Saint Catherine of Siena

On the Extraordinary calendar, today is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, virgin, mystic, and Doctor of the Church.  Hardly any known child of Christ is as great as she!

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. Thomas Aquinas

  Today is the Ordinary calendar feast of one of the Dominican Order's greatest glories, St. Thomas Aquinas. There is absolutely nothing I can say about him that has not already been better recorded.

Instead, here is list of personal suggestions of things anyone can do to honor the Angelic Doctor on his feast:

• Spend an hour in Eucaristic adoration.
• Read some of the Summa Theologiae (Click here for an online version of the 1947 translation by The Fathers of the English Dominican Province)
• Join the Angelic Warfare Congraternity (A Dominican apostalate under St. Thomas' partronage. Anyone can join!)
• Pray a prayer by St. Thomas or for his intercession
• Sing or listen to a hymn written by St. Thomas:
• Pange Lingua
• Adoro Te Devote  
• O Salutaris Hostia

Some prayers by St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayer for Guidance

 
O creator past all telling,
you have appointed from the treasures of your wisdom
the hierarchies of angels,
disposing them in wondrous order
above the bright heavens,
and have so beautifully set out all parts of the universe.
You we call the true fount of wisdom
and the noble origin of all things.
Be pleased to shed
on the darkness of mind in which I was born,
The twofold beam of your light
and warmth to dispel my ignorance and sin.
You make eloquent the tongues of children.
Then instruct my speech
and touch my lips with graciousness.
Make me keen to understand, quick to learn,
able to remember;
make me delicate to interpret and ready to speak.

Guide my going in and going forward,
lead home my going forth.
You are true God and true man, 
and live for ever and ever.

 

Prayer After Communion

 

I thank You, Lord, Almighty Father, Everlasting God, for having been pleased, through no merit of mine, but of Your great mercy alone, to feed me, a sinner, and Your unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not be for my judgment and condemnation, but for my pardon and salvation. Let this Holy Communion be to me an armor of faith and a shield of good will, a cleansing of all vices, and a rooting out of all evil desires. May it increase love and patience, humility and obedience, and all virtues. May it be a firm defense against the evil designs of all my visible and invisible enemies, a prefect quieting of all the desires of soul and body. May this Holy Communion bring about a perfect union with You, the one true God, and at last enable me to reach eternal bliss when You will call me. I pray that You bring me, a sinner, to the indescribable Feast where You, with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, are to Your saints true light, full blessedness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Basil the Great

Today is the feast of the eminent Church Father and Doctor, St. Basil, according to the Extraordinary Calendar of the Latin/Western rite. He is only one of four saints given the designation of Great and the only one that was not a pope!

A great saint such as he has been well profiled and the sources about him are myriad. There is no need to "reinvent the wheel" here and give an underserving, poor summary of this great man of God. To learn more about him, start at the online Catholic Encyclopedia or the Patron Saints Index.

Prayer of St. Basil After Communion

We give Thee thanks, O Lord our God, for the Communion of Thy holy, pure, deathless and heavenly Mysteries, which thou hast given for the good, the hallowing, and the healing of our souls and bodies. Do Thou, O Sovereign of the world, cause this Communion in the Holy Body and blood of Thy Christ to nourish us in unashamed faith, sincere charity, ripe wisdom, health of soul and body, separation from all ills, observance of Thy Law, and justification before His awful Judgment Seat. O Christ our God, the Mystery of Thy Providence has been accomplished according to our ability. We have been reminded of Thy Death and we have seen a figure of Thy Resurrection; we have been filled with Thine Infinite Life, and we have tasted Thine inexhaustible joy; and we pray Thee to make us worthy of these things in the life to come, through the grace of Thine Eternal Father and of Thy holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and forever, eternally: amen.

Mass of St. Basil by Pierre Subleyras

O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity. --St. Basil the Great

Let us raise ourselves from our fall and not give up hope as long as we are free from sin. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. "Come, let us adore and prostrate ourselves and weep before him" (Psalm 95:6). The Word calls us to repentance, crying out: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh you" (Matthew 11:28). There is, then, a way to salvation if we are willing to follow it. --from a letter of St. Basil's

Saint John of the Cross

Today is the feast of St. John of the Cross on the Ordinary (novus ordo) Roman Calendar.

This incredible priest, poet, mystic, reformer and Church Doctor is THE greatest Carmelite saint alongside his co-reformer St. Theresa of Avila.

Visit the site of the best men's Carmelite community in the U.S. by clicking here!

And in the luck of night
In secret places where no other spied
I went without my sight
Without a light to guide
Except the heart that lit me from inside.

----- From his poem "The Dark Night of the Soul"

St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross

Saint Ambrose

Today is the feast of Saint Ambrose of Milan, one of the original 4 Church Doctors.

A marvelous quote of St. Ambrose should be particularly meaningful to Dominicans:

He who read much and understands much, receives his fill. He who is full, refreshes others. So Scripture says: “If the clouds are full, they will pour rain upon the earth."

Born to the Roman nobility. Brother of Saint Marcellina and Saint Satyrus. Educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. Poet and noted orator. Convert to Christianity. Governor of Milan, Italy.

When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides; he impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. He resisted, claiming that he was not worthy, but to prevent further violence, he assented, and on 7 December 374 he was baptized, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.

Noted preacher and teacher, a Bible student of renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arians. His preaching helped convert Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins. He called and chaired several theological councils during his time as bishop, many devoted to fighting heresy. Welcomed Saint Ursus and Saint Alban of Mainz when they fled Naxos to escape Arian persecution, and then sent them on to evangelize in Gaul and Germany. Proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.

The title Honey Tongued Doctor was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. This led to his association with bees, beekeepers, chandlers, wax refiners, etc.
source

"Truth suffers, but never dies"

The title of the post is just one of the myriad of quotes by the incredible St. Teresa of Avila who is truly one of Christ's greatest saints! Today is the Church's memorial of this extraordinary Church doctor, mystic, reformer, founder, virgin and poet!




Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He lookscompassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.



"Be gentle to all and stern with yourself."



"It is love alone that gives worth to all things."



Prayer to Redeem Lost Time

O my God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in "wedding garments. Amen.




"Untilled soil, however fertile it may be, will bear thistles and thorns; and so it is with man's mind."

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

This is feast day of dear St. Thérèse according to the new Roman Calendar (her original feast is October 3rd on the old Roman Calendar).

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus,
please pick for me a rose
from the heavenly gardens
and send it to me as a message of of love.

O Little Flower of Jesus
ask God today to grant the favors
I now place with confidence in your hands...
[ mention your intentions]

St. Therese,
help me to always believe as you did,
in God's great love for me,
so theat I might imitate your "Little Way" each day.

Amen.