Quote/s of the Day – 14 January – Thursday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Hebrews 3:7-14, Psalms 95:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, Mark 1:40-45
Repentance
“If you will, you can make me clean.”
Mark 1:40
“Today, for those who will not repent at the approach of the kingdom of heaven, the reproof of the Lord Jesus is the same… As for when the end of the world will be, that is God’s concern… Even so, the time is very near for each of us, for we are mortal.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
“Our God, … being good and merciful, wants us to confess [our sins] in this world, so that we may not be ashamed because of them in the next. So if we confess them them, He, on His part, shows Himself to be merciful; if we acknowledge them, then He forgives … ”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop and Monk
“To do penance is to bewail the evil we have done and to do no evil to bewail.”
“If some rich and powerful friend were to enter your home, you would quickly clean the entire house, for fear something there, might offend your friend’s eyes, when he entered. Let anyone then who is preparing his inner house for God, cleanse away the dirt of his evil deeds. … The Lord comes into the heart and makes His home in one, who truly loves God and observes His commandments…”
St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor “Father of the Fathers”
“It is clear, my brethren, that we live outside ourselves, we are forgetful of ourselves whenever we fritter our lives away in empty pursuits or distractions, decked out with trifles. That is why Wisdom is more concerned to invite us to the house of repentance than the house of feasting, that is to say to call back into himself, the man outside himself …”
Bl Isaac of Stella O.Cist (c 1100 – c 1170)
“And when I hear it said, that God is good and He will pardon us and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing, oh, how it grieves me! The infinite goodness with which God communicates with us, sinners as we are, should constantly make us love and serve Him better but we, on the contrary, instead of seeing in His goodness an obligation to please Him, convert it into an excuse for sin, which will, of a certainty, lead in the end, to our deeper condemnation.”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 September – Thursday of the Twenty Third week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 8:1b-7, 11-13, Psalms 139:1-3, 13-14, 23-24, Luke 6:27-38
“Love one another as I have loved you”
John 15:12
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:12-13
“Once for all, then, a short precept is given you – Love and do what you will, whether you hold your peace, through love, hold your peace; whether you cry out, through love cry out; whether you correct, through love correct; whether you spare, through love do you spare. Let the root of love be within, of this root, can nothing spring but what is good.”
St Augustine (354-430) Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church
Homily 7 on John
“My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.”
St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)
“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? (…) And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…) So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity. without which no-one will ever see God.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“At the end of your life, you will be judged by your love.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 7 September – Monday of the Twenty Third week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8, Psalms 5:5-6, 7, 12, Luke 6:6-11
“Stretch forth your hand.”
Luke 6:10
“While the withered hand was restored, the withered minds of the onlookers were not. … Are you debating what you will do? Worship Him as God. Worship the Wonder-worker. Worship One who worked good things on behalf of another.”
St Athansius (297-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
“What He receives on earth He returns in heaven. … A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“O God, grant that whatever good things I have, I may share generously with those who have not and whatever good things I do not have, I may request humbly from those who do.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor anglicus
“If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy, we can never fail to do good, so long as we have the strength. For if we share with the poor, out of love for God, whatever He has given to us, we shall receive according to His promise, a hundredfold in eternal happiness. What a fine profit, what a blessed reward! With outstretched arms He begs us to turn toward Him, to weep for our sins and to become the servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbours. Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin.”
St John of God (1495-1550)
“So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember, that this very service, is performed for God.”
St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
“Yours must be a work of love, of kindness, you must give your time, your talents, yourselves.”
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853) “Servant to the Poor” and Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society
St Ebbo of Sens St Etherius of Lyons St Euthalia of Leontini St Fortunatus of Potenza Bl Gabriel Mary St Gebhard of Constance St Giovanni of Pavia St Honoratus of Potenza Bl Jean Baptiste Guillaume Bl Jean-Baptiste Souzy St John of Pavia St Licerius of Couserans St Malrubius of Merns Bl Maria del Pilar Izquierdo Albero St Narnus of Bergamo St Phanurius St Poemen Bl Roger Cadwallador St Rufus of Capua St Sabinian of Potenza St Syagrius of Autun — Martyrs of Tomi – 5 saints: A group of 17 Christians imprisoned and excuted for their faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. They miraculously were unburned by fire and untouched by wild animals. We know the names and a few details on five of them – John, Mannea, Marcellinus, Peter and Serapion. They were tied to stakes and burned alive; they emerged unharmed – thrown to wild animals in the amphitheatre; t he animals ignored them; they were beheaded in 304 in Tomi, Mesia (modern Costanza, Romania).
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Buenaventura Gabika-Etxebarria Gerrikabeitia • Blessed Esteban Barrenechea Arriaga • Blessed Fernando González Añon • Blessed Francisco Euba Gorroño • Blessed Hermenegildo Iza Aregita • Blessed José María López Carrillo • Blessed Juan Antonio Salútregui Iribarren • Blessed Pedro Ibáñez Alonso • Blessed Pelayo José Granado Prieto • Blessed Plácido Camino Fernández • Blessed Quirino Díez del Blanco • Blessed Ramón Martí Soriano
One Minute Reflection – 13 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Thursday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Ezekiel 12:1-12, Psalms 78: 56-57, 58-59, 61-62, Matthew 18: 21 – 19:1 and the Memorial of St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church
“Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” …Matthew 18:33
REFLECTION – ““What is human mercy like? It makes you concerned for the hardship of the poor. What is divine mercy like? It forgives sinners…
In this world God is cold and hungry in all the poor, as He Himself said (Mt 25:40)… What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven…
What He receives on earth He returns in heaven.
I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.” … St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) – Sermon 25
PRAYER – Lord God, who bestowed Your spirit of truth and of love in full measure onthe blessed Saint Maximus, grant that we, who are celebrating his feast, may be supported by his prayer and grow in perfection, as we follow his example. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
“Whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” … Matthew 18:18
REFLECTION – “For our well-being and salvation, all the Holy Scriptures warn us constantly and humbly, to confess our sins, not only before God but also before a holy and godfearing man. This is what the Holy Spirit advises us to do through the mouth of James the apostle: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed” (5:16) … and the psalmist says: “I confess my faults to the Lord and you took away the guilt of my sin” (Ps 32[31]:5).
We are always wounded by our sins and, in the same way, we should always have recourse to the medicine of confession. For indeed, if God wants us to confess our sins, it is not because He would be unable to know what they are but, because the devil wants to find something of which to accuse us before the judgement seat of the eternal Judge. That is why he would rather we thought more about excusing them than accusing ourselves of them. Our God, to the contrary, being good and merciful, wants us to confess them in this world, so that we may not be ashamed because of them in the next. So if we confess them then He, on His part, shows Himself to be merciful; if we acknowledge them then He forgives … As for ourselves, my brethren, we are really your spiritual physicians, seeking with all concern to heal your souls.” … St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop and Monk – Sermons to the laity, no. 59
PRAYER – Lord, You chose St Jane Frances to serve You, both in marriage and in religious life. By her prayers help us to be faithful in our vocation and always to work against our perverse inclinations. Only in You and with You and through You may we attain perfection. Lead us Lord! We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St Jane de Chantal, pray for us, amen.
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”…Matthew 13:23
REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated. First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself. You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow. Oh, let it be like this in our souls! First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts; then take out the stones, in other words all our malice and obstinacy. Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross. Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”… St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)
PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! (Ps 50[51]) Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace to us. Keep us within in the path of Your commandments, help us to work on the earth of our souls, rooting out the weeds and casting forth the stones of malice. Grant that by the intercession of the Mother of Your Son and our Mother too, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17, Matthew 10:16-23
“Sheep Amidst the Wolves”
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart but you shall reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people but, you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord”
Leviticus 19:17-18
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
Matthew 5:44
“We are treated as deceivers and yet, are truthful, as unrecognised and yet, acknowledged, as dying and behold we live, as chastised and yet, not put to death, as sorrowful yet, always rejoicing, as poor yet, enriching many, as having nothing and yet, possessing all things.”
2 Corinthians 8-10
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are each day of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“You don’t love in your enemies what they are but what you would have them become, by your prayers!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“When he has begun to follow me, according to My teaching and precepts, he will find many people contradicting him and standing in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him. Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside the church but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds. Although these glory, in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute faithful Christians.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“We must show love for those who do evil to us and pray for them. Nothing is dearer or more pleasing to God than this.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373)
“… I declare to you, that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian Baptism.”
St Paul Miki SJ (1564-1597) Martyr
“Visit me not, O my loving Lord – if it be not wrong so to pray – visit me not those trying visitations which saints alone can bear! Still, I leave all in Thy hands, my dear Saviour – I bargain for nothing. Only, if Thou shall bring heavier trial on me, give me more grace – flood me with the fullness of Thy strength and consolation, that they may work in me, not death but life and salvation.”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“Catholics are part of the Church Militant. They struggle and they suffer for the triumph of Christ. They must never lose sight of their Divine Model, so that their trials will be turned into joy.”
St Pius X (1835-1914)
“To live without faith, without a heritage to defend, without battling constantly for truth, is not to live but to ‘get along,’ we must never just ‘get along’.”
Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)
“Man of the Beatitudes”
“When I feel overwhelmed by misfortune, the greatest joy that the Lord can give me, is to go to the altar, to put my forehead against it (as on the day of my ordination to the priesthood) and to feel the presence of the only reality. Not only does calm return but my body seems to be annihilated, the only true life begins, the life of that which is intangible.”
Bl Leonid Feodorov (1879-1935) Martyr
“Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.”
” …We need no rifles or pistols for our battle but instead, spiritual weapons – and the foremost among these is prayer…. Through prayer, we continually implore new grace from God, since without God’s help and grace, it would be impossible for us to preserve the Faith and be true to His commandments….”
“Since the death of Christ, almost every century has seen the persecution of Christians, there have always been heroes and martyrs who gave their lives – often in horrible ways – for Christ and their faith. If we hope to reach our goal some day, then we, too, must become heroes of the faith.”
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943)
Martyr of Conscientious Objection
Quote/s of the Day – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Psalm 51:3-6, 11, 16, Matthew 5:43-48
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart but you shall reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people but, you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord”
Leviticus 19:17-18
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
Matthew 5:44
“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? … And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? … So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity without which, no-one will ever see God.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Monk and Bishop
Sermons addressed to the people, no. 23, 3
“We must show love for those who do evil to us and pray for them. Nothing is dearer or more pleasing to God than this.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373)
“… I declare to you, that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian Baptism.”
St Paul Miki SJ (1564-1597) Martyr
“All our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich and for all those who do us harm, as much as those who do us good.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom and pray for its coming, we are not thinking of a discrimination according to race or blood but of the brotherhood of all, for all men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us – in a close bond with the One, who causes the sun to rise on the good and the bad alike (Mt 5:45).”
Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr
“Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.”
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943)
“Called-up to a Higher Order”
Martyr of Conscientious Objection
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:1-16, Psalm 5:2-3, 4-7, Matthew 5:38-42 and the Memorial of St Germaine Cousin (1579–1601)
“But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”
Matthew 5:39
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Matthew 5:44
“We are treated as deceivers and yet, are truthful, as unrecognised and yet, acknowledged, as dying and behold we live, as chastised and yet, not put to death, as sorrowful yet, always rejoicing, as poor yet, enriching many, as having nothing and yet, possessing all things.”
2 Corinthians 8-10
“You don’t love in your enemies what they are but what you would have them become, by your prayers!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“For true charity, beloved brethren, is the soul of the whole of Scripture, the strength of prophecy, the structure of knowledge, the fruit of faith, the wealth of the poor, the life of the dying. So keep it faithfully; cherish it with all your heart and all the strength of your soul (cf Mk 12:30).”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Bishop and Monk
(Sermons to the people, no. 23, 4-5, which draws its inspiration from Saint Augustine)
“This Gospel passage is rightly considered, the magna carta of Christian non-violence. One then understands that for Christians, non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that, he is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. … Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world! Here is the heroism of the “lowly” who believe in God’s love and spread it, even at the cost of their lives.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 18 February 2007
Lenten Reflection – 18 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Readings: Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Psalm 25:4-9, Matthew 18:21-35
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
“Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” …Matthew 18:33
Daily Meditation: Make us one in love and prayer.
“What is human mercy like? It makes you concerned for the hardship of the poor. What is divine mercy like? It forgives sinners…
In this world God is cold and hungry in all the poor, as He Himself said (Mt 25:40)… What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven… What He receives on earth He returns in heaven.
I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.” … St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) – Sermon 25
Intercessions:
Blessed be God, the giver of salvation,
who decreed that mankind should become a new creation in Himself,
when all would be made new.
With great confidence let us ask him:
Lord, renew us in Your Spirit.
Lord, You promised a new heaven and a new earth; renew us daily through Your Spirit,
– that we may enjoy Your presence for ever in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Help us to work with You to make this world alive with Your Spirit,
– and to build on earth a city of justice, love and peace.
Free us from all negligence and sloth,
– and give us joy in Your gifts of grace.
Deliver us from evil,
– and from slavery to the senses, which blinds us to goodness.
Closing Prayer: O Lord and Master of My Life Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity,
lust for power and idle talk.
But give to me, Thy servant,
a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love.
O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own faults
and not to condemn my brother.
For blessed art Thou to the ages of ages.
Amen
O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
O God, cleanse me, a sinner.
O God, my Creator, save me
and for my many sins forgive me!
One Minute Reflection – 21 February – Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: James 2:14-24, 26, Psalm 112:1-6, Mark 8:34–9:1 and the Memorial of Blessed Noel Pinot (1747-1794) Priest and Martyr
“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” … Mark 8:34
REFLECTION – “What does this mean, “take up a cross”? It means he will bear with whatever is troublesome and in this very act he will be following me.
When he has begun to follow me, according to My teaching and precepts, he will find many people contradicting him and standing in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him.
Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside the church but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds.
Although these glory, in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute faithful Christians.
Such belong to the members of the church in the same way, that bad blood is in the body.
Therefore, if you wish to follow Christ, do not delay in carrying His cross, tolerate sinners but do not yield to them.
Do not let the false happiness of the wicked corrupt you.
You do well to despise all things for the sake of Christ, in order that you may be fit for his companionship.” … St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) – (Sermons, 159)
PRAYER – Holy Father, send Your Divine Enlightener into the hearts of all Your faithful, filling us with the strength to fulfil our mission as the followers of Your only Son, our Saviour and to take up our cross in His footsteps. Teach us and guide us, to deny ourselves for His sake. As the zealous, faithful and courageous shepherd Blessed Noel Pinot, died for love of Christ and His Church, may we and all our Priests, profit by his intercession and be strengthened in the face of all persecution. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen
Quote of the Day – 21 January – Monday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A – Readings: 1 Samuel 15:16-23, Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Mark 2:18-22
“And so, dearly beloved brethren, let us each examine his conscience and when he sees that he has been wounded by some sin, let him first strive to cleanse his conscience by prayer, fasting, almsgiving and so dare to approach the Eucharist. If he recognises his guilt and is reluctant to approach the holy altar, he will be quickly pardoned by the Divine Mercy, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). If then, as I have said, a man conscious of his sins, humbly decides to stay away from the altar until he reforms his life, he will not be afraid of being completely excluded from the eternal banquet of heaven.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-542)
Bishop of Arles
Father of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Monday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:1-4
Speaking of: Mercy
“What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven… What He receives on earth, He returns in heaven!”
“I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.”
“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? (…) And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…) So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity.
without which no-one
will ever see God.”
Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.”
St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“Father of the Fathers”
“The poor are our masters, let us love them and serve them, as we would serve Jesus Christ Himself. “
Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni (1802-1855)
“Yours must be a work of love, of kindness, you must give your time, your talents, yourselves. The poor person is a unique person of God’s fashioning with an inalienable right to respect. You must not be content with tiding the poor over the poverty crisis, You must study their condition and the injustices which brought about such poverty, with the aim of a long term improvement.”
“It is our vocation to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on earth in order to set it ablaze with His love.”
“I would like to embrace the whole world in a network of charity.”
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853)
“Servant to the Poor”
and Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society
“True friendship with Jesus is expressed in how one lives, in the goodness of one’s heart, in one’s humility, kindness and mercy, in one’s love for justice and truth, in one’s sincere commitment to peace and reconciliation. This, we might say, is the ‘identity card’ that qualifies us as true ‘friends,’ it is the ‘passport’ that will let us enter eternal life.”
Thought for the Day – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
We have All been made Temples of God through Baptism
Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
An excerpt from Sermon 229
My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing. We, however, ought to be the true and living temple of God. Nevertheless, Christians rightly commemorate this Feast of the Church, their mother, for they know that through her, they were reborn in the spirit. At our first birth, we were vessels of God’s wrath, reborn, we became vessels of His mercy. Our first birth brought death to us but our second restored us to life.
Indeed, before our Baptism we were sanctuaries of the devil but after our Baptism we merited the privilege of being temples of Christ. And if we think more carefully about the meaning of our salvation, we shall realise that we are, indeed, living and true temples of God. God does not dwell only in structures fashioned by human hands, in homes of wood and stone but rather He dwells principally, in the soul made according to His own image and fashioned by His own hand. Therefore, the apostle Paul says: The temple of God is holy and you are that temple.
When Christ came, He banished the devil from our hearts, in order to build in them a temple for Himself. Let us, therefore, do what we can with His help, so that our evil deeds will not deface that temple. For whoever does evil, does injury to Christ. As I said earlier, before Christ redeemed us, we were the house of the devil but afterward, we merited the privilege of being the house of God. God Himself in His loving mercy, saw fit, to make of us, His own home.
My fellow Christians, do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil . I shall speak clearly, so that all can understand. Whenever we come to Church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this Church to be. Do you wish to find this Basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this Basilica to be full of light? God too, wishes that your soul be not in darkness but that the light of good works shine in us, so that He, who dwells in the heavens, will be glorified. Just as you enter this Church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for He promised – I shall live in them and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.
Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – Tuesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 23:23–26 and The Memorial of St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Father of the Church
“What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven… What He receives on earth, He returns in heaven!”
” For true charity, beloved brethren, is the soul of the whole of Scripture, the strength of prophecy, the structure of knowledge, the fruit of faith, the wealth of the poor, the life of the dying. So keep it faithfully, cherish it with all your heart and all the strength of your soul.”
“I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.”
“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? (…) And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…) So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity without which no-one will ever see God.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 August – Tuesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 23:23–26 and The Memorial of St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Father of the Church
“You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”…Matthew 23:26
REFLECTION – “And so, dearly beloved brethren, let us each examine his conscience and when he sees that he has been wounded by some sin, let him first strive to cleanse his conscience by prayer, fasting, almsgiving and so dare to approach the Eucharist. If he recognises his guilt and is reluctant to approach the holy altar, he will be quickly pardoned by the Divine Mercy, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). If then, as I have said, a man conscious of his sins, humbly decides to stay away from the altar until he reforms his life, he will not be afraid of being completely excluded from the eternal banquet of heaven.
I ask you then, brethren, to pay careful attention. If no-one dares approach an influential man’s table in tattered, soiled garments, how much more should one refrain in reverence and humility from the banquet of the Eternal King, that is, from the altar of the Lord, if one is smitten with poisonous envy, or anger, or is full of rage and fury? For it is written, “Go first and be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:24). And again, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And when he kept silent, that man said to the attendants, ‘bind his hands and feet and cast him forth into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Mt 22:12,13). The same sentence awaits the man who dares present himself at the wedding feast, that is at the Lord’s table, if he is guilty of drunkenness, or adultery, or retains hatred in his heart.” … St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Bishop of Arles, Father of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, renew Your Church with the Spirit of wisdom and love which You gave to St Caesarius. Lead us by that same Spirit, to seek You, the only fountain of true wisdom and the source of everlasting love. May we turn to You in sorrow and true repentance when we fail and strive always and everywhere to live in Your truth and Your love for all. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union with the Spirit, one God, forever and ever. St Caesarius, pray for the Church and for us all, amen.
Saint of the Day – 27 August – Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543) – ArchBishop and Church Father, Theologian, Preacher, apostle of charity, legislator, administrator, writer, reformer – sometimes known as Caesarius of Chalon due to his birthplace, born in 470 at Châlons, Burgundy, Gaul (modern France) and died on 27 August 543 at Saint John’s convent, Arles, Gaul. Patronages – against fire.
Caesarius was born at what is now Chalon-sur-Saône, to Roman-Burgundian parents in the last years of the Western Empire. His sister, St Caesaria, to whom he addressed his “Regula ad Virgines” (Rule for Virgins), presided over the convent he had founded. Unlike his parents, Caesarius was born with a very strong and intense feeling for religion which alienated him from his family for the majority of his adolescence.
He entered the monastery of Lérins when quite young but his health being affected, the abbot sent him to Arles in order to recuperate. The Monastic community he joined there nursed him back to health and he was soon popularly elected as their bishop. By middle age, he had “become and was to remain the leading ecclesiastical statesman and spiritual force of his age.” His concern for the poor and sick was famous throughout and beyond Gaul as he regularly provided ransom for prisoners and aided the sick and the poor. Upon arriving in the city, the Vita Caesarii Life of Caesarius, says that Caesarius discovered, completely to his surprise, that the bishop of Arles – Aeonius – was a kinsman from Chalon (concivis pariter et propinquus – “at once a fellow citizen and a relative”. Aeonius later ordained his young relative as deacon and then Priest. For three years he presided over a monastery in Arles but of this building, no vestige is now left.
On the death of the bishop Caesarius was unanimously chosen his successor. He ruled the See of Arles for forty years with apostolic courage and prudence and stands out in the history of that unhappy period as the foremost bishop of Gaul. His episcopal city, near the mouth of the Rhone and close to Marseilles, retained yet its ancient importance in the social, commercial, and industrial life of Gaul and the Mediterranean world generally. As Bishop, Caesarius suffered much political hardship and attacks from many sides but he consistently remained true to his role as Bishop of the faith.
Caesarius, is, however, best known in his own day and is still best remembered, as a popular preacher, the first great ‘peoples’ preacher’ of the Christians, whose sermons have come down to us. As a preacher, Caesarius displayed great knowledge of Scripture and was eminently practical in his exhortations. Besides reproving ordinary vices of humanity, he had often to contend against lingering pagan practices, as auguries, or heathen rites.
Caesarius also has the reputation of being the faithful champion of Augustine of Hippo in the early middle ages. Thus Augustine’s writings are seen to have profoundly shaped Caesarius’ vision of human community, both inside and outside the cloister and Caesarius’ prowess as a popular preacher, is understood to follow from his close attention to the example of the Bishop of Hippo. A certain number of these discourses, forty more or less, deal with Old Testament subjects and follow the prevalent typology made popular by St Augustine.
Caesarius has over 250 surviving sermons in his corpus. His sermons reveal him as a pastor dedicated to the formation of the clergy and the moral education of the laity. He preached on Christian beliefs, values and practices against pagan syncretism. He emphasises the life of a Christian as well as the love of God, reading the scriptures, asceticism, psalmody, love for one’s neighbour and the judgement that would come. His works travelled to all parts of the Christian West, spreading his medieval sermon tradition and its topics. His writings were used by monks in Germany, repeated in Anglo-Saxon poetry and turned up in the important works of Gatianus of Tours and Thomas Aquinas.
As the occupant of an important see, the bishop of Arles exercised considerable official, as well as personal, influence. Caesarius was liberal in the loan of sermons and sent suggestions for discourses to priests and even bishops living in Spain, Italy, and elsewhere in Gaul. The great doctrinal question of his age and country was that of semi-Pelagianism. Caesarius, though evidently a disciple of St Augustine, displayed in this respect, considerable independence of thought.
Caesarius instituted many reforms, was the first to introduce in his cathedral the Divine Office, Hours of Terce, Sext and None and he also enriched with hymns, the Psalmody of every Hour.
On a visit to Rome, Pope St Symmachus gave him the Pallium and made him the apostolic delegate to France. St Caesarius was the first in western Europe to receive the Pallium, thus being a forebear of this custom, which now is a rite of the Church.
St Caesarius published the Brevarium Alarici, an adaptation of Roman law which became the civil law of all Gaul. Following the fall of Arles by the Franks in 536, Caesarius moved his offices and residence to Saint John’s convent where he lived out his last seven years, spending much of his time in prayer.
Caesarius was a perfect monk in the episcopal chair and as such, his contemporaries revered him. He was a pious and a peaceful shepherd amid barbarism and war, generous and charitable to a fault, a great benefactor of his Church, mindful of the helpless, tactful in dealing with the powerful and rich, in all his life a model of Catholic speech and action.
19th-century reliquary of St Caesarius, Church of S. Trophime in Arles
St Ebbo of Sens
St Etherius of Lyons
St Euthalia of Leontini
St Fortunatus of Potenza
Bl Gabriel Mary
St Gebhard of Constance
St Giovanni of Pavia
St Honoratus of Potenza
Bl Jean Baptiste Guillaume
Bl Jean-Baptiste Souzy
St John of Pavia
St Licerius of Couserans
St Malrubius of Merns
Bl Maria del Pilar Izquierdo Albero
St Narnus of Bergamo
St Phanurius
St Poemen
Bl Roger Cadwallador
St Rufus of Capua
St Sabinian of Potenza
St Syagrius of Autun
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Martyrs of Tomi – 5 saints: A group of 17 Christians imprisoned and excuted for their faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. They miraculously were unburned by fire and untouched by wild animals. We know the names and a few details on five of them – John, Mannea, Marcellinus, Peter and Serapion. They were tied to stakes and burned alive; they emerged unharmed – thrown to wild animals in the amphitheatre; the animals ignored them; they were beheaded in 304 in Tomi, Mesia (modern Costanza, Romania).
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Buenaventura Gabika-Etxebarria Gerrikabeitia
• Blessed Esteban Barrenechea Arriaga
• Blessed Fernando González Añon
• Blessed Francisco Euba Gorroño
• Blessed Hermenegildo Iza Aregita
• Blessed José María López Carrillo
• Blessed Juan Antonio Salútregui Iribarren
• Blessed Pedro Ibáñez Alonso
• Blessed Pelayo José Granado Prieto
• Blessed Plácido Camino Fernández
• Blessed Quirino Díez del Blanco
• Blessed Ramón Martí Soriano
One Minute Reflection – 26 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23 and the Memorial of Sts Joachim and Anne
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirty.”…Matthew 13:23
REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated. First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself. You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow. Oh, let it be like this in our souls! First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts, then take out the stones, in other words, all our malice and obstinacy. Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross. Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”...St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)
PRAYER – O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of Your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may work hard to deserve the grace You send us and thus attain the salvation You have promised to Your people. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Sts Joachim and Anne, pray for us! Amen
Thought for the Day – 18 June – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Matthew 5:44
“Love your enemies”
Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Monk and Bishop
Sermons addressed to the people, no. 23, 3; SC 243
In all these works of true and perfect charity I am telling you about, nothing is to be done with hand or foot – in other words, no-one can say they are incapable of them or too weak. (…) No-one can plausibly raise any kind of excuse against them, saying, that they are unable to put these counsels into practice. For you are not being told: “Fast more than you are able, stay awake all night more than you have the strength to do!” (…); no-one is obliging you to sell all your goods and give everything to the poor or to remain a virgin. (…) Let someone who can do all these things give thanks to God. And let someone who cannot, maintain true charity and they will possess everything in this. For love suffices, even without all those good works but those good works, without love, are wholly useless. That is why I am saying and repeating these things to you, dearest brethren, so that you may evermore fully understand, that no-one can claim, they are incapable of, carrying out God’s commandments.
So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? (…) And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…) So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity without which no-one will ever see God.
Daily Meditation: Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in Your kindness and great mercy.
Azariah asks God to remember His mercies.
He places his complete trust in God.
These days, we place our lives in God’s hands,
and we let God forgive us.
The challenge of the Gospel is to forgive
as we have been forgiven.
How often we are so very much harder on others
than our God is on us!
An important Lenten examination of conscience.
“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18:35
“Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” …Matthew 18:33
“What is human mercy like? It makes you concerned for the hardship of the poor. What is divine mercy like? It forgives sinners…
In this world God is cold and hungry in all the poor, as He Himself said (Mt 25:40)… What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven…
What He receives on earth He returns in heaven.
I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Sermon 25
Closing Prayer:
God of infinite love,
I thank You for this reminder of Your love
and Your call that we be more patient,
gentle and compassionate with others.
Here in the middle of Lent,
I turn to You to beg for Your help.
Please soften my heart.
Help me to let go of judging others.
I ask You this, through Christ our Lord.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 20 January – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“…Let him first strive to cleanse his conscience”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Bishop of Arles, Father of the Church
And so, dearly beloved brethren, let us each examine his conscience and when he sees that he has been wounded by some sin, let him first strive to cleanse his conscience by prayer, fasting, almsgiving and so dare to approach the Eucharist. If he recognises his guilt and is reluctant to approach the holy altar, he will be quickly pardoned by the Divine Mercy, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). If then, as I have said, a man conscious of his sins, humbly decides to stay away from the altar until he reforms his life, he will not be afraid of being completely excluded from the eternal banquet of heaven.
I ask you then, brethren, to pay careful attention. If no-one dares approach an influential man’s table in tattered, soiled garments, how much more should one refrain in reverance and humility from the banquet of the Eternal King, that is, from the altar of the Lord, if one is smitten with poisonous envy, or anger, or is full of rage and fury? For it is written, “Go first and be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:24). And again, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And when he kept silent, that man said to the attendants, ‘bind his hands and feet and cast him forth into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Mt 22:12,13). The same sentence awaits the man who dares present himself at the wedding feast, that is at the Lord’s table, if he is guilty of drunkenness, or adultery, or retains hatred in his heart.
St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Bishop of Arles, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Merovingian Gaul. Caesarius is considered to be of the last generation of church leaders of Gaul that worked to promote large-scale ascetic elements into the Western Christian tradition. Caesarius was a “popular preacher of great fervour and enduring influence”. Among those who exercised the greatest influence on Caesarius were Augustine of Hippo, Julianus Pomerius and John Cassian.
Thought for the Day – 10 August – Feast of St Lawrence, Martyr (died 258)
When the archdeacon returned, instead of bringing vessels of gold and silver, he brought the poor of the city, saying, “Behold, these choice pearls, these sparkling gems that adorn the temple, these sacred virgins, I mean, and these widows who refuse second marriage…. Behold then, all our riches.”
“Come. You have my Father’s blessing!
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you”
Christ, that is to say, heavenly mercy, comes to the door of your house every day, not only spiritually to the door of your soul but also materially to the door of your house. For every time a poor person approaches your house, it is without any doubt Christ who is coming, He who said: “As often as you did it for one of these little ones, you did it for me.” So don’t harden you heart, give a little money to Christ, from whom you want to receive the Kingdom. Give a piece of bread to Him, from whom you hope to receive life. Welcome Him into your home, so that He might welcome you into His paradise. Give Him alms, so that in return He might give you eternal life.
What audacity to want to reign in heaven with Him to whom you refuse to give alms in this world! If you receive Him during this earthly journey, He will welcome you into His heavenly happiness; if you despise Him here in your homeland, He will turn His eyes away from you in His glory. A Psalm says: “In your city, Lord, you despise their image.” (Ps 72:20 Vulg.) If we despise those who are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26) in our city, that is to say, in this life, we must fear being rejected in His eternal city. So be merciful here below… Thanks to your generosity, you will hear that wonderful word said to you: “Come. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you”
Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543), Monk and Bishop (Sermon 26 # 5)
St Lawrence, your total and complete response to Christ is our example today, please pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”...Matthew 13:23
REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated. First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself. You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow. Oh, let it be like this in our souls! First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts; then take out the stones, in other words all our malice and obstinacy. Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross. Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”...St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)
PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! (Ps 50[51]) Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace to us. Keep us within in the path of Your commandments, help us to work on the earth of our souls, rooting out the weeds and casting forth the stones of malice. Grant that by the prayers of St Pope Celestine, who faced so many stones of heresy, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 18 June – Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:38-42
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...”Matthew 5:38-39
REFLECTION – “Whoever keeps the whole Law but falls short in one particular has become guilty in respect to all of it” (Jas 2:10). What is this one law if not true love, perfect charity? It is of this that Saint Paul also said : “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one statement, namely: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14)…
For true charity is patient in adversity and moderate in prosperity; strong in painful suffering, joyful in good works; completely safe in temptation. It is very gentle among genuine brothers, very patient among the false. It is innocent in the midst of snares, groans in the midst evildoing and breathes naturally in the truth. It is chaste in the married woman, Susannah, in the widow, Anna, in the virgin, Mary (Dn 13:1f.; Lk 2:36). It is humble in Peter’s obedience and free in Paul’s arguments. It is human in the witness of Christians, divine in the forgiveness of Christ. For true charity, beloved brethren, is the soul of the whole of Scripture, the strength of prophecy, the structure of knowledge, the fruit of faith, the wealth of the poor, the life of the dying. So keep it faithfully; cherish it with all your heart and all the strength of your soul (cf Mk 12:30).”…St Caesarius of Arles (470-543), monk and Bishop (Sermons to the people, no. 23, 4-5, which draws its inspiration from Saint Augustine)
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to Your commandments. That we may grow in love, patience, strength, gentleness, forgiveness and all the ways of our guide, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour. Holy Mother Mary, pray for us and keep us ever in your care that we may not go astray. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, forever, amen.