"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." St. Augustine
Today's Meditation
“The difficulty that so many generally find in the study of mystical theology [is that] they want to discover fixed rules in it, like those of asceticism, which are based on the ordinary conditions of virtue, whereas the one and only rule is to be attentive to the inspiration of the Spirit of sanctification, who is not content merely with the good but ever urges us in each single instance to what is most perfect, best, most in conformity with God’s pleasure.”
—J.G Arintero, O.P., p.
Daily Verse
"O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for thee. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble." Isaiah 33:2
St. James the Greater
Saint of the Day
St. James the Greater (died 44 AD) is the brother of St. John the Apostle, and was one of Jesus’s original 12 Apostles. The title “Greater” was added to distinguish him from St. James the Lesser, and is believed not to concern status or holiness, but physical height. Besides being the son of Zebedee, what is known of St. James’s life comes after he and his brother were called to leave their father and their nets and follow after Jesus. James was one of the three apostles invited to witness the miraculous Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. As well, his righteous anger at seeing a Samaritan town reject Jesus inspired him to ask Jesus to call down fire on the town, which Jesus gently rebuked. Following Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, James preached the Gospel across the Roman empire before traveling to Spain, where he spread the Gospel for many years. The famous “Camino de Santiago” pilgrimage path in Spain is named in his honor (Santiago is Spanish for James). At the end of his life, James returned to Jerusalem, where he was the first apostle to be martyred. His feast day is July 25th.
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Month of the Precious Blood
Devotion of the Month
The month of July traditionally honors the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. It is the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, which cleanses us from sin—therefore the Church developed a devotion to Jesus’ physical blood and its mystical power, just as it did for His Sacred Heart from which His blood poured out on the Cross. The Precious Blood of Jesus courses through the Church spiritually, giving eternal life to the Body of Christ through the sacraments. Many saints had a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, especially St. Catherine of Siena. Devotion to the Precious Blood spread widely through the preaching of Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, who was a 19th-century priest and the founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. This devotion was later approved and recommended by the Holy See. The feast day of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is July 1st.
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Daily Prayers
Prayer for the Dead
In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest.
The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy
Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Prayer for the Holy Father
Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant, Pope Francis, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving kindness, in the way of eternal salvation; that, of Thy gift, he may ever desire that which is pleasing unto Thee and may accomplish it with all his might. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary.