Tag: prayerofeugenedeferronays

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 February – “The sign of Jonah – Luke 11:29-32

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 February – Wednesday of the First week of Lent, Readings: Jonah 3:1-10,Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19, Luke 11:29-32

“The sign of Jonah” – Luke 11:29

REFLECTION – “God showed patience in the face of man’s weakness because He saw beforehand, the victory He would eventually give him, through His Word. For, when “power was made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9), the Word caused God’s goodness and tremendous power, to be made manifest.
Indeed, it was the same with man, as it was with the prophet Jonah. God permitted Jonah to be swallowed by a sea-monster, not to make him altogether vanish away and die but, so that when he had been vomited out by the monster, he would become more subject to God and would give all the more glory to Him who had given him this unexpected deliverance.
It was, too, to lead the Ninevites to firm repentance and to convert them to Him, Who would deliver them from death, amazed as they were by the sign accomplished in Jonah …
In the same way, God permitted man to be swallowed by that great monster, the author of disobedience, not so that he should altogether vanish away and die but because God, had prepared beforehand, the salvation fulfilled by His Word by means of the “sign of Jonah.”
This salvation has been prepared, for those who have the same feelings for God as Jonah did and, who confess Him in the same words: “I am the servant of the Lord and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9).
God desired that man, by receiving an unanticipated salvation from Him, would rise from the dead and worship God, saying with Jonah: “Out of my distress I called to the Lord; from the midst of the nether world he heard my voice” (Jon 2:2). God desired, too, that man would always remain faithful in giving Him worship and unceasing thanks for the salvation he has received from Him.” – St Irenaeus (130-208) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Theologian – Against the heresies III, 20, 1

PRAYER – “Dear Lord! It is just when I am in the world
that I have most need of You
because You know it is full of snares
that the devil has set for me.
You must hold my hand, dear Lord,
if You will not abandon me.
A little of the world is not bad for me;
it is even good, for it teaches me how small it is
and I feel the greater happiness
when I come back to You.
But that I may surely do so,
You must only loose Your hold a little,
that it may not try me too far,
You must not entirely leave hold.
Do You see dear Lord?
I wish to clasp Your hand – do not refuse me!” (I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me! – Prayer of Eugene de Ferronays)
Mary, Health of the Sick, pray for us!

Advertisement
Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ATHEISM, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – ‘ … Every new doubt is for me, new reason to believe.’ Luke 11:29 The Sign of Jonah

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – Monday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31, 5:1, Psalms 113:1-2, 3-4, 5 and 6-7, Luke 11:29-32 and the Feast of Our Lady Aparecida, Our Lady Who Appeared

“This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign but no sign will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” … Luke 11:29

REFLECTION – “Bad christians lack faith and do not deny it but they claim to be excused, in that they have no reasons for believing. Because of this there is nothing as common as this speech in the mouths of many people: “If I had witnessed a miracle I should be a saint!” “Evil and unfaithful generation! It seeks a sign!” (Mt 12:39). The wicked look for signs.

What is even more remarkable about this, is that, even though they have seen many taking place daily before their eyes, even though they are, so to speak, entirely surrounded, they never stop looking for more like the scribes and Pharisees; they would like to see them in heaven when they have seen them on earth. But neither the dead raised up during the life of the Saviour, nor the eclipse of the sun at death, make them believers; their envy becomes stronger, their hatred more malicious; each goes as far as raging, yet their unbelief is not healed by it. It used to be like this regarding those who, living badly, wait for miracles in order to believe: “They will not be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:31). (…)

All the difficulties that halt unbelievers, all the contradictions they encounter in the dogmas of faith, everything they find apparent contradiction, everything that seems new to them, surprising, contrary to common sense, contrary to reason, inconceivable, impossible, all their arguments, all their so-called demonstrations, all of this, far from shaking me, strengthens me even more, makes me immovable in my religion. (…) Every new doubt is for me, new reason to believe.” … St Claude de la Colombière (1641-1682) “Apostle of Sacred Heart” – Christian Reflections

PRAYER – “Dear Lord! It is just when I am in the world
that I have most need of You
because You know it is full of snares
that the devil has set for me.
You must hold my hand, dear Lord,
if You will not abandon me.
A little of the world is not bad for me;
it is even good, for it teaches me how small it is
and I feel the greater happiness
when I come back to You.
But that I may surely do so,
You must only loose Your hold a little,
that it may not try me too far,
You must not entirely leave hold.
Do You see dear Lord?
I wish to clasp Your hand – do not refuse me!” (I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me! – Prayer of Eugene de Ferronays) Our Lady Aparecida, Pray for Us!

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 9 January – 3rd day after Epiphany

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 January – 3rd day after Epiphany

I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me!
Prayer of Eugene de Ferronays (1827 – 1894)

Dear Lord! It is just when I am in the world
that I have most need of You
because You know it is full of snares
that the devil has set for me.
You must hold my hand, dear Lord,
if You will not abandon me.
A little of the world is not bad for me;
it is even good, for it teaches me how small it is
and I feel the greater happiness
when I come back to You.
But, that I may surely do so,
You must only loose Your hold a little,
that it may not try me too far,
You must not entirely leave hold.
Do You see dear Lord?

I wish to clasp Your hand – do not refuse me!i wish to clasp your hand dear lord, do not refuse me eugene de ferronays 9 jan 2019

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS

21 February 2018 – Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Posted on by AnaStpaul

21 February 2018 – Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Jonah 3:1-10, Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19, Luke 11:29-32

Jonah 3:6-10 – Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
Luke 11:29 – When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”wed of the first week - 21 feb 2018

It’s quite a mystery – that Jonah, a mere man and a reluctant prophet was able to bring an entire city back to God.   But Jesus, who is God in person, fails.   What can we make of this?   Maybe we can just settle for the perverseness of fallen human nature – our unwillingness to respond to divine goodness, even when, at times, we recognise it.

Sin itself is a mystery.   We know what harm it does to ourselves and to others and yet we deliberately choose to commit it.   Would we have been converted by the preaching of Jesus?   Does His presence now, in the Gospel, bring us back to Him?   Why is it that year after year, we need the preaching, of Jesus, of John the Baptist, of the prophets?

I suspect that part of Jonah’s effectiveness resulted from the kind of motivation he inspired – he SCARED the Ninevites into conversion.   Inspired by fear or not, the conversion was genuine and the Lord God “saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way”.

All this throws light on our own Lenten journey, it makes us examine our motives for these Lenten practices.   We don’t have to observe a strict fast as in the old days but the Church will never give up telling her people of the serious need for self-discipline in their lives.   She knows that if we do not control our appetites, they will control us and deprive us of our humanity and any chance of eternal life.

“With all your heart turn to me” says the Lord, ” for I am tender and compassionate” (Gospel Verse)

And it is noteworthy that the Church has us respond to the story of the Ninevites’ conversion by putting into our hearts and mouths the familiar penitential Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and righty spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me.   Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

What are my motives for these Lenten practices?
Have I appetites that tend to overpower me?
What can I do to ‘turn around’ and amend my life?

Fr E Lawrence OSB – Daily Meditations for Lent

I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me!
Prayer of Eugene de Ferronays

“Dear Lord! It is just when I am in the world
that I have most need of You
because You know it is full of snares
that the devil has set for me.
You must hold my hand, dear Lord,
if You will not abandon me.
A little of the world is not bad for me;
it is even good, for it teaches me how small it is
and I feel the greater happiness
when I come back to You.
But that I may surely do so,
You must only loose Your hold a little,
that it may not try me too far,
You must not entirely leave hold.
Do You see dear Lord?
I wish to clasp Your hand – do not refuse me!”i wish to clasp your hand - do not refuse me - eugene de ferronays - 21 feb 2018 - lenten prayer