Category: The WILL of GOD

Posted in PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 17 June – Patience during Bereavement

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Thought for the Day – 17 June – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

Patience during Bereavement

  1. Pure human love, especially the love of father and mother for their children, is one of the most beautiful things in the natural order.
    It interweaves itself with our very nature.
    Husband and wife, brother and sister and above all, the children who are in a special sense our own, are a part of ourselves; they are our own by birth, our own-by constant association, our own by a thousand ties of love.
    Oh, how sorrowful it is to lose one of our little circle, to see the empty place, to miss their looks of love, the sweet sound of their voice.
    Then indeed we have need of patience and must beg that we may not grieve like those who have no hope but, may humbly bow our necks under God’s chastising Hand.
  2. Patience! how are we to obtain it under the crushing blow? How are we to recognise the love of God in thus taking away the light of our eyes from us? It is indeed difficult and, for a time, the absorbing grief may overpower us. But we can always pray, we can always make an act of resignation, we can always say: ‘Not as I will but as Thou wilt!’
    It is the Lord, let Him do what is good in His sight.
    Has this been my conduct when one whom I dearly loved was taken from me?
  3. There are many motives of consolation when friends and dear ones fade away or die. If they died in their innocence, how we, ought to rejoice when we think of them with Christ in Heaven! If they had sinned and done penance, we ought to rejoice that God gave them the grace of dying a good death. We can always console ourselves by praying for them. We can make their departure a reason for living a better and a holier life that we may not fail to meet them again before the Throne of God.
    All this I will do more henceforward.
Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, INDULGENCES, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – O Jesus, Mary’s Son!

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Our Morning Offering – 16 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

O Good Jesus, Make Me
Live in Thee and for Thee
By Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O fount of every good!
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and sincerely repenting of my sins
I present to Thee my poor heart.
Give it back to me
humble, patient,
pure and in everything,
conformed to Thy wishes.
Make me, O good Jesus,
live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in dangers,
comfort me in afflictions,
grant me health of body,
succour in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing in all my works
and the grace of a holy death.
Amen

Posted in QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 June – St Angelica de Merici

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 June – St Angelica de Merici (1474-1540)

“Reflect that in reality
you have a greater need to serve [the poor],
than they have of your service.”

“Strive to be faithful
to that which God has called you.”

“Consider that, the devil does not sleep
but seeks our ruin, in a thousand ways.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/06/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-june-st-angelica-de-merici/

St Angelica de Merici (1474-1540) Virgin

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 May – St Bede the Venerable

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 May – St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

St Bede became known as “Venerable Bede or Bede the Venerable” (Latin: Beda Venerabilis) by the 9th Century because of his great devotion and holiness but this was not linked to consideration for sainthood. According to a legend, the epithet was miraculously supplied by Angels. It was first utilised in connection with St Bede, where he was grouped with others, who were called “venerable,” at two Ecclesiastical Councils, held at Aachen in 816 and 836. Paul the Deacon (c 720-c 796) Italian Monk, Writer, Historian, then referred to him as Venerable consistently. By the 11th and 12th Centuries, the title had become commonplace and it is rarely omitted today.

“The soul glorifies the Lord,
when it consecrates all its inner powers
on praising and serving God
and when, by its submission
to the Divine commands,
it proves that it never loses sight
of His Power and Majesty.
The spirit rejoices in God, its Saviour,
when it places all its joy
in the remembrance of its Creator,
from Whom it hopes for eternal salvation.”

“I was no longer the centre of my life
and, therefore, I could see God in everything!”

“Unfurl the sails
and let God steer us
where He will.”

“Purgatorial fire will be more intolerable
than all the torments which can be felt
or conceived in this life.”

“Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence,
Who art our future Recompense.
Alleluia, alleluia.
So shall the Light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity.
Alleluia, Alleluia.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-may-st-bede-the-venerable-2/

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HEART, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 24 May – A Prayer for Guidance by St Bede

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Our Morning Offering – 24 May – Pentecost Friday

Almighty God, Open Thou My Heart
A Prayer for Guidance
By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

ALMIGHTY God,
open Thou my heart
and enlighten me with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
to see those things which are well-pleasing to Thy will.
Direct my thoughts and understanding
to those things which it is proper to meditate upon
and to take in hand;
in such fashion, as by fitting character
and deeds, I might be found worthy
of the eternal joy of heavenly life.
Direct my acts to Thy commandments,
that I might, by labour
so unbrokenly study to bring them to fulfilment,
as to attain to an everlasting reward.
Amen

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 5 May – Concerning Sensible Devotion and Dryness (Part One)

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Thought for the Day – 5 May – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

Final Remarks on Prayer and the Combat
LIX: … Concerning Sensible Devotion and Dryness
(Part One)

“SENSIBLE DEVOTION is sometimes produced by dispositions of our nature, sometimes by artifices of the devil and sometimes, by an influx of grace.
You may discern its origin in a particular case by studying the effects – for, if no amendment follows, you may well suspect the devil or your own infirm nature to be at the bottom of such devotion, particularly if it be accompanied by much consolation, complacency, or by any measure of self-esteem.

When, therefore, your heart rejoices in exultation and spiritual delight, be not over solicitous to trace their origins but, at the same time, attribute no particular significance to them and, beware of inflating your opinion of self.
Rather, be ever mindful of your own nothingness and breaking asunder the fetters of earthly attachments – and even spiritual attractions – attach yourself to God alone, seeking always to obey the least dictate of His Divine Will.
This method of conduct will change the very nature of the consolation you experience and, although it should first arise from a defective source, it will later prove most beneficial.

Dryness, or spiritual aridity, proceeds from the following causes:

– From the Devil, who strives with satanic vigour to make us become negligent, to lead us from the path of perfection and, plunge us anew into the vanities of the world.
– From ourselves, through our own faults, negligences and earthly attachments.
– From the Divine grace infused into our souls by the Holy Spirit, not only to wean us away from all that is not of God, or tending to
Him but also, that we may learn, from experience, that all things
come from Him.
Other reasons for such spiritual aridity are:
– to teach us to esteem His gifts more highly in the future
– and show more humility and care, in preserving them,
– and to unite us more closely to His Divine Majesty, by an entire renunciation of self, complete to the exclusion of spiritual comforts.
– For, if our affections are centred on spiritual consolation that heart, which Our Lord would keep wholly for Himself, is divided!

The last reason to be assigned for such dryness maybe the joy God derives from seeing us fight with all our strength, utilising all His grace to best effect.

When, therefore, you find yourself oppressed with dryness and distaste for spiritual things, ascertain whether or no, it is to be attributed to any fault of your own and, if so, amend it instantly, not so much with a view to regaining that sensible enjoyment but, in order to banish everything which is the least displeasing to God.
If, however, after careful scrutiny, you can discover no such fault, be not concerned about recovering your sensible fervour, rather exert yourself to the acquisition of that perfect devotion which consists in perfect conformity to the Will of God.
However barren and insipid your usual exercises may seem, be resolute
and persevering in your execution of them, drinking cheerfully
the bitter cup the heavenly Father has presented to you.

And if, besides this dryness which makes you almost insensible to heavenly things, you labour under an oppressive cloud of spiritual darkness which makes you fearful and ignorant of which way to turn, be not discouraged!
Let nothing separate you from the Cross of Christ and disdain all human consolation, vain and wretched as it is.

Be careful, moreover, not to divulge this affliction to anyone but your spiritual director, to whom it should be revealed not with a view to any alleviation but in order, to learn how to bear it in perfect resignation to the Divine Will.
DO NOT offer your Communions, prayers, or other devout exercises that you may be set free of your cross but that, you may receive strength to exalt that cross forever to the honour and glory of Jesus Crucified!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 2 May – Concerning Thanksgiving

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Thought for the Day – 2 May – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LVII: … Concerning Thanksgiving

“Since all the good we have, or all the good we do, is of God and from God, we are bound, in justice, to render Him thanks for every good action done, or every victory won in the battle against self.
And, what is more, we are obliged to render thanksgiving for all blessings, general or particular, which we have received from His bounteous Hand.

To do this in a becoming manner, let us consider the end because of which, He has heaped upon us the abundance of His blessings; for from such considerations, we come to learn how God would be thanked.
And, as His principal design, in all His beneficence, is primarily His own honour and the dedication of souls to His Divine service, let everyone reflect within his hearts:
“What power, wisdom and goodness has God displayed in bestowing
this grace and blessing upon me!”

Then considering the incapacity of finite man, to merit unaided, an Infinite favour – or even man’s utter ingratitude which makes him unworthy of such a blessing – we should say, in deep humility:
“Is it possible, O Lord that Thou shouldst love sinful man, the most abject of creatures?
How boundless is a love which grants a multitude of blessings, to him, who deserves it so little!?
May Thy Holy Name be blessed now and forever!”

And finally, as such a multitude of blessings requires no more acknowledgment from man, than that he love his gracious Benefactor, let him thank and love God from the bottom of his heart, resolving to obey completely, the dictates of God’s Holy Will.

The concluding step consists in the entire offering of self to God, as
suggested in the following chapter.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, St JOSEPH, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – St Joseph

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – The Octave Day of the Patronage of St Joseph

“Saint Joseph was the just man:
by his constant fidelity -an effect of justice;
by his perfect discretion – a sister to prudence;
by his upright conduct – a mark of strength
and by his inviolable chastity – a flower of temperance.”

St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

“I cannot call to mind
that I have ever asked him,
at any time for anything,
which he has not granted
and I am filled with amazement
when I consider the great favours
which God has given me,
through this blessed Saint;
the dangers from which he has delivered me,
both of body and of soul!”

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

“It is impossible, that he could be denied
the favours for which he asks
and which we should request him
to obtain for us.
Let us go to him trustingly
but, let us remember,
that the surest way of being heard by him,
is to imitate his wonderful virtues,
especially his humility,
his spirit of prayer,
his purity and his calm desire always,
to do God’s will.”

“This holy Patriarch was as resigned
to the poverty of the manger
and the discomforts of exile,
as he was grateful to God for the wonderful gifts
and joys which he had been granted.
He knew that God could have solved,
by a single act of His Divine Will,
all the problems which he encountered throughout life.
But he never asked for such a favour.
His only desire was to do God’s Will perfectly.
Let this be our desire too and let us never cease
to ask God for this grace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm (1033-1109) ArchBishop of Canterbury, Confessor, Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church

“No-one will have any other desire in Heaven
than what God wills and the desire of one,
will be the desire of all and the desire of all
and of each one, will also be the desire of God.”

O Lord Our God, Grant Us Grace
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Doctor of the Church

O Lord our God,
grant us grace to desire Thee
with our whole heart;
that, so desiring, we may seek
and, seeking, find Thee
and so finding Thee,
may love Thee
and loving Thee,
may hate those sins
from which Thou hast redeemed us.
Amen.

A Prayer for All in Need
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Doctor of the Church

O Lord,
we bring before Thee,
the distress and dangers
of peoples and nations,
the pleas of the imprisoned
and the captive,
the sorrows of the grief-stricken,
the needs of the refugee,
the impotence of the weak,
the weariness of the despondent
and the diminishments of the aging.
O Lord, stay close to them all.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-april-st-anselm-2/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Lady POVERTY, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WISDOM, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 April– ‘… God gave him his most glorious Son to care for …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Within the Octave of the Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph – Genesis 49:22-26; Luke 3:21-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jesus, Himself, was beginning about the age of thirty years, being – (as it was supposed) – the son of Joseph … ” – Luke 3:23

REFLECTION – “How faithful in humility was the great Saint we are celebrating! That cannot be said in all its perfection for, in spite of what he was, in what poverty and lowliness he lived, all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed, his great virtues and dignity! … Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came, beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank, to behold and wonder at his humility, while he sheltered that dearest Child in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment, so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.

There is no doubt at all that St Joseph was braver than David and wiser that Solomon [who were his ancestors]. Nevertheless, seeing him reduced to the exercise of carpentry, who could have discerned this, unless they were enlightened by a heavenly light, so hidden did he keep the remarkable gifts with which God had favoured him? And what wisdom did he not have? For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for … the universal Prince of Heaven and earth … Nevertheless, you can see how low and humbled he was brought, more than can be said or imagined … he went to his own Country and Town of Bethlehem and none but he was turned away from all those inns … Notice how the Angel turns him about with both hands. He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes; he orders him to return and he returns. God wants him to be always poor … and he submits to it with love and, not only for a while, for he was poor his whole life long!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Conferences No 20)

PRAYER – O God, Who in Thine unspeakable foreknowledge didst choose Thy blessed servant Joseph to be the husband of Thine Own most holy Mother; mercifully grant that now that he is in heaven with Thee, we ,who on earth, do reverence him for our Defender, may worthily be assisted by the succour of his prayers to Thee on our behalf. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect)

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – The Patronage of St Joseph

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph Confessoris

“We also should have recourse to St Joseph
in our spiritual and bodily necessities.
St Joseph had to endure a great deal
in order to provide for the wants of the Holy Family
and to protect them from the many dangers
which threatened them.
For this reason, he is especially attentive
to requests of any kind, as long as they are made
with a lively faith and submission to the Will of God.”

“St Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church.
We, who are loved children of the Church
should invoke his special intercession,
therefore, for the triumph and expansion
of the Kingdom of God upon earth.
… If we are loyal sons of the Church,
we should pray that She may triumph.
We should ask for the special intercession
of St Joseph, Her Heavenly Patron.”

“We shall come to the end of our lives too,
perhaps sooner than we imagine.
Let us ask the Holy Patriarch
for the favour of a happy death.
Let us ask him to ensure that Jesus and Mary
will help us too, when we are leaving this world.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/20/thought-for-the-day-20-march-the-patronage-of-st-joseph/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/20/thought-for-the-day-20-march-the-patronage-of-saint-joseph/
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/19/thought-for-the-day-19-march-the-patronage-of-st-joseph/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SELF-DISTRUST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 11 April – On Prayer (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 11 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

The Fourth Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
XLIV: … On Prayer (Part Two)

“3. When you pray, let it be your intention to will God’s Will alone and not your own, as well in asking as in obtaining that is, pray because God Wills you to pray and desire to be heard, insofar and, no farther, than He Wills. Your intention, in short, should be to unite your will to the Will of God and not to draw His Will to yours.
And this because ,your will, being infected and ruined by self-love, often errs and knows not what to ask but the Divine Will, being always united to ineffable goodness, can never err.
The Will of God is, therefore, the rule and ruler of all other wills and, it deserves and Wills to be followed and obeyed by all.
Ask, therefore, always such things as are conformable to God’s Will and, if you be in doubt whether anything be so or not, ask it on the condition of its being according to the Will of God.
And those things, (such as all virtues) which you certainly know to be agreeable to Him, ask rather, in order to serve and please Him thereby, than for any other motive, how spiritual so-ever.

  1. Be careful when you go to prayer to adorn yourself with works corresponding to your petitions and, after you have prayed, labour more earnestly still, to fit yourself for the grace and virtue you desire to obtain.
    For the exercise of prayer must be so continually accompanied by the exercise of self-discipline that the one may involve the other; otherwise, to pray for a virtue and take no trouble to obtain it, would be rather to tempt God than to serve Him!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/10/thought-for-the-day-10-april-on-prayer-part-one/

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAMB of GOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – Take God for your Spouse and Friend …

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I Am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”

Matthew 11:29-30

“If we wish to make any progress
in the service of God,
we must begin everyday of our life,
with new eagerness.
We must keep ourselves,
in the presence of God,
as much as possible
and have no other view or end,
in all our actions
but the Divine honour.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“Take God for your Spouse and Friend
and walk with Him continually
and you will not sin and will learn to love
and the things you must do
will work out prosperously for you.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

“You will begin to taste, even in this life,
a foretaste of eternal life,
for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven,
is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father.
Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness.
But it will never taste it in Heaven,
if it is not clothed with it on earth,
where we are pilgrims and travellers.
When it is clothed with it, it tastes God
by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full
of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish;
its mind will be opened and contemplate
the ineffable love that God has made known
in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds,
in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love
and love for created things, to love only God.
So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy,
so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY NAME, The RESURRECTION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – “My Lord and my God.”

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“To one who has faith,
no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith,
no explanations is possible.”

“If then, you are looking for the way
by which you should go,
take Christ, for He, Himself, is the Way.”

Grant Me Grace,
O Merciful God
Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus & Doctor Communis
which he was accustomed to recite everyday
before the image of Christ.

Grant me grace,
O merciful God,
to desire ardently
all that is pleasing to Thee,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise
and glory of Thy Name.
Amen

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

“Keep yourself faithfully
in the presence of God;
avoid hurry and anxiety,
for there are no greater obstacles
to our progress in perfection.
Have an unlimited confidence
in His mercy and goodness.”

“Our greatest fault is, that
we wish to serve God in our way,
not in His way — according to our will,
not according to His will….
To be truly a Saint, it is necessary
to be one according to the will of God.”

“Alas, how the faith of Jesus’ Apostles
is shaken after His Crucifixion!
Assembled in a room with closed doors,
they are filled with fear.
Then Jesus enters, stands in their midst
and greets them: ‘Peace be with you.’ …
Without the presence of our Saviour,
they felt timid and lacked strength.
Such is the case when one is without God.
They were afraid.
Like a ship tossed in a storm without a pilot,
such was this poor boat.
Our Lord appears to His disciples
to bring relief to their fear.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, OUR Cross, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 6 April– We Must Never Wish to be Delivered from theTrials we are Patiently Enduring

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Thought for the Day – 6 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLI: … We Must Never Wish to be Delivered from the
Trials we are Patiently Enduring

“When you shall find yourself in any painful position and bearing it patiently, take heed lest the devil or your own self-love persuade you to desire deliverance from it; for you may thereby, incur two great evils.

+++ Firstly – If this desire should not rob you at once of the virtue of patience, it would at least gradually dispose you to impatience.
+++ Secondly – Your patience would become defective and would be rewarded by God only according to the duration of the suffering; whereas, if you had not desired to be freed from it but had committed yourself wholly to His Divine goodness, your sufferings, although but of an hour’s duration, or even less, would have been accepted by your Lord as an enduring service.

In this, then and in all things, make it your unvarying rule, to keep your wishes so far removed from every other object that they may tend simply to their true and only end, the Will of God.
For thus, will they be ever right and true and, in any cross, or accident which may occur, you will be not only tranquil but content because, as nothing can happen without the Supreme Will, by willing the same, you will come, at all times, both to will all that happens and to possess all that you desire!

This must not be understood either of our own sins or those of others, for God Wills not these but, it applies to every chastisement arising from them, or from any other cause, although it be so keen and searching, as to reach the very bottom of the heart and, to wither the very roots of the natural life; a cross wherewith God is sometimes pleased to favour His nearest and dearest friends.

And, what I say of the patience which you are bound to practice on all occasions, is to be understood of that portion of any trouble, which still remains, after we have used all lawful means of relief and which, it is the Will of God that we should endure.

And, in the use of these means, we should be guided by the Will and disposal of God, Who has appointed them to be used, not to please ourselves but because He so Wills; nor as loving or desiring deliverance from suffering beyond what is required for His service and by His Will!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CARMELITES, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 April – [He] hath called you out of darkness …

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter Saturday – 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 20:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“[He] hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous Light … ”

1 Peter 2:9

“Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:27

“In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33

“Who will be crowned without having fought?
Who will go to rest if he is not tired
(cf. 2 Tim 2:5-6)?
Who will gather the fruits of life
without having planted virtues in his soul?
Cultivate them, prepare the earth
with the greatest care,
take trouble over it, sweat over it,
children, God’s workers,
imitators of the Angels,
competitors with incorporeal beings,
lights for those who are in the world
(cf. Phil 2:15)!”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“Lord, help me to live this day,
quietly, easily.
To lean upon Thy great strength,
trustfully, restfully.
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will,
patiently, serenely.
To meet others,
peacefully, joyously.
To face tomorrow,
confidently, courageously.”

St Frances of Assisi (c1181-1226)

“Let nothing perturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things pass.
God does not change.
Patience achieves everything.”

St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of Prayer

“Let us think only
of spending the present
day well.
Then, when tomorrow
shall have come,
it will be called
TODAY
and then, we will think
about it.”

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

Posted in QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on VIRTUE, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 2 April– Esteem All Opportunities of Fighting for the Acquisition of Virtue (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 2 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXXVIII: … Esteem All Opportunities of
Fighting for the Acquisition of Virtue (Part Two)

“The other consideration (of which we have already spoken) is, that all events which befall us come from God, for our good, in order that we may derive fruit therefrom.

And although, as we have said before, some of these occasions, such as our own defects, or those of others, cannot be said to be of God, Who wills not sin, yet they are from Him, inasmuch as He permits them and though able to hinder them, hinders them not.
But all the sorrows and afflictions which come upon us, either by our own fault or the malice of others, are both from God and of God because He concurs in them and that, which He would not have us do, as being full of a deformity beyond measure hateful to His most pure eyes, He would yet have us suffer, for our greater advancement in holiness, or for some other wise reason unknown to us.

Seeing, then, that it is most assuredly our Lord’s will that we should suffer willingly, any Cross which may come upon us, either from others or from our own evil deeds, to say, as many do in excuse for their impatience that God wills not evil but abhors it, is a vain pretext, whereby to cover our own faults and avoid the Cross which He wills us to bear.

Nay, I will say further, that supposing all other circumstances the same, our Lord is more pleased with our patient endurance of trials which come upon us from the wickedness of men, especially of those, whom we have served and benefited, than with our endurance of other grievous annoyances.
And this because, our proud nature is, for the most part, more humbled by the former than by the latter and also because, by willingly enduring them, we do above measure, please and magnify our God, co-operating with Him in that, wherein His ineffable goodness and omnipotence shine forth most brightly, namely, in extracting from the deadly poison of malice and wickedness, the sweet and precious fruit of holiness and virtue!

No sooner, therefore, does our Lord perceive in us an earnest desire to attempt and persevere in so glorious an undertaking, than He prepares a chalice of strongest temptation and strongest trial, for us, that we may drink it at the appointed hour and we, recognising therein His love and our own good, should receive it willingly and blindly, confidently and promptly drinking it to the very dregs, as a medicine compounded by a Hand which cannot err; of ingredients the more profitable to the soul, in proportion to their intrinsic bitterness!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/01/thought-for-the-day-1-april-esteem-all-opportunities-of-fighting-for-the-acquisition-of-virtue-part-one/

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The LAMB of GOD, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 26 March – Jesus in Gethsemane

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

Jesus in Gethsemane

“In His sadness and loneliness, Jesus is comforted by an Angel.
It is true that, being God, He was in no need of being consoled by Angels.
Moreover, He had willingly allowed Himself to be offered as a Victim of Expiation for our sins.
“He was offered because it was His own will” (Is 53:7).
But, He wished to be an example to us in this matter too.

If we trustingly abandon ourselves to God’s will in moments of temptation and of sorrow, we shall receive comfort from our Angel too.
How many times have we experienced this mysterious consolation in our souls?
When we have bowed our heads in suffering and have offered ourselves as pure victims to God, we have felt an inner light and peace which only Divine grace can give.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/10/thought-for-the-day-10-april-jesus-in-gethsemane/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/11/thought-for-the-day-11-april-jesus-in-gethsemane/

Posted in franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, St Francis de Sales, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – ‘… For love of Thy love …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – Monday in Holy Week

I Beg Thee, Lord
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181–1226)

I beg Thee, Lord,
let the fiery, gentle power
of Thy love
take possession of my soul
and snatch it away,
from everything under Heaven,
that I may die,
for love of Thy love,
as Thou saw fit, to die
for love of mine!
Amen

“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 …”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in DEVOTIO, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SELF-DISTRUST, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 10 March – Of the Devil’s Artifices, In Order to Draw Us Away, From the Path of Holiness (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 10 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXXI: … Of the Devil’s Artifices, In Order
to Draw Us Away, From the Path of Holiness
(Part Two)

“In like manner, if prevented by your spiritual Father, or in any other way, from attending, as frequently as you desire, to your devotions and especially, Holy Communion, suffer not yourself to be troubled or disquieted by longings after them but, casting off all that is your own, clothe yourself with the good pleasure of your Lord, saying within yourself:

“If the eye of Divine Providence had not perceived sin and ingratitude in me, I should not now be deprived of the blessing of receiving the Most Holy Sacrament but, since my Lord thus makes known to me, my unworthiness, be His Holy Name forever blessed and praised.
I trust, O Lord, that in Thy Infinite loving-kindness, Thou wilt so rule my heart that it may please Thee in all things, in doing, or suffering Thine Will that my heart may open before Thee, so that, entering into it spiritually, Thou may comfort and strengthen it, against the enemies, who seek to draw it away from Thee.
Thus may all be done as seems good in Thy sight.
My Creator and Redeemer, may Thy Will be now and ever, my food and sustenance!
This one favour only do I beg of Thee, O my Beloved that my soul, freed and purified from everything displeasing to Thee and adorned with all virtues, maybe ever prepared for Thy Coming and, for whatsoever it may please Thee to do with me. Amen.”

If you will observe these rules, know for certain that, when baffled in any good work which you have a desire to perform, be the hindrance from the devil, to disquiet you and turn you aside from the way of virtue, or be it from God, to make trial of your submission to His Will, you will still have an opportunity of pleasing your Lord in the way most acceptable to Him.
And herein consists true devotion and the service which God requires of us.

I warn you, also, lest you grow impatient under trials, from whatever source proceeding that, in using the lawful means which God’s servants are wont to use, you use them, not with the desire and hope to obtain relief but because, it is the Will of God that they should be used — for we know not, whether His Divine Majesty will be pleased, by their means, to deliver us.

Otherwise you will fall into further evils — for if the event should not fulfill your purpose and desires, you will easily fall into impatience, or your patience will be defective, not wholly acceptable to God and of little value.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/09/thought-for-the-day-9-march-of-the-devils-artifices-in-order-to-draw-us-away-from-the-path-of-holiness-part-one/

Posted in QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VICE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 9 March – Of the Devil’s Artifices, In Order to Draw Us Away, From the Path of Holiness (Part One)

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Thought for the Day – 9 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXXI: … Of the Devil’s Artifices, In Order
to Draw Us Away, From the Path of Holiness
(Part One)

“The fourth device of the Evil One, when he sees us advancing steadily towards holiness, is, to excite within us, a variety of good desires that, by this means, he may lead us away from the exercise of virtue, into sin.

A sick person is perhaps bearing his illness with a patient will.
The cunning adversary knows that by this means, he may attain to a habit of patience and, he immediately sets before him all the good works which, in a different condition, he might be able to perform, and tries to persuade him that if he were but well, he would be able to serve God better and be more useful to himself and others.
Having once aroused such wishes within him, he goes on increasing them by degrees, until he makes the subject restless at the impossibility of carrying them into effect and, the deeper and stronger such wishes become, the more does this restlessness increase.
Then the enemy leads him on gently and with a stealthy step, to impatience at the sickness, not as sickness but as a hindrance to those good works which he so anxiously desires to perform for some greater good.
When he has brought him thus far, with the same art he removes from his mind the end he had in view, to serve God and perform good works and leaves him only, the bare desire to be rid of his sickness.
And then, if this does not happen according to his wish, he is so much troubled, as to become actually impatient and so, unconsciously, he falls from the virtue in which he was exercising himself, into the opposite vice.

The way to guard against and resist this snare, is, to be very careful, when in a state of trial, not to give way to desires after any good work which, being out of your power to execute, would very probably disquiet you.
In such cases, resign yourself, with all patience, resignation and humility, to the conviction, that your desires would not have the effect you think, inasmuch as you are far more insignificant and unstable, than you account yourself to be.

Or else believe that God, in His surer counsels, or on account of your unworthiness, is not pleased to accept this work at your hand but, will rather that you should patiently abase and humble yourself under the Gentle and Mighty Hand of His Will.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, GOD ALONE!, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SELF-DISTRUST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 7 March – Of the Efforts of the Devil to Prevent the Conversion of Those Who Desire It (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 7 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXIX: … Of the Efforts of the Devil to Prevent
the Conversion of Those Who Desire It
(Part Two)

“Prompt obedience, I say and not mere resolutions; for these are often fallacious and many have been deceived thereby through various causes:

+++ FIRST:
Because our resolutions are not founded upon self-distrust and trust in God, but our excessive pride, whence proceeds this blindness and delusion, prevents our perceiving it.
The light to see and the medicine to cure it, both proceed from the goodness of God, Who suffers us to fall that He may recall us thereby, from self-confidence to confidence in Him alone and from pride, to self-knowledge.
Your resolutions, therefore, to be effective, must be steadfast and to be steadfast, they must be free from all self-confidence and humbly based on confidence in God.

+++ SECOND:
When we are making our resolutions, we dwell on the beauty and excellence of virtue which attracts our will, slack and feeble as it is — but, when confronted by the difficulties which attend the attainment of virtue, the weak and untried, will fail and draw back.
Learn, therefore, to love the difficulties which attend the attainment of all virtues, more than even the virtues themselves and use these difficulties, in various measures, to strengthen your will, if you desire, in good earnest, to acquire thesm.
And know that the more courageously and lovingly you shall embrace these difficulties, the more speedy and complete shall be your victory over self and all your other enemies.

+++ THIRD:
In our resolutions, we too often look, rather to our own advantage than to the will of God and the acquisition of the virtues He requires of us.
This is frequently the case with resolutions made in times of great spiritual joy or acute sorrow, when we seem unable to find any relief but, in a resolution to give ourselves wholly to God and to the practice of virtue.
To avoid this snare, take care in times of spiritual consolation to be very cautious and humble in your resolutions, especially in your vows and promises and in tribulation, let your resolution be to bear your cross patiently, according to the will of God, nay, to exalt it, refusing all earthly and, if so be it, even all heavenly consolation.

Let your one desire, your one prayer, be that God would help you to bear all adverse things, keeping the virtue of patience unstained and giving no displeasure to your Lord.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/06/thought-for-the-day-6-march-of-the-efforts-of-the-devil-to-prevent-the-conversion-of-those-who-desire-it-part-one/

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas

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Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Thursday of the Third Week in Lent – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor

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

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

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CATECHESIS, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY GHOST, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Wisdom for Lent and for Life

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Wisdom for Lent and for Life

“Abide in Me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abide in the vine,
so neither can you,
unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4

“Strive to preserve your heart in peace;
let no event of this world, disturb it.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

“If, when stung by slander
or ill-nature,
we wax proud
and swell with anger,
it is a proof that our gentleness
and humility
are unreal
and mere artificial show!”

“Do not look forward to the changes and chances
of this life in fear – rather look to them
with full hope that, as they arise,
God, Whose you are, will deliver you out of them.
He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto.
Do you but hold fast to His dear Hand
and He will lead you safely through all things
and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.
Our Father will either shield you from suffering,
or He will give you strength to bear it.”

“The truly patient man
neither complains of his hard lot,
nor desires to be pitied by others.
He speaks of his sufferings
in a natural, true and sincere way,
without murmuring, complaining,
or exaggerating them.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“If we live good lives, hoping for a Heavenly reward
and guided by the action of the Holy Spirit,
dwelling within us, we shall possess this spiritual joy.
Once we possess it, it will be erased,
neither by temptation, nor by suffering,
nor by persecution, as long, as our faith,
remains firm and steadfast.
The sincere Christian accepts pleasure and pain
with equal readiness because he places
everything in God’s hands.
… We must try, at least, to achieve
that spirit of complete resignation to God’s will
which is always rewarded by peace of soul!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2024, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 4 March – The Precept of Hospitality

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Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 4 March – St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince – 4 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
he shall grow up, like the cedar of Lebanon.”
Psalm 91:13

“There were many widows in Israel”
Luke 4:25

The Precept of Hospitality

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

“At that time, when the whole human race was afflicted by famine, Elias was sent to a widow?
And see how, for each is reserved her own special grace. An Angel is sent to the Virgin, a Prophet to the widow. In the one case it is Gabriel, in the other Elisha. The most excellent chiefs of the number of Angels and Prophet,s are seen to be chosen!
But there is no praise, simply in widowhood, unless there be added the virtues of widowhood. For, indeed, there were many widows but one is preferred to all, by whose example of virtue, they are stimulated … The grace of hospitality is not lost sight of by God, Who, as He hHmself relates in the Gospel, rewards a cup of cold water with the exceeding recompense of eternity (Mt 10:42) and compensates the small measure of meal and oil, by an unfailing abundance of plenty …

Why consider the fruits of the earth are private, when the earth itself is common property? … But we turn aside the warnings of a general utterance to our private advantage.
God says: “Every tree which has in it the fruit of a tree yielding seed, shall be to you for food and, to every beast and to every bird and to everything that creeps on the earth.” (Gn 1:29-30).
By heaping up, we come to want and need. For we cannot hope for the promise if we do not keep God’s will.
It is also good for us to attend to the precept of hospitality, to be ready to give to strangers, for we, too, are strangers in the world.

How holy was that widow, who, when pinched by extreme hunger, observed the reverence due to God! She was not using the food for herself alone but was dividing it with her son. A beautiful example of tenderness but, even more of faith! She should not have set anyone before her son, yet, she set the Prophet of God before her own preservation.
You may well believe she not only gave him a little food but all she had to live on. She kept nothing back for herself.
So hospitable was she that she gave all she had, so full of faith that her trust was total.” – (On Widows).

Posted in CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Morning Offering By St Thérèse

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Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Monday of the Third Week in Lent

Morning Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to It’s infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of It’s Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amen.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), QUOTES on Will (Sensual or Inferior), QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SELF-DISTRUST, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 1 March– The Soldier of Christ Must Avoid All which May Disturb His Peace of Mind (Part Three)

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Thought for the Day – 1 March– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXV: … The Soldier of Christ Must Avoid All
which May Disturb His Peace of Mind
(Part Three)

“And, as anxiety at the approach of adverse events, springs up even more frequently in our hearts, you have two things to do in order to ward off this assault.

+++ The FIRST is, carefully to search out and discover to what these events are adverse, whether to the soul, or to self-love and self-will.
For, if they be adverse to your own will and to self-love, your chief and greatest enemy, they are not to be called adverse but, to be esteemed as special favours and aids from the Most High God, to be received with a joyful heart and with thanksgiving!
And, although they should be adverse to the soul, you ought not. on this account, to lose your peace of mind, as I will show you in the following chapter.

+++ The SECOND is, to lift up the heart to God, accepting all things blindly from the Hand of His Divine Providence, ever full of manifold blessings, beyond your power to comprehend and, seeking to know nothing further!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/28/thought-for-the-day-28-february-the-soldier-of-christ-must-avoid-all-which-may-disturb-his-peace-of-mind-part-one/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/29/thought-for-the-day-29-february-the-soldier-of-christ-must-avoid-all-which-may-disturb-his-peace-of-mind-part-two/

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 27 February – Most Holy Trinity, Godhead IndIvisible,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 27 February – “The Month of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity”

Morning Prayer
To Be Conformed to the Divine Will
Unknown Author
Breviary Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, Godhead IndIvisible,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
our first beginning and our last end,
Thou hast made us in accord
with Thine Own Image and likeness.

Grant that all the thoughts of our minds,
all the words of our tongues,
all the affections of our hearts
and all the actions of our being
may always be conformed to Thine Holy Will.

So may we, having seen Thee veiled
in appearance here below,
by means of faith,
come at last to contemplate
Thee face-to-face,
in the perfect possession of Thee,
forever in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The LAMB of GOD, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The TRANSFIGURATION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February – Transfigured!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February – The Second Sunday in Lent – Thessalonians 4:1-7; Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lord, it is good for us to be here …”

Matthew 17:4

“I know a man in Christ—
whether he was in or outside the body,
I do not know, God knows—
who was snatched up to the third heaven. . .
and heard secret words,
words which it is not granted to man to utter.”

2 Corinthians 12:2-4

“They shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8

“You will surely not be allowed to see
with an impure heart
what one can only see with a pure heart.
You will be moved away,
put at a distance, you will not see!
The vision of God is promised ONLY
to people with a pure heart.
This is not without a reason, since the eyes
which allow us to see God are in the heart.
Those are the eyes the Apostle Paul was talking about
when he said: “May He enlighten your innermost vision”
(Eph 1:18).
So, at the present time because of their weakness,
those eyes are enlightened by faith;
later, because of their strength,
they will be enlightened by vision…
“Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror;
then we shall see face-to-face.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“You will begin to taste, even in this life,
a foretaste of eternal life,
for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven,
is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father.
Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness.
But it will never taste it in Heaven,
if it is not clothed with it on earth,
where we are pilgrims and travellers.
When it is clothed with it, it tastes God
by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full
of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish;
its mind will be opened and contemplate
the ineffable love that God has made known
in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds,
in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love
and love for created things, to love only God.
So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy,
so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“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

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Of Using the Senses to Advantage in Diverse Situations (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 24 February – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXIII: … Of Using the Senses to Advantage
in Diverse Situations
(Part Two)

“+++ When walking, remember that every step brings you nearer to death.

+++ Let the flight of birds and the flowing of water remind you that your life is hastening far more swiftly to its close.

+++ Let storms of wind, lightning and thunder, remind you of the tremendous Day of Judgement and kneeling down, worship God and beseech Him to give you time and grace, duly to prepare yourself to appear before His most high Majesty.

In the variety of accidents which may befall you, exercise yourself thus:
+++ When, for instance, you are oppressed by sadness or melancholy, or suffer heat, cold, or the like, lift up your heart to that Eternal Will, Which, for your own good, wills that at such a time and in such a measure, you should endure this discomfort.
Then, rejoicing in the love thus shown you by God and, at the opportunity of serving Him in the way He is pleased to appoint, say in your heart:
“Behold in me is the Divine Will fulfilled, Which from all eternity, has lovingly appointed that I should now endure this trial. All praise be to Thee for the same, my most gracious Lord!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/23/thought-for-the-day-23-february-of-using-the-senses-to-advantage-in-diverse-situations-part-one/