Saint of the Day – 23 June – Saint Lanfranco Beccari (c 1134-1198) Bishop of Pavia, Italy, Defender of the Rights of the Church, Apostle of prayer of the poor and those in situations of distress, miracle-worker – born in c 1124 at Gropello, Pavia, Italy and died on 23 June 1198 at the Vallombrosan Monastery of the Holy Sepulchre near Pavia, Italy of natural causes.Also known as St Lanfrancoof Pavia.
Born of a noble family in Gropello in the province of Pavia around 1134, Lanfranco was assigned the role of Bishop for his city by Alexander III.
Very kind to good people but uncompromising to the unjust, he led an exemplary life, characterised by devoted life of intense prayer and charity towards the needy.
He had heated discussions against the city civil authorities who wanted to take possession of various ecclesiastical goods. For this reason, finding himself almost forced to leave Pavia, he went to Rome to find comfort and support from the Pope.
When he returned to Pavia, now tired of the constant problems that public life was giving him, he decided to retire to the Vallombrosan Monastery of the Holy Sepuchre, where he remained until his death, which took place on 23 June 1198.
The above passage comes from what is written in the letter sent by Pope Innocent III to the Bishop of Faenza, Bernardo, on 8 August 1198, in which the passage to the Diocese of Pavia, Bernardo was proposed as successor to the late Lanfranco. And it was Bernardo himself who, as successor Bishop, wrote the first biography of Lanfranco.
St Lanfranco di Pavia between saints Giovanni Battista and Liberius, Cima da Conegliano, Fitzwilliam Museum , Cambridge
There is little information relating to the first years of the Monastery’s life. The most significant period coincided with the years in which Lanfranco Beccari was Bishop of Pavia. Lanfranco, Consecrated Bishop of Pavia by Pope Alexander III in 1159, was often a guest of the Monastery. Lanfranco decided to spend the last years of his life in the Monastery and was buried here, in a reputation for holiness. After his death on 23 June 1198, the Church and Monastery were dedicated to him.
Facade of the Church and Monastery
In the Church there is a sepulchral marble ark which houses the body of San Lanfranco Beccari. It is the work of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo , the great Italian sculptor and architect who worked in Pavia for both the Certosa and the Cathedral together with Bramante. The construction of the ark dates back to 1489 and took place on commission of the abbot and cardinal Pietro Pallavicini de ‘Scipione.
The sarcophagus is divided into squares with depictions of the Saint’s life:
On the left: Lanfranco heals a mute young man. On the front: In the Atrium of San Siro he receives the consuls (you can see the two cathedrals and the statue of the Regisole). On his return from exile, he is welcomed by the new consuls (the character on the right, half hidden by a figure from behind, would have the appearance of Amadeo). Praying to the Virgin in her retreat with the Vallombrosan monks . Right: The young Gelasia condemned on the false charge of poisoning her brother comes out of the stake . In the back: Healing of the Pavese jurisconsult Pietro Negri; Giovanni Brunelli attacked by brigands and tied in the bush, manages to untie himself with the help of the Saint. Alberto da Novara, a repentant criminal, is saved from hanging .
There are also other relief panels with scenes from the life of Christ and the Blessed Virgin – the Annunciation , the Visitation , the Nativity , the Presentation in the temple , Jesus healing the sick , the Crucifixion.
In the central nave, in the middle of the right side, a fresco, unfortunately only partially extant, painted between 1173 and 1198 is particularly interesting. It depicts the assassination of the Archbishop of Canterbury St Thomas á Becket on 29 December 1170 in Canterbury Cathedral, at the hands of some assassins sent by King Henry II of England. The king decided to commission the murder as Becket, much loved by the people and once his special adviser, had begun to reproach him for his dissolute and violent life and divorce choices. In the fresco there are three knights with a sword in the act of killing the Archbishop.
The fresco was created to indicate the parallel between the events of the life of St Thomas á Becket and those of the Pavese Bishop Lanfranco Beccari – as Becket had opposed King Henry of England who limited the freedom of the English clergy, an opposition that pushed him to Rome to ask help to the Pope and who, in the end, paid with his life. In the same way, St Lanfranco, a few decades later, came into sharp conflict with the Pavia authorities and was forced to ask the Pope for help – he was not killed but retired to the Monastery leading a solitary life.
Next to Becket’s fresco, on the left, the figure of the same Bishop Lanfranco is repeated, with red chasuble and pallium, mitre and pastoral, in a blessing gesture with ring finger and little finger joined to the Greek.
St Lanfranco Beccari (c 1134-1198) Bishop
Bl Lupo de Paredes
Bl Mary of Oignies
St Moeliai of Nendrum
Bl Peter of Juilly
Bl Thomas Corsini of Orvieto
St Thomas Garnet
Bl Walhere of Dinant
St Zenas of Philadelphia
St Zeno of Philadelphia
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Martyrs of Ancyra: A family of converts who were arrested, tortured and sent in chains to Ancyra, Galatia (modern Ankara, Turkey) where he was tortured more by order of governor Agrippinus during the persecutions of Diocletian. Martyr. They were – Eustochius, Gaius, Lollia, Probus, Urban. They were roasted over a fire and finally beheaded c 300 in Ancyra, Galatia (modern Ankara, Turkey).
Martyrs of Nicomedia: During the persecutions of Diocletian, many Christians fled their homes to live in caves in the area of Nicomedia. In 303 troops descended on the area, systematically hunted them down and murdered all they could find.
Second Thought for the Day – 22 June – On the Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, Martyrs – A Papal Masterpiece
Sermon Delivered by Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) on the Occasion of the Papal Mass in St Peter’s for the Canonisation of St John Fisher (1469-1535) and St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyrs, on 19 May 1935
As Jesus Christ, according to the words of St Paul, is eternal and immutable, “yesterday and today and the same forever,” so the Church founded by Him, is destined never to perish. Generations follow and succeed each other with their perennial vicissitudes. But whereas human institutions give way and disappear before the levelling tide of time and human sciences, reflecting inconstant light, undergo repeated transformations, the Cross of Christ, reared steadfast above the engulfing billows, never ceases to illumine mankind with the beneficent splendour of Eternal Truth.
From time to time, new heresies make their appearance and, under the guise of truth, gain strength and popularity but, the seamless garment of Christ can never be rent in twain. Unbelievers and enemies of the Catholic faith, blinded by presumption, may indeed constantly renew their violent attacks against the Christian name but. in wresting from the bosom of the militant Church, those whom they put to death, they become the instruments of their martyrdom and of their heavenly glory.
No less beautiful than true are the words of St Leo the Great: “The religion of Christ, founded on the mystery of the Cross, cannot be destroyed by any sort of cruelty – persecutions do not weaken, they strengthen the Church. The field of the Lord is ever ripening with new harvests, while the grains shaken loose by the tempest take root and are multiplied.”
These thoughts, full of hope and comfort, spring up in Our mind as We, in this majestic Vatican Basilica, are about to proclaim briefly the praises of our two new Saints after having raised them to the honours of the altar. They, the bright champions and the glory of their nation, were given to the Christian people, in the words of the prophet Jeremias, “as a fortified city and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass.” Therefore, they could not be shaken by the fallacies of heretics, nor frightened by the threats of the powerful. They were, so to speak, the leaders and chieftains of that illustrious band of men who, from all classes of the people and from every part of Great Britain, resisted the new errors with unflinching spirit and in shedding their blood, testified their loyal devotedness to the Holy See.
John Fisher, gifted by nature with a most gentle disposition, thoroughly versed in both sacred and profane lore, so distinguished himself among his contemporaries by his wisdom and his virtue, that under the patronage of the King of England himself, he was elected Bishop of Rochester. In the fulfilment of this high office, so ardent was he in his piety towards God and in charity towards his neighbour and so zealous in defending the integrity of Catholic doctrine, that his episcopal residence seemed rather a Church and a University for studies, than a private dwelling.
He was wont to afflict his delicate body with fastings, scourges, and hair cloth; nothing was dearer to him than to be able to visit the poor, in order to comfort them in their miseries and to succour them in their needs. When he found someone frightened at the thought of his faults and terrified by chastisements to come, he brought comfort to the erring soul by restoring confidence in God’s mercy. Often, when celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice, he was seen shedding abundant tears, while his eyes were raised to heaven in an ecstatic expression of love. When he preached to the multitudes of the faithful that crowded round to hear him, he seemed neither a man nor a herald of men but an angel of God clothed in human flesh.
Nevertheless, whilst he was meek and affable towards the afflicted and the suffering, whenever there was question of defending the integrity of faith and morals, like a second Precursor of the Lord, in whose name he gloried, he was not afraid to proclaim the truth openly and to defend by every means in his power, the divine teachings of the Church. You are well aware, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Sons, of the reason why John Fisher was called in judgement and obliged to undergo the supreme test of martyrdom. It was because of his courageous determination to defend the sacred bond of Christian marriage—a bond indissoluble for all, even for those who wear the royal diadem—and to vindicate the Primacy with which the Roman Pontiffs are invested by divine command.
That is why he was imprisoned and afterwards led to death. Serenely he advanced toward the scaffold and with the words of the Te Deum on his lips, he rendered thanks to God, for being granted the grace of having his mortal life crowned with the glory of martyrdom and, he raised up to the Divine Throne, a fervent prayer of supplication for himself, for his people and for his King. Thus did he give another clear proof that the Catholic Religion does not weaken but increases the love of one’s country.
When finally he mounted the scaffold, whilst a ray of sunlight cast a halo of splendour about his venerable grey hairs, he exclaimed with a smile: “Come ye to Him and be enlightened and your faces shall not be confounded.” (Ps. xxxiii, 6.) Most assuredly the heavenly hosts of angels and saints hastened in joy to meet his holy soul, freed at last from the fetters of the body and winging flight toward eternal joys.
The other star of sanctity that traced a luminous path across that dark period of history was Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of the King of England. Endowed with the keenest of minds and supreme versatility in every kind of knowledge, he enjoyed such esteem and favour among his fellow-citizens, that he was soon able to reach the highest grades of public office. But, he was no less distinguished for his desire of Christian perfection and his zeal for the salvation of souls. Of this we have testimony in the ardour of his prayer, in the fervour with which he recited, whenever he could, even the Canonical Hours, in the practice of those penances by which he kept his body in subjection and finally, in the numerous and renowned accomplishments of both the spoken and the written word which he achieved, for the defence of the Catholic faith and for the safeguarding of Christian morality.
A strong and courageous spirit, like John Fisher, when he saw that the doctrines of the Church were gravely endangered, he knew how to despise resolutely the flattery of human respect, how to resist, in accordance with his duty, the supreme head of the State when there was question of things commanded by God and the Church and how to renounce with dignity, the high office with which he was invested. It was for these motives that he too was imprisoned, nor could the tears of his wife and children make him swerve from the path of truth and virtue. In that terrible hour of trial he raised his eyes to heaven and proved himself a bright example of Christian fortitude. Thus it was that he who not many years before had written a work emphasising the duty of Catholics to defend their faith, even at the cost of their lives, was seen to walk cheerful and confident from his prison to death and thence to take his flight to the joys of eternal beatitude.
Here, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Sons, we may justly repeat the well-known saying of St Cyprian, Martyr: “O blessed prison which conveys men to heaven! O blessed enchained feet, which with salutary steps are directed towards paradise!”
It was supremely fitting that these holy Martyrs who shed their blood for the Christian faith and for the defence of the sacred rights of the Roman Pontiff, should receive, together with the aureole of sanctity, their due glorification here in the very centre of the Catholic world, close to the glorious sepulchre of the Prince of the Apostles, through the instrumentality of Us who are the heir and successor of St Peter.
And now, it only remains for Us to exhort, with paternal heart, all of you who filled with veneration are grouped around Us, as well as those who, wherever they may be, profess themselves Our sons in Christ. We exhort you to imitate with all diligence the great virtues of these holy Martyrs and to implore for yourselves and for the Church militant, their powerful protection. If all of us are not called to shed our blood for the defence of the holy laws of God, all nonetheless, according to the expression of St Basil, with evangelical abnegation, with Christian mortification of their bodies, with energetic striving after virtue, “must be Martyrs of desire, in order to share with the Martyrs their celestial reward.”
We desire, moreover, that with your ardent prayers, invoking the patronage of the new Saints, you ask of the Lord that which is so dear to Our heart, namely, that England, in the words of St. Paul, “meditating the happy consummation which crowned the life” of those two Martyrs, may “follow them in their faith” and return to the Father’s house “in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”
Let those who are still separated from Us, consider attentively the ancient glories of their Church which were at once a reflection and an increment of the glories of the Church of Rome. Let them consider, moreover and remember, that this Apostolic See has been waiting for them so long and so anxiously, not as coming to a strange dwelling place but as finally returning to their paternal home.
In conclusion, let us repeat the divine prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ: “Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one as we also are.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Interior Mortification
“In the spiritual life, as in the physical order, death is the beginning of life. “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But, if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting” (Jn 12:24-25).
This passage of the Gospel, epitomises the doctrine of Christian mortification – it is necessary to die to ourselves, in order to live in God. Anyone who is full of himself and of worldly matters, has no room in his heart for God. It is not possible, as St Augustine points out, to fill a vase with earth and then to fill it with water. There is no room left for the water and, if a little of it enters the vase, it is no longer pure water but muddy!
We must empty ourselves of ourselves and of worldly things, in order to fill ourselves with God. Jesus told us this quite clearly. “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself” (Mt 16:24).
If anyone denies himself in order to do God’s will in all things, he has achieved real interior mortification. Moreover, he has perfect peace, which consists in being established in the love of God.
This does not mean that all self-love is wrong. In fact, there are two kinds of self-love. We can love our true good, which is God and, therefore, desire to live in harmony with this supreme good in this life in order to enjoy it as our eternal reward. This kind of self-love is founded on the love of God, Who is the main reason why we love ourselves. But if we prefer our own pleasure and satisfaction to God, then our self-love is disproportionate and wrong and leads us into sin.
The first thing we must do, therefore, is to mortify our inordinate self-love. In other words, we must deny ourselves in matters where self-love is keeping us apart from God, Whom we should love more than anything else in life.”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 June – The Memorial of St John Fisher (1469-1535) Bishop, Martyr
“I reckon in this realm, no one man, in wisdom, learning and long approved virtue together, meet to be matched and compared with him.”
St Thomas More speaking of St John Fisher
“A good man is not a perfect man; a good man is an honest man, faithful and unhesitatingly responsive to the voice of God in his life.”
“Contrition is to have sorrow at heart and great repentance of all his sins and to have steadfast purpose to keep and abstain him from all deadly sins. For who has intention to return him to deadly sin, his confession avails him nothing!”
“Penance is a needful thing to the sinner, who desires to recover health of his soul. And, in doing penance, there be three things to be considered: serious compunction of heart, confession of mouth and satisfaction by deed.”
“As St Paul has said, for our justification, He [Christ], gave to man all that was necessary – His Blood to wash us, His Body to redeem us. In His Passion, Justice and peace have met each other.”
“Beware of those prophets who speak unto you and deceive you! They prophecy nothing but the imaginations and forgings of their own minds and not the truth of Holy Scripture!”
One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18, Psalm 60:3-5, 12-13, Matthew 7:1-5 and the Memorial of St John Fisher (1469-1535) Bishop, Martyr
“You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” … Matthew 7:5
REFLECTION – “The word hypocrite is aptly employed here, since the denouncing of evils is best viewed as a matter only for upright persons of goodwill. When the wicked engage in it, they are like impersonators, masqueraders, hiding their real selves behind a mask, while they portray another’s character through the mask. The word hypocrites, in fact, signifies pretenders.
Hence we ought especially to avoid that meddlesome class of pretenders who, under the pretence of seeking advice, undertake the censure of all kinds of vices. They are often moved by hatred and malice.
Rather, whenever necessity compels one to reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and caution.
First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such, as we ourselves have never had, or whether it is one that we have overcome.
Then, if we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of correction and admonition.
In this way, whether the admonition occasions the amendment, or the worsening of the one for whose sake we are offering it, (for the result cannot be foreseen), we ourselves shall be made safe through singleness of eye. But if on reflection we find that we ourselves have the same fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and induce that person to a similar concern, without asking him to submit to our correction.”… St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace – Sermon on the Mount, 2
PRAYER – As we pray before You Lord, we ask You, in Your loving kindness, for the grace always to ponder in our hearts what we proclaim with our lips. Keep us in Your commandments and strengthen us by the prayers of St John Fisher, Your Martyr, that we may live by a holy conscience and never flinch from the protection of truth. Grant this we pray through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, in the love and unity of the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year A
Make Me, O Good Jesus Live in Thee and for Thee By Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O fount of every good!
I adore Thee,
I love Thee
and sincerely repenting of my sins
I present to Thee my poor heart.
Give it back to me
humble,
patient,
pure
and in everything,
conformed to Thy wishes.
Make me, O good Jesus,
live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in dangers,
comfort me in afflictions,
grant me health of body,
succour in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing in all my works
and the grace of a holy death.
Amen
Indulgence – 100 days Pope Benedict XV 4 December 1916
Saint of the Day – 22 June – Saint John Fisher (1469-1535) Bishop, Martyr, Cardinal, Theologian, Academic, Writer – born in 1469 at Beverly, Yorkshire, England and died on 22 June 1535, aged 65, on Tower Hill, Tyburn, London, England, by beheading. Fisher was executed by order of Henry VIII during the English Reformation for refusing to accept him as the supreme head of the Church of England and for upholding the Catholic Church’s doctrine of Papal supremacy. Patronages – Diocese of Rochester, Catholic students at Cambridge.
He was condemned to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, however, a public outcry was brewing among the London populace who saw a sinister irony in the parallels between the conviction of Fisher and that of his patronal namesake, Saint John the Baptist, who was executed by King Herod Antipas for challenging the validity of Herod’s marriage to his brother’s divorcée Herodias. For fear of John Fisher’s living through his Patronal feast day, that of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on 24 June and of attracting too much public sympathy, King Henry commuted the sentence to that of beheading, to be accomplished before 23 June, the Vigil of the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. He was executed on Tower Hill on 22 June 1535. The execution had the opposite effect from that which King Henry VIII intended, as it created yet another parallel with that of the martyrdom of St John the Baptist, who was also beheaded; his death also happened on the feast day of Saint Alban, the first martyr of Britain.
St John Fisher by Gerard Valck, after Adriaen van der Werff, 1697.
John Fisher was born in Beverley, Yorkshire, in 1469, the eldest son of Robert Fisher, a modestly prosperous merchant of Beverley and Agnes, his wife. He was one of four children. His father died when John was eight. His mother remarried and had five more children by her second husband, William White. Fisher seems to have had close contacts with his extended family all his life. Fisher’s early education was probably received in the school attached to the collegiate church in his home town.
He was educated at Cambridge, from which he received his Master of Arts degree in 1491. John received a Papal dispensation to enter the Priesthood despite being under canonical age. He was Ordained into the Priesthood on 17 December 1491 – the same year that he was elected a fellow of his college. He occupied the vicarage of Northallerton, 1491-1494, then he became Proctor of Cambridge University. In 1497, he was appointed Confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and became closely associated in her endowments to Cambridge with which he created scholarships, introduced Greek and Hebrew into the curriculum and brought in the world-famous Erasmus (1466-1536) to visit Cambridge, as professor of Divinity and Greek. As a Catholic priest, Erasmus was an important figure in classical scholarship who wrote in a pure Latin style.
By papal bull dated 14 October 1504, Fisher was appointed the Bishop of Rochester at the personal insistence of Henry VII. Rochester was then the poorest Diocese in England and usually seen as a first step on an ecclesiastical career. Nonetheless, Fisher stayed there, presumably by his own choice, for the remaining 31 years of his life. At the same time, like any English Bishop of his day, Fisher had certain state duties. In particular, he maintained a passionate interest in the University of Cambridge. In 1504 he was elected the university’s Chancellor. Re-elected annually for 10 years, Fisher ultimately received a lifetime appointment. At this date he also acted as tutor to the future King, Henry VIII.
As a preacher his reputation was so great, that Fisher was appointed to preach the funeral oration for King Henry VII and the Lady Margaret, both of whom died in 1509, the texts being extant. Besides his share in the Lady Margaret’s foundations, Fisher gave further proof of his zeal for learning, by inducing Erasmus.
Despite his fame and eloquence, it was not long before Fisher came into conflict with the new King, his former pupil. The dispute arose over funds left by the Lady Margaret, the King’s grandmother, for financing foundations at Cambridge.
In 1512 Fisher was nominated as one of the English representatives at the Fifth Council of the Lateran, then sitting, but his journey to Rome was postponed, and finally abandoned.
Fisher has also been named, as the true Author of the royal Treatise against Martin Luther entitled “Assertio septem sacramentorum”Defence of the Seven Sacraments, published in 1521, which won for King Henry VIII the title “Fidei Defensor” – Defender of the Faith. On 11 February 1526, at the King’s command, he preached a famous sermon against Luther at St Paul’s Cross, the open-air pulpit outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
From 1527, this humble servant of God actively opposed the King’s divorce proceedings against Catherine, his wife in the sight of God and steadfastly resisted the encroachment of Henry on the Church. Unlike the other Bishops of the realm, St John refused to take the oath of succession which acknowledged the issue of Henry and Anne as the legitimate heir to the throne and he was imprisoned in the tower in April 1534.
The next year he was made a Cardinal by Paul III and Henry retaliated by having him beheaded within a month. A half hour before his execution, this dedicated scholar and churchman opened his New Testament for the last time and his eyes fell on the following words from St John’s Gospel: “Eternal life is this – to know You, the only true God and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ. I have given you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Do you now, Father, give me glory at your side.” Closing the book, he observed: “There is enough learning in that to last me the rest of my life.”
St John’s last moments were in keeping with his life. He met death with a calm dignified courage which profoundly impressed those present. His body was treated with particular rancour, apparently on Henry’s orders, being stripped and left on the scaffold until the evening, when it was taken on pikes and thrown naked into a rough grave in the churchyard of All Hallows’ Barking, also known as All Hallows-by-the-Tower. There was no funeral prayer. A fortnight later, his body was laid beside that of Sir Thomas More in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London.
A stern and austere man, Fisher was known to place a human skull on the altar during Mass and on the table during meals. Erasmus said of John Fisher: “He is the one man at this time, who is incomparable for uprightness of life, for learning and for greatness of soul.”
John was Beatified by Pope Leo XIII with Thomas More and 52 other English Martyrs on 29 December 1886. In the Decree of Beatification issued on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII, when 53 English martyrs were Beatified, the greatest place was given to Fisher. He was Canonised, with Thomas More, on 19 May 1935 by Pope Pius XI. His feast day, for celebration jointly with St Thomas More, is today, 22 June (the date of St John Fisher’s execution).
St Aaron of Brettany
St Aaron of Pais-de-Laon
St Alban of Britain
Bl Altrude of Rome
St Consortia
St Cronan of Ferns
St Eberhard of Salzburg
St Eusebius of Samosata
St Exuperantius of Como
St Flavius Clemens
St Gregory of Agrigento
St Heraclius the Soldier
St Hespérius of Metz
Bl Pope Innocent V
St John IV of Naples
St Julius of Pais-de-Laon
Bl Kristina Hamm
Bl Marie Lhuilier
St Nicetas of Remesiana
St Precia of Epinal
St Rotrudis of Saint-Omer
St Rufinus of Alexandria
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Martyrs of Samaria – 1480 saints: 1480 Christians massacred in and near Samaria during the war between the Greek Emperor Heraclius and the pagan Chosroas of Persia. c 614 in the vicinity of Samaria, Palestine.
Thought for the Day – 21 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) (Incorporating the Sunday Reflection)
Holy Communion
“Let us meditate on what an extraordinary thing Holy Communion is. Jesus, God made man, really descends into us, poor creature though we are. We become the living temples of the Holy Trinity.
Not only does Jesus come to us, body, soul and divinity but, He also becomes our food. There is a great difference, however, between the nourishment of material food and the spiritual nourishment which we receive from the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. When we take ordinary natural food, we assimilate it. In other words, we cause it to become blood of our blood and flesh of our flesh. When we receive Holy Communion, on the other hand, it is we who must be assimilated and changed into Jesus. Each of us should become, therefore, another Christ, in the manner indicated by St Paul: “It is now, no longer I that live but Christ, lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
Material food becomes human and is assimilated into our being. Our Eucharistic food assimilates us into Itself and, in a certain sense, deifies us. This is why St John Chrysostom calls it a mystery which transports us into Heaven.
Before this can happen, however, it is necessary for us to approach Holy Communion with the necessary dispositions. These are: (1) A lively and active faith, which will enable us to recognise in the white Host, the person of Jesus Himself, full of goodness, mercy and love, eager to shower upon us, all the treasures of His Heart. (2) Purity and freedom, not only from mortal sin but, also from any deliberate attachment to venial sin. (3) Deep humility because, Jesus loves the humble and holds the proud at a distance from Him. He wishes us to be like Him, in other words, meek and humble of heart. There must be no worldly ambition, therefore, no love of honours, riches or human greatness, no inordinate affection for things or persons. There must be only a great desire to please God alone and to offer Him our whole life, including every thought and action. (4) Finally, an ardent love for Jesus, which will consume all our imperfections and unite us to Him so intimately, that, we shall be transformed by Him.”
Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33
“What I tell you in the dark, say in the light and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Matthew 10:27-28
“When the farmer leaves his home to go out and gather the harvest, he is brimming over with joy and shining with happiness. He thinks neither of the suffering nor the difficulties that he might encounter… Christ says, lend me your tongue and you will see the ripe grain going into the king’s granaries.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor
“Everyone without God, has a dead soul. You, who bewail the dead, rather, should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace
“Someone who truly follows the Lord wants everyone to follow Him, which is why he turns to his neighbour with kind attentions, prayers and proclamation of the Gospel. … Jesus loves the one who follows Him.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor
“You would be very ashamed, if you knew what the experiences you call, setbacks, upheavals, pointless disturbances and tedious annoyances really are. You would realise that your complaints about them, are nothing more nor less, than blasphemies – though that never occurs to you. Nothing happens to you except by the will of God and yet [God’s] beloved children curse it, because they do not know it, for what it is!”
Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Prayer for Submission to Divine Providence By St Joseph Maria Pignatelli SJ (1737 – 1811)
My God, I do not know
what must come to me today.
But I am certain
that nothing can happen to me
that You have not foreseen, decreed
and ordained from all eternity.
That is sufficient for me.
I adore Your impenetrable
and eternal designs,
to which I submit with all my heart.
I desire, I accept them all
and I unite my sacrifice to that of
Jesus Christ, my Divine Saviour.
I ask in His name
and through His infinite merits,
patience in my trials
and perfect and entire submission,
to all that comes to me
by Your good pleasure.
Amen
“Do not be afraid! God will show you, to the hour and moment, what you should say and what you should do.”
St Léonie Françoise De Sales Aviat
(1844-1914)
“Let us remain unafraid in all dangers, trusting calmly, in the Divine Providence, that watches over us day and night.”
St Joseph Freinademetz (1852-1908)
“We have the Providential love of God as our guide. When there is a ship at sea and heads towards the port, nobody doubts that it is led by a pilot and one could doubt that there is a God who guides the universe only because He cannot be seen? By His Providential Love, God arranges and regulates events, regulates everything, with gentleness and wisdom. I advise you to abandon yourself completely into the hands of Divine Providence. “
Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)
“We must never be afraid. We never walk alone. Jesus walks ahead.”
One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33 and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)
“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” … Matthew 10:27
REFLECTION – “It is not I who undertook this work but, it is Christ the Lord who commanded me to come to be with these Irish pagans for the rest of my life, if the Lord shall will it and shield me from every evil … But I do not trust myself “as long as I am in this mortal body” (2 Pt 1:13; Rm 7:24) … I did not lead a perfect life like other believers but I confess to my Lord and do not blush in His sight because I am not lying, from the time when I came to know Him in my youth, the love of God and fear of Him increased in me and right up until now, by God’s favour, “I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7).
What is more, let anyone laugh and taunt if he so wishes. I am not keeping silent, nor am I hiding “the signs and wonders” (Dn 6:27) that were shown to me by the Lord many years before they happened, He who knew everything, even before the beginning of time. Thus, I should give thanks unceasingly to God, who has frequently forgiven my folly and my negligence, in more than one instance and has never been angry with me, who am placed as His helper, though I did not easily assent to what had been revealed to me, as the Spirit was urging. The Lord “took pity” on me “thousands upon thousands” of times, (Ex 20:6) because He saw within me, that I was prepared to serve Him. … Many were trying to prevent this mission, they were talking among themselves behind my back and saying, “Why is this fellow throwing himself into danger among enemies who do not know God?” Not from malice did they say this, as I myself can testify, they perceived my rusticity. And I was not quick to recognise the grace that was then in me, I now know, that I should have done so earlier.
Now I have put it frankly to my brothers and co-workers, who have believed me because of what “I have proclaimed and still proclaim” (2 Co 13:2) to strengthen and reinforce your faith. I wish only, that you too, would make greater and better efforts. This will be my pride, for “a wise son makes a proud father.” (Pr 10:1)” … St Patrick (c 385-461) – The Confessions, # 43-47
PRAYER – Lord God, teach us to fear and love Your Holy Name, for You never withdraw Your guiding hand, from those You establish in Your love. Guide our ways and direct our hearts, live in us and walk before us. May the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga help us to fully utilise the many gifts our Almighty God has bestowed on us as we journey home. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 21 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
For those of us who will be blessed by attending Holy Mass today.
And for those of us still facing closed and locked Churches, we pray to the Sweet Eucharistic Heart of Our Beloved Lord, an Act of Spiritual Communion.
Prayer Before Holy Communion By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy,
that You should come into my soul
but I am glad that You will come to me,
because in Your loving kindness,
You desire to dwell in me.
You ask me to open the door of my soul,
which You alone have created,
so that You may enter into it,
with Your loving kindness
and dispel the darkness of my mind.
I believe that You will do this
for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene
when she approached You in tears.
Neither did You withhold forgiveness
from the tax collector,
who repented of his sins,
or from the good thief,
who asked to be received into Your kingdom.
Indeed, You numbered as Your friends
all who came to You with repentant hearts.
O God, You alone are blessed always,
now and forever.
Amen
Act of Spiritual Communion By Servant of God Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)
At Thy feet, O my Jesus,
I prostrate myself
and I offer Thee repentance of my contrite heart,
which is humbled in its nothingness
and in Thy holy presence.
I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love,
the ineffable Eucharist.
I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling
that my heart offers Thee.
While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion,
I wish to possess Thee in spirit.
Come to me, O my Jesus,
since I, for my part, am coming to Thee!
May Thy love embrace my whole being in life and in death.
I believe in Thee,
I hope in Thee,
I love Thee.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 21 June – Saint Ralph of Bourges (Died 866) Archbishop of Bourges. Born as Raoul in Angoumois, France and died on 21 June 866 of natural causes. He is remembered as a skillful diplomat and a proponent of ecclesiastical reform. Also known as Raoul, Radulph, Radulf or Rudolf.
Ralph’s family was prominent in the region of Angoumois, France and he, himself, possessed lands in the Limousin. He was named after his father, the count of Turenne (died 844) and he had four brothers and two sisters.
Making Christ his only inheritance, he took the Monastic habit in 822 at Solignac and was made Archbishop of Bourges in 840. He founded seven Monasteries and was indefatigable in reforming his flock increasing their knowledge of the faith and teaching them to practise it in their lives.
The Monastery of Solignac, where Rodulf began his ecclesiastical career.
For the direction of his clergy he compiled a book of Canons under the title of Pastoral Instructions.
With Bishop Stodilo of Limoges, Ralph helped found the Monastery of Beaulieu. His family provided the land for the foundation and he, himiself, Consecrated the new community under the Benedictine rule in 860. He granted the Monks the right of free election of their Abbot and pronounced excommunication on any governing authority, who molested them in the future. He even procured royal protection for them. Ralph also helped found the Convent at Cahors, where his sister, Immena, was installed as the first Abbess.
Ralph died at Bourges on 21 June 866 and was buried in the Basilica of Saint Ursinus, see below.
St Agofredus of La-Croix
St Alban of Mainz
St Apollinaris of Africa
Bl Colagia
St Corbmac
St Cyriacus of Africa
St Demetria of Rome
St Dominic of Comacchio
St Engelmund
Bl Jacques-Morelle Dupas
St John Rigby
St José Isabel Flores Varela
Bl Juan of Jesus
St Lazarus
St Leutfridus
St Martia of Syracuse
St Martin of Tongres
Bl Melchiorre della Pace
St Mewan of Bretagne
Bl Nicholas Plutzer St Ralph of Bourges (Died 866)
St Raymond of Barbastro
St Rufinus of Syracuse
St Suibhne the Sage
St Terence
St Ursicenus of Pavia
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Martyrs of Taw – 3+ saints: Three Christians of different backgrounds who were martyred together – Moses, Paphnutius, Thomas. They were beheaded in Taw, Egypt, date unknown.
Thought for the Day – 20 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed”
‘A Jewish girl, poor in this world’s goods but rich in virtue, arrived after a long and difficult journey at a village in the hills of Judea, called Hebron. There, she paid a visit to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth saw the girl, she was immediately enlightened by the Holy Spirit with the knowledge, that her visitor, was the Mother of God. “How have I deserved,” she cried out, “that the mother of my Lord, should come to me?” (Lk 1:43). At these words, Mary looked up towards Heaven and gave spontaneous expression to a hymn of humble acknowledgement to God, Who had “regarded the lowliness of His Handmaid” (Lk 1:48). Then she made a solemn prophecy, which would surely have assured the cynical intellectuals and nobles of the land but, which history has wonderfully fulfilled. “Behold” she said, “all generations shall call me blessed” (ibid). We can testify today, that this miracle came to pass. All the nations have paid reverence to the Jewish girl, who became the Mother of God and our Mother, the Queen of Heaven and earth, the comforter of the afflicted, the conqueror of Satan and the invincible Guardian of the Church. From the engravings in the Catacombs, to the celestial Madonnas of the Angelico, from the rudimentary sculpture of Roman art, to the prayerful statues on the pinnacles of more modern Cathedrals, the image of Mary has shone as a beacon of hope for all generations. Men bow before her and ask for light, for comfort and for pardon. “If anyone follows Mary,” says St Bernard, “he will not lose his way; if anyone pray to her, he will not despair; if anyone thinks of her, he will not sin; if anyone reaches out to her, he will not fall; if anyone places himself under her protection, he need have no fear; if anyone places himself under her leadership, he will never give up; if anyone pays homage to her, he is certain reach his destination safely”(Homil Missus est 2:17).”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
“I want My Church to…put the devotion to this Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart.”
Jesus to Lúcia of Fatima
“Look, my Daughter,” Our Lady said to Lúcia on 10 December 1925, “at my heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce me. “
Our Lady assured Lúcia: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” Thus, if we devote ourselves to her Immaculate Heart, Mary will lead us to her Son, Jesus Christ and we will be on the way to Heaven.
Our Lady of Fatima
“This Virgin Mother of the Only begotten of God is called Mary, worthy of God, Immaculate of the Immaculate, one of the one.”
Origen (c 185-253)
“Do you not know, that not only is Jesus, resting and dwelling continually in the Heart of Mary but that He is, Himself the Heart of Mary … “
St John Eudes
Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts
“If you put all the love, of all the mothers into one heart, it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children.”
St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
“…Let us continue Immaculate Mary’s mission. All is included in it. May [we].. follow her example and be the handmaid of the Lord in everything, everywhere and always.”
One Minute Reflection – 20 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Readings: Isaiah 61:9-11, Responsorial psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8, Luke 2:41-51
“He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” … Luke 2:51
REFLECTION – “Consider the most prudent woman Mary, mother of true Wisdom, as the pupil of her Son. For she learned from Him, not as from a child or man but as from God. Yes, she dwelt in meditation on His words and actions. Nothing of what was said or done by Him fell idly on her mind. As before, when she conceived the Word itself in her womb, so now, does she hold within her, His ways and words, cherishing them as it were, in her heart. That which she now beholds in the present, she waits to have revealed with greater clarity in the future. This practice she followed as a rule and law through all her life.” … St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church – Exposition of the Gospel of Luke
PRAYER – Lord open our hearts to Your grace. As You brought joy to the world through the incarnation of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, grant that through the prayer of the Immaculate Heart of His Ever-Virgin Mother, our hearts too may grow in virtue and love by learning to reflect constantly on His commandments and counsels. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 20 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Heart of Love, Heart of Mercy Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Most Blessed Mother,
heart of love, heart of mercy,
ever listening, caring, consoling,
hear our prayer.
As your children,
we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son.
Receive with understanding and compassion
the petitions we place before you today,
especially those so deep in our heart.
We are comforted in knowing
your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer.
We trust to your gentle care and intercession,
those whom we love
and who are sick or lonely or hurting.
Help all of us, Holy Mother,
to bear our burdens in this life,
until we may share eternal life
and peace with God forever.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 20 June – Saint John of Matera (c 1070-1139) Monk, Abbot, Mystic, renowned Preacher, miracle-worker, gifted with bilocation – born in c 1070 at Matera, Basilicata region, Italy and died in 1139 at Pulsano, Italy of natural causes. Also known as John of Pulsano, Giovanni di Matera, Giovanni Scalcione. St John is often portrayed as an abbot driving the devil away with a rod.
St John was born around the year 1070 in Matera, in the region of the Basilicata in Italy, to a noble family. He left everything behind, while still a young man and embraced the monastic life in the Monastery of St William of Vercelli OSB (1085-1142) – His life here: https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/25/saint-of-the-day-25-june-st-william-of-vercelli/
He made many enemies by his upright life and was eventually imprisoned. He was rescued from prison by Grimoald, Prince of Bari, who ordered him to give an account of his theology to prove his orthodoxy. He preached under Grimoald in Bari.
Subsequently he founded the Abbey of Pulsano after the invitation of Our Lady and Saint Michael the Archangel who had both appeared to him.
Around him were gathered monks and hermits who gave life to the “Pulsanesi,” inspired by the rule of Saint Benedict.
His life was marked by numerous angelic visions but also by ferocious attacks from the devil. Here are three citations taken from his hagiography in which the Saint guards his followers from attacks of the devil:
“A young man, to attract a young woman, sold his soul to the devil but, having become tepid, he regretted it. The demon, eager for that soul, cast him into a ravine, where a venerable monk appeared to the poor thing, admonished him and advised him to go to Pulsano to get salutary advice. Saved by a miracle from the precipice, he went there and was amazed to recognise in our Abbot, the Monk who had appeared to him down in the ravine. He took off his garments and clothed himself with a habit and lived in the Order humbly and holy and died in that way.”
And another: “Sabino, devoted to him and already very much a close friend of his, was at the end of his life. The monks around his bed were in tears waiting for his death, when he was enraptured in ecstasy. Upon returning, he recounted that it seemed to him that he was dead and was caught by two horrible devils that wanted to drag him into hell. At that point Saint John Matera appeared and with a haughty scowl he attempted to snatch away their prey. They attacked and flung themselves on him the Saint with a resolute air confronted them, the demons, given their arrogance, tried to show, while thumbing through their wicked book, that the monk deserved eternal punishment. The Priest, upon the revelation of the failings committed by him, was left perplexed. Then there appeared the Holy Virgin who noticed the servant of God, chased away the demons, liberated the
wretched man and disappeared. The Priest, meanwhile, warned the friar to admonish his two companions to repent of their sins, if they did not want to come to a bad end. Of the two, one confessed humbly all his guilt and was preserved in goodness, the other rejected and finished badly.”
On another occasion he freed his fellow friars from a diabolical infestation:
“In the forest the monks were working to knock down and square off some tree trunks; the Father was not with them. A group of soldiers appeared who threw themselves upon them. But they were not soldiers but demons. All of sudden they backed off, since Saint John Matera rushed to their aid. Imagine how they surrounded him. But the sweet Father, comforting them with gentle cautions, disappeared. The monks were astounded. One of them returned to the Monastery the next day to tell what had happened. The man of God with his arms raised thanked the Lord and reaffirmed that it was not for his merits but for the merits of their obedience that the Lord performed such a miracle.”
St John died in Foggia in 1139. He was buried in a niche in a cave in the Church at Saint Mary of Pulsano Abbey. In 1830 his relics were translated to Matera Cathedral and then in 1939 were enshrined in a new sarcophagus. St John was Canonised in 1177 by Pope Alexander III.
St Bagne of Thérouanne
St Edburga of Caistor
St Gemma of Saintonge
St Goban of Picardie
St Helen of Öehren St John of Matera (c 1070-1139)
St Macarius of Petra
Bl Margareta Ebner
St Methodius of Olympus
Bl Michelina of Pesaro
St Novatus of Rome St Pope Silverius (Died 538) Martyr Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/20/saint-of-the-day-20-june-st-pope-silverius-died-538-martyr/
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Irish Martyrs – 17 beati – This is the collective title given to the 260 or more persons who are credited with dying for the faith in Ireland between 1537 and 1714. Seventeen of them were beatified together on 27 September 1992 by St Pope John Paul II.
• Blessed Conn O’Rourke• Blessed Conor O’Devany• Blessed Dermot O’Hurley• Blessed Dominic Collins• Blessed Edward Cheevers• Blessed Francis Taylor• Blessed George Halley• Blessed John Kearney• Blessed Matthew Lambert• Blessed Maurice Eustace• Blessed Patrick Cavanagh• Blessed Patrick O’Healy• Blessed Patrick O’Loughran• Blessed Peter Higgins• Blessed Robert Meyler• Blessed Terrence Albert O’Brien• Blessed William Tirry
Martyrs of Lower Moesia:
Martyred on the Black Sea at Lower Moesia (in modern Bulgaria), date unknown.
St Cyriacus
St Paul
Martyred in Nagasaki: 9 Beati : burned alive on 20 June 1626 in Nagasaki, Japan. Their ashes were thrown into the sea and no relics remain. They were Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
• Blessed Baltasar de Torres Arias
• Blessed Francisco Pacheco
• Blessed Gaspar Sadamatsu
• Blessed Giovanni Battista Zola
• Blessed Ioannes Kisaku
• Blessed Michaël Tozo
• Blessed Paulus Shinsuke
• Blessed Petrus Rinsei
• Blessed Vincentius Kaun
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – 19 June
May we all be abundantly Blessed today by the Sacred and Loving Heart of Jesus May we all grow closer and closer to the Sacred Heart, the source of all Love!
A little (actually, a lot! – please take the time to read it) of the History of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart
By Giovanni Gasparro
In the 13th century, the Franciscan Doctor of the Church (1217-1274) – “The Seraphic Doctor,” St Bonaventure’s work “With You is the Source of Life” (which is the reading for the Divine Office on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart) began to point to the heart as the fountain from which God’s love poured into our lives:
“Take thought now, redeemed man and consider how great and worthy is He who hangs on the cross for you. His death brings the dead to life but at His passing, heaven and earth are plunged into mourning and hard rocks are split asunder. It was a divine decree that permitted one of the soldiers to open His sacred side with a lance. This was done so that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as He slept the sleep of death on the cross and so that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘They shall look on him whom they pierced.’ The blood and water, which poured out at that moment, were the price of our salvation. Flowing from the secret abyss of our Lord’s Heart as from a fountain, this stream, gave the Sacraments of the Church, the power to confer the life of grace, while for those already living in Christ, it became a spring of living water welling up to life everlasting.”
The Devotion Spreads Slowly
At the end of the 13th century, St Gertrude the Great, on the feast of St John the Evangelist, had a vision in which she was allowed to rest her head near the wound in the Saviour’s side. She heard the beating of the Divine Heart and asked John if, on the night of the Last Supper, he too had felt this beating heart, why then had he never spoken of the fact. John replied that this revelation had been reserved for subsequent ages when the world, having grown cold, would have need to rekindle its love.
St Gertrude the Great
From that time until the time of St John Eudes Orat. (1501-1680), the devotion continued to spread, primarily as a private devotion but one that was increasingly wide-spread. Many religious orders prayed the devotion – the Franciscans, the Jesuits, the Carmelites of Spain and the Benedictines.
Let us now consider the key ideas which motivated St John Eudes in his great love for the Sacred Heart, so that by understanding them “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that being rooted and grounded in love, you may have the power with all the saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God “(Eph 3, 17-19). Two interrelated thoughts overwhelmed St John Eudes, first:
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus, whether considered in His Divinity or in His humanity, is more ardently enkindled with love for His Father, loving Him infinitely more at any given moment, than all the hearts of angels and saints can love Him throughout all eternity.”
The second thought which rejoiced the heart of St John Eudes expands on the first:
[Jesus, the Son of God] “willed to be our Head and chose us as His members. He has associated us with Himself in His ineffable love [for the Father]. He has given us, as a result, the power to love the Father with the [very] same love with which He loves [the Father], with a love eternal, boundless and infinite.”
St John Eudes with the Sacred Heart of Jesus
St John Eudes discerned eight different flames of love, which issue from our Lord’s Heart in the Tabernacle, which are freely adapted here to our present needs (definitely a post soon). St Pope Pius X declared him, the Father, Doctor and Apostle of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Devotion Renewed: St Marguerite Marie Alacoque VHM (1647-1690)
In the late 17th century the devotion was renewed and adopted elsewhere, especially following the revelations to St Marguerite Marie Alacoque. The saint, a cloistered nun of the Visitation Order, received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on 27 December 1673 and the final one 18 months later. The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic adoration during a “Holy hour” on Thursdays and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
Initially discouraged in her efforts to follow the instruction she had received in her visions, Alacoque was eventually able to convince her superior of the authenticity of her visions. She was unable, however, to convince a group of theologians of the validity of her apparitions, nor was she any more successful with many of the members of her own community. She eventually received the support of St Claude de la Colombière SJ (1641-1682), the community’s confessor, who declared that the visions were genuine. Alacoque’s short devotional writing, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), was published posthumously in 1698. Here is an excerpt:
Saints of the Sacred Heart – St Joseph Benedict Labre, St Maria Goretti, St Dominic Savio, St Claude de la Colombiere, St John Eudes
“And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him, all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which His heart is the source.”
The devotion was fostered by the Jesuits and Franciscans but it was not until the 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor by Pope Pius XI that the Church validated the credibility of Alacoque’s visions of Jesus Christ in having “promised her [Alacoque] that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces.”
The World Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Maria Droste zu Vischering, was a German noble women, who at the age of 25 joined the congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, in Munster. She was given the name, BlSr Mary of the Divine Heart. In 1894, at the age of 31, she was transferred to Portugal and appointed superior of Oporto, Portugal. While there, she reported some messages from Jesus Christ in which she was asked to contact the Holy Father, requesting the consecration of the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On 10 June 1898, her Confessor at the Good Shepherd monastery wrote to Pope Leo XIII stating that Sister Mary of the Divine Heart had received a message from Christ, requesting the Holy Father to consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart. The Pope initially did not believe her and took no action. However, on 6 January 1899 she wrote another letter, asking that in addition to the consecration, the first Fridays of the month be observed in honour of the Sacred Heart. In the letter she also referred to the recent illness of the Pope and stated that Christ, had assured her, that Pope Leo XIII would live until he had performed the consecration to the Sacred Heart.
Bl Mary of the Divine Heart and St Margaret Mary Alacoque
Pope Leo XIII commissioned an inquiry on the basis of her revelation and Church tradition. In his 1899 encyclical letter Annum Sacrum, Leo XIII decreed that the Consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on 11 June 1899. Here is the consecration Pope Leo composed for the consecration:
“Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thine altar. We are Thine and Thine we wish to be but to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us, freely consecrates himself today, to Thy most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never known Thee, many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only, of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee but also, of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee, grant that they may quickly return to Thy Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof and call them back to the harbour of truth and unity of faith, so that there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism and refuse not to draw them into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of the race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Saviour, may it now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.
Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm, give peace and order to all nations and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: ‘Praise be to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation, to it be glory and honour forever.’” Amen
By Giovanni Gasparro – detail
The 100th Anniversary of the Feast of the Sacred Heart
In a landmark encyclical, Haurietis aquas (“You will draw waters”– written 15 May 1956) Venerable Pope Pius XII began his reflection by drawing from Isaiah 12:3, a verse which alludes to the abundance of the supernatural graces which flow from the heart of Christ. Haurietis aquas called the whole Church, to recognise the Sacred Heart as an important dimension of Christian spirituality. Pope Pius XII gave two reasons why the Church gives the highest form of worship to the Heart of Jesus. The first rests on the principle whereby the believers recognise that Jesus’ Heart is hypostatically united to the “Person of the Incarnate Son of God Himself.” The second reason is derived from the fact, that the Heart, is the natural sign and symbol of Jesus’ boundless love for humans . The encyclical recalls that for human souls the wound in Christ’s side and the marks left by the nails have been “the chief sign and symbol of that love” that ever more incisively shaped their life from within.
In a letter on 15 May 2006 Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “By encouraging devotion to the Heart of Jesus, the Encyclical Haurietis aquas exhorted believers to open themselves to the mystery of God and of His love and to allow themselves to be transformed by it. After 50 years, it is still a fitting task for Christians to continue to deepen their relationship with the Heart of Jesus, in such a way, as to revive their faith in the saving love of God and to welcome Him ever better into their lives.”
As the encyclical states, from this source, the heart of Jesus, originates the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and a deeper experience of His love. Thus, according to Pope Benedict XVI, we will be able to understand better what it means to know God’s love in Jesus Christ, to experience Him, keeping our gaze fixed on Him to the point that we live entirely on the experience of His love, so that we can subsequently witness to it to others.
Sadly, today, The League of the Sacred Heart founded in Ireland in the year of grace 1873, has fallen into obscurity, though, I know that in certain countries across the world, it is being revived. Below is a 14 minute video explaining the resuscitation of the League and the institution in America. The League however, still exists in a few isolated countries and we NEED, in these awful times, to revive it, wherever we are.
A great usurpation has taken place in the Church by the Divine Mercy Devotion – I know there are devotees of this latter Devotion on the site but if you would wish to educate yourself further in this regard, please go to the Youtube Channel – Ascent of Mount Carmel, where you will find lots of research on this subject. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcOObC8wjuxJjx6rBSiKo2A/videos
The Sacred Heart is knocking at the door of our heart. Will we open the door for Him? Will we make a commitment in devotion to serve Him with greater zeal and fidelity? Will we let Him in? The choice is now ours. Those who want to grow, know where the Sacred Heart is waiting for the response of their love and they know how to imitate His love in their daily life. Let us resume all that has been said with a final thought from St John Eudes: “The Son of God gives us His Heart not only to be the model and rule of our life but also to be our heart, so that by the gift of this Heart, immense, infinite and eternal, we may fulfil all our duties to God in a manner worthy of His infinite perfections. [Thus] we have received from our Divine Saviour, the gift of His adorable Heart, which is the perfect means of fulfilling all our duties. We should employ the Sacred Heart as if it were our own heart, to adore God fittingly, to love Him perfectly, and to satisfy all our obligations adequately so that our homage and love may be worthy of His supreme majesty. Eternal and infinite thanks be rendered to Thee, O Good Jesus, for the infinitely precious gift of Thy divine Heart. May all the angels, saints and all creatures bless Thee forever!
Let us Pray: Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayers to the Sacred Heart – The League of the Sacred Heart 1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by our ingratitude and pierced by our sins, yet loving us still, accept the Consecration we make to Thee, of all that we are and all that we have. Take every faculty of our souls and bodies, only day by day draw us, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as we shall hear the lesson, teach us Thy Holy Way. Amen
Thought for the Day – 19 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Learn From Me, For I Am Meek and Humble of Heart”
“It is very easy to be gentle and humble when everything is going well for us.
It is difficult, however, when we meet humiliation, misunderstanding or opposition.
We need to be well advanced in perfection, if we are to have mildness and humility of heart, like that of Jesus.
We can only reach this state of perfection by prayer, sacrifice and character formation.
Pride, self-love and the desire to excel, are the evil effects of our corrupted nature.
St Francis de Sales jestingly remarked that self-love dies three days after us.
It is difficult to remove it completely from our character and to put, in it’s place, the love of God and of our neighbour but, this operation is necessary, if we are to obtain Christ-like humility and gentleness of heart.
God, not our own ego, should be the centre of our lives, He should be the focal point of all our thinking.
Let us beseech God for this grace and try and behave in this fashion on all occasions.
When we encounter lack of sympathy, coldness or injustice on the part of our fellowmen, we should try and avoid becoming annoyed or discourage.
The testimony of a sound conscience before God, is all that should concern us.
We should offer everything else to God, whether it is joy or sorrow, praise or criticism.
We shall be rewarded with peace of soul.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine!”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests and the Memorial of Bl Maria Rosa Flesch FSMA (1826-1906)
“We, Christians, are the true Israel which springs from Christ, for we are carved out of His Heart, as from a Rock!”
St Justin Martyr (100-165)
Father of the Church and Martyr
Looking forward to never-ending communion, St Gertrude ended her earthly life on 17 November 1301 or 1302, at the age of about 46. In the seventh Exercise, that of preparation for death, St Gertrude wrote:
“O Jesus, You who are immensely dear to me, be with me always, so that my heart may stay with You and that Your love may endure with me, with no possibility of division and bless my passing, so that my spirit, freed from the bonds of the flesh, may immediately find rest in you. Amen”
St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
“If the Jewish High priest carried the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on his shoulders and on his breast, how much more Christ, our High Priest, carries our names written on His Heart”
St John of Avila (1500-1569)
Doctor of the Church
“Do everything out of love for God, for God, with God, to get to God.”
Bl Maria Rosa Flesch FSMA (1826-1906)
“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”
St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)
Patron of Priests
“Ah! Beside You I am not afraid of anything! I snuggle up against You and, like the lost sheep, hear the beating of Your Heart. Jesus, yet again I am Yours, Yours forever. With You, I am truly great, without You, nothing but a weak reed. Upheld by You, I am a pillar!”
One Minute Reflection – 19 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, Gospel: Luke 15:3–7, Readings: Deuteronomy 7:6-11, Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 10, 1 John 4:7-16, Matthew 11:25-30
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” … Matthew 11:29-30
REFLECTION – “Now, O love, my King and my God, now, O Jesus my dear one, receive me into the most gracious care of Your Divine Heart. There, there, so that I may live entirely for You, fasten me to Your love. Now release me into the great ocean of Your mercy’s abyss – there, there, commit me to the bowels of Your overflowing kindness. Ah! Now cast me into the voracious flame of Your living love. There, there, transmit me into You until my soul and spirit are reduced to ashes in the conflagration. And at the hour of my passing away, commit me to the providence of Your fatherly charity.
There, there, O my sweet Saviour, console me with the sight of Your gentle presence. There, by the taste of Your dear ransom with which You have redeemed me, recreate me. There, with the loving voice of Your incomparable love, call me to You. There, there, receive me in the embrace of Your infinitely merciful forgiveness. There, by the exquisite scent of the breath of Your Spirit’s sweetness, draw me to You, draw me in and draw me. There, in the kiss of perfect union of Your fruition, immerse me forever. And grant me then to see You, to have You, to enjoy You eternally in the greatest happiness, for my soul has yearns for You, O Jesus, dearest of all dear ones. Amen.” … St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302) Exercises IV, §400-419
PRAYER – Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
fountain of eternal life,
Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love.
You are my refuge and my sanctuary.
O my adorable and loving Saviour,
consume my heart with the burning fire
with which Yours is aflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces
which flow from Your love.
Let my heart be united with Yours.
Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things.
May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 June – The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Beads of the Sacred Heart By The League of the Sacred Heart Published in 1929 (Ireland)
The ordinary Rosary Beads may be used.
On the Crucifix:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water flowing from the side of Christ, purify me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus hear me!
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Never permit me to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me;
At the hour of death, call me
ad cause me to come to Thee.
Where, with the Saints and Angels
I may praise Thee for everlasting ages.
Amen.
On the Large Beads:
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
make my heart like unto Thine.
On the Small Beads:
Sweet Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
At the end of each Ten:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, be Thou our salvation.
Conclude with:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be everywhere loved.
Closing prayer – let us Pray:
We beseech Thee, Lord,
may Thy Holy Spirit,
set us on fire with that love
which our Lord Jesus Christ
cast out of the depths of His Heart into the world
and greatly wished should be enkindled.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 19 June – Blessed Maria Rosa/Margaretha Flesch FSMA (1826-1906) (commonly known as Mother Rosa), Religious Sister and Founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels, Apostle of the sick, the poor, orphans, spiritual writer, Nurse and Teacher. Margaretha assumed the new religious name of “Maria Rosa” after she made her profession into her own order and was its first Mother Superior and of which Order, she is the Patron. Her feast is today, 19 June – the date of her solemn profession – rather than the date of her death.
Mother Maria Rosa painted by her friend Oktavie de Lasalle von Louisenthal
Margaretha Flesch was born to a poor oil-seed miller on 24 February 1826, in Schönstatt, near Koblenz, in Germany. She was the oldest of seven. When her mother died in 1832 the family moved to Niederbreitbach, in the hope of improving their financial situation. Margaretha’s father died when she was 16, leaving she and her stepmother to care for her siblings. Since no social services for the poor existed then, the family was left to fend for itself.
Margaretha worked as a day labourer, gathered and sold herbs and was skilled in handicrafts. The needs of the people, especially orphans and the sick were one of her major concerns, motivated as she was by strong faith in God she felt called to serve the poor, the sick and the helpless.
In Autumn 1851, Margaretha and her sister Marianne moved into the small quarters at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Waldbreitbach. They lived parsimoniously, trusting God for their daily sustenance while serving the poor and sick of the community. In addition to working as a day labourer, Margaretha took in orphans and taught home economics in some of the nearby schools.
In 1856, Margaretha was joined by two women who also felt called to serve the poor and sick. In 1860, the local pastor invited them and the orphans to move to premises in Hausen.
These premises proved totally uninhabitable. In the Spring of 1861 they were at last able to begin building their first house on Waldbreitbach Chapel Mountain. It was to be their residence and a home where they could care for the sick. On 11 November 1861, they moved into their first “St Mary’s Home.” Her great devotion to Francis of Assisi since her childhood was instrumental in her founding her own Franciscan-branched order on 13 March 1863. During this time, Mother Rosa also built an orphanage and a hospital.
Waldbreitbach Motherhouse and Chapel
On 13 March 1863, with two other women, Margaretha professed the Evangelical Councils, publicly, in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. She took the name of Maria Rosa. She was known henceforth as Mother Rosa, the first Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels.
Her Congregation increased rapidly. By 1878 there were 105 Sisters serving in 22 mission homes. It was also in that year, that she ended her term as Superior General. The Congregation thrived and when Mother Rosa died on 25 March 1908 there were 900 Sisters and 72 mission houses serving the sick and the poor, now spread as far as the Americas and in many countries of Europe.
Mother Rosa died on 25 March 1906. Her order received the decree of praise of Pope Pius X on 12 December 1912 – after her death – and later received the full papal approval of Pope Pius XI on 30 April 1928.
“It is through service to others, lovingly given,” Mother Rosa said, “that we reach a special fulfilment and union with our Lord.”
In 1957, the cause for her Beatification was introduced in Rome. … Vatican.va
Statue of Blessed Maria Rosa In Trier Cathedral
The decree on her writings was approved on 21 November 1980 and was placed under the care of theologians so that the latter, could investigate her written works, in order to ensure that each of them adhered to Church doctrine and did not contradict or oppose it. Following this the diocesan process received ratification from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1999. The miracle needed for her Beatification was investigated from 1998 until 1999 in Trier and involved the healing of Monica Schneider in the evenings of 5 and 6 September 1986. The C.C.S. approved the process of completing its work in 2001 and took possession of the boxes of documents for their own evaluation. It did not receive the approval of the Pontiff until 2007. Cardinal Joachim Meisner presided over the Beatification on 4 May 2008 on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.
Beatification Mass
The current Postulator assigned to the cause is the Franciscan Giovangiuseppe Califano.
St Lambert of Saragossa
St Lupo of Bergamo Blessed Maria Rosa/Margaretha Flesch FSMA (1826-1906)
St Modeste Andlauer
St Nazario of Koper
Bl Odo of Cambrai
St Protase
St Rémi Isoré
Bl Sebastian Newdigate
Bl Thomas Woodhouse
Bl William Exmew
St Zosimus of Umbria
Novena in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Day Nine – 18 June
Thank You, Jesus!
Today’s Scripture
Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ … Luke 17: 17-18
Reflection for the Ninth Day
Did you know that in the Old Testament the word ‘praise’ has only one object – God!
In the psalms, to praise is to live, not praising is the same as not living, not living the life which is God’s gift, to be returned in praise.
A Jewish rabbi has written, ‘It is difficult to feel depressed when you remember fairly constantly, that life is a gift. Faith teaches us to make a blessing over life. Making a blessing over life, is the best way of turning life into a blessing.’
Today’s Prayer
I want to say ‘thank You, Jesus’
for these nine days of prayer,
of talking and listening to You, more closely than usual.
Thank You, especially for all the things in my life
that I take for granted everyday,
forgetting, that they are pure gifts.
Most of all, I thank You for the gift of faith
and for making me one of Your own sheep,
within the folds of Your Church,
our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church.
Daily Invocation Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Novena Prayer
Lord Jesus,
the needs of Your people open Your heart in love for each of us.
You care for us when we are lost,
sympathise with us in loneliness
and comfort us in mourning;
You are closest to us where we are weakest.
You love us most, when we love ourselves least;
You forgive us most, when we forgive ourselves least
and You call us to spread Your love, in whatever way we can.
Lord Jesus, Your heart is moved with compassion
when we are suffering,
when we need Your help
and when we pray for each other.
I ask You to listen to my prayer during this Novena
and grant what I ask.
…………………………. (Mention your intention silently.)
If what I ask, is not for my own good and the good of others,
grant me what is best,
that I may build up Your kingdom of love in our world.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 18 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Belonging Entirely to God
“Willing or unwilling, we belong entirely to God.
God created us from nothing and all that we have is His – soul and body, material and spiritual gifts and the world in which we live.
God has given us everything and, at any moment, He can take away the life which He gave us.
It is useless, indeed senseless, to rebel against Him, or to try and release ourselves from His absolute dominion.
Admittedly, He has given us free will and we can disobey and offend him but, even if we do so, we still belong completely to God and He has absolute power over us.
He has created us for Himself alone, for He is the final goal of all things.
We can never escape from His authority.
Do we rebel and hurl towards God, the cry of Satan: “I will not serve?”
Even if we do, whether we are in sin, or in the depths of hell, we still belong to Him.
We shall have to bear eternal witness to His infinite love and mercy, as well as, to His infinite justice.
We have been created for God’s glory and God is glorified, both in His goodness and in His justice.
We should meditate deeply, on this tremendous concept.
How much better it is for us to belong wholly to God in love and in obedience, than in the chastisement of His justice.
How much better it is, to obey and serve Him as our Sovereign Lord, to honour Him, as our Father and to love Him, as the Spouse of our souls.
All our thoughts and desires should, therefore, be directed to Him and all our plans and actions, should be offered to Him.
If we are attached to worldly possessions and persons, if we are vain and ambitious and, if we yield to our passionate inclinations, our hearts do not belong completely to God.
We are guilty of theft, if we do not offer our hearts entirely to God because, they are entirely His!
Moreover, we do ourselves a grave injury because, we can find nothing but disillusionment in the love of creatures and in the satisfaction of our senses.
God alone, can fully satisfy our hearts, which were made for Him alone.”
AnaStpaul 
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