Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, ENCYCLICALS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quotes of the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

Quotes of the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

“Every Saint belongs
to the court
of the Queen of All Saints.”

St John Eudes (1501-1680)

“Let all the children of the Catholic Church,
who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours.
With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love,
let them continue to venerate,
invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin.
Let them fly with utter confidence
to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace
in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears.
Under her guidance,
under her patronage,
under her kindness and protection,
nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless.
Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection
and having in her care, the work of our salvation,
she is solicitous about the whole human race.
And since, she has been appointed by God,
to be the Queen of heaven and earth
and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints
and, even stands at the right hand,
of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner.
What she asks, she obtains.
Her pleas can never be unheard!”

Bl Pius IX (1792-1878)

Ineffabilis Deus
(which proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1854)

“To serve the Queen of Heaven
is already to reign there
and to live under her commands,
is more than to govern.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“She is more Mother than Queen.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

“With the certainty of faith,
we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full,
literal and absolute sense of the word;
for He is true God and man.
This does not, however, prevent Mary
from sharing His royal prerogatives,
though in a limited and analogous manner;
for she was the Mother of Christ
and Christ is God and she shared
in the work of the divine Redeemer,
in His struggles against enemies
and in the triumph He won over them all.
From this union with Christ the King
she assuredly obtains so eminent a status
that she stands high above all created things
and upon this same union with Christ
is based that royal privilege,
enabling her to distribute the treasures
of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer.”

Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)

Excerpted from Ad Caeli Reginam

Mary … as the Mother of our Lord,
comes nearer to Him
than any angel,
nearer even than the Seraphim
who surround Him and cry continuall,
“Holy Holy Holy” …
The Blessed Mother of God
has hosts of angels who do her service
and she is their Queen.”

“Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks
and herein lies her power.
While she defends the Church,
neither height nor depth,
neither men nor evil spirits,
neither great monarchs,
nor craft of man,
nor popular violence,
can avail to harm us;
for human life is short
but Mary reigns above,
a Queen forever.”

St John Henry Newman CO (1801-1890)

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/22/quote-s-of-the-day-22-august-from-the-fathers-on-the-queenship-of-mary/

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Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYER WARRIORS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”

Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13, Psalm 115:3-10, Matthew 9:32-38

“And will not God vindicate his elect,
who cry to him day and night?”

Luke 18:7

luke-18-7-and-will-not-god-vindicate-his-elect-who-cry-to-him-day-and-night-16-nov-2019 and 7 july 2020

“Prayer is an act of love,
words are not needed.
Even if sickness distracts from thoughts,
all that is needed is the will to love.”

St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)

prayer-is-an-act-of-love-st-teresa-of-jesus-of-avila-15-oct-2019 and 7 july 2020

“Give yourself to prayer
and try by it, to procure,
first the amendment
of your fault,
then the practice of Christian virtues
and finally a great love of God.”

Bl Sebastian Valfre (1629-1710)

give-yourself-to-prayer-bl-sebastian-valfre-30-jan-2020 and 7 july 2020

“Do not neglect prayer,
however busy you may be.”

Bl William Joseph Chaminade (1761-1850)

do not neglect prayer however busy you may be bl william joseph chaminade 7 july 2020

“O holiest Heart of Jesus most lovely,
I intend to renew and to offer to You,
these acts of adoration and these prayers,
for myself, a wretched sinner
and for all those,
who are associated with me in Your adoration,
through all moments which I breath,
even to the end of my life.”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

o holiest heart of jesus - st john henry newman 7 july 2020

“There is One very near you
Who knocks at your door every hour of the day,
Who begs you to listen to Him
and to keep silence in order to hear Him.”

St Simon-Marie-Just Ranfer de Bretenières (1838-1866) Martyr

there-is-one-very-near-you-st-simon-ranfer-de-bretenieres-14-nov-2019 and 7 july 2020

“Prayer is our strength,
our sword,
our consolation
and the key to paradise.”

St Joseph Freinademetz (1852-1908)

prayer is our strength our sword our consolation and the key to paradise st joseph freinadametz 7 july 2020

“To pray,
is to think about Jesus
and love Him.
The more we love,
the better we pray.”

Bl Charles of Jesus de Foucauld (1858-1916)

to-pray-is-to-think-about-jesus-and-to-love-him-bl-charles-de-foucauld-1-dec-2019 and 7 july 2020

“Prayer is an aspiration of the heart.
It is a simple glance directed to Heaven.
It is a cry of gratitude and love
in the midst of trial as well as joy.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

prayer-is-an-aspiration-of-the-heart-st-therese-child-jesus-6-march-2020 and 7 july 2020

“The means to obtain
grace and glory,
is PRAYER.”

Bl Maria Esperanza de Jesus (1893-1983)

the means to obtain grace and glory is prayer - bl maria esperanza de jesus 7 july 2020

Pray, hope and don’t worry.”

St Pius of Pietrelcina/Padre Pio (1887-1968)

pray hope and dont worry - st padre pio 6 dec 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – ‘Our Vocation … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Hosea 8:4-711-13Psalm 115:3-10Matthew 9:32-38 and the Memorial of Blessed Pope Benedict XI OP (1240-1303)

“The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few, therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” … Matthew 9:37-38

REFLECTION – “One day I was pondering over what I could do to save souls;  a phrase from the Gospel showed me a clear light – Jesus said to His disciples, pointing to the fields of ripe corn, “Look up and see the fields ripe for harvest” (Jn 4:35) and a little later, “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few;  so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers.”   How mysterious it is!   Is not Jesus all-powerful? Do not creatures belong to Him who made them?   Why then does Jesus say:  “Pray the master of the harvest to send out labourers … ?”   Why? …

Ah!   Jesus has so incomprehensible a love for us, that He wants us to have a share with Him in the salvation of souls.   He wants to do nothing without us.   The creator of the universe waits for the prayer of a poor little soul, to save other souls redeemed like itself, at the price of all His blood.

Our vocation, yours and mine, is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn, Jesus does not say to us;  “Lower your eyes, look at the fields, and go and reap them,” our mission is still loftier.   Here are Jesus’ words:  “Lift up your eyes and see….”   See how in my Heaven there are places empty, it is for you to fill them! … each one of you is my Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8f), ask Me for labourers and I shall send them, I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchmatthew 8 37-38 the harvest is plentiful - our vocation yours and mine is not to harvesting - st therese of lisieux 7 july 2020

PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us grace, we pray, to herald Your coming, by preparing Your ways of justice and of peace.   We lift our hearts and eyes in prayer and beg of You that we may always offer You the souls of those in need of You.   And may the prayers of Bl Pope Benedict XI, who fulfilled his role as Your labourer, strengthen us on our journey.   Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.bl pope benedict XI pray for us 7 july 2020 (1)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, SPEAKING of ....., The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Doubt or Faith?

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle of Christ

Speaking of:  Doubt or Faith?

Jesus said to him,
“Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

John 20:28-29

john 20 29 blessed are those who have not seen and have believed - 3 july 2020

“Men imitate the gods whom they adore
and to such miserable being,
their crimes become their religion.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop of Carthage and Martyr
Father of the Church

men imitate the gods whom they adore st cyprian of carthage 3 july 2020 doubt

“For by your doubting, I am taught to believe,
by your forked-tongue, that revealed the wound
on the divine body that was pierced,
I harvest the fruit for myself without pain.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor

for by your doubting i am taught to believe - st joh chrysostom 3 july 2020 thomas

“Do you desire security?
Here you have it.
The Lord says to you, “I will never abandon you,
I will always be with you.”
If a good man made you such a promise,
you would trust him.
God makes it and do you doubt?
Do you seek a support, more sure
than the word of God, which is infallible?
Surely, He has made the promise,
He has written it,
He has pledged His word for it, it is most certain!”

do you desire security - st augustine faith or doubt 3 july 2020

“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.”

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

if you believe what you like - st augustine 26 nov 2019

“I believe
though I do not comprehend
and I hold by faith,
what I cannot grasp
with the mind.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

i believe though i do not comprehend - st bernard - 3 july 2020

“To one who has faith,
no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith,
no explanation is possible.”

to one who has faith no explanation is necessary - st thomas aquinas 3 july 2020

“Believing is
an act of the intellect
assenting to the divine truth,
by command of the will,
moved by God through grace.”

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

believing-is-an-act-of-the-intellect-st-thomas-aquinas-28-jan-2018 and 3 july 2020 - Copy

“You cannot be half a saint,
you must be a whole saint
or no saint at all.”

St Theresa of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

you-cannot-be-half-a-saint-st-therese-lisieux-11-june-2018-seeking-sainthood

“Divine truth [is not] ours
to summon at will.
If we determine that
we will find it out,
we shall find nothing ….
Let us believe,
evidence will come,
after faith, as it’s reward,
better than before it,
as it’s groundwork.”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

divine truth is not ours to summon at will - st john henry newman 3 july 2020 doubt or faith

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SAINT of the DAY

One Minute Reflection – 16 June – ‘Jesus who makes sweet what is most bitter.’

One Minute Reflection – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Psalm 51:3-6, 11, 16, Matthew 5:43-48 and the Memorial of Bl Donizetti Tavares de Lima (1882-1961)

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…   For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” … Matthew 5:44,46matthew 5 44 and 46 but i say to you, love our enemies ... 16 june 2020

REFLECTION – “There is in the Community, a Sister who has the faculty of displeasing me in everything – in her ways, her words, her character, everything seems very disagreeable to me.   And still, she is a holy religious who must be very pleasing to God.   Not wishing to give into the natural antipathy I was experiencing, I told myself that charity must not consist in feelings but in works, then I set myself to doing for this Sister, what I would do for the person, whom I loved the most.   Each time I met her I prayed to God for her, offering Him all her virtues and merits.   I felt this was pleasing to Jesus, for there is no artist who doesn’t love to receive praise for his works and Jesus, the Artist of souls, is happy when we don’t stop at the exterior but, penetrating into the inner sanctuary where He chooses to dwell, we admire it’s beauty.

I wasn’t content simply with praying very much for this Sister, who gave me so many struggles but I took care to render her all the services possible and when I was tempted to answer her back in a disagreeable manner, I was content with giving her my most friendly smile and with changing the subject of the conversation. …  Frequently, when… I had occasion to work with this Sister, I used to run away like a deserter, whenever my struggles became too violent.   As she was absolutely unaware of my feelings for her, never did she suspect the motives for my conduct and she remained convinced that her character was very pleasing to me.   One day, at recreation, she asked in almost these words:  “Would you tell me, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, what attracts you so much toward me, every time you look at me, I see you smile?”   Ah! what attracted me, was Jesus hidden in the depths of her soul, Jesus who makes sweet what is most bitter.” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchmatthew 5 44 - love your enemies and pray - there is in the community, a sister who- st therese of the child jesus lisieux 16 june 2020.jpg snip

PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully, to begin this day for Christ Your Son, in Him and with Him and to fill it, with an active love for all Your children, even those who may not like or who do us harm.   Help us to love as You do, so that we may become like You.   Bl Donizetti Tavares de Lima, you who spread your charity far and wide, pray for us. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.bl donizetti tavares de lima pray for us 16 june 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart By St Therese of the Child Jesus

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart
By St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them
to His infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of You for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in heaven for all Eternity.
Amendaily offering to the sacred heart by st therese of the child jesus 16 june 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 April – ‘Draw me… ‘

One Minute Reflection – 30 April – Thursday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:26-40, Responsorial Psalm 66(65):8-9.16-17.20, John 6:44-51 and the Feast of Our Lady of Africa

“No-one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me, draw him” … John 6:44

REFLECTION – “Mother, I think it is necessary to give a few more explanations on the passage in the Canticle of Canticles:  “Draw me, we shall run in the odour of your ointments” (Sg 1:4 LXX). …   “No-one can come after me, unless the Father who sent me draws him,” Jesus said.   Again … He teaches us that it enough to knock and it will be opened, to seek in order to find, to hold out one’s hand humbly to receive what is asked for (Mt 7:8f, Lk 11:9f).   He says that everything we ask the Father in His name, He will grant it (Jn 16:23)….

What is it then to ask to be “Drawn” if not to be united in an intimate way to the object which captivates our heart?   If fire and iron had the use of reason and if the latter said to the other, “Draw me,” would it not prove that it desires to be identified with the fire in such a way that the fire penetrate and drink it up with its burning substance and seem to become one with it?   Dear Mother, this is my prayer.   I ask Jesus to draw me into the flames of His love, to unite me so closely to Him that He live and act in me.   I feel that the more the fire of love burns within my heart, the more I shall say:  “Draw me,” the more also the souls who will approach me (poor little piece of iron, useless if I withdraw from the divine furnace), the more these souls will run swiftly in the odour of the ointments of their Beloved, for a soul that is burning with love cannot remain inactive.   No doubt, she will remain at Jesus’ feet as did Mary Magdalene and she will listen to His sweet and burning words.   Appearing to do nothing, she will give much more than Martha (Lk 10:39ff.)” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church – Autobiographical Ms. C 35john 6 44 no one can come to me - what is it then to ask to drawn - st therrese of the child jesus 30 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, in Your Word, You shed the light of Your glory on the peoples who are living in the shadow of death.   By Your Word, You teach us all things and ‘draw’ us in the way of hope and love. For Your Word is Truth and Your Word became flesh and filled our world with the Sun of Justice, Your Son,   He who is the Sun and the Truth.   May our steps be guided by His Mother, Our Lady of Africa, as we follow in the footsteps of Your Word and be a protection in our trials.   Through Christ, our Lord Jesus, with You in union with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, amen.our lady of africa pray for us 30 april 2020 (1)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, NOTES to Followers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

Prepare a guest room for me …

… Prepare a guest room for me,
for I am hoping,
through your prayers,
to be granted to you …

Philemon 22

Your Inbox will shortly be burdened again with my posts.

The new PC is up (not quite organised yet) and I will be back next week.

In the meantime, I send you greetings and prayers for your Lenten journey and thanksgiving for your prayers and for the Donations some have graced me with.   Your Donations have greatly assisted me in getting back online.

Holy Mass will be said in Thanksgiving with special mention of Annemarie, Fr Jacques, Beverly and Hugh.

“Prayer is an aspiration of the heart.
It is a simple glance directed to Heaven.
It is a cry of gratitude and love
in the midst of trial as well as joy.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Churchprayer is an aspiration of the heart - st therese child jesus 6 march 2020

May the Lord always shine His Face upon us all!

In love and gratitude
Ana

“O God, grant that whatever good things I have,
I may share generously with those who have not
and whatever good things I do not have,
I may request humbly from those who do.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor anglicuso god grant that whatever good things I have - st thomas aquinas 6 march 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – – 19 November – ‘Make haste and come down’

One Minute Reflection – – 19 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Third Week of Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 19:1–10 and the Memorial of St Matilda of Hackeborn (c 1241-1298)

“Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” … Luke 19:6

REFLECTION – “Celine, what a mystery is our grandeur in Jesus.   This is all that Jesus has shown us in making us climb the symbolic tree about which I was just talking to you. And now, what science is He about to teach us?   Has He not taught us all?   Let us listen to what He is saying to us:  “Make haste to descend, I must lodge today at your house.” Well, Jesus tells us to descend.   Where, then, must we descend?   Celine you know better than I, however, let me tell you where we must now follow Jesus.   In days gone by, the Jews asked our divine Saviour:  “Master, where do you live?”   And He answered: “The foxes have their lairs, the birds of heaven their nests, but I have no place to rest my head.” This is where we must descend in order that we may serve as an abode for Jesus.   To be so poor that we do not have a place to rest our head.   This is, dear Celine, what Jesus has done in my soul during my retreat.   You understand, there is question here of the interior. (…)

What Jesus desires is that we receive Him into our hearts.   No doubt, they are already empty of creatures but, alas, I feel mine is not entirely empty of myself and it is for this reason that Jesus tells me to descend.   He, the King of kings, humbled Himself in such a way that His face was hidden and no one recognised Him and I, too, want to hide my face, I want my Beloved alone to see it, that He be the only one to count my tears, that in my heart at least He may rest His dear head and feel that there, He is known and understood!” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchzaccheus make haste and come down - jesus tells us to descend - st there of the child jesus 19 nov 2019

PRAYER – Look with favour on our prayer Lord and in Your saving love, may your light so penetrate the hidden places of our hearts, that we may become like You, pure and humble of heart.   May no sordid desires darken our minds and may we be renewed and enlightened as we receive Your heavenly grace.   Grant that the intercession of St Matilda of Hackeborn lead us to a new way of remorse and repentance as we learn from You, our Saviour.   Through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.st matilda mechtilde of hackeborn pray for us 19 nov 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PURGATORY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PRAYER

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – Death

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

“When once you have departed this life,
there is no longer any place for repentance,
no way of making satisfaction.
Here life is either lost or kept.
Here, by the worship of God and by the fruit of faith,
provision is made for eternal salvation.
Let no-one be kept back, either by his sins,
or by his years, from coming to obtain salvation.
To him who still remains in this world
there is no repentance that is too late.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Churchwhen once you have departed this life - st cyprian of carthage - 2 nov 2019.jpg

“Let us help and commemorate them.
If Job’s sons were purified
by their father’s sacrifice [Job 1:5],
why would we doubt,
that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation?
Let us not hesitate to help those
who have died and to offer
our prayers for them.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Churchlet us help and commerate them - st john chrysostom 2 nov 2019.jpg

“It is not Death that will come to fetch me,
it is the good God.
Death is no phantom, no horrible specter,
as presented in pictures.
In the catechism it is stated,
that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all!
Well, I am not afraid of a separation
which will unite me to the good God forever.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-november-the-commemoration-of-all-the-faithful-departed-all-souls/it is not death that will come to fetch me - st therese of the child jesus 2 nov 2019.jpg

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 1 October – In the Heart of the Church I will be Love

Thought for the Day – 1 October – The Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, OCD (1873 – 1897) Virgin and Doctor of the Church

In the Heart of the Church I will be Love

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from her autobiography

Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of Saint Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer.   By chance, the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention and, in the first section, I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members and, that the eye cannot be the hand.   Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.

I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander, until I found this encouraging theme – Set your desires on the greater gifts.   And I will show you the way which surpasses all others.   For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God.   At length I had found peace of mind.

When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognised myself in none of the members, which Saint Paul described and, what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favourably within the whole body.   Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation.   Indeed, I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking, I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart, appeared to be aflame with love.   I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more.   I saw and realised, that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love, embraces every time and every place.   In one word, that love is everlasting.

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed –

O Jesus, my Love, at last I have found my calling, my call is love.   Certainly I have found my place in the Church and You gave me that very place, my God.   In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love and thus, I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.my-vocation-is-love-st-t-of-l-1-oct-2018and thought for the day 2019

St Thérèse, Pray for Us!st therese of the child jesus pray for us in the heart of the church i will be love 1 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 October – ‘..They were made perfect..’

One Minute Reflection – 1 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–56 and The Memorial of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus OCD (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

“Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. … Luke 9:54-55

REFLECTION – “When someone has been made worthy to taste God’s love, he usually forgets everything else by reason of its sweetness.   For once that person has tasted that love, anything visible seems of no interest.   The soul joyfully draws near to the beautiful love of all people without distinction.   It is never troubled by their weaknesses, which do not frighten it.   Just like the blessed apostles who, in the midst of all the evils which they had to bear from their torturers were completely incapable of hating them and did not tire of loving them, this was shown by the fact that, in the end, they even bore death so as to meet them again one day in heaven.

And yet these were the very same people who, a little earlier, had begged Christ to make fire come down from heaven on the Samaritans, who had only refused to welcome them in their village.   But once they had received the gift of tasting God’s love, they were made perfect even to the point of loving the wicked.” … St Isaac the Syrian (c 613-c 700) – Spiritual Discourses, 2nd Series, no. 10,36luke 9 54-55 lord do you want us to bid fire - once they had received st isaac the syrian 1 oct 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God, our Father, Your promised Your Kingdom to the little ones and the humble of heart.   May we love You and our neighbour, even those who hate us.   Give us grace to walk confidently in the way of St Thérèse, so that helped by her prayers, we may see Your eternal glory.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amenst therese of the child jesus pray for us 1 oct 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The CHRIST CHILD

Our Morning Offering – 1 October – O Jesus, dear Holy Child

Our Morning Offering – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus OCD (1873 – 1897)

O Jesus, dear Holy Child
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

O Jesus,
dear Holy Child,
my only treasure,
I abandon myself
to Thy every whim.
I seek no other joy
than that of calling forth
Thy sweet Smile.
Vouchsafe to me the graces
and the virtues of
Thy Holy Childhood,
so that on the day
of my birth into Heaven
the Angels and Saints
may recognise in Thy Spouse:
Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Ameno jesus dear holy child by st therese of the child jesus 1 oct 2019.jpg

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 1 October

St Thérèse of Lisieux/St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face/The Little Flower O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/01/saint-of-the-day-st-therese-of-lisieux-o-c-d-1873-1897-doctor-of-the-church/

St Aizan of Abyssinia
St Albaud of Toul
Bl Andrew Sushinda
Bl Antoni Rewera
St Aretas of Rome
St Bavo of Ghent
Bl Cecilia Eusepi
Bl Christopher Buxton
St Crescens of Tomi
St Dodo
Bl Dominic of Villanova
Bl Edward James
St Evagrius of Tomi
St Fidharleus
Bl Gaspar Fisogiro
St Gregory the Illuminator
St John Kukuzelis
Bl John Robinson
Bl Juan de Palafox Mendoza (1600–1659)
St Julia of Lisbon
Bl Luigi Maria Monti CFIC “Sons of the Immaculate Conception” (1825-1900)

About Blessed Luigi:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/10/01/saint-of-the-day-1-october-blessed-luigi-maria-monti-1825-1900/

St Maxima of Lisbon
Bl Nikita Budka
St Piaton of Tournai
St Priscus of Tomi
Bl Ralph Crockett
Bl Robert Widmerpool
Bl Robert Wilcox
St Romanos the Melodist
St Sazan of Abyssinia
St Verissimus of Lisbon
St Virila
St Wasnulf

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Carmelo Juan Pérez Rodríguez
• Blessed Higinio Mata Díez
• Blessed Juan Mata Díez
• Blessed Álvaro Sanjuán Canet
• Blessed Florencia Caerols Martínez

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MARTYRS, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 August – The little things in life.

One Minute Reflection – 13 August – Tuesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 and the Memorial of St John Berchmans SJ (1599-1621)

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”…Matthew 18:3truly i say to you unless you turn and become like little children matthew 18 3 - 1 oct 2018

REFLECTION – “God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realised, so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.”…St Thérèse de Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchgod-would-never-inspire-me-st-t-of-l-1-oct-2018

PRAYER – God, our Father, Your promised Your Kingdom to the little ones and the humble of heart.   Let us ask St John Berchmans to give us some of his great attention to the little things in life being so important in the eyes of God.   Lord God, grant us grace to walk confidently in the way of St John Berchmans, so that helped by his prayers, we may see Your eternal glory.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st john berchmans pray for us 13 aug 2019

Posted in CARMELITES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 12 July – by St Thérèse

Our Morning Offering – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin – Parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Morning Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)

O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask You for myself and for those
whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together,
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amenmorning-offering-o-my-god-i-offer-you-all-my-actions-of-this-day-st-therese-lisieux-12-july-2019-mem-of-louis-and-zelie

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 30 June – Don’t look back

Quote of the Day – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62

Another said,
“I will follow you, Lord
but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Jesus said to him,
“No-one who puts his hand to the plough 
and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:61-62luke 9 62 no one who puts there hand to the plough - 30 june 2019.jpg

“You learn to speak by speaking,
to study by studying,
to run by running,
to work by working
and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn
in any other way
deceive themselves.”you learn to speak by speaking - st francis de sales - 30 june 20195

“The Lord delights in every little step you take.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Churchthe lord delights - st francis de sales 30 june 2019

“You cannot be half a saint.
You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”you-cannot-be-half-a-saint-st-therese-lisieux-11-june-2018-seeking-sainthood.jpg

“Detach the heart from creatures
and you shall find God.”

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Churchdetach the heart from creatures - st t of l - 30 june 2019.jpg

“Why don’t you give yourself to God
once and for all… really… NOW!”

St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)why dont you give yourself to god - st josemaria 30 june 2019

“Holiness is heroism.”

Bishop Robert Barronholiness is heroism robert barron 30 june 2019

“If you aren’t changing your schedule
to follow Jesus,
you are not a disciple of Jesus.”

Father Mike Schmitzif you aren't changing your schedule - fr mike schmitz 30 jun 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The WORD

Novena in honour of the Sacred Heart Day Three – 21 June

Novena to the Sacred Heart
Day Three – 21 June

Third Day – When I find prayer difficult

Today’s Scripture
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.   And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.   We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose….Romans 8: 26-28

Reflection for the Third Day
St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897) once said, that love was her vocation in life.   Never was this vocation tested more than in the last nine months of her life as she lay dying with tuberculosis.   She wrote a note to her sister Céline:  ‘Here is great love, to love Jesus without feeling the sweetness of His love – that is love pushed to the point of heroism.’

Today’s Prayer
Jesus, I believe.   Help my unbelief!
Jesus, You are the real bedrock of my hope.
Help me always to rely on You,
especially in times of doubt and trouble.

Daily Invocation
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

Novena Prayer
Lord Jesus, the needs of Your people,
open Your Sacred Heart in love for each of us.
You care for us when we are lost,
sympathise with us in loneliness
and comfort us in mourning.
You are closest to us when we are weakest.
You love us most, when we love ourselves least,
You forgive us most, when we forgive ourselves least
and You call us to spread Your love
in whatever way we can.
Lord Jesus, Your Sacred Heart
is moved with compassion
when we are suffering,
when we need Your help
and when we pray for each other.
I ask You to listen to my prayer during this Novena
and grant what I ask.
—————————-
(Mention your intention silently.)
If what I ask, is not for my own good
and the good of others,
grant me what is best,
that I may build up Your kingdom
of love in our world.
AmenDAY THREE NOVENA SACRED HEART - 21 june 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 23 May – The Depths of the Love of Your Heart

Our Morning Offering – 23 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C

The Depths of the Love of Your Heart
By St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Virgin full of grace,
I know that at Nazareth you lived modestly,
without requesting anything more.
Neither ecstasies, nor miracles,
nor other extraordinary deeds enhanced your life,
O Queen of the elect.
The number of the lowly,
“the little ones,” is very great on earth.
They can raise their eyes to you without any fear.
You are the incomparable Mother
who walks with them,
along the common way
to guide them to heaven.
Beloved Mother, in this harsh exile,
I want to live always with you
and follow you every day.
I am enraptured by the contemplation of you
and I discover the depths of the love of your heart.
All my fears vanish under your motherly gaze,
which teaches me to weep and to rejoice!
Amenthe depths of the love of your heart - o virgin full of grace - st therese of lisieux 22 may 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE MERCY, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – New Year’s Day 2019

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – New Year’s Day 2019

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come.
The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17therefore,is anyone is in christ - 2 corinthians 5 17

“Brothers, . . . I can only say,
that forgetting all that lies behind me
and straining forward to what lies in front of me
and I am racing towards the finishing-point,
to win the prize of God’s heavenly call
in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13brothers...i can only say phil 3 13 - blessed 2019 keep up the good fight 1 jan 2018

May he give you what you desire
and make all your plans succeed.
Then we will shout for joy over your victory
and celebrate your triumph by praising our God.
May the LORD answer all your requests.

Psalm 20:4-5may he give you what you desire - blessed 2019 1 jan 2019 no 3

“The bread you store up belongs to the hungry,
the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked,
the gold you have hidden in the ground,
belongs to the poor.”

St Basil the Great (329-379) Father & Doctor of the Churchthe bread you store up - st basil the great - 1 jan 2019

“Love God,
serve God;
everything is in that.”

St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)love god serve god everything is in that - st clare - 1 jan 2019

“Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”teach us to give and not to count the cost - st ignatius 1 jan 2019.jpg

“All for the greater glory of God.”

St Ignatius de Loyola (1491-1556)all for the greater glory of god - 1 jan 2019 happy new year.jpg

“You must ask God to give you power
to fight against the sin of pride
which is your greatest enemy –
the root of all that is evil
and the failure of all that is good.
For God resists the proud.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)you must ask god to give you power - st vincent de paul - new year's res 1 jan 2019

“Let us go forward in peace,
our eyes upon heaven,
the only one goal of our labours.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)- Doctor of the Churchlet us go forward in peace - st t of l - 1 jan 2018.jpg

“During this new year,
I resolve to begin a new life.
I do not know,
what will happen to me, during this year.
But I abandon myself entirely to You, my God.
And my aspirations and all my affections,
will be for You.
I feel so weak, dear Jesus
but with Your help,
I hope and resolve,
to live a different life,
that is, a life closer to You.”

“Father, do You know,
the latest idea that has come into my head?
It is to become a saint at all costs.
I made this resolution yesterday evening.
During my meditation I was thinking,
that one lives only once
and it is certain,
that one is going to die,
then one will have to answer to God.”

“Every time the clock strikes,
I will repeat three times –
‘My Jesus, mercy!”

St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)new year quotes - st gemma galgani 1 jan 2019

AND here are Quotes for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-january-2018-the-solemnity-of-mary-mother-of-god-and-the-octave-day-of-the-nativity-of-our-lord/

Posted in MARTYRS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr – “The Original little Flower”

Thought for the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr – “The Original little Flower”

Today, 6 November, the Church celebrates the feast of St Jean Théophane Vénard, a French missionary to Vietnam who was martyred for the faith.

Famous for having inspired St Therese of Lisieux, who said of St Théophane that he was someone who had lived her own image of a martyr and missionary, St Théophane was born in France, became a priest in the Society of Foreign Missions and was sent to Vietnam.

It was during his incarceration that he wrote many letters, some to his family. His most famous line is from a letter to his father in which he said, “We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time – some a little sooner, some a little later . . . Father and son, may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.”

In reading these letters, St Therese the Little Flower came to understand and use the image of being a little flower, whom God nevertheless cared for and cultivated, despite her minute size.

St Théophane Vénard was beheaded 2 February 1861.

His severed head was later recovered and is preserved as a relic in Vietnam. The rest of his body rests in the crypt of the Missions Etrangères in Paris.

St Théophane Vénard, Pray for Us!st-thc3a9ophane-vc3a9nard-pray-for-us-6-nov-2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

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

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

“All saints give testimony to the truth,
that without real effort,
no one ever wins the crown.”

St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170)all saints give testimony to the truth - st thomas a becket - 1 nov 2018

“A ray of light enables us to see the dust that is in the air.
In the same way, the lives of the Saints show up our defects.
If we fail to see our faults,
it is because we have not looked at the lives of
holy men and women.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Churcha ray of light - st anthony of padua - 1 nov 2018

“God creates out of nothing.
Wonderful you say.
Yes, to be sure but He does.
what is still more wonderful,
He makes saints out of sinners.”

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)god-creates-out-of-nothing-soren-kierkegaard-1-nov-2017

“In heaven, we shall not meet with indifferent glances,
because all the elect will discover
that they owe to each other,
the graces that merited the crown for them.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchin heave, we shall not meet - st therese of lisieux - child jesus - 1 nov 2018

“Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately,
not to have been a saint.”

Charles Péguy (1873-1914)life holds only one tragedy ultimately - charles peguy - 1nov 2018

“A saint takes his hands off
the steering wheel of his life
and lets God steer.”a saint steering wheel of life - peter kreeft 1 nov 2018

“A saint is one who sees who the tramp is: Jesus”

Peter Kreefta-saint-is-one-who-sees-who-the-tramp-is-jesus-1-nove-2017

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:57–62 and the Memorial of St Theodore Guerin SP (1798 – 1856)

One Minute Reflection – 3 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:57–62 – Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of St Theodore Guerin SP (1798 – 1856)

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”…Luke 9:58foxes have holes - luke 9 58 3 oct 2018

REFLECTION –
“Remember the Father’s glory,
Remember the divine splendour
You left in exiling Yourself on earth
To redeem all the poor sinners.
O Jesus! Humbling Yourself to the Virgin Mary,
You veiled Your infinite greatness and glory.
Ah! Your mother’s breast
Was Your second heaven,
Remember…

Remember that on other shores
The golden stars and silver moon
On which I gaze in the cloudless sky
Delighted and charmed Your Infant eyes.
With Your little hand that caressed Mary
You upheld the world and gave it life,
And You thought of me,
Jesus, my little King,
Remember.

Remember that You worked in solitude
With Your divine hands.
To live forgotten was Your sweetest task.
You rejected human learning.
O You who with just one word could charm the world,
You took delight in hiding Your profound wisdom.
You seemed unlearned,
O All-powerful Lord!
Remember.

Remember that You wandered as a Stranger on earth.
You, the Eternal Word,
You had nothing, no, not even a stone,
Not a shelter, like the birds of heaven.
O Jesus! come within me, come rest Your Head,
Come, my soul is truly ready to receive You.
My Beloved Saviour,
Rest in my heart.
It is Yours.”…St Thérèse of the Child Jesus OCD (1873-1897) Doctor of the Churchremember that you wandered as a stranger on earth - st t of l - 3 oct 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, increase our love and trust for and in You, every day.   Teach us total abandonment to Your loving providence and thus enable us to do Your will in all things.   St Mother Theodora Guérin, you who suffered great persecutions and trials but always abandoned yourself to the Divine Will, please pray for us that we learn to do the same, amen.st-thc3a9odore-guc3a9rin-pray-for-us-3 october 2017 - no2

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Quote/s of the Day – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

Quote/s of the Day – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

“You cannot be half a saint;
you must be a whole saint
or no saint at all.”you-cannot-be-half-a-saint-st-therese-lisieux-11-june-2018-seeking-sainthood

“When one loves,
one does not calculate.”when one loves one does not calculate - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

“My vocation is love.
In the heart of the Church, my mother,
I will be love
and then I will be all things.”my vocation is love - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

I am convinced,
that one should tell one’s spiritual director,
if one has a great desire for Communion,
for Our Lord does not
come from Heaven everyday,
to stay in a golden ciborium;
He comes to find another heaven,
the heaven of our soul,
in which He loves to dwell.”our lord does not come from heaven - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

“It is consoling,
that He who must judge us,
dwells in us
to save us always
from all of our miseries
and to pardon us.”it is consoling that he who must judge us - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church

Posted in CARMELITES, CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

Thought for the Day – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

Excerpt from Pope Benedict’s Catechesis on St Thérèse – 6 April 2011

“Today I would like to talk to you about St Thérèse of Lisieux, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, who lived in this world for only 24 years, at the end of the 19th century, leading a very simple and hidden life but who, after her death and the publication of her writings, became one of the best-known and best-loved saints. “Little Thérèse” has never stopped helping the simplest souls, the little, the poor and the suffering who pray to her.

I would like to invite you to rediscover this small-great treasure, this luminous comment on the Gospel lived to the full!   The Story of a Soul, in fact, is a marvellous story of Love, told with such authenticity, simplicity and freshness that the reader cannot but be fascinated by it!   But what was this Love that filled Thérèse’s whole life, from childhood to death?   Dear friends, this Love has a Face, it has a Name, it is Jesus!   The Saint speaks continuously of Jesus.

Dear friends, we too, with St Thérèse of the Child Jesus must be able to repeat to the Lord every day that we want to live of love for Him and for others, to learn at the school of the saints to love authentically and totally.  Thérèse is one of the “little” ones of the Gospel who let themselves be led by God to the depths of his Mystery.   A guide for all, especially those who, in the People of God, carry out their ministry as theologians.   With humility and charity, faith and hope, Thérèse continually entered the heart of Sacred Scripture which contains the Mystery of Christ.   And this interpretation of the Bible, nourished by the science of love, is not in opposition to academic knowledge.   The science of the saints, in fact, of which she herself speaks on the last page of her The Story of a Soul, is the loftiest science.

In the Gospel Thérèse discovered above all the Mercy of Jesus, to the point that she said: “To me, He has given His Infinite Mercy and it is in this ineffable mirror, that I contemplate His other divine attributes.   Therein all appear to me radiant with Love.   His Justice, even more perhaps than the rest, seems to me to be clothed with Love” (Ms A, 84r).

In these words she expresses herself in the last lines of The Story of a Soul:   “I have only to open the Holy Gospels and at once I breathe the perfume of Jesus’ life and then I know which way to run;  and it is not to the first place but to the last, that I hasten…. I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit… my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the arms of my Saviour Jesus, because I know that He loves the Prodigal Son” who returns to Him. (Ms C, 36v-37r).

“Trust and Love” are therefore the final point of the account of her life, two words, like beacons, that illumined the whole of her journey to holiness, to be able to guide others on the same “little way of trust and love”, of spiritual childhood (cf. Ms C, 2v-3r; LT 226).

Trust, like that of the child who abandons himself in God’s hands, inseparable from the strong, radical commitment of true love, which is the total gift of self for ever, as the Saint says, contemplating Mary:   “Loving is giving all, and giving oneself” (Why I love thee, Mary, P 54/22).

Thus Thérèse points out to us all that Christian life consists in living to the full the grace of Baptism in the total gift of self to the Love of the Father, in order to live like Christ, in the fire of the Holy Spirit, His same love for all the others.”…Pope Benedict XVI

“Trust and trust alone,
should lead us to love”trust and trust alone - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

St Thérèse of Lisieux, Pray for Us!st t of l pray for us - 1 oct 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 October – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5 and The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897)

One Minute Reflection – 1 October – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5 – Monday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”…Matthew 18:3truly i say to you unless you turn and become like little children matthew 18 3 - 1 oct 2018

REFLECTION – “God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realised; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.”…St Thérèse de Lisieux god would never inspire me - st t of l - 1 oct 2018

PRAYER – God, our Father, Your promised Your Kingdom to the little ones and the humble of heart.   Give us grace to walk confidently in the way of St Thérèse, so that helped by her prayers, we may see Your eternal glory.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st-thc3a9rc3a8se-of-the-child-jesus-pray-for-us-1-oct-2017

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897)

Our Morning Offering – 1 October – The Memorial of St Thérèse of Lisieux O.C.D. (1873 – 1897)

Morning Offering
By St Thérèse

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amenmorning offering by st t of l - 1 oct 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, MYSTICS, PATRONAGE - MISSIONS, MISSIONARIES, PATRONAGE - THE SICK, THE INFIRM, ALL ILLNESS, SAINT of the DAY, VATICAN Resources

Saint of the Day – 1 October – St Thérèse of Lisieux OCD (1873 – 1897)

Saint of the Day – 1 October – St Thérèse of Lisieux OCD (1873 – 1897)  – also known as St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face/The Little Flower/Sacred Keeper of the Gardens – Virgin, Religious Nun, Mystic, Writer – born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin on 2 January 1873 at Alcon, Normandy, France – died on 30 September 1897 at Lisieux, France of tuberculosis.   Patronages – Universal Patron of the Missions, African missions, sick people; against bodily ills, illness or sickness, AIDS patients, air crews or pilots; aviators, Australia, black missions, florists and flower growers, foreign missions (proclaimed on 14 December 1927 by Pope Pius XI), loss of parents, missionaries, parish missions, restoration of religious freedom in Russia, tuberculosis, World Youth Day 2013, France (1944 by Pope Pius XII), Russia, Anchorage, Alaska, archdiocese of, Cheyenne, Wyoming, diocese of, Churchill – Baie d’Hudson, Manitoba, diocese of, Fairbanks, Alaska, diocese of, Fresno, California, diocese of, Hamilton, Bermuda, diocese of, Juneau, Alaska, diocese of, Kisumu, Kenya, diocese of, Corner Brook and Labrador, Newfoundland, diocese of, Pueblo, Colorado, diocese of, Witbank, South Africa, diocese of, Apostleship of Prayer.st therese info

THÉRÈSE MARTIN was born at Alençon, France on 2 January 1873.   Two days later, she was baptised Marie Françoise Thérèse at Notre Dame Church.   Her parents were Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin (now Saints, Canonised on 18 October 2015, Memorial 12 July).  After the death of her mother on 28 August 1877, Thérèse and her family moved to Lisieux.Thérèse_Martin-Histoire_d'une_âme-A02

Towards the end of 1879, she went to confession for the first time.   On the Feast of Pentecost 1883, she received the singular grace of being healed from a serious illness through the intercession of Our Lady of Victories.   Taught by the Benedictine Nuns of Lisieux and after an intense immediate preparation culminating in a vivid experience of intimate union with Christ, she received First Holy Communion on 8 May 1884.   Some weeks later, on 14 June of the same year, she received the Sacrament of Confirmation, fully aware of accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit as a personal participation in the grace of Pentecost.

She wished to embrace the contemplative life, as her sisters Pauline and Marie had done in the Carmel of Lisieux but was prevented from doing so by her young age.   On a visit to Italy, after having visited the House of Loreto and the holy places of the Eternal City, during an audience granted by Pope Leo XIII to the pilgrims from Lisieux on 20 November 1887, she asked the Holy Father with childlike audacity to be able to enter the Carmel at the age of fifteen.   On 9 April 1888 she entered the Carmel of Lisieux.   She received the habit on 10 January of the following year and made her religious profession on 8 September 1890 on the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.popeleo and st therese

In Carmel. she embraced the way of perfection outlined by the Foundress, Saint Teresa of Jesus, fulfilling with genuine fervour and fidelity the various community responsibilities entrusted to her.   Her faith was tested by the sickness of her beloved father, Louis Martin, who died on 29 July 1894.   Thérèse nevertheless grew in sanctity, enlightened by the Word of God and inspired by the Gospel to place love at the centre of everything.   In her autobiographical manuscripts she left us, not only her recollections of childhood and adolescence but also a portrait of her soul, the description of her most intimate experiences.  She discovered the little way of spiritual childhood and taught it to the novices entrusted to her care.   She considered it a special gift to receive the charge of accompanying two “missionary brothers” with prayer and sacrifice.   Seized by the love of Christ, her only Spouse, she penetrated ever more deeply into the mystery of the Church and became increasingly aware of her apostolic and missionary vocation to draw everyone in her path.SaintTherese3

On 9 June 1895, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, she offered herself as a sacrificial victim to the merciful Love of God.   At this time, she wrote her first autobiographical manuscript, which she presented to Mother Agnes for her birthday on 21 January 1896.

Several months later, on 3 April, in the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, she suffered a haemoptysis, the first sign of the illness which would lead to her death – she welcomed this event as a mysterious visitation of the Divine Spouse.   From this point forward, she entered a trial of faith which would last until her death; she gives overwhelming testimony to this in her writings.   In September, she completed Manuscript B;  this text gives striking evidence of the spiritual maturity which she had attained, particularly the discovery of her vocation in the heart of the Church.saint-therese-of-the-child-jesus-belita-william

While her health declined and the time of trial continued, she began work in the month of June on Manuscript C, dedicated to Mother Marie de Gonzague.   New graces led her to higher perfection and she discovered fresh insights for the diffusion of her message in the Church, for the benefit of souls who would follow her way.   She was transferred to the infirmary on 8 July.   Her sisters and other religious women collected her sayings. Meanwhile her sufferings and trials intensified.   She accepted them with patience up to the moment of her death in the afternoon of 30 September 1897.   “I am not dying, I am entering life”, she wrote to her missionary spiritual brother, Father M Bellier.   Her final words, “My God…, I love you!”, seal a life which was extinguished on earth at the age of twenty-four;  thus began, as was her desire, a new phase of apostolic presence on behalf of souls in the Communion of Saints, in order to shower a rain of roses upon the world.

She was Canonised by Pope Pius XI on 17 May 1925.   The same Pope proclaimed her Universal Patron of the Missions, alongside Saint Francis Xavier, on 14 December 1927.

Her teaching and example of holiness has been received with great enthusiasm by all sectors of the faithful during this century, as well as by people outside the Catholic Church and outside Christianity.therese-painting

On the occasion of the centenary of her death, many Episcopal Conferences have asked the Pope to declare her a Doctor of the Church, in view of the soundness of her spiritual wisdom inspired by the Gospel, the originality of her theological intuitions filled with sublime teaching and the universal acceptance of her spiritual message, which has been welcomed throughout the world and spread by the translation of her works into over fifty languages.

Mindful of these requests, His Holiness St Pope John Paul II asked the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which has competence in this area, in consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with regard to her exalted teaching, to study the suitability of proclaiming her a Doctor of the Church.

On 24 August, at the close of the Eucharistic Celebration at the Twelfth World Youth Day in Paris, in the presence of hundreds of bishops and before an immense crowd of young people from the whole world, St Pope John Paul II announced his intention to proclaim Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face a Doctor of the Universal Church on World Mission Sunday, 19 October 1997…Vatican.vast-therese-of-lisieux-iii-sheila-diemert

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 20 July

Our Morning Offering – 20 July

I Have Only Today!
By St Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church

My life is an instant,
an hour which passes by;
My life is a moment,
which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God,
That to love You here on earth,
I have only today.
Ameni have only today - my life is an instant - st t of the child jesus - 20 july 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin

– Parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

“The good God,
gave me a father and mother,
more worthy of Heaven than of earth.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)

Doctor of the Churchthe good god - st t of l - 12 july 2018

“They live in the world, that is,
in each and in all
of the secular professions and occupations.
They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life,
from which, the very web, of their existence is woven.
They are called there by God,
that by exercising their proper function
and led by the spirit of the Gospel,
they may work for the sanctification of the world,
from within as a leaven.”

Lumen Gentium 31they live in the world - lumen gentium 31