Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Madonna di Altino / Our Lady of Altino, Albino, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy (1496) and Memorials of the Saints – 23 July

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Madonna di Altino / Our Lady of Altino, Albino, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy (1496) – 23 July:

On 23 July 1496, during a heatwave and drought,Quinto Foglia and his two little boys were walking from their home in Vall’Alta to the wooded slopes of Monte Altino, where they worked making charcoal. Stricken with thirst and afraid for his children, Quinto prayed to the Madonna. She appeared and told him to strike a rock with his staff. When he did, a spring surged forth. The next day, people began building a little Chapel, which was completed on 5 September 1496. In 1865 a statuary group depicting the apparition was installed in the Sanctuary. On 23 July 1919, in thanksgiving for her protection during World War I, the Madonna’s Statue was solemnly crowned. The Shrine celebrates its feast with an evening procession on 22 July and solemn Mass on 23 July, the anniversary of both the apparition and the crowning.

St Anne of Constantinople

St Apollonaris (1st Century) Bishop Martyr, Disciple of St Peter

Blessed Vasil/Basil Hopko (1904-1976) Greek Catholic Bishop and Martyr.

Bl Beaudoin of Beaumont
St Conan of Cornwall
Bl Emilio Arce Díez
St Eugene of Rome
St Herundo of Rome
Blessed Giovanna of Orvieto OP (c 1264-1306) Virgin, Tertoary of the Order of Preachers, Mystic, Stigmatist

St John Cassian (c 360- c 435) Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Founder., Father of the Church.

Bl Josep Sala Picó
Bl Juan de Luca
Bl Juan de Montesinos
Bl Leonard da Recanati

Blessed Margarita María López de Maturana (1884-1934) known as “Mother Margarita” – Religious, Foundress of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz.

Bl Pedro Ruiz de los Paños Angel
St Phocas the Gardener
St Primitiva of Rome
St Rasyphus of Macé
St Rasyphus of Rome
St Ravennus of Macé
St Redempta of Rome
St Romula of Rome
St Severus of Bizye
St Theophilus of Rome
St Trophimus of Rome
St Valerian of Cimiez
Bl Wojciech Gondek
—
Martyrs of Barcelona – 7 beati: Seven Christians, some lay people, some members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and some of the Franciscan Daughters of Mercy, who were martyred in two groups on the same day in the Spanish Civil War.
• Catalina Caldés Socías
• Francesc Mayol Oliver
• Miquel Pons Ramis
• Miquela Rul-Làn Ribot
• Pau Noguera Trías
• Prudència Canyelles Ginestà de Aguadé
• Simó Reynés Solivellas
23 July 1936 in Barcelona, Spain. They were Beatified on 28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Martyrs of Bulgaria: An unknown number of Christians killed for their faith during the 9th century war between the Greek Emperor Nicephorus and the Bulgars.

Martyrs of Carabanchel Bajo – 9 beati: A group of nine Passionist priests, brothers and clerics who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Anacario Benito Nozal
• Felipe Ruiz Fraile
• Felipe Valcobado Granado
• José Osés Sainz
• José Ruiz Martinez
• Julio Mediavilla Concejero
• Laurino Proaño Cuesta
• Manuel Pérez Jiménez
• Maurilio Macho Rodríguez
22 July 1936 in Carabanchel Bajo, Madrid, Spain.

Martyrs of Horta – 10 beati: A lay woman and nine Minim nuns who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Ana Ballesta Gelmá
• Dolors Vilaseca Gallego
• Josefa Pilar García Solanas
• Josepa Panyella Doménech
• Lucrecia García Solanas
• Maria Montserrat Ors Molist
• Mercè Mestre Trinché
• Ramona Ors Torrents
• Teresa Ríus Casas
• Vicenta Jordá Martí
23 July 1936 at the Sant Genís dels Agudells highway, Horta, Barcelona, Spain.

Martyrs of Manzanares – 5 beati: Five Passionist clerics who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Abilio Ramos y Ramos
• Epifanio Sierra Conde
• José Estalayo García
• Vicente Díez Tejerina
• Zacarías Fernández Crespo
They were shot on 23 July 1936 in Manzanares, Ciudad Real, Spain

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 July – Saints Rasyphus and Ravennus

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Saints Rasyphus and Ravennus are martyrs. Natives of Britain, they fled their country during the Anglo-Saxon invasions, settling in Gaul to become hermits. The parish church of St-Aubin in Macé, Normandy, states that the two saints founded their hermitage near the site of the current building, near a miraculous spring of water. Their reputation as holy men quickly spread, drawing pilgrims from all over the region who came seeking guidance and healing.

King Harold swearing an oath to his enemy, William the Conqueror, at an altar consecrated to Rasyphus and Ravennus in the Bayeux Cathedral (Bayeux Tapestry)

But this renown also brought the Goths, who demanded that the saints convert to Arianism. Of course they refused. As a result they were tossed against a great block of sandstone. Their heads dented the stone but the saints were not hurt (there are two visible prints in the church of St-Aubin of Macé that are considered to be the marks made by the heads of the two saints). They were then decapitated and buried near the present grounds of St-Aubin de Macé; a tombstone marks the site of their former grave.

Macé

The two saints were venerated as great healers, responsible for many miracles. Their relics were taken from St-Aubin to Bayeux Cathedral during the Viking invasions. The relics were then taken to Caen during the Wars of Religion. Finally, they were taken to Grancey in Champagne, where they rest today.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Prayer Before a Crucifix

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Our Morning Offering – 23 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Prayer Before a Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,
while before Thy face I humbly kneel and,
with burning soul,
pray and beseech Thee
to fix deep in my heart, lively sentiments
of faith, hope and charity,
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Thy five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Thy prophet, said of Thee, my Jesus:
“They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”
Amen.

Say – Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be for the Catholic Church and the intentions of the Holy Father. A Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions, may be gained by those who shall say this prayer with devotion before an image of our Crucified Redeemer. A Partial Indulgence may also be gained for each devout recitation.

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 23 July – I am in your midst as he who serves

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One Minute Reflection – 23 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they who exercise authority over them are called Benefactors. But not so with you. On the contrary, let him who is greatest among you become as the youngest, and him who is the chief as the servant.

Luke 22:24-30

REFLECTION – The Son of God himself, who is before all ages, the invisible, the incomprehensible, the bodiless, the beginning from the beginning, light from the light, source of life and immortality, image of the archetype, immovable seal, unchangeable image, the Father’s definition and Word, he it is who came to his own image and took to himself flesh for the sake of our flesh. Then he united himself with an intelligent soul for my soul’s sake, purifying like by like. He took to himself all that is human, except sin… He who enriches others becomes poor. He took to himself the poverty of my flesh so that I might obtain the riches of his godhead. He who is full empties himself. He emptied himself of his godhead for a brief time so that I might share in his fulness.

What is this wealth of goodness ? What is this mystery that touches me ? I received the divine image and I did not keep it. He receives my flesh to save the image and grant immortality to the flesh. This, his second communion with us, is far more marvellous than the first… It was necessary that holiness be conferred on man through the humanity God took to himself. In this way, conquering the tyrant by force, he freed us and led us back to himself through his Son, the mediator. The Son brought this about to the honour of the Father to whom, in all things, he is seen to defer.

St Gregory Nazianzen (Homily no.45)

PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace to us. Keep us within in the path of Your commandments, help us to work on the earth of our souls, rooting out the weeds and casting forth the stones of malice. Grant that by the prayers of our Blessed and Merciful Mother, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.

Posted in QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE

Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – He cares for you

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Dan 3:84, 87, Dan 3:57, 1 Pet. 5:1-11, Luke 22:24-30

“God, resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation; cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

1 Pet. 5:1-11

Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world. But the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself, after we have suffered a little while, perfect, strengthen and establish us. To Him is the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Pet. 5:1-11

Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you – I, your fellow-presbyter and witness of the sufferings of Christ, the partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed in time to come – tend the flock of God which is among you, governing not under constraint, but willingly, according to God; nor yet for the sake of base gain, but eagerly; nor yet as lording it over your charges, but becoming from the heart a pattern to the flock. And when the Prince of the shepherds appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the presbyters.

1 Pet. 5:1-11

This being plain, it will likewise be manifest that a great and unspeakable reward will be reserved for him whose labors are concerned with these sheep, upon which Christ places such a high value. For when we see any one bestowing care upon members of our household, or upon our flocks, we count his zeal for them as a sign of love towards ourselves: yet all these things are to be bought for money:— with how great a gift then will He requite those who tend the flock which He purchased, not with money, nor anything of that kind, but by His own death, giving his own blood as the price of the herd.

St John Chrysostom (On the Priesthood, Book II)

Yes, my dear brethren, all these rash judgments and all these interpretations come only from a person who has a secret pride, who does not know himself, and who dares to wish to know the interior life of his neighbour, something which is known to God alone. If only, my dear children, we were able to arrive at the stage of eradicating this first of the capital sins from our hearts, our neighbour would never do any wrong according to us. We should never amuse ourselves by examining his conduct. We should be content to do nothing else save weep for our own sins and work as hard as we could to correct them.

St Jean Vianney ( The Sermons of the Curé of Ars)

No one presumes to teach an art till he has first, with intent meditation, learned it. What rashness is it, then, for the unskilful to assume pastoral authority, since the government of souls is the art of arts! For who can be ignorant that the sores of the thoughts of men are more occult than the sores of the bowels? And yet how often do men who have no knowledge whatever of spiritual precepts fearlessly profess themselves physicians of the heart, though those who are ignorant of the effect of drugs blush to appear as physicians of the flesh!

St Gregory the Great (Pastoral Rule, Book I)

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 23 July – The Third Shedding of the Precious Blood

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The Precious Blood – Short Meditations for July

By Rev. Richard F. Clarke

23rd Day – The Third Shedding of the Precious Blood

When Pilate found that he could not persuade the Jews to consent to the release of Jesus, he ordered Him to be scourged, hoping that they might be satisfied with something short of death, and that their rage might be softened at the sight of a punishment so cruel. The scourging was for this reason severe beyond what was usual, as the Pharisees are said to have bribed the executioners and plied them with drink to induce them to still greater barbarity. See how all seemed to unite to add to the tortures inflicted on the Son of God.

Watch the scene. The Son of God with His hands tied to a short pillar, on either side of Him an executioner with a scourge of many lashes, some tipped with barbed spikes of iron, lashing Him with brutal ferocity. His sacred body first covered with bruises and weals, and then the flesh cut open and the Precious Blood first trickling down and then flowing down from the open wounds. Still they go on striking the wounds and sores and bleeding flesh with unrelenting violence, the barbs tearing off morsels of flesh until the ground is covered not only with a pool of blood, but also with morsels of His sacred flesh. O Jesus, what didst Thou not suffer for me!

Hear Him moaning gently in His agony, and amidst the moans praying to the Eternal father to accept each blow in expiation for the sins of men, and especially for the sinful indulgence of the flesh. O Jesus, may the thought of Thy scourging keep me from ever yielding to temptation, and may I mortify my body for the love of Thee!

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 22 July – Saint Theophilus of Cyprus

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Saint Theophilus of Cyprus. Born and raised in Constantinople to a noble family. He was a commander of the Greek armies and a senator, soldier, sailor and admiral of the Christian fleet stationed on Cyprus. Captured in battle by invading Muslims after possibly being betrayed by his junior commanders, he was imprisoned for four years. As an expert in naval warfare, the muslims spent all that time attempting to get him to convert to Islam and serve the Caliph. They made him many offers of all that the average man could want -wealth, women, power, revenge – but he rejected them every time.

As his captors lost confidence that they could successfully tempt him away from Christ, the offers began to be combined with threats and punishments. Theophilus was tortured. Still, at any moment, if he chose to convert to Islam, he would be released and given an equivalent status to what he possessed before. Finally, frustrated by a man who would not break, the Muslims ordered him to renounce Christianity and convert to Islam, or die.

He refused.

In 789 Theophilus went to die, where in the words of Theophanes, he “was revealed as a noble martyr.”

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Feast of St Mary of Magdala and Memorials of the Saints – 22 July

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The only Marian Feast I can find for today seems to be unverified, in other words, I can find absolutely no references online relating to this invisible Shrine. There is also a Marian Title relating to the Orthodox Church which is not recognised by the Catholic Church.

St Mary of Magdala (Feast) “The Apostle of the Apostles” (St Thomas Aquinas) She was a friend and follower of Jesus. Filled with sorrow over her sin, she anointed Christ, washed his feet with her hair. He exorcised seven demons from her. She was visited by the Risen Christ.

St Anastasius of Schemarius
St Andrea of Antioch
St Andreas Wang Tianqing
St Anna Wang

Blessed Augustine Fangi O.P. (1430-1493) Dominican Priest and Friar, Confessor, Mystic, known as “The Miracle Worker.”

St Baudry of Montfaucon
St Claudius Marius Victorinus of Saussaye
St Cyril of Antioch
St Dabius
Bl Jacques Lombardie
St John Lloyd
St Joseph of Palestine
St Lewine
St Lucia Wang Wangzhi

St Maria Wang Lishi
St Meneleus of Ménat
St Movean of Inis-Coosery
St Pancharius of Besancon
Bl Paolo de Lara
St Philip Evans SJ (1645-1679) Priest Martyr
St Plato of Ancyra
St Syntyche of Philippi
St Theophilus of Cyprus

St Wandrille of Fontenelle (c 605–668) Priest, Monk, Abbot. Married out of obedience to his parents, Wandrille agreed with his wife to keep their virginity and both retired to a Monastery.

Martyrs of Marula/Massylis: – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. We know nothing else about them but the names – Ajabosus, Andrew and Elian. They were martyred in Massylis (Marula), Numidia (in modern Algeria).

Martyrs of Massilitani: A group of Christians martyred together in northern Africa. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote about them.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Jaime María Carretero Rojas
Bl Joaquin Rodríguez Bueno
Bl José María Mateos Carballido
Bl Juan Durán Cintas
Bl Ramón María Pérez Sous

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Christ be Near

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Our Morning Offering – 22 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate
Christ be Near
St Patrick (c 386 – 461)

Christ be near, at either hand,
Christ behind, before me stand,
Christ with me, where’er I go,
Christ around, above, below.

Christ be in my heart and mind,
Christ within my soul enshrined,
Christ control, my wayward heart,
Christ abide and ne’er depart.

Christ my life and only way,
Christ my lantern, night and day,
Christ be my unchanging friend,
guide and shepherd to the end.

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – I took hold of Him and would not let Him go

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I will rise and go about the city; in the streets and crossings I will seek Him Whom my heart loves.

Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7

REFLECTION – Sometimes when meditating she began to see her interior deformities and to be so displeased with herself that with anxiety she would wonder how she could ever be pleasing to God, who would see so many stains in her, for where she saw only one stain the penetrating eyes of the divinity would see an infinite number.

She was reassured about this by the divine reply: “Love makes pleasing.” By this she understood that if on earth human love has such power that sometimes it makes the deformed pleasing, for love’s sake, to those who love them, and even at times so pleasing that the lovers, through the power of love, want to resemble their loved ones, how then be distrustful of God, who is Love itself? Cannot He, through the power of love, make pleasing those whom he loves?

Another time, when she was downcast at the memory of her former sins to such an extent that she desired only to hide herself completely, the Lord deigned to incline with such gracious condescension toward her that the whole court of heaven seemed to be trying to restrain him as if in astonishment. The Lord responded thus: “Nothing can restrain me from following her when she so powerfully attracts my heart by the cords of her humility.”

St Gertrude of Helfta (The Herald of Divine Love, Book III, ch. 30)

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ made Mary of Magdala the first herald of Easter joy. Grant that, following her example and helped by her prayers, we may, in this life, proclaim the living Christ and come to see Him reigning with You in glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July –“Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Feast of St Mary of Magdala -– Readings: Ps 118:95-96., Ps 118:1, Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7, Luke 7:36-50

Set me as a seal on Your heart, as a seal on Your arm; for stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away. Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love, he would despise it as nothing.

Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7

And turning to the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house; you gave Me no water for My feet; but she has bathed My feet with her tears, and has wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, from the moment she entered, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil; but she has anointed My feet with ointment. Wherefore I say to you, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And they who were at table with Him began to say within themselves, “Who is this man, who even forgives sins?” But He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:36-50

“To magnify her Royal Lover still further,
the soul must have eyes only for Him,
in other words,
with an ever-growing, anxiously eager attentiveness.
the soul must study all the details of His beauty,
His perfections,
must keep on discovering motives
for finding ever-increasing gratification
in the ineffable Beauty with which it is in love.”

St Francis de Sales

LOVE is strong as death: since both equally separate the soul from the body and all terrestrial things, the only difference is, that the separation is real and effectual when caused by death, whereas that occasioned by love is usually confined to the heart. I say usually, because divine love is sometimes so violent that it actually separates the soul from the body, and, by causing the death of those who love, it renders them infinitely happier than if it bestowed on them a thousand lives.

Half-hours with the Saints (Charles Kenny)

“We become what we love
and who we love
shapes what we become.”

St Clare

Love the Lord and so,
learn to love yourselves
that when, by loving the Lord,
you shall have loved yourselves,
you may securely love
your neighbour as yourselves.

St Augustine

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 22 July – The Second Shedding of the Precious Blood

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Precious Blood – Short Meditations for July

By Rev. Richard F. Clarke

22nd Day – The Second Shedding of the Precious Blood

It is said that those who have suffered an extremity of anguish have sometimes been bathed in a perspiration which was tinged with blood. In the Garden of Gethsemani, Jesus was bathed in a sweat of blood which poured down to the ground. Ah, what must have been the intensity of His agony! None ever knew such sorrow as His. None ever was so crushed by the weight of intolerable misery. How could this happen to the Divine Son of God? To me it might have happened, and happened justly for my sins, but to Him it seems impossible, unjust, cruel.

It happened to Jesus because on Him sin was allowed to wreak all its malice, to do all the havoc of which its immeasurable intensity of evil is possible, as far as was compatible with His sinlessness and His divine perfections. In some respects the very perfection of His nature caused Him to suffer more, as none was so sensitive to pain and disappointment as He, and His divinity, far from being used by Him to relieve His sufferings, was only employed to enable His sacred humanity ro suffer more than it could have borne unaided.

Was this unjust? No, for He took it upon Himself and bore it willingly. Was it cruel? No, for His sacred humanity was to have a reward altogether exceeding such sufferings as His. It was to enjoy the glory of the highest heaven for all eternity in return for its brief agony on earth. For the joy that was set before Him He gladly endured it all, the joy of saving us from sin and death.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 July – Bl Alberic Crescitelli

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Alberico (Alberic) Crescitelli. Chinese name: Guo Xide. He was a seminarian at age twelve. Born the fourth of eleven children, near Naples, Italy, on the 30th of June 1863. Alberic joined the Milan Foreign Missionary Society and was sent to China in 1888. For 12 years he worked in the Vicariate’s various villages. His superiors considered him an excellent missionary, devoted and hardworking, with unostentatious but deeply rooted virtues and qualities. He worked in schools and missions along the Han River until the anti-Christian, anti-Western Boxer Rebellion brought chaos to China.

A group of ‘boxers’ (there are documents that point to the assassins being sent by the local gentry, whom Alberic came into conflict with after aid was distributed during the famine of 1900) captured Alberic, tortured and hacked him to pieces on July 21, 1900, ending by beheading him and throwing the pieces of his body into the river in order to cover up their crime.

Crescitelli’s confreres, who had known him well and for many years, started his beatification cause in 1908, only eight years after his death. The testimony provided by the confreres was unanimous about the holiness of Crescitelli’s life. At the Vatican, in St. Peter’s Basilica on 18 February 1951, Pope Pius XII declared Alberico Crescitelli “blessed.” The Pope’s speech was memorable, especially for the passage in which he described Father Crescitelli’s martyrdom:

‘Humanly speaking, his death was horrible; perhaps one of the most atrocious recorded in history. Nothing was missing, neither the cruelty of the torments, nor the time they lasted, the most barbaric humiliations, nor the suffering of the heart, nor the hypocritical betrayal of false friends, nor the hostile and threatening screams of his murderers, nor the darkness of being abandoned.’

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Notre-Dame-de-Verdun / Our Lady of Verdun, Lorraine , France (5th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 21 July

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Notre-Dame-de-Verdun / Our Lady of Verdun, Lorraine , France (5th Century) – 21 July:

The present Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de -erdun is both a Cathedral and a national monument of France. It has a long and ancient history. It was in the year 330 when Saint Sanctinus, a disciple of Saint Denis, converted the City of Verdun to the True Faith and later made it an Episcopal City when he became its first Bishop. He built a Church there in honour of Saints Peter and Paul.

In the year 457 Saint Pulchrone, built the first Church located at the site where Our Lady of Verdun is presently located. The fifth Bishop of Verdun, Saint Pulchrone, built the Church inside the walls of the City on ancient Roman ruins. This Church was actually named to honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God, a title that had recently been confirmed at the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. It was at the Council of Ephesus in 431 that Mary was formally affirmed to be Theotokos, “God-bearer,” or “the one who gives birth to God.” At Chalcedon, the nature of Christ was formally defined, teaching that He was God and man, “one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, known in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.” With this definition Mary was shown to be the Mother of God and not just of Our Lord in His human nature. The Church and Our Lady of Verdun was celebrated for numerous miracles.
In the year 990, Bishop Heimon built a new Cathedral to Our Lady of Verdun, and in the 12th century a choir and two portals were added. In 997, the Emperor Otto III conferred on this Bishop Heimon, or Haymon, the title of Count, making him and his successors Episcopal Counts.

The Cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugene III in 1147. In the 14th century the flat wooden ceiling was replaced with a vaulted ceiling and side-Chapels were added to the nave. Another side Chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, was built in the 16th century. In 1755 the roof and towers were hit by lightning, which set them both on fire, which did significant damage to the Church. In 1760 the Church was repaired and rebuilt in the Neo-Classical style.

The Cathedral was once again severely damaged in World War I, as it was hit by artillery rounds in the Battle of Verdun, which destroyed the towers. The crypt was rediscovered during the renovation that went on until the year 1936 and a re-inauguration took place in 1935. The millennial celebration of the Cathedral took place in 1990.

The Arbennes family were the Counts of Verdun, and Godfrey of Bouillon was a member of that family. Godfrey gave up his right to the title before leaving on the First Crusade.

St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) St Lawrence is known as the “Franciscan Renaissance Man” – he was a Religious member of the Franciscan Friars Minor Capuchin, a Priest, Theologian, Vicar General of the Franciscans, Language scholar, Apologist of immense and calm resources, Humanist, Philosopher, Biblicist, Preacher, Missionary, Professor, International Administrator, Confidant of Popes, Emperors, Kings and Princes, Diplomatic envoy, Army Chaplain, Military Strategist and Morale builder, Polemicist, Prolific writer.

Bl Agrícola Rodríguez García de Los Huertos
Bl Alberic Crescitelli

Blessed Angelina of Marsciano TOR (1357-1435) – Abbess, Foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Blessed Angelina who work with the poor and the sick.

St Arbogast of Strasbourg (Died c 678) Bishop
St Barhadbescialas
St Benignus of Moyenmoutier
Bl Claudius of Avignon
St Claudius of Troyes
St Corona of Marceille
Bl Cristóbal López de Valladolid Orea
Bl Daniel Molini
St Daniel the Prophet
St Eleutherius of Marseille
St Eternus of Evreaux
Bl Gabriel Pergaud
St Iosephus Wang Yumei
St John of Edessa
St John of Moyenmoutier
Bl Juan de Las Varillas
Bl Juan de Zambrana
St Jucundinus of Troyes
St Julia of Troyes
St Justus of Troyes
Bl Parthenius of Thessaly
St Praxides of Rome
St Simeon Salus

St Victor (of Marseilles) (3rd century) Martyr, Confessor, Roman soldier.

St Wastrada
St Zoticus of Comana
—
Martyrs of Africa – 6 saints: Six Christians who were martyred together. We know no other details about them but the names – Emilian, Hugal, Motanus, Saphus, Stercorius and Victor. They were martyred in an unknown location in Africa, date unknown.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 21 July – Lord, I Am Yours

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Our Morning Offering – 21 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Lord, I Am Yours
Prayer of Dedication to the Lord
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

Lord,
I am Yours
and I must belong to no-one but You.
My soul is Yours
and I must live only by You.
My will is Yours
and must love only for You.
I must love You as my first cause,
since I am from You.
I must love You as my end and rest,
since I am for You.
I must love You more than my own being,
since my being subsists by You.
I must love You more than myself,
since I am all Yours
and all in You.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – “I have come, not to abolish, but to fulfil”

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One Minute Reflection – 21 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Sir 15:5, Ps 91:2, 2 Tim 4:1-8, Matt 5:13-19

Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matt 5:13-19

REFLECTION – Brethren, let us “sing to the Lord a new song.” To the old man, the old song; to the new man, a new song. The Old Testament is an old song, the New Testament a new song. The first covenant concerns mostly temporal and earthly promises. People who remain attached to the things of the earth still sing an old song. In order to sing the new song, a person must love eternal things. That love is both new and eternal; it is always new, because it never grows old.

But if we think about it, this love is very old. How could it be new? My brethren, was eternal life born yesterday? Eternal life is Christ and, as God, he was not born yesterday. For “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God. He was present to God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, and apart from him nothing came to be.” If he made what is old, what is he other than eternal, co-eternal with the Father? It is we who, by sin, have fallen into senescence. Human beings have become old as a consequence of sin. It is by God’s grace that we are renewed. All who are thus renewed in Christ sing a new song for they are beginning to be established in eternal life.

PRAYER – Holy, almighty God, You sent Your prophets and then Your only Son to teach us and lead us to eternal life. Remember Lord, Your solemn covenant, renewed and consecrated by the blood of the Lamb, so that Your people may obtain forgiveness for their sins and a continued growth in grace. Send us Your Spirit, to enlighten our hearts and minds and grow in love for You and the Word made flesh. Guide us in our understanding and living, by the Words of the Word. Holy Mother Mary intercede for us, that we may merit to be co-heirs of His Kingdom. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – You are the salt of the earth

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” and the Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?

Matt 5:13-19

For by saying, You are the salt of the earth, He signified all human nature to have lost its savor, and to be decayed by our sins. For which cause, you see, He requires of them such virtues, as are most necessary and useful for the superintendence of the common sort. For first, the meek, and yielding, and merciful, and righteous, shuts not up his good deeds unto himself only, but also provides that these good fountains should run over for the benefit of others. And he again who is pure in heart, and a peacemaker, and is persecuted for the truth’s sake; he again orders his way of life for the common good. Think not then, He says, that you are drawn on to ordinary conflicts, or that for some small matters you are to give account. You are the salt of the earth.

St John Chrysostom (Homily 15 on Matthew)

As the lot of the reprobate is to die in sin, that of the elect is to expire in the love and grace of God, which is effected in several ways. Many of the Saints died, not only in the state of charity, but in the actual exercise of divine love. St. Augustine expired in making an act of contrition, which cannot exist without love; St. Jerome, in exhorting his disciples to charity and the practice of all virtues; St. Ambrose, in conversing sweetly with his Saviour, whom he had received in the Holy Eucharist; St. Antony of Padua also expired in the act of discoursing with our Divine Lord, after having recited a hymn in honour of the ever-glorious Virgin; St. Thomas of Aquinas, with his hands clasped, his eyes raised to heaven, and pronouncing these words of the Canticles, which were the last he had expounded: “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field”.

Half-Hours With the Saints and Servants of God (Charles Kenny)

You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matt 5:13-19

“The Angels in Heaven were created,
to be servants of Christ;
man was formed from the earth,
in order to be the image of Christ.”

 St Lawrence of Brindisi

For that men should be set free from the rottenness of their sins was the good work of Christ; but their not returning to it again any more was the object of these men’s diligence and travail.

St John Chrysostom (Homily 15 on Matthew)

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 21 July – The First Shedding of the Precious Blood

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The Precious Blood – Short Meditations for July

By Rev. Richard F. Clarke

21st Day – The First Shedding of the Precious Blood

It was but a few days after Our Lord’s Birth that His Precious Blood first flowed for the sins of men. It was on the occasion of His circumcision, the rite which is generally believed to have been the condition of the cleansing away of original sin under the Jewish covenant. O Jesus, ar least Thine infancy might have passed before the work of expiation began! No, from His earliest days Christ began His work of redemption. In His yearning love He longed for suffering on behalf of those He loved, and would brook no delay.

The Precious Blood flowing in those earliest days teaches us another lesson. It shows how sin never fails to bring suffering with it. If it did so in the case of God made Man, and that throughout His life so that He was never exempt from suffering, how much more is it reasonable that it should do so in the case of sinful man! If it did such things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? How then can I with all my sins expect to escape suffering?

Yet this first blood-shedding, this early suffering, was the occasion of the Name of Jesus being given to the Child Who endured it. He was our Saviour in, and because of His suffering – in and because of the shedding of His Precious Blood. Hence to suffer for Him, to be willing to shed our blood for Him, is the condition of sharing in His glorious work as Saviour of the world. Without suffering, without shedding of blood, there is no remission.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 20 July – Saint Elijah the Prophet

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Saint Elijah the Prophet, also known as Elias. Elijah (‘My God is Yahweh’) was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC). He announced to the king (he who was married to the infamous Jezebel) that God would avenge the apostasy of Israel by bringing a long drought on the land. During the drought, which lasted three years, Elias withdrew to the vicinity of the brook Carith, where he was fed by ravens. After the brook dried up he crossed over to Sarepta, where he was hospitably received by a poor widow, whose charity he rewarded by increasing her store of meal and oil and by raising her child to life.

Later he confronted the king again and challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel, when Elijah’s oblation was consumed by fire from heaven, and the false prophets were slain by the people at his command. He was obliged to flee from the wrath of Jezebel and while on Mount Horeb was commanded by God to anoint Hazael to be King of Syria, Jehu to be King of Israel, and Eliseus to be his own successor. Subsequently he denounced Achab for the murder of Naboth and reprimanded Ochozias and Joram, King of Juda. While conversing with Eliseus on the hills of Moab he was translated to heaven in a fiery chariot. The Carmelite Order traces its origin to him.

The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah’s return “before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord”. The New Testament makes it clear that St John the Baptist is “the Elijah” who was promised to come.

Patronages: Air Forces, Carmelites, civil aeronautics, Romanian Air Force

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 20 July – Lord Jesus, may I know myself and know Thee

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Indulgenced – 500 days every time said

Lord Jesus, may I know myself and know Thee.
May I desire nothing save only Thee.
May I hate myself and love Thee.
May I do everything for the sake of Thee.
May I humble myself and exalt Thee.
May I think of nothing except Thee.
May I die to myself and live in Thee.
May I receive whatever happens as from Thee.
May I banish self and follow Thee,
And ever desire to follow Thee.
May I fly from myself and fly to Thee,
That I may deserve to be defended by Thee.
May I fear for myself and fear Thee,
And be among those who are chosen by Thee.
May I distrust myself and trust in Thee.
May I be willing to obey on account of Thee.
May I cling to nothing but to Thee,
And may I be poor for the sake of Thee.
Look upon me, that I may love Thee.
Call me, that I may see Thee,
And ever and ever enjoy Thee. Amen.

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 20 July – Share your bread with the hungry

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Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.

Isa 58:7-11

REFLECTION – We should not reject those goods that may potentially be of use to our neighbor. It is in the nature of possessions to be possessed and that of goods to spread good. God intended them for man’s well being. Our goods lie in our hands like tools, instruments that we can put to good use so long as we know how to wield them… Nature has made a servant of wealth, not a mistress. So we shouldn’t decry it since it is neither good not bad in itself but completely neutral. We ourselves are alone responsible for the use, good or bad, which we make of it. Our minds, our consciences are entirely set free from disposing as they choose of the goods entrusted to them. What we should destroy are not our goods but the covetousness that perverts their use. When we have acquired integrity then we shall know how to use them with integrity. Those goods we are told to get rid of we should understand to be the unregulated desires of the soul. You gain nothing from depriving yourself of your money if you remain rich in unregulated desires.

See how the Lord conceived of the use of external goods: we need to detach ourselves, not from the money that enables us to live, but from the forces that cause us to use it badly, namely sicknesses of the soul. We need to purify our souls, that is to say, make them poor and naked and, in that state, listen to the Lord’s call: “Come, follow me.” He is the way along which the pure of heart walk. Here is a man who thinks of his fortune, his gold, silver, houses, as graces from God, and he shows Him his thanks by succoring the poor from his own resources. He knows well that he possesses these goods more for the sake of his brothers than for himself; he remains stronger than his wealth and is far from becoming its slave; he does not lock it up in his heart. And if, one day, his money is about to disappear, he accepts his ruin with just as joyful a heart as in the days of his prosperity. Now this man, I say, God declares blessed and calls “poor in spirit”; he is a certain heir of the Kingdom of heaven, which will be closed to those who could not look beyond their own wealth.

St Clement of Alexandria (Homily “How can the rich be saved?”)

PRAYER – Almighty Father, You made us Your children, You called us from all ages and You formed us by Holy Mother Church. Grant, we pray, that by Your grace, we may be ever faithful to her and be guided by Your Holy Spirit of love. O God, may Your Mother and ours and Your holy Angels and Saints intercede for us that, being made imitators of the Lord’s Passion, we may merit to be co-heirs of His Kingdom. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.

Posted in QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH

Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – For of such is the kingdom of heaven

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Lam 2:11, Ps 112:1, Isa 58:7-11, Matt 19:13-21

At that time, little children were brought to Jesus, that He might lay His hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said to them, Let the little children be, and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 19:13-21

Christian simplicity makes childhood its own. Children are without rancour, ignorant of deceit, not daring to strike. So, this child whom the Christian has become, does not fall into a rage if someone insults him, does not resist, if something is taken from him, does not return blows, if someone strikes him. Our Lord even demands us to pray for our enemies, give up our tunic and cloak to anyone who would steal it, turn the other cheek to those who would slap it. The childhood of Christ surpasses human childhood. …

 St Maximus of Turin (Homily 58 for Easter)

The young man said to Him, All these I have kept; what is yet wanting to me? Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.

Matt 19:13-21

For this is the limit of true wisdom; to be simple with understanding; this is angelic life; yes, for the soul of a little child is pure from all the passions. Towards them who have vexed him he bears no resentment, but goes to them as to friends, as if nothing had been done; and how much soever he be beaten by his mother; after her he seeks, and her does he prefer to all. Though thou show him the queen with a diadem, he prefers her not to his mother clad in rags, but would choose rather to see her in these, than the queen in splendor. For he uses to distinguish what pertains to him and what is strange to him, not by its poverty and wealth, but by friendship. And nothing more than necessary things does he seek, but just to be satisfied from the breast, and then he leaves sucking. The young child is not grieved at what we are grieved, as at loss of money and such things as that, and he does not rejoice again at what we rejoice, namely, at these temporal things, he is not eager about the beauty of persons.

St John Chrysostom (Homilies on Matthew:62)

Therefore He said, of such is the kingdom of Heaven, that by choice we should practise these things, which young children have by nature. For since the Pharisees from nothing else so much as out of craft and pride did what they did, therefore on every hand He charges the disciples to be single hearted, both darkly hinting at those men, and instructing these. For nothing so much lifts up unto haughtiness, as power and precedence. Forasmuch then as the disciples were to enjoy great honors throughout the whole world, He preoccupies their mind, not suffering them to feel anything after the manner of men, neither to demand honors from the multitude, nor to have men clear the way before them.

St John Chrysostom (Homilies on Matthew:62)

“The role of Christ, our Teacher, is, as its name suggests, to be the guide of children. But, we have yet to consider, what children Scripture is talking about and then, to give them their Teacher. The children in question are ourselves. Scripture draws attention to us in a great many ways, making use of various images to refer to us and highlighting the simplicity of faith in many different shades.

St Clement of Alexandria (The Pedagogue I, 12, 17)

“God wishes to test you, like gold in the furnace.
The dross is consumed by the fire
but the pure gold remains
and its value increases.
It is in this manner
that God acts with His good servant,
who puts his hope in Him
and remains unshaken in times of distress.
God raises him up and,
in return for the things he has left,
out of love for God,
He repays him a hundredfold in this life,
with eternal life hereafter.”

St Jerome Emiliani

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 20 July– The Precious Blood a Lesson of Charity

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The Precious Blood – Short Meditations for July

By Rev. Richard F. Clarke

20th Day – The Precious Blood a Lesson of Charity

“He loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood.” (Apoc. i. 5) St John, the apostle of love, mentions this as the primary mark of the love of Jesus for us. He proved His love by saving those He loved from that which would have separated them forever from Him: and this although the loss was theirs, not His, and though it was one that they richly deserved to incur. Here is a model for us, when others wrong us and return ill-will for our love.

This reconciliation He effected at the cost of His own blood. We read sometimes of a child who sheds his blood for father or mother, or a husband who shed his blood for his beloved spouse. We admire exceedingly such noble and generous self-devotion. But who ever heard of one who shed his blood in order to reconcile to himself, and restore peace and happiness to, enemies who had willfully and deliberately insulted him? Love so wonderful as this was possible only to the Son of God.

Yet if we are really to learn of Him to follow in His footsteps, we must imitate Him in this love for enemies. He Himself commands it: “Love your enemies!” “If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have?” The precept seems impossible, and becomes possible only when we contemplate Him Who shed the last drop of His blood for those who hated Him. Looking at Thee, O Lord, I not only will forgive those who have offended me, but I will seek to do them good, that I may have the happiness of doing to them as Thou hast done to me!

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Nuestra Señora de Zocueca / Our Lady of Zocueca, Bailén, Jaén, Andalucía, Spain (1808) and Memorials of the Saints – 20 July

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Nuestra Señora de Zocueca / Our Lady of Zocueca, Bailén, Jaén, Andalucía, Spain (1808 – 20 July:

Around 1150, Mozarabic Christians built a rudimentary Chapel near the Rumblar River, the Guadalquivir tribuitary that waters this region in southern Spain, at a place called Zocueca. When Alfonso VII reconquered the area in 1155, people gave thanks to the Virgin at the Shrine. In the 1400s it was was rebuilt, and from this period the graceful, standing Gothic Statue of the Mother and Child seems to date, although tradition holds it to be older than the first Chapel.

During the cholera epidemic of 1681, the people vowed to hold an annual feast in honour of the Virgin, preceded by a day of fasting, if she would save them. The promise has been kept on 5 August ever since. The Chapel was re-decorated in Baroque style in the 1700s.

In 1808, people again thanked the Virgin of Zocueca for her help during the Battle of Bailén, the first Spanish victory against Napoleon. Annually since 1810, the municipality commemorates the battle with a series of civil, patriotic, and religious events from 17-22 July, reaching their greatest splendour on the 20th, when the Patroness, the Virgin of Zocueca, goes through the City streets in procession. Another event in her honour, the romería or pilgrimage, takes place on the last Sunday in September in thanks for her help in ending a plague of locusts which threatened the region’s crops in the late 1800s. Men carry the Statue, bristling with decorations, on their shoulders from its usual home in the Church of the Incarnation in Bailén, to the Sanctuary four miles distant, where overnight vigil is kept before a sunrise Mass. In 1925, the Virgin of Zocueca was proclaimed “Captain General” and her Statue given a military sash. After the Statue burned in the Civil War, religious sculptor Jose Maria Alcacer made a replica, blessed on 5 August1954.

St Apollinaris of Ravenna – Disciple of St Peter – Bishop Martyr (Optional Memorial)

Bl Anne Cartier
St Ansegisus
St Aurelius of Carthage
St Cassian of Saint Saba
St Chi Zhuze
St Elijah the Prophet

St Elswith

Blessed Gregory Lopez (1542-1596) “The Mystery Man” – Hermit, Spiritual Advisor, Writer. Around 1585, word of a “Mystery Man” began to leak into Mexico City, a strange hermit who lived out in the lonely valley of Guesteca, who walked miles to go to Mass, lived totally subject to “Lady Poverty” and had travelled from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain (which dates from 712), to her Shrine in Mexico (which dates from 1531).

St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Layman, Founder of the Somascan Fathers

St Joseph Barsabbas the Just (1st Century) Disciple of Jesus, Bishop, Martyr

St José María Díaz Sanjurjo

St Margaret of Antioch (3rd century) Virgin Martyr. Margaret is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is one of the Saints who spoke to St Joan of Arc.

St Maria Fu Guilin
St Mère
St Paul of Saint Zoilus
St Rorice of Limoges
St Severa of Oehren
St Severa of Saint Gemma
St Wulmar

Martyrs of Corinth – 22 saints: 22 Christians who were martyred together. We know nothing else about them but the names – • Appia • Calorus • Cassius • Celsus • Cyriacus • Donatus • Emilis • Felix • Fructus • Magnus • Maximus • Nestita • Partinus • Pasterus • Paul • Romanus • Spretus • Tertius • Theodolus • Ueratia • Valerian • Victor. They were martyred in Corinth, Greece.

Martyrs of Damascus – 16 saints: 16 Christians who were martyred together. We know the names of six of then, but no details about any of them – Cassia, Julian, Macrobius, Maximus, Paul and Sabinus. They were martyred in Damascus, Syria, date unknown.

Martyrs of Seoul – 8 saints: Eight lay native Koreans in various states of life who were murdered together for their faith.
• Anna Kim Chang-gum
• Ioannes Baptista Yi Kwang-nyol
• Lucia Kim Nusia
• Magdalena Yi Yong-hui
• Maria Won Kwi-im
• Martha Kim Song-im
• Rosa Kim No-sa
• Theresia Yi Mae-im
They were martyred on 20 July 1839 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea

Martyrs of Zhaojia – 3 saints: Married lay woman and her two daughters in the apostolic vicariate of Southeastern Zhili, China. During the persecutions of the Boxer Rebellion, the three of them hid in a well to avoid being raped. They were found, dragged out, and killed for being Christian. Martyrs. They were – Maria Zhao Guoshi (mother), Maria Zhao and Rosa Zhao (sisters). They were martyred in late July 1900 in Zhaojia, Wuqiao, Hebei, China.

Martyrs of Zhujiahe – 4 saints: Two Jesuit missionary priests and two local lay people who supported their work who were martyred together in the Boxer Rebellion during and immediately after Mass.
• Léon-Ignace Mangin
• Maria Zhu Wushi
• Paul Denn
• Petrus Zhu Rixin
They were martyred on 20 July 1900 in church in Zhujiahe, Jingxian, Hebei, China

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Abraham Furones y Furones
• Blessed Antoni Bosch Verdura
• Blessed Francisca Aldea y Araujo
• Blessed Jacinto García Riesco
• Blessed Joan Páfila Monllaó
• Blessed Josep Tristany Pujol
• Blessed Matías Cardona-Meseguer
• Blessed Rita Josefa Pujalte y Sánchez
• Blessed Vicente López y López

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Nuestra Señora del Milagro / Our Lady of the Miracle, Lima, Peru (1630) and Memorials of the Saints – 19 July

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Nuestra Señora del Milagro / Our Lady of the Miracle, Lima, Peru (1630) – 19 July and 27 November:

The Franciscan Friars who accompanied the Conquest to Peru hung an image of the Immaculate Conception over the door of their first Church in Lima. On missionary journeys around the region, they would take the image, “La Misionera,” with them. They were in Cusco, the Inca capital, on 23 May 1536 when, during the rebellion of Manco Inca against the two-year Spanish regime, natives trapped many Spaniards in a hut and set fire to the straw roof. La Misionera was seen by all to leave her place inside and to appear above the burning building together with Santiago (St.James the Greater). The fire ceased and all were saved. In honour of this event, the Spanish built the Church of the Triumph, now an adjunct of the Cusco Cathedral.

Back in Lima, after the Franciscans surrounded the little Chapel with a big Monastery complex, the image over the door was gradually forgotten. By the 1600s, it had one regular devotee, a poor woman. One day she heard the Virgin speak: “You alone, daughter, among all the people here, visit me and pray to me. One day I will repay you.” After the woman told saintly Brother Juan Gomez, he often remarked, “Lima does not recognise the great good it has in this miraculous image, but soon it will know.”

On 27 November 1630, when most of the people of Lima were attending a bullfight in the main plaza, a violent earthquake struck the City. All were terrified, for it seemed certain that they would perish. But those near the Franciscan Church saw the image of Our Lady turn in the direction of the Blessed Sacrament, with her hands held in suppliant gesture. Abruptly, the earthquake stopped.

Several hours later, at vespers that evening, while the populace was leaving the Church, the image, in full view of all present, returned to its original position, when the Marian hymn Tota Pulchra was intoned. This painting shows the Virgin kneeling in prayer, with her arms crossed upon her breast, presumably interceding for Lima.

Now called “Our Lady of the Miracle,” the image was given a magnificent new Church. In 1835, the church burned down. Only the image remained intact. On J19 une 1953, the Papal Nuncio crowned the miraculous image The feast of Our Lady of the Miracle is on 27 November the anniversary of the 1630 earthquake and today the Crowning is honoured each year.

St Ambrose Autpertus
Bl Antonio of Valladolid
St Aurea of Cordoba
St Arsenius the Great (c 354-c 449) Deacon, Hermit, Desert Father.
Bl Bernhard of Rodez
St Daria of Constantinople
St Epaphras of Colosse
St Felix of Verona

St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyr, Priest. Also celebrated on 25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

St Macrina the Younger (c 327-379) Virgin, Ascetic. With charm and grace, St Macrina ruled the roost in a family of saints. St Basil the Elder and St Emmelia, her parents, had ten children including the younger St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church, St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church and St Peter of Sebaste Bishop (c 340–391). As the eldest child, Macrina exercised a formative influence on her more famous brothers and even on her mother.

St Martin of Trier
St Michael the Sabaitè
Bl Pascasio of Lyon

St Peter Crisci of Foligno TOSF (c 1243-1323) called a “Fool for Christ” – Franciscan Tertiary, Penitent, Hermit, Pilgrim, Beggar, Preacher.

St Romain of Ryazan
St Pope Symachus
St Vicente Cecilia Gallardo
—
Martyrs of Meros – 3 saints: Three Christians tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of emperor Julian the Apostate and governor Almachio. We know nothing else about them but the names – Macedoniuis, Tatian and Theodule.
They were burned to death on an iron grill in Meros, Phrygia (in modern Turkey).

Martyrs of China: 3 Beati
Elisabeth Qin Bianshi Elisabeth
Ioannes Baptista Zhu Wurui
Simon Qin Chunfu

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 19 July – Saint Romain of Ryazan

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint Romain of Ryazan, also known as Romanus or Roman. Son of the Prince of Ryazan, Russia, Roman was from a family who, during the Tatar yoke, became famous as defenders of Christianity. Both of his grandfathers died for their country in battle with Batu Khan, the founder of the Golden Horde. Raised to have a great love for the Catholic faith, the prince took care of impoverished and oppressed subjects, and protected them from the violence and robbery of the Khan’s tax collectors. As a consequence, these people denounced him before the Tatar Khan Mengu-Timur.

In 1270, Roman was summoned to the Horde, where the Khan declared that he would have to choose: either martyrdom or the Tatar (Islamic) faith. The prince answered that a Christian cannot change a true faith to a false one. For his firmness in the confession of faith, he was subjected to cruel tortures: they cut off his tongue, gouged out his eyes, cut off his ears and lips, cut off his arms and legs, flayed the skin from his head and, having chopped it off, put it onto a spear. Veneration for him began immediately. His relics were secretly returned to Ryazan and buried. Their place of burial remains unknown.

The first defeat of Napoleon by the Russians when he invaded in 1812, occured on St Roman’s feast day.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – Prayer for Five Graces By St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Prayer for Five Graces
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Eternal Father, Your Son has promised
that You would grant, all the graces
we ask of You in His name.
Trusting in this promise and in the name of
and through the merits of Jesus Christ,
I ask of You five special graces:
First, I ask pardon for all the offenses I have committed,
for which I am sorry with all my heart
because I have offended Your infinite goodness.
Second, I ask for Your divine Light,
which will enable me to see
the vanity of all things of this earth
and see also, Your infinite greatness and goodness.
Third, I ask for a share in Your love,
so that I may detach myself from all creatures,
especially from myself and love only Your holy will.
Fourth, grant me the grace to have confidence
in the merits of Jesus Christ
and in the intercession of Mary.
Fifth, I ask for the grace of perseverance,
knowing that, whenever I call on You for assistance,
You will answer my call and come to my aid.
I fear only, that I will neglect to turn to You in time of need
and thus bring myself to ruin.
Grant me the grace to pray always,
O Eternal Father,
in the name of Our Lord Jesus.
Amen.

Posted in Corporal Works of Mercy, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY

One Minute Reflection – 19 July – ‘Make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness, so that when you fail they may receive you into the everlasting dwellings.

Luke 16:1-9

REFLECTION – Brethren and friends, let us by no means be wicked stewards of God’s gift to us. If we are we will have to listen to Saint Peter saying: “Be ashamed, you who hold back what belongs to another, take as an example the justice of God and no one will be poor. While others suffer poverty, let us not labor to hoard and pile up money, for if we do, holy Amos will threaten us sharply in these words: “Hear this, you who say: ‘When will the new moon be over that we may sell; and the Sabbath, that we may open up our treasures?’”

Let us imitate the first and most important law of God, “who sends his rain on the just and on sinners and makes the sun shine on every person equally”. God opens up the earth, the springs, the streams and the woods to all who live in the world. He gives the air to the birds, the water to the fish, and the basic needs of life abundantly to all, without restriction or limitation or preference. These basic goods are common to all, provided by God generously and with nothing lacking. He has done this so that creatures of the same nature may receive equal gifts and that he may show us how rich is his kindness…So imitate this divine mercy.

He who has mercy on the poor, lends to God, it says. Who would not accept such a debtor, who will repay the loan in due time with interest? And again: By alms and faith sins are cleansed. Let us then be cleansed by showing mercy, let us wash away with the good herb the filth and defilements of our souls; and let us be made white, some as wool, some as snow, according to the proportion of our compassion.

St Gregory Nazianzen (Homily 14, on love for the poor)

PRAYER – My Lord Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey
to die for me, with love unutterable
and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You
but now I love You with my whole heart
and because I love You,
I repent sincerely for having ever offended You.
Pardon me, my God
and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me,
I wish also, my beloved Redeemer,
to die for love of Thee.
My Jesus, I will live
and die always united to You.”
Amen – By St Alphonsus Mary Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

Posted in QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – We are debtors

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Ps 47:10-11, Ps 47:2, Rom 8:12-17, Luke 16:1-9

Brethren: We are debtors, not to the flesh, that we should live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now you have not received a spirit of bondage so as to be again in fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by virtue of which we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself gives testimony to our spirit that we are sons of God. But if we are sons, we are heirs also: heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ.

Rom 8:12-17

O God, we ponder Your kindness within Your temple. As Your name, O God, so also Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Of justice Your right hand is full.

Ps 47:10-11

And this instruction he gives us here also, meaning, Let it have attention shown it indeed, for we do owe it this, yet let us not live according to the flesh, that is, let us not make it the mistress of our life. For it must be the follower, not the leader, and it is not it that must regulate our life, but the laws of the Spirit must it receive.

St John Chrysostom (Homily 14 on Romans)

The prison does the same service for the Christian which the desert did for the prophet. Our Lord Himself spent much of His time in seclusion, that He might have greater liberty to pray, that He might be quit of the world. It was in a mountain solitude, too, He showed His glory to the disciples. Let us drop the name of prison; let us call it a place of retirement. Though the body is shut in, though the flesh is confined, all things are open to the spirit.

Tertullian (To The Martyrs)

“Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . .
We have not the courage to carry our cross
and we are very much mistaken,
for, whatever we do,
the cross holds us tight –
we cannot escape from it.
What, then, have we to lose?
Why not love our crosses
and make use of them to take us to heaven?”

St Jean Vianney

“Start being brave about everything!
Drive out darkness and spread light.
Do not look at your weaknesses.
Realise instead, that in Christ Crucified,
you can do all things.”

St Catherine of Siena

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 19 July – The Precious Blood a Lesson of Patience

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The Precious Blood – Short Meditations for July

By Rev. Richard F. Clarke

19th Day – The Precious Blood a Lesson of Patience

If we watch the Son of God during those scenes in His sacred passion in which He shed His blood for us, we notice in one and all His exceeding and incomparable patience. During the agony in the garden it was the sight of the brutal ingratitude of man that caused the sweat of blood to flow from His sacred limbs. How could He endure to suffer for such wretches? Yet meekly and patiently He endured their sacrileges, blasphemies, impurities, wanton hatred of God, which rose up before Him as He knelt there in Gethsemani.

At the pillar, again, what divine patience! Not a look of anger, not a word of reproach. There He stands, the picture of uncomplaining endurance. What a lesson for me! How ready I am to complain when when I receive some fancied slight or some trifling injury! How different am I from the Son of God! What a contrast is my conduct to His! O Jesus! teach me to endure without complaint my sufferings, which are small indeed when compared with Thine!

See Him once more upon the cross! Listen to the jibes and sneers cast at Him by the priests, their taunts of His inability to save Himself, Messias though He was. How all this must have aggravated His physical agony! Yet His constant prayer was Father, forgive them! O Jesus, grant me more of the patience and meekness Thou didst show while Thy Precious Blood was ebbing forth on the altar of the cross!