Pope’s Intention for August

Families, Schools of Human Growth

That families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly "schools of true human growth."

This, in short, is the difference between us and others who know not God, that in misfortune they complain and murmur, while the adversity does not call us away from the truth of virtue and faith, but strengthens us by its suffering.

–St. Cyprian

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/religion/3681085/posts?page=2

Saint of the Day — St. Pius X

Pope Saint Pius X contra Biblical Modernists
On Pope St. Pius X
Saint Pius X, a Backward Pope? No, an Unprecedented Cyclone of Reform [OPEN]

An Encyclical that Packed a Punch [St. Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Doctrine of the Modernists]
Pascendi Dominici Gregis - Encylical of Pope St. Pius X (Catholic Caucus)
Fighting Modernists, a Decree Shaped Catholicism (Pope St. Pius X's Pascendi)(Catholic Caucus)
The Centennial of the Encyclical Pascendi (A Doctrinal Lepanto) (Catholic Caucus)
One Hundred and Sixty-one Years Ago... (The Election of Blessed Pope Pius IX) (Catholic Caucus)
The Mass of Saint Pius V: The French Bishops Raise a Shout with the Pope
St. Pius X disagrees with the Vatican over Latin Mass, but Winona seminary still thriving
The time the emperor’s veto helped ... a saintly pope [Pius X]
The Liturgical Reforms of Pope St. Pius X, and the Council
Modernist Tactics according to Pascendi Domini Gregis

SAINT PIUS X September 3
Saint Pius X: Biblical Studies
100th Anniversity of Pope Saint Pius X's Launch of the Liturgy Reform Movement
CIEL events commemorating centenary of Pope St Pius X's sacred music motu proprio November 22, 1903
Pope Saint Pius X: Model of Papal Authority
How Americans Remembered Saint Pius X
The Pontifical Biblical Commission Under Pius X
Pope St Pius X (1835-1914)
Pope[Saint]Pius X

St. Pius X

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: August 21st

Memorial of St. Pius X, pope

MASS READINGS

August 21, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who to safeguard the Catholic faith and to restore all things in Christ, filled Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fortitude, graciously grant that, following his teaching and example, we may gain an eternal prize. 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.

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Library (11)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal, widow; Our Lady of Knock (Hist)

Joseph Sarto was born in humble circumstances at Riese, a small village in Venetia, on June 2, 1835. He was successively curate, parish priest, bishop of Mantua, Patriarch of Venice — offices to which his keen intelligence, hard work and great piety caused him to be quickly promoted. He was elected Pope on August 4, 1903, and took the name of Pius X. As chief pastor of the Church he displayed untiring self-sacrifice and great energy; he was an intrepid defender of the purity of Christian doctrine. He realized to the full the value of the liturgy as the prayer of the Church and the solid basis that it furnishes for the devotion of Christian people; he worked for the restoration of the worship of the Church, especially plainchant, so that Christian people, as he put it, might find beauty in their public prayer. He spared no effort to propagate the practice, so great an aid to holiness, of early, frequent and daily communion. He died August 20, 1914 and was canonized on May 29, 1954.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal whose feast in the Ordinary Form is celebrated on August 18. The feast of St. Pius X was transferred from September 3.

Historically today is the feast of Our Lady of Knock, where Our Lady is said to have appeared in Ireland on August 21, 1879 with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, a Lamb and cross on an altar at the gable wall of the parish church of the village of Knock in County Mayo and was witnessed by 15 people.

St. Pius X
The future Pope-Saint of the twentieth century was born at Riese in Venetia on June 2, 1835, his name, Joseph Sarto. After ordination at the age of twenty-three (by special dispensation), he labored for 17 years as a parish priest, then as bishop of Mantua, and in 1892 was advanced to the metropolitan see of Venice with the honorary title of patriarch. On August 4, 1903, he was elected Pope, "a man of God who knew the unhappiness of the world and the hardships of life, and in the greatness of his heart wanted to comfort everybody."

The primary aim of his pontificate Pius X announced in his first encyclical letter, viz., "to renew all things in Christ." Here we need but allude to his decree on early and frequent reception of holy Communion; his Motu Proprio on church music; his encouragement of daily Bible reading and the establishment of various Biblical institutes; his reorganization of the Roman ecclesiastical offices; his work on the codification of Canon Law; his incisive stand against Modernism, that "synthesis of all heresies." All these were means toward the realization of his main objective of renewing all things in Christ.

The outbreak of the first World War, practically on the date of the eleventh anniversary of his election to the See of Peter, was the blow that occasioned his death. Bronchitis developed within a few days, and on August 20, 1914, Pius X succumbed to "the last affliction that the Lord will visit on me." He had said in his will, "I was born poor, I have lived poor, I wish to die poor" — and no one questioned the truth of his words. His sanctity and his power to work miracles had already been recognized. Pius X was the first Pope canonized since St. Pius V in 1672.

"He was one of those chosen few men whose personality is irresistible. Everyone was moved by his simplicity and his angelic kindness. Yet it was something more that carried him into all hearts: and that 'something' is best defined by saying that all who were ever admitted to his presence had a deep conviction of being face to face with a saint" (Baron von Pastor).

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

Patron: Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia; diocese of Des Moines, Iowa: first communicants; diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana; pilgrims; diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Our Lady of Knock
On August 21, 1879, Margaret Beirne, a resident of Cnoc Mhuire, was sent by her brother to lock up the church for the evening. When she was ready to leave, she noticed a strange brightness hovering over the church. Margaret had other things on her mind, and didn't tell anyone what she saw. Around the same time, another member of the Beirne family, Mary, was leaving from a visit to the church's housekeeper, and stopped with the housekeeper at the gables, where they could see the church. Mary replied:

"Oh look at the statues! Why didn't you tell me the priest got new statues for the chapel?"

The housekeeper responded that she knew nothing of the priest getting new statues. So, they both went for a closer look, and Mary Beirne said:

"But they are not statues, they're moving. It's the Blessed Virgin!"

Thirteen others also came and saw the beautiful woman, clothed in white garments, wearing a brilliant crown. Her hands were raised as if in prayer. All knew that it was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Queen of Angels. On the right of Our Lady stood St. Joseph, his head inclined toward her. On her left stood St. John the Evangelist, dressed as a bishop. To the left of St. John stood an altar which had a lamb and a cross surrounded by angels on it. The vision lasted about two hours. People who were not at the apparition site reported that they saw a bright light illuminating the area where the church was. Many of the sick were healed upon visiting the church at Knock.

Excerpted from Christus Rex

Things to Do:

See the website of the Shrine of the Our Lady of Knock.
For further information see Catholic Saints Info on Our Lady of Knock.
In the vision, Mary stood in the middle, wearing a long gown and a crown of pulsating brilliance, with a golden rose over her forehead. A golden rose is often the symbol of this Marian apparition.
Pope St. John Paul II presented a golden rose to the Shrine on his visit on September 30, 1979. Read his Mass homily.
Because the 4th Sunday of Lent or Laetare Sunday is often referred as the Golden Rose Sunday, the Simnel Cake could incorporate the Rose tradition. See Laetare, Jerusalem! Rejoice! by Jennifer Gregory Miller for more information.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Judges 9:6-15

Saint Pius X, Pope (Memorial)

Reign over us. (Judges 9:8)

The parable in our first reading today might seem hard to decode, but like Aesop’s fables, it contains a universal lesson about human beings and their ways. In this case, the people of Israel who want a king are represented by trees. The “buckthorn” who agrees to be their king is a man named Abimelech, who is as unfit to rule as a buckthorn is to provide shade from the sun. Yet the people would rather take their chances with Abimelech than stay close to God and find out his plan.

If you look closely, these foolish trees share something in common with the critical workers from Jesus’ parable—the ones who don’t like the generosity of the man who hired them. They too think they know better. The problem in both cases is that mistrust is really what “reigns.”

We can all fall into this “I know best” mentality at times. A higher-up’s decision at work makes us roll our eyes. In a conversation with our spouse or children, we push for our own plans with urgency, not pausing to think about other people’s ideas, let alone thank them. We can even do this in our relationship with God when we approach prayer by saying, “Please do this” or “Make this outcome happen.” While it’s not wrong to make our desires known to God, it might be good to do a “trust check” every once in a while. It could look something like this:

What is at the heart of my prayer? Do I believe in God’s perfect love and perfect judgment? Am I open to his will, even if it means letting things go on as they are for a bit longer? Do I believe that God is working, even now?

So many situations you face are not God’s will; they are consequences of sin, sickness, and people’s bad judgment. Yet God is with you in a special way when you trust in him. When you believe that he has authority over your circumstances, he reigns as king—and you become better able to participate in his plan. So instead of trying to tell God what to do, try asking him to show you what he is doing. Let him show you how to be part of it. Let him reign.

“Jesus, show me how to participate in your plan.”

Psalm 21:2-7
Matthew 20:1-16

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

Daily Marriage Tip for August 21, 2019:

God reveals Himself to us in mysterious ways. What are some of the ways that God has revealed Himself to you and your family members in the last year? Contemplate and make note of these.

Regnum Christi

August 21, 2019 – Working for God

21 Aug 2019

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Father José LaBoy, LC

Matthew 20: 1-16

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So, they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So, when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe in you because you have revealed your plan of love to the Church. I hope in you because you are more interested in my happiness and salvation than I am. I love you because you have loved me without my deserving your love.

Petition: Lord, help me to appreciate and be grateful for your grace.

There Is Always an Opportunity: One of the worst experiences is to accept that you have lost the last opportunity to do something you have always wanted to do. This can occur in any human situation: job opportunities, university acceptances, etc. In the spiritual life, on the other hand, there is always the opportunity to live only for God, the opportunity to be redeemed. There is always the possibility to start again. Why is this? It is because God has granted us our time on earth to walk towards him. Therefore, even if we fall, he continues to give us the strength to get up. That is why the sacrament of reconciliation is so important. When we lose grace, our spiritual strength, we can regain it in the sacraments, especially in confession.

Expecting More Than You Deserve: Considered from a merely human point of view, this Gospel’s situation is an unjust one. Whoever works more should receive more than those who work less. We tend to forget, however, that in terms of the spiritual, everything is a gift. There is nothing in our nature that can demand grace. The demands of our faith are not “favors” we do for God, but existential obligations. That is why Christ reminds us, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do’” (Luke 17:10).

The Generosity of God: God’s generosity is a manifestation of his love for us. He knows each and every person intimately and personally. He knows that the needs of some are bigger than those of others. To think that God loves some people more than others is an injustice to God. We owe love and respect to others because we are all human persons with the same dignity. We owe adoration and love to God because he is our creator and provident Father. But God owes nothing to his creatures. Everything he gives us is gratuitous and a fruit of his infinite love. It’s too easy to treat God in a human way, forgetting that he is God. The most beautiful gift he gives us is his grace.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, I sometimes see things from a very human and selfish point of view. Sometimes I find myself getting angry because others may have more than I do. Help me understand that the most important thing to be truly happy in my life is to be aware of the need I have of your grace.

Resolution: I will thank Christ for his grace and love and will try to imitate him by being generous to others.

Homily of the Day

August 21, 2019

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Many of us work tirelessly. We don’t count the hours we put in just to meet our deadlines. We often do what is expected without complaints. At the end of the day, we receive no rewards, no kudos or a hearty thank you. Then, comes along someone who receives the highest of all praises just because that person was able to deliver one piece of the work we have done. It is truly frustrating and it is not fair. Is this what life is all about?

The many expectations we have about ourselves and others zap the joy from entering our lives. Many times we are tangled up in our obligations for the sake of simply fulfilling them. Therefore, when others receive more, we tend to miss the point. We forget that we have accomplished something worthwhile that makes life better for other people, our families and ourselves. We forget to understand that our work is done and that Jesus wants us now to celebrate the fruits of our labor. We forget to stop and think of the extra blessings we receive after being able to work.

Let us not miss the point. We have agreed to work and we have been paid. Now it’s time to be grateful.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 5

<< Wednesday, August 21, 2019 >>

Pope St. Pius X

Judges 9:6-15
View Readings

Psalm 21:2-7

Matthew 20:1-16
Similar Reflections

WHAT IS JESUS TEACHING US TODAY?

"...begin with the last group and end with the first..." �Matthew 20:8

Jesus, the "Teacher" (Mt 19:16), is always teaching, always teaching, always teaching. Therefore we, as His disciples, should be always listening for Him, always watching Him, and always docile to His lessons. Jesus describes the master who began paying the late arrivals first. Yet notice that He had gathered all those who had labored that day to watch the distribution of wages. Jesus was giving a lesson to those who had worked all day. His lesson was to display the lavish mercy and generosity of God, and He wanted the early workers to observe His joy in being generous. Since the early workers missed the lesson in the visual demonstration, Jesus had to give them the lesson in words later on.

Focusing only on the rewards of serving God is so limiting. Jesus promised to give His servants a just reward (Mt 20:4). He also gave them a merciful one �� far beyond anything they could ask for or imagine (Eph 3:20), life on high with Him (Phil 3:14). One day, one lifetime, in His service is far better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps 84:11).

St. Thomas Aquinas had spent his entire life serving God. Near the end of his life, the Lord appeared to St. Thomas and asked him what reward he wished for his life of service. Thomas replied: "None but Yourself, O Lord!" Let us imitate St. Thomas and fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb 3:1; 12:2), not on the rewards He gives.

Prayer: Father, may I guard against grumbling by spending every day of my life thanking You for Your loving mercy.

Promise: "You have granted him his heart's desire; you refused not the wish of his lips." —Ps 21:3

Praise: Pope St. Pius X was outstanding for his personal holiness and spirit of poverty. He died on the cusp of World War I. His motto was to "renew all things in Christ."