Saints' Feast Days – July

• Saint Benedict of Nursia Abbot July 11^th
• Saint Veronica July 12^th
• Saints Louis and Zeli Martin Parents of St. Therese July 12^th
• Saint Vladimir the Great of Kiev July 15^th
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel July 16^th
• Prophet Elijah
• Saint Mary Magdalene July 22^nd
• Saint Charbel Makhluf July 24^th
• Saints Joachim & Anne July 26^th
• Saint Mary of Bethany, Saint Lazarus, friend of Jesus, and Saint Martha July 29^th
• Saint Ignatius of Loyola July 31^st

Background:

Benedict, whose name in Latin means "Blessed," was sent to Rome for schooling and there experienced a religious awakening which caused him to renounce corrupt secular society and to join a band of Christian ascetics. He later became a hermit, living in the hill region of Subiaco.

In about A.D. 529, he and a few disciples came to the mountain above the city of Cassino where they established the monastery now known as Monte Cassino. Benedict died on 21 March 543, not long after his sister. It is said he died with high fever on the very day God told him he would.

His Feast day is 11^th July.

It is only we who brood over our sins. God does not brood over them, God dumps them at the bottom of the sea.

-St. Benedict

Intercessory Prayer:

We thank you O Lord,
for the inspiration you gave us through
Your servant St. Benedict.

All great things begin in silence and St. Benedict
founded the way of life that is built upon silence.

We all need to collect our thoughts
and begin to listen to the voice of God.

From silence great things can arise.

Amen.

Background:

At the sixth station of the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) we stop and meditate on ‘Veroica Wipes The Face Of Jesus'. According to tradition, the cloth was imprinted with the image of Christ's face. Unfortunately, there is no historical evidence or scriptural reference to this event, but the legend of Veronica became one of the most popular in Christian lore and the veil one of the beloved relics in the Church. According to legend, Veronica bore the relic away from the Holy Land, and used it to cure Emperor Tiberius of some illness. The veil was subsequently seen in Rome in the eighth century, and was translated to St. Peter's in 1297 by command of Pope Boniface VIII. The relic is still preserved in St. Peter's. Her Feast Day is 12^th July.

Intercessory Prayer:

O My Jesus,

Saint Veronica served You on the way to Calvary by wiping Your beloved face with a towel on which Your sacred image then appeared.

She protected this treasure, and whenever people touched it, they were miraculously healed.

I ask her to pray for the growth of my ability to see Your sacred image in others, to recognize their hurts, to stop and join them on their difficult journeys, and to feel the same compassion for them as she did for You.

Show me how to wipe their faces, serve their needs, and heal their wounds, reminding me that as I do this for them, I also do this for You. Amen.

… St Veronica, Pray for Us…

Parents of St. Therese the Little Flower

Background:

Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin met in Alencon, and on July 13, 1858, Louis, 34, and Zelie, 26, married and began their remarkable voyage through life. Within the next fifteen years, Zelie bore nine children, seven girls and two boys. The Martins' delight in their children turned to shock and sorrow as tragedy relentlessly and mercilessly stalked their little ones. Within three years, Zelie's two baby boys, a five year old girl, and a six-and-a-half week old infant girl all died. Zelie was left numb with sadness but her faith sustained her through these terrible ordeals.

The Martins' last child was born January 2, 1873. She was weak and frail, and doctors feared for the infant's life. But the baby girl proved to be much tougher than anyone realized. She survived the illness. Louis and Zelie named their new-born; Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin. A century later people would know her as St. Therese, and call her the "Little Flower." Their Feast Day is 12^th July.

Soon we'll have the intimate happiness of the family, and it's this beauty that brings us closer to him.

-St. Louis Martin

It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily and that the daily becomes heroic.

-St. Zelie Martin

Intercessory Prayer:

Saints Louis and Zélie Martin,
today we turn to you in prayer.

By fulfilling the duties of your state in life and
practicing the evangelical virtues as spouses and as parents,
you have modeled for us an exemplary Christian life.

May the example of your unwavering trust in God
and your constant willingness to surrender
all the joys, the trials, the sorrows and the sufferings
that filled your life encourage us to persevere
in our daily challenges and to remain in joy and Christian hope.
Amen.

… Saints Louis and Zélie Martin Pray for Us …

Background:

Saint Vladimir the Great was born about 958 and died on July 15, 1015. He was the king of Kievan Rus, what we now know as modern day Ukraine and part of Russia. Prior to his conversion, he was a brutal and violent conqueror who started his rule by usurping the lands and thrones of his brothers. He ruled with an iron fist, decimating any tribe who thought to stand against him. On becoming Christian, he transformed his life radically. He gave up his hundreds of concubines and married but one woman. He ruled justly and was so well regarded and brought such prosperity to his country that he received the epithet ‘the Great' to describe how much of a positive impact he had on his country. His feast day is July 15^th.

Intercessory Prayer:

May the Lord, through the intercession of St. Vladimir, give us minds so that we might live as he lived and taught his people to live!

May the Lord, through the intercession of St. Vladimir, reconcile conflicting parties and send the blessed peace to our Ukrainian land so that people stop dying; so that we embrace each other in love of Christ; so that we forgive one another in the name of Christ all the faults ever made!

May the Lord, through the intercession of St. Vladimir, bless our land, our Ukrainian state and its entire people!  Amen.

Intercessory Prayer:

Send your heavenly legions, O Lord, commanded by the patron of Kyiv, Archangel Michael, to crush the desires of the aggressor whose desire is to eradicate our people.

May the Lord, through the intercession of Archangel Michael bless our land, our Ukrainian state and its entire People! Amen

Background:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Carmelite Order. Their origin goes back to the 12th Century when a group of Christian hermits chose Mount Carmel in the Holy Land to settle. Many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Feast Day is 16th July.

Intercessory Prayer:

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel,
most fruitful vine, splendour of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth
the Son of God, still ever remaining a virgin, assist us in our necessity.

O Star of the Sea, help and protect us. Show us that you are our Mother.

O Mother of Fair Love, through your goodness, as your children, we are called to
live in the spirit of Carmel. Help us to live in charity with one another,
prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God's people.

O Most Holy Mother of Mount Carmel,
when asked to grant privileges to the family of Carmel, you gave assurance of
your Motherly love and help to those faithful to you and to your Son. Behold us,
your children. Look down with love, O Gate of Heaven, on all those now in their
last agony. Look down graciously, O Virgin, Flower of Carmel, on all those in
need of help. Look down mercifully, O Mother of our Saviour, on all those who do
not know that they are numbered among your children. Look down tenderly, O Queen
of All Saints, on all poor souls.

Look down on me… (Share your request and reflect …)

but may God's will be done.

… Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us …

Background:

On July 16, the Church celebrates the feast day of Mary, Mother of God under her title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. How did the Mother of God become known by this title?

In the Old Testament, the Prophet Elijah lived on Mt. Carmel in Palestine, the Holy Land. He prayed and fasted there, listened to the word of God, and prophesied to the Jewish people. He is one of the most famous persons of the Old Testament with Moses. The prophet Elijah is appreciated by the fathers of the Church as the model of every prophet, the poor among the poor, and the founder of the monastic life.

Elijah is remembered as the prophet who made it rain after a period of severe drought, but also as the prophet who raised the son of the widow of Zarephath. In the first book of Kings (18, 19-46) the episode of the end of the drought for Israel is told. The Prophet Elijah's servant was sitting on the top of the mountain when he saw a cloud rising from the sea in the form of a human hand that soon brought abundant rain to the earth and to all the thirsty people. Mystics and exegetes, in the dawn of Christianity, have seen in this «little cloud» the image of the Virgin Mother, because with the Incarnation and the birth of Jesus, she has given us the greatest rain and blessing, giving abundant and fruitful life to the world.

Elijah was a witness to the living God. He said in confidence and love, “/The Lord of Hosts lives, before whose face I stand.”/(3 Kings 17:1) Yet the Jews did not receive him with a spirit of love and repentance. He was disdained for relaying God's message to His chosen people as they continued to stray from their Heavenly Father and One True God.

When Elijah was emptied, made aware of his own nothingness, and purified through his sufferings, God could fill him. And so He did! Only then, after this purification, was Elijah able to encounter the Living God. This purification, this emptying of self, is an eternal mystery of our Catholic Faith and the Christian life. It is our timeless inheritance.

After his sufferings and purification, which culminated in the 40 days he traveled to Mt. Horeb, the Lord told Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Wind, earthquake and fire raged in those moments as Elijah waited. He hid his face and went back toward the entrance of his cave. But God was not in the devastation, fear and chaos. Elijah then heard a “tiny, whispering sound.” The awesome and infinite power of our God was contained in a mere whisper! God was ready then, to work in Elijah to begin leading the Jews back to fidelity. And Elijah had been emptied. He was ready to receive what God poured into him.

The spirit of Mt. Carmel and the legacy of St. Elijah is intended for us all. As sufferings come to each of us in this world, may we allow them to purify us, see them as stepping stones to God, and turn to Him to redeem us. May the zeal of the Prophet Elijah be our inheritance as Catholic Christians in the world!

The faithful hermits who found themselves on that same Mountain centuries after Elijah sought the fire of God's love through the New and Eternal Covenant – the graces that are poured out from that Perfect Sacrifice on Calvary which now flow into the hearts of all believers, purifying us through love. In his Sermons, Saint Augustine wrote: “Elijah prayed and offered sacrifice, and Christ offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for the whole world. Elijah prayed that rain might fall on the earth; Christ (prayed) that divine grace might flow into human hearts. Elijah's command to his servant: ‘Go up and look out seven times, is a foreshadowing of the seven-fold grace of the Holy Spirit to be given to the Church. And the small cloud rising up out of the sea that the servant saw is a symbol of the Incarnate Christ born in the sea of this world.” Our Lord became Incarnate in the Virgin Mary. She who is the Immaculate Conception was chosen by the Carmelites to be their Patroness because of her purity, her ardent faith, her undying love. Our Lord comes to us through Mary, the Vessel of Purity, the Virgin Mother of God.

Background:

St. Mary Magdalene is one of the greatest saints of the Bible and a legendary example of God's mercy and grace. The precise dates of her birth and death are unknown, but we do know she was present with Christ during his public ministry, death and resurrection. She is mentioned at least a dozen times in the Gospels. Her Feast Day is 22^nd July.

Intercessory Prayer:

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins,
who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness that Jesus
forgives through the miracle of love.
You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me,
so that someday I may share in the same everlasting joy.
Amen.

… St. Mary Magdalene, Pray for Us …

Background:

Saint Charbel was born on May 8, 1828 from a modest Maronite family in Bekaa Kafra, a village in North Lebanon. He entered the order of Lebanese monks in 1851 and was ordained a priest in 1859. Later he withdrew to the hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul to spend 23 years in prayer, fasting, manual labour, and penance, until on Christmas Eve of the year 1898 he piously gave back his soul to God. Aged 70 years. During his life, the hermit performed numerous miracles and inspired the lives of those who sought his counsel. After his death, many graces and bodily cures have been obtained through his intercession. He was canonized by His Holiness Paul VI on October 9, 1977.

His Feast day is the 3rd Sunday in July (Maronite Calendar); July 24 (Roman Calendar).

Intercessory Prayer:

Lord, infinitely holy and glorified in Your saints,
You have inspired Charbel, the saint monk,
to lead the perfect life of a hermit.
We thank You for granting him the blessing
and the strength to detach himself from the
world so that the heroism of the monastic virtues
of poverty, chastity, and obedience might triumph
in his hermitage.

We beseech You to grant us the grace of loving and
serving You, following his example.

… St. Charbel, Pray for Us …

Background:

An ancient story dating to the first centuries of the Church's life recalls how Saints Anne & Joachim, like Abraham and Sarah, were scorned by their neighbours because they had no children. Years of longing did not weaken their trust in God, but grief eventually drove Saint Joachim into the wilderness to fast and pray. Saint Anne, remaining at home, dressed in mourning clothes and wept because she had no child of her own. Seeing her mistress distressed, a servant girl reminded Anne to put her trust in God. Saint Anne washed her face, put on her bridal clothes and went to a garden to plead with God for a child. Angels appeared to Saint Anne in her garden and Saint Joachim in the desert, promising that, despite their old age, they would give birth to a child who would be known throughout the world. The new parents ran to meet one another at Jerusalem's Golden Gate, and with a kiss rejoiced in the new life which God had promised would be theirs.

Anne is the blessed barren woman, Happy mother among mothers, From whose pure womb Came forth the shining temple of God, The sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, The Mother of God!

-St. Jerome 347-420

Intercessory Prayer:

Most Holy St's Anne and Joachim,
come close to us and guide our hand and our hearts in the way of virtue.
Help us to parent our children and grandchildren with a gentle heart as you did.
Show us how to raise our children in faith and bring our families into the Light of Jesus.
Amen.

… Saints Anne and Joachim Pray for Us …

Background:

Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus were evidently close friends of Jesus. He came to their home simply as a welcomed guest, rather than as one celebrating the conversion of a sinner like Zacchaeus or one unceremoniously received by a suspicious Pharisee. The sisters felt free to call on Jesus at their brother’s death, even though a return to Judea at that time seemed to spell almost certain death.

Martha’s great glory is her simple and strong statement of faith in Jesus after her brother’s death. “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world’” (John 11:25-27). Feast Day: July 29th

Intercessory Prayer:

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
whose Son blessed by his presence the home
of Lazarus and Mary and Martha in Bethany,
grant that, like Martha,
we may serve Christ faithfully
in the person of our brothers and sisters;
and that, like Mary,
we may feed on his Word and grow in his love and grace; and that, like Lazarus,
we may be brought forth from death to new life in him;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Background:

Saint Ignatius was a soldier who was injured in battle and was limited to resting in bed. A family member lent him a book about Saints to read while in bed. Upon recovery, he devoted himself to the Faith. He is the founder of the Society of Jesus. His Feast Day is 31^st July.

To give, and not to count the cost
to fight, and not to heed the wounds,
to toil, and not to seek for rest,
to labor, and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will.

-St. Ignatius of Loyola

Intercessory Prayer:

St. Ignatius of Loyola,
we humbly beseech you to obtain for us from God above all the things,
freedom from sin, the greatest of evils.

May your example inflame our hearts with
an efficacious glory to God and the good of our neighbour;
and obtain from the loving Heart of Jesus, our Lord,
the crown of all other graces, the gift of final perseverance,
and eternal beatitude.

Amen.

… St Ignatius of Loyola, Pray for Us …