Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – Feria of the Last Sunday after Pentecost – Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 24:15-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“They will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with much power and majesty.”
Matthew 24:30
“From that time onward, He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand, until the completion of the period, ordained by God, for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same Body with which He ascended, He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because, empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching, whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Great Father and Doctor of the Church
“Fool that I am to offend God for the sake of such trifling vanities. I have forsaken God and for what – for nothing! On the other hand, devotion and good deeds will be seen as desirable and delightful and you will ask yourself – why did I not take this beautiful and pleasant path of everlasting joy? At that hour, your sins – which at the time seemed so small – will appear as vast as mountains and your devotions truly small. …
Pray to God and cast yourself into His arms. O my God, take me into Thy care on that terrible day; may all other days be sad, if only that single day will be a happy one!”
“Let the world turn upside down, let everything be in darkness, in smoke, in uproar – God is with us!”
Thought for the Day – 15 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
“In the course of our ascent, we must never stop and decide that we have gone far enough! To stop would inevitably mean going backward. Jesus and Mary are inviting and encouraging us to go higher and higher.
Have we been purified of sin, the defiler of the soul and the destroyer of human dignity? Have we an intense horror, even of venial sin, which separates us from God and kills the life of grace? It is still not enough – we must go higher.
Are we generous and unselfish in the fight to achieve holiness, guarding ourselves against the evil suggestions of the world, the flesh and the devil? It is still not enough – we must continue to advance.
Do we carry the daily cross which God has entrusted to us and accept the burden with perfect resignation to His Holy Will? Very good but even this is not enough!”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Confessor, Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church
“And He departed from our sight that we might return to our hearts and find Him there. For He left us and behold, He is here!”
“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!”…
“He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us, is so precious that what He asks of us, is as nothing!”
“When once I shall be united to You with my whole being, I shall at last be free of sorrow and toil. Then my life will be alive, filled entirely with You. When You fill someone, You relieve him of his burdens but because, I am not yet filled with You, I am a burden to myself. Lord, have mercy! Woe is me! I make no effort to conceal my wounds. You are my Physician, I Your Patient. You are merciful; I stand in need of mercy!”
“Mary, having merited to give flesh to the Divine Word and thus, supply the price of our redemption that we might be delivered from eternal death, therefore, she is more powerful than all others, to help us gain eternal life.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 May – The Octave Day of the Ascension and the Memorial of St Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor and Pope – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
REFLECTION – “Father, all those Thou gave Me, I would have in My company where I Am, to see this glory of Mine.” (Jn 17:24) Happy are they who now have, as their Advocate before God, their Judge in person; happy are they, who have interceding for them, the One Whom we must adore, equally with the Father, to Whom He Himself addresses this prayer. The Father cannot refuse to grant this desire which His Lips expressed (Ps 21:3), for He is united with Him in His Will, in His Power, since He is One and the Same God… “All those Thou gave Me I would have in My company where I Am.” What assurance for those who have faith, what confidence for the believers! … The saints, whose “youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) “soar as with eagles’ wings.” (Isa 40:31) …
On that day, Christ “was lifted up before the eyes of the disciples in a cloud which took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) … He strove to draw their hearts to follow Him, by making Himself loved by them and He promised them, through the example of His Body that their body could be lifted up in the same way… Today, Christ in truth “mounted a cherub and flew, borne on the wings of the wind,” (Ps 18:11) which is to say, He goes beyond the power of the Angels. And yet, in His condescendence before your weakness, “as an eagle… hovering over its brood,” He wants to “receive you and to bear you up on His pinions.” (Deut 32:11) … Some people fly with Christ by means of contemplation; for you, let it at least be through love!
Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there (Mt 6:21). Your origin is from there and that is where you will find your inheritance (Ps 16:6); from there, you are awaiting the Saviour (Phil 3:20).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for the Ascension).
PRAYER – O God, the strength of those who trust in Thee, Who fortified blessed Gregory, Thy Confessor and Pontiff, with the virtue of firmness to protect the freedom of the Church, grant us, by his example and intercession, bravely to overcome all evil. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 25 May – The Octave Day of the Ascension
Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise By St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
Sing we triumphant hymns of praise, New hymns to Heaven exulting raise. Alleluia, alleluia. Christ, by a road before untrod, Ascendeth to the Throne of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. The holy apostolic band Upon the Mount of Olives stand, Alleluia, alleluia. And with the Virgin Mother see Jesu’s resplendent Majesty. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
To whom the Angels, drawing nigh, “Why stand and gaze upon the sky?” Alleluia, alleluia. “This is the Saviour!” thus they say, “This is His noble triumph day!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
“Again ye shall behold Him, so As ye today have seen Him go.” Alleluia, alleluia. In glorious pomp ascending high, “Up to the portals of the sky.” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O grant us thitherward to tend, And with unwearied hearts ascend, Alleluia, alleluia. Toward Thy Kingdom’s Throne, where Thou, As is our faith, art seated now. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence, Who art our Future Recompense. Alleluia, alleluia. So shall the Light that springs from Thee Be ours through all eternity. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O Risen Christ, aAcended Lord, All praise to Thee, let earth accord, Alleluia, alleluia. Who art, while endless ages run, With Father and with Spirit One. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 May – Within the Octave of the Ascension
“Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our liberty to call God, Our Father, our being made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called children of Light, our sharing in eternal glory and, in a word, our being brought into a state of all “fulness of blessing,” both in this world and in the world to come, of all the good gifts that are in store for us, by promise hereof, through faith, beholding the reflection of their grace, as though they were already present, we await the full enjoyment.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“And He departed from our sight that we might return to our hearts and find Him there. For He left us and behold, He is here!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“May your heart be an Altar, from which the bright flame of unending thanksgiving ascends to Heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 May – Within the Octave of Ascension – The Memorial of St John Baptiste de Rossi (1698-1764) Priest, Confessor – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15
REFLECTION – “You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them out to preach the Gospel and they did so. Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5). Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us and the ends of the earth. In a few words, the Lord addressing Himself to His disciples, set out what we are to do and what we have to hope for. Just as you have heard, He said: “Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.” He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us is so precious, that what He asks of us is as nothing.
“The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings, O my God… from Thy delightful stream, Thou give them to drink, for with Thee is the fountain of life” (Ps 35[36],8f.). Jesus Christ is the Fountain of Life. Before the Fountain of Life came to us, we had only a human salvation like that of the beasts, of which the psalm speaks: “Man and beast you save, O Lord” (Ps 35[36],7). But now the Fountain of Life has come even to us, the Fountain of Life died for our sakes. Will He refuse us, His Life, Who, for our sakes, gave His Death? He is Salvation and this Salvation is not worthless, like the other one. Why? Because it does not pass away. The Lord has come. He died but he killed death. In Himself, He brought an end to death. He assumed it and He killed it. Where is death now, then? Look for it in Christ and it is no longer there. It used to be there but there it died. O life, Death of death! Take heart – it will also die in us! What was fulfilled in the Head will also be fulfilled in the members and death will die in us, too.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 233 ).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son our Saviour to have this day Ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind thither ascend and with Him, continually dwell. And may the merits and intercession of Thy Confessor, John Baptiste de Rossi, be an aid on our journey. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
One Minute Reflection – 22 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave of Ascension – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
REFLECTION – “And so, while at Easter it was the Lord’s Resurrection which was the cause of our joy, our present rejoicing is due to His Ascension into Heaven. With all due solemnity, we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up in Christ, above all the Hosts of Heaven, above all the ranks of Angels, beyond those Heavenly Powers, to the very Throne of God the Father.
It is upon this ordered structure of Divine acts, that we have been firmly established, so that the grace of God may show itself still more marvellous when, in spite of the withdrawal from our sight of everything that is rightly felt to command our reverence, faith does not fail, hope is not shaken, charity does not grow cold. It was in order that we might be capable of such blessedness that on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, after He had made careful provision for everything concerning the preaching of the Gospel and the Mysteries of the New Covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to Heaven before the eyes of His Disciples and so, His Bodily Presence among them, came to an end.
From that time onward, He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand, until the completion of the period, ordained by God, for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same Body with which He ascended, He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because, empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching, whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope , Great Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 74).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Saviour, to have this day, ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind, thither ascend and with Him continually dwell.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).
Thought for the Day – 18 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Ascension of Jesus
“After His glorious Resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His Apostles. For forty days He instructed them concerning the Kingdom of God. When He had announced to His followers, that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the enlightenment and courage to preach the Gospel, they gathered together on the Mount of Olives and saw Him rise upwards until a bright cloud hid Him from their view. The Mystery of the Ascension contains a lesson for us. We must be detached from the world and brought closer to Heaven, which is our true home. We are so attached to earthly things because money, reputation and pleasure are closer to our hearts than the thought of God or of eternity. We shall have to leave all these things behind soon enough, however. When death comes, the world will slip away from us and the soul will stand alone before God.
Let us begin to detach ourselves from worldly affairs and to make Heaven the object of our desires. Why should we be sorry or afraid, or both, to leave this earth? Remember the teaching of St Paul “Here we no permanent city but we seek for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14). “For me to live is Christ,” he said, “and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). “desiring to depart and to be with Christ, a lot by far the better” (Phil 1:23).
Let us pray in the beautiful words of the Church: “Lord, grant that while we are living in this changing world, we may aspire to the true happiness of Heaven, so that in the midst of earthly vicissitudes, our hearts maybe content in this ambition.” (Roman Breviary).
Let us not be afraid of death, for it is only the Gate of Heaven!”
Quote/s of the Day –18 May – The Ascension of the Lord
“From that time onward, He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand, until the completion of the period, ordained by God, for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same Body with which He ascended, He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because, empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching, whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high.”
St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope , Great Father and Doctor of the Church
“… The just ascend into Heaven but not in the manner that Christ ascended, namely by His own power, for they are taken up by Christ – “Draw me, we will run after thee.” (Sg 1:3) Or indeed, we can say, that no-one but Christ has ascended into Heaven because the just do not ascend, except, insofar as they are members of Christ, Who is the Head of the Church. … ”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus/Doctor Communis
“Perhaps, the Blessed Mother, was the last to take her eyes off the disappearing cloud which had removed Jesus from view. Her human eyes never saw again, the beloved figure of her Divine Son but, in her soul, she saw Him entering triumphantly into Heaven among choirs of Angels and sitting at the right hand of the Eternal Father. She saw and thought with infinite yearning, of the not too distant day, when she would have passed from mortal exile, into the everlasting happiness of Heaven, where she would embrace her Divine Son again, in an ecstasy of love.
We have all been called to ascend to Heaven with Jesus and Mary. Let us remember, however, that only the innocent and the repentant can be admitted into Paradise!”
One Minute Reflection – 18 May – The Ascension of the Lord – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
REFLECTION – “Father, all those Thou gave Me, I would have in My company where I Am, to see this glory of Mine.” (Jn 17:24) Happy are they who now have, as their Advocate before God, their Judge in person; happy are they, who have interceding for them, the One Whom we must adore, equally with the Father, to Whom He Himself addresses this prayer. The Father cannot refuse to grant this desire which His Lips expressed (Ps 21:3), for He is united with Him in His Will, in His Power, since He is One and the Same God… “All those Thou gave Me I would have in My company where I Am.” What assurance for those who have faith, what confidence for the believers! … The saints, whose “youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) “soar as with eagles’ wings.” (Isa 40:31) …
On that day, Christ “was lifted up before the eyes of the disciples in a cloud which took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) … He strove to draw their hearts to follow Him, by making Himself loved by them and He promised them, through the example of His Body that their body could be lifted up in the same way… Today, Christ in truth “mounted a cherub and flew, borne on the wings of the wind,” (Ps 18:11) which is to say, He goes beyond the power of the Angels. And yet, in His condescendence before your weakness, “as an eagle… hovering over its brood,” He wants to “receive you and to bear you up on His pinions.” (Deut 32:11) … Some people fly with Christ by means of contemplation; for you, let it at least be through love!
Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there (Mt 6:21). Your origin is from there and that is where you will find your inheritance (Ps 16:6); from there, you are awaiting the Saviour (Phil 3:20).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for the Ascension).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Saviour to have this day ascended into the heavens, so we may also in heart and mind, ascend and with Him continually dwell. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 18 May – The Ascension of the Lord
O Jesus, Redeemer of Mankind! By St Ambrose (340-397) Great Father & Doctor
O Jesus, Redeemer of mankind, joy of our hearts, Creator of the world redeemed and chaste Light of them who love Thee.
What mercy was it that led Thee to take upon Thee our sins? and suffer death, O Innocent Victim that Thou might free us from death?
Thou broke the gates of hell and the chains of them who were bound. A Conqueror, with noblest triumph, Thou now sittest at the Right Hand of the Father.
May Thy clemency lead Thee to repair our losses. Oh! give us to see Thy Face and enrich us with Thy blessed Light.
Be Thou our Guide and Path to Heaven; be Thou the object of our hearts desire; be Thou the joy of our tears and the sweet recompense of a life spent for Thee! Amen
St Felix of Spoleto St Feredarius of Iona St Merililaun Blessed Nicholas Denise of Beuzeville OFM (Died 1509) St Ortasio of Alexandria St Potamon of Heraclea St Serapione of Alexandria
Martyrs of Ancyra – 8 Saints: Seven nuns Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian and the innkeeper who was executed for giving them a Christian burial: Alexandria, Claudia, Euphrasia, Julitta, Matrona, Phaina, Thecusa and Theodatus. c.304 in Ancyra, Galatia (in modern Turkey).
Thought for the Day – 15 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
“O God, what more must we do for You? One thing only, He replies. We must belong altogether to Him, love only Him and work only for Him. Then, we shall have completed our ascent and shall be able to say with St Paul: “It is now, no longer I that live but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This is that final goal which we must strive whole-heartedly to attain.”
Thought for the Day – 28 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
“Forty days after His glorious resurrection, Jesus came, with all His friends, among them His Mother, to the Mount of Olives. This area had already witnessed the opening phase of His passion, which was all the more poignant, perhaps because in Gethsemane, it was not only His body which was lacerated by scourges and nails but, His soul, which experienced the agonising vision of the sins and ingratitude of the human race. Now, however, He is here with a glorified body as the Conqueror of sin and of death. He looks for the last time on His small band of followers, to whom He has entrusted His mission of transforming the entire universe by preaching and putting into practice, the Gospel message, throughout the world. Now, He promises them the Holy Spirit, Who will give them the power to overcome evil. Then He is lifted up toward Heaven, until a bright cloud hides Him from their sight.
Perhaps, the Blessed Mother, was the last to take her eyes off the disappearing cloud which had removed Jesus from view. Her human eyes never saw again, the beloved figure of her Divine Son but, in her soul, she saw Him entering triumphantly into Heaven among choirs of Angels and sitting at the right hand of the Eternal Father. She saw and thought with infinite yearning, of the not too distant day, when she would have passed from mortal exile, into the everlasting happiness of Heaven, where she would embrace her Divine Son again, in an ecstasy of love.
We have all been called to ascend to Heaven with Jesus and Mary. Let us remember, however, that only the innocent and the repentant can be admitted into Paradise. If we have been unfortunate enough to have lost our baptismal innocence, only the second way is left to us – the way of penance. We must purify ourselves of our sins by means of good works. We must ascend NOW higher and highter, towards the summit of Christian perfection.”
Thought for the Day – 26 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Ascension of Jesus
“After His glorious Resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His Apostles. For forty days He instructed them concerning the Kingdom of God. When He had announced to His followers, that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the enlightenment and courage to preach the Gospel, they gathered together on the Mount of Olives and saw Him rise upwards until a bright cloud hid Him from their view. The Mystery of the Ascension contains a lesson for us. We must be detached from the world and brought closer to Heaven, which is our true home. We are so attached to earthly things because money, reputation and pleasure are closer to our hearts than the thought of God or of eternity. We shall have to leave all these things behind soon enough, however. When death comes, the world will slip away from us and the soul will stand alone before God.
Let us begin to detach ourselves from worldly affairs and to make Heaven the object of our desires. Why should we be sorry or afraid, or both, to leave this earth? Remember the teaching of St Paul “Here we no permanent city but we seek for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14). “For me to live is Christ,” he said, “and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). “desiring to depart and to be with Christ, a lot by far the better” (Phil 1:23).
Let us pray in the beautiful words of the Church: “Lord, grant that while we are living in this changing world, we may aspire to the true happiness of Heaven, so that in the midst of earthly vicissitudes, our hearts maybe content in this ambition.” (Roman Breviary).
Let us not be afraid of death, for it is only the Gate of Heaven!”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 May – The Ascension of Our Lord
“My sheep follow me,” says Christ. By a certain God-given grace, believers follow in the footsteps of Christ. No longer subject to the shadows of the Law , they obey the commands of Christ, and guided by His words, rise through grace, to His own dignity, for they are called children of God. When Christ ascends into heaven, they also follow Him.”
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Why do we on earth, not strive to find rest with Him in Heaven, even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to Him? While in heaven. He is also with us and we, while on earth, are with Him. He is here with us by His Divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in Heaven, as He is on earth, by divinity but in Him, we can be there by love!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
Our Hearts are Filled with Joy Today The Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK
Greeting the dawn of this great feast Our hearts are filled with joy today, When we recall how Christ our God Ascended to His realms of light.
Winner forever in the strife Against the prince of death and sin, Glory of all creation’s hope, Before the Father’s face He stands.
Brightest of clouds hid Him from sight, But pledge remained of life to come, Since Paradise can now be ours Which our first parents lost by sin.
Greatest of joys mankind can claim, That He whom holy Mary bore, Reigns at His Father’s side in pow’r, His Cross and bitter Passion past.
Saving Avenger of our race, To Him our grateful hearts we raise; In His immortal deity Our mortal nature dwells on high.
We have a lasting cause for joy, Which all the saints and angels share; Theirs is the bliss of seeing Him, And we still know that He is near.
Jesus, in splendour bright enthroned, Keep all our hearts at rest in You, Sending Your Spirit down to us, To teach the Father’s love for all. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 26 May – The Ascension of Our Lord – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20
“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
REFLECTION – “And so, while at Easter it was the Lord’s Resurrection which was the cause of our joy, our present rejoicing is due to His Ascension into Heaven. With all due solemnity, we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up in Christ, above all the Hosts of Heaven, above all the ranks of Angels, beyond those Heavenly Powers, to the very throne of God the Father.
It is upon this ordered structure of divine acts, that we have been firmly established, so that the grace of God may show itself still more marvelous when, in spite of the withdrawal from our sight of everything that is rightly felt to command our reverence, faith does not fail, hope is not shaken, charity does not grow cold. It was in order that we might be capable of such blessedness, that on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, after He had made careful provision for everything concerning the preaching of the Gospel and the Mysteries of the New Covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to Heaven before the eyes of His Disciples and so, His Bodily Presence among them, came to an end.
From that time onward, He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand, until the completion of the period, ordained by God, for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same Body with which He ascended, He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because, empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching, whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope , Great Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 74).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Saviour to have this day ascended into the heavens, so we may also in heart and mind, ascend and with Him continually dwell. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 26 May – The Ascension of Our Lord
Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise By St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
Sing we triumphant hymns of praise, New hymns to Heaven exulting raise. Alleluia, alleluia. Christ, by a road before untrod, Ascendeth to the Throne of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. The holy apostolic band Upon the Mount of Olives stand, Alleluia, alleluia. And with the Virgin Mother see Jesu’s resplendent Majesty. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
To whom the Angels, drawing nigh, “Why stand and gaze upon the sky?” Alleluia, alleluia. “This is the Saviour!” thus they say, “This is His noble triumph day!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
“Again ye shall behold Him, so As ye today have seen Him go.” Alleluia, alleluia. In glorious pomp ascending high, “Up to the portals of the sky.” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O grant us thitherward to tend, And with unwearied hearts ascend, Alleluia, alleluia. Toward Thy Kingdom’s Throne, where Thou, As is our faith, art seated now. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence, Who art our Future Recompense. Alleluia, alleluia. So shall the Light that springs from Thee Be ours through all eternity. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O Risen Christ, aAcended Lord, All praise to Thee, let earth accord, Alleluia, alleluia. Who art, while endless ages run, With Father and with Spirit One. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The ASCENSION of OUR LORD – 26 May By Abbot Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875) Excerpt
The Sun of the fortieth day has risen in all His splendour! The earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel (Ps. xcv. xcvi. xcvii.), now thrills with a strange emotion. The Divine series of the Mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror’s approach (Ibid. xxiii. 7). The holy souls, that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven’s gate, closed by Adam’s sin, shall be thrown open and they shall enter, in company with their Redeemer: a few hours more and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit His Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.
They are in the Cenacle, impatiently awaiting His coming. Suddenly He appears in their midst. Of the Mother’s joy, who would dare to speak? As to the Disciples and the holy Women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, Who has come to take His leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them, He even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of His Resurrection, for He knows that they have no further doubts of the Mystery but now that He is about to sit at the Right Hand of the Father, He would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. O admirable repast! in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus and in which the Church, (represented by the Disciples and the holy Women,) is honoured by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse. …
Then assuming a tone of authority, such as none but a God could take, He says to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised, shall be saved but he that believeth not, shall be condemned (Ibid. xvi. 15, 16). And how shall they accomplish this mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world? how shall they persuade men to believe their word? By Miracles. And these signs, continues Jesus, shall follow them that believe – in My Name, they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents;,and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick and they shall recover (St. Mark, svi. 17, 18). He would have Miracles to be the foundation of His Church, just as He had made them the argument of His own Divine Mission. The suspension of the laws of nature proves to us that it is God Who speaks, we must receive the word and humbly believe it. …
But the hour of separation is come. Jesus rises: His blessed Mother and the hundred and twenty persons assembled there, prepare to follow Him. The Cenacle is situated on Mount Sion, which is one of the two hills within the walls of Jerusalem. The holy group traverses the City, making for the eastern Gate, which opens on the Valley of Josaphat. It is the last time that Jesus walks through the faithless City. He is invisible to the eyes of the people who denied Him but visible to His Disciples and goes before them, as, heretofore, the pillar of fire led on the Israelites. How beautiful and imposing a sight! Mary, the Disciples and the holy Women, accompanying Jesus in His Heaven-ward journey, which is to lead Him to the Right Hand of His Eternal Father! It was commemorated in the Middle-Ages by a solemn Procession before the Mass of Ascension Day. What happy times were those, when Christians took delight in honouring every action of our Redeemer! They could not be satisfied, as we are, with a few vague notions, which can produce nothing but an equally vague devotion! …
According to a tradition, which has been handed down from the earliest ages of Christianity (Constit. Apost., lib. v. cap. xix), it is mid-day, the same hour that He had been raised up, when nailed to His Cross. Giving His Blessed Mother a look of filial affection and another of fond farewell to the rest of the group, who stand around Him, Jesus raises up His Hands and blesses them all. Whilst thus blessing them, He is raised up from the ground whereon He stands and ascends into Heaven (St. Luke, xxiv. 51). Their eyes follow Him, until a cloud comes and receives Him out of their sight (Acts, i. 9).
Yes, Jesus is gone! The earth has lost her Emmanuel! … During the Forty days He has deigned to spend with us, since His Resurrection, our faith has made us cling to Him: we would fain have kept Him with us forever but the hour is come, He has left us; yes, our dearest Jesus is gone! O happy the souls that He had taken from Limbo! they have gone with Him and, for all eternity, are to enjoy the heaven of His visible presence.
The Disciples are still steadfastly looking up towards Heaven, when lo! two Angels, clad in white robes, appear to them, saying: Ye men of Galilee! why stand ye looking up to heaven? This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as ye have seen Him going into heaven (Acts, i. 10, 11)! He has ascended, a Saviour; He is to return, as Judge; between these two events is comprised the whole life of the Church on earth. We are, therefore, living under the reign of Jesus as our Saviour, for He has said: God sent not His Son into the world to Judge the world, but that the world might be Saved by Him (St. Joh, iii. 17) and to carry out this merciful design, He has just been giving to His Disciples, the mission to go throughout the whole world and invite men, whilst yet there is time, to accept the mystery of Salvation! … The Angels said to the Apostles: This Jesus shall come, as ye have seen Him going into heaven: happy we, if, during His absence, we shall have so unreservedly loved and served Him, as to be able to meet Him, with confidence, when He comes to judge us!
Nostra Signora di Caravaggio / Our Lady of Caravaggio, Lombardy, Italy (1432) – 26 May:
Title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary who appeared in an apparition on 26 May 1432 in the countryside outside Caravaggio, Lombardy, Italy. Giannetta de’ Vacchi Varoli was cutting hay in a field when the Virgin appeared. Mary requested penance from and a chapel built by the locals. A new spring of healing water appeared in the hay field. The apparition anniversary became a day of pilgrimage to the Shrine of Santa Maria del Fonte built at the site and devotion to the Madonna of Caravaggio spread through the region and eventually around the world. In 1879, Italians from Lombardy built a chapel for their settlement in southern Brazil. As it was the only sacred art that any of them possessed, they dedicated the Chapel to the Madonna di Caravaggio. Today the shrine hosts over a million pilgrims annually. Patronage – Diocese of Cremona, Italy.
St Alphaeus St Anderea Kaggwa Bl Andrea Franchi St Becan of Cork Bl Berengar of Saint-Papoul St Damian the Missionary St Desiderius of Vienne St Pope Eleuterus St Felicissimus of Todi St Fugatius the Missionary St Gioan Ðoàn Trinh Hoan St Guinizo of Monte Cassino St Heraclius of Todi Bl Lambert Péloguin of Vence
St Odulvald of Melrose St Paulinus of Todi St Peter Sanz St Ponsiano Ngondwe St Priscus of Auxerre and Companions St Quadratus of Africa St Quadratus the Apologist St Regintrudis of Nonnberg St Simitrius of Rome and Companions St Zachary of Vienne
One Minute Reflection – 8 May – The Third Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:11-19, John 16:16-22 and the Feast of the Apparition of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano, Italy (492)
“A little while now and you shall not see me” – John 16:16
REFLECTION – “The Ascension of Christ into Heaven is in accord with reason – firstly, because Heaven was due to Christ by His very nature. It is natural for someone to return to the place from whence they take their origin. The beginning of Christ is from God, Who is above all things. Jesus says to the Apostles (Jn 16:28): “I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father” … The just ascend into Heaven but not in the manner that Christ ascended, namely by His own power, for they are taken up by Christ – “Draw me, we will run after thee.” (Sg 1:3) Or indeed, we can say, that no-one but Christ has ascended into Heaven because the just do not ascend, except, insofar as they are members of Christ, Who is the Head of the Church. … Secondly, Heaven is due to Christ because of His Victory. For He was sent into the world to combat the devil and He did overcome him. Therefore, Christ deserved to be exalted above all things – “I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on His throne” (Rv 3:21)
Finally, the Ascension was owing to Christ because of His humility. There never was humility so great as that of Christ Who, although He was God yet wished to become man and although He was the Lord, yet He wished to take the form of a servant and, as Saint Paul says: “He was obedient even unto death” (Phil 2:7) and descended even into hell. Therefore, He deserved to be exalted even to Heaven, to God’s throne, for humility leads to exaltation. “For whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11) and, “the one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens” (Eph 4:10).” … St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus/Doctor Communis (Commentary on the Apostle’s Creed).
PRAYER – O God, Who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant, that as Thy holy Angels alway do Thee service in Heaven, so, by Thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth. 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).
St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 15 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
“In the course of our ascent, we must never stop and decide that we have gone far enough! To stop would inevitably mean going backward. Jesus and Mary are inviting and encouraging us to go higher and higher.
Have we been purified of sin, the defiler of the soul and the destroyer of human dignity? Have we an intense horror, even of venial sin, which separates us from God and kills the life of grace? It is still not enough – we must go higher.
Are we generous and unselfish in the fight to achieve holiness, guarding ourselves against the evil suggestions of the world, the flesh and the devil? It is still not enough – we must continue to advance.
Do we carry the daily cross which God has entrusted to us and accept the burden with perfect resignation to His Holy Will? Very good but even this is not enough!”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church ) – “The Pillar of Faith” & “Seal of all the Fathers” – Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation)
“Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped but His, by essence and by nature.”
“Our lives are all controlled by the Spirit now and are not confined to this physical world that is subject to corruption. The light of the Only-begotten has shone on us and we have been transformed into the Word, the source of all life.”
“We must note, therefore, that he that does things pleasing to God, serves Christ but he that follows his own wishes, is a follower, rather of himself and not of God.”
“My sheep follow me,” says Christ. By a certain God-given grace, believers follow in the footsteps of Christ. No longer subject to the shadows of the Law , they obey the commands of Christ, and guided by His words, rise through grace, to His own dignity, for they are called children of God. When Christ ascends into heaven, they also follow Him.”
“The mark of Christ’s sheep is their willingness to hear and obey, just as disobedience is the mark of those who are not His. We take the word ‘hear’ to imply obedience to what has been said.”
“…[The Kingdom of God] … is within you. That is, it depends on your own wills and is in your own power, whether or not you receive it. Everyone, that has attained to justification, by means of faith in Christ and decorated by every virtue, is counted worthy, of the kingdom of heaven.”
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Virgin and Mother! Morning Star, perfect vessel. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Holy Temple in which God Himself was conceived. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Chaste and pure dove. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, who enclosed the One Who cannot be encompassed in your sacred womb. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, From you flowed the true light, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Through you the Conqueror and triumphant Vanquisher of hell, came to us. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Through you, the glory of the Resurrection blossoms. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, You have saved every faithful Christian. Hail, O Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Ascension of Jesus
“When we meditate on the Ascension, we should humbly ask God, to give us the grace, to strip ourselves of our sins and defects. Then we shall be able to fly towards Him with love and hope in this life and, when our soul has been set free from the body which imprisons it on earth, we shall be able to set out on our last joyful flight into His presence. These are the reflections which should be in our minds around the feast of the Ascension. These are the desires which we should foster and the resolutions which we should form. Let us ask Our Lord, to bless them.
O Mary, my most holy Mother, implore your divine Son Jesus, now ascended into Heaven, that I may be more detached from the useless and passing goods of this earth. Ask Him to purify my soul from every stain of sin and to strengthen my will, in it’s good resolutions. Ask Him that my heart may rise nearer to God and to you, through it’s desire for perfection. Amen.”
One Minute Reflection – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 18: 1-8, Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4, John 16: 16-20 and the Memorial of Blessed Imelda Lambertini (1322-1333) Child Mystic, “Adorer of the Blessed Sacrament”
“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” … John 16:20… John 16:16
REFLECTION – Today, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, let our hearts ascend with Him. Listen to the words of the Apostle – If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as He remained with us even after His ascension, so we too, are already in heaven with Him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.
Christ is now exalted above the heavens but He still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of His body have to bear. He showed this when He cried out from above – Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? and when He said: I was hungry and you gave me food.
Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with Him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to Him? While in heaven. He is also with us and we, while on earth, are with Him. He is here with us by His divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in heaven, as He is on earth, by divinity but in Him, we can be there by love.
He did not leave heaven when He came down to us, nor did He withdraw from us when He went up again into heaven. The fact that He was in heaven even while He was on earth, is borne out by His own statement – No-one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. … Thus, no-one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the head and the body but because the body, as a unity cannot be separated from the head” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church – An excerpt from his Sermon on the Lord’s Ascension
PRAYER – Almighty God, fill us with a holy joy, teach us how to thank You with reverence and love for the joy of the ascension of Christ Your on. You have raised us up with Him, where He the head has preceded us in glory, there we, the body, are called in hope. Grant, too we beg, that by Mary’s prayer and the prayer of Your loving child Blessed Imelda Lambertini, we may give You faithful service and spread abroad the glory of Your nameThrough Christ our Lord, i the unity of the Holy Spirit and the glory of the Father, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 14 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
“Forty days after His glorious resurrection, Jesus came, with all His friends, among them His Mother, to the Mount of Olives. This area had already witnessed the opening phase of His passion, which was all the more poignant, perhaps because in Gethsemane, it was not only His body which was lacerated by scourges and nails but, His soul, which experienced the agonising vision of the sins and ingratitude of the human race. Now, however, He is here with a glorified body as the Conqueror of sin and of death. He looks for the last time on His small band of followers, to whom He has entrusted His mission of transforming the entire universe by preaching and putting into practice, the Gospel message, throughout the world. Now, He promises them the Holy Spirit, Who will give them the power to overcome evil. Then He is lifted up toward Heaven, until a bright cloud hides Him from their sight.
Perhaps, the Blessed Mother, was the last to take her eyes off the disappearing cloud which had removed Jesus from view. Her human eyes never saw again the beloved figure of her divine Son but, in her soul, she saw Him entering triumphantly into Heaven among choirs of Angels and sitting at the right hand of the Eternal Father. She saw and thought with infinite yearnng of the not too distant day, when she would have passed from mortal exile, into the everlasting happiness of Heaven, where she would embrace her divine Son again in an ecstasy of love.
We have all been called to ascend to Heaven with Jesus and Mary. Let us remember, however, that only the innocent and the repentant can be admitted into Paradise. If we have been unfortunate enough to have lost our baptismal innocence, only the second way is left to us – the way of penance. We must purify ourselves of our sins by means of good works. We must ascend higher and highter, towards the summit of Christian perfection.”
AnaStpaul 
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