Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, OUR Cross, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on the ANTI-christ, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The HEART, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – ‘May grace and peace be yours in abundance …’

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Jesus then took the loaves of bread
and having given thanks,
he distributed them to those who were seated there;
in the same way he gave them some fish,
as much as they wante
d.”

John 6:11

“… May grace and peace
be yours in abundance,
through knowledge of God
and of Jesus Our Lord…

2 Peter 1:2

Let the world turn upside down,
let everything be in darkness, in smoke,
in uproar – God is with us!

I recommend that you look before you
but not dwell upon those
dangers which you see in the distance.

Do not look forward to the changes and chances
of this life in fear – rather look to them
with full hope that, as they arise,
God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them.
He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto.
Do you but hold fast to His dear hand
and He will lead you safely through all things
and, when you cannot stand,
He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.
Our Father will either shield you from suffering,
or He will give you strength to bear it
.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“Must you continue to be your own cross?
No matter which way God leads you,
you change everything into bitterness
by constantly brooding over everything.
For the love of God,
replace all this self-scrutiny,
with a pure and simple glance at God’s goodness!”

We think not enough of this Truth –
that God is present with us
that He sees our thoughts,
even long before we have them.
That He knows what we think
and shall think, better than we ourselves
that He sees the folds and recesses,
of our heart
and of this other Truth –
that NOTHING HAPPENS to us
but by the order of Providence.
We should all be Saints,
if we well apprehended these Truths.
And truly, it is a great consolation,
to know that God sees
the bottom of our heart.

St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Disciple and Collaborator with St Francis de Sales
in Founding the Sisters of the Visitation

Prayer of Abandonment
By St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

O sovereign goodness
of the sovereign Providence of my God!
I abandon myself forever to Thy arms.
Whether gentle or severe,
lead me henceforth whither Thou will.
I will not regard the way
through which Thou will have me pass
but keep my eyes fixed upon Thee,
my God, who guides me.
My soul finds no rest without the arms
and the bosom of this heavenly Providence,
my true Mother, my strength and my rampart.
Therefore, I resolve with Thy Divine assistance,
0 my Saviour,
to follow Thy desires and Thy ordinances,
without regarding or examining
why Thou does this rather than that
but I will blindly follow Thee,
according to Thy Divine will,
without seeking my own inclinations.
Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee,
taking no part therein,
save by keeping myself in peace in Thy arms,
desiring nothing, except as Thou incites me to desire,
to will, to wish.
I offer Thee this desire, 0 my God,
beseeching Thee to bless it.
I undertake all it includes,
relying on Thy goodness,
liberality and mercy,
with entire confidence in Thee,
distrust of myself,
and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity.
Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, MIRACLES, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 19 March – DIVINE PROVIDENCE

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

They who trust in the Lord
are like Mount Sion
which is immovable;
which forever stands.

Psalm 124:1-2

Jesus then took the loaves of bread
and having given thanks,
he distributed them to those who were seated there;
in the same way he gave them some fish,
as much as they wanted.

John 6:11

DIVINE PROVIDENCE
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“… WHEN HUMAN AID FAILS US, all is not wanting, for God takes over and takes care of us by His special Providence. This poor multitude who follow Our Lord today were assisted by Him, only after they were all near faint with hunger.
He felt an extreme pity for them because, in their love of Him, they had so forgotten themselves that none had brought provisions, except the little Martial who had five barley loaves und two fish.
It is as if the Saviour, full of love for the hearts of these good people (who numbered about five thousand), said to Himself: “You have no care whatever for yourselves but I Myself will take care of you.
Therefore, He called St. Philip to Him and asked him: “These poor people will faint on the way, if we do not assist them with some food but where could we find sufficient to sustain them?
He did not ask this through ignorance,but to test him. …

Notwithstanding the fact that St Philip and St Andrew declared that the five barley loaves and two fish were nothing for so many, Our Lord ordered them to be brought to Him and He commanded His Apostles to make the people sit down.
They all did so very simply and in this they were certainly admirable, for they sat down to table without seeing anything on it and there was nothing to suggest that anything could be given to them.
Then Jesus took the loaves of bread, blessed them, broke them and ordered the Apostles to distribute them. When this was done, there was still some left, even though all had had enough to satisfy their need.

Thus Our Lord made all the five thousand men eat of the same five loaves and two fish, reproducing them as often as was necessary, that each one might have a portion according to his need.
All ate then of five loaves and two fish miraculously multiplied—all but St Martial who, not participating in this miracle, ate his own bread all alone and not that of the Saviour because He had brought His own provision.
For as long as we have our own bread, God does not work prodigies to sustain us.
” – (Excerpt from the Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, 6 March 1622).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – ‘O precious and wonderful banquet …’

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – Friday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 5: 34-42, Psalm: Psalms 27: 1, 4, 13-14, Gospel: John 6: 1-15 and the Month of the Blessed Sacrament

“And Jesus took the loaves:
and when he had given thanks,
he distributed to them”

John 6:11

O precious and wonderful banquet
that brings us salvation
and contains all sweetness!”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

“Let your door stand open
to receive Him,
unlock your soul to Him,
offer Him a welcome in your mind
and then you will see
the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the joy of grace.
Throw wide the gate of your heart,
stand before the sun of the everlasting light.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“If Christ did not want to dismiss the Jews
without food in the desert,
for fear that they would collapse on the way,
it was to teach us,
that it is dangerous
to try to get to Heaven,
without the Bread of Heaven.”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“O you sons of men,
how long will you be dull of heart?
… Behold – daily He humbles Himself
as when from heaven’s royal throne
He came down into the womb of the Virgin.
Daily, He Himself,
comes to us with like humility;
daily He descends
from the bosom of the Father,
upon the altar,
in the hands of the priest.”

St Francis of Assisi (c 1181–1226)