Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Monday of the Easter Octave and Memorials of the Saints – 13 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Monday of the Easter Octave +2020

St Pope Martin I (598-655) Martyr (Optional Memorial)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/saint-of-the-day-13-april-st-pope-martin-i/

St Agathonica of Pergamus
St Agathodorus of Pergamus
St Caradoc of Wales
St Carpus of Pergamus
Bl Edward Catherick
Bl Francis Dickenson
St Guinoc
St Hermengild
St Ida of Boulogne
Bl Ida of Louvain
Bl Isabel Calduch Rovira
Bl James of Certaldo
Bl John Lockwood
Bl Margaret of Castello OP (1287-1320)
About Blessed Margaret:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/saint-of-the-day-13-april-blessed-margaret-of-castello-o-p-1287-1320/

St Martius of Auvergne
Bl Miles Gerard
St Papylus of Pergamus
St Proculus of Terni
St Jose Sabás Reyes Salazar (1883-1927) Priest and Martyr of the Cristero War
Bl Scubilion Rousseau FSC (1797-1867)
His life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/13/saint-of-the-day-13-april-blessed-scubilion-rousseau-fsc-1797-1867-the-catechist-of-slaves/

St Ursus of Ravenna
—
Martyrs of Dorostorum – 3 saints: A lector and two students martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian – Dadas, Maximus and Quinctillianus. Beheaded c303 in Dorostorum, Lower Mysia (modern Sillistria, Bulgaria.

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day – 12 April – The Meaning of Easter

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Thought for the Day – 12 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Meaning of Easter

“Today the Church adorns herself in festival array.
Gone are the lengthy lamentations of Holy Saturday and the sorrowful recitations of the Passion and in their place, is the glad cry of Alleluia, the hymn of vitory over death and sin.
The true joy of Easter, lies, not merely in external celebration, however but in the spiritual gladness of the soul.
As Jesus has conquered death and sin, so we must purify ourselves of every trace of guilt by a good confession and must be sure, that it will result in a practical renovation of our lives.
We should approach Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist with greater fervour and humility and with greater trust in His goodness and mercy.
When we have received Him into our hearts, we should ask Him to renew and transform us in Himself.
He is everything and we are nothing without Him.
He is strong, we are weak.
We are capable only of feeble desires to do good but He can make them effective by His grace.
We should not be satisfied with forming general resolutions when we go to confession and receive Holy Communion at Easter.
We should examine the depths of our soul and discover the sin which we are most accustomed to commit and the virtue which we are principally lacking.
As a result of our investigation, we should form a particular resolution to combat this sin and to practise this virtue.
It is only in this way, that our celebration of Easter can inaugurate the beginning of a genuine self-renewal which will gain momentum daily, until it becomes a true spiritual resurrection.
It will be a hard battle, which will necessitate a constant vigilance and a readiness to begin again, everytime we realise, that we have fallen.
It will require an unfailing spirit of prayer but, the final victory, will bring us such happiness, that worldly pleasures will seem empty and illusory, by comparison.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Most of us are barred from the Sacraments at present.   Some, have been able to make their Easter Confession before all this ‘lockdown’ occurred.   For those of us who were not able to do so, now is perhaps the most perfect time to prepare ourselves for the great day, when this time is over and we can, again, joyfully receive the Sacraments!   In the meantime, let us be strong in the Risen Christ and rejoice in His Glory – Alleluia!

the true joy of easter - bacci 12 april 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 April -– Easter – ‘The Door is Open’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 April -– Easter Sunday – The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!!!
For with thee is the fountain of life
and in thy light, we shall see light.

Psalm 36:9

psalm 36 9 alleluia for with thee is the fountain of life 12 april 2020

“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?
Christ is risen and you are overthrown.
Christ is risen and the demons are fallen.
Christ is risen and the angels rejoice.
Christ is risen and life reigns.
Christ is risen and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”

o death where is your sting - st john chrysostom - easter thursday - 5 april 2018

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“There is just one Name in the whole world that lives –
it is the Name of One who passed His years in obscurity
and who died a malefactor’s death.
(Two thousand yeas) have gone by since that time but still It has It’s hold upon the human mind.
It has possessed the world and It maintains possession.
Amid the most various nations, under the most diversified circumstances,
in the most cultivated, in the rudest races and intellects,
in all classes of society, the Owner of that great Name reigns.
High and low, rich and poor, acknowledge Him.
Millions of souls are conversing with Him,
are venturing at His word, are looking for His presence.  Palaces, sumptuous, innumerable, are raised to His honour.
His image, in it’s deepest humiliations,
is triumphantly displayed in the proud city, in the open country,
at the corners of streets, on the tops of mountains.
It sanctifies the ancestral hall, the closet and the bedchamber,
it is the subject for the exercise of the highest genius in the imitative arts.
It is worn next to the heart in life, it is held before the failing eyes in death.

one name that lives st john henry newman 28 march 2020

O fulfil Your Resurrection in us
and as You have purchased us,
claim us, take possession of us,
make us Thine.”
Amen

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

o-fulfil-your-resurrection-in-us-st-john-henry-newman-20-oct-2019 12 april 2020

“It seems as if the human world
has no doors opening toward God.
It is locked in upon itself.
It is a prison, a house of the dead.

it seems as if the humand ...ia a house of the dead but today the door is open - pope benedict ratzinger 12 april 2020
[BUT TODAY] …
The Door is open
It is called
Jesus Christ”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger – Pope Benedict XVI

Seek That Which is Above

the-door-is-open-pope-benedict-1-april-2018-12 april 2020

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 April – Easter Sunday – The first day of the new life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 April – Easter Sunday – The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord, Readings: Acts 10:34, 37-43, Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23, Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, John 20:1-9 or Matthew 28:1-10

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. … John 20:1mary magdalene came to the tomb - john 20 1 -12 april 2020

REFLECTION – “Here is a wise saying: “The day of prosperity makes one forget adversity” (Sir 11:25).   Today the first sentence passed against us has been forgotten – more! not just forgotten but cancelled!   This day has wiped away completely all remembrance of our condemnation.   In former times childbearing took place in pain, now we are born without suffering.   Formerly we were no more than flesh, born of the flesh, today, what is born is spirit, born of the Spirit.   Yesterday we were born mere children of men, today we are born children of God.   Yesterday we were cast out of heaven to the earth, today, He who reigns in the heavens makes us citizens of heaven.   Yesterday, death reigned because of sin, today, thanks to Him who is the Life, righteousness regains its might.

In former times one man opened for us the gates of death, today, the one Man brings us back to life.   Yesterday, life was lost to us because of death but today, Life has destroyed death.   Yesterday, shame caused us to hide ourselves beneath the fig tree, today, glory draws us towards the tree of life.   Yesterday, disobedience expelled us from Paradise, today, our faith causes us to enter it.   Once again the fruit of life is held out to us to be enjoyed as much as we wish.   Once again the stream of Paradise, whose water irrigates us through the four rivers of the gospels (cf. Gn 2:10), comes to refresh the whole face of the Church. (…)

From now on what are we to do but imitate the mountains and hills of the prophecies in their leaping for joy:  “Mountains, skip like rams; hills, like lambs of the flock!” (Ps 114[113]:4). “Come, then, let us sing joyfully to the Lord!” (Ps 95[94]:1).   He has broken the power of the enemy and raised up the great trophy of the cross…   So let us say: “The Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods!” (Ps 95[94],3).   He blesses the year by crowning it with His bounty (cf. Ps 65[64]:12) and He gathers us together in spiritual chorus in Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory for endless ages. Amen.” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335-395) – Father of the Church – Homily for the holy and life-giving Paschjesus christ is risen - in former times - st gregory of nyssa easter sun 12 april 2020

PRAYER – Breviary Hymn
Jesus Christ is ris’n today, Alleluia
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ our heav’nly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!

But the pains which He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now He rules eternal King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing, Alleluia!

Praise to God the Father sing, Alleluia!
Praise to God the Son, our King, Alleluia!
Praise to God the Spirit be, Alleluia!
Now and through eternity, Alleluia!jesus christ is risen today alleluia 12 april 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 12 April – St Pope Gregory the Great’s Easter Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 12 April – Easter Sunday – The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord

Easter Prayer
By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

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!
We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants
in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with God The Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Ameneaster-prayer-by-st-pope-gregory-the-great-monday-in-easter-week-22-april-2019 and 12 april 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION

Solemnity of Solemnities – Easter Sunday – 12 April

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Solemnity of Solemnities
Easter Sunday – 12 April – The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord

A Blessed and Holy Easter to you all!
Alleluia!

Christós anésti.
Jesus Christ is risen!  He is truly risen!
Alleluia!
Amen

a-blessed-and-holy-easter-to-you-all-1-april-2018 and 2019 and 12 april 2020

Today we forget the troubles of the world, for we have reached our goal, today is Easter, the day we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection.   This is the single most important feast day of the Church.   With Christ’s Death and Resurrection, Christ has conquered sin and death, the gates of heaven are now open to man.

Yes, Lord, make us Easter people,
men and women of light,
filled with the fire of Your love.
Amen

Pope Francis

Fr Francis Fernandez from his ‘In Conversation with God:  Daily Meditations, Volume Two.’ explains why this feast is so pivotal:

“The glorious Resurrection of the Lord is the key to interpreting His whole life and the ground of our faith.   Without this victory over death, says St Paul, all our preaching would be useless and our faith in vain.
Furthermore, the guarantee of our future resurrection is secured upon the Resurrection of Christ, because although we were dead through sin, God, full of mercy, moved by the infinite compassion with which He loved, gave us Christ…and He raised us with Him. Easter is the celebration of our Redemption and, therefore, the celebration of thanksgiving and joy.
The Resurrection of the Lord is a central reality of the Catholic faith and has been preached as such since the beginning of Christianity.   The importance of this miracle is so great that the Apostles are, above all else, witnesses of Jesus’ Resurrection (cf. Acts 1:22; 2:43; 3:15; etc.).   They announce that Christ is alive and this becomes the nucleus of all their preaching.   After twenty centuries this is what we announce to the world – Christ lives!   The fact of the resurrection is the supreme argument for the divinity of Our Lord….”

“And Jesus Christ lives.
And this crowns us with happiness.
This is the great truth which fills our faith with meaning.
Jesus, who died on the cross, has risen.
He has triumphed over death,
He has overcome sorrow, anguish and the power of darkness…
In Him we find everything.
Outside of Him our life is empty “

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

and jesus christ lives - st josemaria escriva -12 april 2020 easter sunday

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 12 April – Saint David Uribe Velasco (1889-1927) Priest and Martyr of the Cristero War

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Saint of the Day – 12 April – Saint David Uribe Velasco (1889-1927) Priest and Martyr of the Cristero War – born on 29 December 1888 at Buenavista de Cuellar, Guerrero, Mexico and died by being shot in the back of the neck on 12 April 1927 near San Jose Videl, Morelia, Mexico.

He was born in Buenavista de Cuéllar, (Diocese of Chilapa), on 29 December 1889 as the son of Juan Uribe and Victoria Velasco, a humble couple of few material resources but of many exemlary virtues.   He was the seventh of eleven children.ST DAVID URIBE VELASCO

In 1903 he began his ecclesiastical preparation at the Seminary of Chilapa and was Ordained as a Priest on 2 March 1913.   After his Ordination he left for his hometown and there he celebrated his first Holy Mass on 12 March 1913.   A while later he became the personal secretary to His Excellency, Antonio Hernandez Rodriguez, the Bishop of Tabasco.

After the persecution of the Church was unleashed and his Bishop was exiled, he became the Parish Priest of Iguala, Gro. (Diocese of Chilapa), where he exercised his ministry with exemplary pastoral zeal and prudence, especially in a region which was suffering under the virulent attacks by Freemasonry, Protestantism and a group of schismatics.

Fr David had a great and profound love for the Holy Eucharist and the Virgin of Guadalupe – in his sermons he continually extolled the necessity of constantly crying out for the protection of the Mexican people.ST DAVID URIBE VELASCO PHOTO

On 7 April 1927, the soldier who arrested him proposed all kinds of guarantees and freedom if he accepted the laws including being made a bishop of the schismatic Church created by the Government of the Republic but Father David reaffirmed what he had written a month earlier and which reveals all the strength of his faith and his fidelity –

“If I was anointed with the holy oil that makes me a minister of the Most High, why not be anointed with my blood in defence of souls redeemed with the blood of Christ?
What happiness to die defending the rights of God!
I would die rather than ignore the Vicar of Christ!”

Already, whilst he was in prison he wrote his last words:

“I declare that I am innocent of the crimes that I am accused of.
I am in the hands of God and the Virgin of Guadalupe.
I ask God for forgiveness and I forgive my enemies;
I apologise to those who I might have offended.”

last will and testament of st david uribe
The last Will and Testament of St David

He was taken to a place near the San José Vistahermosa station, called Morelos (Diocese of Cuernavaca).   As he exited the car, he fell on his knees and from the depths of his soul he begged God for the forgiveness of his sins and for the salvation of Mexico and it’s Church.   He got up slowly and addressing the soldiers with a fatherly tone, said to them:

“Brothers, kneel down so that I may bless you.   With all my heart I forgive you and I only ask that you pray to God for my soul.   As for me, I will not forget you when I am before Him.”

He firmly raised his right hand and in the air, traced the Sign of the Cross.   He then divided his possessions between the soldiers, his watch, his Crucifix, his Rosary.

He was then sacrificed with a shot to the neck on 12 April 1927. … Vatican.va

His relics rest in the Church of St Anthony of Padua in his native town of Buenavista de Cuellar.relics st davidrelics st david - st anthony of padua

A Shrine and Chapel dedicated to St David resides in the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Iguala.Fotos Nuevas Nov 2011Saint_David_Uribe_Velasco_Chapel,_Saint_Francis_of_Assisi_Church,_Iguala_de_la_Independencia,_Guerrero,_Mexico_01

Saint David was Beatified on 22 November 1992 and Canonised on 21 May 2000 by St Pope John Paul II .

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY

Easter Sunday: The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord +2020 and Memorials of the Saints – 12 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Easter Sunday:  The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord +2020

Christós anésti.
Jesus Christ is risen! He is truly risen!

resurrection 6

St Acutina
St Alferius of La Cava
Bl Andrew of Montereale
Bl Angelo Carletti di Chivasso OFM (1411-1495)
Blessed Angelo’s Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/saint-of-the-day-12-apil-blessed-angelo-carletti-di-chivasso/

St Artemón of Caesarea

St Basil of Parion
St Constantine of Gap
St Damian of Pavia
St David Uribe Velasco (1889-1927) Priest and Martyr of the Cristero War
St Erkemboden of Thérouanne
St Florentin of Arles
St Pope Julius I
St Lorenzo of Belem
St Peter of Montepiano
St Sabas the Lector
St Teresa de Jesús “de los Andes” OCD (1900-1920)
St Teresa’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/12/saint-of-the-day-12-april-saint-teresa-de-jesus-de-los-andes-ocd-1900-1920/
St Tetricus of Auxerre
St Victor of Braga
St Vissia of Fermo
St Wigbert
St Zeno of Verona (c 300 – 371)
About St Zeno:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/saint-of-the-day-12-april-st-zeno-of-verona-c-300-371/

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, JESUIT SJ, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

11 April – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night – Sabbatum Sanctum – “He has ripped open a hole in history that can never be filled-in again.”

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Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday – 11 April – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:2, Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20-22, Genesis 22:1-18, Psalm 16:5, 8-11, Exodus 14:15–15:1, Responsorial psalm Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18, Isaiah 54:5-14, Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, Isaiah 55:1-11, Responsorial psalm Isaiah 12:2-6, Baruch 3:9-15, 32–4:4, Psalm 19:8-11, Ezekiel 36:16-28, Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3-4, Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 15-17, 22-23, Matthew 28:1-10

lumen christi easter-vigil-in-the-holy-night-31-march-2018 and 11 april 2020

In these most difficult times, when we are excluded from our Churches, from our Sacraments, I have found much consolation in doing all the readings at home, with these reflections from Cardinal-elect (nearly – sadly he died just before the ceremony) Hans Urs.  Perhaps, these times are “nothing but occurrences of grace.”

easter morning - the tomb empty resurrection gettyimages-1134712261-romolotavani1200

Light of the Word
Genesis 22:1-18, Exodus 14:15–15:1, Matthew 28:1-10
By Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)
Cardinal-elect, Theologian

“He has Ripped Open a Hole in History that Can Never be Filled-in Again.”

1. With Jesus’ death, the word of God ends.
In the weariness of Mary, pierced by every possible sword of suffering, the Church mutely holds vigil at the grave.
All living faith, all living hope, is deposited with God.
No premature Alleluia sounds.
The watching and waiting Church takes the time to recall the long path through all stages of salvation history that God has followed with His people, since the creation of the world – seven events unfold before the Church’s spiritual eyes.
She sees salvation, even in the most difficult of all events – in Abraham’s sacrifice, in the narrow escape across the divided sea, in the homecoming from exile.
And she understands, that they were nothing but occurrences of grace.
The sacrifice of Isaac, ultimately confirmed, both Abraham’s obedience and God’s promises;  apparent submersion in the sea, proved to be Israel’s salvation and the burial of it’s enemies;  exile itself, was Israel’s lengthy purification and return to God.1233px-The_dead_Christ_and_three_mourners,_by_Andrea_Mantegnabotticelli lamentation over the dead christ 1492 detail

2. Thus, in the second reading (Exodus 14:15-15:1) the Church recognises that her own death in Baptism, is a dying with Jesus, a dying into eternal salvation n Him, a dying into resurrection with Him toward God, into a new sinless and deathless life.
No mere ceremony can accomplish this miracle – only a genuine “co-crucifixion” with Christ, of the old, sinful man, a co-crucifixion that permits a co-dying and co-burial to take place, can accomplish this.
This is essentially, a gift given by God to the person baptised, a gift that is also a lifelong challenge to make the gift come true in the Christian’s existence.
The two belong inseparably together, if the gift given in Christ is to prevail in the Christian’s life – he must become what he is, he must unfold what he has!
Thus the shift from Good Friday to Easter, must be two things at once – joy at the most sublime gift and determination to keep one’s baptismal promises.
It is fitting to renew these promises while celebrating the Easter Vigil.

vasili nesterenko the crucifixion 1997

 

3. Only now, can the holy women hear the angel’s message.
He invites the women to come closer and view the empty place where Jesus lay.
“He is not here.”
No longer visible, tangible, confirmable in time and place – all this must be renounced.
In all of world history, no-one has left so “emply a place” behind, as did this person who was buried here, only yesterday.
He who entered history, with such emphasis, is no longer comprehensible within history.
“He is risen, as he said,” He has ripped open a hole in history that can never be filled-in again.
Thorough guarding of the grave could not prevent this opening and the more men try to fill it, to plug it up, the wider it gapes.
Instead of this emptiness, the women are given the joy of their message to the disciples, a joy that is further intensified, when the Lord Himself appears to them and renews the mission:  “They should go to Galilee, where they will see me.”
There, where everything had begun, in the ordinariness of a secular calling, new life would begin.
In the unpretentious, begins the incomprehensibly unique!

Be blessed, be joyful for the Lord is HERE!   ‘Become what you are, unfold what you have!’tissot - 3 women at the empty tomb

Appearance-of-Christ-to-his-Disciples EASTER RESURRECTION

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SLOTH, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 11 April – Jesus is Condemned to Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Jesus is Condemned to Death

“Pilate was neither wicked nor cruel.
He was a weak opportunist who placed his position as Governor of Judea and his own personal interests above everything else in life.
He was prepared, moreover, to adopt the meanest of compromises.
He had acquitted Jesus, because, he believed Him to be innocent.
But he panicked as soon as he heard the crowd shouting and the Jewish priests accusing him of being no friend of the Emperor.
Then, he had recourse to an expedient.
When he saw Jesus covered with blood, crowned with thorns and clothed in purple rags, he showed Him to the crowd, in the hope, that their frenzied hearts would be touched with compassion.
He said only a few simple words.
“Behold the man!”
He wished them to see the condition to which this man had been reduced, who had been accused and mocked by them.
Looking like a trampled worm, He would stir up pity in every heart.   In the crowd, there were people who had been enchanted by the glory of His heavenly teaching.
Some of them had listened to Him in Jerusalem only a few days previously, when He was greeted by tumults of applause.
Others had received favours and miracles from Him.
But the good folk remained silent, for they could not summon up the courage to express any sentiments of gratitude or of humanity, in that gathering.
A roar drowned the words of Pilate.
“Let Him be crucified!”

Sometimes, when we see what is good and just, a rebellious impulse suddenly rises up inside us.
Unfortunately, we may yield to it on occasion and stifle the higher inspirations, which we receive.
Let us resolve never to be guilty of weak or unworthy conduct towards Jesus and to obey at all costs, the dictates of a sound conscience.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

behold the man - bacci 11 april 2020 holy sat

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – Sabbatum Sanctum – I am the Christ.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday –

Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

“Darkness is not dark for you and night shines as the day” (Ps 138:12)

“…He slept so that we might be awakened,
He died so that we might live.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

psalm 138 12 darkness is not dark - he slept so that we might be awakend - st augustine holy sat 20 april 2019

In Praise of Christ

Born as a son,
led forth as a lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
He rose from the dead as a God,
for He was by nature God and man.

He is all things:
He judges and so He is Law,
He teaches and so He is Wisdom,
He saves and so He is Grace,
He begets and so He is Father,
He is begotten and so He is Son,
He suffers and so He is Sacrifice,
He is buried and so He is man,
He rises again and so He is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs glory for all ages.

in praise of christ born as a son led forth as a lamb st melito of sardis 11 april 2020

“The Lord, though He was God, became man.
He suffered for the sake of whose who suffer,
He was bound for those in bonds,
condemned for the guilty,
buried for those who lie in the grave
but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:
“Who will contend with me? Let him confront me.”
I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life,
raised men from their graves.
Who has anything to say against me?
I, He said, am the Christ, I have destroyed death,
triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot,
bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of heaven.
I am the Christ.
Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you.
I am your forgiveness.
I am the Passover that brings salvation.
I am the lamb who was immolated for you.
I am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King.
I will bring you to the heights of heaven.
With my own right hand I will raise you up
and I will show you the eternal Father.”

– from a letter by Saint Melito of Sardis

Saint Melito, Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180)
Early Church Father

 

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY SATURDAY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 April – ‘And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.’

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One Minute Reflection – 11 April – Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, Readings: Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 15-17, 22-23, Matthew 28:1-10

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet and did him homage. … Matthew 28:9matthew 28 9 and behold jesus met them on their way and greeted them - holy sat 11 april 2020

REFLECTION – “When the third day dawned of the Lord’s sacred repose in the tomb (…) Christ, the “power and Wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24), with the author of death lying prostrate, conquered even death itself and opened to us access to eternity, when He raised Himself from the dead by His divine power in order to make known to us the paths of life.

Then there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, with raiment like snow and his countenance like lightening.   He appeared attractive to the devout and severe to the wicked – for he terrified the soldiers and comforted the timid women, to whom the Lord Himself first appeared after rising, because their intense devotion so merited.   Then He was seen by Peter, then by the disciples going to Emmaus, then by all the apostles except Thomas.   Later He presented Himself to be touched by Thomas, who proclaimed his faith:  “My Lord and my God.”   And thus, during forty days, He appeared in many ways to His disciples, both eating and drinking with them.

He enlightened our faith with proofs and lifted up our hope with promises, so as finally to enkindle our love with gifts from heaven.” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Churchhe enlightened our faith with proofs - st bonaventure holy sat 11 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, whose only-begotten Son, descended to the realm of the dead and rose from there in glory, grant that Your faithful people, who were buried with Him in Baptism, may, by His Resurrection, obtain eternal life.   With Mary His Mother, who in her sorrow remained with Him at the Cross and by whose prayers we receive succour, grant that we too will be with Him in glory.   Through Christ our Lord and Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.mother of sorrows pray for us 20 april 2019 holy sat

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Beautiful and Glorious

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Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

Beautiful and Glorious
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

I look at You, my Lord Jesus
and think of Your most holy Body
and I keep it before me
as the pledge of my own resurrection.
Though I die, as die I certainly shall,
nevertheless, I shall not forever die,
for I shall rise again.
O You, who are the Truth,
I know and believe,
with my whole heart,
that this very flesh of mine will rise again.
I know, base and odious as it is at present,
that it will one day, if I be worthy,
be raised incorruptible
and altogether beautiful and glorious.
This I know, this by Your grace,
I will ever keep before me.
Amenbeautiful and glorious - bl john henry newman - holy sat 10 april 2020

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, The PASSION

Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday, The “Second Sabbath”- 11 April

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Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday, The “Second Sabbath” – 11 April

Holy Saturday (from Sabbatum Sanctum, its official liturgical name) is sacred as the day of the Lord’s rest.   It has been called the “Second Sabbath” after creation.
The day is and should be, the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function.Descent-from-the-Cross-Pieter-van-Mol-838x1102 deposition

Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns.
After the great battle He is resting in peace but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering…
The mortal wounds on His Body remain visible…Jesus’ enemies are still furious, attempting to obliterate the very memory of the Lord by lies and slander.jesus-burial-tomb-1083559-wallpaper-copy-1024x769

Mary and the disciples are grief-stricken, while the Church must mournfully admit that too many of her children return home from Calvary cold and hard of heart.
When Mother Church reflects upon all of this, it seems as if the wounds of her dearly Beloved were again beginning to bleed.

We are tempted to rush from Good Friday to Easter.   Mother Church with wisdom, separates the two with Holy Saturday – a day of peace and rest – a day to quietly ponder and pray – a day to sit in silence at the tomb of Jesus.   “What is happening?   Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence and stillness, a great silence, because the King sleeps, the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages.”   We do not need words to express our misery.   We need silence to ponder the mystery.   Silence is the best expression of what is deepest in us, for silence alone, can express what words cannot.

Christ-Descending-from-the-Cross-Nicolas-Tournier

According to tradition, the entire body of the Church is represented in Mary – she is the “credentium collectio universa” (the gathering of the universal Church) (Congregation for Divine Worship, Lettera circolare sulla preparazione e celebrazione delle feste pasquali, 73).
Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as she waits near the Lord’s tomb, as she is represented in Christian tradition, is an icon of the Virgin Church keeping vigil at the tomb of her Spouse while awaiting the celebration of His Resurrection.james tissot - 2 marys watch at the tomb
The pious exercise of the Ora di Maria is inspired by this intuition of the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the Church – while the body of her Son lies in the tomb and His soul has descended to the dead to announce liberation, from the shadow of darkness to His ancestors, the Blessed Virgin Mary, foreshadowing and representing the Church, awaits, in faith, the victorious triumph of her Son over death. — Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgysorrowful mother with apostle peter maybe

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 11 April – Saint Barsanuphius the Hermit

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Saint of the Day – 11 April – Saint Barsanuphius the Hermit (Died c 563) Hermit, Spiritual guide gifted with the charism of Prophecy, miracle-worker – also known as St Barsanuphius of Gaza, of Palestine and of Oria and Barsanofio (Italian).    Patronage – Oria, City and Diocese.san-barsanofrio

Saint Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is unknown).   From his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life.   Later he built a cell near the monastery of Saint Seridon of Gaza in Palestine.   Locked in his cell, the ascetic led a life of silence.  He lived in absolute seclusion for fifty years.   ‘United to all and separated from all’.   St Barsanuphius devoted himself entirely to prayer and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection.

After spending a long time in seclusion, Saint Barsanuphius, thereafter and until the death of Saint John the Prophet, began to serve others by instructing them on the path to salvation, as St Dorotheus testifies.   Saint Barsanuphius replied to those seeking his spiritual direction through Saint John, sometimes instructing him to give the answers.

It is these letters, of varying length, that constitute the “Correspondence” of Barsanuphius, published with that of St John the Prophet in a Collection  . The more than 800 documents preserved, contain, in addition to their spiritual interest, a wealth of information on the situation of the Palestine Church in the sixth century and on the relations of Abbot Seridos’ monastery with the outside world.

The precepts of Saints Barsanuphius and John clearly show the degree of their moral perfection and their love for people but contain scant facts about their lives.   Saint Barsanuphius survived his disciple and friend but after St John’s death, embraced complete silence and refused to give answers to anyone.   We do not know exactly when Saint Barsanuphius died, some sources say around 563.

His relics arrived in Oria, in Italy, with a Palestinian monk in 850 and were placed in the present-day church of San Francesco da Paola by Bishop Theodosius.   During a Moorish siege and taking of the city, the relics were lost but then later rediscovered and placed in the city’s Cathedral Basilica where his feast is celebrated with great devotion, on 20 February each year.   The Statue above is in the Basilica and the one at the end is also somewhere in Oria – see the note from the local news there:    “Oria:  everything is ready for the Feast of the Patron Saint San Barsanofio – At the end of the Mass, after the ritual of the symbolic handover of the keys by the Mayor of Oria to the Statue of San Barsanofio, … a procession will proceed through the City with a stop at the Church of San Francesco di Paola and the crypt of San Barsanofio…” ST BARSANUPHIUS

At Oria he is considered to have saved the city from destruction wrought by foreign invaders.   A legend states that he repelled a Spanish invasion by appearing before the Spanish commander armed with a sword. During World War II, he is said to have spread his blue cape across the sky, thus causing a rainstorm and preventing an air bombing by Allied Forces.

From the tenth century onwards, his cult is attested to in Constantinople, where his memory is celebrated in August.San_Barsanofio_in_Oria

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, SAINT of the DAY

Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night +2020 and Memorials of the Saints – 11 April

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Holy Saturday – Sabbatum Sanctum – Easter Vigil in the Holy Night +2020

Sabbatum Sanctum – Holy Saturday: “Watching” and The Easter Vigil of the Holy Night

On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on His suffering and death.

The altar is left bare and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated.

Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the Resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days.

St Stanislaus (1030-1079) Bishop and Martyr (Memorial)
St Stanislaus life:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/saint-of-the-day-11-april-st-stanislaus/

St Agericus of Tours
St Aid of Achard-Finglas
Bl Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
St Antipas of Pergamon
St Barsanuphius the Hermit (Died c 563)
St Domnio of Salona
Bl Elena Guerra
St Eustorgius of Nicomedia
St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)
St Gemma:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/saint-of-the-day-11-april-st-gemma-galgani-1878-1903/

Bl George Gervase
St Godeberta of Noyon
St Guthlac of Crowland (674–715)
Biography:

Saint of the Day – 11 April – St Guthlac (674–715)


St Hildebrand of Saint-Gilles
St Isaac of Monteluco
Bl James of Africa
Bl John of Cupramontana
Bl Lanunio
St Machai
St Maedhog of Clonmore
Bl Mechthild of Lappion
Bl Paul of Africa
St Philip of Gortyna
St Raynerius Inclusus
St Sancha of Portugal
St Stephen of Saint-Gilles
Bl Symforian Ducki

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, STATIONS of the CROSS

STATIONS OF THE CROSS 10 April 2020 Meditations from Padua Prison with Pope Francis

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GOOD FRIDAY
10 APRIL 2020

STATIONS OF THE CROSS 10 April 2020553px-stations of the cross - jesus meets veronica_(Museo_del_Prado)

Meditations from Padua Prison with Pope Francis

The meditations on the Stations of the Cross this year were prepared by the chaplaincy of the “Due Palazzi” House of Detention in Padua.   Fourteen people were invited by Pope Francis to meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing it to bear on their own situations.   Those invited included five prisoners, a family that was the victim of a murder, the daughter of a man given a life sentence, a prison teacher, a civil magistrate, the mother of a prisoner, a catechist, a volunteer religious brother, a prison guard and a Priest who was accused and then finally acquitted after eight years in the justice system.

These Stations are magnificent!  Let us Pray:

O God, Almighty Father,
in Jesus Christ Your Son
You assumed the wounds and sufferings of humanity.
Today I have the courage to beseech You, like the good thief:  “Remember me!”
I am here, alone before You, in the dark of this prison:
poor, naked, hungry and despised and I ask You to pour out upon my wounds,
the balm of forgiveness and consolation
and the wine of a solidarity that strengthens the heart.
Heal me with Your grace and teach me hope in the midst of despair.
My Lord and my God, I believe, help my unbelief.
Merciful Father, continue to trust in me, to give me fresh opportunities,
to embrace me in Your infinite love.
With Your help and by the gift of the Holy Spirit,
I too will be able to recognise You
and serve You, in my brothers and sisters.
Amen.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2020/documents/ns_lit_doc_20200410_via-crucis-meditazioni_en.html

Posted in HOLY WEEK, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 10 April – Jesus in Gethsemane

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Thought for the Day – 10 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Jesus in Gethsemane

“After the last supper, when Judas had disappeared in order to carry out his treacherous plan, Jesus walked, with His other eleven Apostles among the olive trees of Gethsemane.
He took aside three of the most faithful and then went away a few paces from them and prostrated Himself on the ground in fervent prayer.
Being God, Jesus had no need of prayer but He wished to give us an example of how we ought to behave in moments of trial and danger.
Three times He rose and went over to the Apostles, who were tired and had fallen asleep.
He reproached them gently and exhorted them to pray.
“Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed, is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38).
We often have a similar experience.
Temptation assails us from within and, from without and we remain unmoved and inactive.
But how can we escape from danger without the help of God?
The divine help comes to us from grace, which must be sought by prayer.
The electric current ceases, if the switch cuts off it’s contact with the source, from which it is derived.
In the same way, the divine grace of which we are in constant need, is cut off, if we do not remain united by prayer to God, the source of the spiritual life.
Let us learn from our divine model, Jesus, how to watch and pray always, especially in times of temptation and of peril.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HYMNS, I BELIEVE!, POETRY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – The Sign of the Cross

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

“Great thing is the knowledge of the crucified Christ.
How many things are enclosed inside this treasure!
Christ crucified!
Such is the hidden treasure of wisdom and science.
Do not be deceived, then, under the pretext of wisdom.
Gather before the covering and pray, that it may be uncovered.
Foolish philosopher of this world, what you are looking for is worthless…
What is the advantage of being thirsty, if you despise the source? …
And what is His precept but that we believe in Him and love each other?
In whom? In Christ crucified.
This is His commandment – that we believe in Christ crucified …
But where humility is, there is also majesty,
where weakness is, there shall one find power,
where death is, there shall be life as well.
If you wish to arrive at the second part, do not despise the first!“

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Sermon 160, 3-4

this is his commandment that we believe - st augustine good friday 10 april 2020

“Come, kneel before the Lord:
He shed for us His Blood.
He died the victim of pure love,
To make us one with God.”

Edward Caswall (1814-1878)

(15 July 1814 – 2 January 1878) was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer
who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a Oratorian under St John Henry Newman.

come kneel before the lord - edward caswall - orat st john henry - good friday 10 april 2020

The Sign of the Cross

WHENE’ER across this sinful flesh of mine
I draw the Holy Sign,
All good thoughts stir within me and renew
Their slumbering strength divine,
Till there springs up a courage high and true
To suffer and to do.

And who shall say but hateful spirits around,
For their brief hour unbound,
Shudder to see and wail their overthrow?
While on far heathen ground
Some lonely Saint hails the fresh odour, though
Its source he cannot know.

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Oxford – 25 November 1832

the sign of the cross st john henry newman poem 10 april 2020 good friday

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The PASSION, The SECOND COMING, The SIGN of the CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – Friday of the Passion of the Lord – 10 April – Jesu!

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One Minute Reflection – Friday of the Passion of the Lord – 10 April, Readings:  Isaiah 52:13–53:12, Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1-19:42

There they crucified him and with him two others, one on either side and Jesus between them … John 18:18

REFLECTION – “Truly, you are a hidden God!” (Is 45:15).   Why hidden?   Because He had neither form nor beauty, yet power was in His hands.   It was there His fortitude was hidden.

Was He not hidden when he submitted His hands to brutes and His palms received the nails?   The print of the nails gleamed on His hands and His innocent side received the wound.   They shackled His feet in fetters, the iron pierced His soles and His feet were fastened to the tree.   These wounds did God suffer on our behalf at the hands of His own people, in His own home.   O how marvellous are His wounds by which the wounds of the world were healed!   How victorious His wounds, by which He slew death and stung hell! (…) Therefore, O Church, O dove, you have coverts in the rock and a hollow in the wall in which to rest (cf. Sg 2:14). (…)

And what will you do (…) when He comes in the clouds with great power and majesty? (cf. Mt 24:30)   He will come down with heaven and earth ablaze and by the terror of His coming He will dissolve the elements.   When He has come, the Sign of the Cross will be seen in the sky and the beloved one will show the scars of His wounds and the prints of the nails by which He was transfixed in His own home.” … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) – Cistercian Monk, Bishop

PRAYER – The Angel of the Agony
Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Jesu! by that shuddering dread which fell on Thee.
Jesu! by that cold dismay which sicken’d Thee.
Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrill’d in Thee.
Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee.
Jesu! by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee.
Jesu! by that innocence that girded Thee.
Jesu! by that sanctity that reign’d in Thee.
Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee.
Jesu! spare those souls which are so dear to Thee.
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee.
Hasten, Lord, their hour and bid them come to Thee.
To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze on Thee.
Amen

jesu the angel of the agony st john henry newman good friday 10 april 2020
Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOOD FRIDAY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 10 April – St Bernard’s Our Lord’s Passion

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Our Morning Offering – 10 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Our Lord’s Passion
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church

In Your hour of holy sadness
could I share with You, what gladness
should Your Cross to me be showing.
Gladness past all thought of knowing,
bowed beneath Your Cross to die!

Blessed Jesus, thanks I render
that in bitter death, so tender,
You now hear Your supplicant calling,
Save me Lord and keep from falling
from You,
when my hour is night.

our-lords-passion-st-bernard-17-march-2018

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 10 April – St Miguel de Sanctis O.SS.T (1591-1625)

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Saint of the Day – 10 April – St Miguel de Sanctis O.SS.T (1591-1625) Priest of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives also known as the Trinitarian Order or the Trinitarians, Mystic, Penitent, Ecstatic, Apostle of prayer, mortification, of the poor and the sick, he had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and would fall into ecstatic prayer during the Consecration at Holy Mass, so much so, that he became known as “El Extático”, “The Ecstatic.”  ST MIGUEL DE SANCTIS SML

Born as Miguel Argemir on 29 September 1591 at Vich, Catalonia, Spain and died on 10 April 1625 at Valladolid, Spain of natural causes, aged 33.   He is also known as Michael of the Saints.    Patronages – Cancer patients, Vich – his hometown.   His brief life of thirty three years was one of great love for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.   His generous service to the poor, the unfortunate and the sick made him a compassionate Priest and a faithful friend.ST MIGUEL DE SANCTIS LG HEADER

At the age of six, he announced to his parents that he would become a monk when he grew up.   His mother told him about the great St Francis and Michael went about imitating the man from Assisi.   He was so zealous in his imitation of Francis that his parents had to prevent him from doing too much for his young age  . Still, his enthusiasm for a life of prayer and poverty and holiness endured.

His parents died while he was still young and he was apprenticed to a merchant.   He did his work well and whenever he had free time, he gave it to prayerful devotions.   Then, at the age of twelve, he went to Madrid and asked to be received into the Monastery of the Trinitarians there.   After his Novitiate in 1607, he took his vows at the Order’s Monastery of St Lambert, at Zaragoza when he took the name of Miguel de Sanctis.sveti-mihael-de-sanctis

After meeting a Discalced Trinitarian Priest, when he was just 17, he felt an overwhelming desire to become a Priest with their Order  . He felt drawn to that Congregations more austere lifestyle and after much deliberation and with the permission of his superior, he entered the Congregation of the Discalced Trinitarians at Madrid.   After being ordained a Priest, he was elected as Superior of the Monastery at Valladolid, for two tenures.   He led the Monastery as Superior by example, living in holiness, often displaying heroic virtues of humility and prayer.st miguel-sanctis

St Miguel died on 10 April 1625 at the age of 33.   Miracles were reported through his intercession both before and after his death.   He was Beatified by Pope Pius VI on 24 May 1779.st miguel pencil artwork

After eleven days of prayer, Frances Sanz was cured through his intercession.   The cancerous tumours on her lip and tongue disappeared.   No scars were left.   Hers was one of many such cures and was presented as one of many miracles when Pope Pius IX Canonised Miguel on 8 June 1862.   The feast of St Miguel de Sanctis is celebrated on 8 June in the Trinatarian Order and today, 10 April, with great joy in his hometown of Vich.ST MIGUEL DE SANCTIS STATUE SPAIN

The Municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec, Canada, is named in his honour.

576px-091015-ST MIGUEL DE SANCTIS Ausa_021
St Michael de Sanctis,18th century Statue in the Church of Vich

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Friday of the Passion of the Lord +2020 and Memorials of the Saints -10 April

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Friday of the Passion of the Lord +2020

Bl Antony Neyrot OP (1425-1460) Martyr
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/saint-of-the-day-10-april-blessed-antony-neyrot-o-p-1425-1460-martyr/

Bl Antonio Vallesio
St Apollonius of Alexandria
Bl Archangelus Piacentini
St Bademus
St Bede the Younger
St Beocca of Chertsey
Bl Boniface Zukowski
Bl Eberwin of Helfenstein
St Ethor of Chertsey
St Ezekiel the Prophet
St Fulbert of Chartres (c 960-1029) Bishop
About St Fulbert:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/saint-of-the-day-10-april-st-fulbert-of-chartres/

St Gajan
St Hedda of Peterborough
St Macarius of Antioch
St Magdalena of Canossa (1774-1835)
Her Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/10/saint-of-the-day-10-april-saint-magdalena-of-canossa-1774-1835/

St Malchus of Waterford
Bl Marco Mattia
Bl Mark Fantucci
St Miguel de Sanctis O.SS.T (1591-1625)
St Palladius of Auxerre
St Paternus the Scot
—
Martyrs of Carthage – 50 saints: A group of 50 Christians who were imprisoned in a pen of snakes and scorpions, and then martyred, all during the persecutions of Decius. Only six of their names have come down to us – Africanus, Alessandro, Massimo, Pompeius, Terence and Teodoro. Beheaded in 250 at Carthage.

Martyrs of Georgia: Approximately 6,000 Christian monks and lay people martyred in Georgia in 1616 for their faith by a Muslim army led by Shah Abbas I of Persia.

Martyrs of Ostia: A group of criminals who were brought to the faith by Pope Saint Alexander I while he was in prison with them. Drowned by being taken off shore from Ostia, Italy, in a boat which was then scuttled, c 115.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, MAUNDY THURSDAY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 April – ‘… Walk in Him …’

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One Minute Reflection – 9 April – Maundy Thursday, Evening Vigil Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Readings: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, Psalms 116:12-13, 15-18, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15

Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not know now but afterward, you will understand.”   Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.”   Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” … John 12:7-8

john 13 8 if i do not wash you you have no part in me - maundy thursday holy 9 april 2020

REFLECTION – “Jesus, fully aware that the Father had put everything into His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God, rose from supper.”   That which had not been in Jesus’s hands before is put into His hands by the Father – not just some things and not others but everything.

David had said:  “The Lord says to my lord:  Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps 109[110]:1).   The enemies of Jesus shared out, as it were, that ‘all’ which He knew His Father was giving Him. (…)   On account of those who were far away from God, He was separated from God who, by nature, did not wish to leave the Father.   He left God, so that all who have been separated from God, should return to God with Him, in His hands, according to His eternal design. (…)

So what was Jesus doing in washing the feet of His disciples?   By washing them and wiping them with the towel around His waist wasn’t Jesus making their feet beautiful at the moment when they were going to have to proclaim the good news?   It was then, in my opinion, that the prophetic word was fulfilled:  “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news!” (Is 52:7; Rm 10:15).   But if, by washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus makes them beautiful, how can we express the genuine beauty in those whom He immerses fully “in the Holy Spirit and in fire” (Mt 3:11)?   The feet of the apostles were made beautiful so that (…) they might set out along the holy road and walk in Him who said:  “I am the Way” (Jn 14:6).   For whoever has had his feet washed by Jesus and he alone, follows that living way that leads to the Father.   That way has no room for dirty feet! (…)   In order to follow this living, spiritual way (Heb 10:20) (…) they had to have their feet washed by Jesus who set aside His garments (…) so as to take upon His own body, the dirtiness of their feet with the towel which was His only garment, for “he bears our infirmities” (Is 53:4). … Origen (c 185-253) Father of Church, Priest, Theologian – Commentary on St John’s Gospel

the feet of the apostles were made beautiful -origen 9 april 2020

PRAYER – Love of You, with our whole heart, Lord God, is holiness. Increase then Your gifts of divine grace in us, so that, as in Your Son’s Death, You made us hope for what we believe, You may likewise, in His Resurrection, make us come to You, our final end. Listen we beg, to the prayers of Your holy ones and may the Blessed Mother walk along with us and keep our hand, ever in hers.   Through Jesus Himself, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God with You, forever and ever, amen.

mother of sorrows pray for us 16 nov 2019

Posted in MAUNDY THURSDAY, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 9 April – The Betrayal of Judas

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Betrayal of Judas

“Ingratitude is a very cruel thing.
It imprints a deep wound on the human heart and the heart of Jesus, was infinitely more sensitive than ours.
He had raised Judas to the high rank of the Apostolate;  He had made him one of His closest friends and had entrusted him with the secrets of His infinite love.
Now Judas betrays Him for the wretched sum of thirty pieces of silver.
Worse is to follow, however.
While Jesus is praying and perspiring blood at the thought of the ingratitude of men and of the nearness of His passion and death, the garden of Gethsemane becomes suddenly aglow with torches and reverberates with the shouting of the hired ruffians, whom Judas has brought with him to arrest Jesus.
The treacherous Apostle comes forward.
He embraces our divine Redeemer, hails Him as his Master and greets Him with a sacrilegious kiss upon the cheek.
Jesus neither repulses nor rebukes him but, with a gesture of infinite mercy, He addresses him as a friend.
“Friend,” He says, “for what purpose hast thou come?” (Mt 26:50).
“Dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Lk 22:28).
If only Judas could have heeded this last appeal and begged for forgiveness at Jesus’ feet with tears of repentance!
Jesus would certainly have taken him to His heart and returned his kiss with a kiss of pardon and divine friendship.
Perhaps, we have also stood at times on the brink of sin and have been aware of a higher appeal to go back!
But, have we heeded it?
If ever we are in danger again, let us listen to this quiet voice which speaks to our conscience.
Let us fall on our knees before Jesus and earnestly implore Him: “Be not silent, Lord, be not far from me!” (Ps 34:22).
Let us ask Him to have pity on our weakness and to come to our assistance.“

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, MAUNDY THURSDAY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – Love, or the Name of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – Maundy Thursday, Evening Vigil Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Love, or the Name of God

“Once for all, then,
a short precept is given you –
Love and do what you will,
whether you hold your peace,
through love, hold your peace;
whether you cry out,
through love cry out;
whether you correct,
through love correct;
whether you spare,
through love do you spare.
Let the root of love be within,
of this root, can nothing spring
but what is good.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Great Western Father ad Doctor of the Church

Homily 7 on John

love and do what you will - st augustine -9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“He came from His royal throne,
the stern Conqueror of error
and the gentle Apostle of love.”

Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)

he-came-from-his-royal-throne-william-of-saint-thierry-16-dec-2019 and 9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“The masterpiece of Jesus Christ’s love for humanity is the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is within our reach.
We can all get close to Christ the guest and talk with Him
and perceive the warmth of His word.
The word! How it inflames the spirits!
How will the word of Christ inflame them!
We can all get to the altar when He immolates Himself and shouts at us:
Look how much I have loved and loved you!
And we can all sit at His table
and eat the bread
and drink the intoxicating wine of charity. “

Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, Cardinal-Priest (1835-1906)

he-immolates-himself-and-shouts-at-us-bl-marcelo-spinola-19jan2019.and-19-jan-2020jpg and maundy holy thursday 9 april 2020

“I love Him, even if it costs much,
I love Him, because, it is worth much,
I love Him, at all cost.”

Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce (1881-1947)

i-love-him-bl-maria-teresa-fasce-18-jan-2019-and-2020 and 9 april 2020 maundy holy thursday

“If men sincerely loved one another, not merely as brothers
but as much as they love themselves, what problems would be solved!
Who can say how many evils would be abated
and how many sorrows would be assuaged?
To transform the world, it would be enough
to put into practice the first great commandment of the Gospel,
which is the commandment of charity.
Admittedly, the world would not become an earthly paradise,
for any such Utopia is an impossibility.
But, it would become a dignified dwelling place of brothers,
loving and helping one another.
“Love is the fulfilment of the law,” St Paul very truly says (Rom 13:10).
“Have charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14).

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

if-men-sincerely-loved-one-another-bacci-11-feb-2020 and maundy thursday holy - quotes 9 april 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 9 April – To Jesus Master, the Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 April – Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

To Jesus, the Life
By Blessed James Alberione (1884-1971)

O Wellspring of eternal life,
all life is grafted in You, Lord,
You break the bonds of death
and give life to us anew.
Descending from Your splendid throne,
You have brought this gift to us below,
profusely from Your open side,
You bestow divine riches.
We have joined Your Mystical Body,
engrafted by baptismal grace,
life flowing from Your seven springs,
lifts up anew our fallen race.
Though wounded by our parents’ fault,
our nature is restored by grace,
virtue is practised for Your love
and reaps the heavenly reward.
Only You can give true peace,
lead nations to live in harmony,
cause innocence to bloom in homes,
grant prosperity to our works.
Jesus, our everlasting Life, Truth and Way,
by You, we are led,
by You we live,
to Father, You and the Spirit,
may all peoples praise and glory give.
Amen

Blessed Fr James Alberione (1884-1971)
the Founder of the Pauline Family,
composed various Prayers to Jesus Master,
The Way, the Truth and the Life,
specifically directed to honour Jesus, the Master –
to sanctify the whole person, mind, will and heart.
These prayers are prayed by his Orders everyday.

to jesus the life by bl james alberione 9 april 2020 maundy thursday holy thursday

Posted in MAUNDY THURSDAY, The PASSION

Maundy or Holy Thursday of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and The Seven Churches Visitation – 9 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Maundy or Holy Thursday of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ 
Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and The Seven Churches Visitation 

last supper 1600 - 1700s jesus eucharist mass maundy thursday

Maundy Thursday begins theSsacred Triduum—the holiest days of the Church year.  The liturgy reflects the beauty of the Paschal mystery and the Passover Feast of Christ.   The Triduum is a time that we walk in Jesus’ footsteps for His final hours on earth.   Personal devotions always spring up to unite the faithful’s domestic church with the Liturgy of the Church but even more so during the holiest week of the year and in particular in this year of Covid19 when we are all locked down in our homes and are unable to accompany our Lord on His journey to the Cross.

At the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Gospel is John 13:1-15, Christ washing the feet of the Apostles.   The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word of the Gospel acclamation: Mandátum novum do vobis dicit Dóminus, ut diligátis ínvicem, sicut diléxi vos.   “I give you a new commandment – Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34).   At the Mass the priest washes feet of several people in imitation of Christ.maundy thursdayHoly-Thursday-For-I-Have-Set-You-An-Example-That-You-Also-Should-Do-As-I-Have-Done-To-You

The Seven Churches Visitation

seven churches

In metropolitan areas where there are more Catholic Churches, there is the popular tradition of visiting the Altar of Repose in seven local Churches.   This custom began in Rome (often credited to St Philip Neri) with visiting the seven major Basilicas of the City on Holy Thursday: St Peter’s in the Vatican, St Paul’s outside the Walls, St John Lateran, St Mary Major, St Sebastian’s, St Lawrence Outside the Walls and Holy Cross in Jerusalem.   See them all below.

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1280px-Seven_Churches_of_Rome_-_Giacomo_Lauro_-_1599

This Holy Thursday pilgrimage reflects the seven stops or “stations” during the night of Jesus’ arrest:

Jesus in the Garden in Gethsemane where He was arrested (Luke 22:39-46)
Jesus taken before Annas (John 18:19-22)
Jesus bound and taken before Caiaphas, the High Priest (Matthew 26:63-65)
Jesus taken before Pilate, the Roman governor (John 18:35-37)
Jesus goes before Herod (Luke 23:8-9, 11)
Jesus returns to Pilate (Matthew 27:22-26)
Jesus is scourged, crowned with thorns and led to His crucifixion (John 19:1-16)

The book of Indulgences, the Raccolta, included this practice.   The suggested prayers were an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, five times before the Altar of Repose of the Blessed Sacrament and then some private adoration and personal prayer (reflection on the scripture passages related to the “station”) before moving on to the next church.

The final Church stop can also include prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions and a longer time of adoration with Jesus in the altar of repose.   In some regions the number of churches expanded to 14 to include the entire Stations of the Cross.  Some other traditions of prayers, with the Seven Churches, is praying along with the Seven Last Words of Christ.   This year there will be many online resources and we can pray the Liturgy together in our home,s as well as, make the Seven Churches pilgrimage by reading each Gospel reading aloud and praying the prayers suggested.

May we all accompany Our Lord tonight and not leave Him alone!

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 9 April – Blessed Celestyna Faron IHM (1913 – 1942) Virgin Martyr

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Saint of the Day – 9 April – Blessed Celestyna Faron IHM (1913 – 1942) Virgin Martyr, Religious Sister of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Conception, Teacher, Catechist – Born as Katarzyna Stanisława Faron on 24 April 1913 in Zabrzez, Malopolskie, Poland and died on Easter morning, 9 April 1944 in Auschwitz concentration camp, Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Nazi-occupied Poland.   Patronage – Podhale, Poland.bl celestyna

Katarzyna Faron’s early life was filled with sadness and loss as she lost her mother, Maria (née Madoń) when she was five.   Her father, Jozef, sent her to childless relatives living in the town of Kamienica to be educated.   The new carers loved her like their own child and, like her parents, taught to love God and all his children … As a teenage girl she developed a vocation to the religious life.

It was in 1930 that she entered the Congregation of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, taking the Name Sr Celestyna Faron and made her final profession eight years later.   She was encouraged to train as a teacher and developed a particular love for the younger children.   Because of her own difficult and traumatic experiences in early life, Katarzyna cared greatly for those who had lost her parents.   During the occupation of Poland she was the local superior of a religious house and oversaw the running of an orphanage.

As with Blessed Bronislaw Koskowski (the Founder of her Order), the Gestapo arrived one day and searched the orphanage.   Katarzyna was arrested and charged with conspiracy.   After imprisonment in two camps she was transported to Auschwitz where she received camp number 27989, with which she was tattooed, using a metal stamp dipped in ink, into which interchangeable plates with needles were inserted, forming separate numbers.   She also received a camp outfit – called a striped uniform – with a red triangle sewn in, with the letter ” P ” ( Ger. ” polnisch ‘) to designate a political prisoner, a Pole …bl katarzyna celestyna faron artwork header

The Germans drove her to work immediately – she was digging in trenches, standing – almost always hungry, cold – ankle-deep in icy water …. Weakened by this physical labour, she developed tuberculosis and typhoid.

Already in April 1943, with typhus, dulled hearing and pressure sores, the opened wound of a previous appendectomy operation, Sr Celestyna was moved to block 24 – the so-called ” Camp hospita, ” a separate barrack, where the sick were detained, without providing them with medical assistance (although doctors-prisoners did what they could).   Terrible hygiene conditions ( fleas , bed bugs , rat plague), hunger, fever, lack of water caused additional pain.   Despite this, she modestly shared the contents of the parcels received from the superiors of the Congregation with her companions.  Before Christmas 1943, on the patronal feast of the Congregation, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sr Celestyna received her last Communion. – smuggled in by one of the priests who came with the transport of prisoners to Auschwitz …

Only prayer remained.   She prayed intensely for various intentions on her inseparable rosary made of bread.   The Germans could not take away the internal badges of belonging to the Church and the Congregation …bl celestyna faron

Despite suffering and pain, she did not complain about her fate.   She was at peace with everything that happened to her.   Co-sister and fellow prisoner, Sister Cyprian Michalina Babiak (born in 1907, Brandwica), camp number 50184, recalled:  “Although she wanted the end of the war and freedom, she never showed regret that she got there.”  She said:  ” Jesus sent us here to compensate for the sins of the whole world .”   “We prayed for our homeland, for our monastery, for priests, for the conversion of sinners, for persecutors – also for Hitler – for his repentance “…

Another fellow inmate, a teacher from Kielce, Janina Komenda (1889, Kazan – 1968) , camp number: 27233, author of memories from Auschwitz: ” Lager Brzezinka “ last published in 1986, testified:   ” Sr Celestyna was the epitome of gentleness, patience and kindness, extremely … (unknown word) content with everything that happened to her. Despite great suffering, she even managed to humour and cheerfulness.   Initially unknown to anyone, she soon became widely liked. […]   Despite her state of health, she was constantly interested in her surroundings, coming to the aid of those in need of food or words of encouragement . “

She did not leave the Camp Hospital until her death on Easter Sunday in 1944.   Her fellow inmates, dressed Sr Celestyna in a white silk shirt and covered her with a sheet.   A rosary and a cross were placed next to it and two candles obtained from somewhere were lit.   Because the Germans took a break – in connection with Easter – the body of Sr Celestyna stayed in the barrack.   The prisoners prayed alongside her corpse all day.   Even prisoners from other blocks gathered there, taking advantage of the absence of the Germans …   Already then, her fellow inmates called her, this ordinary Polish handmaid, this little immaculate lamb: ” Saint Sister “ …bl katarzyna celestyna faron

Blessed Celestyna provides a wonderful model for those who have experienced a traumatic childhood.   Despite a difficult start in life she achieved a great deal and cared for the most vulnerable.   Her invincible faith brought her through her early life and sustained her throughout her final suffering.

Sister Celestyna Faron was Beatified by St Pope John Paul II in Warsaw on 13 June 1999 in the group of 108 Polish martyrs who are celebrated on 12 June.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of courage and perseverance in love which You granted to Blessed Katherine Celestyna, who amidst tortures, hunger and debasement in the concentration camp, persevered under the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, remaining faithful to the Christian and religious vocation unto martyrdom.

Through her intercession, grant me the grace of ………..… which I humbly implore, through our Lord Jesus Christ.   Amen.

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be to the Father…bl katarzyna celestyna faron footer

bl Statue_of_Celestyna_Faron_at_Church_of_the_Transfiguration_in_Brzozów_2

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints -9 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Maundy/Holy Thursday of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mass of the Lord’s Supper +2020

Last year’s post:

Maundy or Holy Thursday – 18 April

St Acacius of Amida
St Aedesius of Alexandria
Bl Antony of Pavoni OP (1326-1374) Priest and Martyr
Biography:   https://wordpress.com/post/anastpaul.wordpress.com/9688BL ANTONY OF PAVONI
St Brogan
St Casilda of Toledo
St Concessus the Martyr
St Demetrius the Martyr
St Dotto
St Eupsychius of Cappadocia
St Gaucherius
St Hedda the Abbot
St Heliodorus of Mesopotamia
St Hilary the Martyr
St Hugh of Rouen
Bl James of Padua
Bl John of Vespignano
Blessed Celestyna (Katarzyna) Faron IHM (1913 – 1942) Virgin Martyr (Today’s Saint)
St Liborius of Le Mans (early 4th century – 397)
St Liborius’ story:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/saint-of-the-day-9-april-st-liborius-of-le-mans-early-4th-century-397/st-liborius of le mans
St Madrun of Wales
St Marcellus of Die
Bl Marguerite Rutan
St Maximus of Alexandria
Bl Pierre Camino
St Prochorus
Bl Thomas of Tolentino OFM (c 1255–1321) Martyr
Blessed Thomas’ Life:

Saint of the Day – 9 April – Blessed Thomas of Tolentino OFM (c 1255–1321) Martyr


Bl Ubaldo Adimari
St Waltrude of Mons
—
Martyrs of Croyland – 9 saints: A group of Benedictine monks martyred by pagan Danes – Agamund, Askega, Egdred, Elfgete, Grimkeld, Sabinus, Swethin, Theodore and Ulric. Croyland Abbey, England.

Martyrs of Masyla: Massylitan Martyrs Group of Christians martyred in Masyla in northwest Africa.

Martyrs of Pannonia: Seven virgin-martyrs in Sirmium, Pannonia (modern Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia).

Martyrs of Thorney Abbey – 3+ saints: A group of Hermits, hermitesses and monks who lived in or around Thorney Abbey who were martyred together during raids by pagan Danes. We know little more than the names of three – Tancred, Torthred and Tova. 869 by raiders at Thorney Abbey, Cambridgeshire, England.