Category: The WORD

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on PRIDE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection –17 March – “God resists the proud”

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One Minute Reflection –17 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31

“And it came to pass that the poor man died and was borne away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom but the rich man also died and was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.” – Luke 16:22-23

REFLECTION – “Was that poor man welcomed by the Angels solely on account of his poverty?   And the rich man, was he delivered up to torment by fault of his wealth alone? No.   Let us clearly understand that it was humility that was honoured in the poor man and pride condemned in the rich.

This is the proof, briefly, that it was not his wealth but his pride for which the rich man deserved his punishment.   So then, the poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham, yet Scripture says of Abraham that he had much gold and silver and was rich on earth (Gn 13:2).   If every rich man is sent into torment, how is it that Abraham could precede the poor man so as to welcome him into his bosom?   It was because, in the midst of his wealth, Abraham was poor, humble, respectful and obedient to all God’s commands.   He held his riches in so little esteem that, when God asked it of him, he consented to offer in sacrifice the son for whom these riches were destined (Gn 22:4).

Learn to be poor and needy, then, whether you possess something in this world or whether you do not possess anything.   Because we find beggars full of pride and rich people who confess their sins.   “God resists the proud”  whether they are covered with silk or with rags but “he gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6) whether or not, they have possessions in this world.   God looks at what is within, it is there He assesses, there He examines.” … Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church (Discourses on the psalms, Ps 85 [86]; CCL 39, 1178)

PRAYER – Dear and Holy God, let us offer You all our daily struggles against sin and evil. Grant us the strength to resist all forms of idolatry, to seek only You and never to allow the material goods of this world to seduce us.   Sustain us ever more with Your word and help us to find in it, the source of life.   Grant that by the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, 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

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent – 16 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘Now is not the time for rewards …’

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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent – 16 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Esther 13:8-11; 15-17, Matthew 20:17-28

“Forsake me not, O Lord, my God, be not far from me! Hasten to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” – Psalm 37:22-23

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee
came to Him with her sons …”

Matthew 20:29

“THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE press Christ: ‘Promise that one may sit at Your right side and the other at Your left.’ What does He do? He wants to show them that it is not a spiritual gift for which they are asking and that, if they knew what their request involved, they would never dare make it. So He says: ‘You do not know what you are asking,’ that is, what a great and splendid thing it is and how much beyond the reach even of the heavenly powers. Then He continues: ‘Can you drink the cup which I must drink and be baptised with the baptism which I must undergo?’ He is saying: “You talk of sharing honours and rewards with me but I must talk of struggle and toil. Now is not the time for rewards or the time for my glory to be revealed. Earthly life is the time for bloodshed, war and danger.”

CONSIDER HOW by His manner of questioning He exhorts and draws them. He does not say: “Can you face being slaughtered? Can you shed your blood?” How does He put His question? Can you drink the cup? Then He makes it attractive by adding: which I must drink, so that the prospect of sharing it with Him may make them more eager. He also calls His suffering, a baptism, to show that it will effect a great cleansing of the entire world. The disciples answer him: We can! Fervour makes them answer promptly, though they really do not know what they are saying but still think they will receive what they ask for.

HOW DOES CHRIST REPLY? You will indeed drink My cup and be baptised with My baptism. He is really prophesying a great blessing for them, since He is telling them: You will be found worthy of Martyrdom; you will suffer what I suffer and end your life with a violent death, thus sharing all with Me. But seats at My right and left are not Mine to give; they belong to those for whom the Father has prepared them. Thus, after lifting their minds to higher goals and preparing them to meet and overcome all that will make them desolate, He sets them straight on their request.

THEN THE OTHER TEN became angry at the two brothers. See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten and the ten, who were jealous of the two! But, as I said before, show them to me at a later date in their lives and you will see,that all these impulses and feelings have disappeared. Read how John, the very man who here asks for the first place, will always yield to Peter when it comes to preaching and performing miracles in the Acts of the Apostles. James, for his part, was not to live very much longer; for from the beginning, he was inspired by great fervour and, setting aside all purely human goals, rose to such splendid heights that he straightway suffered Martyrdom.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Great Father and Doctor of the Church – An excerpt from Sermon 65 (On Matthew)

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 March – The Proof of our Love

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent – Esther 13:8-11; 15-17, Matthew 20:17-28

“Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?”

Matthew 20:22

“… Now is the time in this life of suffering,
when we journey apart from Him.
… So let us fast and pray now
because, we are in the days of childbirth!”

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

“Only let it be in the name of Jesus Christ,
that I may suffer together with Him!
I endure everything
because He Himself,
Who is perfect man, empowers me.”

St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35–107) Martyr

“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you,
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His body!
Embrace Jesus crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!”

St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

“To labour and to suffer
for the One we love,
is the greatest proof of our love.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 March – . Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?”

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One Minute Reflection – 16 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent – Esther 13:8-11; 15-17, Matthew 20:17-28

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

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

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

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

PRAYER – Look mercifully upon Your people, we beseech You, O Lord and grant that they whom You command to abstain from food, may also refrain from harmful vices. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The PASSION, The WORD

The Second Sunday of Lent – 3 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – COME DOWN, PETER!,

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The Second Sunday of Lent – 3 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Matthew 17:1-9

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

“And His face shone as the sun
and His garments became white as snow.”

Matthew 17:2

“THE LORD JESUS,HIMSELF shone bright as the sun, His raiment became white as the snow and Moses and Elias talked with Him (Matt 17:2-3).
Jesus Himself indeed, shone as the sun, signifying that “He is the light which lights every man that comes into the world” (Jn 1:9).

WHAT THIS SUN IS to the eyes of the flesh, that is He, to the eyes of the heart and what that is to the flesh of men, that is He to their hearts.

NOW His raiment is His Church. For if the raiment be not held together by Him Who puts it on, it will fall off. Of this raiment, Paul was, as it were, a sort of last border. For he says himself, “I am the least of the Apostles” (1 Cor 15:9) And in another place, “I am the last of the Apostles.” Now in a garment the border is the last and least part.

WHEREFORE as that woman which suffered from an issue of blood, when she had touched the Lord’s hem, was made whole (Mk 5:34), so the Church, which came from out of the Gentiles, was made whole by the preaching of Paul. What wonder if the Church is signified by white raiment, when you hear the Prophet Isaias saying, “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow”?(Isa 1:18). Moses and Elias, that is, the Law and the Prophets, what avail they, except they converse with the Lord? Except they give witness to the Lord, who would read the Law or the Prophets? Mark how briefly the Apostle expresses this; “For by the Law is the knowledge of sin but now, the righteousness of God, without the Law is manifested:” behold the sun – “being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets” (Rom 3:20-21), behold the shining of the Sun.

PETER SEES THIS and as a man savouring the things of men says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Matt 17:4) He had been wearied with the multitude, he had found now the mountain’s solitude; there he had Christ, the Bread of the soul. What! should he depart thence again to travail and pains, possessed of a holy love to God and thereby of a good conversation? He wished well for himself and so he added, “If Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elias.”

TO THIS the Lord made no answer but, notwithstanding, Peter was answered. “For while he yet spake, a bright cloud came and overshadowed them” (Matt 17:5). He desired three tabernacles – the Heavenly Answer showed him, that we have One, which human judgement desired to divide.

CHRIST, the Word of God, the Word of God in the Law, the Word in the Prophets. Why, Peter, dost thou seek to divide them? It were more fitting for thee to join them. Thou seekest three; understand, that they are but ONE. …

COME DOWN, PETER, thou were desiring to rest on the mount, come down, “preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim 4:2). Endure, labour hard, bear thy measure of torture; that thou may possess what is meant by the white raiment of the Lord, through the brightness and the beauty of an upright labouring in charity. …

THIS PETER UNDERSTOOD NOT YET when he desired to live on the mount with Christ. He was reserving this for thee, Peter, after death. But now He says Himself, “Come down, to labour in the earth; in the earth to serve, to be despised and crucified in the earth.” The Life came down, that He might be slain; the Bread came down, that He might hunger; the Way came down, that Life might be wearied in the Way; the Fountain came down, that He might thirst and dost thou refuse to labour? `Seek not thine own.’ Have charity, preach the truth; so shall thou come to eternity, where thou shalt find security.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of Grace (Homily on the Transfiguration) (Matthew 17:1-9).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 March – Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post to which God has called you!

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One Minute Reflection – 13 March – The Second Sunday of Lent – Daniel 3:47-51, Matthew 17:1-9 and “The Month of St Joseph”

“Lord, it is good for us to be here” – Matthew 17:4

REFLECTION – “Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post to which God has called you!

But embrace the Cross with patience and hide in God’s breast with your troubles: fix your eyes on the Lamb immolated for your sake and always be content with what God gives you and destines for you. We must act like this because we are sure that God is calling us and has chosen for us ,what will make us the most pleasing in His sight. Thus you will go from light to light and the pains endured for the sake of Jesus Crucified will be delightful to you, whereas the pleasures and consolations of the world ,will become bitter.

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) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent [20 Feb 1622])

PRAYER – O God, Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not burn us, Your servants.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 March – ‘How is it, that You dwell amongst men?’

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One Minute Reflection – 12 March – Ember Saturday in Lent – 1 Thess. 5:14-23, Matthew 17:1-9 and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Confessor, Father & Doctor

“And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking together with Him.” – Matthew 17:3

REFLECTION – “Today our Lord truly appeared on the mountain. Today, human nature, which was previously created in the form of God but obscured by the formless figures of idols, has been transfigured into man’s former beauty, created “in the image and likeness of God” (Gn 1,26)… Today man, who had been dressed in garments of skin, plain and dark (Gn 3,21), has put on divine clothing on the mountain, “clothed in light as in a robe” (Ps 103[104],2)…

Moses looked a second time at the fire that did not consume the bush (Ex 3,2) but gives life to all flesh…, and he said : Now I see You : You Who really are and Who exist eternally; You Who are with the Father and have said to me: ‘I am who am’ (v.14)… Now I see You Whom I longed to see before, saying: ‘Let me see your glory’ (Ex 33,18). No longer do I see Your back while hidden in the cleft of the rock (v.23) but I see You, O God, lover of humankind, hidden in human form. No longer do You shelter me with Your right hand (v.22) but You are the Right Hand of the Most High, Who has been revealed to the world. You are the Mediator of both the Old and the New Covenants, O God from of old, New Man…

You Who said to me on Sinai: ‘No-one can see me and live’ (v.20): how is it that You can now be contemplated face-to-face on earth, in the flesh? How is it, that You dwell amongst men? You Who are Life and give life, how is it that You are hastening towards death? You Who dwell in the midst of those beings who are in the highest heavens, how is it that You make Your way lower than the most abandoned of beings, towards those who are dead?… For You wish to appear too to those who have been sleeping for ages past, to visit the patriarchs in the dwelling places of the dead, to descend to deliver Adam from his pains”… For it is thus, that “the just will shine out at the resurrection” (Mt 13,43); it is thus, that they will be glorified, even as they are transfigured.” – St Anastasius of Sinai (Died after 700) Monk (Sermon for the Feast of the Transfiguration).

PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of St Gregory, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word through Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the light of His Resurrection we may know our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT 2022, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Friday of the First Week of Lent – 11 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – “The Lord has had pity on us”

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Friday of the First Week of Lent – 11 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Ezechiel 18:10-28, John 5:1-15

“Bring me out of distress, O Lord; put an end to my affliction and my suffering
and take away all my sins.” – Psalm 24:17-18

“Now a certain man was there
who had been thirty-eight years
under his infirmity.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been
in this state a long time, He said to him,
Do you want to get well?”

John 5:5-6

“The Lord has had pity on us”

“HAPPY ARE WE if we do the deeds of which we have heard and sung. Our hearing of them means having them planted in us, while our doing them, shows that the seed has borne fruit. By saying this, I wish to caution you, dearly beloved, not to enter the Church fruitlessly, satisfied with mere hearing of such mighty blessings and failing to do good works. For we have been saved by His grace, says the Apostle and not by our works, lest anyone may boast; for it is by His grace that we have been saved. It is not as if a good life of some sort came first and that thereupon, God showed His love and esteem for it from on high, saying: “Let us come to the aid of these men and assist them quickly because they are living a good life.” No, our life was displeasing to Him. He will, therefore, condemn what we have done but He will save, what He Himself has done in us.

WE WERE NOT GOOD but God had pity on us and sent His Son to die, not for good men but for bad ones, not for the just but for the wicked. Yes, Christ died for the ungodly. Notice what is written next: One will hardly die for a righteous man, although perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. Perhaps someone can be found who will dare to die for a good man but for the unjust man, for the wicked one, the sinner, who would be willing to die except Christ alone, Who is so just, that He justifies even the unjust?

AND SO, MY BROTHERS, we had no good works, for all our works were evil. Yet although men’s actions were such, God in His mercy did not abandon men. He sent His Son to redeem us, not with gold or silver but at the price of His Blood poured out for us. Christ, the Spotless Lamb, became the Sacrificial Victim, led to the slaughter for the sheep that were blemished — if indeed one can say that they were blemished and not entirely corrupt. Such is the grace we have received! Let us live so as to be worthy of that great grace and not do injury to it. So mighty is the Physician Who has come to us, that He has healed all our sins! If we choose to be sick once again, we will not only harm ourselves,but show ingratitude to the Physician as well.

LET US THEN FOLLOW Christ’s paths which He has revealed to us, above all, the path of humility, which He Himself became for us. He showed us that path by His precepts, and He Himself followed it by His suffering on our behalf. In order to die for us —because as God, He could not die — the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The immortal One took on mortality, that He might die for us and by dying, put to death our death. This is what the Lord did, this the gift He granted to us. The mighty one was brought low, the lowly one was slain and after He was slain, He rose again and was exalted. For He did not intend to leave us dead in hell but to exalt, in Himself, at the Resurrection of the Dead, those whom He had already exalted and made just by the faith and praise they gave Him. Yes, He gave us the path of humility. If we keep to it we shall confess our belief in the Lord and have good reason to sing: We shall praise You, God, we shall praise You and call upon Your Name.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from a Homily 23).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Quotes on SALVATION, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – Do you want to get well?

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – Ember Friday of the First Week of Lent – Ezechiel 18:10-28, John 5:1-15

“Now a certain man was there
who had been thirty-eight years
under his infirmity.
When Jesus saw him lying there,
and knew that he had been
in this state a long time, He said to him,
Do you want to get well?”

John 5:5-6

Rescue Me, Most Merciful God
By Father Martin von Cochem OSFC (c 1630-1712)

Most merciful God,
remember at how great a price
Thou didst purchase me
and how much Thou didst suffer for me.
For the sake of that inestimable price,
do not permit me to be lost,
rescue me,
number me amongst the sheep
of Thy fold.
With them, I will then
praise and magnify Thy loving kindness,
to all eternity.
Amen

Fr Martin von Cochem was a German Capuchin theologian, preacher and prolific ascetic writer. Father Martin’s works embrace a great variety of subjects: a huge volume of apologetics against Protestantism, the life of Christ, lives of the Saints, edifying narratives, the setting forth of certain points in Christian asceticism, forms of prayer, methods to be followed for the worthy reception of the sacraments, etc.
The prayer above is from the renowned “The Four Last Things.”

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 March – “Do you wish to be healed?” John 5:6

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One Minute Reflection – 11 March – Ember Friday of the First Week of Lent – Ezechiel 18:10-28, John 5:1-15

“Jesus said to him, “Do you wish to be healed?” The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool’ … Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk.” And at once the man was cured.” – John 5:6-8

REFLECTION – “We read in the Old Testament that in the times of Noah, since all humankind had been won over by sin, heaven’s floodgates opened and rain poured down for forty days… This was a symbol – it was less about a flood, than about a baptism. For it was indeed a baptism that bore away the misdeeds of the sinners and spared the uprightness of Noah. And so today, just as it was then, our Lord has given Lent to us so that the skies can open for the same number of days to inundate us with the floods of divine mercy. Once washed in the saving waters of baptism, this Sacrament enlightens us and, just as formerly, its waters bear away the evil of our sins and confirm the uprightness of our virtues.

Today’s situation is just the same as in Noah’s time. Baptism is flood to sinners and consecration for the faithful. In Baptism the Lord rescues justice and destroys injustice. We can see this in the example of one and the same man – before he was cleansed by the spiritual commands, the Apostle Paul, was a persecutor and blasphemer (1Tm 1,13). But once he had been bathed with the heavenly rain of Baptism, the blasphemer died, the persecutor died, Saul died. Then the Apostle, the just man, Paul, came to life… Anyone who lives Lent in a religious manner and observes the Lord’s decrees will see sin die in him and grace come to life… such as these die as sinners and live as righteous persons.” – St Maximus of Turin (?-c 420), Bishop – Sermon for Lent 50

PRAYER – Forgive my sins, O my God, forgive my sins:
the sins of youth, the sins of age, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body,
the sins which, through frailty, I have committed, my deliberate and grievous sins,
the sins I know and the sins I do not know, the sins I have laboured so long to hide from others, that now they are hidden from my own memory.
Let me be absolved from all these iniquities and delivered from the bond of all these evils, by the Life, Passion and Death of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

Thursday of the First Week of Lent – 10 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is sorely beset by a devil.’ Matthew 15;21

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Thursday of the First Week of Lent – 10 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28

Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings.
Psalm 16:8,2

“And behold, a Canaanite woman
came out of that territory
and cried out to Him, saying,
‘Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is sorely beset by a devil.’

Matthew 15;21

“O WOMAN, YOUR FAITH IS GREAT. Let it be done to you as you wish” (Mt 15:28). Indeed, she had great enough faith, since she knew neither the ancient miracles, commands and promises of the prophets, nor the more recent ones of the Lord Himself.

IN ADDITION, as often as she was disregarded by the Lord, she persevered in her entreaties and she did not cease knocking by asking Him, although she knew only by popular opinion that He was the Saviour. On account of this, she secured the great object for which she implored…

IF ONE OF US has a conscience polluted by the stain of avarice, conceit, vain-glory, indignation, irascibility, or envy and the other vices, he has “a daughter badly troubled by a demon” like the Canaanite woman.

HE SHOULD HASTEN TO THE LORD, making supplication for her healing… Being submissive with due humility, [such a person] must not judge himself to be worthy of the company of the sheep of Israel (that is, souls that are pure) but instead, he must be of the opinion that he is unworthy of heavenly favours.

NEVERTHELESS, LET HIM NOT IN DESPAIR, rest from the earnestness of his entreaty but with his mind free of doubt, let him trust in the goodness of the supreme Benefactor, for the One who could make a confessor from a robber (Lk 23:39f.), an apostle from a persecutor (Acts 9:1-30, an evangelist from a publican (Mt 9:9-13) and who could make sons for Abraham out of stones, could turn even the most insignificant dog into an Israelite sheep.”…St Bede the Venerable (673-735) – Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 March – “Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.” Matthew 15:21-28

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One Minute Reflection – 10 March – Thursday of the First Week of Lent – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28

“But she said, Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” – Matthew 15:27

REFLECTION – “See her humility as well as her faith! For He had called the Jews “children” but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them “masters,” so far was she from grieving at the praises of others. She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Behold the woman’s wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she indignant to be reproached. Behold her constancy! When He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” she said, “Yes, Lord.” He called them “children” but she called them “masters.” He used the name of a dog but she described the action of the dog. Do you see this woman’s humility?

Then compare her humility with the proud language of the Jews: “We are Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man.” “We are born of God.” But not so this woman. Rather, she calls herself a dog and them masters. So for this reason, she became a child. For what does Christ then say? “O woman, great is your faith.”

So we might surmise that this is the reason He put her off, in order that He might proclaim aloud this saying and that He might crown the woman: “Be it done for you as you desire.” This means “Your faith, indeed, is able to effect even greater things than these. Nevertheless, be it unto you even as you wish.” This Voice was at one with the Voice that said, “Let the heaven be,” and it was. “And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

Do you see how this woman, too, contributed not a little to the healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, “Let your little daughter be made whole” but “Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.” These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering words,but great was the power of her faith and for our learning. He left the certain test and demonstration, however, to the issue of events. Her daughter accordingly was immediately healed.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor (The Gospel of Matthew – Homily 52).

PRAYER – We beseech You, O Lord, look graciously upon the fervour of Your people, who mortify themselves in the flesh through abstinence: that they may be refreshed in mind by the fruit of these good works. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – 9 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – REPENT!

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Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – 9 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – 3 Kings 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50

“Relieve the troubles of my heart
and bring me out of distress, O Lord.” – Psalm 24:17-18

“The men of Ninive will rise up
in the judgement with this generation
and will condemn it;
for they repented
at the preaching of Jonah
and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.”

Matthew 12:41

“ LET US FIX OUR ATTENTION on the Blood of Christ and recognise how precious it is to God His Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.

If we review the various ages of history, we will see ,that in every generation the Lord has offered the opportunity of repentance to any who were willing to turn to Him. When Noah preached God’s message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed,but when they repented, their prayers gained God’s forgiveness for their sins and they were saved, even though they were not of God’s people.

UUNDER THE INSPIRATION of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God’s grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe Himself, spoke of repentance with an oath: As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner but his repentance. He added this evidence of His goodness: House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell the sons of my people – If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to Me with your whole heart and say, “Father” and I will listen to you as a holy people.

IN OTHER WORDS. God wanted all His beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and He confirmed this desire, by His own Almighty Will. That is why we should obey His Sovereign and Glorious Will and prayerfully entreat His mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before Him and turn to His compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death.

BROTHERS, WE SHOULD BE HUMBLE in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: The wise man must not glory in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches. Rather, let him who glories, glory in the Lord by seeking Him and doing what is right and just. Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when He taught gentleness and forbearance. Be merciful, He said, so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving, will be the measure of your receiving.

LET THESE COMMANDMENTS AND PRECEPTS strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: Whom shall I look upon with favour, except the humble, peaceful man who trembles at my words?

Sharing then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe and hold fast to His splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all His blessings.” – St Clement of Rome (c 35-c 101) Apostolic Father, Pope, Martyr (An excerpt from his Letter to the Corinthians).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 March – “The sign of Jonah” – Matthew 12:39

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One Minute Reflection – 9 March –Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, Ember Wednesday – 3 Kings 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50 and the Memorial of St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

“The sign of Jonah” – Matthew 12:39

REFLECTION – “God showed patience in the face of man’s weakness because He saw beforehand, the victory He would eventually give him, through His Word. For, when “power was made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9), the Word caused God’s goodness and tremendous power, to be made manifest.
Indeed, it was the same with man, as it was with the prophet Jonah. God permitted Jonah to be swallowed by a sea-monster, not to make him altogether vanish away and die but, so that when he had been vomited out by the monster, he would become more subject to God and would give all the more glory to Him who had given him this unexpected deliverance.
It was, too, to lead the Ninevites to firm repentance and to convert them to Him, Who would deliver them from death, amazed as they were by the sign accomplished in Jonah …
In the same way, God permitted man to be swallowed by that great monster, the author of disobedience, not so that he should altogether vanish away and die but because God, had prepared beforehand, the salvation fulfilled by His Word by means of the “sign of Jonah.”
This salvation has been prepared, for those who have the same feelings for God as Jonah did and, who confess Him in the same words: “I am the servant of the Lord and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9).
God desired that man, by receiving an unanticipated salvation from Him, would rise from the dead and worship God, saying with Jonah: “Out of my distress I called to the Lord; from the midst of the nether world he heard my voice” (Jon 2:2). God desired, too, that man would always remain faithful in giving Him worship and unceasing thanks for the salvation he has received from Him.” – St Irenaeus (130-208) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Theologian – Against the heresies III, 20, 1

PRAYER – Infinite Lord, help me to serve You always in accord with Your holy will. Show us how to make You our Lord and our All. St Dominic Savio, you the little giant showed us all the way of holiness within the confines of our lives, always joyfully doing the will of God. Please pray for us all. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, The WORD

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… For You commanded that we should do good, from dawn to dusk, in the same day, …’

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Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

“Let my prayer come
like incense before You, O Lord. – Psalm 140:2

“And the blind and the lame
came to Him in the temple
and He healed them. …
and the children cried out ,,, saying,
Hosanna to the Son of David” –

Matthew 21:14,15

“You alone are great and generous in everything.
You are the definition of abundant goodness,
Who pours forth constantly, without measure,
more than we ask or expect,
as Paul said in gratitude.

For You commanded that we should do good,
from dawn to dusk, in the same day,
nine times fifty, plus four times ten.
Always attentive,
forgiving with an unfettered heart,
something more
than the expectation of men’s prayers.

And if we place my wretchedness
and disgrace beside Your glory,
omnipotent and awesome Power,
God of all, blessed Lord Christ,
by what measure of weight
shall the balance between
the Creator and the clay be set?
You remain in these things infinite
and unexaminable,
good in all things,
having no part in the wrath of darkness,
therefore, far less are the number of stars
than Your greatness,
for You called them into existence from nothing
by merely pronouncing their names.
Or take the mass of the earth floating in air,
created from nothing,
from which You established the dry land of earth.
These are less than the number I formulated above,
by which You taught us to be like You in forgiveness.” – St Gregory of Narek (c 951-c 1010) Monk, Poet, Mystical philosopher, Theologian, Father (Excerpt – Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – ‘… Who is Himself, the Word and the Message …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – Isaias 55:6-11 Matthew 21:10-17-1and the Memeorial of St John of God (1495-1550)

“For just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return there, until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats.” – Isaias 55:11

REFLECTION – “For the rain and the snow do not return to heaven but accomplish in the earth the will of him that sends them. So the Word that He shall send through His Christ, Who is Himself, the Word and the Message, shall return to Him with great power. For when He shall come and bring it, He shall come down like rain and snow and through Him all that is sown shall spring up and bear righteous fruit and the Word shall return to His Sender but not in vain shall His going have been but thus shall He say, in the presence of His Sender, “Behold, I and the children that the Lord has given me.” And this is the Voice through which the dead shall live. And this is the Voice of God that shall sound from on high and raise up all the dead.” – St Aphraates “the Sage” (Died c 345) (Feast Day – 29 January) Abbot, Father of the Church [see note below] (Demonstrations 8).

PRAYER – Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace upon us, who seek to make our lenten journey fruitful. Confirm us in Your service and help us to bear witness to You in the society in which we live by our lives, our fasting and prayer, our gift of self. Listen kindly we pray, to the prayers of St John of God who so avidly followed in the footsteps of our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name, with the Holy Ghost, we pray, one God forever, amen.

St Aphraates was a Syriac Christian author of the third century from the Persian Empire who composed a series of twenty-three sermons on points of Christian doctrine and practice. He was an Ascetic and Celibate. He may have been a Bishop and later Syriac tradition places him at the head of Mar Mattai Monastery near Mosul, therefore, he was certainly an Abbot.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, The WORD

Monday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches, while others remain in need. …’

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Monday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

“O Lord, deal with us,
not according to our sins,
nor requite us,
according to our crimes..”
Psalm 102:10

“Amen I say to you,
as long as you did not do it
for one of these least ones,
you did not do it for Me.”

Matthew 25:45

“RECOGNISE TO WHOM you owe the fact, that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise and, above all, that you know God and hope for the Kingdom of Heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then, with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this and from whom?

LET ME TURN to what is of less importance: – the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?

WHO HAS GIVEN YOU DOMINION over animals, those that are tame and those that provide you with food? Who has made you lord and master of everything on earth? In short, Who has endowed you with all that makes man superior to all other living creatures?

IS IT NOT GOD WHO ASKS YOU NOW, in your turn, to show yourself generous above all other creatures and for the sake of all other creatures? Because we have received from Him so many wonderful gifts, will we not be ashamed to refuse Him this one thing only, our generosity? Although He is God and Lord, He is not afraid to be known as our Father. Shall we, for our part, repudiate those who are our kith and kin?

BRETHREN AND FRIENDS, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by God’s gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding onto what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate God’s justice and no-one will be poor. Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches, while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words – Come now, you that say:- When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will the sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures?

LET US PUT INTO PRACTICE the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike and causes the sun to rise on all, without distinction. To all earth’s creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way because He wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth and to show the abundance of His generosity.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Oration 14: On Love of the Poor)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on POVERTY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary?

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One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent – Ezech 34:11-16, Matt hew 25:31-46 and the Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis

“Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for Me.” – Matthew 25:45

REFLECTION – “Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary? That it is not a law but merely a counsel? I should like it to be so, too and would gladly think so. But God’s left hand gives me cause for alarm, the place where He has set the goats to whom He addresses His reproaches, not because they stole, plundered, committed adultery or perpetrated other such faults but because, they did not honour Christ in the person of His poor!

If you are willing to listen to me, then, O servants of Christ, His brothers and co-heirs, I say ,that we should visit Christ while there is an opportunity, take care of Him and feed Him. We should clothe Christ and welcome Him. We should honour Him, not only at our table, like some; not only with ointments, like Mary Magdalene; not only with a sepulchre, like Joseph of Arimathea; nor with things which have to do with His burial, like Nicodemus… nor finally, with gold, incense and myrrh, like the Magi.

But, as the Lord of all “desires mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 9,13) and as compassion is better than tens of thousands of fat rams, let us offer Him this mercy through the needy and those who are at present cast down to the ground. Let us do this, so that, when we depart hence, they may “welcome us into the eternal habitations” (Lk 16,9), in the same Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 14, on Love for the Poor, 27, 28, 39-40).

PRAYER – O God, our Saviour, direct our minds by Your heavenly teaching, so that the Lenten fast may profit us. And may the intercession of St Thomas Aquinas, Your humble servant, aid us in our need. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

First Sunday of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … He could have kept the devil from Himself but …’

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First Sunday of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

“You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalm 90:1

“At that time, Jesus was led into the desert
by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.”

Matthew 4:1

“HEAR O GOD, my petition, listen to my prayer. Who is speaking? An individual, it seems. See if it is an individual: – I cried to you from the ends of the earth while my heart was in anguish. Now it is no longer one person, rather, it is one in the sense that Christ is One and we are all His Members. What single individual can cry from the ends of the earth? The one who cries from the ends of the earth is none other than the Son’s Inheritance. It was said to Him: Ask of me and I shall give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession. This Possession of Christ, this Inheritance of Christ, this Body of Christ, this One Church of Christ, this Unity that we are, cries from the ends of the earth! What does it cry? What I said before: Hear, O God, my petition, listen to my prayer; I cried out to you from the ends of the earth. That is, I made this cry to You from the ends of the earth; that is, on all sides.

Why did I make this cry? While my heart was in anguish. The speaker shows that he is present among all the nations of the earth in a condition, not of exalted glory but of severe trial.

OUR PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No-one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.

THE ONE WHO CRIES from the ends of the earth is in anguish but is not left on his own. Christ chose to foreshadow us, who are His Body, by means of His body, in which He has died, risen and ascended into Heaven, so that the Members of His Body may hope to follow where their Head has gone before.

HE MADER US ONE WITH HIMSELF,when He chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the Gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted, for Christ received His flesh from your nature but by His own Power gained life for you; He suffered insults in your nature but by His own Power gained glory for you; therefore, He suffered temptation in your nature, but by His own Power gained victory for you!

IF IN CHRIST, we have been tempted, in Him we overcame the devil. Do you think only of Christ’s Temptations and fail to think of His Victory? See yourself as tempted in Him and see yourself as victorious in Him. He could have kept the devil from Himself but if he were not tempted, he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father, Doctor of Grace (“In Christ we suffer temptation and in Him we overcame the devil.” – An excerpt from his Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 60).

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HEART, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Temptation

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Cor.inthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-1

“Temptations to sin are sure to come
but woe to the person through whom they occur!
It would be better for him,
if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea,
than for him to cause
one of these little ones to sin…”

Luke 17:1-2

“He says that these temptations must come.
Is this then because God, who governs all,
forces people to their commission of sin?
Away with the thought!
Nothing that is evil comes from Him.
He is the fountain of all virtue.
Why then must this happen?
They clearly happen because of our infirmity,
for all of us stumble in many things,
as it is written.
Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe
to the person who lays the stumbling blocks
in the way.
He does not leave indifference in these things
without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment. He still commands us to bear with patience ” those who cause sins to happen.”

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

“A man must fight long and bravely
against himself before he learns
to master himself fully
and to direct all his affections toward God. ”
… The devil does not sleep,
nor is the flesh yet dead,
therefore, you must never cease
your preparation for battle
because, on the right and on the left
are enemies who never rest.”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

“When you gossip about a person it means
that you have removed the person from your heart.
But be aware, when you remove a man from your heart,
Jesus also goes away from your heart with that man.”

St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 March – ‘Satan will return. He will enter Judas and will make him betray his Master.’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 March – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Cor.inthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-11 and “The Month of St Joseph”

“Then the devil left Him …” – Matthew 4:11

REFLECTION – “When the Lord had been tempted with this triple temptation—because in all the allurements of the world these three are to be found, either pleasure, or curiosity, or pride — what did the Evangelist say? After the devil had concluded every temptation — every kind but of the alluring sort — there remained the other sort of temptation, by harsh and hard treatment, savage treatment, atrocious and ferocious treatment. Yes, there remained the other sort of temptation. Another Evangelist knew this, knew what had been carried out, what remained, and so he said, “After the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him, until the time.” He departed from him in the form, that is, of the insidious serpent. He is going to come back in the form of the roaring lion. The One Who will trample on the lion and the cobra, will conquer him. Satan will return. He will enter Judas and will make him betray his Master. He will bring along the Jews, not flattering now but raging. Taking possession of his own instruments, he will cry out with the tongues of all of them, “Crucify him, crucify him!” That Christ was the Conqueror there, why should we be surprised? He is Almighty God.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 284)

PRAYER – O God, You Who purify Your Church by the yearly Lenten observance, grant to Your household that what they strive to obtain from You by abstinence, they may achieve by good works. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on ALMS, The WORD

First Saturday of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘light shall rise for you in the darkness …’ Isaiah 58:10

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First Saturday of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

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

Mark 6:50-51

“If you bestow your bread
on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise
for you in the darkness
and the gloom
shall become for you,like midday…”

Isaiah 58:10

[My father] actually treated his own property, as if it were another’s, of which he was but the steward, relieving poverty, as far as he could and expending, not only his superfluities but his necessities — a manifest proof of love for the poor, giving a portion, not only to seven, according to the injunction of Solomon but, if an eighth came forward, not even in his case being mi8serly but, more pleased to dispose of his wealth, than we know others are to acquire it.

THIS IS WHAT MOST people do – they give indeed but without that readiness, that is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere offering.
For he thought it much better to be generous, even to the undeserving, for the sake of the deserving, than from fear of the undeserving to deprive those who were deserving.
And this seems to be the duty of casting our bread on the waters, since it will not be swept away or perish in the eyes of the just Investigator but, will arrive yonder where all that is ours is laid up and will meet with us in due time, even though we think it not.

But what is best and greatest of all – [my father’s] magnanimity was accompanied by freedom from ambition!– St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Death of His Father [Oration 18], 20).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, LENT 2022, The WORD

Quote/s – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent – “Thus says the Lord God”

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Quote/s – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent – Isaiah 58:9-14, Mark 6:47-56

“Thus says the Lord God:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation
and malicious speech.
if you bestow your bread
on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise
for you in the darkness
and the gloom
shall become for you,like midday;
then the Lord will guide you always
and give you plenty,
even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.”

Isaiah 58:9-11

“… If you hold back your foot
on the Sabbath from following
your own pursuits on My holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s Holy Day honourable;
if you honour it,
by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests,
or speaking with malice –
then you shall delight in the Lord …”

Isaiah 58:13-14

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

Mark 6:50-51

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – He heals without charge, with one word, He restores to health. 

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One Minute Reflection – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent – Isaiah 58:9-14, Mark 6:47-56

“And wherever He went, into village or hamlet or town, they laid the sick in the market places, and entreated Him to let them touch but the tassel of His cloak and as many as touched. Him were saved. ” – Mark 6:56

REFLECTION – “Let us set before our interior consideration, someone gravely wounded who is about to breathe his last. … Now, the soul’s wound is sin, of which Scripture speaks in these terms: “Wound and welt and gaping gash, not drained or bandaged or eased with salve” (Is 1:6). Oh you who are wounded, recognise your Physician within you and show Him the wounds of your sins. May He understand your heart’s groaning, Who already knows its secret thoughts. May your tears move Him. Go as far as a little shamelessness in your beseeching (cf. Lk 11:8). Bring forth deep sighs to Him, without ceasing, from the depth of your heart.
May your grief reach Him so that He may say to you also : “The Lord has pardoned your sin” (2 Sam 12:13). Cry out with David, who said: “Have mercy on me, O God, in … the greatness of your compassion” (Ps 50[51]:3). It is as though one were to say: “I am in great danger because of an enormous wound, that no doctor can cure, unless the all-powerful Physician comes to help me.” For this all-powerful Physician, nothing is incurable. He heals without charge, with one word, He restores to health.  I would have despaired of my wound, were it not that I placed my trust in the Almighty.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (c 540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Psalm 50[51])

PRAYER – Hear, O Lord, our humble prayers and grant that we may devoutly keep this fast that has been established to cure our souls and bodies. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on FASTING, The WORD

First Friday of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘And what kind of Christian is it, who will not fast with the Lord?’

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First Friday of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 5:43-38,6:1-4

“One thing I ask the Lord;
this I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 26:4

“Take heed not to do your good before men,
in order to be seen by them;
otherwise you shall have no reward
with your Father in Heaven.”

Matthew 6:1

AND WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN is it who will not fast, at least until None (the mid-afternoon Breviary hour), during this season?
Recall how the Ninevites required even of children at the breast that they too should fast and their flocks and herds likewise, that all might be delivered from the danger that threatened them.
What kind of Christian is he who, although well and able refuses to fast with … the Lord?
They will say: We cannot both work and fast.
They cannot because they WILL NOT.
Then let them work less that they may fast more.
I warn you and I exhort you in the Lord, that none among you, unless a sick person or a child, eat or drink before the hour of Nones, except on Sundays.

I COUNSEL YOU ALSO, that he who is near the Church and can come, should hear Mass each day. And that he who can, should come each evening to the recitation of Vespers.
Let those who live far from the Church try to come to Vespers each Sunday at least …

LET HIM who has HATE in his heart, or anger, against another, put it wholly from himself, if he wishes to be saved. …
And you must understand, that whatever it is that you deny yourself through fasting must be given entirely to the poor, not kept back for yourselves!

MAY ALMIGHTY GOD grant, that you keep before you what I have told you and that you fulfil it … so that at the end of this life and at the close of your labours, you may enter into eternal rest.
May He grant you this, Who created you and sought at the price of His own Blood to redeem you,
Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen. – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in LENT 2021, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Isaiah 58:6-9, Matthew 6:1-4

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – First Friday of Lent – Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 5:43-38,6:1-4

“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
clothing the naked when you see them
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you
and the glory of the Lord
shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call
and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help
and He will say:
‘Here I am!’
For I, the Lord your God, am merciful.”

Isaiah 58:6-9

“Take heed not to do your good before men,
in order to be seen by them;
otherwise you shall have no reward
with your Father in Heaven.
Therefore, when you give alms,
do not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets,
in order that they may be honoured by men.
Amen I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your alms may be given in secret
and your Father, Who sees in secret,
will reward you.”

Matthew 6:1-4

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

First Thursday of Lent – 3 March – ‘Put your house in order … ’ Isaiah 38:1

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First Thursday of Lent – 3 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Isaiah 38:1-6, Matthew 8:5-13

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul:
in You, O my God, I trust …

Psalm 24:1

“In those days, when Hezekiah was mortally ill,
the prophet Isaiah … came and said to him;
Thus says the Lord:
‘Put your house in order,
for you are about to die;
you shall not recover.’

Isaiah 38:1

BEHOLD, NOW IS THE APPOINTED TIME, in which you must confess your sins to God and to the priest and by prayer and by fasting, by tears and by almsgiving, wipe them away.
Why should a sinner be ashamed to make known his sins, since they are already known and manifest to God and to His angels and even to the blessed in heaven?

CONFESSION delivers the soul from death.
Confession opens the door to heaven.
Confession brings us hope of salvation.
Because of this, the Scripture says: First tell thy iniquities that you may be justified (Is. xliii.
Here we are shown, that the man will not be saved, who, during his life, does not confess his sin.
Neither will that confession deliver you, which is made without true repentance.
For true repentance is grief of heart and sorrow of soul because of the evils a man has committed.
True repentance causes us to grieve over our offences and to grieve over them with the firm intention of never committing them again.

And although, everyday, a man lives may rightly be a day of repentance, yet it is in these days more becoming, more appropriate, to confess our sins, to fast and to give elms to the poor; since in these days you may wash clean the sins of the whole year.
Therefore, I counsel all of you and I exhort each one of you singly, to repair, whatever you know within your soul, is blameworthy.
Whosoever among you discerns, within himself, what is unworthy in a Christian, let him correct it. … St Athanasius (297-373) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Season of Lent).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – Lord, I am not worthy

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – The First Thursday of Lent – Isias 38:1-6, Matthew 8:5-13

“The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy
to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word
and my servant will be healed.”

Matthew 8:8

“Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for your souls…”

Matthew 11:29

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:12

“For the Master of humility,
both by word and example,
sat down also, in the house
of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon
and although He sat down in his house,
there was no place in his heart.
For in his heart.
the Son of Man could not lay His head.”

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

“Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved.
They cannot say with the prophet:
See, God comes to my aid;
the Lord is the helper of my soul.
But anyone who makes himself humble,
like a little child,
is greater in the kingdom of heaven.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor if the Church

“ … If you die with Him,
you shall also likewise
live with Him.
If you are His companion in punishment,
so shall you be in glory.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“Humility is not just about self-mistrust
but about the entrusting of ourselves to God.
Distrusting ourselves and our own strength
produces trust in God
and from that trust,
generosity of soul is born.”

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

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – ‘By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy …’

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One Minute Reflection – 3 March – The First Thursday of Lent – Isaiah 38:1-6, Matthew 8:5-13

“The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will be healed.” – Matthew 8:8.

REFLECTION – “When the Lord promised to go to the centurion’s house to heal his servant, the centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility, if he had not already welcomed, in his heart, the One who came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the Master of humility, both by word and example, sat down also in the house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon and although he sat down in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart the Son of Man could not lay his head.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 62)

PRAYER – O God, offended by sin and appeased by penitence, graciously hear the prayers of Your people as they entreat You, to turn away from us the scourges of anger that we have deserved because of our sins.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on PRIDE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 March – ‘ … He strips bare the secret intentions of our souls. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 2 March – Ash Wednesday –Joel 2:12-19, Matthew 6:16-21

“They have received their reward” – Matthew 6:16

REFLECTION – “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.” Why not? If people see them then what will you get out of them? “You will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.”  My brethren, the Lord is not bringing judgement here but giving an explanation. He casts light on the wiles of our thoughts, He strips bare the secret intentions of our souls. He draws attention to the measure of a just retribution, to those unrighteous, pondering righteousness. Righteousness that sets itself in the sight of others can expect no divine reward from the Father. It wanted to be seen and it was seen; it wanted to please others and it pleased them. It has received the recompense it wanted – the recompense it did not want, it will not have …

“When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do.” “Blow your trumpet” – this is the exact phrase in that this kind of alms is more like a deed of war than of peace. It passes wholly into its sound but has nothing to do with mercy. It comes from the land of disunion but has not been nourished by goodness. It is a dealing in outward show, not chaste commerce …. “So, then, when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” You have taken good note: – alms offered at a meeting, in public square and street corners, is not an offering made for the comforting of the poor but has been set forward in the sight of others to attract their admiration … Flee hypocrisy, my brethren, flee from it …. It does not bring comfort to the poor; the groans of the homeless but is only a pretext for it, to seek out even more busily, a spectacular glory for itself. It inflates its praise of the suffering of the poor. – St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 9).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that Your faithful people may, with true piety, undertake the time-honoured custom of fasting and may carry it out with unwavering devotion. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).