Sunday

Excerpts from writings of Catholic  St John Bosco this week…

1. Remember…that we were created to love and serve God our creator, and that no knowledge or wealth in the world is of any use to us without the fear of the God.50 All our temporal and eternal good depends on this holy fear.
2. Prayer, the Sacraments and God’s Word help us to remain in this fear of God.
3. We should pray often and fervently but never with bad will… it would be better not to pray than to pray badly. First thing in the morning as soon as you awake make the sign of the cross and raise your mind to God with some short prayers.
7. Practise virtue when you are young, because waiting until you are old to give yourself to God means putting yourself in grave danger of eternal perdition. The most beautiful virtues adorning the young Christian are: modesty, humility, obedience and charity.

 

Prayer:  O my God I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived. (Act of Faith)

Monday
1. Man…was born to work. Adam was put on an earthly paradise to cultivate it.52The Apostle Paul says: do not let anyone have food if he refuses to work; Si quis non vult operari non manducet.53
2. By work we mean doing our duty according to our state, be it study, arts or trade.
3. Work will make you well-appreciated by society and religion, and will do your soul good, especially if you offer everything you do each day to God.
5. If you have learned something then give glory to God who is the author of everything that is good, but never become proud since pride is a worm that gnaws away and makes you lose all the merit of your good works.
7. Anyone obliged to work who does not do so is stealing from God and his superiors. People who are idle will feel great remorse at the end of their life for the time they have wasted.
8. Always begin work, study and school with [a prayer]

Prayer:   O Lord come to my assistance, O Lord make haste to help me.

 

Tuesday
1. Honour and love your friends as brothers and try to edify one another with good example.
2. Love one another,  as the Lord says, but be careful of giving scandal  Anyone who gives scandal through words, talk, actions, is no friend but a murderer of your soul.
3. If you can offer some service and give some good advice, do so willingly…Take care never to talk about your friends’ faults, unless you are being asked by your superiors. And in that case do not exaggerate in what you say.
4. We should recognise that everything good and also the not so good things come from God, therefore don’t laugh at your companions for their physical or spiritual defects. What you laugh at in others today, the Lord may let happen to you tomorrow.
5. True charity asks us to put up with the defects of others patiently and to be quick to forgive them when they offend us,. but we should never attack others, especially ones inferior to us.
6. Flee pride especially. Pride is hateful to God and man..

Prayer:  May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us, Christ be over all!
May Thy Grace, Lord, Always be ours, This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen.
Prayer for the Faithful of St. Patrick  Part 2

 

Wednesday
1. By modesty we mean a decent and controlled way of speaking, moving and walking. This virtue…is one of the most beautiful adornments of your age, and ought to be evident in your every action, in everything you say.
2. Your body and clothing should be clean, your demeanour serene and cheerful, without moving your shoulders or body about, unless honestly necessary.
3. I recommend modesty of eyes, the windows through which the devil brings sin into the heart.
5. Be modest when you speak, never using expressions that offend against charity or decency: in your state and at your age it is better to be quiet and modest than to foster boisterous and talkative discussion.
6. Do not criticise the actions of others or boast of your merits or virtues. Accept blame and praise equally, and be humble before God when you have been chided over something.
Prayer:   Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer.

Thursday

7. Avoid every action, movement or word of a boorish nature, and do your best to overcome faults of temperament, and try to develop a meek and constantly controlled approach following the principles of Christian modesty.
Although everyone should avoid any kind of sin, nevertheless there are three evils that you must especially avoid since they are particularly harmful for the young. They are: l. blasphemy, and taking the holy name of God in vain, 2. dishonesty, 3. stealing. Believe me, my children, just one of these sins is enough to draw down Heaven’s displeasure on the house. On the other hand, by keeping these evils far from us we have well-founded reasons for hoping for Heaven’s blessings upon us and our entire community.
Whoever observes these rules will be blessed by the Lord. Every Sunday evening or on another day of the week, the prefect or whoever takes his place will read some of the articles of this rule with a brief moral reflection on them.

Prayer:  Our Father, Who art in  Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Friday
Excerpts from St. John’s letters…

Call to mind the advice I have given you at various times; be cheerful, but let this cheerfulness be truly that of a conscience free from sin. Try to become wealthy – but in terms of virtue, and the greatest wealth is a holy fear of God. Keep away from bad boys and be friends with good ones; place yourself in the hands of your parish priest   and follow his advice, and all will go well…

I suggest that you simply make yourself a model for your companions in doing good. Moreover you will be greatly fortunate if you can do some good or prevent some wrong amongst your companions.,,

As a friend of your soul, I can but give you certain basic reminders. There are three of them, three ‘f’s. They are:
1. Flee from idleness.
2. Flee companions who indulge in immoral conversations or give you bad advice.
3. Fervent and frequent Confession and Communion.

Prayer:  O Lord, our God, in Thy goodness and love for men forgive me all the sins I have committed today in word, deed or thought. Grant me peaceful and undisturbed sleep. Send Thy Guardian Angel to guard and protect me from all evil. For Thou art the guardian of our souls and bodies, and to Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
*(Evening Prayer and Confession of Sins)

 

Saturday

However while Jesus Christ could rightly reproach us for these, I am convinced that many will present with a clean conscience and with their state of soul well-adjusted, and this is my consolation.
If our Divine Saviour would call each of us at this moment to his divine tribunal to be judged would he find us all ready? Resolutions made and never kept; scandals committed and not amended for; conversations which teach bad things to others are all things we should fear reproach for.

However while Jesus Christ could rightly reproach us for these, I am convinced that many will present with a clean conscience and with their state of soul well-adjusted, and this is my consolation.
Prayer:  Preserve O Lord while waking and guard us while sleeping that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep we may rest in peace.