Tag: stjerome

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – My sheep hear My Voice;

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – – Ferial Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My sheep hear My Voice;
I know them and they follow Me.”

John 10:27

“I am like the sick sheep which strays
from the rest of the flock.
Unless the Good Shepherd
takes me on His shoulders
and carries me back to His fold,
my steps will falter
and, in the very effort of rising,
my feet will give way!”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Christ said that the shepherd
enters through the gate
and that He is Himself the Gate,
as well as the Shepherd.
Then, it is necessary,
that He enter through Himself.
By so doing, He reveals Himself
and through Himself, He knows the Father.
But we enter through Him
because through Him. we find happiness.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

“It is never really God Who is silent.
He is forever appealing to us to lead good lives.
He is never really far from us
but is always ready to bestow His gifts on us.
Even when we have sinned,
we hear His Voice prompting us to thoughts of remorse.
Even when we stray away from Him,
He follows and asks us to return to Him.
It is we, who must ensure that the noise of the world,
will not prevent us from hearing His Fatherly appeal
and that sinful temptations
will not destroy His influence over us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on The HUMAN SOUL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VICE, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 February – ‘… True faith knows no delay. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 February – “The Month of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity” – The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (1233) – Ecclus 44:1-15; Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “Jesus said to them, ‘Come after Me; I will make you fishers of men.’” Happy transformation of fishing! Simon and Andrew are what Jesus caught fishing … These men are made similar to fish, caught by Christ, before going themselves to catch other people. “They immediately abandoned their nets and became His followers.” True faith knows no delay. As soon as they heard Him, they believed, they followed Him and they became fishers. “They immediately abandoned their nets.” I think that with those nets, they abandoned all the vices of the life of this world …

“Proceeding a little farther along, He caught sight of James, Zebedee’s son and his brother, John … He summoned them on the spot. They abandoned their father Zebedee, who was in the boat with the hired men and went off in His company.” You will tell me — faith is daring. What indication did they have, what sublime characteristic had they noted which made them follow Him, as soon as He called them? We realise that evidently something Divine came forth from Jesus’ gaze, from the expression on His Face which incited those who looked at Jesus to turn towards Him … Why am I saying all this? It is to show you that the Lord’s Word was active and, that through the least of His Words, He was working on His task: “He commanded and they were made.” (Ps 148:5) With the same simplicity, He called and they followed …: “Hear, O daughter and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father’s house. So shall the king desire your beauty.” (Ps 45:11-12)

Listen well, brother and follow the path of the Apostles; listen to the Saviour’s Voice, ignore your father according to the flesh and see the true Father of your soul and your mind … The Apostles left their father, left their boat, left all their riches of that time; they abandoned the world and its countless riches; they renounced all that they owned. However, God does not consider the mass of riches but rather, the soul of the person who renounces them. Those people who left only a few things would also have renounced a large fortune, if the need had arisen.” – St Jerome (347-420) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of Mark).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, to keep alive the memory of Your most holy Mother’s sorrows, through the Seven holy Fathers enriched your Church with a new family of her Servants, graciously grant that we may be so united with them in their sorrows, as also to share their joys. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – ‘Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head …’

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

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

Matthew 16:16

“Upon this rock
I will build My Church”

Matthew 16:18

“I decided to consult the Chair of Peter,
where that faith is found
exalted by the lips of an Apostle;
I now come to ask for nourishment
for my soul there,
where once I received the garment of Christ.
I follow no leader save Christ,
so I enter into communion with Your beatitude,
that is, with the Chair of Peter,
for this, I know, is the rock
upon which the Church is built.”
(cf Le lettere I, 15, 1-2)

St Jerome (343-420)
Father & Doctor od rhw Church

“He gave way to sin so that,
remembering his own failure
and the kindness of the Lord,
he might testify to others,
a grace of philanthropy in accord
with the divine design conceived by God.
The fall had been permitted to the one
who was going to see himself
entrusted with the Church,
the Pillar of the Church,
the Harbour of the Faith;
the fall had been permitted to Peter,
the Doctor of the Universe,
in order that, the forgiveness received,
might remain the foundation of love for others.”

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

“Nothing escaped the Wisdom and Power of Christ,
the elements of nature lay at His service,
spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. …
And yet, out of all the world,
Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head,
for the calling of all the peoples
and the oversight of all the Apostles
and Fathers of the Church.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 November – ‘There is no question but that this Householder is Christ. …’ St Jerome

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One Minute Reflection – 4 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) He is known as the “Father of the Clergy” – Some of his Patronages: Bishops, Priests, Seminarians • Catechists • Catechumens • Spiritual Directors • Spiritual leaders. – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“A man going abroad, called his servants and handed over his goods to them.” – Matthew 25:14

REFLECTION – “There is no question but that this Householder is Christ. After His Resurrection, when He was about to return triumphantly to the Father, He called His Apostles and entrusted them with the Gospel teaching, giving more to one, less to the other, never too much or too little but according to the abilities of those who received it. In the same way, the Apostle Paul said that he had fed with milk those unable to take solid food (1 Cor 3:2)…

Five, two, one talent: let us take these to be the different graces granted to each, whether the five senses for the first; understanding of faith and works for the second; the reasons for distinguishing us from other creatures, for the third. “The one who received five talents went away and traded with them and made another five.” That is to say, besides the physical and material senses he had received, he added knowledge of heavenly things. His knowledge was raised from the creatures to the Creator, from the corporal to the incorporeal, from the visible to the invisible, from the transient to the eternal. “The one who received two made another two.” This one likewise, according to his ability, doubled in the school of the Gospel what he had learned in the school of the Law. Or perhaps we could say, that he understood that knowledge of faith and the works of this present life, lead to future happiness. “But the man who received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” In the grip of works here below and of worldly pleasures, the wicked servant neglected God’s commands.  However, let us note that, according to another evangelist, he wrapped it in a linen cloth – by this we could understand that he took away the force of his Master’s teaching, by a life of softness and pleasure…

The Master welcomed the first two servants… with the same words of praise. “Come,” He said, “share in your master’s joy and receive what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart” (1 Cor 2:9). What greater reward could be bestowed on a faithful servant?” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture (the Vulgate), Father and One of the Original Four Doctors of the Latin Church .

PRAYER – Safeguard Thy Church, O Lord, under the continual protection of St Charles, Thy Confessor and Bishop, so that just as his concern for his flock made him glorious, so his intercession may make us ever fervent in loving Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The TRANSFIGURATION

Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – All Saints Day

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – All Saints Day

“You say in your book that while we live,
we are able to pray for each other
but afterwards, when we have died,
the prayer of no person for another, can be heard.
But if the Apostles and Martyrs,
while still in the body, can pray for others,
at a time, when they ought still
to be solicitous, about themselves,
how much more will they do so,
after their crowns, victories and triumphs!?”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His Beauty,
to which He will shape and colour,
those who are His :
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the Body of His Glory.”

St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“Those in the Catholic Church,
whom some rebuke for praying to Saints
and going on pilgrimages,
do not seek any Saint as their saviour.
Instead, they seek Saints,
as those whom their Saviour loves
and whose intercession and prayer,
for the seeker, He will be content to hear.
For His Own sake,
He would have those He loves, honoured.
And when they are thus honoured for His sake,
then, the honour that is given them, for His sake,
overflows especially to Himself.”

St Thomas More 1478-1535)
Martyr

Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the Light of Christ.
For Christ is that morning star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-november-all-saints-day/

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – The root of Jesse – Roman 15:12

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One Minute Reflection – 12 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Ferial Day – Romans 15:4-13. Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And again Isaias says, There shall be the root of Jesse and He Who shall arise to rule the Gentiles… in Him the Gentiles shall hope.” – Roman 15:12

REFLECTION – “Until the beginning of the vision, or the burden of Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw, his entire prophecy was about Christ, a prophecy which we want to explain piecemeal, lest the ideas and discussions thereof together, confuse the reader’s memory.

The Jews interpreted the branch and the flower from the root of Jesse, to be the Lord Himself because, the power of His governance, is demonstrated in the branch and His beauty, in the flower. But ,we understand the branch, from the root of Jesse, to be the holy Virgin Mary, who had no shoot connatural to herself. About her we read …: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son.” And the flower is the Lord our Saviour, Who said, in the Song of Songs, “I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.” In place of “root,” which only the Septuagint translated, the Hebrew text has geza, which Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotus, interpret as kormon, that is, “stem.” And they translated “flower,” which the Hebrew text calls nēṣer, as “bud,” to show that after a long time in Babylonian captivity, no longer possessing any glory from the sprout of the old kingdom of David, Christ would rise from Mary, as though from her stem. The educated of the Hebrews believe that what all the ecclesiastics sought in the Gospel of Matthew but could not find, where it was written “Because He will be called a Nazarene,” was taken from this place. But it should be noted that nēṣer was written here with the [Hebrew] letter ṣade [צ], the peculiar sound of which—somewhere between z and s—the Latin language does not express.” – St Jerome (343-420) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Isaias 4.)

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may, by her intercession, be assisted in attaining eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MERCY, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 6 October – O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me

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Our Morning Offering – 6 October

O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me
By St Jerome (347-419)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, show Thy mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man
on the way to Jericho,
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep which went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me home,
in accord with Thy will.
Let me dwell in Thy house
all the days of my life
and praise Thee,
forever and ever
with those who are there.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Quote/s of the Day – 30 September – St Jerome

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 September – St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church, Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures into Latin (the Vulgate), Theologian, Historian, Hermit, Mystic.
“The Sun Who Illuminated the Scriptures”
“A Lion in Defence of the Faith”

The Reading of Sacred Scripture:
“The faithful, who spend at least a quarter of an hour,
in reading Sacred Scripture with great reverence,
due to the Word of God,
after the manner of spiritual reading, may gain,
an Indungence of 300 days.”

“A false interpretation of Scripture
causes that the Gospel of the Lord,
becomes the gospel of man,
or, which is worse,
of the devil!”

“Instead of speaking saintly words,
we must act them.”

“It is our part to seek,
His to grant what we ask;
ours to make a beginning,
His to bring it to completion;
ours to offer what we can,
His to finish what we cannot.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/09/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-3/

St Jerome (347-419)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PHYSICAL SICKNESS, ILLNESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 30 September – Merciful Jesus! by St Jerome

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Our Morning Offering – 30 September – St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor, Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures into Latin (the Vulgate), Theologian, Historian, Hermit, Mystic.

Merciful Jesus!
Stretch Forth Thy Hand of Mercy
(Excerpt – Prayer in a Time of Anguish)
By St Jerome (347-419)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Merciful Jesus!
Thou art my strength, my refuge and my deliverer;
in Thee I have believed and hoped;
in Thee have I loved.
Call me now, I beseech Thee and I will answer.
Stretch forth Thy hand of mercy, to the work of Thy hands
and let me not perish, whom Thou hast redeemed
with Thy precious blood.
It is now time for dust to return to dust
and my spirit to Thee Who gavest it.
Open then, Lord, the gate of life and receive me.
Receive me most merciful Lord,
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,
Who receivedst the thief on the cross
and now prepare my soul for hearing
the same promise of mercy which he did.
I am ill, O Lord and Thee my Physician.
Heal me then, my God and I shall be healed,
let me not be confounded, for I put my trust in Thee.
In Thee have I hoped – let me not be cast off forever!
… Deal not with me, according to what I deserve,
nor chastise me, according to my iniquities
but help me, O God, my Saviour
and for the glory of Thy Name deliver me.
Now, at this hour, show mercy to me
and whenever I depart, receive me
into the number of Thy family that I, may be one of those,
who are to praise Thee forever.
Amen

IMAGE – Ribera, Jusepe de, lo Spagnoletto (Spanish) 1644 Oil on Canvas
Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

St Jerome, Nostra Signora di Loreto di Forno / Our Lady of Loreto of Forno, Italy (1629) and the Saints for 30 September

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St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor, Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures into Latin (the Vulgate), Theologian, Historian, Hermit, Mystic.
Amazing St Jerome!:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-347-419-father-and-doctor-of-the-church-2/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-347-419-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/

Nostra Signora di Loreto di Forno / Our Lady of Loreto of Forno, Alpi Graie, Italy (1629) – 30 September:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/30/nostra-signora-di-loreto-di-forno-our-lady-of-loreto-of-forno-alpi-graie-italy-1629-and-memorials-of-the-saints-30-september/

St Amato of Nusco (c1003-1093) Bishop, Confessor, Monk, Apostle of the poor.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-saint-amato-of-nusco-c-1003-1093/

St Antoninus of Piacenza (Died c303) Soldier of the Theban Legion, Martyr
St Castus of Piacenza
St Colman of Clontibret

Blessed Conrad of Urach O.Cist (c 1180-1227) Priest, Prior, Abbot, General of the Cistercians, Cardinal and Bishop, Papal legate to France from 1220 to 1223.
Biogtraphy:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-blessed-conrad-of-urach-o-cist-c-1180-1227/

St Desiderius of Piacenza
St Enghenedl of Anglesey
St Eusebia of Marseilles
Bl Frederick Albert

St Gregory the Illuminator (c 257 – c 331) “Apostle to Armenia” and “Father of Armenia”- Bishop, First Patriarch of the Armenian Church, Missionary, Wonder-worker.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-saint-gregory-the-illuminator-c-257-c-331/

St Honorius of Canterbury (Died 653) Archbishop of Canterbury. The Fifth Successor of St Augustine as Archbishop of Canterbury, Confessor, Missionary.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-honorius-of-canterbury-died-653/

St Ismidone of Die
Bl Jean-Nicolas Cordier
Blessed Conrad of Urach
St Laurus
St Leopardus the Slave
St Midan of Anglesey
St Simon of Crépy
St Ursus the Theban
St Victor the Theban

Martyrs of Valsery Abbey: An unknown number of Premonstratensian Monks at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Valsery, Picardie, France who were Martyred by Calvinists. They were martyred in 1567 at Valsery, Pircardy, France.

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on PURITY, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – Virginity, Chastity, Purity

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” – St Praxedes, Virgin (Died 164) – 1 Corinthians 7:25-34, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the unmarried woman
and the virgin,
thinketh on the things of the Lord,
that she may be holy,
both in body and in spirit,
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 7:34

“Virginity can be lost by a single thought.”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“He errs who believes
that he can overcome his sensual propensities
and preserve chastity, by his own efforts.
God’s mercy must extinguish nature’s ardour.
Have recourse to the intercession
of the Immaculate Virgin
and rest assured, you will obtain this mercy.”

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

“Chastity depends on the heart, for its source
and on the body, as its subject.
Hence, it may be lost,
by all the external senses of the body
and by the thoughts and desires of the heart.”

(Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 13).

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

Prayer for Chastity and Purity
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Thy Providence.
Without Thee, a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg Thee, to defend, by Thy grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers
that I may advance with a pure heart
in Thy love and service,
offering myself
on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity,
all the days of my life.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –23 April – The Good Shepherd

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day –23 April –The Second Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:21-25, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Those who are My sheep
hear My Voice
and follow Me”

John 10:27

“I am like the sick sheep which strays
from the rest of the flock.
Unless the Good Shepherd
takes me on His shoulders
and carries me back to His fold,
my steps will falter
and, in the very effort of rising,
my feet will give way!”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.”

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia, Writer
Oratio 26

“Christ said that the shepherd
enters through the gate
and that He is Himself the Gate,
as well as the Shepherd.
Then, it is necessary,
that He enter through Himself.
By so doing, He reveals Himself
and through Himself, He knows the Father.
But we enter through Him
because through Him. we find happiness.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

“Those with pride
are not Christ’s sheep
but the devil’s goats!”

St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 March – What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. Matthew 10:27

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Saturday of the Third Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church– Ecclesiasticus Ecclus 39:6-14, Matthew 10:23-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” … Matthew 10:27

REFLECTION – “He had said previously, “What I tell you in the dark, declare in the light and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.” He now explains what follows after this proclamation. The whole world is divided against itself for the sake of faith in Christ. Every house contains both unbelievers and believers. And a necessary conflict has been sent to break an evil peace. It is written in Genesis that God did a similar thing to the rebellious people who streamed out of the east and rushed to build a tower, by which they meant to reach the heights of Heaven. God divided their languages. For this same reason David prays in the Psalm, “O God, scatter the peoples who delight in war.” – St Jerome (343-420) Priest, Monk, Translator of the Sacred Scriptures into Latin, Father and one of the original 4 Doctors of the Latin Church (Commentary on Matthew 1)

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, through the intercession of the blessed Bishop Cyril, so to acknowledge Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou have sent, that we may be found worthy to be forever numbered among the sheep who hear His Voice.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 March – ‘There is no question but that this Householder is Christ …’

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One Minute Reflection – 17 March – Friday of the Third Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Patrick (c385-461) Bishop, Confessor, “The Apostle of Ireland” – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“A man going abroad, called his servants and handed over his goods to them.” – Matthew 25:14

REFLECTION – “There is no question but that this Householder is Christ. After His Resurrection, when He was about to return triumphantly to the Father, He called His Apostles and entrusted them with the Gospel teaching, giving more to one, less to the other, never too much or too little but according to the abilities of those who received it. In the same way, the Apostle Paul said that he had fed with milk those unable to take solid food (1Co 3,2)…

Five, two, one talent: let us take these to be the different graces granted to each, whether the five senses for the first; understanding of faith and works for the second; the reasons for distinguishing us from other creatures, for the third. “The one who received five talents went away and traded with them and made another five.” That is to say, besides the physical and material senses he had received, he added knowledge of heavenly things. His knowledge was raised from the creatures to the Creator, from the corporal to the incorporeal, from the visible to the invisible, from the transient to the eternal. “The one who received two made another two.” This one likewise, according to his ability, doubled in the school of the Gospel what he had learned in the school of the Law. Or perhaps we could say, that he understood that knowledge of faith and the works of this present life, lead to future happiness. “But the man who received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” In the grip of works here below and of worldly pleasures, the wicked servant neglected God’s commands.  However, let us note that, according to another evangelist, he wrapped it in a linen cloth – by this we could understand that he took away the force of his Master’s teaching, by a life of softness and pleasure…

The Master welcomed the first two servants… with the same words of praise. “Come,” He said, “share in your master’s joy and receive what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart” (1Cor 2,9). What greater reward could be bestowed on a faithful servant?” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture (the Vulgate), Father and One of the Original Four Doctors of the Latin Church .

PRAYER – O, God, Who graciously sent blessed Patrick, Thy Confessor and Bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations, grant through his merits and intercession that by Thy mercy, we may be able to accomplish what Thou command. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – The root of Jesse – Roman 15:12

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One Minute Reflection – 5 December – The Second Week of Advent – Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And again Isaias says, There shall be the root of Jesse and He Who shall arise to rule the Gentiles… in Him the Gentiles shall hope.” – Roman 15:12

REFLECTION – “Until the beginning of the vision, or the burden of Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw, his entire prophecy was about Christ, a prophecy which we want to explain piecemeal, lest the ideas and discussions thereof together, confuse the reader’s memory.

The Jews interpreted the branch and the flower from the root of Jesse, to be the Lord Himself because, the power of His governance, is demonstrated in the branch and His beauty, in the flower. But we understand the branch from the root of Jesse, to be the holy Virgin Mary, who had no shoot connatural to herself. About her we read …: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son.” And the flower is the Lord our Saviour, Who said, in the Song of Songs, “I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.” In place of “root,” which only the Septuagint translated, the Hebrew text has geza, which Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotus, interpret as kormon, that is, “stem.” And they translated “flower,” which the Hebrew text calls nēṣer, as “bud,” to show that after a long time in Babylonian captivity, no longer possessing any glory from the sprout of the old kingdom of David, Christ would rise from Mary, as though from her stem. The educated of the Hebrews believe that what all the ecclesiastics sought in the Gospel of Matthew but could not find, where it was written “Because he will be called a Nazarene,” was taken from this place. But it should be noted that nēṣer was written here with the [Hebrew] letter ṣade [צ], the peculiar sound of which—somewhere between z and s—the Latin language does not express.” – St Jerome (343-420) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Isaias 4.)

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 November – Our Beloved Good Shepherd

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 November – St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Confessor, Archbishop, Martyr – Hebrews
5:1-6, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I Am the Good Shepherd
and I know mine
and mine know me.”

John 10:14

“Those who are my sheep
hear my voice
and follow me”

John 10:27

“He cries out, saying:
See, I am with you all the days of this age.
He is Himself the shepherd,
the high priest,
the way and the door,
and has become all things at once for us.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“The mark of Christ’s sheep
is their willingness to hear and obey,
just as disobedience
is the mark of those who are not His.
We take the word ‘hear’
to imply obedience
to what has been said.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia, Writer
Oratio 26

O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me
By St Jerome (347-419)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, show Thy mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man
on the way to Jericho,
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep which went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me home,
in accord with Thy will.
Let me dwell in Thy house
all the days of my life
and praise Thee,
forever and ever
with those who are there.
Amen.

“No matter how grave
and how numerous our sins may be,
let us remember that the Mercy of God is Infinite.
Let us remember that He is waiting for us,
as his father waited for the prodigal son and,
that He is following us like a shepherd
who is searching for his lost sheep.
He allowed us to fall,
in order to humble us
and help us to realise
that we are incapable
of doing anything good by ourselves.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – Saints

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – Within the All Saints Octave –

“You say in your book that while we live,
we are able to pray for each other
but afterwards, when we have died,
the prayer of no person for another, can be heard.
But if the Apostles and Martyrs,
while still in the body, can pray for others,
at a time, when they ought still
to be solicitous, about themselves,
how much more will they do so,
after their crowns, victories and triumphs!?”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church
(from ‘Against Vigilantius,’ 406)

“The Saints must be honoured as friends of Christ
and children and heirs of God, …
Let us carefully observe the manner of life
of all the Apostles, Martyrs, Ascetics
and just men who announced the coming of the Lord.
And let us emulate their faith,
charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering
and perseverance unto death,
so that we may also share their crowns of glory.”

St John Damascene (676-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“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

“Those in the Catholic Church,
whom some rebuke for praying to Saints
and going on pilgrimages,
do not seek any Saint as their saviour.
Instead, they seek Saints,
as those whom their Saviour loves
and whose intercession and prayer,
for the seeker, He will be content to hear.
For His Own sake,
He would have those He loves, honoured.
And when they are thus honoured for His sake,
then, the honour that is given them, for His sake,
overflows especially to Himself.”

St Thomas More 1478-1535)
Martyr

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on INNOCENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 October – ‘ … Innocence and purity of mind … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 3 October – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897) – Isaias 66:12-14, Matthew 18:1-4 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”… Matthew 18:3

REFLECTION – “Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Or, it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the kingdom of heaven,” so as to imply that anyone, who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture into Latin (The Vulgate) One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church, Father (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O Lord, Who said: Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow the footsteps of blessed Thérèse the Virgin, in humility and simplicity of heart that we may obtain everlasting rewards.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on IGNORANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE

Quote/s of the Day – 30 September – St Jerome

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 September –The Memorial of St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“The Scriptures are shallow enough,
for a babe to come and drink,
without fear of drowning
and deep enough,
for a theologians to swim in,
without ever touching the bottom!”

“When we pray, we speak to God
but when we read, God speaks to us.”

“Early impressions are difficult
to eradicate from the mind.
When once wool has been dyed purple,
who can restore it
to its previous whiteness?”

“It is worse still,
to be ignorant
of your ignorance. ”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-2/

St Jerome (347-419)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 30 September – O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me By St Jerome

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Our Morning Offering – 30 September – Memorial of St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me
By St Jerome (347-419)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, show Thy mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man
on the way to Jericho,
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep which went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me home,
in accord with Thy will.
Let me dwell in Thy house
all the days of my life
and praise Thee,
forever and ever
with those who are there.
Amen.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Nostra Signora di Loreto di Forno / Our Lady of Loreto of Forno, Alpi Graie, Italy (1629) and Memorials of the Saints – 30 September

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St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor, Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures into Latin (the Vulgate), Theologian, Historian, Hermit, Mystic.
St Jerome, here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-347-419-father-and-doctor-of-the-church-2/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome-347-419-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/

Nostra Signora di Loreto di Forno / Our Lady of Loreto of Forno, Alpi Graie, Italy (1629) – 30 September:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/30/nostra-signora-di-loreto-di-forno-our-lady-of-loreto-of-forno-alpi-graie-italy-1629-and-memorials-of-the-saints-30-september/

St Amato of Nusco (c 1003-1093) Bishop, Confessor, Monk, Apostle of the poor.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-saint-amato-of-nusco-c-1003-1093/

St Antoninus of Piacenza
St Castus of Piacenza
St Colman of Clontibret
Blessed Conrad of Urach O.Cist (c 1180-1227) Priest, Prior, Abbot, General of the Cistercians, Cardinal and Bishop, Papal legate to France from 1220 to 1223.
St Desiderius of Piacenza
St Enghenedl of Anglesey
St Eusebia of Marseilles
Bl Felicia Meda
Bl Frederick Albert

St Gregory the Illuminator (c 257 – c 331) “Apostle to Armenia” and “Father of Armenia”- Bishop, First Patriarch of the Armenian Church, Missionary, Wonder-worker.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-saint-gregory-the-illuminator-c-257-c-331/

St Honorius of Canterbury (Died 653) Archbishop of Canterbury. The Fifth Successor of St Augustine as Archbishop of Canterbury, Confessor, Missionary.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/30/saint-of-the-day-30-september-st-honorius-of-canterbury-died-653/

St Ismidone of Die
Bl Jean-Nicolas Cordier
Blessed Conrad of Urach
St Laurus
St Leopardus the Slave
Bl Ludwik Gietyngier
St Midan of Anglesey
St Simon of Crépy
St Ursus the Theban
St Victor the Theban

Martyrs of Valsery Abbey: An unknown number of Premonstratensian Monks at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Valsery, Picardie, France who were Martyred by Calvinists. They were martyred in 1567 at Valsery, Pircardy, France.

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The KINGDOM of GOD

One Minute Reflection – 29 September – ‘Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ – Matthew 18:1

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One Minute Reflection – 29 September – The Feast of the Dedication of the Archangel St Michael – Apocalypse 1:1-5, Matthew 18:1-10 – Scripture Search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ And Jesus called a little child unto Him, set him in their midst and said, ‘Amen I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.’” – Matthew 18:1-5

REFLECTION – “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tribute paid, what do the Apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely “at that time” did the disciples come to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price, they inferred that Peter may have been set over all the other Apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask, who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory, with a struggle for humility.

He called a child to Him to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps, He actually set a child in their midst — He Himself, Who had not come to be served but to serve — to show them an example of humility.

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Or it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven,” so as to imply that anyone who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself, as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Priest, Monk, Translator of the Scriptures, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O God, Who assign according to a wondrous order, the duties of Angels and men, mercifully grant that our life on earth be guarded by those who continually stand in Thy presence and minister to Thee in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, GOD the FATHER, HOLY SPIRIT, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on JUSTICE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The HOLY NAME, The HOLY SPIRIT

Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – St Augustine

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of Grace and Father–

St Jerome wrote to Augustine in 418:
“You are known throughout the world;
Catholics honour and esteem you
as the one who has established anew the ancient Faith.”

“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.”

“People who associate the name of Christian
with a dishonest life, injure Christ! …
If God’s Name, is blasphemed by bad Christians,
it is praised and honoured,
on the other hand,
by the good:
“For in every place, we are the aroma of Christ”
(2 Cor,14-15).
And it is said in the Song of Songs:
“Your name is oil poured out” (1,3).”

“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?”

“If you believe what you like in the Gospels
and reject what you don’t like,
it is not the Gospel you believe
but yourself.”

“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!”

“Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive heaven!”

Breathe in Me, O Holy Spirit
By St Augustine (354-420)

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
that I always may be holy.
Amen

Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
For the Sake of Your Only Son
By St Augustine (354-430)

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

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/28/quotes-of-the-day-28-august-st-augustine/

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

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 August – ‘ … Unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind … ‘ St Jerome

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One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the celebration of St Joseph Calasantius (1557-1648) Spanish Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Matthew 18:1-5

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”… Matthew 18:3

REFLECTION – “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tribute paid, what do the Apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely “at that time” did the disciples come to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price they inferred, that Peter may have been set over all the other Apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask, who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory, with a struggle for humility.”

He called a child to Him, to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps He actually set a child in their midst — He Himself, Who had not come to be served but to serve — to show them an example of humility.

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Or, it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the kingdom of heaven,” so as to imply that anyone, who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture into Latin (The Vulgate) One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church, Father (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St Joseph, Thy Confessor, did graciously will to provide Thy Church with a new method for the training of youth, in the spirit of understanding and holiness grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example and through his intercession, we may live and teach so as to acquire an everlasting reward. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WISDOM, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – Let us become Saints!

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – The Memorial of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – On the Saints

“Let listening to worldly news
be BITTER FOOD for you
and let the words of
Saintly men
be as combs
filled with honey.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Instead of speaking saintly words,
we must act them.”

St Jerome (343-420)
“The Man of the Sacred Scripture”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Perfection consists in one thing alone,
which is doing the will of God.
For, according to Our Lord’s words,
it suffices for perfection to deny self,
to take up the cross and to follow Him.
Now who denies himself
and takes up his cross
and follows Christ better,
than he who seeks not to do his own will
but always that of God?
Behold, now, how little is needed
to become as Saint?
Nothing more than to acquire the habit of willing,
on every occasion,
what God wills.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“All a person’s holiness,
perfection and profit
lies in doing God’s will perfectly….
Happy are we, if we succeed
in pouring out our heart into God’s,
in uniting our desires
and our will to His,
to the point,
that one heart and one will are formed,
wanting, what God wants,
wanting, in the way,
in the time
and in the circumstances,
what He desires
and willing it all,
for no other reason,
than that God wills it.”

St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – The Divine Physician

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – Ember Saturday of Pentecost – Romans 5:1-5, Luke 4:38-44.

“Now Simon’s mother-in-law
was suffering from a great fever
and they besought Him for her.”

Luke 4:38

“May Christ come to our house
and enter in and by His command,
cure the fever of our sins.
Each one of us is sick with a fever.
Whenever I give way to anger,
I have a fever.
There are as many fevers,
as there are faults and vices.”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“We implore You,
O All-Holy, Long-Suffering
Life and Restoration,
Source of goodness,
look down from Heaven
and visit all those
who ever trust in You;
rescue our life, Lord,
from all constraint and affliction,
and, in the faith of truth, guide us all.
At the prayers of the
Immaculate Mother of God and Virgin,
Save your world
and those in the world
and spare us all,
You who, for us,
became man without change,
only Lover of mankind.”

St Romanos the Melodios (c 490-c 556)

“If thou art bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou art trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

Behold Me, O Sweet Lord, Behold Me!
By St Aelred of Rievaulx O.Cist. (1110-1167)

Behold me, O Sweet Lord, behold me!
For I hope. that in Your Loving Kindness,
O Most Merciful One,
You will behold me,
either as a loving Physician to heal,
a kind Teacher to correct,
or an indulgent Father to pardon…
confident in Your Sweet Powerful Mercy
and most Merciful Power,
I ask, in virtue of Your Sweet Name
and of the Mystery of Your Sacred Humanity
that, mindful of Your Kindness
and unmindful of my ingratitude,
You forgive me my sins
and heal the languors of my soul.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 May – “A man going abroad, called his servants and handed over his goods to them.” – Matthew 25:14

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One Minute Reflection – 16 May – The Memorial of St John Nepomucene (c 1345–1393) Priest, Martyr, “The First Martyr of the Seal of the Confession.” – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23

“A man going abroad, called his servants and handed over his goods to them.” – Matthew 25:14

REFLECTION – “There is no question but that this Householder is Christ. After His Resurrection, when He was about to return triumphantly to the Father, He called His Apostles and entrusted them with the Gospel teaching, giving more to one, less to the other, never too much or too little but according to the abilities of those who received it. In the same way, the Apostle Paul said that he had fed with milk those unable to take solid food (1Co 3,2)…

Five, two, one talent: let us take these to be the different graces granted to each, whether the five senses for the first; understanding of faith and works for the second; the reasons for distinguishing us from other creatures, for the third. “The one who received five talents went away and traded with them and made another five.” That is to say, besides the physical and material senses he had received, he added knowledge of heavenly things. His knowledge was raised from the creatures to the Creator, from the corporal to the incorporeal, from the visible to the invisible, from the transient to the eternal. “The one who received two made another two.” This one likewise, according to his ability, doubled in the school of the Gospel what he had learned in the school of the Law. Or perhaps we could say, that he understood that knowledge of faith and the works of this present life, lead to future happiness. “But the man who received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” In the grip of works here below and of worldly pleasures, the wicked servant neglected God’s commands.  However, let us note that, according to another evangelist, he wrapped it in a linen cloth – by this we could understand that he took away the force of his Master’s teaching, by a life of softness and pleasure…

The Master welcomed the first two servants… with the same words of praise. “Come,” He said, “share in your master’s joy and receive what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart” (1Cor 2,9). What greater reward could be bestowed on a faithful servant?” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture (the Vulgate), Father and One of the Original Four Doctors of the Latin Church .

PRAYER – Mercifully give us Your help, we beseech You, O Lord and by the intercession of blessed John, Your Confessor and Martyr, stretch over us the right hand of Your mercy against all wickedness of the devil. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

Monday in Passion Week – 4 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – “If anyone thirst, let himcome to Me and drink.”

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Monday in Passion Week – 4 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jonas 3:1-10, John 7:32-39

“O God, by Your Name save me and by your might deliver me.” – Psalm 53:3

“If anyone thirst, let him
come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me,
as the Scripture says,
‘From within Him
there shall flow
rivers of living waters.’ ”

John 7:37-38

“AS THE DEER LONGS for running water, so my soul longs for You, my God. Just as the deer longs for running water, so do our newly baptised members, our young deer, so to speak, also yearn for God. By leaving Egypt and the world, they have put Pharaoh and his entire army to death in the waters of Baptism. After slaying the devil, their hearts long for the springs of running water in the Church. These springs, are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah testifies, that the Father is like a Fountain when He says: They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living water, to dig for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. In another passage we read about the Son: They have forsaken the Fountain of Wisdom. And again, John says of the Holy Spirit: Whoever drinks the water I will give him, that water shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life. The Evangelist explains that the Saviour said this of the Holy Spirit. The testimony of these texts, establishes beyond doubt, the Three Fountains of the Church constitute the mystery of the Trinity.

THESE ARE THE WATERS that the heart of the believer longs for, these are the waters that the heart of the newly baptised yearns for when he says: My heart thirsts for God, the living Fountain. This is not a weak, faint desire to see God, rather the newly baptised actually burn with desire and thirst for God. Before they received Baptism, they used to ask one another: When shall I go and see the face of God? Now their quest has been answered. they have come forward and they stand in the presence of God. They have come before the Altar and have looked upon the Mystery of the Saviour.

HAVING RECEIVED the Body of Christ and being reborn in the life-giving waters, they speak up boldly and say: I shall go into God’s marvellous dwelling place, His house. The house of God is the Church, his marveLlous dwelling place ….

… BY THE WORD OF GOD you have been lifted out of the dangerous waters of this world, like so many little fish. In us, the nature of things has been changed. Fish taken out of the sea die but the Apostles have fished for us and have taken us out of the sea of this world, so we could be brought from death to life. As long as we were in the world, our eyes looked down into the abyss and we lived in filth. After we were rescued from the waves, we began to look upon the Sun and look up at the True Light. Confused in the presence of so much joy, we say: Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, in the presence of my Saviour and my God.” – St Jerome (343-420) Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon on Psalm 41 addressed to the Newly Baptised).

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March – ‘The Chief Physician’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 Marcr – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44 and the Feast Dy of St Gabriel the Archangel

“At that time, Jesus rose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a great fever and they besought Him for her.” – Luke 4:38

REFLECTION – “Now Simon’s mother-in-law was kept in her bed sick with a fever.” May Christ come to our house and enter in and by His command, cure the fever of our sins. Each one of us is sick with a fever. Whenever I give way to anger, I have a fever. There are as many fevers as there are faults and vices. Let us beg the Apostles to intercede for us with Jesus, that He may come to us and touch our hand. If He does so, at once our fever is gone. He is an excellent Physician and truly the Chief Physician. Moses is a physician. Isaias is a physician. All the Saints are physicians but He is the Chief Physician.” – St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of Mark 75).

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of Your Incarnation, mercifully grant that we, who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY MASS, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Forgive!

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent – 4 Kings 4:1-7, Matthew 18:15-22

“Then Peter came up and said to him,
“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me
and I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him,
“I do not say to you seven times
but seventy times seven.”

Matthew 18:21-22

“Go first and be reconciled
with your brother”

Matthew 5:24

“Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

“This is what I proclaim, what I testify,
what I cry out with a resounding voice:
Let no-one who has an enemy,
draw near the holy table,
to receive the Body of the Lord!
Let no-one who does approach it,
have an enemy!
Do you have an enemy?
Do not come near!
If you want to do so,
then first go and be reconciled,
then receive the Sacrament.”

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

“Someone who shows no clemency,
who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears,
no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality,
such a one, does not fulfil the law of Christ.”

St Jerome (347-420)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“See to it that you refrain from harsh words.
But if you do speak them,
do not be ashamed to apply the remedy
from the same lips, that inflicted the wounds.”

St Francis of Paola OM (1416-1507)

“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries,
let him look at a Crucifix
and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him
and not only forgave His enemies
but, even prayed His Heavenly Father,
to forgive them also.
Let him remember,
that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday,
instead of asking pardon for his sins,
he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)