Quote/s of the Day – 12 August –
The Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
“Hold your eyes on God
and leave the doing to Him.
That is all the doing,
you have to worry about.”
(More Quotes by St Jane here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/quotes-of-the-day-12-august-the-memorial-of-st-jane-frances-de-chantal-1572-1641/ )
One Minute Reflection – 12 August – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: John 6:41–51
…the bread which I shall give, for the life of the world is my flesh...John 6:51
REFLECTION – “How could humankind, which remained riveted to the earth and subject to death, gain entry to immortality once more? Its flesh had to become assimilated to the life-giving force in God. Now, God the Father’s life-giving force is His Word, His only Son, and so it was He whom God sent as Saviour and Redeemer…
If you put a breadcrumb into oil, water or wine, it at once soaks up their properties. If you place iron into contact with fire it will shortly become full of the fire’s energy and, even though by nature it is only iron, will take on the appearance of fire. In the same way, then, God’s life-giving Word, by uniting Himself to the flesh He assumed, caused it to become life giving.
Did He not say: “Whoever believes in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” And again: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh… Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” So then, by eating the flesh of Christ, the Saviour of us all and drinking His blood, we have life in ourselves, we become one with Him, we remain in Him and He in us.
Therefore it is for Him to enter within us, through the Holy Spirit, in a way fitting to God and to mingle with our body, after a fashion, through the holy flesh and precious blood, we receive, under the forms of bread and wine, as our life-giving blessing. Indeed…, God has exercised His condescension towards our weakness and placed all His life-force into the elements of bread and wine, which are thus endowed with the spirit of His own life. So believe in it without hesitation, for our Lord Himself has clearly said: “This is my body” and “This is my blood”.”…St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444) Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, by Your grace, we are made one in mind and heart. Give us a love for what You command and a longing for what You promise, so that, amid this world’s changes, our hearts may be set on the world of lasting joy. Grant, we pray that by the prayers of St Jane de Chantal and Blessed Pope Innocent XI, we will be made always faithful and may Mary, the Mother of our life, lead us to our everlasting joy, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 12 August – The Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal left behind a legacy of service, suffering, meekness and obedience. She was willing to soften herself, giving up control of her life to the Lord and following the direction given to her. Not without loss and sacrifice, her life was difficult—all of which she embraced with patience and joy. When the daily struggles of our lives become too great, we might think of the message of St Jane Frances: “You want to be humble? Try to know yourself well; desire for others to know you as imperfect; love contempt, in all its forms and in any which way it may come. Don’t hide your defects; let them be known, accepting with love the abjection that will come by them. Never let your heart to be weakened because of a fault committed. Distrust self and trust only and continuously in God, persuaded that not able to do anything by yourselves, you can do all with His grace and powerful help.”
St Jane de Chantal – pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – The Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
“Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him.
That is all the doing you have to worry about.”
“We should go to prayer with deep humility
and an awareness of our nothingness.
We must invoke the help of the Holy Spirit
and that of our good angel
and then remain still in God’s presence,
full of faith, that He is more in us than we are in ourselves.”
“With God there is no need for long speeches.
In heaven the angels utter no other word than this: “HOLY.”
This is their entire prayer and in paradise they are occupied
with this single word as an act of homage,
to the single Word of God, who lives eternally….
In prayer, more is accomplished by listening than by talking.”
“She was full of faith and yet all her life long,
she had been tormented by thoughts against it.
Nor did she once relax in the fidelity God asked of her.
And so I regard her as one of the holiest souls
I have ever met on this earth.”
One Minute Reflection – 12 August
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me…”…Matthew 16:24
REFLECTION – “These words are the foundation of all Christian and religious perfection.
To deny self is to renounce to all, the will of the flesh:
all our inclinations, desires, pleasures, satisfactions, softness, tastes, humour, preferences, habits, susceptibility, aversions and repugnance to rough things;
in other words, to renounce in all and for all, our perverse self.”…St Jane de Chantal
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.
AnaStpaul 
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