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From: Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37

Celebration of the Sabbath

[1] The Lord said to Moses, [4] “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord,
the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for
them.”

Celebration of the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread

[5] “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the
Lord’s passover. [6] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of
unleavened bread to the Lord; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. [7]
0n the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious
work. [8] But you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord seven days; on
the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.”

Celebration of the First Fruits

[9] And the Lord said to Moses, [10] “Say to the people of Israel, When you
come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the
sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; [11] and he shall wave the
sheaf before the Lord, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the
sabbath the priest shall wave it.”

Celebration of the Feast of Weeks

[15] “And you shall count from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that
you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven full weeks shall they be, [16]
counting fifty days to the morrow after the seventh sabbath; then you shall pre-
sent a cereal offering of new grain to the Lord.”

Celebration of the Day of Atonement

[27] “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be
for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present
an offering by fire to the Lord.”

Celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles

[34b] “On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the feast
of booths to the Lord. [35] On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall
do no laborious work. [36] Seven days you shall present offerings by fire to the
Lord; on the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present an offering
by fire to the LORD; it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work.”

[37] “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as
times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire, burnt offe-
rings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day.”

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Commentary:

23:1-4. Some of the feats mentioned in this calendar are also to be found in o-
ther books (cf. Ex 23:14-19; 34:18-26; Deut 16:1). It deals first with the sabbath,
which becomes the paradigm for all the other feasts, especially as far as rest is
concerned. Such importance was given to what could or could not be done on
the sabbath that all sorts of absurd and formalistic exaggerations developed.
More than once Jesus criticized the severe interpretations devised by the
scribes—a complicated and intolerable casuistry (cf. Mt 15:1-9; 23:41 Acts
15:10).

23:5-8. The Passover is also dealt with in Exodus 12:1-14:21-28 and 13:3-10.
The first month was called Nisan; earlier on it was called Abib, “spring” or “ears
(of grain)”. The feast began at sundown. Here it is depicted as a preparation for
the feast of the unleavened bread, which began the following day, 15 Nisan, and
lasted seven days, during which bread was eaten unleavened. The religious as-
sembly took place on the first day and the last. During these assemblies various
sacrifices were offered and a sacred meal took place. We recall that it was du-
ring this feast that Jesus instituted the Eucharist, doing so in the context of the
passover supper. And it was during the Passover that Jesus was sacrificed on
he altar of the cross. St John tells us that the sacrifice of Christ began at the
sixth hour on the day of Preparation, the exact time that the passover lambs
were sacrificed. This makes the beginning of a new Passover, in which a new
victim is sacrificed, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (cf.
Jn 1:29, 36; 19:14).

23:9-14. The feast of the first fruits, although the date is not a fixed one, is con-
nected with the Passover. In the Jordan valley grain was already ripe for harvest
by this time (cf. Num 28:26-31). The offering of first fruits is based on the convic-
tion that everything comes from God. In recognition of that divine sovereignty the
first sheaf to ripen was offered in sacrifice—a tradition which developed to the
point that no one could eat the crop without first making this offering to God. The
“morrow” after the sabbath was thought by some to have been the first sabbath
after 14 Nisan. Other scholars think that the sabbath was 15 Nisan and then the
offering of the first fruits took place on 16 Nisan. The “morrow” was the base day
for reckoning the start of feast of Pentecost, seven weeks later. The offering of
the first sheaves was accompanied by the sacrifice of a year-old lamb and two
tenths of an ephah of flour (cf. the note on Ex 29:38-46) that is, approximately
4.2 liters, and a quarter of a hin of wine (approximately one litre or two pints).

23:15-22. This feast, too, has elements connected with the grain harvest. Later
on it became linked with the giving the Law at Sinai. It was called Pentecost be-
cause it came fifty days after Passover. In Hebrew it was called Aseret, the
“great convocation” or assembly. Another name for it is the feast of Weeks (a
reference to the seven weeks which had passed since the Passover). The offe-
ring of the loaves of bread made from the first sheaf expressed thanksgiving and
joy for the harvest recently completed. The various sacrifices were offered as a
sign of repentance for and as an act of adoration for the greatness of God who
had blessed the work of his people.

From a Christian point of view, it is interesting that it was on the feast of Pente-
cost that the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles. For one thing, that Pente-
cost marked the start of a new stage with another Law, a much more perfect
one, written not on stones but in the depths of men’s hearts (cf. 2 Cor 3:3). For
another, because it also seems significant that it was at the moment when the
fruits of the earth were being harvested that the Church should receive the most
precious fruit of Christ’s death on the cross, the strength of the Spirit who puri-
fies and sanctities men with his divine grace.

23:23-44. In the Bible the number seven had a sacred character; symbolizing in
some way the perfection of God. Therefore the seventh month, as also the se-
venth year, had special significance in Israel. Thus, in the seventh month (in He-
brew, Tishre) three feasts were held. The first was the feast of Trumpets, which
took place on the seventh day. It began with the sounding of trumpets; hence
its name. Trumpets were also used to greet the appearance of the new moon.
These details probably reflect traces of astral cults; however, by becoming in-
corporated into the liturgy, they became purified and raised to a new plane, to
express at different times and different ways a deep feeling of attachment to the
Creator of heaven and earth.

On the tenth of the same month the day of atonement was celebrated—Yom Kip-
pur. It was a day of penance and expiation. It began at sundown, with the start
of the sabbath rest. The grave penalties imposed for transgressions show the
importance this day had, and still has today, in Jewish liturgy.

The other great feast is that of Tabernacles, celebrated over seven days, begin-
ning on 15 Tisre. In the Code of the Covenant it is called the feast of ingathering
(cf. Ex 23:16). The last of the harvest was saved around this time, particularly
the grape harvest. The feast marked the close of the agricultural year; it was a
most joyful feast. It was also regarded as preparation for the new period which
would start immediately with the new sowing. Prayers were offered for early rains,
which were so crucial to starting the work. This was why the rite of water was so
much to the fore. Water was borne in procession from the pool of Siloe and then
poured round the altar of the temple. In Jesus’ time a bunch of myrtle and acacia
branches (from trees growing on the river bank) was shaken during the proces-
sion, thereby invoking the divine blessing of rain. In the times of Ezra and Nehe-
miah, in the middle of the 5th century BC, huts made from branches of trees
were set up on the terraces of houses or in the countryside, and the people
camped in them over the days of the feast, in memory of the pilgrimage of the
people of Israel in the desert, when they lived in tents. This custom still survives
in the Jewish religion.

The Gospel of St John has much to say about this feast and about Jesus’ acti-
vity in connection with it (cf. Jn 7:2ff), including the important revelations our
Lord made apropos of its rites: it was on this feast that Jesus proclaimed that
from his heart rivers of living water would flow, a reference to “the Spirit, which
those who believed in him were to receive” (Jn 7:39).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Matthew 13:54-58

No One is a Prophet in His Own Country

[54] And coming to His (Jesus’) own country He taught them in their synagogue,
so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom
and these mighty works? [55] Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother
called Mary? And are not His brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Ju-
das? [56] And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this Man get all
this?” [57] And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is
not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” [58] And He
did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

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

53-58. The Nazarenes’ surprise is partly due to people’s difficulty in recognizing
anything exceptional and supernatural in those with whom they have been on fa-
miliar terms. Hence the saying, “No one is a prophet in his own country.” These
old neighbors were also jealous of Jesus. Where did He acquire this wisdom?
Why Him rather than us? They were unaware of the mystery of Jesus’ concep-
tion; surprise and jealousy cause them to be shocked, to look down on Jesus
and not to believe in Him: “He came to His own home, and His own people re-
ceived Him not” (John 1:11).

“The carpenter’s son”: this is the only reference in the Gospel to St. Joseph’s
occupation (in Mark 6:3 Jesus Himself is described as a “carpenter”). Probably
in a town like Nazareth the carpenter was a general tradesman who could turn
his hand to jobs ranging from metalwork to making furniture or agricultural imple-
ments.

For an explanation of Jesus’ “brethren”, see the note on Matthew 12:46-47.

[The note of Matthew 12:46-47 states:

46-47. “Brethren”: ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and other languages had no special
words for different degrees of relationship, such as are found in more modern lan-
guages. In general, all those belonging to the same family, clan and even tribe
were “brethren”.

In the particular case we have here, we should bear in mind that Jesus had diffe-
rent kinds of relatives, in two groups — some on His mother’s side, others on St
Joseph’s. Matthew 13:55-56 mentions, as living in Nazareth, James, Joseph, Si-
mon and Judas (”His brethren”) and elsewhere there is reference to Jesus’ “sis-
ters” (cf. Matthew 6:3). But in Matthew 27:56 we are told that James and Joseph
were sons of a Mary distinct from the Blessed Virgin, and that Simon and Judas
were not brothers of James and Joseph, but seemingly children of a brother of St
Joseph.

Jesus, on the other hand, was known to everyone as “the son of Mary” (Mark 6:3)
or “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55).

The Church has always maintained as absolutely certain that Jesus had no bro-
thers or sisters in the full meaning of the term: it is a dogma that Mary was ever-
Virgin (cf. note on Matthew 1:25).]

*********************************************************************************************
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.

Readings at Mass

First reading
Leviticus 23:1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37 ©

The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:

‘These are the Lord’s solemn festivals, the sacred assemblies to which you are to summon the sons of Israel on the appointed day.

‘The fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the Passover of the Lord; and the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of Unleavened Bread for the Lord. For seven days you shall eat bread without leaven. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord. The seventh day is to be a day of sacred assembly; you must do no work.’

The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:

‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them:

‘“When you enter the land that I give you, and gather in the harvest there, you must bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest, and he is to present it to the Lord with the gesture of offering, so that you may be acceptable. The priest shall make this offering on the day after the sabbath.

‘“From the day after the sabbath, the day on which you bring the sheaf of offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You are to count fifty days, to the day after the seventh sabbath, and then you are to offer the Lord a new oblation.

‘“The tenth day of the seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly. You must fast, and you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord.

‘“The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for the Lord, lasting seven days. The first day is a day of sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly, you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a day of solemn meeting; you must do no heavy work.

‘“These are the solemn festivals of the Lord to which you are to summon the children of Israel, sacred assemblies for the purpose of offering burnt offerings, holocausts, oblations, sacrifices and libations to the Lord, according to the ritual of each day.”’

Psalm
Psalm 80:3-6,10-11 ©

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

Raise a song and sound the timbrel,

the sweet-sounding harp and the lute;

blow the trumpet at the new moon,

when the moon is full, on our feast.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

For this is Israel’s law,

a command of the God of Jacob.

He imposed it as a rule on Joseph,

when he went out against the land of Egypt.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

Let there be no foreign god among you.

no worship of an alien god.

I am the Lord your God,

who brought you from the land of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.1Th2:13

Alleluia, alleluia!

Accept God’s message for what it really is:

God’s message, and not some human thinking.

Alleluia!

Or	1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 13:54-58 ©

Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

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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 Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

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).

July 2015
Pope's Intentions
Universal: Politics -- That political responsibility may be lived at all levels as a high form of charity.

Evangelization: The poor in Latin America-- That amid social inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor and contribute to a more fraternal society.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Friday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Maximus the Confessor (c.580-662), monk and theologian
Capita theologica, 1, 8-13; PG 90, 1182

"Is he not the carpenter's son?"

The Word of God was born once for all according to the flesh. But, because of his great love for us, he desires to be born unceasingly according to the spirit for those who desire him. He makes himself a little child and forms himself within them along with the virtues. He makes himself known in the measure that he knows the one who receives him is capable. By acting in this way, it is not by demand that he reduces the splendour of his own greatness but because he judges and assesses the capacity of those who wish to see him.

Thus God’s Word is always revealed to us in the way that best suits us and yet he remains invisible to all because of the immensity of his mystery. That is why the inimitable apostle, considering the power of this mystery, wisely says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever” (Heb 13,8). He was contemplating that ever new mystery that the mind will never finish examining. Christ, who is God, becomes a child…, he who enabled everything that exists to come forth out of nothing… God become perfect man, without rejecting anything from human nature except sin, which in any case is not inherent to this nature…Yes, the incarnation of God is a great mystery and remains a mystery… Faith alone can grasp this mystery, which is at the bottom of everything surpassing our comprehension and is beyond anything we can express.

Just as in a physical body the operation of one member contributes to the good of the whole body, so it is in a spiritual body such as the Church. And since all the faithful are one body, the good of one member is communicated to another; everyone members, as the Apostle says, of one another [Eph 4:25]. For that reason, among the points of faith handed down by the Apostles, is that there is a community of goods in the Church, and this is expressed in the words Communion of Saints.

St. Thomas Aquinas

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).

July 31, 2015

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Reading 1 Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37

Responsorial Psalm PS 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab

Alleluia 1 Pt 1:25

Gospel Mt 13:54-58

Readings at Mass

Friday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time