AnaStpaul

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Posted on March 30, 2018March 30, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

“But far be it from me to glory,
except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by which the world has been crucified to me
and I to the world.”

St Paul

“We give glory to You, Lord,
who raised up Your Cross to span the jaws of death
like a bridge by which souls might pass
from the region of the dead to the land of the living. ..
You are incontestably alive.
Your murderers sowed Your living body in the earth
as farmers sow grain but it sprang up
and yielded an abundant harvest of men
raised from the dead.”

St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church

“Mount Calvary is the academy of love.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church

” …Let us direct today our gaze toward Christ,
a gaze frequently distracted by scattered
and passing earthly interests.
Let us pause to contemplate His Cross.
The cross, fount of life and school of justice and peace,
is the universal patrimony of pardon and mercy.
It is permanent proof of a self-emptying and infinite love
that brought God to become man,
vulnerable like us, unto dying crucified.”

Pope Benedict XVI – 21 March 2008

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

One Minute Reflection – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Posted on March 30, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 30 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples..…..John 18:1-2 jesus was in a garden, not of delight - blaise pascal - 30 march - good friday 2018

REFLECTION – “Jesus was in a garden, not of delight as the first Adam, in which he destroyed himself and the whole human race but in one of agony, in which He saved Himself and the whole human race.”…Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
“Do not pass one day without devoting a half hour, or at least a quarter of an hour, to meditation on the sorrowful Passion of your Saviour. Have a continual remembrance of the agonies of your crucified Love and know that the greatest saints, who now, in heaven, triumph in holy love, arrived at perfection in this way.” – St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775) st paul of the cross - do not pass one day - good friday - 30 march

PRAYER – Be mindful Lord, of this Your family, for whose sake our Lord Jesus Christ, when betrayed, did not hesitate to yield Himself into His enemies hands and undergo the agony of the Cross. Help us holy Father, to ever keep the Cross in our hearts and minds and to accept our own with love of You. Through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, amen. jesus praying in the garden

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 39 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Posted on March 30, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 39 March 2018 – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

The Angel of the Agony
Blessed 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 the angel of the agony - bl john henry newman good friday 30 march

SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 30 March

Posted on March 30, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Bl Amadeus of Savoy
St Clinius of Pontecorvo
St Cronan Mochua
St Damiano
St Domnino of Thessalonica
St Fergus of Downpatrick
St Irene of Rome
Bl Joachim of Fiore
St John Climacus
St Julio Álvarez Mendoza
St Leonard Murialdo
St Ludovico of Casoria
St Mamertinus of Auxerre
St Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy
Bl Maria Restituta Kafka
St Osburga of Coventry
St Pastor of Orléans
St Patto of Werden
St Peter Regulatus
St Quirinus the Jailer
St Regulus of Scotland
St Regulus of Senlis
St Secundus of Asti
St Tola
St Zozimus of Syracuse
—
Martyrs of Constantinople: ourth-century Christians who were exiled, branded on the forehead, imprisoned, tortured, impoverished and murdered during the multi-year persecutions of the Arian Emperor Constantius. They were martyred
between 351 and 359 in Constantinople.

Martyrs of Korea:
Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy
Iosephus Chang Chu-gi
Lucas Hwang Sok-tu
Martin-Luc Huin
Pierre Aumaître

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Fourth Word – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

Posted on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Fourth Word – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

The Seven Last Words of Christ

The Seven Last Words of Christ refer, not to individual words but to the final seven phrases that Our Lord uttered as He hung on the Cross. These phrases were not recorded in a single Gospel but are taken from the combined accounts of the four Gospels. Greatly revered, these last words of Jesus have been the subject of many books, sermons and musical settings. For centuries The Seven Last Words have been built into various forms of devotion for the consideration and consolation of the Christian people.

“Take your crucifix in your hand
and ask yourselves whether this is the religion
of the soft, easy, worldly, luxurious days in which we live;
whether the crucifix does not teach you
a lesson of mortification, of self-denial, of crucifixion of the flesh.”

Cardinal Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892)

“As is well known, the initial cry of the Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, is recorded by the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as the cry uttered by Jesus dying on the Cross (cf. Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34). It expresses all the desolation of the Messiah, Son of God, who is facing the drama of death, a reality totally opposed to the Lord of life. Forsaken by almost all His followers, betrayed and denied by the disciples, surrounded by people who insult Him, Jesus is under the crushing weight of a mission that was to pass through humiliation and annihilation. This is why He cried out to the Father and His suffering took up the sorrowful words of the Psalm. But His is not a desperate cry, nor was that of the Psalmist who, in his supplication, takes a tormented path which nevertheless opens out at last into a perspective of praise, into trust in the divine victory.”…Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience 14 September 2011

The Fourth Word

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Gospel – From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”…Matthew 27:45-46 (Psalm 22(21))

Reflection: To ensure that He suffered every torment that normal man is prone to, Christ allowed Himself to experience despair. Up to this point, Jesus had suffered mainly physically. These torments had left His body racked with pain and agony. But now it was time for the ultimate pain, the pain a soul feels when it is separated from God.

The soul is spiritual being in the image of God. The human soul is like a plant is nourished by the bright sunlight of God. The human soul needs this light to grow and flourish. However, unlike a plant, the human soul does not die when it is separated from God because it cannot die. Instead the soul endures great and debilitating agony. It was this kind of agony that Our Lord willingly accepted on the Cross.

O sinful man, how can you claim that Our Lord does not understand the pain you are going through? He has suffered every imaginable punishment. He has felt the rejection of His own people. He has endured the dreadful physical pains of a brutal scourging and ignominious death on a Cross. He had endured the despair of a soul separated from God. He understands pain, agony, loss and despair. And He wishes to console you . He stands with arms out stretched on the Cross, looking to comfort you in all your distress.

Lord Jesus Christ, You know better than anyone what suffering I am enduring. I beg you to give me the grace and strength to endure these hardships, that I may offer them as penance for my sins. Help me to never refuse my cross, so that by taking it up daily I may be worthy of You one day. Amen.

Prayer of Abandonment to God’s Providence

My Lord and my God:
into your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future,
what is small and what is great,
what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot,
things temporal and things eternal.
Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. THE FOURTH WORD -MATTHEW 27 46 - THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST - THE DEVOTION - 29 MARCH 2018

CONFESSION/PENANCE, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The PASSION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday – The Mass of the Lord’s Supper 2018

Posted on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday – The Mass of the Lord’s Supper 2018 vatican - statue at the gethsemane steps in rome

When the Lord tells Peter that without the washing of his feet he would never be able to have any part in Him, Peter immediately and impetuously asks to have his head and hands washed as well. This is followed by the mysterious words of Jesus: “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed” (John 13:10). Jesus alludes to a bath that the disciples, according to ritual prescriptions, had already taken; in order to participate in the meal, they now needed only to have their feet washed. But naturally, a deeper meaning is hidden in this. To what does it allude? We do not know for sure. In any case, we should keep in mind that the washing of the feet, according to the meaning of the entire chapter, does not indicate a single specific Sacrament but the “sacramentum Christi” in its entirety – His service of salvation, His descent even to the cross, His love to the end, which purifies us and makes us capable of God.

Here, with the distinction between the bath and the washing of feet, nevertheless, there also appears an allusion to life in the community of the disciples, to life in the community of the Church – an allusion that John may have intentionally transmitted to the community of his time. It then seems clear that the bath that purifies us definitively and does not need to be repeated is Baptism – immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ, a fact that changes our lives profoundly, giving us something like a new a identity that endures, if we do not throw it away as Judas did. But even in the endurance of this new identity, for convivial communion with Jesus we need the “washing of the feet.” What does this mean? It seems to me that the first letter of Saint John gives us the key for understanding this. There we read: “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing” (1:8ff.).

We need the “washing of the feet,” the washing of our everyday sins and for this we need the confession of sins. We do not know exactly how this was carried out in the Johannine community. But the direction indicated by the words of Jesus to Peter is obvious: in order to be capable of participating in the convivial community with Jesus Christ, we must be sincere. One must recognise that even in our own identity as baptised persons, we sin. We need confession as this has taken form in the Sacrament of reconciliation. In it, the Lord continually rewashes our dirty feet and we are able to sit at table with Him.

But in this way, the word takes on yet another meaning, in which the Lord extends the “sacramentum” by making it the “exemplum,” a gift, a service for our brother: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). We must wash each other’s feet in the daily mutual service of love. But we must also wash our feet, in the sense, of constantly forgiving one another. The debt that the Lord has forgiven us is always infinitely greater than all of the debts that others could owe to us (cf. Mt. 18:21-35). It is to this that Holy Thursday exhorts us: not to allow rancour toward others to become, in its depths, a poisoning of the soul. It exhorts us to constantly purify our memory, forgiving one another from the heart, washing each other’s feet, thus being able to join together in the banquet of God.

Holy Thursday is a day of gratitude and of joy for the great gift of love to the end that the Lord has given to us. We want to pray to the Lord at this time, so that gratitude and joy may become in us the power of loving together with His love. Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

Posted on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

“Christianity is above all a gift: God gives himself to us – He does not give some thing but Himself. And this takes place not only at the beginning, at the moment of our conversion. He continually remains the One who gives. He always offers us His gifts anew. He always precedes us. For this reason, the central action of being Christians is the Eucharist: gratitude for having been gratified, the joy for the new life that He gives us.

In spite of all this, we do not remain passive recipients of the divine goodness. God gratifies us as personal and living partners. The love that is given is the dynamic of “loving together,” it is intended to be a new life within us, beginning from God. We thus understand the words that, at the end of the account of the washing of the feet, Jesus speaks to His disciples and to all of us: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). The “new commandment” does not consist in a new and difficult norm, one that did not exist before. The new commandment consists in a loving together with Him who loved us first.”

Pope Benedict XVI – 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

Posted on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 29 March – Holy Thursday 2018

...And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”..1 Corinthians 11:24-25

REFLECTION – “In the Mass the blood of Christ flows anew for sinners.”….St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Lord God, since for Your glory and our salvation, You willed Christ Your Son, to be the eternal High Priest, grant that the people He gained for You by His blood, may be strengthened by His cross and Resurrection, when they take part in His memorial service, through Christ in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. The-Last-Supper-large

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE

Our Morning Offering – 29 March 2018 – Holy Thursday

Posted on March 29, 2018March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 29 March 2018 – Holy Thursday

Jesu, be You my Life!
Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914)

I cannot live alone another hour;
Jesu, be You my Life!
I have not power to strive;
be You my Power
In every strife!
I can do nothing
– hope, nor love, nor fear.
But only fail and fall.
Be You my soul and self,
O Jesu dear.
My God and all!
Amen jesu be you my life - msgr robert hugh benson - maundy thurs - 29 march 2018

Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (18 November 1871 – 19 October 1914) was an English Anglican priest who in 1903 was received into the Roman Catholic Church in which he was ordained priest in 1904. He was a prolific writer of fiction and wrote the notable dystopian novel Lord of the World (1907). His output encompassed historical, horror and science fiction, contemporary fiction, children’s stories, plays, apologetics, devotional works and articles. He continued his writing career at the same time as he progressed through the hierarchy to become a Chamberlain (Chaplain) to Pope Pius X in 1911 and subsequently titled Monsignor.

220px-Monsignor_R._H._Benson_in_Oct._1912,_Aged_40

FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HOLY WEEK

29 March 2018 – Maundy/Holy Thursday

Posted on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

29 March 2018 – Maundy/Holy Thursday – The First Day of the Paschal Triduum

The History of Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday is more than just the lead-in to the events of Good Friday; it is, in fact, the oldest of the celebrations of Holy Week. And with good reason—Holy Thursday is the day on which Catholics commemorate the institution of three pillars of the Catholic Faith: the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the priesthood and the Mass. During the Last Supper, Christ blessed the bread and wine that He shared with His disciples with the very words that Catholic and Orthodox priests use today to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass and the Divine Liturgy. In telling His disciples to “Do this in remembrance of Me,” Jesus instituted the Mass and made them the first priests.

Maundy Thursday: A New Commandment
Near the end of the Last Supper, after Judas had left to arrange for the betrayal of Christ, Jesus said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” The Latin word for “commandment,” mandatum, became the source of another name for Holy Thursday: Maundy Thursday. I give you a new commandment - maundy thursday

The Chrism Mass
On Holy Thursday, the priests of each diocese gather with their bishop to consecrate holy oils, which are used throughout the year for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick. This ancient practice, which can be traced back as far as the fifth century, is known as the Chrism Mass.

(Chrism is a mixture of oil and balsam used for the holy oils.) The gathering of all the priests in the diocese to celebrate this Mass with their bishop stresses the role of the bishop as a successor to the apostles.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Except in very rare circumstances, there is only one Mass other than the Chrism Mass celebrated on Holy Thursday in each church: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which is celebrated after sundown. It commemorates the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion and it ends with the removal of the Body of Christ from the tabernacle in the main body of the church. The Eucharist is carried in procession to another place where it is kept overnight, to be distributed during the commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (when no Mass is held and therefore no hosts are consecrated). After the procession, the altar is stripped bare and all bells in the church are silent until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. st jp the essence of our truth holy week trad

SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 29 March

Posted on March 29, 2018March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

St Acacia of Antioch
St Archmimus of Africa
St Armogastes of Africa
St Barachasius
Bl Bertold of Mount Carmel
St Constantine of Monte Cassino
St Eustachio of Naples
St Firminus of Viviers
St Gladys
St Gwynllyw
Bl Hugh of Vaucelles
Bl John Hambley
St Jonas of Hubaham
St Lasar
St Ludolf of Ratzeburg
St Mark of Arethusa
St Masculas of Africa
St Pastor of Nicomedia
St Saturus of Africa
St Simplicius of Monte Cassino
St Victorinus of Nicomedia
St William Tempier

CONFESSION/PENANCE, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Thought for the Day – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018 Judas

Posted on March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018
Judas

Commentaries on Holy Week | Wednesday

Wednesday of Holy Week recalls the sad story of one who was an apostle of Christ, Judas. As St Matthew tells us in his gospel: Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray Him. spy wed

So that we realise that we all might behave as Judas did. So that we ask our Lord that, on our part, there be no treachery, nor distancing, nor abandonment. Not only because of the great harm this could bring to our personal lives but because we could drag along others who need the help of our good example, of our support, of our friendship.

JUDAS’ KISS

In some places in Latin America, the images of Christ crucified show a deep bruise on our Lord’s left cheek. People say this represents Judas’ kiss. So great is the pain that our sins cause Jesus. Let us tell Him that we want to be faithful, that we don’t want to sell Him, as Judas did, for thirty coins, for a trifle, for that’s what our sins are: pride, envy, impurity, hatred, resentment… When a temptation threatens to overwhelm us, let’s remember that it is not worthwhile to exchange the happiness of God’s children, which is what we are, for a pleasure that ends right away, leaving the bitter aftertaste of defeat and infidelity.

We have to feel on our shoulders the weight of the Church and of all humanity. Isn’t it marvellous to know that each of us can influence the whole world. In that place where we are, doing our work well, caring for our family, serving our friends, we can help make so many people happy. As St Josemaria wrote, through the fulfilment of our duties, we Christians have to be like the stone fallen into the lake. With your word and your example you produce a first circle… and it another… and another, and another…Until you reach the furthest sites.

Let us ask our Lord that there be no more betrayals; that we learn, with His grace, how to reject the temptations that the devil presents us with, trying to trick us. We have to say no, firmly, to all that would separate us from God. Thus the sad story of Judas will not be repeated in our own lives.

SACRAMENT OF DIVINE MERCY

And if we feel ourselves weak, let us hurry to the holy Sacrament of Penance! There our Lord is waiting, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, to give us an embrace and offer us His friendship. He is continually going forth to meet us, even if we have fallen low, very low. It’s always time to return to God! We should never react with discouragement or pessimism. Don’t think: What can I do, if I’m just a pile of wretchedness? God’s mercy is even greater. What can I do, if I fall again and again through my weakness? God’s power to lift us from our falls is even greater.

The sins of Judas and of Peter were great. Both of them betrayed the Master: one by handing Him over to His persecutors, the other by denying Him three times. And nevertheless, how differently each reacted. Our Lord longed to show mercy towards both. Peter repented; he wept over his sin, he asked for forgiveness and Christ strengthened him in his faith and love. In time, he came to give his life for our Lord. But Judas failed to trust in Christ’s mercy. Up till the last moment, God held the doors of forgiveness open for him, but he didn’t want to enter them through penance.

MOMENT OF CONVERSION AND FORGIVENESS

In his first encyclical, John Paul II spoke of Christ’s “right to meet each one of us in that key moment in the soul’s life constituted by the moment of conversion and forgiveness” (Redemptor Hominis, 20). Let’s not deprive Jesus of that right! Let’s not take away from God the Father the joy of giving us a welcoming embrace! Let’s not sadden the Holy Spirit, who wants to give supernatural life back to souls!

Let’s ask Blessed Mary, the Hope of Christians, to prevent us from becoming discouraged on seeing our mistakes and sins, perhaps repeated ones. May she win for us from her Son the grace of conversion, an efficacious desire to go humbly and contritely to Confession, the sacrament of divine mercy, beginning and beginning again as often as necessary. and if we feel ourselves weak - Bishop Javier Echevarria (1932-2016) opus dei - wed of holy week

Bishop Javier Echevarria (1932-2016)

Fr Javier Echevarria (born 1932) was the second successor of St Josemaria Escriva as head of Opus Dei from 1994-2016.
He worked closely with St. Josemaria Escriva as his personal secretary from 1953 until St Josemaria’s death in 1975. Bishop Echevarria was ordained as a priest on 7 August 1955.
He was elected and appointed by John Paul II as prelate of Opus Dei on 20 April 1994.
The Pope ordained him as a bishop on 6 January 1995.
Bishop Echevarria died in Rome on 12 December 2016.

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DEVOTIO, DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CONVERSION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Third Word – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 28, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Third Word – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

The Seven Last Words of Christ

“…As we are under great obligations to Jesus,
for His Passion endured for our love,
so also are we under great obligations to Mary,
for the martyrdom which she voluntarily suffered,
for our salvation, in the death of her Son”.

St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church

The Third Word

“Woman, behold, your son.”… “Behold, your mother.” John 19:26-27

Gospel: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home…Jn 19:26-27

Reflection: Sinful man, behold the sorrowful face of Our Blessed Mother. She, who through her acceptance of God’s will brought the Son of God into the world, now sees Him stretched between heaven and earth suffering unbearable torments for your sake. This Mother, who accepted God’s Gift to the world with great joy, is now overcome with great sorrow to see Him who is Innocent put to death for our sakes. Weep. o sinful man, for you and your sinful habits are the cause of her sorrow.

Looking down on His Most Holy Mother, the Saviour of the world gives her a parting gift: sinful mankind. With four words He gives us who have crucified Him into her care, so that she may care for us with the same kindness and dedication as she had for Him. The sorrow at losing her only Son is replaced with the sorrow of a mother who is forced to watch as her children blindly go down the path to destruction.

But Our Saviour is not finished. Turning to St John and speaking through him to us, He reminds and warns us to honour His mother. How can we return to sin when we remember that our sin hurts Our Blessed Mother twice? First, we hurt her when our sin adds to Our Lord’s suffering. Second, just like any other mother, Our Blessed Mother is saddened to the point of tears when we turn from the narrow path that leads to Salvation and instead take the wide path that leads to Eternal Damnation.

O, Most Blessed Mother,
I beg that you forgive me
for all that I have done to offend you
and your Most Holy Son.
I beg you further to intercede with your Son on my behalf.
I deserve Eternal Punishment for my continual offenses
against both you and your Son.
Take me by the hand so that I may never again offend you
and help me to grow in virtue,
that I may make reparation for my offences.
Amen.

Prayer of Abandonment to God’s Providence

My Lord and my God:
into your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future,
what is small and what is great,
what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot,
things temporal and things eternal.
Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. THE THIRD WORD - JOHN 19 26-27 - THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST - THE DEVOTION - 28 MARCH 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote of the Day – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

By nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
has death been brought low, the sin of our first parent destroyed,
hell plundered, resurrection bestowed,
the power given us to despise the things of this world,
even death itself, the road back to the former blessedness made smooth,
the gates of paradise opened, our nature seated at the right hand of God
and we made children and heirs of God.
By the cross all these things have been set aright…
It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us,
a raising up of those who lie fallen,
a support for those who stand,
a staff for the infirm,
a crook for the shepherded,
a guide for the wandering,
a perfecting of the advanced,
salvation for soul and body,
a deflector of all evils,
a cause of all goods,
a destruction of sin,
a plant of resurrection
and a tree of eternal life.

St John Damascene (675-749) Father & Doctor of the Church

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018 & The Memorial of St Stephen Harding (1050-1134)

Posted on March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018 & The Memorial of St Stephen Harding (1050-1134)

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him…Matthew 26:14-16 matthew 26 14-16

REFLECTION – “Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashions. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was anonymous voices that cried ‘away with him! Crucify him!'”…Pope Benedict XVI

judas is neither a master of evil - pope benedict - 28 march 2018

PRAYER – Father of mercy, hear the prayers of Your repentant children, who call on You in love. Englighten our minds, sanctify our hearts, grant us right judgement and lead us away from the idols of the world. St Stephen Harding, as you abandoned the world and helped many to follow you, intercede for us. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

st stephen harding pray for us - 28 march 2018

MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 28, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Wednesday of Holy Week 2018

Act of Love
of Father Jean-Baptiste Muard O.S.B. (1809-1854)

Desiring to love Thee, my God,
as much as is possible to a feeble creature,
I desire that all my thoughts,
all my wishes, all my sentiments,
all my aspirations, all the pulsations of my heart,
all my movements, be so many acts of love.
I desire that every character I trace in writing,
every word, every letter I read,
be to me so many acts of love.
Would that I could offer Thee each day
as many acts of most fervent love
as there are grains of sand on the sea-shore,
leaves on the trees of the forest,
atoms in the air and created things
and multiply them to infinity.
I offer Thee, my God,
in compensation for my weakness,
all the acts of love of all the angels
and all the saints in heaven and earth;
all the acts of love of the most holy Virgin
and, above all, the acts of love
for Thee of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Alas ! my God, that I cannot love Thee
as Thou deservest to be loved;
give me, then, the heart of a Seraph or, rather,
fill my heart with the love of all the Seraphim,
the love of all the Saints, the love of all hearts,
and increase it ever more and more
that I may love Thee as much as I desire to love Thee.
Amen act of love by fr jean-baptiste Muard OSB - desiring to love thee o my God - 28 march 2018 wed ofholy week

Father Jean-Baptiste Muard (1809-1854) was the founder of the Society of Saint Edmund and of the Benedictine Abbey of La-Pierre-Qui-Vire.

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 28 March – St Stephen Harding O.Cist (c 1050-1134)

Posted on March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 28 March – St Stephen Harding O.Cist (1050-1134) Monk, priest, Abbot, Reformer and co-founder of the Cistercian Order. He was born in c 1050 in Meriot, Sherborne, England and died on 28 March 1134 at Citeaux, France of natural causes. His remains are buried at Citeaux Abbey, France. He was Canonised in 1623 by Pope Urban VIII. 1200px-Sv._Stevan_Harding,_Stevanovska_cirkev

Stephen Harding was an Englishman of an honourable family and heir to a large estate. Born in Dorset, he was educated at the monastery of Sherborne and spoke English, Norman, French and Latin.

Desirous of seeking a more perfect way of Christian perfection, he, with a devout companion, travelled into Scotland and afterwards to Paris and to Rome. On their return journey, the two travellers chanced upon a collection of huts in the forest of Molesme in Burgundy, where monks lived in great austerity. Struck by their way of life and finding kindred spirits in Robert the Abbot and Alberic the Prior, he bid his friend goodbye and threw in his lot with the monks.

Robertus-Albericus-Stephanus21-203x300

After some years, finding that religious fervour had waned considerably, Stephen, Robert, Alberic and others went to Lyons and with the support of Bishop Hugh struck a new foundation in the forest of Citeaux sponsored by Rainald, Lord of Beaune and Odo, Duke of Burgundy. Later Robert returned to his monks of Molesme who reclaimed him as their abbot, and upon the death of Alberic, in 1109, Stephen succeeded him as Abbot of Citeaux.

citeaux cit cistercian monastery at citeaux

He immediately instituted such austere measures to keep the spirit of the world out that he alienated the support of many who had helped to establish the abbey. Novices ceased applying and to make matters worse, a mysterious disease decimated his monks to the point that even Stephen’s stout heart began to quiver wondering if he were really doing God’s will.

God answered him dramatically when thirty noblemen knocked at the abbey’s door seeking admittance. They were headed by young St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church, who in his zeal had convinced his brothers, uncles and a number of his acquaintances to give up the world with him.

Apr+17+Stephen+Harding+1

Increasing numbers called for additional foundations and the first two were made at Morimond and Clairvaux. To the general surprise, Stephen appointed twenty-four-year-old Bernard as Abbot of Clairvaux. When nine abbeys had sprung from Citeaux, Stephen drew up the statutes of his Charter of Charity which officially organised the Cistercians into an order.

St Stephen died in 1134, advanced in age and nearly blind and having served as Abbot of Cîteaux for twenty-five years. Whilst he was in his agony, he heard many whispering that, after so virtuous and penitential a life, he could have nothing to fear in dying: at this he said to them, trembling, “I assure you that I go to God in fear and trembling. If my baseness should be found to have ever done any good, even in this I fear, lest I should not have preserved that grace with the humility and care I ought.” He was interred in the tomb of Blessed Alberic, in which also many of his successors lie buried, in the cloister, near the door of the church. His Order keeps his memorial as of the first class, with an octave and with greater solemnity than those of St Robert or St Bernard, having always looked upon him as the principal of its founders.

st-stephen-harding

In the words of author Stephen Tobin, “Stephen Harding found Cîteaux just another reformed abbey and left it the head of the first (European) religious order … Nothing like it had ever been seen before … At the head of a flourishing family of daughter houses, with a clearly defined manifesto and full legal constitution, Cîteaux was a force for change and a force to be reckoned within a world where (other leaders) vied to outdo each other in accruing and displaying wealth and power.”

st stephen harding - glass - 2

SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 28 March

Posted on March 28, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

St Alkelda of Middleham
Bl Antonio Patrizi
St Castor of Tarsus
Bl Christopher Wharton
Bl Conon of Naso
St Cyril the Deacon
Bl Dedë Maçaj
St Donal O’Neylan
St Dorotheus of Tarsus
St Gundelindis of Niedermünster
St Guntramnus
St Hesychius of Jerusalem
St Hilarion of Pelecete
Bl Jean-Baptiste Malo
Bl Jeanne Marie de Maille
St Joseph Sebastian Pelczar
St Proterius of Alexandria
Bl Renée-Marie Feillatreau épouse Dumont
St Rogatus the Martyr
St Stephen Harding O.Cist (1050-1134)
St Successus the Martyr
St Tutilo of Saint-Gall
Bl Venturino of Bergamo

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

In many countries of the world, the Chrism Mass is celebrated separately today or tomorrow, together with the renewal of the local Priests’ vows. In my particular Diocese, this is so, therefore I hope you will join me in praying for all our priests.

“Dear brothers and sisters, each year the Chrism Mass exhorts us to return to that “yes” to the call of God which we pronounced on the day of our priestly ordination. “Adsum – here I am!”, we said like Isaiah, when he heard the voice of God, who asked him: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am, send me!”, Isaiah replied (Isaiah 6:8). Then the Lord Himself, through the hands of the bishop, laid His hands upon us and we gave ourselves to His mission. Since then, we have travelled down various roads in following His call. Can we always claim what Paul, after years of a service of the Gospel that was often labourious and marked by sufferings of all kinds, wrote to the Corinthians: “Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged” (2 Cor. 4:1)? “We are not discouraged.” Let us pray today that our zeal may always be rekindled, so that it is constantly fed by the living flame of the Gospel.”…Pope Benedict 20 March 2008

Let us pray:

LORD JESUS CHRIST,

Eternal High Priest, you offered yourself to the
Father on the altar of the Cross and through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave your priestly
people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial
priesthood may be ever more conformed to you,
the divine Master. May they preach the
Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own Heart,
single- minded in service to you and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy,simple and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
your Mother and ours,draw all priests and the flocks
entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where
you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Holy Priest of God, Blessed Louis-Edouard Cestac, please pray for all our priests, amen. blessed louis-edouard cestac - pray for us no 2- 27 march 2018

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

“Nobody can reign with Christ without having imitated His Passion. For things of great value can only be acquired at a great price.”

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

“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. “ (Sermon 160, 3-4).

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

DEVOTIO, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Second Word – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The Second Word – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

The Seven Last Words of Christ

“The tree upon which were fixed the members of Him dying
was even the chair of the Master teaching.”

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

The Second Word

“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
(Lk 23:43)

Gospel: Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”...Lk 23:39-43

Reflection: “The Christian is obliged to be alter Christus, ipse Christus: another Christ, Christ himself. Through baptism all of us have been made priests of our lives, ‘to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ Everything we do can be an expression of our obedience to God’s will and so perpetuate the mission of the God-man.

“Once we realize this, we are immediately reminded of our wretchedness and our personal failings. But they should not dishearten us; we should not become pessimistic and put our ideals aside. Our Lord is calling us, in our present state, to share His life and make an effort to be holy. I know holiness can sound like an empty word. Too many people think it is unattainable, something to do with ascetical theology — but not a real goal for them, a living reality. The first Christians didn’t think that way. They often used the word “saints” to describe each other in a very natural manner: ‘greetings to all the saints’;‘my greetings to every one of the saints in Jesus Christ.’

“Take a look now at Calvary. Jesus has died and there is as yet no sign of His glorious triumph. It is a good time to examine how much we really want to live as Christians, to be holy. Here is our chance to react against our weaknesses with an act of faith.”…St Josemaria Escriva – Christ is Passing By, no. 95

Prayer of Abandonment to God’s Providence

My Lord and my God:
into your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future,
what is small and what is great,
what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot,
things temporal and things eternal.
Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. THE SECOND WORD - LUKE 23 43 - THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST - THE DEVOTION - 27 MARCH 2018.no.2

DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Peter said to him, “Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times…John 13:37-38

REFLECTION – “We too often forget that maxim of the Saints which warns us to consider ourselves as each day recommencing our progress towards perfection. If we consider it frequently we shall not be surprised at the poverty of our spirit, nor how much we have to refuse ourselves. The work is never finished, we have continually to begin again and that courageously. What we have done so far is good but what we are going to commence will be better and when we have finished that, we shall begin something else that will be better still and then another – until we leave this world to begin a new life that will have no end because it is the best that can happen to us.
It is not then a case for tears that we have so much work to do for our souls, for we need great courage to go ever onwards (since we must never stop) and much resolution to restrain our desires. Observe carefully this precept that all the Saints have given to those who would emulate them: to speak little, or not at all, of yourself and your own interests.”…St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church it is not then a case for tears - st francis de sales - tuesday of holy week - 27 march 2018

PRAYER – All-powerful, everliving God, may our sacramental celebration of the Lord’s passion bring us Your forgiveness, Your love and Your help. Grant that through the prayers of Blessed Louis-Edouard Cestac, Your servant, we may constantly grow in sanctity, zeal and fortitude. T hrough our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. blessed louis-edouard cestac - pray for us - 27 march 2018

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – Tuesday of Holy Week 2018

The Promise
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

And lastly, O my dear Lord,
though I am so very weak
that I am not fit to ask You
for suffering as a gift
and have not strength to do so,
at least I will beg of You,
grace to meet suffering well,
when You, in Your love and wisdom,
brings it upon me,
knowing that in this way,
I shall gain the promise,
both of this life and of the next.
Amen the promise - and lastly o my dear lord - bl john henry newman - 27 march 2018

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 27 March – Blessed Louis-Édouard Cestac (1801-1868)

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 27 March – Blessed Louis-Édouard Cestac (6 January 1801 – 27 March 1868) – Priest and Founder, Apostle of Charity. Patronage – Servants of Mary. Bl Louis was a French Roman Catholic priest and alongside his sister Marie-Louise-Élise co-founded the Serviteurs de Marie/Servants of Mary. Cestac was dedicated to the needs of the poor and he met with them on a frequent basis in order to get to know them better and to know how he could better serve them in terms of their material and spiritual needs. But he was concerned for girls who were poor and destitute and so decided to provide them with a stable environment. He enlisted the aid of his sister and the two founded a religious order that would be dedicated to helping them. His beatification received approval in mid-2014 from Pope Francis after the pontiff approved a miracle that had been found to have been attributed to his intercession. Cardinal Angelo Amato beatified Cestac in mid-2015 on the pope’s behalf. bl louis edouard cestac - header

Louis-Édouard Cestac was born in 1801 in France to Dominique Cestac and Jeanne Amitessarobe at number 45 on the Rue Mayou; his siblings were Marianne and the Servant of God Marie-Louise-Élise (14 March 1811-17 March1849). His mother Jeanne was Basque-Spanish. Marianne (b. circa 1795) was the eldest while Élise was the last, meaning Cestac was the middle sibling; he was Élise’s godfather at her baptism.
In his childhood he suffered an incurable neuralgia and complete mutism for a duration of three years. His mother decided to consecrate him to the Mother of God and Cestac’s condition improved to the point where he was healed. His healing was credited to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. The Cestac’s later moved to Puntous due to the Peninsular War.

Cestac underwent his ecclesial studies from 1816 at Aire-sur-l’Adour and Paris where he befriended Saint Michel Garicoïts 1797-1863 (Memorial 14 May). He received the minor orders on 25 December 1821 and in 1822 was back to his studies and formation after recovering from a serious illness. He was ordained to the diaconate on 26 June 1825 before being ordained to the priesthood on 17 December 1825. He served as a professor in Larressore from 1826 until 1831. Father Cestac was later appointed as the vicar of the diocesan cathedral on 27 August 1831 and gave his full attention to the poor and met with them on a frequent basis in order to better serve them and to know them better.

Louis-Edouard_Cestac_jeune

In 1836 he established a home for poor girls. He and his sister Marie-Louise Élise together co-founded – on 6 January 1842 – their own religious congregation known as the Serviteurs de Marie. Two other women joined at the time of the order’s founding while Élise became Sister Marie Magdalene. There was once an occasion when Empress Eugénie de Montijo came to Cestac asking him to pray for her to have a son but the priest assured her that she would indeed bear a son – the empress did indeed have a son.

His sister and Servant of God Marie-Louise-Élise Cestac.

On 13 January 1864 a profound experience struck when a beam of light hit Cestac and caused him to see devils scattered across the globe causing grave damage. He was horrified but was relieved to see the Mother of God before him and who told him that those devils had been let loose. Yet she added that the time had come for the world to request her intercession to fight and end the grave powers of Hell. From her the priest received the prayer known as the “August Queen”. He presented this to Bishop François Lacroix and also had 500, 000 copies printed to be sent. At the time of the first printing the printing press broke down twice.

August Queen

August Queen of Heaven,
Sovereign Mistress of the Angels,
you, who from the beginning,
has received from God
the power of the mission
to crush the head of Satan,
we humbly implore you,
to send your holy legions,
so that under your command
and by your power,
they may drive the devils away,
everywhere, fight them,
subduing their boldness
and thrust them down into the abyss.

Who is like unto God?
O good and tender Mother,
you will always be our love and our hope.
O divine Mother,
send your holy angels to defend me
and drive far away from me the cruel enemy.
Holy Angels and Archangels defend us, keep us.
Amen

His dedication to social and agricultural reform won him praise and it even earned him the Legion of Honour from Napoleon III in 1865 for his contributions to schooling and agriculture. He died on 27 March 1868 in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques France of natural causes.

SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 27 March

Posted on March 27, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Bl Aimone of Halberstadt
St Amphilochius of Illyria
St Alexander of Drizipara
St Alexander of Pannonia
St Alkeld the Martyr
St Amator the Hermit
St Augusta of Treviso
St Claudio Gallo
St Cronidas of Illyria
St Ensfrid of Cologne
Bl Francesco Faà di Bruno
Bl Frowin of Engelberg
St Gelasius of Armagh
St John of Lycopolis
Bl Louis-Édouard Cestac (1801-1868)
St Matthew of Beauvais
St Macedo of Illyria
St Panacea de’Muzzi of Quarona
Bl Pellegrino of Falerone
Bl Peter Jo Yong-sam
St Philetus
St Romulus the Abbot
St Rupert of Salzburg
St Suairlech of Fore
St Theoprepius
—
Martyrs of Bardiaboch: A group of Christians who were arrested, tortured and executed together for their faith during the persecutions of Persian king Shapur II. Martyrs. – Abibus, Helias, Lazarus, Mares, Maruthas, Narses, Sabas, Sembeeth and Zanitas. 27 March 326 at Bardiaboch, Persia.

DEVOTIO, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The First Word – 26 March – Monday of Holy Week 2018

Posted on March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Devotion of The Seven Last Words of Christ – The First Word – 26 March – Monday of Holy Week 2018

The Seven Last Words of Christ

For centuries The Seven Last Words have been built into various forms of devotion for the consideration and consolation of the Christian people. English Catholics of the late Middle Ages were especially devoted to this pious exercise and passed it on in latter-day prayer books.

Hear the famous English mystic, Julian of Norwich (1342-1430) :

Suddenly it came into my mind that I ought to wish for the second wound, that our Lord, of His gift and of His grace, would fill my body full with recollection and feeling of His blessed Passion, as I had prayed before, for I wished that His pains might be my pains, with compassion which would lead to longing for God. . . . And at this suddenly I saw the red blood trickling down from under the crown, all hot, flowing freely and copiously, a living stream, just as it seemed to me that it was at the time when the crown of thorns was thrust down upon His blessed head. . . . With this sight of His blessed Passion and with His divinity, I saw that this was strength enough for me, yesand for all living creatures who will be protected from all the devils from hell and from all spiritual enemies.

Holy Week, especially Good Friday, is an ideal time to make use of this devotion for personal prayer: to silently and prayerfully contemplate Jesus’s passion and death, to be united to Him in His suffering and to dwell on the strength and mercy of His love.

The following meditations are from on the writings of St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

The First Word

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

Gospel: When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”] They divided his garments by casting lots…Lk 23:33-34

Reflection: “Christ’s generous self-sacrifice is a challenge to sin. We find it hard to accept the reality of sin, although its existence is undeniable. Sin is the mysterium iniquitatis: the mystery of evil, the inexplicable evil of the creature whose pride leads him to rise up against God. The story is as old as mankind. It began with the fall of our first parents; then came the unending depravities which punctuate the behaviour of mankind down the ages; and, finally, our own personal rebellions. It is very difficult to realise just how perverse sin is and to understand what our faith tells us. We should remember that even in the human context the scale of an offence is frequently determined by the importance of the injured party — his social standing, his qualities. But with sin man offends God, the creature repudiates his creator.

“But ‘God is love.’ The abyss of malice which sin opens wide has been bridged by His infinite charity. God did not abandon men. His plans foresaw that the sacrifices of the old law would be insufficient to repair our faults and re-establish the unity which had been lost. A man who was God would have to offer Himself up. To help us grasp in some measure this unfathomable mystery, we might imagine the Blessed Trinity taking counsel together in its uninterrupted intimate relationship of infinite love. As a result of its eternal decision, the only-begotten Son of God the Father takes on our human condition and bears the burden of our wretchedness and sorrows, to end up sewn with nails to a piece of wood.”…St Josemaria Escriva – Christ is Passing By, no. 95

Prayer of Abandonment to God’s Providence

My Lord and my God:
into Your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future,
what is small and what is great,
what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot,
things temporal and things eternal.
Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 26 March – What is Holy Week? – St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

Posted on March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 March

What is Holy Week?

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomas Sancta or Hebdomas Maior, “Greater Week”; Greek: Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, Megale Hebdomas) in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including, Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels. holy week info

holy week with border

The tragedy of the passion brings to fulfilment our own life and the whole of human history. We can’t let Holy Week be just a kind of commemoration. It means contemplating the mystery of Jesus Christ as something which continues to work in our souls. The Christian is obliged to be altered – Christus, ipse Christus: another Christ, Christ Himself.

Everything we do
Through baptism all of us have been made priests of our lives, “to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Everything we do can be an expression of our obedience to God’s will and so perpetuate the mission of the Godman.

Once we realise this, we are immediately reminded of our wretchedness and our personal failings. But they should not dishearten us; we should not become pessimistic and put our ideals aside. Our Lord is calling us, in our present state, to share his life and make an effort to be holy. I know holiness can sound like an empty word. Too many people think it is unattainable, something to do with ascetical theology — but not a real goal for them, a living reality. The first Christians didn’t think that way. They often used the word “saints” to describe each other in a very natural manner: “greetings to all the saints”; “my greetings to every one of the saints in Jesus Christ.”

A chance
Take a look now at Calvary. Jesus has died and there is as yet no sign of His glorious triumph. It is a good time to examine how much we really want to live as Christians, to be holy. Here is our chance to react against our weaknesses with an act of faith. We can trust in God and resolve to put love into the things we do each day. The experience of sin should lead us to sorrow. We should make a more mature and deeper decision to be faithful and truly identify ourselves with Christ, persevering, no matter what it costs, in the priestly mission that He has given every single one of His disciples. That mission should spur us on to be the salt and light of the world….Christ is Passing By, 96

Symbol of the Redemption
Let us not forget that in all human activities there must be men and women who, in their lives and work, raise Christ’s Cross aloft for all to see, as an act of reparation. It is a symbol of peace and of joy, a symbol of the Redemption and of the unity of the human race. It is a symbol of the love that the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit had, and continues to have, for mankind….Furrow, 985

Thinking about Christ’s death
So, in thinking about Christ’s death, we find ourselves invited to take a good hard look at our everyday activities and to be serious about the faith we profess. Holy Week cannot be a kind of “religious interlude”; time taken out from a life which is completely caught up in human affairs. It must be an opportunity to understand more profoundly the love of God, so that we’ll be able to show that love to other people through what we do and say. …
That’s the key. Jesus says we must also hate our life, our very soul — that is what our Lord is asking of us. If we are superficial, if the only thing we care about is our own personal well-being, if we try to make other people and even the world, revolve around our own little self, we have no right to call ourselves Christians or think we are disciples of Christ. We have to give ourselves really, not just in word but in deed and truth. Love for God invites us to take up the cross and feel on our own shoulders the weight of humanity. It leads us to fulfil the clear and loving plans of the Father’s will in all the circumstances of our work and life. In the passage we’ve just read Jesus goes on to say: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)

if we are superficial - st josemaria escriva - 26 march 2018- no 2
Let us accept God’s will and be firmly resolved to build all our life in accordance with what our faith teaches and demands. We can be sure this involves struggle and suffering and pain but if we really keep faith we will never feel we have lost God’s favour. In the midst of sorrow and even calumny, we will experience a happiness which moves us to love others, to help them share in our supernatural joy….Christ is Passing By, 97

“Conversion is the task of a moment;
sanctification is the work of a lifetime.
To begin is for everyone,
to persevere is for saints!”

franciscan OFM, HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote of the Day – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week

Posted on March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week

“In the passion of our blessed Saviour,
six things chiefly are to be meditated upon.

First, the bitterness of His sorrow,
that we may compassionate with Him.

Secondly, the greatness of our sins,
which were the cause of His torments,
that we may abhor them.

Thirdly, the greatness of the benefit,
that we may be grateful for it.

Fourthly, the excellency of the divine charity
and bounty therein manifested,
that we may love Him more fervently.

Fifthly, the convenience of the mystery,
that we may be drawn to admiration of it.

Lastly, the multiplicity of virtues
of our blessed Saviour which did shine
in this stupendous mystery, that we may
partly imitate and partly admire them.”

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

One Minute Reflection – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week and the Memorial of St Braulio (590-651)

Posted on March 26, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week and the Memorial of St Braulio (590-651)

Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment…John 12:3

john 12 3

REFLECTION – “O souls! Seek a refuge, like pure doves, in the shadow of the crucifix. There, mourn the Passion of your divine Spouse and drawing from your hearts flames of love and rivers of tears, make of them a precious balm with which to anoint the wounds of your Saviour.”…St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775) o souls, seek a refuge - st paul of the cross - 26 march 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own weakness, may draw the breath of new life from the passion and death of Your only-begotten Son. St Braulio, you who worked so zealously to assist those in weakness, both in body and soul, please pray for us too. Through our Lord and Saviour, who suffered and died for us, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. st braulio - pray for us - 26 march 2018

HOLY WEEK, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week

Posted on March 26, 2018March 25, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy week

Raise My Heart
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O my God,
whatever is nearer to me than You,
things of this earth
and things more naturally pleasing to me,
will be sure to interrupt the sight of You,
unless Your grace interfere.
Keep You my eyes,
my ears,
my heart,
from any such miserable tyranny.
Keep my whole being fixed on You.
Let me never lose sight of You
and while I gaze on You,
let my love of You
grow more and more every day.
Amen raise my heart - bl john henry newman - 26 march - mon of holy week - o my god whatever is nearer

	Santa Maria Euphrasi… on Saint of the Day – 24 Ap…
	Santo Adelbertus dar… on Saint of the Day – 23 Ap…
	Santo Georgius, Oran… on Saint of the Day – 23 Ap…
	Santo Konradus dari… on Saint of the Day – 21 Ap…
	Santo Anselmus dari… on Saint of the Day – 21 Ap…

St Paul

St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church

Pope Benedict XVI – 21 March 2008

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

The Seven Last Words of Christ

Cardinal Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892)

The Fourth Word

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Share this:

Pope Benedict XVI 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Share this:

Pope Benedict XVI – 20 March 2008 Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Bishop Javier Echevarria (1932-2016)

Share this:

The Seven Last Words of Christ

St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church

The Third Word

“Woman, behold, your son.”… “Behold, your mother.” John 19:26-27

Share this:

St John Damascene (675-749) Father & Doctor of the Church

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

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

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

Share this:

The Seven Last Words of Christ

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

The Second Word

“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:43)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

The Seven Last Words of Christ

The First Word

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

Share this:

Share this:

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
(Lk 23:43)