The Queenship of Mary

The feast of the Queenship of Mary was established sixty seven years ago by Pope Pius XII on the 22nd of August, giving closure to the octave of Mary which began last Sunday with the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Today’s feast fits nicely with the readings that speak of Spirit and life. Mary carried the Living Word and the life-giving Spirit of God in her Son, Jesus.
Mary understood intimately that Jesus was Spirit in the flesh and the definition of the living Word of God the Father. 

Let us pray together the following, written by Pope Francis in 2013, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, for her intercession, to be filled with the Spirit and be more effective instruments of Jesus here in this world.

Mary, Virgin and Mother,

you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,

welcomed the word of life

in the depths of your humble faith:

as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,

help us to say our own “yes”

to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,

to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Filled with Christ’s presence,

you brought joy to John the Baptist,

making him exult in the womb of his mother.

Brimming over with joy,

you sang of the great things done by God.

Standing at the foot of the cross

with unyielding faith,

you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,

and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit

so that the evangelizing Church might be born.

Obtain for us now a new ardor born of the resurrection,

that we may bring to all the Gospel of life

which triumphs over death.

Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,

that the gift of unfading beauty

may reach every man and woman. 

Virgin of listening and contemplation,

Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,

pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are,

that she may never be closed in on herself

or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.

Star of the new evangelization,

help us to bear radiant witness to communion,

service, ardent and generous faith,

justice and love of the poor,

that the joy of the Gospel

may reach to the ends of the earth,

illuminating even the fringes of our world.

Mother of the living Gospel,

wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,

pray for us.

Amen. Alleluia!
Pope Francis, Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013)

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Matías Medina, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/1205-peregrinacion-nuestra-senora-lourdes

St. Andrew the Scot: Saint of the Day for Sunday, August 22, 2021

Archdeacon and companion of St. Donatus. Andrew and his sister, St. Bridget the Younger, were born in Ireland of noble parents.They were educated by St. Donatus, and when Donatus went on a pilgrimage to Italy, Andrew accompanied him. In Fiesole, through a miracle, Donatus was elected bishop. Andrew was ordained the archdeacon of Fiesole, serving Donatus for forty-seven years. He also founded a monastery in Mensola, Italy. Andrew died shortly after Donatus, but his sister, St. Bridget the …

Adoration Prayer : Prayer of the Day for Sunday, August 22, 2021

My Lord Jesus Christ,
I believe that You are really here in this Sacrament.
Night and day You remain here compassionate and loving.
You call, You wait for,
You welcome everyone who comes to visit You.
I thank You, Jesus my Divine Redeemer
for coming upon the earth for our sake
and for instituting the Adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
in order to remain with us until the end of the world.
I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species
Your infinite …

God’s Generosity

As a child, my parents taught me to tithe 10% of every dime I made. I started delivering newspapers when I was nine years old and babysitting when I was eleven or twelve, so each week I would bring my contribution to church.

My dad was on the stewardship committee at our parish for many years and he loved to tell the story of me as a child leaning over to my mom asking if I could borrow $1.20 to put in the collection basket because I had earned $12 that week and had forgotten my wallet.

I share this not to toot my own horn, but rather to express that there is something truly beautiful about tithing and it has helped me to keep God first by cutting Him the first check right off the top.

My husband and I have been through some tough times for sure. Unemployment, underemployment, a signed work contract that wasn’t honored, renters who didn’t pay, people who trashed portions of our home, etc. But not once have we been without food to eat or a roof over our heads and very seldom have we even been in debt.

If any of you are familiar with Dave Ramsey, he suggests doing a monthly $0 budget, where you keep track of all income versus all expenses and they should balance out to $0. I have been doing this for quite some time, and somehow, I always end up in the red. (BOO!) But what never ceases to amaze me and what I don’t fully understand, is that even though I come out in the negative on paper, I always have money in the bank left over! It is almost like God multiplies my own little loaves and fishes each and every month! God is good!

I truly believe this is a phenomenon of God’s generosity. He takes my measly 10% and makes sure I never go without.

God shows similar generosity in today’s First Reading. Ruth, a poor foreigner who left her family and her native land to take care of her mother-in-law, was blessed in abundance. Boaz recognized her virtue and took her as his wife and she was never in need again. Most likely, it didn’t occurred to her that she was being generous, she was just acting out of love, but God rewarded her nonetheless. Not only did she enjoy financial stability, she became the great-grandmother of King David!

Today’s Psalm declares: “See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.” The Lord wants to bless us so much more than we can imagine. We may have to weather poverty or storms or difficulties, but we can always find God’s hand in our lives, no matter what we are going through.

So whether it be by tithing, taking care of a loved one or serving in a ministry God has called us to, let us strive to be generous with God. Then sit back and see just how generous He is with you!

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Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling home improvement projects, finding fun ways to keep her four boys occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at her parish, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, runs her own blog at https://togetherandalways.wordpress.com and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for almost 20 years.

Feature Image Credit: Raphael Rychetsky, https://unsplash.com/photos/li9JfUHQfOY

St. Pius X: Saint of the Day for Saturday, August 21, 2021

On June 2, 1835, Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto saw the light of earth at Riesi, Province of Treviso, in Venice; on August 20, 1914, he saw the light of heaven; and on May 29, 1954, he who had become the two hundred fifty-ninth pope was canonized St. Pius X. Two of the most outstanding accomplishments of this saintly Pope were the inauguration of the liturgical renewal and the restoration of frequent communion from childhood. He also waged an unwavering war against the heresy and evils of …

Prayer for the Sick and Seniors: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, August 21, 2021

All praise and glory are yours,
Lord our God.
For you have called us to serve you and one another in love.
Bless our sick today so that they may bear their illness
in union with Jesus’ sufferings and restore them quickly to health.
Bless those who have grown old in your service
and give them courage and strength in their faith.
Lead us all to eternal glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, …

The Significance of Love

In the Gospel reading today, the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. He responded: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This pretty much sums up all the commandments, does it not? We must love our Lord with all of our being. And we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It seems easy. But, like many things in life, it’s easier said than done. First, let’s understand what love really means, as lots of people use the word to indicate a strong desire for something (like pizza or chocolate) or to indicate that they especially like something. While we can really like chocolate, adore koalas, or be fond of an excellent movie, that isn’t the meaning of love that Christ was referring to. The love Christ meant goes much deeper than a strong desire or proclivity for something.  He wants us to love Him above all else. And that love requires action. If we truly love God above all else, that means we pray throughout the day, we talk about our faith proudly, we go to confession regularly, we cherish the reception of His body in the Eucharist, and we glorify Him in all we do. In short, we develop a relationship with God, and we work on strengthening that relationship every single day. That is the love He commands from us. Loving others as we love ourselves means that we want what’s best for the other person. It means that we never wish any harm to come to them. We don’t speak ill of them. We treat them kindly and with compassion. And when Christ said to love our neighbor, He didn’t mean just our friends. Friends are easy to love. He meant everyone around us. That means we have to love the cashier at the grocery store, the bothersome person at work, the politician we dislike, or the person who has wronged us.  That is the hard part of God’s commandment. But we must also remember that loving others does not mean condoning bad behavior. It means treating them kindly, praying for them, serving as a good example, and teaching them about God. Indeed, we must be the light of Christ to them. When we faithfully follow these two commandments, we will not only find ourselves growing closer to God, but we will also make our world a better place. And this will lead to an eternity with God that begins with “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Contact the author

Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.

Feature Image Credit: https://www.cathopic.com/photo/4829-un-atardecer-diferente

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Saint of the Day for Friday, August 20, 2021

St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church St. Bernard was born of noble parentage in Burgundy, France, in the castle of Fontaines near Dijon. Under the care of his pious parents he was sent at an early age to a college at Chatillon, where he was conspicuous for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. At the same place he entered upon the studies of theology and Holy Scripture. After the death of his mother, fearing the snares and temptations of the world, he resolved to embrace the …

Soul of Christ: Prayer of the Day for Friday, August 20, 2021

Soul of Christ, santify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds, hide me.
Never let me be separated from you.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of death, call me;
and bid me come to you.
That with your saints I may praise you
forever and ever.

Amen.

Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I Jgs 11:29-39a

The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah.
He passed through Gilead and Manasseh,
and through Mizpah-Gilead as well,
and from there he went on to the Ammonites.
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD.
“If you deliver the Ammonites into my power,” he said,
“whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering.”

Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them,
and the LORD delivered them into his power,
so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them,
from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all)
and as far as Abel-keramim.
Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection
by the children of Israel.
When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah,
it was his daughter who came forth,
playing the tambourines and dancing.
She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter besides her.
When he saw her, he rent his garments and said,
“Alas, daughter, you have struck me down
and brought calamity upon me.
For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot retract.”
She replied, “Father, you have made a vow to the LORD.
Do with me as you have vowed,
because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you
on your enemies the Ammonites.”
Then she said to her father, “Let me have this favor.
Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains
to mourn my virginity with my companions.”
“Go,” he replied, and sent her away for two months.
So she departed with her companions
and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
At the end of the two months she returned to her father,
who did to her as he had vowed.

Responsorial Psalm 40:5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

R.    (8a and 9a)  Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
    who turns not to idolatry
    or to those who stray after falsehood.
R.    Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
    but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
    then said I, “Behold I come.”
R.    Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. 
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
    and your law is within my heart!”
R.    Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
    I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R.    Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Alleluia Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables
saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.