godsword – AnaStpaul

CATHOLIC Quotes, MARTYRS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRADITION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 October – Tradition stands, the Faith dies.

Posted on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 October – Thursday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:47–54 and the Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr

“Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.” … Luke 11:47

REFLECTION – ” The biggest sin of the Pharisees is that they persecute and even kill the messengers God has sent to purify and reform their religion. They are so caught up in the rut of their traditions, that they cannot heed or tolerate the voice of the prophets. They stone the present prophets and build monuments to the ancient ones.
Often we too make the same mistakes.
We are keen in preserving the names of great people who lived among us. We may even build monuments to their memory. But we fail to imbibe and live by their spirit. It is surprising how the creative spirit of a religious tradition can die in the hands of those who are faithfully seeking to preserve the tradition itself – the tradition stands, the faith dies.
That is what happened to the Pharisees of Jesus’ time and it is happening to us as well.” … Fr Joseph Thena SSP

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant that I may believe what I have learned, never presuming to know better than the teachings of Holy Mother Church and that I may put into practice what I believe. Let my commitment be like unto the Martyr, St Ignatius of Antioch, who went with joy to his horrific death, for the faith in Christ, Your Son, God with You and the Holy Spirit. St Ignatius, pray for us, amen. st ignatius of antioch pray for us - 17 oct 2017.jpg

MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – Standing firm?

Posted on July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – Friday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Matthew 10:16–23 and the Memorial of St John Gualbert (c 985-1073)

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,
so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”...Matthew 10:16

REFLECTION – “As Jesus gave His disciples authority to offer valuable services of health, freedom and life, who should they have to face opposition? The point is, that these good services are not ends in themselves but manifestations of what Jesus came to establish, namely, the Kingdom of heaven. These services are also the doorway for stirring in people an interest in Jesus, eventually leading them to faith in Him.
So what’s so jarring about the Kingdom of heaven that it provokes persecution? Since the Kingdom of heaven, ushered in by Jesus, challenges the values of those opposed to it’s values, Jesus anticipates His own rejection and forewarns His disciples to expect persecution, hatred and rejection in His name, even though they will be offering valuable services.
As His disciple, am I willing to continue my services in His name, by standing firm for His cause of establishing God’s reign?”…Fr Isaac SDB

PRAYER – Lord God, grant us restless hearts, hearts which seek Your Face. Keep us from the blindness of heart which sees only the surface of things. Give us the simplicity and purity which allow us to recognise Your presence in the world. When we are not able to accomplish great things, grant us the courage which is born of humility and goodness. Impress Your Face on our hearts. May we encounter You along the way and show Your image to the world. Grant, we pray that the prayers of St John Gualbert may assist in being courageous and merciful to all. Through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st john gualbert pray for us 12 july 2019

MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – Our Missionary Strategy

Posted on July 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

After this the Lord appointed seventy* others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come...Luke 10:1

REFLECTION – “Jesus gives His disciples a missionary strategy.
Pray for more labourers to carry out God’s work.
Blend with people in their food habits and lifestyle without imposing your standards upon them.
No purse, could mean don’t make them feel you are self-sufficient to manage on rainy days and could buy comforts unaffordable to them on other days;
no haversack, meaning don’t load yourself with unnecessary baggage, or even give the impression that you are going to rob them of what they have;
no sandals, meaning, let your feet kiss the soil you tread so as to allow it to stick to you, telling them that you have come to belong.
Give them the gift of Peace. If not accepted, don’t force yourself on them but leave even the soil behind.
And, finally, let not your joy revolve around your success of working miracles but let it stem from the fact, that you have eternity with God as your inheritance, since your names are written in heaven.
Are you ready to be a labourer for God?”…Fr Isaac Arackaparambil SDP luke 10 1 - he sent them on two by two - 14 sun in ord time year c - from gods word.jpg

PRAYER – Be gracious Lord, to us who serve You and in Your kindness increase Your gifts of grace within us, so that fervent in faith, hope and love, we may go forth to share our gifts. Grant, we pray, that with the motherly hand of Mary ever in ours, we may fulfil our mission and arrive safely home with You. We make our prayer through Jesus our Christ and Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. sancta mater maria ora pro nobis pray for us 10 may 2019.jpg

EASTER, MORNING Prayers, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Jesus stood on the beach

Posted on April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Friday of Easter week, Gospel: John 21:1–14 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus...John 21:4

REFLECTION – “Today’s Gospel, tells us much but let us look at two things:
1. there is no guarantee that, just because a persons has ‘seen’ and ‘heard’ Jesus, he/she will obey His commands or continue His mission. It is possible that, even after such an experience, one will continue in the old ways; and 2. any mission that is undertaken without the help of the Lord, will rarely meet with success as is evident in the disciples’ failure to catch anything, even after all their strenuous efforts.
Sometimes, it is the words of a stranger that result in the transformation of a situation. To hear these words, it is important to be as open and receptive as the disciples were, though they did not know who that stranger was. If the disciples, instead of listening to what the stranger was saying, had acted arrogantly and with pride, they would never have made the miraculous catch and may never have encountered Jesus.”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJ

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, You offer the covenant of reconciliation to mankind in the mystery of Easter. Cleanse our hearts by Your truth and guide our lives by Your holiness, may we do what is right and pleasing to You. Grant that what we celebrate in worship, we may carry out in our lives. May our Holy Mother of Good Counsel, ever keep us in her prayers and care. Through Christ, our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour to You, forever, amen our-lady-of-good-counsel-pray-for-us 26 april 2019.jpg

LENT 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 April – Kill the messenger

Posted on April 12, 2019April 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 April – Friday of the Fifth Week, Year C, Gospel: John 10:31–42

Again they tried to arrest him but he escaped from their hands…John 10:39

REFLECTION – “As we approach Holy Week, we are confronted with one of the most paradoxical mysteries of our faith – Why do we reject the love of Jesus Christ in our lives? The daily Gospels have been slowly building to a crescendo through growing hatred of Jesus. In the face of that hatred, Jesus continues to present them with the truth that He is the Son of God. As He asks people to look to His teachings and works as proof that He is God’s Son, the teachings and works are completely overlooked and one message is clearly emerging – Kill the messenger. Jesus’s offer of recognising Him in the world, is an offer, that is relevant and available today. The “good works” He inaugurated are on view, whenever one goes beyond oneself and reaches out in love and compassion. They are continued, when one speaks an enhancing word or performs a loving action. These are visible in selfless service and forgiveness,. They are visible when love is made real.”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJ

PRAYER – Holy Father, our Father, help us to lay down the stones of hate and embrace Your Son who stands before us in need. Teach us to see His Face in those who cry out to us. Teach us compassion and love. Listen to the prayers of St Teresa de los Andes, she who in her short life proved the immense power of divine love extended to all. Mary, your Immaculate Heart is our school. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.

immaculate heart of mary - pray for us st teresa de jesus de los andes 12 april 2019 pray for us

JESUIT SJ, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – “You know me?”

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 and celebrating St Vincent Ferrer and Blessed Mariano de la Mata

“You know me and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true and him you do not know.”…John 7:28

REFLECTION – “The crowds are surprised to see Jesus teaching in public, despite the death threats and so wonder if He could indeed be the Messiah. The crucial question here is, whether or not one perceives Jesus as having been sent by God. The answer to this question determines whether one is on the right track or engaged in only superficial reflection. God, in Jesus, continues to come to us in various disguises and forms. If we decide in advance how He must come, then there is the danger that we too might continue to miss Him. The way to be able to find Him in all things and all things in Him, is to be open and receptive and let God be God. It is to open our eyes, ear and every fibre of our being to the revelation that He will make and to be prepared for that revelation, in the most unexpected persons, places and events!”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJ

PRAYER – Loving God and Father, open our eyes and ears and our hearts. Help us to recognise the Light of Christ in the world around us. Too often we are hard of heart and closed up in our ‘rites’ – He is there but He is not only there and we are blind. May the prayers of the saints and angels help us to be open to Him. Mary, the Mother He gave us, pray for us. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen. mother mary pray for us - 5 oct 2018.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – The rest is in God’s hands!

Posted on April 1, 2019March 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 4:43–54

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill...John 4:46

REFLECTION – “The mention of Cana and a summary of the first miracle of turning water into wine, anticipates another miracle. The healing in this miracle, however, is done at a distance. Though the people will base their faith in Him, merely on signs and wonders, Jesus invites them to realise that these are not what will motivate Him to act. He will act only in accordance with the will of God. Human expectation cannot determine His action.
Sickness and brokenness are very much visible in our world today and most are in need of some form of repair or consolation. At times, doctors are not able to diagnose an illness and at other times, when they are and perform a complicated procedure, ask the patient and family members to pray and have faith! There is only so much that they and the doctors can do, the rest is in God’s hands.”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJ

PRAYER – Teach us Holy Father to do Your will! Grant us Your guiding hand and Your grace, that we may trust You in all things. Strengthen us by Your grace and give us a heart willing to live by the love of Your Son, who so loved the world that He gave Himself up to death for our sake. For if we love as He loved, nothing will lead us from You. Grant that the prayers of our most loving and merciful Mother, may intercede in our necessities. We make our prayer through the Christ, our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for all eternity, amen. loving and merciful mother ora pro nobis 1 april 2019.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 March – “But I say to you, Love your enemies”

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”...Matthew 5:44 matthew 5 44 but i say to you love your enemies - 16 march 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “No lawgiver would ever make the demand that his laws should be internally accepted and cheerfully observed. Rather, it is ‘do what I say’. God alone asks that His people should keep His laws “with all their hearts,” because He is the King of human hearts. An internal acceptance is the strength of an idea, ideal, norm. Mere external compliance is mimetic, mechanical, lifeless. No wonder religion collapses, spiritual life gives way, devotions dry up! The show and display of religion is empty, the prophets denounced it. Un-reflected accommodation and shallow compliance is self-deception. Some give up in the face of trials, others before tempting goods. Someone who has built up a measure of inner stuff alone can understand the full meaning of the message “Love your enemies.” Few have delved into the various dimensions of the teaching “love your enemies,” be good to all, like the Father. But you can, if only you know His love, if only you wish and pray to be like Him.”...Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil

PRAYER – Turn our hearts to yourself, eternal Father, so that, always seeking the one thing necessary and devoting ourselves to works of charity, we may worship You in spirit and in truth and thus learn Your ways. May our beloved Mother, the Blessed Virgin, give us her heart, to grow in love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

The One Thing Necessary
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church

O my God, help me to remember that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death?
To love You, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin and nothing else in this life,
for to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember
that I came into this world with nothing,
and shall take nothing from it when I die.
To gain You, I must leave all.
But in loving You,
I already have all good things,
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help,
and the eternal dwelling place Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray:
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for You.
Grant me perseverance in doing Your will
and never let me be separated from You.
My God and my All,
make me a saint.
Amen the-one-thing-necessary-no 2 - st-alphonsus-liguori-24-feb-2018 blessed virgin mary our queen and mother pray for us 16 march 2019

LENT 2019, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, The WORD, Uncategorized

One Minute Reflection – 13 March – Something greater than Jonah is here

Posted on March 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 March – Wednesday of the First week of Lent, Year C – The Memorial of St Leander (c 534-c 600)

“The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”...Luke 11:32

REFLECTION – “The conversion of a great city like Nineveh stuns us! The message in any case is clear – collective choices are possible. Today, however, unfortunately, a collective choice is clearly manifested only when a country declares war on another. Emmanuel Kant recognised the strength of a community that was eager to share the same values, Margaret Mead that of a small group determined to change the world. The initiators of Congregations, of ecclesial movements, pious associations and social reforms shook the world with their community decisions. Jesus’s pain at resistance to His teaching has a lesson for those who put on the helmet of ‘indifference’ or the blinkers of ‘apathy’ – the LUKEWARM! Atheists and agnostics will rise from their graves to point to opportunities such people wasted. AWAKE! Lukewarmness is SIN!”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

PRAYER – Help me, my God and my Father, to discern through prayer and meditation what You truly want of me. Then enable me to offer it to You – and indeed to offer myself and all I have to You. St Leander, you were and are an example to all around you, please pray for us, amen! st-leander-pray-for-us-2.13 march 2018.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 March – “Leaving everything behind, the man got up and followed him”

Posted on March 9, 2019March 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Today’s Gospel : Luke 5:27-32 – The Calling of Matthew

“Leaving everything behind, the man got up and followed him”...Luke 5:28

REFLECTION – “Th exploiter Levi, changes his ways and becomes Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist, the bearer of the Good News. His entire life-story proclaims that God is for the wrongdoer, inviting him to change. Paul changed his ways, so did Augustine, so did Jerome. So can you! Ignatius the soldier, becomes Ignatius the saint, the founder of the Jesuits. What will you be? What will you do? For YOU are called too!”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

“Because the healing power of God, knows no infirmity that cannot be healed and this, must give us confidence and open our heart to the Lord, that He may come and heal us.”…Pope Francis – General Audience, 13 April 2016

PRAYER – Come my all-powerful, ever-living God, look with compassion on our frailty and for our protection, stretch out to us Your strong right hand. Grant that by the prayers of Mary, our Mother and all your angels and saints we may change our ways, leave everything behind, proclaim the glory of Your kingdom and come safely home to You. St Catherine of Bologna and St Frances of Rome, pray for us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st-frances-of-rome-pray-for-us - 9 march 2017.jpg

st catherine of bologna pray for us 9 march 2019

LENT, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FASTING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Genuine Faith

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15 and the Memorial of St John of God (1495-1550)

“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”…Matthew 9:15 matthew 9 15 - can the wedding guests mourn.jpg

REFLECTION – “Genuine faith does not make a believer pretentious. Dialogue with God is not a business bargain. External observance of religion wins little favour with God, if it is combined with unfairness to the weak and indifference to the poor. Openness to the indigent is the door to true religion. The world itself changes for the better with the widening of human concern for the poor. Good works multiply on the face of the earth and everyone sees the glory of God in action.
The Gospel presents Jesus as refusing to absolutise ritual fasting. What He expects from His disciples, is that they remain faithful to the mission He is about to give them, even at great sacrifice. It will make evidently greater demands of them than mere ritual fasting. They should be prepared. Jesus is introducing a new set of values of immense worth, for which the old order of things must make way.”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

PRAYER – Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace upon us, who seek to make our lenten journey fruitful. Confirm us in Your service and help us to bear witness to You in the society in which we live by our lives, our fasting and prayer, our gift of self. Listen kindly we pray, to the prayers of St John of God who so avidly followed in the footsteps of our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name, with the Holy Spirit, we pray, one God forever, amen. st-john-of-god-pray-for-us-8 march 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, LENT, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Lenten Reflection – 26 February 2018 – Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Posted on February 26, 2018September 24, 2020 by AnaStpaul

26 February 2018 – Monday of the Second Week of Lent
Daniel 9:4-10, Psalms 79:8-9, 11, 13, Luke 6:36-38

Daniel 9:4-5 – “I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and terrible God, who keepest covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances…”

Luke 6:36-38 – Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Daniel confesses that his people’s sufferings in exile are due to their own lack of fodelity to God. This sort of confession is a frank admission that evil has consequences. It is similar to Jesus’ teaching – “one who takes up the sword will perish by the sword.”

The argument may be turned round – good deeds have beneficial consequences. “The measure you give will be the measure you get back” whether it be mercy, forgiveness or sympathetic understanding.

If we keep giving out good things consistently, the blessings we will receive will be beyond measure. Every giving enriches the giver, whether gift be in the form of material assistance, psychologival affirmation or spiritual admonition, giving up an argument, settling a quarrel or going out of our way to help someone who deserves it least!

Be not afraid then to give, for you will receive beyond anything you could ever expect.

Am I generous with my time, material gifts, with my love?
Am I patient and willing to be forgiving, even when I was not in error?
Am I aware that as part of the Body of Christ, my good and my bad, affect all?
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB – God’sWord

“Desire not the praises of men, seeing they are vain. Be not fearful of their reproach, for instead of doing harm to your soul, humiliations cleanses it and renders it more meet to receive a brighter crown in heaven and none are worthy to be glorified in heaven who are unable to bear reproach on earth for the love of God.”… Thomas a Kempis

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name;
deliver us and forgive our sins, for thy name’s sake! …Psalm 79:9

For ah! the Master is so fair,
His smile so sweet to banished men
That they who meet it unaware
Can never rest on earth again.

And they who see Him risen afar
At God’s right hand to welcome them
Forgetful stand of home and land,
Desiring fair Jerusalem.

Praise God! the Master is so sweet;
Praise God! the country is so fair,
We would not hold them from His feet.
We would but haste to meet them there.

English Missal 1936

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