Year of Saint Joseph
Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"
Day of Prayer and Reflection for Lebanon
160th anniversary of the first edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s daily newspaper
Saints: Saint Junipero Serra, Franciscan missionary, Patron of California (1713-1784); Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625-1681); Blessed Nazju Falzon (1813-1865)
Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 24 Degrees of Excommunication
Mass: Gn 22:1b-19; Resp Ps 115 ;Mt 9:1-8
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
GOD WAS RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF IN CHRIST, AND ENTRUSTING TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION.
ALLELUIA.
(Gospel Acclamation, Mass)
On June 22, we commemorated Saints John Fisher and Thomas More. Because I neglected to include the following prayer on that day, I share it today. It is a prayer for our enemies, attributed to Saint Thomas More and fitting for any day. And today when Jesus asks the scribes, and us too, in the Gospel: Why do you harbor evil thoughts? (Mt 9:4). The prayer also goes very well with the quotation from Saint Junipero Serra that follows.
Almighty God, have mercy on N. and N., and all that bear evil will, and would me harm. Their faults and mine together, by such easy, tender, merciful means as thine infinite wisdom best can devise, vouchsafe to amend and redress; and make us saved souls in Heaven together, where we may ever live and love together with Thee and Thy blessed saints, O glorious Trinity, for the bitter passion of our sweet Savior Christ. Amen.
Lord, give me patience in tribulation and grace in everything, to conform my will to Thine, that I may truly say: "Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra".
The things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me Thy grace to labour for.
Amen.
(Saint Thomas More, 1478-1535)
It is indeed just that the soldiers guard and accompany the missionary; but if despite this the Indians should kill a missionary, what good are we going to obtain by waging a military campaign against them? The military will answer by saying: "We will inflict an exemplary punishment on them so that they will not kill others." To this I reply: "Allow the murderer to live so that he can be saved." This is our purpose here ... It should be conveyed to the murderer, after some moderate punishment, that he is forgiven and thus we shall fulfill our Christian law which commands us to forgive injury and not to seek the sinner's death but his eternal salvation.
(Saint Junipero Serra, 1713-1784)
SAINT JUNIPERO SERRA,
SAINT OLIVER PLUNKETT,
BLESSED NAZIU FALZON,
SAINT JOSEPH,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: Paintbrush on Mary's Peak, Oregon.
© Gertrude Feick 2021
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