Thought for the Day -30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor
Saint Peter’s great gift to the Church are the words he left behind and the impact those words have upon those who hear them—both while he was alive and in the present day.
His name, meaning “Golden Words” in Greek, comes not from long and intricate homilies given on complex theological issues but rather his humility and the hope that he would not “bore” the faithful.
His teachings on the Annunciation, Prayer, Fasting and Mercy, the Holy Eucharist, the Incarnation and Human Dignity, the Priesthood of All Catholic Believers, the Epiphany, the Love of God and more—as well as around 180 other sermons—survive today, inspiring us and reminding us of the core tenets of our faith.
He is credited as the first to deliver the “short sermon”—morally rich, Gospel-driven, doctrinally sound brief reflections on the Catholic way of being in the world, of living what Christ taught us.
St Peter was called “Golden Words” because his eloquence ‘enriched’ those who listened, though the words themselves have immense value.
The wonder of Gold is that it does not tarnish or lose its value, in fact gold constantly increases in value. Reading today his golden words, we can certainly agree with his nickname, for they are even more valuable in our time possibly, than in his. And, let us not forget that ‘good listening’ is as important as good preaching.
Quote/s of the Day 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor
“Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and His priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that He Himself has given you. Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death but faith; God thirsts not for blood but for self-surrender; God is appeased not by slaughter but by the offering of your free will.”
“He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, moulded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”
“For he who touches the Body of Christ unworthily, receives his damnation.”
“Now that we are reborn,… in the likeness of our Lord and have indeed been adopted by God as his children, let us put on the complete image of our Creator so as to be wholly like Him, not in the glory that He alone possesses but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness, patience, humility, mercy, harmony, those qualities in which He chose to become and to be, one with us.”
“The poor stretch out the hand but God receives what is offered.”
” If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.”
“Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ.”
“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother, to heed obediently what has been written by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome; for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see, provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 July – Monday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”..Matthew 13:33
REFLECTION – “Let us give the deep meaning of this parable. The woman who took some yeast is the Church; the yeast which she took is the revelation of heavenly doctrine; the three measures with which she mixed the yeast are the Law, the Prophets and the Gospels, where the divine meaning mixes itself and hides itself under symbolic terms, to be understood by the believer but escape those who do not believe. As for these words “until the whole batch was leavened”, they relate to what the apostle Paul says: “Now we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (1Co 13:9). The knowledge of God is now in the dough: it spreads to the senses, it inflates hearts, strengthens our minds and like all instruction, widens them, lifts them and opens them up to the dimensions of heavenly wisdom. Everything will soon be leavened. When? at the advent of Christ.”...St Peter Chrysologus
PRAYER – God our Father, You made St Peter Chrysologus a most eloquent preacher of Christ, Your Word. By his intercession, help us top meditate constantly in our hearts, on the mysteries by which You save us and to manifest them faithfully in our lives. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit By St Hilary (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed when we were baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have Thee for our Father,
that we may abide in Thy Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
Saint Bernard teaches that it is not enough for us to take and eat the Bread from Heaven.
We must also offer ourselves to be eaten.
Holy Communion is a wondrous exchange in which we become the bread of Christ.
Listen to Saint Bernard:
“My penitence, my salvation are His food. I myself am His food. I am chewed. as I am reproved by Him; I am swallowed by Him. as I am taught; I am digested by Him. as I am changed; I am assimilated. as I am transformed; I am made one with Him, as I am conformed to Him. He feeds upon us and is fed by us that we may be the more loosely bound to Him.”
Saint Bernard, ever the poet, uses images of eating and assimilation to describe how Christ unites us to Himself.
Our Lord becomes our food that we might become His.
We need the language of poets and preachers in our approach to the Eucharist.
Saint Bernard says, “Christ eats me that He may have me in Himself and Christ in turn is eaten by me that He may be in me and the bond between us, will be strong and the union complete.”
What awaits you in Holy Communion exceeds all that you can desire. Eat, then and offer yourself to be eaten. Receive the Bread of God and become the bread of God.
Thought for the Day – 29 July – The Memorial of St Martha
One of the most precious things in life is to have a home where you can go at any time and find people who accept, love and understand you. Jesus found such a home in Bethany, at the house of a woman named Martha. She welcomed Him and served Him, and they developed a special bond of friendship.
Martha lived with her sister Mary. Like all other pairs of sisters, these two women were different in personality. Martha was energetic and outspoken, while Mary was quiet and reflective. Jesus loved both of them and appreciated the gifts that each one had.
The Gospels record that once, when Jesus was visiting, Martha prepared the meal while Mary sat talking to their visitor. Martha complained that Jesus should tell Mary to help her. Jesus said that because Martha was worrying so much about the work, she did not have time to enjoy being with Him and listening to His words.
Another time recorded in John’s Gospel, the sisters sent a message to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was ill. They knew Jesus would come and cure him; they trusted in His loving care for them. When Jesus finally came, Lazarus had already been dead for four days . As soon as she heard that Jesus was nearby, Martha, a woman of action, went out to meet Him, while Mary stayed in the house. In her grief, Martha told Jesus honestly what she had expected from Him. Jesus asked her to believe that He was the resurrection and that He had power to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. Without really understanding this mystery, Martha trusted Jesus totally and said, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world” (John 11:27). That day Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead, showing that He has power over life and death and power to give eternal life.
The home Jesus found in Bethany was not only in the house but in the faithful heart of a woman named Martha.
Quote/s of the Day – 29 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Today’s Gospel: John 6:1–15 and the Memorial of St Martha
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” – Luke 10:42
“Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labour among the many distractions of this world, we should have but one goal. For we are but travelers on a journey without as yet a fixed abode; we are on our way, not yet in our native land; we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment. But let us continue on our way and continue without sloth or respite, so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor
(Sermo 103, 1-2, 6: PL 38, 613, 615)
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”…John 6:8-9
“Before the suffering, loneliness, poverty and difficulties of so many people, what can we ourselves do? Complaining doesn’t resolve anything but we can offer the little that we have, like the lad in the Gospel. We surely have a few hours of time, certain talents, some skills…. Who among us doesn’t have “five loaves and two fish” of his own? We all have them! If we are willing to place them in the Lord’s hands, they will be enough to bring about a little more love, peace, justice and especially joy in the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 29 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Today’s Gospel: John 6:1–15
“This is indeed the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world!”…John 6:14
REFLECTION – “The disciples say that they have only five loaves and two fish. The five loaves signified that they were still subject to the five books of the Law and the two fish that they were fed by the teachings of the prophets and John the Baptist… This was what the apostles had to offer to begin with since this was the point they were at and it was from this point, that the preaching of the Gospel began…
Our Lord took the loaves and the fish. He raised his eyes to heaven, said the blessing and broke them. He gave thanks to the Father because the Good News was being changed into food after centuries of the Law and the prophets… The loaves were then given to the apostles, it was at their hands, that the gifts of divine grace were to be handed out. Then the people were fed with the five loaves and two fish and, when those who were invited were satisfied, the leftovers of bread and fish were so plentiful that twelve baskets were filled with them. What this means is that the crowd was filled with God’s word coming from the teaching of the Law and the prophets. But it is an abundance of divine power, kept aside for the gentiles, that overflows after the provision of the food that lasts forever. It comes to its full complement, that of the number twelve, the same as the number of the apostles. Now, it happens that the number of those who ate is the same as that of those who would come to believe: five thousand men (Mt 14:21; Acts 4:4).”…St Hilary (c 315-367) Bishop of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, protector of those who hope in You, without whom nothing is strong, nothing holy, support us always with Your love. Help us to offer our own ‘loaves and fishes’ our own talents and possessions, to feed all who need our care. May the prayers of St Martha grant us Your grace to serve Christ faithfully in our brethren and guide us so to use the good things of this world, that even now, we may hold fast to what endures forever, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (and still in the Month of Precious Blood)
Wash Me With Your Precious Blood By St Peter Canisius (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church
See, O merciful God,
what return
I, Your thankless servant,
have made for the innumerable favours
and the wonderful love
You have shown me!
What wrongs I have done,
what good left undone!
Wash away, I beg You,
these faults and stains
with Your precious blood,
most kind Redeemer,
and make up for my poverty
by applying Your merits.
Give me the protection I need,
to amend my life.
I give and surrender myself wholly to You,
and offer You all I possess,
with the prayer,
that You bestow Your grace on me,
so that I may be able to devote and employ
all the thinking power of my mind
and the strength of my body,
in Your holy service,
who are God blessed
forever and ever.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 28 July 2018 – The First Memorial of Blessed Stanley Francis Rother (1935-1981) Martyr “The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run”
In Guatemala, Blessed Stanley spent his life in the service of his flock and, over time, he became one of them. He helped his people cultivate farms for crops, advised them in all manner of life’s problems and even pulled teeth for them when necessary. But he was more than a social worker; he was their father — the one who preached to them the Word of God in their native tongue, catechised them and their children and distributed the sacraments through which they grew ever closer to God.
The backdrop to his work and ministry in Guatemala is the political turmoil that wreaked havoc on the country in the 1970s and ’80s. Eventually, Rother became a victim of the guerrilla fighting and was killed for defending the rights and dignity of his people. His death was no less noble than his life had been. Though he had been warned multiple times that he was a target and despite having been home months before his death, Rother willingly chose to return to Guatemala to defend and remain close to his people. He wrote to this effect just months before his death, saying, “the shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger. Pray for us that we might be a sign of the love of Christ for our people, that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the Kingdom.” (excerpt OSV)
This loving shepherd brings to mind the words of Pope Francis way back on 28 March 2013, just 2 weeks after his election to the Papacy, that our priests must be “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.” And so, we too, must be extending ourselves to our neighbour!
Prayer for the Canonisation of Blessed Stanley Rother
O God, fount of all holiness,
make us each walk worthily in our vocation,
through the intercession of Your saints,
on whom You bestowed
a great variety of graces on earth.
Having graced Your Church
with the life of
your priest and martyr,
Blessed Stanley Rother,
grant that by his intercession
this humble flock may reach
where the brave Shepherd has gone.
Grant that Your Church may proclaim
him a saint living in Your presence
and interceding for us all.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Below is a plan and facade view of the huge Cathedral Shrine, planned to honour Blessed Stanley in Oklahoma. – http://stanleyrother.org/shrine/
One Minute Reflection – 28 July – Saturday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: 13:24-30 and The First Memorial of Blessed Stanley Francis Rother (1935-1981) Martyr
‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’…Matthew 13:27
REFLECTION – “In today’s gospel, my friends, we see that when the owner of the field had sowed his seed in good soil, the enemy came while he was sleeping and sowed weeds in it. What this means is that God created Man good and perfect but the enemy came and sowed sin. This was Adam’s downfall, a terrible fall that opened the door to sin in the human heart.
Are you saying that we must pull out the weeds? “But no,” the Lord replies, “for fear that in pulling up the weeds you pull up the good seed as well. Wait until harvest.” This is how the human heart must remain until the end, a mixture of good and bad, vice and virtue, light and darkness, good seed and weeds. God did not wish to destroy this mix and refashion a nature in us where there would be nothing but good seed. He wants us to fight, to strive to prevent the weeds from taking over. The devil comes to sow temptation across our path but we are able to overcome it by grace, we can smother the weeds. Three things are absolutely necessary against temptation: prayer to enlighten us, the sacraments to strengthen us and vigilance to preserve us. Happy are souls that are tempted! It is when the devil discerns that a soul is tending towards union with God that he redoubles his rage.”…St John Marie Vianney (1786-1859)
PRAYER – All-powerful and ever-living God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, help us in our battle with sin and the devil. By our prayers, Your holy sacraments and the strength of the Holy Spirit, may we be ever vigilant of the evil one. Blessed Stanley Rother, although evil surrounded you, you kept your eyes on the Lord, knowing He was always with you. Hear the prayers of Blessed Stanley on our behalf dear Lord. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 28 July – Saturday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Lord, I am Yours By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Lord, I am Yours,
and I must belong to no one but You.
My soul is Yours,
and 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
Thought for the Day – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirty.”…Matthew 13:23
“Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus invites us today to look inside ourselves: to give thanks for our good soil and to tend the soil that is not yet good.
Let us ask ourselves if our heart is open to welcome the seed of the Word of God with faith.
Let us ask ourselves if our rocks of laziness are still numerous and large; let us identify our thorns of vice and call them by name.
Let us find the courage to reclaim the soil, to effect a conversion of our heart, bringing to the Lord in Confession and in prayer, our rocks and our thorns.” …Pope Francis (Angelus, 16 July 2017)
Quote of the Day – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
“The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards ever wider horizons.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”...Matthew 13:23
REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated. First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself. You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow. Oh, let it be like this in our souls! First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts; then take out the stones, in other words all our malice and obstinacy. Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross. Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”...St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)
PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! (Ps 50[51]) 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 St Pope Celestine, who faced so many stones of heresy, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Above All That is Not You Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O most loving Jesus,
give me this special grace to rest in You
above all created things,
above all health and beauty,
above all glory and honour,
above all dignity and power,
above all knowledge and prudence,
above all riches and talents,
above all joy and gladness,
above all fame and praise,
above all sweetness and consolation,
above all hope and promise,
above all merit and desire,
above all gifts and rewards
that You may give or send –
except Yourself –
above all joy or happiness
that the human mind and heart
can grasp or feel,
above all Angels and Archangels,
above all the heavenly hosts as well,
above all things visible and invisible
and above all that is not You,
my God.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 26 July – The Memorial of Blessed Titus Brandsma O.C.D. (1881-1942) Martyr of the Faith
Titus’ teachings on peace and forgiveness were probably put to the most radical test during his seven months as a prisoner of the Nazis. He was subjected, not only to loss of freedom and appalling prison conditions but to brutal mistreatment by his captors, including medical experimentation. Two particular incidents stand out as concrete examples of his response to these extreme conditions of suffering.
Once, another Dutch prisoner challenged him about his admonition that the prisoners should pray for their Nazi captors. How could they be expected to do that, the other Dutchman asked, when they were being mishandled and terrorised by the guards? With typical humour and realism, Titus replied, “You don’t have to pray for them the whole day! The good Lord will be happy with one prayer”.
Always lovingly cognisant of the gap between the human ideal and the reality of human limitations, Titus counselled a practical, achievable goal.
Secondly, the nurse, who administered the fatal injection in the “hospital” at Dachau, testified at his beatification process that he had given her his rosary at the end and said “What an unfortunate girl you are. I shall pray for you”. His response, the nurse said, was instrumental in bringing her back to the practice of her faith (she was a Catholic).
Question for contemplation: Who are the persons in my life that I see as equivalent to Titus’ Nazi captors and how can I find realistic ways to be more accepting of them as human beings?
Blessed Titus Brandsma, Pray for us!
On 13 December 2017 an event took place in the United States of America that may take the cause of Carmelite martyr Blessed Titus Brandsma a step closer to canonisation.
The Bishop of Palm Beach Diocese in Florida, Bishop Gerald Barbarito and other officials signed, witnessed and sealed, the papers relating to an investigation of a medically unexplained healing attributed to God through the intercession of Blessed Titus.
The recipient of this grace is Father Michael Driscoll, a Carmelite friar working in Palm Beach Diocese. In 2004 he was diagnosed with a severe stage of metastatic melanoma cancer that was attacking his neck area behind the ear and spreading to other parts of his body. Some areas of the cancer were in the critical fourth and fifth stages. A sincere devotee of Blessed Titus, Father Michael prayed to God for healing through the intercession of the Carmelite martyr and his prayers were joined by fellow Carmelites, parishioners, friends and family. Undergoing more than 30 treatments including surgery, Father Michael said with determination, “I am okay because Titus is going to take care of me.”
On 13 December the diocese held the Official Closing Session of its investigation into the alleged miraculous healing. After a period of prayer, the papers were signed, witnessed, sealed and then sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. If the case is deemed to be a credible miracle and Pope Francis approves, the canonisation of Titus Brandsma will be declared. (http://www.carmelite.org/news/hopeful-step-canonisation-blessed-titus-brandsma – with pics)
Prayer for the Canonisation of Blessed Titus Brandsma
Loving God, Your servant, Titus Brandsma, laboured zealously in Your vineyard and gave his life freely because of his faith in You. Through his intercession I ask for Your mercy and help. Father, Titus never refused, when he was asked for help by Your people. By his intercession, I come to You with my needs: ………………………………………… (mention requests) Lord, help me always to imitate the great faith, generous love and burning zeal of Titus Brandsma. Glorify Your servant as he wished to glorify You. Amen. Mary, Mother of Carmel, pray for us. Titus Brandsma, Carmelite and Martyr, pray for us. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – The Memorial of Blessed Titus Brandsma O.C.D. (1881-1942) Martyr of the Faith
“He who wants to win the world for Christ must have the courage, to come in conflict with it.”
I am awestruck by Blessed Titus, who despite his ghastly sufferings, exclaimed:
“I see God in the work of His hands and the marks of His love in every visible thing.”
“Not my will but yours be done!” (what Blessed Titus would shout during torture and medical experiments)
++++++++++++++++++++
“My vocation to the Church and to the priesthood brought me so many grand and beautiful things that I willingly accept something unpleasant in return for it. I repeat in complete agreement with Job: We have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive the evil He sends us in His Providence?”
One Minute Reflection – 26 July – The Memorial of Sts Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgina nd Grandparents of Jesus
How wonderful is God among his saints; come, let us adore him…..Psalm 94
REFLECTION – “Joachim and Anne, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of Him. Joachim and Anne, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have borne, as the Lord says: “By their fruits you will know them.” The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth . She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body. Joachim and Anne, how chaste a couple! While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is.” – from a sermon by Saint John Damascene (675-749) – Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Sts Joachim and Anne, pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 July – The Memorial of Blessed Titus Brandsma O.C.D. (1881-1942) Martyr of the Faith
Prayer Before Jesus Crucified By Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr
Dear Lord, when looking up at Thee,
I see Thy loving eyes on me,
Love overflows my humble heart,
Knowing what a faithful friend Thy art.
A cup of sorrow I foresee,
Which I accept for love of Thee,
Thy painful way I wish to go,
The only way to God I know.
My soul is full of peace and light,
Although in pain, this light shines bright.
For here Thou keep to Thou breast.
My longing heart to find there rest.
Leave me here freely all alone,
In cell where never sunlight shone.
Should no one ever speak to me,
This golden silence makes me free!
For though alone, I have no fear,
Never wert Thou, O Lord, so near.
Sweet Jesus, please, abide with me!
My deepest peace I find in Thee.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251) One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
The Fourteen “Auxiliary Saints” or “Holy Helpers” are a group of saints invoked because they have been efficacious in assisting in trials and sufferings. Each saint has a separate feast or memorial day and the group was collectively venerated on 8 August until the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, when the feast was dropped. These saints were often represented together. Popular devotion to these saints often began in some monastery that held their relics. All of the saints except Giles were martyrs. Devotion to some of the saints, such as St George, St Margaret, St Christopher, St Barbara and St Catherine became so widespread that customs and festivals still are popular today.
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are invoked as a group mainly because of the Black Plague which devastated Europe from 1346 to 1349. Among its symptoms were the black tongue, a parched throat, violent headache, fever and boils on the abdomen. The victims were attacked without warning, robbing them of their reason and killed within a few hours; many died without the last Sacraments. No one was immune and the disease wreaked havoc in villages and family circles. The epidemic appeared incurable. The pious turned to Heaven, begging the intervention of the saints, praying to be spared or cured. Each of these fourteen saints had been efficacious in interceding in some aspect for the stricken during the Black Plague. The dates are the traditional feast days; not all the saints are on the Universal Roman Calendar.
The Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (also Basilika Vierzehnheiligen) is a church located near the town of Bad Staffelstein near Bamberg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The late Baroque-Rococo basilica, designed by Balthasar Neumann, was constructed between 1743 and 1772.
The altar depicts statues of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
The Legend of Building the Basilica
On 24 September 1445, Hermann Leicht, the young shepherd of a nearby Franciscan monastery, saw a crying child in a field that belonged to the nearby Cistercian monastery of Langheim . As he bent down to pick up the child, it abruptly disappeared. A short time later, the child reappeared in the same spot. This time, two candles were burning next to it. In June 1446, the Leicht saw the child a third time. This time, the child bore a red cross on its chest and was accompanied by thirteen other children. The child said: “We are the fourteen helpers and wish to erect a chapel here, where we can rest. If you will be our servant, we will be yours!” Shortly after, Leicht saw two burning candles descending to this spot. It is alleged that miraculous healings soon began, through the intervention of the fourteen saints.
The Cistercian brothers to whom the land belonged erected a chapel, which immediately attracted pilgrims. An altar was consecrated as early as 1448. Pilgrimages to the Vierzehnheiligen continue to the present day between May and October.
One of the most famous group depictions of the “Fourteen Saints” is a 1503 altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald for the monastery in Lichtenfels in Upper Franconia, unfortunately, I cannot find a complete image of this, below are Panels one and two.
The “fourteen angels” of the lost children’s prayer in the Composer, Engelbert Humperdinck’s (1854-1921) fairy opera, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, are the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The English words are familiar and very beautiful:
When at night I go to sleep, Fourteen angels watch do keep, Two my head are guarding, Two my feet are guiding; Two upon my right hand, Two upon my left hand. Two who warmly cover Two who o’er me hover, Two to whom ’tis given To guide my steps to heaven.
I will pray daily, to the Fourteen Holy Helpers, to Pray for us all, for the world is indeed suffering from a ‘Plague’ of a new kind!
Prayer to the Fourteen Holy Helpers By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
Great princes of heaven, Holy Helpers,
who sacrificed to God all your earthly possessions,
wealth, preferment and even life
and who now are crowned in heaven
in the secure enjoyment of eternal bliss and glory;
have compassion on me,
a poor sinner in this vale of tears
and obtain for me from God,
for Whom you gave up all things
and Who loves you as His servants,
the strength to bear patiently all the trials of this life,
to overcome all temptations
and to persevere in God’s service to the end,
that one day I too may be received into your company,
to praise and glorify Him, the supreme Lord,
Whose beatific vision you enjoy
and Whom you praise and glorify forever.
Amen
Quote of the day -25 July – Feast of St James, Apostle of Christ
Since the ninth century Spain has claimed the honour of possessing St James relics, though it must be said that actual proof is far less in evidence than the devotion of the faithful. The pilgrimage to St James/Santiago of Compostela in the Middle Ages attracted immense crowds,after the pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land, it was the most famous and the most frequented pilgrimage in Christendom. The pilgrim paths to Compostela form a network over Europe; they are dotted with pilgrims’ hospices and chapels. Santiago de Compostela, is the third largest shrine in all of Christendom.
“To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in the area marked especially by God’s intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey but also gives us a vivid sense of a God, who has gone before us and leads us on, who Himself set out on man’s path, a God who does not look down on us from on high but who became our travelling companion.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 July – The Memorial of St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 20:20–28
Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”……Matthew 20:28
REFLECTION – “Through their mother’s mediation, the sons of Zebedee press Christ as follows in the presence of their fellow apostles: “Command that we may sit, one at your right side and one at your left” (cf. Mk 10:35f.)… Christ hastens to free them from their illusions, telling them they must be prepared to suffer insults, persecutions, even death. “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I shall drink?” Let no one be surprised to see the apostles displaying such imperfect dispositions. Wait until the mystery of the cross has been fulfilled and the strength of the Holy Spirit given to them. If you want to see the strength of their souls, take a look at them later on and you will see them to be above all human weakness. Christ does not conceal their pettiness so you will be able to see what they become later on by the power of the grace that will transform them…”… St John Chrysostom (c 345-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
“…we can learn much from St James: promptness in accepting the Lord’s call even when He asks us to leave the “boat” of our human securities, enthusiasm in following Him on the paths that He indicates to us over and above any deceptive presumption of our own, readiness to witness to Him with courage, if necessary to the point of making the supreme sacrifice of life. Thus James the Greater stands before us, as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ. He, who initially had requested, through his mother, to be seated with his brother next to the Master in His Kingdom, was precisely the first to drink the chalice of the passion and to share martyrdom with the Apostles.”…Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, 21 June 2006
PRAYER – Lord our God, You accepted the sacrifice of St James, the first of Your Apostles to give his life for Your sake. May Your Church find strength in his martyrdom and support in his constant prayer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. St James the Greater, Apostle of Christ, Pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251)
The Christopher Prayer
Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow us to fill with Your light
the world around us.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out our mission
of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand,
that by Your grace
our gifts are Your blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Your Spirit of love
to give glory to You
in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire
to go forth
as the bearers of Your Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ bearers,
that in seeing us
only He is visible.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 July – The Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf
Joseph Makhluf was born in 1828 at Beqa-Kafra, Lebanon. His peasant family lived a strong faith, were attentive to the Divine Liturgy and had a great devotion to the Mother of God.
At the age of 23, Charbel (the name he chose when entering Novitiate) left his closely knit family to enter the Lebanese-Maronite Monastery called Notre-Dame de Mayfouk. Following studies and profession at St Cyprian de Kfifane Monastery, he was ordained in 1859.
For the next seven years, Charbel lived in the mountainous community of Anaya. After that he spent the next twenty-three years in complete solitude at Sts Peter and Paul Hermitage near Anaya. He died there on Christmas Eve, 1898.
Charbel had a reputation for his austerity, penances, obedience and chastity. At times, Charbel was gifted with levitations during prayer and he had great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament.
In all things, Charbel maintained perfect serenity. He was beatified in 1965 by Blessed Pope Paul VI and canonised by him in 1977.
The spirit of Charbel still lives in many people. His miracles include numerous healings of the body and of the spirit. Thomas Merton, the American Hermit, wrote in his journal: “Charbel lived as a hermit in Lebanon—he was a Maronite. He died. Everyone forgot about him. Fifty years later, his body was discovered incorrupt and in short time he worked over 600 miracles. He is my new companion. My road has taken a new turning. It seems to me that I have been asleep for 9 years—and before that I was dead.”
At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, on 5 December 1965 when St Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI, he said:
“…a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed…a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people… May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance, and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God…”
St Charbel Makhluf, Pray for us!
The Chaplet of St Charbel here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/the-chaplet-of-st-charbel-makhluf/
And listen to this special song too:
and the lyrics here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/thought-for-the-day-24-july-the-memorial-of-st-charbel-of-makhluf/
Quote of the Day – 24 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother.”…Matthew 12:50
It is a matter of real sorrow when God has given us strength to break stronger fetters, those of vanity and sin, that we neglect our own progress and the attainment of such great blessings, because we will not detach ourselves from trifles. Not only do we not advance, we fall back. For it is well known, that on the spiritual road, not to go on overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose. As wood can never be transformed into fire, if one necessary degree of heat is missing, so the soul, that has even one imperfection, can never be perfectly transformed in God.
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 24 July 2018 – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50 and the Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf (1828-1898)
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother.”…Matthew 12:50
REFLECTION – “His mother is the whole Church, since it is she, who, by God’s grace, gives birth to Christ’s members, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him. Again, His mother is every holy soul who does the Father’s will and whose fruitful charity is made known in those, to whom she gives birth for Him, “until he has been formed in them” (cf Gal 4:19)…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
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 holy Saint Charbel Makhluf 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.
Morning Prayer to the Holy Spirit By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
enlighten our minds
to perceive the mysteries
of the universe in relation to eternity.
Spirit of right judgment and courage,
guide us and make us firm
in our baptismal decision
to follow Jesus’ way of love.
Spirit of knowledge and reverence,
help us to see the lasting value
of justice and mercy
in our everyday dealings
with one another.
May we respect life
as we work to solve problems
of family and nation,
economy and ecology.
Spirit of God,
spark our faith, hope and love
into new action each day.
Fill our lives with wonder and awe
in Your presence
which penetrates all creation.
Amen
Quote of the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)
“The thief on the cross certainly did not receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues but as a grace and a mercy from God. He can serve as an authentic witness that our salvation is given to us only by God’s mercy and grace. All the holy masters knew this and unanimously taught that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.”
AnaStpaul 
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