One Minute Reflection – 9 May – Sixth Sunday of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Psalm: Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4 (2b); Second: First John 4: 7-10; Gospel: John 15: 9-17
“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13
REFLECTION – “Cloth of scarlet or purple is a very precious and royal fabric, not because of the wool but because of the colour. The actions of good Christians are of such great value, that heaven is given to us for them. However, … it is not because they come from us and are the wool of our hearts. Rather, it is because they are dyed with the blood of the Son of God. I mean, that the Saviour sanctifies our actions by the merits of His blood. A branch of the vine, united and joined to the stock, produces fruit, not by it’s own power but empowered by the stock. Now we are untied by charity to our Redeemer, as members to the head (Eph 4:15-16). That is why our fruits and good works, drawing their value from Him, merit life everlasting.
… We, ourselves, are branches that are dry, unprofitable and unfruitful. We are not competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers (2 Cor 3:5-6) and able to do His will. Therefore, as soon as sacred love engraves on our hearts the name of our Saviour, our great Shepherd (1 Pet 2:25), we begin to bear delicious fruits for life everlasting.” …. St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. May our hearts overflow with the joy of His eternal presence, that in Him and through Him and with Him, we may attain the happiness of life eternal. May the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, guide us that we may always follow our Shepherd in faithful love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 6 May – “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter. Readings: First: Acts 15: 7-21; Psalm: Psalms 96: 1-2a, 2b-3, 10; Gospel: John 15: 9-1
“As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.”
John 15:9
“You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart”
Mark 12:30
“Remember God more often than you breathe!”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Choose the opposition of the whole world, rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved, for the sake of Jesus but Jesus, for His own sake.”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
(Book 2 Ch 8)
“My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist. In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us. It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one, that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love, a supreme and most ardent love, by way of pure grace and charity. Ah! One needs to love Him back with one’s whole, whole, whole, living, living, living and true, true, true heart!!”
St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619) Apostolic Doctor of the Church
“By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange but, eternal life as well!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“If a man wants to know if he is living a good Christian life, therefore, all he has to do is ask himself if he loves God above everything and his neighbour as himself. … Love gives wings to his feet and pours enthusiasm and fervour into his heart.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 May – “Mary’s Month” Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 14:19-28, Psalm 145:10-13, 21, John 14:27-31
“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27
“Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span?”
Luke 12:25
“Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Thy great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Thy will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To face tomorrow, confidently, courageously.”
St Frances of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.”
“Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of Prayer
“Let us think only of spending the present day well. Then, when tomorrow shall have come, it will be called TODAY and then, we will think about it.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Prayer is our strength, our sword, our consolation and the key to paradise.”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – “Saturday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 6: 1-7, Psalm: Psalms 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19, Gospel: John 6: 16-21
“They saw Jesus, walking upon the sea and drawing nigh to the ship and they were afraid.”
John 6:19
And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Mark 4:39-40
“What are you afraid of, you men of little faith? That He will not pardon your sins? But with His own hands He has nailed them to the cross. That you are used to soft living and your tastes are fastidious? But He knows the clay of which we are made (Gn 2:7). That a prolonged habit of sinning binds you like a chain? But the Lord loosens the shackles of prisoners. Or perhaps that angered by the enormity and frequency of your sins, He is slow to extend a helping hand? But where sin abounded, grace became superabundant (Rom 5,20). Are you worried about clothing and food and other bodily necessities s o that you hesitate to give up your possessions? But He knows that you need all these things (Mt 6,32). What more can you wish? What else is there to hold you back from the way of salvation? ”
St Bernard (1091-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon 38
“Keep Jesus Christ as your dial, at all times, His Cross for mast, on which to hoist your resolutions, as a sail. Let your anchor be, profound trust in Him and set out early!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Then steer your ship with steady arm, Trust me and rest your soul. Your little boat I’ll keep from harm, I’ll guide it toward its goal. … Be ,therefore, steadfast, calm and true, Your God is at your side. Through storm and night He’ll see you through With conscience as your guide.”
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Edith Stein “At the Helm”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – The Octave Day of Easter, Readings; First: Acts 4: 32-35,salm: Psalms 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24,Second: First John 5: 1-6, Gospel: John 20: 19-31
“According to your faith, be it done to you.”
Matthew 9:30
“He [Christ], protects their faith and gives strength to believers, in proportion to the TRUST, that each man, who receives that strength, is willing to place in Him.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church
“Place all your trust in God, let Him be your fear and your love. He will answer for you, He will do what is best for you. You have here no lasting home. You are a stranger and a pilgrim wherever you may be and you shall have no rest, until you are wholly united with Christ. Why do you look about here when this is not the place of your repose?”
Quote/s of the Day – 31 March – Wednesday in Holy Week, Readings: First: Isaiah 50: 4-9a, Psalm: Psalms 69: 8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34, Gospel: Matthew 26: 14-25
“Is it I, Lord?”
Matthew 26:22
“O God, fullness of goodness, You do not forsake any, except those who forsake you. You never take away Your gifts, except when we take away our hearts. We rob the goodness of God, if we claim the glory of our salvation for ourselves. We dishonour His mercy, if we say He has failed us. … We blaspheme His goodness, if we deny that He has helped and assisted us. In short, O God, cry loud and clear into our ears: “your destruction comes from you, O Israel. In me alone is found your help” (Hos 13:9).
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
Treatise on the Love of God, Ch 9
“Sacrilegious tongues blaspheme the God who preserves their existence! … you should be damned forever and, instead of thanking Him for His goodness, you, at the very time that He bestows His favours upon you, YOU blaspheme His Holy Name!”
St Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him” – Matthew 1:24
REFLECTION – “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 Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church – Conferences, no. 19
PRAYER – Almighty God, at the beginnings of our salvation, when Mary conceived your Son and brought Him forth into the world, you placed them under Joseph’s watchful care. May his prayer still help Your Church to be an equally faithful guardian of Your mysteriest and a sign of Christ to mankind. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – Friday of the Third Week of Lent, Readings: Hosea 14: 2-10, Psalms 81: 6-8, 8-9, 10-11, 14 and 17, Mark 12:28-34
“You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart”
Mark 12:30
“Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24
“Remember God more often than you breathe!”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“You first loved us so that we might love You— not because You needed our love but because, we could not be what You created us to be, except by loving You.”
William of Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)
“We become what we love and who we love, shapes what we become.”
St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
“He who wishes for anything but Christ, does not know what he wishes; he who asks for anything but Christ, does not know what he is asking; he who works and not for Christ, does not know what he is doing.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“Man is the perfection of the Universe. The spirit is the perfection of man. Love is the perfection of the spirit and charity, that of love. Therefore, the love of God is the end, the perfection of the Universe.”
“By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange but, eternal life as well!”
Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Saturday of the Second week of Lent, Readings: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Psalms 103: 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
“Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him”
Luke 15:22
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Luke 18:13
“You do not know when your last day may come. You are an ingrate! Why not use the day, today, that God has given you to repent?”
“He who calls us, came here below, to give us the means of getting there. He chose the wood that would enable us to cross the sea – indeed, no-one can cross the ocean of this world, who is not borne by the Cross of Christ. Even the blind can cling to this Cross. If you can’t see where you are going very well, don’t let go of it, it will guide you by itself. ”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
“A saint is not someone, who never sins, but one who sins less and less frequently and gets up more and more quickly.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“Aspire to God with short but frequent outpourings of the heart, admire His bounty, invoke His aid, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of His Cross, adore His goodness, treat with Him of your salvation, give Him your whole soul – a thousand times in the day.”
Thought for the Day – 23 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Christian Formation of Character
“St Francis de Sales writes thus, with his usual simplicity: “A way has been found of making bitter almonds sweet, by pucturing them at the base and squeezing out the juice. Why cannot we eject our evil inclinations in order to make ourselves better. There is nobody so good by nature, that a bad habit could not altogether corrupt him. Similarly, there is nobody so bad by nature, that he could not be trained in goodness by the grace of God and his own perseverance.” St Francis de Sales did not teach this in theory alone but, he put his advice into practice to an heroic degree in his own life. He was endowed by nature, with a vigorous, irascible and resentful disposition and he bacame an angel of gentleness and affability. From his youth, he was aware of the defects in his character. He himself, admitted, that he struggled against them for twenty two years with God’s help. He reached the point where he was able to remain silent when he was insulted and to refrain from defending himself, when he was slandered, for he had acquired an inward peace and a remarkable calmness of manner. This gentleness of character enabled him to convert over seventy thousand heretics, to win back hardened sinners to Jesus Christ and, to set countless souls on fire with the love of God. This is the man called “the Gentle Christ of Geneva” and “the Gentleman Saint!” We have a great deal to learn from him!
Quote/s of the Day – 1 March – Monday of the Second week of Lent, Readings: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20,Psalms 50: 8-9,16-17, 21 and 23, Matthew 23:1-12
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12
“My brothers, keep away from the beast of boasting and concern for one’s reputation, for these destroy and weaken, every good work.”
Bl Raymond of Capua (c 1330-1399)
“The one sole thing, in myself, in which I glory, is that I see in myself, nothing, in which I can glory.”
St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
“Humility is not just about self-mistrust but about the entrusting of ourselves to God. Distrusting ourselves and our own strength produces trust in God and from that trust, generosity of soul is born.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all, how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”
St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
“There is more value in a little study of humility and, in a single act of it, than in all the knowledge in the world.”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of Prayer
Our Morning Offering – 20 February – Saturday after Ash Wednesday and always a Marian Saturday
Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God Act of Consecration By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Indulgence of 300 days, for each recitation St Pius X, 17 November 1906
Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, I ………., most unworthy though I am to be thy servant, yet touched by thy motherly care for me and longng to serve thee, do, in the presence of my Guardian Angel and all the court of heaven, choose thee this day to be my Queen, my Advocate and my Mother and I firmly purpose to serve thee evermore myself and, to do what I can, that all may render faithful service to thee. Therefore, most devoted Mother, through the Precious Blood thy Son poured out for me, I beg thee and beseech thee, deign to take me among thy clients and receive me as thy servant forever. Aid me in my every action and beg for me the grace never, by word or deed or thought, to be displeasing in thy sight and that of thy most holy Son. Think of me, my dearest Mother and desert me not at the hour of death. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 18 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Readings: Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalms 51:3-4, 5-6, 18-19, Matthew 9:14-15
“Then they will fast”
Matthew 9:15
“The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast in that day.”
Mark 2:20
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself!”
St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo Father and Doctor of Grace
“Prayer, mercy and fasting: These three are one and they give life to each other. 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 heared, hear the petition of others. When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give.”
St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna Father and Doctor of Homilies
“Let my fasting be based on temperance, my soul in a state of grace, my intention solely to please God, then my efforts will ring true, fit to enlarge my store of charity.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva OFM, Cap. Doctor Caritatis
“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment.”
Joel 2:12-13
“He need not fear anything, nor be ashamed of anything, who bears the Sign of the Cross on his brow.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in His sight, is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received… but only what you have given – a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
“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
Quote/s of the Day – 10 February – Readings: Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17, Psalms 104:1-2,27-28, 29-30, Mark 7:14-23
“The things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
Mark 7:15
“The evil speaker, eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body, of his neighbour.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The sky and the earth and the waters and the things that are in them, the fishes and the birds and the trees are not evil. All these are good; it is evil men who make this evil world.”
“What is reprehensible, is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice.”
St Augustine (354-407) Father and Doctor of Grace
“…If I do not speak the truth, I become a slave of the father of lies and become a member of this father of lies.”
St Jerome Emiliani (1486-1537)
“Let the enemy rage at the gate; let him knock, pound, scream, howl; let him do his worst. We know for certain, that he cannot enter our soul, except by the door of our consent.”
St Francis de Sales ((1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“We are generally the carpenters of our own crosses.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“Sin is the assassin of the soul.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“The power of evil men, lives, on the cowardice of the good!”
And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Mark 4:39-40
“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
Luke 24:29
“Come along then, every human family, full of sin as you are and receive the forgiveness of your sins. For I Myself, am your Forgiveness, I am the Passover of salvation, the Lamb slain for your sakes, your redemption, life and resurrection; I am your Light, your Salvation and your King. It is I, who lead you to the heights of heaven, I, who will raise you up; it is I, who will bring you to see the Father who is from all eternity; it is I, who will raise you up by My all-powerful Hand.”
St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180) Bishop, Apologist
“Christ first of all, Christ in the centre of the heart, in the centre of history and of the cosmos. Humanity needs Christ intensely because, He is our “measure.” There is no realm, that cannot be touched by His strength; there is no evil, that cannot find remedy in Him, there is no problem, that cannot be solved in Him. Either Christ or nothing!”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
“Look upon the face of the Crucified, who invites you to follow Him. He will be a Father, Mother–everything to you.”
St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)
“Keep Jesus Christ as your dial, at all times, His Cross for mast, on which to hoist your resolutions, as a sail. Let your anchor be, profound trust in Him and set out early!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Faith is like a bright ray of sunlight. It enables us to see God in all things, as well as, all things in God.”
“He who trusts in God can do all things.”
“Man is the perfection of the Universe. The spirit is the perfection of man. Love is the perfection of the spirit and charity, that of love. Therefore, the love of God is the end, the perfection of the Universe.”
“Our business is to love what we have. He wills our vocation as it is. Let us love that and not trifle away our time hankering after other people’s vocations.”
“Every moment comes to us, pregnant with a command from God, only to pass on and plunge into eternity, there to remain forever, what we have made of it!”
“By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange but, eternal life as well!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis “The Gentle Christ of Geneva” “The Gentleman Saint”
One Minute Reflection – 24 January – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Readins: Jonah 3: 1-5, 10, Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7,8-9, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1: 14-20 and the Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church: Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him…Mark 1:17-18
REFLECTION – “Follow me!” Jesus says these words … to every Christian. Follow me, naked as I am naked, free from every hindrance as I myself am. Jeremiah said: “You will call me ‘My Father’ and never turn away from me” (Jer 3:19). So follow Me and put down the burdens you are bearing. For, laden as you are, you cannot follow Me who am running ahead. “I ran in thirst” says the psalmist about me (Ps 61:5 LXX), the thirst to save humanity. And where is He running? To the Cross. You too, run after Him. As He bore His Cross for you, take up your own for your good. From whence these words of Saint Luke’s gospel: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself” by renouncing his own will, “take up his cross” by mortifying his passions, “daily,” that is all the time, “and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) …
Jesus speaks to us like a mother who, wanting to teach her child to walk, shows him apiece of bread or an apple and says to him: “Come with me and I’ll give it to you.” And when the child is so close that he can almost catch hold of it, she draws away a little, showing the thing to him and repeating: “Follow me if you want it.” Some kinds of birds lead their little ones out of their nest and, by flying, teach them to fly and to follow them. Jesus does the same. He shows Himself as an example and promises us His reward in the kingdom so that we might follow Him.
So “follow me” for I know the right way and will guide you. We read in the book of Proverbs: “I will show you the way of wisdom; I will lead you by the ways of equity. When you have entered, your steps will not be constrained and when you run you shall not meet a stumbling block” (cf. Prv 4:11-12 LXX). … Therefore, “follow me”.” … St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church – Sermon for the feast of Saint John the Evangelist
PRAYER – Grant Lord, that in the service of our fellowmen, we may always reflect Your own gentleness and love and so imitate St Francis de Sales, whom You made all things to all men, for the saving of souls. Grant that his prayers on our behalf may assist us in our daily struggles in traversing our pilgrim way. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time +2021 Third Sunday after Epiphany (Traditional Calendar) +2021
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)– Doctor of the Church: Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity) “The Gentle Christ of Geneva” and the “Gentleman Saint” – (Memorial)
St Anicet Hryciuk St Artemius of Clermont St Bartlomiej Osypiuk Bertrand of Saint Quentin St Daniel Karmasz St Exuperantius of Cingoli St Felician of Foligno (c 158-c 250) Bishop and Martyr St Filip Geryluk Bl Francesc de Paula Colomer Prísas St Guasacht St Ignacy Franczuk Bl John Grove St Julian Sabas the Elder St Luigj Prendushi St Macedonius Kritophagos Bl Marcolino of Forli Bl Marie Poussepin Blessed Paola Gambara Costa TOSF (1463-1515) His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/24/saint-of-the-day-24-january-blessed-paola-gambara-costa-tosf-1463-1515/ St Projectus St Sabinian of Troyes St Suranus of Sora St Thyrsus Bl William Ireland — Martyrs of Asia Minor – 4 saints: A group of Christians martyred together for their faith. The only details to survive are four of their names – Eugene, Mardonius, Metellus and Musonius. They were burned at the stake in Asia Minor.
Martyrs of Podlasie – 13 beati: Podlasie is an area in modern eastern Poland that, in the 18th-century, was governed by the Russian Empire. Russian sovereigns sought to bring all Eastern-rite Catholics into the Orthodox Church. Catherine II suppressed the Greek Catholic church in Ukraine in 1784. Nicholas I did the same in Belarus and Lithuania in 1839. Alexander II did the same in the Byzantine-rite Eparchy of Chelm in 1874 and officially suppressed the Eparchy in 1875. The bishop and the priests who refused to join the Orthodox Church were deported to Siberia or imprisoned. The laity, left on their own, had to defend their Church, their liturgy, and their union with Rome. On 24 January 1874 soldiers entered the village of Pratulin to transfer the parish to Orthodox control. Many of the faithful gathered to defend their parish and church. The soldiers tried to disperse the people, but failed. Their commander tried to bribe the parishioners to abandon Rome but failed. He threatened them with assorted punishments but this failed to move them. Deciding that a show of force was needed, the commander ordered his troops to fire on the unarmed, hymn-singing laymen. Thirteen of the faithful died, most married men with families, ordinary men with great faith. We know almost nothing about their lives outside of this incident. Their families were not allowed to honour them or participate in the funerals and the authorities hoped they would be forgotten. Their names are: • Anicet Hryciuk • Bartlomiej Osypiuk • Daniel Karmasz • Filip Geryluk • Ignacy Franczuk • Jan Andrzejuk • Konstanty Bojko • Konstanty Lukaszuk • Lukasz Bojko • Maksym Hawryluk • Michal Wawryszuk • Onufry Wasyluk • Wincenty Lewoniuk Martyrdom: • shot on 14 January 1874 by Russian soldiers in Podlasie, Poland • buried nearby without rites by those soldiers Beatified 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II
Martyrs of Antioch: Babylas Epolonius Prilidian Urban
Quote/s of the Day – 19 January – the Memorial of St Wulfstan (c 1008–1095) Bishop of Worcester
This is true love of Christ and His Church. O Lord, send us such men in our day, where have they gone!? Today, those we have, are hiding behind closed doors and locking the Churches from the faithful, withholding the Sacraments or reporting souls for not complying with satanic rules. They are co-operating in evil schemes to subject all peoples to a totalitarian rule, turning the sheep of the Good Shepherd, into goats, who will be cast into the flames!
“Let the man truly possessed by the love of Christ keep His commandments. Who can express the binding power of divine love? Who can find words for the splendour of its beauty? Beyond all description are the heights to which it lifts us. Love unites us to God; it cancels innumerable sins, has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms or form cliques but always acts, in harmony with others. By it, all God’s chosen ones, have been sanctified; without it, it is impossible to please Him. Out of love, the Lord took us to Himself because He loved us and it was God’s will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life’s blood for us— He gave His body for our body, His soul for our soul.”
St Clement I of Rome (c 35-99) Martyr for Christ, Bishop of Rome, Apostolic Father
“We unfortunates, are destroying the works of Saints, in order to win praise for ourselves. In that happy age, men were incapable of building for display; their way, was to sacrifice themselves to God, under any sort of roof and to encourage their subjects, to follow their example. But we strive to pile up stones while neglecting souls.”
St Wulfstan (c 1008–1095) Bishop of Worcester
“He who is not ANGRY when there is just cause for anger is IMMORAL. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid INJUSTICE WITHOUT ANGER, you are IMMORAL, as well as, UNJUST.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
“Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church’s enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our faith.”
St Peter Canisius (1521-1397) Doctor of the Church
“The declared enemies of God and His Church, heretics and schismatics, must be criticised as much as possible …. It is a work of charity to shout: ‘Here is the wolf!’ when it enters the flock or anywhere else.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“The sole reason why society is perishing is because, it has refused to hear the word of the Church, which is the word of God. All plans for salvation will be sterile, if the great word of the Catholic Church, is not restored in all it’s fullness!”
“Woe to me if I do not preach and warn [sinners], for I would be held responsible for their condemnation.”
St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
“A day will come when the civilised world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, ‘Where have they taken Him?’”
Our Morning Offering – 19 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
An Act of Oblation By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
I vow and consecrate to God all that is in me, my memory and my actions, to God the Father; my understanding and my words, to God the Son; my will and my thoughts, to God the Holy Spirit. I consecrate my heart, my body, my tongue, my senses and all my sorrows, to the sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ, Who consented to be betrayed into the hands of wicked men and to suffer the torment of the Cross for me. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – Monday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A – Readings: Hebrews 5:1-10,Psalms 110:1, 2, 3, 4, Mark 2:18-22
The Spiritual Power of Fasting
“The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast in that day.”
Mark 2:20
“… Now is the time in this life of suffering, when we journey apart from Him. … So let us fast and pray now because, we are in the days of childbirth!”
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself!”
St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo Father and Doctor of Grace
“Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy – A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.”
St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church
“Let my fasting be based on temperance, my soul in a state of grace, my intention solely to please God, then my efforts will ring true, fit to enlarge my store of charity.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva OFM, Cap. Doctor Caritatis
One Minute Reflection – 15 January – Friday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11, Psalms 78: 3 and 4, 6-7, 8, Mark 2:1-12and the Feast of Our Lady of Banneux/Our Lady of the Poor (1933) and St Maurus OSB (c 512-584)
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”– Mark 2:5-6
REFLECTION – “O God, fullness of goodness, You do not forsake any, except those who forsake you. You never take away Your gifts, except when we take away our hearts. We rob the goodness of God, if we claim the glory of our salvation for ourselves. We dishonour His mercy, if we say He has failed us. We offend His generosity, if we do not acknowledge His blessings. We blaspheme His goodness, if we deny that He has helped and assisted us. In short, O God, cry loud and clear into our ears: “your destruction comes from you, O Israel. In me alone is found your help” (Hos 13:9). – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis – Treatise on the Love of God, Ch 9
PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts, the faith You have given us, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled within us. Grant us the grace of approaching You in sorrow and repentance, so that we may hear Your Word, “your sins are forgiven you, go and sin no more.” May the prayers of Our Blessed Lady of Banneux and St Marus, grant us eyes to see and ears to hear and strength to hear and obey You. Through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany
“Trust”
He [Christ], protects their faith and gives strength to believers, in proportion to the TRUST, that each man, who receives that strength, is willing to place in Him.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church
“The Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything!”
St Augustine (354-430) Great Western Father and Doctor of Grace
“Rest is in Him alone. Man knows no peace in the world but he has no disturbance when he is with God.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“He who trusts in God can do all things.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“Free your mind from all that troubles you; God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this (choice) without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God because He sees that you do not honour Him sufficiently with holy trust. Trust in Him, I beg you and you will have the fulfilment of what your heart desires.”
St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
“Oh! My God, how much Your Hand was upon me and yet how little I was aware of it! How good You are! How good You are! How You protected me! How you covered me with Your wings, when I did not even believe in Your existence!”
One Minute Reflection – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany, Readings: 1 John 4:11-18, Psalms 72:1-2, 10,12-13, Mark 6:45-52 and the Memorial of St Peter Thomas OCD (c 1305-1366)
“Take courage, it is I, be not afraid!” … Mark 6:50
REFLECTION – “All ships have a compass which, when touched by the magnet, always turns towards the polar star. And even when the boat is making its way in a southward direction, yet the compass does not cease turning towards its north at all times. In the same way, let the fine point of your spirit always turn towards God, its north. … You are about to take to the high seas of the world, do not on this account, alter dial or mast, sail or anchor or wind. Keep Jesus Christ as your dial, at all times, His Cross for mast on which to hoist your resolutions, as a sail. Let your anchor be, profound trust in Him and set out early. May the propitious wind of heavenly inspirations ever fill the sails of your vessel more and more and cause you, to speed forward, to the harbour of a holy eternity. … Should everything turn upside down, I do not say around us but within us, that is to say, should our soul be sad, happy, in sweetness, in bitterness, peaceful, troubled, in light, in darkness, in temptation, in rest, in enjoyment, in disgust, in dryness, in gentleness, should the sun burn it or the dew refresh it, ah!, this point of our heart, our spirit, our higher will, which is our compass, should, nevertheless, always and at all times turn unceasingly, tend perpetually towards the love of God.” … St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) – Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – God and Father, light of all mankind, make our hearts radiant with the splendour of that light which long ago You shed on our fathers in the faith and give Your people the joy of lasting peace. May the prayers of Your blessed saints and martyrs be a comfort on our journey. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent
“May We Love Only You”
“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
Luke 24:29
“You hide your heart from man – hide it from God if you can. … Where will you go? Where will you flee? Do you want to hear some advice? If you want to flee from Him – flee to Him. Flee to Him by Confessing, not from Him, by hiding, for you cannot hide but you can Confess. Tell Him. “You are my refuge” (Ps 32[31]:7) and let there be nursed in yo, the love that alone leads to life.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
May We Love Only You By St Columban (543-615)
Loving Saviour, be pleased to show Yourself to us who knock, so that in knowing You, we may love only You, love You alone, desire You alone, contemplate only You, day and night and always think of You. Inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for You to receive as God. So may Your love pervade our whole being, possess us completely and fill all our senses, that we may know no other love but love for You, Who are everlasting. May our love be so great, that the many waters of sky, land and sea cannot extinguish it in us – many waters could not extinguish love. May this saying be fulfilled in us also, at least in part, by Your gift, Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
“How good and pleasant it is to dwell in the Heart of Jesus! Who is there who does not love a heart so wounded? Who can refuse a return of love to a Heart so loving? Amen.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“Who could ever soften this heart of mine but YOU alone O Lord!”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“Christ first of all, Christ in the centre of the heart, in the centre of history and of the cosmos. Humanity needs Christ intensely because, He is our “measure.” There is no realm, that cannot be touched by His strength; there is no evil, that cannot find remedy in Him, there is no problem, that cannot be solved in Him. Either Christ or nothing!”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
“During the night we must wait for the light.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“Only God fills the soul and fills it wholly. Let scientists go on asking – Where is God? He is where those clever ones, arrogant in their knowledge, cannot reach.”
One Minute Reflection – 31 October – The last day of the Month of the Holy Rosary – Saturday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Philippians 1:18-26, Psalms 42:2, 3,5, Luke 14:1,7-11
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. ”- Luke 14:11
REFLECTION – “Humility is not just about self-mistrust but about the entrusting of ourselves to God. Distrusting ourselves and our own strength produces trust in God and from that trust, generosity of soul is born.
The most holy Virgin, Our Lady, gave us an outstanding example of this when she spoke these words: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). When she said she was the handmaid of the Lord, she was performing the greatest act of humility it is possible to do and, all the more so, in that she was contradicting the praise given her by the angel – that she would be mother of God, that the child to be born from her womb would be called Son of the Most High, a greater dignity than any we might imagine – I say, she opposed her lowliness and unworthiness to all these praises and greatness, by saying that she was the handmaid of the Lord. Yet note how, no sooner had she rendered her duty to humility than she practised outstanding generosity by saying: “May it be to me according to your word.” What she wanted to say was – It is true I am in no way capable of this grace if one is to consider what I am of myself but, insofar as what is good in me comes from God and what you say to me, is His own most holy will, I believe it may happen and will happen. And so, without the least hesitation, she said: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help us to appreciate and live Your spiritual values and give them the first place in our hearts. Grant that we may always seek them first and remain forever united with You. Send Your Spirit with his gifts and blessings and may the Mother of all Virtue, assist us in our need. Help us to follow the path of humility the Blessed Virgin so splendidly taught us and may we always beseech Our Lady of the Holy Rosary for her intercession, that we may obtain from You, a place in Your Kingdom. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God now and for all times, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer
“I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.”
John 12:47
“Come along then, every human family, full of sin as you are and receive the forgiveness of your sins. For I Myself, am your forgiveness, I am the Passover of salvation, the Lamb slain for your sakes, your redemption, life and resurrection; I am your Light, your Salvation and your King. It is I, who lead you to the heights of heaven, I, who will raise you up; it is I, who will bring you to see the Father who is from all eternity; it is I, who will raise you up by My all-powerful Hand.”
St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180) Bishop, Apologist
Paschal Homily
“Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with it’s Creator. The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from His side – the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the Rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the sepulcher and after the sepulcher, who can fittingly recount them? Yet no-one of them, can be compared, to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of blood renew the whole world and do, for all men, what the rennet does for the milk – joining us and binding us together.”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The light of Christ is an endless day that knows no night.”
“Our Saviour’s passion raises men and women from the depths, lifts them up from the earth and sets them in the heights.”
St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)
“As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His wounds as He hangs. We see His blood as He dies. We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection. He bows His head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended, that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind – as He was once fixed to the cross, in every part of His body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers. All love that takes not it’s beginning from Our Saviour’s Passion is frivolous and dangerous. Unhappy is death without the love of the Saviour, unhappy is love without the death of the Saviour! Love and death are so mingled in the Passion of Our Saviour that we cannot have the one in our heart without the other. Upon Calvary one cannot have life without love, nor love without the death of Our Redeemer.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“Yes, my gentle Redeemer, let me say it, You are crazy with love! Is it not foolish for You to have wanted to die for me? But if You, my God, have become crazy with love for me, how can I not become crazy with love for You?”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Prayer Before The Crucifix – The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass By St Vincent Strambi (1745-1824)
Jesus, by this Saving Sign, bless this listless soul of mine. Jesus, by Your feet nailed fast, mend the missteps of my past. Jesus, with Your riven hands, bend my will to love’s demands. Jesus, in Your Heart laid bare, warm my inner coldness there. Jesus, by Your thorn-crowned head, still my pride till it is dead. Jesus, by Your muted tongue, stay my words that hurt someone. Jesus, by Your tired eyes, open mine to faith’s surprise. Jesus, by Your fading breath, keep me faithful until death. Yes, Lord, by this Saving Sign, save this wayward soul of mine. Amen
“He perspired blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and, abandoned by the Apostles, He was bound like a criminal, insulted, scourged, crowned with thorns, condemned to death and burdened with a cross; finally, when He arrived at Calvary, He was nailed to the gibbet, where He shed His Precious Blood and gave His life for our redemption. Such was the extent of Jesus’ infinite love for us. “Calvary” writes St Francis de Sales,“is the school of love.” The Saints were moved to tears by the strange spectacle of God-made-man, dying on the Cross for men. What is our reaction?”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – Thursday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 3:1-5, Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:69-70, 71-72,73-75, Luke 11:5-13
“I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.”
Luke 11:8-9
“Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ, was the only one to see Him. … At first she sought but did not find but when she persevered, it happened that she found what she was looking for. … And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognises who is speaking. She immediately calls Him Rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the One whom she sought outwardly, was the One who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.”
St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor
“We must pray incessantly, for the gift of perseverance.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“In prayer one must hold fast and never let go, because the one who gives up, loses all. If it seems that no-one is listening to you, then cry out even louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other.”
St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
“Aspire to God with short but frequent outpourings of the heart, admire His bounty, invoke His aid, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of His Cross, adore His goodness, treat with Him of your salvation, give Him your whole soul – a thousand times in the day.”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – The Memorial of St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv. (1603-1663)
Free Will – “Our Unique Possession”
“Clearly, what God wants, above all, is our will, which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God, from whom all good things come … The will is what man has, as his unique possession.”
St Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663)
“A man may lose the good things of this life against his will but, if he loses the eternal blessings, he does so with his own consent.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“God desires, not death but faith. God thirsts, not for blood but for self-surrender. God is appeased, not by slaughter but by the offering of your free will.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop, Father & Doctor of Homilies
“Remove grace and you have nothing, whereby to be saved. Remove free will and you have nothing, that could be saved.”
St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
“Lord what will Thou have me do? Behold the true sign of a totally perfect soul – when one has reached the point of giving up his will so completely that he no longer seeks, expects or desires to do ought but that which God wills.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“Happiness is secured through virtue, it is a good attained by man’s own will.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Angelic Doctor
“But do not forget, that all the saints cannot endear you to Christ as much as you can yourself. It is entirely up to you!”
St Cajetan (1480-1547)
“More determination is required to subdue the interior man than to mortify the body and to break one’s will, than to break one’s bones.”
St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“A man makes the most progress and merits the most grace, precisely in those matters, wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“I will attempt, day-by-day, to break my will into pieces. I want to do God’s Holy Will, not my own!”
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)
