I have been listening to a lot of talks and programmes from the late Fr Benedict Groeshel recently. Some of you may not have heard of him but he was a wonderfully wise and saintly priest from New Jersey in the USA. There are loads of videos of his on Tube. But one thing he often mentions is concerning the saints he had met in his life and some stories of their goings on. But one thing he mentions is that we tend to home in on the well known saints. But that there are many, many saints we will never know about who live and die unknown. But sometimes ,as in the case of St Charbel God reaches down from heaven , points His Great Big finger at them and forces us to know. So it was with St Charbel . If it were not for the massive supernatural circumstances that happened after his death we might never have know. The light round his grave, the constant oil seeping from his body, but perhaps nowadays the most incredible constant miracles. https://aleteia.org/2025/07/24/the-only-photograph-of-st-charbel-was-a-miracle/ The only photograph of St. Charbel was a miracle © Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA Philip Kosloski - published on 07/24/25 According to local monks, St. Charbel was never photographed during his life, but miraculously appeared in a photo taken at his tomb. St. Charbel lived in the 19th century in Lebanon. He was attracted to the hermit’s life of the desert and eventually entered the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya. After many years, Charbel felt God calling him again to become a hermit and was granted permission to live the rest of his life at a hermitage set on a hill near the monastery. He died in 1898 and was reportedly never photographed during his lifetime. Even if he was photographed, no photograph exists that is from the time period. However, there does exist a mysterious photograph of him that was later used for most of his official portraits. The story behind the photograph Fr. George Webby, a Maronite priest from Pennsylvania, went on a pilgrimage to St. Charbel's tomb on May 8, 1950, St. Charbel's birthday, with a group of fellow Maronite monks. They took a picture outside the monastery walls and after the picture was developed, they noticed an unknown figure in front of everyone. The figure in the photo was not part of their group and so they asked the monks at the monastery if they knew who it was. A few older monks knew immediately who it was: St. Charbel. Public Domain These monks had known St. Charbel during their lifetime and could recognize him. What's fascinating is that most modern-day portraits of St. Charbel are based on this miraculous image. There is another case of a mysterious photo: a photograph taken in 2016 that reportedly shows St. Charbel blessing a woman who had cancer. She had come to his tomb to pray for healing, but the monastery was shut. So she asked an elderly monk to bless her and only found out later that no monk lived at the monastery with that description. She took it as a sign that St. Charbel himself had blessed her. When she returned, it was discovered that her cancer was gone. It is a reminder of how St. Charbel remains a powerful heavenly intercessor and miracles continue to happen many years after his death.
From Totus Tuus page: "Among the healing miracles attributed to Saint Charbel Makhlouf, the 1993 healing of Nohad El Shami is the most famous and thoroughly documented. Nohad El Shami, a 55-year-old Lebanese woman, suffered from partial paralysis caused by severe blockage of the carotid arteries. Her condition left her unable to move normally, and doctors considered surgery too risky. After praying a novena to St. Charbel, she dreamed that the saint, accompanied by another monk (widely believed to be Saint Maron), operated on her neck. When she awoke on January 22, 1993, she was completely healed. She could walk, speak, and move normally again. She also found two fresh, surgical-like scars on her neck that remained visible for years. Following an investigation by Church authorities and medical experts, the healing was recognized as extraordinary. St. Charbel's monastery asked Nohad to return regularly as a witness to God's grace through the saint's intercession. Her testimony has inspired countless pilgrims, and the event remains one of the best-known healing miracles associated with St. Charbel."
SAINTS OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 25 JULY, 2026 SAINT JAMES THE GREATER (APOSTLE) SAINT CHRISTOPHER SAINT JAMES THE GREATER (APOSTLE) APOSTLE AND MARTYR (First Century) In Spain, he is called El Senor Santiago, the patron saint of horsemen and soldiers, and his great shrine at Santiago de Compostela in that country has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. He is one of those that Jesus called Boanerges, "son of thunder," the brother of John the Evangelist and the son of Zebedee the fisherman from Galilee. St. James the Greater and his brother John were apparently partners with those other two brothers, Peter and Andrew, and lived in Bethsaida, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. How and where James first met Jesus, we do not know; but there is an old legend that makes Salome, his mother, a sister of Mary, and if this were the case, he would have known Jesus from childhood. Along with Peter and his brother John, James was part of the inner circle of Jesus, who witnessed the Transfiguration, were witnesses to certain of His miracles, like the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemani. Like his brother, he was active in the work of evangelization after the death of Jesus, and one legend, very unlikely, even has him going to Spain after Jesus' resurrection. His prominence and his presence in Jerusalem must have been well known, for scarcely a dozen years after the Resurrection, he became involved in the political maneuverings of the day and was arrested and executed by King Herod Agrippa. This was followed by the arrest of Peter also, so his death must have been part of a purge of Christian leaders by Agrippa, who saw the new Christian movement as a threat to Judaism. Jesus had foretold this kind of fate when He prophesied that James and his brother John would "drink of the same chalice" of suffering as Himself. The two brothers had asked to be seated at the right of Jesus and at His left in His kingdom, and Jesus told them that they would be with Him in a far different way than they expected. James's death is the only biblical record we have of the death of one of the Apostles, and he was the first of that chosen band to give his life for his Master. PATRON: Against arthritis; against rheumatism; Antigua, Guatemala; apothecaries; blacksmiths; Chile; Compostela, Spain; druggists; equestrians; furriers; Galicia, Spain; Guatemala; horsemen; knights; laborers; Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Nicaragua; pharmacists; pilgrims; Pistoia, Italy; rheumatoid sufferers; riders; soldiers; Spain; Spanish conquistadors; tanners; veterinarians. PRAYER: Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. SAINT CHRISTOPHER (Death - 251) The story of St. Christopher and the St. Christopher Medal is a captivating part of Christian gospel. He was a Canaanite 7.5 feet tall with a fearsome face. He is believed to be a large man of immense strength who lived in the third century during the reign of Decius. According to legend, Christopher's given name was Reprobus and that he once served the king of Canaan, who he believed to be “the greatest king there was”. One day he saw that the king feared the devil. Upon learning this, he decided to depart from the king's service and seek out the devil. He came across one of whom declared himself as the devil and Reprobus decided to serve him. However, when he saw his new master avoid a wayside cross, he learned that the devil feared Christ. He left the devil's service and set out on a journey to find Christ. He encountered a hermit who instructed him on the Christian faith. The hermit told Reprobus that in order to serve Jesus, he recommends fasting and prayer. This option did not suit him very well. As an alternative, the hermit suggested that he might use his strength to help travelers cross a dangerous river. This was a service that suited him perfectly. One day a child arrived to be carried across the river. Reprobus took the child upon his shoulders, but as he crossed the river, the child grew heavier until Reprobus feared he would fall and that they would both drown. When he asked the child why he was so heavy, the child revealed that he was Jesus Christ and answered that he was heavy with the weight of the world's sins. Not one to give up, he forged ahead with considerable difficulty and crossed the river with the Christ child on his shoulders. When they reached the opposite bank, Christ asked Reprobus to press his staff into the ground. When he did, the staff turned into a beautiful flowering tree, and he was rewarded. Christ then baptized Reprobus in the river and gave him his Christian name which - Christopher - means "Christ-bearer." The St. Christopher medal depicts a bearded, middle-aged man. Upon his shoulders sit a child representing Christ, and in his hand is a staff. The inscription "Svts. Christophorvs Protector Noster," which means "Saint Christopher Our Protector" circles the medallion. Christopher spent the remainder of his life in the service of Christ and worked tirelessly to spread Christ's teachings. He died a martyr in Lycia, in 251 A.D. PATRON: of bachelors, transportation, traveling, storms, epilepsy, gardeners, holy death, and toothache. MOTORIST'S PRAYER TO ST. CHRISTOPHER Grant me, O Lord, a steady hand and watchful eye. That no one shall be hurt as I pass by. You gave life, I pray no act of mine may take away or mar that gift of thine. Shelter those, dear Lord, who bear my company, from the evils of fire and all calamity. Teach me, to use my car for others need; Nor miss through love of undue speed the beauty of the world; that thus I may with joy and courtesy go on my way. St. Christopher, holy patron of travelers, protect me and lead me safely to my destiny. Amen.
I have grown very fond of St James. His personality comes across so well from Scripture, especially his own writings. He reminds me of the Down to Earth Irish Parish Priests of my childhood and youth. Men whose word was fiery law and who could put the fear of God into peoples hearts with a formidable glance. I loved what he had to say about the rich and the poor in Church. 1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. (James 5:1-6 ) The Spanish have an unusual depiction of St James as the Moor slayer. It goes back to the days when Islam ruled Spain and the Catholics had to battle to get their country back.
From Totus Tuus: After St. James the Greater was beheaded in Jerusalem under King Herod Agrippa, tradition holds that his disciples carefully brought his body across the sea to Spain. For centuries the tomb remained hidden… until around the year 813. A hermit named Pelagius (Pelayo) began noticing mysterious lights shining night after night over a quiet field near what is now Compostela. Disturbed and intrigued, he reported the strange phenomenon to the local bishop, Teodomiro of Iria Flavia. When the bishop investigated, he discovered a forgotten tomb containing the remains of St. James and two of his disciples, Athanasius and Theodore. That discovery changed Christian history. King Alfonso II of Asturias ordered a chapel built over the site. Over time it grew into one of the greatest pilgrimage destinations in the world — Santiago de Compostela — drawing millions of pilgrims along the Camino for more than 1,200 years. From a forgotten field lit by unexplained lights… to a shrine that has shaped the faith of countless souls. God often reveals His greatest treasures in the most unexpected places and through the simplest of signs. St. James the Greater, pray for us!
SAINTS OF THE DAY SUNDAY, 26 JULY, 2026 SAINTS ANNE AND JOACHIM PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Who does not know about the great shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre in Canada, where miracles abound, where cured cripples leave their crutches, and where people come from thousands of miles to pray to the grandmother of Jesus? At one time, July 26 was the feast of St. Anne only, but with the new calendar the two feasts of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary have been joined and are celebrated today. Our information about Mary's parents comes from an apocryphal Christian writing, the Protoevangelium Jacobi (or Gospel of James), written about the year 170. According to this story, Joachim was a prominent and respected man who had no children, and he and his wife, Anne, looked upon this as a punishment from God. In answer to their prayers, Mary was born and was dedicated to God at a very early age. From this early Christian writing have come several of the feast days of Mary, particularly the Immaculate Conception, the Nativity of Mary, and her Assumption into Heaven. Very early also came feast days in honor of Sts. Joachim and Anne, and in the Middle Ages numerous churches, chapels, and confraternities were dedicated to St. Anne. The couple early became models of Christian marriage, and their meeting at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem has been a favorite subject of Christian artists. Anne is often shown in paintings with Jesus and Mary and is considered a subject that attracts attention, since Anne is the grandmother of Jesus. Her two great shrines — that of Ste. Anne d'Auray in Britanny, France, and that of Ste. Anne de Beaupre near Quebec in Canada — are very popular. We know little else about the lives of Mary's parents, but considering the person of Mary, they must have been two very remarkable people to have been given such a daughter and to have played so important a part in the work of the Redemption. There is a church of St. Anne in Jerusalem and it is believed to be built on the site of the home of Sts. Joachim and Anne, when they lived in Jerusalem. PATRON ST. ANNE: against poverty; barren; broommakers; cabinetmakers; carpenters; childless couples; equestrians; grandmothers; grandparents; homemakers; housewives; lace makers; lace workers; lost articles; miners; mothers; old-clothes dealers; pregnancy; pregnant women; horse riders; seamstresses; stablemen; sterility; turners; women in labour; Brittany; Canada; France; Quebec; archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut; Santa Ana Indian Pueblo; Taos, New Mexico. ST. JOACHIM: fathers, grandfathers, grandparents. PRAYER: O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
There used to be a statue of Saint Anne in a Redemptorist Church near my home where we used to go for a Confraternity once a week. She stood with Mary as a young girl. I had a great devotion to Our Lady as a child and seeing Ann as her mother really struck me. It impressed on me the holiness of Ann that of out of all women she was chosen to be the grandmother of Christ. It just goes to show the importance of a simple statue or painting of a saint can have in forming the spirituality of the Faithful. From the writings of the mystics Joachim and Ann were prosperous sheep farmers and they divided their flock once a year giving the best half of it to the poor. God rewarded this be replenishing their flocks so it was even bigger and better the next year. I find such generosity mind blowing. I am very tight myself and would probably prefer to have my hands cut off than to do such a thing. But I can admire it all the more in others. Also the most generous thing of all to give Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem at such a young age. I can't even imagine. https://stanneparish.org/patron-saints/ 'The Lives of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim The Posterity of the race of Adam spread out in great number, the just and the unjust were multiplied. The clamors of the just for the coming of the Redeemer increased. In this time of the ancient laws God sent two bright luminaries to announce the approaching dawn of the Son of Justice, Christ our salvation. These were Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Anne’s parents were Eliud and Ismeria. At the age of four Anne went to live in the temple, remaining there for twelve years, returning to her parents at age 16. One year later as her mother lay dying she called Anne to her bedside and left her as the future mistress of the household and told her she must marry as she was a vessel of the promise. Saint Joachim had his home, family and relations in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. He was a just and holy man and illumined by special grace and light from on high, had a knowledge of many mysteries of the holy scriptures and of the olden prophets. In continual and fervent prayer he asked God the fulfillment of his promises and his faith and charity penetrated the heavens. He was a man most humble and pure leading a holy and sincere life, yet he was most grave and earnest and incomparably modest and honest. He was of the line of David. The most chaste Anne was a humble and beautiful maiden. From her childhood she lead a virtuous, holy life and attained perfection in exalted contemplation. Infused with the virtues of faith, hope and charity she continued to pray for the coming of the Messiah. Saint Anne also prayed fervently to God to obtain a husband who would help her in the fulfillment of the ancient law. At that same moment Joachim made the same petition and it was divinely disposed that Joachim and Anne unite in marriage and become the parents of Her, who was to become the mother of the Incarnate God. The angel Gabriel was sent to announce this divine decree to them both. To Saint Anne he appeared in visible form while she was engaged in fervent prayer. When she saw this holy prince she was frightened and yet enlightened. He told her to continue to pray for the coming of the Redeemer and that it was God’s will that she accept Joachim as her Spouse. He did not manifest to Anne at that time that she was to be the mother of Mary, Mother of God. To Saint Joachim the angel appeared in his sleep and said, “Joachim be thou blest by God most high! It is the will of the Almighty that thou receive Anne as thy spouse. Take care of her and esteem her as a pledge of the Most High and give thanks to His Majesty, because He has given her into thy charge.” In consequence of this divine message Joachim and Anne espoused each other but neither manifested the secret of the angel until many years later. Anne was 18 when she married Joachim and they lived in her father’s home for seven years. It was here that her first, little known daughter was born. She was called Mary Heli. After 7 years Anne and Joachim moved into a home of their own. Anne’s father, Eliud, divided his goods with them. Their daughter, Mary Heli, stayed to live with her grandfather Eliud. Upon withdrawing from the paternal house their design was to live in privacy, to begin their married life anew. In sincerity they practiced all virtues and were pleasing to God. Each year they divided the income and rents of their estate into three parts, the first part was given to the temple for the worship of the Lord, the second was distributed to the poor and the third, they retained for themselves. This amount was always replenished the next year. In spite of their wealth they lived frugally. Anne often ate nothing but cold victuals but treated her domestics generously. Anne had much to endure from an insolent maidservant who bitterly taunted her with her sterility. Many of their acquaintances upbraided them because of their sterility also, which they attributed to some wickedness. They said the child living with Eliud was not really Anne’s daughter, otherwise she would have her with her. To them sterility seemed toe worst stigma because it cut them off from that lineal descent from which the Messiah must come. And thus they lived for 20 years after the birth of their first daughter yet always accepting their crosses and enduring the pain in a spirit of patience and prayer. They needed this long purification to be judged worthy of giving birth to the Immaculate Conception to her who, at the very moment she began life was already more pure and holy than the brightest of seraphim. One feast day Joachim went to the temple to offer sacrifice to the Lord. He was harshly rebuffed by the High Priest Ruben who rejected his offerings and told him that childless couples were unworthy to present themselves before Jehovah. Humiliated and distressed Joachim did not return home but went to the mountains to pray for 40 days. Anne prayed fervently and besought God not to separate her from Joachim when an angel appeared to her and told her to set her heart at rest for the Lord had heard her prayer. She should on the following morning go to the Temple in Jerusalem, that there under the Golden Gate she would meet Joachim who was now on his way thither and that he (the angel) would appear to him also and now his offerings would be accepted. The angel appeared to Joachim and commanded him to go to the temple. Joachim was troubled and felt timid about going there but the angel assured him that the priest had been enlightened in his regard. When he arrived at the temple with a large herd of cattle two priests acting on Divine inspiration came out to meet him. His offerings were accepted and he was led into the temple where he prayed in ecstasy all night. The angel spoke: “Anne will conceive an immaculate child from whom the redeemer of the world will be born.” The angel told him not to grieve over his sterility which was not a disgrace to him but a glory, for that what his spouse would conceive should not be from him but through him, a fruit from God. Then the angel removed the treasure from the ark of the covenant and inserted it into Joachim’s garment and it entered his body. Joachim was afterward conducted by the priest to the entrance of the subterranean passage that ran under the Temple and under the Golden Gate. The Prophetess Anna also conducted Anne down this same passageway. Joachim and Anne met under the Golden Gate. At that moment they embraced in ecstasy and the light shone around them, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was accomplished. (All men would have been conceived this way if it hadn’t been for the sin of Adam.) At the same moment the heavens above opened and the Holy Trinity and angels rejoiced over the Immaculate Conception of Mary who was to be the Mother of God. She was formed in the blood of Saint Anne just as the God-man was formed in the blood of Mary. In both cases the Holy Spirit entered in and worked a tremendous miracle of grace, (the Immaculate Conception is inseparable from the Incarnation). At the moment of conception, Anne and Joachim gave to Mary the flesh and blood which they had received from their forebearers in the line of David. Mary was Immaculate at conception and in consequence her parents were the ministers of God in accomplishing a work which will remain unique in the history of the world. After returning home the holy couple published the mercy of God. They lived in perfect continence and great fear of God. Throughout the nine months that followed many prophets spoke of the approaching birth of the Virgin and there were many signs and symbols concerning it. On the eve of Mary’s birth all nature rejoiced. Men and beasts were stirred to joy. The possessed became furious and uttered loud cries. The devils cried out, “We must withdraw and scramble to hell”. The 3 Kings saw visions of the birth in the stars. Idols were hurled to the ground and dashed to pieces. Wicked hearts were changed. Crowds gathered around Anne’s home because many had seen a light over it and also Anne’s child was considered a blessing.
A few years ago, Alyce and I visited Israel. This was in Church of St. Anne and Joachim. Happy Feast Day. Praying for all parents and grandparents and those like them. I loved this prayer in the Church
SAINT OF THE DAY MONDAY, 27 JULY, 2026 SAINT PANTALEON MARTYR (275 - 303) St Pantaleon came from Nicomedia, near the Black Sea, in Asia. He was such a famous doctor that the Emperor himself chose him for his own doctor. Pantaleon was a Christian, but the bad influence from the pagan court caused him to give up his Christian faith entirely. A holy priest named Hermolaos made him realize what a sin he had committed. Pantaleon listened to him, detested his sin and joined the Church once more. To make up for what he had done, he greatly desired to suffer and die for Jesus. In the meantime, he imitated Our Lord's charity by taking care of poor sick people without any charge for his medical services. When the Emperor Diocletian began his persecution, Pantaleon at once gave away everything he owned to the poor. Not long afterwards, he was accused of being a Christian. He was given the choice of denying his Faith or being put to death. No torture could force Pantaleon to deny his Faith. There has been strong devotion in past ages to this Saint. In the East he is called the "Great Martyr and Wonder-worker." PATRON: Physicians, midwives, livestock, invoked against headaches, consumption, locusts, witchcraft, accidents and loneliness, helper for crying children. PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that, by the intercession of blessed Pantaleon Thy martyr, we may be both delivered from all adversities of the body and cleansed from all evil thoughts of the mind. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
I love these bad boy saints. Perhaps we have to loose something like Faith in order to find it better. We have to touch bottom before we reach the top. The great temptation of really smart people is intellectual pride. But having a good brain is only a gift. Like being handsome, beautiful , athletic or whatever. It is not really who we truly are . God has to break that pride before some souls can move forward. Not an easy thing.
SAINT OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 28 JULY, 2026 SAINT ALPHONSA MUTTATHUPADATHU RELIGIOUS (1910 - 1946) She was born as Annakkutty (little Anna) in Kudamaloor, a village in the princely state of Travancore which was under the British Raj (now present day Kottayam district, Kerala, India) to Joseph and Mary Muttathupadathu. She was baptized on 27 August 1910 at Saint Mary's Church in Kudamaloor under the patronage of Saint Anna. Anna's mother died leaving 3 months old child. She was raised by her Grandma at Kudamaloor and by maternal aunt at Muttuchira. In 1916 Anna started her schooling in Arpookara. She received First Communion on 27 November 1917. In 1918 she was transferred to the school in Muttuchira. In 1923 Anna was badly burned on her feet when she fell into a pit of burning chaff. This accident left her permanently disabled. When it became possible, Anna joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation. She arrived at the Poor Clares convent at Bharananganam on Pentecost 1927. She received the postulant's veil on 2 August 1928 and took the name Alphonsa. In May 1929 she entered the Malayalam High School at Vazhappally. Her foster mother died in 1930. On 19 May 1930 she received her religious habit at Bharananganam. Three days later she resumed her studies at Changanacherry, while working as a temporary teacher at the school at Vakakkad. On 11 August 1931 she joined the novitiate. Anna took her permanent vows on 12 August 1936. Two days later she returned to Bharananganam from Changanacherry. She taught elementary school, but was often sick and unable to teach. In December 1936, it is claimed that she was cured from her ailments through the intervention of Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, but on 14 June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, which left her weakened. On 18 October 1940, a thief entered her room in the middle of the night. This traumatic event caused her to suffer amnesia and weakened her again. Her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months. She received extreme unction on 29 September 1941. The next day it is believed that she regained her memory, though not complete health. Her health improved over the next few years, until in July 1945 she developed a stomach problem that caused vomiting. She died on 28 July 1946, aged 35. She is buried at Bharananganam, Travancore (present day Kerala) in the Diocese of Palai. Her tomb in Bharananganam has become a pilgrimage site as miracles have been reported by some faithful. The miracle attributed to her intercession and approved by the Vatican for the canonization was the healing of the club foot of an infant in 1999. PATRON: against illness. PRAYER OF SAINT ALPHONSA: Oh Lord Jesus, hide me in the Sacred wound of Your Heart. Free me from my evil desire to be loved and esteemed. Save me from the mean pursuit of honour and fame. Make me humble until I become very insignificant and a small spark in the furnace of the love of Your Divine Heart. Give me the grace to forget the world and everything in it, including myself. My Jesus, who is ineffable sweetness, transform all my worldly consolations into bitterness. Oh Jesus! Sun of Justice, with the divine rays of Thy Sacred fire of love, illumine my mind, enlighten my intellect, purify my heart, enkindle my love towards Thee, consume me in the fire of Your love, and thus unite me with You. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY, 2026 SAINT MARTHA OF BETHANY VIRGIN (First Century ) Martha was born of noble and wealthy parents, but she is still more illustrious for the hospitality she gave to Christ our Lord. After His Ascension into heaven, she was seized by the Jews, together with her brother and sister, Marcella her handmaid, and Maximin, one of the seventy two disciples of our Lord, who had baptized the whole family, and many other Christians. They were put on board a ship without sails or oars, and left helpless on the open sea, exposed to certain shipwreck. But God guided the ship, and they all arrived safely at Marseilles. This miracle, together with their preaching, brought the people of Marseilles, of Aix, and of the neighborhood to believe in Christ. Lazarus was made Bishop of Marseilles and Maximin of Aix. Magdalen, who was accustomed to devote herself to prayer and to sit at our Lord's feet, in order to enjoy the better part which she had chosen, that is, contemplation of the joys of heaven, retired into a deserted cave on a very high mountain. There she lived for thirty years, separated from all human intercourse; and every day she was carried to heaven by the angels to hear their songs of praise. But Martha, after having won the love and admiration of the people of Marseilles by the sanctity of her life and her wonderful charity, withdrew in the company of several virtuous women to a spot remote from men, where she lived for a long time, greatly renowned for her piety and prudence. She foretold her death long before it occurred; and at length, famous for miracles, she passed to our Lord on the fourth of the Kalends of August. Her body which lies at Tarascon is held in great veneration. PATRON: Butlers; cooks; dietitians; domestic servants; homemakers; hotel-keepers; housemaids; housewives; innkeepers; laundry workers; maids; manservants; servants; servers; single laywomen; travellers. PRAYER: Almighty ever-living God, whose Son was pleased to be welcomed in Saint Martha's house as a guest, grant, we pray, that through her intercession, serving Christ faithfully in our brothers and sisters, we may merit to be received by you in the halls of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
All these lovely legends about people from the time of Christ travelling elsewhere in Europe I have no idea if the are true or not but the Roman Empire and its roads and sea lanes made it much easier to travel than it would later might be. The big thing that makes me think that many of the legends are true are the visions of the mystics saints who say such things were sometimes true. Another reason is that there was a huge, huge persecution of the Early Christians by King Herod in Jerusalem turning it into a kind of mini North Korea. So if you did not flee you died. You had to flee, there was no choice: https://aleteia.org/2019/10/05/saint-martha-homemaker-devoted-sister-dragon-slayer/ St. Martha: Homemaker, devoted sister, dragon-slayer Public DomainJ-P Mauro - published on 10/05/19 Legend has it that after the events of the New Testament, Martha went to France where she slayed a dragon. Scripture introduces us to many interesting people who later went on to be heroic evangelists. The Bible accounts for some of the travels of the Apostles and their evangelical missions, but for many of the peripheral figures we must search through historical records, tradition, and legends to piece together their life stories. Of all the people who were changed through their encounters with Christ, it is arguable that the one with the most growth of character was Martha. We first encounter Martha in Luke 10, when Jesus was visiting the house of Lazarus, where he lived with his two sisters Martha and Mary. Martha puts her energy into hospitality for Jesus, while her sister Mary sits at His feet and listens to Christ’s words, without helping her sister. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her prepare their meals, but Jesus explains to her that the food of the body is not as important as the food of the soul: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Martha appears again in John 11, when Jesus returns to Bethany only to discover that his friend Lazarus has died. Martha runs out to meet Christ at which point she displays how much her faith has grown by exclaiming: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Of course we know that Jesus would then resurrect Lazarus, but this almost overshadows the important change that happened in Martha. In their first encounter, Martha challenged Christ, asking him to correct her sister’s behavior, only to have her own behavior corrected. Her interaction with Christ, her curiosity and even her challenge were learning experiences. Emily DeArdo explains that our further records of Martha come from The Golden Legend, a collection of hagiographies — biographies of saints — by Blessed Jacobus de Varagine. This 13th-century manuscript holds that after Christ ascended to Heaven and the Apostles split up to travel the world evangelizing, Martha, Lazarus, her sister Mary — sometimes conflated with Mary Magdalene — traveled to Avignon (modern France) to settle and bring Christianity to the region. During a visit to Tarascon, Martha learned the region was besieged by a monster, described in The Golden Legend as: … a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than an horse, having teeth sharp as a sword, and horned on either side, head like a lion, tail like a serpent, that dwelt in a certain wood between Arles and Avignon. Martha volunteered to wrangle the beast and set out to find it, and when she did it was busy eating a man. Martha held a cross out and doused the dragon with holy water, which left it stunned and docile like a sheep. Then Martha tied the dragon up with the rope of her belt and led it back to town, where it was slaughtered by the people and the town was once again safe. It is said that Martha’s actions led to the conversion of many of the townspeople to Christianity. Martha lived out the rest of her days in Tarascon, where she spent her time in prayer and fasting. Her tomb is still thought to be within a crypt of the local collegiate church.
SAINT OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 30 JULY, 2026 SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS BISHOP, CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR (380 - 450) In the fifth century, Ravenna, not Rome, was the capital of the Roman Empire in the West, and Ravenna itself became a metropolitan see. St. Peter Chrysologus was one of the most distinguished archbishops of that see. Peter was born in Imola about the year 400 and studied under Cornelius, bishop of that city, who ordained him deacon. In 433, the archbishop of Ravenna died, and when a successor had been chosen by the clergy and people of Ravenna, they asked Bishop Cornelius to obtain confirmation of their choice from Pope Sixtus III. On his trip to Rome, Cornelius took his deacon, Peter, as his companion; upon seeing Peter, the pope chose him for the see of Ravenna instead of the one selected by the clergy and people of Ravenna. Peter was consecrated and was accepted somewhat grudgingly at first by both the clergy and the people. Peter, however, soon became the favorite of Emperor Valentinian III, who resided at Ravenna and was also highly regarded by Pope St. Leo the Great, the successor of Pope Sixtus. There were still traces of paganism in Peter's diocese, and his first effort was to establish the Catholic faith everywhere, rooting out abuses and carrying on a campaign of preaching and special care of the poor. Many of his sermons still survive, and it is on the basis of these that he came to be known as "the golden word." In his concern for the unity of the Church, Peter Chrysologus opposed the teaching of Eutyches, condemned in the East, who asked for his support. Peter also received St. Germanus of Auxerre to his diocese and officiated at his funeral. Knowing that his own death was near, Peter returned to his own city of Imola and after urging great care in the choice of his successor he died at Imola about the year 450 and was buried in the church of St. Cassian. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church. — The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens Familiar is his dictum: "If you jest with the devil, you cannot rejoice with Christ." Some of his sermons are read in the Breviary. Ravenna, his episcopal city, still harbors treasures of ancient Christian liturgical art dating to his day. PATRON: Against Fever and Against Mad Dogs. PRAYER: O God, who made the Bishop Saint Peter Chrysologus an outstanding preacher of your incarnate Word, grant, through his intercession, that we may constantly ponder in our hearts the mysteries of your salvation and faithfully express them in what we do. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
