'As the good of the body is health, so the good of the soul is knowledge, which is indeed a kind of health of soul, by which a likeness to God is attained.'

St. Justin Martyr

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/3616897/posts?page=5

Saint of the Day — Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Information: St. Camillus de Lellis

Feast Day: July 14

Born: 1550 at Bocchiavico, Abruzzi, kingdom of Naples, Italy

Died: 14 July 1614 at Genoa, Italy

Canonized: 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV

Major Shrine: Church of Mary Magdalene, Rome, Italy

Patron of: against illness, hospitals, hospital workers, nurses, sick people

Information: St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Feast Day: July 14

Born: 1656, Ossernenon, Iroquois Confederacy (Modern Auriesville, New York)

Died: 17 April 1680 at Caughnawaga, Canada

Canonized: 21 Oct. 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI

Major Shrine: St Francis Xavier Church, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

Patron of: ecology

Two New American Saints, Three Notable Firsts, Bl. Marianne Cope & Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha
Declared ‘Miracle’ by Catholic Ch, Jake Finkbonner Takes in Stride His Role in Kateri’s Sainthood
NY Catholics Set for Blessed Kateri's Canonization
"Lily of the Mohawks" to be named a saint, Yakima Catholics "rejoicing" {Catholic/Orthodox caucus}
Pope advances sainthood causes of Marianne Cope, Kateri Tekakwitha (Catholic Caucus)
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks
BLESSED KATERI TEKAKWITHA, "STAR OF THE NATIVES"
Kateri Sainthood Could Take a Miracle

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Feast Day: July 14
Born: 1656 :: Died: 1680

Kateri (Katherine) Tekakwitha was born in Osserneon, which today is called Auriesville in New York. Her mother was a Christian who had been captured and her father was a non-Christian Mohawk (Red Indian) chief. When Kateri was fourteen, her parents died of smallpox and a Mohawk uncle raised her.

St. Isaac Jogues and other missionaries that came from France were killed, while preaching the gospel to the Native American Indians. They were called the North American martyrs. Ten years after the death of St. Isaac Jogues, Kateri was born in the same village where he had died.

One day her uncle had three Jesuit missionaries as his guests. These priests prayed openly in the small chapel there. Kateri was fascinated and had many questions for them, which they patiently answered. Slowly the seed of faith began to grow within her and her heart was touched by the Holy Spirit. She let this faith in Jesus grow to full maturity and when she was eighteen, she was baptized on Easter Sunday.

Kateri knew her life would now become difficult as she was the only Christian in her village. Besides, she wanted to give her life to Jesus and refused to marry. Her uncle was angry and some people in the village were upset that she did not work on Sunday. But Kateri held her ground. She prayed her Rosary every day, even when others made fun of her. She practiced patience and suffered quietly. Kateri's life grew harder each day as some people were very cruel and insulted her.

She finally fled to a Christian village near Montreal one night. There on Christmas Day, 1677, she received her First Communion. It was a wonderful day. Father Pierre Cholonec, a Jesuit priest, guided her spiritual life for the next three years. She and an older Iroquois woman named Anastasia lived as joyful, generous Christians.

Then Kateri fell ill and almost lost her eyesight completely because of the small pox she had suffered as a child. But she continued praying and giving glory to God as she was very grateful for the opportunity to practice her faith. She was just twenty-four when she died at Caughnawaga in Canada, on April 17, 1680. Many miracles have been reported at her grave. Exactly three hundred years later, on June 22, 1980, Kateri Tekakwitha was declared "blessed" by Pope John Paul II.

Reflection: Let us pray today for those who experience difficulty at the hands of others in their desire to live their Christian vocation more fully.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Saturday, July 14

Liturgical Color: Green

Today is the optional memorial of
Pope St. Callistus I (martyred 222 AD).
As pope he condemned the heresies
of his time, but welcomed repentant
heretics back to the Church.

Ordinary Time: July 14th

Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

MASS READINGS

July 14, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who desired the Virgin St. Kateri Tekakwitha to flower among Native Americans in a life of innocence, grant, through her intercession, that when all are gathered into your Church from every nation, tribe and tongue, they may magnify you in a single canticle of praise. 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.

show

Recipes (2)

show

Activities (2)

show

Prayers (5)

show

Library (2)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor; St. Francis Solano, priest (Hist)

Kateri was born in 1656 near the town of Auriesville, New York, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. She was baptized by Jesuit missionary Fr. Jacques de Lambertville on Easter of 1676 at the age of twenty. She devoted her life to prayer, penitential practices, and the care of the sick and aged in Caughnawaga near Montreal (where her relics are now enshrined). She incurred the hostility of her tribe because of her faith. She was devoted to the Eucharist, and to Jesus Crucified, and was called the "Lily of the Mohawks." She died in 1680 and was beatified June 22, 1980 — the first native American to be declared "Blessed." She was canonized on October 21, 2012.

Excerpted from Magnificat, July 2003

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Bonaventure. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on July 15.

Historically it is also the feast of St. Francis Solano, Franciscan missionary in Lima, Peru. He was born in Andalusia, Spain, in 1549, and became a Franciscan in 1569. Francis labored for two decades in Spain and sailed to Peru in 1589. He worked until his death in Lima and elsewhere in South America.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha
[Pronounce: Gah-deh-lee Deh-gah-quee-tah]
The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf were tortured to death by Huron and Iroquois Native American nations, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New York. She was to be the first person born in North America to be beatified. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the Blackrobes (missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. She refused to marry a Mohawk man and at nineteen finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.

Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was powerfully moved by God's love for human beings and saw the dignity of each of her people. She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began a two-hundred-mile walking journey to a Christian Native American village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.

For three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in charity and in strenuous penance. At twenty three she took a vow of virginity, an unprecedented act for a Native American woman, whose future depended on being married. She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a day and was accused of meeting a man there! Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an "ordinary" life. She practiced extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron: Ecologists; ecology; environment; environmentalism; environmentalists; exiles; loss of parents; people in exile; people ridiculed for their piety; World Youth Day.

Symbols: lily (a symbol of her purity); a cross (a symbol of her love of Jesus Christ); or a turtle (a symbol of her clan).

Things to Do:

This website is dedicated solely to information regarding Saint Kateri. Also this website, Lily of the Mohawk, is worth a visit.
A wonderful place to make a pilgrimage is the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs. The Shrine is situated in the heartland of New York State, in the Diocese of Albany. The Shrine is the site of the America's first and only canonized Martyrs: St. Rene Goupil (1642), Jesuit brother; St. Isaac Jogues (1646), Jesuit priest; and St. John Lalande (1646), lay missioner. Here also is the birthplace of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, born at Ossernenon in 1656, just ten years after these Martyrdoms.
Read more about St. Kateri in this article, The Lily and the Cross.
For even more information you may order Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Maid and/or Kateri Tekakwitha, Mystic of the Wilderness from Amazon.com.

St. Francis Solano
The diocese of Cordova, in Spain, was the birthplace of this Saint, who won many thousands of souls to God. From his earliest years he was characterized by a modest behavior, prudent silence, and edifying meekness.

His education was entrusted to the Jesuit Fathers, and later he entered the Order of St. Francis. Soon he excelled every one in the house in humility, obedience, fervor in prayer, and self-denial.

In 1589 he sailed for South America to preach the Gospel to the Indians in Peru. While near shore the ship struck rocks, and there was danger of drowning.

The captain hurried the officers and principal passengers into the only boat there was, and tried to induce the missionary to accompany them; but he refused to do so. Consoling the remaining passengers, he prayed fervently and alone kept up his hope in God's mercy. At last rescuers arrived and all were taken off in safety.

The missionary did not confine his ministry to Lima. He visited the forests and deserts inhabited by the Indians, and by degrees he won their trust and in this way baptized nine thousand Indians. He was then recalled to Lima, which at that time was like a godless Ninive. Francis preached to the hardened sinners, and the whole city became converted.

Finally after a painful sickness his last words being, "God be praised!" his soul departed this earth on 14 July 1610. He was declared Blessed by Pope Clement X in 1675, and canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Saint Francis' feast is held July 24th.

Excerpted from Butler's Lives of the Saints

Patron: Argentina; Bolivia; Chile; Paraguay; Peru

Things to Do:

Read more about this great missionary saint here.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 10:24-33

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (Memorial)

Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)

As he prepares to send his disciples out on their first missionary journey, Jesus breaks the news to them that they will face some hefty challenges. But he also reassures them that God is bigger than their troubles, so they don’t have to be afraid. He is their Father, and like any Father, he is watching over them.

Jesus’ words here make it clear that God is involved with all of his creatures, even to the point of feeding birds and dressing lilies. He doesn’t even mind counting hairs! So shouldn’t it follow that he is intimately involved in your life as well?

When Jesus talks about counting the hairs on our heads, he’s not talking about taking inventory. This is not a cold and businesslike action taken by some celestial clerk with a clipboard. It’s more like a mother stroking her baby’s head as she cradles him. It’s more like a father taking note of every one of his son’s features as he follows the boy’s growth into manhood. So if, in the back of your mind, you are hesitant to approach God, remember how precious you are to him. You are his pride and joy, and he has wonderful plans for you.

This is the undeniable, at times unbelievable, truth at the foundation of our Christian faith: God treasures you. He cares about what keeps you up at night. He cares about the concerns in your heart. He rejoices in your successes, and he grieves over your sorrows.

So don’t be afraid of the challenges or the challengers that this day will bring. Don’t let fear cloud your faith. Draw near to God instead, and have faith in his care for you. If you are hurting, show him your wounds. Remember, his Son, Jesus, has wounds as well—wounds he received in order to rescue you from sin. God is your Father. He is your provider and your protector, and he is involved in your life. He may work in ways you least expect, but he will always act with your best interest at heart.

“Father, nothing is too small that it escapes your notice or too big that it is beyond your power. With you at my side, what is there to fear?”

Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 93:1-2, 5

Daily Gospel Commentary

Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century)
, No.5 (trans. J.H. Charlesworth)

"Fear not... do not be afraid"

I praise you, O Lord because I love you. O Most High, abandon me not, for you are my hope. Freely did I receive your grace, may I live by it.

My persecutors will come, but let them not see me. Let a cloud of darkness fall upon their eyes; and let an air of thick darkness obscure them. And let them have no light to see, so that they cannot seize me...

For they have devised a counsel, but it was not for them. They prepared themselves maliciously, but they were found to be impotent.

Indeed my hope is upon the Lord and I shall not fear. And because the Lord is my salvation I shall not fear. And he is as a crown upon my head, and I shall not be disturbed.

Even if everything should be shaken, I shall stand firm. And though all things visible should perish, I shall not die; Because the Lord is with me, and I with him. Hallelujah!

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

Daily Marriage Tip for July 14, 2018:

Even though married couples share an intimate life together, sometimes talking directly about sex can feel awkward. Learning Natural Family Planning gives you language and a daily routine to prompt those sensitive discussions.

Regnum Christi

July 14th, 2018 – Persecution for Heaven’s Sake

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Father Edward McIlmail, LC [Matthew 10:24-33]

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So, do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the one constant in my life. You are my beginning and my end. I love you as my savior. I trust you as my closest companion. I hope in you as the one who will welcome me into eternal joy.

Petition: Grant me, Lord, the courage to face persecutions, great and small, for the faith.

Forewarned is Forearmed: Jesus’ opponents called him a devil. Either ignorance or hardness of heart prevented them from seeing the good in Our Lord. Opposition to him continues to this day — only now, we receive the brunt of the attacks. Christ warns that his followers will be reviled, just as he was denounced. Hence, it’s no surprise that we are labeled “backward” for our pro-life stance, or “intolerant” because we believe in moral truths. Persecution underscores the authenticity of our faith. If we never face any opposition, we might not be living the faith well enough or publicly enough. How do I handle persecution for my faith?

What is True is Always True: Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed. Here, Our Lord assures us that all will be revealed in due time. Lies and fallacies move at the speed of light, thanks to the Internet. Truth seems to travel a lot slower. The problem isn’t new. “For the time will come,” St. Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.” Whether it’s the truth about marriage or the dignity of the human embryo, the truth will emerge in the public mind, eventually. Likewise, the truth of Christ has to take root in us if we are to have joy and a sense of meaning. The unhappiest moments of life occur when we stray from Christ’s path. Which vice most needs to be weeded out of my life?

Intolerable Tolerance: If we deny Christ, he will deny us at Judgment Day. That’s a sobering thought. So many times the temptation arises to muffle our faith, to give into human respect and keep silent in the face of evil. It can take many forms. We stay mum when a relative brags about moving in with her boyfriend. We say nothing when a fellow Catholic matter-of-factly defends abortion or contraception. Or we as parents fail to intervene when a child spends hours alone on the Internet. All this silence and inaction we chalk up to “tolerance.” But Christ didn’t tell his disciples to “Go, be tolerant of all things.” Rather, he implored: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Have I kept silent about something when I should have spoken up?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, following you isn’t easy. Attacks can come on all sides: from family, friends, the media. I almost wish Christianity was easier, but then, it wasn’t easy for you, either. So, help me avoid complaining. Grant me strength to be daring for you.

Resolution: I will raise a delicate point with someone who needs to hear my Christian witness.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 4

<< Saturday, July 14, 2018 >>

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Isaiah 6:1-8
View Readings

Psalm 93:1-2, 5

Matthew 10:24-33
Similar Reflections

ENOUGH

"It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher." �Matthew 10:25, RSV-CE

In the original temptation, Adam and Eve were tempted to become like gods (Gn 3:5), knowing what was good and what was evil. They sinfully succumbed to that temptation, and soon it was not enough for them to have this knowledge. In a sense, Adam and Eve became their own "God." They decided to be greater than their master (cp Mt 10:25).

Jesus teaches: "It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher" (see Mt 10:25). Disciples imitate Jesus in His character and in His ministry. They strive to be holy as the Lord is holy (1 Pt 1:15-16). Disciples beg the Lord to send them out in His ministry and mission (Is 6:8), and then they proceed to humbly and obediently do only what the Lord assigned them (1 Cor 7:17).

St. John the Baptizer, as he was succeeding greatly in His ministry, resisted the temptation to become more than his Master and said, "He must increase, while I must decrease" (Jn 3:30). The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of the holiness of God to help him resist this temptation (Is 6:1ff). This vision helped him to grow in fear of the Lord and an awareness of his own sinfulness. Then he began a prophetic ministry which still endures 2,500 years later. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord (see 1 Pt 5:6). Imitate the Master as His disciple. Heaven and earth will be changed. That is enough.

Prayer: Father, give Your people an overwhelming outpouring of the spiritual gift of fear of the Lord.

Promise: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' 'Here I am,' I said; 'send me!' " —Is 6:8

Praise: St. Kateri chose to join the Church and reject the warring behavior of her parents' tribes.

Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman

July 14, 2018

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

Reading 1 Is 6:1-8

Responsorial Psalm pS 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5

Alleluia 1 Pt 4:14

Gospel Mt 10:24-33

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Ordinary Time: July 14th

Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (2)

Activities (2)

Prayers (5)

Library (2)

Meditation: Matthew 10:24-33

July 14th, 2018 – Persecution for Heaven’s Sake

One Bread, One Body

ENOUGH