Category: The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 May – ‘ … The Flesh of the Almighty Word, is the Body of Life ….’

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One Minute Reflection – 4 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of St Monica (322-387) Widow, Mother of St Augustine – 1 Timothy 5:3-10 – Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/11-16

“Soon afterward He journeyed to a city called Naim and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him.” – Luke 7:11

REFLECTION – “Observe how He joins miracle to miracle. In the former instance, the healing of the centurion’s servant, He was present by invitation but here, He draws near without being invited. No-one summoned Him to restore the dead man to life but He comes to do so of His own accord. He seems to me to have purposely made this miracle follow upon the former.

The dead man was being buried and many friends were conducting him to his tomb. Christ, the Life and Resurrection, meets him there. He is the Destroyer of death and of corruption. He is the One in whom we live and move and are. He is Who has restored the nature of man to that which it originally was and has set free, our death-fraught flesh, from the bonds of death. He had mercy upon the woman and that her tears might cease,, He commanded saying, “Weep not.” Immediately the cause of her weeping was done away.

Christ raised him who was descending to his grave. The manner of his rising is plain to see. “He touched,” it says, “the bier and said, ‘Young man, I say unto thee, arise.’” How was not a word enough for raising him who was lying there? What is so difficult to it or past accomplishment? What is more powerful than the Word of God? Why then did He not work the miracle by only a word but also touched the bier? It was, my beloved, that you might learn, that the Holy Body of Christ is productive for the salvation of man. The Flesh of the Almighty Word is the Body of Life and was clothed with His Might. Consider, that iron, when brought into contact with fire, produces the effects of fire and fulfills its functions. The Flesh of Christ also has the power of giving life and annihilates the influence of death and corruption because, it is the flesh of the Word, Who gives life to all. May our Lord Jesus Christ also touch us, that delivering us from evil works, even from fleshly lusts, He may unite us to the assemblies of the saints.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Great Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Luke, Homily 36).

PRAYER – O God, the consoler of those who mourn and the safety of those who put their trust in You; Who mercifully accepted the holy tears of blessed Monica for the conversion of Augustine, her son; grant us through the intercession of both, to bewail our sins and to obtain the grace of Your forgiveness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 1 May – Concerning Spiritual Communion

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Thought for the Day – 1 May – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LVI: … Concerning Spiritual Communion

“Although actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is limited to once a day, you are, nevertheless, at liberty to communicate in spirit every hour.
And nothing except your own negligence can prevent you from receiving the inestimable benefits to be derived from such a union with Him.
It is worth noting that, Spiritual Communion is sometimes of greater benefit to the soul and more acceptable to God, than many Sacramental Communions received with little preparation and less affection.

When, therefore, you are properly disposed to receive the Son of God spiritually, be assured that He is ready thus to come to you as food and nourishment.
By way of preparation, think of Jesus and after contemplating the multitude of your offences, declare to Him your sincere sorrow for them.
Then, with profound respect and unshaking faith, beg Him to graciously condescend to enter your heart; entreat Him to replenish it with grace as a remedy against its inherent weaknesses and, as a shield against the violence of its enemies.
Everytime you succeed in mortifying your passions, or in performing an act of virtue, take that opportunity of preparing your heart for the Son of God, as He has commanded.
Then, addressing yourself to Him, fervently beg the blessings of His
Presence, both as the Physician of your soul and as its Protector.
Ask Him ever to dwell within your soul and so to take possession
of it as to repel its would-be destroyers.

Recall too, your last Sacramental Communion and inflamed with love for your Saviour, say to Him:
“When, O God, shall I receive Thee again?
When will that happy day return, when once again Thou wilt dwell within my heart?”
If, however, you desire to communicate spiritually with an increase of devotion, begin to prepare for it overnight.
Let every mortification and every act of virtue, tend to make your soul a more fitting abode for His spiritual Presence.
In the morning, as you awake, meditate upon the innumerable advantages to be derived from Holy Communion.
Recall that the soul regains her lost virtues, recovers her pristine purity and is rendered worthy to partake of the merits of the Cross.
The very reception of the Sacrament is highly pleasing to the Eternal
Father, Who desires everyone to enjoy this Divine Gift.
Later endeavour, to excite within your soul, an ardent desire of receiving Him in compliance with His holy will.
Let your words match the sentiment as follows:
“O Lord, since I am not permitted the joy of Thy Sacramental
Presence this day, let Thy Goodness and Omnipotence decree the cleansing of my soul from the stain of sin that healed of my wounds, I may deserve to receive Thee in spirit.
Everyday and every hour, fortified anew by Thy grace, may I courageously resist my enemies, particularly that failing against which, for the love of Thee, I wage unceasing war.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 30 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Four)

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Thought for the Day – 30 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Four)

“After Communion strive to be deeply recollected, shutting out from your heart the multiple petty encroachments of worldly distractions. Entertain the Divine Guest with such sentiments as are expressed in the following prayer:

“O Sovereign Lord of Heaven, what has brought Thee from celestial heights to the depths of earthly hearts?”
His answer will be simply, “Love.”
And you must reply: “O Eternal Love, what is it you ask of me?”

And He will answer again:
“Nothing but love.
I would have no other fire within thee but charity, the ardent flames of
which will conquer the impure flames of passion and make thee
pleasing in My sight.
Long have I wished that thou wert all Mine and I all thine.
And long have I desired that surrender of thy will ever solicitous
for frivolous liberty and worldly vanities, for only when thy will is attuned to Mine can the first wish be realised.
Know, then that I would have thee die to self, that you might live to Me.
I would have thee give Me thy heart that I might make it like unto Mine which broke on Calvary out of love for mankind.
Thou knowest Who I Am and yet thou knowest that, in some measure, I have made thee My equal in an excess of love.
When I give Myself entirely to thee, I ask nothing but thyself in return.
Be Mine and I shall be satisfied.
Will nothing, think nothing, understand nothing, see nothing but Me and My Will.
Let thy nothingness be lost in the depths of My Infinity and find there thy happiness, as I find repose in thee.”

Finally, offer to the Eternal Father, His Only-Begotten Son:
First in thanksgiving for the unspeakably great favours He has rendered, in bestowing them on you.
In petition for such things as are needed by you and those for whom you are obligated to pray; remember also, in your petitions, the Souls in Purgatory.
Let this entire offering be made in commemoration of and in union with, the offering made by Christ on Calvary’s hill, when bleeding on the Cross, He offered Himself to His Eternal Father.
Similarly, you may offer for the same intention, the Sacrifice of the Mass, wherever it may be celebrated that day, throughout the Catholic world.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/27/thought-for-the-day-27-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/28/thought-for-the-day-28-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god-part-two/
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/29/thought-for-the-day-29-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god-part-three-2/

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, INGRATITUDE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 29 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Three)

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Thought for the Day – 29 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Three)

“When the time itself draws near, we must consider, attentively, Who it is we are about to receive – for our Guest is to be the Son of the living God, the august Majesty before Whom the heavens and the powers of Heaven tremble in awesome fear!

Our Guest is to be the Saint of Saints, Mirror without blemish, Purity
itself, before Whom all is unclean in comparison.
This is Divinity become Man – One looked upon as the very outcast of men, Who was pleased to be spat upon, struck, reviled and Crucified out of love for us.

You are indeed about to receive God Himself, in Whose Hand is the destiny of the universe.
On the other hand, think of your own utter insignificance and your vile sinfulness which has reduced you below the level of the brute and made you worthy of being the sport and slave of devils!
Consider your acknowledgment of the Infinite favours you have received from your Saviour – you have insulted the Redeemer and trampled upon His Precious Blood, displaying a most absolute ingratitude.

But even human ingratitude cannot overcome Divine charity – capricious fickleness is no match for unchanging Love.
Still the gracious Lord summons you to the Divine banquet and rather
than rebuffing you for your obvious inadequacies, bids you come
under pain of death.
The arms of the merciful Father are always open to receive you, be you leprous, lame, blind, squandering, or possessed by devils.

He demands of you these few requisites alone:

To be sincerely sorry for having so grievously offended Him.
To hate sin of all kinds with an unquenchable vigour.
To consecrate yourself to cheerful acceptance of His Divine
Will, whatever it may be.
To have a firm confidence that He will forgive your sins, cleanse your soul of all taint and defend you against all your enemies.

Encouraged by this ineffable Love of the Lord for you and all penitent sinners, approach the Holy Table with a prudent fear, tempered by hope and love, saying:

“After so many grievous offences, I am not worthy to receive
Thee, not having fully satisfied Thy Justice.
No, my God, I am unworthy of Thee, sullied as I am by an inordinate attachment to creatures and a reluctance to serve Thee completely, with my whole heart and my whole strength.
O my omnipotent Lord, be mindful of Thy goodness and Thy promise; through the Divine alchemy of Love and Faith, make my heart a worthy dwellingplace for Thy Divine Son.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/27/thought-for-the-day-27-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god/

PART TWO:

Posted in "Follow Me", ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

“Meditating on this truth, let each man say within himself:

“Who could have imagined, O Lord, that a God of such Infinite greatness would bestow His affections on such an abject and insignificant creature as myself!
What could be Thy design, O King of glory?
What canst Thou expect of me who am but dust?
I see clearly, O my God, by the Light of Thy burning charity which enlightens me with knowledge and enkindles me with love that Thy design, was one divorced from all self-interest.
For Thy wish in so graciously bestowing this Sacrament, is to transform me into Thee that I may live in Thee and Thou in me.
Such an intimate union will ultimately remake my heart, fashioning from a vessel of earth, a delicate instrument attuned to things Divine!”

Then, full of joy and wonder at the indications of Divine Love given us by Christ and aware that His only purpose is the transformation of our hearts from things of earth, to things of Heaven, let us offer a sacrifice, and consecrate the will, the memory and understanding, to the sole task of pleasing Him in the gracious acceptance of His Holy Will.

After this, recognising our incapacity to dispose ourselves properly, unaided by His Grace for proper reception of the Eucharist, let us strive earnestly to obtain that Grace by ejaculations such as the following:

“O heavenly food, when shall I be united to Thee, to be consumed joyfully in the fire of Divine Love?
O Divine charity, when shall I live in Thee, by Thee and for Thee alone?
O heavenly manna, Sovereign good, joy of my heart, when shall I, loathing all other food, seek Thee alone?
O life of eternal joy, when shall I dwell in Thee alone?
O my Loving And almighty Lord, free my heart from the tyranny of its passions and vicious attachments; adorn it with Thy heavenly virtues and with gentle compulsion, force it to rejoice in loving and pleasing Thee.
Then O Lord, will I open my heart and bid Thee enter; then shalt Thou come, my only Treasure, to transform my heart by Thy Divine Presence.”

Such are the tender and affectionate sentiments which we should form on the evening before and, on the morning of, reception of Holy Communion.”

PART ONE
https://anastpaul.com/2026/04/26/thought-for-the-day-26-april-the-manner-in-which-we-ought-to-receive-the-blessed-sacrament/

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God

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Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part One)

“If our motive in receiving Holy Communion be a desire of increasing our love of God, we should recall the Love which God has for us.
The preparation consists in an attentive contemplation of this Sovereign Lord of boundless Power and Majesty, Who, not satisfied with creating us to His Image and Likeness, nor with the immolation of His only Son on our behalf, left this Son to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, to be our food and support in all our necessities.
Consider well the greatness and uniqueness of this Love in the following manner:

  1. In its duration we find that God’s Love for us is eternal and unceasing; for, as He is eternal in His Divinity, so is He eternal in His Love.
    Before time was, God determined to give His Son to mankind in this marvellous manner.
    Let these words, then, echo joyfully within your heart: “In the abyss of eternity, my littleness was so loved by the most high God that He thought of me and with Love ineffable, wished to give me His Son to be my food and my nourishment!”
  2. Our strongest passions for earthly things recognise certain limits which they cannot exceed but, the Love of God for us, is limitless.
    The advent of His Son, equal to Himself in Majesty and Perfection, was a testimony to that boundless Love.
    Thus is the Gift equal to the Love and the Love to the Gift and both are Infinite, beyond the borders of human understanding.
  3. In Loving us God was not constrained by any power or necessity but heaped innumerable benefits upon us out of the magnitude of Divine Love.
  4. Neither have human merit or previous good works, rendered us worthy of this remarkable Gift.
    If God has loved to excess or given of Himself unstintingly, it is rather to be attributed to the immensity of Divine charity.
  5. God’s Love for us is untainted by the blemish of the self-interest present in human affections.
    For what is the totality of human greatness to Him, the Source of all happiness and glory?
    How could we possibly add glory to Glory itself?
    The advantages, then, are all on the side of man.    ”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, INGRATITUDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 26 April – The Manner in Which We Ought to Receive the Blessed Sacrament

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Thought for the Day – 26 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LIV: … The Manner in which We Ought
to Receive the Blessed Sacrament (Part Two)

“You will recall, we are discussing various requirements to be observed for approaching this Divine Sacrament, at three different times:
Before Communion (completed in Part One);
At the moment of reception of Communion (No 2 below);
After Communion (No 3 below).

  1. When we are about to receive the Body of Our Lord, let us quickly consider the faults committed since our last Communion and, in order to conceive a more perfect sorrow, let us remember that we committed them as callously as if Christ had not died for us on Calvary’s tree – such a remembrance should fill us with shame and fear, for having basely preferred a trifling compliance to our own will, to the obedience due to so gracious a Master.
    But when we consider that, in spite of this ingratitude and infidelity, this God of all charity still condescends to visit us and live within us, then let us approach Him with confidence and open hearts; for when He lives within, no tainted affections of the world may steal in.
  2. After Communion, we are to remain in profound recollection, adoring Our Lord with great humility and saying within our souls: “Thou seest, O God, of my soul,
    my wretched propensity to sin;
    Thou seest how domineering is this passion
    and that, of myself, I cannot resist.
    It is Thou Who must fight my battles
    and if I share in the combat,
    it is Thee from Whom I must expect
    the Crown of victory!     ” Then addressing ourselves to the Eternal Father, let us offer to Him, this beloved Son, Who now dwells within our breast; let us offer Him thanksgiving for innumerable benefits and implore Him, for the grace which will make our victory complete.

Finally, let us resolve to fight courageously against the enemy from whom we suffer most.
Thus we may expect victory, since if we are not wanting in petition, God is not wanting in bestowing and, sooner or later, victory will be ours!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/25/thought-for-the-day-25-april-the-manner-in-which-we-oughtto-receive-the-blessed-sacrament-part-one/

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 April –Prayer Before Holy CommunionBy St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II

Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
Who according to the Will of the Father
and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost,
has, by Thy Death. given Life to the world,
I adore and revere this, Thy Holy Body
and this, Thy Holy Blood
which was given up
and poured forth, for the many,
unto remission of sins.
O merciful Lord,
I beg of Thee Mercy,
that through the power of this Sacrament,
Thou will make me one of that many.
Through faith and love, make me feel
the power of these Sacraments,
so I may experience their saving power.
Absolve and free from all sin
and punishment of sin, Thy servants,
Thy handmaidens, myself,
all who confessed their sins to me,
those whom I have promised,
or am obliged, to pray for
and so too, those who themselves hope
or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee.
Make our Church rejoice
in Thy constant protection and consolation.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, Quotes Self-Oblation, SELF-DISTRUST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – ‘… Clothing ourselves with the Lord …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Wisdom 5:1-5; Luke 14:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“If anyone comes to Me
without hating his father
and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters
and even his own life,
he cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:26

“So likewise, everyone of you,
who does not renounce all
that he possesses,
cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33

“Take nothing for your journey,
neither staff, nor bag,
nor bread, nor money;
neither have two tunics.”

Luke 9:3

“That is why all the faithful who love God
and their neighbour, truly drink the Cup
of the Lord’s Love, even though,
they may not drink the cup of His Bodily Suffering.
And becoming inebriated from it,
they put to death, whatever in their nature
is rooted in earth.
They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ
and do not indulge fleshly desires.
They do not fix their gaze on visible things
but contemplate things, which the eye cannot see.
Thus they drink the Lord’s Cup
by preserving the holy bond of love –
without it, even if a man should deliver his body
to be burned, he gains nothing.
But the gift of love enables us to become,
in reality, what we celebrate
as Mystery in the Sacrifice.”

St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c462–533)
Bishop, Father

“What is not pleasing to God,
is anxiety and disquiet of mind.
The Lord wants our limitations
and weaknesses, to find their support
in His Strength; He wants us
to hope that His Goodness will complete
and perfect the imperfectness of our means.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
Priest, Founder of the Society of Jesus

(Letter of 17 November 1555)

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, LENT 2026, MAUNDY THURSDAY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Maundy Thursday – 2 April – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Last Supper

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Maundy Thursday – 2 April – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Maundy Thursday
The Last Supper

It was most fitting that the Sacrament of the Body of the Lord should have been instituted at the Last Supper.

  1. Because of what that Sacrament contains.
    For that which is contained in it, is Christ Himself. When Christ in His natural appearance was about to depart from His disciples, He left Himself to them in a Sacramental appearance, just as in the absence of the Emperor there is exhibited the Emperor’s image. Whence, St Eusebius says, “Since the Body He had assumed was about to be taken away from their bodily sight and was about to be carried to the stars, it was necessary that, on the day of His Last Supper, He should Consecrate for us, the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, so that which, as a Price was offered Once, should, through a Mystery, be worshipped unceasingly.”
  2. Because, without faith in the Passion, there can never be Salvation.
    Therefore, it is necessary that there should be forever among men, something which would represent the Lord’s Passion and the chief of such representationd in the Old Testament, was the Paschal Lamb.
    To this there succeeded in the New Testament, the Sacrament of the Eucharist which is commemorative of the past Passion of the Lord, as the Paschal Lamb was a foreshadowing of the Passion to come.

And, therefore, was it most fitting that, on the very eve of the Passion, the old sacrament of the Paschal Lamb having been celebrated, Our Lord should institute the new Sacrament.

  1. Because the last words of departing friends remain longest in the memory, our love being at such moments most tenderly alert.
    Nothing can be greater in the realm of sacrifice than that of the Body and Blood of Christ, no offering can be more effective.
    And hence, in order that the Sacrament might be held more securely in all veneration, it was in His last leave-taking of the Apostles, when Our Lord instituted it.

Hence, St Augustine says, “Our Saviour, to bring before our minds with all His Power, the heights and the depths of this Sacrament willed, ere He left the disciples to go forth to His Passion, to fix it in their hearts and their memories as His last Act.”

Let us note that this Sacrament has a threefold meaning:
(i) In regard to the past, it is commemorative of the Lord’s Passion which was a true Sacrifice and because of this, the Sacrament is called a Sacrifice.
(ii) In regard to a fact of our own time, i.e. to the unity of the Church and that through this Sacrament, mankind should be gathered together.
Because of this, the Sacrament is called Communion.
St John Damascene says, the sacrament is called Communion because, by means of it, we communicate with Christ and this because we hereby share in His Body and in His Divinity and because by it, we are communicated to and united with one another.
(iii) In regard to the future, the Sacrament foreshadows that enjoyment of God which shall be ours in our Fatherland.
On this account, the Sacrament is called “Viaticum” since it provides us with the means of journeying to that Fatherland.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Devotions for the Month of April – The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

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Devotions for the Month of April

The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

The Month of April is dedicated both to devotion to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Eucharist – the proof of the promise of the love of God and of ETERNAL LIFE.

“My brethren, when was it that the Lord made Himself recognised? — When He broke the bread. — So, we ourselves are convinced, too, that when we break the bread, we recognise the Lord. — If He had not wanted to be recognised until that moment, it was for our sakes, we, who were not to see Him in the flesh but who were yet to eat Him in the flesh. ” – St Augustine (354-430) Father, Doctor of Grace

“I am the Resurrection and the Life,
he who believes in Me,
although he be dead, shall live.”

John 11:25

“I am the Living Bread
Who came down from Heaven.
If any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live forever
and the Bread that I will give,
is My Flesh, for the Life of the world.”

John 6:51-52

“For His Body, has been given to you
under the appearance of bread
and His Blood, under the appearance of wine,
so that, when you have partaken
of the Body and Blood of Christ,
you might be One Body and One Blood with Him.
So shall we become Christ-bearers [“Christophers”].
His Body and Blood are diffused through all our members – see, then,
how we become participants
in the Divine Nature!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386)
Father and Doctor of theChurch

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, LENT 2026, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – – But Jesus he delivered up to their will. – Luke 23:25

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Our Morning Offering – 1 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Spy Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12 – Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25

REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going, of His own accord, to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the Prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.

For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and Who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up, or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).

PRAYER – O God, Who to drive far from us, the power of the enemy, didst will that Thy Son should suffer for us on the gibbet of the Cross, grant us Thy servants, that we may obtain the grace of the resurrection. 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).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – ‘… you will collapse along the way…’

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent

“When, therefore, Jesus had lifted up His eyes
and seen, that a very great crowd
had come to Him, He said to Philip,
“Whence shall we buy bread
that these may eat?”
John 6:5

“AND SO CHRIST shares the foodstuffs and,
there is no question, He wants to give it to all.
He withholds it from no-one,
for He provides for everyone.
Nevertheless, when He breaks the loaves
and gives them to the disciples,
unless you hold out your hands
to receive your portion,
you will collapse along the way…”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The O ANTIPHONS

Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – “O Emmanuel”

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

“O Emmanuel”

“O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver,
the expectation of the nations and their Saviour,
Come to save us, O Lord our God!”

“Emmanuel, God with us, is a Name which in every way belongs to Christ Our Lord.
He is with His people in all their needs, ever ready to help and console them.
He is with us on every Altar, waiting for us to come and pour out our sorrow and our needs before Him.
He is with us, above all, in Holy Communion, when He Comes to dwell in our heart and to bring with Him every grace we need.
He is with us in the hour of death and He will be with us forever in Heaven.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 20 December – ‘Let us become like Christ,since Christ became like us. …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

“Let us become like Christ,
since Christ became like us.
He assumed the worse
that He might give us the better;
He became poor
that we, through His poverty,
might be rich.”

“The very Son of God,
Older than the ages,
the Invisible,
the Incomprehensible,
the Incorporeal,
the Beginning of beginning,
the Light of light,
the Fountain of Life and Immortality,
the Image of the Archetype,
the Immovable Seal,
the Perfect Likeness,
the Definition and Word of the Father:
He it is, Who comes to His Own Image
and takes our nature, for the Good of our nature
and unites Himself to an intelligent soul
for the good of the soul,
to purify like by Like.”

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HELL, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The INCARNATION, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) “Golden Words”

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

“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!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/12/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-december-saint-golden-words/

St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – Abide in Me and I in you.

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – Vigil of Saints Simon and Jude – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Abide in Me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abide in the vine,
so neither can you,
unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4

“… Open the door to Him at once,
when He Comes and knocks.”
Luke 12:35-36

“So make haste to please the Lord,
wait for Him in your heart without ceasing,
seek Him in your thoughts,
stir up your will and your love,
to reach out towards Him at every moment!
Then you will see how He Comes to you
and makes His home within you.”

St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390)

“Day by day follow God’s path,
keeping Him closely attached to you by His promise.
In fact, He Himself said, through the mediation of His Apostles,
to all those who seek His will and His testimonies
that He would be with them
until the end of the world (Mt 28:20)
where paths and footsteps
will be unknown (cf Ps 76:20),
as the divine David said in his songs.
Yet, in an invisible way,
He is present to the eyes of the mind,
making Himself seen by those
who have a pure heart
and conversing with them.
So pursue your path …. ”

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

“Meditate well on this – Seek God above all things!
It is right for you to seek God,
before and above, everything else
because the Majesty of God
wishes you to receive what you ask for.
This will also make you more ready
to serve God and will enable you
to love Him more perfectly.”

St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592)
“Seraph of the Eucharist”

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, HOLY COMMUNION, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians

“An apostolic missionary
must have both heart and tongue
ablaze with charity.”

“Love is the most necessary of all virtues.
Love in the person who preaches the Word of God
is like fire in a musket.
If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands,
he would hardly make a dent in anything
but, if the person takes the same bullet
and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill.
It is much the same with the Word of God.
If it is spoken by someone who is filled
with the fire of charity-
the fire of love of God and neighbor-
it will work wonders!”

“Lord, by the Words of Consecration ,
the substance of the bread and wine,
is converted into the substance
of Thy Body and Blood.
All powerful Lord, say over me
the Word which will change me into Thee.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/10/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-octoberber-st-anthony-mary-claret/

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)“Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart“

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Virgin

“Keep your heart in peace
and let nothing trouble you,
not even your faults.
You must humble yourself
and amend them peacefully,
without being discouraged or cast down,
for God’s dwelling, is in peace.”

“You will be consoled
according to the greatness
of your sorrow and affliction;
the greater the suffering,
the greater will be the reward.”

“I think He intends to try you
like gold in the crucible,
so as to number you
amongst His most faithful servants.
Therefore, you must lovingly embrace
all occasions of suffering,
considering them
as precious tokens of His love.
To suffer in silence
and without complaint,
is what He asks of you.”

“The most efficacious means
to foster devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
is through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

In Thy Divine Heart
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

Lord Jesus,
let my heart never rest
until it finds Thee,
Who are its Source,
its love and its happiness.
By the wound in Thy Heart
pardon the sins I have committed,
whether out of weakness,
or out of evil desires.
Place my weak heart
in Thy own Divine Heart,
continually under Thy
protection and guidance,
so that I may persevere in doing good
and in fleeing evil,
until my last breath.
Amen

Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart
in the Blessed Sacrament
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God,
Whom I believe to be really present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar,
receive this most profound Act of Adoration
to supply for the desire I have,
to adore Thee unceasingly
and in thanksgiving,
for the sentiments of love
which Thy Sacred Heart
has for me in this Sacrament.
I cannot better acknowledge them,
than by offering Thee,
all the Acts of Adoration,
resignation, patience and love
which this same Heart has made
during its mortal life
and which it makes still
and which it shall make eternally in Heaven,
in order that through it,
I may love Thee, praise Thee
and adore Thee worthily,
as much as it is possible for me.
I unite myself to this Divine Offering
which Thou dost make to Thy Divine Father
and I consecrate to Thee,
my whole being,
praying Thee, to destroy in me,
all sin and not to permit
that I should be separated from Thee,
in time and eternally.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/10/17/quote-s-of-the-day-17-octoberber-st-margaret-mary-alacoque/

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
“Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart“

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – St Edward King and Confessor (c1003-1066) – Sirach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour, so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him, Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

PRAYER – O God, Who crowned blessed King Edward with the glory of eternity, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate him on earth that we may be worthy to reign with him in heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, HOLY WEEK, INGRATITUDE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MIRACLES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 8 October – The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

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Thought for the Day – 8 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The First Sorrowful Mystery
The Agony of Jesus
in the Garden of Gethsemane

“Let us pay particular attention to the scene in Gethsemane.
Jesus is lying prostrate on the ground.
He has given everything for sinful humanity.
He has given His heavenly teaching, His miracles and His mercy.
Even more, He has given Himself in the Blessed Eucharist which He has instituted in the form of food and drink, to sustain men on their earthly journey.

Now, He lies prostrate in prayer.
Near Him, are His Apostles who, already forgetful of the immense favours which they have received, are asleep!

Not far away, there is another Apostle, Judas, who has sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, as a slave would be sold and is about to deliver Him to His executioners.
But Jesus can see across the centuries – many other Judases, so many traitors, who will be indifferent and sleep, never thinking of Him and neglecting to make any return for His Infinite Love.
His Passion is beginning now, here in Gethsemane and will be protracted throughout the centuries.
Before His Crucifixion, He drinks the bitter chalice of human ingratitude and, in His tremendous Agony, He perspires drops of Blood!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/08/thought-for-the-day-8-october-the-first-sorrowful-mystery-the-agony-of-jesus-in-the-garden-of-gethsemane/

Posted in ACT of REPARATION, CATHOLIC Quotes, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on MODESTY, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 28 September – Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to make amends for the outrages He suffers in the Blessed Sacrament

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Our Morning Offering – 28 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Pentecost XVI

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
to make amends for the outrages He suffers
in the Blessed Sacrament
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Grant me, O Sacred Heart,
by Thine own sweetness
and boundless mercy,
the pardon which I ask for,
and give me grace to keep
the resolution, which I now make,
to do all I can in the future ,
to pay Thee, in the Sacrament of Thy Love,
the profound adoration which I owe Thee
and to show Thee that gratitude
and love which are justly due to Thee.
I resolve to repair my past faults
by the modesty of my deportment
in Thy Churches,
by my constancy in visiting Thee,
my devotion and fervour in receiving Thee
and, in fulfilment of Thy desire,
I impose upon myself the duty of often
repeating Acts of Reparation
in Thy Presence, as Thou hast deigned to direct,
in order, as far as I can, to atone
for the injuries done Thee by others
and of which Thy very love
makes Thee the Victim in this Divine Sacrament.

Bless, I beseech Thee, this resolve
and give me grace to keep it faithfully.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 September – ‘ … Let us love Him above all and in all. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 1 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Giles (c650 – c710) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus Sir ach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “In order to clarify the role of the servants,He set at the head of His people, the Lord spoke this word related in the Gospel: “Who, then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Master will put in charge of His servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master on arrival, finds doing so”… If we should be wondering in what that food allowance consists, Saint Paul gives us the answer; it is “the measure of faith which God has apportioned” (Rom 12:). That which Christ called, an allowance of food, Paul termed, a measure of faith, to teach us that there is no other spiritual food than the Mystery of Christian faith. We give you this allowance of food in the Lord’s Name every time we speak to you according to the rule of the true Faith, illumined by the spiritual gift of grace. As for that allowance, you receive it at the hands of the Lord’s stewards each time you hear the Word of Truth from the mouth of God’s servants.

May that food allowance which God shares among us, be our nourishment. Let us draw from it the solid food of worthy behaviour, so that we may come to the reward of eternal life. For fear lest we collapse along the way, let us believe in Him, Who gives Himself to us as Food (Mt 15:32) and reserves Himself to be our Reward, that we may find joy when we reach our homeland. Let us believe and hope in Him; let us love Him above all and in all. For Christ is our Food and will be our Reward. Christ is the nourishment and comfort of travellers on their way; He is the contentment and rejoicing of the blessed in their repose.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop Father (Sermon 1, 2-3).

PRAYER – May the pleading of blessed Giles Abbo,t make us acceptable unto Thee O Lord, we pray that what we may not have through any merits of our own, we may gain by means of his patronage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – St Bonaventure

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“Since happiness is nothing else
than the enjoyment of the Supreme Good
and the Supreme Good is above us,
no-one can enjoy happiness,
unless he rises above himself.”

“Men do not fear a powerful hostile army,
as the powers of hell fear the name
and protection of Mary.”

“Although you feel tepid,
approach with confidence,
for the greater your infirmity,
the more you stand in need
of a physician!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/07/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-july-st-bonaventure-3/

St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD is LOVE, INGRATITUDE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 9 July – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God

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Thought for the Day – 9 July – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Three)

“When the time itself draws near, we must consider, attentively, Who it is we are about to receive – for our Guest is to be the Son of the living God, the august Majesty before Whom the heavens and the powers of Heaven tremble in awesome fear!

Our Guest is to be the Saint of Saints, Mirror without blemish, Purity
itself, before Whom all is unclean in comparison.
This is Divinity become Man – One looked upon as the very outcast of men, Who was pleased to be spat upon, struck, reviled and Crucified out of love for us.

You are indeed about to receive God Himself, in Whose Hand is the destiny of the universe.
On the other hand, think of your own utter insignificance and your vile sinfulness which has reduced you below the level of the brute and made you worthy of being the sport and slave of devils!
Consider your acknowledgment of the Infinite favours you have received from your Saviour – you have insulted the Redeemer and trampled upon His Precious Blood, displaying a most absolute ingratitude.

But even human ingratitude cannot overcome Divine charity – capricious fickleness is no match for unchanging Love.
Still the gracious Lord summons you to the Divine banquet and rather
than rebuffing you for your obvious inadequacies, bids you come
under pain of death.
The arms of the merciful Father are always open to receive you, be you leprous, lame, blind, squandering, or possessed by devils.

He demands of you these few requisites alone:

To be sincerely sorry for having so grievously offended Him.
To hate sin of all kinds with an unquenchable vigour.
To consecrate yourself to cheerful acceptance of His Divine Will, whatever it may be.
To have a firm confidence that He will forgive your sins, cleanse your soul of all taint and defend you against all your enemies.

Encouraged by this ineffable Love of the Lord for you and all penitent sinners, approach the holy table with a prudent fear, tempered by hope and love, saying:

“After so many grievous offences, I am not worthy to receive Thee, not having fully satisfied Thy justice.
No, my God, I am unworthy of Thee, sullied as I am by an inordinate attachment to creatures and a reluctance to serve Thee completely, with my whole heart and my whole strength.
O my omnipotent Lord, be mindful of Thy goodness and Thy promise; through the Divine alchemy of Love and Faith, make my heart a worthy dwellingplace for Thy Divine Son.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, HOLY COMMUNION, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 4 July – Act of Spiritual Communion By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 4 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the First Friday of July

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

I desire, good Jesus,
to receive Thee in Holy Communion
and since I cannot now receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually
and to refresh my soul with Thy sweetness.
Come, my Lord, my God and my All!
Come to me
and never let me ever again
be separated from Thee by sin.
Teach me Thy blessed ways,
help me with Thy grace to imitate Thy example,
to practise meekness, humility,
charity and all the virtues of Thy Sacred Heart.
My divine Master, my one desire is to do Thy will
and to love Thee, more and more.
Help me, that I may be faithful to the end, in Thy service.
Bless me in life and in death,
that I may praise Thee, forever in heaven,
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Beloved Sacrament!

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Within the Octave of the Sacred Heart and the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

Give me Thyself, O My God
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Give me Thyself, O my God,
give Thyself to me.
Behold I love Thee
and if my love is too weak a thing,
grant me to love Thee more strongly.
I cannot measure my love, to know
how much it falls short of being sufficient
but let my soul hasten to Thine embrace
and never be turned away,
until it is hidden in the secret shelter
of Thine presence.
This only do I know,
that it is not good for me
when Thou art not with me,
when Thou art only outside me.
I want Thee in my very self.
All the plenty in the world
which is not my God,
is utter want!
Amen

“I understand that, each time
we contemplate the Host,
with desire and devotion,
in which is hidden
Christ’s Eucharistic Body,
we increase our merits in Heaven
and secure special joys to be ours later
in the Beatific Vision of God.”

“O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Fountain of Eternal Life,
Thine Heart is a glowing furnace of Love.
Thou art my Refuge
and my Sanctuary.”

St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

“The faith I have, when I am in the
Presence of the Blessed Sacrament,
is so strong, I find it impossible
to express what I feel…
When the time comes to leave,
I must force myself to overcome, the inclination
to prolong my stay with Jesus.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 July – ‘ … Not one of them gives his own blood. Christ gives His! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 1 July – “The Feast and Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Octabe Day of the Nativity of St John the Baptist– Hebrews 9:11-15 – John 19:30-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But one of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth, Blood and water.” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “The lovers of this world display their generosity by giving money, clothes and various gifts but not one of them gives his own blood. Christ gives His! In this way, He demonstrates the tenderness He feels for us and His ardent Love. Under the Old Law, … God consented to receive the blood of sacrifices but this was just to prevent His people from offering it to false gods and already, this was proof of a very great Love. But Christ transformed this rite … there is no longer the same sacrificial victim, it is Himself He offers in sacrifice!

“The bread we break, is it not a communion in the Body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16) … What is this bread? The Body of Christ. What becomes of those who communicate in it? The Body of Christ – not a large number of bodies but just One Body. Just as this bread, made up of so many wheat grains, makes only one loaf into which the grains disappear – foreven though the grains remain in it, yet it is impossible to distinguish them in such a closely compacted mass – so all of us, together with Christ, make up a single whole … Now, if we all share in the same bread and are united to the same Christ, why do we not show the same love for each other? Why do we not become one in this case too?

This is what was seen at the beginning: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) … Christ came in search of you who were far away from Him to unite Himself to you but you, do not wish to become one with your brother? … You violently separate yourself from him after winning from the Lord so great a proof of His Love – and life! For He did not only give His Body but, just as our flesh, drawn from the earth, had lost its life and died through sin, so He has introduced, so to speak, another substance like a leaven – this is His Body, the Body sharing the same nature as ours but free from sin and abounding in Life. And He has given it to all of us, so that, fed with this Banquet of this new food … we might enter immortal life.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt from 24th Sermon on the 1st letter to the Corinthians).

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who made Thine Only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world and, willed to be reconciled by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to worship in this Sacred rite the price of our salvation and to be so protected, by its power against the evils of the present life on earth, that we may enjoy its everlasting fruit in Heaven. 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).

Aspiration:  Precious Blood, ocean of Divine Mercy, Flow upon us.

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 29 June – Holy Communion

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Thought for the Day – 29 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Holy Communion

“Let us go to Him, with repentance, with humility and with love.
Then He will make us holy. (Cf Pt 2).

Aspiration: May the most Holy and Divine Sacrament, be at all times praised, adored and thanked.”

Antonio Cardinal Baccl

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-holy-communion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/16/thought-for-the-day-16-april-holy-communion/

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on the POOR, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“This morning, my soul is greater
than the universe, since it possesses Thee,
Thou Whom Heaven and earth cannot contain!”

St Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297)
Penitent

“What graces, gifts and virtues
the Holy Mass calls down!”

“If you practice the holy exercise
of Spiritual Communion a good many times each day,
within a month you will see
yourself completely changed.”

A Short Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My Jesus,
I believe that Thou art present
in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things
and I desire Thee in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually, into my heart.
As though Thou were already there,
I embrace Thee
and unite myself wholly to Thee,
permit not, that I should ever,
be separated from Thee.
Amen

St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)

“The Most Blessed Sacrament
is Christ made visible.
The poor sick person
is Christ again made visible.”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)