The Visitation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 2 July

Quoted from the Catholic Diocese Of Brooklyn [1]: 

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the visit of Mary with Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:39-56). It is also the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, celebrated on May 31 in the West (July 2 in calendars of the 1263-1969 period and in the modern regional calendar of Germany) and March 30 in the East.

Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went “into the hill country…into a city of Judah” (Luke 1:39) to attend her cousin Elizabeth. There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem. The journey was about 100 miles, and Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1:36). Mary stayed three months and departed just before John was born.

Catholics believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother’s womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognized the presence of Jesus. Thus Mary, now for the first time, exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man.

Elizabeth remarks to Mary: “And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42-55)”

It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth’s remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord), (Luke 1:46-55), for which reason this canticle had traditionally been reserved for this feast day.

[1] https://visitationbvm-brooklyn.org/what-is-the-visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/#:~:text=The%20Visitation%20of%20the%20Blessed%20Virgin%20Mary%20is,of%20Germany%29%20and%20March%2030%20in%20the%20East.

The Feast Of The Most Precious Blood Of Our Lord Jesus Christ - 1 July

Quoted from luisapiccarreta.com [1]:

July 1 A.D. [year omitted] – The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord

Calendar for the Traditional Roman Rite

According to the Traditional Catholic Calendars of 1962 and previous, is the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. After Vatican II, this Feast day was combined with Corpus Christi. In the 1969 Calendar, Corpus Christi is officially called the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. However, for those Catholics who like to follow the Traditional Calendar, today is a day to especially remember the price of our salvation – the Blood of Jesus Christ. Today we remember His blood spilt not only on the Cross but also in the Circumcision, Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, Scourging at the Pillar of Flagellation, and the Crowning with Thorns.

[1] https://luisapiccarreta.com/feast-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Commemoration Of Saint Paul The Apostle - 30 June

Quoted from Wikipedia [1]:

Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Hebrew name Saul of Tarsus, was a Christian apostle (although not one of the Twelve Apostles) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. Generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, he founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD.

According to the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles, Paul participated in the persecution of early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in the area of Jerusalem, prior to his conversion. In the narrative of Acts, Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to "arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem" when the ascended Jesus appeared to him in a great bright light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish messiah and the Son of God.[Acts 9:20–21] Approximately half of the Book of Acts deals with Paul's life and works.

Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul. Seven of the Pauline epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with varying degrees of argument about the remainder.

Quoted from salvemariaregina.info (the last paragraph) [2]:

On the 29th day of June, in the year 67, while St. Peter, having crossed the Tiber by the Triumphal bridge, was drawing nigh to the cross prepared for him on the Vatican plain, another martyrdom was being consummated on the left bank of the same river. St. Paul, as he was led along the Ostian Way, was also followed by a group of the faithful who mingled with the escort of the condemned. His sentence was that he should be beheaded at the Salvian Waters. A march of two miles brought the soldiers to a path leading eastwards, by which they led their prisoner to the place fixed upon for the martyrdom of this, the Doctor of the Gentiles. St. Paul fell on his knees, addressing his last prayer to God; then having bandaged his eyes, he awaited the death-stroke. A soldier brandished his sword, and the Apostle's head, as it was severed from the trunk, made three bounds along the ground; three fountains immediately sprang up on these spots. Such is the local tradition; and to this day, three fountains are to be seen on the site of his martyrdom, over each of which an altar is raised.

 

(Note:   Commemoration of Saint Peter The Apostle is also on 30 June, the Mass is the same as the Mass for Saint Peter's Chair In Rome on 18 January per The Roman Catholic Daily Mass, 1962, Angelus Press, page 1076.)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle, quoted without hyperlinks and references.

[2] http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-172/Paul.htm

Feast Day Of Saints Peter And Paul, Apostles - 29 June

Quoted from Catholic Culture [1]:

Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel.

St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the Basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the Via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name.  [Erected during the fourth century AD, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is one of the four major basilicas of Rome, and the second largest after St. Peter's Basilica. It was founded on the burial ground of St. Paul. [2]]

 

For those interested in a documentary on Saint Peter, there are two episodes on YouTube -- David Suchet In the Footsteps of St Paul (should be St. Peter):

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2ud6YUWg, episode 1

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUulCSJH6ww, episode 2

There is also a movie on Saint Paul on YouTube -- Paul The Apostle (Saint Paul) | Full Movie | Johannes Brandrup | Thomas Lockyer | Barbora Bobulova  is one of the uploads:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlb8AXfNRHU.

[1] https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2021-06-29

[2] https://www.rome.net/basilica-st-paul-outside-walls#:~:text=Paul%20Outside%20the%20Walls.%20Erected%20during%20the%20fourth,founded%20on%20the%20burial%20ground%20of%20St.%20Paul., quoted without hyperlink.

The Nativity Of Saint John The Baptist - 24 June

Quoted from Bible Gateway, Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA), Mark 1: 1-11 [1]:

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.

3 A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

4 John was in the desert baptizing, and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.

5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all they of Jerusalem, and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and he ate locusts and wild honey.

7 And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.

8 I have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

9 And it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 And forthwith coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit as a dove descending, and remaining on him.

11 And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

The Gospel reading for June 24 on the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is Lk 1:57-68, per the 1962 Catholic Daily Missal, Angelus Press, pages 1257-8.  The same passages below are quoted from Bible Gateway, Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) [2]:

57 Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son.

58 And her neighbours and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her.

59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father's name Zachary.

60 And his mother answering, said: Not so; but he shall be called John.

61 And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

63 And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered.

64 And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

65 And fear came upon all their neighbours; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea.

66 And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost; and he prophesied, saying:

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people[.]

From Godspell, the Broadway musical, the song of Saint John the Baptist - Prepare ye the way of the Lord, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Uic7xfR9g

[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+1%3A+1-11&version=DRA

[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lk+1%3A57-68&version=DRA

Solemnity Of The Most Sacred Heart Of Jesus - 11 June 2021

From the book The Devotion To The Sacred Heart  by Fr. John Croiset, S.J. [1]:

"Behold this Heart which has so loved men even to exhausting and consuming Itself to testify to them Its love; and in return, I receive from the generality of men nothing but ingratitude through the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness which they show Me in the Sacrament of My love; but what is still more painful to Me, is that there are hearts consecrated to Me that treat Me thus.  For that reason I demand that the First Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be set apart for a special feast to honor My Heart; that, on this day, reparation be made to It with special solemnity, that the faithful receive Holy Communion in reparation for the indignities which It has received on the altars; and I promise that My Heart will expand Itself to pour out in abundance the treasures of Divine love on those who render It this honor."

Quoted from Catholic Culture [2]:

[T]he third Friday after Pentecost is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although the revelations to St. Margaret Mary of Alacoque in the 17th century promoted this devotion, the origins of the honoring of Jesus and His love for man trace back to Scripture and many other saints and sacred writings throughout the history of the Church. 

...

The actual feast began only in 1765 as a locally celebrated in Poland and certain congregations, and then in 1856 Pope Pius IX made it a feast for the universal church. In 1899 Pope Leo XIII raised it to a higher rank, and Pius XI elevated the feast even higher, and revised the liturgical texts, which are the basis of the Mass texts used today.

[1] Croiset, Fr. John, S.J. The Devotion To The Sacred Heart. Translated by Fr. Patrick O'Connell, B.D., Second Edition, from the French final edition published in Lyon in 1694. Charlotte, North Carolina: TAN Books, 1988, pages 174-75.

[2] https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/devotion-to-sacred-heart-jesus/

Saint Norbert Feast Day - 6 June

Quoted from Wikipedia [1]:

Norbert of Xanten (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in the year 1582...

...

He avoided ordination to the priesthood and even declined an appointment as bishop of Cambrai in 1113. One day in the spring of 1115, as he rode his horse to Vreden, in the western part of the Münsterland, a thunderbolt from a sudden storm struck at his horse's feet. The animal threw him and he lay unconscious for nearly an hour.[3] After this near-fatal accident, his faith deepened, he renounced his appointment at Court and returned to Xanten to lead a life of penance, placing himself under the direction of Cono, Abbot of St Sigeberg, near Cologne.

...

At the Council of Reims in October 1119, Pope Calixtus II requested Norbert to found a religious order in the Diocese of Laon in France. On Christmas Day, 1120, Norbert established the Canons Regular of Prémontré.

To celebrate the 900th year of the Norbertines, the tomb of Saint Norbert was opened in December 2020.  The video can be seen on YouTube  entitled Opening of the tomb with the relics of Saint Norbert Strahov. [2]  The tomb is located in Strahov Monastery (Strahovský klášter) [3] in Prague, Czech Republic.

In the United States, in Silverado, California, the Norbertines, stated that "[t]he Norbertine Order was founded by St. Norbert in 1121 A.D." and celebrated the Order's 900th year on May 4, 2021, [4] with a video entitled The Dedication of the New Abbey Church [5].  It is a long video, nearly three and one-half hours.  The total cost was $120,000.000 [6] or $140M [7] for the land and the buildings.  

Another video gives a tour of the buildings under construction: https://theabbotscircle.com/together/.  There is another video tour on YouTube  with ringing of church bells built in France: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0JSuYnrGL4

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_of_Xanten, quoted with emphasis and hyperlinks.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIoksZXCulA&t=1s

[3] https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/406/strahov-monastery-strahovsky-klaster

[4] https://stmichaelsabbey.com/stmichaels2021-pr/

[5] https://theabbotscircle.com/dedication/; YouTube  version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P6GaBEhOrs

[6] https://stmichaelsabbey.com/the-new-abbey/

[7] https://stmichaelsabbey.com/stmichaels2021-pr/