I've added a link...
to the blog of of yet another friend.

From Parochial and Plain Sermons
by Venerable John Henry Newman

Supposing some superior promised you any gift in a particular way, and you did not follow his directions, would he have broken his promise, or you have voluntarily excluded yourselves from the advantage? Evidently you would have brought about your own loss; you might, indeed, think his offer not worth accepting, burdened (as it was) with a condition annexed to it, still you could not in any propriety say that he failed in his engagement. Now when Scripture promises us that its commandments shall be easy, it couples the promise with the injunction that we should seek God early. "I love them that love Me, and those that seek Me early shall find Me." [Prov. viii. 17] Again: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." [Eccles. xii. 1.] These are Solomon's words; and if you require our Lord's own authority, attend to His direction about the children: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." [Mark x. 14.] Youth is the time of His covenant with us, when He first gives us His Spirit; first giving then, that we may then forthwith begin our return of obedience to Him; not then giving it that we may delay our thank-offering for twenty, thirty, or fifty years! Now it is obvious that obedience to God's commandments is ever easy, and almost without effort to those who begin to serve Him from the beginning of their days; whereas those who wait a while, find it grievous in proportion to their delay.

The Feast of Pope St. Pontian, Martyr, and St. Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on them here .

It is also the feast of St. Cassian of Imola, Martyr , (whom some have suggested would be a good patron for CCD teachers) and St. Maximus the Confessor.

The Feast of St. James Nam, Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of Pope Blessed Innocent XI , and Blessed Karl Leisner, Priest.

Ninth Day...

of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.


Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

I need some technical advice...
Does anyone know how I could get a spam comment out of my comment boxes ?

The Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here.

For all those devoted to the Venerable, and all of the Tolkien fans out there, it is also the feast of St. Gerontius.

From Parochial and Plain Sermons
by Venerable John Henry Newman

He Himself says in a parable, speaking of Himself, "What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." [Luke xv. 4, 5.]

Observe, my brethren, it is here said that Christ, the Lord of Angels, condescends to lay the lost sheep on His shoulders: in a former passage of the Prophet Isaiah it was said that He should "gather them with His arm, and carry them in His bosom." By carrying them in His bosom is meant the love He bears them, and the fulness of His grace; by carrying them on His shoulders is signified the security of their dwelling-place; as of old time it was said of Benjamin, "the beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him ... and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders;" [Deut. xxxiii. 12.] and again, of Israel, "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." And again, in the Prophet Isaiah, "Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols were upon the beasts and upon the cattle ... hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob ... which are carried by Me from the womb ... Even to your old age I am He, and even to hoary hairs will I carry you; I have made and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you." [Deut. xxxii. 11. Isa. xlvi. 1-4.] He alone, who "bowed Himself and came down," He alone could do it; He alone could bear a whole world's weight, the load of a guilty world, the burden of man's sin, the accumulated debt, past, present, and to come; the sufferings which we owed but could not pay, the wrath of God on the children of Adam; "in His own body on the tree," [1 Pet. ii. 24.] "being made a curse for us," [Gal. iii. 13.] "the just for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God," "through the Eternal Spirit offering Himself without spot to God, and purging our conscience from dead works to serve the Living God." [1 Pet. iii. 18. Heb. ix. 14.] Such was the deed of Christ, laying down His life for us: and therefore He is called the Good Shepherd.

The Catholic Carnival...
is up.

Move it on over, little dog...
it looks like the big dog is moving in to the doghouse to stay..

Eighth Day...

of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.


Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

The Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, O.C.D., Virgin and Martyr
is today. There is information on her here. A blessed feast day to all the Carmelites out there, especially Sr. Claire Benedicta of the Cross at the Carmel of St. Therese of Lisieux in Loretto, PA !

It is also the feast of Blessed Thomas Palaser, Priest and Martyr,, and Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla, Martyr, the first beatus of Romany extraction.

From Parochial and Plain Sermons
by Venerable John Henry Newman

Let not the poor suppose that their hardships are their own only, and that no one else ever felt them. The Most High God, God the Son, who had reigned with the Father from everlasting, supremely blessed, He, even He, became a poor man, and suffered the hardships of the poor. What are their hardships? I suppose such as these:—that they have bad lodging, bad clothing, not enough to eat, or of a poor kind, that they have few pleasures or amusements, that they are despised, that they are dependent upon others for their living, and that they have no prospects for the future. Now how was it with Christ, the Son of the Living God? Where was He born? In a stable. I suppose not many men suffer an indignity so great; born, not in quiet and comfort, but amid the brute cattle; and what was His first cradle, if I may so call it? a manger. Such were the beginnings of His earthly life; nor did His condition mend as life went on. He says on one occasion, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."

Seventh Day...
of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.


Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

The Feast of St. Dominic, O.P., Priest and Founder
is today. There is information on him here. A blessed feast day to all the Dominicans out there, including certain bloggers !

It is also the feast of St. Cyriacus, Martyr , one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and of Blessed John Felton, Marytr. (The latter could be a patron for people who have more guts than brains. )

From Faith and Prejudice and Other Unpublished Sermons
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Seek His face who ever dwells in real and bodily presence in His Church. Do at least as much as what the disciples did. They had but little faith, they feared, they had not any great confidence and peace, but at least they did not keep away from Christ. They did not sit still sullenly, but they came to Him. Alas, our very best state is not higher than the Apostles' worst state. Our Lord blamed them as having little faith, because they cried out to Him. I wish we Christians of this day did as much as this. I wish we went as far as to cry out to Him in alarm. I wish we had only as much faith and hope as that which Christ thought so little in His first disciples. At least imitate the apostles in their weakness, if you can't imitate them in their strength. If you can't act as saints, at least act as Christians. Do not keep from Him, but, when you are in trouble, come to Him day by day asking Him earnestly and perseveringly for those favours which He alone can give. And as He on this occasion spoken of in the Gospel, blamed indeed the disciples, but did for them what they asked, so, (we will trust in His great mercy), though He discerns much infirmity in you which ought not to be there, yet He will deign to rebuke the winds and the sea, and say "Peace, be still," and there will be a great calm.

The Rat of the Week...
is an affectionate little critter with a punny name.

Sixth Day...
of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.


Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

If it were not Sunday...
today would be the feast of Pope St. Sixtus II and Companions, Martyrs. There is more information on them here, here, here, here, here, and here.
It would also be the feast of St. Cajetan, C.R.T, Priest and Founder, ( a happy feast day to any Theatines out there !) Blessed Edward Bamber, Priest and Martyr, and Blessed Thomas Whitaker, Priest and Martyr.