Tag: staugustine

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ By a woman,
came the flood of our ills
and by a woman too,
our blessings,
have their spring.”

St Gregory Thaumaturgus (c213-c270)
“the Wonder-Worker,” Bishop, Confessor

Blessed Virgin Mary,
Receive Our Gratitude!
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace

Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay you
with praise and thanks
for having rescued a fallen world
by your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude
and by your prayers,
obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the Sanctuary of Heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary, help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
feel now your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray
and bring back to us,
the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the people of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy
to bear the Redeemer of the world,
Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen

“And Mary said,
‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be to me according to your word.’”

Luke 1:38

“The price of our salvation
is offered to you.
We shall be set free at once, if you consent.
In the eternal Word of God, we all came to be
and behold, we die.
In your brief response,
we are to be remade.
in order to be recalled to life.

… Answer quickly, O Virgin.
Reply in haste to the Angel,
or rather, through the Angel to the Lord.
Answer with a word,
receive the Word of God.
Speak your own word,
conceive the Divine Word.
Breathe a passing word,
embrace the Eternal Word!”

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
The Last Father and the Mellifluous Doctor

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ will give you Light.” Ephesians 5:14

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Let no-one who is Christian doubt that even now, dead people rise. Certainly, every human being has eyes, by which he can see dead people rising, in the way this widow’s son, whom we just heard about in the Gospel, arose. But not everyone can see people who are spiritually dead rise. For that, it is necessary to have already risen interiorly. It is greater to raise someone, who is to live forever than to raise someone, who will have to die again.

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 Augstine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 98).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who are chastising the flesh by fasting, may rejoice in this holy practice and thus, with earthly passions subdued, we may the more readily direct our thoughts to Heavenly things. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 March – ‘ … We are preferred to them …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“When the people, therefore, had seen the sign which Jesus had worked, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet Who is to come into the world..” – John 6:14

REFLECTION – “Governing the entire universe, is a greater miracle, than feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread, yet no-one marvels at it. People marvel at the feeding of the five thousand, not because this miracle is greater but because, it is out of the ordinary. Who is even now providing nourishment for the whole world if not the God Who creates a field of wheat from a few seeds? Christ did what God does. Just as God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, so Christ multiplied the five loaves in His Hands. For there was power in the Hands of Christ. Those five loaves were like seeds, not because they were cast on the earth but because, they were multiplied by the One Who made the earth.

This miracle was presented to our senses, in order to stimulate our minds… and so make us marvel at “the God we do not see because of his works, which we do see” (Rom 1,20). For then, when we have been raised to the level of faith and purified by faith, we shall long to behold, although not with our eyes, the invisible God Whom we recognise, through what is visible. This miracle was performed for the multitude to see; it was recorded for us to hear. Faith does for us, what sight did for them. We behold with the mind, what our eyes cannot see and we are preferred to them because of us it was said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20,29).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on Saint John’s gospel, 24).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who justly suffer for our sins may find relief in the help of Thy grace.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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on The HUMAN SOUL

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 6 March – HEAVENLY TREASURE

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 6 March – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 51:13-17, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure …”
Matthew 13:44

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven
is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
When he finds a single pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Matthew13:45-46

HEAVENLY TREASURE
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“The first difficulty seen in the question is: Can the souls of the blessed, separated from their bodies, see, hear, consider and understand? Can they, in short, exercise the functions of the mind, as freely as when they were united to their bodies?
I answer that not only can they act as before but much more perfectly. And to support this theory I shall give you a story from St Augustine, an author in whom one can place complete trust.
He relates that he was acquainted with a physician from Carthage who was as famous in Rome as in that City, both because he excelled in the art of medicine and because, he was a very good man, one who did many charitable works and served the poor gratis.

His charity towards his neighbour, moved God to lift him out of an error into which he had fallen as a young man. God always greatly favours those who practise charity toward their neighbour; indeed, there is nothing that draws down His mercy upon us more abundantly. Our Lord has declared it His own special commandment [Jn. 15:12], the one He loves and cherishes most. For after that of the love of God, there is none greater [Matt 22:37-40].

St Augustine recounts how this physician told him that when young, he began to doubt whether the soul, separated from the body, can see, hear, or understand anything.
One day, while in this error, he fell asleep. Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared to him in his sleep and said: “Follow me.”
The physician did so and his guide led him into a large and spacious field where, on one side he showed him incomparable beauties and on the other allowed him to hear a concert of delightful music.
Then the physician awoke.

Some time after, the same young man again appeared to him in sleep and asked: “Do you recognise me?” The physician answered that he did indeed recognise him distinctly, that it was he who had conducted him to the beautiful field where he had heard such pleasing music.
“But how can you see and recognise me?” asked the youth. “Where are your eyes?” “My eyes,” he replied, “are in my body.” “And where is your body?”
“My body is lying in my bed.”
“And are your eyes open or closed?”
“They are closed.”
“If they are closed, they can see nothing. Admit, then, since you see me even with your eyes closed, recognise me distinctly and have heard the music, even though your senses slept, that the functions of the mind do not depend on the corporal senses and that the soul, even when separated from the body, can neverthe­less see, hear, consider and understand. ”
Then the sacred dream ended and the youth left the physician, who never after doubted this truth.” – (Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent, 20 February 1622).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, The HEART, The INCARNATION, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – Christ’s Miracles are symbols of the different events of our eternal salvation, …

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One Minute Reflection – 3 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Ember Friday, First Week of Lent – Ezekiel 18:20-28, John 5:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Now a certain man was there who had been thirty-eight years
under his infirmity. When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been in this state a long time, He said to him: Do you wish to be made whole?” – John 5:5-6

REFLECTION – “Christ’s Miracles are symbols of the different events of our eternal salvation, … this pool is the symbol of the precious gift the Lord’s Word gives us. To explain – this water is the Jewish people; the five porticos are the Law which Moses wrote in five books. And so, this pool was surrounded by five porticos, like the people enclosed by the Law. The water which was stirred and troubled, is the Saviour’s Passion in this people’s midst. Whoever went down into this water was healed – but only one person so as to express unity. Those, who were unable to bear anyone speaking to them about the Passion, are the proud – they do not wish to go down and are not healed. “What!” says that arrogant man: “Believe a God to be Incarnate! that a God was Born of a woman that a God has been Crucified, Scourged, covered with Wounds ,that He Died and has been Buried?! No, I would never believe in these Humiliations of a God, they are unworthy of Him.”

Let your heart speak here, rather than your head. The Humiliations of a God seem unworthy to the arrogant and that is why they are very far from a cure. So protect yourself from this pride. If you desire your healing, accept to go down. There would be something to be worried about, if someone said to you that Christ had undergone some sort of change, in becoming Incarnate. But no, … your God remains what He Is, have no fear; He does not perish and He prevents you yourselves from perishing. Yes, He remains what He Is; He Is born of a woman but according to the flesh … it is as Man that He has been Seized, Bound, Scourged, Mocked and finally Crucified and put to Death. Why be afraid? The Word of the Lord remains forever. Anyone who refuses these humiliations of a God, does not wish to be cured of the mortal swelling of his pride.

By His Incarnation, our Lord Jesus Christ has, therefore, restored hope to our flesh. He assumed the fruits of this earth which are only too well known and common – Birth and Death. Birth and death – here indeed are goods that the earth possesses in abundance! But in them were found, neither resurrection nor eternal life. He found here the unfortunate fruits of this unfruitful earth and gave us, in exchange, the possessions of His Heavenly Kingdom!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 124).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors, being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, I BELIEVE!, PATRONAGE - of PILGRIMS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – O woman, great is thy faith! Matthew 15:28

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Thursday of the First Week in Lent – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Then Jesus answering, said to her:
O woman, great is thy faith!
be it done to thee as thou desire
and her daughter was cured from that hour.”

Matthew 15:28

“I implore you to live with me and,
by believing, to run with me;
let us long for our Heavenly Country,
let us sigh for our Heavenly Home,
let us truly feel that here, we are strangers.
What shall we then see?
Let the gospel tell us:
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
You will come to the fountain,
with whose dew you have already been sprinkled.
Instead of the ray of Light
which was sent through slanting
and winding ways, into the heart of your darkness,
you will see the Light Itself,
in all its purity and brightness.
It is to see and experience this Light
that you are now being cleansed. …
It has been good for us to share
the common Light,
good to have enjoyed ourselves,
good to have been glad together.
When we part from one another,
let us not depart from Him!”

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

Prayer of Blessed Severinus Boethius
(c 475-524) Martyr

“O Father, enable our minds,
to rise to Thy ineffable dwelling place.
Let us find the Light
and direct the eyes of our soul to Thee.
Dispel the mists and the opaqueness
of the earthly mass
and shine out with Thy splendour.
Thou art the serene and tranquil abode
of those who persevere
in their goal of seeing Thee.
Thou art, at the same time,
the Beginning, the Vehicle,
the Guide, the Way and the Goal.
Amen”.

“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ
and imitate His example,
if he does not study this Jesus,
who must inspire and perfect our faith?
He must run the race to which he is challenged,
the glorious race in which,
he overcomes the enemy of the human family
and follows the Way of the Cross.
Under the lordly banner of that Cross,
he will attain eternal life.”

St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PAPAL Apostolic EXHORTATIONS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Thought for the Day – 28 February – The Examination of Conscience

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Thought for the Day – 28 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Examination of Conscience

“Pope St Pius X holds great authority for a Christian.
In his Exhortatio ad Clerum, he strongly recommends the Examination of Conscience, especially at the close of the day.
This Examination, he says, is necessary for Priests but it is no less necessary for the laity.
He recalls the apt words of St Augustine:
“Judge your own conscience.
Demand an account from it.
Dig deep and rend it apart.
Discover all the evil thoughts and intentions of the day … and punish yourself for them!” (Expos in Ps 4 n 8).
He also quotes the equally relevant works of St Bermard:
“Be a searching inquirer into your own integrity of life; examine your conduct everyday.
See how much you have advanced, or, how much you have fallen back …
Learn to know yourself. …
Place all your faults before your eyes.
Stand before yourself, as if it were before someone else and you will find reason to weep over yourself!” (Meditat Cap 5 de quotidiano sui ipsius examine).

The Saintly Pontiff concludes his inspiring address as follows: “Experience has proven that anyone who makes a strict examination of his thoughts, words and actions, is more firmly resolved to hate and avoid what is evil and wholeheartedly to love what is good” (Acta Pii X, IV p257).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/28/thought-for-the-day-28-february-the-examination-of-conscience/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Chosen …

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday and the Feast of St Matthias, Apostle – Acts 1:15-26, Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And praying, they said:
Thou, Lord, Who knows the hearts of all men,
show which of these two Thou hast chosen,
to take the place of this ministry and apostleship,
from which Judas hath, by transgression, fallen …”

Acts 1:24-25

“When we stand in the light
it is not we who illumine the light
and cause it to shine
but we are illuminated and made shining by the light…
God grants His blessings on those
who serve Him because they are serving Him
and on those who follow Him
because they are following Him
but He receives no blessing from them
because He is perfect and without need.”

St Irenaeus(c130-c208)
Bishop, Father of the Church

“You did not choose Me
but I chose you…”

John 15:16

“That is amazing grace!
For what were we before Christ had chosen us
besides being wicked and lost?
What then has He chosen in those who are not good?
You cannot say, I am chosen because I believed.
For if you believed in Him,
you had already chosen Him.
Nor can you say, before I believed I did good works
and, therefore, was chosen.
For what good work is there
before faith when the Apostle says,
“Whatever is not of faith is sin?”
What is there for us to say, then
but that we were wicked and were chosen,
that by the grace of having been chosen,
we might become good?”

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

“… 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

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 February – ‘ … If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 24 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday and the Feast of St Matthias – Acts 1:15-26, Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“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

REFLECTION – “You are to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”   You are not learning from me how to refashion the fabric of the world, nor to create all things visible and invisible, nor to work miracles and raise the dead.   Rather, you are simply learning of me: “that I am meek and lowly in heart.”   

If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level.   If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height, you will begin with the lowest foundation.  This is humility.   However great the mass of the building you may wish to design or erect, the taller the building is to be, the deeper you will dig the foundation.   The building in the course of its erection, rises up high but he who digs its foundation, must first go down very low.   So then, you see even a building is low before it is high and the tower is raised, only after humiliation.”… St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor (Sermon 69)

PRAYER – O God, Who added blessed Matthias to the company of Thy Apostles, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his intercession we may ever be aware of the depth of Thy love for us. 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 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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DEVOTIO, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, LENT 2023, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY FACE, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face – The First Day – 13 February

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Lenten Preparation
Novena to the Holy Face
To end on Shrove Tuesday,
The Feast of the Holy Face

For so many, Shrove Tuesday is a date on the calendar that is often overshadowed by Ash Wednesday that memorable day we wear the outward sign of repentance and recall our mortality. How much more meaningful will our Ash Wednesday be, if we first mark Shrove Tuesday as a Feast of the Holy Face, concluding the Novena we began in the time of preparation and beginning Lent more in love with the Countenance of Christ and, through Him, made more beautiful in our own soul. AMEN,
Let us Pray ………….

“I firmly wish that My Face reflecting the intimate pains of My Soul, the suffering and love of My Heart, be more honoured! Whoever gazes upon Me already consoles Me.” – (Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Pierina)

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

This Novena prayer may be said at any time but especially in the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday. The first Medal of the Holy Face was offered to Pope Pius XII who approved the Devotion and the Medal. In 1958, he formally declared the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday.

(Console the Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer) below.
Psalm 51:3-4.
Have mercy on me, O God in Thy goodness,
in Thy great tenderness wipe away my faults,
wash me clean of my guilt, purify me from my sin.

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

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

THE FIRST DAY:

PRAYER:
O most Holy Face of Jesus,
look with tenderness on us who are sinners.
You are a merciful God,
full of love and compassion.
Keep us pure of heart,
so that we may see Thee always.
Mary, our Mother,
intercede for us,
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Your Precious Blood
and Your Holy Face, O Jesus,
grant us our petition………………
and Your pardon and mercy.

Almighty Father, Come Into Our Hearts
By St Augustine (354-430)

Almighty Father, come into our hearts
and so fill us with Thy love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace Thee, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God,
what Thou art to us.
Say to our souls, I Am your salvation,
speak so, that we may hear.
Our hearts are before Thee,
open our ears,
let us hasten after Thy Voice.
Hide not Thy Face from us,
we beseech Thee, O Lord.
Open our hearts, so that Thou may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that Thou may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of Thy Only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with Thee
and the Holy Ghost,
one God, now and forever.
Amen

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

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

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 February – What sort of candlestick is this that bears such a light?

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One Minute Reflection – 9 February – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) “The Pillar of Faith” “Doctor of the Incarnation”& “Seal of all the Fathers” Bishop,Confessor, Father and Doctor, of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but upon a candlestick …” – Matthew 5:15

REFLECTION – “Brethren, the Apostles are lamps enabling us to wait for the coming of Christ’s Day. Our Lord tells them: “You are the light of the world.” And since they cannot believe themselves to be a light, like that of which it is said: “He was the true Light Who enlightens everyone” (Jn 1:9), He at once teaches them what that true light is. Having declared to them: “You are the light of the world,” He continues: “No-one lights a lamp to put it under a bushel basket.” I have called you lights, He says but I must clarify – you are only lamps. So do not give in, to the stirrings of pride, if you do not want to see this wick burning out. I am not putting you under the bushel basket but on the lampstand to cast light over everything with your rays.

What sort of candlestick is this that bears such a light? I will teach you. Be lamps yourselves and you will have a place on this lampstand. Christ’s Cross is one great lampstand. Whoever wants to shine out should not be ashamed of this wooden candlestick. Listen to me and you will get the point – the candlestick is the Cross of Christ…

“So will your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify” Glorify whom? Not yourself, since to seek your own glory is to want to be extinguished! “Glorify your heavenly Father.” Yes, that they may glorify Him, your heavenly Father, when they see your good works… Listen to the Apostle Paul: “May I never glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Gal 6:14).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 289, 6 PL 38, 1311-1312).

PRAYER – O God, Who made Cyril, Thy Confessor and Bishop, an unconquerable champion of the most Blessed Virgin Mary’s Divine Motherhood, grant that we, who believe that she is truly the Mother of God, may be saved by her motherly protection. 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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 February – ‘That Denarius is life eternal …’ St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 5 February –Septuagesima Sunday – St Agatha (c231- c251) Virgin Martyr – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 10:1-5; Matthew 20:1-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Even so, the last shall be first and the first last; for many are called but few are chosen.” – Matthew 20:16

REFLECTION – “In that hiring then,we shall all be equal and the first as the last and the last as the first because that Denarius is life eternal and in the life eternal all will be equal.
For although through diversity of attainments, the Saints will shine, some more, some less; yet as to this respect, the gift of eternal life, it will be equal to all.
For that will not be longer to one and shorter to another, which is alike everlasting – that which hath no end, will have no end, either for thee or me. … In respect. to the living forever, this man will not live more than that, nor that one than this one. For alike without end will they live, though each shall live in his own brightness and the Denarius in the parable is that life eternal.

Let not him then who has received, after a long time, murmur against him, who has received after a short time. To the first, it is a payment, to the other a free gift – yet the same thing is given alike to both.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon on Matthew 20).

PRAYER – O God, Who among other wonders of Thy power hast given the victory of mMrtyrdom even to the gentler sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Agatha, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee, by following her example.Through esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on STRENGTH, The HOLY FACE, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 1 February – O Lord, Our God, We Believe in Thee, Father, Son and Holy Ghost

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Our Morning Offering – 1 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity”

O Lord, Our God, We Believe in Thee,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, our God, we believe in Thee,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
As far as I have been able,
as much as Thou hast given me the power to do so,
I have sought for Thee.
I have desired to see that in which I believe;
much have I striven and laboured.

Lord, my God, my only hope,
let me never tire of seeking Thee
but make me seek Thy Face with constant ardour.
Give me the strength to seek after Thee –
Thou Who hast made me,
Who hast given me, more and more,
the hope of finding Thee.

Thou seest my strength and my weakness;
do Thou sustain the one and heal the other;
Thou seest my strength and my ignorance.
Where Thou hast opened to me,
come make me welcome;
where Thou hast closed to me, open to my plea.
Give me to remember, understand and love Thee.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, St PAUL!, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Saul, Paul

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – Acts 9:1-22, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Acts 9:4.

“So Saul was led to Ananias –
the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep.
But the Shepherd,
Who guides everything from Heaven above,
reassures him…
“Do not fear, I will show him
what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake”
(Acts 9:16).
What wonder is this!
The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep…
The Lamb who died for the sheep,
teaches it not to be afraid any more!”

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

“Now Paul rejoices with Stephen,
with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ;
he exults with Stephen,
he reigns with Stephen.
There, where Stephen arose,
the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes,
there too, Paul has risen
with the help of Stephen’s prayers!”

St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)
Bishop in North Africa

“Yet I live, no longer I
but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who has loved me
and given himself up for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“It is possible that, as he lay dying,
Stephen looked up at Saul
and uttered his last prayer for this sincere
and honest young Jew, who had been led astray
by the prejudice and passion of the mob.
… Let us endeavour too, to suffer, pray
and work for the conversion of our fellowmen,
so many of whom, are wandering
in the darkness of error
or struggling in the clutches of vice.
Let us try, by our sufferings,
prayers and good example,
to draw down God’s grace
on our unhappy brothers.
If we succeed, we shall share
in the merits of their good actions
and we shall have ensured
our own everlasting salvation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PAUL!, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HEART, The HOLY NAME, The LAMB of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 January – ‘… He had first to be knocked down and afterwards raised up – first struck, then healed. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Apostle – Acts 9:1-22, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” – Acts 9:4.

REFLECTION – “From Heaven’s height Christ’s Voice overturned Saul. He received a command to carry out his persecutions no more and fell face downwards to the ground. He had first to be knocked down and afterwards raised up – first struck, then healed. For Christ would never have come to live in him, if Saul had not died to his former life of sin. Cast down to the earth in this way, what was it he heard? “Saul, Saul, why are thou persecuting Me? It is hard for thou to kick against the goad” (Acts 9:4-5). And he replied: “Who are you, Lord?” Then the voice from on high continued: “I am Jesus of Nazareth, Whom thou art persecuting.” The members are still on the ground, while the Head cries out, from the heights of Heaven. He is not saying: “Why art thou persecuting My servants?” but “Why art thou persecuting Me?”

And Paul, who had put all his energy into his persecutions, is already preparing to obey: “What do Thou want me to do?” The persecutor is already transformed into the preacher, the wolf has become a sheep, the enemy, a defender. Paul learns what he is to do – if he has become blind, if this world’s light is held back from him for a while, it is so as to make the light within shine in his heart. Light is taken away from the persecutor, so that it may be given to the preacher; at the very moment he no longer saw anything of this world, he saw Jesus. This symbolises the believer – those who believe in Christ, must fix the eyes of their soul on Him, without paying attention to outward things…

So Saul was led to Ananias – the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep. But the Shepherd, Who guides everything from Heaven above, reassures him… “Do not fear, I will show him what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). What wonder is this! The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep… The Lamb who died for the sheep, teaches it not to be afraid any more!” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of Grace of the Church (Sermon 279).

PRAYER – O God, Who taught the whole world by the preaching of Thy blessed Apostle Paul, grant, we beseech Thee that we, who today celebrate his conversion, may draw closer to Thee, by way of hia example.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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 January – “Lord, I am not worthy … ”- Matthew 8:8

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One Minute Reflection – 22 January – St Vincent of Saragossa (Died 304) Protomartyr of Spain and St Anastasius the Persian (Died 628) Martyr – The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – Romans 12:16-21, Matthew 8:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lord, I am not worthy … ”- Matthew 8:8

REFLECTION – “When the Gospel was read, we heard Jesus praise our faith in an act of humility. When the Lord Jesus, you remember, promised He would go to the centurion’s house to heal his servant, the man replied, “I am not worthy that Thou should enter under my roof but only say the word, and he will be healed”. By calling himself unworthy, he showed he was worthy to have Christ enter, not within his walls but within his heart…

There would, after all, have been no great benefit if the Lord Jesus had entered within his walls and had not been in his bosom. Christ, the teacher of humility, by both word and example, had, you may remember, sat down in the house of a certain proud Pharisee called Simon (Lk 7:36). And although He was sitting in his house, there wasn’t anywhere in his heart, where the Son of man might lay His Head (Lk 9,58)… But into this centurion’s house, He did not enter, yet, he took possession of his heart…

So this man’s faith is discerned and praised in an act of humility. He said, “I am not worthy that Thou should enter under my roof” and the Lord said, “Amen I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel”… The Lord had come to Israel according to the flesh, that is, to the Jews, there first to seek the sheep that were lost (Lk 15:4)… We, as human beings, can assess the faith of human beings – from the outside; He, Who could look inside, Whom no-one could deceive, bore witness to the faith of this man and on hearing his humble words, He gave him a clean bill of health!” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 62).

PRAYER – Give heed to our humble prayers, O Lord, that we who know we are guilty of our own sin, may be saved by the intercession of Thy blessed Martyrs Vincent and Anastasius.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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Our Morning Offering – 21 January – Give Me Thyself, O My God By St Augustine

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Our Morning Offering – 21 January – The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Give Me Thyself, O My God
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Give me Thyself, O my God,
give Thyself to me.
Behold I love Thee
and if my love is too weak a thing,
grant me to love Thee more strongly.
I cannot measure my love
to know how much it falls short
of being sufficient
but let my soul hasten to Thy embrace
and never be turned away,
until it is hidden in the secret shelter
of Thy Presence.
This only do I know,
that it is not good for me
when Thou art not with me,
when Thou art only outside me.
I want Thee in my very self.
All the plenty in the world
which is not my God,
is utter want.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – St Peter

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome – 1 Peter 1:1-7, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16

“Upon this rock
I will build My Church”

Matthew 16:18

“… May grace and peace
be yours in abundance,
through knowledge of God
and of Jesus Our Lord…”

2 Peter 1:2

“So Peter wept and wept bitterly;
he wept so hard
that he washed away his offence with his tears.
And you, too, if you would win pardon,
wipe out your guilt with tears.
At that very moment, in that same hour,
Christ will look at you.
If some kind of fall happens to you,
then He, the ever-present witness
of your intimate life,
looks at you to call you back
and cause you to confess your lapse.
Then do as Peter did, who thrice said:
“Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21:15).
He denied three times and three times
he also confessed.
But he denied by night;
he confessed in broad daylight.”

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

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

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

“It is good to admire the fidelity of St Peter
and the designs of Divine Providence
in making him the visible Head of the Church
but, it is far better, to follow his example.
His love for Jesus, led him to leave his family
and his fisherman’s trade, in order to follow Our Lord.
It led him to undertake long voyages,
to endure imprisonment and to face Martyrdom.
What can we do for the love of Jesus?
Remember that, if love is to be sincere,
it must be generous and effective.
… He was not satisfied,
until he was hanging upon the cross
like his Divine Master
and could prove his love for Jesus
by a Martyr’s death.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on The HUMAN SOUL

Thought for the Day – 16 January – Christian Friendship

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Thought for the Day – 16 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Christian Friendship

“Forget the series of useless and often academic questions which the philosophers asked concerning the nature of friendship.
Cicero’s definition, however, is worth recording because it is not far from the Christian concept of friendship.
Friends, he says, are those who are united by a bond of affection and of agreement in matters of spiritual and human importance.
True friendship is the result of a mysterious and mutual attraction between two persons, who grow to know, respect and love one another (De Amicitia VI).

Thus, friendship would be fleeting and even dangerous, if it were nourished by the body rather than by the soul.
The soul is eternal.
Therefore, its love is lasting and passes on into eternity.
The body, like the flowers in the fields, is pleasing for a while, then fades and dies.
St Augustine tells us, in his Confessions that he was passionately attached to a young man of his own age, who was blooming with the flower of adolescence.
But he adds, immediately, that this was not a genuine friendship because it did not spring from the charity which the Spirit of God pours into our hearts (Confessions IV, 4:7).
These so-called, particular friendships, should be avoided as dangerous and contrary to Christian teaching.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 13 January – HEAVEN

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Thought for the Day – 13 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

HEAVEN

“God desires our salvation.
“God wishes all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).
We are all aspiring to Heaven.
We shall not be denied the grace of God, as long as we ask for it with confidence and perseverance.
St Augustine tells us that Paradise is ours, if we wish: “You are not called to embrace the earth but, to prepare yourselves for Heaven; not to the successes of this world, nor to a short-lived and transient prosperity but, to eternal life, together with the Angels” (Serm 296 6:7).

Contemplate that true and everlasting happiness.
Let us direct towards it, our intentions and desires and all our work!
Then the day will come when we shall be really happy for all eternity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/27/thought-for-the-day-27-july-heaven/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/13/thought-for-the-day-13-january-heaven/

Posted in "Follow Me", ARMOUR of CHRIST, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 January – ‘The Armour of Light.’

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 January – Within the Octave of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, the star
which they had seen in the east,
went before them
until it came and stood
over where the Child was…”

Matthew 2:9

“The night is passed and the day is at hand.
Let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armour of Light.”

Romans 12:12

“I implore you to live with me and,
by believing, to run with me;
let us long for our Heavenly Country,
let us sigh for our Heavenly Home,
let us truly feel that here, we are strangers.
What shall we then see?
Let the gospel tell us:
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
You will come to the fountain,
with whose dew you have already been sprinkled.
Instead of the ray of Light
which was sent through slanting
and winding ways, into the heart of your darkness,
you will see the Light Itself,
in all its purity and brightness.
It is to see and experience this Light
that you are now being cleansed. …
It has been good for us to share
the common Light,
good to have enjoyed ourselves,
good to have been glad together.
When we part from one another,
let us not depart from Him!”

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

Prayer of Blessed Severinus Boethius
(c 475-524) Martyr

“O Father, enable our minds,
to rise to Thy ineffable dwelling place.
Let us find the light
and direct the eyes of our soul to Thee.
Dispel the mists and the opaqueness
of the earthly mass
and shine out with Thy splendour.
Thou art the serene and tranquil abode
of those who persevere
in their goal of seeing Thee.
Thou art, at the same time,
the Beginning, the Vehicle,
the Guide, the Way and the Goal.
Amen.”

“Run with eager desire
to this Source of Life and Light,
all you who are vowed to God’s service.
Come, whoever you may be
and cry out to Him,
with all the strength of your heart.
O indescribable Beauty of the most high God
and purest Radiance of Eternal Light!
Life that gives all life,
Light that is the Source of every other light,
preserving, in everlasting splendour,
the myriad flames that have shone
before the throne of Thy Divinity
from the dawn of time!”

St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", ARMOUR of CHRIST, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HYMNS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The HOLY SCRIPTURES, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 January – Like Mary, put on the Lord Jesus Christ

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 January – The Holy Family – Within the Octave of Epiphany – Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:42-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:14

“You are walking now by faith,
still on pilgrimage in a mortal body
away from the Lord
but He, to Whom your steps are directed,
is Himself the sure and certain Way for you –
Jesus Christ, Who, for our sake became man.
For all who fear Him,
He has stored up abundant happiness
which He will reveal to those
who hope in Him, bringing it to completion,
when we have attained the reality
which, even now, we possess, in hope.
Set your hearts on heavenly things,
not the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life
is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, your Life, appears,
then you too will appear with Him in glory.”

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

“And His Mother kept all
these words in her heart.”

Luke 2:51

“Consider the most prudent woman Mary,
Mother of true Wisdom,
as the pupil of her Son.
For she learned from Him,
not as from a child or man but as from God.
Yes, she dwelt in meditation
on His words and actions.
Nothing of what was said
or done by Him, fell idly on her mind.
… That which she now beholds in the present,
she waits to have revealed
with greater clarity, in the future.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“And as for that in the good ground
they are those who, hearing the word,
hold it fast in an honest and good heart
and bring forth fruit with patience.”

Luke 8:15

“The more you devote yourself,
to study of the Sacred utterances,
the richer will be your understanding of them,
just as the more the soil is tilled,,
the richer is the harvest.”

St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Be Thou My Vision
By St Dallan Forgaill (c 530- 598)

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my Light.

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Family PRAYERS, MARIAN HYMNS, PAPAL PRAYERS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Holy Family –

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Holy Family – Sunday within the Octave of Epiphany – Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:42-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And He went down with them
and came to Nazareth
and was subject to them.”

Luke 2:51

“So, taking Christ’s genealogy from Joseph –
a husband in chastity,
he was father in the same way. …
Are you saying that he did not conceive Jesus
through the operation of nature?
Well then, what the Holy Spirit operated,
He did for them both.
For Joseph was “a just man,” Matthew tells us (1:19).
Both husband and wife were just.
The Holy Spirit dwelt within their mutual justice
and gave each of them, a Son!”

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

(Marriage and concupiscence 1,11; Sermon 51)

“God, to whom angels submit themselves
and who principalities and powers obey,
was subject to Mary
and not only to Mary
but Joseph atoo, for Mary’s sake [….].
God obeyed a human creature –
this is humility without precedent.
A human creature commands God;
it is sublime beyond measure!”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Gente Felix
O House of Nazareth The Blest
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

O house of Nazareth the blest,
Fair hostess of the Lord,
The Church was nurtured at thy breast
And shared thy scanty hoard.

In all the spreading lands of earth.
The wandering sun may see
No dearer spot, no ampler worth
Than erst was found in thee!

We know thy humble tenement
Was heaven’s hermitage:
Celestial heralds came and went
In endless embassage.

There, whatsoever Joseph asks
Christ hastens to fulfil;
While Mary loves the household tasks
That wait her joyous will.

There, Joseph toileth at her side
Her joys and griefs to share,
With thousand ties knit to his bride,
Of love and work and prayer.

Yet how their bosoms constant burn
And deeper ardours prove
In love of Christ, whose eyes return
Tokens of mutual love.

O then, in all the homes of earth,
Be Love the bond of life:
May it enthrone at every hearth
The peace that husheth strife.

All praise to thee, O Jesus,
Who parents dost obey;
Praise to the sovereign Father
And Paraclete for aye.
Amen.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, The DIVINE INFANT, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 January – What are you doing, O Magi?

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 January – Within the Octave of Epiphany

“If the Magi had come in search of an earthly King,
they would have been disconcerted
at finding that they had taken the trouble
to come such a long way for nothing.
Consequently, they would have
neither adored, nor offered gifts.
But since they sought a Heavenly King,
although they found in Him,
no signs of royal pre-eminence,
yet, content with the testimony of the Star alone,
they adored – for they saw a man
and they acknowledged God!”

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

“Although many kings of the Jews
had been born and died,
none of them did the Magi seek to adore.
And so, they who came
from a distant foreign land,
to a kingdom which was entirely strange to them…
But they had learnt that such a King was born
that by adoring Him,
they might be sure of obtaining from Him,
the salvation which is of God.”

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

“What are you doing, O Magi?
Do you adore a little Babe,
in a wretched hovel,
wrapped in miserable rags?
Can this Child be truly God? …
Are you become foolish, O Wise Men …
Yes, these Wise Men have become fools
that they may be wise!”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER

Quote/s of the Day – 5 January – ‘I, He said, Am the Christ’

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Vigil of the Epiphany –

“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 Lord, although He was God, became man.
He suffered for the sake of those who suffer,
He was bound for those in bonds,
condemned for the guilty,
buried for those who lie in the grave
but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:
“Who will contend with Me? Let him confront Me.”
I have freed the condemned,
brought the dead back to life,
raised men from their graves.
Who has anything to say against Me?
I, He said, Am the Christ, I have destroyed death,
triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot,
bound the strong one
and taken men up to the heights of Heaven.
I Am the Christ.
Come, then, all you nations of men,
receive forgiveness for the sins which defile you.
I Am your Forgiveness.
I Am the Passover which brings salvation.
I Am the Lamb Who was immolated for you.
I Am your Ransom, your Life,
your Resurrection, your Light,
I am your Salvation and your King.
I will bring you to the heights of Heaven.
With My own Right Hand I will raise you up
and I will show you the Eternal Father.”

St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180)
Bishop, Father

“Listen! the reason He is called Saviour
is because, for all those
to whom He is united,
He gains salvation.
Now salvation means,
to be delivered from all ills and,
at the same time,
to find all blessings forever –
Life instead of death,
Light in place of darkness
and, instead of the slavery
of the passions and unworthy deeds,
the complete freedom granted
to all those, who are united to Christ,
Saviour of all beings.
Thus they will possess,
without being able to lose it,
all joy, all happiness, all blessedness (…)
that that none can ever know,
or conceive, or see,
if not sincerely and ardently
attached to Christ.”

St Symeon the New Theologian (c 949-1022)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – ‘ … The Light Who enlightens all things .. ‘

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 December –The Sixth Day of the Octave of Christma – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

“… Let us keep the Feast,
not after the manner of a heathen festival
but after a Godly sort;
not after the way of the world
but in a fashion above the world;
not as our own
but as belonging to Him
Who is ours,
or rather as our Master’s;
not as of weakness
but as of healing;
not as of creation
but of re-creation.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Archbishop of Constantinople
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Awake, mankind!
For your sake God has become man.
Awake, you who sleep,
rise up from the dead
and Christ will enlighten you.
I tell you again,
for your sake,
God became man.”

St Augustine 354-430)
Great Latin Father
and Doctor of the Church

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire
that water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,
to carry in her arms,
the Word Who carries the universe!” ”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

(Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, IV, SC 72)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARTYRS, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM

Quote/s of the Day – 28 December – The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

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Quote/s of the Day – 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 was fulfilled that
which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet,
saying: a voice was heard in Rama,
lamentation and great mourning;
Rachel bewailing her children
and would not be comforted
because they were no more.”

Matthew 2:17-18

“A voice was heard in Rama.”
Rama was Saul’s city.
Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin.
Benjamin was the son of Rachel,
whose memorial was near Bethlehem,
where these wicked deeds were done.
Therefore, since the babies
were killed in Bethlehem,
where there is a monument to Rachel,
this is why Rachel is described as weeping.”

From the work known as
the “Incomplete Work on Matthew,” by
an Anonymous Ancient Christian Writer (ACW)

“These then, whom Herod’s cruelty
tore as sucklings from their mothers’ bosom,
are justly hailed as “Infant Martyr Flowers”-
they were the Church’s first blossoms,
matured by the frost of persecution,
during the cold winter of unbelief.”

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

“They could not yet speak
but already, they are confessing Christ.
Their little bodies are, as yet,
unable to engage in combat
but already, they are carrying off
the Palm of Victory.”

St Quodvultdeus (Died c 453)
Bishop at Carthage

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – St John the Beloved

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – St John the Apostle and Evangelist, the Beloved – Ecclesiasticus 15:1-6, John 21:19-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Peter, therefore, seeing him, said to Jesus,
Lord and what of this man?”

John 21:21

“ So, to Peter is said: “Follow me.”
Of the other, however;
“If I wish him to remain until I come,
what is that to thee? Follow thou me.”
What is the meaning of this?
How much can I know of it?
How much can I understand?
What is it?–unless this:
“You are to follow me,
imitating me in suffering temporal evils.
Let him remain until I come,
bringing eternal rewards.”

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

“The love of Jesus is noble and generous,
it spurs us onto do great things
and excites us to desire always
that which is most perfect.
Love will tend upwards
and is not to be detained by things beneath.
Love will be at liberty
and free from all worldly affections…
for love proceeds from God
and cannot rest but in God
above all things created.
The lover flies, runs and rejoices,
he is free and not held.
He gives all for all and has all in all
because he rests in One sovereign Good above all,
from Whom all good flows and proceeds”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ,
Book III, Chapter V, 3-4

More:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-december-feast-of-st-john/

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 December – Prepare the way of the Lord

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One Minute Reflection – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception” – Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent – 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Luke 3:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Prepare the way of the Lord” – Luke 3:4

REFLECTION – “I speak out in order to lead Him into your hearts but He does not choose to come where I lead Him, unless you prepare the way for Him.
To prepare the way means, to pray well – it means thinking humbly of oneself. We should take our lesson from John the Baptist. He is thought to be the Christ, he declares he is not what they think. He does not take advantage of their mistake to further his own glory.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Almighty God, now that the birth of Your Son is drawing near, we pray that Your eternal Word, Who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and came to dwell amongst men, will show Your unworthy people, the greatness of His love. And by the intercession of His Holy Mother, may we be granted Your grace. Through Emmanuel, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.