Category: The SECOND COMING

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – Feria of the Last Sunday after Pentecost – Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 24:15-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“They will see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of Heaven
with much power and majesty.”

Matthew 24:30

“From that time onward,
He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand,
until the completion of the period,
ordained by God, for the Church’s children
to increase and multiply, after which,
in the same Body with which He ascended,
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence
has passed into the Sacraments.
Our faith is nobler and stronger because,
empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching,
whose authority is accepted by believing hearts,
enlightened from on high.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Great Father and Doctor of the Church

“Fool that I am to offend God
for the sake of such trifling vanities.
I have forsaken God and for what – for nothing!
On the other hand, devotion and good deeds
will be seen as desirable and delightful
and you will ask yourself –
why did I not take this beautiful
and pleasant path of everlasting joy?
At that hour, your sins –
which at the time seemed so small –
will appear as vast as mountains
and your devotions truly small. …

Pray to God and cast yourself into His arms.
O my God, take me into Thy care on that terrible day;
may all other days be sad, if only that single day
will be a happy one!”

“Let the world turn upside down,
let everything be in darkness,
in smoke, in uproar – God is with us!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 November – ‘ …Now then, we do not just rest only on His first advent but look forward to His second too …’

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One Minute Reflection – 27 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal – Feria of the Last Sunday after Pentecost – Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 24:15-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“They will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with much power and majesty.” – Matthew 24:30

REFLECTION – “We do not preach only one advent of Christ but a second also, far more glorious than the first. For the first gave us a glimpse of His patience but the second brings with it, the Crown of a Divine Kingdom… In His former advent, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger; in his second, “He covers Himself with Light as with a garment” (Ps 103:2). In His first coming, He endured the Cross, despising shame (Heb 12:2); in His second, He comes attended by a host of Angels, receiving glory.

Now then, we do not just rest only on His first advent but look forward to His second too, when, meeting our Master with the Angels, we may worship Him and say: “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Mt 21:9). The Saviour will come, not to be judged again but to judge those who judged Him … He came the first time because of a Divine dispensation, teaching people with persuasion but on that day, they will of necessity have Him for their King.” – St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church (Catechetical lectures 15, 1).

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 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 CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The O ANTIPHONS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 November – ‘ …What is our mortal life except a way? …’

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One Minute Reflection – 26 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Sylvester Gozzolini OSB Silv. (1177– 1267) Priest, Abbot ; – Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 24:15-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shall be moved. ” – Matthew 24:29

REFLECTION – “The powers of Heaven will be moved.” What does the Lord mean by the powers of Heaven, if not the Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominations, Rulers and Powers? (Col 1:6). At the coming of the severe Judge ,they will appear visibly before our eyes… “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great authority and majesty.” In other words, they are going to see, in power and majesty, Him Whom they chose not to hear in a state of humility … He said these things about the condemned; words of consolation for the elect follow at once: – “When these things begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” Truth is exhorting His elect by saying: “When the disasters of the world become more frequent … let your hearts exult! While the world – which is not your friend, is coming to an end, the redemption you have sought is coming near!”

Those who love God are ordered to rejoice and be merry at the world’s end. They will soon find Him Whom they love, while what they have not loved is passing away. It should be far from the hearts, of all the faithful, who long to see God, to grieve over the disasters of the world, for they know these very disasters are to end. It is written that: “Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, makes himself an enemy of God (Jas 4:4). Someone who does not rejoice as the end of the world approaches, testifies that he is its friend and this convicts him of being God’s enemy.

Let this be far from the hearts of the faithful, let it be far from those who believe, by their faith that there is another life and who love it by their activities … What is our mortal life except a way? Consider carefully, my friends, what sort of thing it is to grow weary with the exertions of the way and yet, to be unwilling, that the way be ended! … Therefore, my friends, do not love, that which you see cannot long exist!” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Great Father and Doctor (Sermons on the Gospel).

PRAYER – Most merciful God, Who when the holy Abbot Sylvester was devoutly meditating upon the vanity of this world beside an open grave, graciously willed to call him into the desert and enrich him with unusual merits, we humbly pray that, following his example, despising the things of earth, we may thoroughly enjoy Thy everlasting presence. 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 for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HEART, The SECOND COMING, The WORD, Uncategorized

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – ‘…Christ enters at the open door. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c305) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore because you know not the day, nor the hour.” – 25:13

REFLECTION – “You are one of the virgins who illumine the beauty of your body with the light of the mind, you are all the more fit to be compared with the Church. In the hours of the night, think always on Christ and hope for His coming at every moment. …
Christ enters at the open door. He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter. Embrace Him, Whom you have sought. Approach Him and be illumined.
Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly. Beg Him not to depart. For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15) and will not be held by the slothful or negligent soul. Let your soul run to His call and follow closely, the sound of His heavenly Voice, for His passing is swift. …

With what ties is Christ to be held?
Not by force, not by chains but rather, by the bonds of charity.
He is kept and held by the ties of the mind, by the love of the heart.
So, if you wish to hold Christ, seek Him continually and fear no fatigue.
It is often in pain of body, amid the very hands of the persecutors that Christ may really be found. … In a little while, in a brief moment, when you have escaped the hands of your persecutors and have not succumbed to the powers of the world, Christ will meet you and will not allow you to be tempted further.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Archbishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (De virginitate, PL 16, 283-286 – The Nun’s Ideals).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai’s height and through Thy holy Angels, miraculously placed there, the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee that by her merits and intercession, we may reach that towering eminence which is Christ our Lord.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", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 November –“ … Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!”

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One Minute Reflection – 22 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Cecilia (Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … The Bridegroom came and they, who were ready, went in with Him … ” – Matthew 25:10

REFLECTION – “In this world, which is to say, in the Church, wholly following Christ, He says to all of us: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself.” This command is not being directed to virgins but not married women, to widows but not wives, to Monks but not husbands, to Priests but not laity. It is the whole Church, the whole Body of Christ with all its members, differentiated and divided according to their proper functions that is, to follow Christ. May she wholly follow Him, she who is one alone, the dove, the bride (Sg 6:9); may she follow Him, she who has been redeemed and endowed with the Blood of her Bridegroom. Virginal purity has its place here; the continence of widows has its place here; wedded chastity has its place here…

These members who have their place here should follow Christ, each according to their category, each according to their status, each after its fashion. Let them deny themselves, that is to say, let them not rely on themselves. Let them carry their cross that is to say, bear, for Christ’s sake in the world, all that the world inflicts on them. May they love Him, He, the Only One, Who never deceives or is deceived, the Only One ,Who is not mistaken. May they love Him because, what He promises is true. Yet because, He does not give it to us now, our faith falters. Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 96:9)

PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us by the annual feast of blessed Cecilia, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may by virtuous conduct follow her, whom we venerate in this sacred rite. 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 BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 November – ‘ … So keep watch with vigilant soul and you will see the pure Truth with open eyes! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”– St Andrew Avellino CR (1521–1608) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “These words mean – you are to be awake and vigilant because you do not know the hour when the Lord will come from the wedding … Because, as soon as some feeling of pride, self-satisfaction or self-will enters a man, the Enemy is there, cutting the precious bag, of all his good works from him. Oh, children! How many people like these, will you see, who have done great works … and thus gained great renown … but, presumption has stripped them of all … They will be placed after the poor and simple fellows, whom no-one values because of their outward appearance and work. Because they humbly take a lowly place, these latter, will be set above the others … So keep watch with vigilant soul and you will see the pure Truth with open eyes …

“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps alight.” Here there are three points to notice. First – the loins are to be girded like someone firmly bound with a rope, so as to be led, against his will … Second – you are to carry lighted lamps in your hands which is to say, works of love. Your hands should never stop doing the true, ardent work of charity … Third – you should wait for the Lord when He returns from the wedding … “The Lord will set them over all His goods; He will gird Himself and will serve them.” This wedding from which the Lord comes, takes place in the most interior part of the soul, in its depths, where the noble image is found. O what intimate contact the soul has with God and God with it, in this depth and what a marvellous work God does there! What rejoicing and joy He finds there! It surpasses all feeling and thought and yet, man knows nothing and feels nothing of it.” – Fr Johannes Tauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Priest and Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian (Sermon 77 for the Feast of a Confessor).

PRAYER – O God, by his difficult vow to make daily progress in holiness, Thou placed in the heart of blessed Andrew, Thy Confessor, a wondrous longing to ascend unto Thee, grant us, by his merits and intercession, so to become sharers of that same grace that, ever pursuing the more perfect things, we may be happily brought unto the height of Thy glory. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – Ardent Travellers …

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – Within the All Saints Octave – Apocalypse 7:2-12; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward
will be great in Heaven.”

Matthew 5:12

“ Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“… A tree is known by its fruit.
So those who profess to belong to Christ
will be known, by what they do.
For the work we are about,
is not a matter of words, here and now
but depends on the power of faith
and on being found faithful, to the end!”

St Ignatius of Antioch (c35–c107)
Bishop, Martyr, Apostolic Father

“Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”

Luke 21:28
“Truth is exhorting His elect by saying:
“When the disasters of the world
become more frequent… let your hearts exult!
While the world, which is not your friend,
is coming to an end,
the redemption you have sought ,is coming near!”
Those who love God are ordered to rejoice
and be merry at the world’s end.
They will soon find Him Whom they love,
while what they have not loved is passing away.
It should be far from the hearts of all the faithful
who long to see God, to grieve over the disasters
of a world, for they know, these very disasters,
are soon to end. It is written that:
“Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world,
makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4:4).”

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

“May Christ be heard in our language,
may Christ be seen in our life,
may He be perceived in our hearts”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING Prayers, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The HOLY SOULS, The RESURRECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 November – The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. John 5:28-29

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One Minute Reflection – 2 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Souls Day – 1 Corinthian 15:51-57, John 5:25-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrection of Life but they who have done evil, until the resurrection of judgement.” – John 5:28-29

REFLECTION – “Devout, wise and good people are not afraid of death, in view of the great hope they have in what lies before them. Everyday they think of death as of a departure and of the last day, as when the offspring of Adam will be born! The Apostle Paul says: “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin, as has happened with all the children of Adam” (Rm 5:14.12) … It has happened, too, in all Moses’ descendants, to the end of the world. However, Moses declared that its rule would be destroyed; death thought to hold everyone captive and rule over them forever. .., but when the Holy One called to Moses, from the heart of the bush, he said to him: “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob” (Ex 3:6). When it heard these words, death was terrified, it trembled with fear, understanding that … God is Lord over the dead and the living and would come one day when men would escape from its darkness. Now Jesus our Saviour has repeated these words to the Sadducees and said: “He is not God of the dead, for all are alive for Him” (Lk 20:38) …

For Jesus has come, the One Who has put death to death!
He put on a body of Adam’s race, has been nailed to the Cross and tasted death. It has understood that He would be descending to its abode. Anxiously, death fastened its gates but He has broken down its gates, entered in and started to seize those it was holding there. The dead, seeing Light in the darkness, raised their heads from their prisonhouse and saw the glory of the Messiah King! … And death, seeing how the darkness began to disperse and the righteous to rise, knew that at the end of time, He would release every prisoner from its power!” – St Aphrahat (c280-c345) Bishop near Mosul, Father (Expositions No 22).

PRAYER – O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain, by our loving prayer,s the forgiveness which they have always desired. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The SECOND COMING

Quote/s of the Day – 28 October – The Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 October – The Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

“… It was their vocation
to call sinners to repentance,
to heal those who were sick,
whether in body or spirit,
to seek in all their dealing,
never to do their own will
but the will of Him who sent them and,
as far as possible, to save the world
by their teaching.”

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

Prayer to Sts Simon and Jude
From the Liturgical Year, 1903

Great evils surround us!
is there any hope left to the world?
The confidence of thy devout clients
proclaims thee, O Jude,
the Patron of desperate cases
and for thee, O Simon,
this is surely the time
to prove thyself Zelotes, full of zeal.
Deign, thou both,
to hear the Church’s prayers
and aid her, with all thy Apostolic might,
to re-animate faith,
to rekindle charity
and to save the world!
Amen

Prayer to St Jude Patron of Impossible Causes:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/10/28/quote-of-the-day-28-october-patron-of-impossible-causes/

Posted in "Follow Me", 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY GHOST, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – ‘… Grow onto Him …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona
because flesh and blood
hath not revealed it to thee
but My Father Who is in Heaven.”

Matthew 16:17

“But the God of all grace,
Who hath called us into His eternal glory
in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little,
will Himself perfect you and confirm you
and establish you.
To Him be glory and empire
forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 5:10-11

“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.”

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

“Hide me then in the day of evil, O Lord,
in the secret place of Thy tabernacle,
in the hidden recesses of Thy Face,
“far from the strife of tongues” (Ps 26:5; 30:21),
for Thy yoke is easy and the burden
Thou hast laid on me is light (Mt 11:30).
And when Thou show me the difference
between Thy service and the service of the world,
gently and tenderly Thou asks me
if it is not better to serve Thee,
the living God, than to serve strange gods
(Cf 2 Chron 12:8). And I, for my part,
adore the hand that lays the load,
I kiss the yoke and I embrace the burden
and it is very sweet to me to sweat beneath its weight.
For masters other than Thee, have long possessed me…
I acknowledge Thy yoke and Thy light burden
which lifts me up and does not crush me down. …”

William of St Thierry O.Cist (c1075 – c1148)

“Let us always belong to God,
unreservedly and without interruption.
May He ever live and reign in our hearts.”

(Letter to Madame de Chantal)

“He who most loves,
will be most loved.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SLOTH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 October – ‘… Let us be watchful, to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 20 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St John Cantius (1390-1473) Confessor – James 2:12-17, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8) We see that what He foretold has come to pass. There is no faith in the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works …. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, it does not fear because it does not believe at all. If it believed, it would also take heed and if it took heed, it would be saved.

Therefore ,beloved brothers, let us arouse ourselves as much as we can and break the slumber of our listlessness. Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. Let us be like He Himself, has bidden us to be, saying, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately, when He comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants, whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival“.

 Let us always wait with solicitude and caution for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when he knocks, our faith maybe on the watch and receive from the Lord, the reward of our vigilance. If these commands be observed, if these warnings and precepts be kept, we will not be overtaken in slumber, by the deceit of the devil. But we shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom, as servants on the watch.” – St Cyprian (c 200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (Treatise on the unity of the Church, 26-27).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that by following the example of blessed John, Thy Confessor, we may advance in a knowledge of holiness and, by showing pity for others, obtain Thou forgiveness through his merits. 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 ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October –‘ … Stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks …’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – St Edward King and Confessor (c1003-1066) – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning …” – Luke 12:35

REFLECTION – “It is so that our spirit may be detached from its fantasies that the Word invites us, to shake off this heavy sleep, from the eyes of our souls, so that we may not slide away from the true reality, by clinging to what lacks substance. That is why He sets before us an image of vigilance when He says: “Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning”… The meaning of these symbols is clear enough. Someone who is girded with temperance, lives in the light of a pure conscience because, filial trust enlightens his life, like a lamp. Lit up by the truth that person’s soul is detached from the sleep of illusion because, no empty dreams are leading it astray. As the Word says – if we do this, we shall enter into a life like that of the Angels…

Indeed, these are they who wait for the Lord at His return from the wedding and who are seated by the heavenly gates, with watchful eyes, so that the King of Glory (Ps 23:7) might once more pass through, when he returns from the marriage feast and enters again into the beatitude above the heavens. “Coming forth like the groom from his bridal chamber” (Ps 18:6)…, He united to Himself like a virgin, the nature we had prostituted to idols, once He had restored its virginal integrity, through sacramental regeneration. The nuptials, having now been accomplished, since the Church has been espoused by the Word… and brought into the chamber of His Mysteries, the Angels awaited the return of the King of Glory to the blessedness which matches His nature.

Hence, the text says that our lives ought to be like those of the Angels. Just as they live far from vice and self-deception, ready to welcome the second coming of the Lord, so we too ought to remain awake at the doors of our dwellings and stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks at the door.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church, Brother of St Basil the Great (Sermons on the Song of Songs No 11).

PRAYER – O God, Who crowned blessed King Edward with the glory of eternity, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate him on earth that we may be worthy to reign with him 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 CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 October – ‘ … Blessed watch!… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 6 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Bruno O.Cart (c1030-1101) Priest, Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search: https://www.drbo.org/ – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “How blessed, how happy are those servants, “whom the lord when He comes shall find watching!” (Lk 12:37) Blessed watch, in which they watch for God the Creator of the universe, who fills all things and surpasses all!

Would that myself too, wretched though I be, yet His poor servant, He might deign so to arouse from the sleep of idleness, so to kindle with that fire of Divine Love that the flame of His Love, the longing of His so great Charity, would mount above the stars and the Divine Fire would ever burn within me!

Would that I were of such deserving, that my lamp might ever burn by night in the temple of my Lord that, to all entering the house of my God, it might give light (cf Mt 5:15). Lord, grant me, I pray Thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ Thy Son, my God that love which knows no fall, so that my lamp may feel the kindling touch and know no quenching, may burn for me and for others, may give light!” – St Columban (543-615) Monk, Irish Missionary, Abbot, Writer, Reformer, Teacher, Miracle-worker, Founder of numerous Monateries in present-day France and Italy. (Spiritual Instructions No 12:2)

PRAYER – May we be aided by the intercession of St Bruno, Thy Confessor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we, who have grievously offended Thy Majesty by sin, may, by his merits and prayers, obtain forgiveness for our offenses. 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, GOOD FRIDAY, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St Francis de Sales, St PAUL!, The PASSION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – Take courage: It is I,

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that have nothing more they can do. …
be afraid of him who, after he has killed,
has power to cast into hell. ”

Luke 12:4-5

“Take courage: It is I,
do not be afraid.
And He got into
the boat with them
and the wind fell”

Mark 6:50-51

“Do not, therefore, lose your confidence,
which has a great reward.
For you have need of patience
that, doing the will of God,
you may receive the promise.
For yet a very little while
and He Who is to come,
will come
and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:35-37

“Go forward bravely.
Fear nothing.
Trust in God – all will be well.”

St Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

“ Now it is that we are to show
an invincible courage towards our Saviour,
serving Him purely for the love of His will,
not only without pleasure
but amid this deluge of sorrows,
horrors, distresses and assaults,
as did his glorious Mother and St John,
upon the day of His Passion.
Amongst so many blasphemies,
sorrows and deadly distresses,
they remained constant in love …”

“The good Angels are around you,
like a company of Sentinels on guard!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“We think not enough of this Truth –
that God is present with us
that He sees our thoughts,
even long before we have them.
That He knows what we think
and shall think, better than we ourselves
that He sees the folds and recesses,
of our heart
and of this other Truth –
that NOTHING HAPPENS to us
but by the order of Providence.
We should all be Saints,
if we well apprehended these Truths.
And truly, it is a great consolation,
to know that God sees
the bottom of our heart.”

St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Disciple and Collaborator with
St Francis de Sales in Founding
the Sisters of the Visitation

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 September – The Third coming …

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One Minute Reflection – 19 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Januarius of Naples (Died c304) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr and his Martyred Companions – Hebrews 10:32-38, Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For yet a very little while and He, Who is to come, will come …” – Hebrews 10:37

REFLECTION – “ It is only right, my brothers, to celebrate our Lord’s coming with all possible devotion, so greatly does His comfort gladden us… and His love burn within us. But do not just think about His first coming, when He came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10); think, too, of that other coming when He will come to take us with Him. I should like to see you constantly occupied in meditating on these two comings… “resting among the sheepfolds” (Ps 67:14), for they are the two arms of the Bridegroom, in which the Bride of the Song of Songs took her rest: “His left arm is under my head and His right arm embraces me” (2:6)…

But, there is a third coming between the two, to which I have just referred and those who know of it, can rest in it, for their greater happiness. The other two are visible but this one is not. In the first, “ the Lord has appeared on earth and has spoken to us” (Bar 3:38)… in the last, “all mankind shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3:6; Is 40:5)… But the one that comes between them is secret – it is that in which the elect alone see the Saviour within themselves and their souls find salvation.

In His first coming, Christ came in our flesh and in our weakness; in His coming in the midst of time, He comes in Spirit and power; in His final coming, He will come in His glory and majesty. But it is by the strength of the virtues that we attain to glory, as it is written: “The Lord, the King of armies, He is the King of glory” (Ps 23:10) and, in the same book: “That I may see Thy power and Thy glory” (Ps 62:3). And so, the second coming is like a road leading from the first to the last. In the first, Christ has been our Redemption; in the last, He will appear as our Life; in His coming between, He is our Rest and our Consolation!” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, The Last Father and Mellifluous Doctor of the Church (Sermons 4 and 5 for Advent).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladdens us by the annual festival of Thy Martyrs Januarius and Companions, grant that we, may be inspired by the example of those, in whose merits we rejoice.Through tJesus 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 BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, PATRONAGE - OF CHASTITY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The SECOND COMING

Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311)

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr, Father

“Thou Thyself, O Christ,
art my all.
For Thou I keep myself chaste
and holding aloft my shining lamp,
I run to meet Thee, my Spouse.”

Hail to Thee, Forever Virgin,
Mother of God,
By St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311)

Hail to thee forever-Virgin
Mother of God,
our unceasing joy!
for unto thee do I again return. . . .
Hail, thou fount of the Son’s love for man. . . .
Wherefore, we pray thee,
the most excellent among women,
who boast in the confidence
of thy maternal honours
that thou wouldst, unceasingly,
keep us in remembrance.
O holy Mother of God,
remember us, I say,
who make our boast in thee
and who, in august hymns
celebrate thy memory
which will ever live
and never fade away.
Amen.

(From “Oration on Simeon and Anna”)

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TIME, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 September – ‘ … Grab hold of life! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 14 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Exaltation of the Holy Cross –Philippians 2:5-11, John 12:31-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“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

REFLECTION – “… We are being towed along by a world which passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but, do not take into account, the coming judgement. We will not run to meet the Lord as He comes!…

Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back… By the very fact of His delay, of His still waiting, our Lord proves His desire to see us come back to Him, His desire that we should not perish. In His great goodness, He continues addressing these words to us: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but, would rather, he would change his ways and live ”(Ez 33:11). So let us turn back to Him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time’s Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel, who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23,43)!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Sermons” of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 167).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us this day by the annual feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who know on earth, the mysteries of Christ, may be found worthy to obtain, in heaven, the rewards of His Redemption. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

One Minute Reflection – 11 September – ‘ … He says that there will be wars, turmoil, famines and epidemics everywhere. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 11 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Protus and St Hyacinth (Died c257) Brother Martyrs – Wisdom 3:1-8, Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons and they will have you led, before kings and governors because of My Name …” – Luke 21:12

REFLECTION – “Jesus gives them clear and evident signs of the time when the consummation of the world draws near. He says that there will be wars, turmoil, famines and epidemics everywhere. There will be terrors from Heaven and great signs. As another Evangelist says, “All the stars shall fall and the heaven be rolled up like a scroll and its powers will be shaken.”

In the middle of this, the Saviour places what refers to the capture of Jerusalem. He mixes the accounts together in both parts of the narrative. Before all these things, He says, “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and to prisons and bringing you before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. This will be a witness to you.” Before the times of consummation, the land of the Jews was taken captive and the Roman armies overran it. They burned the temple, overthrew their national government and stopped the means for legal worship. They no longer had sacrifices, now that the temple was destroyed. The country of the Jews together with Jerusalem itself was totally laid waste. Before these things happened, they persecuted the blessed disciples. They imprisoned them and had a part in unendurable trials. They brought the disciples before judges and sent them to kings. Paul was sent to Rome to Caesar.

Christ promises, however, that He will deliver them certainly and completely. He says that a hair of your head will not perish!” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Incarnation the Church (Commentary on Luke, Homily 139).

PRAYER – May the precious witness of Thy blessed Martyrs, Protus and Hyacinth, comfort us, O Lord and may their kind intercession, continually 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 WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WATCHING, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 September – ‘ … Let us be watchful to observe and to do, the Lord’s precepts … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 2 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Stephen King of Hungary (c975- 1038) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Luke 19:12-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I say to you that to everyone who has, shall be given but from him, who does not have, even that which he has, shall be taken away.” – Luke 19;26

REFLECTION – “The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8) We see that what He foretold has come to pass. There is no faith in the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works …. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, it does not fear because it does not believe at all. If it believed, it would also take heed and if it took heed, it would be saved.

Therefore, beloved brothers, let us arouse ourselves as much as we can and break the slumber of our listlessness. Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. Let us be like He Himself, has bidden us to be, saying, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately, when He comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants, whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival“.

We ought to be dressed for work, lest, when the day of setting forth comes, it should find us burdened and entangled. Let our light shine, in good works and glow, in such a way, as to lead us from the night of this world, to the daylight of eternal brightness. Let us always wait with solicitude and caution for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when he knocks, our faith may be on the watch and receive from the Lord, the reward of our vigilance. If these commands be observed, if these warnings and precepts be kept, we will not be overtaken in slumber, by the deceit of the devil. But we shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom, as servants on the watch.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (Treatise on the unity of the Church, 26-27).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, Almighty God, that Thy Church be worthy to have as her glorious defender in Heaven, the blessed Stephen, Thy Confessor, whom she had as her champion while he reigned on earth. 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", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 September – ‘… Blessed are those who watch for Him … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 1 September – St Giles (c650 – c710) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “We must sleep in such a way as to be easily awakened. For Scripture says, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when He comes and knocks.” (Lk 12:35-36). For a sleeping man is of no more use than a dead man. Therefore, we ought often to get up at night and bless God!

Blessed are those who watch for Him and so, make themselves like the Angels, whom we call “Watchers.” A man asleep is worth nothing, no more than if he were dead. But whoever has the light keeps watch and “darkness does not overcome him” (Jn 1:5) neither does sleep. Whoever has been illumined is, therefore, wakened to God and such a person is alive, “for what came to be in him was life.” (Jn 1:4) “Happy the man,” says Wisdom,“who obeys me and happy those who keep my ways, happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts” (Pr 8:34).

Therefore, “let us not sleep as the rest do but let us stay alert and sober” as Scripture says. “For those who sleep, go to sleep at night and those who are drunk, get drunk at night,” that is, in the darkness of ignorance. “But since we are of the day, let us be sober.” (1Th 5:6-8) “For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness.” (1Th 5:5).” – St Clement of Alexandria (c150- c215) Father of the Church, Theologian and Philosopher, Professor who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria (The Instructor II:9).

PRAYER – May the pleading of blessed Giles Abbo,t make us acceptable unto Thee O Lord, we pray that what we may not have through any merits of our own, we may gain by means of 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on TIME, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 August – ‘ …He hid the time from us so that we would be on the watch …’

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One Minute Reflection – 31 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Raymond Nonnatus 1204-1240) Priest, Confessor, Cardinal, Friar of the Mercedarian Order. – Ecclesiasticus Sir 31:8-1, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be ready, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “To prevent His disciples from questioning Him about the time of His coming, Christ said: “Of that hour no-one knows, neither the Angels nor the Son” (Mt 24:36). It is not for you to know the days or the hour” (Acts 1,7). He hid the time from us so that we would be on the watch and so that each of us might think that the coming will happen in his own lifetime. If He had revealed when He was to come again, His coming would have been made pointless and the peoples and ages, in which it will take place, would no longer yearn for it. He said that He will come again, indeed but He did not say exactly when. Hence, all generations and ages live in eager expectation of Him.

The Lord pointed out the signs of His coming but we have no knowledge of when they will be completed. In many varied ways, they have happened and passed away and are still happening. His last coming is, in fact, like His first – the just and the prophets longed for Him, thinking that He was to appear in their day.

So, today, each of the faithful wants to receive Him in his own lifetime and even more so, in that Jesus did not reveal the day of His coming. His reason for this was so that no-one might think that the Christ is subject to a law of time or a given hour, He Who is lord over numbers and times.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Diatessaron 18:15).

PRAYER – O God, Who made blessed Raymund, Thy Confessor, famous for delivering Thy faithful from the captivity of the infidels, grant us, by his intercession that, having been released from the bonds of our sins, we may with free minds, do what is pleasing to Thee. 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", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HOLY CROSS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 August – “ … The Bridegroom came and they, who were ready, went in with Him … ” – Matthew 25:10

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One Minute Reflection – 30 August – St Rose of Lima OP (1586-1617) Virgin – 2 Cor inthians10:17-18; 11:1-2, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … The Bridegroom came and they, who were ready, went in with Him … ” – Matthew 25:10

REFLECTION – “In this world, which is to say, in the Church, wholly following Christ, He says to all of us: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself.” This command is not being directed to virgins but not married women, to widows but not wives, to Monks but not husbands, to Priests but not laity. It is the whole Church, the whole Body of Christ with all its members, differentiated and divided according to their proper functions that is, to follow Christ. May she wholly follow Him, she who is one alone, the dove, the bride (Sg 6:9); may she follow Him, she who has been redeemed and endowed with the Blood of her Bridegroom. Virginal purity has its place here; the continence of widows has its place here; wedded chastity has its place here…

These members who have their place here should follow Christ, each according to their category, each according to their status, each after its fashion. Let them deny themselves, that is to say, let them not rely on themselves. Let them carry their cross that is to say, bear, for Christ’s sake in the world, all that the world inflicts on them. May they love Him, He, the Only One, Who never deceives or is deceived, the Only One ,Who is not mistaken. May they love Him because, what He promises is true. Yet because, He does not give it to us now, our faith falters. Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 96:9)

PRAYER – Almighty God, Giver of all good things, Who willed that blessed Rose, imbued in early life with the dew of heavenly grace, should bloom among the Indians with the beauty of virginity and patience, grant unto us, Thy servants that, following the fragrance of her sweetness, we may be found worthy to become a sweet savour of Christ. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on MERCY, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on WATCHING, The RESURRECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – ‘… My friends, arise! make yourselves ready …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – St Louis IX (1214-1270) Confessor, King of France – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 19:12-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“To proclaim Thy mercy in the morning
and Thy faithfulness throughout the night.”

Psalm 91:3

“Our Lord Jesus Christ
Has appeared to us from the bosom of the Father.
He has come and drawn us out of the shadows
And enlightened us with His joyful Light.

Day has dawned for humankind,
Cast out the power of darkness.
For us, a Light from His Light has arisen
That has enlightened our darkened eyes.

Over the world He has made His glory arise
And has lit up the deepest depths.
Death is no more, darkness has ended,
The gates of hell are shattered.

He has illumined every creature,
All the shades from times long past.
He has brought about salvation and given us life;
Next He will come in glory.

Our King is coming in His great glory:
Let us light our lamps
and go out to meet Him (Mt 25,6);
Let us be glad in Him, as He has been glad in us
And gives us gladness, with His glorious Light.

My friends, arise! make yourselves ready
To give thanks to our Saviour King,
Who will come in His glory and make us joyful
With His joyous Light in the Kingdom.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father of the Church

(Hymn I on the Resurrection)

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One Minute Reflection – 25 August – ‘ … Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts.’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 August – St Louis IX (1214-1270) Confessor, King of France – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 19:12-26

“I say to you that to everyone who has, shall be given but from him, who does not have, even that which he has, shall be taken away.” – Luke 19;26

REFLECTION – “The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8) We see that what He foretold has come to pass. There is no faith in the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works …. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, it does not fear because it does not believe at all. If it believed, it would also take heed and if it took heed, it would be saved.

Therefore, beloved brothers, let us arouse ourselves as much as we can and break the slumber of our listlessness. Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. Let us be like He Himself, has bidden us to be, saying, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately, when He comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants, whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival“.

We ought to be dressed for work, lest, when the day of setting forth comes, it should find us burdened and entangle. Let our light shine, in good works and glow, in such a way, as to lead us from the night of this world, to the daylight of eternal brightness. Let us always wait with solicitude and caution for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when He knocks, our faith may be on the watch and receive from the Lord, the reward of our vigilance. If these commands be observed, if these warnings and precepts be kept, we will not be overtaken in slumber, by the deceit of the devil. But we shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom, as servants on the watch.” – St Cyprian (c 200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (Treatise on the unity of the Church, 26-27).

PRAYER – O God, Who transported Thy blessed Confessor Louis from an earthly throne to the glory of the heavenly Kingdom, by his merits and intercession we beseech Thee, to make us of the company of the King of kings, Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

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One Minute Reflection – 19 August – ‘ … Stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”– Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning …” – Luke 12:35

REFLECTION – “It is so that our spirit may be detached from its fantasies that the Word invites us, to shake off this heavy sleep, from the eyes of our souls, so that we may not slide away from the true reality, by clinging to what lacks substance. That is why He sets before us an image of vigilance when He says: “Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning”… The meaning of these symbols is clear enough. Someone who is girded with temperance, lives in the light of a pure conscience because, filial trust enlightens his life, like a lamp. Lit up by the truth that person’s soul is detached from the sleep of illusion because, no empty dreams are leading it astray. As the Word says – if we do this, we shall enter into a life like that of the Angels…

Indeed, these are they who wait for the Lord at His return from the wedding and who are seated by the heavenly gates, with watchful eyes, so that the King of Glory (Ps 23:7) might once more pass through, when he returns from the marriage feast and enters again into the beatitude above the heavens. “Coming forth like the groom from his bridal chamber” (Ps 18:6)…, He united to Himself like a virgin, the nature we had prostituted to idols, once He had restored its virginal integrity, through sacramental regeneration. The nuptials, having now been accomplished, since the Church has been espoused by the Word… and brought into the chamber of His Mysteries, the Angels awaited the return of the King of Glory to the blessedness which matches His nature.

Hence, the text says that our lives ought to be like those of the Angels. Just as they live far from vice and self-deception, ready to welcome the second coming of the Lord, so we too ought to remain awake at the doors of our dwellings and stand ready to obey, when He comes and knocks at the door.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church, Brother of St Basil the Great (Sermons on the Song of Songs No 11).

PRAYER – O God, Who wondrously enkindled St John, Thy Confessor, to promote the religious veneration of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and through him, willed to found new religious families in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may honour his holy merits and may learn from the example of his virtues. 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).

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 August –’It is time now for us to rise from sleep!’

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 August – St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man…”
Luke 21:36

“Watch” over your life. …
Sheep will turn into wolves
and love into hatred.
With the increase of iniquity,
people will hate, persecute
and betray each other.
Then the world deceiver
will appear in the disguise of God’s Son.
He will work “signs and wonders”
and the earth will fall into his hands.
He will commit outrages
such as have never occurred before.
Then humankind will come
to the “fiery trial“
and many will fall away” and perish.”

Unknown 1st Century Author (ACW)
of this early Treatise (Didache, 16)

“Be you then also ready …”
Luke 12:40

“Wretch! using the excuse that your Master is late,
do you imagine He will not come at all?
His coming is certain!
Then why do you not stay on your guard?
No, the Lord is not slow in coming –
this lateness is purely in the imagination
of the wicked servant!”

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

“It is time now for us to rise from sleep!”

St Benedict (c 480-547)

“But vigilant faith not only performs good works, like living faith,
it also penetrates and understands revealed Truths quickly
and with great depth and subtlety of perception.
It is active and diligent, in seeking and embracing those things
which can increase and strengthen it.
It watches and perceives from afar, all its enemies.
It is always on the alert to discover the good and to avoid evil.
It guards itself against anything which could ruin it.
Vigilant, it walks firmly and easily keeps from falling over precipices.

This vigilant faith is accompanied by the Four Cardinal Virtues:
Fortitude, Prudence, Justice and Temperance.
It uses them as an Armoured Breastplate to put its enemies to flight,
or to remain among them firm, invincible and unshaken.
So great is its strength that it fears nothing because, not only is it strong
but also, it is aware of its strength and by Whom it is supported—
Truth itself!”

(Sermon for Thursday after the First Sunday of Lent, 17 February 1622).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

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One Minute Reflection – 17 August – The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8)

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One Minute Reflection – 17 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”– St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8) We see that what He foretold has come to pass. There is no faith in the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works …. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, it does not fear because it does not believe at all. If it believed, it would also take heed and if it took heed, it would be saved.

Therefore, beloved brothers, let us arouse ourselves as much as we can and break the slumber of our listlessness. Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. Let us be like He Himself, has bidden us to be, saying, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately, when He comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants, whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival“.

We ought to be dressed for work, lest, when the day of setting forth comes, it should find us burdened and entangled. Let our light shine, in good works and glow, in such a way, as to lead us from the night of this world, to the daylight of eternal brightness. Let us always wait with solicitude and caution for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when he knocks, our faith may be on the watch and receive from the Lord, the reward of our vigilance. If these commands be observed, if these warnings and precepts be kept, we will not be overtaken in slumber, by the deceit of the devil. But we shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom, as servants on the watch.” – St Cyprian (c 200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (Treatise on the unity of the Church, 26-27).

PRAYER – God, Who gladden us with the annual feast of blessed Hyacinth, Thy Confessor, mercifully grant that, while honouring the anniversary of his death, we may also imitate his deeds. 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 WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.” – Matthew 25:7

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One Minute Reflection – 12 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin – 2 Cor inthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2 , Matthew 25:1-13

“Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.” – Matthew 25:7

REFLECTION – “There has come a shout at midnight. What can this shout be, if not what the Apostle speaks of – ‘in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.’ For the trumpet will sound and the dead will rise up, imperishable and as for us, we shall be changed (1 Cor 15:52). Once the shout has been raised at midnight, what happens next? They all arose. What is the meaning of “They all arose?” The hour is coming, says the Lord Himself, when all who are in the tombs will hear His Voice and come forth (Jn 5:28-29).

… What is the meaning of “They did not take oil in their flasks?” In their hearts … I mean, look at these foolish virgins who did not carry oil with them; by their self-denial which earns them the name of virgins and by their good works, represented by the lamps they bring, they are intent on pleasing other people. And, if they are intent on pleasing others and that is why they do these admirable things, they are not carrying oil with them. So you, then, mind you carry it with you, carry it inside, where God can see; carry the testimony of your conscience there. … So if you refrain from unlawful things and perform good works, in order to be admired by other people, there is no oil inside you! …

Before those virgins went to sleep, it does not say that their lamps were going out. The wise ones’ lamps were burning, from the oil inside them, from the assurance of their consciences, from their inner boast, from their deepest charity. But those of the foolish ones, were also burning. Why were they burning then? Because there was no dearth of admiration from other people. But after they had risen, that is to say, in the resurrection from the dead, they began to trim their lamps that is, to prepare to give God an account of their works. And because there is no-one then expressing admiration … they were asking for what they had always been used to, that is to say, to shine with someone else’s oil, to live in dependence on others’ admiration. Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 93).

PRAYER – Hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we are gladdened by the festival of blessed Clare Thy virgin, so we may learn from it piety and devotion. 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).

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One Minute Reflection – 9 August – ‘ … Blessed are those who watch for Him …’

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One Minute Reflection – 9 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St John Marie Vianney (1786-1859) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “We must sleep in such a way as to be easily awakened. For Scripture says, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when He comes and knocks.” (Lk 12:35-36). For a sleeping man is of no more use than a dead man. Therefore, we ought often to get up at night and bless God!

Blessed are those who watch for Him and so, make themselves like the Angels, whom we call “Watchers.” A man asleep is worth nothing, no more than if he were dead. But whoever has the light keeps watch and “darkness does not overcome him” (Jn 1:5) neither does sleep. Whoever has been illumined is, therefore, wakened to God and such a person is alive, “for what came to be in him was life.” (Jn 1:4) “Happy the man,” says Wisdom,“who obeys me and happy those who keep my ways, happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts” (Pr 8:34).

Therefore, “let us not sleep as the rest do but let us stay alert and sober” as Scripture says. “For those who sleep, go to sleep at night and those who are drunk, get drunk at night,” that is, in the darkness of ignorance. “But since we are of the day, let us be sober.” (1Th 5:6-8) “For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness.” (1Th 5:5).” – St Clement of Alexandria (c150- c215) Father of the Church, Theologian and Philosopher, Professor who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria (The Instructor II:9).

PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, Who made St John-Marie glorious by priestly zeal and untiring fervoru in prayer and penance, grantP we beseech Thee that by his example and intercession, we may have strength to win for Christ, the souls of our brethren and, with them, attain everlasting 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).

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 August – Lord, it is good for us to be here

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 August – The Transfiguration of Our Lord – 2 Peter 1:16-19, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lord, it is good for us to be here”

Matthew 17:4

“Let us listen to the holy Voice of God
which summons us from on high,
from the holy mountain top.
There, we must hasten – I make bold to say –
like Jesus, Who is our leader
and has gone before us into Heaven.
There, with Him, may the eyes of our mind
shine with His light and the features of our soul
be made new; may we be transfigured with Him
and moulded to His image,
ever becoming divine,
being transformed in an ever greater degree of glory.”

St Anastasius Sinaita (Died 6th Century)
Priest and Abbot
of St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai

“What was surprising about Jesus’ Face
becoming like the sun since He Himself is the Sun?
He is indeed the Sun but a Sun hidden behind a cloud.
Now, for a moment, the cloud dispersed
and He shone out.
What is this cloud that dispersed?
It was not so much the flesh
but the weakness of the flesh
that disappeared for a moment.”

Peter the Venerable (1092-1156)
Abbot of Cluny
Sermon 1 for the Transfiguration

“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His beauty,
to which He will shape and colour
those who are His:
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the body of His glory.’”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274)
Doctor of the Church