Author: Paul Zalonski

St John of the Cross, feast

“Blessed be the Lady who intends me to quit this life this Saturday. I know that God, our Lord, is about to do me the mercy and favor of allowing me to recite Matins in Heaven.”

“The little white dove
Has returned to the ark with the bough;
And now the turtle-dove
Its desired mate
On the green banks has found.”

St. John of the Cross was born in 1542 in Fontiveros, Spain. The son of a poor but noble family, he was raised in an orphanage. Recognized for his joyful spirit, he was sent to a Jesuit College. He entered the Carmelite Order, studied theology at Salamanca, and was ordained a priest. He supported St. Teresa of Avila’s reforms of the Order. Opponents to the reforms imprisoned him in deplorable conditions. He died in 1591 and was canonized in 1726. In recognition of his mystical writings; The Dark Night of the Soul, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Spiritual Canticle, and Living Flame of Love, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926.

St John of the Cross pray for us

The Massabki Brothers

Today, the Pope canonized the Massabki Brothers, martyrs. They are called martyrs of faith and unity.

The Massabki Brothers are Maronites: Blessed Emanuele Ruiz and 7 Companions, of the Order of Friars Minor, and Francesco, Abdel Mooti, and Raffaele Massabki, Lay Faithful, killed in hatred of the Faith in Damascus, Syria between July 9 and 10, 1860. The brothers and companions refused to renounce their Christian faith and convert to Islam. The 11 were brutally killed, some beheaded with sabers and axes, others stabbed or clubbed to death.

July 10 is the liturgical memorial for the Massabki Brothers on the Maronite calendar and that of the Custody of the Holy Land.

Saint Massabki Brothers and Companions, pray for us.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today the Church commemorates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a celebration that has its origin not, as it would seem, in simply a prayer, but in a battle.

On October 7th, 1571 a fleet of ships assembled by the combined forces of Naples, Sardinia, Venice, the Papacy, Genoa, Savoy and the Knights Hospitallers fought an intense battle with the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. The battle took place in the Gulf of Patras located in western Greece. Though outnumbered by the Ottoman forces, the so-called “Holy League” possessed of superior firepower would win the day. This victory would severely curtail attempts by the Ottoman Empire to control the Mediterranean, causing a seismic shift in international relations from East to West. In some respects, and I do not want this claim to be overstated, the world that we know came into being with this victory. This event is known to history as the “Battle of Lepanto.”

Pope Pius V, whose treasury bankrolled part of this military endeavor, ordered the churches of Rome opened for prayer day and night, encouraging the faithful to petition the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the recitation of the Rosary. When word reached the Pope Pius of the victory of the Holy League, he added a new feast day to the Roman Liturgical Calendar- October 7th would henceforth be the feast of Our Lady of Victory. Pope Pius’ successor, Gregory XIII would change the name of this day to the feast of the Holy Rosary.

Our Lady of Victories, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

Source: Fr. Steve Grunow

Blessed Bartolo Longo

Today is the liturgical memory of Blessed Bartolo Longo (1841-1926).

Blessed Bartolo is dear to the Knights and Dames of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. To date, he’s only lay member of the Order to be beatified. He’s an example for us because of his practice of constant prayer, active charity, and love for the most needy. From the Italian City of Pompeii, a city that he helped regenerate thanks to the grace of recitation of the Rosary, Blessed Bartolo continues to inspire initiatives of prayer and charity worldwide.

Let’s ask him to intercede for the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Blessed Bartolo Longo, pray for us.