Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN Saturdays, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – Our Lady’s Saturday

Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Our Lady’s Saturday

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

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

O, that the soul of Mary were in us,
to glorify the Lord!
That the spirit of Mary were in us,
to rejoice in God.
May the life of Blessed Mary
be ever present to our awareness.
In her, as in a mirror,
the form of virtue
and beauty of chastity, shine forth.
She was Virgin, not only in body
but in mind and spirit.
She never sullied the pure affection of her heart
by unworthy feelings.
She was humble of heart.
She was serious in her conversations.
She was prudent in her counsels.
She preferred to pray rather than to speak.
She united in her heart the prayers of the poor,
and avoided the uncertainty of worldly riches.
She was ever faithful to her daily duties,
reserved in her conversations
and always accustomed to recognise God
as the witness of her thoughts.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus!

(On Virginity II 2.7)

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“ … For His brothers
His relatives according to the flesh
who did not
believe in Him,
of what advantage was that relationship?
… Even her maternal relationship
would have done Mary no good,
unless she had borne Christ
more happily in her heart,
than in her flesh.

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

It is an axiom in Theology
that when a person is chosen by God
for any state, he receives,
not only the dispositions necessary for it
but, even the gifts which he needs
to sustain that state with decorum.”
(Speaking on the subject of the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God).

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

No-one who shall invoke
this Mother of Grace,
with devotion and perseverance,
can possibly perish forever.

St John Eudes (1601-1680)
“The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Look Down, O Mother Mary!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Transl, Fr Edmund Vaughan, CSSR in 1863

Look down, O Mother Mary!
From thy bright throne above;
Cast down upon thy children
One only glance of love.

And if a heart so tender
With pity flows not o’er,
Then turn away, O Mother!
And look on us no more.

See how, ungrateful sinners,
We stand before thy Son;
His loving Heart upbraids us
The evil we have done.

But if thou wilt appease Him,
Speak for us—but one word;
Thou only canst obtain as
The pardon of our Lord.

O Mary, dearest Mother!
If thou wouldst have us live,
Say that we are thy children,
And Jesus will forgive.

Our sins make us unworthy
That title still to bear
But thou art still our Mother,
Then show a Mother’s care.

Open to us thy mantle,
There stay we without fear,
What evil can befall us
If, Mother, thou art near?

O sweetest, dearest Mother!
Thy sinful children save;
Look down on us with pity,
Who thy protection crave.

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, I BELIEVE!, Lady POVERTY, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SELF-DISTRUST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – ‘ … What we are to do and what we have to hope for… ‘

Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Feast of St Barnabas the Apostle, Martyr, The “Son of Encouragement” – Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3; Matthew 10:16-22.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Behold I send you as sheep
in the midst of wolves.
Be, therefore, wise as serpents
and simple as doves.

Matthew – 10:16

Go into the whole world
and preach the Gospel
to every creature.

Mark 16:15

You have heard what the Lord said
to His disciples after the Resurrection.
He sent them out to preach the Gospel
and they did so.
Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds
and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5).
Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us
and the ends of the earth.
In a few words the Lord, addressing Himself
to His disciples, set out what we are to do
and what we have to hope for.
Just as you have heard, He said:
“Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.”
He asks for our faith and offers us salvation.
What He offers us, is so precious
that what He asks of us, is as nothing.

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

All the brothers should strive to follow
the humility and the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ …
And they must rejoice when they live among people
who are considered to be of little worth
and who are looked down upon,
among the poor and the powerless,
the sick and the lepers and the beggars by the wayside.
And when it may be necessary,
let them go to seek alms.
And they should not be ashamed
but rather recall that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living and all-powerful God …
was a poor man and a transient and lived on alms,
He and the Blessed Virgin and His disciples.

St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)

(Earlier Rule, #8-9).

If you truly wish to help
the soul of your neighbour,
you should firstly approach God
with all your heart.
Ask Him simply,
to fill you with charity,
the greatest of all virtues.

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

If you wish to enter into life,
keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth,
believe in Me.
If you will be perfect,
sell all.
If you will be My disciple,
deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life,
despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in Heaven,
humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me,
carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross
find the life of blessedness
and of true Light.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HOLY COMMUNION, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on JUSTICE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY NAME, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 May – Christ has hidden enemies.

One Minute Reflection – 31 May – Within the Octave of Corpus Christi – Mamorial of St Petronilla of Rome (1st Century) Virgin Martyr – 1 Corinthians 23-29; John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … For he who eats and drinks unworthily, … eats and drinks judgement upon himself.”- 1 Corinthians 29

REFLECTION – “Christ has hidden enemies. All those who live unjust and irreligious lives are Christ’s enemies, even if they are signed with His Name and are called ‘Christians’ – I mean the ones to whom he is going to say, “I do not know you and they say to Him, “Lord, in Thy Name we ate and drank. In Thy Name, we performed many deeds of power. What did we eat and drink in Thy Name?”

You see that they did not value their food very highly and yet, it was with reference to It that they said they belonged to Christ. Christ is the Food that is eaten and drunk. Even Christ’s enemies eat and drink Him! The faithful know the Lamb without spot on which they feed, if only they fed on It in such a way that they are not liable to punishment! The Apostle says, “Whoever eats and drinks unworthily, is eating and drinking judgement upon himself.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 308).

PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Petronilla, Thy Virgin, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching that we may be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness.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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – St Bartholomew

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr – 1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Luke 6:12-19

Yes, the Apostle chosen
to be His co-worker,
merited to share,
the same Name as Christ.
They built the same Building together –
Peter does the planting,
the Lord gives the increase
and it is the Lord, too,
Who sends those,
who will do the watering (cf 1 Cor 3:6f).

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

And when day broke,
He summoned His disciples
and from these He chose twelve –
whom He also named Apostles.

Luke 6:13

Bartholomew, whose Feast Day is today,
means in Aramaic,
nothing less than:
‘son of a water-bearer.‘
He is Son of the God,
Who raises the minds of His preachers,
to the contemplation of Truths from on high,
in such a way, that they can spread the rain of God’s Word
in our hearts, efficaciously and abundantly .
This is how they drink water at its source,
so that they can cause us to drink in our turn.

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church

(Sermon 42 the second for Saint Bartholomew).

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 28 August – O God, the House of My Soul is Narrow By St Augustine

Our Morning Offering – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) – Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of Grace and Father

O God, the House of My Soul is Narrow
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace

O God,
the Light of the heart, which sees Thee,
The Life of the soul, which loves Thee,
The Strength of the mind, which seeks Thee,
May I ever continue to be steadfast in Thy love.
Be the Joy of my heart,
Take all of me to Thyself and abide therein.
The house of my soul is, I confess,
too narrow for Thee.
Enlarge it, that Thou may enter.
It is ruinous but do repair it.
It has within it what must offend Thine Eyes,
I confess and know it,
But whose help shall I seek in cleansing it
but Thine alone?
To Thee, O God, I cry urgently.
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep me from false pride and sensuality,
that they may not get dominion over me.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The LISTS of the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – I am not worthy to have you come under my roof …

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – Monday of the Twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 7:1-10 and the Memorial of St Pope Cornelius and St Cyprian of Carthage, Martyrs

“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, therefore, I did not presume to come to you.   But say the word and let my servant be healed.”…Luke7:6b-7

REFLECTION – “This man was a pagan, for the Jewish people were occupied by the Imperial Roman army at that time.   So it was as a centurion in Judaea that he was commanding his soldiers…
But our Lord, although he was in the midst of the people of Judaea, was already talking about the Church being spread all over the earth wherever His apostles were to be sent (Mt 8:11).   Indeed, the gentiles believed in Him without having see Him…  Our Lord did not physically enter the centurion’s house and, even though absent in body, He was present in majesty and healed both that house and its faith.   Similarly, our Lord stood physically only amongst the people of Judaea – other peoples did not see His being born of a virgin, or suffering, or walking, or subject to the condition of human nature, or carrying out divine miracles.   None of these things were done amongst the gentiles and yet it was amongst them that what was said about Him was fulfilled:  “A people I did not know have served me.”   In what way did they serve Him?   The Psalm continues: “As soon as they heard me, they obeyed me” (Ps 18[17]:44-45).”…St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Churchlord-i-am-not-worth-luke-7-6b-7-and-indeed-the-gentiles-believed-st-augustine-17-sept-2018

PRAYER – Lord God and holy Father, guard our faith we pray and grace us with Your mercy.   Keep us every faithful to Your precepts and bring us to Your home, to look upon Your Face.   May the prayers of Your saints assist us on our journey.   In your untiring life of trust in God, Sts Cornelius and Cyprian, you sought to make Him the goal of all and the love of all, please pray that we may imitate your zeal and love.   We ask all this through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.sts-cornelius-and-cyprian-pray-for-us-16-sept-2017