DAY NINE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 13 September
Eternal Love
Lord Jesus, Your cross manifested Your decision
to always do the Father’s will.
That God you revealed shines so resplendently on the Holy Cross.
It is a God who loves because He is pure love.
On the Holy Cross, You gave everything – Your life.
By Your self-giving, we have been redeemed.
May our veneration of Your Holy Cross
enable us to live the challenge of love,
that we, too, may learn to trust, to understand
and to forgive.
That we may remove from our hearts,
hatred, mistrust and resentment
and be like You, a total gift of self.
May Your Holy Cross lead us to life
and communion with our brothers and sisters. Amen.
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY SIX – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 10 September
Redemptive Suffering
Jesus, Your mother and other women surrounded You
while you were dying on the cross.
Your mother nonetheless accepted this agony,
believing that this was part of the divine plan,
that God had the power to draw good
from this terrible experience of failure.
Your mother’s faith in You inspires us.
We pray for her intercession as we face
situations of failure and suffering.
We know that You are always with us
and so we pray for the grace to face
with courage, our trials and hardships,
and offer our sufferings
in union with Yours.
Please strengthen our faith as we live through
the difficulties and uncertainties of this life. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY FIVE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 9 September
Patience and Silence in Suffering
Jesus, You hung on the cross of three hours
and Your executioners insulted You,
saying that You cannot save Yourself and others.
You could have used Your powers
but preferred to keep silent
and bear the insults of Your enemies.
Teach us the virtue of patience as we bear the insults
and harsh words of people who don’t like us.
Inspire us to respond with silence
and give us the grace that we may be able to pray for them.
In this way, through our patience,
we help You redeem our troubled world. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY FOUR – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 8 September
The compassion of the suffering Christ
Jesus our Christ, whilst You hung on the cross,
You forgave those who were laughing at You
and asked Your beloved disciple to take care of Your mother.
You welcomed the good thief into paradise.
You continued to be compassionate and serve others fully.
You did not allow the terrible pain to hinder Your love.
Give us the special grace not to be desperate in our moments of sufferings.
Enable us to bear pain with courage and dignity,
to, even in the midst of pain,
to be of help and service to others. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY THREE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 7 September
Jesus suffers humiliation
Jesus, you manifested Your power through Your miracles
but in carrying the Cross, You showed
that God preferred to be humility than to be conquest.
You were beaten and spat upon,
mocked and derided.
You suffered humiliation for love of all
as You struggled under the weight of the heavy Cross.
You did this to show Your oneness with the powerless of the earth.
You took the side of the helpless
and You shamed the arrogant and the powerful.
May we, Lord, in our relationship with our brothers and sisters,
avoid domineering attitudes and instead, be of service to them.
May the glory of your cross help us understand
that hearts can never be conquered through imposition or arrogance
but through disinterested service.
Make us servants to one another
and may self-giving characterize our relationships with all.
Amen.
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY TWO – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 6 September
Jesus Falls and Simon of Cyrene Assists Him in carrying the Cross
Jesus, you fell three times while carrying Your cross.
You were exhausted by the tortures and the lack of sleep
and Your executioners had to ask the help of Simon the Cyrene
to help You carry the cross. You were nearly dead when you reached Calvary.
Simon of Cyrene was the most blessed person
because he was transformed by helping You carry Your cross.
Make us remember, dear Jesus, in our moments of suffering and trials,
that we, too, help carry Your cross and that it is an honour to suffer with You.
Give us hearts that easily respond to the sufferings around us,
believing that when we help the needy and the abandoned,
we are actually serving You. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY ONE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 5 September
‘Jesus Carries the Cross’
Jesus our Lord, You carried Your cross through the streets of Jerusalem,
with Your head bloodied by the crown of thorns.
Your enemies mocked You and your friends abandoned You.
You carried the cross, the sins of all humanity,
on Your shoulders and in the silence of Your sufferings, we are reborn.
Jesus our Lord, You taught us that we should also carry others’ sins.
to suffer in silence, yet our sufferings can make reparation for our sins
and the sins of all the word.
Teach us, O Lord, to accept situations that we cannot change
and carry them as you carried Your cross
through the streets of Jerusalem. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mount Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629.
The lessons from the Breviary tell us that Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back to Jerusalem on his shoulders. He was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to Mount Calvary a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: “Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross.” The…
Sunday Reflection – 12 August – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Jesus, our Daily Sacrifice
“Our Lord not only offered Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross but He makes Himself a perpetual, a daily Sacrifice, to the end of time.
In the Holy Mass, that One Sacrifice on the Cross once offered is renewed, continued, applied to our benefit.
He seems to say, ‘My Cross was raised up 1800 years ago – and only for a few hours and very few of my servants were present there – but I intend to bring millions into my Church. For their sakes then, I will perpetuate My Sacrifice, that each of them may be as though they had severally been present on Calvary. I will offer Myself up, day by day to the Father, that everyone of my followers, may have the opportunity to offer his petitions to Him, sanctified and recommended by the all-meritorious virtue of My Passion. Thus, I will be a Priest forever, after the order of Melchisedech – My priests shall stand at the Altar – but not they but I rather, will offer. I will not let them offer mere bread and wine but I Myself, will be present upon the Altar instead and I will offer up Myself invisibly, while they perform the outward rite.’
And thus, the Lamb that was slain once for all, though He is ascended on high, ever remains a victim from His miraculous presence in Holy Mass under the figure and appearance of mere earthly and visible symbols.”
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Jesus, our Daily Sacrifice, Prayers, Verses and Devotions
Quote/s of the Day 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor
“Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and His priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that He Himself has given you. Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death but faith; God thirsts not for blood but for self-surrender; God is appeased not by slaughter but by the offering of your free will.”
“He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, moulded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”
“For he who touches the Body of Christ unworthily, receives his damnation.”
“Now that we are reborn,… in the likeness of our Lord and have indeed been adopted by God as his children, let us put on the complete image of our Creator so as to be wholly like Him, not in the glory that He alone possesses but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness, patience, humility, mercy, harmony, those qualities in which He chose to become and to be, one with us.”
“The poor stretch out the hand but God receives what is offered.”
” If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.”
“Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ.”
“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother, to heed obediently what has been written by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome; for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see, provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”
Our Morning Offering – 26 July – The Memorial of Blessed Titus Brandsma O.C.D. (1881-1942) Martyr of the Faith
Prayer Before Jesus Crucified By Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr
Dear Lord, when looking up at Thee,
I see Thy loving eyes on me,
Love overflows my humble heart,
Knowing what a faithful friend Thy art.
A cup of sorrow I foresee,
Which I accept for love of Thee,
Thy painful way I wish to go,
The only way to God I know.
My soul is full of peace and light,
Although in pain, this light shines bright.
For here Thou keep to Thou breast.
My longing heart to find there rest.
Leave me here freely all alone,
In cell where never sunlight shone.
Should no one ever speak to me,
This golden silence makes me free!
For though alone, I have no fear,
Never wert Thou, O Lord, so near.
Sweet Jesus, please, abide with me!
My deepest peace I find in Thee.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time B
A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross By St Alphonsus Rodriguez S.J. (1532-1617)
Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of You,
when You, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy, to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure:
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr
“Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the disciples spoke likewise”…Matthew 26:35.
REFLECTION – “The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”…St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O God, You specially strengthened Blessed Adrian Fortescue with a wonderful spirit of holiness and courage. Hear the prayers of Your people and from his renowned example, may we learn to be obedient to You rather than to human authority. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 5 July 2018 – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
Prayer for the Intercession of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria
St Anthony Mary Zaccaria,
lover of the Cross and of the Eucharist,
helper of the poor and of the sick,
you who devoted your life
to promote the glory of God and
the salvation of souls, protect me,
and be my intercessor from heaven.
Obtain from Jesus,
true contrition for my sins;
inflame my heart
with sentiments of faith and love
to embrace my daily cross
and to lead others to Christ.
May your eyes follow me in every step,
your wise counsel enlighten me,
your hand uphold me,
your virtue make me holy.
May I follow your call
to holiness and renewal.
Help me to always keep
Jesus’ love and peace
with my brothers and sisters,
so that I may become worthy of Him
and receive eternal glory in heaven.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Not only the Nativity, a central point of Christ’s love for humanity but also the vision of the Crucified One inspired in Anthony thoughts of gratitude to God and esteem for the dignity of the human person, so that all believers and non-believers might find in the Crucified One and in His image a life-enriching meaning.
St Anthony writes: “Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you, so that you may look at the Cross, as in a mirror. There you will be able to know, how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other, than the Blood of the Son of God, could heal. If you look closely, you will be able to realise, how great your human dignity and your value are…. Nowhere other than looking at himself, in the mirror of the Cross, can man better understand how much he is worth”(Sermones Dominicales et Festivi III, pp. 213-214).
In meditating on these words we are better able to understand the importance of the image of the Crucified One for our culture, for our humanity that is born from the Christian faith. Precisely by looking at the Crucified One we see, as St Anthony says, how great are the dignity and worth of the human being. At no other point can we understand how much the human person is worth, precisely because God makes us so important, considers us so important that, in his opinion, we are worthy of his suffering; thus all human dignity appears in the mirror of the Crucified One and our gazing upon him is ever a source of acknowledgement of human dignity…..Pope Benedict XVI (General Audience – February 10, 2010)
Quote/s of the Day – and Marian too – 29 May “Mary’s Month!” – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914)
“Always believe, in the power of love and truth, the love of neighbour, which is rooted in the love of God and the truth, which sets people free.”
“Reject violence as a solution to any situation, no matter how unjust it may be.”
“Above all, trust in the God of justice, who created all things, who sees all human events, who holds in His hands, the destiny of every person and of every nation.”
“Let the eyes of our faith never wander from the Cross of Calvary.”
“May each of you, discover Mary, as your Mother.”
“May each of you, seek to be a son, a daughter, of Mary, who at the foot of the Cross, becomes in a particular way for us, the “Mother of Divine Grace”.”
May each of you, “make a place for her in your home” and even more so in your heart, every day and throughout your life, especially at those times, of trial and suffering.”
Maseru Race Course (Lesotho) Thursday, 15 September 1988
St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
Taken from the Beatification Homily of St Pope John Paul II (See today’s thought for the Day)
One Minute Marian Reflection – 26 May “Mary’s Month!” Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
You are the glory of Jerusalem, the surpassing joy of Israel…Judges 15:9
REFLECTION – “MARY: THE WAY TO JESUS – “Mary does the immense favour of bringing to the cross, of placing face to face with the example of the Son of God, those who come close to her and contemplate her life. It is in this confrontation that Christian life is decided. And here, Mary intercedes for us, so that our behaviour may lead to a reconciliation of the younger brother — you and me — with the firstborn Son of the Father. “Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the service of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary. Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “To Jesus through Mary,” Christ is Passing By 149 Let us offer to our Mother today: Teaching someone how to say the Holy Rosary.
PRAYER – “Hail, Mother of the Lord, Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary! Blessed among all women, you are the image of the Church robed in paschal light, you are the honour of our people, you are the victory over every assault of evil.” ……………..Excerpt from the Prayer of Pope Francis at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima,12 May 2017. Pray for us Holy Mother of God and our Mother, lead us to your Son!
One Minute Marian Reflection – 17 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”…Mark 15:34
REFLECTION – “MARY: THE SORROWING MOTHER – “Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to Him in His suffering, when He cried out ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ What could she do? She united herself fully, with the redemptive love of her Son and offered to the Father, her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure heart, like a sharp-edged sword.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 288 Let us offer to our Mother today: The mortification of keeping quiet about any pain or discomfort, any inconvenience or disappointment, uniting it with her pain as she stood by her crucified Son.
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ suffered for our sins, so Mary, the Blessed Virgin His Mother, suffered with Him and for us too. Grant we pray, that by her prayers we may learn to give You these sufferings alone, in silence for our sins in union with our suffering Lord and His Mother, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever amen.
Apparition of the Holy Cross over Jerusalem: Commemorates the appearance on 7 May 351, Pentecost that year, of a luminous image of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. It stretched from Mount Golgotha to the Mount of Olives (about two miles / three kilometers), was brighter than the sun, lasted several hours and was seen by the entire city. It led to many conversions and was reported in a letter attribued to Saint Cyril of Jerusalem.
—
St Abba
St Agostino Roscelli
Bl Albert of Bergamo
Bl Antonio de Agramunt
St Augustine of Nicomedia
St Augustus of Nicomedia
St Cerenico of Spoleto
St Domitian of Huy
St Duje
St Flavia Domitilla of Terracina
St Flavius of Nicomedia
Bl Francesco Paleari
Bl Gisela of Ungarn
Bl Jan Eugeniusz Bajewski
St John of Beverley
St Juvenal of Benevento
St Maurelius of Voghenza-Ferrara
Bl Miqael of Ulompo
St Peter of Pavia
St Placid of Autun
St Quadratus of Herbipolis
St Quadratus of Nicomedia
St Rose Venerini (1656-1728)
St Serenicus of Hyesmes
St Serenus of Hyesmes
Bl Villanus of Gubbio
Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)
“Every day, I am happier, in my complete abandonment, into His Hands. I see His will, even in the most insignificant and tiny things that happen. In everything I find a lesson, that serves to make me understand better, His mercy toward me. I love His designs, with my whole being and that is enough.
If at times, God is not in the soul, it is because we do not want Him there. We have such an accumulation of things to do, of distractions, of interests, vain desires, conceit, we have so much world within us, that God distances Himself… but, all we have to do is want Him.
It is difficult to explain why one loves suffering! But I believe, that it can be explained, because it is not suffering in itself but rather as it is in Christ and whoever loves Christ loves His Cross.
To savour the Cross…to live sick, unknown, abandoned by all— only You…and on the Cross. How sweet the bitterness, the loneliness, the grief, the pain, wolfed down and swallowed in silence, without help. How sweet the tears shed next to Your Cross.
Ah! If I knew how to tell the world where true happiness is! But this the world does not understand, nor can it… because to understand the Cross…one must love it. To love it one must suffer and not only suffer but love the suffering… In this, Lord, how few follow You to Calvary.”
One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us, who are being saved, it is the power of God…1 Cor 1:18
REFLECTION – …(I am) “a humble lay brother who has chosen the road of truth in the dark night of the world…only the Cross of Christ sheds light on the path of this life….God is in the detached heart, in the silence of prayer, in the voluntary sacrifice to pain, in the emptiness of the world and its creatures. God is in the Cross and, as long as we do not love the Cross, we will not see Him, or feel Him…. If the world and men knew…. But they will not know; they are very busy in their interests; their hearts are very full of things that are not God.”…St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)
PRAYER – Lord God, we were sinners and Your grace made us holy. We were without hope and You filled us with joy. Stand by us in Your saving work and stay with us in Your gifts of grace. May we never fail to persevere in the path of holiness that comes from following You, carrying our crosses behind the Cross of Your Son and looking forward in hope to the promise His Resurrection. Grant Lord, that our faith may increase and our courage grow, by the prayers of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón. Through Jesus our Lord, one God with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 19 April – Thursday of the Third Week of Eastertide
“Speaking of: Becoming a Saint”
“Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven.”
St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)
“He who wishes for anything but Christ, does not know what he wishes; he who asks for anything but Christ, does not know what he is asking; he who works and not for Christ, does not know what he is doing.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“The great saint may be said, to mix all his thoughts with thanks. All goods look better, when they look like gifts.”
G K Chesterton (1874-1936)
“Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how, the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise and is calling us all, to take part, in a great campaign of sabotage.”
C S Lewis (1898-1963)
“What people don’t realise, is how much Christianity costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course, it is the cross.”
Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964)
“Take courage! Fix your gaze on our saints.”
Pope Benedict XVI
“Take the Crucifixion personally.”
“The road to holiness goes through your neighbour.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 April – Monday of the Third Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)
For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him...Philippians 1:29
REFLECTION – “The more I am crucified, the more I rejoice.”…St Bernadette Soubirous
PRAYER – Let the crucifix be not only in my eyes and on my breast but in my heart. O Jesus! Release all my affections and draw them upwards. Let my crucified heart sink forever into Thine and bury itself in the mysterious wound made by the entry of the lance…By St Bernadette Soubirous, of whom we request, your prayers!
Christós anésti. Jesus Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
In the words of Pope Francis in the Urbi et Orbi Message of Easter 2013, “let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of His love to transform our lives too and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish”.
The tomb is empty. It is a silent witness to the central event of human history: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For almost 2,000 years the empty tomb has borne witness to the victory of Life over death. With the Apostles and Evangelists, with the Church of every time and place, we too bear witness and proclaim: “Christ is risen! Raised from the dead he will never die again; death no longer has power over him” (cf. Rom 6:9).
“Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando; dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus” (Latin Easter Sequence Victimae paschali). The Lord of Life was dead; now He reigns, victorious over death, the source of everlasting life for all who believe.
Resurrection of Christ – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
These have been days of intense emotion, a time when our soul has been stirred not only by the memory of what God has done but by His very presence, walking with us once again in the land of Christ’s Birth, Death and Resurrection. And at every step of this Jubilee Pilgrimage Mary has been with us, lighting our pilgrim path and sharing the joys and sorrows of her sons and daughters.
With Mary, Mater dolorosa, we stand in the shadow of the Cross and weep with her over the affliction of Jerusalem and over the sins of the world. We stand with her in the silence of Calvary and see the blood and water flowing from the wounded side of her Son. Realising the terrible consequences of sin, we are moved to repentance for our own sins and for the sins of the Church’s children in every age. O Mary, conceived without sin, help us on the path to conversion!
With Mary, Stella matutina, we have been touched by the light of the Resurrection. We rejoice with her that the empty tomb has become the womb of eternal life, where He who rose from the dead now sits at the Father’s right hand. With her we give endless thanks for the grace of the Holy Spirit whom the risen Lord sent upon the Church at Pentecost and whom He continually pours into our hearts, for our salvation and for the good of the human family.
Mary, Regina in caelum assumpta . From the tomb of her Son, we look to the tomb where Mary lay sleeping in peace, awaiting her glorious Assumption. The Divine Liturgy celebrated at her tomb in Jerusalem has Mary say: “Even beyond death, I am not far from you”. And in the Liturgy her children reply: “Seeing your tomb, O holy Mother of God, we seem to contemplate you. O Mary, you are the joy of the angels, the comfort of the afflicted. We proclaim you as the stronghold of all Christians and, most of all, as our Mother”.
In contemplating the Theotókos, almost at this journey’s end, we look upon the true face of the Church, radiant in all her beauty, shining with “the glory of God which is on the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). O Advocate, help the Church to be ever more like you, her exalted model. Help her to grow in faith, hope and love, as she searches out and does the will of God in all things (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 65). O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!”
Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Seventh Word – 31 March – Holy Saturday 2018
The Seven Last Words of Christ refer, not to individual words but to the final seven phrases that Our Lord uttered as He hung on the Cross. These phrases were not recorded in a single Gospel but are taken from the combined accounts of the four Gospels. Greatly revered, these last words of Jesus have been the subject of many books, sermons and musical settings.
The Seven Last Words of Christ
” Jesus reaches the heights of the depth of his prayer to the Father during His Passion and Death, when He pronounces His supreme “yes” to the plan of God and reveals how the human will finds its fulfilment precisely in adhering fully to the divine will, rather than the opposite. In Jesus’ prayer, in His cry to the Father on the Cross, “all the troubles, for all time, of humanity enslaved by sin and death, all the petitions and intercessions of salvation history are summed up … Here the Father accepts them and, beyond all hope, answers them beyond all hope, answers them by raising His Son. Thus is fulfilled and brought to completion the drama of prayer in the economy of creation and salvation” (CCC 2606)
Pope Benedict 7 March 2012
The Seventh Word
“Into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46)
Gospel: It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” and when he had said this, he breathed his last…Luke 23:44-46
The Word Incarnate utters His last sentence and in doing so, every last word takes on a special significance. In the act of dying, the God-Man teaches His brothers and sisters in the human family how to die. What is the final lesson?
Jesus died resigned to the Will of the One Who sent Him. However, we should not see this as passivity; it is an active resignation, which sums up His entire life: “As a man lives so shall He die.”
As we listen to the dying Saviour, two words draw our attention: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” “Father” and “thy” are the keys to the mystery of death. Jesus, in His humanity, does not rely on His own resources but casts His cares upon His heavenly Father, the Abba (“Papa”) in Whom He encouraged His disciples to have complete trust.
His heart is thus other-directed or, better, Other-directed toward the One “who was able to save Him from death” (Heb 5:7). With eyes fixed on Jesus (cf. Heb 3:1), then, Christians ponder what they need in death. They are three: the grace of perseverance, the grace of final repentance and the grace of a happy death.
Such a gift then leads to that most blessed thing of all – the grace of a happy death. Several years ago I received an early morning call to the hospital to bring Viaticum for a cancer patient I had attended the entire summer. Always thoughtful to a fault, she had restrained her family from contacting a priest during the night, lest he lose sleep. Upon my arrival, the woman stirred herself to prepare for her final encounter with the Eucharist. As I placed the Sacred Host on her tongue, she smiled, swallowed and died. Her son looked at me and said, “Father, that’s all she was waiting for all night.”
What a holy death! What a calming effect it had on her entire family! What a powerful and unforgettable witness she had offered! A holy death ensures a happy death because our eyes are “fixed on Jesus.”
Thinking about death – our own death – should not be an exercise in morbidity but a truly positive opportunity. St Alphonsus Liguori, author of the classic “Way of the Cross,” provides ample food for thought in his reflection for the Fifth Station . It has within it all the serenity of Jesus’ serenity in His final moments and thus recommends itself to our thoughts and as a guide for our actions – perennially.
And so we are encouraged to say and to mean: “My beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death You have destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to your death, I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I will die for love of You, and to please You. Help me by your grace. I love You, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always and then do with me what you will.” (St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church) ...Excerpt from Fr Peter Stravinskas
Prayer of Abandonment to God’s Providence
Lord, Your Cross is high and uplifted;
I cannot mount it in my own strength.
You have promised:
“I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw all to Myself.”
Draw me, then, from my sins to repentance,
from darkness to faith,
from the flesh to the spirit,
from coldness to ardent devotion,
from weak beginnings to a perfect end,
from smooth and easy paths,
if it be Your will, to a higher and holier way,
from fear to love,
from earth to heaven,
from myself to You.
And as You have said:
“No man can come to Me,
except the Father, who sent Me, draw him,”
give unto me the Spirit Whom the Father hath sent in Your Name,
that in Him and through Him,
I being wholly changed,
may hasten to You
and go out no more for ever.
Amen
(From a Prayer a Day for Lent – 1923)
“O injured Lord, what can I say? I am very guilty concerning You, my brother; and I shall sink in sullen despair if You do not raise me. I cannot look on You; I shrink from You; I throw my arms round my face; I crouch to the earth. Satan will pull me down if You do not take pity. It is terrible to turn to You; but oh, turn me and so shall I be turned.
It is a purgatory to endure the sight of You, the sight of myself – I most vile, You most holy. Yet make me look once more on You whom I have so incomprehensibly affronted, for Your countenance is my only life, my only hope and health lies in looking on You whom I have pierced. So I put myself before You; I look on You again; I endure the pain in order to receive the purification.
O my God, how can I look You in the face when I think of my ingratitude, so deeply seated, so habitual, so immovable – or rather so awfully increasing!
You load me day by day with Your favours and feed me with Yourself, as You did Judas, yet not only do I not profit thereby but I do not even make any acknowledgement at the time.
Lord, how long? When shall I be free of this real, this fatal captivity? He who made Judas his prey has got foothold of me in my old age and I cannot get loose. It is the same day after day. When will You give me a still greater grace than You have given, the grace to profit by the graces that You give? When will You give me Your effectual grace, which alone can give life and vigour to this effete, miserable, dying soul of mine?
My God, I know not in what sense I can pain You in Your glorified state but I know that every fresh sin, every fresh ingratitude I now commit, was among the blows and stripes that once fell on You in Your Passion. Oh, let me have as little share in those past sufferings as possible. Day by day goes and I find I have been more and more, by the new sins of each day, the cause of them. I know that at best I have a real share of them all but still it is shocking to find myself having a greater and greater share. Let others wound You – let not me. Let me not have to think that You would have had this or that pang of soul or body the less, except for me.
O my God, I am so fast in prison that I cannot get out. O Mary, pray for me.”
Quote/s of the Day – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord
“But far be it from me to glory, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.”
St Paul
“We give glory to You, Lord, who raised up Your Cross to span the jaws of death like a bridge by which souls might pass from the region of the dead to the land of the living. .. You are incontestably alive. Your murderers sowed Your living body in the earth as farmers sow grain but it sprang up and yielded an abundant harvest of men raised from the dead.”
St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Mount Calvary is the academy of love.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
” …Let us direct today our gaze toward Christ, a gaze frequently distracted by scattered and passing earthly interests. Let us pause to contemplate His Cross. The cross, fount of life and school of justice and peace, is the universal patrimony of pardon and mercy. It is permanent proof of a self-emptying and infinite love that brought God to become man, vulnerable like us, unto dying crucified.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples..…..John 18:1-2
REFLECTION – “Jesus was in a garden, not of delight as the first Adam, in which he destroyed himself and the whole human race but in one of agony, in which He saved Himself and the whole human race.”…Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
“Do not pass one day without devoting a half hour, or at least a quarter of an hour, to meditation on the sorrowful Passion of your Saviour. Have a continual remembrance of the agonies of your crucified Love and know that the greatest saints, who now, in heaven, triumph in holy love, arrived at perfection in this way.” – St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
PRAYER – Be mindful Lord, of this Your family, for whose sake our Lord Jesus Christ, when betrayed, did not hesitate to yield Himself into His enemies hands and undergo the agony of the Cross. Help us holy Father, to ever keep the Cross in our hearts and minds and to accept our own with love of You. Through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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