The GOOD SHEPHERD – Page 5

"Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection– 4 May – ‘…Like Matthew, therefore, follow this most devoted shepherd…’

Posted on May 4, 2020May 4, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection– 4 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ -Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4, John 10:11-18 and the Memorial of Blessed Tommaso da Olera

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” … John 10:11 john 10 11 - i am the good shepherd 4 may 2020

REFLECTION – “How great was this devoted shepherd’s solicitous care for the lost sheep and how great His mercy, the Good Shepherd Himself indicates with an affectionate metaphor in the parable of the shepherd and the hundredth sheep that was lost, sought with much care and finally found and joyfully brought back on His shoulders. He openly declares the same thing in an express statement when He says: “The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep” (Jn 10:11). In Him is truly fulfilled the prophecy: “Like a shepherd he will feed his flock” (Is 40:11).

In order to do this He endured toil, anxiety and lack of food, He travelled through towns and villages preaching the kingdom of God in the midst of many dangers and the plotting of the Pharisees and He passed the nights in watchful prayer. Fearless of the murmuring and scandal of the Pharisees, He was affable to the publicans, saying that He had come into the world for the sake of those who are sick (Mt 9:12). He also extended fatherly affection to the repentant, showing them the open bosom of divine mercy.

As witness to this, I call upon and summon Matthew, Zacchaeus, the sinful woman who prostrated herself at His feet and the woman taken in adultery. Like Matthew, therefore, follow this most devoted shepherd; like Zacchaeus receive Him with hospitality; like the sinful woman anoint Him with ointment and wash His feet with your tears, wipe them with your hair and caress them with your kisses, so that finally, with the woman presented to Him for judgement, you may deserve to hear the sentence of forgiveness: “Has no one condemned you? Neither will I condemn you. Go, and sin no more” (Jn 8:10-11).” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor – The Tree of Life LIKE MATTHEW THEREFORE FOLLOW THIS MOST DEVOTED SHEPHERD - ST BONAVENTURE 4 MAY 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You have rescued Your faithful from enslavement to sin, by Your Son’s self-abasement. You have raised up the world through His suffering. Fill us now with holy joy at His rising and triumph. Let us hear His voice and follow Him to everlasting life. Blessed Tommaso da Olera, you truly became a shepherd to the lowly and might, pray for us! Our Lady Mother of our God, stay with us on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.

blessed virgin mary mother of god pray for us 4 may 2020

st tommaso da clero pray for us 4 may 2019

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 May – ‘Let us enkindle our hearts, my friends…’

Posted on May 3, 2020May 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday, Readings: Acts 2:14, 36-41, Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:20-25, John 10:1-10 and the Memorial of Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved
and will go in and out and find pasture.” … John 10:9

REFLECTION – “Anyone who enters by me will be saved, he will go in out and will find pasture.”(Jn 10:9) He will go into faith, he will go out from faith to vision, from belief to contemplation, will find pasture in eternal refreshment.

The Good Shepherd’s sheep will pasture, because whoever follows Him with a guileless heart, is nourished with a food of eternal freshness. What are the pastures of these sheep but the eternal joys of an evergreen paradise? The pasture of the elect, is the face of God always before us. When we see Him perfectly, our hearts are endlessly satisfied with the food of life…

Let us seek these pastures, dearly beloved! There we may enjoy the celebration of so many citizens. Let the festival of those who rejoice attract us… Let us enkindle our hearts, my friends, let our faith grow warm again for what it believes, let our desire for heavenly things take fire. To love thus, is to be already on the way. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing, that he forgets where he is going.”… St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Gospel, no15

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. May the prayers of Bl Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz and the Blessed Virgin, guide us, that we may always follow our Shepherd and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen. mary-mother-of-god-pray-for-us-27-july-2018 and 29 march 2020

BL EDOARDO GIUSEPPE ROSAZ PRAY FOR US 3 MARY 2020

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – Love calls your name

Posted on April 14, 2020April 14, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – Tuesday in the Easter Octave

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name, you are mine.”

Isaiah 43:1

“Since love grows within you,
so beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul.”

“A Christian is:
a mind through which Christ thinks,
a heart through which Christ loves,
a voice through which Christ speaks
and a hand through which Christ helps.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“He will be with you also,
all the way, that faithful God.
Every morning when you awaken
to the old and tolerable pain,
at every mile of the hot uphill dusty road of tiring duty,
on, to the judgement seat,
the same Christ there as ever,
still loving you,
still sufficient for you, even then.
And then, on through all eternity.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“Think of the Cross when you rise and when you lie down,
when you go out and when you come in,
when you eat and when you walk and when you converse,
when you buy and when you sell,
when you labour and when you rest,
consecrating and sealing all your doings with this one mental action –
the thought of the Crucified.
Do not talk of it to others – be silent, like the penitent woman,
who showed her love in deep subdued acts.
She “stood at His feet behind Him weeping
and began to wash His feet with tears
and did wipe them with the hairs of her head
and kissed His feet and anointed them with the Ointment.”
And Christ said of her,
“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much
but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” [Luke vii. 38, 47.]”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Parochial Sermons V 23

“Mary –
the revolution of her life,
the revolution destined
to transform the existence
of every man and woman,
begins with a name
that echoes in the garden
of the empty tomb…”

Pope Francis

Feast of St Mary of Magdala

ADVENT PRAYERS, ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Advent Reflection – 10 December – Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another’s.

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Advent Reflection – 10 December – Tuesday of the Second Week in Advent, Year A – Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13, Matthew 18:12-14

Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.

“So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” … Matthew 18:14

REFLECTION – “You brought me forth, O Lord, from my father’s loins and formed me in my mother’s womb (Ps 138:13). You brought me, a naked babe, into the light of day, for nature’s laws always obey Your commands. By the blessing of the Holy Spirit, You prepared my creation and my existence, not because man willed it, or flesh desired it (Jn 1:13) but by Your ineffable grace. The birth You prepared for me was such, that it surpassed the laws of our nature. You sent me forth into the light by adopting me as Your son (Gal 4:5) and You enrolled me among the children of Your holy and spotless Church.

You nursed me with the spiritual milk of Your divine utterances. You kept me alive with the solid food of the body of Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son and our God and You let me drink from the chalice of His life-giving blood, poured out to save the whole world.

You loved us, O Lord and gave up Your only-begotten Son for our redemption. And He undertook the task, willingly and did not shrink away from it. (…) Thus You humbled Yourself, Christ my God, so that You might carry me, Your stray sheep, on Your shoulders. You let me graze in green pastures, refreshing me with the waters of orthodox teaching at the hands of Your shepherds. You pastured those shepherds and now, they in turn, tend Your chosen and special flock.” … St John Damascene (675-749) Monk, Theologian, Father & Doctor of the Church matthew 18 14 thus it is not the will of my father - st john damascene - thus you humbled yourself christ my god 10 dec 2019.jpg

MEDITATION – The mould in which a key is made, would be a strange thing if you had never seen a key and the key itself a strange thing, if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling the in the infinite contours of the divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved but you – you, individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith. Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another’s. All that you are, sins apart, is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction!” … C S Lewis (1898-1963)

ADVENT ACTION – Will I run halfway to meet Him? Will I seek to at least repair what I can before He reaches me? Are we in trouble, lost, confused and overwhelmed? Tell Jesus! He fulfils His promise to rescue us.

PRAYER – Thank You, my Lord, for looking for me.
Thank You, my Lord, for finding me.
Thank You, my Lord, for telling me
“it is never the will of my Father,
that one of these little ones should perish.”
This explains why
You assumed our human nature
and suffered so much for us.
Thank You, my Lord,
for Your reckless love.
Thank You, my Lord,
for saving me!
Amen TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT - 10 DEC 2019 psalm 96 13 the cord comes.jpg

QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – Each of us and all of us!

Posted on September 15, 2019September 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 15:1–32 and the Memorial of Blessed Paolo Manna PIME (1872-1952)

“Just so, I tell you,
there will be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents,
than over ninety-nine righteous persons
who need no repentance.”

Luke 15:7

“The whole Church for the whole world!”

the whole church for the whole world - bl paolo manna 15 sept 2019

“Go for a divine call,
go where obedience has destined you.
Go for the love of Jesus,
for the interests of Jesus
and Jesus will always be at your side,
always in your heart”

go for a dvivne call bl paolo manna 15 sept 2019

“We are apostles!
We are apostles
and we wander far and wide,
we work generously,
only for the sake of souls,
only for the Church,
only for heaven!”

Blessed Paolo Manna (1872-1952)

Christ only knows
how to count to one and that one,
is each of us!

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 September – He was lost and has been found.

Posted on September 15, 2019September 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 September – Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 15:1–32 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ ... Luke 15:6

luke 15 6 rejoice with me for I have found my sheep - 28 june 2019 sacred heart.jpg

REFLECTION – “Since man’s weakness is incapable of maintaining a firm step in this changing world, the good doctor shows you a remedy against going astray and the merciful judge does not withhold hope of forgiveness. It is not without reason that Saint Luke put forward three parables in succession – the sheep who strayed and was found again; the coin that was lost and found; the son who died and came back to life. This is so that this threefold remedy will urge us to take care of our wounds… The weary sheep is brought back by the shepherd, the lost coin is found, the son turns back and returns to his father, repenting of his waywardness…

Let us rejoice, then, in that this sheep, which went astray in Adam, has been raised up again in Christ. Christ’s shoulders are the arms of the cross, there it is that I have laid down my sins, on that gallows I have found my rest. This “sheep” is one according to its nature but not in personality, since all form a single body composed of many in members. That is why it is written: “You are Christ’s body and individually parts of it,” (1Cor 12:27). “The Son of Man has come to save what was lost” (Lk 19:10), that is to say everyone, since “just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life” (1Cor 15:22)…

Nor, is it irrelevant, that the woman rejoices to have found her coin – it is no small thing, this coin on which is portrayed the image of a prince. In the same way, the good of the Church is the image of the King. We are sheep, let us then pray the Lord to lead us to restful waters (Ps 22[23]:2). We are sheep, let us ask for pasture. We are the coin, let us keep our value. We are sons, let us run to the Father.” … St Ambrose (340-397) – Bishop of Milan, Father & Doctor of the Church – On St Luke’s Gospel, 7, 207 (SC 52)

PRAYER – Look upon us Lord, creator and ruler of the whole world, grant us the grace to serve You with all our heart, that we may come to know, the power of Your forgiveness and love. Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart. Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen. you-holy-mother-of-sorrows-smile-upon-us-and-pray-for-us-15-sept-2018.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 19 July – ‘You whom my soul loves’

Posted on July 19, 2019July 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the memorial of St Macrina the Younger – sister of St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–395) Father of the Church

The Full Prayer as paraphrased in our Morning Offering today – This excerpt from St Gregory of Nyssa’s commentary on the Song of Songs (Cap. 2: PG 44, 802), using the imagery of Psalm 23, appeals to the Lord Jesus Christ for the promised green pastures, restful waters and noonday rest that is the final, eternal destination of those who love God and walk in His ways. It is used in the Roman Catholic Office of readings for Thursday in the 33rd week in ordinary time with the corresponding biblical reading taken from Zechariah 11:4-12:8.

St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–395)

Father of the Church

A Prayer to the Good Shepherd

Where are You pasturing Your flock, O good Shepherd, who carry the whole flock on Your shoulders? (For the whole of human nature is one sheep and You have lifted it onto Your shoulders). Show me the place of peace, lead me to the good grass that will nourish me, call me by name so that I, Your sheep, hear Your voice and by Your speech give me eternal life. Answer me, You whom my soul loves.

I give You the name ‘You whom my soul loves’ because Your name is above every name and above all understanding and there is no rational nature that can utter it or comprehend it. Therefore, Your name, by which Your goodness is known, is simply the love my soul has for You. How could I not love You, when You loved me so much, even though I was black, that You laid down Your life for the sheep of Your flock? A greater love cannot be imagined, than exchanging Your life for my salvation.

Show me then (my soul says) where You pasture your flock, so that I can find that saving pasture too and fill myself, with the food of heaven, without which no-one can come to eternal life and run to the spring and fill myself with the drink of God. You give it, as from a spring, to those who thirst – water pouring from Your side cut open by the lance, water that, to whoever drinks it, is a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

If You lead me to pasture here, You will make me lie down at noon, sleeping at peace and taking my rest in light unstained by any shade. For the noon has no shade and the sun stands far above the mountain peaks. You bring Your flock to lie in this light, when You bring Your children to rest with You in Your bed. But no-one can be judged worthy of this noonday rest who is not a child of light and a child of the day. Whoever has separated himself equally from the shadows of evening and morning, from where evil begins and evil ends, at noon he will lie down and the sun of righteousness will shine on him.

Show me, then (my soul says), how I should sleep and how I should graze and where the path is to my noonday rest. Do not let me fall away from Your flock because of ignorance and find myself one of a flock of sheep that are not Yours.

Thus my soul spoke, when she was anxious about the beauty that God’s care had given her and wanted to know how she could keep this good fortune forever.

Amen

“I give them eternal life”

John 10:27 john 10 27 - i give them eternal life - 12 may 2019 good shepherd sunday.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – O Good Shepherd

Posted on July 19, 2019July 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time and the memorial of St Macina the Younger – sister of St Gregory of Nyssa

Below is an edited and simplified version
of St Gregory’s famous
“To the Good Shepherd” prayer.

O Good Shepherd
By St Gregory Of Nyssa (c 335–395)
Father of the Church

O Good Shepherd,
Who carries the whole flock on Your shoulders,
Where are You pasturing Your flock?
Show me the place of peace,
lead me to the good grass that will nourish me,
call me by name so that I hear Your voice,
Answer me,
For You are the One my soul loves.
I call You ‘the One my soul loves’
because Your name is above every name
and above all understanding
and no one can utter or comprehend it.
How could I not love You,
when You loved me so much?
Even though I was stained dark with sin,
You laid down Your life for the sheep of Your flock.
A greater love cannot be imagined,
than exchanging Your life for my freedom!
Show me where You pasture Your flock,
so that I can find that saving pasture too,
and fill myself with the food of heaven
without which no-one can come to eternal life,
and run to the spring
and be filled with the drink of God.
You give it, as from a spring, to those who thirst –
water pouring from Your side,
water that is a spring welling up to eternal life.
If You lead me to pasture here,
You will make me lie down at noon,
sleeping at peace and taking my rest in light
unconquered by any shade.
For the noon has no darkness
and the sun stands far above the mountain peaks.
You bring Your flock to lie in this light,
You bring Your children to rest in You.
Show me how I should sleep
and how I should graze,
and where the path is to my noonday rest.
Do not let me fall away from Your flock
and become lost.
O Good shepherd,
Who carries the whole flock on Your shoulders.
Amen o good shepherd no 1 st gregory of nyssa 19 july 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 June – Beside You I am not afraid of anything!

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, Gospel: Luke 15:3–7

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost.”…Luke 15:6 luke 15 6 rejoice with me for I have found my sheep - 28 june 2019 sacred heart

REFLECTION – “I feel that my Jesus is drawing ever closer to me. These last days He has let me fall into the sea and drown in the consideration of my wretchedness and pride, so as to make me understand just how much I need Him. Just as I am on the verge of being overcome, Jesus, walking on the water, comes smiling to meet me, so that I may be saved. With Peter I should like to say to Him: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8) but, I am forestalled, by the gentleness of His heart and sweetness of His words: “Fear not” (Lk 5:10).

Ah! Beside You I am not afraid of anything! I snuggle up against You and, like the lost sheep, hear the beating of Your Heart. Jesus, yet again I am Yours, Yours forever. With You, I am truly great, without You, nothing but a weak reed, upheld by You, I am a pillar. I must never forget my wretchedness, not so as to be constantly trembling but so that, regardless of my lowliness and confusion, I may, with ever greater confidence, draw close to Your Heart. For my wretchedness, is the throne of Your mercy and love.”…St John XXIII (1881-1963) Journal of a soul, 1901-1903

PRAYER – “May Your heart dwell always in our hearts! May Your blood ever flow in the veins of our souls! O sun of our hearts, You give life to all things by the rays of Your goodness! I will not go, until Your heart has strengthened me, O Lord Jesus! May the heart of Jesus be the king of my heart! Blessed be God. Amen.”…St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity may-your-heart-dwell-always-in-our-hearts-prayer-to-the-sac-heart-st-francis-de-sales-8-june-2018-sacred-heart

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 13 May – A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

Posted on May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 13 May – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C – Gospel: John 10:1-10

A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

St John Damascene (675-749)

Monk, Theologian, Doctor of the Church

O Christ, my God, You stooped down to me, poor straying sheep, to take me on Your shoulders (Lk 15:5) and have set me down in green pastures (Ps 23[22]:2). You have quenched my thirst at the springs of true doctrine, through the mediation of Your pastors, whose shepherd You were, before entrusting to them Your flock… And now, O Lord, You have called me… to serve Your disciples, by what design of Your Providence I know not, only You know.

But, Lord, lighten the heavy burden of those sins of mine that have so gravely offended You, purify my mind and heart. Lead me by the right way (Ps 23[22]:3) as by a light enlightening me. Enable me to proclaim Your word boldly, may Your Spirit’s tongue of flame (Acts 2:3) give perfect freedom to my tongue and make me constantly attentive to Your presence.

Be a shepherd to me, O Lord and together with me, be the shepherd of Your sheep, that my heart may not cause me to swerve either to right or to left. Let Your good Spirit lead me in the right way, that my actions may be carried out, according to Your will – even to the end.”

Amen

a pastor's prayer to the good shepherd - st john damascene 13 may 2019.jpg

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The GOOD SHEPHERD

One Minute Reflection – 13 May – “…The sheep hear his voice”

Posted on May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 May – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C – Gospel: John 10:1-10 and the 102nd Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima

“… the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”…John 10:3

REFLECTION – “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. People who hear God are known by Him. No-one is entirely unknown by God but to be known in this way, is to become part of His family.

Therefore, when Christ says, “I know mine,” He means I will receive them and give them a permanent mystical relationship with Myself.

It might be said that inasmuch as He has become man, He has made all human beings His relatives, since all are members of the same race. We are all united to Christ in a mystical relationship because of His incarnation. Yet those who do not preserve the likeness of His holiness are alienated from Him. “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 & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Gospel of John)

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You have rescued Your faithful from enslavement to sin, by Your Son’s self-abasement. You have raised up the world through His suffering. Fill us now with holy joy at His rising and triumph. Let us hear His voice and follow Him to everlasting life. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us! Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen. pray-for-us-mother-of-god-13-may-2017

QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote of the Day – 12 May – He knows us “by name”

Posted on May 12, 2019May 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 12 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year C, Gospel: John 10:27-30– “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday”

“What Jesus wants to say with these images is clear.
He knows His disciples (and, as God, all men),
He knows them “by name,” which, for the Bible,
means their innermost essence.
He loves them with a personal love
that treats each as if, they were the only one
who existed for Him.
Christ only knows how to count to one
and that one, is each of us.”

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP
Preacher to the Pontifical Household

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 May – “I give them eternal life”

Posted on May 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C, Gospel: John 10:27-30 – Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday

“I give them eternal life”...John 10:27 john 10 27 - i give them eternal life - 12 may 2019 good shepherd sunday

REFLECTION – “The Lord says: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me; I give them eternal life”. A little earlier He said to them: “Anyone who enters by me will be saved, he will go in ou, and will find pasture”. (Jn 10:9) He will go into faith, he will go out from faith to vision, from belief to contemplation, will find pasture in eternal refreshment.

The Good Shepherd’s sheep will pasture because whoever follows Him with a guileless heart is nourished with a food of eternal freshness. What are the pastures of these sheep but the eternal joys of an evergreen paradise? The pasture of the elect, is the face of God always before us. When we see Him perfectly, our hearts are endlessly satisfied with the food of life…

Let us seek these pastures, dearly beloved! There we may enjoy the celebration of so many citizens. Let the festival of those who rejoice attract us… Let us enkindle our hearts, my friends, let our faith grow warm again for what it believes, let our desire for heavenly things take fire. To love thus, is to be already on the way. Let no adversity recall us from the joy of inner festivity, no difficulty on his journey, alters the desire, of a person wanting to go to some particular place. Let no seductive good fortune lead us astray, he is a foolish traveller who sees pleasant meadows on his journey and forgets where he is going.”… St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Gospel, no15[14]

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. May the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, guide us, that we may always follow our Shepherd and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen. mater dei mother of god pray for us 12 may 2019

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 February – Blessed are you!

Posted on February 17, 2019February 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 February – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Luke 6:17-26

“Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” …Luke 6:22-23 blessed are you when - luke 6 22 - 23 - 17 feb 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “O that we could take that simple view of things, as to feel that the one thing which lies before us is to please God! What gain is it to please the world, to please the great, nay even to please those whom we love, compared with this? What gain is it to be applauded, admired, courted, followed—compared with this one aim, of not being disobedient to a heavenly vision? What can this world offer comparable with that insight into spiritual things, that keen faith, that heavenly peace, that high sanctity, that everlasting righteousness, that hope of glory, which they have, who in sincerity love and follow our Lord Jesus Christ?

Let us beg and pray Him, day by day, to reveal Himself to our souls more fully, to quicken our senses, to give us sight and hearing, taste and touch of the world to come – so to work within us, that we may sincerely say, ‘You shall guide me with Your counsel and after that receive me with glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of You. My flesh and my heart fails but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.'”…Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Sermon on Divine Calls (Plain Sermons)

PRAYER – Holy Father, You have given Yourself to us in the Face of Your Divine Son. You have given Him to us to be our food and our portion. You have consoled us with His presence on the Altar of Offering and washed us with His blood, day by day, You have sacrificed Him to save us. Grant us Your grace, we pray, that day by day, we may be strengthened and made holy by this Holy Food you grant us. May our Holy Mother, be our protection on this journey and may her prayers and the prayers of your saints, grant us courage. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, for all eternity, amen. hail mary pray for us - 17 feb 2019.jpg

MORNING Prayers, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection -9 February -Gospel: Mark 6:30–34 “To see, to have compassion, to teach.”

Posted on February 9, 2019February 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection -9 February – Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C , Gospel: Mark 6:30–34

As he went ashore he saw a great throng and he had compassion on them...Mark 6:34

REFLECTION – “To see, to have compassion, to teach. The first and second, to see and to have compassion, are always found together in the attitude of Jesus – in fact His gaze is not the gaze of a sociologist or a photojournalist, for He always gazes with “the eyes of the heart”. These two verbs, to see and to have compassion, configure Jesus as the Good Shepherd. His compassion too, is not merely a human feeling but is the deep emotion of the Messiah in whom God’s tenderness is made flesh.”...Pope Francis – Angelus, 19 July 2015

PRAYER – All-powerful, eternal God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, let our striving for Your kingdom not fall short through selfishness or fear, may the universe be alive with the Spirit and our homes be the pledge of the world redeemed. May our eyes see and our hearts have compassion, to all those who need us. May the intercession of our Holy Mother, St Apollonia and all the saints, be a strength and a comfort. Through Jesus, our compassionate and loving Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You forever, amen. holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 13 may 2018 st apollonia pray for us 9 feb 2019

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 January – Christmas Weekday – Today’s Gospel: John 1:35–42

Posted on January 4, 2019January 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 January – Christmas Weekday – Today’s Gospel: John 1:35–42

“….he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.”...John 1: 36-37 behold the lamb of god - john 1 36-37 4 jan 2019

REFLECTION – “He is the Way, because He leads us through Himself; Door, as letting us in; Shepherd, as making us dwell in green pastures and bringing us up to the waters of rest, leading us there and protecting us from wild beasts, restoring the erring and bringing back the lost sheep. He binds the wounded, guards the strong and thanks to His words of pastoral knowledge He gathers them together into the Fold on high.”…St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a child of eternity. Help me to live each day in such a way that I may deserve to be a child of Yours forever. Grant that by the prayers of St Elizabeth Ann Seton and St Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, we may strive always to keep our eyes fixed on Your Son, our entry to You, our Shepherd and our Saviour who will lead us to our eternal home. May we never waiver from Your commandments. Amen. st-e-a-seton-pray-for-us-4-jan-2018

st manuel gonzalez garcia pray for us 4 jan 2019

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:57–62 and The Memorial of St Théodore Guérin SP (1798 – 1856)

Posted on October 3, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:57–62 and The Memorial of St Théodore Guérin SP (1798 – 1856)

“You know … that the good God
always makes use
of nothing,
in order to accomplish
something.”

St Théodore Guérin (1798 – 1856)

“He will be with you also, all the way, that faithful God.
Every morning when you awaken to the old and tolerable pain,
at every mile of the hot uphill dusty road of tiring duty,
on to the judgement seat, the same Christ there as ever,
still loving you, still sufficient for you, even then.
And then, on through all eternity.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

Posted on July 22, 2018July 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.”...Mark 6:31

REFLECTION – “So they got into the boat and went away by themselves to a deserted spot”… The people followed them. They showed how concerned they were for their salvation by the effort they made in going along the deserted road, not on donkeys or in carts of various kinds but on foot. In return Jesus welcomed those weary, ignorant, sick and hungry people, instructing, healing and feeding them as a kindly saviour and physician and so letting them know how pleased He is by believers’ devotion to Him.”…Saint Bede the Venerable (c 673-735) Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint Mark’s gospel, 2 ; CCL 120, 510)
“Today we could pray during this mass for our shepherds, that the Lord may give them the grace to walk with the people and to be present for them with much tenderness and closeness. When people find their shepherd, they feel that special sensation only felt in the presence of God. The amazement comes from the feeling of the closeness and tenderness of God in the shepherd.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 30 January 2018 come away with me - mark 6 31 and so they got into the boat - st bede - 22 july 2018

PRAYER – Be gracious, Lord, to us who serve You and in Your kindness increase Your gifts of grace within us, so that fervent in faith, hope and love, we may be ever on the watch and persevere in doing what You command. Guard, protect and inspire our own shepherds, our priests who serve Your people, keep them faithful, loyal and prayerful. May our Mother, the most Holy and Pure Blessed Virgin Mary, keep our priests and all of us at her side. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, one God with Holy Spirit, forever and ever, amen. bl virgin mother mary protect and pray for our priests - 22 july 2018

EASTER, MORNING Prayers, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday

Posted on April 22, 2018April 22, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday” – Todays Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18

“The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep”

Despite Jesus’ realistic word-picture, the parable of the Good Shepherd only fully comes alive in Jesus Himself, God’s appointed “Shepherd” of men. He names two characteristics of such a shepherd: first the shepherd’s commitment to the flock even to the point of death; and second, the reciprocal recognition between sheep and shepherd, which is anchored in the innermost mystery of God.

The theme of self-giving to the point of death, is found at both the beginning and the end of the Gospel. This devotion, contrasts sharply with the flight of the “hired hand”, who, when facing danger, has the excuse that the life of a man is more valuable than the life of a dumb animal. This argument loses its force, however, when the shepherd cares so much for his sheep, that he prefers them to his own life. That is scarcely conceivable in purely natural terms but it becomes a central truth in the realm of grace. It only makes sense with the aid of the second theme of the parable – the shepherd knows his sheep and the animals likewise instinctively recognise him. For Jesus, this is merely the point of comparison for a completely different recognition: “as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” This has nothing to do with instinct but with the most profound mutual recognition, as it is found in absolute trinitarian love. When Jesus applies this utterly sublime trinitarian love recognition to the inward mutuality between Himself and His own, He elevates this knowledge far above that which is hinted at by the parable.

And thus, it becomes clear, that the first motif of the parable (giving one’s life for the sheep) and the second motif (mutual recognition) coincide rather than merely parallel each other. The Father’s and the Son’s knowledge of each other is identical with their mutual and perfect selfgiving and therefore, the knowledge exchanged between Jesus and His own, is one with the perfect selfgiving of Jesus for and to His own and it implicitly includes the unity of the Christian’s knowledge and loving dedication to his Lord.

At the end, both themes are expressly joined together: the Father (also) loves the Son for His perfect selfgiving for the sake of men, a selfgiving which is both freely chosen by the Son and commissioned by the Father. This unmitigated surrender to mankind because it is Divine Love, is at the same time the power that achieves victory over death (“the power to take up life again”).

“No other name under heaven” in the First Reading, Peter gives the Lord all glory for the miracle he has effected. The point is not that, Jesus excepted, all who care for sheep are “hired hands” for the Lord Himself installed Peter to pasture His flock – precisely Jesus’ Flock, not Peter’s. Thus everything effective and appropriate ultimately is accomplished by the “chief Shepherd alone” (1 Pet 5:4), even if through the activity of His assistants.

Hans Urs von Balthasar “Light of the Word”

john 10 11 - good shepherd no 2

franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday”

Posted on April 22, 2018April 21, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday” – Todays Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18

“God has, in fact, thought of us from eternity
and has loved us as unique individuals.
He has called every one of us by name,
as the Good Shepherd ‘calls His sheep by name.'”

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP
Preacher to the Pontifical Household

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday”

Posted on April 22, 2018April 22, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B – “Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday” and the Memorial of St Pope Soter (died C 174)

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...John 10:11 john 10 11 - the good shepherd

REFLECTION – “What a blessing it is to know Christ, the Good Shepherd, to know Him as the Redeemer who laid down His life for the sheep, to know Him as the Risen Lord, the source of everlasting joy and life. What a blessing it is to know the Good Shepherd and to believe in Him. This gift of faith is the greatest blessing we could ever receive in life.”…St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)

what a blessing it is to know christ - good shepherd sunday - st pope john paul - 22 april 2018

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. St Pope Soter, please pray for us that we may always follow our Shepherd, as you did and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him with you, forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, amen. st pope soter - pray for us - 22 april 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote of the Day – 27 February – The Memorial of St Gregory of Narek (950-1003) – Doctor of the Church

Posted on February 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 27 February – The Memorial of St Gregory of Narek (950-1003) – Doctor of the Church

“You found me,
a sinner,
lost in darkness
crying like
the psalmist in prayer,
and because of
Your willing care
you were called Shepherd,
for not only
did You care
but You sought,
not only did You find,
O worker of miracles
but with the goodness
of Your love,
a love that
defies description,
You rescued me,
lifting me upon
Your shoulders,
to set me down alongside
Your heavenly army,
the heirs to
Your fatherly legacy. ”

	Jamie Pulos-Fry on One Minute Reflection – 8 July…
	Jamie Pulos-Fry on One Minute Reflection – 8 July…
	Santa Skolastika, Sa… on Saint of the Day -10 February…
	Santo Hieronimus Emi… on Saint of the Day – 8 Feb…
	Santas e Santos do d… on Notre-Dame d’Avesniéres, Laval…

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Isaiah 43:1

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Pope Francis

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Luke 15:7

Blessed Paolo Manna (1872-1952)

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St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–395)

Father of the Church

A Prayer to the Good Shepherd

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A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

St John Damascene (675-749)

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Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP Preacher to the Pontifical Household

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St Théodore Guérin (1798 – 1856)

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

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Hans Urs von Balthasar “Light of the Word”

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St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP Preacher to the Pontifical Household

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St Gregory of Narek (Book of Lamentations)

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St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP
Preacher to the Pontifical Household

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM CAP
Preacher to the Pontifical Household