Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HOSPITALITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TRUTH, The BEATITUDES, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – ‘ O God, grant that whatever good things I have,I may share generously with those who have not …’

Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – Hebrews 13:7-17; Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

To one He gave five talents;
to another, two; to a third, one—
to each according to his ability. …

Matthew 25:15

And he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them,
and gained five more.

Matthew 25:16

God is Good but He is also Just…
So do not underestimate God –
His love for men
should not become a pretext,
for negligence on our part.

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

For the man who is kindly,
modest, merciful and just,
will not keep his good works to himself
but will see to it
that these admirable fountains,
send out their streams,
for the good of others.
Again, the man who is clean of heart,
a peacemaker and ardent for truth,
will order his life, so as to contribute
to the common good
.”

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

Whatever He receives on earth,
He returns in Heaven
.”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

O God, grant that whatever good things I have,
I may share generously with those who have not
and whatever good things, I do not have,
I may request humbly, from those who do.

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 May – ‘ … it is also the person who fails to do good! …’

One Minute Reflection – 10 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Antoninus OP (1389-1459) – – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20 – Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

To one He gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately …” – Matthew 25:15

REFLECTION – “One of the servants said: “Lord, Thou entrusted to me five talents” and another mentioned two. They acknowledge that they had received, from Him, the means to carry out their duties well; they give witness to their great gratitude and render their accounts to Him. What does the Master reply? “Well done, My good and faithful servant (for it is the property of kindness to notice one’s neighbour); you have been faithful in small matters, I will set you over great; enter into the joy of your Lord.” Thus Jesus refers to entire blessedness.

As for him who only received one talent, he went off and buried it. “This good for nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” So you see, it is not just the thief, the miser, the wrongdoer, who will be punished at the end, it is also the person who fails to do good!… Indeed, what are those talents? They are the power each one holds, the authority one enjoys, the fortune one possesses, the teaching one is able to give and anything else of a similar kind. So let no-one come and say, I have nothing but one talent, I cannot do anything. For even with only one talent you can act in a praiseworthy manner!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermons on St Matthew’s Gospel No 78:2-3)

PRAYER – O Lord, may the merits of Antoninus, Your Confessor and Bishop, help us and just as we praise You for the wonders You have wrought in him, so may we glory in Your mercy toward us. T hrough 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, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on SLOTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 November – Talents – Matthew 25:14-23.

One Minute Reflection – 4 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20; Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately …” – Matthew 25:15

REFLECTION – “The man who is the landowner is actually the Creator and Lord of all. The Word compares, in the parable, the time the landowner spends away from home, to either the Ascension of Christ into Heaven, or, at any rate, to the unseen and invisible character of the Divine Nature.   Now, one must conceive of the property of God, as those in each country and city, who believe in Him. He calls His servants, those who, according to the times, Christ crowns with the glory of the Priesthood. For the holy Paul writes, “No-one takes this honour upon himself; he must be called by God.

He hands over [His property] to those who are under Him, to each giving a spiritual gift, so that he might have character and aptitude. We think that this distribution of the talents, is not supplied to the household servants in equal measure because, each is quite different from the other, in their understanding. Immediately they head out for their labours, He says, directly, indicating to us here, that apart from the procrastination of one, they are fit to carry out the work of God.

Surely those who are bound by fear and laziness will evolve into the worst evils. For he buried in the earth, Jesus says, the talent given to him. He kept the gift hidden, making it unprofitable for others and useless for himself. For that very reason, the talent is taken away from him and will be given to the one who is already rich. The Spirit has departed from such as these and the gift of the Divine Gifts. But to those who are industrious, an even more lavish gift will be presented!” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Fragment 283)

PRAYER – Safeguard Thy Church, O Lord, under the continual protection of St Charles, Thy Confessor and Bishop, so that just as his concern for his flock made him glorious, so his intercession may make us ever fervent in loving 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).