One Minute Reflection – 26 January – Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5, Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 10, Mark 3:31-35 and The Memorial of Sts Timothy and Titus – Bishops and Disciples and Companions of the Apostle Paul
“Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God, is my brother and sister and mother.”…Mark 3:34-35
REFLECTION – “He did not treat us as our sins deserved. For we are now sons of God. How do we show this? The only Son of God died for us, so that He might not remain alone. He who died as the only Son, did not want to remain as the only Son. For the only Son of God made many sons of God. He bought brothers for Himself by His blood, He made them welcome by being rejected, He ransomed them by being sold, He honoured them by being dishonoured, He gave them life by being put to death.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace – An excerpt from his Sermon 171
PRAYER – Almighty God, You endowed Saints Timothy and Titus with power to preach Your Word. Grant that, living a life of integrity and holiness in this world, reaching out to teach the Gospel both by our lives and our words, we may, through their prayers, come to our true home in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
O Most Compassionate Jesus! By Bl Pope Pius IX(1792-1878) Indulgence of 100 days, once a day 6 October 1870
O Most compassionate Jesus! Thou alone art our salvation, our life and our resurrection. We implore Thee, therefore, do not forsake us in our needs and afflictions but by the agony of Thy Most Sacred Heart and by the sorrows of Thy Immaculate Mother, succour Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy most Precious Blood. Amen
Thought for the Day – 19 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Thirst for Justice
“Jesus commands us, in the Beatitudes, to seek justice, that is perfection in the fulfilment of our obligations to God, to ourselves and, to our neighbour. He commands us, to hunger and thirst for this justice, which is identical with holiness.
When Christ tells us to hunger and thirst for justice, He imposes on us, the obligation of doing our very best to acquire the virtue of Christian justice, which is the sythesis of all the virtues. We must be aware, therefore, of laziness, apathy, tepidity, or mediocrity, for our advance in spiritual perfection, must be continuous. There must be no hesitation or backsliding. The high target which God has set for us, demands hard work and boundless generosity on our part. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself entirely for us and shed His Precious Blood to the last drop, for our Redemption. How can we possibly be niggardly or half-hearted in our relatioas with Him?
Whenever God’s cause is at stake, whether in our efforts to achieve our own spiritual perfection or in the fulfilment of our obliations towards our neighbour, we should never refuse anything but, should display absolute dedication to God and to our fellow-man. “Let us hunger,” said St Catherine of Siena, “for God’s honour and for the salvation of souls” (Vrev di perfezioe, p81). The hunger and thirst for justice, nourished by the love of God and of our neighbour, should exclude all mediocrity and selfishness from our lives. It should urge us on, as it did the Saints, towards the highest pinnacles of sanctity.”
Thought for the Day – 16 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
I Am Not Able
“Whenever we feel called upon to make some sacrifice for Jesus or, to form some good resolution, how often do we cry: “I am not able!” It may be a question of praying more fervently, of performing some mortification or, of helping our neighbour spiritually or materially. Or perhaps, it is a matter of saying a few words of apology or, of encouragement to our neighbour, whom we have previously treated with coldness and selfishness. Or. it may be something entirely more generous which is demanded; it may be that God is inviting us to renounce ourselves completely and to dedicate ourselves to Him. Naturally, this requires sacrifice and great generosity of heart. But we say to Jesus when He calls us: “I cannot, it is too difficult!” And yet, the Lord says: “You shall make and keep yourselves holy because, I am holy” (Lev 11:44). “You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). We must not refuse God, Who became man for us in his love and mercy and shed His blood for our redemption!”
Thought for the Day – 23 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
What Jesus Wants From Us
“Let us contemplate Jesus lying on a rough pallet of straw in the manger. When we see Him looking at us, let us ask ourselves what it is that He requires of us. In fact, He wants many things from us. First of all, He wants us to weep for our sins and to promise, never to fall again, as long as we have the assistance of His grace, for which we should pray continually. For this, He has become man and has entered into the world. For this He will work miracles, preach His doctrine and shed His Precious Blood on the Cross. All this He will do to redeem us from sin and to win Heaven for us.
If we return to the path of sin, we destroy the divine work of redemption, inasfar as it applies to ourselves. We make Christ’s passion, death and resurrection useless in our case. We brush aside the chain of favours with which His love has girdled us – the Gospel, the Sacraments and the Church, our good mother who is always at our side to instruct and direct us, to rescue us from peril and, to distribute to us, the gifts of her divine Founder. When we sin, we commit an act of base ingratitude to Jesus and accomplish our own eternal ruin.
The Infant Jesus longs for us to give our hearts to Him. Since He has given us His own, why should we be unwilling to give ours to Him? Who or what can we love, if we do not love Jesus? Nothing else is capable of giving us peace of soul and resignation in suffering. Jesus alone can bestow these gifts on us, as long as we love and follow Him and abandon ourselves completely to His Holy Will.”
Our Morning Offering – 4 December – Friday of the First Week of Advent and the Memorial of St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church
God, my God, May I Always Abide in You By St John Damascene (675-749)
God, my God, unextinguishable and invisible fire, You make Your angels flaming fire. Out of Your inexpressible love, You have given me Your divine Flesh as food and through this communion of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood, You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity. Permeate all my body and soul, all my bones and sinews. Consume my sins in fire. Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind. Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me together with Your blessed Father and all-holy Spirit, that I may always abide in You, through the intercession of Your immaculate Mother and all Your saints. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer
“I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.”
John 12:47
“Come along then, every human family, full of sin as you are and receive the forgiveness of your sins. For I Myself, am your forgiveness, I am the Passover of salvation, the Lamb slain for your sakes, your redemption, life and resurrection; I am your Light, your Salvation and your King. It is I, who lead you to the heights of heaven, I, who will raise you up; it is I, who will bring you to see the Father who is from all eternity; it is I, who will raise you up by My all-powerful Hand.”
St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180) Bishop, Apologist
Paschal Homily
“Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a Cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it was fitting, that creation should mourn with its Creator. The temple veil rent, Blood and Water flowing from His Side – the one as from a Man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the Rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the sepulchre and after the sepulchre, who can fittingly recount them? Yet not one of them, can be compared, to the Miracle of my Salvation. A few drops of Blood renews the whole world and do, for all men, what the rennet does for the milk – joining us and binding us together!”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The light of Christ is an endless day that knows no night.”
“Our Saviour’s passion raises men and women from the depths, lifts them up from the earth and sets them in the heights.”
St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)
“As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His wounds as He hangs. We see His blood as He dies. We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection. He bows His head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended, that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind – as He was once fixed to the cross, in every part of His body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers. All love that takes not it’s beginning from Our Saviour’s Passion is frivolous and dangerous. Unhappy is death without the love of the Saviour, unhappy is love without the death of the Saviour! Love and death are so mingled in the Passion of Our Saviour that we cannot have the one in our heart without the other. Upon Calvary one cannot have life without love, nor love without the death of Our Redeemer.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“Yes, my gentle Redeemer, let me say it, You are crazy with love! Is it not foolish for You to have wanted to die for me? But if You, my God, have become crazy with love for me, how can I not become crazy with love for You?”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Prayer Before The Crucifix – The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass By St Vincent Strambi (1745-1824)
Jesus, by this Saving Sign, bless this listless soul of mine. Jesus, by Your feet nailed fast, mend the missteps of my past. Jesus, with Your riven hands, bend my will to love’s demands. Jesus, in Your Heart laid bare, warm my inner coldness there. Jesus, by Your thorn-crowned head, still my pride till it is dead. Jesus, by Your muted tongue, stay my words that hurt someone. Jesus, by Your tired eyes, open mine to faith’s surprise. Jesus, by Your fading breath, keep me faithful until death. Yes, Lord, by this Saving Sign, save this wayward soul of mine. Amen
“He perspired blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and, abandoned by the Apostles, He was bound like a criminal, insulted, scourged, crowned with thorns, condemned to death and burdened with a cross; finally, when He arrived at Calvary, He was nailed to the gibbet, where He shed His Precious Blood and gave His life for our redemption. Such was the extent of Jesus’ infinite love for us. “Calvary” writes St Francis de Sales,“is the school of love.” The Saints were moved to tears by the strange spectacle of God-made-man, dying on the Cross for men. What is our reaction?”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr
“Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
(Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Ch 8)
“I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David and for drink, I desire His Blood, which is love incorruptible.”
“Only let it be in the name of Jesus Christ, that I may suffer together with Him! I endure everything because He Himself, Who is perfect man, empowers me.”
Thought for the Day – 10 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Third Sorrowful Mystery The Crowning with Thorns
“This new torture was a diabolical invention decreed by no law or authority. Purely for their own savage entertainment, the soldiers procured a bundle of thorned reeds, which they wound into the shape of a crown and pressed into Jesus’ head.
Mary knew what was going on. She was there with the holy women when Pilate brought her bloodstained Son before the people and, their blasphemous yells pierced her tender heart. Her mother’s heart felt the sharp thorns too but, she accepted this affliction with resignation, silently protesting against the insults of the crowd by acts of adoration and of love. We should behave in this way also. We should participate in the passion of Jesus, by offering our own sufferings and we should make acts of love and of self-surrender, in reparation for these acts of blasphemy!”
Thought for the Day – 9 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Sorrowful Mystery The Scourging
“Think about the manner in which Jesus was scourged. His chaste body, is stripped by the jeering soldiers, His hands are tied and He is bound to a pillar. The soldiers come forward with their whips and begin to beat Him mercilessly. As His Blood flows freely to the ground, Jesus quivers with pain and emits a half-suppressed groan. But fresh blows continue to rain down on His bruised flesh. So the prophecy is fulfilled in which Isaias described the punishment of the chosen people, whose sins and whose chastisement, the divine Redeemer has chosen to take on Himself. “From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein – wounds and bruises and swelling sores …“ (Is 1:6).
By means of this fearful torment, Jesus willed to offer satisfaction in a special manner, for the sins of the flesh. In ancient times, sins of impurity provoked the anger of God so much, that they were blotted out by the universal deluge. Now these sins are still numberless, both in the pagan and, unfortunately, in the Christian world but, they are washed away by the saving Blood of Jesus Christ, Who came on earth to make reparation for all the iniquities of men.
Kiss the wounds of Jesus, bleeding and suffering. Ask for pardon if you have on occasions, failed to preserve the purity of your body, the dwelling of your immortal soul and the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Resolve to die rather than stain again, with impurity, the soul, which was redeemed and sanctified, by the precious Blood of the Redeemer.”
Thought for the Day – 18 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Filial and Servile Fear
“We should not be afraid of God because He is our greatest benefactor and loves us infinitely. When we are lost, He searches for us as a loving father would search for a wandering son. Because they think only of the majesty and justice of God, some people keep themselves at a distance from Him, as Adam did, after he had sinned. They forget that the Lord told Adam, the sinner, of the coming of the pardoning Redeemer (Gen 3:9). Bossuet truly observes, that “after the curse which came upon men through sin, there has always remained, in their hearts, a certain dread of the supernatural, which prevents them from approaching God with confidence.” Jansenism increased this fear, emphasising the justice and majesty of God, rather, than the infinite love of Jesus and the beauty of His teaching.
Some writers compare our souls with the divine majesty and justice, in order to stress our unworthiness but, they forget, that Jesus is “Meek and humble of heart,” that He forgave the penitent woman, the good thief and the adulteress and, had kind words for the lost sheep and the prodigal son. They never think of the wonderful words of the beloved disciple: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16).
This false fear of God, dries up our piety and lessens our trust in His mercy. It can lead to moroseness, to scrupulosity and to discouragement.
We should avoid this excessive fear which separates us from God. Even though we are sinful and unworthy, we should remember, that God is our loving Father, Who is always ready to help us and to grant us forgiveness. We should recall, moreover, that out of love for us, He did not spare His own Son, (Cf Rom 8:32) but gave Him to us for our redemption. If Jesus shed His blood and died for us, how can we doubt His love?!“
Our Morning Offering – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Prayer In Honour of the Holy Cross Third Prayer from the Seven Penitential Psalms Devotion
Almighty God, Lord Jesus Christ, who, for our sake, stretched out Your pure hands on the Cross and redeemed us with Your precious Blood, grant me to feel and understand that I may have true repentance and great perseverance, all the days of my life. Your reign is a reign for all ages. Amen
Thought for the Day – 13 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Redemption
“The Incarnation of God, was sufficient to have saved us. It would have been enough for God made man, to have offered Himself to God, for our redemption in a single act of love. Every act of Jesus, the God-Man, had infinite value and was, therefore, sufficient to be offered to the Father as an infinite satisfaction for all our sins.
But, if Jesus had desired to show more clearly His great love for us, He could have offered Hi sufferings as a child in the cold cave at Bethlehem, when He lay whimpering on a wretched straw bed. He could have offered the sorrow of His exile in Egypt, He could have offered a single drop of His Precious Blood , during the ceremony of the circumcision. He could have offered the difficulties and privations of His simple working life at Nazareth, or the fatiguing exertions of His apostolic journeys. All these, would have been more than enough to have made amends to the divine Father for all the sins of humanity, to have ransomed us from the devil and to have restored to us, God’s grace and love. But in God, everything is infinite. His love has no limit. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart,” He as commanded men “and with thy whole soul and with thy whole strength and with they whole mind and thy neighbour as thyself.” He, Himself, did infinitely more than this, however, Jesus was not satisfied merely to love us, His brothers by adoption, as He loved Himself but, He wished to love us “more than He loved Himself. Greater love than this no-one has,” He said, “that one lay down his life for his friends” (1 Jn 15:13). This was what he Himself did. Sinful though we are, He called us friends. “You are my friends” (Jn 15:14). Out of love for us, He gave Himself entirely. He perspired blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and, abandoned by the Apostles, He was bound like a criminal, insulted, scourged, crowned with thorns, condemned to death and burdened with a cross; finally, when He arrived at Calvary, He was nailed to the gibbet, where He shed His Precious Blood and gave His life for our redemption. Such was the extent of Jesus’ infinite love for us.
“Calvary” writes St Francis de Sales,“is the school of love.” The Saints were moved to tears by the strange spectacle of God-made-man, dying on the Cross for men. What is our reaction?“
Quotes of the Day – 28 August – The Memorial of St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) – Father and Doctor of Grace
“To fall in love with God, is the greatest romance; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”
“You ask what you might offer to God? Offer yourself! What does God expect from you, except yourself?”
“He bought brothers for Himself by His blood, He made them welcome by being rejected, He ransomed them by being sold, He honoured them by being dishonoured, He gave them life by being put to death. So, brethren, rejoice in the Lord, not in the world. That is, rejoice in the truth, not in wickedness, rejoice in the hope of eternity, not in the fading flower of vanity. That is the way to rejoice. Wherever you are on earth, however long you remain on earth, the Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything!”
“God provides the wind but man must raise the sails.”
“A man may lose the good things of this life against his will but, if he loses the eternal blessings, he does so with his own consent.”
“Do you wish to RISE? Begin by DESCENDING. You plan a tower that will pierce the CLOUDS? Lay first the foundation of HUMILITY.”
“If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.”
“He who calls us, came here below, to give us the means of getting there. He chose the wood that would enable us to cross the sea – indeed, no-one can cross the ocean of this world, who is not borne by the Cross of Christ. Even the blind can cling to this Cross. If you can’t see where you are going very well, don’t let go of it, it will guide you by itself. ”
“We pray then to Him, through Him, in Him and we speak along with Him and He along with us. ”
Our Morning Offering – 24 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time
Your Blood, The Fire of Love! By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
O sweet Jesus, my Love,
to strengthen my soul
and to rescue it from the weakness
into which it has fallen,
You have built a wall around it
and have mixed the mortar with Your blood,
confirming my soul and uniting it
to the sweet will and charity of God!
Just as lime mixed with water
is placed between stones to cement them together,
so You, O God, have placed between
Your creature and Yourself,
the Blood of Your only-begotten Son,
cemented with the divine lime
of the fire of ardent charity,
in such a way that there is no Blood
without fire, nor fire without Blood.
Your Blood was shed, O Christ, by the fire of love!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Sixteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time
Sweet Sacrament, We Thee Adore
I see upon the Altar placed
The Victim of the greatest love.
Let all the earth below adore
and join the heavenly choirs above:
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore,
Oh! make us love Thee more and more.
Jesus! dear Shepherd of the flock,
that crowds in love, about Thy feet,
Our voices yearn to praise Thee, Lord
and joyfully Thy presence greet:
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore,
Oh! make us love Thee more and more.
O Precious Blood of Jesus, cleanse my soul from every stain! Most pure Heart of Jesus, purify me! Most humble Heart of Jesus, teach me Thy humility! Sweet Heart of Jesus, communicate to me Thy gentleness and patience! Most merciful Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me! Most loving Heart of Jesus, inflame my heart with love of Thee! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Prayer for the Gift of Prayer By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
An Old Morning Prayer – Excerpt From The Blossoms of the Cross — 1894 The Sisters of St Joseph
I rise In God’s strength,
In God’s power,
In the Agony of Christ,
In the Cross of Christ,
In Christ’s Precious Blood,
These will sustain me against my enemies,
visible and invisible.
I rise in the blessing of Christ
which my dearest Jesus left to the whole world.
Protect me, All-Holy Trinity,
God the Father, Who created me,
God, the Son, Who redeemed me in His Precious Blood,
God, the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in Holy Baptism.
God, the Father, I give myself to Thee!
God, the Son, I commend myself to Thee!
God, the Holy Ghost, teach me!
Mary, Mother of God, assist me!
All you Saints of God, pray for me!
All you Holy Angels, protect me!
The Cross of Christ preserve me!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time
By the Merit of the Precious Blood of Jesus By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823) Papacy from 1800 to 1823 Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father
Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merit
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.
Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.
Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered 22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month, under the usual conditions.
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved and granted it the Nihal Obstat – (nothing stands against), the process towards Canonising Pope Pius VII and he was granted the title Servant of God.
In late 2018, the Bishop of Savona announced that the cause for Pius VII would continue following the completion of initial preparation and investigation. The Bishop named a new Postulator and a Diocesan tribunal began work into the cause. The first Postulator for the cause, was Father Giovanni Farris (2007-18) and the current Postulator since 2018, is Father Giovanni Margara.
Note of Interest: On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and was said to have entered a trance and began to levitate in a manner that drew him to the altar. This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among attendants, which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.
Our Morning Offering – 7 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time
Good Friday By Christina Rossetti (1830 – 1894) Published in 1866
Am I a stone and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy blood’s slow loss,
And yet not weep?
Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee.
Not so fallen Peter, weeping bitterly.
Not so the thief was moved.
Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon –
I, only I.
Yet give not o’er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock.
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.
Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote various romantic, devotional and children’s poems. “Goblin Market” and “Remember” remain famous. She wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in the UK: “In the Bleak Midwinter.” later set by Gustav Holst and by Harold Darke and “Love Came Down at Christmas,” set by Harold Darke and by other composers. She was the sister of the well-known ‘Pre-Raphaelite’ Artist and Poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Our Morning Offering – 6 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
By Your Heart and By Your Blood! By St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
May Your Heart
dwell always in our hearts!
May Your Blood
ever flow in the veins of our souls!
O Sun of our hearts,
You give life to all things
by the rays of Your goodness!
I will not go,
until Your Heart has strengthened me,
O Lord Jesus!
May the Heart of Jesus
be the King of my heart!
Blessed be God.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 4 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” and a Marian Saturday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time
Mother of the Eternal Word Raccolta Prayer
Most glorious Virgin,
chosen by the eternal Counsel
to be the Mother of the eternal Word made flesh,
thou who art the treasurer of divine graces
and the advocate of sinners,
I who am thy most unworthy servant
have recourse to thee.
Be thou pleased to be my guide
and counsellor in this vale of tears.
Obtain for me
through the Most Precious Blood
of thy divine Son,
the forgiveness of my sins,
the salvation of my soul
and the means necessary to obtain it.
In like manner obtain for the Holy Church
victory over her enemies
and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ
upon the whole earth.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 2 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time
Constant Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
most pure Offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen
Catholic doctrine teaches the faithful, that the Blood of Jesus Christ is part of His Sacred Humanity and hypostatically united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
And as such, it is worthy of adoration and veneration proper to latreutical worship (cultus latriae) which is rendered only to God. In other words, we adore the human nature of Christ because of its intimate and eternal union with the Person of the Divine Word.
It is for this same reason, that we honour the Most Sacred Heart or the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Devotion to the Precious Blood:
This devotion is one of the most ancient of pious Church practices. It is said that the Blessed Virgin venerated the Most Precious Blood of her infant Son on the day of His circumcision as she collected the first relics of His Precious Blood on a piece of cloth.
On that momentous occasion she united her tears with that of the Word Incarnate on account of, not so much of the sensible pain bu,t of His supernatural sorrow for the hard-heartedness of mortals.
This was the first of seven Blood-Sheddings of Our Divine Saviour, The rest being:
2. The Agony in the Garden
3. The Scourging at the Pillar
4. The Crowning with Thorns
5. The Way of the Cross
6. The Crucifixion
7. The Piercing of His Heart
The old sacrifice took a new form in the New Testament when the Immaculate Lamb of God offered Himself on the altar of the Cross, to redeem mankind from sin and the slavery of Satan.
And during the Last Supper, Our Lord offered Himself in an unbloody, yet real sacrifice when He uttered the following words: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.”(Matthew 26: 28)
Truly, this “shedding of blood’ or “pouring out of blood” took place and forms one of the glorious mysteries of our Faith.
Our Morning Offering – 1 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Tme
Daily Offering to the Father By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the most precious blood
of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home,
and in my family.
Amen
You might see fantastic claims for this prayer, especially printed on Holy Cards, such as the release of 1000 souls from Purgatory, each time it is prayed. Nowhere in St Gertrude’s writings, is this wild promise made so be careful of treating prayers and devotions as amulets or magical charms. The Church has summarily condemned prayer cards containing a promise to release one or more souls from Purgatory, or any other ‘miraculous’ claims. Such an easy way to release 1,000 souls seems inconsistent with the Church’s understanding of Purgatory, given that ordinarily, to release one soul, requires a plenary indulgence which is very difficult to get and, given all the means the Church employs to help the dead, such as special masses or indulgences applicable only to the dead.
The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – 1 July: The feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, “because the Most Precious Blood of Christ the Redeemer is already venerated in the solemnities of the Passion, of Corpus Christi, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” However, as this is the Month of the Most Precious Blood, this day, is most worthy of celebrating this Feast Day everyday.
St Aaron of Caerleon
St Aaron the Patriarch Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati (1797-1855) His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/01/saint-of-the-day-1-july-blessed-antonio-rosmini-1797-1855/
St Arnulf of Mainz
Bl Assunta Marchetti
St Atilano Cruz Alvarado
St Calais of Anisole
St Carilephus
St Castus of Sinuessa
St Cewydd
St Concordius of Toledo
St Cuimmein of Nendrum
St Domitian of Lerins
Bl Elisabeth de Vans
St Eparchius of Perigord
St Eutychius of Umbria
St Esther the Queen
St Gall of Clermont
Bl George Beesley
St Golvinus of Leon
St Gwenyth of Cornwall
St Huailu Zhang
Bl Jan Nepomucen Chrzan
Bl Jean-Baptiste Duverneuil
St Julius of Caerleon
St Justino Orona Madrigal
St Juthware
St Leonorious of Brittany
St Leontius of Autun
Bl Luis Obdulio Navarro
St Martin of Vienne
Bl Montford Scott Blessed Ignatius “Nazju” Falzon OFS (1813-1865)
St Nicasius of Jerusalem
St Oliver Plunkett (1629-1681) Martyr
Bl Pierre-Yrieix Labrouhe de Laborderie
St Secundinus of Sinuessa
St Servan of Culross
St Theobald of Vicenza
St Theodoric of Mont d’Or
Bl Thomas Maxfield
Bl Tullio Maruzzo
St Veep
—
Martyrs of Rome – 6 saints: Six Christians who were martyred together. No details have survived except their names – Esicius, Antonius, Processus, Marina, Serenus and Victor. They were martyred in Rome, Italy, date unknown.
Thought for the Day – 9 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Crown of Thorns Which Surrounds the Sacred Heart
“When Jesus appeared to St Margaret Mary, He showed her His Heart encircled by a crown of sharp thorns.
What is the significance of this?
In Heaven, Jesus is happy and cannot suffer anymore.
The Angels, Saints and the whole of creation, sing a hymn of unceasing praise in His honour.
Nevertheless, He sees the immense tide of sin, which surges forth from the human race which He redeemed by His Precious Blood, a redemption now made futile by many.
He is aware of the insane blasphemies hurled by so many against His lofty throne.
He sees how His gifts, His Sacraments and His graces are abused by many.
He sees, finally, the number of privileged souls, often consecrated to His service, who are indifferent and ungrateful, while, they should be trying to make reparation for the evils of mankind by their love, prayers and penances.
The explanation for this mystical crown of thorns, lies in His infinite love.
He does not suffer anymore because, He cannot suffer but He still has an immense love for all men, even for sinners and for those who are lukewarm and ungrateful.
He loves and wishes to save all men.
In spite of their sinfulness and ingratitude.
He still calls them appealingly to His Heart, which they, by their sins, have crowned with thorns and pierced with a lance.
This is a mystery of love which we cannot properly understand.
Only a man who loves Jesus fervently, can even have the slightest understanding of it.
If we sincerely love the divine Heart of Jesus, we shall realise, that these sharp thorns which once pierced His Heart in Gethsemane and on Calvary, were caused by our sins.
Then, we shall do our best to make a generous return for such love and to make reparation, even with grave sacrifice, for the offences which are still being committed by men against the loving Heart of the Redeemer.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and The Memorial of Blessed Ana of Saint Bartholomew OCD (1550-1626) and Venerable Matthew Talbot (1856 – 1925)
“In all our undertakings — when we enter a place or leave it, before we dress, before we bathe, when we take our meals, when we light the lamps in the evening, before we retire at night, when we sit down to read, before each new task — we trace the Sign of the Cross on our foreheads.”
Tertullian (160-220)
Father of the Church
“O adorable mystery! In the name of God, the Omnipotent Father, who created me! In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Son of the living God, who bled for me! In the name of the Holy Spirit, who has been poured out on me!”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“Silence is precious. by keeping silence and knowing how to listen to God, the soul grows in wisdom and God teaches it, what it cannot learn from men.”
“Our Lord became a spring for us, so that we should not die of thirst among all the miseries that surround us.”
“How truly He said in the Gospel that He came to serve and not to be served! What tremendous goodness! Can we fail to be shamed by Your words and deeds and the patience You show for us everyday?”
Bl Ana of St Bartholomew (1550-1626)
“How can anyone be lonely, with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?”
“As to nobility of blood, true nobility is to be derived only, from the Blood of the Son of God.”
“Three things I cannot escape: the eye of God, the voice of conscience, the stroke of death. In company, guard your tongue. In your family, guard your temper. When alone guard your thoughts.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Francis Caracciolo CRM (1563-1591) Priest, Founder
“Let’s go, let’s go to heaven.”
His last words
“The zeal of your house consumes me”
(Ps 69:10)
“My most beloved Lord, how good you are! Blood of Christ shed for me! It is mine, do not deny it to me because it is mine! O priests, strive to offer Mass everyday, inebriate yourselves with this blood. O Paradise, O Paradise, Blessed are those who live in your house, O Lord.”
The Light Comes from the Altar
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
“When He ascended into Heaven, the majestic flow of the Blood of Jesus did not cease on this earth; it still flows in a ever-widening stream through untold centuries of grace – the vision which began with the Immaculate Conception, ends in the Blessed Sacrament!
In this way, one mystery corresponds to the other, the one illuminates, completes and confirms the other.
From the Eucharist, back to the Passion, from the Passion to the public life and, further back, to the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth, from this hidden life to His Birth – from far beyond the Annunciation to the heights of the [Immaculate] Conception and back to us again – it is a continual rising re-descending, unutterable, divine.
Because of this, we see Mary Immaculate present at every Mass and in every Communion.
The light of the Immaculate which streams upon us comes from the Altar, from the Tabernacle and, in the same way, when we draw near to the Altar and the Tabernacle, it is almost as if we hear Mary’s voice inviting us: “Eat, O friends and drink, drink deeply, O lovers” (Song 5:1).
This, my brothers, is the doctrine.
On this foundation is built the reality, the great and thrilling reality which re-assumes so fully, in all ages, the best Christian piety of the whole world.
In fact, when persecution rages, the Christians draw strength to resist and to extend their conquering apostolate and, if need be, even to die, from the Bread of the strong, from the inebriating Chalice offered over the tombs of martyrs in our ancient cemeteries, under the kind eyes of Mary, whose roughly drawn images smiles among the symbols and ornaments of primitive Christian art.”
AnaStpaul 
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