Saint Sharbel Makhlouf was a Lebanese Maronite Rite monk, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches who follow a slightly different liturgy and canon law. We in the Latin or Roman Rite often forget that we have sisters and brothers in the East. Saint Sharbel is a good reminder of the wider Church.
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The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
– Galatians 5:19-21
We celebrate two great saints today, Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter is often considered the Apostle to the Jews and Saint Paul to the Gentiles (based, most probably, on his extensive travels among the Gentiles). Together they witnessed to the budding of Christianity, and both laid down their lives for the faith.
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A reading from the Second Book of Kings 2 KGS 19:9B-11, 14-21, 31-35A, 36
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah with this message: “Thus shall…
“HuskyWorks,” a team from Michigan Technological University’s Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab, tests the excavation tools of a robot on a concrete slab, held by a gravity-offloading crane on June 12 at NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar Challenge at Alabama A&M’s Agribition Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Led by Professor Paul van Susante, the team aimed to mimic the conditions of the lunar South Pole, winning an invitation to use the thermal vacuum chambers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to continue robotic testing.
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Saint Albert Chmielowski was a talented painter and a Secular Franciscan. In mid-life, he founded the Brothers of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Servants to the Poor, who worked with the poor and homeless. Known also as the Albertine Brothers, this community was renowned for depending completely on alms.
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Published in 1978, Paul Avrich’s “An American Anarchist: The Life of Voltairine de Cleyre” was the first substantial biography of Voltairine de Cleyre (1866-1912), an influential member of the American labor movement at the turn of the 20th century. Donated to the Library of Congress in 1986, the biography refers to de Cleyre as “one of the most interesting if neglected figures in the history of American radicalism.”
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Today we celebrate the 22 martyrs of Uganda, Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions. Their stories are set in the court of a chief who did not share their faith. Even though they were pages in his court, their faith meant more to them than his approval and support.
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First reading from the Book of Deuteronomy Dt 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since…
Saint Bernardine of Siena seems to have been a man with a whole lot of energy. He preached, reconciled cities, fought heresy, and attracted great crowds. Bernardine always traveled by foot, and often preached in more than one city on a given day. He is best known today for his great devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.
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A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 25:13b-21
King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. Since they spent several days…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the commander…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 20:28-38
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 19:1-8
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:23-28
After staying in Antioch some time, Paul left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:9-18
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision, “Do not…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:1-8
Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 17:15, 22—18:1
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas, and the magistrates had them…
Saint Paul counsels against taking advantage of the youth of a person in authority. That advice applies well for Saint Hilary of Arles who was ordained a bishop at age 29. He suffered because of his young age, but managed to be an effective prelate before his death at age 49.
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A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:11-15
We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to…
Little biographical data is available for Blessed Michael Giedroyc, but we do know that he was physically handicapped and that this caused him great suffering during his lifetime. But, despite his difficulties, Blessed Michael coped well, due in part to his rich spiritual life.
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A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a…
Saint Athanasius felt that spending his time and energy fighting for the truth of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity was worth it. He even endured five exiles to prove it. Through his writings and hard work, we today enjoy the truth of the Gospel in its fullness: Christ is both fully human and fully divine.
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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor 15:1-8
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:7-21
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:1-6
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:1-6
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 14:19-28
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 14:5-18
There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders,…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 13:44-52
On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 13:26-33
When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue: “My brothers, children of the…
Saint Catherine of Siena was a Third Order Dominican known for her contemplation and prayer—as well as her involvement in Church and civil affairs. During the time when there were two and three popes each claiming the papacy, Saint Catherine sided with Pope Urban VI. She was named a Doctor of the Church in 1970.
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A diocesan priest with a great devotion to Mary, Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort attracted many people to the faith by his preaching. He lived a life of notable poverty and simplicity.
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Saint Pedro de San José Betancur was a Secular Franciscan who founded a hospital, a shelter, and a school for the poor in Guatemala City. He also founded a religious congregation for men.
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Most likely the first of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark is brief and pointed. Saint Mark has one goal, to present Jesus as God’s crucified messiah, and he fulfills that goal concisely. Saint Mark’s Gospel seems to have been one of the sources used by Saints Matthew and Luke for their works.
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