Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336)
First Saturday of the Month
Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 27 The Abbot's Concern for the Excommunicated
Mass: Amos 9:11-15; Resp Ps 85; Mt 9:14-17
For Independence Day: Is 9:1-6 or Phil 4:6-9; Resp Ps 72; Mt 5:1-12a
Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.
HEART OF JESUS, OUR PEACE AND OUR RECONCILIATION,
HAVE MERCY ON US.
Happy Fourth of July, Independence Day, our country's 244th birthday. What we can do today is be grateful for the gifts the Lord has given us. After all, "gratitude is heaven itself" (William Blake). And we pray for one another, for our safety, health and well-being; for healing; for forgiveness and reconciliation; for peace and goodwill.It is also a day, as Jesuit Sylvester Tan suggests, "on which all of us, American or not, can reflect on what it means to be a good Christian citizen and patriot." Tan offers an anthem to listen to and reflect upon. It is "I vow to thee, my country", penned in 1921 by Gustav Holst. Holst adapted a poem by Cecil Spring Rice (served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1912-1918, also a close friend of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt) and set it to the tune of his own Jupiter anthem (you will recognize "I vow to thee, my country" when you listen to a YouTube recording). Here are the words:
I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things
above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
OUR LADY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, PATRONESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: Patriotic quilt in the works, courtesy of dear KH in Olympia, WA. Now with the fun facts: Kathleen bought the fabric for the quilt 14 years ago in San Diego, sewed it up last summer, and the last word was that it should be ready for today. In her words, "staying at home has its benefits." Amen.© Gertrude Feick 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment