The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS – Page 20

Our Morning Offering – 7 April – Prayer in Honour of the Eucharistic King

Posted on April 7, 2019April 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 7 April – The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C

Prayer in Honour of the Eucharistic King
By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

O Jesus, King of all peoples and all ages,
accept the Acts of Adoration and praise,
which we, Your brothers by adoption,
humbly offer You.
You are the “Living Bread which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world,”
Supreme Priest and Victim.
On the Cross, You offered Yourself to the Eternal Father
as a bloody sacrifice of expiation,
for the redemption of the human race
and now, You offer Yourself daily upon our altars,
by the hands of Your ministers,
in order to establish, in every heart,
Your “reign of truth and life, of holiness and grace,
of justice, love and peace.”
O King of glory, may Your kingdom come!
Reign from Your “throne of grace”,
in the hearts of children,
so that they may guard untainted
the while lily of baptismal innocence.
Reign in the hearts of the young,
that they may grow up healthy and pure,
obedient to the commands of those who represent You
in their families and schools and in the Church.
Reign in our homes,
so that parents and children may live in peace,
in obedience to Your holy law.
Reign in our lands,
so that all citizens,
in the harmonious order of the various social groups,
may feel themselves children of the same heavenly Father,
called to co-operate for the common good of this world,
happy to belong to the one Mystical Body,
of which Your Sacrament is at once the symbol
and the everlasting source.
Finally, reign, O King of kings
and “Lord of lords,”
over all the nations of the earth
and enlighten all their rules in order that,
inspired by Your example, they may make
“plans for welfare and not for evil.”
O Jesus, present in the Sacrament of the Altar,
teach all the nations to serve You with willing hearts,
knowing that “to serve God is to reign.”
May Your Sacrament, O Jesus,
be light to the mind,
strength to the will,
joy to the heart.
May it be the support of the weak,
the comfort of the suffering,
the wayfaring bread of salvation for the dying
and for all,
the “pledge of future glory”
Amen prayer in honour of the eucharisdtic king.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

Posted on April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

Other Christians, most notably the Eastern Orthodox, some Anglicans and some Lutherans, believe in the Real Presence, that is, they believe, as we Catholics do, that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament of the altar (though only Catholics define this change as transubstantiation).

However, only the Catholic Church has developed the practice of Eucharistic adoration. Every Catholic Church contains a Tabernacle in which the Body of Christ is reserved between Masses and the faithful are encouraged to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Frequent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is a path to spiritual growth. april-devotion

Eucharistic Adoration
The practice of Eucharistic adoration on earth not only brings us grace but prepares us for our life in Heaven. As Ven Pope Pius XII wrote in Mediator Dei (1947):

“These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are reechoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb “who was slain.”

This month, why not make a special effort to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament? It doesn’t need to be long or elaborate – You can start simply by making the Sign of the Cross and uttering a short profession of faith, such as “My Lord and my God!” as you pass a Catholic church. If you have the time to stop for five minutes, all the better.

“A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent
in sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

“When you want to find me, come near the tabernacle.”

St Pio of Pietrelcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Saint of the Day – 3 April – Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937)

Posted on April 3, 2019April 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 3 April – Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937) – Religious Sister and Founder of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Priests known as Little Friends of Jesus , Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration, of Prayer especially for priests. Also known as Sister Maria Serafina of the Heart of Jesus Pierced and Mother Maria Teresa. Additional Memorial – 29 October (Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, diocese of Frascati, Italy, based on the date of her baptism). Born on 27 October 1864 in Frascati, Italy and died around 5am on 3 April 1937 at Oblate monastery on the via del Casaletto in Grottaferrata, Rome, Italy of natural causes, aged 72.

Maria Teresa Casini was born on 27 October 1864 to Tommaso Casini and Melania Rayner as their first born daughter, she was baptised on 29 October.

She travelled to Rome for her studies at the Santa Rufina boarding school that the nuns of the Madams of the Sacred Heart conducted. She received her First Communion on 7 May 1878 which solidified her vocation. Due to a period of ill health, she had to leave school and return home for recuperation. bl maria teresa casini young

Shortly after she turned eighteen, she responded to her vocation and met Father Arsenio Pellegrini who became her guide and her spiritual director and who served as the Abbot of the Basilian Monks of Grottaferrata. Despite entering the convent, ill health forced her to leave, though she attempted to enter once again yet failed due to the death of the foundress after which the institute she joined ceased to exist.

In due time, she became a nun after entering the monastery of Sepolte Vive in Rome on 2 February 1885. Casini only started to live in Grottaferrata with fellow entrants from 17 October 1892 onwards. On 2 February 1894, she founded the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

It was not until 1925 that Casini started the special work of the “Little Friends of Jesus” in order to promote and to cultivate the vocations of prospective priests. The group’s special character came to life when Cardinal Francesco Satolli requested Casini and her congregation to take up new and vigorous apostolic work. This group also worked for the sanctification of all priests and so the group opened a boarding school for males in order to please the Lord’s request for good and wholesome priests.

Throughout her life, Casini offered “the oblation of herself, in faithful response to the Love that overflows from the open Heart of the Savior, and which she imparted to so many daughters and priests”. This even earned the praise of Pope Pius X in 1904 who wrote: “In order to bring about the reign of Jesus Christ, nothing is more necessary than the sanctity of the clergy. God bless these sisters for their selfless love for these men of God, for through them, through the sacraments, we are fortified and purified for the journey”.

Casini grew ill in the final years of her life and she died in 1937. Her final words were: “I am peaceful. I feel God is near me”.

Casini’s order continues to flourish on an international level in places such as Africa, the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, India, Guinea Bissau. The Generalate is in Rome and the Motherhouse is in Grottaferrata, Italy.

The first of the males of the Little Friends of Jesus that Casini herself oversaw was ordained as a priest in 1938. bl maria teresa casini 2

Blessed Maria Teresa was buried in the chapel of the Zealots of the Sacred Heart in a nearby cemetery and her remains were re-interred at the Generalate of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart in Grottaferrata on 20 May 1965. She was Beatified on 31 October 2015 by Pope Francis. The Beatification recognition was celebrated at the Piazza San Pietro at the cathedral in Frascati, Italy, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato. Her Beatification miracle involved the 25 – 27 June 2003 healing of the brain lesions and trauma of Jacob “Jack” Ronald Sebest, a five year old drowning victim in Youngstown, Ohio. canonisation bl maria teresa maxresdefault.jpg

The Oblate Sisters are called to live and to participate intimately in the Oblation of Jesus to the Father, to repair and console His Pierced Heart, with an intense life of prayer and unconditional gift of ourselves, so that Priests may be holy. They also care for retired and convalescent priests in special homes which they administer.

From their Constitution:
“The exclusive pursuit of God – which is the goal of our community life – is the foundation of that spirit of prayer that must characterise our whole existence as
Christians, religious and Oblates. From the spirit of prayer, springs prayer itself as the source and fundamental expression of our community and personal life because “the Oblate’s life is intimately tied to the altar.” In founding the Institute, Mother
Teresa wanted to root it in faith, prayer and that unconditional gift of herself to priests, which knew no limits in our first sisters, if not in the consummation of life itself.

In silent and adoring prayer we express the typical attitude of our consecration and
Oblate spirituality, because with it, we join our feelings to the feelings of Jesus Himself, which are an endless act of love and an unceasing supplication to the Father for the Church and for its priests. Our individual prayer finds its climax in daily adoration. It brings us close to the altar, seen as the true source of our specific mission in the Church: suppliant and atoning prayer for the holiness of priests.”

“The life Jesus leads in the Sacrament of His love and which the Oblate must imitate and make her own is this – a life of generous and limitless sacrifice… a life of incessant prayer …a life of obedience… a life of poverty…”….Blessed Mother Maria Teresa

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 31 March – “The Joy of the Eucharist, all through Life!”

Posted on March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 31 March – “Laetare” Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C

“The Joy of the Eucharist, all through Life!”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“When Jesus entered the house of St Elizabeth, although He was imprisoned in Mary’s womb, He sanctified both mother and child and Elizabeth exclaimed, “Whence comes so great a happiness to me, that the Mother of my God deigns to come to me?”

I leave you to consider how much greater is the happiness of him who receives Jesus Christ in Holy Communion, not like Elizabeth, into his house but into the depths of his heart, to be its protecting Master, not six months, as in Elizabeth’s case but all through life!”

i leave you to consider - st john vianney sun refl 31 march 2019 laetare sun.jpg

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Quote/s of the Day – 31 March -Laetare!

Posted on March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 31 March – “Laetare” Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C

“There is more joy in heaven over a converted sinner
than over a righteous person standing firm.
A leader in battle has more love for a soldier
who returns after fleeing and who valiantly pursues the enemy,
than for one who never turned back
but who never acted valiantly either.
A farmer has greater love for land which bears fruitfully,
after he has cleared it of thorns, than for land
which never had thorns but which never yielded a fruitful harvest.”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“Father of the Fathers”

“The sun of our lives is the Eucharist.”

“The earth is filled with tabernacles – Praise Him!”

St Luigi Guanella (1842-1915)

“Real joy
seems to me,
almost as unlike
security or prosperity,
as it is unlike
agony.”

“You can’t go back
and change the beginning
but you can start where you are
and change the ending.”

“He died for us.
Why not live for Him?”

C S Lewis (1898-1963)

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 31 March – I Thank You!

Posted on March 31, 2019March 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 31 March – “Laetare” Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C

I Thank You!
Prayer after Holy Communion
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

LORD, Father all-powerful,
and ever-living God,
I thank You,
for even though I am a sinner,
Your unprofitable servant,
not because of my worth,
but in the kindness of Your mercy,
You have fed me with the precious Body
and Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that this holy communion
may not bring me condemnation
and punishment
but forgiveness and salvation.
May it be a helmet of faith
and a shield of goodwill.
May it purify me from evil ways
and put an end to my evil passions.
May it bring me charity and patience,
humility and obedience,
and growth in power to do good.
May it be my strong defense
against all my enemies,
visible and invisible,
and the perfect calming
of all my evil impulses,
bodily and spiritual.
May it unite me more closely to You,
the one true God
and lead me safely through death
to everlasting happiness with You.
And I pray that You will lead me,
a sinner to the banquet
where You with Your Son and Holy Spirit,
are true and perfect light,
total fulfillment,
everlasting joy,
gladness without end,
and perfect happiness to Your saints.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen I thank YOU- prayer after holy comm st thomas aquinas - 31 march 2019.jpg

QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 24 March – Jesus, Our Daily Sacrifice

Posted on March 24, 2019March 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 24 March – The Third Sunday of Lent, Year C

Jesus, Our Daily Sacrifice
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Our Lord not only offered Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross but He makes Himself a perpetual, a daily Sacrifice, to the end of time.

In the Holy Mass, that One Sacrifice on the Cross once offered is renewed, continued, applied to our benefit.

He seems to say,
“My Cross was raised up 2000 years ago and only for a few hours – and very few of My servants were present there – but I intend to bring millions into My Church. For their sakes, then, I will perpetuate My Sacrifice, that each of them may be as though they had severally been present on Calvary.

I will offer Myself up day by day to the Father, that everyone of My followers may have the opportunity to offer his petitions to Him, sanctified and recommended by the all-meritorious virtue of My Passion.

Thus, I will be a Priest forever, after the order of Melchisedech – My priests shall stand at the altar – but not they but rather I, will offer. I will not let them offer mere bread and wine but I Myself will be present upon the altar instead and I will offer up Myself invisibly, while they perform the outward rite.”

jesus our daily sacrifice bl john henry newman 24 march 2019 sun reflection.jpg

Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 24 March – How Great is Your Goodness, Lord

Posted on March 24, 2019March 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 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.
Amen how great is your goodness lord archbishop baldwin of canterbury 24 march 2019 prayer before holy communion.jpg

Archbishop Alban GOODIER SJ, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 17 March – The Mystery of Love

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

Sunday Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

The Mystery of Love

By Archbishop Alban Goodier SJ (1869-1939)

You loved me from all eternity,
therefore, You created me.
You loved me, after You had made me,
therefore, You became man for me.
You loved me, after You became man for me,
therefore, You lived and died for me.
You loved me, after You had died for me,
therefore, You rose again for me.
You loved me, after You had risen for me,
therefore, You went to prepare a place for me.
You loved me, after You had gone to prepare a place for me,
therefore, You came back to me.
You loved me, after You came back to me,
therefore, You desired to enter into me
and be united to me.
This is the meaning of the Blessed Sacrament,
The Mystery of Love!

The mystery of love - sun reflec 17 march 2019 - archbishop alban goodier.jpg

LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 17 March – The Food for Service

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

Our Morning Offering – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

The Food for Service
St Pope John XXIII

O Jesus,
present in the Sacrament of the Altar
teach all nations to serve You
with willing hearts,
knowing that to serve God,
is to reign.
May Your Sacrament, O Jesus,
be light to the mind,
strength to the will,
joy to the heart.
May it be the support of the weak,
the comfort of the suffering,
the wayfaring bread of salvation
for the dying
and for all,
the pledge of future glory.
Amen the food for service by st pope john XXIII 17 march 2019

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Thomas a Kempis, Uncategorized

Sunday Reflection – 10 March – “What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist? – St John Vianney

Posted on March 10, 2019March 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 10 March – The First Sunday of Lent

“What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist?

It is God, who, as our Saviour, offers Himself each day for us to His Father’s justice.

If you are in difficulties and sorrows, He will comfort and relieve you.
If you are sick, He will either cure you or give you strength to suffer, so as to merit Heaven.
If the devil, the world and the flesh are making war upon you, He will give you the weapons with which to fight, to resist and to win the victory.
If you are poor, he will enrich you with all sorts of riches for time and for eternity.
Let us open the door of His Sacred and Adorable Heart and be wrapped about for an instant, by the flames of His love and we shall see, what a God who loves us, can do.
O my God, who shall be able to comprehend?”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

what does jesus christ do in the eucharist - st john vianney - sun reflection 10 march 2019

DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 10 March – St Anselm – Prayer before Holy Communion

Posted on March 10, 2019April 21, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 March – The First Sunday of Lent

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

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

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Uncategorized

Sunday Reflection – 24 February -Your Intention at Holy Communion

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

“When you go to Holy Communion, you must always have an intention and say, when you are on the point of receiving our Lord’s Body:

“O my good Father, who art in heaven,
I offer You, at this moment,
Thy dear Son, as He was taken down from the Cross
and laid in the arms of the Blessed Virgin
and offered by her to You, as a sacrifice for us.
I offer Him to You, by the hands of Mary
to obtain ‘such-and-such a grace – faith, charity, humilty….’

My children, mark this well – whenever I obtained a grace, I asked it in this way and it has never failed!”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

DOMINICAN OP, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 24 February – Grant me, O my God

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward You;
let me burn with zeal for Your honour,
so that I may resent terribly all the outrages
committed against You, especially those
of which I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may adore
and acknowledge You humbly, as my Creator
and that, penetrated with gratitude
for all Your benefits,
I may never cease to render You thanks.
Grant that I may bless You in all things,
praise and glorify You
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and that, obeying You with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Your table
together with Your Holy Angels and Apostles
to enjoy ineffable delights.
Amen good-jesus-let-me-be-penetrated-with-love-st-vincent-ferrer no 2 -24 feb-2019.jpg

MINI SERIES, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Mini Series – THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH – First Precept

Posted on February 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Mini Series – THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH

These “precepts” are the most important laws of the Catholic Church. They are meant for each of us. Through her precepts the Church, our loving Mother and teacher, puts before our minds the minimum participation which is necessary to maintain our Catholic identity.

Recalling Our Lord’s words that the wise man “built his house upon the rock” (Matt 7:24), we can ask ourselves this Lent how far we are built on the rock of Christ, who is present in his Church and active in her life-giving sacraments, how firmly rooted we are in the community of faith which is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-13).

The Precepts of the Church are to be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) Nos. 2042-2043.

First Precept:

“You shall attend Mass on Sundays

and Holy Days of Obligation and Rest from Servile Labour.”

From the earliest times the Christians celebrated the Eucharist on the Day of the Lord’s resurrection (see Acts 20:7). It is no surprise that the vision of St John in the book of Revelation, a vision deeply linked to the Christian liturgy, occurred “on the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10).

St Justin Martyr (100-165), one of the first Church Fathers, wrote in about 150 AD: “on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place …”.

He goes on to explain the reading of the Scriptures and the consecration of the bread and wine and concludes: “Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God … made the world and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead.” Christians understood that, now, the Old Testament commandant to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8) applied to Sunday rather than the Jewish Saturday.

It was also clear to Christians that, developing the tradition of the Jews, the Christian sabbath calls for rest from our usual occupations, “to abstain from those labours and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord’s Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body.” (Code of Canon Law 1247).

The Catechism challenges us also when it adds: “Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week.” (CCC 2186)
Sunday is rightly a time for recreation, yet a Catholic must prioritise the Sunday Mass for the simple reason that God himself must be given first place.

The precept to be present at Mass on Sundays (or Saturday evening) is non-negotiable for Catholics – it is a “grave” obligation (CCC 2181). If it happens that we fail to observe it through negligence or without a serious reason, we should confess it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Holy Communion again.
If, on the other hand, we did have a sufficient reason not to be present, for instance we were ill, had to stay at home to look after young children, or were a great distance from a church, or have no choice but to work on Sunday during Mass, then we’re not obliged BUT let us not ‘look for excuses’ and let us choose our work carefully and do all we can to make it known to our employers that we only need ONE HOUR per week – could we perhaps EXCHANGE our lunch- or off-times for this ONE HOLY HOUR ON SUNDAYS?!

We must further attend Mass on holy days of obligation that usually fall during the week, such as Christmas Day.

The precepts of Church are not regulations trying to catch us out but crucial reminders of what it means to be a Christian. Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical letter on the Lord’s Day, wrote:

“Sunday is a day which is at the very heart of the Christian life. From the beginning of my Pontificate, I have not ceased to repeat – ‘Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!’.

In the same way, today I would strongly urge everyone to rediscover Sunday –

Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ! Yes, let us open our time to Christ, that He may cast light upon it and give it direction. …

Time given to Christ is never time lost but is rather time gained, so that our relationships and indeed our whole life may become more profoundly human.”

(Dies Domini 7)

time given to christ is never time lost but rather it is time gained - st john paul - 18 feb 2019 first precept.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 17 February “As many as touched him were healed”

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

Sunday Reflection – 17 February -“As many as touched him were healed”-Mark 6:56

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (380-444)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Even for restoring the dead to life the Saviour did not stop at acting by word alone, though it was the bearer of divine commands. For such a surpassing work He took his own flesh as His assistant – if one might put it that way – that He might show, that it has the power to give life and that He might cause it to be seen, that it is entirely one with Him. For it is indeed His very own flesh and not an alien body.

This is what happened when He restored life to the synagogue leader’s daughter, saying to her: “My child, arise!” (Mk 5:41). He took her by the hand, as it is written. As God, He gave her back her life by His all-powerful command and animated her also by contact with His holy flesh. Thus, He bore witness that, in flesh as in His word, one and the same divine energy was at work. In the same way, too, when He came to a town called Nain where the widow’s only son was being buried, He touched the coffin, saying: “Young man, I tell you, arise!” (Lk 7:14).

Thus He not only conferred to His word, the power to raise the dead but He even touched the dead, to show that His body is life-giving and, through His flesh, He caused life to pass into their corpses. 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.

Commentary on the Gospel of John, ch. 4

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Quote of the Day – 17 February – Every Eucharist is a “Mass on the world.”

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

Quote of the Day – 17 February – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Every Eucharist is a “Mass on the world.”

Beyond the daily life of the believer, the Eucharist extends its action to the whole cosmos.
As Teilhard de Chardin wrote:
“When He (Christ) says through the priest “This is my body”, His words go well beyond the piece of bread over which they are pronounced: they effect the birth of the whole Mystical Body.
Beyond the transubstantiated Host, the priestly action extends to the cosmos itself.”

Every Eucharist is a “Mass on the world.”

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM
Preacher to the Papal Household

(“This is My Body”)

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

One Minute Reflection – 17 February – Blessed are you!

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

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

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

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

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

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

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 17 February – Suscipe Sancte Pater

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

Our Morning Offering – 17 February – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Suscipe Sancte Pater
1903 Mass Ordinary by Solesmes Abbey

All that we have, O Lord,
comes from You
and belongs to You.
It is just, therefore,
that we return it to You.
But how wonderful are You
in the inventions
of Your immense love!
This bread, which we are offering
to You, is to give place,
in a few moments,
to the Sacred Body of Jesus.
We beseech You, receive, together
with this oblation,
our hearts, which long to live
by You
and to cease to live
their own life of self!
Amen suscipe sancte pater - 17 feb 2019 sun 6C.jpg

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PAPAL MESSAGES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 16 February – May we all become Sacramentini!

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

Thought for the Day – 16 February – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Allamano (1851–1926) – Founder of the Consolata Missionaries and Consolata Missionary Sisters and of World Mission Sunday

20 October 2019 will mark the 93rd World Mission Sunday and this year, the Holy Father has proclaimed October as as ‘Extraordinary Missionary Month’ to be marked and celebrated in the whole Church throughout the world and entrusted the mission of the Church in the world especially to St Pope John Paul II, as Pope Francis made the announcement he said – “On the day of the liturgical memory of Saint John Paul II, missionary Pope, we entrust to his intercession the mission of the Church in the world.’

The first World Mission Day was celebrated in October 1926, eight months after the death of Blessed Joseph Allamano. This is not a simple coincidence because Joseph Allamano dedicated a great deal of his time and influence during the last years of his life, to the effort of creating awareness in the Church, about the need for a World Mission Day to be celebrated once a year by all Catholics.

This was in line with his vision that Missions and missionary work were the duty of every baptised believer, each one according to his abilities and possibilities but none exempted. Allamano did not see here on earth the fulfilment of his efforts for the creation of this day of prayer and commitment but witnessed it from heaven.

He can be compared to Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622), a saint he especially admired and proposed as Patron to his Missionaries, who in his time insisted tirelessly on the need to create in Rome a Congregation for the Evangelisation of the Peoples and died a martyr of the faith in April 1622, three months before the creation of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide (for the Propagation of the Faith).

For Allamano it was not simply a question of awakening the missionary zeal in others, he always looked at his faith, whatever the circumstances, as a faith to be shared with the entire world. He would subscribe especially to the Pope Benedict’s message statement that “every Christian community is born missionary and it is exactly on the basis of the courage to evangelise that the love of believers for their Lord is measured”. (Pope Benedict’s Message 2001 – To All the Churches of the World)

The sources of Joseph’s personal tenderness for all, for the whole world, were Our Lady Consolata and the Eucharist. The love towards our Mother Mary and the Eucharist made him speak words belonging uniquely to him. He became progressive resulting in marked changes in his attitude and behaviour . It was a life shaped by Mary and Jesus. Familiar to us, the sons and daughters of Allamano, are these very words, ‘First Saints and then Missionaries.’

For sure, Blessed Allamano was an excellent father in human relationships. Who was the source of his inspiration and wisdom? Indeed, it is only from the Eucharist that Joseph Allamano found God in His essence, the pure love. Therefore, Allamano became a witness of the pure love, Jesus. Ultimately, he was inspired to send missionaries to be ‘SACRAMENTINI’ as he would say. He sent them to ‘love the Eucharist’.

My prayer, is that Blessed Joseph Allamano, priest and missionary for the entire world, may bless all our parish communities and all the Catholics of the world, that our zeal and determination may be increased, to make our treasure, the Gospel and the Holy Eucharist, our Lord and Saviour, available to all.

May we all become Sacramentini! Amen

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – St Claude & Blessed Michal

Posted on February 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – the Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682) Apostle of the Sacred Heart and Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975) Apostle of Divine Mercy

“Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others.
Other people will glorify You, by making visible the power of Your grace,
by their fidelity and constancy to You.
For my part I will glorify You,
by making known how good You are to sinners,
that Your mercy is boundless
and that no sinner, no matter how great his offences,
should have reason to despair of pardon.
If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer,
let me not offend You even more,
by thinking that You are not kind enough to pardon me.”

“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!”

“When the Holy Spirit is in a soul,
He communicates Himself
in one way or another.
We can say,
that He makes virtue contagious
and turns a simple faithful
into an apostle!”

St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)

“Prayer is necessary to receive the help of God,
as grain is needed to harvest … a humble and trustful prayer,
for what is necessary for salvation,
is never lost.
It is heard at least by the fact,
that it begs for the grace,
to abide in prayer.”

“The decisive factor in obtaining God’s Mercy is trust.
Trust is the expectation of someone’s help.
It does not constitute a separate virtue
but is an essential condition of the virtue of hope
and an integral part of the virtues of fortitude and generosity.
Because trust springs from faith,
it strengthens hope and love
and is, moreover, linked up, in one way or another,
with the moral virtues.
It may, therefore, be called the basis on which,
the theological virtues unite with the moral.
The moral virtues, originally natural,
become supernatural,
if we practice them with trust in God’s help.”

Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

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One Minute Reflection – 15 February – Nothing else, than the body that proved itself superior to death and became the source of our life.

Posted on February 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 February – Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s First Reading: Genesis 3:1-8 and the Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682) Apostle of the Sacred Heart and Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975) Apostle of Divine Mercy

“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her and he ate it.”...Genesis 3:6

REFLECTION – “Those who have been tricked into taking poison, offset its harmful effect, by another drug. The remedy, moreover, just like the poison, has to enter the system, so that its remedial effect, may thereby spread through the whole body. Similarly, having tasted the poison, that is the fruit, that dissolved our nature, we were necessarily in need of something to reunite it. Such a remedy had to enter into us, so that it might by its counteraction, undo the harm the body had already encountered from the poison. And what is this remedy? Nothing else, than the body that proved itself superior to death and became the source of our life.”…St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–c395) Father of the Church (Catechetical Oration, 27)

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, Your great mercy, gave us Your Son! Surely nothing can be a greater proof to us of Your unending love and mercy to Your lowly creatures, we who are dust. Through Him, who died and rose for us, You have shown us the way of true mercy. Grant us this day that by the intercession of St Claude and Blessed Michal, we may take up our crosses with Him, never leaving the love of His Sacred Heart, so that we may join Your holy saints in eternal life. Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

bl michal sopocka pray for us - apostle of divine mercy 15 feb 2019.jpg

SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, VATICAN Documents

Sunday Reflection – 10 February – On the use of this admirable Sacrament

Posted on February 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 10 February – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent
Session the Thirteenth

Being the third under the Sovereign Pontiff Julius III., celebrated on the eleventh day of October, 1551.

CONCERNING THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
Chapter VIII

On the use of this admirable Sacrament

…Finally this holy Synod with true fatherly affection admonishes, exhorts, begs and beseeches, through the bowels of the mercy of our God, that all and each of those who bear the Christian name would now at length agree and be of one mind in this sign of unity, in this bond of charity, in this symbol of concord and that, mindful of the so great majesty and the so exceeding love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His own beloved soul as the price of our salvation and gave us His own flesh to eat, they would believe and venerate these sacred mysteries of His body and blood with such constancy and firmness of faith, with such devotion of soul, with such piety and worship as to be able frequently to receive that supersubstantial bread and that it may be to them truly the life of the soul and the perpetual health of their mind, that being invigorated by the strength thereof, they may, after the journeying of this miserable pilgrimage, be able to arrive at their heavenly country, there to eat, without any veil, that same bread of angels which they now eat under the sacred veils. the so exceeding love - council of trent - sun refl 10 feb 2019 sun 5C

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Our Morning Offering – 10 February – Consecration to Our Lady of the Eucharist After Holy Communion

Posted on February 10, 2019February 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 February – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Consecration to Our Lady of the Eucharist
After Holy Communion

Mary is called Our Lady of the Eucharist, because
without her, there would be no physical Body of Jesus
to be present in the Eucharist. (See John 6:51)

Prayer by the Claretian Fathers Teaching Ministry

Most kind Mother,
we consecrate to you our bodies,
which have just been
honoured and sanctified
by the presence of your Divine Son,
our souls which have
conversed with Him
and our hearts which have loved Him.
O dearest Mother,
may the words which we have spoken, be made
acceptable to Him. through your intercession.
Tell Him the things which we should have said
but were unable to express.
Love Him and beseech Him for us,
your poor children.
Receive and keep us in your heart.
Warn us, protect us
and guide us during this day,
that we may faithfully serve your Divine Son
and please him
in all our thoughts, desires and actions.
Amen consecration to our lady of the eucharist after holy comm - 10 feb 2019 sun 5C.jpg

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One Minute Reflection – 5 February …”I say to you, arise.”… Mark 5:41

Posted on February 5, 2019June 10, 2022 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 February – Tuesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Mark 5:21–43 and The Memorial of St Agatha (c 231- c 251)

…”I say to you, arise.”… Mark 5:41

mark 5 41 - i say to you arise - jairus' daughter - 5 feb 2019

REFLECTION – ““He took the child by the hand and said to her: ‘Talitha koum’, which means, ‘Little girl…arise.’” “Since you have been born again, you are to be called ‘little girl’. Little girl, arise for my sake – your healing does not come from you.” “And immediately the little girl arose and walked around.” May Jesus touch us, too and at once we shall walk. We may well be paralysed, our deeds may be evil and we may be unable to walk, we may be lying on the bed of our sins… but if Jesus touches us, then we shall immediately be healed. Peter’s mother-in-law was suffering with fever – Jesus touched her hand and she arose and immediately served Him (Mk 1:31)…

“They were utterly astounded and he gave them strict orders that no one should know this.” Do you see now why He put the people out when He was going to work a miracle? He ordered and not just ordered but strictly ordered, that no one should know of this. He ordered the three apostles and He ordered the parents, too, that no one should know. Our Lord ordered them all but the little girl herself, she who had stood up, could not be silent.

“And he said she should be given something to eat” – so that her resurrection might not be thought to be a ghostly apparition. And He Himself, after His resurrection, ate fish and a piece of honeycomb (Lk 24:42)… Lord, I beseech you, touch our hands as we, too, lie prostrate. Make us rise from our bed of sins and enable us to walk. And when we have walked, make them give us something to eat. We cannot eat when we are lying down- unless we are standing, we shall not be able to receive the Body of Christ.”…St Jerome (347-420) – Father & Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Increase in us, O Lord, the gift of faith, so that we may arise and offer our praise to You and by Your grace, yield fruit from heaven, for the glory of Your Kingdom. Lord God, let St Agatha, who became precious in Your sight through her pure life and valiant martyrdom, plead for our forgiveness. For, with joy and rejoicing, as though to a feast, St Agatha, went to prison and offered her sufferings to You, with many prayers. Through Jesus Christ, Your divine Son, in unity with the Spirit, one God forever. St Agatha, pray for us, amen.

CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Uncategorized

Sunday Reflection – 3 February – “May we be Worthy” – St Cyprian of Carthage

Posted on February 3, 2019February 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 3 February – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

“May we be Worthy”

“He [Paul] threatens, moreover, the stubborn and forward and denounces them, saying, ‘Whosoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27].

All these warnings being scorned and contemned—[lapsed Christians will often take Communion] before their sin is expiated, before confession has been made of their crime, before their conscience has been purged by sacrifice and by the hand of the priest, before the offence of an angry and threatening Lord has been appeased, [and so] violence is done to His body and blood and they sin now, against their Lord, more with their hand and mouth than when they denied their Lord”

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church
(The Lapsed 15–16 [written in 251])

DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 3 February – The Bread of Angels

Posted on February 3, 2019February 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 February – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Bread of Angels
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus,
my inmost soul with the most joyous
and healthful wound of Your love,
and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity,
that my soul may ever languish and melt
with entire love and longing for You,
may yearn for You and for Your courts,
may long to be dissolved and to be with You.
Grant that my soul may hunger after You,
the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls,
our daily and supersubstantial bread,
having all sweetness and savour
and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon You,
Whom the angels desire to look upon,
and may my inmost soul
be filled with the sweetness of Your savour;
may it ever thirst for You,
the fountain of life,
the fountain of widsom and knowledge,
the fountain of eternal light,
the torrent of pleasure,
the fulness of the house of God;
may it ever compass You,
seek You, find You, run to You,
come up to You, meditate on You, speak of You
and do all for the praise and glory of Your name,
with humility and discretion,
with love and delight,
with ease and affection,
with perseverence to the end
and be You alone ever my hope,
my entire confidence, my riches, my delight,
my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility,
my peace, my sweetness, my food, my refreshment,
my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion,
my possession, my treasure;
in Whom may my mind and my heart
be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably.
Amen the bread of angels - st bonaventure - 3 feb 2019.jpg

ArchAngels and Angels, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 31 January -The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Posted on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 31 January -The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)

“Do not try to excuse your faults,
try to correct them.”

“Fly from bad companions
as from the bite
of a poisonous snake.”

“Act today in such a way,
that you need not blush
tomorrow.”

“We do not go
to Holy Communion
because we are good,
we go to become good.”

“Ask the Blessed Virgin for the grace
to receive Communion frequently and worthily…
Try to imagine that the Blessed Virgin, herself,
will give you the Sacred Host.
No-one would dare strike at the Heart of Jesus
while He is in Mary’s hands.”

“Be good. This will make your angel happy.
When sorrows and misfortunes, physical or spiritual,
afflict you, turn to your guardian angel
with strong trust and he will help you.”

“Ask your angel
to console and assist you,
in your last moments.”

“Be ever more convinced that,
your guardian angel is really present,
that he is ever at your side.
St Frances of Rome always saw him
standing before her,
his arms clasped at his breast,
his eyes uplifted to Heaven –
but at the slightest failing,
he would cover his face as if in shame
and at times,
turn his back to her!”

“Serve the Lord joyfully!”
“Servite Domino in laetitia!”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

and more here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/quote-s-of-the-day-31-january-the-memorial-of-st-john-bosco-1815-1888/

MORNING Prayers, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 27 January – The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C- Christ is present to His Church

Posted on January 27, 2019January 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 January – The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Luke 4:14–21

Christ is present to His Church

Second Vatican Council

An excerpt from Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7-8.

Christ is always present to His Church, especially in the actions of the liturgy. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, in the person of the minister (it is the same Christ who formerly offered Himself on the cross that now offers by the ministry of priests) and most of all under the eucharistic species. He is present in the sacraments by His power, in such a way, that when someone baptises, Christ Himself baptises. He is present in His word, for it is He Himself who speaks, when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Finally, He is present when the Church prays and sings, for He Himself promised: Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.

Indeed, in this great work which gives perfect glory to God and brings holiness to men, Christ is always joining in partnership with Himself, His beloved Bride, the Church, which calls upon its Lord and through Him gives worship to the eternal Father.

It is, therefore, right to see the liturgy as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, in which through signs addressed to the senses, man’s sanctification is signified and, in a way proper to each of these signs, made effective and in which public worship is celebrated in its fullness, by the mystical body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the head and by His members.

Accordingly, every liturgical celebration, as an activity of Christ the priest and of His body, which is the Church, is a sacred action of a pre-eminent kind. No other action of the Church equals its title, to power or its degree, of effectiveness.

In the liturgy on earth we are given a foretaste and share in the liturgy of heaven, celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, the goal of our pilgrimage, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, as minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With the whole company of heaven we sing a hymn of praise to the Lord, as we reverence the memory of the saints, we hope to have some part with them and to share in their fellowship, we wait for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, who is our life, appears and we appear with Him in glory.

By an apostolic tradition taking its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day, the day that is rightly called the Lord’s day. On Sunday, the Christian faithful ought to gather together, so that by listening to the word of God and sharing in the Eucharist they may recall the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God who has given them a new birth with a lively hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Lord’s day is therefore the first and greatest festival, one to be set before the loving devotion of the faithful and impressed upon it, so that it may be also, a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other celebrations must not take precedence over it, unless they are truly of the greatest importance, since it is the foundation and the kernel of the whole liturgical year. the lord's day - sacrosanctum concilium 7-8 vat II.jpg

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 27 January – Honour Jesus Truth, Way and Life at Mass

Posted on January 27, 2019January 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 27 January – The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – First Reading: Nehemiah 8:8–10

“Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine…” Nehemiah 8:10

“For it is a holy day of the Lord for us when we take pains to hear and carry out His words. On this day it is proper that, however much outwardly we have endured the obstacles of tribulations, we should be “rejoicing in hope,” in keeping with the apostle’s saying: “As if sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” On this day we are also commanded to eat fat food and drink sweet drink, that is, to rejoice over the abundance of good action bestowed on us by God and over the very sweetness of hearing God’s Word” ., St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father & Doctor (On Ezra and Nehemiah, 3.)

By Blessed James Alberione (1884-1971) (Founder of the Pauline Family)

Honour Jesus Truth, Way and Life at Mass

The Eucharistic Celebration is the centre and principal act of worship….
There are many methods for participating in the Mass.
A suggestion:
a) From the beginning to the Gospel,
honour Jesus Truth
by meditating and applying the sacred doctrine, especially the Epistle and the Gospel.
b) From the Gospel to the “Our Father,”
honour Jesus, Way to the Father, especially in the Passion and prayer.
c) From the “Our Father” to the end,
honour Jesus, Life of the soul,
by receiving Communion and its sanctifying and healing grace.

Then Live a Eucharistic Day

It is a good practice to make the Host the day’s foundation.
This means making the day Eucharistic.
Spend the morning [after Mass] in thanksgiving,
displaying the fruits of a holy joy,
working “through Him, with Him and in Him,”
to the glory of the most Blessed Trinity.
From midday to the following morning
start your preparation by offering, sanctifying and carrying out your various duties
with your heart in tune with the Dweller in the tabernacle. live a eucharistic day 27 jan 2019 - bl james alberione.jpg

	Santo Maksiminus dar… on Saint of the Day – 29 May – St…
	Santas e Santos do d… on Saint of the Day – 11 Ma…
	Santa Maria Magdalen… on Saint of the Day – 25 Ma…
	Santo Paus Gregorius… on Saint of the Day – 25 Ma…
	Santo Venerabilis Be… on Saint of the Day – 25 Ma…

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St Pio of Pietrelcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)

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“The Joy of the Eucharist, all through Life!”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

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St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church “Father of the Fathers”

St Luigi Guanella (1842-1915)

C S Lewis (1898-1963)

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Jesus, Our Daily Sacrifice Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

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The Mystery of Love

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St John Vianney (1786-1859)

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St John Vianney (1786-1859)

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First Precept:

“You shall attend Mass on Sundays

and Holy Days of Obligation and Rest from Servile Labour.”

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Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM Preacher to the Papal Household

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May we all become Sacramentini! Amen

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St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)

Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

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On the use of this admirable Sacrament

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“May we be Worthy”

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St John Bosco (1815-1888)

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Christ is present to His Church

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St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“Father of the Fathers”

Jesus, Our Daily Sacrifice
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa OFM
Preacher to the Papal Household