Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 34 ; CCL 41, 423-426.
“I give praise to you, Father”
We are invited to sing a new song to the Lord (Ps 149,1). The new man is the man who knows this new song. Singing is joy and, if we consider the matter more closely, love. Someone who understands about loving this new life knows the new song, and so we need to be informed as to what the new life is for the sake of the new song. All these things belong to the same Kingdom: new man, new song, new covenant. The new man will sing a new song and be a member of the new covenant…
«See!» you will say, «I am singing.» You are singing; yes, you are singing, I can hear you. But be careful that your life doesn’t bear witness against your tongue. Sing with your voice, sing with your heart, sing with your mouth, sing in your conduct: «sing to the Lord a new song.» You are wondering what you are to sing for him whom you love and you cast about for the praises to sing to him. «His praise is in the assembly of the saints» (Ps 149,1). The praise to be sung is that of the singer. Do you want to sing praise to God?
Be yourself what you sing. You are his praise if you live uprightly.
Reflection for the Holy Gospel today, July 5, 2010 (Saint Francis of Assisi, Founder of the Friars Minor, Letter to the whole Order)
Listen, my brothers: If the blessed Virgin is so honored, as it is right, since she carried him in her most holy womb; if the blessed Baptist trembled and did not dare to touch the holy head of God; if the tomb in which he lay for some time is so venerated, how holy, just, and worthy must be the person who touches him with his hands, receives him in his heart and mouth, and offers him to others to be received. This is he who is now not about to die, but who is eternally victorious and glorified, upon whom the angels desire to gaze.
Look at your dignity, you brothers who are priests, and be holy since He is holy (1Pt 1,16)… It is a great
misery and a miserable weakness that when you have Him present with you in this way, you concern yourselves with anything else in this entire world! Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake
and the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest. O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the
universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles himself that for our salvation he hides himself under the little form of bread! Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before him! Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, so that he who gives himself totally to you may receive you totally.
Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, co-patron of Europe
Dialogues, ch. 4 (©Classics of Western spirituality)
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled“
Saint Catherine heard God say to her:
“You ask for the will to know and love Me, Supreme Truth. Here is the way, if you would come to perfect knowledge and enjoyment of Me, Eternal Life: Never leave the knowledge of yourself. Then, put down as you are in the valley of humility you will know Me in yourself, and from this knowledge you will draw all that you need. No virtue can have life in it except from charity, and charity is nursed and mothered by humility. You will find humility in the knowledge of yourself when you see that even your own existence comes not from yourself but from Me, for I loved you before you came to being. And in My Unspeakable Love for you I willed to create you in grace.
So I washed you and made you a new creation in the blood that My Only-begotten Son poured out with such burning Love. This blood gives you knowledge of the Truth when knowledge of yourself leads you to shed the cloud of selfish love. There is no other way to know the Truth. In so knowing Me the soul catches fire with Unspeakable Love, which in turn brings continual pain.
Indeed, because she has known My Truth, as well as her own sin and her neighbors’ ingratitude and blindness, the soul suffers intolerably. Still, this is not a pain that troubles or shrivels up the soul. On the contrary, it makes her grow fat. For she suffers because she loves Me, nor would she suffer if she did not love Me.”
*As meditation / reflection guide for the Holy Gospel today, March 2, 2010.
*If you wish to go to Today’s Mass Readings and Homily at EWTN, please click HERE. If you wish to read the Gospel today, click HERE.
As a reflection/insight for the Gospel today, January 16, Mark 2:13-17
John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Osservatore Romano
« Follow me»
Each vocation is a personal and unique event but also a reality that is communal and ecclesial. No one is called to go forward on their own. Every vocation is raised up by the Lord as a gift for the whole Christian community, which is to be enabled to draw profit from it…
It is especially to you, young people, that I should like to turn: Christ needs you if he is to accomplish his plan of salvation! Christ needs your youth and generous enthusiasm if the Gospel is to be proclaimed! Answer this call with the gift of your life to God and your brothers and sisters.
Put your trust in Christ. He will not disappoint your desires and plans but will fill them with meaning and joy. He has said: «I am the Way, the Truth and the Life» (Jn 14,6). Open your hearts trustfully to Christ! Allow his presence to be confirmed within you through daily, reverent attention to Holy Scripture, which constitutes the book of life and of those vocations that have been fulfilled.
This site is dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the THEOTOKOS +
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen+
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, my every word, thought, and deed, my mind, my heart, my strength, my soul, my will, my freedom, my time, my life and my whole being today and throughout all my life- for love of Mama Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, for Love of You, O Jesus, for the salvation of souls, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Your Sacred Heart, O Jesus.
♥
I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO THE MERCIFUL FIRE OF YOUR LOVE AND YOUR LOVING FIRE OF MERCY, O ETERNAL TRIUNE GOD! MAKE ME A PURE AND SPOTLESS SACRIFICE LIKENED TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY!
♥
Deep humility, lively faith,
Blind obedience, unceasing prayer,
Constant self-denial, surpassing purity,
Ardent love, heroic patience,
Angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
♥
O Jesus, inflame my heart with love for You! That my spirit may not grow weary amidst the storms, the sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am, Love can do all. (St. Faustina)
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O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament!
J.M.J. + ♥
PRAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE.
"O my God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee."
"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.”
nice site! keep on posting! 
hi! i found your blog interestin and it would be beneficial if we can exchange links..please accept my offer! thank you! Fr. Ernest
Jesus, You are Life indeed. WIthout You, Life has no meaning… no purpose.
Totus Tuus, Mama Mary. Totus Tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt.
“You ask me a method of attaining perfection. I know of love - and only love. Love can do all things.” - St Therese of Lisieux
“Why do we nourish our pride and exalt ourselves? Have we not always failed in our resolutions and when we criticize others, we fail to see ourselves? Let us then ask God to grant us humility, for it is always Him Who never fails us.”
“Instruct me, O Lord, My God, Sweetest Desire and Love of my soul, and help me persevere, in humility, obedience, mercy, charity, and all virtues through which I will become pleasing to You.”
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” -2 Cor 12:9
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, He saves those whose spirit is crushed. Let us NEVER LOSE HOPE.”
“..the Glory of God on the Face of Christ! Ah! How Lovely our God Is!”
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” -John 12:24
How blessed we are to be able to say the Name of Jesus, Our Lord!
“The deeper a soul has fallen into sin, the more it is bound down by the powers of Hell…” -St. Alphonsus
“I don’t want to be a saint by halves, I’m not afraid to suffer for You. I fear only one thing; to keep my own will; so take it, for ‘I choose all’ that You will.” -St. Therese of the Child Jesus
“I am nothing. He is all. I do nothing of my own. He does it.I am God’s pencil. A tiny bit of pencil with which He writes what He likes. God writes through us, and however imperfect instruments we may be,
He writes beautifully.” -Mother Teresa
Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak; and may the prayers of my heart always be: make me a servant today.
Domine, non sum dignus. Lord, I am not worthy.
I promised to bear all the pain for you, so I’m bearing it Mama. This hurt, this is all for you. I don’t know how it’s gonna connect but from now on, whatever pain or suffering I’m going through, I’ll offer it all to you. Totus Tuus! I love you.
“I feel that religion with its precepts is not something we can live without, but rather it is the real comfort, the real
strength in life and the only safe way in every circumstance, even the most painful ones of life.” -Alessandro Serenelli
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” -Our Lady of Fatima
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