Tag: luke 3:1-6

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – Prepare the way of the Lord …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Advent IV – 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 – Luke 3:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight His paths.”

Luke 3:4

“As the prodigal son,
I will return to my Father’s house
and I will be welcomed back home.
I shall do the same, as he did –
will the Father not grant my prayer too?
O forgiving Father, here I am at Thy door
and I knock, open to me, let me enter,
so that I may not ruin myself, go away and die!
Thou made me Thy heir
and I neglected my inheritance
and squandered my goods –
from now on, may I be as a mercenary
and as a servant to Thee.”

St Jacob of Sarug (c451-521)
Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Father

“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below
That I may make reparation for my sins, …
That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace
With its burning flames. …

And, instead of acting like the merciless,
Set merciful compassion within me,
That, by showing mercy to the poor,
I may obtain Your mercy.”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“By the practice of prayer,
we can construct an impregnable citadel,
in which we shall be securely protected
against all the snares of the enemy.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

“For the sake of obtaining that eternal life,
no works of piety,
ought to seem too difficult to a true believer,
no toil too heavy,
no pain too bitter,
no time spent in labour and suffering,
too long or too wearisome.
For, if nothing is sweeter, or more desirable,
than this present life which is so full of calamities,
how much more desirable,
must that other life be deemed
which is so far removed from all sense of evil,
or fear of it, which will, in every conceivable way,
always abound in the unspeakable
and unending joys, delight and happiness of Heaven.”

St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597)
Confessor, Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 December – “Now I begin”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of St Thomas, Apostle – Ember Saturday – Isaias 19:20-22 – Luke 3:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.‘” – Luke 3:4

REFLECTION – “Brethren, we prepare the way of the Lord, as we are bidden to do, by walking along it and, we can walk along it only, by preparing it. However far you journey along it, the way is always waiting to be prepared, so that you must start afresh, from the place you have reached and advance along what lies ahead. You are led to do so because, at every stage, you meet the Lord for Whose Coming you are preparing the way and, each time you see Him in a completely new manner and as a much greater figure than you have met before. The just man has the right prayer when he says: “Set your way which justifies as a law for me, Lord and I will always seek after it.” (Ps 118:33).  It is, therefore, eternal life which is probably meant because, although a man can study his route, with foresight and determine just how far he can go, from the very nature of goodness, there is no limit to the way along which you travel. And so, when the wise and indefatigable traveller has reached his goal, he will begin again, forgetting, that is, what lies behind him, so that each day he can say to himself: “Now I begin!” (Phil 3:13; Ps 76:11) …

But, if only we, who speak of the course of this way, could understand, even the beginning of it. As far as I can see, a man who has begun, has already gone far, provided he begins properly and “finds the way to the inhabitable city” (Ps 106:4). “How few there are,” Truth says, “who find it” (Mt 7:14). And how many “go astray in the wilderness!” …

O Lord, Thou hast laid down guide-lines for us, if only we would walk properly according to them. Thou hast laid down a law for us, the way of Thy statutes, through Him Whom Thou hast given as the Legislator of this holy way of life. “This is the way,” Thou says, “walk along it, swerving neither to the right, nor to the left” (Is 30:21). Clearly this is the way the Prophet had promised: “A straight way for us, so that no fool can wander from it” (Is 35:8). I was young once, I am now old (Ps 36:25) and if I remember rightly, I have not seen a foolish man go astray because of it, though I have hardly seen any wise man, able to keep straight along it.” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (5th sermon for Advent).

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. 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, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 December – “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ”– Luke 3:6

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –1 Corinthians 4:1-5 – Luke 3:1-6– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ” – Luke 3:6

REFLECTION – “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerning the Word of Life, we proclaim now to you” (1 Jn 1:1-3) … The Incarnate Word was made known to the Apostles in two ways – first of all, they recognised Him by sight, as receiving knowledge of the Word from the Word Himself; secondly, by hearing, this time by receiving knowledge of the Word from the witness of St John the Baptist.

Concerning the Word, John the Baptist first affirms that: “We have seen His glory”… For Saint John Chrysostom these words are connected with that which precedes in John’s Gospel: “The Word became Flesh.” What the Evangelist means is – the Incarnation has bestowed on us the blessing, not merely of becoming children of God but, of seeing His glory. For indeed, weak and feeble eyes cannot, of themselves, look at the Light of the Sun but when it shines through a cloud, or some other opaque body, then they can do so. Before the Incarnation of the Word, human minds were incapable, of themselves, of beholding the Light “which enlightens everyone.” But so that they might not be deprived of the joy of seeing Him, the Light Himself, the Word of God, desired to be clothed with Flesh, so we might be able to see Him.

Thus, people “turned toward the desert and lo! the glory of the Lord appeared in a Cloud” (Ex 16:10), namely the Word of God in Flesh … And Saint Augustine comments, so that we might be able to see God, the Word cured men’s eyes, by making a healing eye-ointment of His Flesh … That is why, immediately after saying: “The Word became Flesh”the Evangelist adds: “And we saw His glory” as if to say, no sooner had the ointment been applied, than our eyes were cured … This is the glory which Moses desired to see but of which he saw only a shadow and a symbol. The Apostles, on the other hand, saw His Majesty itself!” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Dominican, Doctor of the Church (Commentary on St John’s Gospel 1:178).

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. Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 December – “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ” – Luke 3:6

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Fourth Sunday of Advent – Corinthians 4:1-5 – Luke 3:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ” – Luke 3:6

REFLECTION – “And all flesh did see the salvation of God, even of the Father, for He sent the Son to be our Saviour. And in these words by “flesh,” man generally is to be understood, that is, the whole human race. For thus all flesh shall see the salvation of God: no longer Israel only but all flesh. For the gentleness of the Saviour and Lord of all, is not limited, nor did He save one nation merely but rather embraced, within His net, the whole world and has illuminated all who were in darkness. And this is what was celebrated by the Psalmist’s lyre, “All the nations whom Thou hast made, shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord.” While, at the same time, the remnant of the Israelites is saved, as the great Moses also long ago declared, saying, “Rejoice ye nations with His people.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homiletic Commentary on Luke 3:1-6 – Fragment).

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)