Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 14 September – The Redemption

Thought for the Day – 14 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Redemption

In conclusion, let us say this prayer of St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787):
My soul, look at this Crucified Man …
see how the arms extend to embrace you,
how the head bows forward
to give you the kiss of peace.
See how His side is open to receive you.
What have you to say?
Such a good and loving God deserves to be loved.
O my Jesus!
Adorable Jesus!
O Love of my soul!
How can I ever forget Thee?
How can I ever love anything
apart from Thee!
O suffering Jesus,
may the memory of Thee ever remain
in my heart!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/13/thought-for-the-day-13-september-the-redemption/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/31/thought-for-the-day-31-march-the-redemption/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 31 March – The Redemption

Thought for the Day – 31 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Redemption

Do I ever think of all that I have cost Jesus?
Do I ever meditate on His Infinite Love for me?
If I could constantly bear in mind the work of Redemption and the Passion of Jesus Christ, I should certainly never offend God and I should be on fire with love for Him.

Moreover, if in time of temptation, I were to pray earnestly before the image of Christ Crucified, I should certainly succeed in my resistance, by asking the suffering Lord for His Divine assistance.

If by some misfortune, however, I should fall into sin, it should suffice to kiss the Crucifix in order to revive my confidence in Christ, to rouse myself to sorrow, to obtain pardon and to begin a new life.
That should be the fruit of the Redemption for me.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/13/thought-for-the-day-13-september-the-redemption/

Posted in GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 13 September – The Redemption

Thought for the Day – 13 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Redemption

“The Incarnation of God, was sufficient to have saved us.
It would have been enough for God made man, to have offered Himself to God, for our redemption in a single act of love.
Every act of Jesus, the God-Man, had infinite value and was, therefore, sufficient to be offered to the Father as an infinite satisfaction for all our sins.

But, if Jesus had desired to show more clearly His great love for us, He could have offered Hi sufferings as a child in the cold cave at Bethlehem, when He lay whimpering on a wretched straw bed.
He could have offered the sorrow of His exile in Egypt, He could have offered a single drop of His Precious Blood , during the ceremony of the circumcision.
He could have offered the difficulties and privations of His simple working life at Nazareth, or the fatiguing exertions of His apostolic journeys.
All these, would have been more than enough to have made amends to the divine Father for all the sins of humanity, to have ransomed us from the devil and to have restored to us, God’s grace and love.
But in God, everything is infinite.
His love has no limit.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart,” He as commanded men “and with thy whole soul and with thy whole strength and with they whole mind and thy neighbour as thyself.”
He, Himself, did infinitely more than this, however, Jesus was not satisfied merely to love us, His brothers by adoption, as He loved Himself but, He wished to love us “more than He loved Himself. Greater love than this no-one has,” He said, “that one lay down his life for his friends” (1 Jn 15:13).
This was what he Himself did.
Sinful though we are, He called us friends.
“You are my friends” (Jn 15:14).
Out of love for us, He gave Himself entirely.
He perspired blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and, abandoned by the Apostles, He was bound like a criminal, insulted, scourged, crowned with thorns, condemned to death and burdened with a cross; finally, when He arrived at Calvary, He was nailed to the gibbet, where He shed His Precious Blood and gave His life for our redemption.
Such was the extent of Jesus’ infinite love for us.

“Calvary” writes St Francis de Sales,“is the school of love.”
The Saints were moved to tears by the strange spectacle of God-made-man, dying on the Cross for men.
What is our reaction?

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 20 December – St Bernard “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.”

Thought for the Day – 20 December – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:26-38

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Abbot and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Homily 4

” In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”   But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.   And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.   And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”…Luke1:26-31

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son – you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit.   The angel awaits an answer – it is time for him to return to God who sent him.   We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion, the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you.   We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be and behold, we die.   In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise.   Abraham begs it, David begs it.   All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death.  This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet.   It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.

Answer quickly, O Virgin.   Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord.   Answer with a word, receive the Word of God.   Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word.   Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

Why do you delay, why are you afraid?   Believe, give praise and receive.   Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident.  This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence.   In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary.   Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.   See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter.   If He should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow, you would begin to seek Him afresh, the One whom your soul loves.   Arise, hasten, open.   Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.luke 1 38 and mary said behold - the price of our salvation - st bernard 20dec2018

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us 20dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The CHRIST CHILD, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote of the Day – 20 December

Quote of the Day – 20 December

“Christ…took 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.”

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)christ took our nature when he would redeem it bl john henry 20dec2018