A reflection for each day of the month of August
Javier’s Catholic website
Day 1
The Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Put in the hands of the Virgin Mary this month that you are going to live. Moreover, I suggest you read the brief formula for the individual Consecration or the one for the Consecration of the home and family to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that you will find at http:///ConsagracionAlInmaculadoCorazonDeMaria.html
I think there is no better way to start the month of August.
Day 2
It is called the Porciúncula (“little portion”, an adjective that refers to its small size), to a little chapel that Saint Francis of Assisi repaired, and to which he was very fond, for being dedicated to Saint Mary of the Angels. Around her, he started the Franciscan Order, and around her he wanted to pass from this world to eternal life.
On August 2, the feast of Santa María de los Ángeles is celebrated. And on this date the indulgence of the Porziuncula can be obtained in all the Franciscan temples of the world, in all the parishes and in all the cathedrals.
In July 1216, Francis of Assisi asked Honorius III in Perugia that anyone who, contrite and confessed, entered the little church of the Portiuncula, would gain a plenary indulgence free of charge. Hence the name Indulgence of the Porziuncola or Pardon of Assisi.
The Church has continued, to this day, granting and expanding this extraordinary grace. At present, this Indulgence can be obtained not only at St. Mary of the Angels or the Portiuncula, but at all Franciscan churches, and also in the cathedral and parish churches, from noon on August 1 to midnight on August 2. , day of the Dedication of the little church, only once, with the following conditions:
1) visit one of the churches mentioned, praying the Lord’s Prayer and the Symbol of Faith (Our Father and Creed)
2) confess, take communion and pray for the Pope’s intentions, for example, an Our Father with Hail Mary and Glory Be.
Day 3
In many countries, the month of August is the preferred month to take vacation days. It is the long-awaited month, the month of rest and vacation plans. But remember that Sunday is still the Lord’s day, so you must continue going to Holy Mass. If you go on vacation for a few days in August, make good use of your free time. Enjoy your family, nature, your friends, but since you have more free time, also reserve a part to meditate, to thank the Lord for creation, for having a job, for your family, etc.
Day 4
Saint John the Baptist Maria Vianney, better known throughout the world as the Cure of Ars, was a French priest who stood out enormously as a tireless confessor. His body is preserved incorrupt in the Basilica of Ars and his feast is celebrated on August 4. About his happiness, he said the following:
“The good Christians who work to save their souls are always happy and content; they enjoy in advance the happiness of heaven; they will be happy throughout eternity. While the bad Christians who condemn themselves always complain, murmur, are sad… … and they will be for all eternity. A good Christian, a miser from heaven, pays little attention to the goods of the earth; he only thinks of beautifying his soul, of obtaining what should always please him, what should last forever. the kings, the emperors, the great ones of the earth: they are very rich; are they happy? If they love the Good Lord, yes; if not, they are not happy. It seems to me that there is nothing so sad as the rich when they are not happy. They love the Good Lord. You can go from world to world, from kingdom to kingdom, from riches to riches, from pleasure to pleasure; but you will not find your happiness. The whole earth cannot please an immortal soul, like a pinch of flour in the mouth cannot satisfy a hungry man.”
Therefore, pay attention to the Holy Curé of Ars: work to save your soul and thus you will always be happy.
day 5
The Copacabana peninsula in Bolivia is located near the islands of the Sun and the Moon, ancient sacred places of the Incas. There, at 4,800 meters above sea level, the Mother of God wanted to approach her children in order to attract them to the true God. She did it with the utmost delicacy and respect. She did it with the love of a Mother who seeks her youngest children. Her face has indigenous features and is all sweetness with her Child in her arms, who seems to fall but does not. The Mother holds it safe. The Child is the great gift that the mother gives. Thus arises the cult of the “Santísima Virgen de la Candelaria, Nuestra Señora de Copacabana”, who is the Patron Saint of Bolivia.
That is why I recommend you pray today for Bolivia, so that the Virgin protects and cares for it.
day 6
On August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated on Mount Tabor. Pope Francis tells us the following:
The event of the Transfiguration of the Lord offers us a message of hope: it invites us to encounter Jesus in order to be at the service of our brothers. The ascent of the disciples to Mount Tabor leads us to reflect on the importance of separating from worldly things, to complete a path to the top and contemplate Jesus. It is about listening attentively and prayerfully to Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, looking for moments of prayer that allow the docile and joyful reception of the Word of God. In this spiritual ascent, in this separation from worldly things, we are called to rediscover the pacifying and regenerating silence of meditation on the Gospel, of reading the Bible, which leads towards a goal rich in beauty, splendor and joy. And when we stand like this, with the Bible in our hands, in silence, we begin to listen to this inner beauty, this joy that the Word of God generates in us.
day 7
Surely many times you turn to the Lord to ask him for many things. In fact, the Lord told us: “Ask and it will be given to you.” However, how many times do you turn to the Lord to thank him for something? On this day, I invite you to make a list of things for which you can give thanks to the Lord. Also, I suggest you increase the times you thank the Lord for the things he has given you. Don’t forget to add the tagline “if it is according to Your will” when you ask the Lord for something.
On the other hand, today we celebrate San Cayetano de Thiene, born in Italy in 1480, also very loved throughout Argentina, patron saint of bread and work. It is a good time to thank him for your work and ask him to keep it for you. Saint Cajetan distinguished himself, among other things, for the practice of charity towards others, so I also suggest that you ask him to infect you with that virtue.
day 8
Today we celebrate the memory of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, a great Spanish priest who was born in Caleruega (Burgos, Spain) in 1171. He was the founder of the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans. The Virgin Mary, in person, taught Santo Domingo to pray the Rosary in the year 1208 and asked him to spread this devotion and use it as a powerful weapon against the enemies of the Faith.
That is why today I suggest you pray a Rosary to the Virgin. If you do not know how to pray it, you can learn it at http:///comorezarelRosario.html If you prefer, you can follow the prayer of the Rosary live from http:///RosarioEnVivo.html
day 9
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). She was Jewish by birth, she was an atheist when she was young. Her search for the meaning of life and truth, the testimony of many Christians and the reading of the life of Saint Teresa of Jesus led her to convert to Catholicism, while she was a university professor and a renowned philosopher. She entered the Discalced Carmelites and died a victim of the Nazis in Auschwitz during World War II, in 1942. Edith Stein was proclaimed co-patron saint of Europe by Saint John Paul II in 1999.
I suggest you meditate today if the testimony you give as a Christian can help convert a non-believer you know.
day 10
In the northern hemisphere, August 10 is one of the hottest days of the year. On this day, San Lorenzo is commemorated. In the year 257, the emperor Valerian published a decree of persecution in which he ordered that anyone who declared himself a Christian would be put to death. Lorenzo was one of the seven deacons of Rome, that is, one of the seven trusted men of the Supreme Pontiff. His job was one of great responsibility, since he was in charge of distributing aid to the poor. Lorenzo was captured and the mayor of Rome ordered him to die burned little by little on a grill, to cause him as much damage as possible.
I suggest that the next time you complain about the heat, you remember the heroic Saint Lawrence and the way he was martyred.
Day 11
A few years ago, I visited the Italian town of Assisi. There is the Basilica of Santa Clara, where lies the incorrupt body of the Saint whose day we celebrate today. Santa Clara lived in total poverty and was a model of courtesy and Easter joy. He was a soul of prayer. It is said that when he returned from praying, his face seemed clearer than the sun and his words exuded sweetness.
On this day, I suggest you ask Saint Clare to make your times of prayer with the Lord as profitable as possible from a spiritual point of view.
day 12
These days are usually very bright and many people take advantage of them to sunbathe and improve their appearance. But there is another light that you have to deal with, which is much more important. Saint Teresa of Calcutta said the following: “Each one of us is a poor instrument. If you look at the composition of an appliance, you will find an assembly of wires large and small, new and worn, expensive and cheap. If the electric current does not pass through Through it all, there will be no light. These threads are you and I. God is the current. We have the power to let the current pass through us, to let ourselves be used by God, to let light be produced in the world… or well to refuse to be instruments and let the darkness spread.”
Therefore, I suggest that you ask the Lord to always allow the current of faith to pass through you, to contribute to continue producing the light of faith in the world.
day 13
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Tarcisius. In the third century, during the religious persecution of Emperor Valerian, Christians, in order to celebrate their cults, were forced to hide in the Roman catacombs or cemeteries. The tragic scene was frequent that while they were celebrating the cults the soldiers arrived, caught them unawares, and, right there, without further trials, beheaded them or inflicted other martyrdoms. They all confessed faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
One day Pope Sixtus asked for a volunteer to carry the Holy Forms for a celebration. Tarsicio volunteered even knowing that he was risking his life. He thought that being only 11 years old, he would not arouse suspicion. However, some young pagans intercepted him and tried to take the Holy Forms from him. He was assaulted to release them, but he…