August 2025

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

August is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Sing with joy to God our help.

HEART OF MARY, BLESSED AMONG ALL HEARTS,

HEART OF MARY, SEAT OF MERCY,

OUR LADY, QUEEN AND MOTHER,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Hope finds its supreme witness in the Mother of God. In the Blessed Virgin, we see that hope is not naive optimism, but a gift of grace beyond the realities of life.

(Spes non confundit, Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, 24)

Dear faithful readers, welcome to the month of August, the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Inspired by Mary, I thought it was a good day to pay special attention to Our Lady, in this very special month dedicated to her ever-loving heart. A heart so BIG, it occurred to me, that it has room for all of us. That is one BIG heart. 💓 So this month, each and every day, listen to Cistercian Father Adam of Perseigne (1145-1221), who wrote, "If you stand in need of mercy, it is found in the full measure in the heart of the Virgin" (Letter III). Go to Mary then, when you find yourself troubled, anxious, worried, or needing a dose of tender loving care. At the same time, however, Mary is ever ready to sing with you, as you sing the praise of her beloved Son for the many gifts He has bestowed upon you. With Mary, let your soul magnify the Lord! And if this is not enough, how about this from Saint Rafael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938).

Surely we'd go mad if we truly loved Mary. By honoring the Virgin, we will love Jesus more. By placing ourselves under her mantle, we will understand divine mercy better. When we invoke Her name, it's as if everything becomes lighter. When we turn to Her as our intercessor, what will we not receive from her Son, Jesus?

In addition to dear Mary, we also have a heavy hitter list (that seems to grow day by day☺) of saints to invoke this month, beginning today with a great Doctor of the Church, patron saint of confessors and moralists, Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1698-1787). Speaking of Doctors of the Church, did you hear the good news that Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890) will be declared a Doctor of the Church by the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV? It was the Holy Father's predecessor in name, Pope Leo XIII, who made John Henry Newman a Cardinal in 1879. 

August is also loaded with feasts to celebrate such as the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (August 5), the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6), the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15, the patronal feast of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance), the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 22), and the Passion of Saint John the Baptist (August 29).

As I've gone on for some time now, we close with a few voices, that too, may grow as the month progresses. Keep the faith. Keep going. We are united in faith and love. That's ALL of us who fit together into the BIG heart of Mary Immaculate. No pushing and shoving allowed; there is room for everybody! The first one is a favorite.

My mother [Mary] is very strange; if I bring her flowers she does not want them; if I bring her cherries she will not take them, and if I then ask what she desires, she replies, "I desire thy heart, for I live in hearts."

(Saint Joseph of Cupertino, 1603-1663)

The spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2502)

All for God and all through Mary!

(Saint Rafael Arnaiz Baron, 1911-1938)

Be humble. Trust always and a great deal in divine Providence; never, never must you let yourselves be discouraged, despite contrary winds. I say it again: trust in God and Mary Immaculate; be faithful and forge ahead.

(Saint Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, 1865-1942)

The golden urn is blessed Mary,

golden by reason of the excellence of her life,

golden through her integrity and purity,

golden through the fullness of grace.

(Amadeus of Lausanne, 1110-1159)

And for all Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year:

Mary is the reason for all my hope.

(Poster in the cell of Padre Pio, 1887-1968)

I feel that my mission is being a mother ... I wish to encompass in my soul the love from all of heaven and earth, the immense and maternal love of Mary.

(Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, 1862-1937)

And just in case you thought that Mary wasn't human, let Mother Teresa bring you back to earth.

What did Mary do, after she heard that she was to bear the Savior? Did she stay and meditate on the great mystery? No, when she heard that her elderly cousin Elizabeth was also with child, she immediately got up to go on a long journey - a very long journey to help her. To wash the pots and pans and whatever needed to be done.

(Saint Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997)

SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI,

SAINT EUSEBIUS OF VERCELLI,

SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD,

OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS,

SAINT GERMANUS OF AUXERRE,

SAINT OSWALD,

SAINT AETHELWOLD,

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY, CURE OF ARS,

POPE SAINT SIXTUS II AND COMPANIONS,

SAINT CAJETAN,

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS,

SAINT EMYGDIUS,

BLESSED FREDERIC JANSSOONE.

SAINT NICHOLAS POSTGATE,

SAINT ALBERT OF TRAPANI,

SAINT MARY OF THE CROSS,

SAINT LAURENCE,

BLESSED ISIDORE BAKANJA,

SAINT MUREDACH,

SAINT ATTRACTA,

SAINT LELIA,

SAINT BLAAN,

SAINT DOMINIC,

SAINT TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH,

SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI,

SAINT FRANCES DE CHANTAL,

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES,

BLESSED ISIDORE BAKANJA,

SAINT MUREDACH,

SAINT ATTRACTA,

SAINT LELIA,

SAINT BLAAN,

SAINT PONTIAN AND HIPPOLYTUS,

SAINT FACHTNA OR FACHANAN OF ROSS,

BLESSED WILLIAM FREEMAN,

BLESSED MICHAEL MCGIVNEY,

SAINT MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR,

SAINT MAXIMILLAN KOLBE,

SAINT STEPHEN OF HUNGARY,

SAINT ROCH,

BLESSED ANGELUS MAZZINGHI,

BLESSED VICTORIA RASOAMANARIVO,

SAINT HELENA,

SAINT ALBERTO HURTADO CRUCHAGA,

BLESSEDS JOHN-BAPTIST DUVERNEUIL, MICHAEL-ALOYSIUS BRULARD AND JAMES GAGNOT,

SAINT EZEKIEL MORENO,

SAINT OSWIN

SAINT JOHN EUDES,

SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX,

POPE SAINT PIUS X,

SAINT JOHN KEMBLE,

SAINT ROSE OF LIMA,

SAINT EUGENE,

SAINT JOHN WALL,

SAINT LOUIS OF FRANCE,

SAINT JOSEPH CALASANZ,

SAINT MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED BAOUARDY,

BLESSED DOMINIC BARBERI,

SAINT DAVID LEWIS,

OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA,

SAINT CAESARIUS OF ARLES,

BLESSED JOSEPH RETOURET,

SAINT TERESA OF JESUS' TRANSVERBERATION,

SAINT JEANNE ELIZABETH DES BICHIER DES ANGES,

SAINT MONICA,

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST,

BEATRICE OF NAZARETH,

SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW,

SAINT ANNE LINE,

SAINT MARGARET WARD,

BLESSED GHEBRE MICHAEL,

SAINT FIACRE,

SAINT JEANNE JUGAN, AKA SISTER MARY OF THE CROSS,

SAINT EDMUND ARROWSMITH,

SAINT AIDAN,

PRAY FOR US.

This month's photo: Thank you to Jean, who not only loves sunflowers, grows a variety of them in her garden. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

© Gertrude Feick 2025

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

From your heart let praises burst.

HEART OF MARY, UNITED TO THE HEART OF JESUS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

HEART OF JESUS, TABERNACLE OF THE MOST HIGH,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;

whoever eats this bread will live forever.

Alleluia.

Welcome to Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, a feast instituted by Pope Urban IV in 1264. I believe, help my unbelief. 

In the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, still in the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we have the privilege of celebrating the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist on June 24th, followed by the celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27th, followed by the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary on June 28th. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful to me (Psalm 13). How about this from 17th century Camaldolese hermit Dom Roberto: "The precise will of God is that we serve, honor, and tenderly love Mary." Heart of Mary, most humble, pray for us.

There are certainly more than a few Eucharistic processions happening throughout the world today. Among other ones, both small and large, there is the one in Orvieto, Italy.  It is a marvel to behold. Hundreds and hundreds of locals arrayed in medieval attire process through the streets with the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Corporeal "The Miracle of Bolsena." About the Sacred Corporeal, it is said that Peter of Prague, a Bohemian priest, a doubting one at that, while on his way to Rome in 1263, stopped in Bolsena to celebrate Mass. During the celebration of the Mass, drops of blood started falling from the communion bread he was holding; the drops stained the corporeal. When Pope Urban IV heard of this, he had the sacred corporeal moved to Orvieto, where it is kept at the Cathedral of Orvieto* (awesome), in the Chapel of the Corporeal. My favorite image of Our Lady hangs there, Madonna de Raccomandati, loosely translated as Our Lady of Mercy. In it, Our Lady, surrounded by angels, spreads her protective veil over men and women of the medieval period. I have had the holy card in my monthly missal for years. Our Lady of Mercy, Our Lady of those recommended to her, cover us in your protective veil. May we receive the "grace of a deeper gratitude for what we receive in the Holy Eucharist" (Magnificat, June 22, 2025, Prayer of the Faithful). BTW, Peter of Prague no longer doubted. However, I am not sure. ☺

My nearly 100 sheets of voices include many who have something to say about the Eucharist. I include a few and conclude with a doozy from Pope Benedict XVI, some of which I had the privilege of proclaiming at Vigils last night. 

The Eucharistic sacrifice is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life.

(Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium Christ is the light of the nations, 11) 

Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth, the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth.

(J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892-1973)

Very bread, good shepherd tend us,

Jesu, of your love befriend us,

You refresh us, you defend us,

Your eternal goodness send us

In the land of life to see.

(Sequence for Corpus Christi Laud, O Zion "Lauda Sion")

Every consecrated host is made to burn itself up with love in a human heart.

(Saint John Vianney, 1786-1859)

Christ gave us the sacraments in order that we might better keep the two great commandments. You will learn about Catholic belief by studying the sacramental life of the Church. The center of this is the Eucharist ... I believe what the Church teaches-that God has given us reason to use and that it can lead us toward a knowledge of Him through analogy; that He revealed Himself in history and continues to do so through the Church, and that He is present (not just symbolically) in the Eucharist on our altars. To believe all this I don't take any leap into the absurd. I find it reasonable to believe, even though these beliefs are beyond reason.

(Flannery O'Connor, 1925-1964, in The Habit of Being, ed. Sally Fitzgerald)

By the Mass and Communion, I must become more and more like Christ.

(Marcel Callo, 1921-1945)

At last God is mine and I am His! Now, let all go its round-I have received Him.

(Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821, after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time)

There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us.

(Saint John Vianney, 1786-1859)

To be always close to Jesus, that is my life's plan.

The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.

The Rosary is the ladder to climb to Heaven.

(Blessed Carlos Acutis, 1991-2006, will be canonized September 7, 2025)

Jesus Eucharistic is a conqueror ... He wants to subject the universe to His gentle sway.

(Saint Peter Julian Eymard, 1811-1868)

Here is some of what Pope Benedict XVI preached on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 23, 2011.

Saint Augustine helps us to understand the dynamic of Eucharistic communion when he mentions a sort of vision that he had, in which Jesus said to him: "I am the food of strong men; grow and you shall feed on me; nor shall you change me, like the food of your flesh into yourself, but you shall be changed into my likeness" (Confessions, VII, 10, 18).

Therefore, whereas food for the body is assimilated by our organism and contributes to nourishing it, in the case of the Eucharist it is a different Bread; it is not we who assimilate it, but it assimilates us in itself, so that we become conformed to Jesus Christ, a member of His Body, one with Him. This passage is crucial. In fact, precisely because it is Christ who, in Eucharistic communion changes us into Him, our individuality, in this encounter, is opened, liberated from its egocentrism and inserted into the Person of Jesus who in His turn is immersed in Trinitarian communion. The Eucharist, therefore, while it unites us to Christ also opens us to others, makes us members of one another: we are no longer divided but one in Him. Eucharistic communion not only unites me to the person beside me and with whom I may not even be on good terms, but also to our distant brethren in every part of the world.

As I said, it's a doozy.☺ Until next time, keep the faith and keep going. And day by day, the list of saints of to intercede for us grows ...

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST,

SAINT PAULINUS OF NOLA,

SAINT THOMAS MORE,

BLESSED BASIL HOPKO,

SAINT JOSEPH CAFASSO,

SAINT ETHELDREDA,

SAINT LUAN,

SAINT WILLIAM OF VERCELLI,

BLESSED MARY JOSEPHINE CATANEA,

SAINT JOSE MARIA ESCRIVA DE BALAGUER,

SAINT PELAGIUS,

SAINT CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA,

SAINT JOHN SOUTHWORTH.

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR,

BLESSED NYKYTA BUDKA,

BLESSED VASYL VELYCHKOVSKY,

SAINT LADISLAS,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF SCHONAU,

SAINT IRENAEUS, BISHOP, DOCTOR, MARTYR, 

SAINT VINCENTIA GEROSA,

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL,

THE FIRST MARTYRS OF THE SEE OF ROME,

SAINT JUNIPERO SERRA,

SAINT OLIVER PLUNKETT, 

BLESSED NAZJU FALZON,

SAINT OTTO OF BAMBERG,

SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE, 

BLESSED JOHN CORNELIUS,

BLESSED MARIA CROCIFISSA CURCIO,

BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATTI,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL,

SAINT ANTHONY MARY ZACCARIA,

OUR LADY OF BUDSLAU,

BLESSED GEORGE NICHOLS, RICHARD YAXLEY, THOMAS BELSON, HUMPRHEY PRITCHARD,

SAINT MODWEN,

SAINT MARIA GORETTI,

SAINT MONNINE,

BLESSED PETER TO ROT,

SAINT MAELRUAIN,

BLESSED MARIA ROMERO MENESES,

SAINT KILIAN,

SAINT WITHBURGA,

SAINTS AQUILA AND PRISCILLA,

THE MARTYRS OF GORCAM,

SAINT AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

SAINT VILLEHAD, MARTYR,

SAINT LEO IGNATIUS, PRIEST, MARY ZHU WU AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

BLESSED JANE SCOPELLI,

BLESSED EUGENE III, CISTERCIAN POPE,

VENERABLE AUGUSTUS TOLTON,

SAINT CANUT, KING AND MARTYR, PATRON OF DENMARK,

MARTYRS OF DAMASCUS,

PRAY FOR US.

*See www.duomodiorvieto.it. 

Today's photo: From d and John's garden of delights. Blessed be God Most High.

© Gertrude Feick 2025