Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.
O blest teacher, light of holy Church, blessed Augustine thou lover of God’s law, plead with the Son of God for us.
St Augustine, whom we are commemorating today, has some
marvellous thoughts about the invitation found in Psalm 105[104]: “Quaerite
faciem eius semper – constantly seek his face” (v. 3).
He points out that
this invitation is not only valid for this life but also for eternity. The
discovery of “God’s Face” is never ending. The further we penetrate
into the splendour of divine love, the more beautiful it is to pursue our
search, so that “amore crescente inquisitio crescat inventi – the greater
love grows, the further we will seek the One who has been found” (Enarr.
in Ps 105[104]: 3; CCL 40, 1537).
This is the experience to which, deep down,
we too aspire. May the intercession of the great Bishop of Hippo obtain it for
us! May the motherly help of Mary, the Star of Evangelization whom we now
invoke with the prayer of the Angelus, obtain it for us. (Pope Benedict XVI, 28 August 2005, Angelus)
Give unto her of the fruit of her own hands, and let her works praise her in the gates, alleluia.
Almighty and everlasting God, Who has given us this day a reverent and holy joy in the feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, we beseech Thee, grant unto Thy Church ever to love that which he believed and to preach that which he taught.
The historical facts regarding the Apostle Bartholomew are murky: his real name is unknown, he’s not mentioned in the Fourth Gospel and only curiously listed in the Synoptics but is closely connected with Nathaniel and Philip, where he preached the Gospel after the Pentecost is speculated, the manner of his death is obscure and even his relics are “thought by some” to be in Rome in a church named for him. But some of the relics are in Frankfurt and others in Canterbury.
Regardless of all this, the Church honors Bartholomew as an apostle of Jesus Christ who gave his life for the Good News.We honored him in a liturgical memorial for ages and we continue to do so today asking for his intercession before the Throne of Grace.
Today let us offer a prayer for the Church in Armenia and for Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago whose titular church in Rome is Saint Bartholomew on the Island and for tanners.
Yes, Lord; you know that I love You.
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
A native of Montpellier (France) who after the death of his parents and giving his money to the poor, he went to Rome on pilgrimage. At the time of his stay in Italy (c. 1348) it was the time of the Black Plague. A mysterious mark on his chest in the formed of cross identified him and by the sign of the cross did Roch heal the sick. Having cared for the plague victims Roch caught the sickness himself. Thinking he’d retire alone to forest near Piacenza to prepare for his own death a dog became his companion, licking his wounds and providing food. The saint recovered his health. Returning to Montpellier he was not recognized and imprison as a spy. At his death in 1378, the mark of the cross on his chest alerted the people to Roch’s identity. Members of the Council of Constance asked Saint Roch to spare them from the plague and indeed it was lifted.
Lord, You chose Saint Jane Frances to serve You both in marriage and in religious life. By her prayers help us to be faithful in our vocation and always to be light to the world.
Saint Jane Frances once said: “There is no danger if our prayer is without words or reflection because the good success of prayer depends neither on words nor on study. It depends upon the simple raising of our minds to God, and the more simple and stripped of feeling it is, the surer it is.“
Let me recommend two monasteries of the Order of the Visitation of Mary, one of the first federation and the other of the second: Georgetown Visitation Monastery and the Visitation of Tyringham.
Note: In the US this memorial is moved from August 18 to today; in other parts of the world Saint Jane’s feast is December 12.
August 11th is also Saint Philomena’s liturgical feast day but today is also a day to honor the name of Philomena and her place in our Church. Recently, a news item appeared about her.
Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.
Lawrence the Deacon performed a pious act by giving sight to the blind through the sign of the Cross, and bestowed upon the poor the riches of the Church. (Vigil Magnificat Antiphon)
We beseech Thee, almighty God, grant us to quench the flames of our vices, even as Thou gavest blessed Lawrence grace to overcome his fiery torments.
The saintly deacon was asked by the Roman Prefect to hand over the Church’s wealth. needing three days to do so, he gathered thousands of lepers, blind and sick people, the poor, the widows and orphans and the elderly and presented them to the Prefect. Angry, the Prefect killed Lawrence slowly by roasting him on a gridiron. Saying to his torturers, “I am done on that side, turn me over,” died with a prayer for Rome’s conversion to Christ on his lips. The has honored Lawrence with texts for Mass and the Divine Office thinking very highly of his witness to Christ and service to the Church.