Martyr of Japan. A native of Korea, he was brought to Japan in 1591 as a prisoner of war and was subsequently converted to Christianity. Entering the Jesuits, he studied at the Jesuit seminary of Arima and worked for three decades as a catechist in both Japan and China. Seized during the persecution of the Church, he was burned alive at Nagasaki with Blessed Francis Pacheco. He was beatified in 1867.
Author: WebDept ParishAdmin
Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help #7: Prayer of the Day for Monday, June 20, 2022
Behold, O Mother of Perpetual Help,
at thy feet a wretched sinner,
who has recourse to thee and trusts in thee.
O Mother of mercy, have pity on me;
I hear all men call thee the refuge and hope of sinners:
be therefore my refuge and my hope.
Help me for the love of Jesus Christ:
hold out thy hand to a fallen wretch,
who commends himself to thee
and dedicates himself to be thy servant forever.
I praise and thank God,
who of His great mercy
hath given me this …
This is My Body
As noted in today’s Gospel reading, our central role in honoring Christ should be one of service. Jesus commands us to “Give them some food yourselves.” CCC 1335 of the Catechism reads “The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.” It is such a great visual, to partake in the miracle where Jesus took ordinary food and turned it into something extraordinary! Yet this was a foreshadowing that something much greater was to come.
When asked the most quoted verse in all the Bible, we turn to “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” This is a verse we hear every time we celebrate in the most Holy Mass. It is a statement that is so well known, and yet, so difficult for so many to understand. Is there any dogma more central to that of Catholicism than recognizing that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist? It is for this reason that attending Mass is so sacred.
Like many, I struggled through the pandemic with being physically removed from the ability to receive Communion. In fact I am still struggling as of now, as services available on the TV which can be watched without the preparation of getting up and out to Mass remain available. Yet reading through today’s readings, I must be moved to remember the central essence of being Catholic, that whether a priest or a layperson, we are called to be part of the family of Christ, which can be best exemplified by being together in unity at Church and receiving Christ within us, so that we too can be his disciples and spread His message of love and redemption to all the world.
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Feature Image Credit: Santiago Mejía LC, www.cathopic.com/photo/10013-esperanza-mia
St. Romuald: Saint of the Day for Sunday, June 19, 2022
St. Romuald was born at Ravenna about the year 956. In spite of an infinite desire for virtue and sanctity, his early life was wasted in the service of the world and its pleasures. Then one day, obliged by his father, Sergius, to be present at a duel fought by him, he beheld him slay his adversary. The crime made such an impression upon him that he determined to expiate it for forty days, as though it were entirely his own. For this purpose he retired to a Benedictine monastery of St. …
Glory Be to the Father: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, June 19, 2022
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
God Always Provides
I know I am not the only one feeling the squeeze. With gas over $5.00 a gallon and groceries 20-30% higher than they were just a few months ago, the financial stress is real. Yes, we are doing what we can to cut back. Yes, we are trying to spend as little as possible. And yes, I do my fair share of complaining about it.
Over the weekend, I said a few things I shouldn’t have and felt bad about it. Among them, was complaining about the aforementioned issue. My husband said to me, “It’s not like you’re the only one paying that much for gas or the only one paying that much for food. I don’t know why you’re complaining about it. Everyone is struggling with it.”
It was a simple statement, but one I needed to hear. We are all in this together, folks, whether we like it or not, and all we can do is do our best to continue providing for our families.
Today’s Gospel was exactly what I needed to hear and I hope it is balm to your soul as well.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6)
God has always taken care of us, my friends, and He will continue to do so. Let us hold on to hope and ask Him for a greater trust that His grace will provide all that we need.
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 projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at for Christian Healthcare Centers, 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 over 20 years.
Feature Image Credit: Alexander Schimmeck, unsplash.com/photos/6bykmLxy-3Y
St. Gregory Barbarigo: Saint of the Day for Saturday, June 18, 2022
St. Gregory Barbarigo was born in 1625, of a very old and distinguished Venetian family. A brilliant student, he embraced a diplomatic career and accompanied the Venetian Ambassador, Contarini, to the Congress of Munster in 1648. Then he became a priest and was soon thereafter consecrated as the first Bishop of Bergamo by Pope Alexander VII. Later on he was elevated to the rank of Cardinal and also given authority over the diocese of Padua. He guided his flock with pastoral wisdom and deep …
Hail, Holy Queen: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, June 18, 2022
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.
The Eyes
I have always been fascinated by eyes: person, animal, insect, it doesn’t matter. I have noticed them on all creatures as I encounter them in my life. Several months ago I called out to a young woman as I was approaching my favorite bakery. We were both masked and she was clearly startled. She replied, “No, that’s my sister’s name. How did you know to ask?” “It’s your beautiful eyes. You have the same eyes.” I hadn’t seen either of these bright adult women in several years as they were my children’s classmates.
The eyes stay in my memory of family and friends, acquaintances and passers by. In the Gospel today Jesus speaks of the eye being the lamp of the body. He tells us that when the eye is good, our whole body is filled with light; if it’s not, the whole body is in darkness. He then cautions, “And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
Open the Eyes of My Heart, by Michael W. Smith and Open My Eyes, by Jesse Manibusan, are songs that ask God for grace and love to see the world with Jesus’ eyes. The artist Akiane (at the age of 8) painted ‘Prince of Peace’, a portrait of Jesus whose eyes seem able to penetrate all time and every viewer.
What do my eyes portray to others? Do I possess a warming light which conveys love or a light which is filled with cold darkness?
O Lord, open my eyes to see you. Allow my eyes to look upon the world as your Son, Jesus Christ did, with love and compassion. I ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit to bring the light of God into my heart, my mind, my work, my community, and throughout all the world. Amen
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: Misioneras Clarisas Monterrey, www.cathopic.com/photo/17685-mirada-jesus
St. Emily de Vialar: Saint of the Day for Friday, June 17, 2022
St. Emily de Vialar, Virgin, Foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph “of the Apparition” Anne Marguerite Adelaide Emily de Vialar was the eldest child and only daughter of Baron James Augustine de Vialar and his wife Antoinette, daughter of that Baron de Portal who was physician-in-ordinary to Louis XVIII and Charles X of France. She was born at Gaillac in Languedoc in 1797. At the age of fifteen she was removed from school in Paris to be companion to her father, now a widower, at …