A place by the gates of hell...

    This then is how we know that we belong 

to the truth, and how we set our hearts 

at rest in His presence. - I John 3:19

"St Anthony of Claret had always been especially 

attracted by devotions honoring the Blessed 

Sacrament.  During his school days he had been 

so captivated by a book his father gave him, 

The Goodness of Our Sacramental Lord, 

that he had committed it to memory!

Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, 

he would pray:  "Oh, my God, grant me a place 

by the gates of hell, that I may stop those 

who enter there, saying:  

'Where are you going, unhappy one?  

Back, go back!  

Make a good confession.  Save your soul!  

Don't come back here to be lost forever.' "

From Hidden Treasure: The Riches of the Eucharist

Louis Kaczmarek 

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St Anthony Mary Claret

Spain ~ 1807-1870

Missionary, Religious founder (Claretians),

Social reformer, Queen's (Spain) chaplain,

Writer and publisher, Excellent/renowned preacher

Survived 15 assassination attempts

Great devotion to Eucharist and Immaculate Heart of Mary

Said of him... "never without a rosary in his hands"

Archbishop of Cuba 1850-57

"The spiritual father of Cuba"

Feast Day - October 24

   "When I see the need for Divine teaching and how hungry people are to hear it, I am atremble to be off and running 

throughout the world, preaching the word of God. 

I have no rest, my soul finds no other relief, than to 

rush about and preach." - St Anthony Mary Claret

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“I am driven,” Antonio Claret wrote in his autobiography, “to preach without ceasing by the sight of the throngs of souls who are falling into hell. . . . Woe is me if I do not, for they could hold me responsible for their damnation!”
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When asked the secret of his missionary success, the saint answered: “I pray to Our Lady and demand results of Her.But what if She does not give them?Then I take hold of the hem of Her robe and refuse to let go until She has granted me what I want!”

St Anthony Mary Claret, pray for us!
Click here: A Very Special Patron: Saint Anthony Mary Claret | Catholicism.org (excellent!) Click here: St. Anthony Mary Claret - YouTube (2 mins)Click here: Saint Anthony Mary Claret 10-24 - YouTube (1:20 mins)

SALT and LIGHT for others...

    For he chose us in him before the creation of the world 

to be holy and blameless in his sight. - Eph 1:4

From the treatise Mirror of the Clergy by St John of Capistrano, 
but can also be fittingly applied to the priesthood of believers...

  "Those who are called to the table of the Lord 

must glow with the brightness that comes from 

the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life. 

They must completely remove from their lives 

the filth and uncleanness of vice.

    Their upright lives must make them like the 

salt of the earth for themselves 

and for the rest of mankind. The brightness 

of their wisdom must make them like the

 light of the world that brings light to others. ...

  They have been placed here to care for others. 

Their own lives should be an example to others, 

showing how they must live in the house of the Lord."

 St John of Capistrano

Italy ~ 1385-1456

Lawyer, governor

Franciscan priest, preacher, theologian

Taught theology by St. Bernardine of Siena -

 together the two worked to reform the Franciscan order

Nickname:  "soldier priest"*

*"When Mohammed II was threatening Vienna and Rome, St John, age 70, was commissioned by Pope Callistus II to preach and lead a crusade against the invading Turks. Marching at the head of 70,000 Christians, he gained victory in the great battle of Belgrade against the Turks in 1456.

Feast Day - October 23

Painting above: Priest teaching Catechism ~ Jules -Alexis Muenier

 

On St John's tomb in the Austrian town of Villach,

the governor had this message inscribed:

"This tomb holds John, by birth of Capistrano,

a man worthy of all praise, defender and promoter of the faith,

guardian of the Church, zealous protector of his Order,

an ornament to all the world, lover of truth and religious justice,

mirror of life, surest guide in doctrine; 
praised by countless tongues, he reigns blessed in heaven."

St John of Capistrano, pray for us!

Click here: St. John of Capistrano - YouTube (2 mins) 

 

Comments of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira:

"One could try to make a classification of the saints. Some were founders of nations, others were organizers of nations, still others were founders of religious orders. Then,  there is a category of saints who were the defensive walls of the House of God. They constitute a kind of saint whose principal goal is to fight, to destroy the enemies of God. They have the capacity to put fire in souls to stimulate them to the defense of God, to lead them to combat. And in the combat they know how to sustain the courage of the good as well as how to attack the enemies. Doing this, they defend the walls of the House of God. Such is the mission of this category of saints. St. John of Capistrano was one of these saints."

To be or not to be...

"When confronted with the abyss of evil,

the only response is the abyss of love. 

 St John Paul II

"We must understand that in order 'to do',

we must first learn 'to be', that is to say, in the 

sweet company of Jesus in adoration." 

St John Paul II

1920 - 2005

nee: Karol J Wojtyla (Poland)

Pope: 1978 - 2005

Apostle of the Eucharist

Prolific writer

Inaugurated (and now Patron of) 

World Youth Day

and World Meeting of Families

Feast Day - October 22

“If He asks much of you, it is because

He knows you can give much.” – St John Paul II

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Click here: Pope John Paul II - YouTube (6 mins)

Click here: 84 best Pope John Paul II Quotes images on Pinterest

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St John Paul II, pray for us!

Love compels...

  "Not where I breathe, 

but where I love, I live." 
St Robert Southwell

"God gave Himself to you: 
give yourself to God."

St Robert Southwell 

Your heart: a living tabernacle...

"Live in the joy and peace of the divine Majesty.

Live lost in divine love." - St Paul of the Cross

"How wonderful are the treasures which are enclosed in the 

divine Eucharist! I exhort you, even though you live in the world, 

to receive Communion often, but with piety. Holy Communion 

is the most efficacious means of uniting one's self to God.

Always prepare yourself well for this sacred banquet. 
Have a very pure heart, and watch over your tongue, 
for it is on the tongue that the Sacred Host is laid. 

Carry Our Lord home with you after your thanksgiving and 

let your heart be a living tabernacle for Jesus. Visit Him often 

in this interior tabernacle, offering Him your homage, and the 

sentiments of gratitude with which divine love will inspire you. 

Preserve carefully the sentiments of love with which 

you are filled after Communion."

St Paul of the Cross
Italy ~ 1694-1775
Priest, Mystic, powerful teacher/preacher
Founder - Passionist Order
To vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience they added a fourth: 
to spread devotion to Christ’s passion among the faithful.
Feast Day - October 20

Photo credit:  chuanpis/Shutterstock

When you are alone in your room, take up 

your crucifix, kiss its five wounds reverently, 

tell it to preach to you a little sermon, and then listen 

to the words of eternal life that it speaks to your heart; 

listen to the pleading of the thorns, the nails, the precious Blood.

Oh, what an eloquent sermon!" - St Paul of the Cross

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"I want to set myself on fire with love... I want to be entirely on fire with love...

and I want to know how to sing in the fire of love."- St Paul of the Cross

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"Let everything in creation draw you to God.  Refresh your mind with some 

innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through

 the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, 

the meadows, the sun, the sky, and the whole universe.  You will find that they exhort 

you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of 

the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being." - St Paul of the Cross

St Paul of the Cross (excellent resource)

Click here: St. Paul of the Cross - YouTube (10 mins)

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St Paul of the Cross, pray for us,
that we may embrace
our crosses with courage!