July, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – Priests and their Pastoral Ministry, That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests.

'No cloud is formed without a breath of wind; and no passion is born without a thought.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3613292/posts

Saint of the Day — St. Veronica Giuliani.

Information: Sts. Rufina and Secunda

Feast Day: July 10

Born: 3rd century, Rome, Roman Empire

Died: 257, Rome

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Felicity and her seven sons

Feast Day: July 10
Born/Died: Second century

Felicity was a noble Christian woman of Rome. After her husband's death, she served God by prayer and works of charity. Her good example led others to become Christians, too.

This angered the pagan priests (they worshipped false gods), who complained to Antoninus Pius, the emperor. They said Felicity was an enemy of the state because she was making the gods angry.

So the emperor had Felicity arrested. Her seven young sons were arrested with her. Like the mother of the Maccabees in the Old Testament, Felicity remained calm. The governor tried to make her sacrifice to the false gods but she absolutely refused.

They finally threatened to kill her sons one by one if she did not do as she was told. The governor said to her, "Unhappy woman, if you wish to die, die! But do not destroy your sons." And Felicity answered "My sons will live forever if, like me, they scorn the idols and die for their God."

This brave woman was forced to watch her sons being put to death. One was whipped, two were beaten with clubs, three beheaded and another drowned. Four months later, Felicity, too, was beheaded. Her strength came from her great hope that she would be with God and her sons in heaven.

St. Felicity, it could be said, was martyred eight different times as she had to watch each of her sons die. Then she too gave up her life for Jesus.

Reflection: Today we pray for people who watch their loved-ones suffer physically or emotionally. May they feel the strength and glory of the Risen Christ in their suffering.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Tuesday, July 10

Liturgical Color: Green

Today the Church remembers St.
Daniel, priest, and companions,
martyrs. While on a mission to
Morocco, these Franciscan Friars
were beheaded in 1221, for their
refusal to convert to Islam.

Ordinary Time: July 10th

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

July 10, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.r.

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Old Calendar: Seven Holy Brothers, martyrs and Sts. Rufina and Secunda, virgins and martyrs

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Seven Brothers and Sts. Rufina and Secunda. The Roman widow Felicitas and her seven sons were martyred in about the year 162. Pope Gregory the Great said of this widow, "She was more than a martyr, for seeing her seven children martyred before her eyes, she was in some sort a martyr in each of them." A century later, Rufina and Secunda, daughters of a wealthy Roman, refused to marry two suitors who had apostatized from the Christian religion. They were scourged and beheaded.

Seven Holy Brothers
During the persecution decreed by Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-168), seven brothers, sons of the saintly Felicitas, were tempted to renounce their Christian faith; the prefect Publius first used flattery, then resorted to atrocious torments. But they remained steadfast, and their mother encouraged them in confessing Christ. Different types of death were allotted them. Januarius died under the scourge; Felix and Philip were beaten with clubs; Silanus was cast from a rock; Alexander, Vitalis and Martial were beheaded. Four months later their mother, too, suffered martyrdom. Burial took place in different cemeteries. During the eighth century Silanus and his mother were taken to the Church of St. Susanna at Rome, where they still rest. Alexander came into the possession of the abbey church of Farfa.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Sts. Rufina and Secunda
Rufina and Secunda were sisters and virgins of Rome. Their parents had betrothed them to Armentarius and Verinus, but they refused to marry, saying that they had consecrated their virginity to Jesus Christ. They were, therefore, apprehended during the reign of the Emperors Valerian and Gallienus. When Junius, the prefect, saw he could not shake their resolution either by promises or by threats, he first ordered Rufina to be beaten with rods. While she was being scourged, Secunda thus addressed the judge: "Why do you treat my sister thus honorably, but me dishonorably? Order us both to be scourged, since we both confess Christ to be God." Enraged by these words, the judge ordered them both to be cast into a dark and fetid dungeon; immediately a bright light and a most sweet odor filled the prison. They were then shut up in a bath, the floor of which was made red-hot; but from this also they emerged unhurt. Next they were thrown into the Tiber with stones laid to their necks, but an angel saved them from the water, and they were finally beheaded ten miles out of the city on the Aurelian Way. Their bodies were buried by a matron named Plautilla, on her estate, and were afterwards translated into Rome, where they now repose in the Basilica of Constantine near the baptistery.

Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Symbols: Broken images or pottery.

Oops for #28

Catholic Culture

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 9:32-38

14th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages. (Matthew 9:35)

What an amazing thought: even Jesus had to evangelize! Why didn’t he supernaturally infuse the knowledge of God into everyone’s mind? As divine Creator, he easily could have compelled people to believe. They would have known instantaneously that he was God and that he could redeem them from their sins.

But it wasn’t Jesus’ goal simply to pass out information. And it wasn’t his goal to overwhelm his people with works of power. He wanted a relationship with them. He wanted them to love him for who he was and not for what he said or for what he could give them. That’s why he chose ordinary human ways to reach out to them. As Matthew tells us, Jesus visited “all the towns and villages” (9:35). He walked the dusty roads. He went into the synagogues, one at a time. He talked to the villagers and got to know their stories. And he healed them.

That’s a great example to follow. We might think we need a complex plan to bring the good news to our friends or family members or even strangers. Or we might just wish God would infuse them with knowledge of the gospel. But Jesus shows us the right place to start: through relationships.

How? Make yourself present to people, as Jesus did. Listen to them. Show them some kindness. So many people just want to be heard; they just want someone to treat them with a little kindness. As you start doing that, you will see trusting relationships beginning to form.

It’s in the context of a relationship that you are able to speak honestly about who God is in your life. It’s when a friend asks, “Why do you even go to church?” that you can share how the Eucharist gives you strength. It’s when he comments on the Bible you keep in your car that you can talk about how you hear God speaking to you through Scripture.

Relationships. That’s where it all starts. But it doesn’t end there. With every friendship you make and every encounter you have, you can be sowing seeds that lead someone closer to the Lord.

“Jesus, help me to reach out to people with kindness and attention. Open my heart and theirs to receive your good news!”

Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Psalm 115:3-10

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 10, 2018:

Social Media Tip: Make your status “married” and refer to your spouse in respectful, loving ways on the Internet, lest anyone wonder whether you are available. Let your spouse know your password. There should be nothing to hide.

Regnum Christi

July 10th, 2018 – How Do You Feed A Hungry Heart

09 Jul 2018

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

[Matthew 9:32-38]

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I bring myself into your presence knowing the zeal of your heart for souls. The glory of your heavenly Father can shape my own heart. I am confident that I can throw off all that is lukewarm and tepid in my own soul today. I desire to fulfill the mission you have given me more perfectly.

Petition: Lord, grant me the grace of a renewed zeal for you and for bringing others to you.

The Prime Choice: So many of the moral predicaments men bring upon themselves are not, as some would say, the work of a “cruel” God. Christ’s will is the happiness that people relentlessly pursue at heart. Yet a battle ensues in every soul: whether or not God may enter into the way we live that life. What Christ is not permitted to touch cannot be healed or redeemed. The Pharisees freely choose to live with demons rather than to live with Christ, rather than to let him take center stage. In our battle with our weaknesses and temptations, we should be sensitive to the truth that we will be confronted with the same choice. Will we be in “control” and live with our demons, or will we surrender to Christ totally and guarantee victory over every evil in our lives?
Seeing With Christ’s Eyes: If we could open our heart to see what Christ sees, we would follow everyday what he asks of us: “Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest” (Matthew 9:38). To be sure, we must lend a hand in the mission, but we must also pray that shepherds are not lacking in the Church. If we could see with Christ’s eyes, we would know that many are ready to fall into his arms with only the least motivation. No need for fancy discourses or rigorous apologetics. They just want someone to say, “This way,” and they will follow. We should not fear being apostles; many more are ready for what we have to say than we think are ready.
Diligent Preparations: If we could see with Christ’s heart, we would not show the least pessimism as we face the culture of death or the culture of the absolute self. We would know that Christ fully satisfies people’s hunger for God in spite of their history of misery, pain or self-indulgence. Get ready: the farther people are from God, the more the signs of their need for him will show. Get ready with prayer. Prepare the emergency rooms of salvation where many patients will soon be left, for only through prayer will we be assured that doctors will be there to treat them and put them on the road to full recovery.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know how much you love all people and manifest that love by coming to us every day at Mass. In the Eucharist I meet the one that has so loved me; in the Eucharist I will beg you to meet the needs of my heart and of countless souls by setting fire for you in the hearts of many young people, so that they generously accept a mission to souls in your name.

Resolution: I will offer one hour of adoration this week for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Homily of the Day

July 10, 2018

In the first reading Hosea faults the kings who do not come from God and who do not worship the true God.

In the Gospel reading we see Jesus curing a man unable to speak because he was possessed by an evil spirit. We see Jesus preaching the Good News; we see Jesus moved with pity for the crowds for they were “harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.”

Like Jesus who healed the sick and possessed, we are called to help cure the world of its sicknesses. We are called to help those in need. As in the time of Jesus, sickness and pain, hunger and war and exploitation of the human person are signs of sickness in our hearts, signs of our sinfulness. We need good will and the help of God’s grace to restore humans to their dignity as children of God.

We hear Jesus telling his disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to gather his harvest. We make the same prayer today.

Lord, grant us the grace to be your instruments for the healing of your people. Send forth your Spirit to send and empower more workers to gather the harvest for your kingdom.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 4

<< Tuesday, July 10, 2018 >>

Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
View Readings

Psalm 115:3-10

Matthew 9:32-38
Similar Reflections

SPIRITUAL LARYNGITIS

"Beg the harvest Master to send out laborers to gather His harvest." �Matthew 9:37-38

In this part of Matthew's gospel, Jesus has been on a healing-deliverance tour. He has lifted up the paralyzed, healed the hemorrhaging woman, raised up the dead, and cured the blind (Mt 9:1ff). Finally, Jesus expelled a demon from the mute man, and the man began to speak (Mt 9:33). Matthew recounts this miracle last to emphasize it. "The harvest is good but laborers are scarce" (Mt 9:37). There are few to proclaim the good news of the kingdom (Mt 9:35). The devil's got our tongues; so the sheep continue to lie prostrate from exhaustion (Mt 9:36).

We must be delivered; we must speak up for Jesus. We must yield our tongues to the Holy Spirit rather than to the evil spirit. We are stricken with selective muteness. We can talk about everything under the sun, but when it comes to Jesus we become mute. We have rationalized this condition, saying we are being careful not to impose our religious beliefs on others. However, we're not talking about religious beliefs; we're talking about Jesus. When we love someone, especially Jesus, Who is Love (1 Jn 4:7, 16), we should be free to tell the world.

Jesus commands: "Do not let them intimidate you. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not become known. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops" (Mt 10:26-27).

Prayer: Jesus, be Lord of my voice. May I never be ashamed of You. May I not give in to fear.

Promise: "Jesus continued His tour of all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues, He proclaimed the good news of God's reign, and He cured every sickness and disease." —Mt 9:35

Praise: Jack, suffering from cancer, called it a blessing to be able to place his sufferings on the cross with Jesus.

... at 1099 × 955 in The Great Absent In The UK <b>Euthanasia</b> Law Debate

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407)
priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Homily on the abundant harvest, 10, 2-3; PG 63, 519-521

“The harvest is abundant”

All the farmer’s work naturally leads towards the harvest. So how could Christ call a 'harvest' a work that was still in its initial stages? Idolatry reigned over all the earth…Everywhere there was fornication, adultery, debauchery, greed, theft, wars… The earth was filled with so many evils! No seed had yet been sown there. The thorns, thistles and weeds that covered the ground had not yet been pulled up. The ground had not yet been plowed, no furrow had yet been drawn.

So how could Jesus say that the harvest was abundant? … The apostles were probably distressed and frustrated: “How are we going to be able to say anything, to stand upright before so many people? How can we, the Eleven, correct all the inhabitants of the earth? Will we who are so ignorant be able to approach scholars; will we who are so stripped of everything be able to meet armed men; will we who are subordinates be able to approach people in authority? We know only one language – will we be able to argue with the barbarians who speak foreign languages? Who will bear with us if they don’t even understand our language?”

Jesus did not want such reasoning to discourage them. So he called the Gospel a harvest. It is as if he told them: “Everything is prepared, all the preparations have been made. I am sending you out to harvest the ripe grain. You will be able to sow and reap on the same day.” When the farmer leaves his home to go out and gather the harvest, he is brimming over with joy and shining with happiness. He thinks neither of the suffering nor the difficulties that he might encounter… Christ says, lend me your tongue, and you will see the ripe grain going into the king’s granaries. And so he then sends them out, telling them: “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20)