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.”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 June – Thursday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Sirach 48:1-14 (1-15), Psalm 97:1-7, Matthew 6:7-15
“Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen”
Jesus
Matthew 6:9-13
“So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us. To ask the Father in words His Son has given us, to let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer. Let the Father recognise the words of His Son. Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips. We have Him as an Advocate for sinners, before the Father, when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins, let us use the words given by our Advocate. He tells us – Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you. What more effective prayer could we then make, in the name of Christ, than in the words of His own prayer?”
“As the Lord’s Prayer continues, we ask: Give us this day our daily bread. We can understand this petition in a spiritual and in a literal sense. For in the divine plan both senses may help toward our salvation. For Christ is the Bread of Life; this Bread does not belong to everyone but is ours alone. When we say, our Father, we understand that he is the Father of those who know Him and believe in Him. In the same way, we speak of our daily bread, because Christ is the Bread of those who touch His body.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr
An excerpt from his “On the Lord’s Prayer”
“For the author and giver of divine blessings could not but be our teacher as well, providing the words of this prayer, as precepts of life, for those disciples who believe in Him and follow the way He taught in the flesh. Through these words, He has revealed the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) that exist in Him as pure form. And, in all who offer this prayer, He kindles the desire to enjoy such treasures.”
St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662)
Monk and Theologian
Interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer
“You see, my children, the Christian’s treasure is not on earth, it is in heaven (Mt 6:20). So our thinking must go to where our treasure is. The human person has a beautiful task, to pray and to love. You pray, you love – that is the human being’s happiness on earth.”
“Prayer is nothing other than union with God. … This union of God with his little creature is something beautiful. It is a happiness that we cannot understand. We had deserved not to pray but God, in His goodness, allows us to speak to Him. Our prayer is incense, which He receives with tremendous pleasure.”
St John-Marie Vianney (1786-1859)
Catechism on Prayer]
“Father, hallowed be thy name.”
Luke 11:2
“I have an instinct within me, which leads me to rise and go to my Father, to name the Name of His well-beloved Son and having named it, to place myself, unreservedly in His hands, saying “if Thou, Lord, will mark iniquity, Lord, who shall stand it? For with Thee, there is merciful forgiveness.”
St John Henry Newman
(1801-1890)
To My Father
“God sees us always, for He is everywhere. …He sees clearly, everything which we think, desire or do, even our most secret hidden actions. Do we perfectly grasp this tremendous truth? Are we aware of it, at every moment of our lives and do we make it the guide for our conduct? If we were to live continually in the Presence of God, our lives would be angelic, rather than human, for we would not allow ourselves to commit even the slightest sin, nor to be guilty of the least thought, word or action, which might offend Him. The more we fail in our awareness of the Presence of God, the more disordered our actions become.”
One Minute Reflection – 18 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Thursday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Sirach 48:1-14 (1-15), Psalm 97:1-7, Matthew 6:7-15
“Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Praythenlikethis: Our Father … “ … Matthew 6:8-9
REFLECTION – “Engrave, pious soul, engrave this teaching deeply into your soul common to all masters of the spiritual life – after your infidelities you must turn back to God at once, even if you should fall a hundred times a day and, when you have done this, immediately set yourself at peace again. … Between friends who love each other deeply, it is not uncommon, that a ruffled relationship is healed by humble apologies, which seals their friendship once more. Act in such a way, that it is the same between yourself and God – use your faults to make your bond of love with Him even tighter.
It may happen to you, to be at a loss before a decision to be made, or advice to be given. Here, too, don’t be afraid and do not neglect to act together with God as the faithful do amongst themselves. In every event they consult among themselves – you, consult God, pray to Him to suggest the solution to you that will be most pleasing to Him, “Lord, set on my lips the word I am to speak and in my heart, the resolution to take!” (Jdt 9:18 Vg.) Suggest to me what I have to do or answer and I shall do it. “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10).
Again, give God the testimony of friendly trust by discussing with Him, not just about your personal affairs but also about those of your neighbour. What pleasure you give to His heart if, sometimes even going so far as to forget your own worries, you call to His mind the interests of His glory and the misfortunes of others! … “O God, so worthy of all love, make yourself known and loved. May your kingdom be adored and blessed by all, may your love reign in every heart!”
Let us conclude. If you wish to charm the loving Heart of your God, set yourself to talk to Him as often as you can and, after a fashion, continually, together with the fullest and most confident liberty. He will not hold aloof from answering you and participating in the conversation on His part.” … St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor – What should one converse about with God?
PRAYER – Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 18 June – Thursday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A
Be the Heart of My Heart By St John Eudes (1501-1680) Apostle of the Sacred Heart
O Heart all lovable
and all loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen
St John Eudes is the author of the Proper for the Mass and Divine Office of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin. St John was an ardent proponent of the Sacred Heart and dedicated himself to it’s promotion and celebration. The Masses he compiled for both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were both first celebrated during his lifetime. He preached missions across France, including Paris and Versailles, while earning recognition as a popular evangelist and confessor. St John Eudes was also a prolific writer and wrote on the two Holy Hearts despite opposition from the Jansenists.
St Eudes was Canonised on 31 May 1925 and his supporters are now petitioning to have him named, a Doctor of the Church. Those of the Eudists, managing the process, collected evidence needed to support the idea and compiled it into a Positio dossier, which included the reasons for the proposal, as well as those spiritual works that would support it. This dossier was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in April 2017 for evaluation.
Saint of the Day – 18 June – Saint Elisabeth of Schönau (1129-1164) Abbess, Mystic, Ascetic, Writer, Spiritual Adivisor – born in 1126 in Bingen, Germany and died on 18 June 1164 at Bingen, Germany of natural causes.
In the mid 12th century, Elisabeth of Schönau blurred the conventional gender roles of the time, through the dissemination of her astonishing visions. Elisabeth lived during a time when women were viewed as the weaker sex, both mentally and physically. Unless a woman were to join a convent or a religious movement, she would be expected to marry and to bear children. Elisabeth of Schönau, however, was far from powerless, as her visions led her to acquire enough fame to be known far and wide. Elisabeth became, not only a local celebrity as a result of her visions but, gained popularity throughout other parts of Germany, as well as in France and England. This enabled Elisabeth to have her own voice, to be known as an individual and to be sought after in an effort to acquire heavenly advice by high order men, including Bishops and Abbots. For men of such high order to call upon Elisabeth, a mere woman, is extremely significant given the time period in which Elisabeth lived. Elisabeth’s visions, as well as her twenty-two letters to Bishops, Abbots and Abbesses, enabled her to transcend the traditional gender roles of the time by making her widely known and giving her an individual voice.
Elisabeth was born about 1129, of an obscure noble family named Hartwig. At the age of 12 she was given to the nuns for education in the St Florin double abbey founded a few years earlier. At the age of 18 she entered the women’s Congregation. She made her profession as a Benedictine in 1147. In 1157 she became Abbess of the nuns under the supervision of Abbot Hildelin.
Her hagiography describes her as given to works of piety from her youth, much afflicted with bodily and mental suffering, a zealous observer of the Rule of Saint Benedict and of the regulation of her convent and devoted to practices of mortification. In the years 1147 to 1152 Elisabeth suffered recurrent disease, anxiety and depression as a result of her strict asceticism. St Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) Doctor of the Church admonished Elisabeth in letters to be prudent in the ascetic life. St Hildegard here: https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/17/saint-of-the-day-17-september-st-hildegard-von-bingen-osb-1098-1179-doctor-of-the-church/
At Pentecost in 1152, she first had spiritual experiences of a visionary nature, which she and the nuns and monks understood as the authentic message of God. These generally occurred on Sundays and Holy Days at Mass or Divine Office or after hearing or reading the lives of Saints. Christ, the Virgin Mary, an angel, or the special Saint of the day would appear to her and instruct her; or she would see quite realistic representations of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension, or other scenes of the Old and New Testaments.
She died on 18 June 1164 at the age of only 35 and was buried in the St Florin Abbey Church. It is extremely remarkable that she was not buried in the Monastery cemetery or in the Chapel of the nuns but in a prominent place in the Abbey Church itself. This was unusual and testifies to absolute acceptance of her mystical life, writings and deep veneration. There has never been a formal Canonisation process (pre-congregation) but every year on the day after her death, that is, on 19 June her memory is celebrated in the Monastery and surrounding towns. It was not until the late 16th century that she was officially included in the list of Saints at the request of the Archbishop of Mainz and the monks of Schönau (Martyrologium Romanum).
Shrine and Altar of St Elisabeth of Schönau (with the reliquary in which Elisabeth’s skull is kept – see below) in the Monastery Church of St Florin, Kloster Schönau im Taunus.
What Elisabeth saw and heard she put down on wax tablets. Her Abbot, Hildelin, told her to relate these things to her brother Eckbert, then a cleric at Saint Cassius in Bonn, who acted as an editor. At first she hesitated fearing lest she be deceived or be looked upon as a deceiver but she obeyed. Eckbert (who became a Monk of Schönau in 1155 and eventually succeeded Hildelin as second Abbot) put everything in writing, later arranged the material at leisure and then published all under his sister’s name.
While this relationship between brother and sister allowed for Elisabeth’s wide broadcasting of her visionary experiences, it is evident that Eckbert attempted to have a degree of authority over Elisabeth. Elisabeth’s response to Eckbert’s efforts regarding certain visions is just one example of how Elisabeth’s actions blurred the conventional gender roles. The works are published in English in a Collected Works edition.
Statue of St Elisabeth on the south wall of the choir room of St Florin.
Schönau Monastery is a popular place of pilgrimage today. The Franciscan Minor Monastery is picturesquely situated in the Saale Valley in a river arch on the Franconian Saale. Steep mountain slopes flank the Monastery and the small town of Schönau.
St Abraham of Clermont
St Alena of Dilbeek
St Amandus of Bordeaux
St Arcontius of Brioude
St Athenogenes of Pontus
St Calogero of Sicily
St Calogerus of Fragalata
St Calogerus the Anchorite
St Colman mac Mici
St Cyriacus of Malaga
St Demetrius of Fragalata
St Edith of Aylesbury St Elisabeth of Schönau (1129-1164)
St Elpidius of Brioude
St Equizio of Telese
St Erasmo
St Etherius of Nicomedia
Bl Euphemia of Altenmünster
St Fortunatus the Philosopher
St Gerland of Caltagirone
St Gregory of Fragalata
St Guy of Baume
St Jerome of Vallumbrosa
St Marcellian
St Marina of Alexandria
St Marina of Bithynia
Bl Marina of Spoleto
St Marcus Bl Osanna Andreasi OP (1449-1505) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/18/saint-of-the-day-18-june-blessed-osanna-andreasi-op-1449-1505/
St Osanna of Northumberland
St Osmanna of Jouarre
St Paula of Malaga
Bl Peter Sanchez
—
Hermits of Karden: A father (Felicio) and his two sons (Simplicio and Potentino)who became pilgrim to various European holy places and then hermits at Karden (modern Treis-Karden, Germany). (Born in Aquitaine (in modern France. ) Their relics transferred to places in the Eifel region of western Germany at some point prior to 930. They were canonised on 12 August 1908 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmation).
Martyrs of Ravenna – 4 saints: A group of four Christians martyred together. We have no details but their names – Crispin, Cruciatus, Emilius and Felix. They were martyred in Ravenna, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Rome – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together . We have no details but their names – Cyriacus, Paul and Thomas. In Rome, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Tripoli – 3 saints: Three imperial Roman soldiers, at last two of them recent converts, who were imprisoned, tortured and executed for their faith. Martyrs – Hypatius, Leontius and Theodulus. They were Greek born and they died c135 at Tripoli, Phoenicia (in modern Lebanon).
Novena in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Day Eight – 17 June
Peace Be With You!
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ … Luke 24: 36-39
Reflection for the Eighth Day Peace; Look; Listen; Go! Jesus greets the apostles with that soothing word, ‘Shalom’ (Peace) – it means I wish you the fullness of well-being of mind and body and soul. He then invites them to look at His hands and side. He encourages them to listen to what the scriptures say about Him and then to go and preach the Good News, that He is Risen.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, You see my poverty
and You love me better than I can love myself.
Supply my wants according to Your mercy.
Help me to accept Your will,
without seeking to understand.
Help me to resign myself entirely
and absolutely to You
and thus, I shall have Your peace.
Amen
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 mos, 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 – 17 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Purity of Intention
“Purity of intention consists in doing the will of God in all things from the motive of pure love.
We should not be egocentric but theocentric; in other words, we should perform all our actions, not for our own satisfaction but to please God.
Since God is our final end, everything should be done for Him.
Why are we so often agitated and discontented?
It is because, we are looking for success and for the approval of men.
If we do not get these, we imagine that we have failed and have accomplished nothing.
Men judge the value of an enterprise by it’s external success and by the amount of work which went into it.
It is not so with God.
He judges the value of our actions from the sincerity of our desire to please Him ad to prove our love for Him.
This is enough for Him; success is not necessary.
If we do everything for the love of God, we shall always be content as the Saints were, whether our projects succeed or fail.
We shall have achieved our purpose, if we have pleased God.
Purity of Intention in our actions, is fundamental in the Christian life. “If thy eye be sound,” Jesus Himself tells us, “thy whole body will be full of life. But, if thy eye be evil, thy whole body will be full of darkness” (Mt 6:22) “Men see those things that appear but the Lord beholds the heart” (1 Kings 16:7).
A man who works solely for the love of God, will have great peace of soul in this life and an everlasting reward in the next.
But, if in our actions, we seek our own satisfaction or the praise of men, we shall have already received our reward on earth and cannot expect to receive it in Heaven. “They have received their reward” (Mt 6:2).
Purity of intention, inspired by the love of God, transforms even our most trivial actions and makes them pleasing to God.
Without it, we lose all merit in the sight of God.
Do you remember the Gospel incident of the poor widow who offered her last two coins in the Temple?
Others were there, offering up large sums of money but she could not have given more. “Amen, I say to you,” said Jesus, “this poor widow has put in more than all those who have been putting into the treasury” (Mk 12:41-44).”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14, Psalm 31:20, 21, 24, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of practising your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1
“Christianity is not a matter of persuading people of particular ideas but of inviting them to share in the greatness of Christ. So pray, that I may never fall into the trap, of impressing people, with clever speech but instead, I may learn, to speak with humility, desiring only to impress people with Christ Himself.”
St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107)
Father of the Church, Martyr
“Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies and the angels serve. Let us not require praise for ourselves…”
St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church
”Vainglory can find a place, not only, in the splendour and pomp of worldly wealth but even in the sordid garment of sackcloth as well. It is then all the more dangerous because it is a deception, under the pretence of service to God.”
“Do you wish to RISE? Begin by DESCENDING. You plan a tower that will pierce the CLOUDS? Lay first the foundation of HUMILITY.”
“God looks at what is within, it is there He assesses, there He examines.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Doctor of Grace
“True humility scarcely ever utters words of humility.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity
“The truly humble reject all praise for themselves and refer it all to God.”
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
“God who is infinite, all powerful, has become man, the least of men. My way is always to seek the lowest place, to be as little as my Master, to walk with Him, step-by-step as a faithful disciple. My way, is to live with my God who lived this way all His life and, who has given me, such an example, from His very birth.
Blessed Charles of Jesus de Foucauld
(1858-1916)
“I sought to hear the voice of God And climbed the topmost steeple. But God declared “Go down again – I dwell among the people.”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“The humble man receives praise, the way a clean window takes the light of the sun. The truer and more intense the light is, the less you see of the glass.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14, Psalm 31:20, 21, 24, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
“Beware of practising your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” … Matthew 6:1
REFLECTION – “Our Lord, so the early Fathers say, used to tell His disciples to be well-proved bankers, proving all things, holding fast what is of value. No coin finds acceptance commercially if the gold is below standard, underweight, of it the piece is illegally struck; nor can our actions have any value spiritually, unless they are suitable, graced with charity and have a pious motive.
Take fasting, for instance – if I fast simply for the purpose of slimming, my fasting is for debased spiritual coinage; if temperance underlies it but I am not in a state of grace, it is still deficient, for charity alone gives weight to what we do; if I do it merely out of courtesy for the company in which I find myself, it lacks the stamp of right intention. Let my fasting be based on temperance, my soul in a state of grace, my intention solely to please God, then my efforts will ring true, fit to enlarge my store of charity.
Given utmost purity of intention and a firm resolve to please God, little actions are well done. In these circumstances they lead to great holiness. Some people, in spite of eating all they can, remain only skin and bone, weak, listless, their powers of digestion are poor. Others may eat next to nothing yet be fit as fiddles, full of energy — nothing is wrong with their digestion! Some folk there are, in the same way, who do many good things, yet have little extra charity to show for it – coldness and carelessness, or instinct and inclination rather than grace or zeal, is where the blame lies. On the other hand, there are those who accomplish little but to perfect is their will, their intention, however, that their growth in charity is great. They have only a little talent but they make such careful use of what they have that the Lord rewards them for it generously.” … St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, Doctor Caritatis
PRAYER – Litany of Humility
By Servant of God Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930) – who was accustomed to recite this prayer daily after the celebration of Holy Mass.
O Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver, me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase
and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” -Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart! By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) Visionary of the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly to Thee, I unite myself to Thee, I enclose myself in Thee! Receive my call for help, O my Saviour, as a sign of my horror of all within me, contrary to Thy holy love. Let me die rather a thousand times, than consent to sin against Thee! Be my strength, O God – defend me, protect me. I am Thine and desire forever to be Thine! Amen
Saint of the Day – 17 June – St Hervé (c 521–c 556) Hermit, Abbot, Musician and singer, miracle-worker, blind from birth – also known as Erveo, Harvey, Herveus, Hervues, Hervé, Houarniaule, Huva – born in Guimiliau, Brittany, France or unknown location in Wales (sources vary) and died in c 556 to c 575 (sources vary) of natural causes. Patronages – the blind, bards, musician, invoked against eye problems and disease, invoked to cure sick horses. St Hervé, along with Saint Ives, is one of the most venerated of the Breton Saints and was considered a Saint during his lifetime and ever since.
Hervé was the son of a bard (a professional singer and story-teller) at the Court of one of Clovis’ successors, King Childebert 1. He would have been also the nephew of the Bourg-Blanc’s hermit Saint Urfold or, according to other sources, of Saint Rivoaré, the Patron Saint of Lanrivoaré. His father died while Hervé was still an infant.
His mother entrusted him to the care of his uncle, Urzel, a Monk, who had opened a school in Plouvein. Saint Hervé, like his uncle, would have lived in poverty and humility all his life. In time, Hervé was made superior of the school and small Monastery. He later moved the Monastery to Lanhorneau. St Hervé’s Hermitage itself, consisted of three elements – the ruins of a Chapel, a sacred fountain and a stone hut which would have been the cell of the saint, see below.
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Hervé died around 556 and was celebrated for his holiness, powerful preaching and love of music. He is honoured as one of the Patron Saints of the blind.
St Hervé is said to have had a special power over animals. It is related that he had a domesticated wolf as a pet. The dog guiding him having been devoured by a wolf, the hermit ordered the wild animal to take the role of his dog. One day Hervé’s wolf attacked and killed the ox that the Monks relied on to pull the plough in the fields. Hervé preached a powerful sermon and the wolf was so contrite it asked to be allowed to serve in place of the ox. For this reason, Hervé is often depicted with a wolf wearing a yoke.
He was joined by disciples and refused any Ordination or earthly honour, accepting only to be consecrated as an Exorcist. He died in 556 and was buried at Lanhouarneau, Brittany, France. Today there is a town in honour of him.
St Antidius of Besançon
Bl Arnold of Foligno
St Avitus of Perche
St Blasto of Rome
St Botolph of Ikanhoe
St Briavel of Gloucestershire
St David of Bourges
St Dignamerita of Brescia
St Diogenes of Rome
St Emily de Vialar
St Gundulphus of Bourges St Hervé (c 521–c 556)
St Himerius of Amelia
St Hypatius of Chalcedon
St Molling of Wexford
St Montanus of Gaeta
St Nectan of Hartland
Bl Paul Burali d’Arezzo
Bl Peter Gambacorta
St Phêrô Ða
Bl Philippe Papon Blessed Joseph-Marie /Pierre-Joseph Cassant OCSO (1878-1903) Biography:
St Prior
St Rambold of Ratisbon
Bl Ranieri Scaccero
St Theresa of Portugal
—
Martyrs of Apollonia – 7 saints: A group of Christians who fled to a cave near Apollonia, Macedonia to escape persecution for his faith, but were caught and executed. The names we know are – Basil, Ermia, Felix, Innocent, Isaurus, Jeremias and Peregrinus. They were beheaded at Apollonia, Macedonia.
Martyrs of Aquileia – 4 saints: Four Christian martyrs memorialised together. No details about them have survived, not even if they died together – Ciria, Maria, Musca and Valerian. c.100 in Aquileia, Italy.
Martyrs of Chalcedon – 3 saints: Three well-educated Christian men who were sent as ambassadors from King Baltan of Persia to the court of emperor Julian the Apostate to negotiate peace between the two states, and an end of Julian’s persecutions of Christians. Instead of negotiating, Julian imprisoned them, ordered them to make a sacrifice to pagan idols and when they refused, had them executed. Their names were Manuel, Sabel and Ismael. They were beheaded in 362 in Chalcedon (part of modern Istanbul, Turkey) and their bodies burned and no relics survive.
Martyrs of Fez – 4 beati: A group of Mercedarians sent to Fez, Morocco to ransom Christians imprisoned and enslaved by Muslims. For being openly Christian they were imprisoned, tortured, mutilated and executed. Martyrs – Egidio, John, Louis and Paul. They were martyred in Fez, Morocco.
Martyrs of Rome – 262 saints: A group of 262 Christians martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. In c303 in Rome, Italy. They were buried on the old Via Salaria in Rome.
Martyrs of Venafro – 3 saints: Three Christian lay people, two of them imperial Roman soldiers, who were converts to Christianity and were martyred together in the persecutions of Maximian and Diocletian – Daria, Marcian and Nicander. They were beheaded c.303 in Venafro, Italy. By 313 a basilica had been built over their graves which were re-discovered in 1930. They are patrons of Venafro, Italy.
Novena in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Day Seven – 16 June
What Strange Friends You Have, O Lord!
Today’s Scripture “But I say to you listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” … Luke 6: 27-28
Reflection for the Seventh Day
You know the old saying, ‘Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are’ ?
Well, Jesus had the strangest set of friends Levi (a hated tax-collector), Simon the Zealot (a revolutionary), women in prostitution and other ‘public sinners.’
Maybe I’m not such bad company for Jesus, after all.
Just remember, they all repented upon meeting Jesus!
Today’s Prayer
Jesus, You once said,
‘I’ve come not to call the virtuous but sinners to repentance.’
During Your apostolate, You sat and ate with sinners.
This practice of Yours gives me great hope
that Your love, will bid me welcome too!
And, You will help me to be holy!
Amen
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 mos, 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 – 16 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Steadfastness in Suffering
“We are all obliged to suffer in soul and body.
Suffering begins at birth and ends at death. “The whole life of a Christian is a cross,” (Sermon 31) says St Augustine.
For this reason, we have to develop the virtue of patience. “Let patience have it’s perfect work,” says St James, “that you may be perfect and entire” (Js 1:4).
If we are to be perfect, we must accept suffering and trials from the hands of God and offer them to Him in a spirit of harmony with His holy will.
In this way, all our actions become valuable, for they are acts of reparation and of love, which will be rewarded in Heaven.
Both our joys and our sorrows are sanctified, if we offer them to God, Who arranges everything for our own good.
The Saints longed to suffer because, they loved God and knew that suffering is the only true way in which we can prove our love.
Suffering is the best medicine for the soul, for when it is endured with patience, it purifies us and prepares us for Heaven. “If God does not punish you for our sins,” says St Augustine, “it is a sign that you are no longer counted among His sons” (De Pastoribus liber unus, c 5). “Whom the Lord loves, he chastises,” St Paul writes “and, he scourges every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:6).
Suffering is, in fact, a gift from God.
It reminds us that we have not been created for this world but for Heaven, in preparation for which, we must carry our cross with patience in the footsteps of Jesus.
No matter what we do, we must suffer.
Either we bear trials patiently and gain an increase of merit, or we rebel against them and gain no merit at all.
When we suffer, let us think of the two thieves, both of whom were tortured in the same way.
But the good thief accepted his torments with patience in reparation for his sins and was saved, while the bad thief, rebelled against his sufferings and was most probably damned forever!”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Psalm 51:3-6, 11, 16, Matthew 5:43-48
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart but you shall reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people but, you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord”
Leviticus 19:17-18
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
Matthew 5:44
“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? … And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? … So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity without which, no-one will ever see God.”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Monk and Bishop
Sermons addressed to the people, no. 23, 3
“We must show love for those who do evil to us and pray for them. Nothing is dearer or more pleasing to God than this.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373)
“… I declare to you, that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian Baptism.”
St Paul Miki SJ (1564-1597) Martyr
“All our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich and for all those who do us harm, as much as those who do us good.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom and pray for its coming, we are not thinking of a discrimination according to race or blood but of the brotherhood of all, for all men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us – in a close bond with the One, who causes the sun to rise on the good and the bad alike (Mt 5:45).”
Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr
“Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.”
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943)
“Called-up to a Higher Order”
Martyr of Conscientious Objection
One Minute Reflection – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29, Psalm 51:3-6, 11, 16, Matthew 5:43-48 and the Memorial of Bl Donizetti Tavares de Lima (1882-1961)
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” … Matthew 5:44,46
REFLECTION – “There is in the Community, a Sister who has the faculty of displeasing me in everything – in her ways, her words, her character, everything seems very disagreeable to me. And still, she is a holy religious who must be very pleasing to God. Not wishing to give into the natural antipathy I was experiencing, I told myself that charity must not consist in feelings but in works, then I set myself to doing for this Sister, what I would do for the person, whom I loved the most. Each time I met her I prayed to God for her, offering Him all her virtues and merits. I felt this was pleasing to Jesus, for there is no artist who doesn’t love to receive praise for his works and Jesus, the Artist of souls, is happy when we don’t stop at the exterior but, penetrating into the inner sanctuary where He chooses to dwell, we admire it’s beauty.
I wasn’t content simply with praying very much for this Sister, who gave me so many struggles but I took care to render her all the services possible and when I was tempted to answer her back in a disagreeable manner, I was content with giving her my most friendly smile and with changing the subject of the conversation. … Frequently, when… I had occasion to work with this Sister, I used to run away like a deserter, whenever my struggles became too violent. As she was absolutely unaware of my feelings for her, never did she suspect the motives for my conduct and she remained convinced that her character was very pleasing to me. One day, at recreation, she asked in almost these words: “Would you tell me, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, what attracts you so much toward me, every time you look at me, I see you smile?” Ah! what attracted me, was Jesus hidden in the depths of her soul, Jesus who makes sweet what is most bitter.” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully, to begin this day for Christ Your Son, in Him and with Him and to fill it, with an active love for all Your children, even those who may not like or who do us harm. Help us to love as You do, so that we may become like You. Bl Donizetti Tavares de Lima, you who spread your charity far and wide, pray for us. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year A
Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart By St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them
to His infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of You for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in heaven for all Eternity.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 16 June – Blessed Donizetti Tavares de Lima (1882-1961) Priest, Apostle of the poor, the elderly and the sick, miracle-worker, known to bilocate – born on 3 January 1881 in Cássia, Brazil and died at 11.15am on 16 June 1961 in at the parish hall in Tambaú, Brazil of natural causes,he was 80 years old.
Donizetti was born in 1882 to Minas Gerais de Tristão and Francisca Cândida Tavares de Lima. He was one of eight brothers. His father worked in law and his mother worked as a professor. In 1886, the Tavares de Limas family relocated to Franca in São Paulo, where he attended school and learned music.
In 1894 he commenced his ecclesial studies where he soon became the organist at the institute where he studied and later started to teach music to the seminarians. In 1897 he moved to a college to further his education but later returned to teach music to seminarians. In 1900 he commenced a law course and in 1903 his philosophical and theological formation in preparation for the priesthood.
He received his Ordination as a Priest on 12 July 1908 from the Bishop of Pouso Alegre. He began work in the San Gaetano Parish and then spent time in the Campinas Diocese where he served as an auxiallary Priest.
In 1909, he was appointed as the Parish Priest for the Sant’Ana Church Vargem Grande do Sul in the Ribeirão Preto Diocese, where he defended the rights of the poor. This staunch advocacy for the poor led to the rich and his other detractors to accuse him of being a communist. He also helped construct Chapels to Nossa Senhora Aparecida and to Saint Benedict of Nursia. He was stationed at the Sant’Ana church from 20 April to 8 August 1909 before being transferred again. On 24 May 1926 he was appointed as the newest Parish Priest for the Church of St Anthony in Tambaú. He arrived in the town on 12 June and was inaugurated at the parish with his first Mass there on 13 June. It was there, that he oversaw the establishment of the Saint Vincent de Paul Sanatorium for the abandoned and for elderly people who lived alone. The first miracle attributed to him occurred in 1927 – torrential rain threatened a procession of a statue of Our Lady of Aparecida but the storm subsided and was quieted when Fr Donizetti led the procession himself.
In 1960, the Archbishop of Ribeirão Preto city, Dom Luiz do Amaral Mousinho, went to Tambau, to visit the parish of Saint Anthony and met Fr Donizetti. As soon as he saw the Archbishop, he told him:
“Archbishop, I had a terrible nightmare! I saw the demon entering in the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian (in Ribeirão Preto city-SP) with some priests with him and all of them were armed with picks in hand. They were walking to the side altars of the Cathedral, screaming loudly. When they reached the altar of St Anthony, the image of the holy Friar of Lisbon looked with authority to the devil and his minions, then they left the place fast. Archbishop, for goodness sake, do not let them overthrow the altars of the Cathedral!”
At that moment, the Archbishop told him that it was just a dream, a nightmare and no one would remove the altars but Fr Donizetti told again:
“No, no, Archbishop! We won’t see this disgrace (prophesying that they both would die soon) but it will come! This was not just a dream, nor a nightmare! The darkness will fall over this world! I beg you: don’t let them destroy the altars!”
Kindly, as usual he was, the Archbishop smiled and told to him: “Fr Donizetti, I promise you, I won’t let anyone destroy the altars of our Cathedral!”
A few years later, after the introduction of the New Mass, Fr Agmar Marques remembered this fact and he avoided the removal of the altars of Saint Sebastian Cathedral.
Father Horacio Longo also remembered the “nightmare of the altars” prophesied by Father Donizetti when they removed the side altars of the parish of Franca city, now the Our Lady of Conception Cathedral.
Father Saverio Brugnara reported that Father Donizetti received a picture of St Pope John XXIII in 1959. At that momen,t Fr Donizetti looked for a time at the picture, smiled and said to an acolyte that they both should pray a lot for the Pope and for the Church. One of the acolytes wanted to remove the old picture of Pope Pius XII on the wall and put the picture of the new Pope, John XXIII but Fr Donizetti said: “No, my son! Leave the picture there! Soon I will meet him! As for the new Pope’s picture, leave it there, where it is.”
The picture of Pope John XXIII was placed on a dresser and Pius XII’s picture continued on the wall, at the main place of the sacristy.
Many miracles were witness through the piety and devotion of Father Donizetti. He was just a living saint and he used to be called as “the thaumaturge of Tambau.” One of the miracles which Father Donizetti always attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Aparecida, was witnessed by one of the most respected journalists in Brazil, Joelmir Beting (1936-2012) who was born and lived in Tambau. Local officials came to him to seek out his advice on social matters. Even President Getúlio Vargas spoke with Fr Donizetti about social matters, that culminated legislation governing proper work ethics
On a radio program the journalist told that on the Easter Sunday of 1953, Fr Donizetti prayed the Mass in the church of Saint Anthony for thousands people and at the same time, he was seen by about 2 thousand people in the City of São Pedro dos Morrinhos, attending an auction of cattle to raise money for his sanatorium. This was one of the many miracles that made him known in the state of São Paulo and other states of the country.
Another famous miracle happened in 1955 when José Alexandre Braga, a boy of 5 years old, was cured of osteochondritis, a disease that prevented him from walking.
José Alexandre Braga (the child in the picture left) after he was cured. In the picture right a most recent photo.
About the miracles, Father Donizetti used to say that the most important were not the cures but the conversions to Catholicism.
Fr Donizetti died in Tambaú on 16 June 1961 due to cardiac complications and diabetic complications that had caused several hospitalisations in the past. He died in the morning at 11:15 am while seated in a chair. His remains were interred on 17 June and exhumed on 7–8 May 2009 in Tambaú for canonical inspection and relocation, which was done at night to avoid a large crowd forming. Later his body was moved to his old parish church and now attract, between 10 and 12 thousand people per month who come as pilgrims. Thousands also visit the ‘House of Father Donizetti’ (in Portuguese “casa do Padre Donizetti”). Inside the house, there are many objects related to the miracles, such as crutches, etc.
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The Priest had been hailed as a Saint his entire life and efforts to launch a Beatification process started in 1991. The cause opened towards the decade’s end and he became titled as a Servant of God. Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue on 9 October 2017 and named him as Venerable. Pope Francis also signed a decree on 6 April 2019 that recognised a miracle attributed to his intercession which made it possible for him to be Beatified in Tambaú on 23 November 2019. He was Beatified on 23 November 2019 by Pope Francis. The Beatification ceremony was celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu.
St Actinea of Volterra
St Aitheachan of Colpe
St Amandus of Beaumont
Bl Antoine Auriel
St Aurelian of Arles
St Aureus of Mainz St Benno of Meissen (1010-1106) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/16/saint-of-the-day-st-benno-1010-1106/
St Berthaldus
St Ceccardus of Luni
St Cettin of Oran
St Colman McRhoi
St Crescentius of Antioch
St Cunigunde of Rapperswil
St Curig of Wales
St Cyriacus of Iconium Blessed Donizetti Tavares de Lima (1882-1961)
St Elidan
St Felix of San Felice
St Ferreolus of Besançon
St Ferrutio of Besançon
Bl Gaspare Burgherre
St Graecina of Volterra
St Ismael of Wales
St Julitta of Iconium
St Justina of Mainz St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246) Her Life: https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/16/saint-of-the-day-16-june-st-lutgarde-of-aywieres-the-first-known-woman-stigmatic-of-the-church-and-one-of-the-first-promoters-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/
St Maurus of San Felice
St Palerio of Telese
St Similian of Nantes
Bl Thomas Redyng
St Tycho of Amathus
—
Martyrs of Africa: A group of five Christians martyred together. We know nothing else but the names – Cyriacus, Diogenes, Marcia, Mica, Valeria. They were martyred in an unknown location in Africa, date unknown.
Martyrs of Làng Cóc: A group of five Christian laymen, four farmers and a doctor, from the same village in the apostolic vicariate of Central Tonkin (in modern Vietnam). During the persecutions of emperor Tu Duc, they were each ordered to stomp on a cross to show their contempt for Christianity; they each refused. Imprisoned, tortured and martyred.
• Anrê Tuong
• Ðaminh Nguyen
• Ðaminh Nguyen Ðuc Mao
• Ðaminh Nhi
• Vinh Son Tuong
The were beheaded on 16 June 1862 in Làng Cóc, Nam Ðinh, Vietnam and canonised on 19 June 1988 by St Pope John Paul II.
Novena in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Day Six – 15 June
Honesty in Prayer
Today’s Scripture When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ … John 11:17-24
Reflection for the Sixth Day
St Ignatius Loyola said that we should always speak to Jesus in prayer just as one close friend would speak to another.
Don’t be afraid to express your real feelings to Jesus – anger, hurt, joy, sorrow, etc.
When you’ve made your complaint or expressed your joy, don’t forget one thing Listen for God’s response!
It may come in surprising ways.
If, you concentrate on Him all day, at every task, you will hear Him!
Today’s Prayer
Jesus, I have to be honest and tell You,
that there have been times when I’ve been angry with You
and I feel that You’ve let me down.
Help me to trust
that You really do have a loving plan for me
and for everyone,
a plan that most times I find hard to fathom.
I love and trust You Lord,
help me to love and trust You more each day!
Amen
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 mos, 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 – 15 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) and the Memorial of St Germaine Cousin (1579–1601) Shepherdess
The Divine Worker
“Let us open the Gospel of St John.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word ws God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him, was made nothing that has been made” (John 1:1-3).
The work of creation is attributed in a special way, to the Eternal Word, the Son of God.
He was the divine Worker, Who created from nothing, the sky, earth and the marvels which they contain.
Then the Eternal Word of God, became man (Jn 1:14).
But what position did He choose to occupy amongst us?
He could have been born heir to the illustrious throne of Rome, the most powerful in history.
He could have been born in Athens amongst the philosophers of the Areopagus, who handed down, through the centuries, the light of human wisdom and beauty.
But, it was not likely that the Word of God, should have abandoned, so to speak, the eternal glory of the Father, in order to wear the mantle of petty human power.
He had no need of this.
He came amongst us, to instruct us in the humility of the path to Heaven, not in the way of human greatness.
He was born, therefore, as the son of an artisan, “the carpenter’s son, (Mt 13:55) and an artisan Himself, “the carpenter, the son of Mary” (Mk 6:3).
According to the most ancient and most reliable tradition, He was one of the many carpenters in the Palestinian countryside who were prepared to adapt themselves to whatever job arose, whether it was the making of a door, a handle for a hoe, or a plough (Cf Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 88:8).
From His youth, therefore, Jesus was a carpenter’s apprentice and, when St Joseph died, He carried on His trade and earned a livelihood for His Mother Mary and Himself.
It was only after many years of manual labour that Jesus ceased to be an artisan and dedicated Himself to work of the mind and heart.
In the three years of His public life, He was an Apostle of truth and goodness.
In this way, He sanctified every type of work, manual, intellectual and spiritual.
The great lesson which Jesus wished to teach us is, that every kind of work, is good and noble.
The manual labour of the farm-hand and of the artisan, is, a co-operation in the work of the Redemption.
Both were made holy by Jesus.
Let those who work with their hands take inspiration from Jesus, Who subjected Himself, for thirty years to all the sacrifices involved in manual labour.
Let intellectuals and apostolic workers look to Jesus also, for when His Hour had come, He sacrificed Himself in His apostolate and gave His life for us.
In His regard, the peasant’s hoe and the writer’s pen, the workman’s hammer and the priest’s stole, are all noble and holy.
The only condition, is that, all should perform their duties conscientiously from the motive of the love of God and of their neighbour.”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci
Cardinal Bacci and I did not plan that this post should fall on the Feast day of little St Germaine Cousins, the Shepherdess who gave every second of her labour and her life, for the love of God and His Will. She teaches us to sanctify the meanest of tasks, to constantly remember our daily offering of each and every form of our work for the glory of God and to honour His Divine Will and Providence.
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:1-16, Psalm 5:2-3, 4-7, Matthew 5:38-42 and the Memorial of St Germaine Cousin (1579–1601)
“But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”
Matthew 5:39
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Matthew 5:44
“We are treated as deceivers and yet, are truthful, as unrecognised and yet, acknowledged, as dying and behold we live, as chastised and yet, not put to death, as sorrowful yet, always rejoicing, as poor yet, enriching many, as having nothing and yet, possessing all things.”
2 Corinthians 8-10
“You don’t love in your enemies what they are but what you would have them become, by your prayers!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“For true charity, beloved brethren, is the soul of the whole of Scripture, the strength of prophecy, the structure of knowledge, the fruit of faith, the wealth of the poor, the life of the dying. So keep it faithfully; cherish it with all your heart and all the strength of your soul (cf Mk 12:30).”
St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Bishop and Monk
(Sermons to the people, no. 23, 4-5, which draws its inspiration from Saint Augustine)
“This Gospel passage is rightly considered, the magna carta of Christian non-violence. One then understands that for Christians, non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that, he is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. … Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world! Here is the heroism of the “lowly” who believe in God’s love and spread it, even at the cost of their lives.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 18 February 2007
One Minute Reflection – 15 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: 1 Kings 21:1-16, Psalm 5:2-3, 4-7, Matthew5:38-42 and the Memorial of St Germaine Cousin (1579–1601)
“Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” … Matthew 5:41
REFLECTION – “Do you grasp the excellence of a Christian disposition? After you give your coat and your cloak, even if your enemy should wish to subject your naked body to hardships and labours, not even then, Jesus says, must you forbid him. For He would have us possess all things in common, both our bodies and our goods, as with them that are in need, so with them that insult us. For the latter response comes from a courageous spirit, the former from mercy. Because of this, Jesus said, “If any one shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two.” Again He leads you to higher ground and commands you to manifest the same type of aspiration. For if the lesser things He spoke of at the beginning receive such great blessings, consider what sort of reward awaits those who duly perform these and what they become even before we hear of receiving rewards. You are winning full freedom from unworthy passions in a human and passible body.” … St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop, Father & Doctor (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily 18)
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over or hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, as St Germaine Cousin so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen
Eckbert (who became a Monk of Schönau in 1155 and eventually succeeded Hildelin as second Abbot) put everything in writing, later arranged the material at leisure and then published all under his sister’s name.
AnaStpaul 
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