Category: Uncategorized

July 25

The feast of Saint James, Apostle, who, being Zebedee’s son and the blessed evangelist John’s brother, was together with Peter and John a witness to the Lord’s transfiguration and to his agony.  When he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa near the time of the festival of the Passover, he became the first of the apostles to attain to the crown of martyrdom.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 23

The commemoration of Saint Ezekiel the prophet, son of Buzi the priest, who in the time of the exile in the land of the Chaldeans was distinguished by a vision of the glory of the Lord and set forth as a lookout to the house of Israel.  He rebuked the chosen people’s infidelity and foresaw that the holy city Jerusalem would be overthrown in ruins and that the people would be deported; stationed amidst the captives himself, he nourished their hope and prophesied to them that the dry bones would rise to life.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 20

The commemoration of Saint Elijah the Tishbite, who, being a prophet of the Lord in the days of Ahab and Ahaziah, kings of Israel, vindicated the rights of the one true God before an unfaithful people with such strength of soul that he prefigured not only John the Baptist but even Christ himself; he left no written oracle, but his memory is faithfully preserved, especially at Mount Carmel.

The commemoration of blessed Joseph, who was called Barsabbas and whose cognomen was Justus, a disciple of the Lord, whom they put together with the blessed apostle Matthias so as to choose one of them to fulfill the apostolate of Judas the betrayer; but when the lot fell to Matthias, Joseph devoted himself nonetheless to the office of preaching and of holiness.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 19

The commemoration of Saint Epaphras, who labored greatly for the gospel in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, and whom blessed Paul the Apostle calls a most beloved fellow servant, a fellow prisoner, and a faithful minister of Christ.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in pace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 8

The commemoration of Saints Aquila and Prisca or Priscilla, his wife, who, being helpers of St. Paul the Apostle, welcomed the Church with the hospitality of their own home and risked their necks for him.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in pace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 3

The feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle, who did not believe the other disciples when they announced that Jesus had risen, but, when Jesus himself offered him his pierced side, exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” From which faith he is said to have evangelized the inhabitants of India.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in pace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

July 1

The commemoration of Saint Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, who was anointed by his brother Moses with holy oil as a priest of the Old Testament and was buried on Mount Hor.

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May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in pace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

In the general craziness of the month, I missed a couple of truly marvelous biblical saints:

June 14

In Samaria or Sabaste in Palestine, the commemoration of Saint Elisha who, a disciple of Elijah, was a prophet in Israel from the time of King Joram to the days of Joash; although he did not leave behind any oracles, nonetheless, by working miracles for those in need he announced the coming salvation to all men.

June 15

The commemoration of Saint Amos, prophet, a herdsman of Tekoa and a dresser of sycamores whom the Lord sent to the sons of Israel, that he might vindicate the Lord’s justice and holiness against their lies.

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These liturgical commemorations keep reminding me that we do not read the biblical authors as long-dead but as members of that “cloud of witnesses” cheering us on.