Quote/s of the Day – 16 December – St Eusebius of Vercelli (c283-371) Bishop, Confessor – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 – Matthew 16:24-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
“For he who will save his life, will lose it and he who will lose his life for My sake, will find it. ”
Matthew 16:25
“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also by Christ, doth our comfort abound.”
St Paul – 2 Corinthians 1:5
“The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great Light!”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“My soul, live henceforward amid the scourges and the thorns of thy Saviour and there, as a nightingale in its bush, sing sweetly: Live Jesus, Who didst die that my soul might live! Ah, Eternal Father! What can the world return Thee for the gift Thou hast made it of Thy only Son? Alas! to redeem a thing so vile as I, the Saviour delivered Himself to death and, unhappy me! I hesitate to surrender my nothingness to Him, Who has given me everything!”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 October – The Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me and where I Am, there will My servant be too.”
John 12:26
“… It was their vocation to call sinners to repentance, to heal those who were sick, whether in body or spirit, to seek in all their dealing, never to do their own will but the Will of Him who sent them and, as far as possible, to save the world by their teaching.”
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen
Prayer of St Patrick
I bind unto myself today the power in the love of the Seraphim, in the obedience of the Angels, in the ministration of the Archangels, in the hope of Resurrection unto reward, in the prayers of the Patriarchs, in the predictions of the Prophets, in the preaching of the Apostles, in the faith of the Confessors, in the purity of the holy Virgins, in the deeds of Righteous men. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – Saints Cosmas and Damian (Died c 286 ) Martyrs – Wisdom 5:16-20 – Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Be glad in that day and rejoice, for behold, your reward is great in Heaven,”
Luke 6:23
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.”
Matthew 5:12
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! ”
St John of the Cross (1442-1591) Doctor of the Church
“It is true that we require great confidence to abandon ourselves, without any reserve, to Divine Providence but, when we do abandon all, Our Lord takes care of all and disposes of all. But, if we reserve anything which we are unwilling to confide to Him, He leaves us, as if He would say: “You think yourselves sufficiently wise to manage that affair without Me – you can do so and see what will come of it!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“The patience of the Saints was more severely tried than is ours. Not only were they stoned, racked, torn asunder, not only did they suffer want, distress, afflictions (Hebrews 11 : 37) but, they had to endure what was still more difficult – ingratitude, failure, unkindness, false accusations, desolation, darkness. Yet they willingly endured all for Jesus’ sake, never ceasing to love Him through it all. I have my trials, yet none so dreadful as theirs, yet I complain even under my lighter cross!”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Pentecost XIII – Galatians 3:16-22; – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/– –
“Were not ten made clean? And where are the other nine?”
Luke 17:17
“While He is judged, Wisdom remains silent and the Word says nothing. His enemies despise and Crucify Him … Those, to whom yesterday, He gave His Body as food, watch from a distance as He dies. Peter, the first of the Apostles, is the first to flee. Andrew also took flight and John, who rested at His side, did not prevent the soldier from piercing that side with a lance. The Twelve fled – they did not say one word in His favour, they, for whom He is giving His Life. Lazarus is not there, he, whom He called back to life. The blind man did not weep for Him Who opened his eyes to the light and the crippled man, who could walk thanks to Him, did not run to Him. Only a bandit who was crucified next to Him confessed Him and called Him his King! O thief, precocious blossom from the tree of the Cross, first fruit of the wood from Golgotha!”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
“ For man’s lowliness, is his gratitude and, God’s greatness, is His Mercy.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“What we need most, in order to make progress, is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language He best hears is silent love.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Mystical Doctor of the Church
“Do much for God and do nothing without love: refer everything to this love; eat and drink with it in mind!”
(Letter to Madame de Chantal)
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayers to the Sacred Heart 1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by our ingratitude and pierced by our sins, yet loving us still, accept the Consecration we make to Thee, of all that we are and all that we have. Take every faculty of our souls and bodies, only day by day draw us, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as we shall hear the lesson, teach us Thy Holy Way. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 17 July – The Feast of The Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“To arrive at the knowledge of the Truth, there are many paths – the first is humility, the second is humility and the third is humility!”
“Humility is a very strange entity. The moment we think we have it, we have already lost it!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace)
“True humility consists in persuading and convincing oneself that without God, we are insignificant and despicable and, in acceptance, to be treated as such!”
St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“In order to overcome the power of the devil, the soul needs prayer and will not be able to understand his deceptions, without mortification and humility.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
The most holy Virgin, Our Lady, gave us an outstanding example of this when she spoke these words: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). When she said she was the handmaid of the Lord, she was performing the greatest act of humility it is possible to do and, all the more so, in that she was contradicting the praise given her by the angel – that she would be mother of God, that the child to be born from her womb would be called Son of the Most High, a greater dignity than any we might imagine – I say, she opposed her lowliness and unworthiness to all these praises and greatness, by saying that she was the handmaid of the Lord.”
Make Me Like Thineself, Mary My Mother By St Louis-Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
My powerful Queen, thou art all mine, through thy mercy and I am all thine. Take away from me, all which may displease God and cultivate in me, all which is pleasing to Him. May the light of thy faith, dispel the darkness of my mind, thy deep humility, take the place of my pride, thy continual sight of God, fill my memory, with His Presence. May the love of thine heart inflame the lukewarmness, of mine. May thy virtues, take the place of my sins. May thy merits, be my enrichment and reconcile all which is wanting in me, before God. My beloved Mother, grant that I may have, no other spirit but thine, to know Jesus Christ and His Divine Will and to praise and glorify the Lord, that I may love God, with burning love like thine. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 25 June – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6 – Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.”
Matthew 19:29
“Let us then, my brethren, endure in hope. Let us devote ourselves, side-by-side with our hoping, so that the God of all the Universe, as He beholds our intention, may cleanse us from all sins, fill us with high hopes from what we have in hand and grant us the change of heart which saves. God has called you and you have your calling!”
St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! ”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – The Third Sunday in Lent – Ephesians 5:1-9; Luke 11:14-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ –
“Be imitators of God, as very dear children and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and delivered Himself up for us …”
St Paul … Ephesians 5:1-2
“If we kept before ourselves, the Mercy of God, we would never be deficient in doing good, while strength was in us. For, when we give to the poor, out of the love of God, that which what He Himself has given us, His Promise is that, we shall receive a hundredfold in eternal happiness. That indeed, is a fortunate and happy way of gaining a profit! Who will not give, whatever he has, to this best of Merchants! He administers our business Himself and begs us, with outstretched arms, to turn to Him and weep for our sins and become servants in love, first for ourselves and then for our neighbour.”
St John of God (1495-1550)
“Where there is no love, it is for you to bring love.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“ I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves, does not notice her trials; or perhaps, more accurately, she is able to love them. I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There, I shall find my Mother, in all the splendour of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus Himself, in perfect safety.”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent, A Day of Fasting
“Fasting is the death of sin, the destruction of our crimes and the remedy of our salvation.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Make for it two wings – fasting and almsgiving!”
“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
“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)
“It is a matter of real sorrow when God has given us strength to break stronger fetters, those of vanity and sin that we neglect our own progress and the attainment of such great blessings because we will not detach ourselves from trifles. Not only do we not advance, we fall back. For it is well known, that on the spiritual road, not to go on overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose!”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Quinquagesima Week
Lord God, Lift Me Up! By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy Will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?! Amen
Quote of the Day – 14 February – St Valentine (176-273) Bishop and Martyr
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
John 15:12
“But I say to you, Love your enemies …”
Matthew 5:44
“He gives according to the love He bears us …, according to the courage He sees in each and the love each has for His Majesty. He will see, that whoever loves Him much, will be able to suffer much for Him; whoever loves Him little, will be capable of little. I myself hold, that the measure for being able to bear, a large or small cross, is love …”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
“Take God for your Spouse and Friend and walk with Him continually and you will not sin and will learn to love and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! Thus it is, as St Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death to all things and to myself, for Christ, is my spiritual gain. Consequently, the soul declares: “I was found.” The soul who does not know how to lose himself, does not find himself but rather, loses himself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he who will lose his life for My Sake, will find it.” (Mt 16:25).”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“LOVE is the only way to HEAVEN.”
St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648)
“The measure of love, is to love without measure.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
I will this day, try to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly, every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity and the habit of holy silence, exercising economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity in every trust and a child-like trust in God.
Bishop John H Vincent 1900
“What we need most, in order to make progress, is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language He best hears is silent love.”
“Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world, disturb it.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Mystical Doctor of the Church
“Anyone who takes life seriously in the Christian sense, will regard it as a difficult journey towards perfection and towards God. This journey will be, at the same time, painful and joyful. … It is our own loss if we sit down lazily on the side of the road, which should lead us to Heaven. It is even more disastrous, if we acknowledge defeat and lay down the spiritual weapons of prayer and renunciation, in order to surrender ourselves to sin or to indifference. Everyday we should say to ourselves, in the presence of God – A new life is beginning … in You, by Your grac and for You! Amen”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 November – St John of the Cross OCD (1542-1591) Confessor, Doctor of the Church
“Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ Crucified and be silent!”
“Where there is no love, it is for you to bring love.”
“Always seek, for preference, not the easierst but, the most difficult, not the most charming but, the most boring, not that which pleases but, that which repels, not that which consoles but rather, that which afflicts, not that which saves us trouble but, that which gives us trouble, not the most but, the least, not the highest and most precious but, the lowest and most despised, not the desire of something but, the non-desire, do not seek that which is better in things but,that which is the worst and, for Jesus Christ Sake, put youtself in denudation, in emptiness and renunciation, of all which exists in this world.”
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! Thus it is, as St Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death to all things and to myself, for Christ, is my spiritual gain. Consequently, the soul declares: “I was found.” The soul who does not know how to lose himself, does not find himself but rather, loses himself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he who will lose his life for My Sake, will find it.” (Mt 16:25).”
“Take God for your Spouse and Friend and walk with Him continually and you will not sin and will learn to love and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”
Lord God, Lift Me Up! By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy Will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?!
St Chrysogonus (Died 304) Priest Martyr. The Roman Martyrology reads: “The birthday of St Chrysogonus, Priest Martyr. After a long imprisonment in chains for the constant confession of Christ, he was, by order of Diocletian, taken to Aquileia, where he terminated his Martyrdom by being beheaded and thrown into the sea.” His Life and Death: https://anastpaul.com/2023/11/24/saint-of-the-day-24-november-saint-chrysogonus-died-304-priest-martyr/
Bl Conrad of Frisach St Crescentian of Rome St Eanfleda of Whitby St Felicissimus of Perugia St Firmina of Amelia St Flora of Cordoba St Hitto of Saint-Gall St Kenan of Damleag St Leopardinus of Vivaris St Marinus of Maurienne St Mary of Cordoba St Portianus St Protasius (Died c352) Bishop St Romanus (Died 385) Priest
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8
“Let listening to worldly news be BITTER FOOD for you and let the words of Saintly men be as combs filled with honey.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“To Saints, their very slumber, is a prayer!”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“Our greatest fault is, that we wish to serve God in our way, not in His way — according to our will, not according to His will…. To be truly a Saint, it is necessary to be one according to the will of God.”
“The Holy Eucharist is the perfect Communion of Saints, for it is the food common to Angels and sainted souls in Paradise and ourselves – it is the true Bread of which all Christians participate. The forgiveness of sins, the Author of forgiveness being there, is confirmed; the seed of our resurrection sown, life everlasting bestowed. … This very belief in the Most Holy Sacrament, which, in truth, reality and substance, contains the true and natural Body of Our Lord, is actually the abridgment of our Faith, according to that of the Psalmist: “He had made a memory of His wonderful works.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Commutation of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi – Galatians 6:14-18; Matthew 16:24-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For he who will save his life, will lose it and he who will lose his life, for My Sake, will find it. ” – Matthew 16:25
REFLECTION – “I lost myself and was found”
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! Thus it is, as St Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death to all things and to myself, for Christ, is my spiritual gain. Consequently, the soul declares: “I was found.” The soul who does not know how to lose himself, does not find himself but rather, loses himself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he who will lose his life for My Sake, will find it. ” (Mt 16:25).
Should we desire to interpret this verse more spiritually and in accord with what we are discussing here, it ought to be known that when a soul treading the spiritual road, has reached such a point that he has lost all roads and natural methods, in his communion with God and no longer seeks Him by reflections or forms or feelings or by any other way of creatures and the senses but, has advanced beyond them all and beyond all modes and manners and enjoys communion with God in faith and love, then it is said that God is his gain because he has certainly lost all that is not God and has truly lost himself.” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual Canticle 29:11).
PRAYER – O Lord, Jesus Christ, Who, to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, when the world was becoming cold in spirit, renewed in the flesh of most blessed Francis, the sacred marks of Thine own Passion, graciously grant that by his merits and prayers, we may steadfastly carry our cross and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. 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).
Quote/s of the Day – 11 September – St Protus and St Hyacinth (Died c257) Brother Martyrs – Wisdom 3:1-8, Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And you shall be hated by all men, for My Name’s sake.”
Luke 21:17
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me and where I Am, there will My servant be too.”
John 12:26
“Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal Prophet said to Him, ‘Thou, O Lord, art my portion.’ Let others choose to themselves, portions among creatures, for my part, Thou art my portion, Thou alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance.”
St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c605) “The Apostle to the English”
“O strong love of God! I really think, nothing seems impossible, to one who loves. O happy soul which has obtained this peace, from its God! ”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Carmelite Reformer
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
“Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.”
Quote/s of the Day – 25 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St William (1085-1142) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6; Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.”
Matthew 19:29
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! ”
“Seek for nothing, desiring to enter for love of Jesus, with detachment, emptiness and poverty in everything in this world. You will never have to do with necessities greater than those to which you made your heart yield itself – for the poor in spirit are most happy and joyful in a state of privation and he, who has set his heart on nothing, finds satisfaction everywhere.
The poor in spirit (Mt 5:3) give generously all they have and their pleasure consists in being thus deprived of everything for God’s sake and out of love for their neighbour …”
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“It is true that we require great confidence to abandon ourselves, without any reserve, to Divine Providence but, when we do abandon all, Our Lord takes care of all and disposes of all. But, if we reserve anything which we are unwilling to confide to Him, He leaves us, as if He would say: “You think yourselves sufficiently wise to manage that affair without Me – you can do so and see what will come of it!”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18, 11:1-2; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But the wise took oil in their vessels” Matthew 25:4
“It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing that this oil signifies. … “If I speak with the tongue of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This is charity. It is “that way above the rest,” which is, with good reason, signified by the oil. For oil swims above all liquids. If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost, if you change the order, it will be uppermost. “Charity never fails!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Give me grace, to amend my life and to have an eye to mine end, without grudge of death, which, to them, who die in You, good Lord, is the gate of a wealthy life.”
St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
“To love our neighbour, in charity, is to love God, in man.”
(Treatise on the Love of God Book 10 Chapter 11)
“We should always love our neighbour, as in the breast of Christ”
(The Spirit of St François de Sales II, 1)
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 29 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God” –
Most Holy Mary By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Most holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, Shrine of the most Holy Trinity, joy of the Angels, sure Refuge of sinners, take pity on our sorrows, mercifully accept our sighs and appease the wrath of your most holy Son. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“My Lord and my God.”
John 20:28
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I Am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”
Matthew 11:29-30
“If we wish to make any progress in the service of God, we must begin everyday of our life, with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves, in the presence of God, as much as possible and have no other view or end, in all our actions but the Divine honour.”
St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
“Take God for your Spouse and Friend and walk with Him continually and you will not sin and will learn to love and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“You will begin to taste, even in this life, a foretaste of eternal life, for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven, is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father. Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness. But it will never taste it in Heaven, if it is not clothed with it on earth, where we are pilgrims and travellers. When it is clothed with it, it tastes God by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish; its mind will be opened and contemplate the ineffable love that God has made known in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds, in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love and love for created things, to love only God. So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy, so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 21 March – Thursday of Passion Week – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He asked life of Thee, Thou hast given him length of days, forever and ever.” Psalm 20:5
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” Matthew 19:29
Seek for Nothing!
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“Seek for nothing, desiring to enter for love of Jesus, with detachment, emptiness and poverty in everything in this world. You will never have to do with necessities greater than those to which you made your heart yield itself – for the poor in spirit are most happy and joyful in a state of privation and he, who has set his heart on nothing, finds satisfaction everywhere.
The poor in spirit (Mt 5:3) give generously all they have and their pleasure consists in being thus deprived of everything for God’s sake and out of love for their neighbour … Not only do temporal goods – the delights and tastes of the senses – hinder and thwart the way of God but, spiritual delights and consolations also, if sought for or clung to eagerly, disturb the way of virtue.” – (Spiritual maxims, nos. 352, 355,356, 364; 1693 Edition).
Quote/s of the Day – 16 March –Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Isaias 49:8-15; John 8:12-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I Am the Light of the world. He who follows Me does not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of Life. ”
John 8:12
“Then go and learn, neither to be moved with injuries nor flatteries. If you die to the world and to yourself, you will begin to live to Christ.”
St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390)
“We must follow Christ, cleaving to Him, nor should we forsake Him until we die. As Elisha said to his master: “ As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you ” (2 Kgs 2:2) … So, let us follow Christ and stay close to Him! “To be near God is my good” says the Psalmist (72:28). “ My soul clings fast to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me ” (Ps 62:9). And Saint Paul adds : “ Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes One Spirit with Him ” (1 Cor 6:17). Not just One Body but One Spirit. His whole body, lives from the Spirit of Christ, through the Body of Christ, we attain to the Spirit of Christ.”
Guigo II “The Angelic” O.Cart. (Died c1188) The 9th Prior of Grande Chartreuse, from 1174 to 1180 (Meditation 10).
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! ”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“Let us not strive for the rewards of Heaven, valuable though they may be but live, so as to please the God of Heaven. If God were not in Heaven, all its beauty, riches and sweetness, would be dull rather than delightful. By faith, we know, God already dwells within us. But in Heaven, we will see God face-to-face. May we so live that one day, we will be in Heaven praising and praying eternally, before our Lord and Saviour!”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
“Arise, be enlightened, … for thy Light is come!”
Isaias 60:1
“Let us listen to the holy Voice of God which summons us from on high, from the holy mountain top. There, we must hasten – I make bold to say – like Jesus, Who is our leader and has gone before us into Heaven. There, with Him, may the eyes of our mind shine with His light and the features of our soul be made new; may we be transfigured with Him and moulded to His image, ever becoming divine, being transformed in an ever greater degree of glory.”
St Anastasius Sinaita (Died 6th Century) Priest and Abbot
Eternal Light, Shine into our Hearts By St Alcuin of York (735-804)
Eternal Light, shine into our hearts, Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, Eternal Power, be our support, Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, Eternal Pity, have mercy on us that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, we may seek Thy Face and be brought, by Thine Infinite Mercy to Thy Holy Presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord Amen
“The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light!”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent
“… Every man is both debtor and creditor… A beggar asks you for alms but you, too, are God’s beggar, for when we pray we are all beggars of God. We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves – at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5); we beseech Him with groans, anxious to receive a grace from Him and this grace is God Himself! What does the beggar ask of you? Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God but Christ, Who said: “I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven” (Jn 6:51).”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
Lord God, Lift Me Up By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?! Amen
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Mystical Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 9 March – “The Month of St Joseph” – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent
Most Holy Mary By St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Most holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, Shrine of the most Holy Trinity, joy of the Angels, sure Refuge of sinners, take pity on our sorrows, mercifully accept our sighs and appease the wrath of your most holy Son. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Wisdom for Lent and for Life
“Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:4
“Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world, disturb it.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“If, when stung by slander or ill-nature, we wax proud and swell with anger, it is a proof that our gentleness and humility are unreal and mere artificial show!”
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear – rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, Whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to His dear Hand and He will lead you safely through all things and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or He will give you strength to bear it.”
“The truly patient man neither complains of his hard lot, nor desires to be pitied by others. He speaks of his sufferings in a natural, true and sincere way, without murmuring, complaining, or exaggerating them.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“If we live good lives, hoping for a Heavenly reward and guided by the action of the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, we shall possess this spiritual joy. Once we possess it, it will be erased, neither by temptation, nor by suffering, nor by persecution, as long, as our faith, remains firm and steadfast. The sincere Christian accepts pleasure and pain with equal readiness because he places everything in God’s hands. … We must try, at least, to achieve that spirit of complete resignation to God’s will which is always rewarded by peace of soul!”
“… 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).
One Minute Reflection – 14 February – Ash Wednesday – St Valentine (176-273) Bishop and Martyr – Joel 2:12-19; Matthew 6:16-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not be seen fasting by men but by your Father, Who is in secret and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:17-18
REFLECTION – “What else do you search for outside, O soul!, when within yourself, you possess your riches, delights, satisfactions, fullness and Kingdom – your Beloved, Whom you desire and seek?… There is but one difficulty, even though He does abide within you, He is hidden …
Yet you inquire – since He, Whom my soul loves is within me, why do I not find Him or experience Him? The reason is that He remains concealed and you do not also conceal yourself, in order to find and experience Him. If you wish to find a hidden treasure, you must enter the hiding place secretly and once you have discovered it, you will also be hidden, just as the treasure is hidden. Since then, your beloved Bridegroom is the treasure, hidden in a field, for which the wise merchant sold all his possessions [Mt. 13:44] and that field is your soul, in order to find Him, you should forget all your possessions and all creatures and hide in the secret inner room of your spirit.
There, closing the door behind you (your will to all things), you should “pray to your Father in secret.” Remaining hidden with Him, you will experience Him in hiding, that is, in a way transcending all language and feeling!” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual Canticle B1, 8-9).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who celebrate the anniversary of the death of Thy holy Martyr, Valentine, may, by his intercession, be delivered from all evils which threaten us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thine Son who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God forever, amen (Collect). O glorious advocate and protector, St Valentine, look with pity upon our wants, hear our requests, attend to our prayers, relieve by your intercession, the miseries under which we labour and obtain for us the divine blessing, that we may be found worthy to join you in praising the Almighty for all eternity: through the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 12 February – The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (1233) – Ecclus 44:1-15; Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.”
Matthew 19:29
“We must follow Christ, cleaving to Him, nor should we forsake Him until we die. As Elisha said to his master: “ As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you ” (2 Kgs 2:2) … So, let us follow Christ and stay close to Him! “To be near God is my good” says the Psalmist (72:28). “ My soul clings fast to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me ” (Ps 62:9). And Saint Paul adds : “ Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes One Spirit with Him ” (1 Cor 6:17). Not just One Body but One Spirit. His whole body, lives from the Spirit of Christ, through the Body of Christ, we attain to the Spirit of Christ.”
Guigo II “The Angelic” O.Cart. (Died c1188)
The 9th Prior of Grande Chartreuse, from 1174 to 1180 (Meditation 10).
“Be strengthened in Almighty God and in the power of His might, for with His help, nothing is difficult. Throw off the heavy load of your own will, cast aside the burden of sin and gird yourselves as valiant warriors! Forget what you are leaving behind; strain forward to the great things before you. I tell you that every place where you set foot, shall be yours. For the Spirit, Who goes before your face is Christ the Lord. He will carry you to the topmost peak in the arms of His Love.”
St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)
“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! ”
“Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of travel.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 22 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – St Vincent of Saragossa (Died 304) Protomartyr of Spain and St Anastasius the Persian (Died 628) Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And you shall be hated by all men, for My Name’s sake.”
Luke 21:17
“The fruits of the earth are not brought to perfection immediately but by time, rain and care. Similarly, the fruits of men ripen through ascetic practice, study, time, perseverance, self-control and patience.”
St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
“Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post, to which God has called you!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
“Now, you must always persevere in firmly placing all your trust in our Lord, in the troublesome business you have in hand. It will give you a fine opportunity of laying a good foundation of submission to God’s will and peace of soul.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
Excerpt from the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Jesus By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
I pray Thee, O most gentle Jesus, that having redeemed me by Baptism from original sin, so now, by Thy Precious Blood, which is offered and received, throughout the world, deliver me from all evils, past, present and to come. And by Thy most bitter Death, give me a lively faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may love Thee with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength. Make me firm and steadfast in good works and grant me perseverance in Thy service, so that I may be able to please Thee always. Amen.
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