Quote of the Day – 7 August – The Memorial of St Cajetan (1480-1547)
“Do not receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
so that you may use Him as you judge best
but give yourself to Him
and let Him receive you in this Sacrament,
so that He Himself, God your Saviour,
may do to you and through you, whatever He wills.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 August – Monday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 and the Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed,, and broke and gave the loaves” … Matthew 14:19
REFLECTION – “Jesus loves us so much and wants to be close to us and looks after those who follow Him. The Lord meets the needs of mankind but wants to render each one of us, a concrete participant in His compassion.
Now let us pause on this, Jesus’ gesture of blessing: “taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke and gave the loaves” (v. 19). As you see, they are the same signs that Jesus performed at the Last Supper and they are also the same gestures, that each priest performs when he celebrates the Holy Eucharist. The Christian community is born and reborn continually from this Eucharistic communion. Living communion with Christ is, therefore, anything but being passive and detached from daily life, on the contrary, it includes us more and more in the relationship with the men and women of our time, in order to offer them the concrete sign of mercy and of the attention of Christ.
Jesus wants to reach everyone, in order to bring God’s love to all.” … Pope Francis (General Audience, 17 August 2016)
PRAYER – Forgive the sins of Your people Lord and since of ourselves, we are unable to do what pleases You, lead us on the way of salvation in Your divine Son who lives in us and gives us life. May the prayers of Mary, His Mother help us to constantly meditate on His eternal sustenance. He is our food, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognised him… but he vanished from their sight.”…Luke 24:30-31
“Before Communion you hear about Jesus Christ and you know Him – you are told of His Cross, of His suffering; doubtless you are affected, are even touched with compassion.
But let these same truths be presented to you after Communion. Oh, how much more deeply your soul is moved! It cannot hear enough, it understands much more perfectly. Before Communion, you contemplate Jesus outside you, now you contemplate Him within you, with His own eyes!
It is the mystery of Emmaus re-enacted. When Jesus taught the two disciples along the way, explaining the Scriptures to them, their faith still wavered, though they felt inwardly some mysterious emotion. But participating in the Fraction of the bread, immediately their eyes were opened and their hearts were like to burst with joy.
The voice of Jesus had not sufficed to reveal His presence to them, they had to feel His Heart, had to be fed with the Bread of understanding!”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 August – Friday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Peter Faber SJ (1506-1546) and St Peter Julian Eymard SSS (1811-1868) “Apostle of the Eucharist”
“Seek grace for the smallest things,
and you will find grace to accomplish,
to believe in,
and to hope for,
the greatest things.
Attend to the smallest things,
examine them,
think about putting them into effect,
and the Lord will grant you greater.”
“Eucharistic adoration is the greatest of actions.
To adore is to share the life of Mary on earth
when she adored the Word Incarnate in her virginal womb,
when she adored Him in the Crib,
on Calvary,
in the divine Eucharist.”
“Eucharistic Adoration
is the greatest
act of holiness on earth.”
Our Morning Offering – 2 August – The Memorial of By St Peter Julian Eymard SSS (1811-1868) “Apostle of the Eucharist”
Lord Jesus, Come and Reign!
By St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
O Yes, Lord Jesus,
come and reign!
Let my body
be Your temple,
my heart,
Your throne,
my will,
Your devoted servant,
let me be Yours forever,
living only in You
and for You!
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 1 August – Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
“Were you to ask,
‘what are the means of overcoming temptations’,
I would answer:
the first means is prayer,
the second is prayer,
the third is prayer
and should you ask me a thousand times,
I would repeat the same.”
“Know also that you will probably gain more
by praying fifteen minutes
before the Blessed Sacrament
than by all the other spiritual exercises of the day.
True, Our Lord hears our prayers anywhere,
for He has made the promise, ‘Ask, and you shall receive,’
but He has revealed to His servants,
that those who visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament
will obtain a more abundant measure of grace.”
“Without prayer,
we have neither light nor strength,
to advance in the way which leads to God.”
“He who prays most receives most.”
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
is the greatest, after the sacraments,
the one dearest to God
and the one most helpful to us.”
One Minute Reflection – 31 July – Wednesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46 and The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field” … Matthew 13:44
REFLECTION – “Christ is the treasure store of all grace for He is “filled with grace and truth” (Jn 1:14) and angels and humans receive from His fullness. He possesses the very source of fullness and, when He opens His hand, He fills all rational creatures with blessings. But this treasure store of graces, is concealed beneath the veil of the sacrament of the altar. Is it not true that “the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field”? (Mt 13:44). And is not the field, in this case, the sacrament of the body of Christ, gathered in the fields? In this field we possess a hidden treasure because all kinds of graces are hidden there. “The man who discovered it went away in his joy, sold all he possessed and bought it” (Mt 13:44). Someone who knows the wealth of this sacrament willingly renounces all other activity, to freely give himself to participation and devotion towards this sacrament. He knows he will gain possession of eternal life according to the words of the Lord: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:55).
The treasure of all glory exists in Christ. All the glory, possessed by both angels and men, who are to be saved until the day of judgement, whether it be glory of body or glory of soul, is drawn from that store of treasure. For that store is He, the one whose treasures go to great depths and who set the incomprehensible limits of His glory. And so, He commands us to run to this treasure when He says: “Gather up treasure for yourselves in heaven” (Mt 6:20). This treasure is hidden beneath the veil of bread and wine that you might have the merit of faith.
So may the Lord be praised for His mercies since He represented His Body to us beforehand under the image of heavenly treasure!” … St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that the example of Your saints may spur us on to perfection, so that we, who are celebrating the feast of St Ignatius, may follow him step-by-step in his way of life to reach You in heaven. Grant us the grace, by his intercession, to find our treasure in Your divine Son, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor and St Maria de Jesus Sacramentado(1868-1959)
“A gentle maiden
having lodged
a God in her womb,
asks as its price,
peace for the world,
salvation for those who are lost
and life for the dead.”
“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.”
“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother,
to heed obediently what has been written
by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome;
for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see,
provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”
“The poor stretch out the hand
but God receives what is offered.”
“Those who are merciful
with the needy of the world
will not lack God’s mercy.”
“The weight of the cross
is burdensome
for those carrying it
but not, for those,
who embrace it.”
Sunday Reflection – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:1–13
Saint Bernard teaches that it is not enough for us to take and eat the Bread from Heaven.
We must also offer ourselves to be eaten.
Holy Communion is a wondrous exchange in which we become the bread of Christ.
Listen to Saint Bernard:
“My penitence, my salvation are His food.
I myself am His food.
I am chewed. as I am reproved by Him;
I am swallowed by Him. as I am taught;
I am digested by Him. as I am changed;
I am assimilated. as I am transformed;
I am made one with Him, as I am conformed to Him.
He feeds upon us and is fed by us,
that we may be the more loosely bound to Him.”
Saint Bernard, ever the poet, uses images of eating and assimilation to describe how Christ unites us to Himself.
Our Lord becomes our food that we might become His.
We need the language of poets and preachers in our approach to the Eucharist.
Saint Bernard says, “Christ eats me that He may have me in Himself and Christ, in turn, is eaten by me, that He may be in me and the bond between us, will be strong and the union complete.”
What awaits you in Holy Communion exceeds all that you can desire. Eat, then and offer yourself to be eaten. Receive the Bread of God and become the bread of God.
Our Morning Offering – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Make Your Dwelling in Me
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Hold dominion over my heart, O Lord!
Keep it as Your inheritance.
Make Your dwelling in me,
along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Widen in me
the cords of Your tabernacle,
even the operations
of Your Most Holy Spirit.
For You are my God
and I will praise You,
together with the Eternal Father
and your quickening Spirit,
now, henceforth and forever.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala
Our Lord says to St Mary Magdalene – “Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17) here the question arises …. Why might not our Lord be touched before His ascension and how could He be touched after it?
But Christ speaks, it would seem, thus …
‘Hitherto, you have only known Me after the flesh . I have lived among you as a man. You have been permitted to approach Me sensibly, to kiss and embrace My feet, to pour ointment upon My head. But all this is at an end, now that I have died and risen again in the power of the Spirit. A glorified state of existence is begun in Me and will soon be perfected … When I am ascended, then the change will be completed. To pass hence to the Father in My bodily presence, is to descend from the Father to you in spirit. When I am thus changed, when I am thus present to you, more really present than now though invisibly, then you may touch Me – may touch Me, more really though invisibly, by faith, in reverence, through such outward approaches as I shall assign. Now you but see Me from time to time, when you see most of Me, I am at best but ‘going in and out among you.’ Thou hast seen Me, Mary but could not hold Me; though hast approached Me but only to embrace My feet, or to be touched by My hand and you say, ‘O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! O that I might hold Him and not let Him go!’
Henceforth, this shall be – when I am ascended, thou shall see nothing, thou shall have everything. Thou shall ‘sit down under My shadow with great delight and My fruit shall be sweet to thy taste.’ Thou shall have Me whole and entire. I shall be near thee, I shall be in thee, I will come into thy heart a whole Saviour, a whole Christ, – in all My fullness as God and man – in the awful virtue of that Body and Blood, which has been taken into the Divine person of the Word and is indivisible from it and has atoned for the sins of the world – not by external contact, not by partial possession, not in momentary approaches, not by barren manifestation but inward in presence and intimate in fruition, a principle of life and a seed of immortality, that thou may ‘bring forth fruit into God.“
RABBONI!
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Let me ever hold communion with You,
my hidden but living God.
You are my innermost heart.
You are the life of my life.
Every breath I breathe,
every thought of my mind,
every good desire of my heart,
is from the presence
within me of the unseen God.
…I see You, not in the material world
except dimly
but I recognise Your voice
in my intimate consciousness.
I turn around and say
Rabboni!
O be ever thus with me
and if I am tempted to leave You,
do not You,
O my God,
leave me.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Dear Lord, I Approach You
(Prayer before Holy Communion)
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Dear Lord,
with simplicity of heart,
in good and stable faith
and at Your command,
I approach You,
full of confidence and adoration,
truly believing that You are present
in this Sacrament, God and Man.
It is Your will that I receive You
and bind myself to You in love.
Most merciful Lord,
I beg of You that special grace,
that my soul may melt and overflow
with Your love,
never concerning myself again
with any other comfort but Your own.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 20 July – Saturday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 12:14–21
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased….
and in his name will the Gentiles hope.”…Matthew 12:18,21
REFLECTION – “My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us, in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist. In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us. It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one, that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love, a supreme and most ardent love, by way of pure grace and charity. Ah! One needs to love Him back with one’s whole, whole, whole, living, living, living and true, true, true heart!!” …… St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor
PRAYER – Lord God, You bestowed on us all the ways of grace in Your Son, so that Your name might be glorified and souls be saved. At the intercession of His Mother, whom He so lovingly gave us, grant that we may see what we have to do and, in Your mercy give us the strength to do it and the courage, love and charity to persevere. Grant above all, that by her prayers we may love You above all and with all we are. Mary, holy Mother of God, pray for us, through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 14 July – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 10:25–37
An Excerpt from his Work, ‘On the Mysteries’
We see that grace can accomplish more than nature, yet so far, we have been considering instances, of what grace can do through a prophet’s blessing. If the blessing of a human being had powe,r even to change nature, what do we say of God’s action in the consecration itself, in which the very words of the Lord and Saviour are effective? If the words of Elijah had power even to bring down fire from heaven, will not the words of Christ have power to change the natures of the elements? You have read that in the creation of the whole world He spoke and they came to be; He commanded and they were created. If Christ could by speaking, create out of nothing what did not yet exist, can we say that His words are unable to change existing things, into something they previously were not? It is no lesser feat to create new natures for things than to change their existing natures.
What need is there for argumentation? Let us take what happened in the case of Christ Himself and construct the truth of this mystery, from the mystery of the incarnation. Did the birth of the Lord Jesus from Mary come about in the course of nature? If we look at nature we regularly find, that conception results from the union of man and women. It is clear then, that the conception by the Virgin was above and beyond the course of nature. And this body that we make present, is the body born of the Virgin. Why do you expect to find, in this case, that nature takes its ordinary course, in regard to the body of Christ, when the Lord Himself was born of the Virgin, in a manner above and beyond the order of nature? This is indeed the true flesh of Christ, which was crucified and buried. This is then in truth the Sacrament of His Flesh.
The Lord Jesus Himself declares – ‘This is my body.’ Before the blessing contained in these words, a different thing is named; after the consecration, a body is indicated. He Himself speaks of His blood. Before the consecration, something else is spoken of, after the consecration, blood is designated. And you say – “Amen,” that is: “It is true.” What the mouth utters, let the mind within acknowledge, what the Word says, let the heart ratify.
So the Church, in response to grace so great, exhorts her children, exhorts her neighbours, to hasten to these mysteries – neighbours, she says, come and eat, brethren, drink and be filled. In another passage the Holy Spirit has made clear to you what you are to eat, what you are to drink. Taste, the prophet says and see, that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who puts his trust in Him.
Christ is in that sacrament, for it is the body of Christ. It is, therefore, not bodily food but spiritual. Thus the Apostle too says, speaking of its symbol – Our fathers ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink. For the body of God is spiritual; the body of Christ is that of a divine spirit, for Christ is a spirit. We read – The spirit before our face is Christ the Lord. And in the letter of Saint Peter we have this – Christ died for you. Finally, it is this food that gives strength to our hearts, this drink which gives joy to the heart of man, as the prophet has written.
Our Morning Offering – 14 July – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Prayer before Holy Communion
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O my God, holiness becomes Your House,
and yet You make Your abode in my breast.
My Lord, my Saviour, to me You come,
hidden under the semblance of earthly things,
yet in that very flesh and blood
which You took from Mary,
You, who did first inhabit Mary’s breast,
come to me.
My God, You see me;
I cannot see myself…
You see how unworthy, so great a sinner is,
to receive the One Holy God,
whom the Seraphim adore with trembling…
My God, enable me to bear You,
for You alone can.
Cleanse my heart and mind from all that is past…
give me a true perception of things unseen,
and make me truly, practically,
and in the details of life,
prefer You to anything on earth,
and the future world,
to the present.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 8 July – Monday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Peter Vigne (1670-1740), Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration and Founder of the Sisters Of The Blessed Sacrament
“The first thing for a disciple
is to be with the Master,
to listen to Him and to learn from Him.
This is always true and it is true
at every moment of our lives.
If the warmth of God,
of His love, of His tenderness
is not in our own hearts,
then how can we,
who are poor sinners,
warm the heart of others.
This is a life-long journey,
as in the humility of prayer
the Holy Spirit convinces us of
the Lordship of Christ within us.
The Lord calls us to follow Him
with courage and fidelity,
he has made us the great gift
of choosing us as His disciples;
He invites us to proclaim Him
with joy as the Risen one,
but He asks us
to do so by word and by
the witness of our lives, in daily life.
The Lord is the only God of our lives,
and He invites us to strip ourselves
of our many idols
and to worship Him alone.”Pope Francis
Letter for the Year for Consecrated Life
Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of Blessed Peter Vigne (1670-1740)
“Jesus, so ardently loved,
would that You were known everywhere,
so that the world would glorify You,
who wish to remain hidden
under the appearance of bread and wine
until the end of time.”
“Lord, give me a love
which is ever eager to live
as You would have me live.
May I always wish to glorify You
and never forget Your Presence.”
“Contemplating Christ present in the Eucharist and the saving Passion,
Fr Peter Vigne was led to be a true disciple and a faithful missionary
of the Church.
May his example give the faithful,
the desire to draw daring for the mission
from the love of the Eucharist
and from the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament!”
Homily on the Beatification of Blessed Peter Vigne,
Sunday, 3 October 2004
One Minute Reflection – 8 July – Monday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 9:18–26 and the Memorial of Blessed Peter Vigne (1670-1740)
“Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.”...Matthew 9:22
REFLECTION – “Faith is that which makes us believe from the depths of our souls… all the truths that our religion teaches us, all that the Gospel holds and all that the Church sets before us. The just man lives truly by this faith (Rom 1:17), for it replaces for him, the greater part of his natural senses. It so transforms all things, that the senses are of little use to the soul, which through them is only deceived, whilst faith shews it realities.
Where the eye sees but a poor man, faith sees Jesus (Mt 25:40). Where the ear hears curses and persecution, faith sings: “Rejoice and be glad” (cf Mt 5:12). The touch feels only blows and stonings but faith says: “Be glad you are deemed worthy to suffer for the name of Christ” (cf. Acts 5:41)… The smell perceives only incense, faith tells us that the true incense is “the prayers of the saints” (Rv 8,4).
The senses lead us astray to created beauty, faith thinks of the eternal beauty and despises all created things, for they are as nothing and as dust beside that beauty. The senses hold pain in horror, faith blesses it as a marriage crown that unites it to its Beloved, like a walk with her Bridegroom hand in divine hand. The senses rebel against injuries but faith blesses them: “Bless those that curse you” (Lk 6:28)… she finds them sweet, for in them she shares the lot of Jesus. The senses are full of curiosity, faith is content to know nothing, she thirsts to bury herself and longs to pass her life motionless before the Tabernacle.”… Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara (Retreat at Nazareth 1897)
PRAYER – Almighty Lord and God, protect and strengthen us by Your power throughout this day, even as You have enabled us to begin it. By Your grace, may the our faith be our guide and let our every thought, word and deed aim at doing Your will and what is pleasing in Your sight. Grant that by the prayers of Blessed Peter Vigne, we may ever turn our eyes and hearts to the summit of our faith in the Holy Eucharist. Through Your divine Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 7 July – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“I Will Give You Rest”
“I will give you rest.
This is what Jesus did during His mortal life and this is what He still does in His continuing life in His Church.
How strongly and gently He received, corrected and raised up Mary of Magdala, Matthew, Peter and Paul!
With what humility and love He continues to receive countless millions of souls in the Eucharistic Communion which marks the highest point of union between the human and the divine!”St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
Our Morning Offering – 7 July – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
O Lord, my God,
May I be Worthy to Approach
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O Lord, my God,
grant Your servant the blessing of Your kindness,
that I may be worthy to approach
Your sublime Sacrament with true devotion.
Rouse me from the sloth
and idleness, which have gripped me,
that my heart may more readily be lifted up to You.
Come to me with Your saving Presence
and let me, in spirit, taste Your sweetness,
which lies hidden,
in the most Blessed Sacrament
as in a plentiful fountain.
Give light to my eyes too,
that I may gaze upon this great mystery
and strengthen me to believe it
with persevering faith.
It is You Who effect this work,
no human being has such power.
It is Your holy institution and not human invention.
No human beings are able to grasp and understand
these things of themselves,
for they are far above
even the keen intelligence of the Angels.
And shall I, a wretched sinner,
mere dust and ashes,
be able to probe and grasp
so sacred and incomprehensible a mystery?
Amen
Book 4, Chapter 4
Thought for the Day – 5 July – Friday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year Cand the Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria CRSP (1502-1539)
The main devotion and teachings of the orders founded by Saint Anthony were those of Saint Paul, with an emphasis on love for the Eucharist and the suffering of Christ crucified. Dedicated to reformation of the clergy, Saint Anthony earned himself enemies within the church and was twice accused of heresy (both times acquitted). So humble, he refused to serve as superior of his orders, instead travelling, reforming convents and monasteries and extending the membership of the laity.
St Anthony is also known for popularising and renewing, the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, known as the Forty-hour devotion. He also is said to have originated the ringing of church bells at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays, in recognition of the hour of the crucifixion of Christ.
What is the Forty Hours Devotion?
Forty Hours’ Devotion, in Italian called Quarant’ore or Quarantore, is an exercise of devotion in which continuous prayer is made for forty hours before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition and to which Indulgences are attached. A celebration of such a devotion is begun by a Solemn Mass or “Mass of Exposition” and ended by a “Mass of Deposition”. Each of these masses includes a procession and the litany of the saints being chanted.
Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman (1802-1865), first Archbishop of Westminster, England, observed of the Forty Hours:
“In no other time or place, is the sublimity of our religion so touchingly felt. No ceremony is going forward in the sanctuary, no sound of song is issuing from the choir, no voice of exhortation proceeds from the pulpit, no prayer is uttered aloud at the altar. There are hundreds there and yet they are engaged in no congregational act of worship. Each heart and soul is alone in the midst of a multitude; each uttering its own thoughts, each feeling its own grace. Yet you are overpowered, subdued, quelled, into a reverential mood, softened into a devotional spirit, forced to mediate, to feel, to pray. The little children who come in, led by a mother’s hand, kneel down by her in silence, as she simply points toward the altar, overawed by the still splendour before them – the very babe seems hushed to quiet reverence in her bosom.” — From “The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church,” by Andrew A. Lambing
St Anthony died peacefully at age 36 and was buried in the convent of the Angelics of Saint Paul in Milan. His incorrupt body was translated to the Church of Saint Barnabas in Milan. He is survived by the legacy of the orders he founded, as well as several letters, sermons and other writings in service of the Lord.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 July – Friday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year Cand the Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria CRSP (1502-1539)
In His mercy God has chosen us,
unworthy as we are, out of the world,
to serve Him and thus to advance in goodness
and to bear the greatest possible fruit of love in patience……
We should keep running steadily in the race we have started,
not losing sight of Jesus,
who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection.”
“If you want to obtain what you pray for,
adapt yourself to it, that is,
if you want humility,
do not avoid humiliations.”
“Let them keep in mind, therefore,
that there can be no humility
without reproaches and mockery
and anyone who feels ashamed of them …
may as well abandon all hope,
of being able to achieve perfection.”
“What good thing could God deny us
when He is the one who invites us to ask?”
“That which God commands
seems difficult and a burden.
The way is rough,
you draw back,
you have no desire to follow it.
Yet DO SO – and you will attain glory.”
“The centre and the source
from which everything begins
and to which everything returns.”
“The Eucharist is
the living Crucifix!”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati OP (1901-1925)
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need
and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love, not in word or speech
but in deed and truth…
“Everyone of you knows,
that the foundation of our religion is charity.
Without it, all our religion would crumble,
because we would not truly be Catholics,
as long as we did not carry out,
or rather shape our whole lives,
by the two commandments
in which the essence of the Catholic Faith lies –
to love God with all our strength
and to love our neighbour as ourselves.”
“I urge you,
with all the strength of my soul,
to approach the Eucharistic Table
as often as possible.
Feed on this Bread of the Angels,
from which you will draw,
the strength, to fight inner struggles.”
“Verso l’alto,”
“To the Heights”
Blessed Pier Giorgio’s famous motto, “Verso l’alto,” Italian for “To the heights,” meant reaching for God as well as the mountain peaks. His regular habit was to attend Mass before heading to the mountains and of visiting the Blessed Sacrament upon his return.
He loved the Eucharist.
He would often spend whole nights in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
“Jesus comes to me every morning
in Holy Communion, I repay Him,
in my very small way, by visiting the poor.
The house may be sordid
but I am going to Christ.”
“The end for which we are created
invites us, to walk a road.
that is surely sown with a lot of thorns
but it is not sad,
through even the sorrow,
it is illuminated by joy.”
“Jesus is with me.
I have nothing to fear.”
Our Morning Offering – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C
My beloved Jesus,
do not Refuse to Come to me
By St Alphonsus Maria Liguori C.Ss.R. (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
O my dear Jesus,
what can You do to make me love You?
Make me understand what an excess of love
You have shown me by reducing Yourself to food,
in order to unite Yourself to poor sinners!
You, my dear Redeemer, have so much affection for me,
that You have not refused to give Yourself again and again
entirely to me in Holy Communion.
And yet, I have had the courage
to drive You away from my soul on so many occasions!
You do not despise a humble and contrite heart.
You became human for my sake.
You died for me.
You even went so far as to become my food.
What more can there remain
for You to do in order to gain my love?
Oh, that I could die with grief
every time that I remember
that I have despised Your grace.
I repent, O my love,
with my whole heart for having offended you.
I love You, O infinite goodness!
I love You, O infinite love!
I desire nothing but to love You
and I fear nothing but to live without Your love.
My beloved Jesus, do not refuse to come to me.
Come, because I would rather die a thousand times
than drive You away again.
I will do all that I can to please You.
Come and inflame my whole soul with Your love.
Grant that I may forget everything,
to think only of You
and to desire You alone,
my sovereign and my only good.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – Thursday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor
“He who receives Communion
is made holy and divinised in soul and body
in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling…
Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough
so that it leavens the whole mass;
…Just as by melting two candles together,
you get one piece of wax,
so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus
is fused together with Him by this Communion
and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”
“We have passed over the waves of this present life like a sea,
with its commotion and insane bustle.
We have eaten spiritual manna,
the bread that came down from heaven giving life to the world.”
“If the touch alone of His sacred flesh,
restores life to a corrupting body,
what profit shall we not discover,
in His life-giving Eucharist,
when we make of it our food?
It will wholly transform into its own property,
which is immortality, those who participate in it.”
“Our Saviour went to the wedding feast
to make holy the origins of human life.”
“From Christ and in Christ,
we have been reborn through the Spirit,
in order to bear the fruit of life,
not the fruit of our old, sinful life
but the fruit of a new life founded upon
our faith in Him and our love for Him.
Like branches growing from a vine,
we now draw our life from Christ
and we cling to His holy commandment,
in order to preserve this life.”
“That anyone could doubt, the right
of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God,
fills me with astonishment.
Surely, she must be the Mother of God,
if our Lord Jesus Christ is God
and she gave birth to Him!”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – Wednesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad OFM Cap (1875-1954) “The Apostle of Lebanon” “The Apostle of the Cross”
“How I would prefer to take You
in procession throughout the streets,
rather than closing You up
n the tabernacle!”
“One ounce of a Cross
is much better
than a ton of books
of prayer.”
“Anyone who seeks heaven
but without suffering,
is like someone
who wants to buy goods,
without paying.”
“Prayer without trust,
is like a letter in one’s pocket.
It never reaches its destination!”
“Honouring Mary,
no matter how sacred,
is only the door
leading to Jesus.
Mary is the means,
Jesus is the end.
Mary is the road,
Jesus is the destination.”
Thought for the Day – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Through Our Gazing in Adoration
Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, 17 November 2010
Dear friends, fidelity to the encounter with the Eucharistic Christ in Sunday’s Holy Mass is essential for the journey of faith but let us try as well to frequently go to visit the Lord present in the Tabernacle! Gazing in adoration at the consecrated Host, we discover the gift of the love of God, we discover the passion and the cross of Jesus and also His Resurrection. Precisely through our gazing in adoration, the Lord draws us to Himself, into His mystery, to transform us as He transforms the bread and wine.
The saints always found strength, consolation and joy in the Eucharistic encounter. With the words of the Eucharistic hymn “Adoro te devote,” let us repeat before the Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament: “Make me believe ever more in You, that in You I may have hope, that I may love You!”
Thank you.
Adoro te Devote
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows,
shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived –
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed,
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do,
Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.
On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken –
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he,
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.
O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died,
Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind,
There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican,
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight.
Amen
Quote of the Day – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
“When you have received Him,
stir up your heart to do Him homage,
speak to Him about your spiritual life,
gazing upon Him in your soul
where He is present
for your happiness.
Welcome Him as warmly as possible,
and behave outwardly in such a way,
that your actions
may give proof to all,
of His Presence.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 June – The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 2019, Gospel: Luke 9:11–17
“…he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.”…Luke 9:16
REFLECTION – “The mystery of today’s feast has three aspects, as is the case with all the great feasts after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.
First, the Gospel portrays it through the image of the multiplication of the loaves. This is no bit of magic on Jesus’ part – to accomplish it He looks toward heaven, toward His Father, with both petition and thanksgiving (eucharistia): “Father, I thank you for hearing me.” (Jn 11:42) His lavish giving away of Himself in the loaves, will be a sign of the way the Father’s love utterly lavishes His Son on the world.
Then He blesses the bread, for the Father has left everything to the Son, including the bestowal of heaven’s blessing.
He breaks it, which points both to His own brokenness in the Passion and to the way His gifts will be limitlessly multiplied by the work of the Holy Spirit in every Eucharistic celebration. Thus, through this visible image, we realise that truine Love itself, becomes present in the Eucharistic self-giving of Jesus.”… Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Your Church an admirable Sacrament as the abiding memorial of Your Passion. Teach us so to worship the sacred Mystery of Your Body and Blood, that it’s redeeming power, may sanctify us always. Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and every, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men should share in His divinity, He assumed our nature, in order that by becoming man He might make men gods. Moreover, when He took our flesh He dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered His body to God the Father, on the altar of the cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His blood for our ransom and purification, so that we, might be redeemed, from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His body as food and His blood as drink, for the faithful to consume, in the form of bread and wine.
O precious and wonderful banquet that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered but here Christ Himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power, through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all, may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us, which Christ revealed in His passion.
It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful, that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual memorial of His passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all His miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.
AnaStpaul 
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