Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – “How shall I repay the Lord?”

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Memorial of St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Readings:  2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126, Matthew 20:20-28

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“Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” … Matthew 20:28

REFLECTION“How shall I repay the Lord?” (Ps 115[116B],12)   Not with holocausts or sacrifices or the observances of the legal cult but with my whole life itself.   And this is why, says the psalmist, “The cup of salvation I will take” (v.13).   The labour he underwent in the struggles of his filial devotion to God and the constancy with which he resisted sin even to death – this is what the psalmist calls his cup.

It was concerning this cup that our Lord Himself expressed Himself in the Gospels :   “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt 26:39).   And again, to His disciples:  “Can you drink the cup that I shall drink?”   He intended to speak of that death He desired to suffer, for the salvation of the world.   Therefore, He says:  “The cup of salvation I will take up,” namely, my whole being is reaching out, parched, towards the consummation of martyrdom, even to the point of holding the torments endured, in the struggles of filial love as rest and not as suffering, for soul and body.   I too, He says, will offer Myself to the Lord as a sacrifice and oblation. …   And I am ready to pay these vows before all the people, for:  “My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people!” (v.14).” … St Basil the Great (330-379) Monk and Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Father & Doctor of the Churchmatthew-20-28-25-july-2017 and 2020

PRAYER – Lord our God, You accepted the sacrifice of St James, the first of Your Apostles to give his life for Your sake.   May Your Church find strength in his martyrdom and support in his constant prayer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us! Amenst-james-pray-for-us-25-july-2017 and 2020

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Posted in LENT 2020, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, St JOHN HENRY Cardinal NEWMAN!, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 11 March – What did you say, woman?

Lenten Reflection – 11 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Readings: Jeremiah 18:18- 20; Psalms 31:5-6, 14, 15-16; Matthew 20:17-28

“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”

Daily Meditation:
“Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom”…Matthew 20:21

The importance of Humility”
(Extract from a Sermon on St Philip Neri)

By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“But I would beg for you this privilege, that the public world might never know you for praise or for blame, that you should do a good deal of hard work in your generation and prosecute many useful labours and effect a number of religious purposes and send many souls to heaven and take men by surprise, how much you were really doing, when they happened to come near enough to see it but that by the world you should be overlooked, that you should not be known out of your place, that you should work for God alone, with a pure heart and single eye, without the distractions of human applause and should make Him your sole hope and His eternal heaven your sole aim and have your reward, not partly here but fully and entirely, hereafter.”

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28wed-of-the-second-week-matthew-20-28-the-sone-of-man-came-not-to-serve-20-march-2019 and 11 march 2020

Intercessions:
Let us give thanks to God, our Father:
through the power of the Spirit He purifies our heart and strengthens us in love.
Let us humbly ask Him:
Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit.

Help us to receive good things from Your bounty with a deep sense of gratitude;
-and to accept with patience the evil that comes to us.
Teach us to be loving not only in great and exceptional moments,
-but above all in the ordinary events of daily life.
May we abstain from what we do not really need
-and help our brothers and sisters in distress.
May we bear the wounds of Your Son,
-for through His body He gave us life.

Closing Prayer:
God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve You.
Free me from any temptations
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience with others,
that with Your love and Your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself
and more and more full of the desire
to follow You, in laying down my life
according to Your example.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

“What did you say, woman?
You hear Him talking about the cross
and you ask for a throne?”

Basil of Seleucia (Died c 468) Bishop
Sermon 24

basil-of-seleucia-20-march-2019 and 11 march 2020

Posted in MARTYRS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A and the Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) – Virgin Martyr

Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”

Matthew 20:28matthew 20 28 can you drink that i am going to drink 21 jan 2020

“You may stain your sword with
my blood but you will never profane
my body that I have consecrated to Christ.”

St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyryou may stain your sword with my blood - st agnes - 21 jan 2020

“The tyrant dies and his rule is over,
the martyr dies and his rule begins.”

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

The Journals of Kierkegaardthe tyrant dies and his rule is over the martyr dies and his rule begins - soren kierkegaard 21 jan 2019

“Deceitful are the ephemeral pleasures
and joys of this world.
Our supreme comfort in this life, is to die to the world
that we may live with Jesus crucified.
Let others seek gold and other earthly treasures.
I already possess the immortal treasure
of holy poverty on the Cross of Jesus crucified.
The angelic virtue, growing like a pure, fragrant lily
in the hidden beauteous garden of the cloister,
adorns the forehead with heavenly tints,
for it has roots in the Cross of Jesus crucified.
A third crown completes my oblation,
it is the seal of glory,
whereby the obedient, spotless Lamb gained victory.
Obedience is the secure science
of living with Jesus crucified.
With this triple treasure,
I can hope to pass beyond
the fleeting confines of mortal man,
by living poor on this earth and rich in heaven,
united with Jesus crucified.”

Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro (1891-1927)

Priest and Martyrdeceitful-are-the-ephemeral-pleasures-and-joys-of-this-world-bl-miguel-pro-23-nov-2019 and 21 jan 2020

“One doesn’t suffer
when one suffers
for Christ.”

Bl Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984) Priest and Martyrone-doesnt-suffer-when-one-suffers-for-christ-bl-jerzy-pray-for-us-19-oct-2019and-27-nov-2019.and 21 jan 2020jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” 

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – Feast of St James, Apostle, Gospel: Matthew 20:20–28

Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking.   Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”   They said to him, “We can.”……Matthew 20:28matthew-20-28 - you do not know what you are asking, can you drink - st james 25 july 2017 and 2019.jpg

REFLECTION“Christ laid down His life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1Jn 3,16)…   Jesus said to Peter: “When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted but when you grow old …  someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go…” (Jn 21,18).   It was the Cross, the Passion, He promised him.   “Go even so far as to pasture my sheep, suffer for my sheep.” This is what a good bishop is to be like.   If he is not, he is no bishop…

Now listen to this other testimony.   Two of His disciples, the brothers John and James who were sons of Zebedee, were ambitious for the first place without consideration for the others…   Our Lord answered them:   “You do not know what you are asking”, for he added:   “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”   What cup is this if not that… of the Passion?…   And they, forgetting their weakness, immediately said:   “We can”.   Then He said to them:   “My cup you will indeed drink.   But to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father”…   In this way He gave proof of His humility for, in fact, everything the Father prepares is prepared, too, for the Son…   He came in humility – He, the Creator, was created amongst us,   He made us but He was made for us.   God before time began, man in time, He delivered man from time.   This great physician has come to heal our cancer… by His example, He has come to heal pride itself.he came in humility, he the creator - st augustine - 25 july 2019 .jpg

This is what we must give our attention to, in the Lord – let us consider His humility, drink the cup of His humility, clasp Him, contemplate Him.   How easy it is to have elevated thoughts, easy to take pleasure in honours, easy to give one’s ear to flatterers and people who praise us.   But to bear with insult, patiently undergo humiliation, pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5,39.44) – that is the Lord’s cup, that is the Lord’s feast.“… Saint Augustine (354-430) FathEr & Doctor of the Church – Sermon for the ordination of a bishop, Guelferbytanus no.32but to bear with insult, patiently undergo humiliation...st augustine-feast of st james 25 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of Your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that Your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us!   Amenst-james-pray-for-us-25-july 2017 and 2019.jpg

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – The Memorial of St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 20:20–28

One Minute Reflection – 25 July – The Memorial of St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 20:20–28

Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking.   Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”   They said to him, “We can.”……Matthew 20:28matthew-20-28- 25 july 2017

REFLECTION – “Through their mother’s mediation, the sons of Zebedee press Christ as follows in the presence of their fellow apostles:  “Command that we may sit, one at your right side and one at your left” (cf. Mk 10:35f.)… Christ hastens to free them from their illusions, telling them they must be prepared to suffer insults, persecutions, even death. “You do not know what you are asking.  Are you able to drink the cup that I shall drink?” Let no one be surprised to see the apostles displaying such imperfect dispositions.   Wait until the mystery of the cross has been fulfilled and the strength of the Holy Spirit given to them.   If you want to see the strength of their souls, take a look at them later on and you will see them to be above all human weakness.   Christ does not conceal their pettiness so you will be able to see what they become later on by the power of the grace that will transform them…”… St John Chrysostom (c 345-407) Father & Doctor of the Church

“…we can learn much from St James:   promptness in accepting the Lord’s call even when He asks us to leave the “boat” of our human securities, enthusiasm in following Him on the paths that He indicates to us over and above any deceptive presumption of our own, readiness to witness to Him with courage, if necessary to the point of making the supreme sacrifice of life.   Thus James the Greater stands before us, as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ.   He, who initially had requested, through his mother, to be seated with his brother next to the Master in His Kingdom, was precisely the first to drink the chalice of the passion and to share martyrdom with the Apostles.”…Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, 21 June 2006we can learn much from st james - pope benedict - 25 july 2018

PRAYER – Lord our God, You accepted the sacrifice of St James, the first of Your Apostles to give his life for Your sake.   May Your Church find strength in his martyrdom and support in his constant prayer.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us! Amenst-james-pray-for-us-25-july 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

One Minute Reflection – 25 July

One Minute Reflection – 25 July

Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”……Matthew 20:28

matthew 20 28

REFLECTION – “…we can learn much from St James: promptness in accepting the Lord’s call even when He asks us to leave the “boat” of our human securities, enthusiasm in following Him on the paths that He indicates to us over and above any deceptive presumption of our own, readiness to witness to Him with courage, if necessary to the point of making the supreme sacrifice of life. Thus James the Greater stands before us as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ. He, who initially had requested, through his mother, to be seated with his brother next to the Master in His Kingdom, was precisely the first to drink the chalice of the passion and to share martyrdom with the Apostles.
And, in the end, summarising everything, we can say that the journey, not only exterior but above all interior, from the mount of the Transfiguration to the mount of the Agony, symbolises the entire pilgrimage of Christian life, among the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God, as the Second Vatican Council says. In following Jesus, like St James, we know that even in difficulties we are on the right path.”…..Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, June 21, 2006

we can learn much from st james - pope benedict

PRAYER – Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of Your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that Your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us! Amen

st james pray for us 25 july