Our Morning Offering – 7 July – The Memorial of Maria Romero Meneses F.M.A. (1902-1977)
Remember that, O Mary By Blessed Maria Romero Meneses (1902-1977)
I greet you, Mary, my dearest Mother!
Greet Jesus for me.
May your blessing, O Mary, accompany me night and day,
in work and in rest, in life and in death.
Put your hand into this, O my Mother, put it in before mine.
Remember that, I love you with the love of all
and each one of the blessed spirits,
of the angels and saints in heaven
but above all with the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Remember that, you are the mother of Jesus and my mother.
Remember that, you are full of grace and mother of mercy.
Remember that, I am all yours, totally yours.
Remember that, I have consecrated myself to you
with my whole soul, life and heart.
Remember that, I believe blindly and firmly in you
and that I have placed all my trust in you.
Remember that, I am blindly and firmly sure of you.
Remember that, I hope for everything,
absolutely everything from you.
Remember that, I abandon myself totally to your love.
Remember that, I live closed in the Heart of Jesus,
inside yours that you may form me,
through the work of the Holy Spirit,
with Jesus,
like Jesus,
in Jesus,
for Jesus and for the glory of Jesus.
Yes, my Queen, my august Princess,
my Lady, my consolation, my fortune, my joy,
my delight, the treasure
and enchantment of Jesus and mine.
You are all mine, I am all yours in life,
in death, in time and in eternity.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 7 July – Blessed MARÍA ROMERO MENESES (1902-1977) “The Social Apostle of Costa Rica” and “The Female John Bosco” – a Salesian Religious, Apostle of Charity and Social Reform, Teacher, Catechist, establishing whole villages with work opportunities for the poor, Mystic and Apostle of the Holy Eucharist and of Mary, Mother of God – born on 13 January 1902 at Granada, Nicaragua and died on 7 July 1977 in Las Peñitas, León, Nicaragua of a heart attack.
In Costa Rica, Blessed María was a social apostle though a multiplicity of initiatives designed for the needs of the poor, starting with teaching catechism and vocational skills and finishing with a medical centre, a school for teaching the social doctrine of the Church and seven villages for poor families.
She was one of eight children of an upper class family of Nicaragua. She was beautifully educated by her aunts and her parents. Since she had artistic talent, her parents had María trained in drawing and painting as well as in piano and violin by outstanding teachers. She was also enrolled in the Salesian Sisters’ school. In 1914 when she was 12, she underwent a year of sickness whose miraculous cure led to her total confidence in Our Lady, Help of Christians and to the vision of her Salesian vocation.
María came down with a serious form of rheumatic fever that paralysed her for six months, a real source of trial and suffering because it made her miss a year at her beloved school. However, during this trial, María already showed a mature faith, character and will. She called her sufferings “gifts of God”. Even when a doctor informed her that her heart had been seriously damaged, she did not complain but put her confidence for a complete recovery in Our Lady, Help of Christians.
To a school friend who visited her, she said after receiving heavenly guidance, “I know that the Blessed Virgin will cure me”.A few days later, María returned to school in good health, no-one could believe she had ever been so sick.
On 8 December 1915, María joined the Marian Association “Daughters of Mary” offering herself with great confidence to the Mother of God. Her Salesian spiritual director Don Emilio Bottari helped her discern her vocation and her mystical experiences. In 1920, at age 18, María joined the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Her spiritual director gave her a prophetic recommendation: “Even though difficult moments will come and you will feel torn to pieces, be faithful and strong in your vocation”. For María, these words sustained her for the rest of her religious life.
On 6 January 1929 in Nicaragua, María made her final profession. Her interior life unfolded as each day she strived to live joyful union with God as his instrument, after the example of Don Bosco as is apparent from her spiritual writings.
In 1931 she was sent to San José, Costa Rica, which became her second country. In 1933 she was teaching music, drawing and typing to the rich girls in the school, while beginning in the barrios with catechetics and practical trades. In 1934 Sr María began to win over the young girls who were her students in the school (misioneritas) to join her in the work of evangelising, catechising and advancing materially the oppressed, isolated and abused. She found the shape of her life’s work: bringing about the revolution of charity by inspiring the have’s to help the have-not’s. In 1945 she began to set up recreational centres; in 1953 centres for the distribution of food. In 1961 she opened a casita as a school for poor girls. In 1966 a clinic where God’s Providence helped her with the volunteer services of fine doctors and donations of needed medicines. Soon she started to plan a village so poor families could have decent homes. On a piece of land outside the city, María began to build homes. In 1973, the first seven homes were built in the Centro San José. Then a farm and a market along with school space for religious formation, catechesis and job training.
There was also a church dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians. María always joined love and devotion to the Eucharist and Mary with her social apostolate. María was very “limited” in terms of available funding; but, with total confidence, she always left everything in the hands of Our Lady since it was God’s work. In her old age, she retired from full time teaching but never from catechesis of young and old. On 7 July 1977, in Leon, Nicaragua in the Salesian house where she had been sent for a good rest, María died of a fatal heart attack at age 75. Her mortal remains were sent back to San José Costa Rica, to be buried in the Salesian Chapel. She was Beatified by St Pope John Paul on 14 April 2002.
St Alexander
St Angelelmus of Auxerre
St Antonino Fantosati
St Apollonius of Brescia
Bl Pope Benedict XI
Bl Bodard of Poitiers
St Bonitus of Monte Cassino
St Carissima of Rauzeille
St Eoaldus of Vienne
St Ethelburga of Faremoutier
Bl Francisco Polvorinos Gómez
St Hedda of Wessex
Bl Joseph Juge de Saint-Martin
Bl Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo
Bl Juan Pedro del Cotillo Fernández
Bl Justo González Lorente
St Maelruan
Bl Manuel Gutiérrez Martín
St Marcus Ji Tianxiang
Bl María del Consuelo Ramiñán Carracedo
Bl Maria Romero Meneses F.M.A. (1902-1977)
Bl Marie-Gabrielle-Françoise-Suzanne de Gaillard de Lavaldène
St Medran
St Merryn
Bl Oddino Barrotti
St Odo of Urgell
St Odran
St Palladius of Ireland
St Pantaenus of Alexandria
St Partinimus
Bl Pascual Aláez Medina
Bl Peter To Rot (1912-1945)
St Prosper of Aquitaine
St Syrus of Genoa
St They
St Willibald of Eichstatt
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Martyrs of Durres – 7 saints: Also known as – Martyrs of Dyrrachium/ Martyrs of Durazzo. A group of seven Italian Christians who fled Italy to escape the persecutions of emperor Hadrian. Arrived in Dyrrachium, Macedonia to find Saint Astius tied to a cross, covered in honey, laid in the sun and left to be tortured by biting and stinging insects. When they expressed sympathy for Astius, they were accused of being Christians, arrested, chained, weighted down, taken off shore and drowned. We know little more about each of them than their names – Germaus, Hesychius, Lucian, Papius, Peregrinus, Pompeius and Saturninus. T hey were born in Italy and were martyred at sea c117 off the coast of Dyrrachium (Durazzo), Macedonia (modern Durres, Albania).
Thought for the Day – 6 July – The Memorial of St Maria Goretti (1890-1902)
One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonisation—250,000—symbolised the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria Goretti. She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When Maria made her First Communion not long before her death at age 12, she was one of the taller and somewhat backward members of the class.
Maria may have had trouble with catechism but she had no trouble with faith.
God’s will was holiness, decency, respect for one’s body, absolute obedience, total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: it is a privilege to be loved by God and to love Him—at any cost . Oh, that we too may always remember this!
One Minute Reflection – 6 July – The Memorial of St Maria Goretti (1890-1902)
Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man, one will dare even to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us………..Romans 5:7-8
REFLECTION – “The new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12), urges us to pattern our love on the example of Jesus, who dies that we may live.
If our ability to love in a divine way seems unfairly offset by an impossible ideal—in other words, that Jesus can love like God because He is God but we can’t—then we have to reckon with the violent, yet highly avoidable death of an eleven-year-old girl. When you find a mere human being, loving as God loves by dying as God dies and forgiving as God forgives, you encounter someone who understands not only the force of the new commandment – but also of the extent of the self-sacrifice involved in loving like Jesus.”………Fr John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
PRAYER – Lord God, You alone can give the grace of innocence and love . By Your grace, St Maria Goretti, though as yet but a young child, was able to offer herself in death for Your sake. As You crowned her virginity with martyrdom, grant us, by her intercession, constancy in Your love. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever – St Maria pray for us! amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 July – The Memorial of St Maria Goretti (1890-1902)
Official Prayer for the intercession of St Maria Goretti
O Saint Maria Goretti you,
strengthened by God’s grace,
did not hesitate,
even at the age of twelve,
to shed your blood
and sacrifice life itself,
to defend your virginal purity,
look graciously on
the unhappy human race
which has strayed
far from the path
of eternal salvation.
Teach us all and especially youth,
with what courage and promptitude,
we should flee, for the love of Jesus,
anything that could offend Him
or stain our souls with sin.
Obtain for us from our Lord,
victory in temptation,
comfort in the sorrows of life
and the grace
which we earnestly beg of you
…………………… (your intention)
and may we one day,
enjoy with you,
the imperishable glory of Heaven.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 6 July – Blessed Sr Nazaria of Saint Teresa of Jesus (Nazaria Ignacia March y Mesa) (1889-1943) Religious and Founder of the Missionaries of the Crusade (later renamed Congregation of the Missionary Crusaders of the Church) – born on 10 January 1889 at Arcos de Santa María N° 41 (Augusto Figueroa), Madrid, Spain and died on 6 July 1943 in the Rivadavia Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina of complications from pneumonia and tuberculosis. Patronage – Missionaries of the Crusade.
Fourth of eighteen children born to José Alejandro March y Reus, a merchant, fisherman and industrial worker and Nazaria Mesa Ramos; Nazairi had a twin sister, Ignazia, and ten brothers who survived infancy. She and her sister were baptised on the day they were born, Nazaria made her First Communion on 21 November 1898 and made a personal vow of consecration to God. Unlike many children who are drawn to religious life at an early age, her family was indifferent to the faith and grew so tired of her devotions that they once “grounded” her from going to Mass. By the time she was confirmed on 15 March 1902, which was celebrated by Blessed Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, her family had grown used to her piety and allowed her to join the Franciscan Third Order and more actively practice her faith. She succeeded in getting several of them to return to the Church.
In late 1904, business failures led the family to move to Mexico. On the trip, Nazaria met sisters in the Instituto de Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados (Institute of Sisters of the Abandoned Elders) and was so inspired by their charism that on 7 December 1908 she followed a calling to religious life and entered the Institute in Mexico City, Mexico; she made her perpetual vows on 1 January 1915 and took the name Sister Nazariade Sainte-Thérèse. Her diaries of the time show a deep devotion to her calling but struggles with her vows of obedience to her superiors.
She was assigned to the Institute hospice in Oruro, Bolivia where she worked as a cook, housekeeper, nurse and occasional beggar to support the poor and neglected for twelve years. The region around Oruro was not entirely Christian, many Protestant groups were establishing missions and the few priests in the area were often lax or lived scandalous lives. Beginning in 1920 Sister Nazaria began to feel a call to found a new congregation devoted to missionary work, evanglisation and religious education. On 18 January 1925, the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Sister made a special vow of obedience to the Pope and on Pentecost that year, she made a vow to work for the union and extension of the Holy Catholic Church. On 16 June 1925, with six other sisters, she founded the Pontifical Crusade, later renamed the Congregation of the Missionary Crusaders of the Church and began service as their superior. The mission of the Congregation was to catechise children and adults, support the work of priests, conduct missions and to print and distribute short religious tracts.
Mother Nazaria met with opposition to her work, much of it from within Church administration. Her sisters in the Institute treated her as a traitor to her original vocation for turning away from their work; her superiors considered her disobedient and some Claretian clergy considered her a glory-hound, ignoring all the help members of their order had given her. But Nazaria clung to Christ and pressed on.
Monsignor Felipe Cortesi, while in Bolivia, had worked to help Mother Nazaria to found the Congregation. When he was assigned to be the apostolic nuncio of Argentina in 1930, he asked had her open a Missionary Crusader house in Buenos Aires. The Congregation received an early test under fire during the 1932 to 1935 war between Bolivia and Paraguay; Mother Nazaria and the sisters cared for and brought the sacraments to soldiers on both sides and helped establish homes for war orphans. In 1934 she founded the first magazine in Bolivia for women in religious life, Al Adalid de Cristo Rey, and the first female trade union, Sociedad de Obrera Católicas
In early 1934, Monsignor Cortesi asked the Vatican Congregation of Religious to approve the rules for the Crusaders that Nazaria had written, based on Ignatian spirituality. Later that year, Mother Nazaria travelled to Rome with an Argentinian pilgrimage group to work for the approval of her Rule. She made pilgrimages to several sites and had a private audience with Pope Pius XI during which Nazaria said that she was willing to die for the Church; the Pope told her that she must, instead, live and work for the Church.
Leaving Italy for her native Spain, Mother Nazaria founded a retreat centre for spiritual exercises in Madrid under the flag of Uruguay; the sisters there survived the Spanish Civil War as Franco did not wish to risk the international incident killing them would cause. With the help of the Bolivian government, Mother Nazaria was able to leave the persecutions in Spain and return to the Americas. She summoned a general chapter of the Congregation in 1937 to strengthen the unity and zeal of her sisters. She worked on the spiritual formation of new sisters and set an example by her pious, simple life. To the superiors of the Congregation houses she always recommended a maternal approach to the sisters in their care, to remember their role as Mother of the house. When the Spanish Civil War ended, Nazaria returned to Spain to check on the sisters she had left behind, then returned to the Americas for the final time.
Blessed Nazaria was buried in the Chacorita cemetery in Buenos Aires on 8 July 1943. Her relics werere-interred at the Congregation house at Buenos Aires on 14 June 1957
and later relics enshrined in the crypt of the mother house of the Congregation in Oruro, Bolivia in 1972.
The Congregation spread throughout South America and began to work in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Camaroon. Though Nazaria did not live to see it, the Congregation received Vatican recognition on 9 June 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
She was Beatified on 27 September 1992 by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy. Her Canonisation was announced on 19 May 2018, when Pope Francis promulgated a decree of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Nazaria and will take place on 14 October 2018.
St Maria Goretti (1890-1902) (Optional Memorial) – all about St Maria here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/saint-of-the-day-6-july-st-maria-goretti/
Bl Angela of Bohemia
Bl Augustin-Joseph Desgardin
Bl Christopher Solino
St Cyril of Thessaloniki
St Dominica of Campania
St Gervais
St Giusto of Condat
St Goar of Aquitaine
St Godelieve
Bl Maria Theresia Ledóchowska
St Monenna
Bl Nazaria Ignacia March y Mesa (1889-1943) – To be Canonised on 14 October 2018, together with Blessed Pope Paul VI and Blessed Oscar Romero and others
St Noyala of Brittany
St Petrus Wang Zuolung
St Romulus of Fiesole
St Saxburgh of Ely
St Sisoes the Great
Bl Suzanne Agathe de Loye
St Thomas Alfield
St Tranquillinus of Rome
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Martyrs of Campania – 23 saints: A group of 23 Christians arrested, tortured and then beheaded together in the later 3rd century by order of governor Rictiovarus in the persecutions of Diocletian. The names that have come down to us are – Antoninus, Arnosus, Capicus, Cutonius, Diodorus, Dion, Isidore, Lucia, Lucian, Rexius, Satyrus and Severinus.
Martyrs of Fiesole – 5 saints: Five Christians martyred together in the persecutions of emperor Domitian – Carissimus, Crescentius, Dulcissimus, Marchisianus and Romulus. c 90 near Fiesole, Italy.
Thought for the Day – 5 July – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
Compassion for the sick and the poor led Dr Anthony Mary Zaccaria to see beyond the sick bodies of his patients and recognise the need for a different kind of healing. After becoming “Fr” Zaccaria, he tried to fill that need and dedicated the rest of his life to doing so. …….the Pauline ardour of his preaching would probably “turn off” many people today. When even some psychiatrists complain at the lack of a sense of sin, it may be time to tell ourselves that not all evil is explained by emotional disorder, subconscious and unconscious drives, parental influence and so on. The old-time “hell and damnation” mission sermons have given way to positive, encouraging, biblical homilies. We do indeed need assurance of forgiveness, relief from existential anxiety and future shock. But we still need prophets to stand up and tell us, “If we say ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). (Fr Don Miller OFM). St Anthony was such a prophet, he let God step in and lead him to a whole new set of plans. May we too allow God room in our boat to navigate us to a new way of life!
“We are fools for Christ’s sake:
our holy guide and most revered patron, was speaking about himself and the rest of the apostles and about the other people who profess the Christian and apostolic way of life.
But there is no reason, dear brothers, that we should be surprised or afraid; for the disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us, rather than abhor and despise them, since they harm themselves and do us good and adorn us with crowns of everlasting glory while they incite God’s anger against themselves. And even more than this, we should pray for them and not be overcome by evil but overcome evil by goodness.
We should heap good works like red-hot coals of burning love upon their heads, as our Apostle urges us to do, so that when they become aware of our tolerance and gentleness they may undergo a change of heart and be prompted to turn in love to God.”
Quote/s of the Day – 5 July – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
“The centre and the source from which everything begins and to which everything returns.”
“The Eucharist is the living Crucifix!”
“If you want to obtain what you pray for, adapt yourself to it, that is, if you want humility, do not avoid humiliations.”
“Let them keep in mind, therefore, that there can be no humility without reproaches and mockery and anyone who feels ashamed of them … may as well abandon all hope, of being able to achieve perfection.”
“That which God commands seems difficult and a burden. The way is rough; you draw back; you have no desire to follow it. Yet DO SO – and you will attain glory.”
“What good thing could God deny us when He is the one who invites us to ask?”
One Minute Reflection – 5 July – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfil your ministry……2 Timothy 4:5
REFLECTION – “In His mercy, God has chosen us, unworthy as we are, out of the world, to serve Him and thus to advance in goodness and to bear the greatest possible fruit of love in patience……We should keep running steadily in the race we have started, not losing sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection.”……….St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (An excerpt from a letter of Saint Anthony to his congregation).
PRAYER – Lord, enable us to grasp in the spirit of Saint Paul, the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ, the wisdom which inspired Saint Anthony Zaccaria to preach the message of salvation in Your church. Grant this, we pray, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. St Anthony Mary Zaccaria, pray for us amen.
Our Morning Offering – 5 July 2018 – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
Prayer for the Intercession of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria
St Anthony Mary Zaccaria,
lover of the Cross and of the Eucharist,
helper of the poor and of the sick,
you who devoted your life
to promote the glory of God and
the salvation of souls, protect me,
and be my intercessor from heaven.
Obtain from Jesus,
true contrition for my sins;
inflame my heart
with sentiments of faith and love
to embrace my daily cross
and to lead others to Christ.
May your eyes follow me in every step,
your wise counsel enlighten me,
your hand uphold me,
your virtue make me holy.
May I follow your call
to holiness and renewal.
Help me to always keep
Jesus’ love and peace
with my brothers and sisters,
so that I may become worthy of Him
and receive eternal glory in heaven.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 5 July – St Anthony Mary Zaccaria CRSP. (1502-1539) – Confessor, Priest, Founder, Philosopher, Doctor of Medicine/Physician, Renewal of the Forty Hours’ Adoration Devotion, Preacher, Administrator, one of the early leader of the Counter Reformation. Founder of the The Clerics Regular of St Paul (the Barnabites) and the Angelic Sisters of St Paul., both of whom he is the Patron and of Doctors/Physicians. His body is incorrupt.
Today we celebrate the life of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria. A renowned preacher and promoter of Eucharistic Adoration, he founded the order of priests now known as the Barnabites.
In 2001, the future Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wrote the preface for a book on St Anthony Mary Zaccaria, praising the saint as “one of the great figures of Catholic reform in the 1500s,” who was involved “in the renewal of Christian life in an era of profound crisis.” “St Anthony”, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, “deserves to be rediscovered” as “an authentic man of God and of the Church, a man burning with zeal, a demanding forger of consciences, a true leader able to convert and lead others to good.”
Anthony Mary Zaccaria was born into an Italian family of nobility in Cremona during 1502. His father Lazzaro died shortly after Anthony’s birth and his mother Antonietta – though only 18 years old – chose not to marry again, preferring to devote herself to charitable works and her son’s education. Antonietta’s son took after her in devotion to God and generosity toward the poor. He studied Latin and Greek with tutors in his youth and was afterward sent to Pavia to study philosophy. He went on to study medicine at the University of Padua, earning his degree at age 22 and returning to Cremona.
Despite his noble background and secular profession, the young doctor had no intention of either marrying or accumulating wealth. While caring for the physical conditions of his patients, he also encouraged them to find spiritual healing through repentance and the sacraments. He also taught catechism to children, and went on to participate in the religious formation of young adults. He eventually decided to withdraw from the practice of medicine and with the encouragement of his spiritual director, he began to study for the priesthood.
Ordained a priest at age 26, Anthony is experienced a miraculous occurrence during his first Mass, being surrounded by a supernatural light and a multitude of angels during the consecration of the Eucharist. Contemporary witnesses marvelled at the event and testified to it after his death.
Church life in Cremona had suffered decline in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The new priest encountered widespread ignorance and religious indifference among laypersons, while many of the clergy were either weak or corrupt. In these dire circumstances, Anthony Mary Zaccaria devoted his life to proclaiming the truths of the Gospel both clearly and charitably. Within two years, his eloquent preaching and tireless pastoral care is said to have changed the moral character of the city dramatically.
In 1530, Anthony moved to Milan, where a similar spirit of corruption and religious neglect prevailed. There, he decided to form a priestly society, the Clerics Regular of St. Paul. Inspired by the apostle’s life and writings, the order was founded on a vision of humility, asceticism, poverty, and preaching. After the founder’s death, they were entrusted with a prominent church named for St Barnabas and became commonly known as the “Barnabites.”
St Anthony also founded a women’s religious order, the Angelic Sisters of St Paul and an apostolate, the Laity of St Paul, geared toward the sanctification of those outside the priesthood and religious life. He pioneered the “40 Hours” devotion, involving continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
In 1539, Anthony became seriously ill and returned to his mother’s house in Cremona. The founder of the Clerics Regular of St Paul died on 5 July during the liturgical octave of the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, at the age of only 36.
Nearly three decades after his death, St Anthony Mary Zaccaria’s body was found to be incorrupt. He was beatified by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1849 and declared a saint by Pope Leo XIII in 1897. His body is now enshrined at the Church of St Barnabas in Milan, Italy. More about St Anthony and all about the 40 hour devotion, here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/saint-of-the-day-5-july-st-anthony-mary-zaccaria-b-or-c-r-s-p/
Church of St Barnabas, RomeTomb of St Anthony Mary ZaccariaAltar and TombSt Anthony Mary Zaccaria
St Elizabeth of Portugal (Optional Memorial in the USA)
St Agatho of Sicily
St Athanasius the Athonite
St Athanasius of Jerusalem
St Cast
St Cyprille of Libya
St Cyrilla of Cyrene
St Domèce
St Domitius of Phrygia
St Edana of West Ireland
Bl Edward Cheevers
Bl Elias of Bourdeilles
St Erfyl
St Fragan
Bl George Nichols
St Grace of Cornwall
St Gwen
Bl Humphrey Pritchard
Bl Joseph Boissel
St Marinus of Tomi
St Mars of Nantes
St Marthe
Bl Matthew Lambert
St Modwenna
St Numerian of Treves
Bl Patrick Cavanagh
St Philomena of San Severino
St Probus of Cornwall
Bl Richard Yaxley
Bl Robert Meyler
St Rosa Chen Aijieh
St Sedolpha of Tomi
St Stephen of Reggio
St Teresia Chen Qingjieh
St Theodotus of Tomi
Bl Thomas Belson
St Thomas of Terreti
St Triphina of Brittany
St Triphina of Sicily
St Zoe of Rome
Our Morning Offering – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
Prayer to Walk the Path of the Beatitudes By Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini (1924-2011) Archbishop of Turin
O Father,
You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati
the joy of meeting Christ
and of living his faith
in the service of the poor and the sick,
through his intercession,
may we, too, walk the Path of the Beatitudes
and follow the example of his generosity,
spreading the spirit of the Gospel in society.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen
Thought for the Day – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
Once after visiting a badly disfigured leper he explained to a friend his rationale for his selfless giving:
“How rich we are to be in good health. The deformation of that young man will disappear in a few years when he enters Paradise. But we have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who haven’t it. To act otherwise would be to betray the gift of God. No human being should ever be left abandoned. But the best of all charities is that consecrated to the sick. That is an exceptional work: few have the courage to face its difficulties and dangers, to take on themselves the sufferings of others, in addition to their own needs and their own precautions and cares.”
Pier Giorgio was famous in Turin but his family regarded him as a problem . His father, Alfredo Frassati, editor of the daily La Stampa, seems to have resented his largesse. And his mother was inconvenienced by his frequent absences and his lateness to meals. Only after his death did they come to appreciate their son.
A virulent form of poliomyelitis attacked Pier Giorgio in July 1925 and he died within a week. He was twenty-four years old.
Once a friend observed that when Pier Giorgio finished praying in church, he waved a little farewell towards the tabernacle. I like to imagine the scene when this jovial saint said hello to Christ in heaven. My thought is this, on the Memorial of his beautiful saint, Bl Pier Giorgio, that the greatest gift and the only glory of my life is being a Catholic and striving each day, to grow in those greatest of all commandments, to love God above all and to love my neighbour as myself. St Edmund Campion (1540-1581), put it so well, “to be a Catholic is my greatest glory.”
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, pray for us!
LET US PRAY:
PRAYER FOR THE CANONISATION OF BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI
O merciful God,
Who through the perils of the world
deigned to preserve by Your grace
Your servant the blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
pure of heart and ardent of charity,
listen, we ask You, to our prayers, and
if it is in Your designs that he be glorified by the Church,
show us Your will,
granting us the graces we ask of You,
through his intercession,
by the merits of Jesus Christ, Our Lord,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen
Quote/s of he Day – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
“I urge you, with all the strength of my soul, to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels, from which you will draw, the strength, to fight inner struggles.”
“Jesus comes to me every morning in Holy Communion, I repay Him, in my very small way, by visiting the poor. The house may be sordid but I am going to Christ.”
“Verso l’alto,”
“To the Heights”
Blessed Pier Giorgio’s famous motto, “Verso l’alto,” Italian for “To the heights,” meant reaching for God as well as the mountain peaks. His regular habit was to attend Mass before heading to the mountains and of visiting the Blessed Sacrament upon his return. He loved the Eucharist. He would often spend whole nights in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
“You ask me whether I am in good spirits. How could I not be so? As long as Faith gives me strength, I will always be joyful. Sadness ought to be banished from Catholic souls… the purpose for which we have been created shows us the path; even if strewn with many thorns, it is not a sad path. It is joyful even in the face of sorrow.”
One Minute Reflection – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth…..1 John 3:17-18
REFLECTION – “Everyone of you knows, that the foundation of our religion is charity. Without it all our religion would crumble because we would not truly be Catholics, as long as we did not carry out, or rather shape our whole lives, by the two commandments in which the essence of the Catholic Faith lies: to love God with all our strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves.”…….Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati
PRAYER – Loving Father, teach me to see the face of Your Divine Son in all those I meet especially those in need. Help me to realise that love is the most powerful force in the world. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal and Blessed Pier Georgio are an inspiration to us all, teaching us by their actions, that it is only in living love in charity that we can be true Catholics. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal and Blessed Pier Georgio pray for us, amen.
Saint of the Day – 4 July – St Elizabeth of Portugal T.O.S.F. (1271-1336) Queen Consort, Franciscan Tertiary, Apostle of Charity and Peace, political negotiator and mediator – also known as Elizabeth of Aragon, Elisabet in Catalan, Isabel in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish and The Peacemaker, born in 1271 at Aragon, Spain and died on 4 July 1336 at Estremoz, Portugal of a fever. Patronages – Coimbra, Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Cathedral of La Laguna.
Elizabeth means “Promise of God”
Saint Elizabeth was the daughter of King Peter III of this kingdom and niece of King James the Conqueror, great-niece of Emperor Frederick II of Germany. They gave her the name Elizabeth after her aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Her formation was formidable and from the time she was very young she had a notable piety. She was taught that, in order to be truly good, she ought to include mortification of her likes and whims along with her prayer. She was careful to order her life toward the love of God and neighbour, disciplining her habits of life. She did not eat between meals.
She was married at the age of 12 to King Dionysius of Portugal. This was a great cross for Elizabeth because he was a man of little morals, being violent an unfaithful. But she endured heroically this trial. She prayed and offered many sacrifices for him. She always treated him with goodness. They had two sons: Alfonso, the future king of Portugal and Constance, future king of Castille. Saint Elizabeth even educated the natural sons of her husband with other women. The king, for his part, admired her and permitted her to live an authentic Christian life, to a certain degree. She would rise very early in the morning and read six psalms, attend Holy Mass and dedicated herself to manage the duties of the palace. In her free time she met with other women to make clothing for the poor. She dedicated the afternoons to visiting the elderly and ill.
She made possible the construction of hostels, a hospital for the poor, a free school, a home for women repenting from a sinful life and a hospice for abandoned children. She also constructed convents and did other good works for the people. She would lend her beautiful dresses and even one of her crowns for the weddings of poor young women.
Saint Elizabeth would frequently distribute coins from the Royal Treasury to the poor so that they could buy their daily bread. On one occasion, King Dionysius, suspicious of her actions, began to spy on her. When the queen began to distribute money among the poor, the king saw and, infuriated, went to reclaim it. But the Lord intervened, in such a way that, when the king ordered that she showed him what she was giving to the poor, the coins turned to roses.
The Peacemaker:
The son of Elizabeth, Alfonso, had a violent character like his father. He was filled with anger at the preference his father showed to his natural children. On two occasions he promoted a civil war against his father. Elizabeth strived for reconciliation between father and son. On one occasion she went on pilgrimage to Santarem, a Eucharistic miracle and, dressed as a penitent, implored the Lord for peace.
Then she went to present herself on the field of battle and, when the armies of her spouse and son were about to engage in battle, the queen kneeled between them and, on her knees, asked her husband and son to be reconciled.
Some of her letters have been preserved, which reflect gospel values and audacity of our Saint. To her husband:“Like an infuriated wolf that is going to kill your Little son, I will fight so that the arms to the King are not unleashed against our own son. But at the same time, I will first make sure that the arms of the army of my son are destroyed, before they are fired against the followers of his father.”
To her son: “By the Blessed Virgin Mary, I ask that you make peace with your father. See, the soldiers are burning houses, destroying crops and breaking everything in pieces. Not with weapons, my son, we cannot fix the problem with weapons, but rather with dialogue, continuing negotiations to fix these conflicts. I will make the troops of the king go away and that the demands of the son be attended to but please remember, that you have a most serious duty to your father as his son and as a subject to his king.”
She obtained peace on more than one occasion, and her husband died repentant, without a doubt due to prayers of his wife.
Because Saint Elizabeth had such a great love for the Eucharist, she dedicated herself to study the lives of the Saints who were most notable in their love for the Eucharist and especially Saint Clare. After becoming a widow, Saint Elizabeth divested herself of all her riches. She went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where she surrendered her crown to the Archbishop in order to receive the habit as a Claretian tertiary. The Archbishop was so moved by this act of the Saint that he gave her his pastoral cross to help her on her return to Portugal. She lived her last years in the convent, dedicated to Eucharistic adoration.
When a war broke out between her son and her son-in-law, the King of Castille, Saint Elizabeth, despite her old age, undertook a long journey by dangerous roads and obtained peace. Nevertheless, the trip cost her life. Feeling herself close to death, she asked to be taken to a Claretian convent that she herself had founded. There she died invoking Our Lady on 4 July 1336.
God blessed her tomb with miracles. Her body can be venerated in the Claretian convent in Coimbra. She was Canonised on 25 May 1625 by Pope Urban VIII.
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for peace in our world!
St Elizabeth on the Colonnade at St Peter’s, Rome St Elizabeth on the 50 Escudos Note, prior to the Euro
St Elizabeth of Portugal T.O.S.F. (1271-1336) (Optional Memorial)
Bl Agatha Yun Jeom-Hye
St Albert Quadrelli
St Andrew of Crete
St Anthony Daniel
St Aurelian of Lyons
St Bertha of Blangy
St Carileffo of Anille
Bl Catherine Jarrige
St Cesidio Giacomantonio
Bl Damiano Grassi of Rivoli
St Donatus of Libya
St Edward Fulthrop
St Elias of Jerusalem
St Finbar of Wexford
St Fiorenzo of Cahors
St Flavian of Antioch
St Giocondiano
Bl Giovanni of Vespignano
St Haggai the Prophet
Bl Hatto of Ottobeuren
Bl Henry Abbot
St Henry of Albano
St Hosea the Prophet
St Innocent of Sirmium
Bl John Carey
Bl John Cornelius
Bl Jozef Kowalski
St Jucundian
St Laurian of Seville
St Lauriano of Vistin
Bl Maria Crocifissa Curcio
St Namphanion the Archmartyr
Bl Natalia of Toulouse
St Odo the Good
Bl Odolric of Lyon
Bl Patrick Salmon
Bl Pedro Romero Espejo
Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) Incorrupt – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/saint-of-the-day-4-july-blessed-pier-georgio-frassati-t-o-s-d-the-man-of-the-eight-beatitudes/
St Sebastia of Sirmium
St Theodore of Cyrene
St Theodotus of Libya
Bl Thomas Bosgrave
Bl Thomas Warcop
Bl Ulric of Augsburg
St Ulric of Ratzeburg
St Valentine of Langres
St Valentine of Paris
Bl William Andleby
Bl William of Hirsau
Thought for the Day – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle
The weakness of Thomas’s faith
is a source of our Lord’s great blessing for the Church
We must not suppose that St Thomas differed greatly from the other apostles. They all, more or less, mistrusted Christ’s promises when they saw Him led away to be crucified. When He was buried, their hopes were buried with Him and when the news was brought them, that He was risen again, they all disbelieved it. On His appearing to them, He “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart.” (Mark 16:14)… Thomas was convinced latest, because He saw Christ latest. On the other hand, it is certain that, though he disbelieved the good news of Christ’s resurrection at first, he was no cold-hearted follower of his Lord, as appears from his conduct on a previous occasion, when he expressed a desire to share danger and to suffer with Him…: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Jn 11:16)… It was at the instance of Thomas that they hazarded their lives with their Lord.
St Thomas then loved his Master, as became an apostle and was devoted to His service; but when he saw him crucified, his faith failed for a season with that of the rest… and more than the rest. His standing out alone, not against one witness only but against his ten fellow disciples, besides Mary Magdalene and the other women is evidence of this… He seems to have required some sensible insight into the unseen state, some infallible sign from heaven, a ladder of angels like Jacob’s (Gn 28:12), which would remove anxiety by showing him the end of the journey at the time he set out. Some such secret craving after certainty beset him. And a like desire arose within him on the news of Christ’s resurrection.
While our Saviour allowed Thomas his wish and satisfied his senses that He was really alive, He accompanied the permission with a rebuke: “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”… All His disciples minister to Him even in their weaknesses, that so He may convert them into instruction and comfort for His Church….Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)PPS II, Sermon 2. “Faith without Sight”
“My Lord and my God!”
St Thomas, Pray for us that we too may so love our Lord and our God and “follow Him” to the end of time!
Quote of the Day – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle
“For by your doubting, I am taught to believe, by your forked-tongue, that revealed the wound on the divine body that was pierced, I harvest the fruit for myself without pain.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle – Today’s Gospel: John 20:24-29.
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”...John 20:24-25
REFLECTION – “This was, therefore, a work of divine providence, that the separation of the disciple, would become a harbinger of increasing safety and surety. For if Thomas had not been absent, he would not have doubted; and, if he would not have doubted, he would not have sought strangely; and, if he would not have sought, he would not have felt; and, if he would not have felt, he would not have been convinced of the Lord and God; and, if he did not call Him Lord and God, then neither would we have been taught to hymn Him thus. For Thomas, by not being present, has led us towards the truth and later, became more confirmed regarding the faith.”… St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor
PRAYER – Father, let our celebration on the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, be the source of his unfailing help and protection. Fill us with Your life-giving grace through our faith in Your Son, Jesus the Christ, whom Thomas acknowledged to be his Lord and his God. We make our prayer, through our Lord Jesus in union with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen.
Saint of the Day – 3 JULY _ Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ
Thomas the twin By Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, 27 September 2006
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Continuing our encounters with the Twelve Apostles chosen directly by Jesus, today we will focus our attention on Thomas. Ever present in the four lists compiled by the New Testament, in the first three Gospels he is placed next to Matthew (cf. Mt 10: 3; Mk 3: 18; Lk 6: 15), whereas in Acts, he is found after Philip (cf. Acts 1: 13).
His name derives from a Hebrew root, ta’am, which means “paired, twin”. In fact, John’s Gospel several times calls him “Dydimus” (cf. Jn 11: 16; 20: 24; 21: 2), a Greek nickname for, precisely, “twin”. The reason for this nickname is unclear.
It is above all the Fourth Gospel that gives us information that outlines some important traits of his personality. The first concerns his exhortation to the other Apostles when Jesus, at a critical moment in His life, decided to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus, thus coming dangerously close to Jerusalem (Mk 10: 32).
On that occasion Thomas said to his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (Jn 11: 16). His determination to follow his Master is truly exemplary and offers us a valuable lesson: it reveals his total readiness to stand by Jesus, to the point of identifying his own destiny with that of Jesus and of desiring to share with Him the supreme trial of death.
In fact, the most important thing is never to distance oneself from Jesus. Moreover, when the Gospels use the verb “to follow”, it means that where He goes, his disciple must also go.
Thus, Christian life is defined as a life with Jesus Christ, a life to spend together with Him. St Paul writes something similar when he assures the Christians of Corinth: “You are in our hearts, to die together and to live together” (II Cor 7: 3). What takes place between the Apostle and his Christians must obviously apply first of all to the relationship between Christians and Jesus himself: dying together, living together, being in his Heart as He is in ours.
A second intervention by Thomas is recorded at the Last Supper. On that occasion, predicting his own imminent departure, Jesus announced that He was going to prepare a place for His disciples so that they could be where He is found and He explains to them: “Where [I] am going you know the way” (Jn 14: 4). It is then that Thomas intervenes, saying: “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14: 5).
In fact, with this remark he places himself at a rather low level of understanding but his words provide Jesus with the opportunity to pronounce His famous definition: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14: 6). Thus, it is primarily to Thomas that He makes this revelation but it is valid for all of us and for every age. Every time we hear or read these words, we can stand beside Thomas in spirit and imagine that the Lord is also speaking to us, just as He spoke to him. At the same time, his question also confers upon us the right, so to speak, to ask Jesus for explanations. We often do not understand Him. Let us be brave enough to say: “I do not understand you, Lord, listen to me, help me to understand”. In such a way, with this frankness which is the true way of praying, of speaking to Jesus, we express our meagre capacity to understand and at the same time place ourselves in the trusting attitude of someone who expects light and strength from the One able to provide them.
Then, the proverbial scene of the doubting Thomas that occurred eight days after Easter is very well known. At first he did not believe that Jesus had appeared in his absence and said: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20: 25).
Basically, from these words emerges the conviction that Jesus can now be recognised by His wounds rather than by His face. Thomas holds that the signs that confirm Jesus’ identity are now above all His wounds, in which He reveals to us how much He loved us. In this the Apostle is not mistaken.
As we know, Jesus reappeared among his disciples eight days later and this time Thomas was present. Jesus summons him: “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing” (Jn 20: 27). Thomas reacts with the most splendid profession of faith in the whole of the New Testament: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20: 28). St Augustine comments on this: Thomas “saw and touched the man and acknowledged the God whom he neither saw nor touched but by the means of what he saw and touched, he now put far away from him every doubt and believed the other” (In ev. Jo. 121, 5).
The Evangelist continues with Jesus’ last words to Thomas: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20: 29). This sentence can also be put into the present: “Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe”.
In any case, here Jesus spells out a fundamental principle for Christians who will come after Thomas, hence, for all of us.
It is interesting to note that another Thomas, the great Medieval theologian of Aquinas, juxtaposed this formula of blessedness with the apparently opposite one recorded by Luke: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!” (Lk 10: 23). However, Aquinas comments: “Those who believe without seeing are more meritorious than those who, seeing, believe” (In Johann. XX lectio VI 2566).
In fact, the Letter to the Hebrews, recalling the whole series of the ancient biblical Patriarchs who believed in God without seeing the fulfilment of His promises, defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11: 1).
The Apostle Thomas’ case is important to us for at least three reasons: first, because it comforts us in our insecurity; second, because it shows us that every doubt can lead to an outcome brighter than any uncertainty and, lastly, because, the words that Jesus addressed to him remind us of the true meaning of mature faith and encourage us to persevere, despite the difficulty, along our journey of adhesion to Him.
A final point concerning Thomas is preserved for us in the Fourth Gospel, which presents him as a witness of the Risen One in the subsequent event of the miraculous catch in the Sea of Tiberias (cf. Jn 21: 2ff.).
On that occasion, Thomas is even mentioned immediately after Simon Peter: an evident sign of the considerable importance that he enjoyed in the context of the early Christian communities.
Indeed, the Acts and the Gospel of Thomas, both apocryphal works but in any case important for the study of Christian origins, were written in his name.
Lastly, let us remember that an ancient tradition claims that Thomas first evangelised Syria and Persia (mentioned by Origen, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 3, 1) then went on to Western India (cf. Acts of Thomas 1-2 and 17ff.), from where also he finally reached Southern India.
Let us end our reflection in this missionary perspective, expressing the hope that Thomas’ example will never fail to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our God. Amen…Pope Benedict, vatican.va
Christ and St Thomas – San Michele, Florence by Andrea del Verrocchio 1465-1483
There is a large population of native Christians who call themselves ‘the Christians of St Thomas’. They have an ancient oral tradition that he landed at Cranganoreon, the west coast and established seven churches in Malabar though his landing on the west coast is disputed today, the rest is not. He then passed eastward to the Coromandel Coast, where he was Martyred, by spearing, on the ‘Big Hill’, eight miles from Madras and was buried at Mylapore, now a suburb of that city. There are several medieval references to the tomb of St Thomas in India, some of which name Mylapore and in 1522 the Portuguese discovered the tomb there, with certain small relics now preserved in the cathedral of St Thomas at Mylapore. But the bulk of his relics were certainly at Edessa in the fourth century, as the Acta Thomae relate. They were later translated from Edessa to the island of Khios in the Aegean and from thence to Ortona in the Abruzzi, where they are still venerated.
When St Francis Xavier came to India, the signs of blood were still to be seen on the cross where the murderous deed of the martyrdom of St Thomas was committed and more than once drops of blood appeared on this cross during the celebration of Mass, when crowds of people were present. St Xavier, shortly after his arrival in India, went to the tomb of St Thomas, and passed many days and nights there in prayer. He begged God fervently to bestow upon him the Spirit and zeal of this holy Apostle, that he might be able to restore the Christian faith which St Thomas had preached there but which had gradually been entirely exterminated. Before undertaking any important work, he went, if possible, to the tomb of St Thomas and when this was impossible, he invoked the holy Apostle’s intercessio, and endeavoured to follow his example in all things.
The Bleeding Cross
Saint Thomas was declared the “Apostle of India” by Pope Paul VI in 1972. Below is the St Thomas Cathedral in Madras, India.
More info with patronages etc and many pics here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/saint-of-the-day-3-july-st-thomas-the-apostle-of-christ/
St Anatolius of Alexandria
St Anatolius of Constantinople
Bl Andreas Ebersbach
Bl Barbara Jeong Sun-mae
St Bladus
St Byblig
St Cillene
St Dathus of Ravenna
St Eusebius of Laodicea
St Firminus
St Firmus
Bl Gelduin
St Germanus of Man
St Giuse Nguyen Ðình Uyen
St Gunthiern
St Guthagon
St Heliodorus of Altinum
St Hyacinth of Caesarea
St Ioannes Baptista Zhao Mingxi
St Irenaeus of Chiusi
St Pope Leo II
St Maelmuire O’Gorman
St Mark of Mesia
St Mennone the Centurian
St Mucian of Mesia
St Paul of Mesia
St Petrus Zhao Mingzhen
St Philiphê Phan Van Minh
St Raymond of Toulouse
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Martyrs of Alexandria – 13 saints: Thirteen Christian companions marytred together. No details about them have survived but the names – Apricus, Cyrion (2 of), Eulogius, Hemerion, Julian, Julius, Justus, Menelaus, Orestes, Porfyrios and Tryphon (2 of). They martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, date unknown.
Martyrs of Constantinople – 24 saints: A group of 24 Christians martyred in the persecutions of Arian emperor Valens. We know little more than their names – Acacios, Amedinos, Ammonius, Ammus, Cerealis, Cionia, Cionius, Cyrianus, Demetrius, Eulogius (2), Euphemia, Heliodoros, Heraclios, Horestes, Jocundus, Julian, Martyrios, Menelaeus, Sestratus, Strategos, Thomas, Timotheos and Tryphon. They were martyred in c367 in Constantintinople.
Theodotus and Companions – 6 saints: Six Christians who were imprisoned, tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of Trajan. Saint Hyacinth ministered to them in prison. We know nothing else about them but their names – Asclepiodotus, Diomedes, Eulampius, Golinduchus, Theodota and Theodotus. They were beheaded in c110, location
Thought for the Day – 2 July – Monday of the Thirteenth Week, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:18-22
“The poverty that makes rich.”
Excerpt from the “Sacrum Commercium” – “The Sacred Exchange between St Francis and Lady Poverty”
“And when He had fulfilled all those
Things of which you have spoken,
and desired to return to the Father Who had sent Him,
He made me a Testament to His Elect
and confirmed it by irrefragable Decrees :
Lay not up Gold nor Silver, nor Money.
Carry neither Purse, nor Scrip, nor Bread, nor a Staff, nor Shoes, nor two Coats.
And if any Man will contend with thee and take away thy Coat,
let go thy Cloak also. And whoever shall compel thee to go a mile,
go with him other twain.
Lay not up unto yourselves Treasures upon Earth,
where Rust and Moth doth corrupt
and where Thieves break through and steal.
Take no thought, saying:
What shall we eat, or what shall we drink,
or wherewithal shall we be clothed?
And take no thought of the morrow,
for the morrow will take thought for itself.
Sufficient unto the Day is the Evil thereof.
Whosoever doth not renounce
all that he hath, cannot be my
disciple . . . And many the
like sayings, which are all to
be found in the Gospels.”
The Sacred Exchange between Saint Francis and Lady Poverty, is one of the richest texts of the early Franciscan movement, “the single most brilliant example of the simple but lapidary allegory which was to become a major mode of spiritual writing in the later Middle Ages.” An allegory offering insights into Francis’s vision of poverty, the Sacred Exchange weaves a luxuriant tapestry of images held together by the strong threads of a biblical theology. For all of its richness, however, no text of these first hundred and fifty years is more mysterious. Like the weaver of an undated tapestry, the author of the Sacred Exchange is content to hide obscurely making sure that the ends and threads are in their proper place that the beauty and exactness of his work may be seen. Although there are many names suggested, the author of the Sacred Exchange still remains unknown. The same holds true for the date of its composition though it is believed by solid historical explorations, to date from late 13th century.
The allegory is an exhortation written to encourage Francis’s followers to live in the authentic way of the saint’s biblical vision of poverty. The central figure of the work is Lady Poverty, the personification of biblical Wisdom and, at times, of the Church. The Passage above is one of the most profound, as each word is taken from scripture and bound together into a poem of immense richness.
This is a lesson we now need to embrace, as difficult as it would seem in the world in which we live, the world led only by riches. For this is a true desire for sanctity, with Christ alone as our riches!
One Minute Reflection – 2 July – Monday of the Thirteenth Week, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:18-22 and the Memorial of Blessed Peter of Luxembourg (1369-1387)
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”…Matthew 8:20
REFLECTION – “Hence the blessed apostle Peter, when he was going up to the temple and was asked for alms by a lame man, said, “I have neither silver nor gold but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise and walk” (Acts 3:6)… And Peter, that poor man, who did not have anything to give him who asked for alms, bestowed so great a gift of divine grace that, not content with setting one man upright on his feet, he healed those many thousands of believers in their hearts by giving them faith.”…St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father & Doctor
PRAYER – Lord God, be the beginning and the end of all that we are and do and say. Prompt our actions with Your grace, may Your light be our only way, may Your commands be our only need and complete all, with Your all-powerful help. Blessed Peter of Luxembourg, who was the rich young man made poor, pray for us! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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