St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870) (Optional Memorial) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbBMzR-J8R8
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Bl Amado García Sánchez
St Audactus of Thibiuca
St Cadfarch
St Ciriacus of Hierapolis
St Claudian of Hierapolis
St Ebregislus of Cologne
St Felix of Thibiuca
St Fortunatus of Thibiuca
St Fromundus of Coutances
St Giuse Lê Dang Thi
Bl Giuseppe Baldo
St Januarius of Thibiuca
St Luigi Guanella
St Maglorius of Wales
St Marcius of Monte Cassino
St Martin of Vertou
St Proclus of Constantinople
St Senoch
St Senócus of Tours
St Septimus of Thibiuca
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Martyrs of Ephesus – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. All we know about them are the names Mark, Sotericus and Valentina.
They were stoned to death near Ephesus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey). Their relics are enshrined on the island of Tasos.
Quote/s of the Day – 20 October – The Month of the Holy Rosary
“The Rosary is the prayer that always accompanies my life: it is also the prayer of simple people and saints… it is the prayer of my heart”.
“The Rosary lays before our eyes the beauty of a simple contemplative prayer that is accessible to everyone, great and small.”
Pope Francis
“The rosary is a weapon against depression and hopelessness.”
Servant of God Benedict Groeschel
“I am pleading with you to become apostles of the Rosary. Promote the Rosary. Urge the Rosary. Teach the Rosary. Shall I say, advertise the Rosary. It is through the Rosary that we can bring countless souls back to Christ from whom they have strayed. It is through the Rosary that we can make them lovers of Christ through the mediation of His Mother, the Mother of Miracles since the marriage feast at Cana even to the dawn of eternity!”
Servant of God Fr John A Hardon SJ
(Father Hardon wrote and gave this conference before His Holiness, John Paul II, issued the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae that added five more mysteries (the Luminous Mysteries) to the Rosary.)
NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY SIX – 18 OCTOBER
Little Known Fact #6: In 1954, Father Karol Wojtyla was awarded a “Bronze Badge for Hiking Tourism.” Wojtyla won this badge for hiking on foot on multiple occasions during that year, totaling 166 km (103 miles). More than half of these excursions were completed during the winter (November 1 – March 31). Needless to say, Father Wojtyla enjoyed hiking.
REFLECTION:“Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection of God’s mercy in the Mother of God. He, who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him: “Behold your Mother.” And so he did as the beloved disciple did: he took her into his own home” (eis ta idia: Jn 19:27) – Totus tuus. And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.” – Pope Benedict
Let us Pray:
O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.
He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,
………………….. [state your intention here].
Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.
Totus Tuus, Amen.
Quote Day Six:“Mary, who was present on the day of Pentecost, at the beginning of the life of the Church, with the Apostles, disciples and pious women, always remains present in the Church, she, the first woman missionary, is Mother and support, of all those who proclaim the Gospel!” (Rome, 12 Oct 1979)
Quote/s of the Day – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke the Evangelist
“The Church’s mission begins at Pentecost “from Jerusalem” to expand “to the ends of the earth”. Jerusalem does not mean just a geographical point. Rather it signifies a focal point of salvation history. The Church does not leave Jerusalem to abandon her but to graft the pagan nations onto the olive tree of Israel.”
“We must abandon ourselves to the power of the Spirit, who is able to infuse light and especially love for Christ; we must open ourselves to the inner fascination that Jesus works in the hearts of those who aspire to authenticity, while fleeing from half measures.”
St John Paul on the Feast of St Luke, Padua 2000 at the Shrine of St Luke
Thought of the Day- 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c35-c108) Father of the Church
Ignatius’s great concern was for the unity and order of the Church.
Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his Lord Jesus Christ.
He did not draw attention to his own suffering but to the love of God which strengthened him.
He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
“Ask for me this only in your prayers, that strength may be given me of the Lord that I may not be called but proved to be a Christian. Then shall I be seen to be faithful when the world no longer sees me. For nothing that appeareth is eternal. For the things which are perceived are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal. I write to the Churches and charge you all that willingly I die for Christ, if you prevent me not. I ask of you that your love for me be not untimely; allow me to be devoured of wild beasts, through whom I may attain unto God. I am the grain of God ground between the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found to be the pure bread of Christ. Then indeed shall I be the true disciple of Christ when the world shall no longer behold my body. Beseech Christ on my behalf that through these means I may be found a perfect sacrifice. Not as Peter and Paul do I command you. They were apostles, I am the least of them; they were free but I am a slave even unto this day but, if you wish, I shall be the freedman of Jesus Christ and in Him I shall rise again and be free. Amen.”- from a letter to the Romans from Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Keep St Ignatius before your eyes always and ask him to Pray for us all, to Pray for his beloved Holy Mother, the Church!
Quote/s of the Day – 16 October – The Memorials of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) and St Gerard Majella (1725-1755)
“All for the Eucharist nothing for me.”
“Announce it and let it be announced to the whole world, that I set neither limit nor measure to my gifts of grace, for those who seek them in my Heart.” Revelations of Our Lord to St Margaret Mary Alacoque
“The Sacred Heart is the symbol of that boundless love which moved the Word to take flesh, to institute the Holy Eucharist, to take our sins upon Himself and, dying on the Cross, to offer Himself as a victim and sacrifice to the eternal Father.”
“Let every knee bend before You, O greatness of my God, so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host. May every heart love You, every spirit adore You and every will be subject to You!
“The Most Blessed Sacrament is Christ made visible. The poor sick person is Christ again made visible.”
“Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?”
“Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by. Of what use is it to lean upon that, which cannot give support? “
One Minute Reflection – 16 October – The Memorial of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.….Philippians 2:12-13
REFLECTION – “Let us begin in earnest to work out our salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even He Himself, Who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves!”…..St Margaret Mary Alacoque
PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, You wondrously revealed all of the deep treasures of Your Heart to St Margaret Mary. May her merits and example win us the grace to love You above all things and in all things so that we may make our abode in Your own Sacred Heart. St Margaret Mary, pray for us that we may live in the Sacred Heart of Christ our Lord. Through You, Lord Jesus, who live and reign forever, in union with God our Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.
NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY THREE – 15 OCTOBER
Little Known Fact #3: During his fourth year of Theological studies, Karol Wojtyla felt an increasing call to enter a Carmelite monastery. In the same year, one of his good friends, Br Leonard Kowalowka, was appointed Novice Master at a Carmelite monastery. This appointment of his friend prompted Wojtyla to pursue his desire to be a Carmelite. Wojtyla applied to enter the monastery at Czerna but transferring from the Diocesesan seminary to a religious monastery needed the approval of the bishop. Cardinal Sapieha did not give his approval and instead told Wojtyla to “finish what he started.” Wojtyla did exactly that and stayed the path of a Diocesesan priest.
REFLECTION DAY THREE: “In October 1978 Cardinal Wojtyla once again heard the voice of the Lord. Once more there took place that dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: “Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep!” To the Lord’s question, “Karol, do you love me?,” the Archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart: “Lord you know everything; you know that I love you.” The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that. Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ’s flock, his universal Church.”……..Pope Benedict
Let us Pray:
O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.
He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,
………………….. [state your intention here].
Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Totus Tuus, Amen.
Quote Day Three: “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.”
One Minute Reflection – Marian Devotion for Saturday 14 October
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 (607-667)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help me to have recourse often to Your holy Mother Mary. Grant that she may obtain from You all the graces I need to serve You in this world and give eternal glory to You in the next. Mary Mother of God and our Queen and Mother, pray for us, amen.
St Amor of Aquitaine
St Artemon of Laodicia
St Badilo
St Benedicta of Laon
St Benedicta of Origny-sur-Oise
St Evodius of Rouen
St Felix of Como
Gratus of Chalons
Bl Hugh Canefro
Bl John Adams
Bl John Lowe
St Keyna
St Laurentia
St Nestor of Thessalonica
St Palatias
St Pelagia the Penitent
St Peter of Seville
Bl Ragenfreda
St Reparata
Bl Robert Bickerdike
Bl Robert Dibdale
St Simeon Senex
St Thaïs the Penitent
St Triduna
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Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed José María Ruano López- Marist Martyrs of Barcelona – 46 beati:
• Blessed Ángel Roba Osorno
• Blessed Anicet Falgueras Casellas
• Blessed Antoni Badía Andale
• Blessed Antoni Roig Alembau
• Blessed Carles Brengaret Pujol
• Blessed Casimir Riba Pi
• Blessed Feliciano Ayúcar Eraso
• Blessed Felipe Ruiz Peña
• Blessed Félix Ayúcar Eraso
• Blessed Fermín Latienda Azpilicueta
• Blessed Ferran Suñer Estrach
• Blessed Florentino Redondo Insausti
• Blessed Fortunato Ruiz Peña
• Blessed Gregorio Faci Molins
• Blessed Isidro Serrano Fabón
• Blessed Jaume Morella Bruguera
• Blessed Jeroni Messegué Ribera
• Blessed Jesús Menchón Franco
• Blessed Joan Pelfort Planell
• Blessed Joan Tubau Perelló
• Blessed José María Ruano López
• Blessed José Miguel Elola Arruti
• Blessed Josep Ambrós Dejuán
• Blessed Josep Blanch Roca
• Blessed Josep Cesari Mercadal
• Blessed Josep Mir Pons
• Blessed Juan Núñez Casado
• Blessed Julio García Galarza
• Blessed Leocadio Rodríguez Nieto
• Blessed Leoncio Pérez Gómez
• Blessed Lucio Izquierdo López
• Blessed Lucio Zudaire Armendía
• Blessed Mariano Alonso Fuente
• Blessed Néstor Vivar Valdivieso
• Blessed Nicolás Pereda Revuelta
• Blessed Nicolás Ran Goñi
• Blessed Pedro Ciordia Hernández
• Blessed Pere Sitges Puig
• Blessed Ramon Mill Arán
• Blessed Santiago Saiz Martínez
• Blessed Santos Escudero Miguel
• Blessed Segismundo Hidalgo Martínez
• Blessed Serafín Zugaldía Lacruz
• Blessed Trifón Lacunza Unzu
• Blessed Victor Gutiérrez Gómez
• Blessed Victoriano Gómez Gutiérrez
• Blessed Victoriano Martínez Martín
St Francis of Assisi (Memorial)
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St Adauctus of Ephesus
Bl Alfonso Tabela
St Ammon the Great
St Aurea
Berenice
St Caius of Corinth
St Callisthene of Ephesus
St Crispus of Corinth
St Damaris of Athens
St Diogenes of Milan
St Domnina
St Hierotheus
Bl Julian Majali
St Lucius of Alexandria
St Peter of Damascus
St Petronius of Bologna
St Prosdoce
St Quintius of Tours
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Martyrs of Alexandria – 2+ saints: A group of Christians, men and women, young and old, murdered together for their faith. The only names that have come down to us are the brothers Mark and Marcian.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Avelí Martínez de Arenzana Candela
• Blessed Dionisio Ibáñez López
• Blessed Francisco Martínez Granero
• Blessed Fulgencio Martínez García
• Blessed José Aloy Doménech
• Blessed José Gafo Muñiz
• Blessed José Miguel Peñarroya Dolz
• Blessed Juan de Francisco Pío
• Blessed Juan José Orayen Aizcorbe
• Blessed Martina Vázquez Gordo
• Blessed Publio Fernández González
• Blessed Tomás Barrios Pérez
• Blessed Francisco Martínez Granero
• Blessed Fulgencio Martínez García
• Blessed José Aloy Doménech
• Blessed José Gafo Muñiz
• Blessed José Miguel Peñarroya Dolz
• Blessed Juan de Francisco Pío
• Blessed Juan José Orayen Aizcorbe
• Blessed Martina Vázquez Gordo
• Blessed Publio Fernández González
• Blessed Tomás Barrios Pérez
The Feast of the Rosary is celebrated on 7 October and the month of October is traditionally the month of the rosary. Without having to say, this is the month to commit to praying the rosary more regularly and if you can, every day.
Why did our Mother Mary ask us to pray the rosary at many of her approved apparitions such as at Fatima? Why should we pray at all?
The rosary is a powerful prayer and weapon and can affect and benefit us significantly each time we pray it. The most important reason for strongly encouraging the practice of the Rosary according to Pope John Paul II is that it represents a most effective means of fostering among the faithful that commitment to the contemplation of the Christian mystery; the life of Jesus and Mary’s role in Salvation. Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus.
The rosary is not only a vocal prayer but also a meditative prayer.
The Devotion:
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Pope Leo XIII personally started the practice of devoting October to the Rosary devotion. In a letter of 1 September 1883, mindful of the Rosary’s power to strengthen faith and foster a life of virtue, he outlined the triumphs of the Rosary in past times and admonished the faithful to dedicate the month of October to the Blessed Virgin through the daily recitation of her Rosary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, in order to obtain through her intercession the grace that God would console and defend His Church in her sufferings.
Never mind if you’re a bit rusty, or if it’s been ages since you last prayed your rosary. It’s never too late to begin again and everyone deserves to experience the power of the rosary.
Pope Benedict XVI in an address at the Basilica of St Mary Major where he prayed the rosary with the faithful said:
Today, together we confirm that the Holy Rosary is not a pious practice banished to the past, like prayers of other times thought of with nostalgia. Instead, the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary.
In the current world, so dispersive, this prayer helps to put Christ at the centre, as the Virgin did, who meditated within all that was said about her Son and also what he did and said. When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ’s mission are traced. With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory.
May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries, so that through us we can “water” society, beginning with our daily relationships and purifying them from so many negative forces, thus opening them to the newness of God.
The Rosary, when it is prayed in an authentic way, not mechanical and superficial but profoundly, it brings, in fact, peace and reconciliation. It contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each “Hail Mary”.
One Minute Reflection – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path….Psalm 119:105
REFLECTION – “Above all it’s the Gospels that occupy my mind when I’m at prayer; my poor soul has so many needs and yet this is the one thing needful. I’m always finding fresh lights there, hidden and enthralling meanings.”…St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
PRAYER – Holy Father, assist me to live by the Word of the Word made Flesh. Teach me the ways of understanding each word that passed from His mouth and those inspired by Your Holy Spirit in all Your prophets and teachers. St Therese, in humility you grew in understanding by submitting yourself to each holy Word, please pray for us all, amen.
Thought for the Day – 29 September – The Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
We are celebrating the Feast of the three Archangels who are mentioned by name in Scripture: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. But what is an Angel? Sacred Scripture and the Church’s tradition enable us to discern two aspects.
On the one hand, the Angel is a creature who stands before God, oriented to God with his whole being. All three names of the Archangels end with the word “El”, which means “God”. God is inscribed in their names, in their nature.
Their true nature is existing in His sight and for Him. In this very way the second aspect that characterizes Angels is also explained: they are God’s messengers. They bring God to men, they open heaven and thus open earth. Precisely because they are with God, they can also be very close to man.
Like an angel to others Indeed, God is closer to each one of us than we ourselves are. The Angels speak to man of what constitutes his true being, of what in his life is so often concealed and buried. They bring him back to himself, touching him on God’s behalf. In this sense, we human beings must also always return to being angels to one another – angels who turn people away from erroneous ways and direct them always, ever anew, to God. If the ancient Church called Bishops “Angels” of their Church, she meant precisely this: Bishops themselves must be men of God, they must live oriented to God. “Multum orat pro populo” – “Let them say many prayers for the people”, the Breviary of the Church says of holy Bishops. The Bishop must be a man of prayer, one who intercedes with God for human beings. The more he does so, the more he also understands the people who are entrusted to him and can become an angel for them – a messenger of God who helps them to find their true nature by themselves, and to live the idea that God has of them.
St Michael: making a space for God in the world
All this becomes even clearer if we now look at the figures of the three Archangels whose Feast the Church is celebrating today. First of all there is Michael. We find him in Sacred Scripture above all in the Book of Daniel, in the Letter of the Apostle St Jude Thaddeus and in the Book of Revelation.
Two of this Archangel’s roles become obvious in these texts. He defends the cause of God’s oneness against the presumption of the dragon, the “ancient serpent”, as John calls it. The serpent’s continuous effort is to make men believe that God must disappear so that they themselves may become important; that God impedes our freedom and, therefore, that we must rid ourselves of him.
However, the dragon does not only accuse God. The Book of Revelation also calls it “the accuser of our brethren…, who accuses them day and night before our God” (12: 10). Those who cast God aside do not make man great but divest him of his dignity. Man then becomes a failed product of evolution. Those who accuse God also accuse man. Faith in God defends man in all his frailty and short-comings: God’s brightness shines on every individual. It is the duty of the Bishop and of every christian, as a man of God, to make room in the world for God, to counter the denials of Him and thus to defend man’s greatness. And what more could one say and think about man than the fact that God Himself was made man? Michael’s other role, according to Scripture, is that of protector of the People of God (cf. Dn 10: 21; 12: 1).
Dear friends, be true “guardian angels” of the Church which will be entrusted to you! Help the People of God whom you must lead in its pilgrimage to find the joy of faith and to learn to discern the spirits: to accept good and reject evil, to remain and increasingly to become, by virtue of the hope of faith, people who love in communion with God-Love.
St Gabriel: God who calls
We meet the Archangel Gabriel especially in the precious account of the annunciation to Mary of the Incarnation of God, as Luke tells it to us (1: 26-38). Gabriel is the messenger of God’s Incarnation. He knocks at Mary’s door and, through him, God himself asks Mary for her “yes” to the proposal to become the Mother of the Redeemer, of giving her human flesh to the eternal Word of God, to the Son of God. The Lord knocks again and again at the door of the human heart. In the Book of Revelation He says to the “angel” of the Church of Laodicea and, through him, to the people of all times: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3: 20). The Lord is at the door – at the door of the world and at the door of every individual heart. He knocks to be let in, the Incarnation of God, His taking flesh, must continue until the end of time. All must be reunited in Christ in one body – the great hymns on Christ in the Letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians tell us this. Christ knocks. Today too He needs people who, so to speak, make their own flesh available to Him, give Him the matter of the world and of their lives, thus serving the unification between God and the world, until the reconciliation of the universe. Dear friends, it is your task to knock at people’s hearts in Christ’s Name. By entering into union with Christ yourselves, you will also be able to assume Gabriel’s role: to bring Christ’s call to men.
St Raphael: recovering sight
St Raphael is presented to us, above all in the Book of Tobit, as the Angel to whom is entrusted the task of healing. When Jesus sends His disciples out on a mission, the task of proclaiming the Gospel is always linked with that of healing. The Good Samaritan, in accepting and healing the injured person lying by the wayside, becomes without words a witness of God’s love. We are all this injured man, in need of being healed. Proclaiming the Gospel itself already means healing in itself, because man is in need of truth and love above all things.
The Book of Tobit refers to two of the Archangel Raphael’s emblematic tasks of healing. He heals the disturbed communion between a man and a woman. He heals their love. He drives out the demons who over and over again exhaust and destroy their love. He purifies the atmosphere between the two and gives them the ability to accept each other for ever. In Tobit’s account, this healing is recounted with legendary images.
In the New Testament, the order of marriage established in creation and threatened in many ways by sin, is healed through Christ’s acceptance of it in His redeeming love. He makes marriage a sacrament: His love, put on a cross for us, is the healing power which in all forms of chaos offers the capacity for reconciliation, purifies the atmosphere and mends the wounds. The priest is entrusted with the task of leading men and women ever anew to the reconciling power of Christ’s love. He must be the healing “angel” who helps them to anchor their love to the sacrament and to live it with an ever renewed commitment based upon it.
Secondly, the Book of Tobit speaks of the healing of sightless eyes. We all know how threatened we are today by blindness to God. How great is the danger that with all we know of material things and can do with them, we become blind to God’s light. Healing this blindness through the message of faith and the witness of love is Raphael’s service, entrusted day after day to the priest and in a special way to the Bishop. Thus, we are prompted spontaneously also to think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament of Penance which in the deepest sense of the word is a sacrament of healing. The real wound in the soul, in fact, the reason for all our other injuries, is sin. And only if forgiveness exists, by virtue of God’s power, by virtue of Christ’s love, can we be healed, can we be redeemed.
“Abide in my love”, the Lord says to us today in the Gospel (Jn 15: 9). At the moment of your Episcopal Ordination he says so particularly to you, dear friends. Abide in His love! Abide in that friendship with Him, full of love, which He is giving you anew at this moment! Then your lives will bear fruit, fruit that abides (cf. Jn 15: 16). Let us all pray for you at this time, dear Brothers, so that this may be granted to you. Amen.
Benedict XVI, fragments of a homily (to Bishops) given on September 29, 2007
Our Morning Offering – 27 September – The Memorial of St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
Lord, Teach me How to Pray St Vincent de Paul
Oh Lord,
You selected the poor
and simple people to be Your Apostles.
Look upon Your poor servant
kneeling before You now.
I recognise that I am simple and poor too.
Dear Lord, please teach me how to pray
as You taught Your disciples
upon their humble request.
If it pleases You in Your goodness
to grant me that grace,
I shall be able to pray well
and much better
than I could ever could hope for
if left to my own efforts.
Lord, I trust that You will bless me
with the fulfillment of this request.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
“Do not be daunted by the cross. The surest test of love consists in suffering for the loved one and if God suffered so much for love, the pain we suffer for Him becomes as lovable as love itself.”
“The greater your sufferings, the greater God’s love for you.”
“Do not fear! Jesus is more powerful than all hell.”
“In all the free time you have, once you have finished your duties of state, you should kneel down and pray the Rosary. Pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament or before a crucifix.”
“Do you not see the Madonna always beside the tabernacle?”
“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.”
Thought for the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)
As Bishop but choosing to live in absolute simplicity, St Thomas became a dynamo of activity in his archdiocese.
The see was immensely wealthy and he used the wealth for the benefit of the poor and his many charities.
Each day several hundred poor came to his door and each one was fed and given alms.
He took destitute orphans under his care and set up dowries for poor girls.
He paid his servants to find abandoned infants and took care of them.
When a nearby town was plundered by bandits, he sent money to rebuild and ransom the captives.
He tried to resign several times, to retire to a life of prayer but his requests were refused.
In August 1855, he had a heart attack and prepared for the end.
He ordered that all he owned be given to the poor and that after he died his bed be given to the local prison.
Whilst he was dying, Mass was offered in his presence and he died peacefully at the Altar of his Lord.
He was known as “the model of bishops”, “the almsgiver” and “the father of the poor.”
What overwhelming generosity our saints present! St Thomas of Villanova earned even derisive laughs with his determined shabbiness and his willingness to let the poor who flocked to his door take advantage of him. He embarrassed his peers but Jesus was enormously pleased with him.
Their trust in Divine Providence is so great that they give away anything and everything, never counting the cost.
They know in total trust, that they will be provided for.
This is our “mark” – this generosity to the poor, this utter self-giving and mercy. This total trust in Divine Providence. We are often tempted to tend our image in others’ eyes without paying sufficient attention to how we look to Christ. St Thomas still urges us to rethink our priorities.
We will be known by our fruits!
Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“What great profit you gain from God when you are generous! You give a coin and receive a kingdom; you give bread from wheat and receive the Bread of Life; you give a transitory good and receive an everlasting one. You will receive it back, a hundred times more than you offered.”
“I am, notwithstanding, inexcusable, if I do not love You; for You grant Your love to all who desire or ask it. I cannot see without light: yet if I shut my eyes in the midst of the noon-day light, the fault is in me, not in the sun.”
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY SIX – 19 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
In the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, in this sacrament of Love, we have true life, a blessed life and true sacrament of Love; we have true life, a blessed life and true happiness Because in it we receive not only those graces that perfect us but the very Author of those graces.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Gracious God, St Pio lived totally for You
teach us too this great act of self-giving and complete oblation.
Grant us the grace of approaching the Altar of Sacrifice
with thanksgiving and complete reverence.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY FOUR – 17 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
I often think that there is only one thing in this base world which can soothe the most acute pain which pierces the heart when we see ourselves far from God, the source and consolation of distressed souls. That one thing is solitude, for here the soul enjoys sweet rest in the One who is its true peace. I want the heavenly Father to grant you the grace of stability in all your resolutions, not least of all your resolution to grow in holiness and to be silent and reduce to silence everything around you, so that you may hear the divine voice of the Beloved and establish with Him a tranquil and everlasting dialogue. Recollect yourself continually, and may your whole life be hidden in Jesus and with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, that is to say, in the silence of meditation and prayer. Try to be always more docile to grace and more and more generous with Jesus, making absolutely everything around you and within you to be silent. Don’t worry; rest trustfully in the divine Mercy. Silently adore the delicacy of the workings of divine grace
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY THREE – 16 September
St Padre Pio you have said:
I am greatly comforted and very content in Jesus’ company and who could describe the help it is to me to have Him continually by my side? This company makes me much more careful not to do anything which would displease God. It seems to me as if Jesus is constantly watching me. If it sometimes happens that I lose the presence of God, I soon hear Our Lord calling me back to my duty. I cannot describe the voice He uses to call me back but I know that it is very penetrating and the soul who hears it finds it almost impossible to refuse what He asks.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio laboured endlessly for the salvation of souls.
Whenever You called, he answered,
serving Your people for the greater good of their souls
and for your Glory.
Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………. (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Traditional Prayer to our SORROWFUL MOTHER
O Mother of Sorrows, you, who beneath the Cross of Jesus
were given to us as our Mother, look down with pity on us,
your children, who weep and mourn in this vale of tears.
By that sword of sorrow which pierced your Heart
when you looked upon the Face of your dead Son,
obtain for us that comfort we so sorely need in our sufferings.
You were given to us, as our Mother, in the hour of your greatest grief
that you might be mindful of our frailty and the evils that press upon us.
Without your aid, O Sorrowful Mother, we cannot gain the victory
in this struggle against flesh and blood.
Therefore, we seek your help, O Queen of Sorrows,
lest we fall prey to the wiles of the enemy.
We are orphans in need of the guiding hand of our Mother
amid the dangers that threaten our destruction.
You whose grief was boundless as the sea,
grant us by the memory of those sorrows the strength to be victorious.
Intercede further, O Mother of Sorrows, for us
and all who are near and dear to us,
that we may ever do the Will of your Son
and may direct all our actions to His honour
and to the furtherance of devotion to your sorrows. Amen
Blessed Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary – 12 September
On this day dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary let us repeat that wonderful prayer of Saint Bernard, responding to Pope Benedict XVI’s invitation to “invite everyone to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did.Saint Bernard says and we say with him:‘Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary … in danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart … If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination”’ (Pope Benedict XVI, address at Heiligenkreuz Abbey, September 9, 2007).
Most Holy Name of Mary:
In accordance with Jewish custom our Lady’s parents named her eight days after her birth and were inspired to call her Mary. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary therefore follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. The feast originated in Spain and was approved by the Holy See in 1513; Innocent XI extended its observance to the whole Church in 1683 in thanksgiving to our Lady for the victory on September 12, 1683 by John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the Turks, who were besieging Vienna and threatening the West. This day was commemorated in Vienna by creating a new kind of pastry and shaping it in the form of the Turkish half-moon. It was eaten along with coffee which was part of the booty from the Turks (this is the origin of the of the croissant).
Under Mary’s Holy Name: Victory in Vienna – King Sobieski sending a message to Pope Innocent XI
The ancient Onomastica Sacra have preserved the meanings ascribed to Mary’s name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. “Bitter Sea,” “Myrrh of the Sea,” “The Light Giver,” “The Enlightened One,” “Lady,” “Seal of the Lord” and “Mother of the Lord” are the principal interpretations. These etymologies suppose that the Hebrew form of the name is Maryãm, not Miryãm. From the time of St Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary’s name in the West were “Lady,” “Bitter Sea,” “The Light Giver,” and especially “Star of the Sea.” tella Maris was by far the favoured interpretation. The revival of Hebraic studies, which accompanied the Renaissance, led to a more critical appraisal of the meanings assigned to Our Lady’s name. Miryãm has all the appearance of a genuine Hebrew name and no solid reason has been discovered to warrant rejecting the Semitic origin of the word. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son’s sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.
“Therefore a certain Star has risen for us today: Our Lady, Saint Mary. Her name means Star of the sea; no doubt the Star of this sea which is the world. Therefore, we ought to lift up our eyes to this Star that has appeared on earth today in order that she may lead us, in order that she may enlighten us, in order that she may show us these steps so that we shall know them, in order that she may help us so that we may be able to ascend. And therefore it is a beautiful thing that Mary is placed in this stairway of which we are speaking, there where we must begin to climb. As the Evangelist says, Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, so immediately at the very moment of our conversion she appears to us and receives us into her care and enlightens us in her light and accompanies us along this laborious path.” – St Aelred (110-1167).
Thought for the Day – 10 September – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Tolentino
Those hardened in their crimes, made fun of him but Nicholas would not be intimidated, even though soldiers would unsheath their swords and fence whilst he was speaking.
He was kindness itself, going into the slums of Tolentino, visiting the sick and bed-ridden, settling feuds, caring for children, chatting with criminals and begging them not to be cruel to others.
Gradually, this kindness achieved results and even hardened criminals were converted by St Nicholas’ gentleness.
His remarkable powers of persuasion and his charismatic personality, achieved amazing results in those who had been written off.
Gentleness and kindness accomplishes conversion!
St Nicholas pray that we too may be granted the grace of gentle and kindly hearts.
DAY TWO – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 6 September
Jesus Falls and Simon of Cyrene Assists Him in carrying the Cross
Jesus, you fell three times while carrying Your cross.
You were exhausted by the tortures and the lack of sleep
and Your executioners had to ask the help of Simon the Cyrene
to help You carry the cross. You were nearly dead when you reached Calvary.
Simon of Cyrene was the most blessed person
because he was transformed by helping You carry Your cross.
Make us remember, dear Jesus, in our moments of suffering and trials,
that we, too, help carry Your cross and that it is an honour to suffer with You.
Give us hearts that easily respond to the sufferings around us,
believing that when we help the needy and the abandoned,
we are actually serving You. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY ONE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 5 September
‘Jesus Carries the Cross’
Jesus our Lord, You carried Your cross through the streets of Jerusalem,
with Your head bloodied by the crown of thorns.
Your enemies mocked You and your friends abandoned You.
You carried the cross, the sins of all humanity,
on Your shoulders and in the silence of Your sufferings, we are reborn.
Jesus our Lord, You taught us that we should also carry others’ sins.
to suffer in silence, yet our sufferings can make reparation for our sins
and the sins of all the word.
Teach us, O Lord, to accept situations that we cannot change
and carry them as you carried Your cross
through the streets of Jerusalem. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
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.
Triumph of the Cross
This day is also called the Exaltation of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, Holy Cross Day, Holy Rood Day, or Roodmas. 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 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 realise that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.
O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 September – The Memorial of St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
“The cry of Jesus on the Cross, ‘I thirst’ (Jn 19: 28), expressing the depth of God’s longing for man, penetrated Mother Teresa’s soul and found fertile soil in her heart.” —Pope John Paul II – 19 October 2003
“As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst. “Repent and believe,” Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our indifference, our hardness of heart. What are we to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor – He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.”
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.
“Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”
“If you can’t feed a hundred people
them just feed one.”
The Simple Path Silence is Prayer Prayer is Faith Faith is Love Love is Service The Fruit of Service is Peace
“The so-called right to abortion has portrayed the GREATEST of GIFTS a CHILD as a competitor an intrusion and an inconvenience.”
O Lord my God.
Teach my heart this day
where and how to find You.
You have made me and re-made me,
and You have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know You.
I have not yet done
that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You,
for I cannot seek You
unless you teach me,
or find You
unless You show Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire;
let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You;
let me love You when I find You. Amen
St Adauctus of Rome
St Agilus
Bl Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
St Arsenius the Hermit
St Boniface of Hadrumetum
St Bononius of Lucedio
Bl Bronislava of Poland
Bl Edward Shelley
Bl Ero di Armenteira
Bl Eustáquio van Lieshout
St Fantinus of San Mercurius
St Felix of Rome
St Fiacre
St Gaudentia of Rome
Bl Giovanni Giovenale Ancina
Bl John Roche
St Loarn
St Margaret Ward
Bl María Rafols-Bruna
St Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran
St Pammachius
St Pelagius the Hermit
St Peter of Trevi
Bl Riccardo of Lotaringia
Bl Richard Flower
Bl Richard Leigh
Bl Richard Martin
St Rumon of Tavistock
Sylvanus the Hermit
St Thecla of Hadrumetum
St Theodosius of Oria
Bl Yusuf Nehme
—
Martyrs of Colonia Suffetulana – 60 saints: A group of 60 Christians martyred for destroying a statue of Hermes.
They were martyred in Colonia Suffetulana, Africa.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Blessed José Ferrer Adell
Blessed Manuel Medina Olmos
Blessed Vicente Cabanes Badenas
Martyrs of Barranco del Chisme (Spanish Civil War) – 10 beati:
• Blessed Alberto José Larrazábal Michelena
• Blessed Antonio María Arriaga Anduiza
• Carles Canyes Santacana
• Blessed Caterina Margenat Roura
• Diego Ventaja Milán
• Blessed Eleuterio Angulo Ayala
• Blessed Josefa Monrabal Montaner
• Manuel Medina Olmos
• Blessed Maria Dolores Oller Angelats
• Blessed Nicasio Romo Rubio
AnaStpaul 
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