Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – Three loves, two commandments

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Matthew 22:29-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.” – Matthew 22:40

REFLECTION – “God does not ask many things of you, for charity alone fulfills the whole Law. But that love is double – love of God and love of the neighbour… When God tells you to love your neighbour, He does not tell you to love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Rather, He tells you to love your neighbour as yourself. Thus, love God with all that you are because He is greater than you are; love your neighbour as yourself because he is what you are…

Thus, our love has three objects. But why are there only two commandments? I will tell you – God did not consider it necessary to commit you to loving yourself, since there is no-one who does not love himself. But many people lose themselves because they love themselves in a bad way. By telling you to love God, with all that you are, God gave you a rule according to which you must love yourself. Without doubt, you want to love yourself? So love God with all that you are. For it is in Him that you will find yourself and avoid losing yourself in yourself… Therefore, the rule according to which you must love yourself is given to you – love the One Who is greater than you and you will love yourself!”St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace of the Church (Sermon on the Letter of St James).

PRAYER – O God, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).

DIVINE Heart of JESUS, convert sinners,
save the dying, set free the holy souls in Purgatory.

Indulgence 300 Days Everytime –
St Pius X, 11 September, 1907

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOMINICAN OP, LENT 2024, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LUST, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The KINGDOM of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Ash Thursday

“… Now is the time in this life of suffering,
when we journey apart from Him.
… So let us fast and pray now
because, we are in the days of childbirth!

Fasting cleanses the soul,
raises the mind,
subjects one’s flesh to the spirit,
renders the heart contrite and humble,
scatters the clouds of concupiscence,
quenches the fire of lust
and kindles the true light of chastity.
Enter again into yourself!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Arm yourself with prayer
instead of a sword;
be clothed with humility
instead of fine raiment
.”

St Dominic OP (1170-1221)

What great profit you gain from God
when you are generous!
You give a coin
and receive a Kingdom;
you give bread from wheat
and receive the Bread of Life;
you give a transitory good
and receive an everlasting one.
You will receive it back,
a hundred times more
than you offered.

St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)

The soul which is quick to turn
to speaking and conversing,
is slow to turn to God.

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

All evangelical perfection is attained,
by the continual exercise of prayer.

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

As well as the corporal works,
there are the spiritual works of mercy.
Everyone is not obliged to undertake the former,
that would be impossible, for instance,
for the desitute, the sick, the aged.
But, everyone is OBLIGED to undertake the latter.
Sometimes a kind word
is more valuable than money!”
… Remember, however, that the practice
of the spiritual works of mercy,
does not excuse us from the exercise
of material works of charity,
wherever that is possible for us
(Cf Js 2:16).

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – St Ignatius Loyola and Friends

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus (SJ)

True humility consists in persuading
and convincing oneself
that without God, we are insignificant
and despicable
and, in accepting to be treated as such!

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

He who desires to consecrate
himself to God must, in the first place,
trample under his feet,
all regard for what others will say of him.
O my God, why do we not ask
what Jesus Christ or His holy Mother,
will think of our conduct?”

St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572)

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

All evangelical perfection is attained,
by the continual exercise of prayer.

He who is not a man of prayer
will never attain to a great act of holiness,
nor will he ever triumph over himself!

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

I must dedicate myself
to the service of God until death,
on the understanding
that I am like a slave.

St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654)

No life, except the life of Christ,
has moved me so deeply,
as that of Peter Claver.

St Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)
on the occasion of St Peter Claver’s Canonisation.

Custodes Hominum Psallimus Angelos
Praise We the Guardian Angels of Men
By St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621)
Archbishop of Capua, Theologian
Doctor of the Church

Angel-guardians of men,
spirits and powers we sing,
Whom our Father hath sent,
aids to our weakly frame,
Heavenly friends and guides,
help from on high to bring,
Lest we fail through the foeman’s wile.

He, the spoiler of souls,
Angel-traitor of old,
Cast in merited wrath
out of his honoured place,
Burns with envy and hate,
seeking their souls to gain
Whom God’s mercy invites to Heaven.

Therefore, come to our help,
watchful ward of our lives:
Turn aside from the land,
God to thy care confides
Sickness and woe of soul,
yea and what else of ill
Peace of heart to its folk denies.

Now to the Holy Three
praise evermore resound:
Under Whose Hand Divine
resteth the triple world
Governed in wondrous wise,
glory be Theirs and Might
While the ages unending run.
Amen

This Hymn by St Robert Bellarmine,was added to the Roman Breviary in 1608, by command of Pope Paul V. It is for Vespers in the Office for “the Holy Guardian Angels. Double of the second class, 2 October.

Prayer for Unbelievers
By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

O God, the Everlasting Creator of all things,
remember that the souls of unbelievers
were made by Thee
and formed in Thine own image and likeness.
Remember that Jesus, Thy Son,
endured a most bitter Death for their salvation.
Permit not, I beseech Thee, O Lord
that Thy Son should be any longer despised by unbelievers
but do Thou graciously accept the prayers
of holy men and of the Church,
the Spouse of Thy Most Holy Son
and be mindful of Thy mercy.
Forget their idolatry and unbelief
and grant that they too,
may someday know Him,
Whom Thou hast sent…the Lord Jesus Christ,
Who is our Salvation, our Life and Resurrection,
by Whom we have been [redeemed] and delivered,
to Whom be glory for endless ages.
Amen.

St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/05/quote-s-of-the-day-5-november-jesuits/

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on FEAR

Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – Guardian Dear …

Quote/s of the Day – 2 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and the Feast of the Guardian Angels

“. . . You should know
that there is present with you,
the Angel whom God has appointed for each man. . .
This Angel, who is sleepless and cannot be deceived,
is always present with you;
he sees all things and is not hindered by darkness.
You should know, too, that with him, is God!

St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

Nevertheless, small though we be
and long and dangerous though the road
may be which remains for us to travel,
what do we have to fear under so good a guardian?…
The Angels are faithful, wise and powerful –
what have we to fear?
Let us only follow them and hold fast to them
and we shall abide under the protection
of the God of Heaven!

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of Light

“Recommend yourself to your Angel Guardian
three times a day –
in the morning. by the prayer “Angele Dei”
in the evening, by the same prayer
and during the day,
when you visit the Altars in Churches.
Remember that you are to be guided
by your Angel, like a blind man
who cannot see the dangers of the streets
and trusts entirely.
to the person who leads him.

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (SJ 1568-1591)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/10/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-october-the-holy-guardian-angel/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH

Quote/s of the Day – 29 September – Our Protectors

Quote/s of the Day – 29 September – The Feast of the Dedication of St Michael the Archangel – Apocalypse 1:1-5, Matthew 18:1-10 – Scripture Search here: https://www.drbo.org/

In every lodging, at every corner,
have reverence for thy Angel.
Do not dare to do in his presence
what you would not dare to do, if I were there.
Or do you doubt that he is present
whom you do not behold?
What if you should hear him?
What if you should touch him?
What if you should scent him?
Remember, that the presence of something
is not proved only by the sight of things.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

The good Angels are around you,
like a company of Sentinels on guard!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

O Victorious Prince,
Guardian of the Church of God
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

O Victorious Prince,
most humble guardian of the Church of God
and of faithful souls,
who, with such charity and zeal,
took part in so many conflicts
and gained such great victories over the enemy,
for the conservation and protection
of the honour and glory,
we all owe to God,
as well as for the promotion of our salvation.
Come, we pray Thee, to our assistance,
for we are continually besieged
with such great perils by our enemies,
the flesh, the world and the devil
and as Thou wast a leader
for the people of God,
through the desert,
so also be our faithful leader
and companion through the
desert of this world,
until Thou conduct us safely,
into the happy land of the living,
in that blessed fatherland
from which we are all exiles.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/09/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-september-st-michael-the-archangel/

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 13 September – O Holy Mary

Our Morning Offering – 13 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”

O Holy Mary
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

O Holy Mary, my mistress,
into your blessed trust
and special custody
and into the grasp of your mercy
I this day, everyday
and in the hour of my death,
commend my soul and my body.
To you, I commit,
all my anxieties and miseries,
my life and the end of my life,
that by your most holy intercession
and by your merits,
all my actions may be directed
and disposed
according to your will
and that of your Son.
Amen

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PURITY

Thought for the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga

Thought for the Day – 21 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

St Aloysius Gonzaga

St Aloysius, obtain for me from God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, purity of life, the spirit of penance and of prayer and great love for God and for my neighbour, now and in all my remaining days here below that I may join you in praising God for all eternity. Amen.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga-2/

Posted in JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius de Gonzaga

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Feast of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor

All evangelical perfection is attained,
by the continual exercise of prayer.

He who truly desires to love God,
loves only, with an ardent
and constant desire,
to suffer for His sake.

In the twilight of our life,
we shall be judged according to love.

He who is not a man of prayer
will never attain to a great act of holiness,
nor will he ever triumph over himself!

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/21/quote-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga/

St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – O Holy Mary By St Aloysius de Gonzaga

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – The Feast of St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor, Jesuit Seminarian, Mystic, Marian devote

O Holy Mary
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

O Holy Mary, my mistress,
into your blessed trust
and special custody
and into the grasp of your mercy
I this day, everyday
and in the hour of my death,
commend my soul and my body.
To you, I commit,
all my anxieties and miseries,
my life and the end of my life,
that by your most holy intercession
and by your merits,
all my actions may be directed
and disposed
according to your will
and that of your Son.
Amen

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Wednesday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart, Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547), St Aloysius Gonzaga and Memorials of the Saints – 21 June

Wednesday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart

Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547) – 21 June:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/madonna-dei-miracoli-our-lady-of-the-miracles-alcamo-sicily-1547-and-memorials-of-the-saints-21-june/

The Processional Statue of Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor, Jesuit Seminarian, Mystic, Marian devotee, born of a noble family as Luigi.
Beloved St Aloysius:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-s-j-1568-1591/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-sj-1568-1591/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga-sj-1568-1591-the-angel-of-purity/

St Agofredus of La-Croix

St Alban of Mainz (Died c400) Martyr, Priest, Confessor, Missionary
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-saint-alban-of-mainz-died-c-400-martyr/

St Apollinaris of Africa
St Colagia
St Corbmac
St Cyriacus of Africa
St Demetria of Rome
St Dominic of Comacchio
St Engelmund
St John Rigby (1570-1600) Martyr, Confessor, Layman
St Juan of Jesus
St Lazarus the Leper
St Leutfridus of La-Croix
St Martia of Syracuse
St Martin of Tongres
St Melchiorre della Pace
St Mewan of Bretagne
Bl Nicholas Plutzer

St Ralph of Bourges (Died 866) Archbishop of Bourges, Reformer.
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-saint-ralph-of-bourges-died-866/

St Raymond of Barbastro
St Rufinus of Syracuse
St Suibhne the Sage
St Terence
St Ursicenus of Pavia

Martyrs of Taw – 3+ Saints: Three Christians of different backgrounds who were Martyred together – Moses, Paphnutius, Thomas. They were beheaded in Taw, Egypt, date unknown.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the KING, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY WEEK, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – Jesuits

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus (SJ)

God’s love calls us to move beyond fear.
We ask God for the courage
to abandon ourselves unreservedly,
so that we might be moulded
by God’s grace,
even as we cannot see
where that path may lead us.

Hate what the world seeks
and seek, what it avoids.

He who carries God in his heart
bears heaven with him,
wherever he goes.

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

We must make our way towards eternity,
never regarding what men think of us,
or of our actions,
studying only to please God.

St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572)

Better that only a few Catholics
should be left,
staunch and sincere in their religion,
than that they should,
remaining many,
desire as it were,
to be in collusion
with the Church’s enemies
and in conformity with the open foes
of our faith.

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

The path to Heaven is narrow,
rough and full of wearisome
and trying ascents,
nor can it be trodden without great toil
and, therefore, wrong is their way,
gross their error
and assured their ruin,
who, after the testimony
of so many thousands of Saints,
will not learn where to settle their footing!

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Priest and Martyr

Recommend yourself to your Angel Guardian
three times a day –
in the morning. by the prayer “Angele Dei”
in the evening, by the same prayer
and during the day,
when you visit the Altars in Churches.
Remember that you are to be guided
by your Angel, like a blind man
who cannot see the dangers of the streets
and trusts entirely.
to the person who leads him.

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (SJ 1568-1591)

My child, it is indeed
the Voice of God you have heard.
He has given you a great grace
in thus calling you into His one true Church.
While you live,
never cease to thank Him
and bless Him for it.

St John Francis Régis SJ (1597-1640)

“Teach Us Good Lord”
By St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve You as You deserve;
to give
and not to count the cost,
to fight
and not to heed the wounds,
to toil
and not to seek for rest,
to labour
and not to ask for reward,
except that of knowing
that we are doing Your will.
Amen

My God, I Love Thee
By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) (Attri)

Transr: Fr Edward Caswall CO (1814-1878)

My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heav’n thereby,
nor yet for fear, that loving not,
I might forever die
but for that Thou didst all mankind
upon the Cross embrace;
for us didst bear the nails and spear
and manifold disgrace.

And griefs and torments numberless
and sweat of agony;
e’en death itself and all for man,
who was Thine enemy.
Then why, most loving Jesus Christ,
should I not love Thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heav’n,
nor any fear of hell.

Not with the hope of gaining aught,
nor seeking a reward
but as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever loving Lord!
E’en so I love Thee and will love
and in Thy praise will sing,
solely because Thou art my God
and my eternal King!
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Quote/s of the Day – 21 October – Angele Dei

Quote/s of the Day – 21 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels”

God loves in the Seraphim, as charity,
knows in the Cherubim, as truth,
is seated in the Thrones, as equity,
reigns in the Dominions, as majesty,
rules in the Principalities, as principle,
guards in the Powers, as salvation,
acts in the Virtues, as strength,
reveals in the Archangels, as light,
assists in the Angels, as piety.

We should show our affection for the angels,
for one day, they will be our co-heirs,
just as here below, they are our guardians
and trustees, appointed
and set over u,s by the Father
.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

Since God often sends us His inspirations
by means of His Angels,
we ought frequently to offer Him,
our aspirations, through the same channel.
… Call on them and honour them frequently
and ask their help in all your affairs,
temporal, as well as spiritual.

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity of the Church

Recommend yourself to your Angel Guardian
three times a day –
in the morning. by the prayer “
Angele Dei
in the evening, by the same prayer
and during the day,
when you visit the Altars in Churches.
Remember that you are to be guided
by your Angel, like a blind man
who cannot see the dangers of the streets
and trusts entirely.
to the person who leads him.

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day (or night) be at my side,
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.

When there is not enough time
to say this prayer, let us at least
turn to our Angel with
an Act of Faith and Love and say:
My Guardian Angel,
enlighten me.
My Guardian Angel,
help me.
My Guardian Angel,
protect me.”

He will certainly come to our assistance
and will implore, for us, from God,
the grace which we need.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Be good!
This will make your angel happy.
When sorrows and misfortunes,
physical or spiritual, afflict you,
turn to your Guardian Angel,
with strong trust
and he will help you.

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Posted in JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga

Thought for the Day – 21 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

St Aloysius Gonzaga

One might say, that the life of St Aloysius Gonzaga was a miracle of purity and of heroic penance.
The source of his sanctity was the ardent love of God which he cherished from his childhood days.
He loved God above all things and with all his strength.
Therefore, long hours of prayer were a joy to him, the service of God in the Society of Jesus was his main desire and, mortification, was a loving offering, which he made in expiation of the sins of men.

The heart of St Aloysius, was not closed to men because of its supreme love of God.
His love of God, overflowed, into a vast love for his fellowmen.
He finally fell a victim to his own heroic charity.
When he was only twenty four years old, he devoted himself so earnestly to the care of those who had been stricken down by the Plague, that he caught the infection and died a peaceful death.

In his final moments, he smiled and announced that he was happy to be leaving the world.

Do we desire to merit as peaceful and holy a death as this?
Let us imitate St Aloysius by living lives of purity henceforth, even if we have not always been as faithful as he was in this regard.
Let us imitate also, his love for God and for his neighbour, his spirit of penance and his fervour in prayer.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius de Gonzaga

Quote of the Day – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) “The Angel of Purity”

Recommend yourself to your Angel Guardian
three times a day –
in the morning. by the prayer “Angele Dei”
in the evening, by the same prayer
and during the day,
when you visit the Altars in Churches.
Remember that you are to be guided
by your Angel, like a blind man
who cannot see the dangers of the streets
and trusts entirely.
to the person who leads him.

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Prayer for the Intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga,
(Can be Prayed as a Novena for Nine Consecutive Days)

O Saint Aloysius,
adorned with angelical manners,
although I am thy unworthy servant,
I recommend to thee,
in an especial manner,
the chastity of my soul and body;
I conjure thee, by thy angelical purity,
to commend me to Jesus Christ,
the spotless Lamb
and to His most Holy Mother,
the Virgin of virgins.
Preserve me from every grievous sin;
never suffer me to sully my soul ,
with any impurity;
whenever thou seest me in temptation,
or danger of sin,
ward off from me,
every impure thought and affection
and awakening in me,
the remembrance of eternity
and of Jesus Crucified,
imprint deeply in my heart
the sentiment of the fear of God.
Inflame me with divine love,
in order that,
by imitating thee on earth,
I may merit to enjoy God
with thee in Heaven.
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – He who eats this Bread shall live forever. John 6:59

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Tuesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – Christ is “the bread of life” for those who believe in Him: to believe in Christ is to eat the bread of life, to possess Christ within one, is to possess eternal life…
I am the bread of life,” He says; “your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they are dead” (Jn 6,48f). By this is to be understood ,spiritual death. Why are they dead? Because they believed in what they saw and did not understand what they could not see… Moses ate manna, Aaron ate it and many others, too, who pleased God and are not dead. Why are they not dead? Because they understood, in a spiritual fashion, they were spiritually hungry, they tasted the manna spiritually, so that they might be spiritually satisfied. “This is the bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats it will never die” (v.50).
This manna – that is to say, Christ, who Himself spoke like this…, was prefigured by the manna but was able to do more than manna could. For manna could not, of itself, prevent dying spiritually… But the righteous saw Christ in the manna, they believed in His coming and Christ, of whom manna was the symbol, grants to all who believe in Him that they should not spiritually die. Hence He says: “This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats it will never see death.” Here on earth, here now, before your eyes, your eyes of flesh: here is to be found the “bread from heaven” (v.51). The “bread of life” we spoke of a moment ago is now called “living bread.” Living bread because it contains, within itself, the life that abides and can deliver from spiritual death and bestow life. First He said: “Whoever eats it will never die” now he speaks clearly, concerning the life He gives: “Whoever eats this bread will live for ever” (v.58). Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190) Cistercian – The Sacrament of the Altar II

PRAYER – O God, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, Thy Kingdom come!
Indulgence 300 Days. Everytime Raccolta 178 St Pius X, 4 May 1906.

Posted in CHILDREN / YOUTH, EYES - Diseases, of the BLIND, JESUIT SJ, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) “The Angel of Purity” and another Patron of the Blind and those with Eye Ailments

Saint of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor, Seminarian of the Society of Jesus, Mystic, Marian devotee, born of a noble family as Prince Luigi. Known as “The Angel of Purity.” Patronages – Catholic youth, Jesuit scholastics, the blind, eye ailments, AIDS patients, care-givers, Jesuit students, for relief from pestilence, young people, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy, Valmonte, Italy. 

The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Rome, St Aloysius de Gonzaga, of the Society of Jesus, most renowned for his contempt of his Princely dignity and the innocence of his life.”

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (Excerpt)
By Fr Virgilio Cepari SJ (1564-1631)

St Aloysius, unlike so many of his illustrious family, has not left behind him, the glory of a great Captain, or of a man of letters, or of a ruler or statesman. Perhaps we may gather from this brief life, that thanks to the laws of inheritance, or to the gifts specially bestowed upon him, had longer years and occasion been given to him, he would have made his mark in the world. Talents he had and they were very notable whenever circumstances called them into play. Father Budrioli, a contemporary of our Saint, records in his Memoirs of St Aloysius ,that it was the conviction of all the Fathers in the Roman College and, there were men of European fame amongst them, that young Gonzaga had been given to the Society of Jesus, by a special Providence, to be one day its General, a post for which his prudence, sound judgement and extraordinary ability in matters of business, seemed even then, to have marked him out.

But St Aloysius had a heart too great to be contented with earthly grandeur. Nothing seemed of value to him, except what is prized by God and what, like Him, is everlasting To our Saint, the highest science was the science of Saints, to conquer oneself, the greatest victory, to serve God was to reign.! His motto was: Quid hoc ad aeternitatem? What is this to eternity? Guided by this thought, the young Prince, though living in the midst of a profligate world, with its charms and seductions on every side, took in hand the difficult task of making himself a Saint. And in the short space that he lived, he reached such a height of sanctity, that Holy Church, not content with raising him to her Altars, honoured him with the title of “The Angel of Purity”and gave him as model and Patron to the youth of the future.

What commemoration more fitting or more profitable than, by the faithful picture of his life, to reproduce him, whose whole being, whose every word and deed, whose each joy and sorrow, every aspiration and success were a constant forward march towards that ideal of perfection, which attracted him from childhood!

Fr Virgilio Cepar was a contemporary of the Saint, an ocular witness of most of the facts he narrates; he was his fellow-student and lived with him for several years, during which time, he met him everyday and was honoured with his most entire confidence.
And what Cepari himself had not seen and heard, he learned from the lips of those who had witnessed all that he narrates, the mother and brother of St Aloysius, his tutors, servants, his relatives and acquaintances, his masters, superiors in religion, his Confessor.
Fr Cepari visited every place, except those in Spain, where the Saint had stayed for any length of time and took down on the spot, the most exact information, as can be learnt from the statements of the sworn witnesses. No other writer of the life of St Aloysius has done the same.

To download “The Life of St Aloysius Gonzaga”, click on the link below.

Download “The Life of St Aloysius Gonzaga

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Tuesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547) and Memorials of the Saints – 21 June

Tuesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547) – 21 June:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/madonna-dei-miracoli-our-lady-of-the-miracles-alcamo-sicily-1547-and-memorials-of-the-saints-21-june/

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) (Memorial) Jesuit Seminarian, Mystic, Marian devotee, born of a noble family as Luigi.
Beloved St Aloysius:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-s-j-1568-1591/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-sj-1568-1591/

St Agofredus of La-Croix

St Alban of Mainz (Died c 400) Martyr, Priest, Confessor, Missionary
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-saint-alban-of-mainz-died-c-400-martyr/

St Ralph of Bourges (Died 866) Archbishop of Bourges, Reformer.
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-saint-ralph-of-bourges-died-866/

St Raymond of Barbastro
St Rufinus of Syracuse
St Suibhne the Sage
St Terence
St Ursicenus of Pavia

Martyrs of Taw – 3+ Saints: Three Christians of different backgrounds who were martyred together – Moses, Paphnutius, Thomas. They were beheaded in Taw, Egypt, date unknown.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS

Lenten Preparation Novena to the HOLY FACE Day Six – 25 February

Lenten Preparation Novena
in Reparation to the Holy Face
Day Six

All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son,
we ask Your help,
in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen

(Console Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer)

DAY SIX
Psalm 51,12-13
:
A pure heart create for us O God,
put a steadfast spirit within us.
Do not cast us away from your presence
nor deprive us of your Holy Spirit.

May our hearts be cleansed, O Lord,
by the in-pouring of the Holy Spirit
and may He render them fruitful
by watering them with His heavenly dew.
Mary, the most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit,
intercede for us,
Saint Joseph pray for us.
Through the merits of Your Precious Blood
and your Holy Face, O Jesus,
grant us our petition ………………
Pardon and mercy.
Amen

O Victorious Prince,
Guardian of the Church of God
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

O Victorious Prince,
most humble guardian of the Church of God
and of faithful souls,
who, with such charity and zeal,
took part in so many conflicts
and gained such great victories over the enemy,
for the conservation and protection
of the honour and glory,
we all owe to God,
as well as for the promotion of our salvation.
Come, we pray Thee, to our assistance,
for we are continually besieged
with such great perils by our enemies,
the flesh, the world and the devil
and as Thou wast a leader
for the people of God,
through the desert,
so also be our faithful leader
and companion through the
desert of this world,
until Thou conduct us safely,
into the happy land of the living,
in that blessed fatherland
from which we are all exiles.
Amen.

Pray (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Marys, one (1) Glory Be.

O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine,
be every Adoration Thine

(Three times)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 January – ‘The track and the reward … ‘

Quote/s of the Day – 11 January – Sixth Day within the Octave of Epiphany

“Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves…

Matthew 11:29

“May He,
Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!

Bl Guerric of Igny O.Cist (c 1080-1157)

“Christ acts like a loving mother.
To induce us to follow Him,
He gives us Himself as an example
and promises us a reward in His kingdom
.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor

“When He takes away
what He once lent us,
His purpose is to
store our treasure elsewhere,
more safely and bestow on us,
those very blessings,
that we ourselves
would most choose to have.

(From A Letter to His Mother)

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

“How long are you going to be deaf to His call?
Or are you going to lose your soul,
which Jesus Christ bought at the price
of His Precious Blood?

St John Francis Régis SJ (1597-1640)

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, Gerard MANLEY HOPKINS SJ, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JESUIT SJ, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MARIAN POETRY, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MODESTY, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – Jesuits

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – The Memorial of All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds

Hate what the world seeks
and seek, what it avoids
.”

God’s love calls us to move beyond fear.
We ask God for the courage
to abandon ourselves unreservedly,
so that we might be moulded
by God’s grace,
even as we cannot see
where that path may lead us.

Act as if everything depended on you;
trust as if everything depended on God
.”

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

I Beg of You, My Lord
By St Peter Faber (1506-1546)

I beg of You, my Lord,
to remove anything which separates
me from You
and You from me.
Remove anything that makes me unworthy
of Your sight,
Your control,
Your reprehension;
of Your speech and conversation,
of Your benevolence and love.
Cast from me every evil
that stands in the way of my seeing You,
hearing, tasting, savouring and touching You,
fearing and being mindful of You,
knowing, trusting, loving and possessing You;
being conscious of Your Presence
and, as far as may be, enjoying You.
This is what I ask for myself
and earnestly desire from You.
Amen

What a tragedy,
how many souls
are being shut out of heaven
and falling into hell,
thanks to you!

St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

This death … has already levelled
his bow to strike me.
Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke,
by dying now to the world,
that at my death,
I may live to God?

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“We ought to instruct with meekness
those whom heresy has made bitter and suspicious
and has estranged from orthodox Catholics,
… Thus, by whole-hearted charity and goodwill,
we may win them over to us in the Lord.

St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1397)
Doctor of the Church

We … are under an obligation
to be the light of the world
by the modesty of our behaviour,
the fervour of our charity,
the innocence of our lives
and the example of our virtues.
Thus shall we be able
to raise the lowered prestige
of the Catholic Church
and, to build up again,
the ruins that others by their vices have caused.
Others, by their wickedness,
have branded the Catholic Faith
with a mark of shame,
we must strive,
with all our strength, to cleanse it
from its ignominy
and to restore it
to its pristine glory!

The Burning Babe,

As I in hoary winter’s night
stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat
which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view
what fire was near,
A pretty babe all burning bright
did in the air appear;
Who, scorchëd with excessive heat,
such floods of tears did shed
As though His floods should quench His flames
which with His tears were fed.
Alas, quoth He but newly born in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts
or feel my fire but I!
My faultless breast the furnace is,
the fuel wounding thorns,
Love is the fire and sighs the smoke,
the ashes shame and scorns;
The fuel justice layeth on
and mercy blows the coals,
The metal in this furnace wrought
are men’s defiled souls,
For which, as now on fire I am
to work them to their good,
So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood.
With this He vanished out of sight
and swiftly shrunk away,
And straight I called unto mind
that it was Christmas day.

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Priest and Martyr

When He takes away
what He once lent us,
His purpose is to
store our treasure elsewhere,
more safely and bestow on us,
those very blessings,
that we ourselves
would most choose to have.

(From A Letter to His Mother)

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

The Catholic religion was the religion of your forefathers
and the only one Jesus Christ founded; –
the one which He promised would endure
till the end of time.
It is in the Catholic religion alone
that you can save your soul.

How long are you going to be deaf to His call?
Or are you going to lose your soul,
which Jesus Christ bought at the price
of His Precious Blood?

St John Francis Régis SJ (1597-1640)

… Make use of Our Lord
as an armour which covers [us] all about,
by means of which [we] shall resist
every device of [our] enemies.
You shall then be my Strength, O my God!
You shall be my Guide,
my Director,
my Counsellor,
my Patience,
my Knowledge,
my Peace,
my Justice
and my Prudence.

He promises to be [our] strength,
in proportion to the trust
which [we] place in Him.

St Claude de la Colombiere SJ (1641-1682)
“Apostle of the Sacred Heart”

The May Magnificat
By Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

May is Mary’s month and I
Muse at that and wonder why:
Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season-

Candlemas, Lady Day:
But the Lady Month, May,
Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour?
Ask of her, the mighty Mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring?
Growth in everything-
All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising
With that world of good,
Nature’s motherhood.

Well but there was more than this:
Spring’s universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JESUIT SJ, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – Be a Saint!

Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – The Solemnity of All the Saints

He will provide the way and the means,
such as you could never have imagined.
Leave it all to Him,
let go of yourself,
lose yourself on the Cross
and you will find yourself entirely.”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

“Teach Us Good Lord”
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve You as You deserve;
to give
and not to count the cost,
to fight
and not to heed the wounds,
to toil
and not to seek for rest,
to labour
and not to ask for reward,
except that of knowing
that we are doing Your will.
Amen

Those who risk all for God,
will find. that they have
both lost all and gained all.

St Teresa of Jesus of Ávila (1515-1582)
Doctor of Prayer of the Church

The Lord delights
in every little step you take.

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity of the Church

There is no more evident sign
that anyone is a saint
and of the number of the elect,
than to see him leading a good life
and, at the same time,
a prey to desolation, suffering and trials.

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

All a person’s holiness,
perfection and profit
lies in doing God’s will perfectly….
Happy are we, if we succeed
in pouring out our heart into God’s,
in uniting our desires
and our will to His,
to the point,
that one heart and one will are formed,
wanting, what God wants,
wanting, in the way,
in the time
and in the circumstances,
what He desires
and willing it all,
for no other reason,
than that God wills it.

Heaven is filled
with converted sinners ,
of all kinds
and there is room
for more!

St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)

You cannot be half a saint.
You must be a whole saint
or no saint at all
.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-november-on-the-saints/

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, JESUIT SJ, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga

Thought for the Day – 21 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

St Aloysius Gonzaga

“St Aloysius Gonzaga is one of the outstanding models of holy purity, for young and old alike.
We are told, that when he was nine years of age and went to the City of Florence, he went to the Church of the Annunziata, to pray before the picture of our Blessed Lady.
It was then, that he experienced the ardent desire to consecrate himself to God.
He was the eldest son of Prince Ferdinand de Gonzaga and, therefore, heir to his father’s title.
But, from this moment, he was determined to spend his life in the service of God.
He made a vow of perpetual chastity and placed himself under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.

Now, his life became a continual ascent towards perfection.
Hs chastity, which he had offered to Our Lady, remained spotless until his death.
The spirit of evil could make no headway against his angelic virtue.
This was a grace which he merited as a result of his prayers and penances.
He often spent three or four hours, kneeling in prayer and contemplation.
Even at night, he rose from his bed, in order to pray.
His mind and heart where in Heaven, rather than upon earth.
His prayer was an intimate conversation with Jesus, Mary and the Saints.
Innocent though he was, he practised servere mortifications.

Believing himself to be a great sinner, he scourged his body until his blood flowed freely and deprived himself of food and sleep.

Do we wish to preserve our purity and to become saints?
If so, let us remember that without prayer and mortification, this is impossible.
Jesus said to His disciples “that they must always pray and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1) “Pray” He said again, “that you may not enter into temptation” (Lk 22:40) and further, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk 13:5)
.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius de Gonzaga

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

“There is no more evident sign
that anyone is a saint
and of the number of the elect,
than to see him leading a good life
and, at the same time,
a prey to desolation, suffering and trials.”

O Holy Mary, my mistress,
into your blessed trust
and special custody
and into the grasp of your mercy
I this day, everyday
and in the hour of my death,
commend my soul and my body.
To you, I commit,
all my anxieties and miseries,
my life and the end of my life,
that by your most holy intercession
and by your merits
all my actions may be directed
and disposed
according to your will
and that of your Son.
Amen

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547) and Memorials of the Saints – 21 June

Madonna dei Miracoli / Our Lady of the Miracles, Alcamo, Sicily (1547) – 21 June:

The Processional Statue

The cult of Our Lady of the Miracles in Alcamo dates to 21 June 1547, the day people remember the Madonna’s apparition to some women near a stream running north of Alcamo. According to tradition while washing their clothes in the stream, the women, with a blind and a deaf one among them, saw the apparition of a woman with a child and were hit by a gust of pebbles, during the apparition but without receiving any injury or pain; on the contrary, after being hit by the pebbles, they strangely felt a certain sense of wellbeing and recovered their health. After learning the news, the women’s husbands, thinking that it was a joke, went to investigate, thinking that someone was hidden among the bushes but they didn’t find anybody.
Then the local authorities inquired on the spot, cut down the near grove and found the ruins of a “cuba,” an old arc of a mill that nobody remembered any longer and insidem there was a fresco on a stone made by an anonymous painter of the 13th century representing Our Lady with the Child Jesus, which at first. the believers called “Madonna Fons Misericordiae” (that is Our Lady Source of Mercy).

A representation of the discovery of Our Lady of Miracles’ image (inside its Chapel in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption in Alcamo).

After this discovery, all the people started praying before the rediscovered image and in the following days there were several miracles. Our Lady of Miracles became the Patron of Alcamo, in substitution of the Holy Crucified, who was the Patron Saint of Alcamo and other near small towns (among which Calatafimi and Salemi). The old Patron Saint’s memory however, remains: in fact, they call St Francesco of Paola “santu patri” (whose translation means “Patron Saint”) as the Church named after him was called the Holy Crucified Church.
The Madonna’s discovered image was first called “Our Lady Source of Mercy” but thanks to the high number of subsequent miracles, in 1583 the name was changed into “Our Lady of Miracles”.
Further to these events, Don Fernando Vega, Alcamo’s governor, ordered the construction of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Miracles, which hosts the Madonna’s image. Inside the Church there is a white marble sarcophagus containing the mortal remains of the governor Don Fernando Vega, according to his will.

The Crowned Painting of the Madonna of Miracles in the Sanctuary at Alcamo

Every year in Alcamo there are the celebrations in honour of Our Lady of Miracles from 19 June until 21 of June. This is the most important religious festivity in Alcamo. The real celebrations are often anticipated by other events, so extending the feast to about two weeks, in this way the beginning of the celebrations changes every year, while the last day is always the 21 June.
The celebrations include:
The pealing of church bells” which opens the celebrations together with the burst of fireworks and the passing of the band through the town streets; in the past Alcamo’s band also joined the musical band of Partinico (a neighbouring small town).
The Holy Mass in honour of Our Lady of Miracles in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (also called “Mother Church”), in which all confraternities and laity groups in Alcamo take part.
The procession to the Sanctuary of Madonna of Miracles (called “calata”), in which all civil and religious authorities of the town (together with the Mayor) take part; they are preceded by the band of the town. In old times people took also the animals that had recovered from an illness. Inside the Sanctuary they sing Vespers and then there is the Eucharistic Blessing/Benediction.

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) (Memorial) Jesuit Seminarian, Mystic, Marian devotee, born of a noble family as Luigi.
About St Aloysius:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-s-j-1568-1591/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-sj-1568-1591/

St Agofredus of La-Croix
St Alban of Mainz (Died c 400) Martyr, Priest, Missionary

St Ralph of Bourges (Died 866) Archbishop of Bourges, Reformer.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-saint-ralph-of-bourges-died-866/

St Raymond of Barbastro
St Rufinus of Syracuse
St Suibhne the Sage
St Terence
St Ursicenus of Pavia

Martyrs of Taw – 3+ saints: Three Christians of different backgrounds who were martyred together – Moses, Paphnutius, Thomas. They were beheaded in Taw, Egypt, date unknown.

Posted in JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – ‘Proclaim on the housetops.’

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33 and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” … Matthew 10:27matthew 10 27 - what you hear whispered proclaim on the housetops 21 june 2020

REFLECTION – “It is not I who undertook this work but, it is Christ the Lord who commanded me to come to be with these Irish pagans for the rest of my life, if the Lord shall will it and shield me from every evil … But I do not trust myself “as long as I am in this mortal body” (2 Pt 1:13; Rm 7:24) … I did not lead a perfect life like other believers but I confess to my Lord and do not blush in His sight because I am not lying, from the time when I came to know Him in my youth, the love of God and fear of Him increased in me and right up until now, by God’s favour, “I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7).

What is more, let anyone laugh and taunt if he so wishes.   I am not keeping silent, nor am I hiding “the signs and wonders” (Dn 6:27) that were shown to me by the Lord many years before they happened, He who knew everything, even before the beginning of time.   Thus, I should give thanks unceasingly to God, who has frequently forgiven my folly and my negligence, in more than one instance and has never been angry with me, who am placed as His helper, though I did not easily assent to what had been revealed to me, as the Spirit was urging. The Lord “took pity” on me “thousands upon thousands” of times, (Ex 20:6) because He saw within me, that I was prepared to serve Him. … Many were trying to prevent this mission, they were talking among themselves behind my back and saying, “Why is this fellow throwing himself into danger among enemies who do not know God?”   Not from malice did they say this, as I myself can testify, they perceived my rusticity.   And I was not quick to recognise the grace that was then in me, I now know, that I should have done so earlier.

Now I have put it frankly to my brothers and co-workers, who have believed me because of what “I have proclaimed and still proclaim” (2 Co 13:2) to strengthen and reinforce your faith.   I wish only, that you too, would make greater and better efforts.   This will be my pride, for “a wise son makes a proud father.” (Pr 10:1)” … St Patrick (c 385-461) – The Confessions, # 43-47it is not I who undertook this work - st patrick 21 june 2020

PRAYER – Lord God, teach us to fear and love Your Holy Name, for You never withdraw Your guiding hand, from those You establish in Your love.   Guide our ways and direct our hearts, live in us and walk before us.   May the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga help us to fully utilise the many gifts our Almighty God has bestowed on us as we journey home.   We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st-aloysius-gonzaga-pray-for-us-21-june-2018-pg and 21 june 2020

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feast of Our Lady of Miracles and Memorials of the Saints – 21 June

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A +2020

Feast of Our Lady of Miracles – 21 June – the patron of the town of Alcamo, Sicily.
About this Title of Our Lady:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/feast-of-our-lady-of-miracles-21-june/header-maria_ss_dei_miracoli_-_alcamo_processione_2010_198

St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) (Memorial)
About St Aloysius:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-s-j-1568-1591/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/saint-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-sj-1568-1591/

St Agofredus of La-Croix
St Alban of Mainz
St Apollinaris of Africa
Bl Colagia
St Corbmac
St Cyriacus of Africa
St Demetria of Rome
St Dominic of Comacchio
St Engelmund
Bl Jacques-Morelle Dupas
St John Rigby
St José Isabel Flores Varela
Bl Juan of Jesus
St Lazarus
St Leutfridus
St Martia of Syracuse
St Martin of Tongres
Bl Melchiorre della Pace
St Mewan of Bretagne
Bl Nicholas Plutzer
St Ralph of Bourges (Died 866)
St Raymond of Barbastro
St Rufinus of Syracuse
St Suibhne the Sage
St Terence
St Ursicenus of Pavia

Martyrs of Taw – 3+ saints: Three Christians of different backgrounds who were martyred together – Moses, Paphnutius, Thomas. They were beheaded in Taw, Egypt, date unknown.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, JESUIT SJ, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, NOVENAS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, The HOLY FACE

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face Sixth Day – 22 February

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face
Sixth Day – 22 February

the holy face raul berzosa

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son,
we ask Your help,
in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen

(Console Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer)

lenten novena to the holy face day six 22 feb 2020

SIXTH DAY

Psalm 51,12-13
A pure heart create for us O God,
put a steadfast spirit within us.
Do not cast us away from your presence
nor deprive us of your Holy Spirit.

May our hearts be cleansed, O Lord,
by the in-pouring of the Holy Spirit
and may He render them fruitful
by watering them with His heavenly dew.
Mary, the most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit,
intercede for us,
Saint Joseph pray for us.
Through the merits of Your precious blood
and your Holy Face, O Jesus,
grant us our petition………………
Pardon and mercy.

O Victorious Prince, Guardian of the Church of God
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

o victorius prince, guardian of the church of god st michael by st aloysius de gonzaga sj 22 feb 2020 lenten novena to the holy face

O Victorious Prince,
most humble guardian of the Church of God
and of faithful souls,
who with such charity and zeal
took part in so many conflicts
and gained such great victories over the enemy,
for the conservation and protection
of the honour and glory, we all owe to God,
as well as for, the promotion of our salvation,
come, we pray thee, to our assistance,
for we are continually besieged
with such great perils by our enemies,
the flesh, the world and the devil
and as thou wast a leader
for the people of God through the desert,
so also be our faithful leader
and companion, through the
desert of this world,
until thou conduct us safely,
into the happy land of the living,
in that blessed fatherland
from which we are all exiles.
Amen

Pray (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Marys, (1) Glory Be.

O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine (Three times)

Posted in JESUIT SJ, SAINT of the DAY, Ven Servant of God John A Hardon

Thought for the Day – 21 June – ‘God comes through.’

Thought for the Day – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

Excerpt from Ven Servant of God John A Hardon’s SJ (1914-2000)

‘Life of St Aloysius’

“To the one virtue which the Church has chosen and on account of which has chosen him ‘the universal patron of youth,’ was his chastity.   All the evidence we have, indicates that he had very strong sexual passions.   We know that from his own writing, we know that from people who knew him and we know that from what is called penance from one view-point, what is really, you might say, ‘preventive austerity’ from another.   He simply believed that unless he mortified his body and I didn’t tell you one tenth of what he did, he just would not get that passion under control.

The lesson for us in a sex-mad world is obvious.   You do not control that passion without mortification, you just don’t.   As a result, the Church has held him up as a model of what even the most passionate personality can achieve, always with God’s grace.   We may not be able to, given our temperament of the circumstances in which we are living, be able to cope with temptation–we need grace.   Very well, how do you get the grace? –through prayer and mortification.   And Christ’s words about a certain demon not being able to be driven out except through penance.   Well, it’s a non-title to give the devil but, he is the demon of lust, though being without a body himself, he knows how, by stirring this passion, he can lead people into any kind of sin.   That’s the first and towering lesson of the life of St Aloysius.

As we look at the short life of Aloysius, depending on the person’s view point, it may seem oppressive.   It shouldn’t be but, in modern jargon, it has so much (pardon the expression) of the negative, you know, penance, mortification, sin–and a world that has gone mad, drunk with sin, doesn’t realise, that already this side of eternity, we are to be what Aloysius was literally, we are to be, if it is God’s will, ecstatically happy of that.  We are not to be sad.   We are not, God forbid, to be unhappy.
The secret and what an open secret it is in the life of Aloysius, is to find the happiness in the right place.   That’s all, yes but that’s everything.
In other words, as a closing observation, Aloysius showed that’s why the Church Canonised him, that when Christ gave us the eight Beatitudes, which are eight promises of happiness, He meant it.
The condition for being happy, well, that’s part of the Covenant, that’s what we do but if we do our part, God comes through.

St Robert Bellarmine who knew him well, observed he was sure that Aloysius had never committed a mortal sin.

Saint Aloysius, pray for us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”st aloysius gonzaga pray for us 21 june 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga

Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

“I am a piece of twisted iron,
I entered the religious life
to get twisted straight.”i am a piece of twisted iron - st aloysius gonzaga 21 june 2019.jpg

“He who wishes to love God
does not truly love Him,
if he has not an ardent
and constant desire
to suffer for His sake.”acts-5-41-he-who-wishes-st-aloysius-gonzaga-21-june-2018.jpg

“Take care above all things,
most honoured lady,
not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness,
you would certainly do this,
if you mourned as dead,
one living face-to-face with God,
one whose prayers,
can bring you in your troubles,
more powerful aid,
than they ever could on earth.”take-care-above-all-things-st-aloysius-gonzaga-21-june-2018

“When He takes away
what He once lent us,
His purpose is to
store our treasure elsewhere,
more safely and bestow on us,
those very blessings,
that we ourselves
would most choose to have.”

(From A Letter to His Mother)

More of this letter here:   https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/21/quote-of-the-day-21-june-the-memorial-of-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga-s-j-1568-1591/

St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)when he takes away what he once lent us - st aloysius gonzaga 21 june 2019

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on FREEDOM, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “…A free heart…”

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – Friday Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel:  Matthew 6:19–23 and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”….Matthew 6:19-21matthew-6-19-21-17-june-2017.jpg

 

REFLECTION – “This is really Jesus’ message – have a free heart.   Otherwise, if your treasure is in wealth, in vanity, in power or in pride, your heart will be chained there, your heart will be a slave to wealth, to vanity, to pride.   On this line of reasoning, have a free heart, precisely because Jesus speaks to us about freedom of the heart.   And one can only have a free heart with the treasures of heaven – love, patience, service to others, worshipping God.   These are the true riches that cannot be stolen.   The other types of treasures — money, vanity, power — weigh down the heart, chain it, don’t allow it freedom.”…Pope Francis (Santa Marta, 20 June 2014)one can only have a free heart- pope francis - 21 june 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Father almighty, as we wait and work and pray and fast in joyful hope of our eternal life with You, grant we pray that we may always remain steadfast in Your love. Let your light so penetrate our minds, that walking by Your commandments, we may always follow You, our leader and our guide.   St Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us that we will fully utilise the many gifts our Almighty God has bestowed on us as we journey home.   We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st-aloysius-gonzaga-pray-for-us-21-june-2018-pg.jpg