Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.or
“Young man, I say to thee, arise!”
Luke 7:14
“Thy sins are forgiven thee … Arise and walk.”
Luke 5:23
“My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:7
“O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Father & Doctor of the Church
“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)
“The medicine of God, is Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen, the measure of all things.”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder
Quote/s of the Day – 16 March – Thursday of the Third Week in Lent
“Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands on everyone of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.”
Luke 4:40-41
“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)
“The poor and the sick are the Heart of God. In serving them, we serve Jesus Christ.”
St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614)
“Our misery is the throne of God’s Mercy.”
“If it be God’s will that the remedies overcome the sickness, return to God thanks, with humility; if it be God’s will that the sickness overcome the remedies, bless God with patience.”
“The prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save Martyrdom!”
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
It’s 1 May The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Month of our Loving Mother!
“The name of Mary is a tower of strength, which saves sinners from punishment and defends the just from the assaults of hell.” St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)
Mary Pondered All These Things in Her Heart (Cf Luke 2:19)
“While Mary contemplated all she had come to know through reading, listening and observing, she grew in faith,increased in merits and was more illuminated by Wisdom and more consumed by the fire of charity. The Heavenly Mysteries were opened to her and she was filled with joy; she became fruitful by the Spirit, was being directed toward God and watched over protectively, while on earth. So remarkable are the divine graces, that they elevate one from the lowest depths to the highest summit and transform one to a greater holiness. How entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the indwelling and guidance of the Spirit, was always and in every way, open to the power of the Word of God. She was not led by her own senses, nor by her own will, thus, she accomplished outwardly, through her body. what Wisdom, from within, gave to her faith. It was fitting for Divine Wisdom, which created itself a home in the Church, to use the intervention of the most Blessed Mary, in guarding the law, purifying the mind, giving an example of humility and providing a spiritual sacrifice. Imitate her, O faithful soul! Enter into the deep recesses of your heart, so that you may be purified spiritually and cleansed from your sins. God places more value on goodwill in all we do, than on the works themselves. Therefore, whether we give ourselves to God in the work of contemplation or whether we serve the needs of our neighbour by good works, we accomplish these things because, the love of Christ urges us on. The acceptable offering of the spiritual purification, is accomplished, not in a man-made temple but, in the recesses of the heart where the Lord Jesus freely enters!”
Mary! How Sweetly Falls That Word Anonymous, 19th Century
Mary! How sweetly falls that word On my enraptured ear! Oft do I breathe in accents low, That sound when none are near. Chorus: Sing, O my lips and loudly proclaim: O Mary, O Mary, how sweet is thy name! Sing, O my lip, and loudly proclaim; O Mary, O Mary, how sweet is thy name!
Sweet as the warbling of a bird, Sweet as a mother’s voice; So sweet to me is that dear name, It makes my soul rejoice. Chorus.
Bright as the glittering stars appear, Bright as the moonbeams shine, So bright in my mind’s eye is seen Thy loveliness divine! Chorus.
Through thee I offer my requests, And when my prayer is done, In ecstasy sublime I see Thee seated near thy Son. Chorus.
Quote/s of the Day – 2 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus”
“And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ … ”
1 John 3:23
“Nothing so curbs the onset of anger, so allays the upsurge of pride. It cures the wound of envy, controls unbridled extravagance and quenches the flame of lust. It cools the thirst of covetousness and banishes the itch of unclean desire… For when I Name Jesus, I set before myself, a Man Who is meek and humble of heart, kind, prudent, chaste, merciful, flawlessly upright and holy in the eyes of all and this same Man is the all-powerful God Whose way of life heals me, Whose support is my strength.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
(Sermon 15 On the Song of Songs)
“Was it not through the brilliance and sweet savour of this Name, that God called us into His marvellous Light?”
St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
“If thou art bound down by sickness, if sorrows weary thee, if thou art trembling with fear, invoke the name of Jesus.”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary
“And the Virgin’s name was Mary.”
Luke 1:27
“As breathing is not only a sign but even, a cause of life, so the name of Mary, which is constantly found on the lips of God’s servants, both proves that they are truly alive and, at the same time, causes and preserves their life and gives them, every succour . . . may Your name, O Mother of God, be the last sound that escapes my lips!”
St Germanus of Constantinople (c 640-733)
“The name of Mary is a tower of strength, which saves sinners from punishment and defends the just from the assaults of hell.”
St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)
“Wherever you may go, or wherever you may be, implore Jesus and call upon Mary . . . Sing these two names, sing them in your heart, sing them with your lips, sing them with your hands.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Readings: Isaiah 35: 4-7a; Psalm 146: 7-10 (1b); James 2: 1-5; Mark 7: 31-37 and the Memorial of St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455) Bishop
“And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears and, after spitting. touched his tongue.” – Mark 7:33
REFLECTION – “Divine Strength came down, which we humans cannot touch; it covered itself with a palpable body so that the poor might touch it and, in touching Christ’s Humanity, might perceive His Divinity. The deaf-mute sensed that his ears and his tongue were being touched with fingers of flesh. Through those palpable Fingers, he perceived the intangible Divinity when the bonds of his tongue were broken and the closed doors of his ears opened. For the body’s Architect and Artisan came to him and with a gentle word, without pain, He created openings in deaf ears. Then, too, the mouth, that had been closed and until then, incapable of giving birth to a word, brought forth, into the world, the praise of Him who thus caused its sterility to bear fruit.
In the same way, the Lord made paste with His saliva and spread it over the eyes of the man born blind (Jn 9:6), so we might understand that, like the deaf-mute, He was lacking something. An inborn imperfection in our human dough was removed thanks to the leaven that comes from His perfect body …. To complete what was missing in these human bodies of ours, He gave something of Himself, just as He gives Himself to be eaten [in the Eucharist]. By this means, He causes our deficiencies to disappear and raises the dead, so that we might recognise that, thanks to His body in which “the fullness of deity resides” (Col 2:9), the deficiencies in our humanity are brought to completion and true life is given to mortals by this Body in which true life resides.” – St Ephrem (c306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon “On our Lord,” 10
PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, open the ears and eyes of our hearts and fill us with Your grace. May we follow You in holiness all the days of our lives. Grant we pray, that as You brought Your Saints and Martyrs to overcome fearlessly, the persecutions of Your people, that we too may remain invincible under Your protection and by their prayers, be strengthened against the snares of the enemy. St Lawrence Justinian, pray for us in these times of evil! Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 5 September – Saint Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455) Bishop of Venice, Confessor, Reformer, Spiritual writer. Born on 1 September 1381 at Venice, Italy and died on 8 January 1455 at Venice of natural causes. Also known as – Lorenzo Giustiniani, Laurence…Laurentius…Patriarch of Venice.Patronage – Venice, Italy. Additional Memorial – 8 Jamuary.
The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “The Feast of St Lawrence Justinian, first Patriarch of Venice, who, by glorious miracles and virtues, illustrated the Episcopal dignity which he received against his will on this day. His birthday into Heaven is 8 January.”
Lawrence Justinian was a member of the well-known Giustiniani family, which includes several Saints. The piety of his mother seems to have served as an inspiration for his own piety and he chose a life of prayer and service. In 1404, after he had been Ordained a Deacon, at the suggestion of an uncle who was a Priest, he joined a community of Canons regular following a monastic form of life on the island of San Giorgio in Alga. He was admired by his fellows for his poverty, mortification and fervency of prayer. Two years after his Ordination to the Priesthood in 1407, the community accepted the Rule of St. Augustine. He was chosen to be the first Prior of the community.
Lawrence promoted the Constitutions which had been established for the Canons Regular of St George’S Monastery, which was embraced by other communities of Canons in the region and shortly thereafter, he became the Prior General of his Congregation. He was so zealous in spreading the merits of his community, that he was looked upon as if he were the actual Founder of the Order.
His great humility was a lesson to all his fellow Canons – when he went out begging, even to his own family home where the servants were embarrassed and as quickly as they could, gave him the bread he sought and then hrried him away, before the family were aware that their ‘child‘ was the beggar at the door.
Lawrence, although he had no great oratory skills preached very effectively, on the one hand, continuing to go around with his habit and saddlebag begging and, on the other hand, writing tirelessly. He wrote for the learned and the ignorant, theological treatises and popular pamphlets, offering everyone a guide to personal reform in faith and practicing that faith. He urged the faithful to recover a sense of communion with the whole Church, he encouraged trust in God’s mercy rather than fear of His justice.
In 1433, Pope Eugene IV, one of the Founders of the Monastery of San Giorgio, named Lawrence as the Bishop of Castello. Although he resisted this elevation to the Episcopal dignity supported by his brother Canons in protest, Pope Eugene, who knew him very well, did not heed his protesting pretexts – his tiredness, the task too difficult, etc … He found a Diocese in disarray and his administration was marked by considerable growth and reform. In 1451, Pope Nicholas V united the Diocese of Castello with the Patriarchate of Grado, and the seat of the Patriarchate was moved to Venice, making Lawrence the first Patriarch of Venice, a post that he held for over four years.
It was during Lawrence’s rule that Constantinople fell to Muslim forces. Due to their centuries of close trading partnerships with the Byzantine Empire, the people of Venice were in distress as to their future. He took a leading role in helping the Republic to deal with the crisis, working with the Senate to help chart its future, as well as with the clergy and people.
He died on 8 January 1455 and was Canonised by Pope Alexander VIII (1689–1691) on 16 October 1690. His works, consisting of sermons, letters and ascetic treatises, have been frequently reprinted.
Pope Innocent XII (1691–1700) inserted his Feast day into the General Roman Calendar for celebration on 5 September, the Anniversary of his elevation to the Episcopate.
Duomo (Padua) – cappella di San Lorenzo Giustiniani – Statua di Lorenzo Giustiniani
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost +2021 Twenty third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Notre-Dame, Folgoët / Our Lady of Folgoët Finistère, Brittany, France (1650) – First Sunday of September:
Known as the “the fool of the woods,” St Salaün (Died1358 – Memorial on1 November) lived in a forest clearing near a spring, over which he enjoyed hanging from an oak branch, immersed to his shoulders, singing “O Maria.” He lived by begging: “Ave Maria! Salaün could eat some bread!” After he died in 1358, aged 48, in the woods near the spring, people found a white lily with “Ave Maria” in gold lettering on its petals — growing from the mouth of the dead fool buried beneath.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame du Folgoët was begun on the spot in 1365, completed in 1419 and consecrated in 1423. Its main Altar is over the spring, channeled into a basin behind the Church. In 1888, a dark stone Virgin was crowned Our Lady of Folgoët, replacing a polychrome wooden Statue which was moved to a side Altar. The Black Virgin is standing, holding the Child with her left arm; both wear large crowns. Her back is flat; the statue may have been on the exterior of the Church before the Revolution, when some Statues were damaged and removed for safekeeping from the marauding mobs of the French Revolution.
Basilica ceiling
In the late 1500s, the big pilgrimage date was 15 August Feast of the Assumption. Three hundred years later, the celebration moved to 8 September, Nativity of the Virgin. Since 1970 the Grand Pardon has been held the first weekend in September, with a succession of processions and Masses in the Breton language.
St Charbel Bl Florent Dumontet de Cardaillac St Genebald of Laon Bl Gendtilis Bl Gerbrand of Dokkum St Guise Hoang Luong Canh Blessed John the Good OSA (c 1168-1249) Bishop Bl Jordan of Pulsano St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455) Bishop St Obdulia St Phêrô Nguyen Van Tu St Romulus of Rome
St Victorinus of Amiterme St Victorinus of Como Bl William Browne — Martyrs of Armenia – 1,000 saints: A group of up to 1,000 Christian soldiers in the 2nd century imperial Roman army of Trajan, stationed in Gaul. Ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused and were transferred to Armenia. Ordered again to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused again. Martyrs. We know the names of three of them, but nothing else – Eudoxius, Macarius and Zeno.
Martyrs of Capua – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together. Long venerated in Capua, Italy. We know their names, but little else – Arcontius, Donatus and Quintius. They were martyred in Capua, Italy.
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 80 saints: A group of 80 Christians, lay and clergy, martyred together in the persecutions of Valens. We know little more than the names of three of them – Menedemo, Teodoro and Urbano. They were locked on a boat which was then set on fire on the shore of Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey) c 370.
Martyrs of Porto Romano – 4+ saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. We know little more than their names – Aconto, Herculanus, Nonno and Taurino. c180 at Porto Romano, Italy.
Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name is the greatest spiritual force in the world today. It is a source of joy and inspiration in our youth; of strength in our manhood, when only His Holy Name and His grace, can enable us to overcome temptation; of hope, consolation and confidence at the hour of our death, when more than ever before, we realise, that the meaning of Jesus is ‘Lord, the Saviour.’ We should bow in reverence to His Name and submission to His Holy Will.”
Bl Henry Suso (1290-1365)
“Was it not through the brilliance and sweet savour of this Name, that God called us into His marvelous light?”
St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
“If thou are bound down by sickness, if sorrows weary thee, if thou are trembling with fear, invoke the name of Jesus.”
AnaStpaul 
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