Quote/s of the Day – 10 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent
“… Every man is both debtor and creditor… A beggar asks you for alms but you, too, are God’s beggar, for when we pray we are all beggars of God. We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves – at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5); we beseech Him with groans, anxious to receive a grace from Him and this grace is God Himself! What does the beggar ask of you? Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God but Christ, Who said: “I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven” (Jn 6:51).”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
Lord God, Lift Me Up By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?! Amen
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Mystical Doctor of the Church
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 10 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“They who trust in the Lord are like Mount Sion which is immovable; which forever stands.” Psalm 124:1-2
“Make the men sit down.” John 6:10
On the Tender Compassion which Jesus Christ Entertains Towards Sinners
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“WE read in this day’s Gospel that, having gone up into a mountain with His disciples and seeing a multitude of five thousand persons, who followed Him because they saw the miracles which He wrought on them that were diseased, the Redeemer said to St Philip: “Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat ?” “Lord,” answered St Philip, “two-hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient that every one may take a little.” St Andrew then said: There is a boy here that has five barley loaves and two fishes but what are these among so many? But Jesus Christ said: “Make the men sit down.” And he distributed the loaves and fishes among them. “The multitude were satisfied and the fragments of bread which remained, filled twelve baskets.” The Lord wrought this miracle through compassion for the bodily wants of these poor people but, far more tender is His compassion, for the necessities of the souls of the poor that is, of sinners, who are deprived of the Divine Grace.
But, my Lord, since Thou hast resolved to take human flesh, would not a single prayer offered by Thee be sufficient for the redemption of all men? What need, then, was there of leading a life of poverty, humiliation and contempt, for thirty- three years, of suffering a cruel and shameful death on an infamous gibbet and of shedding all Thy Blood by dint of torments? I know well, answers Jesus Christ, that One Drop of My Blood, or a simple prayer, would be sufficient for the salvation of the world but neither,would be sufficient to show the love which I bear to men and, therefore, to be loved by men when they should see me dead on the Cross, for the love of them, I have resolved to submit to so many torments and to so painful a death. This, He says, is the duty of a good Shepherd “I Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His Life for His sheep… I lay down My Life for My sheep.” (John 10:11, 15) …
This tenderness of Jesus Christ was experienced by the sinful woman (according to St Gregory, — Mary Magdalene) who cast herself at the feet of Jesus and washed them with her tears. (Luke 7:47 and 50) The Lord, turning to her with sweetness, consoled her by saying: “Thy sins are forgiven … thy faith hath made thee safe; go in peace.” (Luke 7:48 and 50.) Child, thy sins are pardoned; thy confidence in Me has saved thee; go in peace. It was also felt by the man who was sick for thirty- eight years and who was infirm, both in body and soul. The Lord cured his malady and pardoned his sins. … We have also a proof of the tender compassion of the Son of God for sinners, in his conduct towards the woman caught in adultery.
… Jesus Christ has come, not to condemn,but to deliver sinners from hell, as soon as they resolve to amend their lives. And when He sees them obstinately bent on their own perdition, He addresses them with tears in the words of Ezechiel: “Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (18:31). My children, why will you die? Why do you voluntarily rush into hell, when I have come from Heaven to deliver you from it by death?” He adds: you are already dead to the grace of God. But I will not allow your death — return to Me and I will restore to you the life which you have lost.
Let us then, sinners, return instantly to Jesus Christ. If we have left Him, let us immediately return, before death overtakes us in sin and sends us to hell, where the mercies and graces of the Lord shall, if we do not amend, be so many swords which shall lacerate the heart for all eternity!” – (Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent – Intro, 3,8,9,11,12).
One Minute Reflection – 10 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“When the people, therefore, had seen the sign which Jesus had worked, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet Who is to come into the world..” – John 6:14
REFLECTION – “Governing the entire universe, is a greater miracle, than feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread, yet no-one marvels at it. People marvel at the feeding of the five thousand, not because this miracle is greater but because, it is out of the ordinary. Who is even now providing nourishment for the whole world if not the God Who creates a field of wheat from a few seeds? Christ did what God does. Just as God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, so Christ multiplied the five loaves in His Hands. For there was power in the Hands of Christ. Those five loaves were like seeds, not because they were cast on the earth but because, they were multiplied by the One Who made the earth.
This miracle was presented to our senses, in order to stimulate our minds… and so make us marvel at “the God we do not see because of His works which we do see” (Rom 1:20). For then, when we have been raised to the level of faith and purified by faith, we shall long to behold, although not with our eyes, the invisible God Whom we recognise, through what is visible. This miracle was performed for the multitude to see; it was recorded for us to hear. Faith does for us, what sight did for them. We behold with the mind, what our eyes cannot see and we are preferred to them because, of us it was said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20:29).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on Saint John’s gospel, 24).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who know how courageously Thy holy Martyrs have confessed the faith, may experience their goodness as they intercede for us with Thee. 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).
Saint of the Day – 10 March – St Attalas of Bobbio (Died c627) Abbot, Disciple of, Assistant and Successor to St Columban (543-615). A legendary leader of great wisdom and scholarly abilities, a loving father to his Monks and a generous and kindly Apostle to the poor and the ill, Miracle-worker. His Monks included Saint Valery, Saint Blitmund and St Bertulf, all Abbots at various times. Born in Burgundy, France and died in c627 of natural causes in Bobbio, Italy. Patronages – of Bobbio and of Luxeuil-les-Bains, France. Also known as – Attal, Attala, Attale.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In the Monastery of Bobbio, the Abbot, St Attalas, renowned for miracles.”
Attalas was originally from Burgundy, where he was born into a noble family. For his suitable education he was entrusted to Aredius, the Bishop of Gap, City of the Dauphiné.
However, desiring a more rigid lifestyle, Attalas fled and took refuge for some time in the Monastery of Lérins. But even this renowned Monastery did not satisfy him and he decided to move to Luxeuil, the Monastery founded by Saint Columban. Here he was finally able to find the austerity he desired and place himself under the guidance of the great Irish Saint.
When Colomban was banished from France for having accused the vices of King Theodoric of Austrasia, he took some companions with him to Lombardy, including Attalas. They settled in Bobbio, on land donated by the Lombard King.
Colomban was now in his seventies, a venerable age and he survived only a year after the foundation of the new Monastery. Much of the credit for the foundation of this Monastery of Bobbio is, in fact, due toour Saint, who succeeded him as Abbot in 615.
When charismatic authority of the holy founder died and his place was taken by Attalas, various objections to the austerity of community life were raised by the Monks but Attalas did not allow himself to be influenced and let those who were dissatisfied leave. However, some of these later returned and he welcomed them with affection and benevolence.
Jonah of Susa, his Hagiographer, remembers him as “a man loved by all, of great fervour and charity for the poor and pilgrims. He knew how to resist the proud but he was humble with the humblest, he did not allow himself to be silenced in conversations with intelligent people but with simple people, he knew how to talk about the secrets of God. Wise when he came across thorny problems, firm when challenged by heretics, he was strong in adversity, disciplined in favourable times, always temperate and discreet. He showed love and respect towards his subordinates and wisdom towards his disciples. In his presence, no-one could be excessively sad or display undisciplined gaiety.”
Like St Colomban, Attalas also found himself having to fight Arianism which was widespread in the surroundings of Milan.
Bobbio Monastery
Having become seriously ill, Attalas asked to be laid outside his cell, near which there was a Crucifix which he touched everytime he entered or left his cell and to be left alone there on the ground. As a Monk, who remained nearby testified, the now dying Saint prayed fervently and had a vision of Paradise for several hours. Finally taken back to his cell, he died the following day. It was the year c627. Saint Attalas was buried next to Saint Colomban and a few years later Saint Bertulf, their successor, also joined them in the same tomb and shared the cult with them.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Died 320) – Forty Christian soldiers of the Thunderstruck Legion of the Imperial Roman army who were tortured and murdered for their faith during the persecutions of Emperor Licinius. They were exposed naked on a frozen pond to freeze to death at Sebaste, Armenia in 320 and their bodies afterward were burned. THE FULL STORY HERE: https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/10/saints-of-the-day-10-march-the-forty-martyrs-of-sebaste-armenia-died-320/
NOVENA FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH DAY ONE – Link: NOVENA FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH (Remember last year St Joseph’s Feast was moved to 20 March due to Laetare Sunday falling on his Feast Day, 19 March. Hence the Novena began a day later than usual.)
St Alexander of Apema St Anastasia the Patrician St Andrew of Strumi St Attalas of Bobbio (Died c627) Abbot St Blanchard of Nesle-la-Réposte St Caius of Apema St Cordratus of Nicomedië
St Emilian of Lagny St Failbhe the Little St Gustav the Hermit St Himelin Bl John of Vallombrosa St Kessog
St Macarius of Jerusalem (Died c335) Bishop of Jerusalem for over twenty years. Defender of the Faith against Arianism, founder of the True Cross with St Helena, organiser and manager of the building of the Sacred Basilicas, including the Church of the Holy Sepuchre in Jerusalem, paid for by St Constantine the Great, St Helena’s son. Also of great import is the fact that Bishop Macarius was one of the two main authors of the Nicene Creed, that is, of the Creed that we still pronounce in Mass today The Life os St Macarius: https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/10/saint-of-the-day-10-march-saint-macarius-died-c-335/
St Peter of Veroli St Rufinus of Nicomedië St Sannudius of Bagensena St Saturninus of Nicomedië St Sedna of Ossory St Silvester of Ireland
Thought for the Day – 9 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XXXI: … Of the Devil’s Artifices, In Order to Draw Us Away, From the Path of Holiness (Part One)
“The fourth device of the Evil One, when he sees us advancing steadily towards holiness, is, to excite within us, a variety of good desires that, by this means, he may lead us away from the exercise of virtue, into sin.
A sick person is perhaps bearing his illness with a patient will. The cunning adversary knows that by this means, he may attain to a habit of patience and, he immediately sets before him all the good works which, in a different condition, he might be able to perform, and tries to persuade him that if he were but well, he would be able to serve God better and be more useful to himself and others. Having once aroused such wishes within him, he goes on increasing them by degrees, until he makes the subject restless at the impossibility of carrying them into effect and, the deeper and stronger such wishes become, the more does this restlessness increase. Then the enemy leads him on gently and with a stealthy step, to impatience at the sickness, not as sickness but as a hindrance to those good works which he so anxiously desires to perform for some greater good. When he has brought him thus far, with the same art he removes from his mind the end he had in view, to serve God and perform good works and leaves him only, the bare desire to be rid of his sickness. And then, if this does not happen according to his wish, he is so much troubled, as to become actually impatient and so, unconsciously, he falls from the virtue in which he was exercising himself, into the opposite vice.
The way to guard against and resist this snare, is, to be very careful, when in a state of trial, not to give way to desires after any good work which, being out of your power to execute, would very probably disquiet you. In such cases, resign yourself, with all patience, resignation and humility, to the conviction, that your desires would not have the effect you think, inasmuch as you are far more insignificant and unstable, than you account yourself to be.
Or else believe that God, in His surer counsels, or on account of your unworthiness, is not pleased to accept this work at your hand but, will rather that you should patiently abase and humble yourself under the Gentle and Mighty Hand of His Will.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church
On the Soul and the Resurrection in Two Parts
“[He], Who gives you the day will give you also the things necessary for the day.”
“As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so, no trivialities can capture, the attention of anyone, who has his eyes on Christ.”
“For when one considers the universe, can anyone be so simple-minded, as NOT to believe that the Divine is present in everything, pervading, embracing and penetrating it?”
“It is impossible for one to live without tears, who considers things, exactly as they are!”
“For the purity of Christ and the purity which is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however, is the Fountainhead; ours has its Source in Him and flows out of Him. Our life is stamped with the beauty of His thought. The inner and the outer man, are harmonised in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence which inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behaviour. As I see it, Christian perfection consists in this – sharing the title which expresses the meaning of Christ’s Name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and our way of life.”
“If you draw from Him, the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart, you will show a likeness to Christ, your Source and Origin, as the gleaming water in a jar resembles the flowing water, from which it was obtained.”
O Good Shepherd, You Whom My Soul Loves By St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church
Where are You pasturing Your flock, O good Shepherd, Who carry the whole flock on Your shoulders? (For the whole of human nature is one sheep and You have lifted it onto Your shoulders). Show me the place of peace, lead me to the good grass that will nourish me, call me by name so that I, Your sheep, hear Your voice and by Your speech, give me eternal life. Answer me, You Whom my soul loves. … Show me then (my soul says), where You pasture Your flock, so that I can find that saving pasture too and fill myself with the food of heaven, without which, no-one can come to eternal life and run to the spring and fill myself with the drink of God. You give it, as from a spring, to those who thirst – water pouring from Your side, cut open by the lance, water that, to whoever drinks it, is a spring of water, welling up to eternal life. Amen
This is a tiny excerpt from St Gregory of Nyssa’s commentary on the Song of Songs (Cap 2: PG 44, 802), using the imagery of Psalm 23, appeals to the Lord Jesus Christ for the promised green pastures, restful waters and noonday rest that is the final, eternal destination of those who love God and walk in His ways.
St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Father of the Church
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 9 March – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness, above thy fellows.” Psalm 44:8
“So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:49-50
HEAVEN or HELL?
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“CONSIDER THAT THE CHOICE you make in this life will last forever in the next! Consider too, that while both are open to receive you, according to your choice, yet God, Who is prepared to give the one by reason of His Justice, the other by reason of His Mercy, all the while desires, unspeakably that you should select Paradise. offering you countless graces on God’s part, countless assistance to attain to it. Consider that Jesus Christ, enthroned in Heaven, looks down upon you in loving invitation – ‘O beloved one, come unto Me and joy forever in the eternal blessedness of My Love!’ Behold His mother yearning over you with maternal tenderness, ‘Courage, my child, do not despise the Goodness of my Son, or my earnest prayers for thy salvation.‘ …
O Hell, I abhor thee now and forever; I abhor thy griefs and torments, thine endless misery, the unceasing blasphemies and maledictions which thou pourest out upon my God and turning to thee, O blessed Paradise, eternal glory, unfading happiness, I choose thee forever as my abode, thy glorious mansions, thy precious and abiding tabernacles.
O my God, I bless Thy Mercy which gives me the power to choose, O Jesus, Saviour, I accept Thine Eternal Love and praise Thee for the promise Thou hast given me, of a place prepared for me, in that blessed New Jerusalem, where I shall love and bless Thee forever. ” (Excerpt – ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’ 9th Meditation).
One Minute Reflection – 9 March – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent – St Frances of Rome Obl.S.B. (1384-1440) Widow – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 13:49-50
REFLECTION – “Our Lord was an example of incomparable patience. He bore with a “devil” among His disciples even to His Passion (Jn 6,70). He said: “Let them grow together until the harvest lest you uproot the wheat when you pull out the weeds” (cf. Mt 13,29f.). As a symbol of the Church, He preached that the net would bring back to shore, namely the end of the world, every kind of fish, both good and bad. And He made it known, in various other ways, whether openly or in parables, that there would always be a mixture of good and bad. But, nevertheless, He stresses, that we have to protect the Church’s discipline when He says: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18,15)…
Yet today, we see people who think of nothing but stern commandments, who order that troublemakers be reproved, ‘not giving what is holy to the dogs,’ treating, like the publicans, ‘anyone who despises the Church, cutting off the scandalous member from the body‘ (Mt 7,6 ; 18,17 ; 5,30). Their stormy zeal so troubles the Church, that they pull out the weeds before their time and their blindness makes of them enemies, of the unity of Jesus Christ…
Take care not to let these presumptuous thoughts enter our hearts, trying to separate ourselves from sinners, so as not to be soiled by contact with them, wanting to form a band of pure and holy disciples. We will achieve nothing but breaking up our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. To the contrary, let us remember the parables of Scripture, their inspired words, their striking examples, where we are shown that, until the end of the world and the day of judgement, the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, so long as these latter, have not played a part in their sins.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (On Faith and Works – Excerpt ch 3-5)
PRAYER – O God, Who along with other gifts of Thy grace honoured blessed Frances, Thy handmaid, with the close companionship of an angel, grant, we beseech Thee, that by the help of her intercession we may be made worthy to attain the companionship of Angels in Heaven. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 9 March – “The Month of St Joseph” – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent
Most Holy Mary By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Most holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, Shrine of the most Holy Trinity, joy of the Angels, sure Refuge of sinners, take pity on our sorrows, mercifully accept our sighs and appease the wrath of your most holy Son. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church, Brother of St Basil the Great. Another of Gregory’s brothers, called Naucratius, was a Monk. He was the Bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death in 395. Born in c335 at Caesarea, Cappadocia and died there in c395 of natural causes. St Gregory was an erudite Theologian, Philosopher. Writer , Defender of orthodoxy against heresy but he possible lacked the administrative ability of his brother, Basil or the contemporary influence of Gregory of Nazianzen but, he was an erudite Theologian who made significant contributions to the Doctrines of the Church, in particular, of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed. St Gregory, together with his elder brother, St Basil the Great (Doctor of the Church) and their great and lifelong friend, St Gregory of Nazianzen (also a Doctor of the Church) are collectively known as the “Cappadocian Fathers.”
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Nyssa, the demise of St Gregory, Bishop, brother of the blessed Basil the Great, whose life and erudition have rendered him illustrious. He was expelled from his own City for having defended the Catholic Faith during the reign of the Arian Emperor, Valens.”
Gregory’s eldest sister, St Macrina the Younger, had a great influence on him. A discussion he had with her, as he attended at her deathbed and she looked forward to what lay ahead, was later expanded by Gregory, into a Treatise entitled On the Soul and the Resurrection.
Gregory was born at Caesarea in Cappadocia (south-eastern Turkey), the third son and one of five brothers and five sisters. His father was a Rhetorician and his mother, Emelia an earnest Christian and woman of great personal charm. His elder brother, Basil becamethe Bishop of Caesarea. Gregory had an excellent education as a Rhetorician at Athens. He may have married a lady called Theosebeia, possibly the sister of his friend Gregory of Nazianzen. After some years he became disillusioned with his career as a Professor of Rhetoric.
St Gregory of Nazianzen prevailed on Gregory to devote himself to the service of the Church. He was Ordained in 362. It is not known whether his wife died or accompanied him to Nyssa. He gave himself to studying the Scriptures and the works of the Christian writer Origen.
In 371 Gregory was installed as the Bishop of Nyssa, a small town in Lower Armenia, by his brother Basil. However, a financial scandal, where he appeared perhaps too gentle, caused him to be excluded from his See for two years but he was re-instated in 378. It was only after Basil’s death in 379 that his gifts as a Theologian and Writer developed. He became the mainstay of orthodoxy against the Arians throughout Cappadocia and was one of the champions of orthodoxy at the Council of Constantinople (381). And by the time he died he was a greatly respected figure in the Church. He was also in favour with the Emperor Theodosius, who asked him to preach at the funeral of his daughter Pulcheria. He died in the same year as Theodosius, 395.
Many of Gregory’s writings are extant. In theme, they resemble the writings of the other Cappadocian Fathers – Basil and Gregory Naziazen – asserting the Divinity of Jesus and the Holy Ghost against different forms of Arianism (denying the Divinity of Jesus) and Macedonianism (denying the Divinity of the Holy Ghost) – but probably have a greater clarity and depth. Below is an image of his work ‘On Virginity.’ Among the Greeks he was nick-named ‘The Theologian’ and ‘The Father of the Fathers’.
Thought for the Day – 8 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XXX: … On the Delusions of Some, Who Consider Themselves on the Way to Perfection
“Our malignant foe, thus repulsed in his first and second assault and stratagem, has recourse to a third which is, to turn away our attention from the enemies who are close at hand to injure and assail us and to fill us with resolutions and desires, after higher degrees of perfection.
Hence, we are continually being wounded; yet, we pay no attention to our wounds and looking upon these resolutions, as already fufillled, we take pride in them in various ways.
Therefore, at the very time when the least contradiction or affront upsets us, we amuse ourselves with grandiose dreams of being ready to suffer the greatest torments or the pains of Purgatory itself, for the love of God. And because our inferior part feels no repugnance at these things in the distance, we flatter ourselves, miserable creatures, as we are, into the conceit that we belong to the class of patient and heroic sufferers! To avoid this snare, resolve to fight manfully against the enemies who are close at hand and actually waging war against you.
You will thus discover whether your resolutions are real or imaginary, weak or strong and so, you will go onto virtue and perfection, by the beaten and Royal Road.
But, against enemies who are not wont to trouble you, I do not advise you to take up arms, unless there appear a probability of their making an attack at some future time. In this case it is lawful to make resolutions beforehand that you may be found strong and prepared.
Do not, however, judge of your resolutions by their effects, even though you should have long and faithfully exercised yourself in virtue but, be very humble with regard to them; fear yourself and your own weakness and trust in God and seek His help by frequent prayer to strengthen and preserve you in all dangers and especially from the very slightest presumption or self-confidence. For in this case, although we may not be able to overcome some slight defects which our Lord sometimes leaves in us, in order to greater, humility and self-knowledge and for the protection of some virtue, we may yet be permitted to form purposes of aspiring to higher degrees of perfection.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God OH (1495-1550) Confessor, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God
Lord be Blessed! (A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Self-oblation) By St John of God (1495-1550)
Lord be blessed! for in Thy great kindness to me, who art such a great sinner, having performed so many wicked things, yet Thou seest fit to set me free, from such a tremendous temptation and deception into which I fell, through my own sinfulness. Thou hast brought me into a safe harbour, where I shall endeavour to serve Thee with all my strength. My Lord, I beg Thee, with all my might, give me the strength of Thine grace and always let me see Thine clemency. I wish to be Thy slave, so kindly show me what I should do. Give peace and quiet to my soul which greatly desires this. O most worthy Lord, may this creature of Thine, serve and praise Thee. May I give my whole heart and mind, to Thee. Amen
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 8 March – Friday in the Second Week of Lent – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11, Matthew 22:34-46 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. …” Psalm 111:3
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” Matthew 22:37-39
The Lord Asks of Us Only Two Things
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
“The Lord asks of us only two things – love of His Majesty and love of our neighbour. These are what we must work for. By observing them with perfection, we do His will and so, will be united with Him. But how far, as I have said, we are from doing these two things, as we ought, for so great a God! May it please His Majesty to give us His grace, so that we might merit, if we wish to reach this state that lies within our power.
The most certain sign, in my opinion, as to whether or not we are observing these two laws, is whether we observe well, the love of neighbour. We cannot know whether or not we love God, although there are strong indications for recognising that we do love Him but, we can know, whether we love our neighbour. And be certain that the more advanced you see you are, in love for your neighbour, the more advanced you will be in the love of God, for the love His Majesty has for us, is so great that to repay us for our love of neighbour, He will, in a thousand ways, increase the love we have for Him. I cannot doubt this. That is why, it is important for us to walk, with careful attention, to how we are proceeding in this matter, for if we practice love of neighbour with great perfection, we shall have done everything.I believe that, since our nature is bad, we will not reach perfection in the love of neighbour, if that love does not rise from love of God, as its root.” – (Interior Castle, Fifth Dwelling Places Ch 3).
One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Friday in the Second Week of Lent – The Memorial of St John of God OH (1495-1550) Confessor, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11, Matthew 22:34-46 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Master, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” … Matthew 22:36
REFLECTION – “O Lord, what is it that you require of Your servants? “Take my yoke upon you,” you say. And what sort of yoke is this? “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” Now who would not willingly bear a yoke that does not press down but gives strength; a burden that does not weigh heavily but refreshes? As You rightly added: “And you will find rest” (Mt 11:29). And what is this yoke of Yours that does not tire but gives rest? It is the first and greatest of the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What could be easier, better or more agreeable than to love the goodness, beauty and love that is most perfectly Yours, O Lord my God?
Do You not offer a reward to those who keep the commandments, which are “more desirable than a heap of gold and sweeter than honey from the comb?” (Ps 19[18]:11) So in every way, You offer a very ample reward, as James the Apostle says: “The Lord has prepared the crown of life for those who love him” (Jas 1:12) …And Paul quotes these words from Isaiah: “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).
That first and great commandment is not only profitable for the man who keeps it or for God Who commands it – the other commandments of God also make perfect him who obeys them, improves him, instructs him and makes him illustrious; in a word, they make him good and holy. If you understand this, realise that you have been created for the glory of God and for your own eternal salvation; this is your end, this is the object of your soul and the treasure of your heart. You will be blessed if you reach this goal but miserable if you are cut off from it.” – St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church (The Ascent of the Mind to God, 1).
PRAYER – O God, Who caused blessed John, when burning with love for Thee, to walk unharmed through the midst of flames and through him, enriched Thy Church with a new religious family; grant by the help of his merits, our sins may be burned away by the fire of Thy love and eternal remedies may come to us. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Friday of the Third Week in Lent and the Feast of the Five Holy Wounds
Excerpt from the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Jesus By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
I pray Thee, O most gentle Jesus, that having redeemed me by Baptism from original sin, so now, by Thy Precious Blood, which is offered and received, throughout the world, deliver me from all evils, past, present and to come. And by Thy most bitter Death, give me a lively faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may love Thee with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength. Make me firm and steadfast in good works and grant me perseverance in Thy service, so that I may be able to please Thee always. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 8 March – Saint Julian of Toledo(642-690) Bishop and Confessor, Monk and Abbot, Scholar and prolific Writer. Born in c642 in Toledo, Spain and died there in 690.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Toledo, in Spain, the demise of the blessed Saint Julian, Bishop and Confessor, most celebrated for his sanctity and learning.”
Julian was well educated at the Cathedral school, was a Monk and later Abbot at Agali, a spiritual student of Saint Eugene II his predeccesor as the Archbishop of Toledo.
Julian was the first Bishop to have primacy over the entire Iberian Peninsula and he helped centralise the Iberian Church in Toledo.
He presided over several Councils and Synods and revised the Mozarabic Liturgy.
A voluminous writer, his works include Prognostics, a volume on death (and his most influential work); a history of King Wamba’s war with dux Paul in Septimania (a Sallustian work, and one of the few examples of historical writing from the late Visigothic Kingdom) and, a book on the future life in Heaven (687). A lost work, apparently dedicated to King Erwig, dealt with the issue of Jews owning Christian slaves.
St Apollonius of Antinoë St Arianus of Alexandri St Arnulf of Chartres Abbot St Beoadh of Ardcarne St Duthus of Ross
St Felix of Burgundy (Died 647) Bishop, “The Apostle of East Anglia” Missionary in East Anglia and particularly in the Port Town now known as Felixstowe, in Suffolk, England. Amongst being the Founder of countless Churches. a famouse Monastery of Bury Saint Edmunds, he is also the Founder of what is now the University of Cambridge. This wonderful “Apostle of East Anglia” https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-st-felix-of-burgundy-died-647-bishop-the-apostle-of-east-anglia/
St Humphrey of Prüm St Julian of Toledo (c642-690) Bishop and Confessor St Litifredus of Pavia St Philemon of Antinoë St Pontius of Carthage St Provinus of Como St Quintilis of Nicomedia St Rhian
Martyrs of North Africa – 9 Saints: A Bishop and some of his flock who were Martyred together in North Africa. The only details that have survived are nine of the names – Beata, Cyril, Felicitas, Felix, Herenia, Mamillus, Rogatus, Silvanus, Urban.
Thought for the Day – 7 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XXIX: … Of the Efforts of the Devil to Prevent the Conversion of Those Who Desire It (Part Two)
“Prompt obedience, I say and not mere resolutions; for these are often fallacious and many have been deceived thereby through various causes:
+++ FIRST: Because our resolutions are not founded upon self-distrust and trust in God, but our excessive pride, whence proceeds this blindness and delusion, prevents our perceiving it. The light to see and the medicine to cure it, both proceed from the goodness of God, Who suffers us to fall that He may recall us thereby, from self-confidence to confidence in Him alone and from pride, to self-knowledge. Your resolutions, therefore, to be effective, must be steadfast and to be steadfast, they must be free from all self-confidence and humbly based on confidence in God.
+++ SECOND: When we are making our resolutions, we dwell on the beauty and excellence of virtue which attracts our will, slack and feeble as it is — but, when confronted by the difficulties which attend the attainment of virtue, the weak and untried, will fail and draw back. Learn, therefore, to love the difficulties which attend the attainment of all virtues, more than even the virtues themselves and use these difficulties, in various measures, to strengthen your will, if you desire, in good earnest, to acquire thesm. And know that the more courageously and lovingly you shall embrace these difficulties, the more speedy and complete shall be your victory over self and all your other enemies.
+++ THIRD: In our resolutions, we too often look, rather to our own advantage than to the will of God and the acquisition of the virtues He requires of us. This is frequently the case with resolutions made in times of great spiritual joy or acute sorrow, when we seem unable to find any relief but, in a resolution to give ourselves wholly to God and to the practice of virtue. To avoid this snare, take care in times of spiritual consolation to be very cautious and humble in your resolutions, especially in your vows and promises and in tribulation, let your resolution be to bear your cross patiently, according to the will of God, nay, to exalt it, refusing all earthly and, if so be it, even all heavenly consolation.
Let your one desire, your one prayer, be that God would help you to bear all adverse things, keeping the virtue of patience unstained and giving no displeasure to your Lord.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor
“We are like children, who stand in need of masters, to enlighten us and direct us and God has provided for this, by appointing His Angels, to be our teachers and guides.”
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanations is possible.”
“Love takes up, where knowledge leaves off.”
“If the highest aim of a Captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in Port, forever!”
“If then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, for He, Himself, is the Way.”
“Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will.”
Grant Me Grace, O Merciful God Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus & Doctor Communis which he was accustomed to recite everyday before the image of Christ.
Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully and to accomplish it perfectly, for the praise and glory of Thy Name. Amen
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 7 March – Wisdom 7:7-14; Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For she is an infinite treasure to men! which they that use, become the friends of God” Wisdom 7:14
“Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but upon a candlestick …” Matthew 5:15
Exercise Your Soul
St Clement of Alexandria (c150-c215) Father of the Church
“A well, when pumped regularly, produces purer water. If neglected and no-one uses it, it changes into a source of pollution. Use keeps metal brighter but disuse produces rust.
For, in a word, exercise produces a healthy condition, both in souls and bodies.
So “No-one lights a candle and puts it under a bushel but upon a candlestick that it may give light.”
For of what use is wisdom, if it fails to make those who hear it wise?” (Stromateis 1)
One Minute Reflection – 7 March – “The Month of St Joseph” – – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor – Wisdom 7:7-14; Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments, will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:19
REFLECTION – “For what reason then does He call some of these commandments “least,” although they are so magnificent and lofty? Jesus spoke this way because He was about to introduce His own teaching, as a new law . As He humbles Himself and speaks of Himself with great modesty, so He refers to His own teaching in the same manner. In this way, Jesus teaches us to practice humility in everything. And besides, since some suspected His teaching to be a new departure, He temporarily taught it in a more reserved way.
But when you hear “least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” you are to think of nothing but hell and punishment. For it was His practice to speak, not only of the joy the Kingdom brings but also, of the time of the resurrection and the fearful event of the Second Coming.
Think of one who calls a brother a fool. That one, transgresses only one commandment, maybe even the slightest one and falls into hell. Compare that one with another, who breaks all the commandments and instigates others to break them too. Do both have the same relationship to the Kingdom? This is not the argument Jesus is making. Rather, He means, that one who transgresses only one of the commands will, on the final day, be the least—that is, cast out—and last and will fall into hell!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 16).
PRAYER – O God, Who enlightened Thy Church with the wondrous learning of blessed Thomas, Thy Confessor and enriched her through his holy life, grant us, we beseech Thee, both to understand what he taught and by following his example, to do what he did. Through tJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Thursday of the Third Week in Lent – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor
O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
O merciful God, grant that I may ever perfectly do Thy Will in all things. Let it be my ambition to work only for Thy honour and glory. Let me rejoice in nothing but that which leads to Thee, nor grieve for anything, which leads away from Thee. May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes and may all which is Thine be dear to me and Thou, my God, dear above them all. May all joy be meaningless without Thee and may I desire nothing apart from Thee. May all labour and toil delight me, when it is for Thee. Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint, poor without regret, patient without murmur, humble without pretence, joyous without frivolity, and truthful without disguise. Amen
Saint of the Day – 7 March – Blessed John Larke (Died 1544) Priest Martyr. He was a notable personal friend of St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr, the Lord High Chancellor of England. Died on 7 March 1544 (aged in his late forties) at Tyburn, London, England. He was Beatified on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII.
John studied at Cambridge University prior to 26 years of serving as the Parish Priest of St Ethelburga’s in Bishopsgate in the City of London. In 1526, he transferred to a prosperous Parish at Woodford, in Essex. In 1530, 4 years later, he returned to London when St Thomas More appointed him as the Vicar of Chelsea.
There is evidence that John swore the Oath of Supremacy in 1534 but, as Cresacre More (1572–1649), Great-grandson and Biographer of St Thomas More expressed it: “the example of St Thomas More’s death so wrought on his mind that afterwards, he followed his own sheep and suffered a famous Martyrdom.”
He was formally charged on 15 February 1544, together with John Ireland, Parish Priest at Eltham, German Gardiner and Thomas Heywood. All were condemned but Heywood recanted on the hurdle and lived to give testimony against Cranmer – one of the original apostates. The other three, along with another Priest from Lancashire, Robert Singleton, whose arrest was never explained, were executed on 7 March 1544 for the crime of being Catholic Priests.
St Ardo of Aniane Bl Daniel of Wichterich St Deifer of Bodfari St Drausinus of Soissons Bishop St Enodoch St Esterwine of Wearmouth Abbot St Eubulus of Caesarea Bl German Gardiner Bl Henry of Austria Bl Jermyn Gardiner Bl John Ireland BlessedJohn Larke (Died 1544) Priest Martyr. He was a notable personal friend of St Thomas More (1478-1535) , Martyr the Lord High Chancellor of England. St Paul of Prusa
Bl Volker of Segeberg OSA (Died c1135) Priest Martyr Bl William of Assisi
Martyrs of Carthage – 4 Saints: A catechist and three students Martyred together for teaching and learning the faith. We know little more than their names – Revocatus, Saturninus, Saturus and Secundulus. Mauled by wild beasts and beheaded 7 March 203 at Carthage, North Africa
Thought for the Day – 6 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XXIX: … Of the Efforts of the Devil to Prevent the Conversion of Those Who Desire It (Part One)
“When a man begins to perceive the evil of his life and to desire to change it, the devil often deludes and overcomes him by such means as these: “Presently, presently.” “Cras, cras” (tomorrow, tomorrow) as the raven cries. “I wish first to consider and dispatch this business, this perplexity that I may then be able to give myself, with greater tranquillity to spiritual things.”
These are snares in which many men have been and are still daily entangled and, the cause of this, is our own negligence and heedlessness, seeing that, in a matter touching the honour of God and the salvation of the soul, we neglect to seize, instantly that effectual weapon — “Now, now!” … “Even supposing this ‘presently’ and this ‘tomorrow’ should be granted to me, is it the way of safety and of victory to seek first to be wounded and to commit fresh disorders?!”
You see, then, that the way to escape these snares and that mentioned in the preceding chapter and, to subdue the enemy, is, to yield prompt obedience to all heavenly thoughts and inspirations.”
Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 51:13-17; Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.”
Matthew 13:44
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where rust and moth consume and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves, treasures in Heaven …”
Matthew 6:19-20
“For the man who loves God, it is sufficient to please the One he loves and, there is no greater recompense to be sought, than the loving itself. For love is from God, by the very fact that God Himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with Him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: ‘Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.’”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) ather and Doctor of the Church
“Watch, therefore and pray and labour diligently and do not delay to weave the web of your wedding-garment that you may be found ready and adorned to meet the Bridegroom! And remember daily that He, Who gives you the morning, does not promise you the evening and although He gives the evening, yet promises not the morrow. Spend, therefore, every moment of every hour according to God’s will, as if it were your last and so much the more carefully, as, for every moment, you will have to give the strictest account!
Finally, I warn you to account that day lost, in which you will neither have gained some victory over your evil inclinations and your self-will, although it may have been full of busy action, nor returned thanksgiving to your Lord for His mercies and especially for His bitter Passion endured for you and for His sweet and fatherly correction, when He has made you worthy to receive, at His Hand, the inestimable treasure of suffering.”
Fr Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“Where is the heart which loves? On the thing it loves. Therefore, where our love is, there our heart is held captive. It cannot leave it; it cannot be lifted higher, it cannot go either to the right or the left; see, it is fixed. Where the miser’s treasure is, there is his heart and where our heart is, there is our treasure. And what is so deplorable is that the things which hold us in servitude, are, for the most part, such unworthy things!”
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 6 March – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 51:13-17; Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Nor then do thou leave me, Angelical friend! But at the tribunal Of Judgement attend And cease not to plead For my soul, till, forgiven, Thou bear it aloft To the Palace of Heaven!”
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.” Matthew 13:44
Sweet Angel of Mercy! By Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)
Sweet Angel of mercy! By Heaven’s decree Benignly appointed To watch over me! Without thy protection, So constant and nigh, I could not well live; I should tremble to die.
All thanks for thy love, Dear companion and friend! Oh may it continue With me to the end! Oh cease not to keep me, Blest guide of my youth, In the ways of religion And virtue and truth.
Support me in weakness, My spirit inflame; Defend me in danger, Secure me from shame, That safe from temptation, Or sudden surprise, I may mount the straight path That ascends to the skies.
When Satan his snares For my ruin shall lay, Be thou, gentle comrade, My comfort and stay And in every event Which may happen to me, Make all my desires With thine to agree.
When I wander in error, My footsteps recall, Remove from my path What might cause me to fall. Preserve me from sin And in all that I do, May God and His glory Be ever in view.
O thou who didst witness My earliest breath, Be with me, I pray, In the hour of death. Console me in sadness, Refresh me in pain And teach me how best I may mercy obtain.
That, cleansed by confession Complete and sincere, From every defilement Afflicting me here, All glowing with love, I may gladly depart. With faith on my lips And with hope in my heart.
Nor then do thou leave me, Angelical friend! But at the tribunal Of Judgement attend And cease not to plead For my soul, till, forgiven, Thou bear it aloft To the Palace of Heaven!
AnaStpaul 
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