The feast day of St. Lydia is celebrated on August 3. St. Lydia is the first known convert of St. Paul.
St.Lydia was a wealthy businesswomen who sold purple dye and fabric. She was from Thyatira which is in modern day Turkey. Around the year 50, St. Lydia encountered St. Paul near the river in the city of Philippi which was a Roman colony. St. Paul shared the gospel message with her and the group of women she was with. St. Lydia and her family were baptized in the river.
St. Lydia was known for her hospitality. She invited St. Paul and his companions to stay in her home. She continued to help them even after they were arrested and imprisoned. The home of St. Lydia became a place for community gatherings.
St. Paul referred to the Christian community at Philippi as his ‘joy and crown’.
The feast day of St. Peter Julian Eymard is celebrated on August 2. Peter was born in 1811 in La Mure, France. He worked with his father as a cutler until he was 18.
While he was still a teenager, St. Peter told his father of his desire to become a priest. His father was adamantly against it, wanting him to stay in the family business. Peter began to study Latin while continuing to work for his father. Two years later, Peter’s father refused his request to attend college, wanting him to continue to work with him. Peter managed to attend college by accepting a scholarship. He also worked for a priest at a hospital for the insane.
While at college, his mother died. A priest from the Oblates of Mary received permission at this time from Peter’s father for him to enter the Oblate novitiate. His father died two years later. Five months after entering the novitiate, Peter became very ill. he struggled with illness throughout his life. After his father’s death he entered the seminary at Grenoble. After his ordination he joined the community of Marists. His devotion to the Eucharist and perpetual adoration grew. He helped to spread the devotion of perpetual adoration. St. Peter became known as the Apostle of the Eucharist. He wrote many different books about the Eucharist including How to get more out of Holy Communion.
St. Peter Julian Eymard died in 1868 and was canonized in 1962.
The Lord comes into us Sacramentally in order to live there spiritually.
Quote of St. Peter Julian Eymard
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori is celebrated on August 1. Alphonsus was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy. He is the patron saint of confessors and theologians.
At the age of 16, St. Alphonsus Liguori received a doctorate in civil an canon law. At the age of 18 he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy which cared for the sick, devoting himself to works of mercy. He became a lawyer by the age of 20. However, the work proved to be unfulfilling. After losing an important case, Alphonsus left his career as a lawyer to enter the priesthood. He was ordained in 1726.
As a priest St. Alphonsus ministered to the poor working to the point of exhaustion. In 1732 he decided to dedicate himself completely to the poor and abandoned. He founded the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer which became known as the Redemptorists.
St. Alphonsus was a gifted preacher who reached many people.The Redemptorists led mission revivals in the countryside preaching to anyone who would listen. They traveled from town to town. St. Alphonsus focused on three images; Jesus as an infant in the crib, Jesus crucified on the cross, and Jesus vibrantly alive and filled with love for everyone in the Eucharist. He also had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer.
St. Alphonsus was an artist, composer and a writer. He wrote music which he composed on a harpsichord. It spread throughput the countryside. He wrote over 100 books including “Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation.” He was given the title “Doctor of Prayer”. St. Alphonsus believed that if you pray your salvation is secure.
St. Alphonsus was troubled by illness most of his life. His final years, he suffered from severe arthritis which kept him in a wheelchair. St. Alphonsus died at the age of 91 after a night of prayer. He was canonized in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871.
We must love God in a way that pleases Him,
and not just in a way that suits ourselves.
God wishes people to empty themselves
of everything and to be filled with is divine love.
Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Ignatius of Loyola,
Feast Day July 31
The feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated on July 31. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born the youngest of 13 children in a family castle in Guipuzcoa, Spain. Until he was 30, he served as a courtier and soldier in Spain.
St. Ignatius was wounded when a cannonball shattered his leg. While in the hospital he spent a great deal of time studying the lives of the saints. When he was finally released from the hospital, he decided he should try to imitate the saints. He went to confession, and then lived in a cave for about a year while caring for the poor and sick.
He entered school at the age of 35. After studying Latin and theology in several different schools, he received his degree in Paris. While in Paris, he met St. Francis Xavierwho was one of his followers. Ignatius, with five followers founded the Order of the Society of Jesus, which came to be known as the Jesuits. They offered themselves to the Pope, for any work he wanted them to do. The Jesuits were known for their missionary work. They were a great influence during the Counter Reformation.
St. Ignatius was a mystic. He had several visions. His spirituality focused on the Trinity, Christ and the Eucharist. His motto was “All for the greater glory of God.” In 1548, his book The Spiritual Exerciseswas printed. This introduces the concept of a 30-day retreat.
St. Ignatius died of Roman Fever, almost blind, at the age of 65 on July 31, 1556. St. Ignatius is the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, and retreats.
The Basilica of St Ignatius of Loyola was built next to the house where he was born in Azpeita, the Basque Country. The house itself is now a museum. St. Ignatius’ legacy includes many Jesuit schools and educational institutions. In the U.S. alone there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. There are more than 50 Jesuit secondary schools.
Lord Jesus Christ take all my freedom my memory my understanding and my will. All that I have and cherish You have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by Your will Your grace and Your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus and I ask for nothing more.
The feast day of St. Peter Chrysologus is celebrated on July 30. Peter was born around the year 400 in the small town of Imola, Italy. He studied theology and was ordained a deacon by Bishop Cornelius. Bishop Cornelius was the local bishop of Imola and had also baptized him. Bishop Cornelius was Peter’s spiritual director teaching him the value of humility.
St. Peter embraced a simple life of prayer as a monk for many years. After the death of the Archbishop of Ravenna in 430, Peter traveled to Rome with Bishop Cornelius to see Pope Sixtus III. Tradition tells us that because of a vision the Pope overruled the choice for a new bishop and declared Peter the new Bishop of Ravenna.
Peter Chrysologus was known as a good preacher. His sermons were short but inspirational and filled with zeal. As bishop he battled the heresy of monophysitism which denied the humanity of Christ. He insisted that Christ was both fully human and fully divine and supported the authority of the popes in teaching about the nature of Christ. He encouraged everyone to accept the mystery of the Incarnation with simple faith. He believed that learning was second only to virtue for improving the mind.
St. Peter Chrysologus died in 450 in the town of Imola. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729.
The Good Shepherd lowered His shoulders to carry back
to the fold of salvation the sheep who had been lost.
Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary by Harold Copping
The feast day of St. Martha is celebrated on July 29. Martha lived in Bethany during the first century. She was a devoted follower and friend to Jesus. She was the sister of Lazarus and had a sister named Mary. St. Martha is the patron saint of cooks, housewives and domestic workers.
Martha is well known for two stories in the bible. In Luke 10:38-42 , Jesus is a guest in Martha’s home. While she is busy in the kitchen, Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to every word he is saying. Martha goes to Jesus, complaining… “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.”
Jesus responded by saying,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
If we really love Jesus we should want to actually spend time with Him. This gentle rebuke must have stung. Service in the kitchen is an important part of hospitality. However, Jesus makes it clear that listening to his words is even more important. We need to prioritize our work and actually be present to and listen to Jesus. Sometimes, we can be so busy with our work, that we forget what it means to love someone.
Later in the gospel, Martha speaks to Jesus after her brother Lazarus has died. In John chapter 11, , Martha proclaims her faith when she tells Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, m brother would not have died.”
Jesus replied,
“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
She answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” She was a witness to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the tomb for three days.
Tradition tells us that Martha died of natural caused in 84 AD.
If obedience sends you to the kitchen, remember that the Lord walks among the pots and pans and that He will keep you in inward tasks and in outward ones, too.
