to your arms and on your lap.   Now you are supremely happy as having Him, though He comes to you not as He went from you.   He went from your home, O Mother of God, in the strength and beauty of His manhood and He comes back to you dislocated, torn to pieces, mangled, dead.   Yet, O Blessed Mary, you are happier in this hour of woe than on the day of the marriage feast, for then He was leaving you and now in the future, as a Risen Saviour, He will be separated from you no more.

Pater, Ave. &c. thirteenth station jesus is taken from the cross bl john henry newman 20 april 2019 holy sat

The Fourteenth Station
Jesus is laid in the Tomb

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

BUT for a short three days, for a day and a half—Mary then must give Him up.   He is not yet risen.   His friends and servants take Him from you and place Him in an honourable tomb.   They close it safely, till the hour comes for His resurrection.

Lie down and sleep in peace in the calm grave for a little while, dear Lord and then wake up for an everlasting reign.   We, like the faithful women, will watch around You, for all our treasure, all our life, is lodged with You.   And, when our turn comes to die, grant, sweet Lord, that we may sleep calmly too, the sleep of the just.   Let us sleep peacefully for the brief interval between death and the general resurrection.   Guard us from the enemy, save us from the pit.   Let our friends remember us and pray for us, O dear Lord. Let Masses be said for us, so that the pains of Purgatory, so much deserved by us and, therefore, so truly welcomed by us, may be over with little delay.   Give us seasons of refreshment there, wrap us round with holy dreams and soothing contemplations, while we gather strength to ascend the heavens.   And then let our faithful guardian Angels help us up the glorious ladder, reaching from earth to heaven, which Jacob saw in vision. And when we reach the everlasting gates, let them open upon us with the music of Angels and let St Peter receive us and our Lady, the glorious Queen of Saints, embrace us, and bring us to You, and to Your Eternal Father and to Your Co-equal Spirit, Three Persons, One God, to reign with Them forever and ever.

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.fourteenth station - tomb - bl john henry newman - 20 april 2019 holy sat

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my
whole heart for having
offended You.
Never permit me
to separate myself from You again
grant that I may love always
and then do with me
what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

LET US PRAY

God, Who by the Precious Blood of Your only-begotten Son did sanctify the Standard of the Cross, grant, we beseech You, that we, who rejoice in the glory of the same Holy Cross, may at all times and places, rejoice in Your protection, Through the same Christ, our Lord.   Amen.

Lord Jesus, I am too tired to go on but in You I find rest.
Lord Jesus, I feel so alone but You promised that You would never leave me.
Lord Jesus, I am so afraid but Your arms constantly protect me.
Lord Jesus, I cannot make it but You promise that You will carry me.
Lord Jesus, I am lost but through You and You alone I am found.

End with one Pater, Ave and Gloria, for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The STATIONS of the CROSS

Friday of the Passion of the Lord, 3 p.m.

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The Stations of the Cross – 19 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord, 3 p.m.

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

The Twelfth Station
Lord Jesus, You die on the cross

You hang on a cross like a criminal, a few faithful gather at Your feet.   Your mother is there as her Son drips to death for His human creatures.
Yet, even nailed to a cross and dying from the torture, there is no mercy for You.
You ask for a small compassion and are given gall to drink.
There is no mercy for You, yet You constantly plead for mercy for me.
You even give me the Mother that You chose for Yourself.
And in Your passion, without solace, alone in the midst of the crowd, cut off from everyone, You are utterly alone.
Defiled even as You die, cursed and ignored with no possibility of human comfort, You cry out Your agony from the cross and at that moment tear, any barrier, between Your Father and me.
I should be the one hanging on that cross, guilty with all my sin but out of love, You have taken my place.
You give your last drop of precious blood and then looking at me, You breathe Your last, bow Your head, and die…for me.

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.twelfth station jesus dies on the cross - bl john henry newman 19 april good friday 2019.jpg

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my
whole heart for having
offended You.
Never permit me
to separate myself
from You again
grant that I may love always
and then do with me
what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Bei love you lord jesus - st alphonsus - 19 april 2019 - good friday.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HOLY WEEK, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 19 April – Stations Ten and Eleven

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The Stations of the Cross – 19 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

The Tenth Station
Lord Jesus, You are stripped of Your garments

They strip your garments off You and as they do, Your blood encrusted wounds are ripped open again and start to bleed once again and in Your pain, they mock You in Your nakedness, thinking that they are revealing how pitiful You are.
What they don’t see is how God exalted man by becoming man.
Taking Your clothes, the soldiers want to leave You nothing but You are God and cannot be made nothing.
They want You to be shamed in your nakedness, as Adam and Eve were shamed but You are God and cannot be shamed.
They want to reveal Your guilt but instead only reveal Your innocence.
They try to take away your dignity and every last bit of You but You are God, You alone are everything.tenth station jesus is tripped - bl john henry newman - 19 april 2019

The Eleventh Station
Lord Jesus, You are nailed to the cross

Wounded, mangled, bleeding, dying, You consent to the violent attack of the hammer. Patient in Your agony, You allow the cruel tearing of Your body to make me one with You.
Pilate writes “Jesus Christ, King of the Jews” to mock You.   If only He knew how right He was!   Onto that wood is nailed the Messiah, the Christ, the King.
You give me Bread of life to fill me, even as You receive the nails caused by my sin.
You are constantly bombarded by sin, all the rage, all the hatred lust and greed and incessant lies of all mankind through all the ages bearing on You.   You are bombarded with poison and still You love.
Because of Your love, You have holes ripped into Your hands and Your feet and You continue to bleed for me.the eleventh station jesus is nailed to the cross bl john henry newman 19 april 2019

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my
whole heart for having
offended You.
Never permit me
to separate myself
from You again
grant that I may love always
and then do with me
what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a Sinner.

the jesus prayer - good friday 19 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HOLY WEEK, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 18 April – Maundy Thursday

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The Stations of the Cross – 18 April – Maundy Thursday

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

Forgive my sins, O my God,
forgive my sins –
the sins of youth,
the sins of age,
the sins of my soul
and the sins of my body,
the sins which, through frailty,
I have committed,
my deliberate and grievous sins,
the sins I know
and the sins I do not know,
the sins I have laboured so long
to hide from others,
that now they are hidden
from my own memory;
let me be absolved
from all these iniquities
and delivered from
the bond of all these evils,
by the Life, Passion and Death
of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen

act-of-contrition-7-march-thurs-after-ash-wed-2019.jpg

The Ninth Station
Again, a third time, Jesus falls

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

JESUS had now reached almost to the top of Calvary but, before He had gained the very spot where He was to be crucified, again He fell and is again dragged up and goaded onwards by the brutal soldiery.

We are told in Holy Scripture of three falls of Satan, the Evil Spirit.   The first was in the beginning; the second, when the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven were preached to the world, the third will be at the end of all things.   The first is told us by St John the Evangelist.   He says: “There was a great battle in heaven.   Michael and his Angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels.   And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.   And that great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.”   The second fall, at the time of the Gospel, is spoken of by our Lord when He says, “I saw Satan, like lightning, falling from heaven.” And the third by the same St John:  “There came down fire from God out of heaven, … and the devil … was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone.”

These three falls—the past, the present and the future—the Evil Spirit had in mind when he moved Judas to betray our Lord.   This was just his hour.   Our Lord, when He was seized, said to His enemies, “This is your hour and the power of darkness.”   Satan knew his time was short and thought he might use it to good effect.   But little dreaming that he would be acting in behalf of the world’s redemption, which our Lord’s passion and death were to work out, in revenge and, as he thought, in triumph, he smote Him once, he smote Him twice, he smote Him thrice, each successive time a heavier blow.   The weight of the Cross, the barbarity of the soldiers and the crowd, were but his instruments.   O Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, the Word Incarnate, we praise, adore and love You for Your ineffable condescension, even to allow TYourself, thus for a time, to fall into the hands and under the power of the Enemy of God and man, in order thereby, to save us, from being his servants and companions for eternity.

Or this

This is the worst fall of the three.   His strength has for a while utterly failed Him and it is some time before the barbarous soldiers can bring Him to.   Ah! it was His anticipation of what was to happen to me.   I get worse and worse.   He sees the end from the beginning.   He was thinking of me all the time He dragged Himself along, up the Hill of Calvary.   He saw, that I should fall again in spite of all former warnings and former assistance.   He saw, that I should become secure and self-confident and that my enemy would then assail me with some new temptation, to which I never thought I should be exposed.   I thought my weakness lay all on one particular side which I knew.   I had not a dream that I was not strong on the other.   And so, Satan came down on my unguarded side and got the better of me, from my self-trust and self-satisfaction.   I was wanting in humility.   I thought no harm would come on me, I thought I had outlived the danger of sinning, I thought it was an easy thing to get to heaven and I was not watchful  . It was my pride and so I fell a third time.

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.the ninth station jesus falls the third time - he sees the end from the beginning - bl john henry newman 18 april 2019 holy thursday.jpg

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again grant that I
may love always
and then do with me what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 17 April – The 7th and 8th Stations

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Stations of the Cross – 17 April – Wednesday of Holy Week

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition:

ACT OF CONTRITION

Forgive my sins, O my God, forgive my sins: 
the sins of youth, 
the sins of age;
the sins of my soul 
and the sins of my body;
the sins which, through frailty, I have committed; 
my deliberate and grievous sins, 
the sins I know and the sins I do not know, 
the sins I have laboured so long to hide from others,
that now they are hidden from my own memory; 
let me be absolved from all these iniquities
and delivered from the bond of all these evils, 
by the Life, Passion, and Death 
of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
Amenact-of-contrition-ash-wed-17 march 2019.jpg

The Seventh Station
Jesus falls a second time

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

THE pain of His wounds and the loss of blood increasing at every step of His way, again His limbs fail Him and He falls on the ground.

What has He done to deserve all this?   This is the reward received by the long-expected Messias from the Chosen People, the Children of Israel.   I know what to answer.   He falls because I have fallen. I have fallen again.   I know well that without Your grace, O Lord, I could not stand and I fancied that I had kept closely to Your Sacraments, yet in spite of my going to Mass and to my duties, I am out of grace again.   Why is it but because I have lost my devotional spirit and have come to Your holy ordinances in a cold, formal way, without inward affection.   I became lukewarm, tepid.   I thought the battle of life was over and became secure.   I had no lively faith, no sight of spiritual things.   I came to church from habit and because, I thought others would observe it.   I ought to be a new creature, I ought to live by faith, hope and charity but I thought more of this world, than of the world to come—and at last I forgot that I was a servant of God and followed the broad way that leads to destruction, not the narrow way which leads to life.   And thus I fell from You.

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again grant that I
may love always
and then do with me what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Bethe seventh station jesus falls 2nd time - what has he done - bl johnhenry newman 17 april 2019.jpg

The Eighth Station
Jesus comforts the Women of Jerusalem

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

AT the sight of the sufferings of Jesus the Holy Women are so pierced with grief that they cry out and bewail Him, careless what happens to them by so doing.   Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Ah! can it be, O Lord, that I shall prove one of those sinful children for whom You bid their mothers to weep.   “Weep not for Me,” He said, “for I am the Lamb of God and am making atonement at My own will for the sins of the world.   I am suffering now but I shall triumph and, when I triumph, those souls, for whom I am dying, will either be my dearest friends or my deadliest enemies.”   Is it possible?   O my Lord, can I grasp the terrible thought that You really did weep for me—weep for me, as You did weep over Jerusalem? Is it possible that I am one of the reprobate? possible that I shall lose by Your passion and death, not gain by it?   Oh, withdraw not from me.   I am in a very bad way.   I have so much evil in me.   I have so little of an earnest, brave spirit to set against that evil.   O Lord, what will become of me?   It is so difficult for me to drive away the Evil Spirit from my heart.   You alone can effectually cast him out.

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.eight station jesus women jerusalem - 17 april 2019 bl john henry newman.jpg

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again grant that I
may love always
and then do with me what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Bei love you lord jesus - st alphonsus 11 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HOLY WEEK 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 16 April – The Sixth Station Jesus and Veronica

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Stations of the Cross – 16 April – Tuesday of Holy Week

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church

O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved for having offended thee
and with my whole heart
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more, because I have offended thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who are worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of thy grace,
never more to offend thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen

Note:  It is little known that St Robert is the Author of this, one of our most widely used prayersact-of-contrition-written-by-st-robert-bellarmine-o-m-god-i-am-exceedingly-grieved-17-sept-2018.jpg

The Sixth Station
Jesus and Veronica

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

AS Jesus toils along up the hill, covered with the sweat of death, a woman makes her way through the crowd and wipes His face with a napkin.   In reward of her piety, the cloth retains the impression of the Sacred Countenance upon it.

The relief which a Mother’s tenderness secured is not yet all she did.   Her prayers sent Veronica as well as Simon—Simon to do a man’s work, Veronica to do the part of a woman.   The devout servant of Jesus did what she could.   As Magdalen had poured the ointment at the Feast, so Veronica now offered Him this napkin in His passion.   “Ah,” she said, “would I could do more!   Why have I not the strength of Simon, to take part in the burden of the Cross?   But men only can serve the Great High Priest, now that He is celebrating the solemn act of sacrifice.”

O Jesus! let us one and all minister to You according to our places and powers.   And as You did accept from Your followers refreshment in Your hour of trial, so give to us the support of Your grace when we are hard pressed by our Foe.   I feel I cannot bear up against temptations, weariness, despondency and sin.   I say to myself, what is the good of being religious? {138}   I shall fall, O my dear Saviour, I shall certainly fall, unless You renew for me my vigour like the eagle’s and breathe life into me by the soothing application and the touch of the Holy Sacraments which You have appointed.the sixth station - jesus and veronica - 16 april - bl john henry newman - o jesus i shall certainly fall - 16 april 2019.jpg

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again grant that I
may love always
and then do with me what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY WEEK 2019, LENT 2019, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 15 April – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Stations of the Cross – 15 April – Monday of Holy Week

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

The Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

At length His strength fails utterly and He is unable to proceed.   The executioners stand perplexed.   What are they to do?   How is He to get to Calvary?   Soon they see a stranger who seems strong and active—Simon of Cyrene.   They seize on him and compel him to carry the Cross with Jesus.   The sight of the Sufferer pierces the man s heart.   Oh, what a privilege!   O happy soul, elect of God! he takes the part assigned to him with joy.

This came of Mary’s intercession.   He prayed, not for Himself, except that He might drink the full chalice of suffering and do His Father’s will but she showed herself a mother by following Him with her prayers, since she could help Him in no other way. She then sent this stranger to help Him.   It was she who led the soldiers to see that they might be too fierce with Him.   Sweet Mother, even do the like to us.   Pray for us ever, Holy Mother of God, pray for us, whatever be our cross, as we pass along on our way. Pray for us and we shall rise again, though we have fallen.   Pray for us when sorrow, anxiety, or sickness comes upon us.   Pray for us, when we are prostrate under the power of temptation and send some faithful servant of thine to succour us.   And in the world to come, if found worthy to expiate our sins in the fiery prison, send some good Angel to give us a season of refreshment.   Pray for us, Holy Mother of God.the fifth station simon of cyrene helps jesus 15 april 2019.jpg

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again grant that I
may love always
and then do with me what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Bewe adore you o christ - i love you lord jesus - st alphonsus - stations 15 april 2019.jpg

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, LENT 2019, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS

The Stations of the Cross – 14 April – The Fourth Station – Jesus meets His Mother

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Stations of the Cross – 14 April – Palm Sunday, Year C

Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Begin with an Act of Contrition

The Fourth Station
Jesus meets His Mother

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R. Quia per sanctam Crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
V. We adore You, O Christ and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

JESUS rises, though wounded by His fall, journeys on, with His Cross still on His shoulders.   He is bent down but at one place, looking up, He sees His Mother.   For an instant they just see each other and He goes forward.

Mary would rather have had all His sufferings herself, could that have been, than not have known what they were by ceasing to be near Him.   He, too, gained a refreshment, as from some soothing and grateful breath of air, to see her sad smile amid the sights and the noises which were about Him.   She had known Him beautiful and glorious, with the freshness of Divine Innocence and peace upon His countenance; now she saw Him so changed and deformed that she could scarce have recognised Him, save for the piercing, thrilling, peace-inspiring look He gave her.   Still, He was now carrying the load of the world’s sins and, all-holy though He was, He carried the image of them on His very face. He looked like some outcast or outlaw who had frightful guilt upon Him.   He had been made sin for us, who knew no sin, not a feature, not a limb but spoke of guilt, of a curse, of punishment, of agony.

Oh, what a meeting of Son and Mother!   Yet there was a mutual comfort, for there was a mutual sympathy.   Jesus and Mary—do they forget that Passion-tide through all eternity?the fourth station - jesus meets his mother - 14 april 2019 palm sunday.jpg

V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.

I love You, Lord Jesus,
my love above all things,
I repent with my whole heart
for having offended You.
Never permit me to separate myself
from You again
grant that I may love always
and then do with me
what You will.
(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Bei love you lord jesus act of contrition by st alphonsus liguori 14 april 2019.jpg