Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Quote/s of the Day – 18 May – The One Hundredth Anniversary of St Pope John Paul’s Birthday (1920-2005)

Quote/s of the Day – 18 May – “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter and the One Hundredth Anniversary of St Pope John Paul’s Birthday (1920-2005)

“The blessed martyrs cry to our hearts.
Believe in God who is love!
Believe in Him in good times and bad!
Awaken hope!
May it produce in you,
the fruit of fidelity to God,
in every trial!”

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
At the Beatification of the 108 Martyrs of World War Two in Poland, 13 June 1999

the-blessed-martyrs-cry-to-our-hearts-believe-in-god-who-is-love-st-john-paul-20-dec-2019 and 18 may 2020

“To die for the faith
is a gift to some,
to live the faith
is a call for all.”

to-die-for-the-faith-is-a-gift-to-some-to-live-the-faith-is-a-call-to-all-st-john-paul-28-sept-2019-and-20-oct-2019 and 18 may 2020

“Let the eyes of our faith
never wander
from the Cross of Calvary.”

let-the-eyes-of-our-faith-st-pope-john-paul-29-may-2018-and-22-oct-2019.no-2 and 18 May 2020

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair.
We are the Easter people
and
hallelujah
is our song.”

do-not-abandon-yourselves-to-despair-we-are-the-easter-people-22-oct-2019-st-john-paul-the-great and 18 may 2020

“Never,
as in the Rosary,
do the life of Jesus
and that of Mary,
appear so deeply joined.
Mary lives
only in Christ
and
for Christ!”

never-as-in-the-rosary-st-john-paul-no-15-rosarium-virginis-mariae-7-oct-2019-1 and 18 May 2020

Adoro te Devote, latens Deitas!
I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity
By St John Paul II (1920-2005)

We adore You, O wonderful Sacrament
of the presence of the One
who loved His own “to the end.”
We thank You, O Lord,
who edifies,
gathers together
and gives life to the Church.
O divine Eucharist, flame of Christ’s love
that burns on the altar of the world,
make the Church, comforted by You,
evermore caring, in wiping away,
the tears of the suffering
and in sustaining the efforts
of all who yearn for justice and peace.
And you, Mary, “Eucharistic” Woman
who offered your virginal womb
for the incarnation of the Word of God,
help us to live the Eucharistic Mystery
in the spirit of the “Magnificat.”
May our lives be a never-ending praise
of the Almighty who concealed Himself
beneath the humility of the Eucharistic signs.

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas. ..
Adoro te… adiuva me!

I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity
I Adore You, help me!

adoro-te-devote-latens-deitas-st-john-paul-27-oct-2019 and 18 May 2020

St Pope John Paul II (1920-1005)
Pray for Us!

st pope john paul pray for us 22 oct 2018

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, OPEN HOUSE...Conversations with..., The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, To JESUS through MARY

Thoughts of Mary – 17 May – Mother of the Eucharist

Thoughts of Mary – 17 May – “Mary’s Month”

Mother of the Eucharist
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

“The Christian heart understands certain harmonies at once, in a surprising and miraculous way and this mystery which fuses together the dearest objects of Catholic devotion, the Eucharist and Our Lady, is one of the most consoling and delightful harmonies of our faith.
It is a doctrine and it is a fact …. I open the Old Testament and find the Song of Songs which presents me with two most beautiful comparisons (cf Song of Solomon 2:2-3) – “As a lily among brambles, so is my love among maidens.”
Can we not all see here, in the delicate image of the lily, Mary the Immaculate, beautiful and resplendent?
In the same passage I find:  “As an apple tree among the trees of the wild forest, so is my beloved among young men.”
What is this tree, laden with fruit, which resembles the beloved?
This apple tree that grows among the trees of the wild forest, the fruit of which is wholesome and sweet to the taste?
Obviously, it is Jesus – the fruit of the tree is the Sacrament of His Body and Blood.
Oh, what a wonderfully apt association of images!
The lily and the tree – Mary and the Eucharist!
The Church is compared to a lovely garden, “a garden locked.”
In it, the fountains play and herbs and fruits make it pleasant and perfumed like a garden of Paradise.
And see! beside the fountain blooms the lily, near at hand is the tree.
The faithful soul seeks for himself a place between the fragrant lily and the fruit-laden tree, between Mary and the Holy Sacrament and lingers with great delight in the shade of the tree.  “I sat in his shadow….”
O Mary, pure lily, tender and delicate flower!
O Holy Sacrament!
O mysterious tree, truly the most beautiful of all the trees in the wild forest, because you are the Christ!”

o mary pure lily 2 17 may 2020 st john XXIII

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HOLY COMMUNION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Sunday Reflection – 17 May – The Eucharist in the Plan of Salvation

Sunday Reflection – 17 May – Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Eucharist in the Plan of Salvation

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created man to make him share His own blessed life. For this reason . . . God draws close to man” (CCC 1).   Out of the pure and unselfish love that is His very essence, God created the universe so that we could exist and enjoy His love forever.
To this end, He revealed Himself to the whole world through a “Chosen People,” established a covenant of love with them, revealed His law to them, sent them prophets and, finally, fulfilled His covenant by sending His eternal Son, who was born, lived, died, resurrected and ascended, so that we could be saved from sin and united to God.
Jesus Christ the Son of God, continued His presence and work among us, by appointing Apostles and establishing the Church, His “Mystical Body.”
God did all this for one reason – for the love-union with us that is achieved most perfectly in this life in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist rests on the authority of Christ, who instituted it (Lk 22:14-20).
“Faithful to the Lord’s command, the Church continues to do . . . what He did . . . ” (CCC 1333).   Those who reject what the Church teaches and does, whether they know it or not, really reject what Christ teaches and does, for the Church’s creed, cult and code – her theology, liturgy and morality – are all in His name, who said to the Apostles, “he who hears you, hears me” (Lk 10:16).
The Eucharist has always been controversial and divisive, as was Christ.
This is supremely ironic, for the Eucharist is the sacrament of unity with Christ and, through Him (the “one bread”), with His whole Body the Church (the “one body”).”
Amen

Prayer Before The Crucifix – The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
By St Vincent Strambi (1745-1824)

Jesus, by this Saving Sign,
bless this listless soul of mine.
Jesus, by Your feet nailed fast,
mend the missteps of my past.
Jesus, with Your riven hands,
bend my will to love’s demands.
Jesus, in Your Heart laid bare,
warm my inner coldness there.
Jesus, by Your thorn-crowned head,
still my pride till it is dead.
Jesus, by Your muted tongue,
stay my words that hurt someone.
Jesus, by Your tired eyes,
open mine to faith’s surprise.
Jesus, by Your fading breath,
keep me faithful until death.
Yes, Lord, by this Saving Sign,
save this wayward soul of mine.
Amen

prayer before the crucifix st vincent strambi 17 may 2020

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY FACE

Our Morning Offering – 17 May – It Were My Soul’s Desire

Our Morning Offering – 17 May – The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Our desire today, to see You Our Lord, in the Holy Eucharist.
Come Lord Jesus, Come!

It Were My Soul’s Desire
Breviary Prayer/Hymn
Psalter Week 3

It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God.
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.

Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs.
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.

It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.

It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.

This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord.it were my souls desire - 17 may 2020 6th sun easter act of spiritual communion

Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, OPEN HOUSE...Conversations with..., QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thoughts of Mary – 14 May – Praying With Our Mother

Thoughts of Mary – 14 May – “Mary’s Month”

Praying With Our Mother
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

“My dear brothers in Christ and in the love of Mary!
The Sacred Altar is the meeting point, of all, that is for the Christian and the Catholic, a vision of heavenly doctrine, inspired by divine grace, the inexhaustible source of strength, holiness and joy in our life here below, in the certainty of the eternal life to come.

Follow Me then to this Blessed Altar of My Sacrifice, which is the Sacrifice offered for you and with you, for all that is dearest to you in the innermost sanctuary of your souls and in your family life and in the various relationships of your civil and social activity.

The land where we were born, which is so dear to us, is always, even when resplendent with natural beauty, full of thorns and of things which cause us distress and pain.

True comfort is found, only in union with the Cross of Christ and His sufferings, united with the sorrows of His Mother, who is our Mother too.

Oh, how beautiful is and how consoling, to believe, live and pray with our Mother, sharing in her love with her Son, the Word of God, made man for us, as a sign of blessing, prosperity and peace amid the uncertainties of this present life, in the certain hope of the eternal joys which await us. Amen.

true comfort is found, only in union with the cross of christ - st john XXIII 14 may 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, To JESUS through MARY

Thoughts of Mary – 12 May – To Jesus Through Mary

Thoughts of Mary – 12 May – “Mary’s Month”

To Jesus Through Mary
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

The simple words of the first page of Matthew’s Gospel:  “Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ” (Mt 1:16) suffice for me, to establish the fundamental principle of all the great theological teaching which illustrates the connection between the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady.

Christian piety has rejoiced to learn from the Book of Acts, that Mary was present at the first gatherings of the faithful, when they broke read together as brothers and spent long hours in prayer.
And modern art has often portrayed the heavenly Mother in the act of receiving, from the hand of St John, the beloved apostle, the Communion of the Body and Blood of her Son.
But all this is superfluous and unnecessary for our convinced belief.

When we say, that in the Eucharist, we have the Son and in Mary, we have His Mother, have we not said all?
The great genius of Hippo, St Augustine, with his eagle-eyed power of vision, found the words which so brilliantly contain the Doctrine – Ave corpo vero, nato de Maria VirgineHail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary!

In this way – a delightful thing to say, a sublime thing to contemplate – the terms of this twofold mystery are merged into one, so that Mary appears to us radiant in the light of the Eucharistic mystery;  they are merged and yet they are the two extreme points, between which is evolved and developed, the whole Catholic Dogma of the Incarnation and of the continuing life of the Church.

when we say that inthe eucharist we have the son - to jesus through mary - st john XXIII 12 may 2020

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote of the Day – 10 May 2020 – How to get to Christ through Christ?

Quote of the Day – 10 May 2020 – The Fifth Sunday of Easter

“Let us listen to the Lord:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6).
If you are looking for the Truth,
follow the Way which is also the Truth.
This is where you are going and it is how you go.
It is not by another thing that you go to something;
it is not by anything else that you come to Christ;
it is through Christ that you come to Christ.
How to Christ through Christ?
To Christ God through Christ man;
through the Word made flesh,
to the Word who was with God, from the beginning;
through what we have eaten to what the angels eat daily.
In fact it is what is written:
“He gave them bread from heaven; man ate the bread of angels” (Ps 77[78]:24-25).
What is the bread of angels?
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was in God and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1-3). How has man eaten the bread of angels?
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

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

let us listen to the lord i am the way and the truth - st augustine 10 may 2020

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 10 May – ”Lord, I am not worthy”

Sunday Reflection – 10 May – The Fifth Sunday of Easter

”Lord, I am not worthy”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

When I say, Domine, non sum dignus—”Lord, I am not worthy”—You whom I am addressing, alone understands in their fullness the words which I use.   You see how unworthy so great a sinner is to receive the One Holy God, whom the Seraphim adore with trembling.   You see, not only the stains and scars of past sins but the mutilations, the deep cavities, the chronic disorders which they have left in my soul.   You see the innumerable living sins, though they be not mortal, living in their power and presence, their guilt and their penalties, which clothe me.   You see all my bad habits, all my mean principles, all wayward lawless thoughts, my multitude of infirmities and miseries, yet You come.   You see most perfectly how little I really feel what I am now saying, yet You come.

O my God, left to myself should I not perish under the awful splendour and the consuming fire of Your Majesty.   Enable me to bear You, lest I have to say with Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

o-my-god-left-to-myself-bl-john-henry-newman-27-may-2018 (1)

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus 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.

act of spiritual comm by st alphonsus 10 may 2020 no 4

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 3 May – ‘.. The world is in crisis…’ St Pope Paul VI

Sunday Reflection – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday

How long have we been without Sunday Mass?
How much longer will this continue?
How are we holding on?
How are we surviving?

“Let us never forget that an age prospers or dwindles
in proportion to it’s devotion to the Holy Eucharist.
This is the measure of it’s spiritual life
and it’s faith, of it’s charity and virtue”

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)

let us never forget that an age prospers or dwindles - st peter julian eymard 3 may 2020

Act of Spiritual Communion

As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness
of assisting at the holy Mysteries, O my God!
I transport myself in spirit at the foot of Thine altar,
I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the priest,
offers Thee, Thine adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice.
I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name.
I adore, I praise and thank Thee,
imploring Thy mercy,
invoking Thine assistance
and presenting Thee the homage
I owe Thee as my Creator,
the love due to Thee as my Saviour.
Apply to my soul, I beseech Thee, O merciful Jesus,
Thine infinite merits,
apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray.
I desire to communicate spiritually,
that Thy Blood may purify,
Thy Flesh strengthen
and Thy Spirit sanctify me.
May I never forget that Thou,
my divine Redeemer, have died for me,
may I die to all that is not Thee,
that hereafter, I may live eternally with Thee.
Amen

“[Our time] is a period in which the world is in crisis, as formerly and in which most values, even the most sacred ones, are rashly questioned in the name of freedom, so that many people have no longer any point of reference, in a period in which danger comes certainly not from an excess of dogmatism but rather from the dissolution of doctrine and the nebulousness of thought… It seems to Us that an additional effort should be courageously undertaken to give the Christian people, who are waiting for it more than is thought, a solid, exact catechetical base, easy to remember.   We well understand that it is difficult today to adhere to the Faith, particularly for the young, a prey to so many uncertainties.   They have the right at least to know precisely the message of Revelation, which is not the fruit of research and to be the witnesses of a Church that lives by it.”

St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

(Homily – 1975)

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION 3 MAY 2020

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 3 May – Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary Before Holy Mass

Our Morning Offering – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday and “Mary’s Month”

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Before Holy Mass

O most blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of tenderness and mercy,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner,
fly to you with all the affection of my heart
and I beseech your motherly love,
that, as you stood by your most dear Son,
while he hung on the Cross,
so, in your kindness,
you may be pleased to stand by me, a poor sinner,
and all Priests who today are offering the Sacrifice
here and throughout the entire holy Church,
so that with your gracious help,
we may offer a worthy and acceptable oblation
in the sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.

(This prayer is adapted from the Priests’ Prayers Before each Mass)

prayer-to-the-blessed-virgin-before-mass-15-april-2018

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 May – ‘This bread is eternal, this stream flows without end.’

One Minute Reflection – 1 May – Friday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 117:1-2, John 6:52-59 and the Memorial of St Peregine Laziosi OSM (1260-1345)

“For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” … John 6:55

REFLECTION – “Beloved brethren, quench your thirst at the waters of that divine spring we want to tell you about, quench it but don’t extinguish it, drink but don’t become satisfied.   The living spring, the source of life calls us and says:  “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37).   Understand what it is you are drinking.   Let the prophet tell you and let the source itself tell you:  “Listen to the word of the Lord, they have forsaken me the source of living water” (Jer 2:13).   So the Lord our God Himself, Jesus Christ, is He who is that source of life and that is why He invites us, to come to Him so that we might drink Him.   Whoever loves Him, drinks Him, whoever feeds on the Word of God, drinks Him. …   Drink, therefore, from this source that others have forsaken.

That we might eat of this bread and drink from this spring (…) He refers to Himself as “the living bread that gives life to the world” (cf. Jn 6:51) which we are to eat. …  See from where this spring flows! see from where this bread comes down!   For one and the same Person is both Bread and Spring, the Only-begotten Son, our God, Christ the Lord, for whom we should ceaselessly hunger.

It is our love that gives Him as food to us, our desire that makes us eat Him and when we have been satisfied, we desire Him still.   Let us go to Him as to a fountain and drink of Him in our overflowing love, let us drink Him always with ever-new desire, finding our joy in the sweetness of His love.   The Lord is gentle and good.   We eat and drink Him without ceasing to hunger and thirst for Him, for we cannot exhaust this food and drink. We eat of this bread yet do not run out of it, we drink at this spring yet it does not run dry.   This bread is eternal, this stream flows without end.” … St Columbanus (563-615) – Spiritual instructions 12, 2, 3john 6 55 - fopr my flesh is true food - he refers to himself - st colombanus 1 may 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God, You sent Your Son and we have now come to know the grace of His Resurrection.   Through Him we live and move and have our being. As we follow Him, He walks with us and leads us to You.   Grant we pray, that His mother and ours, may guide our way to Him and may the prayers of St Peregrine, who followed closely behind the Lord, be a solace in our trials.   Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.sancta-maria-mary-most-holy-pray-for-us-10-may-2018 and 1 may 2020

st peregrine laziosi pray for us 1 may 2020

Posted in BAPTISM, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, CONFIRMATION, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, EXTREME UNCTION, HOLY COMMUNION, HOLY ORDERS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 29 April – The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

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

The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

“It is a great dignity to be a Christian.
By Baptism, we become sons of God, heirs to Heaven, temples of the Holy Spirit and members of the Mystical Body of Jesus, which is the Church.
God’s grace raises us to the supernatural order and makes us, as St Paul expresses it, sharers in the divine nature.
By the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit fortifies our faith and gives us the strength to resist the temptations of the devil and to fight like loyal soldiers, for the triumph in ourselves and in others, of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Penance, is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin.the sacrament of penance is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin - bacci 29 april 2020
Although, we are all wretched sinners, by this give of the divine mercy, we can recover our lost innocence and return to the grace and friendship of God.
Moreover, in order to prevent us from falling back into sin, Jesus give us Himself in the Blessed Eucharist, which is called, by St Thomas Aquinas, the greatest miracle of His infinite love (Opusculum 56, Officium de festo Corporis Christi, lectures 1-4).the greatest miracle of his ifinite love - eucharist - bacci 29 april 2020
But this is not all.
If it is our vocation for form a family, God consecrates our union at the altar and gives us the graces necessary, to sanctify it, so that it may produce a good Christian family.
If God has called us, on the other hand, to become spiritual fathers of the souls redeemed by His Precious Blood, He raises us to this high dignity, by the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Finally, when we shall have come to the end of our mortal lives, the Priest will be still by our side, to wash away, by the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, the last traces of sin and to comfort us in our passage to eternity.
The whole life of a Christian, is a chain of favours which accompany him, from the cradle to the grave.
We should be grateful to God for the goodness with which He has treated us and continues to treat us.
We should co-operate generously with His gifts by recognising the lofty honour it is, to be a Christian and by living in accordance with this dignity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

it is a great dignity to be a christian - bacci 29 april 2020 CORRECT

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – St Catherine of Siena and Bl Maria Magdalene

Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church and Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation FSPA (1770-1824)

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to me, shall not hunger
and he who believes in me, shall never thirst.”

John 6:35

i am the bread of life - john 6 35 - 5 aug 2018

“He will provide the way and the means,
such as you could never have imagined.
Leave it all to Him,
let go of yourself,
lose yourself on the Cross
and you will find yourself entirely.”

he will provide the way and the means - st catherine of siena - 7 nov 2019 all dom saints

“Speak the truth in a million voices.
It is silence that kills!”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church

speak the truth in a million voices - st catherine of siena - 29 april 2019

“May Jesus be known, loved and adored by all
and be, in every moment,
the receiver of thanksgiving,
in the most holy and most divine Sacrament.”

Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation (1770-1824)

may jesus be known loved and adored by all - bl maria mad_gdalene of the incarn 29 april 2020

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 May – “I am the bread of life”

One Minute Reflection – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 7:51–8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6:30-35 and the Memorial of Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)

“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” … John 6:35john 6 35 i am the bread of life 28 april 2020 - no 2

REFLECTIONSt Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) – Sequence for the feast of Corpus Christi “ Lauda Sion ”
Laud, O Sion, thy salvation
Laud with hymns of exultation
Christ, thy King and Shepherd true,
Spend thyself, his honour raising,
Who surpasseth all thy praising,
Never canst thou reach His due.

Sing today, the mystery showing
Of the living, life-bestowing
Bread from heaven before thee set,
E’en the same of old provideth,
Where the Twelve, divinely guided,
At the holy table met.

Full and clear ring out thy chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting
To thy heart and soul today …

Lo, the new King’s table gracing,
This new Passover of blessing
Hath fulfilled the elder rite,
Now the new the old effaceth,
Truth revealed, the shadow chaseth,
Day is breaking on the night.

What He did, at Supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease
And His word for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth to Christians given,
Bread becomes His flesh from heaven,
Wine becomes His holy Blood (Jn 6:55). …

Whoso of this food partaketh,
Christ divideth not nor breaketh,
He is whole to all that taste.
Whether one this bread receiveth
Or a thousand, still He giveth
One same Food that cannot waste. …

Lo! the Angel’s Food is given (Ps 78[77]:25)
To the pilgrim who hath striven,
See the children’s Bread from heaven
Which to dogs may not be cast (Mt 15:26).

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing (Gn 22),
Paschal lamb, its life-blood spilling,
Manna sent in ages past.

O true Bread, good Shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of Thy love befriend us,
Thou refresh us, Thou defend us,
Thine eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see (Ps 27[26]:13)

Thou who all things canst and knowest,
Who on earth such Food bestowest,
Grant us with the saints, though lowest,
Where the heavenly Feast Thou showest,
Fellow-heirs and guests to be.lauda sion st thomas aquinas 28 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty Father, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it with the active love for You and our neighbour. By the food You give us, to sustain us on this journey, we are brought to holiness in Your Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ, whom You gave to us as our food.   May the Mother of Your Son and our mother, lead us to You and may the prayers of Bl Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be a succour on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.holy mother mary pray for us 16 jan 2019

BL MARIA FELICIA PRAY FOR US NO 2 28 APRIL 2020

 

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CARMELITES, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD is LOVE, POETRY, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 25 April – Act of Love, during the Lockdown

Sunday Reflection – 25 April – Third Sunday of Easter

To Surrender To Love
By St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)

Oh how good it is in silence
To listen to Him over and over,
To enjoy the peace of His presence
and then to surrender, wholly to His love.

O Lamb, so pure and so meek,
You my All, my only One,
How well You know that Your fiancée,
Your little one, hungers greatly for You.

She hungers to feed upon her Master,
Above all to be consumed by Him,
To surrender fully to Him her whole being
So she may be totally taken.

Oh, that I may be possessed by You;
One who lives by You alone,
Yours, Your living host,
Consumed by You on the Cross.

to-surrender-to-love-st-elizabeth-of-the-trinity-8-nov-2019 - 26 april 2020 spiritual comm - act of love- sun reflection

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – ‘…No wall can shut us out from the good God.’

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter

“…He certainly meets us
where we are in life – and –
He will never leave us
where He found us!”

Fr Mark J Hunt STDhe certainly meets us where he found us - 5 may 2019

“Spiritual Communion is
an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament
and a loving embrace, as though we had already received Him.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Doctor of the Church

spiritual communion is an ardent desire to receive jesus - st thomas aquinas 26 april 2020

“In the morning let your first act be
to greet My Heart and to offer Me your own.
Whoever, breathes a sigh toward Me,
draws Me to himself.”

Jesus to St Matilda/Mechtilde of Hackeborn

(c 1241-1298)

in-the-morning-let-your-first-act-be-jesus-to-st-matilda-of-hackeborn-19-nov-2019 and 26 april 2020

“O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Doctor of the Church

o-king-of-gentleness-st-john-of-the-cross-14dec2018-and-14dec2019-and 26 april 2020

“There are some who make a spiritual communion everyday …
If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion,
let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion,
which we can make every moment;
for we ought to have always, a burning desire to receive the good God.
Communion is to the soul, like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out
but that has still plenty of hot embers;
we blow and the fire burns again.
After the reception of the Sacraments,
when we feel ourselves slacken in the love of God,
let us have recourse at once, to spiritual communion.
When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle;
no wall can shut us out from the good God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

when we cannot go to the church let us turn -no wall - st john vianney 26 april 2020 3 easter

“Do not neglect to say, ‘Jesus, I love You’
and make one Spiritual Communion,
at least, each day,
in atonement for all the profanations and sacrileges
He suffers because He wants to be with us.”

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

do not neglect to say jesus i love you and make one spiritual comm - st josemaria - 26 april 2020 3rd easter

“…Let us continue
Immaculate Mary’s mission.
All is included in it.
May [we].. follow her example
and be the handmaid of the Lord
in everything,
everywhere
and always.”

Bl Mary of the Passion (1839-1904)

let-us-continue-imm-marys-mission-bl-mary-of-the-passion-15-nov-2019 and 26 april 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – ‘ Trust, be faithful and He is with you…’

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter, Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Luke 24:13-35 and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

“Stay with us” … Luke 24:29

REFLECTION – “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 hadn’t 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.   So you who believe in Him, whoever you are, you who do not bear the name of Christian in vain, who do not come casually into church, who hear the word of God in fear and hope – for you the broken bread will be a consolation.   Our Lord’s absence is not a real absence.   Trust, be faithful and He is with you even if you do not see Him.

When the Lord hailed them, the disciples had no faith.   They did not believe in His Resurrection, they did not even hope that He might be raised.   They had lost faith, they had lost hope.   They were dead men walking alongside a living one, they were walking, dead, with life.   Life was walking with them but, in their hearts, life was not as yet renewed.

And do you long for life?   Imitate the disciples and you will recognise the Lord.   They offered hospitality, our Lord seemed determined to proceed on His way but they held Him back …   You too, then, keep hold of the stranger if you wish to recognise your Saviour …  Learn where to look for the Lord, where to possess Him, where to recognise Him – in breaking bread with Him!” … St Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vigour of their souls. They rejoice because You have restored them to the glory of Your adopted children, let them look forward gladly to the certain hope of the resurrection.   May the prayers of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Good Counsel, be of assistance to us amidst the storms of this mortal life.   We make our prayer through our Resurrected Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen, alleluia!

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Faith and love …

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Friday of the Second week of Easter and the Memorial of St Fidelis of Sigmaringen OFM.Cap (1577-1622) and St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

“O Catholic faith, how solid, how strong you are!
How deeply rooted, how firmly founded on a solid rock!
Heaven and earth will pass away but you can never pass away.
From the beginning the world opposed you
but you mightily triumphed over everything.
This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.
It has subjected powerful kings to the rule of Christ,
it has bound nations to His service.
What made the holy apostles and martyrs endure fierce agony
and bitter torments, except faith and especially faith in the Resurrection?
What is it that today makes true followers of Christ cast luxuries aside,
leave pleasures behind and endure difficulties and pain?
It is living faith that expresses itself through love.
It is this, that makes us put aside the goods of the present in the hope of future goods.
It is because of faith, that we exchange the present for the future.”

o-catholic-faith-st-fidelis - 24 april 2017 and 24 april 2020

“Woe to me if I should prove myself
but a half-hearted soldier
in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain.”

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622)

woe to me if i should prove myself - st fidelis of sigmaringen 24 april 2020

“Draw near to our Lord, thoroughly aware
of you own nothingness and you may hope
all things from His Goodness and Mercy.
Never forget that Jesus Christ is no less generous
in the Blessed Sacrament than He was
during His mortal life on earth.”

draw-near-to-our-lord-st-mary-euphrasia-24-april-2018 and 24 april 2020

“May your heart be an altar,
from which the bright flame,
of unending thanksgiving
ascends to heaven.”

may-your-heart-be-an-altar-st-mary-euphrasia-24-april-2018 and 24 april 2020

“It is human to fall
but angelic to rise again.”

St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

it is human to fall but angelic to rise again - st mary euphrasia pelletier 24 april 2020

“To the end of the longest life,
you are still a beginner.
What Christ asks of you
is not sinlessness
but diligence ….
You cannot be profitable to Him,
even with the longest life;
you can show faith
and love
in an hour!”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Parochial and Plain Sermons, v.4

to the end of the longest life you are still a beginner - st john henry newman 24 april 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April –  The Memorial of St Anselm ‬OSB (1033-1109)

Doctor of the Church

“God has promised pardon
to him that REPENTS
but He has NOT
promised repentance
to him that sins.”

god has promised pardon to him that repents but - st anselm 21 april 2020

“A single Mass offered
for oneself during life,
may be worth more,
than a thousand celebrated
for the same intention, after death.”

a single mass offered for oneself during life - st anselm - 21 april 2020

“Remove grace
and you have nothing,
whereby to be saved.
Remove free will
and you have nothing,
that could be saved.”

remove grace and you have nothing - st anselm 21 april 2020

“It is impossible to save one’s soul
without devotion to Mary
and without her protection.”

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

it is impossible to save one's soul with devotion to mary - st anselm 21 april 2020

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EASTER, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 19 April – The 20th Divine Mercy Sunday! – The Blessed Sacrament is the Throne of Mercy

Sunday Reflection – 19 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and the 20th Divine Mercy Sunday

The Blessed Sacrament is the Throne of Mercy, Jesus told Sister Faustina.

“O Blessed Host,
in Whom is contained the fountain of living water
which springs from infinite mercy for us
and especially for poor sinners.”

St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

o blessed host in whom is contained the fountain - st faustina - 19 april 2020 div mercy sunday

The Eucharist is central to devotion to The Divine Mercy and many of the elements of the devotion are essentially Eucharistic–especially the image, the chaplet and the Feast of Mercy.   The image, with its red and pale rays, presents the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, whose Heart has been pierced and now pours forth blood and water as a fountain of mercy for us.   It is the image of God’s sacrificial gift of mercy made present in every Mass.

Several times in her Diary, Blessed Faustina writes of seeing the red and pale rays coming, not from the image but from the Sacred Host and once, as the Priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the rays from the image pierce the Host and spread out from it all over the world (see 441).   So too, with the eyes of faith, we should see in every Host the merciful Saviour pouring Himself out as a fountain of mercy for us.

The concept of the Eucharist as a fountain of grace and mercy is not only found in the Diary but also in Church teaching  . The Church clearly teaches that all the other Sacraments are directed towards the Eucharist and draw their power from it.

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (#10), for example, we read:  “Especially from the Eucharist, grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain.” And, in a note in the Catechism of the Council of Trent, pastors are urged to “compare the Eucharist to a fountain and the other Sacraments to rivulets. For the Holy Eucharist is truly and necessarily the fountain of all graces, containing, as it does, after an admirable manner, the fountain itself of celestial gifts and graces, the Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, from whom, as from its source, is derived whatever of goodness and perfection the other Sacraments possess.”

No wonder, then, that Saint Faustina was so devoted to the Eucharist and wrote so powerfully about it in her Diary:

“O what awesome mysteries take place during Mass! … One day we will know what God is doing for us in each Mass and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us … this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power” (914) …

“All the good that is in me is due to Holy Communion (1392) … Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity (1489) … one thing alone sustains me and that is Holy Communion.   From it I draw all my strength, in it is all my comfort … Jesus concealed in the Host, is everything to me … I would not know how to give glory to God, if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart” (1037) …

“O living Host, my one and only strength, fountain of love and mercy, embrace the whole world, fortify faint souls. Oh, blessed be the instant and the moment when Jesus left us His most merciful Heart!” (223).

(From the booklet “The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion”, by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC and Vinny Flynn)

Let us Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet today,

for the OPENING OF OUR CHURCHES AND THE RETURN OF DAILY MASS!

How_to_Pray_the_Divine_Mercy_Chaplet_Poster_-_POS-F32__65082.1492691483

Posted in EASTER, franciscan OFM, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 April – Only by faith is He known to be present… 

One Minute Reflection – 15 April – Easter Wednesday, Readings: Acts 3:1-10, Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9, Luke 24:13-35

“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” … Luke 24:32luke 24 32 did not our hearts burn within us -15 april 2020 easter wed

REFLECTION – “Brethren, let us turn to the account of Christ’s appearances to His disciples after the Resurrection, which are most important, first, as showing that such an unconscious communion with Him is possible;  next, that it is likely to be the sort of communion now granted to us, from the circumstance that in that period of forty days after the Resurrection, He began to be, in that relation towards His Church, in which He is still and probably intended, to intimate to us thereby, what His presence with us is now.
Now observe what was the nature of His presence in the Church after His Resurrection. It was this, that He came and went as He pleased, that material substances, such as the fastened doors, were no impediments to His coming and that, when He was present His disciples did not, as a matter of course, know Him. …  The two disciples on the way to Emmaus do not seem to have been conscious of this at the time but on looking back, they recollected that, as having been, which did not strike them while it was.   “Did not,” they say, “did not our heart burn within us?”
Let us observe, too, when it was that their eyes were opened… when He consecrated and broke the Bread.   There is evidently a stress laid on this in the gospel…  for so it was ordained, that Christ should not be both seen and known at once, first He was seen, then He was known.   Only by faith is He known to be present…  He removed His visible presence and left but a memorial of Himself.   He vanished from sight that He might be present in a Sacrament and in order to connect His visible presence with His presence invisible, He for one instant, manifest Himself to their open eyes;  manifested Himself, if I may so speak, while He passed from His hiding-place of sight without knowledge, to that of knowledge without sight.” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) – Cardinal, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Hymnest – PPS 6, 10

luke 24 30 broke the bread- only by faith-knowledge without sight - st john henry newman 15 apil 2020

PRAYER – Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You.   You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, so that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me Lord, for You are my life and without You, I am without fervour.
Stay with me Lord, for You are my light and without you, I am in darkness.
Stay with me Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me Lord, so that I may hear Your voice and follow You…. St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) (Stay with Me, Lord – Excerpt)
And grant holy Father, that the prayers of Our Lord’s Mother and ours, the Blessed Virgin, may assist us on our way.   Through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever, amen.stay-with-me-o-lord-st-padre-pio-23-sept-2018 and 22 sept 2019 2

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, MAUNDY THURSDAY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – Love, or the Name of God

Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – Maundy Thursday, Evening Vigil Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Love, or the Name of God

“Once for all, then,
a short precept is given you –
Love and do what you will,
whether you hold your peace,
through love, hold your peace;
whether you cry out,
through love cry out;
whether you correct,
through love correct;
whether you spare,
through love do you spare.
Let the root of love be within,
of this root, can nothing spring
but what is good.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Great Western Father ad Doctor of the Church

Homily 7 on John

love and do what you will - st augustine -9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“He came from His royal throne,
the stern Conqueror of error
and the gentle Apostle of love.”

Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)

he-came-from-his-royal-throne-william-of-saint-thierry-16-dec-2019 and 9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“The masterpiece of Jesus Christ’s love for humanity is the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is within our reach.
We can all get close to Christ the guest and talk with Him
and perceive the warmth of His word.
The word! How it inflames the spirits!
How will the word of Christ inflame them!
We can all get to the altar when He immolates Himself and shouts at us:
Look how much I have loved and loved you!
And we can all sit at His table
and eat the bread
and drink the intoxicating wine of charity. “

Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906)

he-immolates-himself-and-shouts-at-us-bl-marcelo-spinola-19jan2019.and-19-jan-2020jpg and maundy holy thursday 9 april 2020

“I love Him, even if it costs much,
I love Him, because, it is worth much,
I love Him, at all cost.”

Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce (1881-1947)

i-love-him-bl-maria-teresa-fasce-18-jan-2019-and-2020 and 9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“If men sincerely loved one another, not merely as brothers
but as much as they love themselves, what problems would be solved!
Who can say how many evils would be abated
and how many sorrows would be assuaged?
To transform the world, it would be enough
to put into practice the first great commandment of the Gospel,
which is the commandment of charity.
Admittedly, the world would not become an earthly paradise,
for any such Utopia is an impossibility.
But, it would become a dignified dwelling place of brothers,
loving and helping one another.
“Love is the fulfilment of the law,” St Paul very truly says (Rom 13:10).
“Have charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14).

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

if-men-sincerely-loved-one-another-bacci-11-feb-2020 and maundy thursday holy - quotes 9 april 2020

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Devotion for the Month of April – The Blessed Sacrament

Devotion for the Month of April – The Blessed Sacrament

DEVOTION for april the BLessed SACRAMENT

Holy Thursday, the day on which Catholics celebrate the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the Last Supper, falls most often in April and so it is no surprise that the Catholic Church dedicates this month to devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
In these very sad times when we cannot attend the Passion week ceremonies, we need to focus our hearts and minds, much, much more on the Passion of Our Lord, on the Holy Eucharist and on our Communion with our Lord and Saviour.
Neither are we able to attend Eucharistic Adoration, live, though there are many ‘live’ opportunities online for both Holy Mass and Adoration.

This beautiful prayer by St John Damascene, with a slight adaptation, may be used as our Spiritual Communion.

God, my God, inextinguishable and invisible fire,
You make Your angels flaming fire.
Out of Your inexpressible love,
You have given me Your divine Flesh as food
and through this communion
of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood,
You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity.
Permeate all my body and soul, all my bones and sinews.
Consume my sins in fire.
Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind.
Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me,
together with Your blessed Father and all-holy Spirit,
that I may always abide in You,
through the intercession of Your immaculate Mother and all Your saints.
Amen
Prayer of St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Churchconsume-my-sins-in-fire-...-and-make-your-abode-in-me-st-john-damascene-9-feb-2020 and 1 april 2020

Now, at least, in this great depredation we suffer, we might truly understand and agree with the words of St Claude:

If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!
St Claude de la Colombiere SJ (1641-1682)

“God is more honoured by a single Mass
than He could be by all the actions of angels and men together,
however fervent and heroic they might be.
Yet, how FEW, hear Mass
with the intention of giving God
this sublime honour!
How FEW think,
with joy on the glory, a Mass gives to God.
How FEW rejoice,
to possess the means of honouring Him
as He deserves! . . .
If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!”

Let us pray, all day, for the restoration of the Holy Mass!

god is more honoured by a single mass - st claude de la colombiere 1 april 2020

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Act of Spiritual Communion and A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION SERVICE Celebrated in the home

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Act of Spiritual Communion and A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION SERVICE Celebrated in the home

For those across the world who cannot attend Holy Mass today:

a spiritual communion service celebrated in the home - 22 march 2020

A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION SERVICE
Celebrated in the home

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

St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)

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

My Jesus,
I believe that You art present
in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things
and I desire You in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
come at least, spiritually, into my heart.
As though You were already there,
I embrace You
and unite myself wholly to You,
permit not, that I should ever,
be separated from You.
Amenif-you-practice-the-holy-exercise-stleonardportmaurice-actofspiritualcomm-stalphonsus-27nov2018 and 22 march 2020 cornavirus

Guidelines / Reminders while participating in Spiritual Communion
– Prepare a table with appropriate cover, candles and crucifix or images of saints.
– Dress up appropriately as if you are physically participating in the Holy Eucharist.
– Turn off your cell phone and other devices.
– Refrain from doing household chores.
– Put yourself in the presence of God and focus on the celebration.

Introduction:
Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader: We are gathered here to love, honour and worship our heavenly Father.  Bearing in mind that the Word of the Lord is a lamp for our steps and a light for our
path, let us unite in listening to the message of eternal life.   Then with hearts
gladdened and filled with hope by his holy word, we pray that the Lord in his
merciful love will spiritually nourish us.
But first, let us spend a few moments in silence to repent of our sins and also
think of those with whom we should make our peace, those, whom we should
forgive.

After a few moments of silence, all say the I confess

Liturgy of the Word:
– The readings of the given Sunday, are now proclaimed.

An appropriate Homily or Reflection can then be shared.

We then make a profession of faith by reciting the Apostles’ Creed.

– Next follows Prayers of Intercession where we pray for
– the needs of the Church
– needs of the world
– those burdened in one way or another
– our local community
– the dead.
Conclude by saying the Our Father.

Now recite the Act of Spiritual Communion

– After a brief pause, together say:

The Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from You.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death,
call me and bid me
come to You
that with Your saints
I may praise You forever and ever.
Amenanima christi st ignatius loyola - 29 september 2019

Concluding Prayer

All:  As we contemplate Your presence
in our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
we pray, O God,
that You will protect us in these uncertain times
and keep us close to You
and be strengthened in the faith we share.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Leader:  May Almighty God bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen

(all make the sign of the cross while saying together)

All:  May we remain in the peace of Christ – In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

NOTE:   If so desired, families may sing appropriate hymns /chants.

Prayer to St Michael

St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our safeguard against the
wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray
and do Thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
cast into hell, Satan
and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

st michael the archangel defend us in battle 22 march 2020

Pope Francis’s Prayer to Mary during Coronavirus Pandemic

https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/21/our-morning-offering-21-march-prayer-to-mary-health-of-the-sick/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Uncategorized

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – St Cyril of Jerusalem

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – The Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386) Father and Doctor of the Church

“After all, He saved the thief
on the holy hill of Golgotha
because of one hour’s faith,
will He not save you too,
since you have believed? “

after all he save the good thief st cyril of jerusalem - 18 march 2020 no 2

“Since Christ Himself has said,
“This is My Body”
who shall dare to doubt
that It is His Body?”

since christ himself has said - st cyril of jerusalem 18 march 2020

On how to receive Holy Communion in the hand in the Fourth Century:

“Approaching,
do not come with thy palms stretched flat
nor with fingers separated.
But making thy left hand a seat for thy right
and hollowing thy palm,
receive the Body of Christ,
responding Amen.”

St Cyril of Jersualem (315-386)
Father and Doctor of the Church

st cyril of jerusalem on how to receive holy communion in the hand in the 4th century 18 march 2020

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 17 March – The Consolation of Prayer

Thought for the Day – 17 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Consolation of Prayer

if we look for consolation let us look for it before the altar bacci 17 march 2020

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!   My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.   My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.   Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young – your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! Happy they who dwell in your house!   Continually, they praise you” (Psalm 83:1-5).

It is in these colourful words that the Psalmist expresses his longing for the house of God, where he can retire to pray and find comfort for his soul.
The Saints also found happiness in long hours of prayer before their Creator.
Any consolation which the world can give us is shadowy and elusive compared with the peace which God gives those, who, in the greatness of their faith and love, shut out all thought of earthly things in order to kneel before His Tabernacle and converse with Him.
If we need consolation, let us look for it before the Altar.
Only there, will our unlimited desire for true and lasting peace find satisfaction.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SPEAKING of ....., The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – Speaking of:   Receiving Holy Communion Worthily

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – The Third Sunday of Lent

Speaking of:   Receiving Holy Communion Worthily

“Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily,
will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.
A person should examine himself and so,
eat the bread and drink the cup.
For anyone, who eats and drinks without discerning the body,
eats and drinks judgement on himself.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-29

+++BLACK SMALLER STD

“I beseech, beg and implore,
that no-one draw near to this Sacred Table,
with a sullied and corrupt conscience.
Such an act, in fact, can never be called
“Communion,” not even were we to touch
the Lord’s body a thousand times over
but, “CONDEMNATION,” ‘TORMENT”
and ‘INCREASE OF PUNISHMENT.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church

I beseech beg and implore - st john chrysostom 15 march 2020

“As Christ’s Passion does not produce it’s effect
on those who do not hold Him as they should,
so also, those do not attain heaven
through this Sacrament, who receive Him unworthily.
Accordingly, Augustine writes:
“The Sacrament is one thing, it’s virtue another.
Many receive from the altar and, receiving it, are dead.
Eat, therefore, heavenly bread, carry innocence to the altar.”
So it is not surprising, that those who do not keep a pure heart,
fail to gain the effect of the Sacrament.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor angelicus

as christ's passion - st thomas angelicus 15 march 2020

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Engrave on my heart, Your image

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – The Third Sunday of Lent, Year C

How Great is Your Goodness, Lord
By Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)

How great is Your goodness, Lord,
who does not shrink from letting
Your servant, place You upon his heart!
How great my own worth,
since You have chosen me
to have part in Yours,
to have You abiding in me,
to love You, as You deserve, above myself.
Lord, take from me this hard heart
and give me a new, clean heart
of flesh and blood.
You who make my heart pure,
take possession of mine
and make it Your home.
Hold it and fill it,
You who are higher than my topmost height,
more inward than my inward being.
You, the seal of holiness,
beauty of beauties,
engrave on my heart, Your image
and the imprint of Your mercy.
Be, O God, my eternal love
and my inheritance.
Amenhow great is your goodness lord archbishop baldwin of canterbury 24 march 2019 prayer before holy communion

Posted in QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The INCARNATION, The PASSION

Sunday Reflection – 23 February – “Take and divide it among yourselves.”

Sunday Reflection – 23 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

“Take and divide it among yourselves.”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“Christ then took on our nature, when He would redeem it;
He redeemed it by making it suffer in His own Person;
He purified it, by making it pure in His own Person.
He first sanctified it in Himself, made it righteous, made it acceptable to God, submitted it to an expiatory passion and then He imparted it to us.   He took it, consecrated it, broke it and said, “Take and divide it among yourselves.”

Newman was convinced that no one “realises the mystery of the Incarnation but must feel disposed towards that of the Holy Communion.”   Both are mysteries of the coming of Christ, longed for as the hope of mankind for salvation.   If we accept that God unites Himself, His divinity and His spirit, to humanity, nature and matter in His birth as man, then we can also accept that He binds His presence to the species of bread and wine. When Jesus says, “This is my body, this is my blood,” this remains a mystery but our faith in it, is not against our reason.

Years later this Catholic priest wrote:

“O wisest love! That flesh and blood
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.”
“And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence and His very Self,
And Essence all-divine.”

christ-then-took-on-our-nature-bl-john-henry-newman-no-2-25-feb-2018-sunday-reflection and 23 feb 2020

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 23 February – Anima Christi

Our Morning Offering – 23 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Anima Christi
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Good Jesus, hear me
Within Your wounds, shelter me
from turning away, keep me
From the evil one, protect me
At the hour of my death, call me
Into Your presence lead me
to praise You with all Your saints
Forever and ever,
amenanima christi st ignatius loyola - 29 september 2019