29 Jun – Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles We celebrate the feast of the princes of the apostles, from whom we derive our Christian faith. The Lord stood by them and gave them power, so that through them the whole message might be proclaimed for all the world to hear. – the Weekday [...]
28 Jun – Memorial for St. Irenaeus, bishop, martyr St. Irenaeus (C.130-202) was a disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna. He became a priest in 177, and later bishop of Lyons, France. He worked and wrote against Gnosticism, basing his arguments on the works of St. John, whose gospel is often cited by Gnostics. He [...]
27 Jun – Memorial for St. Cyril of Alexandria, doctor, bishop St. Cyril (376-444) was the nephew of Theophilus the Patriarch. He was a monk, a priest, and bishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 412, and also the Patriarch of Alexandria. He suppressed the Novatians, and worked at the Council of Ephesus. He fought against Nestorius [...]
26 Jun Fair is fair This story is told about Kruger, the great South African statesman, who lived at the beginning of this century. He was called upon to settle a dispute between two brothers. This dispute involved the equal division of land between the two. The land contained mines, lakes, rivers, and beautiful scenery, [...]
26 Jun Judging! One day a partially deaf lad was given a note from his teacher to give his mother, suggesting that she take him out of school, because he was too stupid to learn. The mother’s reaction was to set to it, and begin teaching him herself. The boy grew up, and Thomas Edison, [...]
24 June – Solemnity of St. John the Baptist St. John the Baptist (d. 30) was the cousin of Jesus Christ, son of Zachary, a priest of the order of Abia whose job was to burn incense and of Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. As Zachary was ministering in the Temple, an angel brought him [...]
23 Jun The robe There is an interesting contrast between the following two stories, each involving a robe. The first is the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar in Luke 10:14-52. When Jesus called Bartimaeus to come to him, Bartimaeus stood up, took his old cloak or robe and flung it to one side, and [...]
22 Jun – Memorial for St. Paulinus of Nola; Memorial for St. John Fisher, bishop St. Paulinus of Nola (354-431) was a friend of Sts. Augustine of Hippo and Nicetas of Remesiana, and was mentioned for his holiness by at least six of his contemporary saints. He was a distinguished lawyer, and held several public [...]
21 Jun – Memorial for St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591) was an Italian noble who grew up in a castle, the son of a compulsive gambler. He was the cousin of St. Rudolph Acquaviva, and he was trained from the age of four as a soldier and courtier. He suffered from kidney [...]
20 Jun Sharing our food There is a legend told about Abraham in the Mideast. According to the legend, he always held off eating his breakfast each morning until a hungry person came along to share it with him. One day an old man came along, and of course Abraham invited him to share his [...]
