SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-Apostle
SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW-Exemplary
MARGARET OF SCOTLAND-Christian
SAINT MARIA GORETTI-Model
SAINT MARK-Exemplary
SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS-Soldier
THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF COMPIEGNE-Faithful
SAINT MARY-Queen of All Saints
SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE PAZZI-Mystic
SAINT MATTHEW-Apostle
BLESSED MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
SAINT MONICA-Exemplary

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SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-
Apostle of Devotion to the Sacred Heart/
1647-1690/Feast:Oct,16-#64

fr:Dear Saint,it was to you especially that our Divine Lord revealed 
His wish that His Sacred Heart 
(a symbol of His burning love for human beings) 
should be honored not only on a feast but frequently; and great 
promises were made to those who practiced that devotion.
*By this devotion God wanted to remind human beings of the enormous 
love He has for His creatures and the self-sacrificing love Jesus has 
toward each of us.
Such love calls in turn for a response of love on our part.

St:I was an uneducated girl.
But I had a devotion to the Heart of Jesus from my youth,and I had 
resolved to give myself totally to Jesus,my Heavenly Bridegroom.
*Hearing about the Visitandine Nuns,founded by the wonderful 
Francis de Sales,
I quite naturally asked them to accept me into their Order.

fr:We know that you had many sufferings.
It seems almost natural that apostles of some great Christian cause should 
suffer much --from illness or contradictions or both.
Saint Teresa of Avila said that the Divine Lord was rather rough with 
His servants.
*We cannot imagine a more loving Bridegroom than Christ,yet He often 
lets His"Brides" suffer very much and sometimes for long periods.

St:I must point out,however,that Jesus always gives us the means 
whereby to bear that suffering with equanimity.
For example,He gave me a good spiritual director,
Blessed Claude de la Colombiere,who was my support.
*I learned to be patient in suffering,and even to welcome it because 
I felt closer to the Savior Who freely chose to suffer so much for me.

fr:What you are saying is that our devotion to the Sacred Heart should not 
consist in using it as a sort of elevator that brings us safely to heaven.
We should love the Sacred Heart unconditionally for the greater glory of 
God and the good of souls.

St:A "go-getting" devotion is not a religious devotion.
True Christian devotion is a "giving" devotion.All the Saints have seen 
this point and have regulated their lives accordingly.

pr:I'N..., give myself to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,and I 
consecrate to Him my person and my life,my actions,pains,and 
sufferings,so that henceforth I shall be unwilling to make use of any 
part of my being except for the honor,love,and glory of the Sacred Heart.

fr:Dear Saint,the modern idea is to flee suffering at any cost.
There is such an accent on well-being that people cannot tolerate the 
thought of being incapacitated in any way.
*Teach us to have a Christian attitude toward suffering and to bear it in 
union with Jesus Who bore so much for us.
Let us entrust ourselves to the Sarced Heart in sickness or in health and 
in all the circumstances of life.

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SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW-
Exemplary Wife,Mother,and Martyr/1555-1586/
Feast:Mar.26-#57

fr:Dear Saint,your short life is an apt illustration of three basic 
Christian attitudes:the search for Truth (God),the joyful embrace of that 
Truth,and the selfless professing of that Truth even in giving one's life 
if need be.
For you knew that no matter what people may have to suffer on earth it 
is insignificant in comparison with what God has destined for those 
who die in the Lord.

St:I was born at Middleton,England,of Protestant parents,
but I came to realize with God's help that I should belong to the one 
true Church.
*God had given me a joyful temperament and I liked to repeat what the 
Liturgy loves to say in Advent and Lent:"Rejoice in the Lord." 
For our Lord was certainly the most joyful Man who ever lived.

fr:We know that you had good looks,that you were always ready for a 
laugh,and that you were full of wit and merriment.
You became the devoted wife of John Clitherow,a well-to-do butcher,
and loving mother of two children.
*After embracing the Catholic Faith,you showed great courage in hiding 
and harboring fugitive Priests so that they could keep the Faith alive 
amid widespread anti-Catholic feeling.

St:For my efforts,
I was thrown into jail,and subjected to treatment calculated to renounce 
my Faith.
The persecutors were clever,alternatingly gentle and severe.
But by the grace of God I did not yield.

fr:When you learned that you were condemned to be crushed to death,
you said:"My flesh is troubled but my spirit greatly rejoices.
For the love of God pray for me,and ask all good people to do likewise." 
When you were led to the place of execution,all marvelled at your joyful,
smiling countenance -- such was your desire for God!

St:During the execution which took about fifteen minutes,all my bones 
were broken.
I prayed as long as I was conscious -- trusting that the Lord would help 
me bear it -- and He did.

pr:I Pray for the Catholic Church,for the holiness of the Pope,for the 
Cardinals,for all who have care of souls,
and for all Christian princes in the world.

fr:Dear Saint,the world today is in dire need of souls who will stand up 
for their convictions and at the same time will present a joyous 
countenance to all.
* Grant us courage and good humor so that we may profess our Faith 
joyfully in the Catholic Church that was founded by the 
Savior of the world.

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MARGARET OF SCOTLAND-
Christian Queen and Model Widow/1050-1093/
Feast:Nov.16-#35

fr:Dear Saint,how well you came to deserve to be called "Margarita" 
which means "Pearl" in Latin.Born in Hungary of the exiled English 
Prince,Edward,you quickly shone with Christian virtues.
Christ was your Bridegroom and your Model.
*Later,at the wise suggestion of your mother,you married Malcolm III,
King of Scotland,thus becoming Queen of that country.
You used your position,not to seek honors,but to serve the poor and the 
sick.
You spread Christianity among the Celtic Scots.

St:Everything you like in me I owed to special graces of the merciful God.
For my part,I would have preferred a cloistered life,a life of prayer 
and mortification for the glory of God and the benefit of souls.
MY mother,however,saw that I could do more good as Queen.
*Pearls are creatures of God and reflect light.
What shone in me was merely the reflection of the Lord Jesus,the true 
Light of the world.
Devotion to the Saints must lead to perfect devotedness to 
the Holy One of God.

fr:You knew the value of Religious life and founded the great 
Holy Trinity Abbey,
Though wealthy,you lived an austere life.Your conduct showed that no 
matter what may be our earthly calling,our principal vocation as 
disciples of Christ is to bear witness to the Lord of the world.
*You suffered much,and most patiently,from various ailments at the end 
of your life,and yours was a most holy and indeed most glorious death.

St:The prayer I have left you provides clear demonstration that God 
brings good out of evil that is well accepted.
At my death,all that I had worked for seemed lost.
My beloved husband had been killed in battle and rebel forces were 
storming Edinburgh.
*However,with God's help three of my sons succeeded to the throne 
in turn and reinforced the sacred work and brought it to fulfillment.

pr:Praise and blessing be given You,O almighty God,for allowing me to 
endure such bitter anguish at the hour of my departure.
For I trust that You are there by Purifying me in some measure from my 
sins.And You,
O Lord Jesus Christ,deliver me,for through the will of Your Father 
You have given life to the world by Your Death.

fr:Dear Saint,the Prince of Darkness works constantly to inspire many 
to spread darkness in the spiritual order,and there are those who are 
continually seeking to extinguish the true Light of Christ.
* Help us to look at you,precious Pearl,and invoke your intercession 
that we may obtain civil rulers who are honest and who trust not in 
themselves but in God.
Raise up Religious and Laity who will be outstanding pearls 
broadcasting Christ's holiness.

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SAINT MARIA GORETTI-
Model of Purity/1890-1902/Feast:July 6-#83

fr:Dear Saint,your brief life and martyrdom come as a needed reminder 
in our "permissive" age.
You bear eloquent witness that to yield one's bodily integrity without 
the sanctifying limits of marriage truly destroys the entire rhythm of the 
world.
*Born in a village near Anzio,Italy,to dirtpoor but religious parents,
you were a beautiful child,filled with love for God and your family.
You were happy,good,open-hearted,without whim but with a sense 
and seriousness beyond your years.

St:Our family was so poor that my father had to share a piece of land 
and a makeshift house with another family--the Serenellis.
I took care of my younger brothers and sisters while my parents worked 
the land.
*There was great love and joy in our home.
The only real regret I had about my poverty was that it prevented me 
from receiving my Divine Lord in Communion until I was eleven.
This was because I lacked the proper dress for the King of Kings.

fr:Your poverty also made it impossible for you to have any formal 
education.
But you learned the Catholic Faith from your devout mother and you 
learned about life from living it to the full for you were a bright child.
*One of the two Serenelli sons was twenty years old and he developed 
a passion for you.
Twice he made sexual advances but you rebuffed him both times.
But he warned you not to tell anyone or he'd kill you.

St:Alexander was in the grip of the Devil and arranged for us to be alone 
in the house with only the younger children present.
Then he tried once more to satisfy his lust.
What could my answer be but no? 
I did not want either of us to sin.
*He went into a rage and began to slash out with a knife.
I do not remember much except that I woke up in the hospital.
There the Priest gave me the Last Rites and also Communion.
I was so glad to receive our Lord -- it was only my fifth Communion.

fr:You were queried about your attitude to Alexander and replied that 
you forgave him.
You also said that you were going to pray for his repentance and that 
you wanted to see him in heaven.
Then you were received into heaven by your Heavenly Bridegroom,
for whose love you had been willing to lay down your life.

St:I was especially glad to learn that Alexander after eight unrepentant 
years in prison was led by God to change his ways through visions of me.
The grace of God is more powerful than any earthly force -- 
all we need do is to be open to it.

fr:Indeed,Alexander was released for good behavior after twenty-seven 
years and begged forgiveness from your mother before becoming a 
Capuchin lay brother.
He gave evidence at the canonical inquiry and lived to see you 
canonized.
God's grace works miracles!

pr:I can no longer live without Jesus.
How soon shall I receive Him again?

fr:Dear Saint,you know that we live in a sexually permissive society,
so that young people are dangerously confused about their sexuality.
Help them to have a right attitude about this aspect of life that 
God has given us.
*Teach all of us to be pure in life out of love for God,and to depend on 
God's grace in time of trial.

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SAINT MARK-
Exemplary Evangelist and Missionary/1st century/Feast:Apr.25-#08

fr:Dear Saint,you were not one of the Twelve Apostles,but how well you 
learned--especially from Peter--to know,love,and follow Jesus.
You manifested your missionary spirit by bringing the Good News to 
people in Asia and Rome.
*You also wrote for the Gentiles the first Gospel,pioneering a new art 
fornl by which future generations could come to know and love Jesus.
In it you showed Christ to be truly human,registering human emotions,
such as apprehension (1:44),anger (3:5),triumph(4:40),sympathy (5:36),
surprise (5:30),admiration (7:29),sadness (14:33f),
and indignation (24:48f).
*But you also showed,from the beginning of the Book,that Jesus was 
not merely a holy man or a great Prophet.
He was not merely a child or son of God as we are.
Rather He was the Divine Son of God.

St:The Lord was most kind to me.
He gave me a most saintly mother who made her house in Jerusalem 
meeting place for Christians.
What a privilege it was also to have Peter as my teacher and as my father,
for he called me "son" in his First Epistle (1 Pt 5:13).
*I was also fortunate to accompany for a time the great convert Paul,
a marvelous missionary.
Another source of inspiration was Barnabas,my cousin,with whom I 
went on various journeys of evangelization.

fr:One of the other features of your Gospel is the so-called Messianic 
secret,by which Christ refrained from openly calling Himself the 
Messiah to avoid having the people think that He was a temporal king.
*Then at the climax of the Gospel,before the Sanhedrin and the high 
priest,Jesus openly declares His Messiahship.
This sublime profession,combined with another text from your Gospel,
makes a fitting prayer.

pr:Hosanna!Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!Blessed is the Reign of our father David to come!
 "I am (the Messiah,the Son of the Blessed One);and you will see the 
Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the 
clouds of heaven."(Mk11:9-10; 14:62)

fr:Dear Saint,obtain for us the grace to ponder your Gospel and imitate 
your simple faith in Jesus as God and Man.
*Teach us to accept our crosses as Jesus accepted His,so that we may 
grow into the kinds of persons that God wants us to be for this life and 
for the next.

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SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS-
Soldier of Christ/315-397/Feast:Nov.11-#23

fr:Dear Saint,you are one of the most popular Saints in the 
Church's Calendar.
In some places children pray to you and expect gifts from you in the 
same way that many others have come to expect gifts from 
Saint Nicholas.
*You were born of pagan parents in Pannonia (Hungary) about 317.
You served in the Roman Army and are famous for a legendary incident 
known to countless thousands.
On one occasion while in Amiens (France) you encountered a beggar 
freezing from the cold in threadbare clothing.
You immediately tore off part of your own cloak and clothed him in it.
Later,Christ appeared to you and declared you had clothed Him with half 
of your cloak!

St:This vision of Christ climaxed a series of graces that worked 
powerfully in me,and I chose to be baptized after proper instruction.
I found Christianity most wonderful.
*Not long afterward,I received the call to lead a Religious life.
I was ordained by Saint Hilary and even lived as a hermit for a while.
I also had the satisfaction of witnessing the Batpism of my mother 
whom grace had likewise led to Christ.

fr:At the same time you had troubles.
You strenuously combated the horrible heresy of Arianism and were 
flogged for it,but you eventually extirpated it from most of your area.
However,you strongly opposed putting any heretics to death.
When Saint Hilary returned from exile,you joined him once more and 
built a monastery at Liguge.
*There you lived until you were chosen Bishop of Tours.However,you 
continued to live a kind of monastic life even in that high position,
practicing poverty and humility.

pr:Lord,if Your People still have need of my services,
I will not avoid the toil.
Your will be done.Indeed,I have fought the good Fight long enough.
Yet if You bid me continue to hold the battle line in defense of your camp,
I will never beg to be excused on account of failing strength.
I will diligently Perform the tashs that You entrust to me.
And as long as You command I will continue to do battle under Your 
banner.

fr:Dear Saint,you were truly a soldier of Christ who fought for the Faith 
both by your words and by your actions.
Many miracles have been attributed to you,
but the greatest wonder or sign was your Christlike life which drew 
many to our Divine Lord.
*Pray for us that we may follow you in our words and deeds,and so 
inspire others to live Christlike lives.

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THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF COMPIEGNE-
Faithful Religious and 
Followers of Christ/?-l794/Feast:July 17-#70

fr:Dear Mother Theresa,leader of this group of outstanding witnesses to 
Christ by your blood,your courage in the face of persecution and death 
is an inspiration to all Catholics.
*You were victims of the cruelty and irrationality of human beings during 
the French Revolution,a time of unbelievable turbulence.For example,
a prostitute was enthroned in the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris,and 
some of the revolutionaries acted completely contrary to the chants of 
freedom,equality,and fraternity which rolled glibly off their lips.

Bs:In October,1790,the National Assembly declared that all monastic 
vows were no longer recognized as existing.
The law rejected them.After that,of course,monastic goods could be 
confiscated.

fr:The Carmel of Compiegne of which you were prioress and which 
comprised eighteen Nuns was "liberated." 
You were "permitted" to go into the new world of the "Enlightenment."

Bs:In 1792 we were told to live as private citizens.
All the Nuns refused to renounce what they had solemnly promised to 
the Lord of heaven.
We broke up into four groups and continued to live the Religious Life.
We refused to proclaim allegiance to the new Constitution which went 
against our religion.As a result,we were cast into prison--in June 1794.

fr:By now your number had been reduced to sixteen.
It is well known that you suffered many brutalities and indignities.
You were haled before a revolutionary tribunal in Paris and every one 
of you,in turn,showed an exemplary Christian courage.

Bs:Humanly speaking,of course,we were fearful.But we also knew that 
we were condemned for clinging to our Catholic Faith.
This meant that we were bearing witness to Christ and could rely on the 
help of His Spirit Who poured out the love of the Father on us.
We entrusted ourselves completely to this living Triune God.

fr:What a marvelous witness you gave when you were brought to the 
place of execution-singing in unison the "Hail,
Holy Queen" and the "Come,Creator Spirit." 
The crowd of on-lookers became religiously silent at your courage.
You were spiritually victorious in seeming defeat.

Bs:On reaching the scaffold,we each renewed our Baptismal as well as 
Religious Vows.
Then each Nun went forth to what would bring us to the vision of our 
Divine Bridegroom,while all sang:"All you nations,bless the Lord...."
The chorus grew softer and softer until the last gave her life -- 
and then there was silence !

pr:Praise the Lord,all you nations;glorify Him,all you peoples!
For steadfast is His kindness toward us,and the fidelity of the Lord 
endures forever.

fr:Dear Blessed Theresa and Sisters who were her companions,you 
know the weakness of human beings and the offenses they commit 
against their God and greatest Benefactor.
*Help us to overcome our weakness and turn always to God.
Teach us how to be true followers of Christ,willing to sacrifice even our 
earthly lives for God's glory and the salvation of souls.

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SAINT MARY-
Queen of All Saints/1st century/Feast: Aug.22-#01

fr:Dear Mother of Jesus,
Mother of God[God's daughter/Spirit's wife],
it is through you that we received the Savior of humankind.
Christ did not make you one of the Twelve Apostles,
neither did He ordain you a priest or crown you an earthly queen.
*He made you the greatest,holiest,and most powerful mother,
a universal mother for all the children of Adam.
He made you Queen of heaven and the most powerful intercessor for us 
with God.

St:My child,we should always strive to do God's will in all things and to 
accept everything God destines for us and permits us to undergo.
This is what gives the greatest glory to God and at the same time gives 
us the greatest reward.

fr:While on earth,you lived in obscurity in Nazareth,in Bethlehem,
in Egypt.
But after your death and glorious Assumption into heaven,you have 
gained the acclaim and admiration of millions and have secured aid 
for human beings throughout the ages.

St:I am the handmaid of the Lord.
I gladly accepted the hidden life in Nazareth and a participation in my 
dear Son's shame and suffering on Calvary as He brought to fulfillment 
the work His Father had given Him to do.
*For God had been good to me.He had shown me that His ways are not 
our ways,nor are His thoughts ours.If we but unite our being to His,
we will be filled with inner peace on earth and overwhelming joy in 
heaven.

pr:My being Proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in 
God my Savior,
For He has loohed upon His servant in her lowliness; 
all ages to come shall call me blessed.
God Who is mighty has done great things for me,
holy is His name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm; 
He has confused the Proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to 
high places.
The hungry He has given every good thing,while the rich He has sent 
empty away.
He has upheld Israel (the Church) His servant,ever mindful of His mercy; 
Even as He promised our fathers,Promised Abraham 
and his descendants forever.(Lk 1:46-55)

fr:Blessed Virgin,my Mother and Queen,obtain for us the grace to follow 
you in life so that we may be with you in heaven.
*Help us to hear the Word of God,as you did,and put it into practice 
after your exampie.Let us be united with your Son in life and in death 
so that we may be united with Him in heavenly glory.

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SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE PAZZI-
Mystic,Ecstatic,and Faithful Religious/
1566-1607/Feast:May 25-#59

fr:Dear Saint,your wonderful vocation as a mystic and ecstatic is far 
removed from the lives of most Catholics.
We find it hard to imagine what such a life is like.
Yet we know that it is such lives that provide tremendous spiritual 
power for the world.
*Your life bears eloquent witness to the oft-repeated phrase that God 
works in strange ways.It is now very clear that you were given Divine 
knowledge and anticipated many of the most modern directions taken 
by the Church in the fields of the Trinity,
Christology,the Eucharist,Ecclesiology,and Liturgy.

St:You must understand that although my vocation was different from 
the more usual ones,it was still a vocation to which I was drawn by 
God's grace.
Seen from the outside,the life of a mystic and ecstatic appears 
otherworldly and completely unappealing.
But it is a life of profound union with God and gives great peace in spite 
of sufferings and trials of every kind.

fr:Yours was truly a Divine vocation.
At the age of twelve you took a vow of perpetual virginity although you 
were from a noble Florentine family.
Shortly afterward you entered the Carmelite Order,choosing a particular 
convent because you would be able to receive Holy Communion 
frequently there.
*You became a model of true holiness for all who knew you.
You were always ready to sit up at night to comfort the sick and during 
the day you joyfully assisted anyone who needed your help.

St:Out of obedience to my superiors I set down in writing all the 
revelations and visions which God deigned to send me.
They may thus be of help to Christians of all ages.I say this with no 
trace of vanity or pride,for we do not experience such things here.

fr:You also had a famous saying:"Either let me suffer or let me die." 
Your Divine Bridegroom permitted you to suffer greatly during a 
protracted illness but He then took you to heaven at the age of forty-one.

St:You also mentioned serving others.Already on earth this is a source 
of joy:to help and encourage the afflicted to return good for evil --
did not our Lord do this perfectly? 
And how true also are His words recalled for us by Saint Paul:
There is greater happiness in giving than in receiving."
 Then at our death He will add for us an unbelievably generous "reward."

pr:Your Providence,
O Lord,is so great that You take care of all Your creatures as if there 
were only one,and You take care of each one as if all others were 
enclosed in it.if people could only understand and recognize Your 
all-embracing Providence and that they can unite with an all-providing 
God!
How different would be their ideas of earthly values!
Grant us absolute confidence in You,most Merciful God!

fr:Dear Saint,you know how much selfishness there is today.
We greatly need your example.In you we should see one proof of the 
fact that "the charity of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit 
Who is given to us." 
Ask the Holy Spirit to give us a new Pentecost,making Christians more 
Christlike,more self-sacrificing,in imitation of the One Who chose to 
die for sinful and ungrateful human beings.

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SAINT MATTHEW-
Apostle and Evangelist/1st century/Feast: Sept.21-#07

fr:Dear Saint,you are known as Matthew but originally you were called 
Levi,which meaIls "following." Christians throughout the centuries have 
come to know you well as Apostle and Evangelist by your wonderful 
Gospel,for the Church has constantly used it in her Liturgy.
*At Christ's call,you immediately quit your job as tax-gatherer and 
started "following" the Divine Master.
No doubt you had already leanled much about Christ's miracles and 
inspiring preaching,and you went on to learn more.
*How kind of you to write a detailed Gospel in the native tongue of 
your Palestinian countrymen,which later was translated into many 
languages.

St:You are right about my desire to inform all my countrymen about 
Jesus,stressing the fact that He was truly the Messiah or 
Anointed One Who had been promised them by divinely inspired 
Prophets.I specifically pointed out,however,that Jesus did not come 
to establish an earthly kingdom,as some of them mistakenly thought.
*So prevalent was this idea in the society of the time,that even Apostles 
entertained it.
This shows how worldly-minded our little band remained even after 
receiving clear and repeated instruction from the Divine Master.
Only after His resurrection did our eyes see the Light.

fr:Millions have learned from you to appreciate the Beatitudes,to follow 
and love the Divine Master while bearing their own crosses.
Also,at every Mass we recite the Our Father in the form and amplitude 
which you have transmitted to us in your Gospel.

pr:0ur Father in heaven,hallowed be Your name,
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,and forgive us the wrong we have done 
as we forgive those who wrong us.
Subject us not to the trial but deliver us from the evil one.(Mt 6:9-13)

fr:How inspiring and consoling is this prayer left us by Jesus as an 
inheritance.
God is Our Father.Hence,we belong to God's Family.
*And we say "we" for we are all brothers and sisters,children of God.
We speak of God being in heaven,although we know He is everywhere.
For speaking of heaven elevates our minds to higher,divine things.
*Nowadays,we hear much about liberty and equality.
Help us,dear Saint,to bear in mind that our Lord's prayer deals with the 
highest and most perfect liberty,and our equality as children of God.

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BLESSED MAXIMILIAN KOLBE-
Apostle of the Printed Word and Martyr/
1894-1941/Feast:Aug.14-#84

fr:Dear Blessed Maximilian,it is rather fitting that you are the last person 
treated in this book.
For you gave us a vivid example of love for Christ and your fellow 
human beings that cannot be surpassed.
You willingly gave up your life for another.
You were our contemporary,and you show that sanctity is still possible 
in our day.
*Born in Poland,you became a Franciscan and earned doctorates in 
philosophy and theology.
Yet your greatest works were of the practical order.
You helped form a community of 800 men,largest in the world,
even though you were never free from illness.

Bs:Do not praise me.
It was God Who gave me the assistance I needed.
And this all came to me through our glorious Mother Mary.
I had great devotion to her and strove to spread it to others.
For she is the Mediatrix between us and Christ as Christ is between us 
and God the Father.
*She remained my source of strength and inspiration throughout my life.
In her honor I founded the "Immaculate Movement" and a popular 
magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculate."

fr:You traveled to Japan where you also built a monastery and then on 
to India where you furthered the Immaculate Movement.
You believed firmly in the apostolate of the Printed word and took steps 
to spread the faith through that word.

Bs:All my life I enjoyed communicating ideas to others.
And I particularly enjoyed communicating the Faith to others.
God in His goodness gave me the energy and the talent to accomplish a 
great deal for Him.

fr:In 1936,you were recalled to Poland because of ill-health,and when 
the Nazi invasion began you were imprisoned.
After being released for a time,you were rearrested on a pretext and 
ultimately sent to that terrible concentration camp known as Auschwitz.
*There you acted as a confidant to and comforter for the poor people 
imprisoned and fearing for their lives.You drew strength for this most 
difficult work by your close union with Christ and His Mother.

Bs:On July 31,1941 a prisoner escaped and as is done by all repressive 
regimes ten men were picked to die in reprisal.
One was a young husband and father,who grieved for his family.
*Suddenly,I felt impelled by God's Spirit to offer myself in his place.
I heard my voice saying:"I am a Catholic priest.
Take me in his place." The authorities agreed and the ten of us endured 
days of slow death through starvation,thirst,and neglect.
*As the last to die after ten days,
I helped the others get ready to meet their Creator,and then I too was 
freed by death to go to meet our Lord.

pr:Lord:Jesus,
You said:There ir no greater love than this:to lay down one's life for 
one's friends.After the example of Blessed Maximilian,help us to offer 
ourselves at least as spiritual sacrifices for others by our lives and our 
works in union with You.

fr:Dear Blessed Maximilian,you see how much selfishness there still 
exists among us.
Teach us by your example to show our love for God by practicing good 
deeds for others.
*Help us to realize that every good act done to another is an act done to 
Christ.
And Christ will reward even the smallest act of kindness and 
self-renunciation done for others.
For when we depart from this life the only thing we take with us is the 
record of our good deeds./

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SAINT MONICA-
Exemplary Mother and Widow/331-387/Feast:Aug.27-#25

fr:Dear Saint,you were a most devout and devoted mother of the great 
Saint Augustine.
All parents and all widows can learn much from you.
Although your son was not a Christian for most of his early life and 
chased after the vanities of this world,you never gave up hope for his 
conversion.
*Moreover,you uttered no recriminations but simply offered up constant 
prayer and acts of penance for his spiritual good.
By dint of such efforts,you succeeded in obtaining from God the grace 
to see him become a Christian.

St:Do not praise me for my sanctity.
I only did my duty as a mother.
Realizing the immoral conduct of my son and his attachment to 
falsehood in religion,what else could I do but try to lead an exemplary 
Christian life! 
Did not our Lord say that this kind of evil can only be cast out through 
fasting coupled with prayer? 
*How can any true mother,and especially one who has received the grace 
of belonging to the true Church,not consider it necessary to storm heaven 
with constant prayers and mortifications !

fr:After your son's reception into the Church at the hands of 
Saint Ambrose of Milan,you returned to Africa with him.Eventually,
you died a peaceful death.
And even till the end,you were concerned about the things of heaven 
rather than those of earth,as is evident by the words of the following 
little prayer that you expressed.

pr:Let my body be where it will; 
God will raise it up on the last day.
One thing only I beg of you;remember me when you celebrate Mass.

fr:Dear Saint,you are well aware of the disorders that have overtaken 
married life in our day.
The abomination of abortion is demanded by mothers-to-be who thus 
contribute to the murder of the innocents.
Then there are those mothers who neglect their Christian duties and are 
not solicitous about the proper Christian upbringing and eternal welfare 
of their offspring.
*Pray that we may see a true spiritual renewal of family life.
May it produce many sons and daughters of God who will glorify Him 
eternally.

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