Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251)
The Christopher Prayer
Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow us to fill with Your light
the world around us.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out our mission
of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand,
that by Your grace
our gifts are Your blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Your Spirit of love
to give glory to You
in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire
to go forth
as the bearers of Your Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ bearers,
that in seeing us
only He is visible.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 25 July – Saint Christopher (Died c 251) Martyr and “Christ-Bearer” – Born at Canaan as Offero and Martyred in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) – Additional Memorials – 9 March (Greek calendar), 9 May (some Eastern calendars), 16 November (Cuba), 10 July (some areas of Spain). Also known as Christobal, Christoval, Cristobal, Kester, Kitt, Kitts, Offero. Patronages – against bad dreams, epileptics; against epilepsy, against floods, against hailstorms, against lightning, against pestilence, against storms, against sudden death, against toothache, Air Forces, archers, motorists, bachelors,bookbinders, bus drivers, taxi drivers, civil aeronautics, fruit dealers, fullers, gardener, of a holy death, truck drivers, mariners, sailors, market carriers, mountain climbers, porters, relief from pestilence, transportation, transportation workers, travellers, travellers in the mountains, Saint Christopher’s Island, Saint Kitts, 13 cities.
He was a man of many names, Offero being one of them. Born in the third century in Asia Minor, son of a king, he would grow to be a restless young man of considerable size. The early years of his life were spent in search of riches, of purpose, of a cause worthy of his allegiance.
As the story goes, a young Offero, looking for the strongest and boldest ruler to follow, briefly courted Satan. When his new master cowered in fear at a holy cross on the side of a road, Offero abandoned Satan, choosing light over darkness. During this period of transition, a holy hermit awakened the restless wanderer to Christianity, schooling and baptising him. From then on, Offero pledged his life to Christ and vowed to serve God’s people along the banks of an untamed river. So he built a hut and set up camp with a new purpose—to be a boatman to the world.
His popularity was solidified when a small child once approached him, wanting safe passage across the water. He hoisted the boy on his shoulders and, with his trusty staff, began the journey. As the river deepened, the child began to grow heavier. Waters quickly rising, the precious cargo continued to weigh the giant down. As he reached the banks of the river, Offero said, “Child, thou hast put me in great peril, thou weighest almost as if I had all the world upon me – I might bear no greater burden.”
“Christopher,”the little boy responded, “thou hast not only borne all the world upon thee but thou hast borne Him that created and made all the world, upon thy shoulders.”
The child instructed Christopher (meaning “Christbearer”) to cross the river again and plant his staff in the ground, telling the ferryman that life would spring forth. To Christopher’s astonishment, by morning his staff had taken root—bright flowers and fruit grew from it.
The rest of Christopher’s life is even sketchier in detail. One legend states that many in the immediate area converted to Christianity based on his encounter, which drew unwanted attention. In Lycia—present-day Turkey—under Emperor Decius, he was imprisoned, shot with arrows, burned and then beheaded around 251.
St Christopher and St Peter
Though the life of this mighty martyr was later questioned by historians, Saint Christopher’s story and his worldwide appeal have proven invulnerable. Amen and alleluia, glory be to God!
St James the Greater (Feast) – Son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John the Apostle. He is called “the Greater” simply because he became an Apostle before Saint James the Lesser.
St Cugat del Valles
Bl Darío Acosta Zurita
St Ebrulfus
St Euphrasia
St Fagildo of Santiago
St Felix of Furcona
St Florentius of Furcona
St Glodesind of Metz
St Magnericus of Trier
Bl Michel-Louis Brulard
Bl Mieczyslawa Kowalska
St Mordeyren
St Nissen of Wexford
St Olympiad of Constantinople
St Paul of Palestine
Bl Pietro Corradini of Mogliano
St Theodemir of Cordoba
—
Martyrs of Caesarea – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together in the pesecutions of emperor Maximilian and governor Firmilian – Paul, Tea and Valentina. 309 in Caesarea, Palestine.
Martyrs of Cuncolim – 20 saints: On 15 July 1583 the group met at the church of Orlim, and hiked to Cuncolim to erect a cross and choose land for a new church. Local anti-Christian pagans, seeing the unarmed Christians, gathered their weapons and marched on them. One of the parishioners, a Portuguese emigre named Gonçalo Rodrigues, carried a firearm, but Father Alphonsus Pacheco stopped him from using it. The pagans then fell upon them, and killed them all without mercy. They were –
• Alphonsus Pacheco
• Alphonsus the altar boy
• Anthony Francis
• Dominic of Cuncolim
• Francis Aranha
• Francis Rodrigues
• Gonçalo Rodrigues
• Paul da Costa
• Peter Berno
• Rudolph Acquaviva
• ten other native Christian converts whose names have not come down to us
They were martyred on Monday 25 July 1583 at the village of Cuncolim, district of Salcete, territory of Goa, India. Beatified on 30 April 1893 by Pope Leo XIII.
Martyrs of Motril – 5 beati: Four priests and a brother, all members of the Augustinian Recollects, who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War:
• Deogracias Palacios del Río
• José Rada Royo
• José Ricardo Díez Rodríguez
• Julián Benigno Moreno y Moreno
• León Inchausti Minteguía
They were shot on 25 July 1936 in Motril, Granada, Spain and Beatified on 7 March 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
Martyrs of Toledo – 4 beati: Four brothers and a priest, all members of the Hospitallers of Saint John of God, and all martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Carlos Rubio álvarez
• Eloy Francisco Felipe Delgado Pastor
• Jerónimo Ochoa Urdangarín
• Primo Martínez De San Vicente Castillo
25 July 1936 in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain. They were Beatified on 25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II.
Martyrs of Urda – 3 beati: Three members of the Passionists who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Benito Solana Ruiz
• Felix Ugalde Irurzun
• Pedro Largo Redondo
They were shot on 25 July 1936 in Urdá, Toledo, Spain and Beatified on 1 October 1989 by Pope John Paul II.
Next to Mary, Anne is the favourite name for all the world. It is the symbol of her motherly virtues. It is so intimately associated with Mary and with Jesus that it commands our affection. Thousands of girl babies each year are named for the mother of Mary. Time was, when the highest honour that could be conferred upon a baby girl, was to call her Mary Anne, linking in a double name the virtue and intercession of the world’s two most powerful women.
Today that name remains the symbol of strength and power.
We call upon Anne, knowing that the Saviour will listen to the prayers of His devoted grandmother.
In her name we ask favours and blessings, sure that the God, who chose her daughter, to be His Mother, will be generous to the woman who shaped His Mother to her high career.
Fortunate the women whose name is Anne.
Blessed the millions across the world who pray to the great Saint Anne, knowing that her name is dear to God and that prayer to her is prayer that the Saviour, her Grandson, will willingly heed.
To her whose name and fame we love, we pray:
Daily Prayer:
O glorious St Anne,
you are filled with compassion
for those who invoke you
and with love for those who suffer!
Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you
to take the present intention
which I recommend to you in your special care.
…………………(make your intention)
Please recommend it to your daughter,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
and place it before the throne of Jesus,
so that He may bring it to a happy issue.
Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted.
But, above all, obtain for me the grace, one day,
to see my God face to face
and with you and Mary and all the saints,
to praise and bless Him for all eternity.
Amen
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St Anne, intercede for me.
EIGHTH DAY
Hail, St Anne! I rejoice at your exalted glory.
You gave birth to Mary,
whose divine Son brought salvation to our lost world
by conquering death and restoring life and hope to sinners.
Pray to Him who, for love of us,
clothed Himself with human flesh
in the chaste womb of your daughter.
Glorious S. Anne,
with your blessed daughter,
deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God.
Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson,
that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood,
that He may send His Holy Spirit to enlighten
and direct me in all that I do,
always obedient to His holy inspirations.
Good mother, keep a watchful eye on me.
Help me bear all my crosses.
Please give me the fullness of your bounty
and sustain me with courage.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Saint Christina ‘Mirabilis/the Astonishing’ (1150-1224)
Christina was very introverted and assiduously avoided being around others. She would take extreme measures to avoid contact with people, by doing such things as climbing high up in trees (to avoid the smell of SIN) or even hiding in ovens. Many people thought her to be insane but others who knew her, venerated her for her holiness. She lived her entire life in poverty and spent her last three years living in St. Catherine’s convent at Saint-Trond.
There have been other saints that some felt were more insane than they were saintly. In the eyes of the world, even now, those who follow Christ in piety and love, oftentimes are seen to be ‘odd’ and ‘weird.’ However, it is not for us to judge others, as our Lord Jesus said. St John the Baptiser lived in the wilderness and ate locusts but our Lord said, that among men born of women, John was the greatest. Jesus instructed us to love one another. On a human level, Christina may have seemed unusual but she lived to please God, not men. This is the calling of each of us – to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love one another as we love ourselves.
Prayer
St Christina,
you lived a life of poverty
and loneliness in the eyes of others.
But you knew, that in the eyes of God,
you were wealthy and had His love
and the companionship of saints and angels.
Help us to see beyond the things of the world
and to realise, that, we are never alone with God
and that we are surrounded by
a “great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us.”
Pray that we remember to offer up our sufferings
for those who do not see beyond the material
and those who are seeking love and fulfilment,
that they may come to know God
and understand, that they are never alone.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9
“A sower went out to sow”
Matthew 13:3
“Jesus invites us today to look inside ourselves – to give thanks for our good soil and to tend the soil that is not yet good. Let us ask ourselves if our heart is open to welcome the seed of the Word of God with faith. Let us ask ourselves if our rocks of laziness are still numerous and large, let us identify our thorns of vice and call them by name. Let us find the courage to reclaim the soil, to effect a conversion of our heart, bringing to the Lord in Confession and in prayer, our rocks and our thorns.”
One Minute Reflection – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9 and the Memorial of St Charbel Makhluf (1828-1898)
“A sower went out to sow” … Matthew 13:3
REFLECTION – “Now if you ask me what Jesus Christ means by the sower who goes out early to sow seed in his field, my dear brethren, that sower is the good God Himself! He began His work for our salvation from the beginning of the world by sending His prophets to us before the coming of the Messiah to teach us what we had to do to be saved. And, not satisfied with sending His servants, He came Himself, marked out for us the way we should take and came to preach His holy word.
Do you know what those people are like who aren’t sustained by that holy word or who abuse it? They are like the sick without a doctor, like a traveller who has gone astray without a guide, like a poor man without means. Let us rather say, my brethren, that it is altogether impossible to love God and please Him without being nourished by this divine word. What is there that can draw us to attach ourselves to Him if not because we know Him? And what enables us to know Him with all His perfections, beauty and love for us if not God’s word, which teaches us all He has done for us and the good things He is preparing for us in the life to come, if we try hard to please Him?” … St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859) Priest, Curé of Ars – Sermons
PRAYER – Holy, almighty God, You sent Your prophets and then Your only Son to teach us and lead us to eternal life. Remember Lord, Your solemn covenant, renewed and consecrated by the blood of the Lamb, so that Your people may obtain forgiveness for their sins and a continued growth in grace. Send us Your Spirit, to enlighten our hearts and minds and grow in love for You and the Word made flesh. Guide us in our understanding and living, by the Words of the Word. Saint Charbel Makhluf intercede for us, that we may merit to be co-heirs of His Kingdom. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Lord God, Lift Me Up By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?! Amen
Saint of the Day – 24 July – Saint Christina Mirabilis (1150-1224) Virgin, mendicant, Apostle of prayer of reparation, Mystic – also known as Christina the Astonishing – Patronages – millers, people with mental disorders, mental health workers, mental health caregivers, professionals, psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists.
St Christina was born to a peasant family in Belgium. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her two older sisters. When she was 21 she had what was believed to be a severe seizure and was pronounced dead. At her funeral she suddenly revived and levitated before the bewildered congregation. She said that during her coma she had been to heaven, hell and purgatory and had been given the option to either die and enter heaven, or return to earth to suffer and pray for the holy souls in purgatory.
Christina chose the greater act of charity. From then on she lived in extreme poverty, wearing rags, sleeping on rocks and begging for her food. She is called “Astonishing” because she did the most bizarre things and suffered the pains of inhuman feats without being physically harmed by them. She would roll in fire and hide in hot ovens; she would stand in freezing water for hours in the dead of winter; she allowed herself to be dragged under water by a mill wheel; she spent much time in graveyards. She would also climb trees to escape the strong odour of sin in those she met.
Many thought her to be possessed by demons or insane but many devout people recognised and vouched for her sincerity, obedience and sanctity. They believed, that she was a living witness to the pains that souls experience in purgatory, willingly suffering with them and for them. Christina the Astonishing is the patron of those with mental illness and disorders, mental health workers, psychiatrists and therapists.
Thomas of Cantimpré (1201–1272), then a canon regular who was a professor of theology, wrote a report eight years after her death, based on accounts of those who knew her. Cardinal Jacques de Vitry, who met with her, said that she would throw herself into burning furnaces and there suffered great tortures for extended times, uttering frightful cries, yet coming forth with no sign of burns upon her. In winter she would plunge into the frozen Meuse River for hours and even days and weeks at a time, all the while praying to God and imploring God’s mercy. She sometimes allowed herself to be carried by the currents downriver to a mill where the wheel “whirled her round in a manner frightful to behold”, yet she never suffered any dislocations or broken bones. She was chased by dogs which bit her without any bodily injury.
Christina died at the Dominican Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sint-Truiden, of natural causes, aged 74. The prioress there later testified that, despite her unusual methodds of reparation, Christina would humbly and fully obey any command given her by the prioress.
“We have”, says St Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) Doctor of the Church, referring to the report of Thomas of Cantimpré, “reason for believing his testimony, since he has for guarantee another grave author, James de Vitry, Bishop and Cardinal and because he relates what happened in his own time and even in the province where he lived. Besides, the sufferings of this admirable virgin were not hidden. Everyone could see that she was in the midst of the flames without being consumed and covered with wounds, every trace of which disappeared a few moments afterwards. But, more than this, was the marvellous life she led for forty-two years after she was raised from the dead, God clearly showing that the wonders wrought in her by virtue from on high. The striking conversions which she effected and the evident miracles which occurred after her death, manifestly proved the finger of God and the truth of that which, after her resurrection, she had revealed concerning the other life.”
Thus, argues Bellarmine, “God willed to silence those libertines who make open profession of believing in nothing and who have the audacity to ask in scorn, Who has returned from the other world? Who has ever seen the torments of Hell or Purgatory? Behold two witnesses. They assure us that they have seen them and that they are dreadful. What follows, then, if not that the incredulous are inexcusable and that those who believe and nevertheless, neglect to do penance, are still more to be condemned?”
St Christina the Astonishing has been recognised as a saint since the 12th century. She was placed in the calendar of the saints by at least two bishops of the Catholic Church in two different centuries (17th & 19th) that also recognised her life in a religious order and preservation of her relics. There remains a strong devotion to her in her native region of Limburg.
St Aliprandus of Pavia
St Antinogenes of Merida
St Aquilina the Martyr
St Arnulf of Gruyere
Bl Balduino of Rieti
St Boris of Kiev
St Capito
St Christiana
St Christina of Bolsena
St Christina of Tyre St Christina Mirabilis/the Astonishing (1150-1224)
St Cyriacus of Ziganeus
St Declan of Ardmore
Bl Diego Martinez
Bl Donatus of Urbino
Bl Giovanni Tavalli
St Gleb
Bl Godo of Oye
St John Boste
Bl Joseph Fernandez
Bl Joseph Lambton
Bl Juan Solorzano
St Kinga
St Lewina of Seaford
Bl Louise of Savoy
Bl Menefrida
St Meneus
St Niceta
Bl Nicholas Garlick
Bl Paulus Yi Do-gi
Bl Pierre de Barellis
St Rainofle
Bl Richard Simpson
Bl Robert Ludlam
Rufinus of Mercia
St Sigolena of Trocar
St Stercatius of Merida
St Ursicinus of Sens
St Victor of Merida
St Victorinus of Amiterno
St Vincent of Rome
St Wulfhad of Mercia
Martyred in England:
John Boste
Joseph Lambton
Nicholas Garlick
Richard Simpson
Robert Ludlam
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Cándido Castán San José
Bl Cecilio Vega Domínguez
St Ignacio González Calzada
St Jaime Gascón Bordas
Bl José Joaquín Esnaola Urteaga
Bl José Máximo Moro Briz
St Josep Guillamí Rodo
St Marcos Morón Casas
Bl Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph
Bl Maria Mercedes Prat
Bl Maria Pilar of Saint Francis Borgia
Bl Teresa of the Child Jesus and of Saint John of the Cross
St Xavier Bordas Piferrer
Was Anne still alive when Mary became the Mother of the Saviour?
Was it ever Anne’s grandmotherly privilege to hold the Infant king in her arms?
We do not know. The silence of the Scriptures leads us to think that perhaps she had already gone home to God, that she had left her daughter to the gracious care of Joseph, that she was never to see her divine Grandson until as liberator He entered limbo.
But whether she lived or not to see that happy day, the spirit of her devotedness, her calm serenity, her patience, her kindness lived on in the life of Mary.
It was from Anne that Mary learned the art of motherhood.
What Anne had done for her, Mary did for her little Son.
Food, like the food she had eaten at her mother’s table Mary prepared for her growing Boy. The prayers, the lovely story of the Jewish people, the strong words of the law and the prophet’s hope-bearing words, that she had learned from Anne, her mother, Mary passed on to her Son as He grew in age and wisdom and grace.
The imprint of Anne’s training could be seen on the Son of God Himself through Mary, His Blessed Mother.
To this model of motherhood we pray:
Daily Prayer:
O glorious St Anne,
you are filled with compassion
for those who invoke you
and with love for those who suffer!
Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you
to take the present intention
which I recommend to you in your special care.
…………………(make your intention)
Please recommend it to your daughter,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
and place it before the throne of Jesus,
so that He may bring it to a happy issue.
Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted.
But, above all, obtain for me the grace, one day,
to see my God face to face
and with you and Mary and all the saints,
to praise and bless Him for all eternity.
Amen
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St Anne, intercede for me.
SEVENTH DAY
Once again, Good St Anne,
I choose you for my advocate
before the throne of God.
By the power and grace that God has placed in you,
extend to me your helping hand.
Renew my mind and my heart.
Dear St Anne,
I have unbounded confidence in your prayers.
To your daughter’s and your own
blessed hands I entrust my soul,
my body and all my hopes for this world and the next.
Direct my actions
according to your goodness and wisdom.
I place myself under your motherly care.
Receive me, good mother.
Cover me with the mantle of your love.
Look kindly on me.
By your powerful intercession,
may I obtain from God grace and mercy.
Obtain for me remission for sin
and release from the punishment
my offences have deserved.
Pray that I may receive grace
to lead a devout life on earth
and that I may obtain the everlasting reward of heaven.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 23 July – The Memorial of Blessed Vasil’ Hopko (1904-1976) Bishop and Martyr
Excerpt from St Pope John Paul’s Beatification Homily
Bratislava, Esplanade of Petržalka
Sunday, 14 September 2003
“O Crux, ave spes unica! Hail, O Cross, our only hope!”
On the Cross, human misery and divine mercy meet. The adoration of this unlimited mercy, is for man, the only way to open himself to the mystery which the Cross reveals.
The Cross is planted in the earth and would seem to extend its roots in human malice but it reaches up, pointing as it were to the heavens, pointing to the goodness of God. By means of the Cross of Christ, the Evil One has been defeated, death is overcome, life is given to us, hope is restored, light is imparted. O Crux, ave spes unica!
O Crux, ave spes unica! Saint Paul speaks of the same theme in the letter to the Ephesians which we have just heard. Not only did Christ Jesus become man, in everything similar to human beings but He took on the condition of a servant and humbled Himself even more, by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (cf. Phil 2:6-8).
Yes, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16). We admire – overwhelmed and gratified – the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Eph 3:18-19)! O Crux, ave spes unica!
4. Certainly, it was meditation on this great and wonderful mystery that sustained Blessed Bishop Vasil’ Hopko and Blessed Sister Zdenka Schelingová in their choice of the consecrated life and, especially, in the sufferings endured, during their terrible imprisonment.
Both shine before us as radiant examples of faithfulness, in times of harsh and ruthless religious persecution. Bishop Vasil’ never repudiated his attachment to the Catholic Church and to the Pope. Sister Zdenka did not hesitate to risk her life so as to assist God’s ministers.
Both faced up to an unjust trial and an ignoble condemnation, to torture, humiliation, solitude, death. And so the Cross became for them, the way that led them to life, a source of fortitude and hope, a proof of love for God and man. O Crux, ave spes unica!
Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50 and the Memorial of St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:50
“His mother is the whole Church, since it is she, who, by God’s grace, gives birth to Christ’s members, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him. Again, His mother is every holy soul, who does the Father’s will and whose fruitful charity is made known in those, to whom she gives birth for Him, “until he has been formed in them” (cf Gal 4:19).
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“O Lord, make haste and illumine the night. Say to my soul, that nothing happens, without You permitting it and that nothing of what You permit, is without comfort.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)
“It is a matter of real sorrow when God has given us strength to break stronger fetters, those of vanity and sin, that we neglect our own progress and the attainment of such great blessings, because we will not detach ourselves from trifles. Not only do we not advance, we fall back. For it is well known, that on the spiritual road, not to go on, overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose. As wood can never be transformed into fire, if one necessary degree of heat is missing, so the soul, that has even one imperfection, can never be perfectly transformed in God.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 23 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50
“Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father, is my brother and sister and mother” … Matthew 12:50
REFLECTION – “To love what God loves is the logical thing for the one who is truly His lover, outside that wish, there are no desires of our own – or if there should be one, this is in conformity with His will, if this should not be so, then our will would not be united with His. But if our will is really at one with His love, we shall want nothing that He does not want, we shall love nothing that He does not love and, having given ourselves up completely to His will, we shall not mind whatever He may send us, wherever He may place us. And about everything that He may want of us, we shall not only feel unconcerned, we shall feel pleased.
I don’t know whether there’s any error in what I am saying. I submit myself to the one who understands about this. I only say what I feel and that is, that I truly have no other wish than to love Him and everything else, I commend to Him. May His will be done! Every day I become happier in my complete abandonment into His hands.”… St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938) – Spanish Trappist monk – Spiritual writings 10/04/1938
PRAYER – Increase in us, O Lord, Your gift of faith, so that the praise we offer You, may ever yield it’s fruit from heaven. Grant us the grace to love what You love and to spend our days in loving all that You lead us to. May the prayers of Your angels and saints, offered on our behalf, be a consolation in our trials. Holy Mother of God, pray for us, St Bridget of Sweden, Pray for us. We make our prayer through Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Gaelic Morning Offering
I am bending my knee
in the eye of the Father
who created me.
In the eye of the Son
who purchased me.
In the eye of the Spirit,
who cleansed me.
In friendship and affection.
Through Your own Annointed One, O God,
bestow upon us fulfilment of our need,
Love toward God,
the affection of God,
the smile of God,
the grace of God,
the fear of God
and the will of God,
to do in the world of the Three,
as angels and saints
do in heaven.
Each shade and light,
each day and night,
each time in kindness,
give us Your Spirit,
Amen
Saint of the Day – 23 July – Blessed Vasil Hopko (1904-1976) Bishop and Martyr, Founded the Movement of Greek-Catholic Students and the Greek-Catholic Youth Union – also known as Basil, Professor, Writer – born on 21 April 1904 at Hrabské, Presovský kraj, eastern Slovakia and died on 23 June 1976 at Presov, Presovský kraj, Slovakia. He was a Bishop of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. While in prison, in addition to the torture he received, he was given small doses of arsenic which caused a chronic poisoning, which was later verified by an analysis of his bones. He was Beatified by St Pope John Paul II for his martyrdom under Communist occupation.
Vasil’ Hopko was born on 21 April 1904 in Hrabské, a small village in eastern Slovakia. His father died when he was 1 year old, leaving his mother alone to care for the child. Vasil’s mother left for the United States in 1908 to find work, putting Vasil’ under the care of his grandfather. When the boy was 7, he went to live with his uncle, Demeter Petrenko, a Greek-Catholic priest.
His uncle’s example awakened in Vasil’ a call to the priesthood and in 1923 he decided to enter the Greek-Catholic Seminary of Presov. He was ordained a priest on 3 February 1929 and was entrusted with the pastoral care of the Greek-Catholic faithful in Prague. Here, he was involved in many different activities – work with youth, the elderly, the unemployed and orphans. Fr Vasil’ founded the Movement of Greek-Catholic Students and the Greek-Catholic Youth Union and contributed to the building of the city’s Greek-Catholic parish, becoming it’s priest. It was also in Prague that, after 22 years, the young priest met his mother who had returned from the United States.
In 1936, Fr Vasil’ returned to Slovakia where he served as spiritual father in the Greek-Catholic Seminary of Presov. In 1941, he was appointed as secretary of the Bishop’s Curia and he became professor of moral and pastoral theology at the Theological Faculty in Presov in 1943. He also found free moments to write and publish various works and became the first editor of the magazine Blahovistnik (The Gospel Messenger).
After World War II, the Czechoslovakian Republic fell under a growing Soviet Bolshevik and atheist influence. Foreseeing a systematic “Sovietization” and the resulting totalitarian-atheistic Marxism, Bishop Gojdic of Presov asked the Holy See for an Auxiliary Bishop to help him defend against the attacks on the Greek-Catholic faithful and the Church. Fr Vasil’ became the newly-appointed Auxiliary Bishop and was ordained on 11 May 1947. He helped the Bishop greatly, preparing the people for hard times on the horizon.
Little by little the Czechoslovakian Communist Party prepared for the violent elimination of the Greek-Catholic Church in its nation. On 28 April 1950, the Communists carried out their work of “liquidation” during the so-called “Council of Presov”, held without the presence of Bishops. Here they declared that the Greek-Catholic Church of Czechoslovakia no longer existed and that all its priests, faithful and churches were to be transferred over to the Orthodox Church. Bishops Gojdic and Hopko were arrested.
Following the arrest, Bishop Hopko underwent drastic interrogation and torture so he would deny his faith and confess to fabricated accusations. On 24 October 1951, after more than a year of cruel and diabolic interrogation, he was condemned by the State Court to 15 years in prison and a loss of all civil rights for 10 years. While in prison, in addition to the torture he received, he was given small doses of arsenic which caused a chronic poisoning, which was later verified by an analysis of his bones.
On 12 May 1964 he was released from prison for health reasons. After years of mistreatment, the Bishop suffered from grave physical ailments and mental depression caused by the constant torture and inhuman treatment. Notwithstanding all this, he continued to contribute actively to the resurgence of the Greek-Catholic Church.
On 13 June 1968, the renewal of the Greek-Catholic Church of Czechoslovakia was re-stabilised after 18 years of open persecution. From 1968, Bishop Hopko began living in Presov, on 20 December 1968, Pope Paul VI confirmed his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop for all Greek-Catholic faithful in Czechoslovakia. He carried out this responsibility with great care, encouraging the faithful and ordaining priests.
Bishop Hopko died on 23 July 1976 in Presov. He made his own the words of Bishop Gojdic – “For me, it is not important if I die in the Bishop’s Palace or in prison, what matters is entering into Paradise”.
He was beatified by St Pope John Paul II on 14 September 2003 at Bratislava.
St Anne of Constantinople
St Apollonius of Rome Bl Vasil/Basil Hopko (1904-1976) Martyr
Bl Beaudoin of Beaumont
St Conan of Cornwall
Bl Emilio Arce Díez
St Eugene of Rome
St Herundo of Rome
Bl Jane of Orvieto St John Cassian (c 360- c 435) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/23/saint-of-the-day-29-february-st-john-cassian-c-360-c-435/
Bl Josep Sala Picó
Bl Juan de Luca
Bl Juan de Montesinos
Bl Leonard da Recanati
Bl Margarita de Maturana
Bl Pedro Ruiz de los Paños Angel
St Phocas the Gardener
St Primitiva of Rome
St Rasyphus of Macé
St Rasyphus of Rome
St Ravennus of Macé
St Redempta of Rome
St Romula of Rome
St Severus of Bizye
St Theophilus of Rome
St Trophimus of Rome
St Valerian of Cimiez
Bl Wojciech Gondek
—
Martyrs of Barcelona – 7 beati: Seven Christians, some lay people, some members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and some of the Franciscan Daughters of Mercy, who were martyred in two groups on the same day in the Spanish Civil War.
• Catalina Caldés Socías
• Francesc Mayol Oliver
• Miquel Pons Ramis
• Miquela Rul-Làn Ribot
• Pau Noguera Trías
• Prudència Canyelles Ginestà de Aguadé
• Simó Reynés Solivellas
23 July 1936 in Barcelona, Spain. They were Beatified on 28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Martyrs of Bulgaria: An unknown number of Christians killed for their faith during the 9th century war between the Greek Emperor Nicephorus and the Bulgars.
Martyrs of Carabanchel Bajo – 9 beati: A group of nine Passionist priests, brothers and clerics who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Anacario Benito Nozal
• Felipe Ruiz Fraile
• Felipe Valcobado Granado
• José Osés Sainz
• José Ruiz Martinez
• Julio Mediavilla Concejero
• Laurino Proaño Cuesta
• Manuel Pérez Jiménez
• Maurilio Macho Rodríguez
22 July 1936 in Carabanchel Bajo, Madrid, Spain. They were Beatified on 1 October 1989 by Pope John Paul II.
Martyrs of Horta – 10 beati: A lay woman and nine Minim nuns who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Ana Ballesta Gelmá
• Dolors Vilaseca Gallego
• Josefa Pilar García Solanas
• Josepa Panyella Doménech
• Lucrecia García Solanas
• Maria Montserrat Ors Molist
• Mercè Mestre Trinché
• Ramona Ors Torrents
• Teresa Ríus Casas
• Vicenta Jordá Martí
23 July 1936 at the Sant Genís dels Agudells highway, Horta, Barcelona, Spain. They were Beatified on
27 October 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Martyrs of Manzanares – 5 beati: Five Passionist clerics who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Abilio Ramos y Ramos
• Epifanio Sierra Conde
• José Estalayo García
• Vicente Díez Tejerina
• Zacarías Fernández Crespo
They were shot on 23 July 1936 in Manzanares, Ciudad Real, Spain and Beatified on 1 October 1989 by Pope John Paul II.
Who can describe the joy that came to the house of Anne and Joachim with the coming of Mary? Never had a sweeter baby smiled into a mother’s face.
Never had a more obedient child grown up to bring happiness to a household.
Her first spoken words were music in their ears.
Her first conscious kiss was a blessing and the sweet mark of her gratitude to her parents.
She listened avidly to Anne’s telling of the story of God’s dealings with His people. From Anne she heard for the first time about the Saviour who was to be born. From Anne she learned the gentle arts that she was later to use as Mother of the Son of God. It was from Anne she learned the dignity of a woman’s work.
Now there was laughter in the house, the happy young laughter of a sinless child. The hearts of Anne and Joachim echoed to that laughter in delight and with a sense of gracious fulfilment.
God had been slow to answer their prayers; His answer had come in measure far beyond their fondest hopes. In God’s Providence did they put their trust and their trust was not in vain.
To this model set before the child Mary we pray:
Daily Prayer:
O glorious St Anne,
you are filled with compassion
for those who invoke you
and with love for those who suffer!
Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you
to take the present intention
which I recommend to you in your special care.
…………………(make your intention)
Please recommend it to your daughter,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
and place it before the throne of Jesus,
so that He may bring it to a happy issue.
Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted.
But, above all, obtain for me the grace, one day,
to see my God face to face
and with you and Mary and all the saints,
to praise and bless Him for all eternity.
Amen
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St Anne, intercede for me.
SIXTH DAY
Good St Anne,
do not allow my soul,
a masterpiece of God’s creative power,
to be lost forever.
Free my heart of pride, vanity, self-love.
May I know myself as I really am
and learn meekness and simplicity of heart.
God’s great love for me,
often leaves me cold and unresponsive.
I must reflect this love through works of mercy
and charity toward my neighbor.
In your boundless charity, good St. Ann,
help me to merit the glorious crown
which is given for those
who have fought the good fight
against the world, the devil and the flesh.
Assist me to preserve purity of heart and body.
With Mary and her divine Son,
please protect me always.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala
Noli me tangere (‘Touch me not’)
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Our Lord says to St Mary Magdalene – “Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17) here the question arises …. Why might not our Lord be touched before His ascension and how could He be touched after it?
But Christ speaks, it would seem, thus …
‘Hitherto, you have only known Me after the flesh . I have lived among you as a man. You have been permitted to approach Me sensibly, to kiss and embrace My feet, to pour ointment upon My head. But all this is at an end, now that I have died and risen again in the power of the Spirit. A glorified state of existence is begun in Me and will soon be perfected … When I am ascended, then the change will be completed. To pass hence to the Father in My bodily presence, is to descend from the Father to you in spirit. When I am thus changed, when I am thus present to you, more really present than now though invisibly, then you may touch Me – may touch Me, more really though invisibly, by faith, in reverence, through such outward approaches as I shall assign. Now you but see Me from time to time, when you see most of Me, I am at best but ‘going in and out among you.’ Thou hast seen Me, Mary but could not hold Me; though hast approached Me but only to embrace My feet, or to be touched by My hand and you say, ‘O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! O that I might hold Him and not let Him go!’
Henceforth, this shall be – when I am ascended, thou shall see nothing, thou shall have everything. Thou shall ‘sit down under My shadow with great delight and My fruit shall be sweet to thy taste.’ Thou shall have Me whole and entire. I shall be near thee, I shall be in thee, I will come into thy heart a whole Saviour, a whole Christ, – in all My fullness as God and man – in the awful virtue of that Body and Blood, which has been taken into the Divine person of the Word and is indivisible from it and has atoned for the sins of the world – not by external contact, not by partial possession, not in momentary approaches, not by barren manifestation but inward in presence and intimate in fruition, a principle of life and a seed of immortality, that thou may ‘bring forth fruit into God.“
RABBONI! By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Let me ever hold communion with You,
my hidden but living God.
You are my innermost heart.
You are the life of my life.
Every breath I breathe,
every thought of my mind,
every good desire of my heart,
is from the presence
within me of the unseen God.
…I see You, not in the material world
except dimly
but I recognise Your voice
in my intimate consciousness.
I turn around and say
Rabboni!
O be ever thus with me
and if I am tempted to leave You,
do not You,
O my God,
leave me.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine”
Isaiah 43:1
“Mary – the revolution of her life, the revolution destined to transform the existence of every man and woman, begins with a name that echoes in the garden of the empty tomb…”
“…She discovers, the most shocking event in human history, when finally, He calls her by name!”
“He knows us by name, He watches over us, He waits for us, He forgives us, He is patient with us.”
“Rise, cease your tears, because I have come to free you!”
“At the time of tears and abandonment, she hears the Risen Jesus who calls us by name and, with a heart full of joy, goes to announce – I have seen the Lord!”
“Jesus said to her: Mary! She turned and said to him… Teacher!”… John 20:16
REFLECTION – “The true lover’s delight is centred on his beloved, that is why St Paul treated everything else as “refuse” compared with the high privilege of knowing his Saviour (Phil 3,8). That is why the bride in the Song of Songs thinks only of her beloved: “All mine, my true love and I all his… Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” (2,16; 3,3)…
That illustrious lover, Mary Magdalene, encountered angels at the tomb, surely they addressed her angelically (gently, I mean), anxious to allay her sorrow. Utterly disconsolate as she was, however, she could take no comfort from their kindly greeting, their shining garments, their heavenly bearing, or the wondrous beauty of their features; still weeping, “They have carried away my Lord,” she said, “and I cannot tell where they have taken him.” Turning round, she saw her sweet Saviour but he looked like a gardener, so she was not interested. Loving thoughts of her Master’s death filled her heart, what need had she of flowers, of gardeners? Cross, nails and thorns occupied her thoughts; she was looking for her crucified lover. “If it is you, sir,” she said to the gardener, “if it is you who have carried off my beloved Lord’s body, tell me quickly where you have put him, and I will take him away.”
But no sooner did He breathe her name than her grief dissolved into delight – “Rabboni!” she said, “Master!”… To magnify her royal lover still further, the soul must have eyes only for Him, in other words, with an ever-growing, anxiously eager attentiveness. the soul must study all the details of His beauty, His perfections, must keep on discovering motives for finding ever-increasing gratification in the ineffable Beauty with which it is in love.” … St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) – Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church Treatise on the love of God, 5, 7
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ made Mary of Magdala the first herald of Easter joy. Grant that, following her example and helped by her prayers, we may, in this life, proclaim the living Christ and come to see Him reigning with You in glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala
O Lord, Bless and Sanctify Us By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord,
bless those who bless You
and sanctify those who trust in You.
save Your people and bless their inheritance
and keep Your household, the Church,
under Your protection.
Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house,
reward them with glory through Your divine power
and do not forsake those who hope in You.
To the sick,
give Your aid, healing and comfort.
Keep safe all who travel by land or water.
Send us seasonable weather
and bless the fruits of the earth.
Keep peace in the world
and among all Your people.
Grant rest to the departed
and remember those
who have offered gifts to You.
Save those who are in any way
afflicted or distressed
and grant us all Your heavenly grace.
Amen
Saint of the day – 22 July – Blessed Manuela de Jesus Arias Espinosa (1904-1981) her religious name “María Inés Teresa of the Blessed Sacrament” – Sister and Founder of both the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1945) and the Missionaries of Christ for the Universal Church (1979), of which orders, she is the Patron. She is known as “Manuelita”. Born on 7 July 1904 in Ixtlán del Rio, Nayarit, Mexico and died on 22 July 1981 in Rome, Italy of natural causes.
Manuela de Jesús Arias Espinosa was born in Mexico in 1904 as the fifth of eight children to the pious Eustaquio Arias Arroniz and María Espinosa López Portillo, she made her First Communion in 1911.
Her religious calling blossomed in 1924 after attending a religious congress in October 1924 and received inspiration after reading a life of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux but her firm decision to enter the religious life did not come until the Feast of Christ the King in 1926.
She entered the “Ave Maria” convent in Los Angeles on 5 June 1929. Espinosa made her initial vows on 12 December 1930 and she made her perpetual vows on 14 December 1933 and lived the cloistered life in the religious name of “María Inés Teresa of the Blessed Sacrament”. Her time in the cloistered life lasted until 1949.
Maria founded – on 23 August 1945 – the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Cuernavaca in Morelos and received the papal decree of praise in 1949 and the full approval of Pope Pius XII on 22 June 1951, she received the affectionate name of “Manuelita”.
Her next and final order founded was titled the Missionaries of Christ for the Universal Church and was established on 23 November 1979 in Nievo León. On 9 December 1980 she had an audience with St Pope John Paul II in Rome.
In time, the nuns extended their evangelical activity to several countries of Asia and Africa, the US and several Latin American and European nations.
The Congregation of the Claretian Missionaries was further strengthened on 5 January 1953, when the Holy See authorised the formation of the Claretian Vanguards, a lay movement that has developed in step with the religious order.
The nuns are a Eucharistic, Marian and Missionary Congregation leading a contemplative-active life and adhering to the Divine Will, source of joy, with Jesus Christ as their centre.
They take the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and witness fraternal love “always in a spirit of understanding and service, lived in love and peace, charity being what stimulates them to live not for themselves but for all souls in need.”
By the time of her death in Rome in 1981, she was over-seeing 36 missionary houses in 14 countries.
Over six thousand of her spiritual writings still remain.
Mother Maria Inés Teresa of the Most Blessed Sacrament was beatified on Saturday 21 April in Mexico City by the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes, Card. Angelo Amato, who represented Pope Benedict XVI. The Beatification ceremony, was held in the main Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
St Baudry of Montfaucon
Bl Benno of Osnabruck
St Claudius Marius Victorinus of Saussaye
St Cyril of Antioch
St Dabius
Bl Jacques Lombardie
St John Lloyd
St Joseph of Palestine
St Lewine
St Lucia Wang Wangzhi Bl “María Inés Teresa of the Blessed Sacrament” / Manuela de Jesus Arias Espinosa (1904-1981)
St Maria Wang Lishi
St Meneleus of Ménat
St Movean of Inis-Coosery
St Pancharius of Besancon
Bl Paolo de Lara
St Philip Evans
St Plato of Ancyra
St Syntyche of Philippi
St Theophilus of Cyprus
St Wandrille of Fontenelle
—
Martyrs of Marula/Massylis: – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. We know nothing else about them but the names – Ajabosus, Andrew and Elian. They were martyred in Massylis (Marula), Numidia (in modern Algeria).
Martyrs of Massilitani: A group of Christians martyred together in northern Africa. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote about them.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Jaime María Carretero Rojas
Bl Joaquin Rodríguez Bueno
Bl José María Mateos Carballido
Bl Juan Durán Cintas
Bl Ramón María Pérez Sous
Joachim and Anne were coming into late middle age. The hope that they would have children seemed almost past. Longingly had they prayed for a child. Now they hardly dared hope any longer.
And then the wonder. Anne conceived and the happy pair knew that they would be parents.
If there had been peace in the house before, now there was deepest joy. God had answered their petitions. God had blessed them with parenthood.
If Anne had hitherto done gladly the simple work of her household, she now did it with new purpose and high happiness. The house must be even more spotless for the coming child. Little dresses must be made, quilts and pillows sewed.
Each Sabbath in the synagogue Anne upon her knees thanked God, who had blessed her.
Each morning and each night, she prayed the Father in heaven, to bless with the fullness of grace and the richness of a life devoted to His service, the child she was to bear.
And Mary, the loveliest infant that the world had ever seen until that day, was born. Anne smiled into the happy eyes of Joachim. Together they loved the little Mary, their gift from God.
To the happy mother of Mary, we pray:
Daily Prayer:
O glorious St Anne,
you are filled with compassion
for those who invoke you
and with love for those who suffer!
Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you
to take the present intention
which I recommend to you in your special care.
…………………(make your intention)
Please recommend it to your daughter,
the Blessed Virgin Mary
and place it before the throne of Jesus,
so that He may bring it to a happy issue.
Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted.
But, above all, obtain for me the grace, one day,
to see my God face to face
and with you and Mary and all the saints,
to praise and bless Him for all eternity.
Amen
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St Anne, intercede for me.
FIFTH DAY
Hail, all-powerful Lady.
By God’s special favour,
grant consolation to those who invoke you.
Procure for them the eternal riches of heaven
and like a good mother,
success in their temporal affairs as well.
Good St Anne,
obtain my deliverance from the punishment which my sins deserve.
Obtain for me success in my temporal affairs,
especially see to the salvation of my soul.
St Anne, by your influence with Mary’s son Jesus,
you have won the gift of conversion for many sinners.
Will you then abandon me,
who have chosen you as my mother?
No, St Ann.
Your name alone, which signifies grace,
assures me of the help of your prayers
and these prayers, will surely procure pardon
and mercy from Jesus.
Please pray for me now
and at the hour of my death.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 21 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 10:38–42
“..One thing is needful.” … Luke 10:42
REFLECTION – “We must become aware that God dwells within us and do everything with Him, then we are never commonplace, even when performing the most ordinary tasks, for we do not live in these things, we go beyond them! A supernatural soul never deals with secondary causes but with God alone. Oh! How it’s life is simplified, how it resembles the life of the blessed, how it is freed from self and from all things! Everything for it is reduced to unity, to that “one thing necessary”, of which the Master spoke to Mary. Then the soul is truly great, truly free, for it has “enclosed its will in God’s.” … St Elizabeth of the Trinity OCD (1880-1906) – The Greatness of our Vocation no. 8 (The Complete Works, vol. 1
PRAYER – O my God teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You…You are my God and You are my All and I have never seen You.
You have made me and remade me, You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, Still I do not know You…
I have not yet done that for which I was made….
Teach me to seek You…I cannot seek You unless You teach me
or find You unless You show Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire, let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You, let me love You when I find You.
Amen By St Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
Sunday Reflection – 21 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“Christ wished to choose this sacred symbol of human life, which bread is, to make an even more sacred symbol of Himself. He has transubstantitated it but has not taken away its expressive power – rather, He has elevated this expressive power to a new meaning, a higher meaning, a mystical, religious, divine meaning. He has made of it a ladder for an ascent that transcends the natural level. As a sound becomes a voice and as the voice becomes word, thought, truth – so that sign of the bread has passed from its humble and pious being to signify a mystery, it has become a Sacrament, it has acquired the power to demonstrate the Body of Christ present.”
Saint Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)
when Archbishop of Milan from a homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Our Morning Offering – 21 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Dear Lord, I Approach You (Prayer before Holy Communion) By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Dear Lord,
with simplicity of heart,
in good and stable faith
and at Your command,
I approach You,
full of confidence and adoration,
truly believing that You are present
in this Sacrament, God and Man.
It is Your will that I receive You
and bind myself to You in love.
Most merciful Lord,
I beg of You that special grace,
that my soul may melt and overflow
with Your love,
never concerning myself again
with any other comfort but Your own.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 21 July – St Victor (3rd century) Martyr and Confessor – also called St Victor of Marseilles – a Christian Roman army officer – Patronages – against lightning, cabinetmakers, millers, torture victims, Marseilles, France, Davoli, Italy.
The Emperor Maximian, reeking with the blood of the Thebæan legion and many other martyrs, arrived at Marseilles, where the Church then flourished. The tyrant breathed here, nothing but slaughter and fury and his coming, filled the Christians with fear and alarm. In this general consternation, Victor, a Christian officer in the troops, went about at night, from house to house, visiting the faithful and inspiring them, with contempt of a temporal death and the love of eternal life.
He was caught doing this and brought before the prefects Asterius and Eutychius, who exhorted him, not to lose the fruit of all his services and the favour of his prince, for the worship of a dead man, as they called Jesus Christ. He answered, that he renounced those recompenses, if he could not enjoy them without being unfaithful to Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who vouchsafed to become man for our salvation but who raised Himself from the dead and reigns with the Father, being God equally with Him. The whole court heard him with shouts of rage. Victor was bound hand and foot and dragged through the streets of the city, exposed to the blows and insults of the populace. He was brought back bruised and bloody to the tribunal of the prefects who, thinking his resolution must have been weakened by his sufferings, pressed him again to adore their gods. But the martyr, filled with the Holy Spirit, expressed his respect for the emperor and his contempt for their gods. He was then hoisted on the rack and tortured a long time, until, the tormentors being at last weary, the prefect ordered him to be taken down and thrown into a dark dungeon. At midnight, God visited him by His angels; the prison was filled with a light brighter than that of the sun and the martyr sung with the angels the praises of God.
Three soldiers who guarded the prison, Saints Longinus, Alexander and Felician, seeing this light, cast themselves at the martyr’s feet, asked his pardon and desired Baptism. Victor instructed them as well as time would permit, sent for priests the same night and, going with them to the seaside, had them baptised and returned with them again to his prison. The next morning Maximian was informed of the conversion of the guards and in a transport of rage sent officers to bring them all four before him. The three soldiers persevered in the confession of Jesus Christ and by the emperor’s orders were forthwith beheaded.
Victor, after having been exposed to the insults of the whole city and beaten with clubs and scourged with leather thongs, was carried back to prison, where he continued three days, recommending to God his martyrdom with many tears. After that term the emperor called him again before his tribunal and commanded the martyr to offer incense to a statue of Jupiter. Victor went up to the profane altar and by a kick of his foot threw it down. The emperor ordered the foot to be forthwith chopped off, which the Saint suffered with great joy, offering to God these first-fruits of his body. A few moments after, the emperor condemned him to be put under the grindstone of a hand-mill and crushed to death. The executioners turned the wheel and when part of his body was bruised and crushed the mill broke down. The Saint still breathed a little but his head was immediately ordered to be cut off.
His and the other three bodies, were thrown into the sea but, being cast ashore, were buried by the Christians in a grotto hewn out of a rock.
In the 4th century, Saint John Cassian (c 360-435), the disciple of St John Chrysostom, built a monastery over the site where their bodies had been buried in a cave, which later became a Benedictine abbey and minor basilica. This is the Abbey of St Victor (Abbaye Saint-Victor), below.
Saint Victor’s feast day, along with Saints Longinus, Alexander and Felician, is celebrated today, 21 July.
Victor was bound hand and foot and dragged through the streets of the city, exposed to the blows and insults of the populace. He was brought back bruised and bloody to the tribunal of the prefects who, thinking his resolution must have been weakened by his sufferings, pressed him again to adore their gods. But the martyr, filled with the Holy Spirit, expressed his respect for the emperor and his contempt for their gods. He was then hoisted on the rack and tortured a long time, until, the tormentors being at last weary, the prefect ordered him to be taken down and thrown into a dark dungeon. At midnight, God visited him by His angels; the prison was filled with a light brighter than that of the sun and the martyr sung with the angels the praises of God.
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.