Junho 23, 2021

Junho 23, 2021

O Caminho dos Santos: Os Santos e festas da Dia 23 de Junho

Boa festa da Nossa Senhora "Causa de Nossa Alegria," Nossa Senhora de Justiniano e Nossa Senhora do Sasso, Santa Etheldreda, São José Cafasso, São Francisco O'Sullivan! Happy feast of Our Lady "Causa Nostra Laetitiae," Our Lady of Justinian and Our Lady of Sasso, St Etheldreda, St Joseph Cafasso, St Francis O'Sullivan!

✓ Vigil of the Nativity of St John the Baptist.

✓ June 23: Our Lady, Cause of Our Joy ("Causa Nostrae Laetitiae")

«Mary is the cause of our joy, because, by her faithful cooperation with God, she gives us Jesus, the Source of all joy.  Mary is cause of our ever-increasing joy, because she always unites us — if we allow her — to the Heart of Jesus.

«Joy is a thing we all love. We all naturally want to be happy, to have what causes us delight, to be free from what is distressing and irksome.

«The Church sings to Our Lady: "Thy Birth, O Virgin Mother of God, announced joy to the whole world." Why was this? Because Jesus was to come through Her. Jesus is the Joy of the whole world, of every soul that ever was or ever will be created, and this joy came through Mary.

«Without Jesus, Who has redeemed us from sin and Hell, there would be no joy for us, either in this world or in the next. But more than this, Mary's consent was necessary, in order that Jesus might become our Redeemer. Our Lord would not even have come, had She not consented to be His Mother. She, as the Fathers of the Church tell us, cooperated in our Redemption by Her full and free consent to deliver Jesus to death for us. Could She not, for instance, have interceded with Pilate for the life of Her Son, and got witnesses to prove His innocence? But She knew Jesus was offered because He Himself willed it, and so She remained silent, hidden, patient, suffering all in Him and with Him, knowing fully, as none other ever will, the reasons for it all. This is the first way in which She is the "Cause of Our Joy," through Her share in our Redemption. And also through Her position in the Kingdom of Her Son, all the joys that come to us through the Divine Kingdom of Grace, the Sacraments, and the Church, pass through the hands of Her Who is the Queen of the Church Militant, Triumphant, and Suffering. But never in this world shall we realize fully how Mary is truly the Cause of Our Joy. It is only when we get to Heaven that we shall see how Her prayers, Her maternal solicitude, Her powerful help, followed us in every step of our lives, how She interceded for us in our sorrows that we might receive comfort and consolation, how She presented our petitions to Her Son, and helped to get our prayers answered, how She saved us from temptations and falls. How She, the Star of the Sea, piloted us through the countless storms and shipwrecks on the sea of life. Above all, how we shall love to salute Her as the "Cause of Our Joy," when at last we enter the heavenly Jerusalem, and Mary presents us to Jesus, as the fruit of Her tears, labors, and sufferings! "My power is in Jerusalem."

«When Our Lord said to Her on the Cross, "Behold Thy Son," and to St. John, "Behold thy Mother," She became the "Cause of Our Joy" in a new and most special way.

«Let us then love to salute Our Mother by this most sweet title, and ask Her to be indeed to us throughout life the true Cause of Our Joy. Yes, let us ever seek true joy where alone it is to be found, where She is ever pointing it out to us, and guiding us to find it, in Her Son Jesus Christ, the Joy of All the Angels.

«We think perhaps now that there are plenty of joys in the world without this heavenly joy, of which Mary is the Cause, but we must not mistake mere "enjoyment" for joy. Enjoyment may make us feel glad for a while, but it soon palls and wearies, and above all when it is made the goal and end of life. The more it is sought, the less does it satisfy. True joy is something deeper, quieter, more lasting, than this fleeting, exciting, deceptive thing which we call enjoyment or pleasure. It is that peace of soul, that contentment of heart, that deep enduring satisfaction which comes to us when we refuse God nothing, when we are faithful to our conscience, to our duty, to our principles, to the practice of our Religion, when we really make God "the beginning of our joy." True joy is to be found in a quiet, simple life, such as was Mary's life with Jesus, Her Joy, on earth. Her life at Nazareth was more full of deep, true joy than any human life has ever been, when She had Jesus all to Herself for so many quiet years, and yet it was only the simple life of a Mother with Her Son, taking care of Him, and watching His growth and development. We need not rush wildly hither and thither, seizing every occasion of pleasure or excitement that presents itself, in our search for joy. It can be had in the quietest and most ordinary life, if our hearts are right.

«St. Teresa says that earthly satisfactions reach no farther than, as it were, the husk or rind of the soul. It is thus we may for a time imagine that earthly enjoyments satisfy us, but they penetrate no farther than this outside surface, and that is why they can never fill or satiate the soul. Yet we may persuade ourselves that they are what we are craving for, because of the superficial satisfaction that we find in them.

«Let us lay this truth deeply to heart, that true joy is found only in Jesus. Sooner or later we shall all be taught this by our own experience of life and our disappointment in the joys of earth; but let us forestall this sad experience now by our firm conviction and understanding that only in God is there true joy, and thus save ourselves the bitter heartaches of those who seek their joy in the pleasures and delights of the earth and forget that Mary is the real "Cause of Our Joy." We shall not be less happy — far from it, we shall lose nothing of our earthly joys, for they will be blessed and sanctified; and in the sorrows which no one can escape, and which we, too, must suffer in our turn, we shall have that which is the only true consolation — the testimony of a good conscience.

«One Saturday, December 9th, 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, an Indian, bidding him go to his Bishop and tell him to have a temple built on the spot where She stood, saying that She would be in the same place on Sunday evening to get his answer. But the Bishop was incredulous and said he must have some sign to show that the message really came from the Mother of God. All day on Monday, Juan stayed at home to nurse a sick uncle, and on Tuesday he set off to call for the priest. In doing this he purposely chose another path than that whereon he had seen the apparition, but Our Lady met him on the road, and said: "Why takest thou this road, my son?" He told Her about his dying uncle. She reassured him, promising to cure the sick man, and bade Juan once more give Her message to the Bishop. "But I must have a sign, Mother," he replied, "the Bishop said so." Then Our Lady bade him gather roses on the rocks above the road. This he did, though everyone knew it was not the season for roses. He found them and carried them in his tilma, a long cloak worn by Mexican Indians.

«Our Lady arranged them in his cloak for him, and told him to keep them undisturbed and hidden till he went to the Bishop. When he arrived before the Bishop and unfolded the cloak, the roses fell out, and to Juan's surprise both the Bishop and all those in the room with him fell on their knees before him. He did not know that on his poor tilma was glowing a beautiful life-size image of Our Lady. The tilma was kept in the Bishop's chapel until it was removed to the church and put in a shrine for veneration. The beautiful expression of gentleness and modesty which Our Lady wears has defied the attempts of all artists who have attempted to copy this picture. Artists are unable to define the material used in the painting; it is of no known pigment, not oils, water-color, or distemper, and the coarse fibrous material has no tempera or surface preparation to receive paint, the fibers even showing through the coloring. The texture of the coarse cactus fiber of the tilma proves the truth of the apparition. Such is the origin of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Pope Benedict XIV decreed that Our Lady of Guadalupe should be the National Patroness of Mexico; Pope St Pius X named Her Patroness of Latin America; and Pope Pius XII declared Her Patroness of the Americas. May we bring joy to our Most Holy Mother by zealously practicing our Holy Catholic Faith!»

✓ June 23: Our Lady of Justinienne

«This feast refers to a church known as Our Lady of Justinienne, built at Carthage by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was to her that he attributed both of his victories over the Vandals.

«Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from the year 527 until 565 AD. His great desire was to restore the lost western half of the ancient Roman Empire to his control to reunite it with the Byzantine Empire in the east. He was largely successful. Justinian never fought personally in any of his campaigns, for he had a talented and capable general named Belisarius to lead his armies.

«The Byzantine Emperor began his conquests by attacking the Vandal kingdom in North Africa. In the year 530 AD, King Hilderic of the Vandals had been overthrown and imprisoned by Gelimer, who was his cousin. As Hilderic had been on friendly terms with Justinian, and had maintained good relations with the local Catholic clergy, Justinian decided to answer his appeal for assistance as an excuse to sail to the Vandal kingdom and conquer it.

«In the year 533, General Belisarius set sail with a Byzantine fleet that included 92 Dromons, which were a type of ancient galley, and an additional 500 transports. They landed with an army of about 15,000 soldiers, reinforced with an unknown number of barbarian troops. They met the Vandals, who had an army of approximately 11,000 men, at the Battle of Ad Decimum, on September 14, 533.

«At one point during the battle, Belisarius' main army had suffered serious casualties and was beginning to collapse, while his cavalry had already been routed. It seemed he was about to be beaten by the Vandals if they but made but one more assault, yet they inexplicably failed to do so.

«It seems the Vandal usurper had come upon the body of his brother, who had been killed earlier in the battle, and then was so overcome with sorrow that he ordered that his brother's body should be buried immediately. In essence, then, the Vandals had no leader while all of this was occurring.

«Belisarius took the opportunity to gather his own forces and regroup, returning to attack the Vandals as they hesitated and eventually drove them from the field of battle.

«Belisarius then went on to take Carthage, and afterward, at the Battle of Tricamarum on December 15, 533, the last Vandal army was defeated and the conquest of North Africa completed.

«Emperor Justinian was known as a great builder of monuments and churches, and Our Lady of Justinienne was built in honor of the Blessed Virgin in Carthage.

«Justinian's reign was a long one, and by the time of his death he had constructed many splendid edifices to the glory of God. He built the great church of Holy Wisdom, the "Hagia Sophia," at Constantinople after the former building was destroyed during the Nike Revolt. The Hagia Sophia, with its huge dome, is still one of the architectural marvels of the world.»

✓ Apparition of Our Lady at Sasso in Bibbiena, in Tuscany, Italy.

«On June 6, 1347, Our Lady appeared standing on a large rock, to a young girl. On June 23, 1347, Our Lady appeared again at the same spot. The rock has imprints of the feet of Our Lady. The Rock is now enshrined in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sasso at Bibbiena.» See https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_di_Santa_Maria_del_Sasso_(Bibbiena) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_del_Sasso. 

ROMAN MARTYROLOGY

• The Holy Martyrs of Nicomedia in Bithynia, in the time of Diocletian, who concealed themselves in mountains and caverns, but were sought out at the orders of Diocletian, captured, and they  joyfully underwent martyrdom for the name of Christ.

• The Holy Martyrs of Philadelphia, the old Ammon of the Ammonites, now Amman inthe TransJordan, the holy martyrs Zeno, and Zenas, his former slave. When the latter kissed the chains of his master, begging to be his partner in torments, he was arrested by the soldiers, and received the crown of martyrdom with him.

• St Agrippina, virgin and martyr at Borne, under the emperor Valerian. Her body was carried to Sicily, where it works many miracles.

• St Audry, an English queen and virgin, who departed for  Heaven with a great renown for sanctity and miracles. Her body was found without corruption eleven years afterwards.

• St Etheldreda, an English queen and virgin in the monastery of Ely, who departed for Heaven with a great renown for sanctity and miracles. Her body was found without corruption eleven years afterwards.

• St Felix, priest at Sutri in Tuscany. By the command of the prefect Turcius, under Valerian and Gallienus, he was struck on the mouth with a stone until he breathed his last.

• St John, a priest, who was decapitated on the old Via Salaria, at Rome, before an idol of the sun, under Julian the Apostate. His body was buried near those of other martyrs by the blessed priest Concordius.

• St Joseph Cafasso, priest, at Turin, renowned for his piety and learning, and for his work with prisoners, reconciling to God those who were preparing for execution. He was added to the number of the Saints by Pope Pius XII.

OTHER SOURCES

• The Holy Martyrs of Ancyra Saints Eustochius, Gaius, Lollia, Probus and Urbanus, members of a family of converts, under governor Agrippinus during the persecutions of Diocletian.

• The Holy Martyrs of the Battle of Faial Island, killed June 22-23, 1594, by the Satanists, Apostates, Infidels and Traitors of England invading the Açores Islans. 

• The Holy Martyrs of the Battle of Moclín, June 23, 1280, defeat of the Christians bythe Muslim Infidels. 

• St Bilius, 14th or 15th bishop of Vannes in Brittany, martyred by invading Normans. 

• St Bilius, 14th or 15th bishop of Vannes in Brittany, martyred by invading Normans. 

• St Caolan, affectionately called Mochaoi, Mochay, or Mochae, abbot-bishop of Or Oendruim in Loch Cuan (Strangford Lough), or Inis-Mochaoi, now Nendrum or Mahee Island,  County of Down, Ireland.

• St Eldrude, a Breton, possibly the mother of St Brioc, who converted her.

• St Felix, Cistercian monk at Cîteaux. 

• St. Foelaine, or Faelan, and the Daughters of Moinan, Irish saints. 

• St Francisca Martel, Mercedarian nun, foundressof the convent of the Assumption at Seville.

• St Francis O'Sullivan, Franciscan priest, murdered by the Satanists, Apostates, Infidels, Traitors of England illegally occupying Ireland June 23, 1653, for refusing to accept the "King of England" as the "Pope of Ireland," not yet canonized by a Catholic pope.

• St Hilduf or Hidulf, wife of St Agia, count of Hainault, founder of the monastery of Lobbes, and a monk there.

• St James, brother of St Liliosa, bishop of Toul in France. 

• St John Suciu, auxiliary bishop of Oradea in Wallachia, murdered by Communist terrorists at Sighet, June 23, 1953, not yet canonized by a Catholic pope.

• St Lanfranco Beccari, bishop of Pavia, retired as a monk. 

• St Lietbert, also called Libert, bishop of Cambrai. 

• St Liliosa, sister of St James, bishop of Toul, commemorated with him today. 

• St Lupus of Paredes, Mercedarian at the Convent of Our Lady at Logrono, Spain, for 80 years to the age of 114 years. 

• The MacSenchans, the 14 Sons of Senchan, Irish saints, buried on the Isle of Sanda off the Mull of McIntyre in Scotland. 

• St Mary, of Nivelle in Brabant, wonderworker, prophetess, she and her husband operated a Lazarium at Villemboke in Nivelle, later lived, and died at Oignies. 

• St Peter, an Englishman and a friend of St Stephen Harding, whom he later joined in the abbey of Molesme, later prior of  the convent of Jully (Juilly). 

• St Ronan, also called Morónóg, abbot of Inishloe in Ireland. 

• St Thomas Corsini, Servite, begged alms for the Servite Convent of Orvieto. 

• St Thomas Garnet, Jesuit, murdered by the Satanists, Apostates, Infidels, Traitors of England, June 23, 1608, for refusing to accept the "King of England" as the "Pope of England," not yet canonized by a Catholic pope.

• St Walhère of Dinant, also called Valerian, priest, martyred by his nephew, Fauchon, for reproving him for his impious life. 

OREMUS

Holy Mary, Mother of God, and our Mother, and all you Saints, Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Popes, Archbishops, Bishops, Hermits, Monks, Martyrs, Virgins, Champions and Heroes of Jesus Christ, whose feasts is today, named and unnamed, we pray to you for your intercession and guidance, lead us away from error and evil and into the Grace and Love of God, that with your assistance, we may join you in Eternity with the Living God, we make this prayer through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who Lives and Reigns, in the Unity of the Godhead, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever, Amen.

Lúcío Mascarenhas.