Sunday Reflection – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
This is that Body which was once covered with blood
“When you see (the Most Blessed Sacrament) exposed, say to yourself –
‘Thanks to this Body, I am no longer dust and ashes, I am no more a captive but a freeman, hence, I hope to obtain heaven and the good things that are there in store for me… eternal life, the heritage of the angels, companionship with Christ; death has not destroyed this Body which was pierced by nails and scourged . . . this is that Body which was once covered with blood, pierced by a lance, from which issued saving fountains upon the world, one of blood and the other of water. .
‘This Body He gave to us to keep and eat, as a mark of His intense love’.”
Thought for the Day – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Spiritual Communion
“Anyone who sincerely loves Jesus Christ, will not be satisfied with receiving Him daily in the Blessed Eucharist.
Often, during the day, he will feel the need of uniting himself again to the divine Spouse in an act of love.
This is what is known as Spiritual Communion.
It is a natural and spontaneous act for a true lover of Jesus.
“I am the vine, you are the branches,” Jesus has told us. “He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit … as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me” (Cf Jn 15:4).
Since the supernatural life flows into our souls from Jesus, we must maintain our union with Him, even when He is not sacramentally present.
It is true, that the divine grace, remains in us, as long as we do not fall into mortal sin but, it grows weaker under the influence of worldly attractions and temptations.
It is necessary to revive the grace that is in us, when we feel that it is waning.
For this purpose, Spiritual Communion is very useful, for it is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (Summa Theologiae, III, q 8, a 1 ad 3) and, an outpouring of love, in which we beseech Jesus to come and take complete possession of our hearts.
This practice was recommended by the Council of Trent (Session XIII, ch 8) and was frequently used by the Saints in order to keep alive the fire of divine charity in their souls and to guard themselves against the onslaughts of the world, the flesh and the devil.
If we act in the same manner, Jesus will always be within us and we shall always be in Jesus.
If God lives in us, who can harm us?
If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31).”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of Blessed Paolo Giustiniani ECMC (1476-1528) – Monk, Hermit and Founder of the Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona
“The supreme goal to which the monk tends, the summit of the perfection of his heart, is indeed the union of his heart with his Lord.”
St John Cassian (c 360-435)
Monk, Father of the Church and Founder of Monasteries Disciple of St John Chrysostom
“O Hermitage, only those who know you, who rest sweetly in your arms, can tell of your grandeur and chant your praises. As for me, I only know this and affirm it in all sincerity – Whoever forces himself with perseverance to enter more and more into the desire to love You, will finally enter Your mystery and, at the same time, the mystery of God.”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Benedictine Monk
Doctor of the Church
“Go to Church for the work of God, not by habit or duty, but rather driven, by the interior desire to praise our Creator.”
“Celebrate holy Mass in the joy of the Spirit.”
“I desire to serve my Lord Jesus Christ. However, I blindly entrust the manner of service to His decision – in action or in contemplation, in peace and quiet or in suffering and tribulation, in the quiet of the cell or else in wearisome wanderings. So long as I am serving Him, I have no preference or taste of my own.”
“To me it appears incontrovertible, that, above the light and discourse of reason, there is another light. It is clearer and more evident, given by God to those human minds that do not refuse to receive it and by means of it, God can be properly understood. …. This is the light of faith.“
Prayer of Blessed Paolo Giustiniani “Lord, I dare not say to You: “Show me the light that I may believe in Your Light” but it is enough for me, that You make me see my darkness … Bring me back to myself. In my misery I have distanced myself not only from You but from myself, becoming a stranger to myself. Make me know my darkness, that then I may look at the light. Yes, I tell You and repeat to You incessantly, Show me to myself, so that I may know my sins.”
“Until I was alone I never really lived. Until I was alone, I was not with myself. Until I was alone, I never drew near to my creator.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16, Psalm 89:2-3,16-19, Romans 6:3-4, 8-11, Matthew 10:37-42 and the Memorial of St Ireneaus (c 130 – 202) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Whoever receives you, receives me and whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me.” … Matthew 10:40
REFLECTION – “The Lord said: “Whoever welcomes this little child on my account welcomes me.” (Lk 9:48) The smaller our brother is, the more Christ is present. For when we welcome a great personality, we often do so out of vainglory but the person who welcomes someone unimportant, does so, with a pure intention and for Christ. He said: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” And again: “As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” (Mt 25:35.40) Since He is talking about a believer and a brother, no matter how unimportant he is, Christ comes in with him. Open your house and welcome him.
“He who welcomes a prophet because he bears the name of prophet receives a prophet’s reward.” Thus, the person who welcomes Christ will receive the reward of Christ’s hospitality. Do not doubt His words, trust them. He himself told us: “In them, I am presenting myself.” And so that you do not doubt them, He decreed the punishment for those who do not welcome Him and the honours for those who do welcome Him (Mt 25:31). He would not do this if He were not personally touched by honour or scorn. He says: ‘You welcomed Me into your house, I will welcome you in the Kingdom of my Father. You freed Me from hunger, I will free you from your sins. You saw Me in chains, I will let you see your liberation. You saw Me a stranger, I will make of you a citizen of heaven. You gave Me bread, I will give you the Kingdom as your inheritance that is entirely yours. You helped Me in secret, I will proclaim it publicly and I will say that you are My benefactor and that I am in your debt.’” … St John Chrysostom (345-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, no. 45
PRAYER – O Lamb of God By St Irenaeus (c 130 – 202)
O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us and have mercy upon us;
You who art Yourself, both victim and Priest,
Yourself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom You have redeemed,
O Saviour of the world.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament By The League of the Sacred Heart 1929 (Ireland)
O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
overflowing with gentleness,
tenderness and charity,
I bury in the abyss of The Mercy,
all my iniquities and all my negligence.
I offer Thee
my labours and my sufferings,
my sorrows and my miseries,
I recommend to Thee
my life and my death.
Solace my doubts Sweet Jesus,
calm my fears
and grant, that day by day,
I may become more united to Thy Sacred Heart,
learning Thy love and Thy holiness.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 28 June – Blessed Paolo Giustiniani ECMC (1476-1528) – Priest, Monk and Founder of the Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona, Reformer – born as Tommaso Giustiniani on 14 June in Venice, Italy and died on 28 June 1528, aged 52 in Monte Soratte.
He was a member of the noble Giustiniani family of Venice and was born there in 1476, the son of Francesco Giustiniani and Paola Malipiero. He studied theology, philosophy and law, at the University of Padua. when he had completed his studies, in 1507, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and upon his return he felt a call to follow the life of a the religious.
He joined the Order of the Camàldula, the Camaldolese, in 1510. The superior of the order, Pietro Delfino, asked him to assist in ending the irregularities that existed in some communities of the order, caused by the autonomy of each house and the lack of authority of the Prior General. Especially, the conventual branch (of cenobitic life) had relaxed in the application of the rule. In 1513, Pope Leo X, at the request of Giustiniani and Delfino, convened a General Chapter of the Camaldolese that decided the creation of the united congregation of the Sacred Hermitage and San Michele de Murano, with temporary general Priors and with a balance between the Conventual and Hermit branches.
In 1516 he was elected Prior of the Hermitage of Camaldoli until 1520 and in 1518 he was Ordained a Priest. Desiring a more hermit-like type of life and faithful to the primitive rule of the order, he obtained from Pope Leo X, permission to found other communities, which would follow the original rule of St Romuald. Pope Leo X granted him the necessary permission and allowed him to found a differentiated congregation, free from the jurisdiction of the Camaldolese Prior General and with its own constitutions, called the Company of Hermits of Saint Romuald, which would later be the Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona. This Order would come to considered as the most faithful expression of the original Charism of the Order of St Romuald.
On his return from Rome with permission, Giustiniani resigned as Prior and with a companion, Oliverio da Cortona, went to seek the spiritual guidance of a Hermit who lived in Monte Corona, near Perugia. Together with a Dominican, they went to live alone in a place in the Apennines, Pascialupo, where they lived in a Chapel and in 1521 founded the Hermitage of Monte Cucco.
Allegory of the Camaldolese Hermitages by El Greco
Paolo was left alone with the Camaldolese monk who had accompanied him, as the other companion did not want to adopt the rule of St Romuald. The monks of Camaldoli asked him to be closer to them and he soon moved to a Hermitage near Massaccio, where he was joined by other monks of Camaldoli. These first Hermitages were followed by those of Cupramontana, San Leonardo de Monte Volubrio (diocese of Fermo) and San Benedetto de Monte Conero, near Ancona .
In 1522, Giustiniani drafted the constitutions of the new congregation, which consisted of the rigorous application of the original rule, modifying only the habit.
In 1523, the Order recognised the congregation of Monte Corona as independent, remaining in the Camaldolese family and in 1524 the first Chapter of the four hermitages of the congregation took place, which elected the Founder as Prior General. In 1527 he went to Rome for matters of order and was taken prisoner by the soldiers of the army of Charles V who occupied the city. with Gaietà de Thiene , also a prisoner, he was tortured but released. He returned to Venice and then to Massaccio.
In 1528 he returned to Rome and visited the Pope, obtaining confirmation of some privileges of the Order. In Viterbo he contracted the plague. He went to San Silvestro de Monte Soratte, near Rome, an ancient Benedictine Abbey that had been given to the Hermits of Monte Corona. He died there on 28 June 1528.
San Silvestro de Monte Soratte, where Blessed Paolo died
He was succeeded as the Prior General of the congregation by Agostino di Basciano.
He was buried in the crypt of San Silvestro. His relics were lost during the abandonment of the Hermitage and were only rediscovered in 1932. Although he has never been formally Beatified, he had always been considered a saint and was decribed as a “beati.” His cultus was formally confirmed allowing special veneration in his order.
Blessed Paolo Giustiniani’s Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona lives solely in Hermitages, usually with a very small number of monks comprising the community. There are three houses in Italy, two in Poland and one each in Spain, the United States and Colombia, as well as a new foundation in Venezuela. Unlike the other congregation, it is not a member of the larger Benedictine Confederation.
Bl Almus of Balmerino
St Argymirus of Córdoba
St Attilio of Trino
St Austell of Cornwall
St Benignus of Utrecht
St Crummine
Bl Damian of Campania
St Egilo
St Heimrad
St Lupercio
St Papias the Martyr Blessed Paolo Giustiniani ECMC (1476-1528)
St Pope Paul I
St Theodichildis St Vincenza Gerosa (1784–1847) Her life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/28/saint-of-the-day-28-june-st-vincenza-gerosa-1784-1847/
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Martyrs of Africa – 27 saints: 27 Christians martyred together. The only details about them to survive are the names – Afesius, Alexander, Amfamon, Apollonius, Arion, Capitolinus, Capitulinus, Crescens, Dionusius, Dioscorus, Elafa, Eunuchus, Fabian, Felix, Fisocius, Gurdinus, Hinus, Meleus, Nica, Nisia, Pannus, Panubrius, Plebrius, Pleosus, Theoma, Tubonus and Venustus. Unknown location in Africa, date unknown.
Martyrs of Alexandria – 8 saints: A group of spiritual students of Origen who were martyred together in the persecutions of emperor Septimius Severus – Heraclides, Heron, Marcella, Plutarch, Potamiaena the Elder, Rhais, Serenus and Serenus. They were burned to death c.206 in Alexandria, Egypt.
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