Category: The WILL of GOD

Posted in DANTE ALIGHIERI!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PEACE, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 26 March – True Peace

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

True Peace

“When He came into the world, Jesus proclaimed peace.
The Angels hovering over His humble manger, sang songs of glory to God on high and of peace to men of goodwill on earth.
During His earthly pilgrimage, He often spoke of peace.
When He forgave sinners their faults, He said to each of them, “Go in peace” and “sin no more” (Lk 7:50; 8:48; Jn 8:11).
When He was leaving this earth, He bequeathed His peace to His Apostles, as if it were a sacred heirloom: “Peace I leave with you, My peace, I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn 14:27).
We can see, from these words, that the peace of Jesus, is not the same as worldly peace.

The Church, in its liturgy, implores from God, that peace which the world cannot give.
When the world speaks of peace, it means, normally, the external public peace which flows from respect for the law and for the established regime.
This is peace, there is no doubt about that.
It is necessary and is a gift from God.
But, it is not enough.
We need the inner peace of soul of which we have already spoken, for it is the only true and solid foundation for external peace.
Without this peace of soul, external peace is uncertain and fleeting.

We have said, that true peace is based on three things: Right order, harmony and liberty.
But, in order to obtain full and perfect peace, still one more thing is necessary – complete and loving abandonment to the will of God.
The beginning of real peace and holiness, lies in doing the will of God in every detail.
The perfection of peace and holiness, is to do the will of God in everything, purely from love for Him.

Dante expresses this profound idea when he decries the peace of the blessed in Heaven, now unshakeable in their joyful compliance with the divine will.”

“E la sua volontate e nostra pace:
Ella E quel mare, al qual tutto si move
cio ch’ella crea E che natura face.”

“His Will is our repose:
He is the ocean, into which everything flows,
which He has created in the universe.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/01/thought-for-the-day-1-february-true-peace/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WILL of GOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Thirty three of our Lenten Journey – 21 March – Your life is our way

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Day Thirty three of our Lenten Journey – 21 March – Passion Sunday, Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15, Hebrews 5:7-9, John 12:20-33

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.” – John 12:26

CHRIST: MY CHILD, I came down from heaven for your salvation and took upon Myself your miseries, not out of necessity but out of love, that you might learn to be patient and bear the sufferings of this life ,without complaint.
From the moment of My birth to My death on the Cross, suffering did not leave Me.
I suffered great want of temporal goods.
Often I heard many complaints against Me.
Disgrace and reviling I bore with patience.
For My blessings, I received ingratitude, for My miracles, blasphemies and for My teaching, scorn.

DISCIPLE: O Lord because You were patient in life, especially in fulfilling the design of the Father, it is fitting that I, a most miserable sinner, should live patiently according to Your will and, as long as You shall wish, bear the burden of this corruptible body, for the welfare of my soul.
For though this present life seems burdensome, yet by Your grace, it becomes meritorious and it is made brighter and more endurable, for the weak, by Your example and the pathways of the saints.
But it has also more consolation. than formerly. under the old law. when the gates of heaven were closed, when the way thereto. seemed darker than now and when. so few cared to seek the eternal kingdom.
The just, the elect, could not enter heaven before Your sufferings and sacred death had paid the debt.

Oh, what great thanks I owe You, Who have shown me and all the faithful. the good and right way to Your everlasting kingdom!
Your life is our way and in Your holy patience, we come nearer to You, Who are our crown.
Had You not gone before and taught us, who would have cared to follow?
Alas, how many would have remained far behind, had they not before their eyes, Your holy example!
Behold, even we who have heard of Your many miracles and teachings, are still lukewarm; what would happen if we did not have such light, by which to follow You?
(Book 3 Ch 18)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TIME, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – “Where I am, there will my servant be also … ” John 12:26

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – Passion Sunday, Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15, Hebrews 5:7-9, John 12:20-33

“If anyone serves me,
he must follow me
and where I am,
there will my servant be also.
If anyone serves me,
the Father will honour him.”

John 12:26

… “Now is the time for us to choose! …
Listen to me, you holy seed,
for I have no doubt, that it is here, in abundance…
Listen to me or, rather, listen to Him, in me,
Who was first called a good seed.
Do not love your life in this world!
If you truly love yourselves,
do not thus love your life
and then, you will save your life!”…

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

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

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor of the Incarnation

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 10 March – The Voice of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Voice of God

“God speaks to us in many ways by means of created things.
We see His glory in the stars of the firmament, (Cf Ps 13:2), in the seas, mountains and valleys and in the trees and flowers.
St Therese was once examining the petals of a flower, when she exclaimed:  “How good thou art, O God!”

God also speaks within us.
Sometimes, He sees how absorbed we are in worldly affairs and He stirs up, in us, a restlessness and a longing for Heaven.
When we fall into sin, He pricks us with remorse and appeals to us to rise again, making us realise that everything else is empty and futile, if we have lost Him.
He speaks to us still more clearly by means of Revelation, which is contained in Sacred Scripture, as officially interpreted by the Church.

The revealed Word of God has always been with us to answer the searchings of the human heart and to allay it’s anxieties.
The Gospel is as new and as illuminating today, as yesterday.
It is a book which we should study reverently and diligently, in order to solve our personal problems and the problems of mankind.

Let us listen to God when He speaks to us in these diverse ways.
Let us respond to His appeals and carry out whatever He requires of us, in our daily lives.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The WILL of GOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Twenty two of our Lenten Journey – 10 March – Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Day Twenty two of our Lenten Journey – 10 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent, Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Psalms 147:12-13,15-16, 19-20, Matthew 5:17-19
Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same,
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven
but whoever does them and teaches them,
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

CHRIST: [Say] … “Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things.
Not for myself do I desire to live but for You — would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!”

DISCIPLE: Grant me Your grace, O most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me and work with me and remain with me to the very end.
Grant that I may always desire and will, that which is most acceptable and pleasing to You.
Let Your will be mine.
Let my will always follow Yours and agree perfectly with it.
Let my will be one with Yours in willing and in not willing and let me be unable to will or not will anything but what You will or do not will.
Grant that I may die to all things in this world and for Your sake, love to be despised and unknown in this life.
Give me above all desires the desire to rest in You and in You let my heart have peace.
You are true peace of heart.
You alone are its rest.
Without You all things are difficult and troubled.
In this peace, the selfsame that is in You, the Most High, the everlasting Good, I will sleep and take my rest.
Amen.
(Book 3 Ch 15:2-3;3-4)

Posted in LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The WILL of GOD, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Only What You Will or Will Not

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Monday of the Third week of Lent

Only What You Will or Will Not
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Grant me Your grace,
most merciful Jesus,
so that it may be with me
and work with me
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant that I may always want
and desire that which is
most acceptable and pleasing to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
and be in perfect accord with it.
Let me always will or not will,
the same with You
and may I not be able to will
or not will
anything, except
what You will or will not.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on ZEAL, The HEART, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:13-25

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – The Third Sunday of Lent, Readings: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalms 19:8-11, 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, John 2:13-25

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:17

“Whatever you do, do from the heart,
as for the Lord and not for others,
knowing that you will receive
from the Lord
the due payment of the inheritance;
be slaves of the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24

“This is the glory of man –
to persevere and remain
in the service of God.
For this reason,
the Lord told His disciples:
‘You did not choose Me but I chose you.’
He meant that His disciples
did not glorify Him by following Him
but, in following the Son of God,
they were glorified by Him.
As He said:
‘I wish that where I am
they also may be,
that they may see My glory.’”

St Irenaeus (130-202)
Father of the Church and Martyr

“… There is one Road
and one only,
well secured against all possibility
of going astray
and, this Road is provided
by One Who is Himself
both God and man.
As God, He is the Goal,
as man, He is the Way.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Bishop of Hippo
Father and Doctor of Grace

“… 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

Our life is:
“To breathe God in and out.
To find God in everything.
To reveal God to all.
To radiate the presence of God.”

St Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850)

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 March – Steadfastness in Suffering

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 3 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Steadfastness in Suffering

“When we feel depressed or when we are tempted to strike out angrily against human injustice and misunderstanding, there are two considerations which should help us to be patient.

  1. The first, is the reflection, that everything comes to us from God, or is at least permitted by Him.
    Why should we rebel against the will of God?
    Jesus was innocence itself yet He willed to suffer for love of us.
    Are we unwilling to suffer for love of Him?
  2. The second, is the realisation, that we are sinners who have offended God many times and deserve to be punished.
    It is necessary to accept patiently, all the sufferings which God sends us in expiation ofour sins.
    “We are receiving what our deeds deserved” (Lk 23:41).

Above all, we ought to resolve, never to give way to anger in word or deed when we are offended.
On these occasions, we should wait until we have calmed down and have asked God for peace of mind.
Before we do anything, we need time for reflection and prayer.
If we act in this way, we shall not have to be sorry afterwards.

Patience can help us to achieve anything and will eventually help us to gain Heaven.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/16/thought-for-the-day-16-june-steadfastness-in-suffering/

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, LENT, LENTEN THOUGHTS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” – Matthew 20:17-28

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, Readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20,Psalms 31: 5-6, 14, 15-16, Matthew 20: 17-28

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” … the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” … Matthew 20:22,28

REFLECTION – “It is our task and, in our case, an obligation, to make of you the object of all our care, our zeal, our ministrations, by word and deed, by warnings, encouragement, admonitions and incitement, (…) so that, in this way, we might insert you into the rhythm of the divine will and face you towards the goal set before us – to give pleasure to God. …

He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His blood. He who created the host of angels, was
bound at the hands of soldiers and He who is to judge the living and the dead, was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1). Truth was exposed to false witnesses, was slandered, struck, covered with spittle, hung on the wood of the cross – the Lord of glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8) endured every outrage and suffering without Himself needing these trials. How could this have happened to Him who, even as man, was without sin and who, to the contrary, snatched us away from the tyranny of the sin through which death came into the world and falsely took possession of our first father?

So there is nothing surprising about it, if we submit to even one of these trials since such is our condition … Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted, afflicted by the cutting off of our wills. According to the interpretation of our Fathers, there is in this, a shedding of blood for this is what it means to be a monk. And we must gain the Kingdom of heaven in that way, by spending our lives in imitation of the Lord. … Apply yourselves zealously to your duties in the thought that by means of them, far from being slaves of men, you are serving God.” … St Theodore the Studite (759- 826) Monk at Constantinople – Catecheses 1

PRAYER – Protect Your family, Lord, trained as it is by the constant exercise of good works. Renew our spirit with the grace that teaches us how to imitate You, to suffer for You and with You, strengthen us with Your consoling presence and lead us, to the joys of heaven. May the intercession of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary keep us on the path of Your kingdom’s glory. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 1 March – The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 1 March– Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

“Whoever has Jesus in his heart,” writes St Francis de Sales, “has Him also in his actions.”
If God really lives in us, He cannot be inactive but will work with us for our sanctification.
Our actions must be the actions of Jesus Christ.
Remember that the Gospel says, that a good tree will produce good fruit, while a bad tree will produce bad fruit (Cf Mt 7:17).
From the fruits which we produce, we can see clearly, if Jesus is working in us.
Holiness consists in accepting the will of God, whatever it is, whether it be sacrifice, sorrow or humiliation.
We must allow Jesus to act in us as He desires.
Not only must we conform to His holy will but, we must do so, with enthusiasm.
We must be obedient instruments of His grace, doing precisely what He wants us to do.
If He wishes us to suffer, we must be prepared to do so for Him, knowing that we are participating and, co-operating, in the work of His Redemption.
If He desires us to be happy, we should humbly accept happiness from His Hands.
Everything must be as Jesus wills.
We must transform ourselves into Him, like the white host which first is bread and through the act of consecration, becomes Jesus Christ!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/17/thought-for-the-day-17-september-the-commandments-and-the-desires-of-jesus-christ/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 28 February – Living the Gospel

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Living the Gospel

“The Gospel teaches perfection.
It teaches the perfection of the interior life, as well as the exterior life, of private, as well as of domestic and social life.
There is no problem in the universe, which has not been solved in the Gospel.
In regard to the spiritual life, its command is clear. “You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with they whole mind … Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mt 22:37, Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27).
“This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).
“If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit … the clean of heart … the peacemakers …” (Mt 5:3-10).
“If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shall have treasure in heaven” (Mt 19:21).
“Our Father who art in heaven … thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10).
“Father … not my will but thine be done” (Lk 22:42).
Anyone who identifies himself with these maxims, rises above the level of a man, to that of an angel.
His interior life soars to such a peak, that he seems to be leading a heavenly, rather than an earthly existence.
If he is living the Gospel, moreover, his external behaviour will be a faithful mirror of his interior life, for it is not enough to say “Lord, Lord” but a man must also do the will of the Father (Cf Mt 7:21).
A man’s domestic and social life, will follow the pattern of his private life.

When he has reached the summit of perfection, an invisible force will emanate from him, the force of good example.
This force will transform everything, within him and around him.
Like Mary and the Saints, he will become the loyal and powerful co-worker of Christ in the redemption of the human race and in the Christian transformation of society.
Redemption and restoration, can come only through the Gospel.
Other theories are always bound up with and impeded by, human egoism.
The doctrine of the Gospel is reinforced by the love of God and our neighbour.
In the Gospel, public and private justice is transformed into the charity of Christ which cannot be impeded by any earthly difficulty, nor by any human barrier, not even by death.
“Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ?” (Rom 8:35) asks St Paul.
Let us meditate on this.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/28/thought-for-the-day-28-may-living-the-gospel/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2021, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Day Seven of our Lenten Journey – 23 February – – Tuesday of the First week of Lent – “Thy will be done” Matthew 6:7-15

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Day Seven of our Lenten Journey – 23 February – Tuesday of the First week of Lent, Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalms 34:4-5, 6-7,16-17, 18-19, Matthew 6:7-15

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In Your Light Lord, we see light

“Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10

WHATEVER I can desire or imagine for my own comfort, I look for not here but hereafter. For if I alone should have all the world’s comforts and could enjoy all its delights, it is certain, that they could not long endure. Therefore, my soul, you cannot enjoy full consolation or perfect delight except in God, the Consoler of the poor and the Helper of the humble. Wait a little, my soul, wait for the divine promise and you will have an abundance of all good things in heaven. If you desire these present things too much, you will lose those which are everlasting and heavenly. Use temporal things but desire eternal things. You cannot be satisfied with any temporal goods because you were not created to enjoy them.

Even if you possessed all created things, you could not be happy and blessed; for in God, Who created all these things, your whole blessedness and happiness consists — not indeed such happiness as is seen and praised by lovers of the world but such, as that for which the good and faithful servants of Christ wait and of which the spiritual and pure of heart, whose conversation is in heaven, sometime have a foretaste.

Vain and brief is all human consolation. But that which is received inwardly from the Truth is blessed and true. The devout man carries his Consoler, Jesus, everywhere with him and he says to Him: “Be with me, Lord Jesus, in every place and at all times. Let this be my consolation, to be willing to forego all human comforts. And if Your consolation be wanting to me, let Your will and just trial of me, be my greatest comfort. For You will not always be angry, nor will You threaten forever.”
(Book 3 Ch 16:1-2)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 20 February – Doing Everything for the Love of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Doing Everything for the Love of God

“The beginning of perfection consists in doing the will of God, even in our smallest actions.
But, to do everything for the love of God, is the summit of Christian perfection.
If we aimed always at doing God’s will and acting from the motive of love for Him, we should be contented and at peace, because we should be holy.
The saints are the only people who remain calm and undisturbed in the midst of worldly adversity.
They are always content, because they live in God.
Their lives are in full conformity with His Will, guided by His Love and dedicated to His Service.
As a result, they live in a kind of spiritual stratosphere far above the storms of this world.
There they are above the clouds of pride, ambition, avarice and all the other major vices.
There they see and contemplate everything in the Light of God.
Let us become saints.
Then we shall have solved all the problems of life!.” Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 18 February – The Hour of Trial

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 February – A Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Hour of Trial

“Everybody, even a Saint, has his hour of trial.
God wants it this way. so that if we are victorious with the help of His grace, we can receive our reward.
“One who enters a contest is not crowned unless he has competed according to the rules” (Cf 2 Tim 2:5).
Even the Angels were put on trial and those haughty spirits who rebelled against God, were damned forever.

Our first parents were placed on trial and because they disobeyed God’s command, were deprived of their supernatural gifts and exiled from their earthly paradise.
Even Jesus willed to endure His hour of trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrin, before the judgement seat of Pilate and on Mount Calvary.
He desired to be tried in this way, in order to teach us how to be victorious.

Our trials are of various kinds, some of which recur frequently during our lives.
They may be physical, such as suffering, disease, disgrace or poverty.
They may be moral trials, which affect mainly the heart – the neglect of those whom we love, calumny, misunderstanding, or malice.
There are also spiritual trials, such as discouraging lapses into sin, or aridity of soul when it seems that the Heavenly Father has abandoned us as He abandoned Jesus in His last agony on the Cross.

How should we behave when we are tried?
Jesus showed us the way, when He took upon Himself, the sins of all mankind and His passion began in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Even before He ascended Mount Calvary and was nailed to the Cross, He experienced here all the agony and terror of His redemptive mission.
Prostrate with suffering, He prayed three times: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will but as thou willest” (Cf Mt 26:39-42).
When we are tried, we should fervently repeat this prayer of complete resignation to the will of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The HEART, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 19 February – Good Inspirations

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Good Inspirations

“There is one very special way in which God communicates with us.
He condescends to speak directly to us in the intimacy of our hearts.
Our ears do not hear this voice but, we experience it, in the depths of the spirit.
When we are tempted to fall into sin, suddenly we hear its warning tones.
Perhaps, when we have already fallen, this voice pursues us again, inviting us to return to God.
Sometimes, after Holy Communion, we converse with God and He speaks gently, making us understand, that true happiness, can be found, only in His love and service.
These are the holy inspirations which God gives us.
At such moments, we should reply meekly like the prophet Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Kings 3:9-10).

Moreover, we should follow Samuel’s example in putting into practice, the instructions of the Lord.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One Here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/19/thought-for-the-day-19-february-good-inspirations/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on WISDOM, The HEART, The O ANTIPHONS, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 February – Sacred Scripture – A Light for our Path

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 February – Readings: Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10, Psalms 29:1 and 2, 3-4, 3 and 9-10, Mark 8:14-21

Sacred Scripture – A Light for our Path

“Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?”

Mark 8:17

“O KEY OF DAVID,
and Sceptre of the House of Israel,
who opens and no-one shuts,
who shuts and no-one opens.
Come and bring forth
the captive from his prison,
he who sits in darkness
and in the shadow of death.”

O Lord,
You have given us Your word
for a light to shine upon our path,
grant us so to meditate on that word
and follow its teaching,
that we may find in it,
the light that shines more and more
until the perfect day.
Amen

“Let sleep find you holding your Bible
and when your head nods,
let it be resting on the sacred page.”

St Jerome (343-420)
“The Man of the Bible”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Jesus, open the eyes of my heart,
that I may hear Your word
and understand and do Your will.
Open the eyes of my mind
to the understanding
of Your Gospel teachings.
Speak to me the hidden
and secret things of Your wisdom.
Enlighten my mind and understanding
with the light of Your knowledge,
not only to cherish those things
that are written
but to do them.
Amen”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor

“The Sacred Scriptures grow
with the one who reads them.”

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

“All who ask receive, those who seek find
and to those who knock it shall be opened.
Therefore, let us knock
at the beautiful garden of Scripture.
It is fragrant, sweet and blooming
with various sounds of spiritual
and divinely inspired birds.
They sing all around our ears,
capture our hearts,
comfort the mourners,
pacify the angry
and fill us with everlasting joy.”

St John Damascene (676-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, The WILL of GOD, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 5 February – Let Your Will be Mine

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 5 February

Let Your Will be Mine
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

O most merciful Jesus,
grant me Your grace,
that it may remain with me always
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant me always to will and desire,
what is more pleasing and acceptable to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
in perfect conformity with it.
Let my will and desires, always be one with Yours
and let me be unable to will or not to will,
except as You will or do not will.
Grant that I may die to all worldly things
and that I may be despised and unknown
for love of You.
Grant, above all things to be desired,
that I may find rest in You
and that in Your Heart alone, may be my peace.
You, O Lord, give true peace to the heart
and perfect rest to body and soul.
Apart from You, all is difficult and never still.
In that peace, in You Who are the one,
supreme and eternal Good,
I will sleep and take my rest.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COWARDICE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 31 January – St John Bosco

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

“Whatever you do,
think of the Glory of God
as your main goal.”

“Health is God’s great gift
and we must spend it,
entirely for Him.
Our eyes should see only for God,
our feet walk only for Him,
our hands labour for Him alone;
in short, our entire body
should serve God while we still have the time.
Then, when He shall take our health
and we shall near our last day,
our conscience will not reproach us
for having misused it.”

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

“The power of evil men, lives,
on the cowardice of the good!”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

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

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 28 January – O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 28 January – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Your Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Your honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing but that leads to You,
nor grieve for anything, that leads away from You.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all that is Yours be dear to me
and You, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without You
and may I desire nothing apart from You.
May all labour and toil delight me when it is for You.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretense,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 26 January – The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

“One who loves is not content, merely, to do the will of the loved one, he tries to satisfy his every wish.
If we really love Jesus, therefore, not only should we do His will perfectly but, we should also fulfil every desire of His heart.
But what are the desires of Jesus?
His first desire is the glory of His Father, which we must promote by every means in collaboration with Divine Grace.
His second is our sanctification, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3).
“You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48).

In the third place, we should take part, as far as we can, in works of the Apostolate, for the triumph of the Church and of the Kingdom of God on earth.
Are we doing all this?
Perhaps, on the day of our death, we shall have to say: How much good I could have done and I neglected to do it! How much more I should have loved my God, yet I loved Him so little!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/17/thought-for-the-day-17-september-the-commandments-and-the-desires-of-jesus-christ/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The LAST THINGS, The WILL of GOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 26 January – ‘Your way’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 January – Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5, Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 10, Mark 3:31-35

“Whoever does the will of God,
is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:34-35

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven
but only the one who does
the will of my Father in heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

“Even to the present time
I have not stopped speaking to all men
but many are deaf and obstinate in response.
… He who possesses my words
yet spurns them,
earns his own judgement on the last day.”

Thomas á Kempis (1380-1471)

“My desire is not my way
but Your way.”

St Cajetan (1480-1547)

“I trust in God
and wish nothing else
but His will.”

St Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski (1822-1895)

“It is pleasant to hear about Jesus;
more pleasant to listen to Jesus Himself speaking …
It is pleasant to think about Jesus;
more pleasant to possess Him …
It is pleasant to hear Jesus’ words;
more pleasant to do His will …”

St Mary of Jesus Crucified (1846-1878)

“On the last day, we will not be asked
if we accomplished great deeds,
or been acclaimed by men,
rather we will be asked
if we followed His will,
in the state and condition,
to which we were called.”

St Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931)

Posted in "Follow Me", DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY NAME, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – Blessed Henry Suso

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” and The Memorial of Blessed Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)

“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name
is the greatest spiritual force in the world today.
It is a source of joy and inspiration in our youth;
of strength in our manhood,
when only His Holy Name and His grace,
can enable us to overcome temptation;
of hope, consolation
and confidence at the hour of our death,
when more than ever before,
we realise, that the meaning of Jesus is
‘Lord, the Saviour.’
We should bow in reverence to His Name
and submission to His Holy Will.”

“Suffering is the ancient law of love;
there is no quest without pain;
there is no lover who is not also a martyr.”

“Remember, that you will derive strength
by reflecting, that the saints yearn
for you to join their ranks;
desire to see you fight bravely
and, that you behave like true knights
in your encounters with the same adversities
which they had to conquer.
That breath-taking joy is theirs
and your eternal reward
for having endured a few years of temporal pain.
Every drop of earthly bitterness
will be changed into an ocean
of heavenly sweetness!”

“I have often repented of having spoken.
I have never repented of silence.”

“Let each look to himself
and see what God wants of him
and attend to this,
leaving all else alone.”

Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on ZEAL, St PAUL!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 13 January – The Grace of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 13 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Grace of God

“It is astonishing to consider how much St Paul accomplished when he had been transformed by the grace of God.
Formerly, a persecutor of Christians, he became the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Enlightened by faith and inspired by charity, he travelled the globe, spreading everywhere, the religion of Jesus Christ.

He feared neither the anger of the hostile Jews, nor the tribunals of the Roman judges, neither long and difficult journeys, nor scourging, shipwreck and imprisonment.
“The love of Christ impels us,” (2 Cor 5:14) he said.
It was the love of God which drove him on and on, until he met his martyrdom.
But what about ourselves?
We also have received grace from God.
Often we hear His voice appealing to us to abandon our sinful ways, to practise virtue, to love Him more ardently and to prove our love, by deeds.
If we co-operate, we shall be able to say with St Paul: “by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace in me has not been fruitless,” (1 Cor 15:10) and “I have laboured … yet, not I but the grace of God with me” (ibid).

It is wise to recall, however, that Judas also received special graces from God.
He did not correspond with them and was probably damned for eternity.
If we fail to correspond with God’s graces, the result will be tragic for ourselves.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One of The Grace of God here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/12/thought-for-the-day-12-july-the-grace-of-god/

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 8 January – Lord, May Your kingdom Come Into My Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany

Lord, May Your kingdom Come Into My Heart
By Fr Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)

Lord, may Your kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment,
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is,
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything
which has been caused by You?
Every moment and every event is guided by You
and so contains Your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify You in everything
that happens to me.
In whatever manner You make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences
because Your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me
because all my moments,
manifest Your love.
Amen

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 January – Accepting the Will of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 4 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Accepting the Will of God

“The Saints were always calm and peaceful because, they accepted everything from God and offered everything to Him.
They thanked God for pleasure and for success; they thanked Him with equal sincerity for suffering and for injuries.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Since we are in God’s hands, we are in good hands.
If it pleases God to send troubles to us, this is a sign that they are good for us.
If it pleases Him to humiliate us, it is a sign that we need to be humbled.
If He causes us to suffer, it is a sign, that we need to be purified from our sins and made more worthy of Him.
In suffering and in joy, may His Holy Will be done!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One of Accepting the Will of God here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/13/thought-for-the-day-13-july-accepting-the-will-of-god/

“God wishes to test you,
like gold in the furnace.
The dross is consumed by the fire
but the pure gold remains
and its value increases.
It is in this manner,
that God acts with His good servant,
who puts his hope in Him
and remains unshaken in times of distress.
God raises him up and, in return for the things,
he has left, out of love for God,
He repays him a hundredfold in this life
and with eternal life hereafter.
If then you remain constant in faith,
in the face of trial,
the Lord will give you peace and rest,
for a time in this world,
and forever in the next.”

St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – Our First Resolution

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – Christmas Weekday

Our First Resolution

“God desires, not death but faith.
God thirsts, not for blood but for self-surrender.
God is appeased, not by slaughter
but by the offering of your free will.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Bishop, Father & Doctor of Homilies

“Lord what will Thou have me do?
Behold the true sign of a totally perfect soul –
when one has reached the point
of giving up his will so completely
that he no longer seeks,
expects or desires
to do ought
but that which God wills.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

“For God, …
does not work in those
who refuse to place all their confidence
and hope in Him alone.
But He does impart
the fullness of His love
upon those who possess
a deep faith and hope;
for them He does great things.”

St Jerome Emiliani (1486-1537)

“More determination is required
to subdue the interior man
than to mortify the body
and to break one’s will,
than to break one’s bones.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“What was the first rule of our dear Saviour’s life?
You know it was to do His Father’s will.
Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work
is to do the will of God;
secondly, to do it, in the manner He wills;
and thirdly, to do it, because it is His will.
We know certainly that our God
calls us to a holy life.
We know that He gives us every grace,
every abundant grace
and though, we are so weak of ourselves,
this grace is able to carry us through
every obstacle and difficulty.”

St Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)

St Elizabeth Ann’s Memorial today – more quotes from her here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-january-the-memorial-of-st-elizabeth-ann-seton-1774-1821/

“I will attempt, day-by-day,
to break my will into pieces.
I want to do God’s Holy Will,
not my own!”

St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY NAME, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – The Power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name
is the greatest spiritual force in the world today.
It is a source of joy and inspiration in our youth;
of strength in our manhood,
when only His Holy Name and His grace,
can enable us to overcome temptation;
of hope, consolation
and confidence at the hour of our death,
when more than ever before,
we realise, that the meaning of Jesus is
‘Lord, the Saviour.’
We should bow in reverence to His Name
and submission to His Holy Will.”

Bl Henry Suso (1290-1365)

“Was it not through the brilliance
and sweet savour of this Name,
that God called us into
His marvelous light?”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“If thou are bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou are trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-january-the-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus/

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The DIVINE INFANT, The HEART, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 23 December – What Jesus Wants From Us

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

What Jesus Wants From Us

“Let us contemplate Jesus lying on a rough pallet of straw in the manger.
When we see Him looking at us, let us ask ourselves what it is that He requires of us.
In fact, He wants many things from us.
First of all, He wants us to weep for our sins and to promise, never to fall again, as long as we have the assistance of His grace, for which we should pray continually.
For this, He has become man and has entered into the world.
For this He will work miracles, preach His doctrine and shed His Precious Blood on the Cross.
All this He will do to redeem us from sin and to win Heaven for us.

If we return to the path of sin, we destroy the divine work of redemption, inasfar as it applies to ourselves.
We make Christ’s passion, death and resurrection useless in our case.
We brush aside the chain of favours with which His love has girdled us – the Gospel, the Sacraments and the Church, our good mother who is always at our side to instruct and direct us, to rescue us from peril and, to distribute to us, the gifts of her divine Founder.
When we sin, we commit an act of base ingratitude to Jesus and accomplish our own eternal ruin.

The Infant Jesus longs for us to give our hearts to Him.
Since He has given us His own, why should we be unwilling to give ours to Him?
Who or what can we love, if we do not love Jesus?
Nothing else is capable of giving us peace of soul and resignation in suffering.
Jesus alone can bestow these gifts on us, as long as we love and follow Him and abandon ourselves completely to His Holy Will.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The DIVINE INFANT, The INCARNATION, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 22 December – The Humility of Mary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Humility of Mary

“The profound humility of Mary was commensurate with her high dignity.
As Dante put it, she was the humblest and noblest of creatures. “Umile ed altra piu che creatura” (Paradiso 33:2)
None of the saints was humbler than Mary, just as none of them was greater.
It was an Archangel who came down from Heaven and bowed before her as he praised her in the highest terms as “full of grace” and announced the unique dignity she was to receive as Mother of God.
She bowed her head in turn and declared herself to be the handmaid of the Lord, ready to do His will in all things.
Then she went to visit and congratulate her cousin, Elizabeth, because she had heard from the Angel that she was to be the mother of the Precursor.
When she arrived at the house, she was greeted by Elizabeth with the words: “How have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Far from being flattered, however, Mary attributed all her glory to God and replied with the Magnificat, a hymn of praise and gratitude in God’s honour.
It was the same when Jesus was born in the manger at Bethlehem.
There was a sudden brightness in the sky and the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men of goodwill.”
But even though she held the Lord of Heaven and earth, in her arms, the Blessed Virgin asked for nothing for herself.
Her only desire was to do the will of God.
The love of Jesus was enough for her.
She did not seek her own glory but the glory of God.
Likewise, on the weary journey into Egypt, she was content because, she was with Jesus and in the obscure life of Nazareth, she desired no other treasure but Her divine Son.
During His public life, she followed Him in silence.
Once only she spoke in a submissive tone, in order to ask a favour for others but not for herself.
It was at the wedding celebrations in Cana, when she asked for the first miracle, in such a way, that it was not even apparent that it was she who had wrung the favour from the filial heart of Jesus.
It was always like that, up to the time of Calvary and the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost.
She remained humbly in the background all the time.
Now, after her departure from this earth, her humility has been gloriously crowned in the dogma of the Assumption and in her Coronation as Queen of Angels and of Saints.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SIN, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 8 December – THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

“Let us read the first chapter of St Luke’s Gospel in order to try and understand, as far as possible, the Immaculate Conception and the sublime holiness of Mary.
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women’” (Lk 1:26-28).
The Blessed Virgin was troubled when she heard these words but the Angel reassured her.
He told her that she had found favour with God and added, that she would become the Mother of God, for the Word would become flesh in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, in such a manner that in her nature, the privileges of virginity and of the divine motherhood, would be miraculously united.
Mary then gave her assent to the will of God and, her ‘fiat’ placed her on a pedestal, high above all the generations of humanity and all the choirs of the angelic kingdom.

It is on this passage of the Gospel, that the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, chiefly depends.
She was full of grace and the supremely beloved of God.
How then could she have been subject to the rule of sin which we inherited from Adam?
If her soul had been stained with sin at the first moment of her conception, she would not have enjoyed the special favour of God and the plenitude of grace.
She was, moreover, predestined to become the Mother of God.
Was it possible that the divine Word, Who was to become her Son, could have permitted her soul to have been sullied, even for a single instant, by sin, which deprives us of grace and makes us enemies of God?
It was on good grounds, therefore, that the Church defined, that from the first moment of her conception, Mary was free from all taint of sin, by a singular privilege conferred on her by God and through the merits of her divine Son, Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci