* * *** St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226), the mystic friar and stigmatist who founded the Franciscans, and along with his friend St. Clare, also founded the Order of Poor Clares.

— Although Francis was born into a wealthy family, he chose instead to preach and live the life of poverty and charity, following the words of Jesus. — Part of Franciscan history involves the San Damiano Cross. According to tradition, it was while praying in the chapel of San Damiano, that Francis received a message […]

* * *** “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” (St. Jerome)

— St. Jerome (c. 342) believed that all Christians should view Bible study as a necessity. He is best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate, which was adopted by the Church as the official edition of Scripture. St. Jerome’s extensive writings include historical essays, commentaries on Scripture, and writings on […]

* * *** The Church celebrates the Feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael… in Sacred Scripture, each of them with an important mission:

~ Michael is the great protector and defender of the Church. Pope Leo XIII instituted the Prayer to St. Michael, invoking his name for protection against Satan and all evil. ~ Gabriel is the messenger; he announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and the joyful message of the Incarnation to the Blessed […]

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— “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” (Mt 9:9)

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— Our Blessed Mother endured each of the Seven Sorrows with perfect faith and trust in God; the echo of her Fiat. “… the Blessed Virgin faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself […]

* * *** “Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’ Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet.” (Mt 14:3-5)

— Today the Church commemorates the Passion of St. John the Baptist. According to Matthew’s Gospel, St. John’s fearless condemnation of King Herod’s unlawful marriage incurred the hatred of Herod’s bride, resulting in his imprisonment and execution.

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— St. Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles as mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and also in Acts. According to tradition, he preached the Gospel as far as India and was martyred in Armenia for having converted the king. The saint may have been flayed alive which is widely depicted […]

* * *** “they saw His glory… and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'” (Lk 9:32,35)

— “The Transfiguration invites us to open the eyes of our hearts to the mystery of God’s light, present throughout salvation history… it is Christ who constitutes the full manifestation of God’s light. His Resurrection defeated the power of the darkness of evil forever.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Castel Gandolfo – Sunday, 6 August 2006)

* * *** “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” (Jn 11:5)

— Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are mentioned in Scripture as being close friends of Jesus. After the death of Lazarus, Martha would profess: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” (Jn 11:27)

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