One Minute Reflection – 29 September – The Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee name Nazareth, to a virgin ….Luke 1:26-27
REFLECTION – Angels take different earthly forms at the bidding of their master, God.
They thus reveal themselves to human beings and unveil the Divine Mysteries to them……St John Damascene
PRAYER – God of all Wisdom, You direct the ministry of angels and of human beings. Grant that the angels who always minister to You in heaven may defend us during our life on earth and protect us from evil. Grant this, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 28 September – The Memorial of St Wenceslaus
There will …be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need to repent.…Luke 15:7
REFLECTION – “Nothing makes God happier than a person’s amendment of life,
conversion and salvation.
This is why He sent His only Son to this earth.”…St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Holy God, help me to amend my life constantly and be sincerely converted to You. Let me seek Your interests rather than my own and be ever more closely united with You.
St Wenceslaus, who was assassinated by his own brother but who, by his holiness opened his brother’s eyes to repentance, please pray for us, that we may always seek the forgiveness of God. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 27 September – The Memorial of St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit…Romans 15:13
REFLECTION – “Free your mind from all that troubles you; God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this (choice) without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God because he sees that you do not honour Him sufficiently with holy trust. Trust in Him, I beg you and you will have the fulfillment of what your heart desires.”….St Vincent de Paul
PRAYER – Father, You endowed St Vincent de Paul with the spirit of an apostle to give himself to the poor and to the training of priests. Give us, good Lord, a share of the same spirit, that we may love what he loved and do as he taught. Fill us with hope and total trust and abandonment to Your Holy Providence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. St Vincent de Paul, pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 26 September – The Memorial of Blessed Pope Paul VI
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”…Acts 1:8
REFLECTION – ” But above all, we place our unshakable confidence in the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church and in theological faith upon which rests the life of the Mystical Body.”….Blessed Pope Paul VI (SOLEMNI HAC LITURGIA – (CREDO OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD) 30 June 1968
PRAYER – Holy God, through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit, with Mary Mother of the Church, St Joseph her spouse, the communion of Saints, we pray, be with us, lead us, guide us, never leave us. Blessed Pope Paul VI, today we pray to you to make our special intention, that you will constantly pray for the beloved Church of Christ, His Mystical Body, for us all, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 25 September – The Memorial of St Vincent Strambi C.P. (1745-1824)
May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith……Ephesians 3:17
REFLECTION – “Look upon the face of the Crucified, who invites you to follow Him. He will be a Father, Mother–everything to you.”….St Paul of the Cross
PRAYER – Jesus, our Lord and our God, only You are the best Shepherd of Your Church.
Support with grace those who are responsible for the fate of Your fold,
so that following the example of St. Vincent Maria Strambi, they devote all their powers and talents to service to the Church.
In God, our Father we pray through You who live in union with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ages and ages. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
….because they exchanged God’s truth for a lie and have worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed for ever….Romans 1:25
REFLECTION – “The world has grown old; the human race is adrift.
Well, yes, if we abandon humanity to its natural course, to its fatal direction.
No, if the power from on high that is preserved in the religion of Jesus and in His Church,
is poured out anew on all ranks of the human race and restores them to life.”… Blessed Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
PRAYER – Holy God, teach me gratitude for Your love, teach me faithfulness no matter what difficulties I face.
Jesus, my Lord, Your Church is my guide and my understanding, help me to always be true to her, my holy mother!
Blessed Anton, pray for the Church and all God’s people, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 23 September – – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised….Hebrews 10:36
REFLECTION – “The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self:
there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection, except at the price of pain.”………St Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)
PRAYER – “And you, Blessed Padre Pio, look down from heaven upon us assembled in this square and upon all gathered in prayer before the Basilica of Saint John Lateran and in San Giovanni Rotondo. Intercede for all those who, in every part of the world, are spiritually united with this event and raise their prayers to you. Come to the help of everyone; give peace and consolation to every heart. Amen!” – from the homily of Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Padre Pio
One Minute Reflection – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.”…Ephesians 4:26-27
REFLECTION – “Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little.
Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother
and as he is, in the way of salvation,
God can make him a saint, in spite of his present weakness.”….St Thomas of Villnova (1488-1555)
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant us the grace to withold our anger, to always put a guard on our tongues and to speak with charity. St Thomas of Villanova, you preached temperance in all things and lived a life of charity in word and deed, please pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
“Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me.“…
Matthew 9:9
REFLECTION – “Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with His merciful understanding of men.”
He saw the tax collector and, because He saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, He said to him: “Follow me.”
This following meant imitating the pattern of His life – not just walking after Him.
Saint John tells us: “Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
“And he rose and followed him.”
There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him.
Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words.
By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, He instructed him to walk in his footsteps.
In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in His gift.” – from a homily by St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord, You showed Your great mercy to Matthew the tax-gatherer,by calling him to become Your Apostle,supported by his prayer and example, may we always answer Your call and live in close union with You.
We make our prayer, in union with God our Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. St Matthew, Apostle of Christ, pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 20 September – The Memorial of the Korean Martyrs – Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati
Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?…Luke 24:26
REFLECTION – “The Korean Martyrs have borne witness to the crucified and risen Christ. Through the sacrifice of their own lives they have become like Christ in a very special way. The words of Saint Paul the Apostle could truly have been spoken by them: We are “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies . . . We are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”.
The death of the martyrs is similar to the death of Christ on the Cross because like His, theirs has become the beginning of new life. This new life was manifested not only in themselves – in those who underwent death for Christ – but it was also extended to others. It became the leaven of the Church as the living community of disciples and witnesses to Jesus Christ “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians”: this phrase from the first centuries of Christianity is confirmed before our eyes.”…St Pope John Paul on the occasion of the Canonisation of the Korean Martyrs (1984)
PRAYER – O God our Holy Father, You have created all nations and You are their salvation. In the land of Korea Your call to Catholic faith formed a people of adoption, whose growth You nurtured by the blood of Andrew, Paul and their companions. Through their martyrdom and their intercession grant us strength that we too may remain faithful to your commandments even until death. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 19 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of La Salette: Special Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette (First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God….2 Corinthians 5:20
REFLECTION – “Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need — the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.”…Pope Benedict XVI (2010)
PRAYER – Holy Virgin of Reconciliation, do not reject our prayers but intercede for us, obtain for us the grace to love our Lord Jesus above all else. May we console you by a holy life and so come to share the eternal life Christ gained by his cross. Our Lady of La Salette, pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 18 September – The Memorial of St Joseph of Cupertino
Each one has his own gift from God…..1 Corinthians 7:7
REFLECTION – “Clearly, what God wants above all, is our will,which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God, from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession.” – Saint Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to be holy in the way that You have laid out for me. Let me carry out my duties of my state of life to the full and grant me the grace to carry my crosses in honour of You. Only in You may I attain holiness, learning to give myself, my will, my heart and my soul only to You. St Joseph of Cupertino, you who were so disadvantaged, achieved by the grace of God, sanctity in this life and now behold His Face through all eternity. We ask for your intercession, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
Work with anxious concern to achieve your salvation….Philippians 2:12
REFLECTION – “You have been created for the glory of God
and your own eternal salvation….this is your goal;
this is the centre of your life;
this is the treasure of your heart.
If your reach this goal, you will find happiness.
If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.”….St Robert Bellarmine
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me to do everything for Your honour and glory.
Grant me the grace to work out my salvation with anxious concern each day of my life.
St Robert Bellarmine, as you worked tirelessly for the salvation of souls, so now
pray for us all, as tirelessly, that we may achieve eternal joy, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius and Cyprian
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…Matthew 6:10
REFLECTION – “We must carry out the will of God rather than our own. This is what we pledge to do in the “Our Father”, which we recite every day.
What a travesty it would be if, after praying that God’s will be done, we should carry out that will halfheartedly and only because we are obliged to do so!…St Cyprian of Carthage
PRAYER – Lord God, heavenly Father, You gave Sts Cornelius and Cyprian to Your Church as faithful shepherds and steadfast martyrs. Strengthen our faith and our courage by their prayers, so that we may strive with all our power, to do Your will at all times, wholeheartedly! Amen
One Minute Reflection – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
We proclaim Christ – yes, Christ nailed to the cross; and though it is a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to Greeks, yet to those who have heard his call, Jews and Greeks alike, he is the power of God and the wisdom of God...1 Corinthians 1:23-24
REFLECTION – “We are celebrating the Feast of the Cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light… Had there been no Cross, Christ could not have been Crucified. Had there been no Cross, Life Itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if Life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have obtained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the Gates of Paradise would not stand open. Had there been no Cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled… The Cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as His triumph!”….St Andrew of Crete (c660-740)
PRAYER – O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven. For you placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered through Christ. O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus. We adore you Christ and we praise you, for by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Amen
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – 14 September, also called Feast of the Triumph of the Cross and Holy Cross Feast.
This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mount Calvary by St Helena and preserved in Jerusalem but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629.
The lessons from the Breviary tell us that Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back to Jerusalem on his shoulders. He was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to Mount Calvary a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: “Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross.” The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and continued the journey.
The Discovery of the True Cross, by Italian painter Agnolo Gaddi c.1350-96. Fresco, c.1385. Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy.
In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulchre and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335 and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on the latter date.
The feast slowly spread from Jerusalem to other churches, until, by the year 720, the celebration was universal.
The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. To follow Christ we must take up His cross, follow Him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His suffering and Cross.
We make the Sign of the Cross before prayer which helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.
WHY DO WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS?
It’s easy to understand that the Cross is special because Christ used it as the instrument of our salvation. But after His Resurrection, why would Christians continue to look to the Cross? Christ Himself offered us the answer: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The point of taking up our own cross is not simply self-sacrifice; in doing so, we unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ on His Cross.
When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The “unbloody sacrifice” offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross. When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so that we might rise with Him.
“For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block and unto the Gentiles foolishness . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Today, more than ever, non-Christians see the Cross as foolishness. What kind of Saviour triumphs through death?
For Christians, however, the Cross is the crossroads of history and the Tree of Life. Christianity without the Cross is meaningless: only by uniting ourselves to Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life.
O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.
St John Chrysostom and St Paul – 13 September the Memorial of St John Chrysostum (347-407) of the “Golden Mouth”
St John Chrysostom and St Paul
John Chrysostom here gives eloquent praise to the passionate love of Christ that drove St. Paul to face persecution and hardship with joy and leave behind the honours and benefits of the world. It is read each year on January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, persecutor turned apostle.
Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is and in what our nobility consists and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead.” When he saw death imminent, he bade others share his joy: “Rejoice and be glad with me!” And when danger, injustice and abuse threatened, he said: “I am content with weakness, mistreatment and persecution.” These he called the weapons of righteousness, thus telling us that he derived immense profit from them.
Thus, amid the traps set for him by his enemies, with exultant heart he turned their every attack into a victory for himself; constantly beaten, abused and cursed, he boasted of it as though he were celebrating a triumphal procession and taking trophies home, and offered thanks to God for it all: “Thanks be to God who is always victorious in us!” This is why he was far more eager for the shameful abuse that his zeal in preaching brought upon him than we are for the most pleasing honours, more eager for death than we are for life, for poverty than we are for wealth; he yearned for toil far more than others yearn for rest after toil. The one thing he feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God; nothing else could sway him. Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God.
The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honoured.
To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments the pain of that loss would alone have been hell and endless, unbearable torture. So too, in being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet.
Paul set no store by the things that fill our visible world, any more than a man sets value on the withered grass of the field. As for tyrannical rulers or the people enraged against him, he paid them no more heed than gnats. Death itself and pain and whatever torments might come were but child’s play to him, provided that thereby he might bear some burden for the sake of Christ.
This excerpt from a homily preached by St. John Chrysostom around c 400 in praise of St. Paul (Hom. 2 de laudibus sancti Pauli: PG 50, 477-480) is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25 with the biblical reading taken from Galatians 1, the story of Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus.
One Minute Reflection – 13 September – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Doctor – “John of the Golden Mouth”
It is (Christ) who is head of the body, the Church….Colossians 1:18
REFLECTION – “Never separate yourself from the Church.
No institution has the power of the Church.
The Church is your hope.
The Church is your salvation.
The Church is your refuge.”..St John Chrysostom
PRAYER – Lord God, strength of those who hope in You, by Your will, St John Chrysostom became renowned in the Church for his astounding eloquence and his forbearance in persecution. Grant that we may be enriched by his teaching and encouraged by the example of his unconquerable fortitude. St John of the Golden Mouth, pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 12 September – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary
When the appointed time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman.….Galatians 4:4
REFLECTION – “This most holy, sweet and worthy name was eminently fitted to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea, the illuminated or illuminatrix. Mary is interpreted Lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to men she is the Star of the sea; to the Angels she is illuminatrix and to all creatures she is Lady.” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, assist us at all times to obtain a spirit of worthy penance, for our sins and that of all the world. To the invocation of Your Divine Son, Jesus, we call on the intercession of His holy Mother to aid us on our pilgrimage. With great affection and confidence, we honour the Holy Hearts and invoke the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, to be our constant source of pure assistance and succour. Blessed Virgin, Most Holy Mother, pray for us. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 11 September – The Memorial of St John Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840) Martyr for Christ
Or are you unaware that we who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?…..Romans 6:3
REFLECTION – “I do not know what awaits me in the journey that lies ahead of me,
without a doubt the cross, which is the daily bread of the missionary.
What can we hope for more than this, in going to preach a crucified God?” (Letter No. 70)…St John Gabriel Perboyre
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, let me love You above all things and ever remain united to You and with Your Holy Cross. I pray that I will be given the grace of courage and strength, to carry my cross in imitation of You. St John Gabriel Perboyre, you suffered a passion and death in close imitation of our Lord and Saviour, please pray for us that our timidity might not overpower us, amen.
Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.….Mark 6:30
REFLECTION – “Whosoever looks into murky and agitated waters cannot see his own countenance.
If you want the face of Christ to appear in your countenance, pause, recollect your thoughts in silence
and shut the door of the soul to the noise of exterior things.”….St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to pause often during my active life and recollect myself.
Let me put away the problems of life and commune with You in prayer and meditation.
St Nicholas of Tolentino, amidst his busy life of charity to all, constantly resumed silence in You
and thus, in his mystical union with You, reflected Your Face. St Nicholas, pray for us, amen.
One Minute Reflection – September 9 – The Memorial of St Peter Claver
Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him………….James 2:5
REFLECTION – “This was how we spoke to them, not with words but with our hands and our actions. And in fact, convinced as they were that they had been brought here to be eaten, any other language would have proved utterly useless. Then we sat, or rather knelt, beside them and bathed their faces and bodies.”…St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654) “Slave of the Slaves”
PRAYER – God of mercy and love, You offer all peoples the dignity of sharing in your life. By the example and prayers of St Peter Claver, strengthen us to overcome all racial hatreds and to love each other as brothers and sisters. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St Peter Claver pray for us, amen
One Minute Reflection – 8 September – The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Forsake her not and she will preserve you; love her and she will safeguard you…..Wisdom 4:6
REFLECTION – “Go to Mary and sing her praises and you will be enlightened.
For it is through her that the true Light shines on the sea of this life.”…St Ildephonsus
PRAYER – Lord God, the day of our salvation dawned when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to Your Son.
As we celebrate her nativity, grant us Your grace and Your peace.
Through Christ, our Lord, Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, amen.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who has granted us his love…Romans 8:35-37
REFLECTION – “On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . We have not the courage to carry our cross and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight — we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to heaven?”………St Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts dear Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled but rejoice continually in the clarity of Your Cross, for by Your Holy Cross, You have shown us the way to You. Amen
One Minute Reflection – September 5 – The Memorial of St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Each one has his own gift from God……….1 Cor 7:7
REFLECTION – “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love…..God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that we try…….I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” ….St Mother Teresa of Calcutta
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to be holy in the way that You have laid out for me. Let me carry out the duties of my state in life to the full and so attain the holiness proper to me. St Mother Teresa please pray for us that we may all use the gifts we have been given for the Glory of God. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”….John 2:4-5
REFLECTION – “The Church calls Mary the “Queen of Mercy” because we believe she opens the abyss of God’s mercy to whomever she wills, when she wills and as she wills.
No sinner — no matter how great — who has Mary as protector is ever lost.”…St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that Your faithful, who rejoice in the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may be delivered from every evil here on earth, through her prayer and come to the enduring joys of heaven. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit Mary, our Consolation and Comforter, pray for us! Amen.
One Minute Reflection –3 September – The Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church
Since the Creation of the world….God’s eternal power and divinity have become visible, recognised through the things he has made..Romans 1:20
REFLECTION – “God is within all things but not included; outside all things but not excluded. God is above all things but not beyond their reach.”….St Pope Gregory the Great
PRAYER – Lord of creation, grant me the grace to see You in all things and in all places on earth. Help me to seek and reach You in all the events I experience and all the persons I encounter every day of my life. St Pope Gregory the Great, Pray for us! Amen
Thought for the Day – 2 September – The Memorial of St Solomon Le Clercq FSC (1767-1792)
It seems highly appropriate that St Solomon’s memorial coninsides with today’s Gospel of the Talents – “Fear is the wrong attitude….” (Pope Benedict XVI)
“The glorification of our first martyr will be held at the closing of the “Year of Mercy.” As stressed so many times by Pope Francis during the Jubilee Year, to understand what it means “mercy” is to understand the core of Jesus’ teaching. Mercy is love and for love He is willing to do everything, even to give his own life. This is what our Brother Solomon, is teaching us by his heroic fidelity The canonisation of Brother Solomon will certainly be a blessing for our Institute. Together, let us thank the Lord. The example set by our Brother must push us to follow Christ day after day. Although we are not called to give a bloody witness we are called anyway to do this in the “terrible day to day task ” of our apostolic life. On the occasion of the feast of St Bartholomew, our Founder writes: “You have to suffer a constant martyrdom that is no less violent for the spirit than Saint Bartholomew’s was for his body. You must, so to speak, tear off your own skin, which Saint Paul calls the old man, in order to be clothed with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is, according to the same Apostle, the new man.” (Brother Robert Schieler, FSC – Superior General)
One Minute Reflection – 2 September – Today’s Gospel Matthew 25:14-30
For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.…Matthew 25:29
REFLECTION – ” Fear is the wrong attitude: the servant who is afraid of his master and fears his return hides the coin in the earth and it does not produce any fruit. This happens, for example, to those who after receiving Baptism, Communion and Confirmation subsequently bury these gifts beneath a blanket of prejudice, beneath a false image of God that paralyses faith and good works, thus betraying the Lord’s expectations. However, the parable places a greater emphasis on the good fruits brought by the disciples who, happy with the gift they received, did not keep it hidden with fear and jealousy but made it profitable by sharing it and partaking in it. Yes, what Christ has given us is multiplied in its giving!” …Pope Benedict XVI ( Angelus address of Sunday, 16 November 2008)
PRAYER – Lord my God, teach me to be unafraid to share the Light of the Gospel with all. Teach me to go out and spread Your gifts with all who enter my life. For You have called me and I must respond without fear but with joy and love. St Solomon Le Clercq – you ‘wanted’ to be all for God! Please pray for us all, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 1 September – World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it...Genesis 2:15
REFLECTION – “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”..Pope Francis “LAUDATO SI’
PRAYER – O God, from the very beginning of time You commanded the earth to bring forth vegetation and every fruit of every kind. You provide the sower with seed and give bread to eat. Grant, we pray, that this land, enriched by Your bounty and cultivated by human hands, may be fertile with abundant crops. Then Your people, enriched by the gifts of Your goodness, will praise You unceasingly now and for all ages unending. Through our Lord Jesus Christ in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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