Quote of the Day – 14 March – Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
“We are ever but beginning,
the most perfect Christian,
is to himself but a beginner,
a penitent prodigal
who has squandered God’s gifts
and comes to Him,
to be tried over again,
not as a son
but as a hired servant.”
Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent
My Lord, I Offer You Myself
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
My Lord,
I offer You myself in turn,
as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
You have died for me,
And I in turn make myself over to You.
I am not my own.
You have bought me:
I will, by my own act and deed,
complete the purchase.
My wish is to be separated
from everything of this world;
To cleanse myself simply from sin;
To put away from me even what is innocent,
If used for its own sake
and not for Yours.
I put away reputation and honour
and influence and power,
For my praise and strength,
shall be in You.
Enable me to carry out what I profess
Amen
Lenten Reflection – 11 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Readings: Jeremiah 18:18- 20; Psalms 31:5-6, 14, 15-16; Matthew 20:17-28
Daily Meditation:
“Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom”…Matthew 20:21
The importance of Humility”
(Extract from a Sermon on St Philip Neri)
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“But I would beg for you this privilege, that the public world might never know you for praise or for blame, that you should do a good deal of hard work in your generation and prosecute many useful labours and effect a number of religious purposes and send many souls to heaven and take men by surprise, how much you were really doing, when they happened to come near enough to see it but that by the world you should be overlooked, that you should not be known out of your place, that you should work for God alone, with a pure heart and single eye, without the distractions of human applause and should make Him your sole hope and His eternal heaven your sole aim and have your reward, not partly here but fully and entirely, hereafter.”
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28
Intercessions:
Let us give thanks to God, our Father:
through the power of the Spirit He purifies our heart and strengthens us in love.
Let us humbly ask Him:
Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit.
Help us to receive good things from Your bounty with a deep sense of gratitude;
-and to accept with patience the evil that comes to us.
Teach us to be loving not only in great and exceptional moments,
-but above all in the ordinary events of daily life.
May we abstain from what we do not really need
-and help our brothers and sisters in distress.
May we bear the wounds of Your Son,
-for through His body He gave us life.
Closing Prayer:
God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve You.
Free me from any temptations
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience with others,
that with Your love and Your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself
and more and more full of the desire
to follow You, in laying down my life
according to Your example.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
“What did you say, woman?
You hear Him talking about the cross
and you ask for a throne?”
Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Thy Grace – a Lenten Prayer
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O my God,
suffer me still,
bear with me in spite of my
waywardness,
perverseness
and ingratitude!
I improve very slowly
but really, I am moving onto heaven,
or at least I wish to move.
Only give me Thy grace
meet me with Thy grace,
I will, through Thy grace, do what I can
and Thou shall perfect it for me.
Then shall I have happy days, in Thy Presence
and in the sight and adoration of
Thy five Sacred Wounds.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 23 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
“Take and divide it among yourselves.”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“Christ then took on our nature, when He would redeem it;
He redeemed it by making it suffer in His own Person;
He purified it, by making it pure in His own Person.
He first sanctified it in Himself, made it righteous, made it acceptable to God, submitted it to an expiatory passion and then He imparted it to us. He took it, consecrated it, broke it and said, “Take and divide it among yourselves.”
Newman was convinced that no one “realises the mystery of the Incarnation but must feel disposed towards that of the Holy Communion.” Both are mysteries of the coming of Christ, longed for as the hope of mankind for salvation. If we accept that God unites Himself, His divinity and His spirit, to humanity, nature and matter in His birth as man, then we can also accept that He binds His presence to the species of bread and wine. When Jesus says, “This is my body, this is my blood,” this remains a mystery but our faith in it, is not against our reason.
Years later this Catholic priest wrote:
“O wisest love! That flesh and blood
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.”
“And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence and His very Self,
And Essence all-divine.”
Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
The Grace of Thy Love
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O My God,
strengthen me with Thy strength,
console me with Thy everlasting peace,
soothe me with the beauty of Thy countenance,
enlighten me with Thy uncreated holiness.
Bathe me in Thyself
and give me to drink,
as far as mortal man may ask,
of the rivers of grace
which flow from the Father and the Son,
the grace of Thy consubstantial,
co-eternal Love.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 January – Thursday of the Third week in Ordinary Time, Year A and the Memorial of Blessed Sebastian Valfrè CO (1629-1710)
I am wholly Thine!
St John Henry Newman CO (1801-1890)
Thou, O my God,
have a claim on me
and I am wholly Thine!
Thou are the Almighty Creator
and I am Thou workmanship.
I am the work of Thou Hands
and Thou are my owner.
As well might the axe or the hammer
exalt itself against it’s framer, as I against Thee.
Thou owe me nothing,
I have no rights in respect to Thee, I have only duties.
I depend on Thee for life and health
and every blessing every moment.
If Thou withdraw Thy breath from me
for a moment, I die, I am wholly and entirely Thy property
and Thy work and my one duty is to serve Thee.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 27 December – Feast of St John the Evangelist and the Third Day of the Christmas Octave
“There are [Saints] … who are so absorbed in the divine life, that they seem, even while they are in the flesh, to have no part in earth or in human nature but, to think, speak and act under views, affections and motives, simply supernatural.
If they love others, it is simply because they love God and because man is the object, either of His compassion , or of His praise.
If they rejoice, it is in what is unseen, if they feel interest, it is in what is unearthly, if they speak, it is almost with the voice of Angels, if they eat or drink, it is almost of Angels’ food alone – for it is recorded in their histories, that for weeks, they have fed on nothing else but that Heavenly Bread, which is the proper sustenance of the soul.
Such we may suppose, to have been St John!”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“The love of Jesus is noble and generous, it spurs us onto do great things and excites us to desire always, that which is most perfect. Love will tend upwards and is not to be detained by things beneath. Love will be at liberty and free from all worldly affections… for love proceeds from God and cannot rest but in God above all things created. The lover flies, runs and rejoices, he is free and not held. He gives all for all and has all in all, because he rests in one sovereign Good above all, from Whom all good flows and proceeds”
Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter V, 3-4
One Minute Reflection – 26 December – Feast of St Stephen the ProtoMartyr and The Second Day in the Christmas Octave, Readings: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Psalm31:3-4, 6, 8, 16-17, Matthew 10:17-22
“… You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” … Matthew 10:22
REFLECTION – “When the blood of Stephen was shed, Saul, then a young man, was standing by “consenting unto his death” and “kept the raiment of them that slew him” (Acts 22:20). Two speeches are recorded of the Martyr in his last moments one, in which he prayed that God would pardon his murderers – the other, his witness, that he saw the heavens opened and Jesus on God’s right hand. His prayer was wonderfully answered. Stephen saw his Saviour, the next vision of that Saviour to mortal man was vouchsafed to that very young man, even Saul, who share in his murder and his intercession.
Strange indeed it was and what would have been St Stephen’s thoughts could he have known it! The prayers of righteous men avail much. The first Martyr had power with God to raise up the greatest Apostle. Such was the honour put upon the first-fruits of those sufferings, upon which the Church was entering. Thus, from the beginning, the blood of the Martyrs was the seed of the Church.” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, Theologian, Apologist – Parochial and Plain Sermons II #9
PRAYER –
C. By the merits and prayers of blessed Stephen
R. Be merciful, O God, to Your people
Almighty and everlasting God, who consecrated the first-fruits of Your martyrs in the blood of blessed Stephen the deacon, grant, we beg You, that he may pray for us, even as he prayed for his persecutors, to our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 December – The Nativity of the Lord, Mass at Midnight
The greatest source of hope this side of eternity is the Sacrament of hope, the Sacrament of encounter with Christ that is the Holy Eucharist. The document of the Second Vatican Council that begins with the words “joy” and “hope,” Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution On The Church in the Modern World), says:
“Christ left to His followers a pledge of . . . hope and food for the journey in the sacrament of faith, in which natural elements, the fruits of human cultivation, are changed into His glorified body and blood, as a supper of brotherly and sisterly communion and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet (38).”
Those who frequent this Sacrament — receiving it often, if not daily — know that one of the fruits of the Sacrament, is the virtue of hope. Gaudium et Spes refers to this sacrament as a “pledge of hope and food for the journey” that Christ left to His followers.
This document of Vatican II opened with these words:
“The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human, fails to find an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community of people united in Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit in their pilgrimage towards the father’s kingdom, bearers of a message of salvation for all of humanity (1).”
In the general intercessions at Holy Mass, we bring the “joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted.” We name those needs and address them to God our Father, through the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We know that those pleas to God register with Him, as they come directly to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the compassionate and merciful heart of Christ.
When we bring our prayers and petitions to Holy Mass, we should trust that they are heard by God and that God will bring a most fitting response — in His good time, His unique way and His providential plan — to all the prayers of our hearts. We might take them to Christ, with the added prayer: “Jesus, I trust in you.”
“Let us, at this season, approach Him with awe and love, in whom resides all perfection and from whom we are allowed to gain it. Let us come to the Sanctifier to be sanctified….
May each Christmas, as it comes, find us more and more like Him, who as at this time became a little child for our sake, more simple-minded, more humble, more holy, more affectionate, more resigned, more happy, more full of God.”
Quote/s of the Day – The Weekdays of Advent – 19 December, Readings: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25, Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17, Luke 1:5-25
“He, watches for Christ,
who has a sensitive, eager, apprehensive mind,
who is awake, alive, quick-sighted,
zealous in seeking and honouring Him,
who looks out for Him in all that happens
and who would not be surprised,
who would not be over-agitated or overwhelmed,
if he found that He was coming at once.”
“Year passes after year silently,
Christ’s coming is ever nearer than it was.
O that, as He comes nearer earth,
we may approach nearer heaven!”
Our Morning Offering – 16 December – Monday of the Third week of Advent, Year A
Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Trans St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Trans 1836
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, Thy praise be sung.
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Doth live and reign eternally
Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One is a translation from the original latin by St John Henry Newman of Nunc Sancte nobis Spiritus by St Ambrose (340-397). It was first published in Tracts for the Times (1836). It is included in the Latin Breviary as the hymn sung during Terce, for it was at the 3rd hour (9AM) that the Holy Spirit defended upon the Apostles at Pentecost.
Advent Reflection – 13 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 48:17-19, Psalm 1:1-4, 6, Matthew 11:16-19
Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.
“For John came, neither eating nor drinking and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” … Matthew 11:18-19
REFLECTION – “Saint John the Baptist was separated from the world. He was a Nazarite (Lk 1:15; Nb 6:2). He went out from the world and placed himself over against it… and called it to repentance. Then went out all Jerusalem to him into the desert (Mk 3:5) and he confronted it face to face. But in his teaching he spoke of One who should come to them and speak to them in a far different way. He should not separate Himself from them, He should not display Himself as some higher being but as their brother, as of their flesh and of their bones, as one among many brethren, as one of the multitude and amidst them; nay, He was among them already: “There hath stood in the midst of you, whom you know not” (Jn 1:26)…
At length Jesus begins to disclose Himself and to manifest His glory in miracles but where? At a marriage feast… And how? in adding to the wine… Now compare this with what He says in St Matthew’s Gospel of Himself: “John came neither eating nor drinking—The Son of man came eating and drinking and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and wine-drinker.” John might be hated but he was respected; Jesus was despised…
This was, O dear Lord, because Thou so loved this human nature which Thou has created. Thou did not love us merely as Thy creatures, the work of Thy hands but as men. Thou love all, for Thou has created all but Thou love man more than all. How is it, Lord, that this should be? What is there in man, above others? “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” (Ps 8,5)… Thou did not take on Thee an angelic nature when Thou did manifest Thyself for our salvation, so too Thou would not come in any shape or capacity or office which was above the course of ordinary human life—not as a Nazarene, not as a Levitical priest, not as a monk, not as a hermit but in the fullness and exactness of that human nature, which, so much Thou love… in that very flesh which had fallen in Adam and with all our infirmities, all our feelings and sympathies, sin excepted.” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) – Meditations and Devotions, Part III, VII God with us 1
MEDITATION – Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me, speak to them of My great mercy. . . . The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me, is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered. …St Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1396-1397
ADVENT ACTION – With St Augustine we pray, “All my hope lies only in Your great mercy.” So, we turn in repentance and tell of His great love and mercy for us all, sinners though we are!
PRAYER – Lord, watch over Your people, who come to You in confidence. Strengthen the hearts of those who hope in You. Give courage to those who falter because of their failures. In this holy season of Advent, lead them closer to You in hope, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. May they one day proclaim Your saving acts of kindness in Your eternal kingdom. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Martyr for Christ
“St Andrew was the first convert among the Apostle; he was especially in our Lord’s confidence; thrice is he described as introducing others to Him; [but] he is little known in history; while the place of dignity and the name of highest renown, have been allotted to his brother Simon, whom he was the means of bringing to the knowledge of his Saviour ….
These men, are not necessarily, the most useful men in their generation, not the most favoured by God, who made the most noise in the world and who seem to be principals in the great changes and events recorded in history ….
His marvellous Providence works beneath a veil, which speaks but an untrue language. And, to see Him who is the Truth and the Life, we must stoop underneath it and so, in our turn, hide ourselves from the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19 and the Memorial of Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (c 700-784)
“But not a hair of your head shall perish.” … Luke 21:9
REFLECTION – “I cry out to Thee and entreat Thee, first that Thou would keep me from myself and from following any will but Thine.
Next, I beg of Thee, that in Thy infinite compassion Thou would temper Thy will to me, that it may not be severed but imdulgent to me.
Visit me not, O my loving Lord – if it be not wrong so to pray – visit me not those trying visitations which saints alone can bear!
Still, I leave all in Thy hands, my dear Saviour – I bargain for nothing. Only, if Thou shall bring heavier trial on me, give me more grace – flood me with the fulness of Thy strength and consolation, that they may work in me, not death but life and salvation. Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890), Priest, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian, Writer, Poet, Apologist
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts O Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be afraid, never be deceived or misled but by Your strength, stand firm in our faith. For Your Son, walks before us, beside us and behind us. The Holy Spirit of Your love fills us. Let nothing put us to shame. Grant that by the prayers of St Virgilius of Salzburg and all Your saints, we may be strengthened for the journey. Through our Lord Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, God eternally and forever, amen.
Sunday Reflection – 24 November – The Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year C
He took bread and blessed and made it His Body. He took wine and gave thanks and made it His Blood and He gave His priests the power to do what He had done. Henceforth, He is in the hands of sinners once more. Frail, ignorant, sinful man, by the sacerdotal power given to him, compels the presence of the Highest; he lays Him up in a small Tabernacle; he dispenses Him to a sinful people. Those who are only just now, cleansed from mortal sin, open their lips for Him; those who are soon to return to mortal sin, receive Him into their breasts; those who are polluted with vanity and selfishness and ambition and pride, presume to make Him their Guest; the frivolous, the tepid, the worldly-minded, fear not to welcome Him.
Alas! Alas! even those who wish to be more in earnest, entertain Him with cold and wandering thoughts and quench that Love which would inflame them with It’s own fire, did they but open to It! Such are the best of us and then for the worst? What shall we of sacrilege? of His reception to hearts polluted with mortal, unforsaken sin? of those further nameless profanations, which from time to time occur, when unbelief dares to present itself at the holy Altar and blasphemously gains possession of Him? ….
I place myself in the presence of Him, in whose Incarnate Presence I am, before I place myself there!
I adore Thee, O my Saviour, present here as God and man, in soul and body, in true flesh and blood.
I acknowledge and confess, that I kneel before that Sacred Humanity, which was conceived in Mary’s womb and lay in Mary’s bosom; which grew up to man’s estate and by the Sea of Galilee, called the Twelve, wrought miracles and spoke words of wisdom and peace; which in due season hung on the Cross, lay in the tomb, rose from the dead and now reigns in heaven.
I praise and bless and give myself wholly to Him, who is the true Bread of my soul and my everlasting joy. Amen.
Our Morning Offering for the Souls in Purgatory – 16 November – Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Prayer for the Faithful Departed
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Meditations and Devotions of the Late Cardinal Newman
O God of the Spirits of all flesh,
O Jesu, Lover of souls,
we recommend unto Thee,
the souls of all those Thy servants,
who have departed with the sign of faith
and sleep the sleep of peace.
We beseech Thee, O Lord and Saviour,
that, as in Thy mercy to them,
Thou became man,
so now, Thou would hasten the time
and admit them to Thy Presence above…
May the heavens be opened to them
and the Angels rejoice with them …
May all the Saints and elect of God,
who in this world suffered torments
for Thy Name, befriend them,
that, being freed from the prison beneath,
they may be admitted into the glories of that Kingdom,
where, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
Thou lives and reigns,
one God, world without end …
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.
And may perpetual light shine on them.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 November – Thursday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:20–25
” … For behold,
the kingdom of God,
is in the midst of you.”Luke 17:21
My Lord and my God!
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“I am slow to master the great Truth, that Christ is, as it were, walking among us and, by His Hand, or eye, or voice bidding me to follow Him.
I do not understand, that His call, is a thing which takes place now.
I think it took place in the Apostles’ days but I do not believe in it, I do not look out for it in my own case.
I have not eyes to see the Lord – far different from the beloved Apostle, who knew Christ, even when the rest of the disciples knew Him not! When He stood on the shore after His Resurrection and bade them cast the net into the sea, “that disciple whom Jesus loved, said unto Peter, ‘It is the Lord!'” …O my God, Thou does over-abound in mercy!
To live by faith is my necessity, from my present state of being and from my sin but Thou has pronounced a blessing on it.
Thou has said, that I am more blessed if I believe in Thee, than if I saw Thee –
My Lord and my God!”
One Minute Reflection – 14 November – Thursday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:20–25 and the Memorial of Saint Joseph Maria Pignatelli SJ (1737 – 1811)
” … For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” … Luke 17:21
REFLECTION – “Is it difficult to faith to admit the word of Scripture concerning our connection with a world superior to us?… The world of spirits then, though unseen, is present, present, not future, not distant. It is not above the sky, it is not beyond the grave, it is now and here, “the kingdom of God is among us.” Of this the text speaks—”We look,” says St Paul, “not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18)…
Such is the hidden kingdom of God and, as it is now hidden, so in due season it shall be revealed. Men think that they are lords of the world and may do as they will. They think this earth their property and its movements in their power, whereas… it contains Christ’s little ones, whom they despise and His Angels, whom they disbelieve and these, at length, shall take possession of it and be manifested. At present, “all things,” to appearance, “continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” and scoffers ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?”(2 Pt 3:4) but at the appointed time there will be a “manifestation of the sons of God” and the hidden saints “shall shine out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt 13:43)
When the Angels appeared to the shepherds, it was a sudden appearance—“Suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host” (Lk 2:13). How wonderful a sight! The night, had before that, seemed just like any other night – they were keeping watch over their sheep, they were watching the night as it passed. The stars moved on—it was midnight. They had no idea of such a thing when the Angel appeared. Such are the power and virtue hidden in things which are seen and at God’s will, they are manifested.” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian – PPS “The Invisible world” vol.4, no.13
PRAYER – Our Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done! Grant us Lord, a true knowledge of our salvation, so that freed from fear and from the power of our foes, we may serve You faithfully, all the days of our lives and thus attain eternal joy with You. May the prayers of St Joseph Pignatelli on our behalf, be a succour to us all. Through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:7-10 and the Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr
“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’ ”… Luke 17:10
REFLECTION – “Thou, O my God, have a claim on me and I am wholly Thine! Thou are the Almighty Creator and I am Thou workmanship. I am the work of Thou Hands and Thou are my owner. As well might the axe or the hammer exalt itself against it’s framer, as I against Thee. Thou owe me nothing, I have no rights in respect to Thee, I have only duties. I depend on Thee for life and health and every blessing every moment. If Thou withdraw Thy breath from me for a moment, I die, I am wholly and entirely Thy property and Thy work and my one duty is to serve Thee. Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Apologist, Professor
PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour. That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one . St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:7-10
“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’”… Luke 17:10
Not My Own
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
My Lord,
I offer Thee myself in turn,
as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Thou has died for me
and I in turn make myself over to Thee.
I am not my own.
Thou has bought me –
I will,
by my own act and deed,
complete the purchase.
My wish is to be separated from everything
of this world,
to cleanse myself simply from sin,
to put away from me,
even what is innocent,
if used for it’s own sake
and not for Thee.
I put away reputation and honour
and influence and power,
for my praise and strength,
shall be in Thou.
Enable me to carry out what I profess.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 11 November – Monday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 and The Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours (c 316-397)
Two Essays on Biblical and Ecclesiastical Miracles
And the Lord said,
“If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you could say to this sycamine tree,
‘Be rooted up and be planted in the sea,’
and it would obey you.”
Luke 17:6
“Before Martin was a Bishop, while he was near St Hilary at Poitiers, a certain Catechumen, who lived in his monastery, died of a fever, in Martin’s absence, without baptism.
On his return, the Saint went by himself, into the cell where the body lay, threw himself upon it, prayed and then raising himself with his eyes fixed on it, patiently waited his restoration, which took place before the end of two hours ….
At another time, on his giving orders for cutting down a pine to which idolatrous honour was paid, a heathen said, “If thou has confidence in thy God, let us hew the tree and do thou receive it as it falls. If thy Lord is with thee, thou wilt escape harm.”
Martin accepted the condition and when the tree was falling upon him, made the Sign of the Cross. The tree reeled round and fell on the other side! This miracle converted the vast multitude who were spectators of it.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran
“O God, who out of living and chosen stones, builds up an everlasting dwelling-place for Your Majesty – help Your people, who humbly pray to You and whatever material room Your Church may set apart for Your worship, let it bring also spiritual increase.”
“Stability and permanence are, perhaps,
the especial ideas which a church brings before the mind …
It represents to us, it’s eternity.
It is the witness of Him
Who is the Beginning and the Ending,
the First and the Last,
it is the token and emblem of
“Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, today and forever.”
“God’s desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God. Every community, therefore, has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony. For this we call upon the intercession of Mary Most Holy, that she help us to become, like her, the “house of God,” living temple of His love.”
One Minute Reflection – 9 November – The Feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran – Gospel: John 2:13–22
“Zeal for your house will consume me.” ... John 2:18
REFLECTION – “Is a cathedral the offspring of a random thought, a thing to will and to accomplish at our pleasure?… Surely the churches which we inherit are not the purchase of wealth nor the creation of genius, they are the fruits of martyrdom. They come of high deeds and sufferings, as long before their very building as we are after it. Their foundations are laid very deep, even in the preaching of apostles and the confession of saints and the first victories of the gospel in our land. All that is so noble in their architecture, all that captivates the eye and makes its way to the heart, is not a human imagination but a divine gift, a moral result, a spiritual work.
The Cross is ever planted in hazard and suffering and is watered with tears and blood. No where does it take root and bear fruit, except its preaching be with self-denial. It is easy, indeed, for the ruling powers to make a decree and set religion on high and extend its range,and herald its name but they cannot plant it, they can but impose it. The Church alone can plant the Church. The Church alone can found her sees and inclose herself within walls. None but saintly men, mortified men, preachers of righteousness, and confessors for the truth, can create a home for the truth in any land.
Thus the Temples of God are withal the monuments of His saints… Their simplicity, grandeur, solidity, elevation, grace and exuberance of ornament, do but bring to remembrance the patience and purity, the courage, meekness and great charity, the heavenly affections, the activity in well-doing, the faith and resignation, of men who themselves did but worship in mountains and in deserts,and in caves and dens of the earth. They laboured but not in vain, for other men entered into their labours (cf. Jn 4:38) and, as if by natural consequence, at length their word prospered after them and made itself a home, even these sacred palaces in which it has so long dwelt… O happy they who, in a sorrowful time, avail themselves of this bond of communion with the saints of old and with the universal Church!… Happy they, who when they enter within their holy limits, enter in heart into the court of Heaven!” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian – PPS vol. 6, 19
PRAYER – Almighty God, as we recall with joy, the Dedication of this house of Yours on each recurring anniversary, listen to Your people’s prayer and grant that our worship here may be a sincere and holy service, honouring Your Name and bringing us the fullness of redemption. 
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 6 November – Wednesday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
“If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…” … Luke 14:26
REFLECTION – “O my God, though I am not fit to see or touch You yet, still I will ever come within Your reach and desire that which is not yet given me in its fullness. O my Saviour, You shall be my sole God! – I will have no Lord but You. I will break to pieces all idols in my heart which rival You. I will have nothing but Jesus and Him Crucified. It shall be my life to pray to You, to offer myself to You, to keep You before me, to worship You in Your holy Sacrifice and to surrender myself to You in Holy Communion. Amen.” —– St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
PRAYER – Holy God and Father, You sent Your Son to show us the way to our eternal home. Teach us always to understand that by relinquishing the things of this world and focusing our efforts only on following the Light He shines on our path, we may attain the eternal victory. May the prayers of Your our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, assist us in carrying our cross after Hi m. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 November – Wednesday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Tis I – Be not Afraid!
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
WHEN I sink down in gloom or fear,
Hope blighted or delayed,
Thy whisper, Lord, my heart shall cheer,
“’Tis I – be not afraid!”
Or, startled at some sudden blow,
If fretful thoughts I feel,
“Fear not, it is but I!” shall flow,
As balm my wound to heal.
Nor will I quit Thy way, though foes
Some onward pass defend,
From each rough voice the watchword goes,
“Be not afraid!… a Friend!”
And O! when judgement’s trumpet clear
Awakes me from the grave,
Still in it’s echo may I hear,
“’Tis Christ! He comes to save.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), Gospel: John 6:37-40
‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ … John 6:34
REFLECTION – “Thomas came and touched Thy sacred wounds. O will the day ever come when I shall be allowed actually and visibly to kiss them? What a day will that be when I am thoroughly cleansed from all impurity and sin and am fit to draw near to my Incarnate God in His palace of light above! what a morning, when having done with all penal suffering, I see Thee for the first time with these very eyes of mine, I see Thy countenance, gaze upon Thy eyes and gracious lips without quailing and then kneel down with joy to kiss Thy feet and am welcomed into Thy arms.
O my only true Lover, the only Lover of my soul, Thee will I love now, that I may love Thee then. What a day, a long day without ending, the day of eternity, when I shall be so unlike what I am now, when I feel in myself a body of death and am perplexed and distracted with ten thousand thoughts, anyone of which, would keep me from heaven.
O my Lord, what a day when I shall have done once for all with all sins, venial as well as mortal and shall stand perfect and acceptable in Thy sight, able to bear Thy presence, nothing shrinking from Thy eye, not shrinking from the pure scrutiny of Angels and Archangels, when I stand in the midst and they around me!” … Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
PRAYER- Breviary Hymn – Psalter Week 3 – It were my Soul’s Desire
It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God;
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs;
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.
It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.
It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.
This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord.
Thought for the Day – 1 November – The Solemnity of All Saints
“Very various are the saints, their very variety is a token of God’s workmanship but, however various and whatever was their special line of duty, they have been heroes in it, they have attained such noble self-command,
they have so crucified the flesh,
they have so renounced the world,
they are so meek,
so gentle,
so tenderhearted,
so merciful,
so sweet,
so cheerful,
so full of prayer,
so diligent, so forgetful of injuries – they have attained such great and continued pains,
they have persevered in such vast labours,
they have made such valiant confessions,
they have wrought such abundant miracles,
they have been blessed with such strange successes,
that they have set up a standard before us of truth, of magnanimity, of holiness, of love.They are not always our examples, we are not always bound to follow them – not more than we are bound to obey literally, some of our Lord’s precepts, such as turning the cheek or giving away the coat – not more than we can follow the course of the sun, moon or stars in the heavens;
but, though not always our examples,
they are always our standard of right and good,
they are raised up to be monuments and lessons,
they remind us of God,
they introduce us into the unseen world,
they teach us what Christ loves,
they track out for us the way which leads heavenwards.
They are to us who see them, what wealth, notoriety, rank and name are to the multitude of men who live in darkness – objects of our veneration and of our homage.
Give me grace, O Jesus,
to live in sight of that blessed company.
Let my life be spent in the presence of Thee
and Thy closest friends.
Though I see them not,
let not what I do see seduce me, to give my heart elsewhere.
Because Thou hast blessed me so much
and given to me friends,
let me not depend or rely or throw myself
in any way upon them
but on those with whom
Thou did surround Thyself on earth
and now delight Thyself in heaven.
Be my soul with Thee
and, because with Thee,
with Mary and Joseph
and Elizabeth and John.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year , Gospel: Luke 13:22–30
And someone said to him,
“Lord, will those who are saved be few?” … Luke 13:23
“Easy circumstances are generally thought a special happiness, it is thought a great point to get rid of annoyance or discomfort of mind and body, it is thought allowable and suitable, to make use of all means available, for making life pleasant.”
“Such advice is especially suitable to an age like this, when there is an effort on all hands to multiply comforts and to get rid of the daily inconveniences and distresses of life.
Alas! my brethren, how do you know, if you avail yourselves of the luxuries of this world without restraint but that you are only postponing and increasing by postponing, an inevitable chastisement?
How do you know but that, if you will not satisfy the debt of daily sin now, it will hereafter come upon you with interest? See whether this is not a thought, which would spoil that enjoyment, which even religious persons are apt to take in this world’s goods, if they would but admit it.
It is said that we ought to enjoy this life as the gift of God.
Easy circumstances are generally thought a special happiness, it is thought a great point, to get rid of annoyance, or discomfort, of mind and body, it is thought allowable and suitable, to make use of all means available, for making life pleasant. We desire and confess we desire, to make time pass agreeably and to live in the sunshine. All things harsh and austere are carefully put aside. We shrink from the rude lap of earth and the embrace of the elements and we build ourselves houses in which the flesh may enjoy its lust and the eye its pride.
We aim at having all things at our will.
Cold and hunger and hard lodging and ill usage and humble offices and mean appearance, are all considered serious evils.
And thus year follows year, tomorrow as today, till we think that this, our artificial life, is our natural state and must and ever will be.”
Quote/s of the Day – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year , Gospel: Luke 13:22–30
“The proud person is like a grain of wheat
thrown into water – it swells, it gets big.
Expose that grain to the fire – it dries up, it burns.
The humble soul, is like a grain of wheat,
thrown into the earth –
it descends, it hides itself,
it disappears, it dies
but to revive
in heaven.”
“I sought to hear the voice of God
And climbed the topmost steeple.
But God declared
“Go down again –
I dwell among the people.”
“The humble man receives praise,
the way a clean window
takes the light of the sun.
The truer and more intense the light is,
the less you see of the glass.”
“Strive to enter through the narrow door,
for many, I tell you, will attempt
to enter but will not be able…”…Luke 13:24.
“All, can enter eternal life but for everyone,
the door is narrow. They are not privileged.
The path to the eternal life is open to all
but it is narrow because it’s demanding,
asks for commitment, abnegation
and the mortification of selfishness.”
“To pass through the narrow gate, means
we must commit ourselves to being small,
that is humble of heart like Jesus,
like Mary, His and our mother.”
“Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.