DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS FOR FEBRUARY 2008.

+A Meditation for the Lenten Season+

God beholds thee individually, whoever thou art. "He calls thee by thy name." He sees thee and understands thee. He knows what is in thee, all thy own peculiar feelings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, thy strength and thy weakness. he views thee in thy day of rejoicing and thy day of sorrow. he sympathises in thy hopes and in thy temptations. He interests Himself in all thy anxieties and thy remembrances, in all the risings and fallings of thy spirit. he compasses thee round and bears thee in his arms. He takes thee up and sets thee down. Thou does not love thyself better than He loves thee. Thou can't shrink from pain more than He dislikes thy bearing it; and if he puts it on thee it is as thou wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for a greater good after wards.

(John Henry,Cardinal Newman)
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Take courage and turn your troubles, which are without remedy, into material for spiritual progress. Often turn to our Lord who is watching you, poor frail little being as you are, amid your labours and distractions. He sends you help and blesses your affliction. This thought should enable you to bear your troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him who only allows you to be tried for your own good. Raise your heart continually to God, seek His aid and let the foundation stone of your consolaton be your happiness in being His. All vexations and annoyances will be comparatively unimportant while you know that you have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a Refuge. May God be ever in your heart.

(Saint Francis de Sales)
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Bishop Anthony writes:So lent begins and indeed the joy of our Saviour's Crib has already lead on so very soon to our spiritual preparations for and meditations upon forthcoming Passion and Death of the Redeemer! The Crib leads on to the Cross-but the Cross leads on to the resurrection which is our Salvation. So much in the foregoing advice of a famous Saint and a famous Cardinal speaks of the freewill which God has given to every human creature. pain and sorrow come to us all at various times but our joy and consolation remains our belief in Christ and our deep reliance on all his mercies. God never sends us more than we can bear. As Saint Francis de Sales says: Raise your heart continually to God." Our happiness is always that we belong to God. Let us keep Lent in as holy a way as we can, given all our very many different circumstances. As we lift our eyes to the Cross of our Salvation let us contemplate Cardinal Newman's words: if we suffer any pain we must, if we are wise, accept it for His sake- He who suffered before we did and is now leading us all on to Heaven.

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Let us pray:

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that by devoutly keeping from year to year the holy fast of lent, we may please Thee more and more, both in body and soul. Through Christ our lord

+Amen+

And a passing thought:

Life is mostly froth and bubble; two things stand alone: Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in ones own.

(Source unknown.A favourite verse of our dear friend, Mrs isobel Hurgon, now in Carmarthenshire)

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ADORABLE JESUS, TRUE GOD AND TRUE MAN, HAVE MERCY UPON US! MARY IMMACULATE, OUR LADY OF VICTORIES, INTERCEDE FOR US! MOST HOLY SAINTS AND ANGELS, PRAY FOR US AND PROTECT US ALWAYS!

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