Monday, July 1, 2019

Overview of July[1]

The month of July is dedicated to The Precious Blood of Jesus. The entire month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

July is usually hot and a time for relaxing. It is also the time when crops planted in the Spring are maturing and growing. Just as the crops are dependent upon summer rains not only to grow but to survive so our spiritual development is dependent upon our frequenting the sacraments and receiving the Blood of Christ. The Blood that coursed through the veins of Christ was a part of that Sacred Humanity made possible by the maternity of Mary, whose parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne are honored this month. (July 26). Our Lord's blood poured out on the Cross purchased our salvation, washed clean the robes of the martyrs, and gave birth to the Church as it flowed from his wounded side. The Precious Blood of Christ — now pulsing through his Mystical Body — continues its salvific work, preserving and purifying, repairing and providing nourishment for regeneration and renewal of its members. July’s longer and warmer days also provide us with the opportunity for renewal, both interior and exterior. Schedules relax and pressures ease, inviting travel. But, whether we travel or not, like the missionary, St. Junipero Serra (July 1), we preach to others — by our conduct, our speech, even the clothes we wear. May we be modest in everything we do, imitating St. Maria Goretti, the young martyr for purity (July 6), and “preaching” Christ to everyone we meet.

The summer Readings of Ordinary Time remind us that our earthly pilgrimage is also a journey, a great adventure towards union with Christ, the Beginning and the End of our journey. Each Sunday with its Easter renewal becomes a mile marker along the way, linking where we have been with where we are going. May the Precious Blood of Jesus sustain us as we journey to our true home, with Mary and the angels as our companions on the way.

JULY 1 Monday in the Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

FEAST OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

2 Chronicles, Chapter 32, Verse 7

“Be strong and steadfast; do not be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria and all the horde coming with him, for there is more with us than with him.

Of course, the more of us is the power of the angels of God.

Kings come and Kings go[2]

· After taking over Israel, King Sennacherib of Assyria comes gunning for Hezekiah in Judah.

· King Hezekiah immediately gets to work building up defenses in all the most important cities in Judah. He's a good strategic thinker, but he also has one thing that the Assyrians don't—God is on his side.

· He tells the people of Judah not to worry because God will help them out. Sure, he didn't help Israel or any of the other countless nations the Assyrians have smashed to bits, but he's totally going to help Judah.

· King Sennacherib sends his people to Jerusalem to give the city a message—you're going down.

· He throws some shade at Hezekiah, too. Their king is lying to them about God being able to protect them. Seriously, Hezekiah is so bad at ruling that he actually took down all the altars in Judah and just left this one in Jerusalem.

· Look, King Sennacherib tells them, we've conquered a lot of nations. No god has ever been able to hold us back. What makes you think your God is different?

· So King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah start to pray and God listens.

· He sends an angel to kill a lot of people in the Assyrian camp. With his army depleted, King Sennacherib is forced to head back home. Later, his own sons kill him.

· Hezekiah gets deathly sick and successfully prays to God for healing. He gets into some minor trouble with God, but repents and goes on to do all kinds of successful things as king.

· God blesses him with immense wealth. Gold, gems, spices, weapons, food, wine, oil, and livestock—you name it, the guy has a whole warehouse full of it.

· Finally, after a lifetime of righteousness, King Hezekiah dies. Everyone mourns him.

The Gift of Fortitude[3]

The gift of fortitude enables a person “to overcome difficulties or to endure pain and suffering with the strength and power infused by God.” Through fortitude, the Holy Spirit inspires and energizes a person to undertake great things joyfully and without fear despite obstacles. Fortitude operates under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, so it perfects it, charging it with energy, endurance, perseverance and promptness. It strengthens a person to resist evil, to overcome Luke warmness and persevere to everlasting life. Moreover, it brings a confidence of success and certain hope, despite the most difficult circumstances. The gift of fortitude enables the individual to live the other virtues heroically. So, a person can cultivate this virtue by recognizing one’s own weaknesses and limitations, begging for the gift of fortitude, and relying on the strength of Our Lord Jesus Himself. Through fortitude we recognize the need for the strength and nourishment of the holy Eucharist. St. John Chrysostom said, upon receiving holy Communion, “Let us return from that table as lions breathing fire, terrible to the devil,” meaning to go forth not with fear, but with hearts afire with the love of the Lord Himself. We can foster the gift of fortitude by keeping to a spiritual regimen: taking time to pray throughout the day, including 15 minutes devoted to prayer and studying or doing spiritual reading for 15 minutes; making a confession monthly; attending Sunday Mass, and even daily Mass once a week; and making a regular, even daily, examination of conscience. Another part of this spiritual regimen would be to make a purposeful sacrifice daily (e.g. giving up a dessert or a drink or doing an act of charity), for a special intention, like the poor souls in purgatory or the Christians suffering persecution. If we can be faithful and do our duty in “little things,” more likely we will do the same in “big things.”

Feast of the Precious Blood^{^[4]}

July first is the Feast of the Precious Blood. This is a feast that does not exist in the new Roman Calendar of Pope Paul VI. It is still, however, in the traditional Roman calendar of the 1962 usage. Both halves of the year, in January and July, begin with the commemoration of the Precious Blood of Jesus. January 1 is the feast of the Circumcision, when the Precious Blood of Jesus was first shed. July 1 is the commemoration of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus as it is preserved in all Catholic churches at the hour of Mass. The Precious Blood of Jesus was given to Him to divinize by Mary, the Mother of God. Between Jesus and Mary there was a perpetual interflow of blood for nine months when He was a Child in her womb. Anyone can see how divinized Mary became by this interchange of blood for nearly a year. Everyone who wishes to become a son of God the Father, as he becomes by Sanctifying Grace, must also become a child of Mary the Virgin, by receiving in his mouth the Blessed Eucharist which is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. All the saints of the Old Testament, when their bodies rise from the grave on the Last Day, will receive the Precious Blood of Jesus. Our Lord said of the chalice which contained His Precious Blood at the Last Supper, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the Kingdom of My Father.” The Kingdom of God the Father, whose sons we divinely by adoption, is also the Queendom of Mary the Virgin, whose children we must incarnately become in order to enjoy the happiness of Heaven forever.

As today is the Feast of the Precious Blood I Hiked and prayed the Litany to the Precious Blood with my book-DivineMercy Hikes