Category: The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 February – St Cyril of Alexandria

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 February – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) “The Pillar of Faith” “Doctor of the Incarnation,” Bishop,Confessor, Father and Doctor, of the Church

“Indeed, the Mystery of Christ
runs the risk of being disbelieved,
precisely because, it is so incredibly wonderful!”

“He who abides in Me and I in Him,
the same bears much fruit”

John 5:5

“We are preserved in being, if we grow onto Him
and cling fast to the holy commandment,
which has been handed down to us
and, if we are eager to keep the blessing of nobility,
that is to say, if we never consent, in any way,
to “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Eph 4:30),
Who has come to dwell in us and, through Whom,
we believe, God has made His home in us. …
For just as the vine-stock supplies and distributes,
the virtue of its own inherent natural quality to the shoots,
so, too, the Only-Begotten Word of God,
implants, in His people, a sort of affinity
with His own nature and that of the Father.
By the gift of the Spirit, they are united with Him
by every kind of holiness.
He nourishes them, so that they become devout
and He moves them to knowledge of all virtue
and good works.”

“… [The Kingdom of God] … is within you.
That is, it depends on your own wills
and is in your own power,
whether or not you receive it.
Everyone, that has attained
to justification, by means of faith in Christ
and decorated by every virtue,
is counted worthy,
of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“He says that these temptations must come.
Is this then because God, Who governs all,
forces people to their commission of sin?
Away with the thought!
Nothing that is evil comes from Him.
He is the fountain of all virtue.
Why then must this happen?
They clearly happen because of our infirmity,
for all of us stumble in many things,
as it is written.
Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe
to the person who lays the stumbling blocks
in the way.
He does not leave indifference in these things
without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment.
He still commands us to bear with patience
“ those who cause sins to happen.”

“We must note, therefore,
that he who does things pleasing to God,
serves Christ but he who follows his own wishes,
is a follower, rather of himself and not of God!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-february-st-cyril-of-alexandria/

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SPEAKING of ....., The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 February – ‘ … He weighs the heart and not the substance …’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 February – St Romuald (c951-1027) Abbo – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “No-one should say to himself, even when he regards others who have left a great deal behind: “I want to imitate those who despise this world but I have nothing to leave behind.” You leave a great deal behind, my friends, if you renounce your desires. Our external possessions, no matter how small, are enough for the Lord, He weighs the heart and not the substance and does not measure the amount we sacrifice for Him but the effort with which we bring it…. The Kingdom of God has no assessment value put on it but it is worth everything you have… To Peter and Andrew it was worth the nets and boat they gave up; to the widow it was worth two small coins (Lk 21:2); to another person it was worth a cup of cold water (Mt 10:42). The Kingdom of God, as I said, is worth everything you have. Think about it, my friends, what has less value when you purchase it, what is more precious when you possess it?

But perhaps a cup of cold water offered to someone who needs it, is not enough, even then the Word of God gives us assurance…: “Peace on earth to men of goodwill!” (Lk 2:4). In the sight of God, no hand is ever empty of a gift, if the deep places of the heart are filled with goodwill… Although I have no gifts to offer outwardly, yet I find within myself something to place on the Altar of Thou praise…: Thou art better pleased with an offering of our heart! (cf. Ps 55:13).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospel no 5).

PRAYER – May the intercession of the Blessed Abbot Romuald, commend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that what we do not deserve by any merits of our own, we may obtain by his patronage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 February – “If it dies, it produces much fruit” – John 12:24

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One Minute Reflection – 1 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinitys” – St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Martyr, Bishop of Antioch, Apostolic Father of the Church. – Romans 8:35-39, John 12:24-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“If it dies, it produces much fruit” – John 12:24

REFLECTION – “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet, when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” (Mt 13:31). This small seed is for us the symbol of Jesus Christ, Who, sowed into the garden where He was buried, rose from it shortly after, through His Resurrection, as a big tree.

One could say that when He died, He was like a small seed – a small seed because of the humiliation of His flesh but a big tree because of the glorification of His Majesty. He was like a small seed when he appeared completely disfigured before our eyes but like a large tree when He rose again like “the most handsome of men” (Ps 44:3).

The branches of this mysterious tree, are the holy preachers of the Gospel, of whom one of the Psalms indicates the reach: “Their report goes forth throughout all the earth, their message, to the ends of the world “ (Ps 19:5; cf Rom 10:18). The birds rest on these branches while the souls of the just, who have been raised up above earth’s attractions, on the wings of holiness, find in the words of these preachers of the Gospel, the consolation they need in the sorrows and difficulties of this life.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on Matthew, Ch.13).

PRAYER – Be mindful of our weakness, O aAmighty God and since the burden of our deeds is grievous to us, grant that the glorious intercession of blessed Ignatius Thy Martyr and Bishop, may protect us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAMB of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – St Macarius of Egypt

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – The Memorial of St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390) Priest, Abbot, Hermit, Father

“The heart itself is only a small vessel,
yet dragons are there and lions,
there are poisonous beasts
and all the treasures of evil,
there are rough and uneven roads,
there are precipices
but there too is God and the Angels,
life is there and the Kingdom,
there too is light and there, the Apostles
and heavenly cities
and treasures of grace.
All things lie within that little space!”

Prayer for Mercy
and Forgiveness
By St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390)

Lord, be merciful now
that my life is approaching its end
and the evening awaits me.
There is not enough time
for me to cleanse myself of my sins,
for they are so many.
Heal me while I am still on earth
and I shall be truly healthy.
In Thy mercy,
move me to repent,
so that I shall not be ashamed,
when I meet Thee in Heaven.
Amen

“Then go and learn,
neither to be moved with injuries nor flatteries.
If you die to the world and to yourself,
you will begin to live to Christ.”

“The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:5

“ … The Lord calls on us to rest,
telling us: “Come to me, all you who labour
and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28)
And He gives rest to all souls who trust Him
and come to Him,
by delivering them from painful,
oppressive and impure thoughts.
Then they completely stop indulging in evil,
celebrating a true, a delightful and holy Sabbath,
a feast of the Spirit in inexpressible joy
and rejoicing.
They offer a pure and acceptable worship to God,
coming from a pure heart.
That is the true and holy Sabbath.”

“And as soon as He sees you seek Him fervently,
He will make Himself known to you.
He will appear to you, grant you His help,
bestow the victory on you
and save you from your enemies.
In fact, when He sees how you are looking for Him,
how you continually place all your hope in Him,
then He will instruct you,
teach you true prayer,
give you that authentic charity that is Himself.
Then, He will become everything to you:
your Paradise, Life-giving Tree,
Precious Pearl, Crown, Architect, Farmer,
One subject to suffering
but not afflicted with suffering,
Man, God, Wine, Living Water,
Lamb, Bridegroom, Soldier, Armour,
Christ Who is “All in All” (1Cor 1B,28).

St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390)

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 January – Could such a One as this, be King?

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One Minute Reflection – 11 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Within the Octave of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary, His Mother and falling down, they adored Him …” – Matthew 2:11

REFLECTION – “God’s intention was not only to come down to earth but to become known there; not only to be born but to be recognised. In fact, it is with this recognition in mind that we hold this celebration of the Epiphany, the great day of His manifestation. For it was today that the Magi came from the East in search of the Sun of Justice at its rising (Mal 3,20), He of Whom we read: “Behold a Man whose name is the Orient,” (Zec 6,12 Vul.). Today they have adored the Virgin’s newborn Child, following the guidance of a New Star. What great cause for joy do we not find here, my brethren, as also in those words of the Apostle Paul: “The kindness and generous love of God our Saviour have appeared,” (Tit 3,4)…

What is this you are doing, you Magi? What is this you are doing? Are you adoring an Infant at the breast in a wretched hovel, wrapped in miserable rags? Can a Child such as this really be God? Yet, “The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in Heaven.” (Ps 11:4) while you are looking for Him in a common stable, held in His Mother’s arms! Whatever are you doing? Why are you offering Him gold? Could such a One as this be King? Where, then, is His Royal Court, His Throne, His crowd of courtiers? Can a stable be a palace, a crib a throne, Mary and Joseph members of His Court? How on earth could wise men be so foolish as to adore a Baby, as contemptible by reason of His age, as for the poverty of His Family?

Mad? Yes, they have become so in order to be wise. The Holy Spirit has taught them already what the Apostle Paul would later proclaim: “Whoever would be wise, let him become a fool. For since the world, in all its wisdom, did not come to know God in His Wisdom, it has pleased God to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the Gospel we proclaim, (cf 1 Cor 1:21)… And so, they prostrate themselves before this poor Child; they do Him homage as to a King; they adore Him as a God. He Who outwardly guided them by a Star, has cast His Light into the interior of their hearts!” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, Father and Doctor of the Church (1st Sermon for the Epiphany).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who by the guidance of a star this day revealed Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may come to behold Thee in glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Holy Family PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Our Morning Offering – 9 January – Adveniat Regnum Tuum! Thy Kingdom Come!

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Our Morning Offering – 9 January – The Holy Family – Within the Octave of Epiphany

Adveniat Regnum Tuum!
Thy Kingdom Come!
By Katharine Tynan (1861-1931)

Thy Kingdom come ! Yea, bid it come!
But when Thy Kingdom first began
On earth, Thy Kingdom was a home,
A Child, a woman and a man.

The Child was in the midst thereof,
O, Blessed Jesus, holiest One!
The Centre and the Fount of Love
Mary and Joseph’s little Son.

Wherever on the earth shall be
A child, a woman and a man,
Imaging that sweet trinity
Wherewith Thy Kingdom first began,

Establish there Thy kingdom! Yea,
And o’er that trinity of love
Send down, as in Thy appointed day,
The brooding Spirit of Thy Dove!

Katharine Tynan (1861-1931) was an Irish born Poet and Writer and a friend of the Jesuit Poet, Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins. She contributed to many periodicals and magazines such as the Jesuit published Studies, the Dominican published Irish Rosary, Irish Monthly, Hibernia and Dublin University Review, besides her own private publications.
After her marriage, the addition of her husband’s name, “Hinkson” is often appended to her publications.

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, ADVENT QUOTES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:31

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The First Sunday of Advent –– Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees,
when they produce their fruit
you know that summer is near.
So too, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.”

Luke 21:29-31

“The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure
hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy.
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“The only true riches are those
that make us rich in virtue.
Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved,
love true riches.
If you aspire to the heights of real honour,
strive to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you value rank and renown,
hasten to be enrolled
in the heavenly court of the Angels.”

St Pope Gregory III (Died 741)

“How long are we going to put off
obeying Christ, Who calls us
into His Heavenly Kingdom?
Are WE NOT going to purify ourselves?
WILL we NOT resolve to forsake
our customary way of life
to follow the Gospel radically?…
We claim to want the Kingdom of God
yet, without bothering,
to concern ourselves,
with the means of obtaining it?!
What is more, in the conceitedness
of our souls, without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s Commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward,
as those who have resisted sin,
to the death!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The soul must grow and expand
so as to be capable of God.
And its largeness is its love,
as the Apostle says,
“widen yourselves in love”
(2 Cor 6:13).
It grows and extends spiritually,
not in substance but in virtue.
The greatness of each soul is judged
by the measure of love that it has-
he who has great love, is great-
he who has little love is little,
while he who has no love at all –
is nothing!”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 November – When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. – Luke 21:31

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One Minute Reflection – 27 November – The First Sunday of Advent and the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal – Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees, when they produce their fruit you know that summer is near. So too, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.” – Luke 21:29-31

REFLECTION – “Look at the fig tree and all the trees, when they produce their fruit you know that summer is near. So too, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.” He means that just as the coming of summer is recognised by the fruit on the trees, so is the nearness of the Kingdom of God recognised by the destruction of the world. These words show that the fruit of the world is destruction – it increases only to fall, it produces, only to destroy by its disasters whatever it produces. The Kingdom of God is aptly compared to summer, because it is then that the clouds of our sorrow pass away and the days of life shine with the brightness of the Eternal Sun. …

“Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away.” Nothing among material realities is more lasting than the heavens and the earth and nothing among realities, passes away, as quickly as an utterance. … Therefore, the Lord declares: “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away.” He means: “Nothing that is lasting in your world lasts for eternity without change and everything that in Me, is perceived as passing away, is kept firm, without passing away. My utterance, which passes away, expresses thoughts that endure without change.” …

Therefore, my friends, do not love what you see cannot long exist. Keep in mind the Apostle John’s precept, in which he counsels us not “to love the world or the things in the world because, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn 2:15). – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospels no.1 (trans. © Cistercian Publications).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with You.. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 November – ‘For Christ is the treasure …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 November – St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) Widow, – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “It was Christ who was present to all those to whom, from the beginning, God communicated His Speech and Word. If anyone, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find in them, an expression of Christ and a foreshadowing of this new calling. For Christ is the treasure which was hidden in the field, that is, in this world (Mt 13:38) – a treasure hidden in the Scriptures, since it was alluded to by means of symbols and parables which, humanly speaking, could not be understood prior to the fulfilment of prophecy, that is to say, before the coming of the Lord. That is why it was said to Daniel the prophet: ” Keep secret the message and seal the book until the end of time ” (12:4) … And Jeremiah also says, “In the last days they shall understand these things.” (23:20) …

When read by Christians, the Law is a treasure, hidden beforehand in a field, but brought to light and interpreted by the Cross of Christ. It shows forth the Wisdom of God and makes known His intentions with regard to our salvation; it prefigures the Kingdom of Christ and preaches, by anticipation, the Good News of our inheritance of the holy Jerusalem. It proclaims beforehand, that those who love God shall advance even to hearing and seeing His Word and, that they will be glorified by this Word …

Thus it was, that the Lord explained the Scriptures to His disciples, after His Resurrection from the dead, proving to them, by their means, that “it was necessary the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Lk 24:26). So if anyone should likewise read the Scriptures, that person will become a perfect disciple, “like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom things both new and old.” (Mt 13:52). – St Irenaeus of Lyons ((130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Theologian – Against the Heresies, IV, 26 ; SC 100

PRAYER – O merciful God, enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and through the glorious prayers of blessed Elizabeth, make us look upon worldly prosperity as nought and ever rejoice in heavenly consolation. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 October – “My Kingdom is not of this world.” – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 30 October – Christ the King – Colossians 1:12-20. John 18:33-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Pilate, therefore, said to Him, Thou are then a King?” – John 18:37

REFLECTION – “What a stupendous thing it was for the King of the ages to become King of men! For Christ did not become King of Israel to exact tribute, to equip armies with swords, not subdue visible foes. He became King of Israel that He might rule over men’s souls, counsel them about eternity, that He might lead to the Kingdom of Heaven, those, who would believe in Him, hope in Him and love Him. Accordingly, it was not to increase His power–it was condescension on His part that made Him, the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, the Word by Whom all things were made–wish to become King of Israel. It was an indication of His mercy; it did not augment His power. He, Who on earth was called King of the Jews, in Heaven is called, Lord of the Angels. But is Christ King of the Jews only and not King of the Gentiles, too? When in prophecy He said, “But I have established My Kingdom upon Sion, My holy mountain. I will make known the decree of the Lord,” He added immediately, so that the mention of Mount Sion, might not lead men to believe He had been anointed King of the Jews, solely: “The Lord has said to Me – Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance and the ends of the earth, for Thy possessions.”

Jesus answered – “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought, that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But as it is, My Kingdom is not from here.” This is what the good Master wished us to know. First, we had to learn, how vain was the notion of His Kingdom that it should be hostile, either to the Romans or to the Jews. When the Roman governor asked Jesus “Art thou King of the Jews?” the Lord could have answered: “My kingdom is not of this world.” But Christ asked in His turn, ”Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others told thee of me?” because, He wished to show, from Pilate’s answer, that He, Jesus, had been charged with this, as a crime before Pilate, by the Jews. Thus He laid bare to us the thoughts of men, which He knew and which were vain. After the reply of Pilate, Jesus replied to them, to both Jews and Gentiles, more fittingly and more opportunely, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon on Christ the King) Roman Breviary

PRAYER – Almighty and eternal God, Who willed to restore all things in Thy beloved Son, the King of the Universe, graciously grant that the peoples of the earth torn asunder by the wound of sin, may submit to His most gentle rule.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder

“The medicine of God,
is Jesus Christ,
Crucified and Risen,
the measure of all things.”

“Christ first of all,
Christ in the centre of the heart,
in the centre of history
and of the cosmos.
Humanity needs Christ intensely
because, He is our “measure.”
There is no realm,
that cannot be touched
by His strength;
there is no evil,
that cannot find remedy in Him,
there is no problem,
that cannot be solved in Him.
Either Christ or nothing!”

“Those who want to work
for moral reform in the world,
must seek the glory of God
before all else.
Because He is the source of all good,
they must wait for His help
and pray for it,
in this difficult and necessary undertaking.”

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased
to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves
that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

One Minute Reflection – 29 September – ‘Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ – Matthew 18:1

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One Minute Reflection – 29 September – The Feast of the Dedication of the Archangel St Michael – Apocalypse 1:1-5, Matthew 18:1-10 – Scripture Search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ And Jesus called a little child unto Him, set him in their midst and said, ‘Amen I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.’” – Matthew 18:1-5

REFLECTION – “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tribute paid, what do the Apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely “at that time” did the disciples come to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price, they inferred that Peter may have been set over all the other Apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask, who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory, with a struggle for humility.

He called a child to Him to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps, He actually set a child in their midst — He Himself, Who had not come to be served but to serve — to show them an example of humility.

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Or it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven,” so as to imply that anyone who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself, as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O God, Who assign according to a wondrous order, the duties of Angels and men, mercifully grant that our life on earth be guarded by those who continually stand in Thy presence and minister to Thee in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MODESTY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The BEATITUDES, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – Wisdpm 5:16-20, Luke 6:17-23

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

“The soul must grow and expand
so as to be capable of God.
And its largeness is its love,
as the Apostle says,
“widen yourselves in love”
(2 Cor 6:13).
It grows and extends spiritually,
not in substance but in virtue.
The greatness of each soul is judged
by the measure of love that it has-
he who has great love, is great-
he who has little love is little,
while he who has no love at all –
is nothing!”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“This death … has already levelled
his bow to strike me.
Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke,
by dying now to the world,
that at my death,
I may live to God?”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“Do not live any longer in yourself
but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way
that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent
in all your actions, in order that all may see in you
a true portrait of the Crucified and sense,
the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord,
in interior and exterior modesty,
in patience,
in gentleness,
suffering,
charity,
humility
and in all others that follow.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“You leave the land just as it is
when you depart,
you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim
is to go to God,
we are not on earth
for anything but this!”

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor

“Humility is the mother
of many virtues
because from it,
obedience, fear, reverence,
patience, modesty,
meekness and peace are born.
He who is humble easily obeys everyone,
fears to offend anyone,
is at peace with everyone,
is kind with all.”

“What great profit you gain from God
when you are generous!
You give a coin
and receive a kingdom;
you give bread from wheat
and receive the Bread of Life;
you give a transitory good
and receive an everlasting one.
You will receive it back,
a hundred times more
than you offered.”

“If you want God to hear your prayers,
hear the voice of the poor.
If you wish God to anticipate your wants,
provide for those of the need,
without waiting for them to ask you.
Especially, anticipate the needs
of those, who are ashamed to beg.
To make them ask for alms,
is to make them buy it!”

“I am, notwithstanding,
inexcusable, if I do not love Thee
for Thou grant Thy love to all
who desire or ask it.
I cannot see without light –
yet, if I shut my eyes
in the midst of the noon-day light,
the fault is in me,
not in the sun.”

“Dismiss all anger
and look into yourself a little.
Remember that he, of whom,
you are speaking, is your brother
and as he is, in the way of salvation,
God can make him a Saint,
in spite of his present weakness.”

St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 July – ‘For Christ is the treasure …’

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One Minute Reflection – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.– Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “It was Christ who was present to all those to whom, from the beginning, God communicated His Speech and Word. If anyone, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find, in them, an expression of Christ and a foreshadowing of this new calling. For Christ is the treasure which was hidden in the field, that is, in this world (Mt 13:38) – a treasure hidden in the Scriptures, since it was alluded to by means of symbols and parables which, humanly speaking, could not be understood prior to the fulfilment of prophecy, that is to say, before the coming of the Lord. That is why it was said to Daniel the prophet: ” Keep secret the message and seal the book until the end of time ” (12:4) … And Jeremiah also says, “In the last days they shall understand these things.” (23:20) …

When read by Christians, the Law is a treasure, hidden beforehand in a field, but brought to light and interpreted by the Cross of Christ. It shows forth the Wisdom of God and makes known His intentions with regard to our salvation; it prefigures the Kingdom of Christ and preaches, by anticipation, the Good News of our inheritance of the holy Jerusalem. It proclaims beforehand, that those who love God shall advance even to hearing and seeing His Word and, that they will be glorified by this Word …

Thus it was, that the Lord explained the Scriptures to His disciples, after His Resurrection from the dead, proving to them, by their means, that “it was necessary the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Lk 24:26). So if anyone should likewise read the Scriptures, that person will become a perfect disciple, “like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom things both new and old.” (Mt 13:52). – St Irenaeus of Lyons ((130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Theologian – Against the Heresies, IV, 26 ; SC 100

PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy kindness gave blessed Anne the grace to be the mother of her, who Mothered Thy Only-begotten Son, graciously grant that we who keep her feast, maybe helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", BAPTISM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – ‘Where is the heart that loves …?’

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – 1 Corinthians 7:25-3, Matthew 13:44-52

“The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure
hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy.
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Luke 12:34

“We have had Your treasure
hidden within us,
ever since we received baptismal grace,
it grows ever richer
at Your sacramental table.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“O man, send your treasure on,
send it ahead into Heaven,
or else your God-given soul
will be buried in the earth!
Gold comes from the depth of the earth —
the soul, from the highest Heaven.
Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold
to where the soul resides,
than to bury the soul,
in the mine of the gold.
That is why God orders those
who will serve in His Army here below,
to fight as men stripped of concern
for riches and unencumbered by anything.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Doctor of Homilies”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – Our Precious Pearl

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One Minute Reflection – 21 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – the Memorial of St Praxedes of Rome, Virgin Martyr (Died 164) – 1 Corinthians 7:25-3, Matthew 13:44-52

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he finds a single pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” – Matthew13:45-46

REFLECTION – “For the man who loves God it is sufficient to please the One he loves; and, there is no greater recompense to be sought, than the loving itself. For love is from God, by the very fact, that God Himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with Him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: – ‘Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.’

What is a man’s treasure but the heaping up of profits and the fruit of his toil? For whatever a man sows, this too will he reap and each man’s gain, matches his toil and where delight and enjoyment are found, there the heart’s desire is attached. Now there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing – every man’s treasure is that, which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.

But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal, rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store, of which the prophet speaks: ‘Our treasure and salvation have come, wisdom and instruction and piety, from the Lord: these are the treasures of justice.’ Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings. It is a fact that many people use the wealth, which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise, acquired, as a tool of devotion. By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches, so that what they have discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches, where their heart is, – it is a most blessed thing, to work to increase such riches, rather than to fear that they may pass away.” – St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from Sermon 92).

PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that, as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Praxedes, Thy Virgin, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure … Matthew 13:44

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of St Elizabeth Queen of Portugal TOSF (1271-1336) – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52.

“The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy,
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Luke 12:34

“We have had Your treasure
hidden within us,
ever since we received baptismal grace,
it grows ever richer
at Your sacramental table.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Let your door stand open
to receive Him,
unlock your soul to Him,
offer Him a welcome in your mind
and then you will see
the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the joy of grace.
Throw wide the gate of your heart,
stand before the Sun
of the everlasting Light.”

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

“ He who finds Jesus, finds a rare treasure,
indeed, a good above every good,
whereas he who loses Him,
loses more than the whole world.
The man who lives without Jesus,
is the poorest of the poor,
whereas no-one is so rich,
as the man who lives in His grace.
… Let all things be loved, for the sake of Jesus
but Jesus, for His own sake.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased
to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves
that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

“You leave the land just as it is
when you depart,
you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim
is to go to God,
we are not on earth
for anything but this!”

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – St Basil the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop of Caesarea, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“How long are we going to put off
obeying Christ, Who calls us
into His Heavenly Kingdom?
Are WE NOT going to purify ourselves?
WILL we NOT resolve to forsake
our customary way of life
to follow the Gospel radically?…
We claim to want the Kingdom of God
yet, without bothering,
to concern ourselves,
with the means of obtaining it?!
What is more, in the conceitedness
of our souls, without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s Commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward,
as those who have resisted sin,
to the death!”

“Through Him, hearts are lifted up,
the infirm are held by the hand
and those who progress,
are brought to perfection.
He shines on those who are cleansed
from every spot and makes them spiritual people,
through fellowship with Himself.
When a sunbeam falls
on a transparent substance,
the substance itself becomes brilliant
and radiates light from itself.
So too, the Spirit-bearing souls,
illumined by Him,
finally become spiritual themselves
and their grace is sent forth to others.
From this comes knowledge of the future,
understanding of mysteries,
apprehension of hidden things,
distribution of wonderful gifts,
heavenly citizenship,
a place in the choir of Angels,
endless joy in the presence of God,
becoming like God
and the highest of all desires – becoming God!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

MORE:
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Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SAINT of the DAY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 June – If anyone comes to Me, without hating … Luke 14:26

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One Minute Reflection – 14 June – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop of Caesarea, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Luke 14:26-35

“If anyone comes to Me, without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26

REFLECTION – “On another occasion, the Lord says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children and brothers and sisters and even his own soul, cannot be my disciple.” As a rule, this is more upsetting to the mind of new Christians, who are eager to begin at once, to live in accordance with the precepts of Christ. To those who do not fully grasp its meaning, it would seem contradictory…. He has condescended to call His disciples to the eternal Kingdom. He also called them brothers. In the Kingdom these relationships are transcended because, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman but Christ, is all things and in all.” The Lord says, “For in the resurrection, they will neither be married nor marry but will be as the Angels of God in Heaven.”

Whoever wishes to prepare himself now, for the life of that Kingdom, must not hate people but those earthly relationships, through which the present life is sustained, the temporary life that begins at birth and ends with death. Whoever does not hate this necessity, does not yet love that other life, in which there will be no condition of birth and death, the condition that makes marriages natural on earth.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace (Sermon on the Mount,15).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, O Lord, hear our prayers which we offer on the festival of blessed Basil, Thy Confessor and Bishop and through his intercessory merits, who had the grace to serve Thee worthily, absolve us from all our sins. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. 300 days ONCE A DAY – (Unless otherwise stated, e.g., “once a day,” a partial Indulgence may be gained any number of times in succession.) Pope Leo XIII 21 May.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 May – The least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

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One Minute Reflection – 13 May – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church – Wisdom 7:7-14, Matthew 5:13-19

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments, will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

REFLECTION – “For what reason then does He call some of these commandments “least,” although they are so magnificent and lofty? Jesus spoke this way because He was about to introduce His own teaching, as a new law . As He humbles Himself and speaks of Himself with great modesty, so He refers to His own teaching in the same manner. In this way, Jesus teaches us to practice humility in everything. And besides, since some suspected His teaching to be a new departure, He temporarily taught it in a more reserved way.

But when you hear “least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” you are to think of nothing but hell and punishment. For it was His practice to speak, not only of the joy the Kingdom brings but also, of the time of the resurrection and the fearful event of the Second Coming.

Think of one who calls a brother a fool. That one, transgresses only one commandment, maybe even the slightest one and falls into hell. Compare that one with another, who breaks all the commandments and instigates others to break them too. Do both have the same relationship to the Kingdom? This is not the argument Jesus is making. Rather, He means, that one who transgresses only one of the commands will, on the final day, be the least—that is, cast out—and last and will fall into hell!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 16).

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Robert, Your Bishop and Doctor, with wondrous learning and virtue to repel the deceits of error and to defend the rights of the Apostolic See, grant, by his merits and intercession, that we may ever grow in love of truth and that the hearts of the erring may return to the unity of Your Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the KING Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on FAITH, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – ‘ … and your heart shall rejoice.’

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – The Third Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:11-19, John 16:16-22

“So also, you now indeed have sorrow
but I will see you again
and your heart shall rejoice.
And your joy,
no man shall take from you.”

John 16:22

“Even in a world
which is being shipwrecked,
remain brave and strong.”

“Holy Spirit, the Life that gives life:
You are the Cause of all movement.
You are the Breath of all creatures.
You are the Salve that purifies our souls.
You are the Ointment that heals our wounds.
You are the Fire that warms our hearts.
You are the Light that guides our feet.
Let all the world praise You!”

St Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Doctor of the Church

“Turn to the Lord with your whole heart
and leave behind this wretched world.
Then your soul shall find rest.
For the Kingdom of God
is the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.
If you prepare, within your heart,
a fitting dwelling place,
Christ will come to you
and console you.”

Thomas á Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

O Holy Spirit of God
By Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466-1536)
(Fr Erasmus of Rotterdam)

O Holy Spirit of God
with Your holy breath,
You purify the hearts and minds of humankind,
comforting them,
when they are in sorrow,
leading them,
aright when they have gone astray,
kindling them,
when their hearts are cold,
reconciling them,
when they are at variance
and enriching them,
with Your many gifts.
By Your working,
all things live.
We make our prayer to You,
maintain and day by day,
increase, the gifts which You
have granted us,
so that with Your Light
before us and within us,
we may pass through this world,
without stumbling
and without straying.
Who with the Father and the Son,
are One God,
now and forever.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Our Morning Offering – 5 May – Loving Mother

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Our Morning Offering – 5 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Loving Mother
Prayer to Our Lady
From the Servite Vigil of our Lady I

Loving Mother,
woman of prayer,
we turn to you and pray:
support our prayers for ourselves,
for all your Servants,
for our friends and families,
for those who share the Catholic faith
and for every person on earth,
that all may know peace and salvation.
Ask the Father that we may truly know Christ,
be filled with the gifts of the Spirit,
protected in all adversity
and freed from every evil.
Help us to build God’s kingdom:
a kingdom of everlasting praise,
a kingdom of justice and peace
that will endure forever and ever.
Amen.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, HOLY SATURDAY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Holy Saturday – 16 April – The Lord Descends into Hell

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Holy Saturday (Vigil Mass of Easter) – 16 April – Matthew 28:1-7

“When Christ should appear, Who is your Life, then you also shall appear with Him, in glory.” – Colossians 3:4

“And at the end of the Sabbath,
when it began to dawn
toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalen
and the other Mary,
to see the sepulchre.”

Matthew 28:1

Ancient Christian Writer
Anonymous
(An excerpt from Homily on Holy Saturday)

The Lord Descends into Hell

SOMETHING STRANGE IS HAPPENING — there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He has raised up all who have slept even since the world began. God has Died in the Flesh and hell trembles with fear!

HE HAS GONE TO SEARCH for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, He has gone to free from sorrow, the captives Adam and Eve, He Who is both God and the Son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the Cross, the Weapon that had won Him the Victory. At the sight of Him, Adam, the first man He had created, struck His breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper and rise from the dead and Christ will give you light.”

I AM YOUR GOD, Who, for your sake, have become your Son! Out of love for you and for your descendants, I now by My Own Authority, command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness, to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the Life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in My image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in Me and I Am in you; together, we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

FOR YOUR SAKE I, your God, became your Son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, Whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden and I was Crucified in a garden.

SEE ON MY FACE the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in My Image. On My Back see the marks of the scourging I endured, to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See My Hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I SLEPT ON THE CROSS and a sword pierced My Side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My Side has healed the pain in yours. My Sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced Me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

RISE, LET US LEAVE THIS PLACE.
The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise but I will enthrone you in Heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life but see, I Who am Life itself, am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity!

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY NAME, The INCARNATION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

One Minute Reflection – 11 April – ‘ … The sweetness and perfume of His Name.’

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One Minute Reflection – 11 April – Monday of Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10, John 12:1-9

“The house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” – John 12:3

REFLECTION – “When she had anointed the Lord’s feet this woman did not wipe them with a cloth but with her own hair, to show Him greater honour … Like a thirsty person drinking from a fresh waterfall, this holy woman drank in grace full of delights, from the Springs of Holiness, to quench the thirst of her faith.

However, in the allegorical or mystical sense, this woman prefigured the Church, which offered the full and entire devotion of its faith to Christ …There are twelve ounces to a pound and this is the amount of perfume the Church possesses, having received the teaching of the twelve Apostles, as if it were a precious perfume. Indeed, what more precious is there than the Apostles’ teaching, which contains both faith in Christ and the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven? Furthermore, it is related that the whole house was filled with the scent of that perfume because, the whole world has been filled with the Apostles’ teaching. As it is written: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 19[18]:5).

In the Song of Songs we read the following words addressed through Solomon, to the Church: “Your name spoken is a spreading perfume” (1,2). Not without cause, is the Lord’s Name called a “spreading perfume.” As you know, as long as perfume is preserved inside its flask, it keeps its fragrance but, as soon as is poured out or emptied, it spreads out its fragrant scent. Even so, as long as our Lord and Saviour reigned with His Father in Heaven, the world was unaware of Him, He was unknown here below. But when, for our salvation, He deigned to humble Himself, by descending from Heaven, to take on a human body, then He spread abroad in the world, the sweetness and perfume of His Name.“ – St Chromatius of Aquilaea (Died c 407) – Bishop of Aquileia, Italy, Theologian, Exegete (Sermon 11).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech thee, almighty God, that we who fail through our weakness, in so many difficulties, may be relieved through the pledging of the Passion of Thy only-begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Saturday in Passion Week – 9 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… What is the point …?’

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Saturday in Passion Week – 9 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jeremias 18:18-23, John 12:10-36

“In You, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your justice rescue me. – Psalm 30:2”

“He who loves his life, loses it
and he who hates his life
in this world,
keeps it unto life everlasting.
If anyone serves Me,
let him follow Me
and where I am,
there also shall My servant be.”

John 12:25-26

“OUR OBLIGATION is to do God’s will and not our own. We must remember this, if the praye that our Lord commanded us to say daily, is to have any meaning on our lips. How unreasonable it is to pray that God’s will be done and then not promptly obey it, when He calls us from this world!
Instead, we struggle and resist like self-willed slaves and are brought into the Lord’s presence, with sorrow and lamentation, not freely consenting to our departure but constrained by necessity.

AND YET, WE EXPECT to be rewarded with heavenly honours by Him to Whom we come, against our will!
Why then do we pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to come, if this earthly bondage pleases us?

WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often for its early arrival, if we would rather serve the devil here than reign with Christ!?” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, Great Father of the Church (Excerpt from On Man’s Mortality).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 April ‘ … As long as we keep the seed of Truth … and His commandments …’

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One Minute Reflection – 4 April – Monday in Passion Week – Jonas 3:1-10, John 7:32-39 and the Memorial of St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church

“You shall seek me and shall not find me …” – John 7:34

REFLECTION – “To seek Jesus is often something good, for it is the same as to seek the Word, the Truth and Wisdom. But you will say, that the words “to seek Jesus” are sometimes said about those who want to harm Him. For example: “They tried to seize Him but no-one laid a finger on Him because His hour had not yet come.” … He knows from whom He distances Himself and with whom He remains, without being found yet, so that if someone seeks Him, that person will find Him at the favourable time. The Apostle Paul said to those, who did not yet possess Jesus in this way and, who did not contemplate Him: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who shall go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who shall go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). What is it He does say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” (Rom 6:6-8)

When in His love for humankind, the Saviour said: “You will look for me,” (Jn 8:21) He let us glimpse the things pertaining to the reign of God, so that those, who look for Him, do not do so outside of themselves saying: “’Here, He is here’, or ‘He is there.’ The Gospel tells them: “The reign of God is already in your midst.” (Lk 17:21) As long as we keep the seed of Truth that has been placed in our soul and His commandments, the Word will not distance Himself from us. But if evil spreads in us to corrupt us, Jesus will tell us: “I am going away. You will look for me but you will die in your sins.” – Origen (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Father (Commentary on Saint John, 19,12).

PRAYER – O God, Who granted to Your people blessed Isidore, as a minister of salvation, grant, we beseech You, that we who cherished him on earth as a teacher of life, may be found worthy to have him as an intercessor in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – I must proclaim the kingdom of God

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44

“And the crowds were seeking after Him
and they came to Him
and tried to detain Him,
that He might not depart from them.
But He said to them,
To the other towns too
I must proclaim the kingdom of God,
for this is why I have been sent.”

Luke 4:42-43

“Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which, the compassion of Christ, looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet,
with which, He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands,
with which, He is to bless others now.”

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Great convert Teacher of the Faith
Who never ceased from preaching Christ,
Saint Paul impart to us your zeal,
That we may reach the joys unseen.

All glory to the Trinity,
Forever honour, sov’reignty,
To God Almighty be all praise,
Beginning and the End of all.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 18 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning …’

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Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 18 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Genesis 37:6-22, Matthew 21:33-46

“In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me.” – Psalm 119:1

“Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God
will be taken away from you
and be given to a people
that will produce its fruit.”

Matthew 21:43

“GOD PLANTED THE VINEYARD of the human race when, at the first, He formed Adam (Gn 2:7) and chose the fathers. Then He let it out to husbandmen, through the gift of the Law, passed onto Moses. He hedged it round about, that is, He marked out the land they were to cultivate; He built a tower, that is, He chose Jerusalem; He dug a winepress, that is, He prepared those who were to receive the prophetic Spirit. And, He sent them prophets prior to the Babylonian exile and then, after the exile, others again, in even greater number, to seek the fruits, saying to them :- “Cleanse your ways and your doings” (Jer 7:3); “Execute just judgement ” and “Each one act with pity and compassion towards his brother. Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger or the poor, and let none of you treasure up evil against his brother in your hearts” (Zac 7:9-10) “Wash, make yourselves clean, put away evil from your hearts; learn to do good, seek judgement, protect the oppressed” (Is 1:16-17).

SEE BY WHAT PREACHINGS the prophets sought the fruits of righteousness. But last of all, He sent to those unbelievers, His own Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom those wicked husbandmen slew and cast out of the vineyard.

THAT IS WHY GOD entrusted it – no longer hedged around but thrown open throughout all the world – to other husbandmen, who would render the fruits in due season. The elect tower is raised everywhere in all its beauty, for everywhere the Church now shines and everywhere the winepress is dug because everywhere, are they, who receive the Spirit of God.

AND THAT IS WHY THE LORD SAID to His disciples, to make us become good workmen: – “Take heed to yourselves and watch at all times lest your hearts be overcharged with debauchery, drunkenness and the cares of this life” (Lk 21:34.36). “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning and be like those who wait for their master to come” (Lk 12:35-36).” … St Irenaeus (c 130-c 202) Bishop, Martyr , Father of the Church (Against the heresies, IV 36, 2-3).

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – St Gregory the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – Ember Saturday in Lent – The Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Confessor, Father & Doctor

“To do penance is to bewail
the evil we have done
and to do no evil to bewail.”

“All elements in nature testified
that their Creator had come.
Let me indicate them in our everyday fashion.
The heavens knew that He was God,
for they sent a star to herald Him.
The sea knew Him,
for it bore up His feet upon it.
The earth knew Him
and trembled when He died.
The sun knew Him
and hid its light.
The stones and walls knew Him
and were rent at His death.
Hell knew Him
and gave up its dead.
All the insensible elements of nature knew Him
but even up to this minute,
the hearts of the unbelieving Jews
will not recognise Him as God
and–more hard than rock–
will not be rent in penitence.”

“… We must all rejoice exceedingly,
to be even the last,
in the Kingdom of God!”

St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor
“Father of the Fathers”

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-september-st-pope-gregory-the-great/