Tag: st peter chrysologus

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PEACE, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME, The INCARNATION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 29 October – Christ the King

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 October – Christ the King – Colossians 1:12-20. John 18:33-37

“Wake up then, believer
and note what is stated here:
“In my Name.”
That [Name] is Christ Jesus.
Christ signifies King, Jesus signifies Saviour.
Therefore, whatever we ask for
that would hinder our salvation,
we do not ask in our Saviour’s Name
and yet, He is our Saviour,
not only when He does what we ask
but also, when He does not.
When He sees us ask anything
to the disadvantage of our salvation,
He shows Himself our Saviour by not doing it.
The physician knows
whether what the sick person asks for,
is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health.
And [the physician] does not allow
what would be harmful to him,
although the sick person himself, desires it.
But the physician looks to his final cure.”

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

“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the Gospel,
is like a mustard seed …
Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Sown like a mustard seed
in the garden of the Virgin’s womb,
He grew up into the Tree of the Cross,
whose branches,
stretch across the world …
Christ is the Kingdom
because all the glory of His Kingdom,
is within Him.
Christ is a Man
because all humanity is restored in Him.
Christ is a Mustard Seed
because the infinitude of Divine greatness,
is accommodated to
the littleness of flesh and blood!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

Jesus is Our King
By Estelle White (1925-2011)
Convert, Musician, Hymnist.

Crown Him, the Virgin’s Son,
The God Incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him Who died for thee;
And hail Him as thy glorious King
Through all Eternity.

Crown Him, the Lord of Love;
Behold His bands and side,–
Rich wounds, still visible above
In beauty glorified:
No Angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His burning eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him, the Lord of Peace,
Whose power a sceptre sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
Absorbed in prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end,
And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of Paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – Beggars of God

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – The 21st Sunday after Pentecost – Ephesians 6:10-17, Matthew 18:23-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“‘Thou wicked servant!
I forgave thee all thy debt
because thou entreated Me.
Should not thou then
have had compassion also
on thy fellow-servant,
even as I had compassion on thee?’ ”

Matthew 18:32-33

“… 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

“If you wish God to know that you are hungry,
know that another is hungry.
If you hope for mercy, show mercy.
If you look for kindness, show kindness.
If you wish to receive, … give.
If you ask for yourself,
that which you deny to others,
your asking is a mockery!”

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“You must be reconciled to your enemies,
speak to them, as if they had never done you
anything but good, all your life,
keeping nothing in your heart but the charity,
which the good Christian should have, for everyone,
so that we may all appear with confidence,
before the tribunal of God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PHYSICAL SICKNESS, ILLNESS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 10 September – I say to thee, arise!

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 September – The 15th Sunday after Pentecost – Galatians 5:25-26; 6:1-10, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here:

“Young man, I say to thee, arise!”
Luke 7:14

“The young man’s mother, this widow,
was transported with joy at seeing her son rise.
Our Mother, the Church, also rejoices
when she sees her children’s
spiritual resurrection everyday.
The widow’s son was dead with the death of the body
but these latter, are dead with the death of the soul.
People wept tears over the visible death
of the former but people were not concerned
by the invisible death of the latter –
they did not even see it.
The only One Who did not remain indifferent,
is the One Who knew these deaths –
only the One, Who could give life back to them,
knew these deaths.
For if the Lord had not come to raise the dead,
the Apostle Paul would not have said:
“Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead
and Christ will give you Light.” (Eph 5:14).”

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

“O my brethren, if only we wanted to,
if only we all wanted to perceive
our soul’s paralysis in all its depth!
Then we would see
that it is lying on a stretcher of sins,
deprived of strength.
Christ’s action within us,
would be a source of light
and we would understand
that each day He sees our lack of faith,
harmful as it is, that He draws us
towards healing remedies
and sharply presses our rebellious wills.
“My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“If thou art bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou art trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus!”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

“A person who is conscious of his misery,
can certainly have great confidence in God.
In fact, he cannot have true confidence in Him,
without this consciousness of his misery.
This knowledge and acknowledgement
of our misery, leads us to the presence of God.”

St Francis de Sales 91567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, INDULGENCES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 June – ‘ … Each day He sees our lack of faith … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 2 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Feast of the Martyrs Saints Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist (Martyred in 304) – Joel 2:23-24; 26-27, Luke 5:17-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?” – Luke 5:22

REFLECTION – “Thanks to the faith of others the cripple’s soul would be cured before his body. “Seeing their faith,” the Gospel says. Note here, my brethren, that God is not interested in what foolish people want and does not expect to find faith among the ignorant … among those who conduct themselves badly. On the other hand, He does not refuse to come to the help of others’ faith. Such faith is a gift of grace, at one with God’s will … In His Divine Goodness, Christ the Physician, strives to draw to salvation, even in spite of themselves, those affected by sickness of soul, those whom the burden of their sins and offences overwhelms, even to delirium. Yet, they do not want to submit.

O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 50 ; PL 52, 339).

PRAYER – O God, Who made thy blessed Martyrs, Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist, glorious by their remarkable confession of Thy glory; grant, by their intercession and example, that Thy charity may continually increase in our hearts. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, I trust in Thee.
300 Days Indulgence Once a Day – Plenary, Once a month. Raccolta 175 – St Pius X, 19 August 1905 and 27 June 1906.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – My Lord and my God!

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One Minute Reflection – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thomas answered and said to Him: My Lord and my God.” – John 20:28

REFLECTION – “ Why did Thomas seek proof for his faith in this way? … Your love, my brethren, would have preferred it, if lack of faith had left no-one in doubt after the Resurrection. But Thomas bore the uncertainty, not only of his own heart but of all people. And since he was to preach the Resurrection to the gentiles, he sought out, like a good workman, what he would base a Mystery on which demands so much faith. And the Lord showed all the Apostles what Thomas had sought so late. “Jesus came … and showed them His Hands and His Side” (Jn 20:19-20). Indeed, the Person Who entered when the doors were shut, might have been taken for a spirit, by the disciples, if he had not been able to show them that it was none other than He, the Wounds being the mark of His Passion.

Then He came to Thomas and said to him: ”Put your hand in My Side and do not be unbelieving but believe. May the Wounds you are opening make faith flow into the whole world once more, those Wounds which have already poured out the water of Baptism and the Blood of Redemption.” (Jn 19:34). Thomas replied: “My Lord and my God!” Let unbelievers come and hear and, as our Lord said, let them no longer be doubters but believers. Thomas makes known and declares that this is not just a human Body but that, by the Passion of His Body of Flesh, Christ is God and Lord. He Who comes out alive from death and Who rises out of His woundedness is God indeed!” – St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 84).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that we, who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behaviour. 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 APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 April – ‘ …How odd, my brethren! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Wednesday – Acts 3:13-15; 3:17-19, John 21:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea.. …” – John 21:7

REFLECTION – “The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: ‘It is the Lord!’” The one who loved was the first to see! love casts a keener sight over everything; whosoever loves, always feels with greater vivacity. … What difficulty made Peter’s spirit so slow and prevented him from recognising Jesus first, as he had already done? Where is that unique witness which caused him to exclaim: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God?” (Mt 16:16) Where is it? Peter had entered the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where he had heard the whispering of a servant without difficulty, yet, he delayed to acknowledge his Lord!?

“When he heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic, for he had nothing on.” How odd, my brethren! … Peter gets into the boat without anything on and jumps into the sea fully clothed!? … Those who are guilty always cover themselves, so as to disguise themselves. Like Adam, then, Peter wants to hide his nakedness after his sin; the two of them, before fishing, were only clothed with a holy nakedness. “He put on his tunic and jumped into the sea.” He was hoping that the sea would wash the dirty garment that was his betrayal. He jumped into the sea because he, who had been entrusted with the greatest responsibilities (Mt 16:18) wanted to be the first to return. He girded himself with his tunic because he was to be girded for the combat of martyrdom, according to the Lord’s words: “Another will gird you and take you where you do not want to go” (Jn 21:18). …

The others came with the boat, dragging their net full of fish. With a great deal of difficulty, they brought the Church back with them, tossed about in the winds of the world. This is what those men bore in the net of the Gospel to the Light of Heaven and which they pulled out of the deep, so as to lead it to the Lord.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 78).

PRAYER – O God, Who dost every year fill us with holy gladness through the rising of the Lord, mercifully grant that these Feast-days which we are now keeping here in time, may be to us, a means whereby, in the end, we may worthily attain unto those pleasures which are at Thy Right Hand, for evermore.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 CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 30 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Thursday in Passion Week – Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn to her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, weakened by excessive self-indulgence, may be restored by the earnest practice of healing self-denial. 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 CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Jesus, Our Physician

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.or

“Young man, I say to thee, arise!”

Luke 7:14

“Thy sins are forgiven thee …
Arise and walk.”

Luke 5:23

“My grace is sufficient for thee,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:7

“O my brethren, if only we wanted to,
if only we all wanted to perceive
our soul’s paralysis in all its depth!
Then we would see
that it is lying on a stretcher of sins,
deprived of strength.
Christ’s action within us,
would be a source of light
and we would understand
that each day He sees our lack of faith,
harmful as it is, that He draws us
towards healing remedies
and sharply presses our rebellious wills.
“My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“If thou art bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou art trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus!”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

“The medicine of God,
is Jesus Christ,
Crucified and Risen,
the measure of all things.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
Confessor, Priest, Founder

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, LENT 2023, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 22 February – Ash Wednesday

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 February – Ash Wednesday – Joel 2:12-19, Matthew 6:16-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Behold, now is the acceptable time.
behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6).
And so, you must be more earnest
in prayer and in alms-giving,
in fasting and in watching.
He that until now has given alms,
in these days let him give more –
for as water quencheth a flaming fire,
so does almsgiving wipe out sin (Eccles 3:3).
He that, until now, fasted and prayed,
let him fast and pray still more –
for there are certain sins which are not cast out,
except by prayer and fasting (Mc 27:20).”

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

“He need not fear anything,
nor be ashamed of anything,
who bears the Sign of the Cross
on his brow.”

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

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them,
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together,
you have nothing!
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others,
you open God’s ear to yourself.”

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Fasting, when rightly practised,
lifts the mind to God
and mortifies the flesh.
It makes virtue easy to attain
and increases our merits.”

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

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING

One Minute Reflection – 22 February – ‘ … What the sun is to the day, almsgiving is to our fast …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 February – Ash Wednesday – Joel 2:12-19, Matthew 6:16-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But you, when you fast…” – Matthew 6:17..

REFLECTION – “My dear brethren, today we set out on the great Lenten journey. So let us take our food and drink along in our boat, putting into the chest, the abundant mercy we shall need. For our fasting is a hungry one, our fasting is a thirsty one, if it is not sustained by goodness and refreshed by mercy. Our fasting will be cold, our fasting will flag, if the fleece of almsgiving does not clothe it, if the garment of compassion, does not wrap it around.

Brethren, what Spring is for the land, mercy is for fasting – the soft, Spring winds, cause all the buds on the plains to flower – the mercy of our fast causes all our seeds to grow until they blossom and bear fruit, for the heavenly harvest. What oil is to the lamp, goodness is to our fast. As the oily fat sets the lamp alight and, in spite of so little to feed it, keeps it burning, to our comfort, all night long, so goodness makes our fasting shine: it casts its beams until it reaches the full brightness of self-restraint. What the sun is to the day, almsgiving is to our fast – the sun’s splendour increases the light of day, breaking through the dullness of the clouds – almsgiving, together with fasting, sanctifies its holiness and, thanks to the light of goodness, dispels from our desires anything that could petrify.

In short, what the body is for the soul, generosity acts similarly for the fast: when the soul leaves the body it brings about death; if generosity abandons the fast, it is, its death!” – St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Sermons” Father and Doctor of the Church (From Sermon 8).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that Thy faithful people may, with true piety, undertake the time-honoured custom of fasting and may carry it out with unwavering devotion. 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 FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 December – ‘ … He wanted them to possess Heaven, rather than earth. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 28 December – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception” – The Holy Innocents, Martyrs – Apocalypse 14:1-5, Matthew 2:13-18 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry and sending, killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the borders …” – Matthew 2:16

REFLECTION – “Where does this jealousy lead?… The crime committed today shows us. Fear of a rival to his earthly kingdom fills Herod with anxiety, he plots to suppress “the newborn King” (Mt 2:2), the Eternal King; he fights against his Creator and puts innocent children to death… As for those children, what fault had they committed? Their tongues were dumb, their eyes had seen nothing, their ears heard nothing, their hands done nothing. They accepted death who had not known life. … Christ reads the future and knows the secrets of the heart, He weighs our thoughts and probes our intentions (cf. Ps 138[139]): why did He forsake them? … Why did the newborn heavenly King abandon these companions in innocence, forget the sentinels watching around His crib, to such an extent that the foe, who wanted to get at the King, ravaged His whole army?

My brethren, Christ did not forsake His soldiers but covered them with honour, by allowing them to conquer, before they had lived and to carry away the prize, without a fight. … He wanted them to possess Heaven, rather than earth. … He sent them before Him as His heralds. He did not abandon them but saved those who went on ahead. He did not forget them. …

Blessed are they who have exchanged their travail for repose, their pains for ease, their suffering for joy. They are alive! Yes, they are alive, they live indeed who have undergone death for Christ’s sake. … Happy the tears their mothers shed for these infants, they have won them the grace of Baptism. … May He who deigned to rest in a stable, be pleased to lead us too, to the heavenly pastures.” – St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 152 PL 52, 604).

PRAYER – O God, Whose praise the Innocents, Thy Martyrs, this day proclaimed, not by speaking but by dying, put to death in us all the wickedness of sin, so that the faith which our tongue professes, may be proclaimed also by our life. 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 CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

“John came to you in the way of righteousness
and you did not believe him.”

Matthew 21:32

“Let your behaviour,
as one who has converted, be manifest.
You who preferred what is human,
to what is divine,
who desired to be the world’s slave, r
ather than to conquer the world
along with the world’s Lord,
Repent. You who fled the freedom
which virtue would have won for you
because you wished to take on the yoke of sin:
Repent. Repent in earnest,
you who, for fear of possessing Life,
have given yourself up to death!”

“O my brethren, if only we wanted to,
if only we all wanted to perceive
our soul’s paralysis in all its depth!
Then we would see
that it is lying on a stretcher of sins,
deprived of strength.
Christ’s action within us,
would be a source of light
and we would understand
that each day He sees our lack of faith,
harmful as it is, that He draws us
towards healing remedies
and sharply presses our rebellious wills.
“My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.”

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Luke 12:34

“O man, send your treasure on,
send it ahead into Heaven,
or else your God-given soul,
will be buried in the earth!
Gold comes from the depth of the earth —
rhe soul, from the highest Heaven.
Clearly, it is better, to carry the gold
to where the soul resides,
than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold.
That is why God orders those
who will serve in His Army here below,
to fight as men stripped of concern for riches
and unencumbered by anything.
To these, He has granted the privilege
of reigning in Heaven!”

“And behold, there arose,
a great storm on the sea,
so that the boat was covered by the waves
but He was asleep.”

Matthew 8:24

“While all the rest were awake,
He alone was fast asleep,
even with utter doom threatening
both Himself and His dear ones.
Why?
It is not a calm sky, beloved but the storm,
which tests a pilot’s skill.
When the breeze is mild,
even the poorest sailor can manage the ship.
But in the crosswinds of a tempest,
we want the best Pilot with all His skil!.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-december-golden-words/

Quote/s of the Day – 30 July – “Golden Words,” St Peter Chrysologus

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FAITH, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 December – ‘… Preparing the way for the Lord …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 December – The Second Sunday of Advent – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church – Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For this is He of Whom it is written: Behold. I send My Angel before My face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” – Matthew 11:10

REFLECTION – “It is obvious to any reader that John did not just preach but that he administered a baptism of repentance. However, he could not give a baptism which remits sins, since the remission of sins is only granted to us, with the baptism of Christ. That is why the Evangelist says, that he was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” (Lk 3:3) being unable himself to give the baptism that forgives sins, he announced that, which was to come. Just as the word of his preaching was the forerunner, of the Word of the Father made flesh, so, his baptism … preceded that of the Saviour, as shadow to the Truth (cf. Col 2:17).

This same John, when questioned as to who he was, replied: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,” (Jn 1:23; Is 40:3) . The Prophet Isaiah called him “voice” because, he came before the Word. As for what he cried out, that which follows teaches us: “Prepare the ways of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Whoever preaches true faith and good works, what else is he doing, than preparing the way for the Lord, Who comes in the hearts of his hearers? Thus, all-powerful grace will be able to penetrate those hearts and the Light of Truth enlighten them …

Saint Luke adds: “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill, shall be made low.” What is meant here by valleys, if not the humble, or by the mountains and hills if not the proud? At the coming of the Redeemer …, according to His own words: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself, will be exalted,” (Lk 14:11) … By their faith in “the mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, Himself, human” (1 Tim 2:5), those who believe in Him, have received the fullness of grace, whereas those who refuse to believe, have been humbled in their pride. Every valley has been filled in, since humble hearts, by receiving the words of holy doctrine, will be filled by the grace of the virtues, as it is written: “He made springs gush forth in the watercourses that wind among the valleys,” (cf. Ps 104:10).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Homilies no. 20).

PRAYER – O God, Who willed to foreshow divinely that blessed Peter Chrysologus would be a great Doctor to rule and teach Thy Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may be worthy to have him as our intercessor in Heaven, who on earth was a teacher of life. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

The Second Sunday of Advent, Notre-Dame-de-la-Chapelle / Our Lady of La Chapelle, France (1400) and Memorials of the Saints – 4 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Second Sunday of Advent +2022

Notre-Dame-de-la-Chapelle d’Abbeville / Our Lady of La Chapelle, at Abbeville, France (1400) – 4 December:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/04/notre-dame-de-la-chapelle-dabbeville-our-lady-of-la-chapelle-at-abbeville-france-1400-and-memorials-of-the-saints-4-december/

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor,, Father & Doctor of the Church – Bishop of Ravenna, Italy. Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus, a fifth-century Italian Bishop known for testifying courageously to Christ’s full humanity and divinity during a period of the heresy called “Monophysite.”
The saint’s title, Chrysologus, signifies “golden speech” in Greek. Named as a Doctor of the Church in 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII., he is distinguished as the “Doctor of Homilies” for the concise but theologically rich reflections he delivered during his time as the Bishop of Ravenna.
176 of his sermons have survived – it is the strength of these beautiful explanations of the Incarnation, the Creed, the place of Mary and John the Baptist in the great plan of salvation, Mary’s perpetual Virginity, the penitential value of Lent, Christ’s Eucharistic presence and the Primacy of St Peter and his successors in the Church.
FEAST DAY: 4 December (General Roman Calendar 1729-1969)
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/30/saint-of-the-day-30-july-st-peter-chrysologus-c-400-450-golden-words/

St Ada of Le Mans
St Adelmann of Beauvais
St Anno II (c 1010-1975) Archbishop of Cologne
St Apro

St Barbara (Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr. Saint Barbara is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
St Barbara’s Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-saint-barbara-3rd-century-martyr/
14 HOLY HELPERS:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/08/saint-s-of-the-day-8-august-the-fourteen-holy-helpers/

St Bernardo degli Uberti
St Bertoara of Bourges
St Christianus
St Clement of Alexandria
St Cyran of Brenne
St Eraclius
St Eulogio Álvarez López
St Ezequiel Álvaro de La Fuente
St Felix of Bologna
Bl Francis Galvez
St Francisco de la Vega González
St Heraclas of Alexandria
St Jacinto García Chicote
Bl Jerome de Angelis
St John the Wonder Worker
St Maruthas
St Melitus of Pontus

St Osmund (Died 1099) Bishop of Salisbury, Confessor, Count of Sées, Lord Chancellor. He was Canonised in 1456 by Pope Callistus III.
The Life of St Osmund:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-saint-osmund-died-1099/

Blessed Pietro Tecelano TOSF (c 1189-1289) Layman, Widower, Tertiary of the Order of Friars Minor, Apostle of the sick and the poor, spiritual and secular adviser, Miracle-worker. Pietro was Beatified on 18 August 1802 by Pope Pius VII.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-blessed-pietro-tecelano-tosf-c-1200-1289/

St Prudens
St Robustiano Mata Ubierna
St Sigiranus
Bl Simon Yempo
St Sola
St Theophanes

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EXTREME UNCTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. 

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” and the Mermorial of St Pope Linus (c 10 – c 76) Successor to St Peter – Osee 14:2-10, Luke 7:36-50

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through the same Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – ‘ … O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34

REFLECTION – “All this is what that treasure brings about. Either through almsgiving, it raises the heart of a man into Heaven, or through greed it buries it in the earth. That is why He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven, or else your God-given soul will be buried in the earth! Gold comes from the depth of the earth — the soul, from the highest Heaven. Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold to where the soul resides, than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold. That is why God orders those who will serve in His Army here below, to fight as men stripped of concern for riches and unencumbered by anything. To these He has granted the privilege of reigning in Heaven.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Homilies” Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 22)

PRAYER – O God, Who through St. Philip, Thy Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Thy household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and, ever seek the things of 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, EXTREME UNCTION, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 August – “He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.” – John 12:25

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One Minute Reflection – 10 August – St Lawrence (Died 258) Martyr “Keeper of the Treasures of he Church” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, John 12:24-26

“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I Am ,there also shall My servant be.” – John 12:25-26

REFLECTION – “… We are being towed along by a world that passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but do not take into account the coming judgement. We will not run to meet the Lord as He comes…

Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back… By the very fact of His delay, of His still waiting, our Lord proves His desire to see us come back to Him, His desire that we should not perish. In His great goodness, He continues addressing these words to us: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather he would change his ways and live ”(Ez 33,11). So let us turn back to Him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time’s Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel, who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23,43)!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Sermons” of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 167).

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, to extinguish the flames of our sins, as Thou granted St Lawrence to overcome the fires of his tortures. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – Pray, pray, pray

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.

St Anne, through her constant prayer,
received, the Mother of God
and then, became the Grandmother of God!

“God accepts our desires as though
they were of great value.
He longs ardently for us
to desire to and love Him.
He accepts our petitions for benefits,
as though we were doing Him a favour.
His joy in giving,
is greater than ours in receiving.
So let us not be apathetic in our asking,
nor set too narrow bounds to our requests;
nor ask for frivolous things
unworthy of God’s greatness.”

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Prayer is the place of refuge
for every worry,
a foundation for cheerfulness,
a source of constant happiness,
a protection against sadness.”

“When you are weary of praying
and do not receive,
consider how often
you have heard a poor man calling
and have not listened to him.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them,
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together,
you have nothing!
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others,
you open God’s ear to yourself.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Realise above all,
that you are in God’s presence
and stand there
with the attitude
of one, who stands
before the Emperor.”

St Romuald (c 951-1027)

“The spirit of prayer
is the spirit of the love of God
and this should inspire
all our vocal prayers.
Flowery petitions are no use
if our minds and hearts
are turned away from God.
God wants our hearts.
Let us pray often
but let our prayers
be sincere acts of the love of God,
coming from the heart.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EXTREME UNCTION, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 22 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – St Mary Magdalen (1st Century) Penitent – Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7, Luke 7:36-50.

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – May the prayers of blessed Mary Magdalen help us, O Lord, Who was moved by her prayers, her love and peniteance, that we too may learn true repentance and sorrow for our sins..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", BAPTISM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – ‘Where is the heart that loves …?’

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – 1 Corinthians 7:25-3, Matthew 13:44-52

“The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure
hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy.
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Luke 12:34

“We have had Your treasure
hidden within us,
ever since we received baptismal grace,
it grows ever richer
at Your sacramental table.”

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

“O man, send your treasure on,
send it ahead into Heaven,
or else your God-given soul
will be buried in the earth!
Gold comes from the depth of the earth —
the soul, from the highest Heaven.
Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold
to where the soul resides,
than to bury the soul,
in the mine of the gold.
That is why God orders those
who will serve in His Army here below,
to fight as men stripped of concern
for riches and unencumbered by anything.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Doctor of Homilies”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 May – ‘ … Offer your whole self, your whole life …’

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One Minute Reflection – 29 May – Sunday within the Octave of Ascension – 1 Peter 4:7-11, John 15:26-27; 16:1-4 and the Memorial of St Maria Magdalena de’ Pazzi O.Carm (1566-1607)

“Yes, the hour is coming, for everyone who kills you, to think he is offering worship to God.” – John 16:2

REFLECTION – “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rm 12,1). With this plea the Apostle Paul raises all men to participation in the priesthood… We do not look outside ourselves for something to offer God but bring with us and within us, something to sacrifice to God for our own advantage… “I urge you by the mercies of God.” Brothers, this sacrifice is in Christ’s image, He Who laid down His life here below and offered it for the life of the world. Indeed He made a living sacrifice of His Body, Who yet lives after being killed. In so great a sacrifice, death was destroyed, removed by the sacrifice… Hence martyrs are born at the time of their death and begin to live as their life ends; they live when they are killed and shine in Heaven when people on earth think they have been snuffed out…

The prophet sang: “You did not ask for sacrifice or oblation but a body you have prepared for me” (Ps 39[40],7). Become both the sacrifice that is offered and the one who offers it to God. Do not lose what God’s power has granted you. Put on the cloak of holiness. Take up the belt of chastity. May Christ be the veil over your head; the cross, the breastplate that gives you perseverance. Keep in your heart the sacrament of Holy Scripture. May your prayer burn constantly, like a sweet-smelling fragrance to God. Take up “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6,17), may your heart be the altar where, without fear, you may offer your whole self, your whole life…

Offer your faith, to make reparation for unbelief; offer your fasting, to put an end to voraciousness; offer your chastity, that sensuality may die; be fervent, that wrongdoing may cease; exercise mercy, to end avarice and to suppress foolishness, offer your holiness. Thus will your life become your offering, if it has not been wounded by sin. Your body lives, yes, it lives, each time that, putting evil to death within you, you offer living virtues to God. ” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Doctor of Homilies,” Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 108)

PRAYER – O God, lover of chastity, Who endowed with heavenly gifts, blessed Mary Magdalena, a virgin on fire with love for You, grant that we, who keep this feast-day in her honour, may imitate her by purity and love. 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", ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MERCY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 April – “He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.” – John 12:25

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One Minute Reflection – 9 April – Saturday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week in Lent – Jeremias 18:18-23, John 12:10-36

“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I Am ,there also shall My servant be.” – John 12:25-26

REFLECTION – “… We are being towed along by a world that passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but do not take into account the coming judgement. We will not run to meet the Lord as He comes…

Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back… By the very fact of His delay, of His still waiting, our Lord proves His desire to see us come back to Him, His desire that we should not perish. In His great goodness, He continues addressing these words to us: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather he would change his ways and live ”(Ez 33,11). So let us turn back to Him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time’s Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel, who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23,43)!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Sermons” of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 167).

PRAYER – O Lord, may the people dedicated to You, desire to serve You more and more, that, taught by these sacred rites, they may be enriched by more precious gifts, as they grow in favour with Your majesty. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on the CHURCH

Thursday in Passion Week – 7 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … She did for the feet what you refused to the Head. …’

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Thursday in Passion Week, the Fifth Week of Lent – 7 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50

“Happy are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” – Psalm 118:1

“… She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“WITH HER HANDS OF GOOD WORKS, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn to her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

WHEN WILL HE SPEAK these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a Shepherd, Who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing My Feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” of the Church (Sermon 95)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Ash Wednesday

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Ash Wednesday

“Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your hearts, not your garments
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger,
rich in kindness
and relenting in punishment.”

Joel 2:12-13

“He need not fear anything,
nor be ashamed of anything,
who bears the Sign of the Cross
on his brow.”

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them,
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together,
you have nothing!
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others,
you open God’s ear to yourself.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“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 & Doctor of the Church

“Fasting, when rightly practised,
lifts the mind to God
and mortifies the flesh.
It makes virtue easy to attain
and increases our merits.”

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

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on PRIDE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 March – ‘ … He strips bare the secret intentions of our souls. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 2 March – Ash Wednesday –Joel 2:12-19, Matthew 6:16-21

“They have received their reward” – Matthew 6:16

REFLECTION – “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.” Why not? If people see them then what will you get out of them? “You will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.”  My brethren, the Lord is not bringing judgement here but giving an explanation. He casts light on the wiles of our thoughts, He strips bare the secret intentions of our souls. He draws attention to the measure of a just retribution, to those unrighteous, pondering righteousness. Righteousness that sets itself in the sight of others can expect no divine reward from the Father. It wanted to be seen and it was seen; it wanted to please others and it pleased them. It has received the recompense it wanted – the recompense it did not want, it will not have …

“When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do.” “Blow your trumpet” – this is the exact phrase in that this kind of alms is more like a deed of war than of peace. It passes wholly into its sound but has nothing to do with mercy. It comes from the land of disunion but has not been nourished by goodness. It is a dealing in outward show, not chaste commerce …. “So, then, when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” You have taken good note: – alms offered at a meeting, in public square and street corners, is not an offering made for the comforting of the poor but has been set forward in the sight of others to attract their admiration … Flee hypocrisy, my brethren, flee from it …. It does not bring comfort to the poor; the groans of the homeless but is only a pretext for it, to seek out even more busily, a spectacular glory for itself. It inflates its praise of the suffering of the poor. – St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 9).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that Your faithful people may, with true piety, undertake the time-honoured custom of fasting and may carry it out with unwavering devotion. 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", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 February – ‘ It is not a calm sky, beloved but the storm, which tests a pilot’s skill.’

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One Minute Reflection – 3 February – St Blaise Martyr (Died c 316) – Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 8:23-27

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves but He was asleep.”- Matthew 8:24

REFLECTION – “The sea offered its heaving back for Christ to walk upon. Now, it leveled its crests to a plain, checked its swelling and bound up its billows. It provided rocklike firmness, so He could walk across the waterway.

Why did the seas heave so and toss and pitch, even as if threatening its Creator? And why did Christ Himself, Who knows all the future, seem so unaware of the present, that He gave no thought to the onrushing storm, the moment of its height and the time of its peril?
While all the rest were awake, He alone was fast asleep, even with utter doom threatening both Himself and His dear ones.
Why? It is not a calm sky, beloved but the storm, which tests a pilot’s skill. When the breeze is mild, even the poorest sailor can manage the ship. But in the crosswinds of a tempest, we want the best Pilot with all His skil!.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 20).

PRAYER – O God, You Who know that our human frailty cannot stand fast against the great dangers that beset us, grant us health of mind and body, that with Your help we may overcome what we suffer on account of our sins. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 January – ‘ … O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven …’

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One Minute Reflection – 28 January – Memorial of St Peter Nolasco (c 1182–c 1256) Confessor – 1 Cor. 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34

REFLECTION – “All this is what that treasure brings about. Either through almsgiving, it raises the heart of a man into Heaven, or through greed it buries it in the earth. That is why He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven, or else your God-given soul will be buried in the earth! Gold comes from the depth of the earth — the soul, from the highest Heaven. Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold to where the soul resides, than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold. That is why God orders those who will serve in His Army here below, to fight as men stripped of concern for riches and unencumbered by anything. To these He has granted the privilege of reigning in Heaven.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Homilies” Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 22)

PRAYER – O God, You Who, as an example of Your love, divinely taught St Peter to enrich Your Church with new offspring, a family of Religious devoted to the ransom of the faithful, grant by his intercession, that we may be released from the slavery of sin and rejoice in lasting freedom 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.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Poor

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Hebrews 11:33-39; Luke 6:17-23

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

“… Anyone of you
who does not renounce
all his possessions,
cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:33

“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the gospel,
is like a mustard seed …
Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Sown like a mustard seed
in the garden of the Virgin’s womb,
He grew up into the Tree of the Cross,
whose branches,
stretch across the world …
Christ is the Kingdom
because all the glory of His Kingdom,
is within Him.
Christ is a Man
because all humanity is restored in Him.
Christ is a Mustard Seed
because the infinitude of divine greatness,
is accommodated to
the littleness of flesh and blood!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end.
Do not forget your purpose
and destiny as God’s creature.
What you are in His sight,
is what you are and nothing more.
Remember that when you leave this earth,
you can take nothing that you have received…
but only what you have given – a full heart
enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”

St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

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

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“Do not live any longer in yourself
but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way
that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent
in all your actions, in order that all may see in you
a true portrait of the Crucified and sense,
the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord,
in interior and exterior modesty,
in patience,
in gentleness,
suffering,
charity,
humility
and in all others that follow.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“It was God Who created the fruits of the earth
and gave them to men.
… Evil consists in the abuse of these goods,
which, in themselves, are intended
to be aids to perfection.
It is necessary, therefore, to preserve
the proper hierarchical order of all that is good.
We must guard against riveting
our ambitions on earthly objects,
as if tbey were capable of constituting
the goal of our lives.
God has given us these things as possessions,
not as ends in themselves.
He has ordered us to be masters of the world,
not it’s slaves.
Detachment is essential but not a complete surrender of our possessions.
The latter was never commanded but simply indicated, as an evangelical counsel of perfection.
The observance of this counsel, however,
is valueless, if it is not accompanied by detachment.
Worldly possessions, such as money,
are good servants but bad masters!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 December – The Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Repent!

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One Minute Reflection – 14 December – Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent, Readings: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13; Psalm 34: 2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23; Matthew 21: 28-32 and the Memorial of St Berthold of Regensburg OFM (c 1220-1272

“John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him.” – Matthew 21:32

REFLECTION – “John the Baptist is teaching in both word and deed. A true teacher, he shows by example what he describes in speech. Knowledge makes the teacher but action bestows authority. … To teach by doing, is the only rule followed, by one who wants to give instruction, for instructing by words is knowledge but, when it passes on into deeds, then it is virtue. Therefore, that knowledge is genuine that is combined with virtue: this and this alone, is divine, rather than human. …

“In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!‘” “Repent” – Why did he not rather say: “Rejoice“? “Rejoice, rather because what is human gives way to what is divine, what is earthly to what is heavenly, what is temporal to what is eternal, what is evil to what is good, what is unsure to what is certain, sadness to happiness, what is perishable to those things that endure forever. The Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Repent!” Let your behaviour as one who has converted be manifest. You who preferred what is human, to what is divine, who desired to be the world’s slave, rather than to conquer the world along with the world’s Lord, Repent. You who fled the freedom which virtue would have won for you because you wished to take on the yoke of sin: Repent. Repent in earnest, you who, for fear of possessing Life, have given yourself up to death! – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 167).

PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the Light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts, the faith You have given us and the Credo we profess, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled in us. May the intercession of St Berthold of Regensburg who spent himself preaching repentance, grant us the grace of following the way of the Cross, to stand beneath it with our Mother, the Mother of God, Ave Maria! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, The HEART

One Minute Reflection – 6 December – ‘ … Each day He sees our lack of faith …’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalms 85:9 and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Luke 5:17-26

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?” – Luke 5:22

REFLECTION – “Thanks to the faith of others the cripple’s soul would be cured before his body. “Seeing their faith,” the Gospel says. Note here, my brethren, that God is not interested in what foolish people want and does noy expect to find faith among the ignorant … among those who conduct themselves badly. On the other hand he does not refuse to come to the help of others’ faith. Such faith is a gift of grace, at one with God’s will … In His divine goodness, Christ the Physician, strives to draw to salvation, even in spite of themselves, those affected by sickness of soul, those whom the burden of their sins and offences overwhelms, even to delirium. Yet they do not want to submit.

O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 50 ; PL 52, 339).

PRAYER – Prayer of St Ambrose (340-397)
O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.
Amen