Category: The RESURRECTION

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The RESURRECTION

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY NINE – 21 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY NINE – 21 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #9:   While visiting the United States in 1976, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla spent a few days in Pomfret, Vermont with philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka and her family.   His main purpose was to work on the English translation of Osobo I Czyn (The Acting Person) but he also used it as a time to relax and enjoy nature.  For example, he was often late for lunch because he had been swimming in the neighbour’s pond. Additionally, he didn’t want to be treated like a guest but instead insisted that he cut the grass and help bale hay.   He was truly in his element in Vermont and remarked that it reminded him of the Tatras in Poland.   Wojtyla spent most of his time outdoors, working on the English translation while sitting on the trunk of a tree that had fallen.

REFLECTION:   “This was his message:  man is the way of the Church and Christ is the way of man.  With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its “helmsman”, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call “the threshold of hope”.   Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it.   He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress.  He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an “Advent” spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.”   Pope Benedict XVI at the Beatification Ceremonyday-nine-novena-st-john-paul-21-oct

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day 9:   “Two thousand years have gone by but sinners in need of mercy — and who is not? — still experience the consolation of that “today” of salvation which on the Cross opened the gates of the Kingdom of God to the repentant thief: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43).” St John Paultwo-thousand-years-st-john-paul-21-oct-2017-no-1

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL SERMONS, SAINT of the DAY, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

“Just as a woman
had announced
the words of death
to the first man,
so also, a woman was the first
to announce to the Apostles
the words of life.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)just as a woman had announced - st thomas aquinas - 22 july 2018

“…Sometimes in our lives,
tears are the lenses
we need to see Jesus…”

Pope Francis 2 April 2013sometimes in our lives - pope francis - st mary magdalene - pray for us - no 2. - 22 july 2018

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day 25 June – The Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

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Quote/s of the Day 25 June – The Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

“At Christmas He was born a man;
today He is reborn sacramentally.
Then He was born from the Virgin;
today He is born in mystery.
When He was born a man,
His mother Mary held Him close to her heart;
when He is born in mystery,
God the Father embraces Him
with His voice when he says:
This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased: listen to Him.
The mother caresses the tender baby on her lap;
the Father serves His Son by His loving testimony.
The mother holds the child for the Magi to adore;
the Father reveals that His Son
is to be worshiped by all the nations.”at chridtmas he was born a man - st maximus of turin - 25 june 2018

“The light of Christ
is an endless day
that knows no night.”

St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)the light of christ - st maximus of turin - 25 june 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration
Prayers of the Church

Mary,
We sing our Alleluias today, for Jesus is risen.
Our souls proclaim the greatness of God,
Our spirits rejoice in our Risen Saviour.
May your song be sung in our lives
At every moment of this day, so that God’s power,
Which can do far more than we can ask or imagine,
May continue to call life from death
and light from darkness,
Transforming our meager efforts
Into your Son’s victory over death.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary ever Virgin,
intercede for us with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration - 10 may 2018 - thursday of the sixth week

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, EASTER, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration
(Prayers of the Church)

Mary,
We, your sons and daughters
Look to you as we treasure and ponder
The Rising of Jesus,
your Son and our brother.
Teach us how, that marvelous moment,
can topple the proud,
Elevate the lowly,
feed the hungry,
And mission the rich,
even today.
Confident in God’s power and love,
Trusting in the Risen Lord,
Relying on the Promised Advocate,
The Spirit of Life and of Truth,
We dedicate our lives,
in your name and for your honour
To the transforming power of Easter.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary ever Virgin,
intercede for us with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration - no 2 - tuesday of the 6th week of easter - 8 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration

Mary,
God has worked a great wonder:
Jesus is risen!
No longer are we caught in the cords of death,
For He has loosened our bonds.
No longer need we walk in fear,
For He has become our strong hope.
No longer are we alone and estranged,
For He has called us friends.
May your faith in the face of death,
even death on the cross,
May your hope,
almost buried with Him in the tomb,
May your love,
nearly staunched by the fear of his disciples,
May your joy in the Resurrected Saviour
be ours this day,
As we, in your name, for your honour,
live out our Easter mission.
To go forth and teach all peoples.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary ever Virgin,
intercede for us, with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration - 7 may 2018

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The RESURRECTION

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

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One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us, who are being saved, it is the power of God…1 Cor 1:181 corinthians 1 18

REFLECTION – …(I am) “a humble lay brother who has chosen the road of truth in the dark night of the world…only the Cross of Christ sheds light on the path of this life….God is in the detached heart, in the silence of prayer, in the voluntary sacrifice to pain, in the emptiness of the world and its creatures.   God is in the Cross and, as long as we do not love the Cross, we will not see Him, or feel Him…. If the world and men knew…. But they will not know;  they are very busy in their interests;  their hearts are very full of things that are not God.”…St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

only the cross of christ sheds light - st rafael baron - 26 april 2018

PRAYER – Lord God, we were sinners and Your grace made us holy.   We were without hope and You filled us with joy.   Stand by us in Your saving work and stay with us in Your gifts of grace.   May we never fail to persevere in the path of holiness that comes from following You, carrying our crosses behind the Cross of Your Son and looking forward in hope to the promise His Resurrection.   Grant Lord, that our faith may increase and our courage grow, by the prayers of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón.   Through Jesus our Lord, one God with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, amen.

st rafael arnaiz baron - pray for us - 26 april 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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Our Morning Offering – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Easter Prayer
By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church

It is only right,
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father
and Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
by Your wondrous condescension
of Loving-Kindness toward us,
Your servants,
You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us
to the Eternal Father
by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!
We pray You, Lord,
to preserve Your servants
in the peaceful enjoyment
of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
forever and ever.
Amen

it is only right with all the powers - easter prayer of st pope gregory the great - wed 4th week of easter - 25 april 2018

 

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 18 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40

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Thought for the Day – 18 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40

St John Chrysostom (347-407) – Sermon 45 on the Gospel of John – John 6:40

And I will raise him up at the last day.   Why does He continually dwell upon the Resurrection?   Is it that men may not judge of God’s providence by present things alone; that if they enjoy not results here, they become not on that account desponding but wait for the things that are to come and that they may not, because their sins are not punished for the present, despise Him, but look for another life.

Now those men gained nothing but let us take pains to gain by having the Resurrection continually sounded in our ears;  and if we desire to be grasping, or to steal, or to do any wrong thing, let us straightway take into our thoughts that Day, let us picture to ourselves the Judgment-seat, for such reflections will check the evil impulse more strongly than any bit.   Let us continually say to others and to ourselves, There is a resurrection, and a fearful tribunal awaits us.

If we see any man insolent and puffed up with the good things of his world, let us make the same remark to him and show him that all those things abide here:  and if we observe another grieving and impatient, let us say the same to him and point out to him that his sorrows shall have an end;  if we see one careless and dissipated, let us say the same charm over him and show that for his carelessness he must render account.

This saying is able more than any other remedy to heal our souls.   For there is a Resurrection and that Resurrection is at our doors, not afar off, nor at a distance.  For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37   And again, We must all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:10;   that is, both bad and good, the one to be shamed in sight of all, the other in sight of all to be made more glorious.   For as they who judge here, punish the wicked and honour the good publicly, so too will it be there, that the one sort may have the greater shame and the other more conspicuous glory.

Let us picture these things to ourselves every day.  If we are ever revolving them, no care for present things will be able to sting us.   For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18   Continually let us say to ourselves and to others, There is a Resurrection, and a Judgement and a scrutiny of our actions;  and let as many as deem that there is such a thing as fate repeat this and they shall straightway be delivered from the rottenness of their malady;  for if there is a Resurrection, and a Judgement, there is no fate, though they bring ten thousand arguments and choke themselves to prove it.

But I am ashamed to be teaching Christians concerning the Resurrection:  for he that needs to learn that there is a Resurrection and who has not firmly persuaded himself that the affairs of this world go not on by fate and without design and as chance will have them, can be no Christian.

Wherefore, I exhort and beseech you, that we cleanse ourselves from all wickedness and do all in our power to obtain pardon and excuse in that Day….For a man cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the Resurrection!for a man cannot - st john chrysostom - 18 april 2018

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 April – The Third Sunday of Easter Year B

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One Minute Reflection – 15 April – The Third Sunday of Easter Year B

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”... Luke 24:45-48o lord let the light of your countenance shine upon us - pope benedict - third sun easter B - 15 april 2018

REFLECTION – “This very experience of repentance and forgiveness is relived in every community in the Eucharistic celebration, especially on Sundays.   The Eucharist, the privileged place in which the Church recognises “the Author of life” (Acts 3: 15) is “the breaking of the bread”, as it is called in the Acts of the Apostles.   In it, through faith, we enter into communion with Christ, who is “the priest, the altar and the lamb of sacrifice” (see Preface for Easter, 5) and is among us.   Let us gather round Him to cherish the memory of His words and of the events contained in Scripture;  let us relive His Passion, death and Resurrection.   In celebrating the Eucharist, we communicate with Christ, the victim of expiation and from Him we draw forgiveness and life.   What would our lives as Christians be without the Eucharist?   The Eucharist is the perpetual, living inheritance which the Lord has bequeathed to us in the Sacrament of His Body and His Blood and which we must constantly rethink and deepen so that, as venerable Pope Paul VI said, it may “impress its inexhaustible effectiveness on all the days of our earthly life” (Insegnamenti, V [1967], p. 779).”…Pope Benedict XVIin it, through faith, - pope benedict - 15 april 2018

PRAYER – Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vigour of their souls. Grant them sorrow for their sins and gratitude for the suffering of Your Son.   Grant them forgiveness and life in the Holy Eucharist, through which we meet Him, who saved us. Grant, we pray, that we may grow in our love for the saving banquet to which we are called so that we may one day rejoice eternally, with You, in union with our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever amen.   “O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us”!

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, The RESURRECTION

One Minute Reflection – 10 April – Tuesday of the Second Week of Eastertide

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One Minute Reflection – 10 April – Tuesday of the Second Week of Eastertide

With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great favour was accorded them all…Acts 4:33

REFLECTION – “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”…Blessed Pope Paul VImodern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers - bl pope paul VI - 10 april 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, give Your Church the grace to proclaim the power of Jesus, our Risen Lord.   We have received the first fruits of His grace, prepare us for the full revelation of His gifts and help us Lord God, to proclaim all we believe both in word and deed.   Through our Lord Jesus, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.christ is risen alleluia - 10 april 2018 tuesday of 2nd week eastertide

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day – 6 April – Easter Friday the Sixth day in the Easter Octave

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Thought for the Day – 6 April – Easter Friday the Sixth day in the Easter Octave

“When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”…John 21:9-14

“Today …. is bathed in the luminous joy of Easter.   In these days, in fact, the Church celebrates the mystery of the Resurrection and experiences the great joy that comes to her from the Good News of Christ’s victory over evil and over death.   This joy is not only prolonged in the Octave of Easter but is extended for 50 days until Pentecost.

Christ’s Pasch is the supreme and unequalled act of God’s power.   It is an absolutely extraordinary event, the most beautiful, ripe fruit of the “Mystery of God”.   It is so extraordinary that it is ineffable in its dimensions that escape our human capacity for knowing and investigating.   Yet, it is also a “historical” event, witnessed to and documented.   It is the event on which the whole of our faith is founded.   It is the central content in which we believe and the main reason why we believe.

There is a glorified Resurrected Saviour now seated at the right hand of the Father, holding the place He has prepared for each of us.   His wounds are glorified now, beautiful, streaming the light of grace upon an earth being reborn, revealing the depth of His love and the Hope that springs eternal.   Through taking on our very humanity, He did for us what we could never have done for ourselves.   He “who knew no sin” walked in the perfect obedience of the Son and bridged the gap between the Father and the sons and daughters who had rejected His invitation to communion, through the offering of His own Body on the altar of the Cross.

Through His passion, obedience unto death, and Resurrection, He welcomed us into the very inner life of the Trinity.   In Him we now make our home in God.   In His sacred humanity He transforms the entire human experience.   He invites us to live differently and shows us the path to a fullness of life now and eternal glory in the new world to come.   He opened eternity to all who were bound by the chains of time.   He clothed in glorious freedom those once wrapped in the grave clothes of death.   He gave purpose to the sheep who had wandered aimlessly in empty self pursuits.

The whole world, created through Him, is now re-created in Him.   We can see our lives differently as we open ourselves to His Spirit and allow Him to replace our finite vision with the eyes of eternal perspective.   Our feet are now shod with the hope of the Good News.   His redemptive mission continues through us to a world waiting to be born anew. He walks through time in His Body on earth, His church;  the world reconciled and invites all men and women to follow Him.”

Pope Benedict XVIhe walks through time - pope benedict - 6 april 2018

Faith helps us recognise that Christ is God;  it shows that He is our saviour;  it brings us to identify ourselves with Him and to act as He acted.   When the risen Christ frees the apostle Thomas from his doubts, showing him His wounds, Jesus exclaims:  “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”   And St Gregory the Great comments that “He is referring in particular to us, for we possess spiritually Him whom we have not seen in the body.”  He is referring to us, provided our behaviour agrees with our faith.   A person does not truly believe unless he puts into practice what he believes.   That is why St Paul says of those whose faith is limited to words:   “They profess recognition of God, but in their behaviour they deny him”

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

(Christ is Passing By)

a person does not truly believe - st josemaria - 6 april easter friday - 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL MESSAGES, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 5 April – Easter Thursday Fifth Day in the Easter Octave

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Thought for the Day – 5 April – Easter Thursday Fifth Day in the Easter Octave

Christ’s Resurrection – Our Sure Hope
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church

“And he said to them, “Why are you troubled and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate before them..”..Luke 24:36-43

“Those who have a sure hope, guaranteed by the Spirit, that they will rise again lay hold of what lies in the future as though it were already present.

They say: “Outward appearances will no longer be our standard in judging other men. Our lives are all controlled by the Spirit now and are not confined to this physical world that is subject to corruption.   The light of the Only-begotten has shone on us and we have been transformed into the Word, the source of all life.   While sin was still our master, the bonds of death had a firm hold on us but now, that the righteousness of Christ has found a place in our hearts, we have freed ourselves from our former condition of corruptibility”.

This means that none of us lives in the flesh anymore, at least not in so far as living in the flesh means being subject to the weaknesses of the flesh, which include corruptibility.   Once we thought of Christ as being in the flesh but we do not do so any longer, says Saint Paul [2 Corinthians 5:16].   By this he meant that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us;  He suffered death in the flesh in order to give all men life.

It was in this flesh that we knew Him before but we do so no longer.   Even though He remains in the flesh, since He came to life again on the third day and is now with His Father in heaven, we know that He has passed beyond the life of the flesh, for having died once, He will never die again, death has no power over Him any more.   His death was a death to sin, which He died once for all;  His life is life with God [Romans 6:9].

Since Christ has in this way become the source of life for us, we who follow in His footsteps must not think of ourselves as living in the flesh any longer but as having passed beyond it.   Saint Paul’s saying is absolutely true that when anyone is in Christ he becomes a completely different person:  his old life is over and a new life has begun [2 Cor. 5:17].

We have been justified by our faith in Christ and the power of the curse has been broken. Christ’s coming to life again for our sake has put an end to the sovereignty of death.   We have come to know the true God and to worship Him in spirit and in truth, through the Son, our mediator, who sends down upon the world the Father’s blessings.

And so Saint Paul shows deep insight when He says:  This is all God’s doing:  it is He who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ.   For the mystery of the incarnation and the renewal it accomplished could not have taken place without the Father’s will.   Through Christ we have gained access to the Father, for as Christ himself says, no one comes to the Father except through Him.   This is all God’s doing, then.   It is He who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and who has given us, the ministry of reconciliation.”those who have sure hope - st cyril of alexandria - easter thursday - 5 april 2018

“The One who from nothingness had called the world into existence, only He could break the seals of the tomb, only He could become the source of New Life for us, who are subject to the universal law of death.   “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” (Mk 16:3), the women were asking one another, when very early they were going to the tomb where the Lord had been laid.   To this question, asked by the people of every age, of every country, culture and continent, the Bishop of Rome replies, this year too, with the message “Urbi et Orbi”:

“Scimus Christum surrexisse a mortuis vere…”   Yes, we know for certain that Christ is truly risen from the dead.   You, victorious King, have mercy on us.   Amen! Alleluia!”

St Pope John Paul – 10 April 1996

yes we know for certain that christ is truly risen - st john paul - easter thursday - 5 april 2018

 

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – Easter Thursday Fifth Day in the Easter Octave

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – Easter Thursday Fifth Day in the Easter Octave

“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?
Christ is Risen and you are overthrown.
Christ is Risen and the demons are fallen.
Christ is Risen and the Angels rejoice.
Christ is Risen and Life reigns.
Christ is Risen and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being Risen from the dead,
is become the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”

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

The Lord’s triumph, on the day of the Resurrection, is final.
Where are the soldiers the rulers posted there?
Where are the seals that were fixed to the stone of the tomb?
Where are those who condemned the Master?
Where are those who crucified Jesus?
He is victorious and faced with His victory,
those poor wretches have all taken flight.
Be filled with hope:
Jesus Christ is always victorious.”

St Josemarie Escrivá (1902-1975), The Forge, 660the lord triumph on the day of the resurrection is final - st josemaria - easter thursday 5 april 2018

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Second Thoughts for the Day – 4 April – Easter Wednesday, the Fourth day in the Octave of Easter

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Second Thoughts for the Day – 4 April – Easter Wednesday, the Fourth day in the Octave of Easter

“He is not here, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him” (Mk 16:6)

“There is another important aspect (in the Resurrection):  Jesus show Himself in the act of departure.

This is clearest in the event of Emmaus and in His meeting with Mary Magdalen.   He summons us to go with Him.

Resurrection is not an indulgence of curiosity – it is MISSION.   It’s intention is to transform the world!   It calls for an active joy, the joy of those who are themselves going along the path of the Risen One.

That is true today too – He only shows Himself to those who walk with Him.  The angel’s first word to the women was “He is not here, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him” (Mk 16:6).   So once and for all, we are told where the Risen One is to be found and how we are to meet Him – HE GOES BEFORE YOU.   He is present in preceding us.

By following Him, we can see Him!”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
The Word of the Witnesses – Seek that Which is Abovehe only shows himself - pope benedict - joseph ratzinger - easter wed - 4 april 2018 - no 2 with octave note

“They alone are able truly, to enjoy this world, who begin with the world unseen. They alone enjoy it, who have first abstained from it.   They alone can truly feast, who have first fasted.   They alone are able, to use the world, who have learned not to abuse it.   They alone inherit it, who take it as a shadow, of the world to come and who for that world to come relinquish it.”

Look at the cross of Christ – Blessed John Henry Newman  (1801-1890)THEY ALONE ARE ABLE TRULY - BL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN 0 4 APRIL EASTER WED 2018

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day – 3 April – Easter Tuesday in the Easter Octave 

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Thought for the Day – 3 April – Easter Tuesday in the Easter Octave

On the Spiritual Resurrection of the Children of God

If you be risen with Christ, mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. – Colossians 3

Let us represent to ourselves Jesus Christ, rising glorious from the Sepulchre.

“Faith in the Risen One is faith in something that has really taken place.   Today, it is still true, that Christianity is neither legend nor fiction, not mere exhortation nor mere solution.   Faith stands on the firm basis of reality that has actually taken place.   Today too, in the words of Scripture, we can as it were, touch the Lord’s glorified wounds and say, with Thomas, in gratitude and joy – My Lord and my God! (Jn 20:28)

One question, however, continually arises at this point.   Not everyone saw the Risen Jesus.   Why not?   Why did He not go in triumph to the Pharisees and Pilate to show them that He was alive and to let them touch His scars?   But in asking such a question, we are forgetting that Jesus was not a resuscitated corpse like Lazarus and the boy of Naim.   They were allowed to return once more, to their erstwhile biological life, which sooner or later, would have to end, after all, with death.   What happened in Jesus’ case, was quite different – He did not return to the old life but began a new one, a life that is ultimate, no longer subject to nature’s law of death but standing in God’s freedom and hence final and absolute.   A life, therefore, that is no longer part of the realm of physics and biology, although it has integrated matter and nature into itself on a higher plane.  And that is why it is no longer within the ambit of our senses of touch and sight.   The Risen One cannot be seen like a piece of wood or stone.   He can only be seen by the person to whom He reveals Himself.   And He only reveals Himself, to the one whom He can entrust with a mission.   He does NOT reveal Himself, to curiosity but to LOVE;  LOVE is the indispensable organ if we are to see and approach Him.”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

The Word of the Witnesses – Seek that Which is Above (1985)

the risen one cannot be seen like a piece of wood or a stone - ratzinger - benedict - 3 april 2018

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE, The RESURRECTION, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – Easter Monday of the Easter Octave – 2 April 2018

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Thought for the Day – Easter Monday of the Easter Octave – 2 April 2018

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Figure of our spiritual resurrection.

“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”… Matthew 28:8-10

Let us represent to ourselves anew, the glory of the Sepulchre of Jesus.

“In this way we enter the depths of the Paschal mystery.   The astonishing event of the resurrection of Jesus is essentially an event of love:  the Father’s love in handing over His Son for the salvation of the world;  the Son’s love in abandoning Himself to the Father’s will for us all;  the Spirit’s love in raising Jesus from the dead in His transfigured body.   And there is more: the Father’s love which “newly embraces” the Son, enfolding Him in glory;  the Son’s love returning to the Father in the power of the Spirit, robed in our transfigured humanity.   From today’s solemnity, in which we relive the absolute, once-and-for-all experience of Jesus’s Resurrection, we receive an appeal to be converted to Love;   we receive an invitation to live by rejecting hatred and selfishness and to follow with docility in the footsteps of the Lamb that was slain for our salvation, to imitate the Redeemer who is “gentle and lowly in heart”, who is “rest for our souls” (cf. Mt 11:29).”

Pope Benedict 23 March 2008

easter monday - 2 april 2018 - the astonishing even of the resurrection - pope benedict

Adorable Lord, bestow on us grace to rise spiritually, by leaving the tomb of indifference, to lead a life of fervour.

At Easter we recall the words God spoke to Moses concerning the Paschal solemnity:  For it is the Phase – that is, the Passage – of the Lord.  Now we celebrate the Passage of our Lord from Death to Life and think upon our own passage from a life of tepidity to one of fervour, from an imperfect to a holy life.   Jesus, in leaving the Tomb, disengaged Himself from the winding-sheet in which His Sacred Body had been wrapped;  this should make us understand that we must extricate ourselves from the imperfections and bad habits, which for so long a time have kept out souls bound and motionless for good.   If we rise with Jesus and set ourselves free from the paralysed state in which our evil inclinations have retained us, they will infallibly disappear.   Our Risen Lord was clothed with the power of agility to teach us to despise all resistance of nature, to pass quickly out of its reach, to triumph over every obstacle and that our souls should tend upwards to Him alone.   If we are indeed risen with Christ we shall seek the things that are above and our whole being will be spiritualised, responding with agility to the promptings not of nature, but of grace.   May we be enabled fully to enter into the Mystery of the Resurrection-Life of Jesus and to receive the plenitude of His favours, offered to us at this time especially.

Jesus, in rising from the Sepulchre, clothed in light, wills that we should understand what is the beauty of a soul disengaged from the ties of nature and renewed in the spiritual life.   The soul, like Jesus, becomes luminous, the Holy Spirit enlightens it interiorly, by filling it with the knowledge of divine things;  it is possessed of a lustrous beauty and its virtues shine visibly, contributing to the edification of others.   By the impassibility of the Body of Jesus, we comprehend that grace raises the soul, by means of holy courage, above temptations;  it renders it invulnerable against the darts of the enemies of its salvation and gives it the power of mastering its downward tendencies. Such are the happy privileges granted to His faithful ones, who lovingly enter into the spirit of the Mystery of Easter.   Sufferings indeed we must still endure, for we are still on this side of the grave but if they serve only to raise us near to Jesus, we may be said to share already in the effects of His impassibility.   We range ourselves therefore around Him, to rejoice at the sight of the glory He received in His Resurrection and to honour the marvellous capabilities of His Adorable Body, by rendering ourselves worthy, by our fervour, to participate in them spiritually.

O my Saviour, I thank You for the favour You accord me, permitting me to partake in the glorious privileges of the new life You began.   Make me to be entirely renewed in the spirit of my mind so that, freed from the servitude of sense and natural affections, I may rise constantly towards You, with a pure and generous heart.

Aided by the grace Jesus bestows, I will endeavour to reproduce spiritually in myself, the capabilities observable in His Sacred Humanity after the Resurrection.

If by the Spirit, you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.

Father de Brant, Growth in the Knowledge of Our Lord volume 2, 1882

Posted in EASTER, NOTES to Followers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day – 1 April 2018 – Easter Sunday – A Blessed and Holy Easter to you all!

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Thought for the Day – 1 April 2018 – Easter Sunday

A Blessed and Holy Easter to you all!

“Be Lifted Up, O Ancient Door”

It seems as the human world has no doors opening toward God.   It is locked in upon itself. It is a prison, a house of the dead.
People of the Old Testament and of other early civilizations initially applied the idea of the prison only to the world of the dead – the man who dies will not return.   They imagined the underworld as a vast dark prison in which death reigns, a ruthless tyrant. It is a place of no return.   Gradually, however, the feeling grew that, if all our paths lead to the prison which has entrances but no exit, then we are all prisoners.   In that case, even this present world is a house of the dead, the antechamber leading to a dungeon of horrors!   And it is a fact, if death has the last world – the world is a waiting room leading to the void (as manifested in many Eastern religions – my note).
Poets of our century have set down this feeling in terrifying visions.   The Jewish poet Franz Kafka has probably gone farthest into this abyss of ANGST.   His portrayal of a world of totalitarian control is intended as an interpretation of human life as such. In “The Castle”, life appears to be a futile waiting, a doomed attempt to penetrate the maze of bureaucracy and reach some competent authority and hence freedom.   In “The Trial”, life itself is present as a trial ending in execution.   The story ends with the parable of a man who waits all his life outside a door and cannot get in, in spite of the fact that it was made especially for him.
If Christ is not risen, there is nothing more to be said about man than this – all else, is merely an endeavour to deaden the pain.   The cries of despair we hear and the cruel attempts at liberation we see, are the necessary consequences of a world that will not accept Christ, its hope.
“Be lifted up, O ancient doors!” – these words of the psalm (24:7) are not liturgical symbolism, the gate liturgy of a long-past age.   They are the cry of man in a world that is far too narrow, even if he can travel in spaceships to the moon and beyond.
Christmas is only the first half of the Christian answer to this cry.   Christmas tells us that there is not only the tyrant, Death – there is God, who is Life and this God can and will reach us – He has broken a way into us.   He has found the door that was big enough for Him, or rather, He has made such a door for Himself.
But this answer is only complete if there is not only an entrance by which God can reach us but also an exit for us.   It is only satisfying, if death is no longer a prison from which no-one returns.   AND THIS IS THE CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE OF EASTER.   Not only is there a door in, there is also, a door out.   Death is no longer a house with no exits, a place of no return.
The ancient Church saw in this verse (ps 24:7) an interpretation of the article of faith “descended into hell”, referring particularly to Holy Saturday, not as a word of mourning but as a word of victory.   The Church expressed this word in poetic form – the bolts of death’s dungeon, of the world’s dungeon, are wrenched off – the ramparts are thrown down – the gates are torn from their hinges.   The one who has done this, Jesus, takes the long-imprisoned Adam and Eve, i.e. humanity, by the hand and leads them to freedom. Life is not a waiting room leading to the void but the beginning of eternity!   The world is not the universal concentration camp but the garden of hope!   Life is not the futile search for meaning, mirrored in the tangle of bureaucracy.   God is not a bureaucrat – He does not live in a distant castle, nor does He hide Himself behind impenetrable anterooms.   The door is open – it is called Jesus Christ!the door is open - pope benedict - 1 april 2018

The celebration of Easter is intended to show us the radiant light which streams from this door.   It challenges us steadfastly to follow this radiance, which is no will-o’-the-wisp but the brilliance of saving truth….Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) Seek that Which is Above 1985

A Blessed and Holy Easter to you all!

Christós anésti.
Jesus Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
Alleluia
Amena blessed and holy easter to you all - 1 april 2018

Posted in EASTER, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The RESURRECTION

Christós anésti. Jesus Christ is risen! He is truly risen! Easter Sunday – 1 April 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Christós anésti.
Jesus Christ is risen! He is truly risen!Christós anésti. -1 april 2018

In the words of Pope Francis in the Urbi et Orbi Message of Easter 2013, “let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection!  Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of His love to transform our lives too and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish”.

The tomb is empty.   It is a silent witness to the central event of human history:  the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.   For almost 2,000 years the empty tomb has borne witness to the victory of Life over death.   With the Apostles and Evangelists, with the Church of every time and place, we too bear witness and proclaim:  “Christ is risen! Raised from the dead he will never die again; death no longer has power over him” (cf. Rom 6:9).gospel-easter-sunday-be-not-affrighted-ye-seek-jesus-of-nazareth-who-was-crucified-he-is-risen-he-is-not-here

“Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando; dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus” (Latin Easter Sequence Victimae paschali).   The Lord of Life was dead;  now He reigns, victorious over death, the source of everlasting life for all who believe.

Resurrection of Christ – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Resurrection of Christ – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

“Dear Brothers and Sisters,

These have been days of intense emotion, a time when our soul has been stirred not only by the memory of what God has done but by His very presence, walking with us once again in the land of Christ’s Birth, Death and Resurrection.   And at every step of this Jubilee Pilgrimage Mary has been with us, lighting our pilgrim path and sharing the joys and sorrows of her sons and daughters.

With Mary, Mater dolorosa, we stand in the shadow of the Cross and weep with her over the affliction of Jerusalem and over the sins of the world.   We stand with her in the silence of Calvary and see the blood and water flowing from the wounded side of her Son.   Realising the terrible consequences of sin, we are moved to repentance for our own sins and for the sins of the Church’s children in every age.   O Mary, conceived without sin, help us on the path to conversion!

With Mary, Stella matutina, we have been touched by the light of the Resurrection.   We rejoice with her that the empty tomb has become the womb of eternal life, where He who rose from the dead now sits at the Father’s right hand.   With her we give endless thanks for the grace of the Holy Spirit whom the risen Lord sent upon the Church at Pentecost and whom He continually pours into our hearts, for our salvation and for the good of the human family.

Mary, Regina in caelum assumpta  . From the tomb of her Son, we look to the tomb where Mary lay sleeping in peace, awaiting her glorious Assumption.   The Divine Liturgy celebrated at her tomb in Jerusalem has Mary say:  “Even beyond death, I am not far from you”.   And in the Liturgy her children reply:  “Seeing your tomb, O holy Mother of God, we seem to contemplate you.   O Mary, you are the joy of the angels, the comfort of the afflicted.   We proclaim you as the stronghold of all Christians and, most of all, as our Mother”.

In contemplating the Theotókos, almost at this journey’s end, we look upon the true face of the Church, radiant in all her beauty, shining with “the glory of God which is on the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).  O Advocate, help the Church to be ever more like you, her exalted model.   Help her to grow in faith, hope and love, as she searches out and does the will of God in all things (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 65).   O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!”

St Pope John Paul – March 2000, JerusalemTHE GREATEST EASTER PAINTING - ELISE EHRHARD CRISES MAG