Apologies and clarifications To continue listening to the current form of the Breviary, especially the readings of Office of Readings, you can plug into https://divineoffice.org/ . You can also visit https://ibreviary.com To learn more about, study and pray the older, more traditional prayers and readings of the Divine Office, go here: https://www.divinumofficium.com/

Road to Calvary, Alphonsus Liguori

Meditation 11: First Saturday of Lent

Choosing Mortification

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!

Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy!

➕➕➕St. Ambrose - “If you look to yourself, you can do nothing, but if you trust in God, strength will be given you.” 

If we would enter into the Glory of the Blessed, says the Scripture, we must, through much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God: “These are the ones who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their garments, and have made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. (Apocalypse/Revelation 7:14)”

Saint Teresa of Avila - “He who drags the Cross along with ill will feels its weight, however small it is, but he willingly embraces it, however large it is, does not feel it.”

Road to Calvary, Alphonsus Liguori

Meditation 10: First Friday of Lent

Suffering with Patience

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!

Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy!

➕➕➕ Saint Teresa of Avila frequently said, “Domine, Aut Pati, aut Mori - Lord, I desire either to suffer or die.” (see a note on the translation at the following website)

https://ericlinuskaplan.wordpress.com/2015/06/20/aut-pati-aut-mori/ 

St. John of the Cross - “ Oh Lord, I ask nothing of You but to suffer and to be despised for Your sake.”

St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi - “I desire to suffer and not die.”

This is the Will of God, your sanctification. - 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Road to Calvary, Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Meditation 9: First Thursday of Lent

Jesus's Desire to Suffer for Us

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!

Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy!

➕➕➕“(Liguori, per the Duay Rheims) I am come to cast fire upon the Earth; and what will I but that it should be kindled? I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straightened until it be accomplished? - (another translation, as narrated in the podcast) I came to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how eagerly I desire It to be accomplished!”

- Luke 12:49 - 50

Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved His own… He loved them to the end. - John 13:1

Road to Calvary, St. Alphonsus Liguori

Meditation 8: First Wednesday of Lent

Jesus's Sufferings Compared to Ours

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!

Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy!

➕➕➕Jesus Crucified appeared to Sister Magdalene Orsini, to animate her to suffer for sufferings in peace. She answered Him, “But Lord, You only hung on the Cross for 3 hours, whereas I have gone on suffering this pain for several years.” He replied, “From the first moment that I was in My Mother's womb, I suffered in my Heart all that I afterwards endured on the Cross.”

St. Bernard: “In order to redeem the slave, the Father did not spare His own Son, nor did the Son spare Himself.”

Liturgy of the Hours: Vol. II

Season of Lent - Season of Easter

Office of Readings

FIRST READING: Exodus 6:29—7:25 - The first plague sent upon Egypt SECOND READING: From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr - He has given us life; he has also taught us how to pray (Cap 1-3: SCEL 3, 267-268)

Meditation 7: First Tuesday of Lent

Jesus Suffers from the Beginning of His Life

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!

Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy!

➕➕➕Hardly was Jesus conceived in the womb of Mary when He presented to His mind all the sufferings of His Passion, and in order to obtain for us pardon and Divine Grace, He offered Himself to His Eternal Father to satisfy for us, through His sufferings, all the chastisements due to our sins, and from that moment, He began to suffer everything that He afterwards endured in His most bitter Death.

Before the Prayer today, I there are some thoughts shared regarding how I'll be reciting and reading the readings from the LOTH with you. Thanks for your consideration!

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol II

Season of Lent - Season of Easter FIRST READING: Exodus 6:2-13

SECOND READING: From a sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, bishop - Let us show each other God’s generosity (Oratio 14, De Pauperum amore, 23-25: PG 35, 887-890)

I wish you all a blessed Lent! Please be aware of a few items:

Moving forward, I will be reciting a couple little devotions before and after the meditations, both for Road to Calvary and for the Office of Readings. The next couple episodes of these will probably include a little commentary for those things, so that people are hopefully on the same page moving forward!

Ads may be coming soon. I don't know for certain how those will be included, whether they're automated ads from Spotify or if I will be reading them, but just be aware of those, and I appreciate your diligent patience enduring those, so that I can receive a little bit of income for the time of reading, editing and devotion I get to share with you!

This podcast will still be including Rosary content further on, but I have a bit of work to do, to make that happen, and I have to be mindful of income and budget outside of that, so unfortunately I don't have an abundance of time right now to offer these episodes continually.

Peace to you and your families and dear ones, and have a blessed Lent!

Road to Calvary Meditation 6: First Monday of Lent The Foolishness of God Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy! ➕➕➕St. Laurence Justinian: “We have seen Eternal Wisdom, the Only Begotten of God, become as it were, a fool through the excessive love He bears for Man.” Yes, my sweetest Redeemer, permit me to say so, this, Your spouse, was indeed right when she called You mad with Love. Does it not indeed seem a folly (foolishness) that You should choose to die for love of me, for so ungrateful a worm as I am, and whose offenses You foresaw, as well as the infidelities of which I should be guilty? But if You, my God, have thus become mad, as it were, for the love of me, how is it that I do not become mad for the love of God? I have seen You, crucified and dead for me - how is it that I can think of any other than You? O Scourges, O Thorns, O Nails, O Cross, O Wounds, O Sufferings, O Death of my Savior! You irresistibly constrained me to love Him Who has so much loved me. O Incarnate Word, and loving God! My soul is enamored with You.

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II.  Lenten Season • Easter Season Sunday I of Lent, Office of Readings FIRST Reading: Exodus 5:1-6:1 SECOND Reading: From a commentary on the Psalms by Saint Augustine - in Christ we suffered temptation, and in Him we overcame the devil (Ps 60, 2-3: CCL 39, 766)

Road to Calvary Meditation 5: First Sunday of Lent The Principal End of the Passion Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy! ➕➕➕1 John 3.16: “In this we have known the charity and the love of God, in that He has laid down His Life for us.” Luke 9.31: “And they spoke of His Exodus (or excess) which He was to accomplish in Jerusalem.” St. John Chrysostom: “ This was the principal cause of the Passion of our Lord; He wished it to be known how great was the Love of God for men - of God, Who would rather be loved than feared.

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II.  Lenten Season • Easter Season Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Office of Readings FIRST Reading: Exodus 3:1-20 SECOND Reading: From the treatise Against Heresies by St. Iranaeus - the friendship of God (Book 4, 13, 4-14, 1: SC 100, 534-540)

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II. Lenten Season • Easter Season Friday after Ash Wednesday, Office of Readings FIRST Reading: Exodus 2:1-22; 18:4 - The birth and flight of Moses SECOND Reading: from a homily by Saint John Chrysostom (Supp., Homily 6 De precatione: PG 64, 462-466) - Prayer is the light of the spirit

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II. Lenten Season • Easter Season Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Office of Readings FIRST Reading: Exodus 1:1-22 - The oppression of Israel SECOND Reading: From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope (Sermo 6 de Quadragesima, 1-2: PL 54, 285-287) - Purification of spirit through fasting and almsgiving

Road to Calvary Meditation 4: Saturday after Ash Wednesday Jesus Chose to Suffer (Part 2) Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy! ➕➕➕ Having Joy set before Him, He endured the Cross - Hebrews 12.2. Why did He choose for Himself so much suffering, and a Death so cruel, that Vincent Contenson has said very truly that through mere pain, the Soul of Jesus separated Itself from His Body? St. John Chrysostom answers, “That which sufficed to redeem us was not sufficient for love.” St. Bernard: “He endured much weariness that He might bind man to love Him much.” Says our Savior Himself, “Greater love than this no man has - that a man laid down his life for his friends.” St. Bernard answers: “ but you Have a greater charity, Lord, and giving your life for your enemies!” “He showed His love for us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”

Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II. Lenten Season • Easter Season Ash Wednesday, Office of Readings Isaiah 58.1-12, Letter of Saint Clement to the Corinthians (Cap. 7, 4-8, 3; 8, 5-9, 1; 13, 1-4; 19, 2: Funk 1, 71-73. 77-78. 87) https://ibreviary.com/m2/breviario.php?b=1

Meditation 3: Friday after Ash Wednesday Jesus Chose to Suffer (Part 1) Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy! The Road to Calvary Daily Meditations for Lent and Easter St. Alphonsus Ligouri “Two things,” says Cicero, “make us to know a lover- that he does good to his beloved and that he suffers torments for him, and this last is the greatest sign of true love.” St. Peter Chrysologus: “But He considered it to be very little if He showed His Love without suffering.” Who that has so many proofs of Your Love could resist loving You in return?! Saint Teresa - the one who does not love You proves that he does not know You.

Adoramus Te, Christe, et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie eléison - Lord have mercy! The Road to Calvary Daily Meditations for Lent and Easter St. Alphonsus Ligouri Meditation 2: Thursday after Ash Wednesday The Love of Jesus Christ See Isaiah, 53: 4-7, and Romans 8:32 We read in history of a proof of love so prodigious that it will be the admiration of all ages. There was once a king, lord of many kingdoms, who had one only son - so beautiful, so holy, so amiable that he was the delight of his father, who loved him as much as himself. This young prince had a great affection for one of his slaves, so much so that, the slave having committed a crime for which he had been condemned to death, the prince offered himself to die for the slave; the father, being jealous of justice, was satisfied to condemn his beloved son to death in order that the slave might remain free from the punishment that he deserved, and thus the son died a malefactor's death, and the slave was freed from punishment. This fact, unlike anything that has happened in this world, and never will, is related in the Gospels.

Adoramus Te Christe et benedicimus Tibi - We adore You O Christ, and we praise You! Quia per Sanctam Crucem Tuam redemisti mundum - because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world! Kyrie, eleison The Road to Calvary Daily Meditations for Lent and Easter By St. Alphonsus Ligouri There are 46 total meditations for Lent, from Ash Wednesday, including Holy Week, through Holy Saturday. Meditation 1: Ash Wednesday The Value of Meditating on the Passion St. Bonaventure says that the one who desires to continually advance in virtue should meditate continually on the Passion - there is no practice more beneficial to the soul than frequent meditation on the sufferings of Jesus Christ “St. Augustine said that a single tear shed at rememberance of the Passion is worth more than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or a year of fasting on bread and water.” Servant of God, Brother Bernard of Corlione, the Capuchin, not being able to read - his brother religious wanted to teach him - upon which he went to consult his crucifix, but Jesus answered him from the Cross, "What is reading? What are books? Behold, I am the book wherein you may continually read the love I have borne you.” Thomas Aquinas was one day paying a visit to Saint Bonaventure and asked him from what book he had drawn all the beautiful lessons he had written. Saint Bonaventure showed him the image of the Crucified, which was completely blackened by all the kisses that he had given it, and said, “This is my book whence I receive everything that I write; It has taught me what little I know.”