St Adrian of Maastricht
St Alkmund of Northumbria
St Amantius of Wintershoven
Bl Andrea Gallerani
St Apollonius of Braga
St Auxilius of Ireland
Bl Clement of Dunblane
St Colocer of Saint-Brieuc
St Corbasius of Quimperlé
St Cuthbert of Brittany
St Gemus
Bl Isnard de Chiampo
Bl Jan Turchan
St John the Syrian of Pinna
St Lactali of Freshford
St Landoald of Maastricht
St Leontinus of Braga
St Leontinus of Saintes Bl Marcel Callo (1921-1945) Martyr
Bl Mark of Montegallo
St Pancharius of Nicomedia
Bl Sibyllina Biscossi
—
Martyrs of Sorrento: A group of three sisters and a brother who were martyred together. We have little more than their names – Mark, Quartilla, Quintilla and Quintius. They were martyred in Sorrento, Italy, date unknown.
Mark
Quartilla
Quintilla
Quintius
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War
• Blessed Alberto Linares de La Pinta
• Blessed Jaume Trilla Lastra
Novena to St Joseph – Day Eight
By Fr Michael Gaitley, MIC
Day Eight
St Joseph, Man of Peace and Joy
Dear St Joseph,
I know the Bible doesn’t speak directly of your joy but how could you not have been full of joy? I’m sure you were. You lived in the presence of Jesus and Mary. Well, St Joseph, please pray for me that I will also find my joy by also living in their presence. And having yourself lived in their presence, you must have been a man of such peace. St Joseph, please pray for me that I keep my joy and not give in to sadness, laziness, or discouragement. Also, pray that I keep my peace of soul and not hold on to anger and bitterness in my heart. Help me to be merciful to everyone by offering forgiveness, that I might also, like you, be a person of true peace and joy.
Saint Joseph, Man of Peace and Joy, please put me at peace and help me find joy. Amen
Again this country is facing darkness (in many ways) but we are facing a melt-down in regard to electricity – the power is being cut at various times throughout each day to conserve the national grid.
Unfortunately, the times allocated to my area, meant I was unable to prepare any posts in the time I had available.
Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow.
May God Bless you, I miss you all!
May the Blessed Virgin, model of docility to the Spirit, help us, to abandon ourselves to Divine Providence.
Ana
P.S. The Novena to St Joseph was pre-scheduled so will arrive in your inbox.
Novena to St Joseph – Day Seven By Fr Michael Gaitley, MIC
Day Seven
St Joseph, Pure of Heart
Dear St Joseph,
I said I want to be a saint and saints need to be pure not only of body but of soul. Regarding purity of body, St Joseph, guard me, protect me and defend me from temptations against purity.
I rely on you, St Joseph. Don’t let me fall. Don’t let my eyes or thoughts wander. If they do, please bring them back to Jesus. I trust in you, St. Joseph. You lived purely with Mary in the midst of her beauty. Help me to see the beauty of others with your own pure vision. If I fall, help me to find God’s mercy and free me from any bondage to such sin. Regarding purity of intentions, help me do everything not to please myself or others but to please God alone. Give me this grace as my dear spiritual father. I trust in you, St. Joseph.
Saint Joseph, Pure of Heart, please lend me your own purity of heart. Amen.
Lenten Thoughts – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:28-36
The law was given through Moses grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Bishop of Rome and Great Latin Father and Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from Sermo 51
The Lord reveals His glory in the presence of chosen witnesses. His body is like that of the rest of mankind but He makes it shine with such splendour that His Face becomes like the sun in glory and His garments as white as snow.
The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of His disciples and to prevent the humiliation of His voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed.
With no less forethought He was also providing a firm foundation for the hope of holy Church. The whole body of Christ was to understand the kind of transformation that it would receive as His gift. The members of that body were to look forward to a share in that glory which first blazed out in Christ their head.
The Lord had himself spoken of this when He foretold the splendour of His coming – Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Saint Paul the apostle bore witness to this same truth when He said – I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not to be compared with the future glory that is to be revealed in us. In another place He says: You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
This marvel of the transfiguration contains another lesson for the apostles, to strengthen them and lead them into the fullness of knowledge. Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appeared with the Lord in conversation with Him. This was in order to fulfil exactly, through the presence of these five men, the text which says – Before two or three witnesses every word is ratified. What word could be more firmly established, more securely based, than the word which is proclaimed by the trumpets of both old and new testaments, sounding in harmony and by the utterances of ancient prophecy and the teaching of the Gospel, in full agreement with each other?
The writings of the two testaments support each other. The radiance of the transfiguration reveals clearly and unmistakably the one who had been promised by signs foretelling Him under the veils of mystery. As Saint John says: The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In Him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of prophecy through His presence and makes obedience to the commandments possible through grace.
In the preaching of the holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.
No-one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice, no-one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on Himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in Him and in our love for Him, we win the victory that He has won, we receive what He has promised.
When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears – This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.
Quote of the Day – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C
“You have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation…. this is your goal, this is the centre of your life, this is the treasure of your heart. If your reach this goal, you will find happiness. If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
Lenten Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C
The Readings
Genesis 15:5-12,17-18; Psalms 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14; Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 or Philippians 3:20 – 4:1; Luke 9:28B-36
And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!”
Luke 9:35
Transfiguration
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
They were talking to Him about resurrection,
about law, about the suffering ahead.
They were talking as if to remind Him who He was and
who they were. He was not
Like his three friends watching a little way off,
not like the crowd At the foot of the hill.
A grey-green thunderhead massed
from the sea
And God spoke from it and said He was His.
They were talking about how the body, broken or
burned,
could live again, remade.
Only the fiery text of the thunderhead could explain it.
And they were talking
About pain and the need for judgement
and how He would make Himself
A law of pain, both its spirit and its letter in His own
flesh,
and then break it,
That is, transcend it.
His clothes flared like magnesium
Daily Meditation: Listen to Him.
It is wonderful to begin this week
acknowledging that we need God’s help in listening and hearing.
It is so powerful to ask for the “gift of integrity” –
to express our desire for wholeness.
And, we humbly ask for light in the midst of whatever
might “shadow our vision.”
This is the God who allows Jesus
to be transfigured before His disciples,
to prepare them for what they were about to face.
This is our God, who can give each of us
the change of heart we ask for.
Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, yea, wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
there is so much darkness in my life
and I hide from You.
Take my hand
and lead me out of the shadows of my fear.
Help me to change my heart.
Bring me to your truth
and help me to respond to Your generous love.
Let me recognise the fullness of Your love
which will fill my life.
Free me from the darkness in my heart.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C
“…Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.”…Luke 9:30-31
REFLECTION – “Today, on Mount Tabor, the state of our future life and the Kingdom of joy are mysteriously made manifest. Today, in an unexpected way, the former messengers of the Old and New Covenants have come together on the mountain beside their God as bearers of a paradoxical mystery. Today, on Mount Tabor, is sketched out the mystery of the cross which, through death, gives life. Just as Christ was crucified between two men on Mount Calvary, so He now stands in His divine majesty between Moses and Elijah. And today’s feast shows us that other Sinai, that mountain far more precious than Sinai by reason of its wonders and events. With its theophany it far surpasses merely representative and vague divine visions…
Rejoice! O Creator of all that is, Christ our King, Son of God radiant with light, who have transfigured all creation in Your image and have recreated it in an even better way… And you, too, rejoice! O image of the heavenly Kingdom, most holy mount of Tabor, surpassing in beauty all other mountains! Mount Golgotha and you, O mount of Olives, sing a hymn together and rejoice, sing with one voice of Christ on Mount Tabor and together chant His praises!”… St Anastasius of Sinai (Died c 700) Monk
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach us to do everything for Your honour and glory.
Grant us the grace to work out our salvation with anxious concern each day of our life. Keep our gaze fixed towards heaven. Help us as we attempt this Lenten journey to grow in a spirit of penance and sacrifice and to be transfigured, out of love for You, our God. Mary, Holy Mother, the refuge of sinners, be our protector and our guide. We make our prayer through Jesus in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C
The Mystery of Love
By Archbishop Alban Goodier SJ (1869-1939)
You loved me from all eternity,
therefore, You created me.
You loved me, after You had made me,
therefore, You became man for me.
You loved me, after You became man for me,
therefore, You lived and died for me.
You loved me, after You had died for me,
therefore, You rose again for me.
You loved me, after You had risen for me,
therefore, You went to prepare a place for me.
You loved me, after You had gone to prepare a place for me,
therefore, You came back to me.
You loved me, after You came back to me,
therefore, You desired to enter into me
and be united to me.
This is the meaning of the Blessed Sacrament,
The Mystery of Love!
Our Morning Offering – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C
The Food for Service St Pope John XXIII
O Jesus,
present in the Sacrament of the Altar
teach all nations to serve You
with willing hearts,
knowing that to serve God,
is to reign.
May Your Sacrament, O Jesus,
be light to the mind,
strength to the will,
joy to the heart.
May it be the support of the weak,
the comfort of the suffering,
the wayfaring bread of salvation
for the dying
and for all,
the pledge of future glory.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 17 March – Blessed Juan Nepomuceno Zegri y Moreno (1831-1905) – Priest, Founder of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.
Juan Nepomuceno Zegrí y Moreno was born on 11 October 1831 in Granada, Spain. His father, Antonio Zegrí Martín and his mother, Josefa Moreno Escudero, were most vigilant in educating their son and in helping to form his personality according to evangelical values. The young boy had a great love for Jesus and Mary and was particularly sensitive to the needs of the poor.
Binding wounds, healing hearts:
As a youth, Juan felt called to serve the Lord in society’s poor and wanted to become a priest. He entered St Dionysius Seminary of Granada and on 2 June 1855 was ordained in the Cathedral of Granada. He served in the parishes of Huétor Santillán and of San Gabriel de Loja in Granada.
His vocation, as he once proclaimed in a homily, was to be “like a good shepherd, going after the lost sheep; like a doctor, healing sick hearts wounded by faults and binding them with hope; like a father, who visibly provides for all of those who, suffering from abandonment, must drink from the bitter chalice and receive nourishment from the bread of tears”.
Fr Zegrí’s priestly life was characterised by a profound experience of God and a deep love for Jesus the Redeemer and Mary, Mother and Protectress. His sermons encouraged listeners to live the Christian life radically and responsibly.
He always served with great humility in the positions he was asked to assume as a priest – synodal judge, canon of the cathedral of Malaga, visitor of the religious orders, formator of the seminarians and preacher of and royal chaplain to Her Majesty Queen Isabel II.
Founder inspired by Mary:
It was with a profound interest in resolving social problems and in meeting the needs of the poor and neglected that Fr Zegrí felt called to found a religious congregation that would serve the most needy. On 16 March 1878 in Malaga, under the protection and inspiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, he began the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.
The Congregation’s main charism was to practice all of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy for the benefit of the poor. He asked the Religious to do all “for the good of humanity, in God, for God, towards God”. In only a few years, the Congregation was established in many Dioceses throughout Spain, all due to the dynamism of Fr Zegrí’s charismatic inspiration – heal wounds, repair evils, comfort sorrows, dry tears, do not, if possible, leave even one person in the world abandoned, afflicted, unprotected, without religious education and assistance.
He firmly believed that “charity is the only answer to all social problems”. In this light the key points of the spirituality of the Founder were: redemptive charity, love and configuration with Jesus the Redeemer, love for Mary, Our Lady of Mercy.
Testing and vindication:
God permitted Fr Zegrí to be severely tested and misunderstood after he founded the Congregation and his own Religious “daughters” falsely accused him. With a Pontifical Decree dated 7 July 1888 he was sent away from the Order that he himself had founded.
After years of silent suffering, his innocence was recognised with another Decree dated 15 July 1894. Although he was permitted to re-enter the Congregation, he was not accepted. He voluntarily kept himself at a distance in order to preserve communion with the Church and his “daughters”, so that they would not openly disobey Church authority.
On 17 March 1905 in Malaga, Fr Zegrí died just as he had desired: like Jesus, alone and abandoned. He offered himself for the good of humanity and forgave “his own” who had accused him.
After many years, the Congregation once again recognised him as Founder, all due to the fact that there were Sisters who had kept alive his memory and witness of holiness. In 1925 Fr Zegrí was officially declared as Founder of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy….vatican.va
He was Beatified on 9 November 2003 by St Pope John Paul II.
St Agricola of Châlon-sur-Saône
St Alexander
St Ambrose of Alexandria
Bl Conrad of Bavaria
St Diemut of Saint Gall
St Gabriel Lalemant St Gertrude of Nivelles OSB (626-659)
About St Gertrude: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/saint-of-the-day-17-march-st-gertrude-of-nivelles-o-s-b-626-659/
Bl Gertrude of Trzebnica
St Jan Sarkander
Bl Josep Mestre Escoda
St Joseph of Arimathea Bl Juan Nepomuceno Zegrí y Moreno (1831-1905)
St Llinio of Llandinam
Bl Maria Bárbara Maix
St Paul of Cyprus
St Stephen of Palestrina
St Theodore of Rome
St Thomasello
St Withburga of Dereham
Martyrs of Alexandria – Also known as Martyrs of Serapis: An unknown number of Christians who were martyred together by a mob of worshippers of the Graeco-Egyptian sun god Serapis. They were Martyred in c 392 in Alexandria, Egypt
As the day draws closer when I will fully consecrate myself to you, as I draw closer to you, I can’t help but notice the scars on your heart, how you suffered with love. You suffered darkness and confusion when Mary was found with child. You suffered the sacrifice of your flesh as you lovingly offered up the absence of bodily intimacy in marriage. You suffered a sword in your heart, with Mary, when Simeon foretold the passion of your Son. You suffered stress and uncertainty when you had to escape with your family to Egypt and live as an immigrant. You suffered crushing anxiety when your 12-year-old Son was lost for three days. You daily suffered fatigue and bodily aches from your manual labour. Worst of all, your fatherly heart, grieved, at knowing that you could not be there for Jesus and Mary when their darkest hour would one day come.
Saint Joseph, thank you for what you suffered in God’s service, in union with your Son, for my salvation. I love you, St Joseph. Thank you for your yes. Now, please help me to suffer with love as you did. When I suffer, help me not to complain. Help me not to forget love. Help me not to forget others. Dear St Joseph, through my suffering, watch over my poor heart, may it not harden but rather become more merciful. Help me to remember all God’s children who are suffering in the world and help me, to offer my suffering for them and for the good of the Church. I am counting on you, St Joseph. I know you will be with me, helping me to suffer with love.
Saint Joseph, who suffered with love, please help me also to suffer with a love like yours. Amen
Lenten Thoughts – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C
Why Forty Days?
St Pope Gregory the Great
(540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
He, the Author of all things, for forty days tasted no food. Let us likewise, as far as we are able, afflict our flesh by abstinence during the season of Lent. A fast of forty days is observed, since the perfection of the Decalogue is completed by the four books of the Holy Gospel – ten multiplied by four being forty.
Or, again, because this mortal body is made up from four elements and because of its pleasures, we are bound by the commandments of the Lord, made known in the Decalogue, it is therefore, fitting, that we who through the desires of the flesh despise the commands of God, should chastise this same flesh, four times ten times.
Or, as by the Law men had to offer up tithes of their possessions, so ought we strive to offer tithes of our days. For from the first Sunday of Lent, until the joys of the Paschal feast, there are six weeks – which are two and forty days, from which, since the six days of Sunday are subtracted from the fast, there remains but thirty six days. Since the year continues for three hundred and sixty five days, we do penance for thirty six days, as though offering to God a tenth of our year.
Thought for the Day – 16 March – Our devotion to the Saints
One thing that unites the Catholic Church to the Eastern Orthodox Churches and separates it from most Protestant denominations is the devotion to the saints, those holy men and women who have lived exemplary Christian lives and, after their deaths, are now in the presence of God in Heaven. Many Christians — even Catholics — misunderstand this devotion, which is based on our belief that, just as our life does not end with death, so too our relationships with our fellow members of the Body of Christ continue after their deaths. This Communion of Saints is so important that it is an article of faith in all Christian creeds, from the time of the Apostles’ Creed.
What Is a Saint?
Saints, broadly speaking, are those who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to His teaching. They are the faithful in the Church, including those who are still alive. Catholics and Orthodox, however, also use the term narrowly to refer to especially holy men and women who, through extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered Heaven. The Church recognises such men and women through the process of canonisation, which holds them up as examples for Christians still living here on earth.
Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints?
Like all Christians, Catholics believe in life after death, but the Church also teaches us that our relationship with other Christians does not end with death. Those who have died and are in Heaven in the presence of God can intercede with Him for us, just as our fellow Christians do here on earth when they pray for us. Catholic prayer to saints is a form of communication with those holy men and women who have gone before us and a recognition of the “Communion of Saints,” living and dead.
Patron Saints
Few practices of the Catholic Church are so misunderstood today as devotion to patron saints. From the earliest days of the Church, groups of the faithful (families, parishes, regions, countries) have chosen a particularly holy person who has passed into eternal life to intercede for them with God. The practice of naming churches after saints and of choosing a saint’s name for Confirmation, reflects this devotion.
The Doctors of the Church
The Doctors of the Church are great saints known for their defence and explanation of the truths of the Catholic Faith. Thirty six saints, including four female saints, have been named Doctors of the Church, covering all eras in Church history.
The Litany/ies of the Saints
The Litany/ies of the Saints is one of the oldest prayers in continuous use in the Catholic Church. Most commonly recited on All Saints Day and at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, the Litany of the Saints is an excellent prayer for use throughout the year, drawing us more fully into the Communion of Saints. The Litany of Saints addresses the various types of saints and includes examples of each and asks all of the saints, individually and together, to pray for us Christians who continue our earthly pilgrimage.
Quote of the Day – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48
“The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Lenten Reflection – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48
Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr
“But I say to you… pray for those who persecute you”
You have often heard it said that we are living through a marvellous time, a time of great men… It is easy to understand why people long for a strong and capable leader to arise… This kind of neo-paganism [Nazism] believes all nature to be an emanation of the divine…; it admires a race that is nobler and purer than any other… From this comes the cult of race and blood, the cult of its own people’s heroes.
By starting out from so mistaken an idea, this view of things can lead to capital errors. It is tragic to see how much enthusiasm, how many efforts are placed at the service of such an erroneous and baseless ideal! However, we can learn from our enemy. We can learn from his deceitful philosophy how to purify and improve our own ideal, we can learn how to develop great love for this ideal, how to arouse immense enthusiasm and even a readiness to live and die for it, how to strengthen our hearts to incarnate it in ourselves and in others…
When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom and pray for its coming, we are not thinking of a discrimination according to race or blood but of the brotherhood of all, for all men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us – in a close bond with the One, who causes the sun to rise on the good and the bad alike (Mt 5:45).
Daily Meditation: Turn our hearts to You.
The Saturdays of Lent have a grateful and uplifting tone to them.
Our lesson today reminds us of the covenant God made long ago:
you be My people
and I will be your God.
In the new covenant, without condition,
God is faithful to us, even if we are not.
Jesus calls us to a new way of being –
loving others as we have been loved –
which includes loving those who do not love us.
We are to be as pure in our love,
as God is pure in loving us.
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48
Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
Sometimes my heart
turns in every direction
except towards You.
Please help me
to turn my heart toward You,
to gaze upon You in trust
and to seek Your kingdom with all of my heart.
Soften my hardened heart
so that I might love others
as a way to glorify and worship You.
Grant me this
with the ever-present guidance of Your spirit.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Christ’s martyrs feared neither death nor pain. He triumphed in them who lived in them; and they, who lived not for themselves but for Him, found in death itself the way to life.”
St Augustine – (354-430) – Father & Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”...Matthew 5:44
REFLECTION – “No lawgiver would ever make the demand that his laws should be internally accepted and cheerfully observed. Rather, it is ‘do what I say’. God alone asks that His people should keep His laws “with all their hearts,” because He is the King of human hearts. An internal acceptance is the strength of an idea, ideal, norm. Mere external compliance is mimetic, mechanical, lifeless. No wonder religion collapses, spiritual life gives way, devotions dry up! The show and display of religion is empty, the prophets denounced it. Un-reflected accommodation and shallow compliance is self-deception. Some give up in the face of trials, others before tempting goods. Someone who has built up a measure of inner stuff alone can understand the full meaning of the message “Love your enemies.” Few have delved into the various dimensions of the teaching “love your enemies,” be good to all, like the Father. But you can, if only you know His love, if only you wish and pray to be like Him.”...Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil
PRAYER – Turn our hearts to yourself, eternal Father, so that, always seeking the one thing necessary and devoting ourselves to works of charity, we may worship You in spirit and in truth and thus learn Your ways. May our beloved Mother, the Blessed Virgin, give us her heart, to grow in love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
The One Thing Necessary By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
O my God, help me to remember that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death?
To love You, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin and nothing else in this life,
for to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember
that I came into this world with nothing,
and shall take nothing from it when I die.
To gain You, I must leave all.
But in loving You,
I already have all good things,
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help,
and the eternal dwelling place Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray:
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for You.
Grant me perseverance in doing Your will
and never let me be separated from You.
My God and my All,
make me a saint.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C- “Marian Saturdays”
The Mater Christi
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth
For the joys that fade and flee,
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I long to see —
The bliss untold which thy arms enfold,
The Treasure upon thy knee.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He was All-in-All to thee,
In the winter’s cave, in Nazareth’s home,
In the hamlets of Galilee,
So, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He will not say nay to thee,
When He lifts His Face to thy sweet embrace,
Speak to Him, Mother, of me.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
The world will bid Him flee,
Too busy to heed His gentle voice,
Too blind His charms to see,
Then, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
Come with thy Babe to me,
Tho’ the world be cold, my heart shall hold
A shelter for Him and thee.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I do for thee?
I will love thy Son with the whole of my strength,
My only King shall He be.
Yes! Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This will I do for thee,
Of all that are dear or cherished here,
None shall be dear as He.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
I toss on a stormy sea,
O lift thy Child as a Beacon Light,
To the Port where I fain would be!
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I ask of thee —
When the voyage is o’er, oh! stand on the shore
And show Him at last to me.
Saint of the Day – 16 March – St Heribert (c 970–1021) Archbishop of Cologne, a miracle-worker and counsellor – born in c 970 at Worms, Germany and died on 16 March 1021 at Cologne, Germany of natural causes. Patronages – against drought, for rain and of Deutz, Germany. St Heribert was a German Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 999 until his death. He also served as the Chancellor for the Emperor Otto III from 994 and collaborated with Saint Henry II Obl. SB (973-1074) with whom relations were strained though were strengthened over time. St Heribert’s Canonisation was confirmed in 1075 by St Pope Gregory VII.
St Heribert was born at Worms in Germany about 970 and educated at the Abbey of Gorze in Lorraine. He wanted to enter the Benedictine Order there but his father recalled him to Worms and obtained a canonry for him. As a young priest, Heribert became a trusted counsellor of the youthful Emperor Otto III, chancellor of the diocese and finally Archbishop of Cologne in 998.
In that same year the Saint accompanied the Emperor to Rome and assisted him in his last moments before his death in 1002. In the ensuing skirmishing for the post of Emperor, St Heribert at first was opposed to St Henry II through a mutual misunderstanding. But in time the two Saints, Archbishop and Emperor, were publicly reconciled and laboured together for the good of the people.
St Heribert was practically a model of what a Bishop should be. He was a peaceful man but a firm disciplinarian, a holy man but one who knew the value of money and saw to it that his was always divided among the poor. He was a man of prayer and in a time of drought, it was in answer to his prayers that a torrential rain fell, saving the harvest and delivering the people from famine, hence the reason he is invoked against drought and prayed to for rain.
Heribert built the monastery of Deutz, on the Rhine and was already honoured as a saint during his lifetime.
He died in Cologne on 16 March 1021 and is buried at the Cathedral of Deutz, which replaced the original Church, destroyed during WW II. St Heribert’s shrine, completed in 1175, is one of the major goldsmith works of the 12th century. It is displayed in the centre of the apse.
St Abban of Kill-Abban
St Abraham Kidunaia
St Agapitus of Ravenna
St Aninus of Syria
St Benedicta of Assisi
St Dionysius of Aquileia
St Dentlin of Hainault
Bl Eriberto of Namur
St Eusebia of Hamage
St Felix of Aquileia
St Finian Lobhar
Bl Ferdinand Valdes
St Gregory Makar St Heribert of Cologne (c 970–1021)
St Hilary of Aquileia
Bl Joan Torrents Figueras
Bl John Amias
Bl John Sordi of Vicenza
St Julian of Anazarbus
St Largus of Aquileia
St Malcoldia of Asti
St Megingaud of Wurzburg
You did God’s will. Dare I say, you did it perfectly? Saint Joseph, I want to also do God’s most perfect will. But on my own, I will fail. I need your help. I trust that with you as my spiritual father, you will guide me to always do God’s most perfect will. Truly, St. Joseph, I want to reach the degree of glory that God has prepared for me in heaven. I want to bear fruit that will last. I don’t want to let God down. I want to be a saint. Help me, St Joseph. You see how weak and sinful I am. But teach me, good father. Help me to follow the commandments and please make my heart sensitive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.
I know that as I entrust myself to your care, you will guide me and show me how to always do God’s will. I give you permission to redirect the stream of my life if it ever departs from God’s most perfect will.
Saint Joseph, who did God’s will, please always keep me in God’s most perfect will. Amen
Thought for the Day – 15 March – The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820) “The Apostle of Austria” and “The Second Founder of the Redemptorists”
Among the passengers sharing a coach with Father Hofbauer on one occasion was a young man who was described as being infirm both in body and soul. Possibly embittered by his unfortunate physical state, the young man continually heaped coarse insults upon the holy priest, who endured the vulgarity in silence. At noon, when the coach drew up at an inn, all the other passengers disembarked to dine, giving no thought or concern for the crude cripple left behind. Hofbauer lifted the man in his arms, carried him into the inn, ordered his meal, then carried him back to the coach. The man’s behaviour toward the saint was totally changed for the rest of the trip. Filled with sorrow for his meanness, he declared that he would never have sunk to such moral degradation had he met such a priest earlier in life.
A Polish countess who had frequented St Benno’s reminisced in after years: “Whenever I recall him, I see him before me as a venerable priest, refined and awe inspiring in his deportment but withal very plain. Wherever he went, he radiated the beauty of peace and spread about him the consolation that springs from divine love. His language was always simple, he never made use of choice expressions. Still, his words always manifested great depth of mind and invariably awakened immediate confidence. The love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which filled his heart, shone forth in all his actions but there was about him no trace of singularity or affectation. Purity of soul, peace of heart, the radiance of that holy joy which is born of the intimate union of man with his Maker, beamed from his countenance. The Holy Spirit had bestowed upon him a special talent for directing souls in the ways of virtue and holiness and he toiled on with unrelenting fervour, granting himself no rest or respite until his physical energy was exhausted.”
He was unrelenting in pursuing souls cut off from the life of grace, especially those facing imminent death. A nun entered the church one day and found Father Hofbauer kneeling before the altar. Unobserved by the saint, she saw his cheeks wet with tears as he pleaded for the conversion of some sinner outside the fold.
“Lord,” he begged, “give me this soul, for if Thou refuse, I shall go to Thy Mother!” The nun was so deeply affected by this scene that she immediately knelt before an image of the Blessed Virgin and united her own prayers to those of Hofbauer’s.
Even a tiny grain of imitation of this great Redemptorist Saint would be a huge impetus on our own road to holiness!
Lenten Thoughts – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26
“Will you refuse to be crucified for Him,
who for your sake was nailed to the cross?”
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from his Catecheses, 13
The Catholic Church glories in every deed of Christ. Her supreme glory, however, is the cross. Well aware of this, Paul says – God forbid that I glory in anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
At Siloam, there was a sense of wonder and rightly so. A man born blind recovered his sight. But of what importance is this, when there are so many blind people in the world? Lazarus rose from the dead but even this affected only Lazarus. What of those countless numbers who have died because of their sins? Those five miraculous loaves fed five thousand people. Yet this is a small number compared to those all over the world who were starved by ignorance. After eighteen years a woman was freed from the bondage of Satan. But are we not all shackled by the chains of our own sins?
For us all, however, the cross is the crown of victory! It has brought light to those blinded by ignorance. It has released those enslaved by sin. Indeed, it has redeemed the whole of mankind!
Do not, then, be ashamed of the cross of Christ, rather, glory in it. Although it is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, the message of the cross is our salvation. Of course it is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it was not a mere man who died for us but the Son of God, God made man.
In the Mosaic law a sacrificial lamb banished the destroyer. But now it is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Will He not free us from our sins even more? The blood of an animal, a sheep, brought salvation. Will not the blood of the only-begotten Son bring us greater salvation?
He was not killed by violence, He was not forced to give up His life. His was a willing sacrifice. Listen to His own words – I have the power to lay down my life and take it up again. Yes, he willingly submitted to His own passion. He took joy in his achievement, in His crown of victory He was glad and in the salvation of man He rejoiced. He did not blush at the cross for by it He was to save the world. No, it was not a lowly man who suffered but God incarnate. He entered the contest, for the reward He would win by His patient endurance.
Certainly in times of tranquillity the cross should give you joy. But maintain the same faith in times of persecution. Otherwise you will be a friend of Jesus in times of peace and His enemy during war. Now you receive the forgiveness of your sins and the generous gift of grace from your King. When war comes, fight courageously for Him.
Jesus never sinned, yet He was crucified for you. Will you refuse to be crucified for Him, who for your sake was nailed to the cross? You are not the one who gives the favour, you have received one first. For your sake He was crucified on Golgotha. Now you are returning His favour, you are fulfilling your debt to Him.
Quote of the Day – 15 March – The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820) “The Apostle of Austria” and “The Second Founder of the Redemptorists”
“We are living in evil times here. The Church of God is vilified, oppressed and persecuted, while we look on, helpless to defend or rescue, the Bride of Christ from the hatred of her foes.”
An acquaintance one day met the saint returning exhausted from attending to a dying man who lived far removed from the city and who had been away from the sacraments for seventeen years.
“It is a good thing when such a one lives far away,” he said. “For then I have ample time to recite the Rosary on the way and I have learned from experience, that sinners invariably repent before death, whenever I have had a chance to say the beads before reaching them.”
Lenten Reflection – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26
Christ, the model of brotherly love
Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
An excerpt from his The Mirror of Love
“The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men, offered his fair face to be spat upon by sinful men, He allowed those eyes that rule the universe, to be blindfolded by wicked men, He bared His back to the scourges, He submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers to the sharpness of the thorns, He gave Himself up to be mocked and reviled and at the end endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.
In short, He was led like a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb before the shearers He kept silent and did not open His mouth.”
Daily Meditation: Renew us and prepare us.
Our lesson today is about reconciliation
Our Lord forgives us all our sins –
nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Jesus
And we are called to forgive others
with the same compassion, mercy, patience and love given to us.
Our Lenten practices help us to
experience the renewing love of God
and they prepare us for our journey to Easter
to celebrate the mystery of our death to self
and rebirth in the new life Jesus won for us.
I do not wish the sinner to die, says the Lord, but to turn to me and live.
Ezekiel 33
Closing Prayer:
Creator of my life,
renew me,bring me to new life in You.
Touch me and make me feel whole again.
Help me to see Your love
in the passion, death and resurrection of Your son.
Help me to observe Lent
in a way that allows me to celebrate that love.
Prepare me for these weeks of Lent
as I feel both deep sorrows for my sins
and Your undying love for me.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26 and The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820)
“If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.”…Matthew 5:23–24
REFLECTION – “Christ gave His life for you and do you hold a grudge against your fellow servant? How then can you approach the table of peace? Your Master did not refuse to undergo every kind of suffering for you and will you not even forgo your anger?… He has offered me an outrageous insult, you say. He has wronged me times without number, he has endangered my life. Well, what is that? He has not yet crucified you as the Jewish elders crucified the Lord.
If you refuse to forgive your neighbour’s offence your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins either (Mt 6:15). What does your conscience say when you repeat the words: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…,” and the rest? Christ went so far as to offer His blood for the salvation of those who shed it. What could you do that would equal that? If you refuse to forgive your enemy you harm not him but yourself… You earn for yourself eternal punishment on the Day of Judgement.
Listen to the Lord’s words: “If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.” What do you mean? Am I really to leave my gift, my offering there? Yes, He says, because this sacrifice is offered in order that you may live in peace with your brother… For the Son of Man has come into the world to reconcile humanity with its Father. As Paul says: “Now God has reconciled everything to himself” (Col 1:20) “putting enmity to death through the cross” (Eph 2:16)…. St John Chrysostom (347-407)
PRAYER – All-merciful Father, help me to be ever open to Your love and mercy, running to You in all my needs and in all my fears. Allow me too, to run to the confessional when I have sinned, to ask for and receive forgiveness and love. Through Your mercy and forgiveness, teach me too to forgive and open my heart to kindness, reconciliation and care for my brother. Grant that the prayers of St Clement Mary Hofbauer, may assist us all in living holy lives according to Your Commandments and the laws of the Church. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C
I have nothing, O my Saviour and my God! By Father John Croiset SJ
I have nothing,
O my Saviour and my God!
I have nothing which can be
pleasing unto Thee;
I can do nothing,
I am nothing
but I have a heart
and this is enough for me.
Health, honour and life itself
may be taken from me
but no man can rob me of my heart.
I have a heart
and with this heart
I can love Thee,
O my Saviour Jesus,
worthy of all adoration!
And with this heart,
it is my determination to love You
and always I resolve
to love Thee,
only to love Thee always.
Amen
Fr John Croiset, SJ was spiritual director to St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), the great apostle and visionary of devotion to the Sacred Heart. St Margaret Mary told Fr Croiset that it was Jesus’s ardent wish that he assist her in making devotion to the Sacred Heart, until then a private devotion of chosen souls, generally known to all of the faithful.
After St Margaret Mary’s death, Fr Croiset duly compiled an account of her revelations concerning the Sacred Heart, together with her prayers concerning this devotion, into a volume entitled The Devotion to the Sacred Heart which was published in 1691. In 1704, due to Fr Croiset’s failure to observe certain formalities, the book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books, where it remained for two centuries. During this time Fr Croiset’s book was nearly forgotten. However, a certain bishop, wishing to call attention to devotion to the Sacred Heart within his diocese, came upon the text and finding that it had been placed upon the Index, called for the Sacred Congregation of the Index to re-examine the book. The Sacred Congregation determined that no error could be found in the work and so it was at last removed from the Index.
Saint of the Day – Blessed Jan Adalbert Balicki (1869-1948) – Priest, Professor of dogmatic theology at the Seminary, Spiritual Director, Preacher – born on 25 January 1869 in Staromiescie, Poland and died on 15 March 1948 of pneumonia and tuberculosis in Przemysl, Poland. He was Beatified on 18 August 2002 by St Pope John Paul II at Krakow, Poland.
John Adalbert was raised in a deeply religious family and, although materially poor, they were a family rich in honesty and virtue. From 1876-1888 he attended the schools of Rzeszow under the guidance of high level educators imbued with a love for Polish culture. In September 1888 he entered the diocesan Seminary of Przemysl. After four years of study and spiritual preparation, he was ordained on 20 July 1892.
The bishop sent him to be assistant pastor in the parish of Polna. He was appreciated as a man of prayer, a patient confessor and a gifted preacher. After about a year, he was sent to Rome to pursue his formation at the Pontifical Gregorian University. During his four years of study (1893-1897), he was aware of a dual responsibility – as a priest, to continue to make progress in Christian perfection and as a student, to complete his studies. His spiritual approach to theology bore fruit later on in his teaching. He listened to the lectures in the morning. In the afternoon he read the authors referred to and, above all, St Thomas Aquinas. Then he went to the chapel to pray over what he studied. He spent his freetime in Rome visiting the shrines of the Apostles and the rooms of the saints. It was a concrete way of learning about the faith.
Professor of theology, prefect of studies:
In the summer of 1897, he returned to Przemysl of the Latins, where he was appointed professor of dogmatic theology in the diocesan seminary. He was convinced that theology is not only the science that regards God but the science that can turn man to reach God. His lessons were meditations on the mysteries of God and had a good influence on the moral formation of his students. Up till 1900, Fr Balicki was also prefect of studies.
Rector of the seminary:
In 1927, in a spirit of obedience, he accepted the post of vice-rector of the seminary and a year later he was appointed rector. He was concerned about the spiritual formation of the priests. Before he presented the candidates to the bishop, he studied the reports and prayed for light to make the proper decision.
Spiritual direction and confession:
In 1934 he was forced to resign as rector and professor of theology due to poor health but he continued to live at the seminary. From 1934-1939 he could only hear confessions and give spiritual direction. Many of his penitents testified that he had an extraordinary gift of penetrating the profondity of their soul. As confessor he had an open heart for everyone who approached him with sincerity. He was always available for confession despite poor health. He was not just a judge or giver of absolution but he did all he could to motivate his penitents to grow spiritually. He regularly gave direction through letters.
World War II: restrictions, worsened health:
In September 1939, Poland was plunged into the tragedy of the Second World War. Right away the city of Przemysl was divided into two parts – the old section occupied by Soviet troops and the rest of the city occupied by the Germans. Although the priests and the bishop and his collaborators thought it safer to move to the German side, Fr Balicki remained in the Soviet zone hoping to start again the activity of formation in the Seminary. In the end, he was forced to move into a room in the bishop’s temporary housing.
In October 1941, the fighting in the area stopped and the artificial barrier that divided the city was abolished. Fr Balicki stayed there in his temporary room with the bishop.
In the second half of February 1948, he became gravely ill and was diagnosed as having bilateral pneumonia and tuberculosis in its advanced stage. He was admitted to the hospital where he died on 15 March 1948. He was considered by all to be a “holy priest” and “humility in person”.
Teaching and example:
After his death, the fame of his holiness spread throughout Poland and beyond Poland by means of the Polish emigrants. Eventually the people began to report to the authorities the answers to their prayers in which they begged John Adalbert to intercede for them.
Those who knew him report that his whole life was motivated by the desire to be the least among his brothers. His humility was simple, natural, authentic. There was no room for pride or vanity. He was gentle and careful in his dealings with others. He never desired to call attention to his own pains or sufferings.
What stood out as the fruit of humility was his great love of God and neighbour. Love was the dominant attitude. Humility allowed him to tend constantly toward God. He said that the life of grace was revealed in the dominion of the spirit over the flesh and its disordered inclinations. He stressed the role of the virtues in the growth of the spiritual life, especially mortification, patience and humility. Mortification submits nature to grace, patience, inseparable from love, makes man capable of sacrifice for God, humility dethrones the ego to place the Lord at the centre of his heart.
He held up prayer as the indispensable nourishment for the growth of the interior life and for final perseverance. Prayer is the elevation of the mind and heart to God so that we can live for Him and we love God with the love that He infuses into our hearts.
He did a study of mystical prayer in which he emphasised four degrees – prayer of quiet, prayer of simple union, ecstatic union and perfect union.
He also gave a list of the 7 steps for progress in the spiritual life. They are a serious approach to life, readiness to be critical of self, unshakeable confidence in prayer, joy of spirit, love for suffering, praise of divine mercy and continuous self amendment.
Model for Diocesan Priests:
On 22 December 1975, the then Cardinal Wojtyła wrote to Pope Paul VI to hold him up as a model for priests in our time….Vatican.va
Bl Jan was Beatified on 18 August 2002 by St Pope John Paul II at Krakow, Poland.
The Tomb and Shrine of Blessed Jan Adalbert Balicki
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