Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

One day Elisha came to Shunem,
where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her.
Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
So she said to her husband, "I know that Elisha is a holy man of God.
Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof
and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp,
so that when he comes to us he can stay there."
Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.

Later Elisha asked, "Can something be done for her?"
His servant Gehazi answered, "Yes!
She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years."
Elisha said, "Call her."
When the woman had been called and stood at the door,
Elisha promised, "This time next year
you will be fondling a baby son."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever;"
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia 1 Pt 2:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;
announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

From: 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a

The Son of the Shunammite Woman

[8] One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged
him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to
eat food. [9] And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a
holy man of God, who is continually passing our way. [10] Let us make a small
roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp,
so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

[11] One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber ai rested there. [14]
And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has
no son, and her husband is old.” [15] He said, “Call her.” And when he had called
her, she stood in the doorway. [16a] And he said, “At this season, when the time
comes round, you shall embrace a son.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

4:8-37. Elisha here is an itinerant prophet who has only one servant and whose
base is Mount Carmel: in this he Is like Elijah. This passage shows, firstly, God
blessing the childless woman with the gift of motherhood, thanks to the prophet’s
intervention (vv. 11-17); and, secondly, the prophet’s extraordinary power to raise
up her dead son (vv. 18-37).

From a literary point of view, it is a well-constructed account full of little details
which help to build up the dramatic tension. The feelings of the woman, who first
of all receives the of a son without having sought it, and then cannot resign her-
self to his death, provide the basic story-line. St John Chrysostom quotes this pas-
sage show that real love means being concerned even about the physical welfare
of others: “Elisha not only gave spiritual help to the woman who had shown him
hospitality; he also tried repay her in a material way” (”De Laudibus Sancti Pauli
Apostolici”, 3, 7).

The first part of the story shows the reward given someone who welcomes a pro-
phet because he is a prophet; it is reminiscent of the reward that Jesus promises
to those who acknowledge and welcome an apostle (cf. Mt 10:
13-14).

The main thing to be learned from this passage (as also from 1 Kings 17:6) is the
power of the prophet’s prayer and indeed anyone else’s prayer when done with
faith. But we also learn that when God gives a gift, no matter how surprisingly and
unexpectedly (such as the gift of a son to this woman), he also gives the grace to
conserve it and make it bear fruit. The Lord does not leave us to our own devices
when he gives us, for example, personal talents, or a vocation even if we may not
have sought one.

Elisha’s journey to the dead boy and the action he takes is compared by St Au-
gustine and other Fathers to the incarnation of Christ and to his work of redemp-
tion. “Elisha arrived and went up to the chamber, just as Christ would come and
go up to the scaffold of the cross. Elisha stretched himself upon the child, to raise
him up; Christ humbled himself in order to raise up the world that was laid prone
by sin. Elisha put his eyes on the child’s eyes, his hands on his hands. Notice, my
brothers, how that grown-up man shrank himself in order to fit the size of the dead
child. What Elisha prefigured (in the way he cured the child), Christ fulfilled in re-
gard to all mankind. Listen to what the Apostle says; ‘He humbled himself, beco-
ming obedient unto death.’ Because we were children, he made himself a child;
because we lay dead, the first thing the doctor did was to bend over, for no one
can raise his stricken brother unless he bends down to him. The child’s sneezing
seven times stands for the seven forms of grace of the Holy Spirit that are given
mankind, in order to raise it up, at Christ’s coming (Sermons attributed to St Au-
gustine, “Sermons”, 42, 8).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Romans 6:3-4, 8-11

Baptism (Continuation)

[3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? [4] We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life.

[8] But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. [9]
For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no
longer has dominion over him. [10] The death He died He died to sin once for all,
but the life He lives He lives to God. [11] So you also must consider yourselves
dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-11. The universal dominion of sin, which began with the sin of Adam, is not the
only event to be reckoned with. When sin reached its full extent, the grace brought
by Jesus Christ came in superabundance. Through Baptism this grace reaches
each of us and frees us from the control of sin. When we receive this Sacrament
we die: that is to say, our blameworthiness is destroyed, we renounce sin once
and for all, and are born again into a new life.

“The Lord”, St. Ambrose tells the newly baptized, “who wanted His benefactions to
endure, the serpent’s plans to be turned to naught, and the harm done to be put
right, delivered a sentence to mankind: ‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return’
(Genesis 3:19), and made man subject to death [...]. The remedy was given him:
man would die and rise again [...]. You ask me how? [...] Pay attention. So that in
his world too the devil’s snare would be broken, a rite was instituted whereby man
would die, being alive, and rise again, being alive [...]. Through immersion in wa-
ter the sentence is blotted out: ‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return’” (”De
Sacramentis”, II, 6).

This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning Baptism, also
reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which Christ established, its spiri-
tual effects in Christians and its far-reaching effects with respect to the Christian
life. Thus, we can apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about all the
sacraments: “Three aspects of sanctification may be considered — its very cause,
which is Christ’s Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues; and its ultimate
end, which is eternal life. And all these are signified by the sacraments. Conse-
quently, a sacrament is a sign which is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the
Passion of Christ, and an indication of what is effected in us by Christ’s Passion,
and a foretelling and pledge of future glory” (”Summa Theologiae”, III, q. 60, a. 3).

In the specific case of Baptism, the various things which the Sacrament implies
carry a special nuance — a new birth which presupposes a symbolic death. It re-
produces in us not only the Passion, Death and burial of Christ, symbolized by
immersion in water (verses 3-4, 6), but also new life, the life of grace which pours
into the soul, enabling the person to share in the Resurrection of Christ (verses
4-5). This sharing in Christ’s Resurrection to immortal life is a kind of seed which
will ultimately produce the glorious resurrection of our bodies.

The baptized person is, therefore, someone newly created, someone born into a
new life, someone who has moved out of darkness into light. The white garment
used at Baptism symbolizes innocence and grace; the burning candle, the light of
Christ — two symbols the Church uses in the baptismal liturgy to signify what is
happening.

Thus, in Baptism, God “removes every trace of sin, whether original or personal”
(”The Rite of Baptism”, Introduction, 5) and also remits the penalties that these
sins incur. On being baptized in the name of the Three Divine Persons, the Chris-
tian is shown God the Father’s love for him (a love he has not merited), is given a
share in the Paschal Mystery of the Son, and to him is communicated new life in
the Spirit (cf. “Instruction on Infant Baptism”, 20 October 1980, 9). Baptism, which
is also described as “the door of the spiritual life”, unites a person to Christ and to
the Church by means of grace, which makes us children of God and heirs to Hea-
ven. Finally, in addition to the infused virtues and supernatural gifts, the person is
given “the graces necessary to live in a Christian way, and on his soul is im-
pressed the sacramental character which makes him a Christian for evermore”
(”St. Pius X Catechism”, 250).

Baptism, which confers a “character”, that is, a kind of seal confirming our Chris-
tian calling, gives us a share in Christ’s priesthood and makes us capable of re-
ceiving the other sacraments.

4. It is easier to grasp the symbolism of burial and resurrection if one remembers
that in earlier times, and particularly in the apostolic period, Baptism was usually
administered by immersion in water — in some cases by total immersion, up to
three times, with one Person of the Blessed Trinity being invoked each time.
“They asked you, ‘Do you believe in God the Father almighty?’ You said, ‘I be-
lieve’, and you were immersed, that is, you were buried. Again they asked you,
‘Do you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross?’ You said, ‘I believe’,
and you were again immersed. This time you have been buried with Christ, and
he who is buried with Christ rises with Christ. For a third time you were asked,
‘Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?’ You said, ‘I believe’, and for a third time you
were immersed, so that by this three-fold confession you might be loosed of your
many attachments to your past life” (St. Ambrose, “De Sacramentis”, II, 7).

Today Baptism is normally administered by pouring water over the head — a me-
thod also used in apostolic times and which gradually came into general use be-
cause it was found more convenient.

9-10. Jesus Christ chose to bear all the consequences of sin, even though He was
sinless. His voluntary death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection broke the
bonds of death, for Himself and for all His own. Death no longer shall have domin-
ion: “[Christ died] that through death He might destroy him who has the power of
death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were sub-
ject to lifelong bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). And as a consequence He won, for
His own human nature and for us, a new life.

In all those who have been baptized these same events in Christ’s life are in some
way reproduced. “Our past sins have been wiped out by the action of grace. Now,
so as to stay dead to sin after Baptism, personal effort is called for, although God’s
grace continues to be with us, providing us with great help” (Chrysostom, “Hom.
on Rom.”, 11). This personal effort might be encapsulated in a resolution: “May
we never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal” (St J. Escriva,
“Holy Rosary”, 1st Glorious Mystery).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 10:37-42

Jesus’ Instructions to the Apostles (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [37] “He who loves father or mother more than Me is
not worthy of Me; and he who loves sons or daughter more than Me is not worthy
of Me; [38] and he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
[39] He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find
it.

[40] He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him
who sent Me. [41] He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall re-
ceive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. [42] And whoever gives to
one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I
say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

34-37. Our Lord has not come to bring a false and earthly peace — the sort of
tranquility the self-seeking person yearns for; He wants us to struggle against our
own passions and against sin and its effects. The sword He equips us with for this
struggle is, in the words of Scripture, “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of
God” (Ephesians 6:17), “lively and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

The word of God in fact leads to these divisions mentioned here. It can lead, even
within families, to those who embrace the faith being regarded as enemies by rela-
tives who resist the word of truth. This is why our Lord goes on (verse 37) to say
that nothing should come between Him and His disciple — not even father, mother,
son or daughter: any and every obstacle (cf. Matthew 5:29-30) must be avoided.

Obviously these words of Jesus do not set up any opposition between the first
and fourth commandments (love for God above all things and love for one’s pa-
rents): He is simply indicating the order of priorities. We should love God with all
our strength (cf. Matthew 22:37), and make a serious effort to be saints; and we
should also love and respect — in theory and in practice — the parents God has
given us; they have generously cooperated with the creative power of God in
bringing us into the world and there is so much that we owe them. But love for our
parents should not come before love of God; usually there is no reason why these
two loves should clash, but if that should happen, we should be quite clear in our
mind and in heart about what Jesus says here. He has in fact given us an example
to follow on this point: “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must
be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) — His reply when, as a youth, Mary and
Joseph found Him in the Temple of Jerusalem after a long search. This event in
our Lord’s life is a guideline for every Christian — parent or child. Children should
learn from it that their affection for their parents should never come before their
love for God, particularly when our Creator asks us to follow Him in a way which
implies special self-giving on our part; parents should take the lesson that their
children belong to God in the first place, and therefore He has a right to do with
them what He wishes, even if this involves sacrifice, even heroic sacrifice. This
teaching of our Lord asks us to be generous and to let God have His way. In fact,
however, God never lets Himself be outdone in generosity. Jesus has promised
a hundredfold gain, even in this life, and later on eternal life (cf. Matthew 19:29),
to those who readily respond to His will.

38-39. The teaching contained in the preceding verses is summed up in these two
succinct sentences. Following Christ, doing what He asks, means risking this pre-
sent life to gain eternal life.

“People who are constantly concerned with themselves, who act above all for their
own satisfaction, endanger their eternal salvation and cannot avoid being unhappy
even in this life. Only if a person forgets himself and gives himself to God and to
others, in marriage as well as in any other aspect of life, can he be happy on this
earth, with a happiness that is a preparation for, and a foretaste of, the joy of Hea-
ven” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 24). Clearly, Christian life is based on
self-denial: there is no Christianity without the Cross.

40. To encourage the Apostles and to persuade others to receive them, our Lord
affirms that there is an intimate solidarity, or even a kind of identity, between Him-
self and His disciples. God in Christ, Christ in the Apostles: this is the bridge be-
tween Heaven and earth. (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

41-42. A prophet’s mission is not essentially one of announcing future events; his
main role is that of communicating the word of God (cf. Jeremiah 11:2; Isaiah 1:2).
The righteous man, the just man, is he who obeys the Law of God and follows His
paths (cf. Genesis 6:9; Isaiah 3:10). Here Jesus tells us that everyone who hum-
bly listens to and welcomes prophets and righteous men, recognizing God in them,
will receive the reward of a prophet and a righteous man. The very fact of gene-
rously receiving God’s friends will gain one the reward that they obtain. Similarly,
if we should see God in the least of His disciples (verse 42), even if they do not
seem very important, they are important, because they are envoys of God and of
His Son. That is why he who gives them a glass of cold water — an alms, or any
small service — will receive a reward, for he has shown generosity to our Lord
Himself (cf. Matthew 25:40).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
2 Kings 4:8-11,13-16 ©

One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem, a woman of rank who lived there pressed him to stay and eat there. After this he always broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way. She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man wno is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God. Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there.’ One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay down. He said to his servant Gehazi, ‘Call our Shunammitess. Tell her this: “Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us, what can we do for you? Is there anything you would like said for you to the king or to the commander of the army?”’ But she replied, ‘I live with my own people about me.’ ‘What can be done for her then?’ he asked. Gehazi answered, ‘Well, she has no son and her husband is old.’ Elisha said, ‘Call her.’ The servant called her and she stood at the door. This time next year,’ he said ‘you will hold a son in your arms.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 88(89):2-3,16-19 ©

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;

through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Happy the people who acclaim such a king,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

who find their joy every day in your name,

who make your justice the source of their bliss.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

For it is you, O Lord, who are the glory of their strength;

by your favour it is that our might is exalted;

for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord;

our king in the keeping of the Holy One of Israel.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Second reading
Romans 6:3-4,8-11 ©

When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.

But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Or	1P2:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,

a people set apart to sing the praises of God,

who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 10:37-42 ©

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.

‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.

‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.’

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.")

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it:

• Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.

• Cleanses us from all sin.

• Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil. When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.

• Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.

• Sanctifies us. The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us. Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God. It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth. They events were:

• Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision

• Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives

• Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns

• Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion

• Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced

The Power of the Precious Blood

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace." They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption. (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other." (From our book Bread of Life)

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17).

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life." (Pope John Paul II)

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep. That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40). Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously, Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.

"Look at Maria Goretti.... Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body. Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)

A Prayer for Priests

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration!

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland)

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance." "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . . Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else. Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).

The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord. It may be customary to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood on July 1.

The extraordinary importance of the saving Blood of Christ has ensured a central place for its memorial in the celebration of this cultic mystery: at the centre of the Eucharistic assembly, in which the Church raises up to God in thanksgiving "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10, 16; cf Ps 115-116, 13) and offers it to the faithful as a "real communion with the Blood of Christ" (1 Cor 10, 16); and throughout the Liturgical Year. The Church celebrates the saving Blood of Christ not only on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also on many other occasions, such that the cultic remembrance of the Blood of our redemption (cf 1 Pt 1, 18) pervades the entire Liturgical Year. Hence, at Vespers during Christmastide, the Church, addressing Christ, sings: "Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo redempti sumus sanguine, ob diem natalis tui hymnum novum concinimus." In the Paschal Triduum, the redemptive significance and efficacy of the Blood of Christ is continuously recalled in adoration. During the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday the Church sings the hymn: "Mite corpus perforatur, sanguis unde profluit; terra, pontus, astra, mundus quo lavanturflumine", and again on Easter Sunday, "Cuius corpus sanctissimum in ara crucis torridum, sed et cruorem roesum gustando, Deo vivimus (194).

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 09-25-12
ST. GASPAR: Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood
Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (London, 9/18)

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary (Prayer/Devotion)
Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
Catholic Word of the Day: PRECIOUS BLOOD, 12-03-11
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:53).

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July 2, 2017

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19

Reading 2 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

Alleluia 1 Pt 2:9

Gospel Mt 10:37-42

Readings at Mass

July, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Lapsed Christians: That our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the faith, through our prayer and witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the merciful closeness of the Lord and the beauty of the Christian life.|

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time