Posted in DOGMA, INCORRUPTIBLES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT

Nuestra Señora del / Our Lady of Quito, Ecuador (1534) and Memorials of the Saints – 28 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter +2021

Nuestra Señora del / Our Lady of Quito, Ecuador (1534) – 28 April:

This miraculous image of Our Lady of Quito currently in the Capital City of Ecuador ,is said to date from the first Spanish settlement there in the year 1534. At the very least, it has certainly been venerated there for a long time and is popularly called ,by the people of Quito, Our Lady of the Earthquake. The painting represents the Sorrowful Mother and in the early years of the twentieth century, devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Quito was introduced into England ,by the Servite Friars in London. Saint Pius X accorded them an indulgence for those who should pray before her picture, and the devotion was greatly promoted in England by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, Mother Cornelia Connelly’s congregation. The original image at Quito was solemnly crowned in 1918.
On 20 April 1906, thirty-six boys attending the boarding school of the Jesuit Fathers at Quito, Ecuador, together with Father Andrew Roesch, witnessed a miracle of this famous picture of Our Lady. While in the refectory they all saw the Blessed Mother slowly open and shut her eyes. The same miracle occurred no less than seven times after that, in favour of the boys at the school but this time, in the Chapel to which the picture had been taken.

Ecclesiastical authorities soon investigated these incidents and finally concluded by ordering the picture to be transferred, in procession from the college to the Church of the Jesuit Fathers. Once at the Church, the miracle was repeated several times before large crowds and many, many conversions took place because of these miracles. At one time, the wonder continued for three consecutive days. At Riobamba, before a faithful reproduction of Our Lady of Quito, the same wonder was seen by more than 20 persons, including the president of the City. In Quito this picture is known as the Dolorosa del Colegio.

A Conceptionist Sister, named Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres received Marian apparitions under this title from 2 February 1594 to 2 February 1634. In 1611, the local Bishop gave his approval to the apparitions.

Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres

Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana and predicted many things about our own times. This following, is part of what she told her. We can see for ourselves how it relates directly to our own time.
“…. I make it known to you, that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century…. the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs (morals)….
“They will focus principally on the children, in order to sustain this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times! It will be difficult to receive the Sacrament of Baptism and also, that of Confirmation…
“As for the Sacrament of Matrimony… it will be attacked and deeply profaned… The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of the Faith will gradually be extinguished… Added to this, will be the effects of secular education, which will be one reason for the dearth of priestly and religious vocations.
“The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed and despised… The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will labour with cruel and subtle astuteness, to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalise the Christian people, will make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church ,fall upon all priests…
“Further, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury, which will ensnare the rest ,into sin and conquer innumerable frivolous souls, who will be lost. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.” In a subsequent apparition, Our Lady told Mother Mariana that these apparitions were not to become generally known until the twentieth century.

On 8 December 1634, the apparition predicted that Papal Infallibility “will be declared a Dogma of the Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the Dogma of the Mystery of My Immaculate Conception.” In 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and in 1870, he declared the Dogma of Papal Infallibility as defined by the First Vatican Council.

Mother Mariana died on 16 January 1635, shortly after the last apparition. When her tomb was reopened in 1906, her body was found to be perfectly incorrupt, after nearly 300 years in an ordinary, unprotected, wooden coffin. The Archdiocese of Quito opened her cause for Canonisation in 1986 and finished the Diocesan stage of the process ,in 1997.

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) (Optional Memorial)
The Wondrous St Louis!:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-st-louis-marie-grignion-de-montfort-1673-1716/

St Peter Chanel SM (1803-1841) Priest of the Society of Mary (Marists), Missionary, Martyred aged 37 Protomartyr of Oceania (Optional Memorial)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-st-peter-chanel/

St Adalbero of Augsburg
St Agapio of Cirtha
St Artemius of Sens

Blessed Itala Mela ObSB (1904–1957)
Her life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-blessed-itala-mela-obsb-1904-1957/

St Benedict of the Bridge
St Cronan of Roscrea
St Cyril of Turov
Bl Gerard of Bourgogne
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)

Bl Hanna Helena Chrzanowska OSB (1902-1973)
Bl Józef Cebula
Bl Luchesius

Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament / Guggiari Echeverría OCD (1925-1959)
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-blessed-maria-felicia-of-jesus-in-the-blessed-sacrament-ocd-1925-1959-the-lily-of-paraguay/

St Mark of Galilee
St Pamphilus of Sulmona
St Prudentius of Tarazona
St Vitalis of Ravenna (Died c 171) Martyr, Layman

—
Martyrs of Alexandia:
Didymus
Theodora

Martyrs of Durostorum:
Dada
Maximus
Quintilian

Martyrs of Languedoc:
Agapius
Aphrodisius
Caralippus
Eusebius

Martyrs of Laon:
Germaine
Probe

Martyrs of Larino:
Alexander
Firmianus
Primianus
Tellurius

Martyrs of Nicomedia:
Caralampo
Eusebius

Martyrs of Prusa:
Acacius
Menander
Patritius
Polyenus

Martyrs of Ravenna:
St Ursicinus
St Valeria
St Vitalis (see above)

Martyrs of Vietnam:
Gioan Baotixta Ðinh Van Thành
Phaolô Pham Khac Khoan
Phêrô Nguyen Van Hien

Pilgrims of Gallinaro:
Arduin
Bernhard
Gerard
Hugh

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 27 April – Putting Christianity into Practice

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Putting Christianity into Practice

“Only the uiversal practice of Christianity, could change the world.
Even after a period of twenty centuries, it is true to say, that for many Christans, the Gospel is an unexplained book, the principles of which, have yet to be fully realised in their ordinary lives.

None of us can change the world on his own but, each of us can accomplish that part of the task, which depends on himself.

Do we really love God whole-heartedly and above all things?
Do we really love our neighbour as ourselves?
Let us examine ourselves earnestly and find out how far we have still to go.
Our love of God may be too feeble and this may be the reason why we have not acheved spiritual perfection.
Our love of our neighbour may not be as generous as it should be.
If this is so, we shall have to answer for it to God ,when He pronounces that terrible sentence on those who have been rejected: “Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me” (Mt 26:41-43).
Let us resolve to be charitable and generous to all!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/18/thought-for-the-day-18-april-putting-christianity-into-practice/

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – ‘This is the glory of man … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 11:19-26, Psalm 87:1-7, John 10:22-30

“My sheep hear my voice
and I know them and they follow me.”

John 10:27

“If anyone serves me,
he must follow me
and where I am,
there will my servant be also.
If anyone serves me,
the Father will honour him.”

John 12:26

“Whatever you do, do from the heart,
as for the Lord and not for others,
knowing that you will receive
from the Lord
the due payment of the inheritance;
be slaves of the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24

“This is the glory of man –
to persevere and remain
in the service of God.
For this reason,
the Lord told His disciples:
‘You did not choose Me but I chose you.’
He meant that His disciples
did not glorify Him by following Him
but, in following the Son of God,
they were glorified by Him.
As He said:
‘I wish that where I am
they also may be,
that they may see My glory.’”

St Irenaeus (130-202)
Father of the Church and Martyr

“My sheep follow me,” says Christ.
By a certain God-given grace,
believers follow in the footsteps of Christ.
No longer subject to the shadows of the Law ,
they obey the commands of Christ,
and guided by His words,
rise through grace,
to His own dignity,
for they are called children of God.
When Christ ascends into heaven,
they also follow Him.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444)
Father & Doctor of the Church

I Will Love and Follow You
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

Oh my Lord,
Let my heart expand in Your love.
Let me learn to know
how sweet it is, to serve You,
how joyful it is, to praise You
and to be absorbed in Your love.
Oh, I am possessed by love
and rise above myself
because of the great fervour I feel,
through Your infinite goodness.
I will sing the canticle of love to You
and I will follow You, my Beloved,
wherever You go
and may my soul never weary of praising you,
rejoicing in Your love.
I will love You more than myself
and myself, only for Your sake.
I will love all others in You
and for you,
as Your law of love commands.
Amen

(Book 3 Ch 5:6)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOGMA, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 April – “I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 11:19-26, Psalm 87:1-7, John 10:22-30

“I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30

REFLECTION – “Sent out, issuing from the Father,
the Word came down and dwelt
wholly within the Virgin’s womb.
Wholly in the Father, wholly in that virginal breast,
He, Whom nothing can contain, was wholly in all things.
While remaining what He was, He assumed the form of a slave (Phil 2:7)
and, when He had been sent into the world,
He became a man in every way. …

How are we to state, what to all angels,
archangels and created things,
is impossible to explain?
It can be thought truly, yet not by any means expressed
and indeed our minds cannot understand it perfectly.
God and man and man-God, how can He also be
wholly Son of the Father
in so inseparable a way?
How has He become the Virgin’s Son and come into the world?
And how is it, that He has remained impossible for anything to contain? …

Now you will become silent,
for even if you wished to speak
your spirit would find no words
and your chattering tongue, is reduced to silence. …

Glory to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
divinity impossible to grasp, indivisible in nature.
We worship You in the Holy Spirit, we who possess Your Spirit
because we have received Him from You.
Beholding Your glory, we do not cast about unrestrainedly
but it is in Him, in Your Spirit, that we see You,
O Father unbegotten and Your only-begotten Word
Who comes forth from You.
And we adore the Trinity, without division or confusion,
in His simple divinity, majesty and power.” – Symeon the New Theologian (c 949-1022) Monk – Hymn 21

PRAYER – Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vigour of their souls. They rejoice because You have restored them to the glory of Your adopted children, let them look forward gladly to the certain hope of the resurrection. Draw us constantly to Your Son, Jesus, our Lord, teach us to know Him and may the prayers of our Blessed Mother , guide us amidst the storms of this mortal life. We make our prayer through our Resurrected Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen, alleluia!

Acts 11: 19-26
19 Now they who had been dispersed by the persecution that arose on occasion of Stephen, went about as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none but to the Jews only.
20 But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were entered into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believing, were converted to the Lord.
22 And the tidings came to the ears of the church, that was at Jerusalem, touching these things and they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.
23 Who, when he was come and had seen the grace of God, rejoiced and he exhorted them all, with purpose of heart to continue in the Lord.,
24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
And a great multitude was added to the Lord.
25 And Barnabas went to Tarsus to seek Saul, whom, when he had found, him, he brought to Antioch.
26 And they conversed there in the church a whole year and they taught a great multitude, so that at Antioch the disciples were first named Christians.

Gospel: John 10: 22-30
22 And it was the feast of the dedication ,at Jerusalem: and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.
24 The Jews , therefore, gathered around about him and said to him:
How long dost thou hold our souls in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them: I speak to you and you believe no,: the works that I do in the name of my Father, they give testimony of me.
26 But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice: and I know them and they follow me.
28 And I give them life everlasting and they shall not perish forever and no man shall pluck them out of my hand.
29 That which my Father has given me, is greater than all and no-one can snatch them out of the hand of my Father.
30 I and the Father, are one.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 27 April – O the Word of My Lord

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 27 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

O the Word of My Lord
Song of a Young Prophet
By Brother Damian Lundy FSC (1944-1997)

O the word of my Lord
Deep within my being,
Oh the word of my Lord,
You have filled my mind.

Before I formed you in the womb
I knew you through and through,
I chose you to be Mine.
Before you left your mother’s side
I called to you, My child, to be My sign.
Refrain

I know that you are very young,
But I will make you strong.
I’ll fill you with My word
And you will travel through the land,
Fulfilling My command
Which you have heard.
Refrain

And everywhere you are to go
My hand will follow you;
You will not be alone.
In all the danger that you fear
You’ll find Me very near,
Your words, My own.
Refrain,

This hymn, based on Jeremiah 1, was composed by English Brother and teacher Brother Damian Lundy of the De La Salle Order. It is sometimes referred to as “Song of a Young Prophet.” It is set to an unnamed tune, also by Bro Damian.
He died in 1997 at the age of 53. He is widely respected as a leading innovator in many forms of Catholic apostolate and education in the UK. He is credited with devising the currently standard form of Catholic Residential Youth Work and for writing many popular hymns and prayers and leading seminars and conferences.
In 1975, Damian founded St Cassian’s Centre, Kintbury, which is still operating today as a widely visited and respected Catholic Youth Retreat Centre.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, INCORRUPTIBLES, MYSTICS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 27 April – Blessed Osanna of Cattaro OP (1493-1565)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 27 April – Blessed Osanna of Cattaro OP (1493-1565) Virgin, Mystic, Anchoress., Tertiary of the Order of St Dominic, spiritual guide. Born on 25 November 1493 at Kumano, Montenegro as Catherine Cosie and died on 27 April 1565 in Kotor, Montenegro of natural causes, aged 71. Patronage – Kotor, Montenegro. Also known as – Catherine Cosie, Catherine Kosic, Catherine of Montenegro, Hosanna of Kotor, Ossana of Cattaro, Ozana Kotorska, “Teacher of Mysticism,” “Angel of Peace,” “Virgin Reconciler”and “Trumpet of the Holy Spirit.” Her Body is incorrupt.

Over the course of her life, the people of Kotor came to call her “the trumpet of the Holy Spirit” and the “teacher of mysticism.” People from all walks of life came to her for advice and she interceded particularly ,for peace in the town and among feuding families. Therefore, she was also called “the Virgin Reconciler” and the “Angel of Peace.”

The life of this Blessed has a very special charm. Born in 1493 to very humble Orthodox parents in Kebeza, during the heart of the Greek schism, she was given the name of Catherine at her baptism.

This little shepherdess, enraptured by the beauty of the magnificent views of her Montenegro, she fell in love with the Creator of so many wonders and, with unusual ardour, sheasked Him to show Himself to her. And there, in the solitude of the mountains, Jesus appeared to her first, a tender child and then Crucified, imprinting an indelible seal on her virgin heart.

When she was a little older, she was placed in Kotor as a servant in the family of a Senator, an excellent Catholic. Here, she was able to educate herself in the true faith and to receive the Sacraments. Having known the Dominicans, at the age of twenty-two, she made a heroic decision: -to become a recluse forever, taking up the habit and the Rule of the Third Order of St Dominic.

With the Tertiary Habit, he also took the name of Osanna, in memory of another illustrious Tertiary, Blessed Osanna da Mantova OP (1449-1505) – her life here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/18/saint-of-the-day-18-june-blessed-osanna-andreasi-op-1449-1505/ and more here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/18/art-dei-18-june-paintings-in-blessed-osanna-andreasis-house/

And so, walled up in a cell next to the Church of St Paolo, run by the Dominicans, she lived in the contemplation of the pains of Jesus and in the complete immolation of herself. She was also a teacher of holiness to countless souls but above all she was the guardian angel of Kotor. Although she lived alone, there was nothing selfish about Osanna’s spirituality. A group of her Dominican sisters, who considered her their leader, consulted her frequently and sought her prayers. A convent of sisters founded at Cattaro, regarded her as their foundress,because of her spiritual guidance and prayers, although she never saw the place. When the City was attacked by the Turks, the people ran to her for help and they credited their deliverance to her prayers. Another time, her prayers saved them from the plague.

She died on 27 April 1565. Her body rests in the Church of Santa Maria in Kotor.

The incorrupt body of Osanna was kept in the Church of St Paul until 1807, when the French Army converted the church into a warehouse. Her body was then brought to the Church of St Mary. The people of Kotor venerated her as a saint. In 1905, the process for her Beatification began in Kotor and was successfully completed in Rome. On 21 December 1927, Pope Pius XI approved her cultus, invoking its intercession for Christian unity and in 1934, he formally Beatified her.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

La Moreneta / Our Lady of Montserrat, Spain (718) and Memorials of the Saints – 27 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter +2021

La Moreneta / Our Lady of Montserrat, Spain (718) – 27 April:

The one and only “Lady of Spain,” is a black Madonna who reigns from the lofty heights of Montserrat. The Virgin smiles down from her place of honour above the main Altar of the Basilica of Montserrat.

Our lady of Montserrat, patroness of Catalonia. The statue of the black Madonna is in the Church of Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, Catalonia, Spain. Photographed from 21.07.2015.

La Moreneta means the “Little Black One.” The Statue is four feet high and made of wood, blackened from the smoke of innumerable candles which have burned before her through the ages. Our Lady of Moreneta is seated upon a chair and holds her Divine Child who has a fir apple in His left hand. Our Queen is clothed in a golden mantle, a tunic and a veil of diverse colours; the Infant wears a simple tunic and He and His Mother wear matching wooden crowns. The miraculous Statue reposes upon a gleaming throne of marble, and over all, the sunlight diffuses a gleaming glow.

The origin of the Statue and the manner in which it first came to a lowly grotto in the mountainside is not known but is told by an uninterrupted folklore describing its descent from heaven. The legends date from the ninth century when it is believed the hermits who dwelt in caves, kept watch over a tiny Chapel known as Santa Maria de Montserrat. Reliable documents have it that a great monastic centre was founded among the same cliffs in the eleventh century and that a small black Statue of the Madonna drew the Kings of Aragon, the Monarchs of Spain, Emperor Charles V, Saints and celebrities, as well as common folks to the difficult mountain. Here arduous pilgrimages terminated, and here wondrous miracles were wrought.

As the fame of La Moreneta spread, her original Chapel underwent many transformations before the Basilica was constructed in the sixteenth century. Now the first Chapel is called the “Holy grotto” and is decorated within with marble, fine tapestries, and two altars; one to Saint Scholastica, the other to Saint Benedict so that Mass can be said on feast-days and other special occasions.
Montserrat, or “Saw-tooth Mountain,” which Our Lady chose for her shrine is believed to have an intrinsic holiness. Its highest peak bears the name. Tradition says this is the place the devil took Christ after His forty days fast; there is possibility of this being true. Legend further says it was the sight of the Holy Grail in Wagner’s opera “Parsifal.” The mountain of the shrine is 4,070 feet high, multicolored and interspersed with lush patches of tropic vegetation.

St Adelelmus of Le Mans
St Asicus of Elphin
St Castor of Tarsus
St Enoder
St Floribert of Liege

Blessed Jakov Varingez OFM (c 1400–1496)
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/27/saint-of-the-day-27-april-blessed-jakov-varingez-ofm-c-1400-1496/

St John of Kathara
St Joseph Outhay Phongphumi
St Laurensô Nguyen Van Huong
St Liberalis of Treviso
St Maughold

Blessed Nicolas Roland (1642-1678) Priest and Founder
About Blessed Nicolas:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/27/saint-of-the-day-27-april-blessed-nicolas-roland-1642-1678/

St Noël Tenaud
Blessed Osanna of Cattaro OP (1493-1565) Virgin, Mystic and Anchoress
Bl Peter Armengol
St Pollio of Cybalae
St Simeon of Jerusalem
St Stephen of Tarsus
St Tertullian of Bologna
St Theophilus of Brescia
St Winewald of Beverley

St Zita of Lucca (1212-1272) Laywoman – Her reputation was such that Dante in the Inferno referred to the city of Luccam her birthplace ad home, as “Santa Zita”
Biography:.
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/saint-of-the-day-27-april-st-zita-of-lucca/
—
Martyrs of Nicomedia: A group of Christians murdered together for their faith. In most cases all we have are their names – Dioscurus, Evanthia, Felicia, Felix, Germana, Germelina, Johannes, Julius, Laetissima, Nikeforus, Papias, Serapion and Victorinus. They died at Nicomedia, Bithynia, Asia Minor (modern Izmit, Turkey).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 26 April – My Life is Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

My Life is Christ

“Am I determined to live the Life of Christ, by striving to be indissolubly united with Him, through divine grace?
Am I prepared to say, with St Paul “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am sure, that neither death, or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, or any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39).

But, in order to bring this about, it is necessary for me to fly from every sin and to look for God in all things and in all actions.
I must love God with my whole heart and nurture the divine life within me, by prayer, recollection and frequent Communion.
If I fail to put these resolutions into practice, I shall become a barren branch, fit only for eternal fire!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PARTS ONE AND TWO HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/14/thought-for-the-day-14-september-my-life-is-christ/
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/07/thought-for-the-day-14-september-my-life-is-christ-2/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – ‘Now is the time for us to choose! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 11: 1-18, Psalm: Psalms 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4, Gospel: John 10: 1-10 and the Memorial of St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)

“I am the door.
Whoever enters through me
will be saved…. “

John 10:9

“In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light“

Psalm 35(36)

“Now is the time for us to choose! …
Listen to me, you holy seed,
for I have no doubt, that it is here, in abundance…
Listen to me or, rather, listen to Him, in me,
Who was first called a good seed.
Do not love your life in this world!
If you truly love yourselves,
do not thus love your life
and then, you will save your life!”…

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

“He is the origin of all wisdom.
The Word of God in the heights,
is the source of wisdom.
Christ is the source of all true knowledge,
for He is “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). …
As way, Christ is the teacher
and origin of knowledge …
Without this Light,
which is Christ,
no-one can penetrate
the secrets of faith.”

St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor

“Love Him, then, keep Him as a friend.
He will not leave you as others do,
or let you suffer lasting death.
Sometime, whether you will or not,
you will have to part with everything.
Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death,
trust yourself to the glory of Him,
Who alone can help you
when all others fail.“

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
(Book 2 Ch 7)

“Where, then, is true freedom?
It is in the heart of one who loves
nothing more than God.
It is in the heart of one who is attached
neither to spirit nor to matter
but only to God.
It is in that soul which is not subject
to the “I” of egoism,
which soars above its own thoughts,
feelings, suffering and enjoyment.
Freedom resides in the soul
whose one reason for existence is God,
whose life is God
and nothing else but God.”

St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)
Spanish Trappist Monk

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – “I am the door. ” John 10:9

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 11: 1-18, Psalm: Psalms 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4, Gospel: John 10: 1-10 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Good Counsel / Our Lady of Genazzano (1467)

“I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved….” – John 10:9

REFLECTION – “My solemn word is this: “I am the sheepgate.” Jesus just opened the gate that He had shown us to be closed. He Himself is that gate. Let us recognise Him, let us enter and rejoice to have entered.

“All who came before me were thieves and marauders.” We must understand: “Those who came outside of me.” The prophets came before He arrived; were they thieves and marauders? Not at all, for they did not come outside of Christ; they were with Him. He had sent them as messengers before Him and He held in His hands the heart of these people whom He had sent… He said: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6) If He is the truth, those who were in the truth, were with Him. Those who, on the contrary, came outside of Him, are thieves and marauders, for they came only to plunder and kill. Jesus said: “The sheep did not heed them.”…

But the righteous believed that He would come, just as we believe, that He has already come. Times have changed, faith is the same… One single faith unites those who believed that He would come and those, who believe that He has come. We all see Him at different times coming in by the same gate of faith, that is to say, through Christ… Yes, all who believed in the past, at the time of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, or of Moses or the other patriarchs and prophets, who all announced Christ, were already His sheep. They heard Christ Himself through them – they did not hear a strange voice but His own.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father & Doctor of Grace of the Church – 45th Treatise on the Gospel of Saint John

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You have rescued Your faithful from enslavement to sin, by Your Son’s self-abasement. You have raised up the world through His suffering. Fill us now with holy joy at His rising and triumph. Let us hear His voice and follow Him to everlasting life. Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us! Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.

Acts 11: 1-18
1 And the apostles and brethren, who were in Judea, heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
3 Saying: Why didst thou go in to men uncircumcised and didst eat with them?
4 But Peter began and declared to them the matter in order, saying:

5 I was in the City of Joppe praying and I saw, in an ecstasy of mind, a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were, a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners and it came even unto me.
6 Into which looking, I considered and saw fourfooted creatures of the earth and beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air:

7 And I heard also a voice saying to me: Arise, Peter – kill and eat.

8 And I said: Not so, Lord = for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.
9 And the voice answered again from heaven: What God hath made clean, do not thou call common.
10 And this was done three times and all were taken up again into heaven.
11 And behold, immediately there were three men come to the house wherein I was, sent to me from Caesarea.
12 And the Spirit said to me, that I should go with them, nothing doubting. And these six brethren went with me also: and we entered into the man’s house.
13 And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing and saying to him: Send to Joppe and call hither Simon, who is surnamed Peter,
14 Who shall speak to thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved and all thy house.
15 And when I had begun to speak, the Holy Ghost fell upon them, as upon us also in the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said:
John indeed baptised with water but you shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost.
17 If then God gave them the same grace, as to us also, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, that could withstand God?
18 Having heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying – God then hath also, to the Gentiles, given repentance unto life.

Gospel: John 10: 1-10
1 Amen, amen I say to you:
He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold but climbs up another way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that enters in, by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 And when he has let out his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 But a stranger they follow not but fly from him because they know not the voice of strangers. This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke to them.
7 Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers and the sheep heard them not.
9 I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved and he shall go in and go out and shall find pastures.
10 The thief comes not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.
I am come, that they may have life and may have it, more abundantly.

Posted in CHRIST the KING, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 April– Alone With None but Thee, My God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 April– Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Alone With None but Thee, My God
Attri. St Columban (543-615)

Alone with none but Thee, my God
I journey on my way,
what need I fear when Thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand
than if a host should round me stand.

My destined time is known to Thee,
and death will keep his hour;
did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay his power.
No walls of stone can man defend
when Thou Thy messenger dost send.

My life I yield to Thy decree
and bow to Thy control
in peaceful calm, for from Thine arm
no power can wrest my soul,
could earthly omens e’er appal
a man that heeds the heavenly call?

The child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen, dread no foe;
we leave our fate with Thee and wait
Thy bidding when to go,
’tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our Trust, O King of kings.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 26 April – Saint Peter of Braga (Died c 60) Martyr,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 26 April – Saint Peter of Braga (Died c 60) Martyr, the first Bishop of Braga, Portugal between the years 45 and 60. Born as Pedro de Rates on an unknown date and he died in c 60 in norther Portugal. Patronage – Braga. Also known as Peter of Rates and Pedro di Braga.

The Roman Martyrology states: “At Braga, Portugal, St Peter, Martyr, the first Bishop of that City.”

Tradition says he was ordered to preach the Christian faith by Saint James the Greater and that Peter of Rates was martyred while attempting to convert the locals to the Christian faith in northern Portugal. The ancient Breviary of Braga (Breviarium Bracarense) and the Breviary of Evora hold that Peter was a disciple of Saint James and preached at Braga.

The document holds that Saint James, one of the Apostles of Christ, visited the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula in the year 44. One of the places he visited was Serra de Rates, in the current municipality of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.

During his visit, the Apostle Ordained and Consecrated the local Peter of Braga as the first Bishop of Braga.

It is believed that Saint Peter was beheaded while converting the local pagans to the Christian faith.

Statue of St Peter at the Rates Monastery

Centuries later, around the 9th century, the discovery of Peter’s body was attributed to Saint Felix the Hermit, a fisherman of Villa Mendo, an ancient Roman villa that existed until the early years of the Kingdom of Portugal and rediscovered in the 20th century under the sand dunes of Rio Alto in Estela, also in Póvoa de Varzim.

Felix had left home and settled in the biggest hill of the area, which is today known as São Félix Hill. Regularly, Saint Félix observed a light in the darkness of the night from the hill. One day, curious about the light’s origins, Felix came upon the body of Saint Peter. On that spot, the Romanesque Monastery of Rates was built and the relics kept there until 1552; in that year the body was transferred to Braga Cathedral, where it is still kept.

Tomb of St Peter

In the civil parishes of Balasar and Rates in Póvoa de Varzim, there are two fountains that the population believes are miraculous because they were used by this saint.

In the 18th century, there are descriptions that Saint Peter of Braga was beheaded while drinking the waters of the fountain in Balasar. The faithful believes that two indentations on the fountain are impressions from the saint’s knees. At the fountain of Rates, a stone is believed to cure in cases of sterility. Due to that belief, on 26 April every year, the feast day of Saint Peter, the pregnant women and female animals do not go to work.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Our Lady of Genazzano (1467) / Our Lady of Good Counsel and Memorials of the Saints – 26 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter +2021

Our Lady of Genazzano (1467) / Our Lady of Good Counsel (Memorial) – 26 April:

George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405–1467), also known as Iskander, or by his more colourful title, the Dragon of Albania. He was a great warrior and leader of the people of Albania who fought against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into his Kingdom. An invincible opponent of Islam, the reason for his successes, was no secret – he “loved the sanctuary of Mary with a devoted, enthusiastic love and Mary in return, not only made him a model of Christian perfection but also gave him, an invincible power, which preserved not only Albania but also Christendom during his reign.”
There was at this time, a miraculous painting located in the town of Scutari, which was the Capital City of Albania. Our Lady of Scutari, now known as Our Lady of Good Counsel and Our Lady of Genazzano, is an image of Our Lady holding her Divine Son which had been painted on a thin sheet of plaster by an unknown hand. This portrait, reputed to date from the time of the Apostles of Christ, was greatly venerated and beloved by the faithful Albanian people. It was Our Lady of Scutari who had consoled and preserved Iskander through all his trials.
After his victories, Iskander went to kneel before the image of Our Lady of Scutari, thanking and publicly praising her for his success. “He was a hero formed in the same school as all those who derive their strength from their devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Like a new Saint Fernando III, King of Castile, Scanderbeg was, under the guidance of Mary, as gentle in peace as he was terrible in war. The good Christian Prince was often seen at her feet to beg the protection of his Lady in his greatest afflictions.”
Pope Nicholas V called Iskander “the champion and shield of Christendom,” which was true, although it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who protected her champion and granted him his victories. The Prince and unvanquished warrior, whose strength of soul gave his compatriots fortitude to throw off their lethargy, courage to rise up against the oppressive infidels, daring to despise death and thus expel them from their country, moved his subjects not only by example but also by his unbreakable faith, his ardent charity and his unshakable hope. Scanderbeg was God’s sword against the enemies of the holy Catholic Faith, the impregnable defensive wall protecting His realm.
At the end of his life, physically exhausted from his labours, Iskander sensed that his death was near. He went one last time to visit Our Lady of Scutari at her Shrine and then retired to the City of Lesh to die. There he won a final battle against the Turks before he laid down and gave up his soul to God. He had ended his life heroically as a powerful defender of the Catholic faith and of Christendom.
Shortly after Iskander’s death, the Ottoman army invaded Albania again. Without their invincible champion, it was only a matter of time before the Capital was taken. The Blessed Virgin revealed to two pious men that her image would not be desecrated and told them to prepare themselves for a long journey to follow the fresco when it left Albania. The picture then moved away from the wall, seemingly of its own accord and floated into the air.
As the pair followed the image of Jesus and Mary, it was hidden in a cloud and went out over the waters of the Adriatic sea. Full of confidence in Our Lady, the men stepped upon the water, which miraculously supported them and so they continued to follow the image until they made land along the coast of Italy. At that point they lost sight of the cloud.
It was not long before they learned where the image had gone. The cloud was seen again by the people of Genazzano, when they looked up into the sky to find the source of the heavenly music, that suddenly reached their ears. They watched dumbfounded as the little cloud descended and came to rest where it can still be seen today, floating before a wall of the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano. The image indeed floats before the wall, for it is not attached or supported in any way.

A hundred years later Pope Paul III had the picture studied and authenticated; Innocent IX had it crowned; many other Popes have granted favours to the Shrine. As late as 1936 a commission formed to study the picture, reported, if struck a slight blow, it reacts as if it were hollow; if set in motion, it oscillates visibly. Pope Leo XIII raised the Sanctuary to the dignity of a Basilica and had the invocation, “Mother of Good Counsel” added to the Litany of Loretto. Blessed Pope Pius IX had a great devotion to Our Lady under this title – he offered his first Mass before its image; in 1864 he made a pilgrimage to Genazzano to have counsel of her who is “Seat of Wisdom.” He kept her image in his study and fostered a cult to Mary under this title; thus he exemplified the filial confidence of all true sons of Mary.*

Our Lady of Good Counsel by Pasquale Sarullo, 19th century.

The Augustinian Order contributed to the spread of this devotion internationally. In 1753, Pope Benedict XIV established the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Leo XIII, who was himself a member of the pious union, was deeply attached to this devotion.

Among her noted clients have been St Aloysius Gonzaga, St Alphonsus Liguori, St John Bosco and Blessed Stephen Bellesini.

There have been numerous miracles at the shrine where Mary took refuge after the death of her champion in Albania. Through this image of Our Lady of Genazzano and throughout many long ages, she has been caring for her children on earth. As the Mother of God, she has the ability to truly help us. Indeed, it is her ardent desire to support us and counsel us in our need. Pope Leo XIII instructed us to “follow her counsels!” and, like so many saints and Catholic heroes, we would profit greatly if we did so!

Bl Alda of Siena
St Antoninus of Rome
St Basileus of Amasea
St Clarence of Venice
St Claudius of Rome

St Pope Cletus (c 25-c 89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-pope-cletus/

St Cyrinus of Rome
St Exuerantia of Troyes
Bl Gregory of Besians
Bl Juli Junyer Padern
St Lucidius of Verona
St Pope Marcellinus (Died 304) Martyr

St Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) Monk, Spiritual writer
His life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-saint-paschasius-radbertus-785-865/

St Pelligrino of Foggia
St Peter of Braga (Died c 50) Bishop and Martyr
St Primitive of Gabi

St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938) Oblate of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappist)
About this memorable Saint:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-rafael-arnaiz-baron-o-c-s-o-1911-1938/

St Richarius of Celles (c 560-645) Priest and Confessor
St Richarius’ Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-richarius-of-celles-c-560-645/

Bl Stanislaw Kubista
St Trudpert of Munstertal
St William of Foggia
Bl Wladyslaw Goral

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Thought for the Day – 25 April – The Good Shepherd

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Good Shepherd

“The Good Shepherd is the theme of two of the most moving passages in the Gospel.
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says. “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. But, the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. and the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep … I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me, even as the father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life for my sheep” (Jn 10:11-15).

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep,” He says elsewhere “and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after that which is lost, until he finds it?   And when he has found it, he lays it upon his shoulders rejoicing.   And on coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me because, I have found my sheep that was lost.”
“I say to you that, even so, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety nine just, who have no need of repentance” (Cf Lk 15:4-7).

These texts vividly describe God’s mercy towards poor sinners.

We may often have been amongst the lost sheep which are separated from the flock of Jesus Christ.
We found, perhaps, the poisoned pastures of error and vice and strayed from the path of truth and goodness.
But what happened?
We experienced disillusionment and remorse and knew that we had lost our only real good, which is God.
How sad our fate would have been, if the Good Shepherd, Jesus, had not come to look for us and to enlighten us with His grace.
We should have been lost forever, in the desert of sin!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – Being Christ’s sheep …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/, Readings: First: Acts 4: 8-12, salm: Psalms 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 (22), Second: First John 3: 1-2, Gospel: John 10: 11-18

“The mark of Christ’s sheep
is their willingness to hear and obey,
just as disobedience
is the mark of those who are not His.
We take the word ‘hear’
to imply obedience
to what has been said.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor of the Incarnation

“Like Matthew, therefore,
follow this most devoted shepherd;
like Zacchaeus receive Him with hospitality;
like the sinful woman,
anoint Him with ointment
and wash His feet with your tears,
wipe them with your hair
and caress them with your kisses,
so that finally, with the woman
presented to Him for judgement,
you may deserve to hear the sentence of forgiveness:
“Has no one condemned you?
Neither will I condemn you.
Go, and sin no more” (Jn 8:10-11).”

St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor

Posted in "Follow Me", FATHERS of the Church, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Christ, our shepherd

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/, Readings: First: Acts 4: 8-12, salm: Psalms 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 (22), Second: First John 3: 1-2, Gospel: John 10: 11-18

“I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “Let us consider Christ, our shepherd …. He rejoices in those sheep of His that are around Him and goes in search of those, that stray. Mountains and forests cause Him no fear; He crosses ravines to reach the sheep that is lost. Even if He finds it in a piteous state, He is not angry but touched with pity; He takes it on His shoulders and, from His own weariness, heals the exhausted sheep (Lk 15:4 f.) …

With good reason Christ declares: “I am the Good Shepherd, I seek out the lost sheep, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16). I have seen the flock of mankind struck down by sickness; I have witnessed my lambs wander about where demons dwell; I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves. All this I have seen and have not witnessed it from on high. That is why I took hold of the withered hand, gripped by pain as if by a wolf; I have unbound those whom fever had bound; I taught him to see whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb; I brought Lazarus out from the tomb where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11). For I am the Good Shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” …

The prophet knew this shepherd when, long before His Passion, He declared what would take place: “Like a sheep led to the slaughter or a sheep, dumb before the shearers, he opened not his mouth” (Is 53:7). Like a sheep, the shepherd has offered His neck for His flock …. By His death, He heals from death; by His tomb, He empties the tomb …. The tombs are full and the prison shut until the shepherd, comes down from the cross, He has come to bring His captive sheep the joyful news of their liberation. We see Him in hell where He gives the order for their release (1 Pt 3:19); we see Him call His sheep once more, giving them the call to life from the dwellings of the dead. “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” This is how He intends to win the affection of His sheep and those who know how to listen to His voice, love Christ.” – Basil of Seleucia (Died 448) Bishop of Seleucia, Writer – Oratio 26

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. May the prayers Blessed Virgin, guide us, that we may always follow our Shepherd and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.

GOSPEL: John 10: 11-18
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep.
12 But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees:and the wolf catches and scatters the sheep.
13 And the hireling flees because he is a hireling: and he has no care for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me.
15 As the Father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life for my sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
17 Therefore, doth the Father love me because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
18 No man takes it away from me: but I lay it down of myself and I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 25 April – O Good Shepherd, You Whom My Soul Loves. By St Gregory of Nyssa

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 25 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday

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.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Anianus of Alexandria (Died c 86) Sucessor and Disciple of St Mark the Evangelist

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Anianus of Alexandria (Died c 86) 2nd Bishop of Alexandria, Consecrated by St Mark the Evangelist and succeeding him, disciple of St Mark. He was Ordained by Saint Mark and was also the first convert Mark won for Christ in the region, in c 48. Also known as – Anian, Annianus. Patronage – cobblers.

The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “At Alexandria, the Bishop St Anianus, disciple of the blessed Mark and his successor in the episcopate. With a great renown for virtue, he rested in the Lord.”

Relief of St. Mark and Anianus by Pietro Lombardo, 1478

As St Mark was entering Rakotis, a suburb of Alexandria, the strap of his sandal broke. He found a cobbler, St Anianus, to repair it. While he was working on the sandal, the awl slipped in Anianus’ hand, piercing it. Anianus cried ‘“Heis ho Theos” (“God is one”) in response to the pain. Mark took the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Christ to him, at the same time, miraculously healing Anianus of his wound.

St Mark heals St Anianus’ hand
The Healing of Anianus by Cima da Conegliano

St Mark was invited to Anianus’s house, where he taught Anianus’ family the Gospel and baptised them all. A large number of natives of the area were quickly converted by St Mark and his followers, causing those citizens, who did not convert, to feel obliged to defend their local gods against the new faith

The Baptism of Anianus (along with two others, probably his sons) by St Mark

St Mark, the outsider, decided it might be best if he were to leave the area for a while. He Ordained Anianus and Consecrated hm as Bishop in his absence. He also Ordained three Presbyters and seven Deacons at the same time, charging the group with zealously watching over the Church.

St Mark Ordains St Anianus

St Mark was gone for a period of two years, during which time, he is said to have gone to Rome, Aquileia and the Pentapolis, preaching, performing miracles,and winning converts to Christianity at each location.

On St Mark’s return, he found that the Church in Alexandria had grown significantly and, that they were able to build a Shurch for themselves at Bucolia, on the shore of the eastern harbour of Alexandria.

Following the Martyrdom of Mark, Anianus became the Bishop of the Church in Alexandria. He would remain in that capacity for over seventeen years. During that time, the number of Christians in the area grew immensely and Anianus Ordained new Priests and Deacons for the growing Church. The extent of the evangelisation they performed is unknown, although it has been thought by some, that it was done at least somewhat covertly, given the hostility the pagan population demonstrated to the new faith.

Anianus died in bed of natural causes and was buried next to St Mark at the Church in Baucalis.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Solemnity of St Mark the Evangelist and Memorials of the Saints – 25 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday +2021

St Mark the Evangelist (Feast) Also known as John Mark (Born 1st century – Martyred 25 April 68 at Alexandria, Egypt) – The Winged Lion.
St Mark:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist/
And:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist-solemnity/

St Agathopodes of Antioch
Bl Andrés Solá Molist
St Anianus of Alexandria (Died c 86) 2nd Bishop of Alexandria, after St Mark and succeeding him. Consecrated by St Mark and disciple of St Mark.
Bl Antonio Pérez Lários
St Callista of Syracuse
St Clarentius of Vienne
St Ermin of Lobbes
St Evodius of Syracuse

St Giovanni Battista Piamarta FN (1841 – 1913)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-saint-giovanni-battista-piamarta-fn-1841-1913/

St Heribaldus of Auxerre
St Hermogenes of Syracuse
Bl José Trinidad Rangel y Montaño
St Kebius
St Macaille
St Macedonius
St Mario Borzaga
St Pasicrate of Mesia
St Paul Thoj Xyooj

St Pedro de San Jose Betancur/ St Peter of St Joseph de Betancurt OFB (1626-1667) “St Francis of Assisi of the Americas”
Wonderful St Pedro:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-saint-pedro-de-san-jose-de-betancur-ofb-1626-1667-c-st-francis-of-assisi-of-the-americas/

St Phaebadius of Agen
St Philo of Antioch
St Robert of Syracuse
Bl Robert Anderton
Stefano of Antioch
St Valenzio of Mesia
Bl William Marsden
—
Martyrs of Yeoju – 3 saints: Three Christian laymen martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea. 25 April 1801 in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
They were Beatified15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
• Ioannes Won Gyeong-do
• Marcellinus Choe Chang-ju
• Martinus Yi Jung-bae

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 24 April – Gospel Reading

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Gospel Reading

“The Gospel is the books of books, for it contains, not the words of men but the words of God.
In the beginning, the Word of God was made man ad became the life-giving Word during His earthly life.
Thus we have the written Word in the Sacred Scriptures.
When we read the Gospel, we should imagine that Jesus is there before us, so that we can hear the Words from His divine lips and feel the breath of His life and the fire of His love.

“In heaven” says St Augustine, “Jesus continues to speak to us on earth through His Gospel.”
His Words are the bright stars which should gude men – often wandering in the darkness of error or engulfed in the abyss of sin – through the way of virtue and goodness towards Heaven.

The more one penetrates the Gospel, the more one gets to know Jesus Christ.
St Augustine writes that the Gospel is another way, which Jesus has chosen, of remaining among us.
The same holy Doctor does not hesitate to say, that “he who scorns even of these sacred words, would be no less guilty, than if he let the Blessed Eucharist fall on the ground through negligence.”

When we read the sacred pages, we begin to understand the infinite goodness of Jesus.
We see Him whimper and suffer in the manger at Bethlehem; we see Him humbly working as a poor labourer in the workshop in Nazareth; we see Him pardon Magdalene and the penitent adulteress; we see Him restore life to the dead, sight to the blind and health to all kinds of sick people; in the supper room, we see Him give us Himself, under the veil of the Blessed Eucharist, at the very moment when He was forgotten, denied and betrayed; we see Him in the Praetorium before Pilate, where He was scourged for our sins; we see Him on Calvary dying on a cross for us, forgiving His crucifiers and promising Heaven to the penitent thief and, finally, we see Him rising from the dead and ascending gloriously into Heaven, where He went to prepare a place for us, should we persevere as His faithful followers, “I go to prepare a place for you” (Jn 14:2).

The Saints often read and meditated on the Gospel.
It provided spiritual food for their souls.
In the life os St Philip Neri, we read, that during his last years, he read nothing but the Gospels, especially the Gospel of St John, which treats profoundly of the love of God.

Do you read the Gospels?
With what dispositions and with what results do you read it?
In modern times, unfortunately, very few read it at all.
That is why so many stray so far from the spirit of Jesus and why, they often display a material form of piety, insipid and useless, in the practice of the Catholic life!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – The Saving Word

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69

“And Simon Peter answered him:
Lord, to whom shall we go?
you have the words of eternal life.”

John 6:68

“For the one whom God sent
speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit…
he who does not obey the Son,
shall not see life.”

John 3:34,36

“When it comes to obeying the commandments
or enduring adversity,
the words uttered by the Father
should always echo in our ears –
“This is my Son, the beloved,
in whom I am well pleased,
listen to Him.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Never before has anyone
spoken like this one”

John 7:46

“God could answer:
“My Son is My entire Locution a
nd Response, Vision and Revelation,
which I have already spoken,
answered, manifested
and revealed to you,
by giving Him to you
as a Brother,
Companion,
Master,
Ransom and Reward… ”

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

The Saving Word
By St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)

No father on earth
loves his children
as much as You love the beings You created. Lord.
Not content with just giving them existence,
You inspire them with the means
for happiness in this life
and someday, having a place in Your House.
First through the prophets
and then through Your holy Apostles.
You have given us the Word of Life.
But it was through Jesus. Your beloved Son.
that You gave the definitive Word to the world:
the “Good News’ that saves us.
Strengthen us. Lord, against our weakness;
guide our steps
along the road You have pointed out –
Christ our brother, Who is the Way,
He, the Truth and He, the Life.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 April – “To whom shall we go?”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69

“You have the words of eternal life” – John 6:68

REFLECTION – “To whom shall we go?” Peter asks. In other words: “Who else will instruct us in the divine mysteries the way you do?” or, “To whom shall we go to find anything better? You have the words of eternal life.” They are not hard words, as those other disciples say but words, that will bring us to the loftiest goal unceasing, endless life removed from all corruption. These words surely make quite obvious to us, the necessity for sitting at the feet of Christ, taking Him as our one and only teacher and giving Him our constant and undivided attention. …

That the desire to follow Christ alone and to be with Him always, is a good thing leading to our salvation, is entirely self-evident, yet we may learn this from the Old Testament as well. When the Israelites had shaken off Egyptian tyranny and were hastening toward the promised land, God did not allow them to make disorderly marches, nor did the Lawgiver let each one go where he would, for without a guide they should undoubtedly have lost the way completely. … Keeping with their guide was the Israelites’ salvation then, just as not leaving Christ is ours now. For He was with those people of old under the form of the tabernacle, the cloud and the fire (Ex 13:21; 26:1f) …

“Whoever serves me must follow me, so as to be with me wherever I am” (Jn 12:26) … But accompanying the Saviour Christ and following Him, is by no means to be thought of as something done by the body. It is accomplished rather, by deeds springing from virtue. Upon such virtue the wisest disciples firmly fixed their minds…. With good reason they cried out, “Where can we go?” It was as though they said: We will stay with You always and hold fast to Your commandments. We will receive Your words without finding fault, or thinking Your teaching hard, as the ignorant do but thinking rather: “How sweet are Your words to my throat! Sweeter to the mouth are they, than honey or the honeycomb!” (Ps 118[119]:103).” … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) – Father and Doctor of the Church – Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel, 4, 4

PRAYER – Mould our minds and our hearts, we pray You Lord, by the union of Your Son and His Church. As we belong to You, You joined us to Your Son to become one with Him. May we always strive to live up to this union and may we make our lives, a constant sharing, in Christ’s death and Resurrection. May His Mother give us her heart, to love Him as she does. We make our prayer through Him and in Him and with Him, in the union of the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.

Acts 9: 31-42
31 Now the church had peace throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and was edified, walking in the fear of the Lord and was filled with the consolation of the Holy Ghost.
32 And it came to pass, that Peter, as he passed through, visiting all, came to the saints who dwelt at Lydda.
33 And he found there a certain man named Eneas, who had kept his bed for eight years, who was ill of the palsy.
34 And Peter said to him: Eneas, the Lord Jesus Christ heals thee: arise and make thy bed. And immediately he arose.
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron, saw him and they were converted to the Lord.
36 And in Joppe there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick and died. Whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppe, the disciples hearing that Peter was there, sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not be slack to come unto them.
39 And Peter rising up, went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber. And all the widows stood about him weeping and shewing him the coats and garments which Dorcas made them.
40 And they all being put forth, Peter kneeling down prayed and turning to the body, he said: Tabitha, arise.
And she opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up.
41 And giving her his hand, he lifted her up.
And when he had called the saints and the widows, he presented her alive.
42 And it was made known throughout all Joppe and many believed in the Lord.

GOSPEL: JOHN 6:60-69
60 Many, therefore, of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard and who can hear it?
61 But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalise you?
62 If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life.
64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that did not believe and who he was, that would betray him.
65 And he said: Therefore, did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.
66 After this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?
68 And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou has the words of eternal life.
69 And we have believed and have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS to the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 24 April – Mother of my God, Lady Mary, Queen of Mercy

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 April – Saturday of he Third Week of Easter

Mother of my God,
Lady Mary, Queen of Mercy
By St Alphonsus Ligouri (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Mother of my God and my Lady Mary,
as a beggar, all wounded and sore,
presents himself before a great Queen,
so do I present myself before you,
who are Queen of heaven and earth.
From the lofty throne on which you sit,
disdain not, I implore you,
to cast your eyes on me,
a poor sinner.
God has made you so rich
that you might assist the poor
and has made you Queen of Mercy,
that you might relieve the miserable.
Behold me then and pity me.
Behold me and abandon me not,
until you see me changed
from a sinner into a saint.
Amen

Posted in DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Of ANIMALS / ANIMAL WELFARE, PATRONAGE - HEADACHES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 April – Saint William Firmatus (1026–1103)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 23 April – Saint William Firmatus (1026–1103) Priest, Pilgrim Hermit, Physician, miracle-worker. He had a great infinity with and love for, all animals, who were tame and docile in his hands. Born as Guillaume Firmat in 1026 and died in 1103 of natural causes. Patronages – against headaches, of animals. Also known as William Firmatus of Tours.

William Firmatus was a Canon and a Physician of Tours, France. Following a spiritual prompting against greed, he gave away all his possessions to the poor. He lived a reclusive life with his mother until he entered a hermitage near Laval, Mayenne. He spent the rest of his life on pilgrimages and as a hermit at Savigny and Mantilly.

According to legend, he saved the people of Choilley-Dardenay during drought by striking the ground with his pilgrim’s staff, which caused a spring of water to bubble up. He died in 1103 of natural causes.

William is especially noted for his love of wildlife and the unusual level of communication he seemed to have had with animals. This was so much so, that the local people used to ask his help with animals that raided their crops. One particular miracle involved a wild boar, which William led by the ear from a farmer’s plot, instructing it to fast for the night in a solitary cell.

The Little Bollandists go on to record, along with the boar miracle:

It is said of him, that even the wildest birds would approach him without fear and come and eat out of his hand and take refuge under his clothes from the cold. When he sat by a pond near his cell, the fish would swim to his feet and readily allow themselves to be taken up by the Servant of God, who put them back into the water, without hurting them.

Upon William’s death, three townships disputed possession of his remains. The winner was Mortain, which, to procure the relics, used the full force of “its entire clergy and an innumerable crowd of its people”.

Saint William is also venerated at Savigny and Mantilly. The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions William in its article on Coutances, which accords him special honour as well and, mentions his Patronage of the collegiate Church of Mortain. He is a Patron against headaches and of all wild and domestic animals.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Our Lady of Bonaria, Island of Sardinia (1370) , Our Lady of Luján in Buenos Aires and Memorials of the Saints – 24 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter +2021

Nostra Signora di Bonaria / Our Lady of Bonaria, Island of Sardinia (1370) – 24 April:

The shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria (Good Air) dates back to the latter years of the fourteenth century, at Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia.
According to tradition, on 25 March 1370, a ship ran into a terrific storm at a spot some miles off the coast of Sardinia while enroute from Spain to Italy. Soon the ship seemed in imminent danger of sinking and the sailors in a last desperate effort to save her, began to get rid of the cargo.
When they heaved a certain large packing case into the sea, the waves immediately died down and the sea became calm. The sailors knew the ship had been miraculously saved and attempted to regain the last crate, followed it for some time. Unable to retrieve it, the sailors returned to their original course. The case floated away and pushed by the tides, eventually landed on the shore of Sardinia at the foot of a hill called Bonaria.
A large crowd ran down to the beach when the crate washed ashore, eager to see what it contained. Some tried to open it, though no-one was able to pry off the lid. Others tried to carry it from the waves, but could not do so, for the crate was too heavy. One of the children suddenly cried out: “Call for the Mercedarian Friars!”
The Mercy Fathers came and raised the heavy crate without any difficulty, and took it to their Church, where it was opened in the presence of a large group of people. To the surprise of all, they found it contained a beautiful Statue of the Virgin and Child. In her right hand the Virgin held a candle which was still lit!
Thus, a prophecy was fulfilled – the Church, now a Basilica, had been built around 1330 by Father Carlo Catalan, while he was the Ambassador to the Argonese Court. At the dedication, he told the Monks, “A Great Lady will come to live in this place. After her coming, the malaria infecting this area will disappear and her image will be called the Virgin of Bonaria.”

Basilica of Bonaria

So when the Statue floated in from the sea and the Fathers placed it in their Church, remembering what Father Carlo had said, they named it “Our Lady of Good Air,” or “Our Lady of Bonaria.” Due to the miracle, devotion to the Virgin spread quickly, especially among sailors who took the Blessed Virgin for their protector and carried her devotion far and wide.
The Statue is in colored wood, probably of Spanish workmanship. In 1908, Pope Pius X, declared Our Lady of Bonaria the Patron of Sardinia. Most recently, on 7 September 2008, Our Lady of Bonaria was visited by Pope Benedict XVI in honour of the first centenary of her announcement as the Patron Saint of Sardinia. He gave Our Lady of Bonaria a Golden Rose.

++++++++++
Nuestra Señora de Luján / Our Lady of Luján in Buenos Aires – 24 April:

Patroness of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. 16th-century Icon of the Virgin Mary. Tradition holds that a settler ordered the terracotta image of the Immaculate Conception in 1630 because he intended to create a Shrine in her honour to help reinvigorate the Catholic faith in Santiago del Estero, his region. After embarking from the Port of Buenos Aires, the caravan carrying the image stopped at the residence of Don Rosendo Oramas, located in the present town of Zelaya. When the caravan wanted to resume the journey, the oxen refused to move. Once the crate containing the image was removed, the animals started to move again. Given the evidence of a miracle, the people believed the Virgin wished to remain there.

The image was venerated in a primitive Chapel for 40 years. Then the image was acquired by Ana de Matos and carried to Luján, where it currently resides inside the Basilica of Luján.

Window of Our Lady of Luján in the Basilica

The Golden Rose is a gift from the Pope to Nations, Cities, Casilicas, Sanctuaries, or Images. It is blessed by him on the fourth Sunday of Lent, anointed with the Holy Chrism, and dusted with incense. This Rose consists of a golden rose stem with flowers, buds and leaves, placed in a silver vase lined, on the inside, with a bronze case bearing the Papal shield. Pope Leo IX is considered as the originator of this tradition in the year 1049.

In the Americas, the Rose has been given to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, to Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, to St. Joseph’s Oratory in Canada, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the United States, to the Cathedral Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Valle in Argentina and to the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre in Cuba. On 11 June 1982, John Paul II personally bestowed a Golden Rose on Our Lady of Luján.

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622) Known as “The Poor Man’s Lawyer” (Optional Memorial)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/saint-of-the-day-24-april-st-fidelis-of-sigmaringen/

St Alexander of Lyon
St Anthimos of Nicomedia
St Authairius of La Ferté
St Benedetto/Benedict Menni OH (1841-1914)
“A Heart Without Borders”
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/24/saint-of-the-day-24-april-saint-benedict-menni-oh-1841-1914-a-heart-without-borders/
St Bova of Rheims
St Deodatus of Blois
St Diarmaid of Armagh
St Doda of Rheims
St Dyfnan of Anglesey
St Egbert of Rathemigisi
St Eusebius of Lydda
St Gregory of Elvira
St Honorius of Brescia
St Ivo of Huntingdonshire
St Leontius of Lydda
St Longinus of Lydda
St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)
About St Mary Euphrasia:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/24/saint-of-the-day-24-april-st-mary-euphrasia-pelletier-1796-1868/

St Mary of Cleophas
St Mary Salome
Mother of St James the Greater and St John, the Apostles of Christ.
St Mary has 2 Catholic universal Memorials – the 2nd is on 22 October – here is a post on that date:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/22/saint-of-the-day-22-october-saint-mary-salome-first-century-disciple-of-jesus/
St Mellitus of Canterbury (Died 624) Bishop
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/24/saint-of-the-day-24-april-saint-mellitus-of-canterbury-died-624/
St Neon of Lydda
St Sabas the Goth of Rome
St Tiberio of Pinerolo
St William Firmatus (1026–1103) Priest, Pilgrim Hermit
—
Mercedarian Martyrs of Paris: No info yet.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “We are, all of us, one bread, one body”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – Friday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 117:1-2, John 6:52-59

“ He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and, I in him. ” … John 6:56

REFLECTION – “This bread you see on the Altar, consecrated by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. This cup consecrated by the word of God, or rather its contents, is the Blood of Christ. In these two elements our Lord desired to hand over, for our veneration and love, His Body and Blood, shed for the remission of our sins. If you have received them with a good disposition, then you are what you have received. As the apostle Paul declares: “We are, all of us, one bread, one body” (1 Cor 10,17)…

This bread reminds you how much you ought to love unity. Was this bread made out of only one wheat grain? To begin with, weren’t there a large number of grains? Before taking on the form of bread, they were separated. It was water that brought them together once they had been ground. If the wheat isn’t first of all, crushed and then soaked, one cannot give it the shape of a loaf.

In the same way, you have been ground down by the humiliation of fasting and the exorcism of the scrutinies. Then the baptismal water came to soak you, so that you could take on the form of bread.

However, we cannot make bread without fire. What represents the fire here? Holy chrism. For the oil that feeds our fire is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit… On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was revealed in the form of tongues of fire… … Thus the Holy Spirit comes here like fire after water and you become that bread which is the body of Christ. Thus this Sacrament is like a symbol of unity.” – St Augustine (3540430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace – Sermon 227, 4th Sermon for Easter day; to the newly baptised, concerning the Sacrament

PRAYER – Almighty God, You sent Your Son and we have now come to know the grace of His Resurrection. Through Him we live and move and have our being. As we follow Him, He walks with us and leads us to You. Grant we pray, that His Mother and ours, may guide our way to Him and be a solace in our trials. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.

Acts 9: 1-20
1 And Saul, as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
2 And asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues: that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus and suddenly, a light from heaven shone around about him.
4 And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 He said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecute. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
6 And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
7 And the Lord said to him: Arise and go into the city and there, it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Now the men who went in company with him, stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the ground and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.
But they leading him by the hand, brought him to Damascus.
9 And he was there three days, without sight and he did neither eat nor drink.
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias.
And the Lord said to him in a vision – Ananias. And he said: Behold I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said to him: Arise and go into the street that is called Stait and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prays.
12 (And he saw a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.)
13 But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem.
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that invoke thy name.
15 And the Lord said to him: Go thy way; for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel.
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17 And Ananias went his way and entered into the house. And laying his hands upon him, he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, he that appeared to thee in the way as thou came; that thou may receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it were, scales and he received his sight and rising up, he was baptised.

Gospel: John 6: 52-59
52 The Jews, therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.
54 He that eateth my flesh and drinks my blood, has everlasting life and I will raise him up in the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed.
56He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and, I in him.
57As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father, so he that eats me, the same also shall live by me.
58This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead.
He that eats this bread, shall live forever.
59These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 23 April – God Be in My Head

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 April – Friday of the Third Week of Easter

God Be in My Head
Sarum Book of Hours, 1514

God be in my head
and in my understanding.
God be in my eyes
and in my looking.
God be in my mouth
and in my speaking.
God be in my heart
and in my thinking.
God be at my end
and at my departing.
Amen

The Sarum Rite (or Use of Sarum, also known as the Use of Salisbury) is the Latin liturgical rite developed at Salisbury Cathedral and used from the late eleventh century until the English Reformation.
It is largely identical to the Roman rite but was known for additional responses not in the Roman Rite and for its high ceremony. It also has a wealth of richly worded prayers that have influenced Christian worship ever since.
Saint Osmund (Died 1099) Bishop of Salisbury, is the Bishop who introduced the Sarum Rite – read his life here: https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-saint-osmund-died-1099/
The Cathedral’s liturgy was widely respected during the late Middle Ages and churches throughout the British Isles and parts of northwestern Europe adapted its customs for celebrations of the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours.

Posted in Against FAMINE, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 April – Saint Giorgio di Suelli (Died 1117)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 23 April – Saint Giorgio di Suelli (Died 1117) Bishop, Apostle of the poor, Miracle-worker. Born in the 11th century Cagliari, Italy and died on 23 April 1117 at Suelli, Italy of natural causes. Patronages – against famine, of te Diocese of Lanusei, Italy, Suelli, Italy. He is also known as George of Suelli.

The Roman Martyrology states: “In Suelli in Sardinia, commemoration of St George, Bishop.”

According to his ancient biography, the only reliable source, Giorgio was born in the 11th century in Cagliari, Italy. His mothers had been childless, it was late in her life and she was visited in a dream by an angel who foretold the birth. His parents Lucifer and Vivenzia, were serfs of a certain Greek but virtuous and God-fearing man.

Already as a child, Giorgio proved to be penitent and full of virtue. He studied Latin and Greek, which ,at that time, was of great importance and consideration and at the age of 22, he was appointed Bishop of Suelli.

For the Diocese he was a true shepherd, a lover of the poor whom he helped and of whom he had a list. He was devoted to prayer and fasting and lived a life of penitence and poverty.

The Lord gratified him with the gift of miracles some mentioned include the resurrected a boy in Lotzorai and the cure of a blind man in Urzulei. It is not clear how long he ruled the Diocese but he died on 23 April 1117 and was buried in his Cathedral.

The Bisopric of Suelli (south-eastern Sardinia) appears in documents for the first time at the beginning of the 11th century; the cult of George was already widespread at least from the beginning of the thirteenth century.
This is confirmed by the Office in his honour, the Churches dedicated to him in Suelli, Lotzorai, Urzulei, Perfugas, Ossi, Anela, Bitti and the Chapels in Tortolì and Girasole.

In Cagliari in 1601, the Bishop Lasso Sedeno, transformed, into a Church, a house in the district of Stampace, considered to be the birthplace of the holy Bishop, Giorgio and also established the annual feast on 23 April. A Canon opposed this honour, as he considered the existence and life of Giorgio to be untrue,claiming instead, that it he the same St George Martyr also remembered today.

To clarify the situation, the Bishop’s successor, Msgr Desquivel had historical research carried out, the results of which, were sent to Rome to the Sacred Congregation of Rites. In 1609 Pope Paul V definitively confirmed the cult of George, Bishop of Suelli and Canonised him.

His mitre is kept in the Cathedral of Cagliari where he is buried and the faithful venerate him there. He is invoked against famine.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 23 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Friday of the Third Week of Easter +2021

Our Lady of Mende, Africa (16th Century) – 23 April:
Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any information about this Marian Title anywhere!

St Adalbert of Prague (c 957-997) Bishop and Martyr (Optional Memorial)
About St Adalbert:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/23/saint-of-the-day-23-april-st-adalbert-of-prague/

St George (died c 303) Martyr (Optional Memorial)
St George!
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/saint-of-the-day-23-april-st-george-died-c-303-martyr/

St Achilleus of Vienne
Bl Adalbert III of Salzburg
St Felix of Vienne
St Fortunatus of Vienna
St George of San Giorio
St Gerard of Orchimont
St Gerard of Toul (c 935–994) Bishop
About St Gerard:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/23/saint-of-the-day-23-april-saint-gerard-of-toul-c-935-994/
Bl Giles of Assisi
Bl Giles of Saumur
St Giorgio di Suelli (Died 1117) Bishop
Bl Helen del Cavalanti
St Ibar of Meath
Bl Maria Gabriela Sagheddu
St Marolus of Milan
St Pusinna of Champagne
Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross OCD (1846–1910) Carmelite Sister
Her Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/23/saint-of-the-day-23-april-blessed-teresa-maria-of-the-cross-ocd-1846-1910/
—

Martyrs of Africa: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in northern Africa. Little information has survived but their names. The ones we know are – Catulinus, Chorus, Faustinus, Felicis, Felix, Nabors, Plenus, Salunus, Saturninus, Silvius, Solutus, Theodora, Theodorus, Theon, Ursus, Valerius, Venustus, Victorinus, Victurus, Vitalis.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 22 April – The Divided Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Divided Heart

“Even if your heart has not become the property of the devil and retains a horror of mortal sin, it is still possible, that you have not given it completely to God.
Your heart is divided.
Part of it belongs to God and part of it to the world.
You are distracted by your own self-love and earthly desires.
A heart which is divided in its affections between God and the world, is dazzled by everything around it and tends to forget God, more and more.

We protest that we belong entirely to God but, in practice, we are so absorbed by work, ambition and pleasure, that we neglect God.

A man who is torn between love of God and love of the world is like Cain who, unlike Abel, did not offer God, the best part of his flock but kept this for himself and offered God whatever he had rejected.
God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice but had no regard for that of Cain, who finally became a murderer and was cursed by his Creator.

Do we offer God the leavings of life while we keep the best part of it for our selves?
Do we think of ourselves nearly all the time and give very little thought to God?
This is not the way in which God has dealt with us.
Not only has He created us but, He loves us with an everlasting love.
He came down to earth and lived as our fellow man.
He redeemed us by His Precious Blood and gave Himself to us as our food!

Why are we not willing to give ourselves to Him forever in return?
Gratitude demands that we should do so.
God, moeover, is our supreme and only good.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/30/thought-for-the-day-30-april-the-divided-heart/