Tag: bl guerric of igny

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – “What are you looking for?”

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Vigil of St Andrew Apostle – Ecclesiasticus 44:25-27; 45:2-4; 45:6-9; John 1:35-51 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus turned and saw them following Him
and said to them, “What are you looking for?”

John 1:38

“Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God!”

Matthew 16:16

“It is He Who is our peace.”

St Paul
Ephesians 2:14

“… He effected a wonderful exchange with us,
through mutual sharing –
we gave Him the power to die,
He will give us the power to Live!”

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

“Grace is given,
not to those who speak [their faith]
but to those, who live their faith!”

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“May He,
Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!”

Bl Guerric of Igny O.Cist (c1080-1157)

“Let us go to Jesus when we are worn out by conflict
and have no strength left.
Let us go to Him when we feel
that we can walk no further
along the stony path to perfection.
He will help us and restore our courage;
He will grant us an increase of grace which is the source of the spiritual life.
It is essential, however, that we should have
a spirit of recollection.
If we are dissipated, we shall be
unable to hear the Voice of God.
We must speak with God
and open our hearts to Him;
we must tell Him that we love Him
and wish to learn to love Him more
and to conform more completely
to His designs for us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 Novemer – Promises and Reward

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 Novemer – Within the All Saints Octave – Apocalypse 7:2-12; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward
will be great in Heaven.”

Matthew 5:12

“ Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“Be glad in that day and rejoice,
for behold, your reward is great in Heaven,”

Luke 6:23

“May He,
Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!”

Bl Guerric of Igny O.Cist (c1080-1157)

“Christ acts like a loving mother.
To induce us to follow Him,
He gives us Himself as an example
and promises us a reward in His kingdom.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor

“You will be consoled
according to the greatness
of your sorrow and affliction;
the greater the suffering,
the greater will be the reward.”

St Maria Magdalena de’ Pazzi (1566-1607)

“It is true that we require great confidence
to abandon ourselves, without any reserve,
to Divine Providence but, when we do abandon all,
Our Lord takes care of all and disposes of all.
But, if we reserve anything which we are
unwilling to confide to Him, He leaves us,
as if He would say:
“You think yourselves sufficiently wise
to manage that affair without Me –
you can do so and see what will come of it!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 November – ‘ … They already have heavenly treasure in earthen vessels …’

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One Minute Reflection – 1 November – – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Saints Day – Apocalypse 7:2-12 – Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:3

REFLECTION – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5: 3). Clearly, those who are truly blessed, are they who throw off the worthless but heavy burdens of this world and renounce all desires for any wealth save the richness of the Creator of the world alone. For His sake they are like those who, having nothing, yet possess all things in Him (2 Cor 6:10). Do they not truly possess all things if they have God for their portion and inheritance (Ps 141:6) and possess Him Who contains all things and disposes of them all? This is the God Who, lest there be anything lacking to those who fear Him (Ps 34:10), gives to them, for their use, all things outside Himself in the measure He knows is good for them and, keeps His Own Self for their ultimate enjoyment… Let us, therefore, rejoice, brethren that we are poor, for Christ but let us take care too that we are humble for Christ. No-one is more worthy of our scorn, than a poor man who is proud…

“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rm 14:17) . If we feel we have all this within ourselves, why do we not confidently proclaim that the Kingdom of God is within us? (Lk 17:21). Now, what is within us, truly belongs to us, for nobody can take it away from us against our will. This is why, when He proclaims the happiness of the poor, the Lord is correct in saying: “The Kingdom of God is theirs” and not that it “will be theirs.” It is theirs by an unimpeachable right. But it is also theirs because of a most certain pledge and their happy enjoyment of it. It is theirs, not only because the Kingdom was prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Mt 25:34) but too because, they have already begun to enter into some sort of possession of it. They already have heavenly treasure in earthen vessels (2 Co 4:7); they already bear God in body and heart!”  – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for All Saints 3:5-6)

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who granted us to honour the merits of all Thy Saints in a single solemn festival, bestow on us, we beseech Thee, through their manifold intercession, that abundance of Thymercy for which we yearn. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SILENCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 September – ‘ … Learning in silence, in the school of the Word … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 24 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Our Lady of Ransom – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16 – Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.” – Luke 11:28

REFLECTION – “Truly it is “a trustworthy word and deserving of every welcome” (1 Tm 1:15) your Almighty Word, Lord, which, in such deep Silence, made His way down from the Father’s royal throne (Wis 18:14f) into the mangers of animals and meanwhile, speaks to us better by His Silence. “Let him who has ears to hear, hear” what this loving and mysterious Silence of the eternal Word speaks to us …

For what recommends the discipline of silence with such weight and such authority, what checks the evil of restless tongues and the storms of words, as the Word of God, Silent in the midst of men. “There is no word on My tongue” (Ps 138:4), the Almighty Word seems to confess while He is subject to His Mother. What madness then will prompt us to say: “With our tongues we can do great things; our lips are good friends to us; we own no master” (Ps 11:5). If I were allowed, I would gladly be dumb and be brought low and be silent, even of good things that I might be able, the more attentively and diligently, to apply my ear to the secret utterances and sacred meaning of this Divine Silence, learning in silence, in the school of the Word, if only for as long as the Word Himself was Silent under the instruction of His Mother …

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” (Jn 1:14). With complete devotion, then, let us think of Christ in the swaddling clothes with which His Mother wrapped Him, so that, with eternal happiness, we may see the glory and beauty with which His Father has clothed Him.” – Blessed Guerric of Igny O.Cist. (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (The 5th sermon for Christmas).

PRAYER – O God, Who for the deliverance of Christians from the power of the pagans, graciously willed to enrich Thy Church by a new religious offspring through the most glorious Mother of Thy Son; grant, we beseech Thee, that by the merits and intercession of her, whom we piously venerate, as the founder of so great a work, we may be delivered from all our sins and from the captivity of the devil. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SILENCE, The ANNUNCIATION, THE ASSUMPTION, The DIVINE INFANT, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 August – “ … Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.” – Luke 11:28

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One Minute Reflection – 14 August – “The Month of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Vigil of the Assumption – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31 – Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.” – Luke 11:28

REFLECTION – “Truly it is “a trustworthy word and deserving of every welcome” (1 Tm 1:15) your Almighty Word, Lord, which, in such deep Silence, made His way down from the Father’s royal throne (Wis 18:14f) into the mangers of animals and meanwhile, speaks to us better by His Silence. “Let him who has ears to hear, hear” what this loving and mysterious Silence of the eternal Word speaks to us …

For what recommends the discipline of silence with such weight and such authority, what checks the evil of restless tongues and the storms of words, as the Word of God, silent in the midst of men. “There is no word on My tongue” (Ps 138:4), the Almighty Word seems to confess while He is subject to His Mother. What madness then will prompt us to say: “With our tongues we can do great things; our lips are good friends to us; we own no master” (Ps 11:5). If I were allowed, I would gladly be dumb and be brought low and be silent, even of good things that I might be able, the more attentively and diligently, to apply my ear to the secret utterances and sacred meaning of this Divine Silence, learning in silence, in the school of the Word, if only for as long as the Word Himself was Silent under the instruction of His Mother …

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” (Jn 1:14). With complete devotion, then, let us think of Christ in the swaddling clothes with which His Mother wrapped Him, so that, with eternal happiness, we may see the glory and beauty with which His Father has clothed Him.” – Blessed Guerric of Igny O.Cist. (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (The 5th sermon for Christmas).

PRAYER – O God, Who chose for Thy dwelling the virginal womb of the blessed Mary, grant, we beseech Thee that, with the help of her protection, we may with joy, take part in her festival.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

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Thought for the Day – 7 July – Your Attitude Must Be That of Christ

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Thought for the Day – 7 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – From The Sacred Triduum

“Carry one another’s burdens.”
Gal 6:2

“He loved them unto the end.”
John 13:1

Your Attitude Must Be That of Christ

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

“He was in the form of God,” equal to God by nature, since He shared in God’s power, God’s eternity and God’s very being … He did the job of a servant “by humbling Himself, obeying His Father even to death, death on a Cross.” (cf Phil 2:5-8). One might consider it to be trivial that, as God’s Son and His equal, He served His Father as a servant. More than that, He served His own servant more than any other servant. For the human being had been created to serve His Creator. What could be more just for you, than to serve him who made you, without Whom you would not be? And what could be more blest, than to serve Him, since to serve Him is to reign? But the human being said to His Creator: “I will not serve.” (Jer 2:20)

Then the Creator said to the human being: “So I will serve you! Go sit down at the table; I will serve. I will wash your feet. Rest. I will take your pains upon myself; I will carry your weakness… If you grow tired or are burdened, I will carry you, you and your burden, so as to be the first to fulfil my law: ‘Carry one another’s burdens’ (Gal 6:2)… If you are hungry or thirsty… here I Am, ready to be sacrificed, so that you might eat My Flesh and drink My Blood… If you are taken into captivity or, if you are sold, here I Am… Redeem yourself by paying the ransom you will get from Me. I give Myself as ransom… If you are sick, if you fear death, I will die in your place, so that from My Blood you may make for yourself, a life-giving remedy!…”

O my Lord, what a price Thou paid to ransom my useless service! … What a way Thou has, full of love, of gentleness and of kindness, to win back and submit this rebellious servant, by triumphing over evil through good, by confounding my pride with Thy humility, by filling this ungrateful person, with Thy kindness! This! This is howThy Wisdom triumphed!” – (1st Sermon for Palm Sunday),

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 July – “Behold the King is coming, let us hasten to meet our Saviour”

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One Minute Reflection – 2 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Song 2:8-14 – Luke 1:39-47 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” – Luke 1:43

REFLECTION – “Behold the King is coming, let us hasten to meet our Saviour” (Advent Liturgy). Solomon put it very well when he said: “As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country” (Prv 25:25). He certainly brings good news who announces the coming of the Saviour, the reconciliation of the world and the good things of the world to come. “How welcome the feet of them who preach peace and bring good tidings!” (Is 52:7)…

Such messengers are waters of refreshment and a draught of saving wisdom to a soul athirst for God. For such a soul, the herald of the Coming and of the other Mysteries of the Saviour, draws and proffers water “with joy from the springs of the Saviour” (Is 12:3). And so, it seems to me, the soul is heard to reply to the messenger … in the words of Elisabeth. It has drunk of the same spirit as she has and says: “And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou who hast believed because those things shall be accomplished which were spoken to thee by the Lord.”

And really, brethren, we should go to meet the coming Christ with joy in our heart … “O my Saviour and my God! (Ps 42:5) what an honour that Thou should have saluted Thy servants. How much the greater that Thou shouldst have saved them? … Thou hast given us salvation! not only by greeting with the kiss of peace in Thine Incarnation, those Thou had previously saluted with words of peace but,more, by effecting their salvation through Thy death on the Cross.” Let us, therefore, rise up with joyful eagerness and hasten to welcome our Saviour. Let us adore Him and salute Him at a distance, crying out to Him: “Deliverance, Lord, deliverance! Lord, grant us the victory! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Ps 117:25-26).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd Sermon of Advent).

PRAYER – Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace that as the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin marked the beginning of our salvation, so may the solemn Feast of her Visitation bring us an increase of peace.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the LIGHT, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – What … shall this child be?

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”– Within the Corpus Christi Octave – The Nativity of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7 – Luke 1:57-68 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ What … shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.” – Luke 1:66

REFLECTION – “Rightly then, did the birth of this child make many rejoice then and does make many rejoice today – born in the old age of his parents, he was to preach the grace of rebirth to an aging world. Rightly does the Church solemnly venerate this birth which is wonderfully brought about by grace and, at which nature wonders.

To me certainly, the birth of the world’s Lamp (Jn 5:35) brings fresh joy, for it enabled me to recognise the true Light shining in the darkness but not mastered by the darkness, (Jn1:5.9). His birth brings me a joy utterly unspeakable, for so many outstanding benefits accrue to the world through it.
He is the first to give the Church instruction, to initiate it by penance, to prepare it by Baptism. When it is prepared, he delivers it to Christ and unites it with Him, (Jn 3:29). He both trains it to live temperately and, by his own death, gives it the strength to die with fortitude. In all these ways, he prepares a perfect people for the Lord. (Lk 1:17).” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon 1 for Saint John the Baptist).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this a day most worthy of our celebration because of blessed John; grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the minds of all the faithful into the path of eternal salvation. T hrough Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more!
INDULGENCE – 300 Days. i. Partial, Every time ii. Plenary, once a month. Pope Pius IX, 26 November 1876 Raccolta 162

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – Palm Sunday

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold the hour is at hand
and the Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of sinners.”
Matthew 26:45

“Because of sin, O innocent One,
You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat;
When Thou return in the Father’s glory
Do not judge me together with him.
Thou have put on crimson,
Set the scarlet cloak over Thee
As a dishonour and an affront,
As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be.”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

(Jesus, Only Son of the Father 708-724)

“Lord Jesus, whether Thy Face
be glorious or humiliated,
we always see wisdom shining in It.
On Thy Face shines the refulgence
of Eternal Light (Wis 7:26).
O Lord, may Thy Light,
the Light of Thy Face (Ps 4:7),
always shine upon us, in sorrow as in happiness…
Thou art joy and salvation for all,
both when Thou ride on a donkey
and when Thou hang from a Cross!”

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 February – We must be burning with love and radiant with good deeds

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One Minute Reflection – 2 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, Candlemas – Malachias 3:1-4; Luke 2:22-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Lord, Whom you are seeking, will suddenly enter His Temple” – Malachias 3:1

REFLECTION – “Your lamps must be burning in your hands” (Lk 12:35). By this outward sign let us remind ourselves of the joy of Simeon, carrying the Light in his hands … We must be burning with love and radiant with good deeds and so, take up Christ in our hands with Simeon … Let us discuss this charming custom of the Church of bearing lights aloft on this Feast day … Could anyone hold up a lighted candle in his hands on this day, without at once remembering that old man, who on this same day, took up in his arms, Jesus, God’s Word, clothed in flesh like a candle-flame clothed in wax and affirmed Him to be “the Light which would be a beacon for the Gentiles.” Surely he was that “burning and radiant lamp” (Jn 5:35; 1,7) which bore witness to the Light. For this purpose he came in the Spirit, who had filled him, into the temple, that he might “receive, O God, your loving-kindness in the midst of your temple” (Ps 48[47]:10) and declare him to be loving-kindness indeed and the light of your own people.

Truly, O holy Simeon, in the quiet contentment of old age, you carried this Light not simply in your hands but in the very dispositions of your heart. You were like a lamp-standard, seeing so clearly how much the Gentiles would one day be lit up, while reflecting … the bright rays of our faith. Old, yet still sincere, you can now be happy, in that, you really see what once you but foresaw. Gone is the world’s gloom, “the Gentiles bask in this light of yours,” “the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is 60:3; 6:3).” … Blessed Guerric of Igny O.Cist. (c 1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, we humbly beseech Thy Majesty that, as Thy Only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the nature of our flesh, so may Thou grant us to be presented to Thee with purified minds. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect). Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on the CHURCH, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 January – Thy Light is Come!”

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One Minute Reflection – 10 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – Within the Octave– Isaias 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Arise, be enlightened,Jerusalem, for thy Light is Come!” – Isaias 60:1

REFLECTION – “Arise, be enlightened Jerusalem, for thy Light is Come!” (Is 60:1). Blessed is the Light Who has “come in the Name of the Lord.” “The Lord is God and has shone upon us” (Ps 117:26-27). In virtue of it this day too, you are sanctified by the enlightening of the Church. Thanks be to Thee, true Light, Thou Who “enlighten every man coming into this world” (Jn 1:9), Thou Who, for this very purpose, hast Come into this world as a Man. Jerusalem has been enlightened, our mother (Gal 4:26), mother of all those who have deserved to be enlightened, so that she now shines upon all who are in the world. Thanks be to Thee, true Light, Thou Who hast become a Lamp to enlighten Jerusalem and to make God’s Word “a Lamp for my feet” (Ps 117:105) … For not only has the Church been enlightened: it has been “raised aloft on a candlestick” one all of gold (Mt 5:15; Ex 25:31) . The city sits on the mountain of mountains (cf Mt 5:14) … so that its Gospel may shine out far and wide, as far and as wide as the world’s empire spreads.

O God, Thou Who give Light to all nations, of Thee we will sing: “Behold, the Lord will Come and enlighten the eyes of His servants” (cf Jude 14). Behold, Thou hast Come, my Light: “Enlighten my eyes, that I may never fall asleep in death” (Ps 12:4) … Thou hast Come, O Light of the faithful and behold, Thou hast granted us today, to rejoice at the enlightening of faith, that is, of our Lamp. Grant us too, to rejoice always at the enlightening of the darkness which remains in us …

This is the way in which you should advance, O faithful soul, in order that you may cast off the darkness of this world and arrive at your home country of eternal brightness, where “your darkness will be like midday” (Is 58:10) and “night will be lit up like day” (Ps 138:12). Then indeed, then “you will see and be radiant, your heart will thrill and rejoice” (Is 60;5), when the whole earth is filled with the majesty of unbounded Light and “His glory is seen in you” (Is 60:2) … “Come and let us walk in the Light of the Lord!” (Is 2:5); as “children of Light” let us walk “from brightness to brightness, as led by the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (3rd Sermon for Epiphany).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who by the guidance of a star this day revealed Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may come to behold Thee in glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, St JOHN the BAPTIST

One Minute Reflection – 19 December – ‘ … The Lord will turn your desert into a paradise of delights …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ferial Day – Philippians 4:4-7; John 1:19-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ –

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord” – John 1:23

REFLECTION – “Brethren, before anything else we ought to reflect on the grace of solitude, the blessedness of the desert which, from the beginning of this time of salvation, has deserved to be consecrated to the peacefulness of the Saints. Indeed, the desert was made holy for us by the voice of John, he, who cried out in the desert, who preached there and administered the baptism of repentance. Even before him, the greatest of the Prophets had always made a friend of solitude as being something which assisted the Spirit. However, an incomparably greater grace of holiness became attached to this place, when Jesus followed John there. Before preaching to the repentant in his turn, Jesus considered He ought to prepare a place, in which to receive them; He went into the desert for forty days so as to consecrate a new life in this renewed location … and this, not so much for His Own Sake, as for those who would dwell in the desert afterwards.

So then, if you have decided on the desert, remain there and wait for Him Who will save you from your feebleness of spirit and the tempest … The Lord will satisfy there, you who have followed Him, even more wonderfully than He satisfied the crowd who followed Him into it (Lk 4:42) … At that very moment, you imagine Him to have long forsaken you, even then, mindful of His goodness, He will Come to console you and will say: “I remember you, moved with pity for your youth and your first love, when you followed Me into the desert,” (Jer 2:2). The Lord will turn your desert into a paradise of delights, while you will proclaim (like the Prophet) that the glory of Lebanon has been given to Him, the beauty of Carmel and Sharon (Is 35:2) … Then, from the fullness of your heart, your hymn of praise will rise: “Let them give thanks to the Lord, for His wondrous deeds to the children of men! He has satisfied the longing soul and filled the hungry with good things,” (Ps 106:8).” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (4th Sermon for Advent).

PRAYER – Put forth Thy power, O Lord, we beseech Thee and delay not and with Thy great might, come to our aid, so that what is hindered by our sins, maybe hastened by Thy merciful goodness. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 December – The Lord is near. Have no anxiety …

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ferial Day – Philippians 4:4-7; John 1:19-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety …”

Philippians 4:5-6

“In adoring our Saviour’s birth,
it is our origin we celebrate.
Christ’s temporal generation
is, the source of the Christian people,
the birth of His Mystical Body.
All of us encounter in this Mystery,
a new birth in Christ.”

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

“May He, Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!”

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – ‘ … In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, …’

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One Minute Reflection – 5 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Week of Advent – Ferial Day Romans 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is at hand.” – Luke 21:28

REFLECTION – “We are waiting to celebrate Christ’s Birthday and, according to the Lord’s Promise, we will soon see Him. The Scripture demands from us that we rejoice, to the point of raising our spirit above itself and … leaping for joy at the coming of the Lord…For, even before His advent, the Lord comes to you. Before appearing to the whole world, He comes to visit you personally, He Who said: “I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you” (Jn 14:18).

In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, there is a frequent and familiar advent of the Lord that, in this intermediary period, between his first and last coming, models us on one and prepares us for the other. The Lord comes to us now, so that His First Coming to us, may not be vain and that the last one, may not be that of wrath. Through His present coming, in fact, He works at reforming our pride, in the image of the humility of His first advent, to then remodel our humble body, in the image of the glorified body He will show us when He will return. This is why we should desire and fervently ask this personal coming – which gives us the grace of this first advent and promises us the glory of the last. …

The first was humble and hidden, the last will be resounding and magnificent; the one we are talking about is hidden but it is also magnificent. I say it is hidden, not because it is ignored by whom it concerns but because, it happens secretly in him. … He comes without being seen and He leaves without being noticed. His simple Presence is Light for the soul and for the spirit, by it you may see the invisible and get to know the unknown. This coming of the Lord puts the soul of whom, contemplates it, in a gentle and happy state of admiration. Then, from the inmost depths of man, the cry may burst out: “O Lord, who is like Thee!” (Ps 34:10). Those who have experienced it know, please God, that those who have not yet had this experience, may feel at least, the desire to !” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd sermon for Advent, 2-4: PL 185, 15-17).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 August – ‘ Be ready … for at an hour you do not expect …’

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One Minute Reflection – 31 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Raymond Nonnatus 1204-1240) Priest, Confessor, Cardinal, Friar of the Mercedarian Order. – Ecclesiasticus Sir 31:8-1, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be ready, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel, for He is coming!” (cf Am 4:12) And you too, my brothers, “be on guard. The Son of Man will come when you least expect Him.” Nothing is more certain than His coming but, nothing is more uncertain, than when He will come. For we know so little of the times and moments which the Father has determined in His Power, in such a way that even the Angels, who surround Him, do not know the day or the hour (Acts 1:7; Mt 24:36).

Our last day will also come, that is certain but when and how is very uncertain for us. As someone said before, all we know is that “face-to-face with the elderly, He stands on the threshold, whereas face-to-face with young people, He keeps Himself concealed.” (St Bernard) … That day must not seize us unexpectedly, unprepared, like a thief in the night. … May fear, remaining awake, make us ever ready until security follows upon the fear and not fear upon security. The person who is wise says, “I will be on my guard against guilt,” (Ps 18:24), since I cannot preserve myself from death. For he knows that “the just man, though he die early, shall be at rest.” (Wis 4:7) Even more, those who were not enslaved to sin during their lifetime, triumph over death. How beautiful this is, my brothers, what happiness to be not only in security when faced with death but even more, to triumph over it with glory, strong through the testimony of one’s conscience!” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Liturgical Sermons Vol 1 the 3rd. Sermon for Advent, 1).

PRAYER – O God, Who made blessed Raymund, Thy Confessor, famous for delivering Thy faithful from the captivity of the infidels, grant us, by his intercession that, having been released from the bonds of our sins, we may with free minds, do what is pleasing to Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – Mother of love

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Octave Day of the Assumption – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son. …
Behold thy mother.”

John 19:26-27

“And from that hour,
the disciple took her to his own.”
John 19:27

“ As His last will and testament,
He committed, to His beloved heir,
the care of His Mother…
The Church fell to Peter, Mary to John.
This bequest belonged to John,
not only by right of kinship but too,
because of the privilege, love had bestowed
and the witness, his chastity bore…
It was fitting that none other than the beloved
of her Son, should minister to the Mother of the Lord… Providence too arranged, very conveniently
that he who was to write a Gospel,
should have intimate conferences with her,
who knew about them all,
for she had taken note from the beginning,
of everything that happened to her Son
and “treasured all the words concerning Him, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).”

Blessed Guerric of Igny O. Cist. (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

“In the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I trust.
Look to the Star, call upon Mary!
In danger, in difficulty or in doubt,
think of Mary, call upon Mary.
Keep her name on your lips,
never let it pass out of your heart.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

O Immaculate Heart of Mary
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I have nothing in myself to offer thee
which is worthy of thee
but what thankgiving I ought I to pay thee,
for all the favours
which thou hast obtained for me
from the Heart of Jesus!
What reparation ought I to make thee
for all my tepidity in thy service!
I desire to return thee love for love,
the only good which I possess,
is the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which thou, thyself hast given me.
I offer thee this Treasure of Infinite Price,
I cannot do more
and thou dost not deserve less, at my hand
but, receiving from me,
this Gift most Precious in thy sight,
be pleased, I beseech thee,
to accept too, my poor heart
which I here offer to thee
and I shall be forever blessed!
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SILENCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 July – “ … Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.” – Luke 11:28

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One Minute Reflection – 27 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens) – St Pantaleon (Died c305) Martyr, Lay Physician, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16; Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.” – Luke 11:28

REFLECTION – “Truly it is “a trustworthy word and deserving of every welcome” (1 Tm 1:15) your Almighty Word, Lord, which, in such deep Silence, made His way down from the Father’s royal throne (Wis 18:14f) into the mangers of animals and meanwhile, speaks to us better by His Silence. “Let him who has ears to hear, hear” what this loving and mysterious Silence of the eternal Word speaks to us …

For what recommends the discipline of silence with such weight and such authority, what checks the evil of restless tongues and the storms of words, as the Word of God, silent in the midst of men. “There is no word on My tongue” (Ps 138:4), the Almighty Word seems to confess while He is subject to His Mother. What madness then will prompt us to say: “With our tongues we can do great things; our lips are good friends to us; we own no master” (Ps 11:5). If I were allowed, I would gladly be dumb and be brought low and be silent, even of good things that I might be able, the more attentively and diligently, to apply my ear to the secret utterances and sacred meaning of this Divine Silence, learning in silence, in the school of the Word, if only for as long as the Word Himself was Silent under the instruction of His Mother …

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” (Jn 1:14). With complete devotion, then, let us think of Christ in the swaddling clothes with which His Mother wrapped Him, so that, with eternal happiness, we may see the glory and beauty with which His Father has clothed Him.” – Blessed Guerric of Igny O.Cist. (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (The 5th sermon for Christmas).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that through the intercession of Thy blessed Martyr Pantaleon, we may be delivered from all afflictions of the body and cleansed from all evil thoughts of the mind. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – Being servants

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of St Apollinaris (1st Century) Bishop Martyr, Disciple of St Peter – 1 Peter 5:1-11, Luke 22:24-30

“Let him who is greatest among you,
become as the youngest
and he who is the leader,
as the servant.”

Luke 22:25

“Abide in Me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abide in the vine,
so neither can you,
unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4

“O my Lord, what a price Thou paid
to ransom my useless service! …
What a way Thou has, full of love,
of gentleness and of kindness,
to win back and submit this rebellious servant,
by triumphing over evil through good,
by confounding my pride with Thy humility,
by filling this ungrateful person, with Thy kindness! This! This is howThy Wisdom triumphed!”

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

“True humility consists in persuading
and convincing oneself
that without God, we are insignificant
and despicable
and, in accepting to be treated as such!”

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

If, when stung by slander
or ill-nature,
we wax proud
and swell with anger,
it is a proof that our gentleness
and humility
are unreal
and mere artificial show!”

“How faithful in humility was the great Saint
we are celebrating!
That cannot be said in all its perfection,
for, in spite of what he was,
in what poverty and lowliness he lived,
all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness
beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed,
his great virtues and dignity! …
Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came,
beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank,
to behold and wonder at his humility,
while he sheltered that dearest Child
in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment,
so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.”

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

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MERIT, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The BEATITUDES, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased thy Father to give thee a Kingdom. ” – Luke 12:32

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One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor, Father of the Church –2 Corinthians 8:9-15; Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased thy Father to give thee a Kingdom. ” – Luke 12:32

REFLECTION – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”. The beginning of the New Testament is altogether joyful and full of fresh grace. It even nudges the unbeliever and sluggish to pay heed and, more to the point, to act, by promising happiness to the unfortunate and the Kingdom of Heaven to those in exile, those in any kind of distress. The beginning of the new Law is pleasant to hear and starts off under happy auspices, since the Legislator follows on from this beginning ,by giving so many assurances of beatitude. In this way those who have been attracted by them will go from one virtue to the next, climbing the eight steps that this Gospel has set up and placed within our hearts… For, it is clear that what it is all about, is the ascent of the heart and of the progress of merit, through eight steps of virtue, leading men gradually from the lowest to the highest levels of evangelical perfection. In this way they will at last enter and see the God of gods in Zion (Ps 83: 8), in His Temple, of which the Prophet has said: “It had a stairway of eight steps,” (Ez 40:37).

The first virtue for the beginner, is to renounce the world, through which we become poor in spirit; the second is gentleness, by which we submit ourselves and become accustomed to obedience; then, the grief with which we lament our sins or with weeping beg for the virtues. These we certainly enjoy, wherever we have the greatest hunger and thirst for justice, as much for ourselves as for others and begin to be stirred by zeal against sinners. Yet, lest immoderate fervour turn into fault, the mercy by which it is tempered follows after. Through putting this into practice and training ourselves, when we have learnt how to be just and how to be merciful, then we may, perhaps, be capable of entering into contemplation and giving oursees to the purification of our hearts, so as to see God!” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for All Saints).

PRAYER – O God, Who promised to those who forsake all things in this world for Thee, a hundred-fold reward in the world to come and life everlasting, mercifully grant that, following closely in the footsteps of the holy Bishop, Paulinus, we may look upon earthly things as nought and long only for those of Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

OUR Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
100 Days. St Pius X, 9 July 1904. Raccolta 174