Tag: stfrancisdesales

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Monday of the Fifth week of Easter, C and the Memorial of Saint Bernadine of Siena OFM (1380-1444)

Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God,
I am unworthy to be your servant.
Yet moved by your motherly care for me
and longing to serve you,
I choose you this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother.
I firmly resolve ever
to be devoted to you
and to do what I can
to encourage others
to be devoted to you.
My loving Mor,
through the Precious Blood
of your Son shed for me,
I beg you to receive me
as your servant forever.
Aid me in my actions
and beg for me the grace
never by thought, word or deed
to be displeasing in your sight
and that of your most holy Son.
Remember me, dearest Mother,
and do not abandon me
at the hour of death.
Amenmost holy virgin I choose you this day - st francis de sales - 5 may 2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter, C

Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity

Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God,
I am unworthy to be your servant.
Yet moved by your motherly care for me
and longing to serve you,
I choose you this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother.
I firmly resolve ever
to be devoted to you
and to do what I can
to encourage others
to be devoted to you.
My loving Mother,
through the Precious Blood
of your Son shed for me,
I beg you to receive me
as your servant forever.
Aid me in my actions
and beg for me the grace
never by thought, word, or deed
to be displeasing in your sight
and that of your most holy Son.
Remember me, dearest Mother,
and do not abandon me at the hour of death.
Amenmost-holy-virgin-i-choose-you-this-day-st-francis-de-sales-5-may-2018 and again 8 may 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE MERCY, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, The HOLY SPIRIT, The PASSION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 28 April – “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, Gospel: John 20:19–31

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.   As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”   And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “...John 20:21-22

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

First Sermon for Pentecost

‘He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit” ‘
Lord Jesus Christ, once again grant that of us, too, there may be but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) for then there will be “a great calm” (Mk 4:39).   My dear listeners, I exhort you to good will and kindness to one another and peace with all.   For were we to have charity among ourselves, we would have both peace and the Holy Spirit.   Let us undertake to become devout and pray to God… since the apostles persevered in prayer… If we set ourselves to fervent prayer then the Holy Spirit will enter us and say:  “Peace be with you!   It is I; be not afraid” (cf. Mk 6:50)…   And what ought we to ask God for, my brethren?   For all that is for His honour and the salvation of your souls and, in a word, for the help of the Holy Spirit – “Send forth your Spirit and they will be created” (Ps 104[103]:30) – peace and tranquillity…mark 6 50 peace be with you it is i be not afraid - div mercy sun 28 april 2019.jpg

We are to ask for this peace so that the Spirit of peace may come down on us.   We should give thanks to God, too, for all His blessings if we want Him to grant us those victories that are the beginning of peace.   And to obtain the Holy Spirit we should give thanks to God the Father for having first of all sent Him upon our Head, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and His Son… – for “from his fullness we have all received” (cf. Jn 1:16) – and for having sent Him upon His apostles that through their hands they might pass Him onto us.   We should give thanks to the Son – as God, He sends the Spirit upon those who prepare themselves to receive Him.   But, most especially, we should thank Him because, as man, He merited for us, the grace of receiving this divine Spirit…

And how has Jesus Christ merited the Holy Spirit’s coming?   When “bowing his head, he gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30), for, when He gave breathed His last and handed over His spirit to the Father, He merited the Father’s sending His Spirit upon His mystical body.he breathed on them john 20 22 - and to obtain the holy spirit - st francis de sales div mercy sun 28 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Lenten Thoughts – 27 March – Progress towards Perfection

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 27 March – Wednesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C

Progress towards Perfection

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

“We too often forget that maxim of the Saints which warns us to consider ourselves as each day recommencing our progress towards perfection.   If we consider it frequently, we shall not be surprised at the poverty of our spirit, nor how much we have to refuse ourselves.

The work is never finished, we have continually to begin again and that courageously. What we have done so far is good but what we are going to commence, will be better and when we have finished that, we shall begin something else that will be better still and then another – until we leave this world to begin a new life that will have no end because it is the best that can happen to us.

It is not then a case for tears, that we have so much work to do for our souls, for we need great courage to go ever onwards (since we must never stop) and much resolution to restrain our desires.   Observe carefully this precept that all the Saints have given to those who would emulate them – to speak little, or not at all, of yourself and your own interests.”the work is never finished - st francis de sales - 27 march 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, Papa FRANCIS, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – “Speaking of Charity”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C – Gospel: Matthew 18:21–35

“Speaking of Charity”

“The bread which you use
is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe
is the garment of him who is naked;
the shoes you do NOT wear,
are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the acts of charity that you do NOT perform,
are so many INJUSTICES that you commit.”

St Basil the Great (329-379) Father & Doctor of the Churchthe-bread-you-store-up-st-basil-the-great-1-jan-2019.jpg

“Give something, however small,
to the one in need.
For it is not small to one who has nothing.
Neither is it small to God,
if we have given what we could.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Churchgive-something-however-small-st-gregory-of-nazianzen-2016.jpg

“Charity may be
a very short word
but with its tremendous
meaning of pure love,
it sums up man’s
entire relation to God
and to his neighbour.”

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)charity-may-be-a-very-short-word-st-aelred-12-jan-2019.jpg

“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)with-outstretched-arms-he-begs-us-st-john-of-god-8-march-2019.jpg

“Nothing makes us
so prosperous
in this world,
as to give alms.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Churchnothing-makes-us-so-prosperous-st-francis-de-sales-24jan2019.jpg

“Help me, O Lord, …
that my eyes may be merciful,
so that I will never be suspicious
or judge by appearances
but always look for what is beautiful
in my neighbours’ souls
and be of help to them…
That my ears may be merciful,
so that I will be attentive to my neighbours’ needs
and not indifferent to their pains and complaints.…
That my tongue may be merciful,
so that I will never speak badly of others
but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.…
That my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds.…
That my feet may be merciful,
so that I will hasten to help my neighbour,
despite my own fatigue and weariness.…
That my heart may be merciful,
so that I myself will share
in all the sufferings of my neighbour.”

St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

(Extract from Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska, 163)
This prayer was used by Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy 2015 to be universally prayed by the Church.help-me-o-lord-that-i-may-be-merciful-st-faustina-15-feb-2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 March – Lord I am Yours

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C

Lord I am Yours
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church

Lord, I am Yours,
and I must belong to no one but You.
My soul is Yours,
and must live only by You.
My will is Yours,
and must love only for You.
I must love You as my first cause,
since I am from You.
I must love You as my end and rest,
since I am for You.
I must love You more than my own being,
since my being subsists by You.
I must love You more than myself,
since I am all Yours and all in You.
Amenlord i am yours - st francis de sales 26 march 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, LENT 2019, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 19 March – Faithful, Humble, Obedient, Wise, Brave

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 19 March – Tuesday of The Second Week of Lent, Year C
The Solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of Mary

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

“How faithful in humility was the great saint we are celebrating!   That can’t be said in all its perfection for, in spite of what he was, in what poverty and lowliness he lived all the days of his life, a poverty and lowliness beneath which he kept hidden and concealed his great virtues and dignity!… Truly, I have no doubt at all that the angels came, beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank, to behold and wonder at his humility, while he sheltered that dearest child in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment so as to feed the little boy and the mother entrusted to him.

There is no doubt at all that Saint Joseph was braver than David and wiser that Solomon [who were his ancestors].  Nevertheless, seeing him reduced to the exercise of carpentry, who could have discerned this unless they were enlightened by a heavenly light, so hidden did he keep the remarkable gifts with which God had favoured him?   And what wisdom did he not have?   For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for…, the universal Prince of heaven and earth…   Nevertheless, you can see how low and humbled he was brought, more than can be said or imagined… he went to his own country and town of Bethlehem and none but he was turned away from all those inns…  Notice how the angel turns him about with both hands.   He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes, he orders him to return and he returns.   God wants him to be always poor… and he submits to it with love and not only for a while, for he was poor his whole life long.”st joseph pray for us 19 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Protect us from what could harm us
as St Joseph protected our Lord and Saviour.

God the Father has given us His only Son, the Word made man,
to be our food and our life. Let us thank Him and pray:
May the word of Christ dwell among us in all its richness.

Help us in this Lenten season to listen more frequently to Your word,
that we may celebrate the solemnity of Easter with greater love for Christ, our paschal teacher,
that we may encourage those in doubt and error to follow what is true and good.
Enable us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Anointed One,
that our lives may reveal Him more effectively.
Purify and renew Your Church in this time of salvation,
that it may give an even greater witness to You.

For thy steadfast love was established forever,
thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
Thou hast said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.’
Psalm 89:2–4

Closing Prayer:

God in heaven and in my life,
guide me and protect me.
I so often believe I can save myself
and I always end in failure.
Lead me with Your love away from harm
and guide me on the right path.
May Your Spirit inspire the Church
and make us an instrument of Your love and guidance.
Thank You for your care for me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amenlent tues of the secopnd week - psalm 89 2 19 march 2019.jpg