Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on PURITY, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 December ‘ … Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Proverbs 8:22-35 – Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of Supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below, to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too, may come to Thee, unstained by sin. T 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).

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, St PETER!, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 October – ‘Serving Him purely for the love of His Will’

Quote/s of the Day – 14 October – St Callistus I (c218- c223) Confessor, Pope, Martyr (and remembering St Bernard our Pilgrim today) – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Simon Peter answered and said:
Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
 ”

Matthew 16:16

Arise my soul
and review your deeds
which have preceded you.
Scrutinize them closely
and shed the rain of your tears,
declaring openly to Christ, our thoughts and deeds
so that you may be justified.

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

We become what we love
and who we love
shapes what we become.”

St Clare (1194-1253)

The greater and more persistent
your confidence in God,
the more abundantly
you will receive,
all you ask for.

St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Universal Doctor of the Church

Now it is that we are to show
an invincible courage towards our Saviour,
serving Him purely for the love of His Will,
not only without pleasure
but amid this deluge of sorrows,
horrors, distresses and assaults,
as did his glorious Mother and St John,
upon the day of His Passion.
Amongst so many blasphemies,
sorrows and deadly distresses,
they remained constant in love …

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 September – ‘ … But how to bring this plan to fruition? …’

One Minute Reflection – 8 September – The Feast of theN ativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Pentecost XVI – Proverbs 8:22-35 – Matthew 1:1-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary and of her was born Jesus , Who is called Christ.” – Matthew 1:16

REFLECTION – “In the beginning man had been formed out of pure and stainless earth (Gn 2:7) but his nature had been deprived of its innate dignity, when it was stripped of grace by the fall of disobedience and, was cast out of the land of life. In place of a Paradise of delight, it had nothing but a corruptible life, to hand on as its hereditary patrimony, a life from which death would follow, together with its consequence – the corruption of the race. We had,all of us, preferred the world here below to that on high. No hope of salvation remained; the state of our nature cried to Heaven for aid. There was no law which could cure our infirmity… In the end, according to His good pleasure, the Divine shaper of the universe decided to bring a new world, another world into being – a world of harmony and youth – from which the overwhelming contagion of sin and of its companion, death, would be cast out. A wholly new life, free and unencumbered, would be held out to us, who would find in Baptism a new and wholly Divine birth…

But how to bring this plan to fruition? Was it not fitting that a most pure and stainless virgin should first of all place herself at the service of this mysterious plan and should bear within her womb, the Infinite Being in a manner transcending the natural law?… Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had drawn from the virgin stainless earth, a little clay with which to fashion the first Adam, so He made use of another kind of earth, so to speak, when He brought about His Own Incarnation, namely that pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all creatures. In her He remade us anew, using our own substance and He, Adam’s Creator, became a new Adam, so that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal.”St Andrew of Crete (650-740) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that, as the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin stood for the beginning of our salvation, so may the solemn Feast of her Nativity, bring about an increase of peace. Through Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN QUOTES, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 5 August – Holy Mother Mary, ‘the most responsive chord in the Sacred Heart of Christ … ‘

Quote/s of the Day – 5 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows – Sirach 24:14-16: Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here:

Blessed is the womb which bore thee

Luke 11:27

No matter how sinful
one may have been,
if he has devotion to Mary,
it is impossible that he be lost.

St Hilary (315-368)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Mary signifies “Light-Giver”
or “Star of the Sea”
for she gave birth
to the Light of the World.
In the Syriac tongue, however,
Mary means “Lady” and beautifully so,
since she gave birth to the Lord.

St Isidore of Seville (c560-636)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Being thy servant, O Mary,
is a surety of salvation
which God grants solely,
to those He will save
!”

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

When we appeal to the throne of grace,
we do so through Mary,
honouring God by honouring His Mother,
imitating Him, by exalting her,
touching the most responsive chord
in the Sacred Heart of Christ,
with the sweet name of Mary
!”

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – St Andrew of Crete

Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – The Feast of St Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop, Father of the Church

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on to His Passion.
Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him,
not scattering olive branches
or garments or palms in His path
but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can,
with humility of soul and upright purpose.
So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9);
so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds,
be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness,
He, Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun”
(Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness.
He is pleased to come and live with us
and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself.

Arise my soul
and review your deeds
which have preceded you.
Scrutinize them closely
and shed the rain of your tears,
declaring openly to Christ, our thoughts and deeds
so that you may be justified.

Being thy servant, O Mary,
is a surety of salvation
which God grants solely,
to those He will save
!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/07/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-july-st-andrew-of-crete-2/

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, INCORRUPTIBLES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

FIRST FRIDAY, OCTAVE DAY of the SACRED HEART of JESUS, WITHIN THE OCTAVE of STS PETER & PAUL, Nuestra Señora del Refugio / Our Lady of Refuge, Mexico (1720), All the Holy Roman Pontiffs – 4 July

FIRST FRIDAY

OCTAVE DAY of the SACRED HEART of JESUS

WITHIN THE OCTAVE of STS PETER & PAUL

All the Holy Roman Pontiffs

St Albert Quadrelli

St Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop of Gorvina, Constantinople, Father of the Church, Monk at Mar Sabas, Noted and eloquent Preacher, Poet.
This Wondrous Father:

https://anastpaul.com/2023/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-saint-andrew-of-crete-c660-c740-bishop/

St Anthony Daniel
St Aurelian of Lyons

St Bertha of Blangy (c644-c723) Widow, Abbess, Mother, Founder of a Monastery at Blangy, Artois and 3 Churches in the region. Born in c644 in France and died in c723 at her Convent in Blangy, France.
Her Pious Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2024/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-saint-bertha-of-blangy-c644-c723-widow-abbess/

St Carileffo of Anille
Bl Cesidio Giacomantonio
St Donatus of Libya
St Edward Fulthrop
St Elias of Jerusalem
St Finbar of Wexford
St Fiorenzo of Cahors
St Flavian of Antioch
St Giocondiano
St Haggai the Prophet
Bl Henry Abbot
St Henry of Albano
St Hosea the Prophet
St Innocent of Sirmium
Bl John Carey

Blessed John Cornelius SJ (1557– 1594) Martyr, English Priest of the Society of Jesus, Missionary. Additional Memorials – 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai, 1 December as one of the Martyrs of Oxford University. Fr Cornelius and his three companions, the Martyrs of England, were Beatified by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929. All their bodies were retrieved and given proper burial by Lady Arundell.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-blessed-john-cornelius-sj-1557-1594-martyr/

St Jucundian
St Laurian of Seville
St Lauriano of Vistin
St Namphanion
Bl Natalia of Toulouse
St Odo the Good
Bl Odolric of Lyon
Bl Patrick Salmon
St Sebastia of Sirmium
St Theodore of Cyrene
St Theodotus of Libya
Bl Thomas Bosgrave
Bl Thomas Warcop

St Ulric (c890–973) Bishop of Augsburg, Germany, miracle-worker.
His Zealous Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-saint-ulric-of-augsburg-c-890-973/

St Ulric (c1214-1284) Bishop of Ratzeburg
St Valentine of Langres
St Valentine of Paris
Bl William Andleby
St William (c1030-1091) Abbot of Hirsau Monastery in Germany. His Body is incorrupt.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – – ‘… Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

And Mary said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.” – Luke 1:38

REFLECTION – “You have heard, O Virgin, that you are to conceive and bring forth a Son and that this will not be through the power of man but, by the virtue of the Holy Spirit. The Angel awaits your reply, for it is time that he should return to God Who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for a word of mercy, we, who are groaning under the sentence of condemnation. See, the price of our salvation is offered to you; if you consent, we shall at once be delivered. By the Eternal Word of God were we all created and behold, we will all die. By your brief answer, we shall be refreshed and recalled to life! …

Hasten, then, O Lady, to give your answer; hasten to speak the word so longed for by all on earth, in limbo and in Heaven. Yes, the King and Lord of all things, Who has “greatly desired your beauty” (Ps 44:12), desires, as eagerly, your word of consent by which He has purposed to save the world. He, Whom you pleased by your silence, will be yet more pleased by your reply. Hark! He calls to you from Heaven – “O most beautiful among women, let me hear your voice” (Sg 1:8; 2:14) … Answer the Angel quickly, then; yes, through the Angel give your consent to your God. Answer one syllable, receive the Word; utter your own word and conceive that which is Divine. Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting! …”

Behold,” she says, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily 4 on the “Missus est” [He was sent] #8-9).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly, the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. 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).

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the POOR, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – ‘… God’s greatness, is His Mercy.’

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Quinquagesima Sunday

For man’s lowliness,
is his gratitude
and, God’s greatness,
is His Mercy.

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

Thou art the Good Shepherd;
seek me, Thy lamb
and neglect me not,
who has gone astray.
[John 10:11-14]

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

Be generous to the poor orphans
and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord
has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven,
as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

I often speak with my Teacher, Jesus,
in the Blessed Sacrament
because I learn from Him.
Jesus is the Teacher of the science of holiness.
I go to Him because I would like to learn,
from Him, how to become a Saint.
Of what use to me is all knowledge
and education, if I do not become holy?

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, Hail MARY!, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 February – “Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

One Minute Reflection – 11 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes – Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1, 10; Luke 1:26-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when, the mother of Supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26) … We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue … Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now, was it not fitting that a most pure virgin, without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all? … And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He, Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one which went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a litle clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old, might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (c650-c730) Bishop and Father of the Church (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, we humbly beseech Thee that, recalling the apparition of the same Virgin, we may obtain health for both soul and body. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, EMBER DAYS, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PURITY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 December – ‘ … She indeed, is Mother of God, divinely named Mary … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 18 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ember Wednesday – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation – Isaias 7:10-15; Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below, to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue … Then, at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed, is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one which went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal!” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly, the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. 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).

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Könnyezo Szuz Mária / Our Lady of Tears or the Weeping Madonna, Hungary) (1717), St Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Saints for 17 October

Könnyezo Szuz Mária / Our Lady of Tears or the Weeping Madonna (Sajópálfala, Miskolci, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hungary) (1717) – Third Sunday of October, 16 February:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/17/twenty-first-sunday-after-pentecost-konnyezo-szuz-maria-our-lady-of-tears-or-the-weeping-madonna-hungary-and-memorials-of-the-saints-17-october/

St Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop of Gorvina, Constantinople, Father of the Church, Monk at Mar Sabas, Noted and eloquent Preacher, Poet.
His Feast was moved after 1969 to 4 July.
This Wondrous Father:

https://anastpaul.com/2023/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-saint-andrew-of-crete-c660-c740-bishop/

St Anstrudis of Laon

Bl Battista de Bonafede
St Berarius I of Le Mans
St Catervus
St Colman of Kilroot

Blessed Contardo Ferrini TOSF (1859-1902) Layman, Third Order Franciscan, Profesor, Civil and Canon Lawyer, Apostle of the poor, writer. He was Beatified by Pope Pius XII on 13 April 1947.
A Life to Imitate:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/17/saint-of-the-day-17-october-blessed-contardo-ferrini-tosf-1859-1902/

St Ethelbert of Eastry
St Ethelred of Eastry

Bl Gilbert the Theologian
St Heron of Antioch
Bl Jacques Burin
St John the Short/Dwarf
St Louthiern
St Mamelta of Persia
St Nothelm of Canterbury
St Richard Gwyn
St Rudolph of Gubbio
St Rufus of Rome
St Serafino of Montegranaro
St Solina of Chartres
St Victor of Capua (Died 554) Bishop
St Zosimus of Rome

Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only details about them that have survived are their names – Alexander, Marianus and Victor. 303 in Nicomedia (in modern Turkey).

Martyrs of Valenciennes -5 Beati: A group of Ursuline nuns Martyred in the persecutions of the French Revolution.
Hyacinthe-Augustine-Gabrielle Bourla
Jeanne-Reine Prin
Louise-Joseph Vanot
Marie-Geneviève-Joseph Ducrez
Marie-Madeleine-Joseph Déjardins

Martyrs of Volitani: A group of Martyrs who were praised by Saint Augustine of Hippo. In Volitani, proconsular Africa (in modern Tunisia).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HOLY NAME of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – Our Mother of Grace!

Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – Our Mother of Grace!

Mary, Mother of Grace,
it becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you
all graces, for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master,
Who was born of you.

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Today humanity, in all the radiance
of her Immaculate nobility,
receives its ancient beauty.
The shame of sin
had darkened the splendour
and attraction of human nature
but when the Mother
of the Fair One par excellence,
is born, this nature again,
regains in her person,
its ancient privileges
and is fashioned according to a perfect model,
truly worthy of God….
The reform of our nature begins today
and the aged world,
subjected to a wholly divine transformation,
receives the first fruits of the second creation.

St Andrew of Crete (c 650-c 740)
Bishop, Theologian, Hymnist

Thy name, O Mary,
cannot be pronounced
without bringing some grace
to him who devoutly does so!

St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“The devils fear the Queen of Heaven,
to such a degree that only on hearing
her great name pronounced,
they fly from him who does so,
as from a burning fire!

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 September – ‘ … She indeed, is Mother of God, divinely named Mary … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 12 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below, to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed, is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one which went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1Cor 15:45), that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal!” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, through the protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, Thy faithful people, who delight in her name may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from all evils on earth and be found worthy to attain everlasting happiness in Heaven. 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).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 8 September – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Quote/s of the Day – 8 September – The Feast of theNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Behold, the virgin shall be with child
and bear a son …

Matthew 1:23

Today, the Virgin is born,
tended and formed and prepared,
for her role as Mother of God,
Who is the universal King of the ages.
… Therefore, let all creation
sing and dance and unite
to make worthy contribution
to the celebration of this day.
… Let everything, mundane things
and those above, join in festive celebration.
Today, this created world is raised
to the dignity of a holy place
for Him, Who made all things.
The creature is newly prepared
to be a Divine dwelling place for the Creator!

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

Praeclara Custos Virginum!
Blest Guardian of All Virgin Souls!
By Anonymous Latin, 18th Century
Trans. Fr Edward Caswall C.Orat. (1814–1878)

Blest Guardian of all virgin souls!
Portal of bliss to man forgiven!
Pure Mother of Almighty God!
Thou hope of earth and joy of Heaven!

Fair Lily, found amid the thorns!
Most beauteous Dove with wings of gold!
Rod from whose tender root there sprang
That healing Flow’r long since foretold!

Thou Tow’r, against the dragon proof!
Thou Star, to storm-toss’d voyagers dear!
Our course lies o’er a treacherous deep;
Thine be the light by which we steer.

Scatter the mists that round us hang;
Keep far the fatal shoals away
And while through darkling waves we sweep,
Open a path to life and day.

O Jesu, born of Virgin bright!
Immortal glory be to Thee!
Praise to the Father infinite
And Holy Ghost eternally.
Amen

This Hymn originated as the Hymn for Vespers in the Office of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is used for Matins on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Tune: “From High Heaven” Leipzig melody, 1539.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUEENSHIP of MARY, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 June – ‘ … the perfect model, worthy of God … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 8 June – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ecclesiasticus 24:5; 14:7; 14:9-11; 24:30-31; Luke 1:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!”– Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then, at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now, was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise He had taken a little clay, out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop, Father (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we who keep the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen, safe under her protection, may be worthy to have peace now and glory, in the future. 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).Through the same 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).

All praise, honour and glory to the divine HEART of JESUS. – Indulgence 50 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

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Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on PURITY, Quotes on SALVATION, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – The Annunciation – ‘ … Chosen from among all other beings …’

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26) … We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue … Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45), so that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal!” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed Thy Word to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – ‘Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives.’

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:1-71 and 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25

REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going of His own accord to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the Prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.

For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up, or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).

RAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who to defend the honour paid to sacred images, filled blessed John with heavenly learning and wondrous strength of soul, grant that, by his intercession and example, we may imitate the virtues of those whose images we honour and may enjoy the help of their patronage. 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).

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on PURITY, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 December ‘ … Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Saturday of the First Week of Advent Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1,26)… We had all preferred the world below, to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by You, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee through her intercession that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – “What are you looking for?”

Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Vigil of St Andrew Apostle – Ecclesiasticus 44:25-27; 45:2-4; 45:6-9; John 1:35-51 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Jesus turned and saw them following Him
and said to them, “What are you looking for?

John 1:38

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on to His Passion.
Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him,
not scattering olive branches
or garments or palms in His path
but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can,
with humility of soul and upright purpose.
So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9);
so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds,
be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness,
He, Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun”
(Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness.
He is pleased to come and live with us
and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself
.”

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

But seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

But, [you will tell me],
there is so much to do, so many household jobs,
so much business in town, in the fields –
work everywhere! Do we have to abandon it all, then,
so as to think of nothing but God?”
No – but these occupations have to be sanctified
by seeking God in them and doing them
to find Him in them, rather than, to see them done.
What our Lord wants, is for us to seek His glory,
His Kingdom, His righteousness, before all else
and, for this, to make our foundation the interior life,
faith, trust, love, religious exercises…, labours and sufferings,
with God our Sovereign Lord in view…
Once we are firmly set in the search for God’s glory,
we can be assured that the rest will follow.

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EXTREME UNCTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, PURGATORY, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY SOULS, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – ‘We must live a dying life …’

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Souls Day

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on to His Passion.
Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him,
not scattering olive branches
or garments or palms in His path
but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can,
with humility of soul and upright purpose.
So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9);
so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds,
be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness,
He, Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun”
(Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness.
He is pleased to come and live with us
and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself.

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

We must live a dying life
and we must die a living death
in the life of our Lord.

(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV 6 )

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

A Prayer to the Holy Martyrs
to Obtain Their Protection in Life and at Death
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

O thou blessed Princes of the heavenly Kingdom!
Thou who sacrificed to the Almighty God,
the honours, the riches
received, in return, the unfading glory
and never-ending joys of Heaven!
Thou who art secure in the everlasting possession
of the brilliant Crown of glory
which thy sufferings have obtained!
Look with compassionate regard upon
our wretched state in this vale of tears,
where we groan in the uncertainty
of what maybe our eternal destiny.
And from that Divine Saviour,
for Whom, thou suffered so many torments
and Who now repays thee with such unspeakable glory,
obtain for us that we may love Him,
with all our heart and receive in return,
the grace of perfect resignation,
under the trials of this life,
fortitude, under the temptations of the enemy
and perseverance, to the end.
May thy powerful intercession
obtain for us that we may one day,
in thy blessed company,
sing the praises of the Eternal God
and even as thou now do,
face-to-face, enjoy the Beatitude of His Vision!
Amen

How pleasing to Him it will be,
if you sometimes forget yourself
and speak to Him of His own glory;
of the miseries of others,
especially those who mourn in sorrow;
of the souls in purgatory,
His spouses, who long to behold Him in Heaven
and, of poor sinners,
who live deprived of His grace.

St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

… Let us pray that before we have lost consciousness,
Extreme Unction may heal our spiritual scars,
make us worthy to see God and assist us,
to pass peacefully, from this vale of tears
into everlasting happiness.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

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Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on PURITY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 16 October – The Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Quote/s of the Day – 16 October – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today humanity, in all the radiance
of her Immaculate nobility,
receives its ancient beauty.
The shame of sin
had darkened the splendour
and attraction of human nature
but when the Mother
of the Fair One par excellence,
is born, this nature again,
regains in her person,
its ancient privileges
and is fashioned according to a perfect model,
truly worthy of God….
The reform of our nature begins today
and the aged world,
subjected to a wholly divine transformation,
receives the first fruits of the second creation.

St Andrew of Crete (c 650-c 740)
Bishop, Theologian, Hymnist

Tota Pulchra Es, Maria
You Are All Beautiful, Mary
Unknown Author – 4th Century

You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
you are the joy of Israel,
you give honour to our people.
You are an advocate of sinners.
O Mary, O Mary,
Virgin most intelligent,
Mother most merciful.
Pray for us,
Plead for us,
To the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tota pulchra es, Maria.
Et macula originalis non est in Te.
Tu gloria Ierusalem.
Tu laetitia Israel.
Tu honorificentia populi nostri.
Tu advocata peccatorum.
O Maria, O Maria,
Virgo prudentissima.
Mater clementissima.
Ora pro nobis.
Intercede pro nobis.
Ad Dominum Iesum Christum.

This prayer used by the Church since the 4th Century for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Purity of the Blessed Virgin. It takes some text from the book of Judith and other text from Song of Songs, specifically 4:7. Many composers have set this prayer to music over the centuries.

Prayer for Chastity and Purity of Body and Soul
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Thy Providence.
Without Thee, a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg Thee, to defend, by Thy grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers
that I may advance with a pure heart
in Thy love and service,
offering myself
on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity,
all the days of my life.
Amen

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Posted in FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 4 July – Saint Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop

Saint of the Day – 4 July – Saint Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop of Gorvina, Constantinople, Monk at Mar Sabas, Noted and eloquent Preacher, Poet and Hymnist. Born in c660 at Damascus, Syria and died in c740 in Crete of natural causes. Also known as – Andrew of Jerusalem, Andrew of Gortina, Andrea, Andreas.

Andrew was born in Damascus around 660, i.e. towards the middle of the 7th Century. At the age of fifteen, having reached Jerusalem, he decided to enter the Monastery of San Sabas and the Holy Sepulchre.

In 685 Theodore, Bishop of Jerusalem, sent him as his delegate to the VI Ecumenical Council (known as Constantinopolitan III) to support the condemnation of Monothelitism, a heretical theory that supported one divine will of Christ. During his stay in the imperial capital, Andrew received Ordination as a Deacon and was entrusted with the management of an orphanage and a home for the elderly. It didn’t take long, before perhaps already around the year 700, he was elected to the Episcopal office at Gortyna, the metropolitan Arch-episcopal See of the island of Crete.

In 711 Philippicus Bardane ascended the throne and convened a Synod to try to overturn the response of the previous Synod and establish Monotheism as the official religion of the Empire. Andrew also participated in this Synod and for a short time he even came to recognise the heretical decrees but finally, Bardane was then expelled and the Bishop of Constantinople was left with nothing but to retract, in writing, to the Pope, apologising also in the name of those who had participated in the illegitimate synod.

Andrea was famous as a preacher and composer of sacred Hymns. About fifty sermons have been handed down to us and tradition has arbitrarily attributed to him, the introduction of the type of Hymn, known as Kanon or Canon, typical of the Byzantine Liturgy. In reality, it is true, that he, nevertheless, wrote many of them, some of which are still sung today, remarkable for the originality of their metric and musical form. Among them, the so-called “Great Canon” stands out as his masterpiece, of a Lenten character and made up of two hundred and fifty stanzas!

His sermons proved to be important for the development of Marian devotion – in fact, he exalted the Virgin Mother of God as Immaculate and Assumed into Heaven, thus prefiguring the Dogmatic definitions of Popes Pius IX and Pius XII, which occurred in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Sainy Andrew of Crete died on the Island of Lesbos in 740 and the Martyrologium Romanum commemorates him on 4 July.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Nuestra Señora del Refugio / Our Lady of Refuge, Mexico (1720) and Memorials of the Saints – 4 July

Within the Octave of Sts Peter and Paul

Nuestra Señora del Refugio / Our Lady of Refuge, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico (1720) – 4 July:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/04/solemnity-of-saints-peter-and-paul-nuestra-senora-del-refugio-our-lady-of-refuge-matamoros-tamaulipas-mexico-1720-and-memorials-of-the-saints-4-july/

All the Holy Roman Pontiffs

St Albert Quadrelli
St Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop
St Anthony Daniel
St Aurelian of Lyons
St Bertha of Blangy
St Carileffo of Anille
Bl Catherine Jarrige
St Cesidio Giacomantonio
Bl Damiano Grassi of Rivoli
St Donatus of Libya
St Edward Fulthrop
St Elias of Jerusalem
St Finbar of Wexford
St Fiorenzo of Cahors
St Flavian of Antioch
St Giocondiano
Bl Giovanni of Vespignano
St Haggai the Prophet
Bl Hatto of Ottobeuren
Bl Henry Abbot
St Henry of Albano
St Hosea the Prophet
St Innocent of Sirmium
Bl John Carey

Blessed John Cornelius SJ (1557– 1594) Martyr, English Priest of the Society of Jesus, Missionary. Additional Memorials – 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai, 1 December as one of the Martyrs of Oxford University. Fr Cornelius and his three companions, the Martyrs of England, were Beatified by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929. All their bodies were retrieved and given proper burial by Lady Arundell.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-blessed-john-cornelius-sj-1557-1594-martyr/

St Jucundian
St Laurian of Seville
St Lauriano of Vistin
St Namphanion the Archmartyr
Bl Natalia of Toulouse
St Odo the Good
Bl Odolric of Lyon
Bl Patrick Salmon
St Sebastia of Sirmium
St Theodore of Cyrene
St Theodotus of Libya
Bl Thomas Bosgrave
Bl Thomas Warcop

St Ulric of Augsburg (c 890–973) Bishop of Augsburg, Germany, miracle-worker.
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-saint-ulric-of-augsburg-c-890-973/

St Ulric of Ratzeburg
St Valentine of Langres
St Valentine of Paris
Bl William Andleby
Bl William of Hirsau

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 May – ‘ … This woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 31 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Queenship of Mary – Eccli 24:5; 14:7; 14:9-11; 24:30-31, Luke 1:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!”– Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then, at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now, was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise He had taken a little clay, out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop, Father (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we who keep the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen, safe under her protection, may be worthy to have peace now and glory, in the future. 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).Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, ROSARY QUOTES, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT

Quote/s of the Day – 21 May – The Blessed Virgin Mary

Quote/s of the Day – 21 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

As breathing is not only a sign
but even, a cause of life,
so the name of Mary,
which is constantly found
on the lips of God’s servants,
both proves that they are truly alive
and, at the same time,
causes and preserves their life
and gives them, every succour . . .
may Your name, O Mother of God,
be the last sound that escapes my lips!

St Germanus of Constantinople (c 640-733)

“… The design of the Redeemer of our race
was to bring about a birth and, as it were,
a new creation to replace the one that went before.
Therefore, just as in Paradise,
He had taken a little clay
out of the pure and spotless earth,
to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7),
so, at the moment of bringing about
His Own Incarnation,
He made use of another earth, so to speak,
namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin,
chosen from among all other beings He had created.
It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator,
has remade us in our very substance
and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45)
that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)

There is no sinner in the world,
however much at enmity with God,
who cannot recover God’s grace
by recourse to Mary
and by asking her assistance.

St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

Never will anyone
who says his Rosary everyday,
be led astray.
This is a statement
that I would gladly sign
with my blood.

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – ‘Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives.’

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) Confessor called the “Angel of the Apocalypse” and of “The Last Judgement” and the “Mouthpiece of God.”– “Spy” Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:1-71 and 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25

REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going of His own accord to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…

Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.

For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously enlightened Thy Church by the virtues and preaching of blessed Vincent, Thy Confessor, grant that we, Thy servants, may be taught by his example and delivered from all harm by his intercession. 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).

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – The Immaculate Conception

Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception and “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

Mary is the new Tree of Life,
who, instead of the bitter fruit picked by Eve,
gives to mankind that Sweet Fruit
on which the whole world is fed.

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

(Marian hymn)

The very fact
that God has elected her,
proves, that none was ever
holier than Mary;
if any stain had disfigured her soul,
if any other virgin
had been purer and holier,
God would have selected her
and rejected Mary.

St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521)
Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer

Today humanity, in all the radiance
of her Immaculate nobility,
receives its ancient beauty.
The shame of sin
had darkened the splendour
and attraction of human nature
but when the Mother
of the Fair One par excellence,
is born, this nature again,
regains in her person,
its ancient privileges
and is fashioned according to a perfect model,
truly worthy of God….
The reform of our nature begins today
and the aged world,
subjected to a wholly divine transformation,
receives the first fruits of the second creation.

St Andrew of Crete (c 650-c 740)
Bishop, Theologian, Hymnist

He Who is Infinite, Limitless,
came to dwell in your womb;
God, the Child Jesus,
was nourished by your milk.
You are the ever virginal
Doorway of God;
your hands hold your God;
your lap is a throne raised up above the Cherubim…
You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit,
the “city of the living God,
gladdened by the runlets of the stream”
that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts.
You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

(Homily on the Nativity of the Virgin, # 9 ; SC 80

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, The ANNUNCIATION, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

One Minute Reflection – 8 December ‘ … Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 8 December on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception” – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1,26)… We had all preferred the world below, to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45), that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too, may come to Thee, unstained by sin. 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).

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES on GRACE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – Mary, Mother of Grace

Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”

Mary, Mother of Grace
St Athanasius (297-373)

Father & Doctor of the Church

It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master, Who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen

Go to Mary and sing her praises
and you will be enlightened.
For it is through her,
that the true Light
shines on the
sea of this life.”

St Ildephonsus (607-670)

“… The design of the Redeemer of our race
was to bring about a birth and, as it were,
a new creation to replace the one that went before.
Therefore, just as in Paradise,
He had taken a
little clay
out of the pure and spotless earth,
to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7),
so, at the moment of bringing about
His Own Incarnation,
He made use of another earth, so to speak,
namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin,
chosen from among all other beings He had created.
It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator,
has remade us in our very substance
and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45)
that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – The Annunciation – ‘ … Chosen from among all other beings …’

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – The Annunciation – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1,26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a litle clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45), that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen