Venite Prandete

REFLECTIONS FOR LENT; SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY - LIVE TODAY WELL St Francis de Sales, called “the gentleman saint”, (1567-1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a Doctor of the Church. His spirituality differs somewhat from the spiritual legacies of the great monastic schools, such as Augustinian or Benedictine in that it “places a particular focus on living a life of holiness in the midst of the world.” This Lenten reflection is taken from “Live Today Well, St Francis de Sale’s Simple Approach to Holiness,” by Father Thomas F Dailey, OSFS, (1) who quotes from St Francis de Sales: “Let us be firmly resolved to serve God with our whole heart and life. Beyond that, let us have no care about tomorrow. Let us think only of living today well, and when tomorrow comes, it will also be today and we can think of it then.” (2) The Salesian focus of spirituality is through re-intending duties, pausing for prayer and exercising the little virtues. These small daily practices are coupled with recourse to ...

SHROVE TUESDAY; THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS TUESDAY 16th FEBRUARY Below is the prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus of St. Therese of Lisieux, reflecting her devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ in His Holy Face. Indeed, such was her devotion that St Therese took the religious name of “Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.” This prayer reflects her sanctity, as well as her deep humility. She wrote, "I rejoice in my littleness, because only little children and those who are like them shall be admitted to the Heavenly Banquet." PRAYER TO OFFER THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS "O Jesus, who, in Thy cruel Passion didst become the 'reproach of men and the Man of Sorrows,' I worship Thy divine Face. Once it shone with the beauty and sweetness of the Divinity; but now, for my sake, it is become as 'the face of a leper.' Yet, in that disfigured Countenance, I recognize Thy infinite love, and I am consumed with the desire of making Thee loved by all mankind. The tears t...