Quote/s of the Day – 5 September – Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15, Psalms 145:17-18, 19-20, 21, Luke 6:1-5
“The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
“And He departed from our sight that we might return to our heart and find Him there. For He left us and behold, He is here!”
St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
“God, in His promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him and hurt yourself, by preferring to Him, a creature which He created.”
St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c 605) “The Apostle to the English”
“Christ acts like a loving mother. To induce us to follow Him, He gives us Himself as an example and promises us a reward in His kingdom.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
“Teach us, good Lord to serve You as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we are doing your will. Amen”
St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)
“God alone!”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Nothing is anything anymore to me; everything is nothing to me only Jesus! Neither things nor persons, neither ideas nor emotions, neither honour nor sufferings. Jesus is for me honour, delight, heart and soul.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15, Psalms 145:17-18, 19-20, 21, Luke 6:1-5
And he said to them, “The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.” … Luke 6:5
REFLECTION – “In the Law given by Moses, which was a shadow of things to come (Col 2:17), God commanded everyone to rest and to do no work on the Sabbath. But this was a symbol and foreshadowing of the true Sabbath, which is bestowed on the soul by the Lord (…) For the Lord calls on us to rest, telling us: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28) And He gives rest to all souls who trust Him and come to Him by delivering them from painful, oppressive and impure thoughts. Then they completely stop indulging in evil, celebrating a true, a delightful and holy Sabbath, a feast of the Spirit in inexpressible joy and rejoicing. They offer a pure and acceptable worship to God, coming from a pure heart. That is the true and holy Sabbath.
So let us, too, beseech God, to bring us into that rest, to give a vacation to our shameful, bad and useless thoughts, so that we might serve God with pure hearts and celebrate the feast of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are they who enter into this rest.” … St Macarius of Egypt (c 300- c 390)- Desert Father, Monk – Spiritual Homilies, no. 35
PRAYER – Holy God, Almighty Father, You taught us to honour Your holy day and the day of rest. In Your divine Son, Whom You gave to us as our brother and glorified by His Resurrection, You showed us the way to our eternal life. As His glorified body shines anew, we rejoice in our future life with Him and embrace His day as our own, each Sunday renewing His Resurrection. We run forward to sing Your glory together with our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin and most Sorrowful Mary, to eternity, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 5 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary”and a Marian Saturday – Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time
Prayer to our Lady of Sorrows By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the Martyrdom, the Crucifixion and the Death, of your Divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem and that henceforward, all my thoughts and all my actions, may be directed towards this one most desirable object, the honour, glory and love to our Divine Lord Jesus, and to you, the Holy and Immaculate Mother of God. Amen
Saint of the Day – 5 September – Saint Alvito de León OSB (Died 1063) Bishop of León between 1057 and 1063, Monk and Abbot. Also known as Albito, Avitus.
He was the son of Aloito Fernández de Saavedra, who was a nobleman and senior butler to King Bermudo II of León and Urrace López of Lemos. His older brother, Arias Aloitiz, inherited his father’s estate, which included the castle of Arias and the territories of Parga, Villalba and Mondoñedo. He was a family relative of St Rudesind.
Alvito was the Confessor to King Fernando I of León, a Monk and the Benedictine Abbot of the Sahagún Monastery. Various documents from May 1057 list his presence at the Bishop of the Diocese after the resignation of his predecessor Cipriano.
In 1063 King Fernando organised an expedition against the muslims of the south peninsula and after his military successes he sent Alvito to Seville and to the Bishop of Astorga Ordoño, with the mission that they recover the body of Saint Justa. They did not successfully find these remains but they did find those of Saint Isidore, whose burial place was revealed to Alvito in a revelation, which also revealed his approaching death.
Indeed, the Bishop from León died a week after discovering the Isidore’s tomb and Bishop Ordoño returned to León with the bodies of both, St Isisdore and St Alvito.
In the presence of Abbot Silos Saint Domingo, St Isidore was buried in the Church of Santa Maria the Ruler.
According to tradition, before Alvito was buried, St Isidore appeared to King Fernando demanding that his body be present at the burial of Alvito, as was finally done.
Alvito death occurred pre-congregation and although he has never been formally Canonised, he has always been recognised as a Saint in the Church at León. In the Spanish calendar of Saints he appears today.
St Victorinus of Amiterme St Victorinus of Como Bl William Browne — Martyrs of Armenia – 1,000 saints: A group of up to 1,000 Christian soldiers in the 2nd century imperial Roman army of Trajan, stationed in Gaul. Ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused and were transferred to Armenia. Ordered again to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused again. Martyrs. We know the names of three of them, but nothing else – Eudoxius, Macarius and Zeno.
Martyrs of Capua – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together. Long venerated in Capua, Italy. We know their names, but little else – Arcontius, Donatus and Quintius. They were martyred in Capua, Italy.
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 80 saints: A group of 80 Christians, lay and clergy, martyred together in the persecutions of Valens. We know little more than the names of three of them – Menedemo, Teodoro and Urbano. They were locked on a boat which was then set on fire on the shore of Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey) c 370.
Martyrs of Porto Romano – 4+ saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. We know little more than their names – Aconto, Herculanus, Nonno and Taurino. c180 at Porto Romano, Italy
Second Thought for the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
The Augustinians, Our Lady of Consolation and The “Augustinian Rosary” The “Corona (or Crown) of Our Mother of Consolation.”
The origin of this invocation is derived from the Augustinian Monks who propagated this particular devotion . In 1436, the Confraternity of the Holy Cincture of Our Lady of Consolation was founded in Bologna, Italy. It was based on an Augustinian tradition which holds that Saint Monica in the fourth century, who was distraught with anxiety for her wayward son, Saint Augustine and that Mary gave her a sash, which the Virgin wore, with the assurance that whoever wore this belt would receive her special consolation and protection. Along with St Augustine and St Monica, Our Lady of Consolation is one of the three Patrons of the Augustinians. The “Augustinian Rosary” is sometimes called the The “Corona (or Crown) of Our Mother of Consolation.”
In the 1700s members of the Augustinian Order introduced devotion to Our Lady of Consolation to the island of Malta. On 1 December 1722 the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, Fr Thomas Cervioni, issued the Decree for the erection of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation in the Church of St Mark, run by the Augustinians at Rabat, although the devotion had been practiced for some time before. By this time the custom of asking for the final blessing before death in the name of Our Lady of Consolation was very popular and the Monks were given a dispensation to leave the Monastery at any time to confer it. The feast day in Malta is celebrated on the last Sunday of October.
The Augustinian Rosary has a unique format, one that is short and simple and is based on the truth of the Catholic faith – The Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed has been divided into twelve articles, each accompanied by one Our Father and Hail Mary, followed by one Our Father and Hail Mary each in honour of Jesus, the Salve Regin, and a Collect Prayer. Sometimes the Litany of our Lady can be included as well as various intentions or reflections from Augustine’s sermons. I have printed the format below in a brief simplified form.
The Dominicans were not the only group to have their own unique Rosary, the Franciscans had one based on Mary’s Seven Joys, the Servites pray through the Mary’s Seven Sorrows.
The Augustinian Family venerates the Blessed Virgin Mary with the principal and distinct title of Our Mother of Consolation or of the Cincture. The little rosary, prayed in her honour, belongs to the tradition of the Order and in the course of the centuries has gathered countless brothers and sisters around Mary, just as the early Christian community was united around her.
This devotion is a prayer filled with inspiration for our journey of faith in the company of Mary. It is an inner journey in the Holy Spirit meditating on the truths of our faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed.
The “Augustinian Rosary” – “Corona (or Crown) of Our Mother of Consolation”
Direct we beseech You, O Lord, our actions by Your holy inspirations and carry them forward by Your gracious help, that every good work of ours begin from You and by You be happily ended, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Our Father, Hail Mary
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, Our Father, Hail Mary
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary Our Father, Hail Mary
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, Our Father, Hail Mary
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; Our Father, Hail Mary
He ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, Our Father, Hail Mary
and he will come to judge the living and the dead. Our Father, Hail Mary
I believe in the Holy Spirit, Our Father, Hail Mary
the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, Our Father, Hail Mary
the forgiveness of sins Our Father, Hail Mary
the resurrection of the body, Our Father, Hail Mary
And life everlasting. Our Father, Hail Mary
In honour of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Father, Hail Mary Hail Holy Queen
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ Father of Mercies and God of every consolation, grant, we pray, that your faithful who rejoice in the protection of the holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Consolation may, by her motherly intercession be freed from all evils in this life and be worthy of coming to the eternal joy of heaven where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Six
Most Beautiful Branch of the tree of David, most admirable Mary, whose birth was such a consolation to St Joachim and St Anne who were entralled by the advent of their holy child. May your birth be the consolation of my soul, by obtaining for me from God, victory over the world and detachment from all the things of this earth. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… ………………… (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us Your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity, we may obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Thought for the Day – 4 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Holy Indifference
“That is not indifference towards what is good or towards God. That kind of indifference, is the apathy and negligence which distracts us from striving to reach our final end, by advancing in sanctity.
The holy indifference which we should all have, or endeavour to have, is described by St Ignatius in his book on the Spiritual Exercises. It is a virtue, which renders us indifferent towards all creatures because, we see them only as means which will help or hinder us on the path to sanctity. Therefore, we must be indifferent towards sickness and health.
“Grant to me, O Lord,” we should pray, “that which pleases You most.
Perhaps You know, that health could be a grave danger to me, that it could lead me into offending You, or that, at least, it could make me too attached to the things of this world. If this is so, send me whatever illness You will. I will accept them from Your hands, as a gift of Your mercy and goodness and I will try to sanctify myself by means of them.” Nature rebels at this thought, yet, I must not listen to the promptings of nature but, to the inspirations of grace.
On the other hand, You may see, that my good health would add to Your glory and help me to grow in sanctity and to be useful in the Apostolate. Grant health to me, if it is Your will to do so. I will accept it from Your hands and I will use it, solely for Your glory.”
A man who is capable of such high spirituality, will not be shaken by the fury of human passion but, will remain always calm and attentive to the demands of grace. He will surrender himself completely to the will of God, in all the circumstances of his life.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
“O sinner, be not discouraged but have recourse to Mary, in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“O Mary, I have not doubt that whenever we run to you, we shall obtain all that we desire. Let those then who have no hope, hope in you!”
“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favour, you shall reach the goal.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
“Has anyone ever come away from Mary, troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly Mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because a request has been granted by the Mother of God?”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1110-1159)
“Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory, through Mary’s maternal intercession.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
“Let us run to Mary and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
”It seems unbelievable, that a man should perish, in whose favour Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son’, provided, that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“For God, having given her power over His only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over His adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.”
St Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
”To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.”
One Minute Reflection – 4 September – Friday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Psalms 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40, Luke 5:33-39 and the Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then, they will fast in those days.” … Luke 5:34-35
REFLECTION –“Let our “loins be girded and our lamps lit;”let us be like “servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast” (Lk 12:35). Don’t let us be like those unbelievers who say: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Cor 15:32). The more unsure the day of our death is, the more painful are the trials of life and the more, too, we should fast and pray, since, to all intents and purposes, tomorrow we die. Our Lord said to His disciples: “Yet a little while and you will no longer see me and again a little while and you will see me” (Jn 16,16). Now is the time of which He said : “You will grieve but the world will rejoice” (v. 20); now is the time in this life of suffering, when we journey apart from Him. “But,” He adds, “I shall see you again and your hearts will be full of joy and no-one will take your joy away from you” (v. 22).
Even now, the hope we thus put in the one who is faithful to His promise, will not leave us without some joy, until we are filled with overwhelming joy on the day when “we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn 3:2), when “no-one shall take your joy away from us” (…) “A woman in labour,” says our Lord, “is in anguish because her hour has arrived. But when she has given birth to a child she feels immense joy because a child has been born into the world” (Jn 16:21). This is the joy no-one can take away from us and with which, we will be filled, when we pass from our present understanding of faith, into eternal light. So let us fast and pray now because, we are in the days of childbirth!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace – Sermon 210, 5 (7)
PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that Your faithful, who rejoice in the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may be delivered from every evil here on earth. By her example, may we ever keep Your heavenly Kingdom in our hearts for “What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” and run in haste to the enduring joys of heaven. Mary, our Consolation and Comforter, pray for us! Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 4 September – Friday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
Most Holy Virgin, My Consolation By St Germanus (c 490-576)
Most Holy Virgin! Who are the greatest consolation that I receive from God, you who art the heavenly dew which assuages all my pains, you who are the light of my soul when it is enveloped in darkness, you who are my guide in unknown paths, the support of my weakness, my treasure in poverty, my remedy in sickness, my consolation in trouble, my refuge in misery, and the hope of my salvation, hear my supplications, have pity on me, as becomes the Mother of so good a God and obtain for me a favourable reception of all my petitions at the throne of mercy. Amen
Saint of the Day – 4 September – Saint Ida of Herzfeld (c 770-c 825) Laywoman, Widow of a Egbert, a Saxon Duke, Apostle of Prayer and of the Poor. Patronages – brides, widows and pregnancy, the poor and the sick, Goetta country in Westphalia. She is frequently depicted either as carrying a church or with a dove hovering over her head. During the 32-year war between the Saxons and the Franks, Ida extended her protection to the Saxons in their . The deer with which Ida is often portrayed represents the Saxons, who are besieged by the Franks. Even today the deer is in the coat of arms of Herzfeld.
While there is disagreement as to her precise parentage, it is generally agreed that she was closely related to the Carolingians. The daughter of a Count, Ida received her education at the court of Charlemagne, who gave her in marriage to a favourite lord of his court, named Egber, and bestowed on her a great fortune in estates to recompense her father’s services. It was an apparently happy marriage.
After her marriage she left her home and moved with him to Westphalia in 786 to his estates, which were near the present-day city of Osnabrück . On the way there, they crossed the Lippe on a ford near Hirutveldun (Old Saxon: deer fields) and pitched their tent on the right bank of the river. The following night, in a dream, Ida received the order from an angel to build a church there. This dream vision determined her actions and thoughts from now on. Together, Egbert and Ida, built the Church of Herzfeld, Westphalia and so became the founders of the first Catholic community in today’s MünsterlandHerzfeld (Lippetal .
St Ida’s dream
Egbert died in 811. He found his final resting place on the south side of the Church. She then built a portico over his grave, where she lived a life devoted to prayer and works of charity. Among her reported acts of kindness were filling a stone coffin with food each day, then giving it to the poor. She also founded a second Church at Hovestadt, Westphalia.
Ida died 4 September 825 and was buried at the church in Herzfeld, which became the first pilgrimage site in Westphalia. In 2011 the pilgrim Church of St Ida in Herzfeld (Lippetal) was designated a Minor Basilica. In Herzfeld, the festival of “Ida Week” is held every year in September in memory of the Saint. During the week,St Ida’s relics are carried through the village in a solemn procession, when the “Ida Blessing” is granted.
The Vita sanctae Idae Hertzfeldensis written in 980, by the Monk Uffing of the Abbey of Werden, focuses on her exemplary life, including suffering endured in divine trust. She was Canonised on 26 November 980.
Our Lady of Consolation, or Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, (4 September) comes from the Latin Consolatrix Afflictorum. It is found in the Litany of Loreto. The feast of Our Lady of Consolation is one of the solemnities not inscribed in the General Roman Calendar but which are observed in particular places, regions, churches or religious institutes. Augustinians and many regions, observe today 4 September, the Benedictines 5 July.
St Rufinus of Ancyra St Salvinus of Verdun Bl Scipion-Jérôme Brigeat Lambert St Silvanus of Ancyra St Sulpicius of Bayeux St Thamel St Theodore the Martyr St Ultan of Ardbraccan St Victalicus —
Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek: The Eleven Nuns of Nowogródek or Blessed Mary Stella and her Ten Companions were a group of members of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a Polish Roman Catholic religious congregation, executed by the Gestapo in August 1943 in occupied Poland (present-day Navahrudak, Belarus). They have been declared Blessed by virtue of martyrdom by Pope John Paul II on 5 March 2000.
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Five
Resplendent Lily of Paradise, lovable Mary, the Holy Spirit takes delight in your birth for He sees in you the soul never stained by sin, which would forever be His worthy Temple. May your birth give joy to my soul too, by obtaining for me from the Holy Spirit His divine love and final perseverance. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… …………………….. (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, Who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us Your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Thought for the Day – 3 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Falling into Sin
“The just man falls seven times,” says the Book of Proverbs (24:16). Unfortunately, we have all experienced how true this is. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (Cf 1 Jn 1:8).
We fall often in many ways – in though, in speech, in action and by omission. Sometimes, we fall in a moment of weakness or of impatience, at other times, we sin by an act of premediated malice. “Watch and pray,” Our Lord warns us, “that you may not enter into temptation” (Mt 26:41).
Our Lord also said that we “must always pray and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1). In other words, we should have a spirit of prayer which is based on the love of God and keeps us close to Him. It is only when we are united to God, that temptation cannot hurt us and we are protected by His grace, from falling into deliberate sin.
It is idle to protest that this would require the virtue of an achorite and that we are entangled in all kinds of other business. Virtue is necessary for everybody, not only for anchorites. “The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault and the violent have been seizing it by force” (Mt 11:12). In order to attain to the kingdome of God, therefore, we have to do violence to our corrupted nature. A life of solitude is not essential for prayer, however. One can be busy from morning till night and pray continuously, so that his work is offered to God and done for the love of God. In this way, work becomes prayer and will save us from falling into sin.”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – The Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church
“God is within all things but not included; outside all things but not excluded. God is above all things but not beyond their reach.”
“Let no seductive good fortune lead us astray, he is a foolish traveller who sees pleasant meadows on his journey and forgets where he is going.”
“If some rich and powerful friend were to enter your home, you would quickly clean the entire house, for fear something there, might offend your friend’s eyes, when he entered. Let anyone then who is preparing his inner house for God, cleanse away the dirt of his evil deeds. … The Lord comes into the heart and makes His home in one, who truly loves God and observes His commandments…”
“The Sacred Scriptures grow with the one who reads them.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 September – Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Luke 5:1-11 and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church
“After He [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch…” … Luke 5:4
REFLECTION – “He told Simon and his companions to sail off a little from the land and to let down the net for a draught. But they replied that they had been toiling the whole night and had caught nothing. However, in the name of Christ, they let down the net and immediately it was full of fish.
By a visible sign and by a miraculous type and representation, they were fully convinced that their labour would be rewarded and the zeal displayed in spreading out the net of the gospel teaching would be fruitful. Within this net they should most certainly catch the shoals of the heathen. But note that neither Simon nor his companions could draw the net to land. Speechless from fright and astonishment—for their wonder had made them mute—they beckoned to their partners, to those who shared their labours in fishing, to come and help them in securing their prey.
For many have taken part with the holy apostles in their labours and still do so, especially those who inquire into the meaning of what is written in the holy Gospels. Yet besides them there are also others – the shepherds and teachers and rulers of the people, who are skilled in the doctrines of truth. For the net is still being drawn, while Christ fills it, and calls to conversion those who, according to the Scripture phrase, are in the depths of the sea, that is to say, those who live in the surge and waves of worldly things.” … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Incarnation – Commentary on Luke, Homily 12
PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of St Gregory, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word through Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the light of His Resurrection we may know our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 3 September – Thursday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time – The Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor “Father of the Fathers”
Prayer of Praise By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor “Father of the Fathers”
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of loving-kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son. Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured forth in loving-kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection. You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. You reconciled heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before You redeemed us. Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love! Amen
Saint of the Day – 3 September – St Phoebe (1st Century) – Deaconess at Cenchrese, Matron and possibly a widow. She is mentioned by the Apostle St Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses 16:1-2. A notable woman in the church of Cenchreae, she was trusted by St Paul to deliver his letter to the Romans. St Paul refers to her both as a Deacon (Gk. diakonon) and as a benefactress or patron of many (Greek. prostatis). This is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is specifically referred to with these two distinctions. Paul introduces Phoebe as his emissary to the Church in Rome and, because they are not acquainted with her, Paul provides them with her credentials. The name Phoebe means “pure”, “radiant” or “bright.”
The mission of the Church owes an enormous debt to the early Apostles and all those who assisted them as they went beyond the Jewish circles of Jesus’ heritage toward all of the world. We are indebted to St Paul and all who assisted him in a particular way. Besides being the Memorial of St Gregory today, 3 September it is also the Memorial of St Phoebe.
“I commend you to our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchraea, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints and help her, in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself, as well.” So begins the sixteenth chapter of St Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome.
The office of Deaconess was mentioned by St Paul in the letters to the Romans and to Timothy but we also have evidence of the office in a letter from Pliny, a Roman governor who was writing to the Emperor Trajan for advice on dealing with Christians. He mentions two women ministers among the Christians in Bithynia. The office of Deaconess is also mentioned in the Apostolic Constitutions of Hippolytus and the office developed greatly during the third and fourth centuries, although it is quite different from the office Phoebe held. The Council of Chalcedon, held in the year 451, legislated that women could become Deaconesses at the age of 40.
A Deaconess was to devote herself to the care of sick and poor women; she was present at the interviews of women with Bishops, Priests, or male Deacons (so that the clergy wouldn’t be alone with strange women) and kept order in the women’s part of the church. Her most important function was the assistance at the Baptism of women. For the first five centuries of the Church, people were Baptised naked, and so, for the sake of propriety, male deacons couldn’t Baptise women. When adult Baptism became rare and was eventually replaced by infant Baptism, the office of Deaconess declined in importance. The office was actually abolished by the Council of Epaon in the year 517 but in the Nestorian Christian communities in Syria and later in India and China, Deaconesses administered Holy Communion to women and read the Sacred Scriptures in public.
In one of the later New Testament letters is a passage about diakonoi that outlines their moral qualifications. The diakonoi of 1 Timothy 3:8 were most probably official Deacons with a recognised position in the church. St John Chrysostom weighed in on the debate about whether the women in 1 Timothy 3:11 were Deacons. In his Homily 11 on 1 Timothy he wrote: “Some have thought that this is said of women generally but it is not so, for why should [Paul] introduce anything about women to interfere with his subject? He is speaking of those who hold the rank of Deaconesses.” In response to 1 Timothy 3:12, including the idiomatic phrase “a one-woman man” which some believe excludes women, he added “This must be understood therefore to [also] relate to Deaconesses. For that order is necessary and useful and honourable in the Church . . .” St John Chrysostom may have had the Deaconess Olympias, his close friend and patron, in mind when he wrote this.
I think that the fact that Phoebe was a Deacon in the Church in Cenchreae is important because it shows that women were vital to the mission of spreading the faith. Women owned house-churches, women administered and supervised the work with the poor and widows, women handled financial affairs for the churches and women helped spread the gospel. Jesus came to turn everything upside down – the last would be first and the first would be last and the Church was shaking up the society of Late Antiquity.
This feast of St Phoebe is in many ways a celebration of the on-going apostolate of women throughout the centuries, including you and me!
St Aigulphus of Lérins St Ambrose of Sens St Ammon of Heraclea Bl Andrew Dotti St Auxanus St Balin St Basilissa of Nicomedia Bl Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679) Her Life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/03/saint-of-the-day-3-september-blessed-brigida-of-jesus-morello-1610-1679/ St Chariton St Chrodegang of Séez St Frugentius the Martyr Bl Guala of Brescia St Hereswitha Bl Herman of Heidelberg St Macanisius St Mansuetus of Toul St Marinus (Died c 366) St Martiniano of Como St Natalis of Casale St Phoebe (1st Century) Disciple of St Paul St Regulus of Rheims St Remaclus St Sandila of Cordoba — Martyrs of Aquileia – 4 saints: Four young women, variously sisters and cousins, who were born to the nobility, the daughters of the pagans Valentinianus of Aquileia and Valentius of Aquileia. Each woman converted and made private vows, dedicating themselves to God. They were arrested, tortured and martyred by order of Valentius for becoming a Christian. We know little else but their names – Dorothy, Erasma, Euphemia and Thecla. They were martyred by beheaded in the 1st century in Aquileia, Italy and their bodies were thrown into a nearby river.
Martyrs of Nagasaki – 6 beati: A group of priests and clerics, native and foreign, murdered together in the anti-Christian persecutions in Japan. They were scalded in boiling water and then burned alive on 3 September 1632 in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
• Anthony Ishida • Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez • Francisco Terrero de Ortega Pérez • Gabriel Tarazona Rodríguez • Jerome of the Cross de Torres • Vicente Simões de Carvalho
Martyrs of Seoul – 6 saints: A group of Christian lay people martyred together in the persecutions in Korea. They were beheaded on 3 September 1839 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea and Canonised on 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II. • Agnes Kim Hyo-Ch’u • Barbara Kwon Hui • Barbara Yi Chong-hui • Ioannes Pak Hu-jae • Maria Pak K’Un-agi • Maria Yi Yon-hui
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Andrea Calle González • Blessed Concepción Pérez Giral • Blessed Dolores Úrsula Caro Martín • Blessed Joaquim Balcells Bosch • Blessed Pius Salvans Corominas
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Four
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Redeemer promised to mankind from the beginning of the world, takes delight in your birth, for He sees the one who is destined to become the Co-redemptress of souls by uniting her tears to the Blood shed on the Cross to save mankind. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… …………………….. (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Thought for the Day – 2 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Intimacy with Jesus
“In his memoirs written while in exile, Napoleon says: “Many have desired and endeavoured to be obeyed, revered and honoured by all; only Jesus Christ has demanded this because He is God.”
“As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you,” we read in the Gospel of St John. “Abide in my love” (Jn 15:9).
Jesus, therefore, asks each of us, not only to love Him but, to remain intimately united to Him in love. He has a perfect right to demand this because, as God, He is our Creator and as God-Man, He is our Redeemer, Who ,out of love for us has given Himself entirely.”
Quote/s of the Day – 2 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Psalms 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21, Luke 4:38-44
“And the people sought him and came to him and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
Luke 4:42-43
“Peace be with you as the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
John 20:21
“Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand and encourage through all patience and teaching.”
2 Timothy 4:2
“Lord, if Your people still have need of my services, I will not avoid the toil. Your will be done. I have fought the good fight long enough. Yet, if You bid me to continue to hold the battle line, in defence of Your camp, I will never beg to be excused from failing strength. I will do the work You entrust to me. While You command, I will fight beneath Your banner. Amen”
St Martin de Tours (c 316-397)
“I preached myself, the scholars came and praised me. I preached Christ, the sinners came and thanked me.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
“It is no use walking somewhere to preach, unless our walking is our preaching.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
“What a tragedy, how many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you!”
St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
“Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which, the compassion of Christ, looks out to the world. Yours are the feet, with which, He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands, with which, He is to bless others now.”
St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church
“Never say to God: “Enough;” simply say, “I am ready.”
Bl Sebastian Valfre (1629-1710)
“I greatly desire to become a saint, that I may be able to make others saints and thus procure the glory of God.”
St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
“In everything, ask yourself only what the Master would have done and do that.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Psalms 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21, Luke 4:38-44
“Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands on everyone of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.” … Luke 4:40-41
REFLECTION – “But observe again, I pray, how great is the efficacy of the touch of His holy flesh. For It both drives away diseases of various kinds and a crowd of demons and overthrows the power of the devil and heals a very great multitude of people in one moment of time. And though able to perform these miracles by a word and the inclination of His will, yet, to teach us something useful, He also lays His hands upon the sick. For it was necessary, most necessary, for us to learn, that the holy flesh which He had made His own, was endowed with the activity of the power of the Word, by His having implanted in it, a godlike might. Let It then take hold of us, or rather let us take hold of It, by the mystical “Giving of thanks,” that It may free us also from the sicknesses of the soul and from the assault and violence of demons.
He would not permit the unclean demons to confess Him; for it was not fitting for them to usurp the glory of the Apostolic office, nor with impure tongue, to talk of the mystery of Christ. Yea! though they speak ought that is true, let no-one put credence in them – for the light is not known by the aid of darkness, as the disciple of Christ teaches us, where he says, “For what communion hath light with darkness? or what consent hath Christ with Beliar?” … … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Incarnation
PRAYER – Heavenly God and Father, through Your Son, Lord God, You shed Your eternal light on all mankind. You gave us our mission, You taught us our way. Grant us the grace to acknowledge the full splendour of our Redeemer, so that, in His steps, we may grow from strength to strength in evangelising all. Fill us with Your Spirit to enlighten and guide us and may the prayers of the Sorrowful Mother of Our Lord Jesus, be our perpetual succour. Through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 2 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time
Prayer for Five Graces By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Eternal Father, Your Son has promised that You would grant, all the graces we ask of You in His name. Trusting in this promise and in the name of and through the merits of Jesus Christ, I ask of You five special graces: First, I ask pardon for all the offenses I have committed, for which I am sorry with all my heart because I have offended Your infinite goodness. Second, I ask for Your divine Light, which will enable me to see the vanity of all things of this earth and see also Your infinite greatness and goodness. Third, I ask for a share in Your love, so that I can detach myself from all creatures, especially from myself and love only Your holy will. Fourth, grant me the grace to have confidence in the merits of Jesus Christ and in the intercession of Mary. Fifth, I ask for the grace of perseverance, knowing that, whenever I call on You for assistance, You will answer my call and come to my aid. I fear only, that I will neglect to turn to You in time of need and thus bring myself to ruin. Grant me the grace to pray always, O Eternal Father, in the name of Our Lord Jesus. Amen
Saint of the Day – 2 September – Saint Nonnosus (c 500-c 575) Monk, Abbot and Deacon. Also known as Nonnosus of Monte Soratte, Nonnoso, Nonosius, Nonoso. Born in c 500 and died in c 575 of natural causes. Additional Memorials – 12 May (discovery of his relics), 19 August (enshrining of relics in Freising, Bamberg, Germany). Patronages – Freising (co-patron), Castel Sant’Elia, Diocese of Sutri and Nepi both in Italy, invoked in Germany against diseases of the kidneys, against physical defects, back pains, Castel Saint’Elia, Italy, Freising, Germany.
He by the best information known, was a Monk at the Abbey in Suppentonia, Italy. He was said to have the ability to perform many miracles and in fact, so many, that they caught the attention of Pope St Gregory I – the Great, who wrote the stories of Nonossus’s life and many miracles he performed. These records from Pope St Gregory, are the only records known to exist of this saint’s life, outside of legend.
St Nonossus was born in 500, in what is believed to be, Mount Soracte, near Rome. He lived a life of prayer as a Monk. He was a Prior at the San Silvestre Monastery on Monte Soratte, north of Rome. He later was a Monk at Suppenntonia, near Civitah, Italy. He was a contemporary of St Benedictine of Nursia.
The sole source of Nonnosus’ life is Pope Gregory the Great, who wrote about St Nonossus after being asked by some friends to create a compendium of miracle stories associated with Italian Saints. Maximian, the Bishop of Syracuse, provided Pope Gregory with some information about Nonnosus. Another source that Pope Gregory drew from was Laurio, an old Monk of the Monastery Suppentonia. Laurio had been a great friend of Nonossus, while the two lived the monastic life there, under the Abbot St Anastasius. According to Gregory, Nonossus was a particularly good-natured man, kind and devout.
St Nonnosus statue, Thierhaupten Abbey
Miracles told of Nonossus, as recorded by St Gregory, state that Nonossus removed an enormous rock that had occupied land on which he wanted to grow cabbage. Fifty pairs of oxen had not been able to move it, after many attempts. He miraculously restored a glass lamp that had been shattered against the floor. He also completely filled many receptacles with olive oil, after a particularly bad harvest for the olive crop, so the people would not go without. He had the ability to calm his Abbot, who was sometimes easily upset and frustrated.
Nonnosus was buried at Monte Soratte . A tablet at his burial site reads “Here rests the servant of Christ, Nonossus, Deacon.” The oil from the eternally burning grave lamp is reported to have healing powers.
Inscription on the tombstone associated with Nonnosus, Molzbichl Church
Nonnosus is mentioned in a 12th-century collection of legends from Carinthia, Austria. His cult spread to Bavaria, where relics are kept in the crypt of Freising Cathedral. Veneration of Nonnosus was also established at Monte Soratte in the 1650s, due to the efforts of Andrea di San Bonaventura, a Cistercian Monk and in 1661 some of his relics returned to Monte Soratte and Nonnosus’ cult spread across central Italy.
St Nonossus’s life teaches us that many before us were willing to serve the Church with all they had, so as to preserve the faith for us. The question that comes to mind, what are we willing to do to learn, live and pass the faith on in our generation, for the generations to come?
St Theodota of Bithynia St Valentine of Strasbourg St William of Roeskilde — Marytrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. No details about them but their names have survived – Concordius, Theodore and Zenone. They were martyrd in Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).
Martyrs of September – 191 beati: Also known as – • Martyrs of Paris,• Martyrs of Carmes. A group of 191 martyrs who died in the French Revolution. They were imprisoned in the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés, Hôtel des Carmes in the rue de Rennes, Prison de la Force and Seminaire de Saint-Firmin in Paris, France by the Legislative Assembly for refusing to take the oath to support the civil constitution of the clergy. This act placed priests under the control of the state, and had been condemned by the Vatican. They were massacred by a mob on 2 September and 3 September 1792 and Beatified on 17 October 1926 by Pope Pius XI.
Martyrs of 2 September – 10 saints: A group of ten Christian martyrs; their names are on old martyrologies but we have lost all record of their lives and deaths. They were canonised. • Antoninus • Diomedes • Eutychian • Hesychius • Julian • Leonides • Menalippus • Pantagapes • Philadelphus • Philip
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Baldomer Margenat Puigmitja • Blessed Fortunato Barrón Nanclares • Blessed Joan Franquesa Costa • Blessed José María Laguía Puerto • Blessed Lorenzo Insa Celma
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Three
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, lovable Mary, the Eternal Word takes delight in your birth, for He sees the source of His Immaculate Blood. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the Word made Flesh, the grace to find in this Divine Blood, the eternal happiness of my soul. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… ………………………. (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity, may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
September – Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In 1668, a separate feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, celebrated on the third Sunday in September, was granted to the Servites. Pope Pius VII introduced it into the General Roman Calendar in 1814. In 1913, Pope Pius X, in view of his reform giving precedence to Sundays over ordinary feasts, moved this feast to 15 September the day after the Feast of the Cross. It is still observed on this date.
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The prophecy of Simeon
The Flight to Egypt
Loss of Child Jesus for 3 days
Meeting Jesus carrying His Cross
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Pieta – receiving Jesus’ Body
The Burial of Jesus
Our Lady of Sorrows is the Patron of:
people named Dolores, Dolorita, Lola and Pia. Poland: the icon Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen and Patroness of Poland (see also: Patron saints of Poland § Primary) was canonically crowned by Pope Paul VI on 15 August 1967. Malta: on Friday of Sorrows, almost all parishes in Malta hold devotional penitentiary processions with a life-size statue of Our Lady of Sorrows through the streets of the parish. Slovakia: 15 September is also a national public holiday the Congregation of Holy Cross Order of the Servants of Mary Mola di Bari and the Molise region of Italy Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, Queen and Patroness of the City and Province of Cavite, Philippines Mississippi, United States Dolores, Abra, Philippines Lanzarote, Canary Islands Mater Dolorosa (Berlin-Lankwitz) Pinabacdao, Samar, Philippines Jia-an, Jiabong, Samar, Philippines Ronda, Cebu, Philippines Tanawan, Bustos, Bulacan, Philippines
Thought for the Day – 1 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Problem of Evil – Part One
“In his second letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul speaks of the Anti-Christ, “the man of sin … the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God…” “Already,” he says, “the mystery of iniquity is at work” (Cf 2 Thess 2:3-7). From the beginning of the Church’s history until the present time, it has always been the same.
There always have been and always will be, men who do evil, not from human weakness but, from motives of malice, so diabolical as to present something of a mystery to us. These can be called Anti-Christ because, they seem to be incarnations of the devil, the spirit of iniquity. They delight in spreading error, in corrupting minds and, in persecuting the Church. They are steeped in all kinds of baseness and nothing pleases them better, than to succeed in inducing the young and the innocent, to follow them in their sinful ways. For this purpose, they employ all the advantages of modern technical progress has to offer – the press, the cinema, the radio and television. In short, they use God’s gifts in their commercialisation of sin, in order to draw souls away from Him.
The realisation of this terrifying fact, provokes two questions. (1) How can such evil be permitted by God, Who made man for Himself and redeemed him with the Blood of His only-begotten Son? (2) What steps can we take to control this alarming and unversal deluge of evil?”
AnaStpaul 
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