April 4th
St Gaetano Catanoso (1879-1973), Priest, Confessor; Chorio, Italy

"The Holy Face is my life.  He is my strength."

Padre Pio (1887-1968), Confessor, Stigmatic; Pietrelcina, Italy; Feast day September 23rd 

"It is quite true, we are not worthy of such a gift [the Blessed Sacrament].  However, to approach the Blessed Sacrament in a state of mortal sin is one thing, and to be unworthy is quite another.  All of us are unworthy, but it is He who invites us.  It is He who desires it.  Let us humble ourselves and receive Him with a heart contrite and full of love."

"Every experienced merchant in this world not only keeps track throughout the day of whether he has lost or gained on each sale.  In the evening, he does the bookkeeping for the day to determine what he should do on the morrow.  It follows that it is indispensable to make a rigorous examination of conscience, brief but lucid, every night."

St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), Confessor; Ovada, Italy; Feast day April 28th

"The holy sufferings of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also a sea of love.  Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this sea.  Immerse yourself in it, and, no matter how deeply you go, you will never reach the bottom.  Allow yourself to be penetrated with love and sorrow.  In this way you will make the sufferings of the gentle Jesus your own.  Fish for the pearls of the virtues of Jesus.  This holy fishing is done without words."

April 3rd
St Richard (1197-1253), Bishop, Confessor;  Doitwich, England  

"Lord Jesus Christ, I thank Thee for all the blessings Thou hast given me, and for all the sufferings and shame Thou didst endure for me, on which account that pitiable cry of sorrow was Thine:  "Behold and see, if there was any sorrow like unto My sorrow!"  Thou knowest, Lord, how willing I should be to bear insult, and pain, and death for Thee; therefore have mercy on me, for to Thee do I commend my spirit.  Amen."

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Haute Savoie, France; Feast day, January 29th

"But especially I commend earnest mental prayer to you, more particularly such as bears upon the Life and Passion of our Lord.  If you contemplate Him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His Likeness, and your actions will be molded on His.  He is the Light of the world; therefore in Him, by Him, and for Him we shall be enlightened and illuminated."


Padre Pio (1887-1968), Confessor, Stigmatic; Pietrelcina, Italy; Feast day September 23rd



"If you do not succeed in meditation well, do not give up doing your duty.  If the distractions are numerous, do not be discouraged; do the meditation in patience, and you will still profit.  Decide upon the length of your meditation, and do not leave your place before finishing, even if you have to be crucified.  Why do you worry so much because you do not know how to meditate as you would like?  Meditation is a means to attaining God, but it is not a goal in itself.  Meditation aims at the love of God and neighbor.  Love God with all your soul without reserve, and love your neighbor as yourself, and you will have accomplished half of your meditation."

April 2nd
St Theodosia (d. 308), Virgin, Martyr; Tyre, Lebanon

"By your cruelty you procure  me that great happiness which it was my grief to see deferred.  I rejoice to see myself called to this crown, and return hearty thanks to God for vouchsafing me such a favor."

St Bonaventure (1221-1274), Bishop, Doctor of the Church;  Bagnoregio, Italy; Feast day July 14th

"He who desires to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus.  There is no practice more profitable for the entire sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation of the sufferings of Jesus Christ."

St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), Confessor; Ovada, Italy; Feast day April 28th

"The remembrance of the most holy Passion of Jesus Christ is the door through which the soul enters into intimate union with God, interior recollection and most sublime contemplation...."

April 1st
St Hugh (1053-1132), Bishop, Confessor; Grenoble, France

"By prayer, I always find myself stronger."

"Vanity and inordinate affections suffice to damn a soul.  It is only through the divine mercy that we can hope to be saved, and shall we ever cease to implore it?"

"This life is all given us for weeping and penance, not for idle discourses."

Bl Anacleto Gonzalez Flores (1888-1927), Martyr; Jalisco, Mexico

"The country is a jail for the Catholic Church....We are not worried about defending our material interests because these come and go; but our spiritual interests, these we will defend because they are necessary to obtain our salvation."

"I die, but God does not die!"

Padre Pio (1887-1968), Confessor, Stigmatic; Pietrelcina, Italy; Feast day September 23rd

"Confession is the soul's bath.  You must go at least once a week.  I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week.  Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again!"

March 31st
Easter Sunday
St John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Antioch; Feast day September 13th

"O Death, where is your sting?  O Hell, where is your victory?  Christ is risen, and you are overthrown.  Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen.  Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.  Christ is risen, and life reigns.  Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.  For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."

St John of Damascus (676-749), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Damascus; Feast day March 27

"Now all things have been filled with light, both heaven and earth and those beneath the earth; so let all creation sing Christ's rising, by which it is established."

St Gregory the Theologian (329-389), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Cappadocia; Feast day May 9

"Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with Him; yesterday I died with Him; today I am quickened with Him; yesterday I was buried with Him; today I rise with Him.  But let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us -- you will think perhaps that I am going to say gold, or silver, or woven work of transparent and costly stones, the mere passing material of earth, that remains here below, and is for the most part always possessed by bad men, slaves of the world and of the Prince of the world.  Let us offer ourselves, the possession most precious to God, and most fitting; let us give back to the Image what is made after the Image.  Let us recognize our Dignity; let us honour our Archetype; let us know the power of the Mystery, and for what Christ died."

St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th

"Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra -- the resurrection of the Lord is our hope."

St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th

"It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son.  Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.  You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.  You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.  You reconciled Heaven and earth.  Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us.  Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy.  How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!

"We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.  We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.  Amen."

March 30th
Holy Saturday 
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany

"Strive so to live and through the spirit to mortify your flesh, that when your body turns into dust your soul will be judged worthy to rest in blessed peace.  If you live your life in labor and sorrow on a Good Friday, you will have a restful Holy Saturday and then a most joyful Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection of the just.

"The more austerely you live in the world, so much more tranquil will be your repose in the grave.  The more firmly you cling to the Cross, so much more assurance you have of reaching Christ.  The more bitterly you deplore your sins, so much less will remain to be purged by the avenging flames.  So lament during this time of grace, when the doors of mercy are open, and when God, in Whom there is abundant redemption, accepts your repentance.  Mourn also the wretched condition of the world and the incredible indifference of men.  Only a few are found today to be true followers of the Crucified, and many permit their original spiritual fervor to grow cold.

"Let meditating on Jesus Christ and Him crucified be your daily prayer.  Keep Jesus always before your eyes and keep ever near the foot of His Cross.  Whether in life or in death, enter the tomb with Jesus so that when Christ, Who is your life, shall appear again, you will rise with Him in glory."

March 29th
Good Friday
Meditations from Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany 

"Lord, I praise and glorify Your steadfastness and perseverance in remaining on the Cross You embraced, and from which neither flattery nor empty promises could induce You to descend -- not for one brief moment would You have abandoned that which You had willingly ascended.  It was Your firm decision to remain unto the end and to die on the Cross You had chosen with so holy a love; likewise it was always Your desire to bring to a glorious end the work of salvation that You had initiated.  You, who taught others to persevere in doing good works, manifested Your obedience by remaining on the Cross, and, by that example of Yours, You indicated to Your followers that they too must show constancy in being obedient....

"Remember the Apostle's words:  Christ became obedient for us unto death, even to death on the cross.  Therefore, whatever the world may promise you or whatever may appeal to your body, no matter how severely the devil may tempt you or friends try to dissuade you, or even if the world laughs at you, pay no attention to all these, but ignore and scorn them.

"Stand firm in Christ; look upward, focus your eyes on the Crucified, who with wide open arms invites you and promises you, for a short period of toil, an eternal reward.  He says:  If you will suffer with me, you shall reign with me; and if you will die with me, you shall be glorified with me."

--------------------

"Notice the gratitude that the world shows Him in return for all of His extraordinary deeds and miracles.  He is put to death as if He were the worst of thieves and dies as the poorest of men.  He does not die in a comfortable feather bed, but on the hard wood of the Cross; not in a house or under a protecting roof, but in the open air, in a frightfully foul place; not in a private room, but publicly on a Cross; not in the company of His disciples, but between two thieves; not in the arms of His loving Mother, but between those of a tall Cross.

"He did not even have a few handfuls of straw beneath Him, nor over Him a covering of the poorest linen.  He had no pillow for His head, but a crown of sharp thorns instead.  There were no sandals on His feet nor gloves on His hands, but as substitutes He had iron nails that pierced through His flesh and bones.

"In this dire distress of His, there was no one to minister to Him, but an impenitent thief at His side, a degenerate criminal, who showered Him with shameful insults.  There was no one to console Him -- His followers and those with whom He had frequently sat at table had all but deserted Him.  He could move neither hand nor foot, nor turn on his side -- He found no relief for His body's pain, not even in the slightest.  He remained immobile, stretched to the straining point, every organ dreadfully distended.  No one there tried to console Him.  No one thought of helping Him.  No one was interested in Him.  His heart all but stopped beating.

"There remained only His tongue that He could use.  He prayed for His enemies, and from the pulpit of the Cross He preached seven worthy words counter to the seven deadly sins...."