Thought for the Day – 27 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Main Ways to Conquer Temptation
“The masters of the spiritual life suggest various ways of combating temptation. As St Alphonsus de Liguori points out, however, “the first way is absolutely essential and that is, to pray to God for the light and strength, to conquer. Without prayer, it is impossible to overcome temptation, whereas with prayer, we are sure of victory” (Al Servizio Divino p 22, c 6).
The reason is obvious. Prayer is not simply a verbal address to Almighty God but is, an elevation of the mind and heart, a conversation with God. Let us pray. therefore, with confidence and with love!”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 July – The Memorial of St Pantaleon (Died c 305) Martyr, Lay Physician, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – 2 Tim. 2:8-10; 3:10-12, Matthew 10:26-32
“And all who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“The very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Matthew 10:30
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are, each day, of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions, so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
“When he has begun to follow Me, according to My teaching and precepts, he will find many people contradicting him and standing in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him. Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside the Church but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds. Although these glory, in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute faithful Christians.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
“Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post, to which God has called you!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Memorial of St Pantaleon (Died c 305) Martyr, Lay Physician, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – 2 Tim. 2:8-10; 3:10-12, Matthew 10:26-32
“And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather, be afraid of him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28
REFLECTION – “The Gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because, there is always a dimension of life in the soul which can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul, is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God), ought to be with the soul that it may not die.
How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul, the body dies and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before, a lively, not a contemptible object. There are in it still, its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house – its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead, cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no-one there within it to hear. Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it. This then we can know and hold for certain – the body is dead without the soul and the soul is dead without God. Everyone without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather, should bewail sin! Bewail ungodliness! Bewail disbelief.! – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 65).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that through the intercession of Thy blessed Martyr Pantaleon, we may be delivered from all afflictions of the body and cleansed from all evil thoughts of the mind. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 27 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”
Prayer for Five Graces By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Eternal Father, Thy Son has promised that Thou would grant, all the graces we ask of Thee in His Name. Trusting in this promise and in the Name of and through the Merits of Jesus Christ, I ask of Thee five special graces: First, I ask pardon, for all the offenses I have committed, for which I am sorry with all my heart because I have offended Thine infinite goodness. Second, I ask for Thy Divine Light, which will enable me to see the vanity of all things of this earth and see also, Thy Infinite greatness and goodness. Third, I ask for a share in Thy love, so that I may detach myself from all creatures, especially from myself and love only Thy Holy Will. Fourth, grant me the grace to have confidence in the Merits of Jesus Christ and in the intercession of Mary. Fifth, I ask for the grace of perseverance, knowing that, whenever I call on Thee for assistance, Thou will answer my call and come to my aid. I fear only, that I will neglect to turn to Thee in time of need and thus bring myself to ruin. Grant me the grace to pray always, O Eternal Father, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 27 July – Blessed Nevolone of Faenza OFM (Died 1280) Penitent, Pilgrim, Widower, Lay Friar of the Order of Friars Minor, then a Camaldolese Hermit, Apostle of the poor and sick, worked as a Cobbler / Shoemaker.. Born in the 13th Century Faenza, Italy and died on 27 July 1280 in Faenza, Italy of natural causes. Patronage – Faenza, cobblers, shoemakers, shoe repairers (chosen by the cobblers of Rimini, Italy in 1331). Also known as – Nevolo of Tavensia, Nevolone, Novellone, Nevolonius. Beatified on 4 June 1817 by Pope Pius VII.
In the great family of Saints the shoemaker stands next to the king’s son and the penitent who has atoned for the errors of his earlier life, may associate with the innocent man who has never lost the grace of God.
Born of devout parents at Faenza, Italy, Nevellon learned the trade of a shoemaker but his bad conduct caused great grief to them, especially to his good mother. He married when he was quite young and it was hoped, that now at least, he would change his ways but he continued in the same bad habits, inflicting still greater pain on his family. His mother, however, prayed and sighed without ceasing that the good Lord, Who consoled the widow of Naim by raising her son to life, would also raise her son from a spiritual death to a new life.
The prayers and tears of the mother did not remain unanswered. Almighty God caused Nevellon to become seriously ill. The nearness of death opened his eyes; he reflected on his past years, grace touched his heart and with bitter tears of true contrition, he vowed that if he recovered, he would lead a penitential life. He also resolved to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul at Rome and to the tomb of St James at Compostela.
A few days later Nevellon recovered his health as if by a miracle . He was then only twenty four years old but he remained faithful to his promise all the rest of the days of his life, even up to an advanced age.
From that time on, prayer and work were his daily occupation. He became a Franciscan tertiary and converted his wife to an active faith. His charity to the poor nearly ruined his business.Mindful of the words, “Alms purge away sins” (Tob. 12,9), Blessed Nevellon retained only so much of his wages, as was necessary for he and his wife’s support and the remainder he divided among the poor and the sick. In the beginning, his wife, who was somewhat anxious over their temporalities, was much vexed at this liberality but when she saw the great blessings that attended her husband’s charity, she gave full consent.
Nevellon severely chastised his body for the sins of his past life and amid great hardships, undertook the pilgrimages he had promised, including several trips to Compostela. When his wife died, Nevelone became a Franciscan Lay Brother. But seeking greater unity with God in prayer and mortification he became a Camaldolese Hermit at the Monastery of San Maglorio in Faenza, Italy where his reputation for piety and wisdom continued to grow, leading many to emulate his spiritual ascent.
After giving the most edifying example of penance and many holy virtues for a space of fifty-six years, holy Nevellon died peacefully in the Lord in 1280. God glorified him in life and in death by miracles. His remains were interred in the Cathedral of San Pietro in Faenza. By 1282, 2 years after his death, there were so many pilgrims to his tomb that guards had to be posted to maintain order. With the approval of the Pope his native town celebrates his feast and shoemakers have chosen him for their special Patron.
St Aetherius of Auxerre St Anthusa of Constantinople St Arethas St Aurelius of Cordoba St Benno of Osnabruck (c 1020-1088) Bishop Bl Berthold of Garsten
St Ecclesius of Ravenna St Felix of Cordoba St Galactorio of Lescar St George of Cordoba St Hermippus St Hermocrates St Hermolaus St Juliana of Mataró St Lillian of Cordoba Bl Lucy Bufalari St Luican
Blessed Maria Magdalena Martinengo OSC Cap (1687-1737) Nun of the Order of the Capuchin Poor Clares, Mystic with a great devotion to the Passion of Christ. She had a great horror of sin and devoted much time to contemplating death, and the Divine Judgement. The recognition of two miracles attributed to her direct intercession allowed for Pope Leo XIII to preside over her Beatification on 3 June 1900. Her Story: https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/27/saint-of-the-day-27-july-blessed-maria-magdalena-martinengo-osc-cap-1687-1737/
St Maurus of Bisceglia St Natalia of Cordoba Blessed Nevolone of Faenza OFM (Died 1280) Penitent, Widower, Lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor, then a Camaldolese Hermit. St Pantaleimon Bl Rudolf Aquaviva S.J. Bl Robert Sutton St Semproniana of Mataró St Sergius of Bisceglia Bl William Davies Bl Zacarías Abadía Buesa
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 Saints: Three Christians Martyred together. The only other information to survive are their names – Felix, Jucunda and Julia. Nicomedia, Asia Minor.
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: A group of seven young Christian men who hid in a cave in hopes of avoiding the persecution of Decius in the year 250. Found and arrested, they were ordered by the pro-consul in Ephesus to renounce their faith; they refused and were sentenced to die. Legend says that they were walled up in their hiding cave, guarded by the dog Al Rakim; when the cave wall was breached in 479 – they all woke up! It is likely that the youths were tortured to death in various ways and buried in the cave. The resurrection story confusion came from the phrase “went to sleep in the Lord” which was used to describe the death of Christians and 479 is when their relics were discovered. Their names were Constantinus, Dionysius, Joannes, Malchus, Martinianus, Maximianus and Serapion. They were martyred in 250 in Ephesus (in modern Turkey); tradition says that they were walled up in a cave to suffocate but other records indicate that they were tortured to death in various ways. Their relics discovered in 479 and translated to Marseilles, France and enshrined in a large stone coffin.
Thought for the Day – 26 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
TEMPTATION
“Still we must watch,” The Imitation of Christ continues, “especially in the beginning of temptation, for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind but, is withstood upon the threshold, the very moment that he knocks. Whence a certain one has said: ‘Resist beginning; all too late the cure, when ills have gathered strength, by long delay’ (Ovid. Remedia Amoris 5:91). For first there comes into the mind a simple thought, then a strong imagination afterward delights and the evil notion [gains power] and [then come] consent” (Bk 1 c 13).
It is worth meditating on this vivid description of the psychology of temptation and of the simplest remedy, by which it can be combated. Every temptation is first presented to the mind as a simple thought. If a man is determined enough, it is quite easy to reject it immediately. If there is any delay, however, the concept is clothed by the imagination and projected in vivid colours until it arouses the evil inclinations of the senses. In this way, the idea takes possession of the mind, so that it is almost impossible to set it free.
We must be ready to face up to such an idea before it takes possession of us. We should treat it as we would a serpent, not pausing to examine it but, taking to flight at once! If we are resolute, the grace of God will ensure our safety!”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.
St Anne, through her constant prayer, received, the Mother of God and then, became the Grandmother of God!
“God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire to and love Him. He accepts our petitions for benefits, as though we were doing Him a favour. His joy in giving, is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.”
St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.”
“When you are weary of praying and do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling and have not listened to him.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no-one try to separate them, they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them, or not all together, you have nothing! So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Realise above all, that you are in God’s presence and stand there with the attitude of one, who stands before the Emperor.”
St Romuald (c 951-1027)
“The spirit of prayer is the spirit of the love of God and this should inspire all our vocal prayers. Flowery petitions are no use if our minds and hearts are turned away from God. God wants our hearts. Let us pray often but let our prayers be sincere acts of the love of God, coming from the heart.”
One Minute Reflection – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.– Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44
REFLECTION – “It was Christ who was present to all those to whom, from the beginning, God communicated His Speech and Word. If anyone, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find, in them, an expression of Christ and a foreshadowing of this new calling. For Christ is the treasure which was hidden in the field, that is, in this world (Mt 13:38) – a treasure hidden in the Scriptures, since it was alluded to by means of symbols and parables which, humanly speaking, could not be understood prior to the fulfilment of prophecy, that is to say, before the coming of the Lord. That is why it was said to Daniel the prophet: ” Keep secret the message and seal the book until the end of time ” (12:4) … And Jeremiah also says, “In the last days they shall understand these things.” (23:20) …
When read by Christians, the Law is a treasure, hidden beforehand in a field, but brought to light and interpreted by the Cross of Christ. It shows forth the Wisdom of God and makes known His intentions with regard to our salvation; it prefigures the Kingdom of Christ and preaches, by anticipation, the Good News of our inheritance of the holy Jerusalem. It proclaims beforehand, that those who love God shall advance even to hearing and seeing His Word and, that they will be glorified by this Word …
Thus it was, that the Lord explained the Scriptures to His disciples, after His Resurrection from the dead, proving to them, by their means, that “it was necessary the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Lk 24:26). So if anyone should likewise read the Scriptures, that person will become a perfect disciple, “like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom things both new and old.” (Mt 13:52). – St Irenaeus of Lyons ((130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Theologian – Against the Heresies, IV, 26 ; SC 100
PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy kindness gave blessed Anne the grace to be the mother of her, who Mothered Thy Only-begotten Son, graciously grant that we who keep her feast, maybe helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Saint of the Day – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus. The name Anne from the Hebrew commonly believed to mean “grace” but St Augustine says (City of God) that it in fact means ,“by the grace of God.” Patronages – against poverty, against sterility or infertility, broommakers, cabinetmakers, carpenters,of childless couples, equestrians, expectant mothers and mothers, childbirth, grandmothers, grandparents, housewives, lace makers, lost articles, miners, old-clothes dealers, the poor,, seamstresses, stablemen, turners, Canada, France, Micmaqs, 4 Diocese, 18 Cities.
St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Fr Francis Xavier Weninger SJ (1805-1888)
St Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin, was a native of Bethlehem, a City two miles distant from Jerusalem, frequently mentioned in Holy Writ. Having passed her youth in unstained purity, she was married to a man named Joachim, who was born at Nazareth in Galilee, with whom she lived in such love and harmony and, at the same time, so piously, that one could justly say of them, what St. Luke writes of Zachary and Elizabeth: “They were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.” They divided their income into three parts, the first of which was used for the honour of God and to adorn the Temple, the second to assist the poor and the third, for their own subsistence. They employed the day in prayer, work suitable to their station in life and charitable deeds.
Their only grief was, that, although so long married, they had no issue and a barren marriage was, at that time, considered a disgrace, nay almost a sign of a Divine curse. Saddened by this sorrow, St Anne, as well as her spouse, prayed with many sighs and tears, that God would take pity on them and remove the disgrace that was weighing them down. But when, after having prayed long and earnestly, they were not heard, they determined to bear patiently the will of the Almighty. As, however, St Anne knew that God required continual prayer and ,that He had not given to men a certain time to ask for grace, she ceased not to implore eaven with great confidence, for all that she believed was for His honour and her own salvation .
Being one day in the Temple, she felt her distress so deeply, that she wept bitterly,but she remembered, at the same time, that there had been another Anne, spouse of Elcana, who had been afflicted as she was but whose prayers, God at last had answered, making her the mother of the great prophet Samuel. While thinking of this, she perceived in herself, an invincible desire to beg the Lord for a like grace. Hence, she repeated her prayer with earnest fervour, promising, at the same time, that if God would grant her a child, she would consecrate it in the Temple, to His Divine service, as the above-mentioned Anne had done.
God answered the trusting, tearful prayer of His servant,and sent her, according to the opinion of the Holy Fathers, an Angel, who announced to her that she would give birth to a child who blessed among women, would become the Mother of the long expected Saviour of the world. It is also believed, that the Angel told St Anne the name which she should give to the blessed fruit of her womb. The same revelation was made to St Joachim and the happiness of both and their gratitude to the Almighty, can be easily imagined. Their happiness was crowned when St Anne gave birth to her, who was elected by God from all eternity, to become the Mother of His Only Son.
Who can describe the joy with which Anne pressed her newborn child to her heart, or the solicitude and love with which she brought it up? The knowledge that her blessed daughter was chosen by God to so great a dignity, was incentive enough, to leave nothing undone for her welfare. The mind of the blessed child was so far beyond her years and her whole being, so angelically innocent, that her education was an easy task and St Anne deemed herself, the happiest mother in the world because God had entrusted to her, so priceless a child. The graces which, through the presence of the Blessed Virgin, she received from Heaven, cannot but have been innumerable . For if, in after times, the house of Elizabeth and Zachary was, by a visit from Mary, filled with Heavenly blessings, who can doubt, that St Anne, who was the mother of the Blessed Virgin, was gifted with extraordinary graces?
Knowing, however, that Mary was not only a precious treasure lent her by Heaven but also, had consecrated herself to the service of the Almighty, St Anne did not fail to return to God, what she had received from Him and to offer willingly, what she had so willingly promised. Hardly had Mary reached the age of three years, when Anne and Joachim went with her to the temple at Jerusalem and presenting her to the Priest, consecrated her through him to the Almighty. Nothing could have been more painful to the pious parents than to separate from so perfect a child but, as they were more zealous for the glory of God, than for their own joy, even though it was so pious, they made this sacrifice without complaining. Thus Mary was received among the number of those who, under the direction of the priests, served God in the Temple and were led in the path of virtue.
After they had piously offered this agreeable sacrifice, the parents of the Blessed Virgin returned home and spent the remainder of their days in good works, which were continued by St Anne, when she became a widow by the death of her holy spouse. As she had been an example to the virgins, before her marriage, as well as a perfect model of a wife, so also was she, in her widowhood, a shining light, for all those qualities which St Paul,afterwards required of a Christian widow, in his first Epistle to Timothy. She went frequently to Jerusalem to see her holy daughter and died, according to several authors, in the 79th year of her age. Mary, who at that time still lived in the temple, closed her eyes.
As one cannot give to the Blessed Virgin a higher title than to call her, Mother of God, thus St Anne, cannot be more exalted, than when she is called the mother of her, who bore the Son of God. And for the very reason, that she was chosen to be her mother, we must believe, that the Almighty favoured her here upon earth, with grace above all the Saints and raised her to high glory in Heaven. Hence we may rightly suppose, that her intercession with God, is most powerful and this is also testified by many examples.
St Benigno of Malcestine Bl Camilla Gentili St Charus of Malcestine Bl Edward Thwing Bl Élisabeth-Thérèse de Consolin St Erastus Bl Évangéliste of Verona St Exuperia the Martyr Bl George Swallowell St Gérontios St Gothalm St Hyacinth Bl Hugh of Sassoferrato Bl Jacques Netsetov Bl John Ingram St Joris Bl Marie-Claire du Bac Bl Marie-Madeleine Justamond Bl Marie-Marguerite Bonnet St Olympius the Tribune
Thought for the Day – 25 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Purification
“We should also value Indulgences as a means of spiritual purification. They ought not to be treated lightly. Jesus gave His Church, the power of loosing and binding every bond of sin. As long as we have the necessary dispositions, therefore, it can draw on the merits of Christ and of the Saints, to release us from the temporal punishment due to the sins which have already been forgiven us. It achieves this by the concession of Indulgences. These require, on our part, the fulfilment of certain conditions, a sincere sorrow for sin and, a strong resolution never to offend God again.”
Quote’s of the Day – 25 July – Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251) One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
The Fourteen Holy Helpers: – Plague Saints for a time of plague!
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
The “fourteen Angels” of the lost children’s prayer in the Composer, Engelbert Humperdinck’s (1854-1921) (not the popular Welsh singer) 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.
And the beloved St Christopher, probably one of the most loved Saints of all time.
The Christopher Prayer, Make Us True Christ-Bearers Anonymous
Father, grant that we may be, bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son. Allow us to fill, the world around us, with Your light. 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.
One Minute Reflection – 25 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – Saint James the Greater, Apostle and Martyr – 1 Corinthians 4:9-15, Matthew 20:20-23
“You know not what you ask. Can you drink the Chalice that I shall drink?” – Matthew 20:22
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 chalice 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 and you will see them to be above all human weakness. Christ does not conceal their pettiness, so that you will be able to see what they become later by the power of the grace which will transform them! …”… St John Chrysostom (c 345-407) Father & Doctor of the Church.
PRAYER – Protect Thy people and make them holy, O Lord, so that, guarded by the help of Thy Apostle James, they may please Thee by their conduct and serve Thee with peace of mind. Through esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 25 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Feast of Saint James the Greater, Apostle and Martyr
Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound, And Heaven the chant re-echo round; Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread, Shall judge the living and the dead, Lights of the world forever more! To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high. At your command apart they fly. O loose for us the guilty chain We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey, At your command they go or stay. From sin’s disease our souls restore; In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end. And Christ to Judgment shall descend, May we be called, those joys to see Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One; As ever was in ages past And so shall be while ages last. Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles) An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Saint of the Day – 25 July – Saint James the Greater, Apostle and Martyr, “Son of Thunder.”
The Roman Martyrology reads: “ST JAMES the Apostle, brother of the blessed Evangelist, John, who was beheaded by Herod Agrippa, about the Feast of Easter. His sacred bones were, on this day, carried from Jerusalem to Spain and placed in the remote Province of Galicia, where they are devoutly honoured by the renowned piety of the inhabitants and the frequent concourse of Christians, who visit them through piety and in fulfilment of their vows.”
By Fr Leonard Goffiné O.Praem (1648-1719) (Excerpt from The Church’s Year)
St James, born in Galilee, son of Zebedee and Salome and a relative of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was a fisherman like his brother John and one of the first of the Apostles called by Christ. He left everything to follow the Lord and with Peter and John, was favoured by Christ, with special confidence.
He was present when Christ was glorified on Mount Thabor, when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of the fever, raised the daughter of Jairus to life and when He suffered the unutterable terror on Mount Olivet.
He was also, with the rest of the Apostles, a witness of Christ’s Ascension, received with them the Holy Ghost on Pentecost and then preached the Gospel in Judea and the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
He and his brother John, were called by Christ the Sons of Thunder, on account of their great zeal for the honour and Kingdom of God. When James with this thunderlike zeal continued to preach the Resurrection and the doctrine of Jesus, in Judea, the Jews were so enraged against him, that King Herod thought nothing would please them more than that they should condemn the Apostle to death. This they did, at Easter in the year of our Lord 44.
But when the he, who led him to execution, saw the firmness of his faith, he also became converted to Christ and both were, therefore ,led to death. On the way he prayed the Apostle to forgive him, who said to him: “Peace be with you!” and kissed him. Both were beheaded. This James was the first of the Apostles to shed his blood for Christ and to drink of the chalice of suffering.
His sacred remains were afterwards brought to Compostella in Spain by Abgeks. The Church celebrates his feast on the day of his translation and not on the day of his martyrdom, which, as already said, was at Easter.
PRAYER TO ST. JAMES O brave Apostle, the first to drink the Chalice of suffering after the example of Christ, Who had shed His Blood for thee, obtain, I beseech thee, the grace from Him, that I may not fear to drink of the Chalice of pain and suffering but may bear patiently, all that the hand of my God offers me, so that I may, one day, be worthy to enjo, in thy society, the joy of Heaven. Amen.
Bl Antonio of Olmedo St Bantu of Trier St Beatus of Trier St Cugat del Valles St Ebrulfus St Fagildo of Santiago St Felix of Furcona St Florentius of Furcona St Glodesind of Metz
St Mordeyren St Nissen of Wexford St Olympiad of Constantinople St Paul of Palestine
Blessed Pietro Corradini OFM (1435–1490) Priest of the Franciscan Friars Minor, Confessor, Preacher, Spiritual Director. Pietro and a great devotion to the Holy Mother and constantly taught love of her. Fr Pietro served in several leadership positions within his Order. The Beatification process commenced not too long after Fr Pietro’s death and culminated on 10 August 1760 after Pope Clement XIII issued a formal decree that approved Corradini’s local ‘cultus’ thus naming him Blessed. His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/25/saint-of-the-day-25-july-blessed-pietro-corradini-ofm-1435-1490-priest/
St Theodemir of Cordoba
Martyrs of Caesarea – 3 Saints: Three Christians Martyred together in the pesecutions of emperor Maximilian and governor Firmilian – Paul, Tea and Valentina. 309 in Caesarea, Palestine.
Martyrs of Cuncolim, Goa, south western India– 20 Saints: On 15 July 1583 the group met at the Church of Orlim and hiked to Cuncolim to erect a Cross and choose land for a new Church. Local anti-Christian Hindu pagans, seeing the unarmed Christians, gathered their weapons and marched on them. One of the Parishioners, a Portuguese emigre named Gonçalo Rodrigues, carried a firearm but Father Alphonsus Pacheco stopped him from using it. The Hindu pagans, numbering at least 500, then fell upon them and killed them all without mercy. They were – • Alphonsus Pacheco • Alphonsus the altar boy • Anthony Francis • Dominic of Cuncolim • Francis Aranha • Francis Rodrigues • Gonçalo Rodrigues • Paul da Costa • Peter Berno • Rudolph Acquaviva • ten other native Christian converts whose names have not come down to us They were Martyred on Monday 25 July 1583 at the village of Cuncolim, district of Salcete, territory of Goa, India. They were Beatified on 30 April 1893 by Pope Leo XIII.
Thought for the Day – 24 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Progress in the Love of God
“They are in the first grade of perfection in the love of God, who desire to love Him but still feel an attachment to sin. How is it possible to love God and, at the same time, to offend Him by yielding to unlawful desires and to the attraction of the world? This is a mystery of the human heart which can experience, simultaneously, the desire to love God and the disturbance of the flesh.
People like this, must humbly persevere in praying for the grace which they need. They must eradicate their major vices, one by one, so that they may be free to love God. Since their course will be difficult and full of obstacles, they will need the courage of mountaineers but, far above the white and sun-kissed summit, God awaits them. Only toil and sacrifice can bring them there but when they arrive, they will know real happiness, for they will see God. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:81).”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – St Christina of Bolsena (3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Romans 6:19-23, Matthew 7:15-21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.”
Matthew 7:21
“We recognise a tree by its fruit and we ought to be able to recognise a Christian by his action. The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives, for being a Christian is more than making sound professions of faith. It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways. Indeed, it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs and live them out, than to talk eloquently about what we believe but fail to live by it!”
St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 108) Martyr Apostolic Father of the Church
“God is Good but He is also Just… So do not underestimate God – His love for men should not become a pretext, for negligence on our part.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“If anyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord, resists the Lord’s Commands by living perversely, it is evident, that the good, which the tongue has spoken, has NOT emanated from the good treasure in his heart. It was not the root of a fig tree but that of a thorn bush, which produced the fruit of such a confession — a conscience, which is, bristling with vices and not one filled, with the sweetness of the love of the Lord!”
St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – St Christina of Bolsena (3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Romans 6:19-23, Matthew 7:15-21
“By their fruits you will know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?”- Matthew 7:16
REFLECTION – ““It does not seem to me that “false prophets” here refers to the heretics but rather to persons who live morally corrupt lives, while wearing a mask of virtue. They are usually called ‘frauds’ by most people. For this reason, Jesus continued by saying, “By their fruits you will know them.” For it is possible to find some virtuous persons, living among heretics. But among the corrupted of whom I speak, it is in not possible. “So what difference does it make,” Jesus says in effect, “if even among these false prophets some do put on a hypocritical show of virtue? Certainly, they will soon be detected.”
The nature of this road upon which He commanded us to walk, is toilsome and hard. The hypocrite would seldom choose to toil but would prefer only to make a show. For this very reason, the hypocrite is easily detected. When Jesus notes that “there are few who find it,” He distinguishes these, from those who do not find the way, yet pretend to find it. So do not look to the mask but to the behavioural fruits, of those who pursue the narrow way.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Matthew Homily 23).
PRAYER – O God, Who among the other miracles of Thy power have bestowed the victory of martyrdom even upon the weaker sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Christina, Your Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee by the path of her example.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 24 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”
Virgin Full of Goodness, Mother of Mercy By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus Doctor communis
Virgin full of goodness, Mother of mercy, I entrust to you my body and my soul, my thoughts and my actions, my life and my death. My Queen, come to my aid and deliver me from the snares of the devil. Obtain for me the grace of loving my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, with a true and perfect love, and after Him, O Mary, of loving you with all my heart and above all things. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 24 July – Our Lady, Mother of Mercy (Saturday after the 4th Sunday of July).
As part of the Traditional Missal, the Feast of our Lady under the title Mother of Mercy occurs each year the 4th Sunday of July. This Feast day is kept also, by various religious Orders in the Church.
The following is taken from the Seasonal Devotions Page of Salve Maria Regina: After the fall, man became subject to sin, misery, disease and death. God, Who is rich in mercy, gave us two persons, animated with tenderest sentiments of compassion and mercy – Jesus and Mary . Jesus willed to become like one of us and chose to know the profoundest depths of sorrow. Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, became the loving Mother of mankind beneath the Cross. She is full of compassionate mercy. Let us entreat her help for suffering mankind. Let us especially show this consideration for those commended to us, in a particular way, by Our Divine Lord: the poor, the sick, the suffering and the outcasts. Let us always show mercy and the Immaculate Mother of God, will show herself a Mother of mercy to us.
“And His mercy is from generation unto generation, to those who fear Him.” (Luke 1:50)
O noblest Queen of the world, Mary ever Virgin, who didst bring forth Christ the Lord, the Saviour of all, pray in our name for peace and salvation. Hail Mary…
Mary speaks: “Come over to me, all you who long for me and be filled with my fruits, for my spirit is sweeter than honey and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.” (Ecclus. 24:26-27).
16th Century German
Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen By Bl Herman of Reichenau (1013–1054)
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, Poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us; And after this our exile, Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, ℟ that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.O God, Whose compassion is without limit, show us Thy mercy on earth through the most holy intercession of Mary, the Mother of Thy Son, that we may merit to attain eternal glory. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
St Aliprandus of Pavia St Antinogenes of Merida St Aquilina the Martyr St Arnulf of Gruyere Bl Balduino of Rieti St Boris of Kiev St Capito
St Christina Mirabilis/the Astonishing (1150-1224) Virgin, mendicant, Penitent, Mystic. St Christina the Astonishing has been recognised as a Saint since the 12th century. She was placed in the calendar of the saints by at least two bishops of the Catholic Church in two different centuries (17th & 19th Her Amazing Life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/24/saint-of-the-day-24-july-saint-christina-mirabilis-1150-1224/
St Cyriacus of Ziganeus St Declan of Ardmore Bl Diego Martinez Bl Donatus of Urbino
Thought for the Day – 23 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Royal Road of the Cross
“We all have our own cross. When we reject it, we fashion one for ourselves by our defects and sins, which leave us discontented and restless and draws God’s punishment upon us.
It is useless to flee from the Cross, for it follows us everywhere. If we refuse to accept the cross which God has given us, we take upon ourselves, one which is heavier than the first. Worldlingscan bask for a moment in their pleasures but, it soon passes and is replaced by bitterness and sorrow. Their suffering is deeper than that of a good Christian, who places his trust in God. There is only one way of making our cross easier to bear and that is to embrace it as Jesus did. We should love the Cross because it is suffering which shows us how to become like Jesus, to make reparation for our sins and to co-operate by our own passion with the Passion of Christ (Cf Col 1:24).”
Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of St Apollinaris (1st Century) Bishop Martyr, Disciple of St Peter – 1 Peter 5:1-11, Luke 22:24-30
“Let him who is greatest among you, become as the youngest and he who is the leader, as the servant.”
Luke 22:25
“Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved. They cannot say with the prophet: See, God comes to my aid; the Lord is the helper of my soul. But anyone who makes himself humble, like a little child, is greater in the kingdom of heaven.”
St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor if the Church
“When insults have no effect on us, when persecutions and penalties, have no terror for us, when prosperity or adversity, has no influence on us, when friend and foe, are viewed in the same light… do we not come close, to sharing, the serenity of God?”
St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) “St Bernard of the North”
“O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“Humility and charity are the two master chords – one, the lowest; the other, the highest; all the others are dependent on them. Therefore, it is necessary, above all. to maintain ourselves in these two virtues, for observe well, that the preservation of the whole edifice depends on the foundation and the roof!”
One Minute Reflection –23 July – the Memorial of St Apollonaris (1st Century) Bishop Martyr, Disciple of St Peter – 1 Peter 5:1-11, Luke 22:24-30
“At that time, there arose a dispute among the disciples, which of them was reputed to be the greatest.” – Luke 22:24
REFLECTION – “Why are there strife and passion, schisms and even war among you? Do we not possess the same Spirit of grace which was given to us and the same calling in Christ? Why do we tear apart and divide the Body of Christ? Why do we revolt against our own Body? Why do we reach such a degree of insanity that we forget that we are members of one another? Do not forget the words of Jesus our Lord: Woe to that man; it would be better for him if he had not been born rather than scandalise one of my chosen ones. Indeed it would be better for him to have a great millstone round his neck and to be drowned in the sea, than that he lead astray one of my chosen ones. Your division has led many astray, has made many doubt, has made many despair and has brought grief upon us all. And still your rebellion continues!
Pick up the letter of blessed Paul the Apostle. What did he write to you at the beginning of his ministry? Even then you had developed factions. So Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to you concerning himself and Cephas and Apollos. But that division involved you in less sin because you were supporting Apostles of high reputation and a person approved by them.
We should put an end to this division immediately. Let us fall down before our Master and implore His mercy with our tears. Then He will be reconciled to us and restore us to the practice of brotherly love that befits us. For this is the Gate of Justice that leads to life, as it is written: Open to me the Gates of Justice. When I have entered there, I shall praise the Lord. This is the Gate of the Lord, the just shall enter through it. There are many gates which stand open but the Gate of Justice, is the Gateway of Christ. All who enter through this Gate, are blessed, pursuing their way in holiness and justice, performing all their tasks without discord. A person may be faithful, he may have the power to utter hidden mysteries, he may be discriminating in the evaluation of what is said and pure in his actions. But the greater he seems to be, the more humbly he ought to act and the more zealous he should be, for the common good, rather than his own interest.” – St Pope Clement I (c 35-c 101) Pope from about 88 to 101 Apostolic Father, Bishop of Rome and Martyr (An excerpt from his Letter to the Corinthians).
PRAYER – O God, the rewarder of faithful souls, grant that we may obtain pardon through the prayers of blessed Apollinaris, Thy Martyr and Bishop, whose feast we are celebrating .Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen By Blessed Herman of Reichenau (1013–1054)
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, Poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us; And after this our exile, Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
This line, below, by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, ℟ that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Saint of the Day – 23 July – St Phocas the Gardener (Died c 303) Layman Martyr, Apostle of the poor and needy. Died by beheading c 303 in Sinope, Pontus (in modern Turkey). Also known as – Phocas of Hovenier, Phocas of Sinop, Focas, Fokas. Patronages – against insect bites, against poisoning, against snake bites, agricultural workers, farm workers, farmers, field hands, boatmen, mariners, sailors, watermen, gardeners, husbandmen, market-gardeners.
Christian gardener who lived at Sinope, in Paphiagonia, on the Black Sea and was put to death during the persecutions launched by Emperor Diocletian. Phocas is sometimes confused with Phocas of Antioch, although there is no doubt about the historical act of his martyrdom. According to tradition, he gave welcome to the Roman soldiers sent to find and execute him and, as they did not know who he was, he agreed to take them to the Phocas whom they sought. After giving them a meal and allowing them to sleep in his house, he went out and dug his own grave, using the rest of the night to prepare his soul. In the morning, he led them to his prepared grave and informed them of his identity. When they were aghast and hesitated to slay him, he encouraged them to complete their task and behead him. He is especially venerated in the East and was long considered a Patron Saint for gardeners and farmers.
Phocas dwelt near the gate of Sinope, a city of Pontus and lived by cultivating a garden, which yielded him a handsome subsistence and wherewith, plentifully to relieve the indigent and hungry. In his humble profession, he imitated the virtue of the most holy anchorites and seemed, in part restored, to the happy condition of our first parents in Eden. To prune the garden without labour and toil was their sweet employment and pleasure. Since their sin, the earth yields not its fruit but by the sweat of our brow.
But still, no labour is more useful or necessary, or more natural to man and better adapted to maintain in him, vigour of mind and health of body, than that of tillage. Nor does any other part of the universe, rival the innocent charms which a garden presents to all our senses, by the fragrancy of its flowers, by the riches of its produce and the sweetness and variety of its fruits; by the melodious concert of its musicians, by the worlds of wonders which every stem, leaf and fibre exhibit to the contemplation of the inquisitive philosopher and by that beauty and variegated lustre of colours which clothe the numberless tribes of its smallest inhabitants and adorn its shining landscapes, vying with the brightest splendour of the heavens. And in a single lily, surpassing the dazzling lustre, with which Solomon was surrounded on his throne in the midst of all his glory.
And what a field for contemplation does a garden offer to our view in every part, raising our souls to God in raptures of love and praise, stimulating us to fervour, by the fruitfulness with which it repays our labour and multiplies the seed it receives and exciting us to tears of compunction for our insensibility to God, by the barrenness with which it is changed into a frightful desert, unless subdued by assiduous toil!
Our Saint joining prayer with his labour, found in his garden itself, an instructive book and an inexhausted fund of holy meditation. His house was open to all strangers and travellers who had no lodging in the place and after having, for many years most liberally bestowed the fruit of his labour on the poor, he was found worthy also, to give his life for Christ.
Although his profession was obscure and thought lowly by the world, he was well known over the whole country, by the reputation of his charity and virtue.
Bl Juan de Luca Bl Juan de Montesinos Bl Leonard da Recanati Bl Mariano Brandi St Phocas the Gardener (Died c 303) Layman Martyr St Primitiva of Rome St Rasyphus of Macé St Rasyphus of Rome St Ravennus of Macé St Redempta of Rome St Romula of Rome St Severus of Bizye St Theophilus of Rome St Trophimus of Rome St Valerian of Cimiez
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