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From: Jeremiah 23:1-6

[1] “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”
says the LORD. [2] Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concer-
ning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock, and
have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend
to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. [3] Then I will gather the remnant of
my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them
back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. [4] I will set shepherds
over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
neither shall any be missing, says the LORD.

The future king

[5] “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a
righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute
justice and righteousness in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved, and
Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The
Lord is our righteousness’.”

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

23:1-8. The previous chapters (21:1-22:30) announced the exile to come, and
come it did, on account of the kings’ failure to keep the Covenant. The kings, in
chronological order, were the subject of the various oracles. Now Jeremiah, loo-
king to the future, uses the image of shepherds to proclaim a new era in which
God himself will be the shepherd-ruler of his people (vv. 1-4); he will raise up a
new king who will govern justly (vv. 5-6); and the new situation that will develop
after the return from exile will be more glorious than that of the period after the
exodus from Egypt (vv. 7-8). Bl. John Paul II refers to this oracle to stress that
the new people of God, the Church, will always have pastors to guide it: “In
these words from the prophet Jeremiah, God promises his people that he will ne-
ver leave them without shepherds to father them together and guide them: ‘I will
set shepherds over them [my sheep] who will care for them, and they shall fear
no more, nor be dismayed’ (Jer 23:4). The Church, the people of God, constantly
experiences the reality of the prophetic message and continues joyfully to thank
God for it. She knows that Jesus Christ himself is the living, supreme and defini-
tive fulfillment of God’s promise: ‘I am the good shepherd’ (Jn 10:11). He, ‘the
great shepherd of the sheep’ (Heb 13:20), entrusted to the apostles and their
successors the ministry of shepherding God’s flock (cf. Jn 21:15ff; 1 Pet 5:2)”
(Pastores dabo vobis, 1).

23:5-6. The promise of the new king is the key to understanding Jeremiah’s
thought. The passage is repeated (with slight variations) in 33:15-16. “The days
are coming”, a phrase often found in oracles of salvation, is a reference to the
End time, but sometimes it can mean the return from exile. The “righteous
branch”, meaning the future king, will eventually become a technical term for the
Messiah, in both Zechariah (Zech 3:8; 6:12) and the New Testament (cf. Lk 1:78):
he is “righteous”, he shall “executeÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã‚Â¦righteousness” and he will be called “the
Lord in our righteousness”. All this insistence on justice and right indicates, first-
ly, that Jeremiah wants to justify the accession of Zedekiah, whose name means
“justice of the Lord”; but he also wants to show that the future Messiah will be
David’s legal, legitimate descendant: the Lord guarantees this by calling him a
“righteous” that is “legitimate”, branch. And the main message, of course, is that
in the new era justice will reign and there will be peace and security; it will be the
time of definitive salvation.

Thus, Jeremiah is proclaiming the coming of a descendant of David who will bring
about a new era of prosperity and salvation. Jeremiah is the last prophet, in order
of time, to proclaim a Messiah King, an intermediary between God and his people.
At the same time, he is also promising direct intervention by God.

*********************************************************************************************
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: Ephesians 2:13-18

Reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles in Christ

[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
in the blood of Christ. [14] For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and
has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by abolishing, in his flesh the
law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new
man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to
God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. [17]
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those
who were near; [18] for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the
Father.

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

11-22. What is the significance of the calling of the Gentiles to the Church?
Their previous situation, separated from Christ (vv. 11-12), has undergone radical
change as a result of the Redemption Christ achieved on the Cross: that action
has, on the one hand, brought the two peoples together (made peace between
them: vv. 13-15) and, on the other, it has reconciled them with God, whose ene-
my each was (w. 16-18). The Redemption has given rise to the Church, which St
Paul here describes as a holy temple built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets (vv. 19-22).

14-15. “He is our peace”: through his death on the cross Christ has abolished
the division of mankind into Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles, who had been far
away from God, from his covenant and from his promises (cf. v. 12), are now on
a par with the Jews: they share in the New Covenant that has been sealed with
the blood of Christ. That is why he is “our peace”. In him all men find that soli-
darity they yearned for, because, through his obedient self-sacrifice unto death,
Christ has made up for the disobedience of Adam, which had been the cause of
human strife and division (cf. Gen 3-4). “Christ, the Word made flesh, the prince
of peace, reconciled all men to God by the cross, and, restoring the unity of all
in one people and one body, he abolished hatred in his own flesh (cf. Eph 2:16;
Col 1:20-22) and, having been lifted up through his resurrection, he poured forth
the Spirit of love into the hearts of men” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 78).

God’s plan to attract mankind to himself and to reestablish peace included the
election of the Jewish people, from whom the Messiah would be born; and in
that Messiah all the nations of the world would be blessed (cf. Gen 11:3). He
is in fact called “prince of peace” (Is 9:6; cf. Mic 5:4). However, many Jews had
come to regard their election in such a narrow-minded way that they saw it as
creating a permanent barrier between themselves and the Gentiles. Some rabbis
of our Lord’s time despised and even hated the Gentiles. The separation between
the two peoples was reflected in the temple wall which divided the court of the
Gentiles from the rest of the sacred precincts (cf. Acts 21:28). The real roots of
the separation lay in Jewish pride at being the only ones to have the Law of God
and keep it by scrupulous attention to countless legal niceties.

By his death on the cross Jesus Christ has broken down the barriers dividing
Jews from Gentiles and also those which kept man and God apart. St Paul says
this metaphorically when he says that Christ “has broken down the dividing wall,”
referring to the wall in the temple. But he is not resorting to metaphor when he
says that Christ abolished “in his flesh the law of commandments and ordi-
nances”. Christ, through his obedience to the Father unto death (cf. Phil 2:8),
has brought the Law to fulfillment (cf. Mt 5:17 and note on Mt 5:17-19); he has
become, for all mankind, the way to the Father. The Law of the Old Testament,
although it was something good and holy, also created an unbridgeable gap be-
tween God and man, because man, on his own, was incapable of keeping the
Law (cf. notes on Gal 3:19-20; 3:21-25; and Acts 15:7-11). Christ, through grace,
has created a new man who can keep the very essence of the Law — obedience
and love.

The “new man” of whom St Paul speaks here is Jesus Christ himself, who
stands for both Jews and Gentiles, because he is the new Adam, the head of a
new mankind: the “new man”, St Thomas Aquinas explains, “refers to Christ him-
self, who is called ‘new man’ because of the new form his conception took, ...the
newness of the grace which he extends ..., and the new commandment which
he brings” (”Commentary on Eph, ad loc.”).

By taking human nature and bringing about our redemption, the Son of God has
become the cause of salvation for all, without any distinction between Jew and
Greek, slave and free, male and female (cf. Gal 3:28): only through Christ’s grace
can peace be achieved and all differences overcome. Bl. John XXIII explains this
in his encyclical “Pacem In Terris”: peace is “such a noble and elevated task
that human resources, even though inspired by the most praiseworthy goodwill,
cannot bring it to realization alone. In order that human society may reflect as
faithfully as possible the Kingdom of God, help from on high is necessary. For
this reason, during these sacred days our supplication is raised with greater fer-
vor towards him who by his painful passion and death overcame sin—the root of
discord and the source of sorrows and inequalities—and by his blood reconciled
mankind to the Eternal Father: ‘For he is our peace, who has made us both one’.”

16. Through his death on the cross, Jesus Christ reestablishes man’s friendship
with God, which sin had destroyed. Pope John Paul suggests that “With our
eyes fixed on the mystery of Golgotha we should be reminded always of that
‘vertical’ dimension of division and reconciliation concerning the relationship be-
tween man and God, a dimension which in the eyes of faith always prevails over
the ‘horizontal’ dimension, that is to say, over the reality of division between peo-
ple and the need for reconciliation between them. For we know that reconciliation
between people is and can only be the fruit of the redemptive act of Christ, who
died and rose again to conquer the kingdom of sin, to reestablish the covenant
with God and thus break down the dividing wall which sin had raised up between
people” (”Reconciliatio Et Paenitentia”, 7). Redemption therefore brings about
our reconciliation with God (cf. Rom 5:10-2 Cor 5:18) and it affects everyone,
Gentiles as well as Jews, and all creation (cf. Col 1:20). This reconciliation is
achieved in the physical body of Christ sacrificed on the cross (cf. Col 1:22) and
also in his mystical body, in which Christ convokes and assembles all whom he
has reconciled with God by his redemptive sacrifice (cf. 1 Cor 12:13ff). The words
“in one body” can be taken in two senses—as referring to Christ’s physical body
on the cross and to his mystical body, the Church.

The sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, “the memorial of the death and
resurrection of the Lord, in which the Sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated,
is the summit and the source of all worship and Christian life. By means of it the
unity of the body of Christ is signified and brought about, and the building up of
the body of Christ is perfected” (Code of Canon Law, can. 897).

18. Prior to Christ’s coming, man was excluded from the Father’s house, living
like a slave rather than a son (cf. Gal 4:1-5). But in the fullness of time God sent
his Son to give us the spirit of sonship that enables us to call God our Father (cf.
note on Rom 8:15-17).

“The way that leads to the throne of grace would be closed to sinners had Christ
not opened the gate. That is what he does: he opens the gate, leads us to the
Father, and by the merits of his passion obtains from the Father forgiveness of
our sins and all those graces God bestows on us” (St Alphonsus, “Thoughts on
the Passion”, 10, 4).

Here we see the part played by the Holy Spirit in the work of salvation decreed
by the Father and carried out by the Son. The words “in one Spirit”, as well as
identifying the access route to the Father, also imply two basic facts: on the
one hand, that the mysterious union which binds Christians together is caused
by the action of the Holy Spirit who acts in them; on the other, that this same
Holy Spirit, inseparable from the Son (and from the Father) because they con-
stitute the same divine nature, is always present and continually active in the
Church, the mystical body of Christ. “When the work which the Father gave the
Son to do on earth (cf. In 17:4) was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on
the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church,
and that, consequently, those who believe might have access through Christ in
one Spirit to the Father (cf. Eph 2:18). [...] Hence the universal Church is seen
to be ‘a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit’ (cf. St Cyprian, “De Oratione Dominica”, 23)” (Vatican II, “Lumen
Gentium”, 4).

Christ has brought about salvation, and, to enable all to appropriate that salva-
tions he calls them to form part of his body, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit
is, as it were, the soul of this mystical body; it is he who gives it life and unites
all its members. “If Christ is the head of the Church, the Holy Spirit is its soul:
‘As the soul is in our body, so the Holy Spirit is in the body of Christ, that is, the
Church’ (St Augustine, “Sermon 187”)” (Leo XIII, “Divinum Illud Munus”, 8). The
Holy Spirit is inseparably united to the Church, for St Irenaeus says, “where the
Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the
Church and the fullness of grace” (”Against Heresies”, III, 24).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Mark 6:30-34

The Apostles Return

[30] The Apostles returned to Jesus, and told Him all that they had done and
taught. [31] And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place,
and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure
even to eat. [32] And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by them-
selves.

First Miracles of the Loaves

[33] Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot
from the towns, and got there ahead of them. [34] As He landed He saw a great
throng, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without
a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

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

30-31. We can see here the intensity of Jesus’ public ministry. Such was His
dedication to souls that St. Mark twice mentions that the disciples did not even
have time to eat (cf. Mark 3:20). A Christian should be ready to sacrifice his
time and even his rest in the service of the Gospel. This attitude of availability
will lead us to change our plans whenever the good of souls so requires.

But Jesus also teaches us here to have common sense and not to go to such
extremes that we physically cannot cope: “The Lord makes His disciples rest,
to show those in charge that people who work or preach cannot do so without
breaks” (St. Bede, “In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”). “He who pledges
himself to work for Christ should never have a free moment, because to rest is
not to do nothing: it is to relax in activities which demand less effort” (St. J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 357).

34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for Himself and His disciples, from the
pressures of the apostolate (Mark 6:31-32). And He has to change His plans be-
cause so many people come, eager to hear Him speak. Not only is He not an-
noyed with them: He feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. “My peo-
ple are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). They need instruction and
our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. “Jesus is moved by
hunger and sorrow, but what moves Him most is ignorance” (St. J. Escriva,
“Christ Is Passing By”, 109).

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

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

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading	Jeremiah 23:1-6 ©

I will gather together the remnant of my flock and raise up shepherds for them

‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered – it is the Lord who speaks! This, therefore, is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them.

Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds – it is the Lord who speaks! But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers. I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost – it is the Lord who speaks!

‘See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –

when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,

who will reign as true king and be wise,

practising honesty and integrity in the land.

In his days Judah will be saved

and Israel dwell in confidence.

And this is the name he will be called:

The-Lord-our-integrity.’

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 22(23) ©

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

to revive my drooping spirit.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me along the right path;

he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

with these you give me comfort.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

You have prepared a banquet for me

in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

my cup is overflowing.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Second reading
Ephesians 2:13-18 ©

Christ Jesus is the peace between us

In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 6:30-34 ©

They were like sheep without a shepherd

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

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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.

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]

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
+

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, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

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

Arlington Catholic Herald

Our Shepherd of the Field

Fr. Robert Wagner

7/17/18

Gospel Commentary MK 6:30-34

In this battle, our enemy knows our weaknesses and is much more powerful than each of us are. Yet we are never alone in the battle for our soul, for Jesus Christ is always with us, strengthening us against temptation and cleansing us in confession when we fall.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus looks with pity on the crowd that follows him to a deserted place and compares them to sheep without a shepherd. Our Lord is popularly described as the Good Shepherd. He guides his flock to green pastures and leads them to the places where they will be safe. We are consoled by this image of Jesus as shepherd.

In the Old Testament, however, the people of God described as “sheep without a shepherd” is not always a peaceful metaphor. Instead, it takes on a military connotation. For instance, the prophet Micaiah received a word from God portraying “all Israel scattered upon the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd” (1 Kgs 22:17). True to the vision, when King Ahab was struck down leading the Israelite army in battle, his men scattered, each to his own city and land (1 Kgs 22:36).

An earlier example of this metaphor is found in the Book of Numbers. Moses, who is near death, prays for the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. There will be battles ahead with the tribes that already inhabit that land, so Moses asks the Lord for a leader who can lead them to victory, “lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd” (Num 27:18).

The Lord instructs Moses to appoint Joshua as their leader. Joshua’s name means “God is with us,” and in faith we recognize that it is by God’s hand that the battle is won. He is our shepherd who protects and saves us.

For some, this image of warfare is not a comfortable one. We prefer the comfort of the Good Shepherd over the violence of a leader of armies. Yet, we might recall the words of Jesus, who tells his disciples, “I did not come to bring peace, but the sword” (Mt 10:34). The sword is the result of the world, the flesh, and the devil, all of which reject Jesus. When we embrace Our Lord, we, too, find ourselves in this battle. This is why our Catholic tradition calls us the “Church Militant”: the people of God in this world, battling against evil for our salvation and the salvation of all.

Our battle is a spiritual one, which unfortunately allows most people to overlook, neglect or ignore it. This is how the evil one works, for it allows him to prowl about the world more easily seeking the ruin of souls. For our part, we participate in this spiritual war in two ways. The first is the battle for our own sanctity. The second is to fight for the sanctity of others, by praying and sacrificing for our loved ones and those who need protection from the evil one, such as our church and secular leaders.

In this battle, our enemy knows our weaknesses and is much more powerful than each of us are. Yet we are never alone in the battle for our soul, for Jesus Christ is always with us, strengthening us against temptation and cleansing us in confession when we fall. He is the victor, and when we cling to him in faith and seek his grace, we have no need for fear or despair, no matter how difficult our struggles are.

Because Jesus is our shepherd in this great battle, we can boldly say, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me” (Ps 23:4). In this way, we can see that the comforting image of the Good Shepherd is in harmony with the military image of Our Lord.

While it may be unsettling to contemplate the reality of the spiritual battle for our souls, it is only through awareness of it that we can seek to prepare and protect ourselves, our families, and our neighbors through our faithfulness, our worship, and sacrifices.

As the Church Militant, we are part of the mystical body of Christ. We are the church that Jesus founded on the Rock of St. Peter, the church Our Lord promises will prevail against the gates of our enemy in this battle. Nothing will withstand us when we are united with our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the victor. He is the shepherd. He is our hope.

Fr. Wagner is parochial vicar at St. Veronica Church in Chantilly.

https://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=18

Year B - 16th Sunday in ordinary time

He had compassion and began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:30-34
30 And the apostles coming together unto Jesus, related to him all things that they had done and taught.
31 And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little. For there were many coming and going: and they had not so much as time to eat.
32 And going up into a ship, they went into a desert place apart.
33 And they saw them going away, and many knew: and they ran flocking there on foot from all the cities, and were there before them.
34 And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
How beautiful it is for me to listen to the soul that comes humbly to disclose his life to me, even though I already know it, there is certain attraction in that littleness that sweetens my ear, it is the simplicity of heart that attracts me and fills me with joy. Just as a child comes to his mother to tell her stories to her delight, so I delight by listening happily to the complaints, the achievements and the hopes of every soul.

Let the children come to me, because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, I say it again, oh, if they all came to me like little children, if they could change their hearts of stone for the infantile tenderness, the whole world would change. As a child listens attentively to the instruction of his parents, so I listen to the soul that comes to me with humility. I am the Great Master of the Soul; he who desires my teaching must share his life with me, must put all his trust in me and listen attentively in order to learn.

It is notorious to see how young people come to a state of mental maturity when they reject the teachings of their parents and go against the healthy moral principals they accepted in their previous innocence. It is very sad to see how this change from child to adult, brings to a false security against the good teachings of infancy.

In the same way, the soul of a child learns to know God innocently and with a faith without barriers, thereafter comes intellectualism and the examples of the world to destroy those strong foundations of the spiritual life. For this reason, the soul has to be shaken in order to understand that it has come out of the way, then my Spirit claims incessantly until some understand my call and decide to change.

The advice I gave to my disciples was to search for moments of silence to be in prayer. I practiced this and gave them example, I taught them that the Kingdom of heaven is within; it is there in the interior dwelling, the altar of the soul, where my Spirit speaks and listens, where the transformation of the human being occurs, where you can know me.

My voice surges in the temple of silence, in the darkness of the soul I reveal my light to those who follow my Word, “be still and know, that I am the Lord”.

In order to quieten the soul, it is necessary to stay away from so many mundane events that take away time, saturate the mind and infect the heart. Moderate entertainment is good, but hunger for entertainment is gluttony that destroys the soul with insatiable passion for the world. I repeat, don’t you have at least an hour to spend with me? I am the Lord the Lord of the Sunday, the day to honor God, I claim this day to attend the Holy Mass, to dedicate it to the family and to spiritual growth. But what has it become? The same as my feasts of Holy Week and Nativity, Sundays are days dedicated to the gods of the world and to offend me with indifference.

This is the reason why so many souls cannot quieten down and enjoy the privileges of the saints, this is why my word is dispersed like seeds that fall on the rocks, they cannot thrive.

However, I have nothing against anyone, I wait eagerly the return of each soul, I happily give my teachings to those who want to listen to me, I am the Good Shepherd, the Teacher who waits punctually for his pupils, all are invited, come, learn from me, be humble as I am humble, do not despise the gift that I am offering.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

July 22, 2018

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 23:1-6

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

Reading 2 Eph 2:13-18

Alleluia Jn 10:27

Gospel Mk 6:30-34

Readings at Mass

July, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

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

Our Shepherd of the Field