"Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is the mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness."

St. John Climacus, Ladder Step 5.1 in The Ladder of Divine Ascent, trans. Archimandrite Lazarus Moore (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers), 98

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus hear me;
Within your wounds hide me;
separated from you, let me never be;
From the evil one protect me;
At the hour of my death, call me;
And close to you bid me;
That with your saints,
I may be praising you forever and ever.
Amen.

The sight of Mary at the foot of the Cross makes the lesson of the Cross less hard and less bitter; her maternal example encourages us to suffer (with her) and makes the road to Calvary easier. Let us go then with Mary, to join Jesus on Golgotha; let us go with her to meet our own cross, and sustained by her, let us embrace it willingly, uniting it with her Son’s Cross.

(Fr. Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen O.C.D.)

And one of the two thieves who hung there fell to blaspheming against him; Save thyself, he said, and us too, if thou art the Christ. But the other rebuked him; What, he said, hast thou no fear of God, when thou art undergoing the same sentence? And justly enough; we receive no more than the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing amiss. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him, I promise thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. -The Gospel According to St Luke (Knox Translation)

Christ is Risen! Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus Christ my God, I adore you and I thank you for all the graces you have given me this day. I offer you my sleep and all the moments of this night, and I implore you to keep me safe from sin. To this end I place myself in your sacred side and under the mantle of our Lady, my Mother. Let your holy angels surround me and keep me in peace, and let your blessing be upon me. Amen.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori

'The author of the Imperfect Work says that all that see a tree covered with pale and withered leaves immediately infer that its roots have been injured; and when we see a people immoral, we may justly conclude, without danger of rash judgment, that the priest is a man without virtue.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

'I know by experience that the greatest punishment that can befall a people is a bad priest. It is best to leave a town without a priest than to send one who is unworthy. If God does not send me men who are truly called, God himself will have to take care of the men and souls by means of his angels. A call is God's gift. I must not bring the unworthy into the sheepfold to destroy it instead of tending it.'

St. Anthony Mary Claret

In Paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many Saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting or wearing hair shirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many Saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no Saint who was not humble.

God banished Angels from Heaven for their pride; therefore, how can we pretend to enter therein if we do not keep ourselves in a state of humility? Without humility, says St. Peter Damian (Serm. 45), not even the Virgin Mary herself, with her incomparable virginity, could have entered into the glory of Christ, and we ought to be convinced of this truth that, though destitute of some of the other virtues, we may yet be saved, but never without humility.

From “Humility of Heart” by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo

We contemplate how, the third day after His death, Jesus Christ rose again triumphant and glorious, to die no more. Let us consider the glory of our Redeemer when He arose from the sepulchre, after having vanquished Satan, and delivered the human race from bondage. How great is the folly of the sinner who, having been once delivered from the tyranny of the devil, consents to become again his slave for some wretched gain or some miserable pleasure of this world! Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin to unite us by love so closely to Jesus Christ that we may never again by mortal sin become the slaves of Lucifer.

-St Alphonsus de Liguori.

The Eternal Father was not content with giving us His son, Jesus Christ, to save us by His death, He has given us also the Holy Spirit to dwell always in our souls and keep them inflamed with His holy love. Hence, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, He appeared in the form of tongues of fire. This is the holy fire that inflamed the saints with the desire to do great things for God, that enabled them to love their most cruel enemies, to seek after contempt, to renounce all the riches and honours of the world, and even to embrace torments and death.

St Alphonsus de Liguori

With reverential force they took Jesus from Our Lady’s arms, and having embalmed Him, wrapped Him in a linen cloth already prepared, upon which our Lord wished to leave to the world His image impressed, as may be seen at the present day in Turin. And now they bear Him to the sepulchre. The sorrowful funeral train sets forth; the disciples place Him on their shoulders; hosts of angels from heaven accompany Him; the holy women follow Him; and the afflicted mother likewise, as they journey to the tomb. When they had reached the appointed place, how gladly would Mary have buried herself there alive with her son! The Virgin earnestly desired that her soul should be buried with the body of Christ. And Mary herself made this revelation to St. Bridget, “I can truly say, that at the burial of my son, one sepulchre contained as it were two hearts.”

St Alphonsus de Liguori

Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis!

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." -Ernest Hemingway

April 3, 33 AD, 3 hours, and risen on the 3rd day.

Today’s Gospel Reading for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time