BIG C CATHOLICS

Saint Bridget died on this date in 1376. She was born into a devout family. Her mother was deeply pious; her father went to confession every Friday and made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. At 13, Bridget married, Ulf Gudmarsson with whom she had eight children. Following the death of her husband, she founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, erecting a double monastery for monks and nuns at Vadstena. It was an order primarily for women, ruled by an abbess. The brothers had as their head a Confessor General who was responsible for the spiritual formation of both convents. The Order soon spread quickly throughout continental Europe. St. Bridget is one of three co-patronesses of Europe and the patron saint of Sweden. St. Bridget is famous for her Revelations concerning the sufferings of our Lord. At the age of ten, Bridget had a vision of Jesus hanging upon the cross. When she asked who had treated him so cruelly He answered: "They who despise me, and spurn my love for them."

It was precisely to Mary Magdalene that St. Thomas Aquinas reserved the special title, "Apostle of the Apostles" ( apostolorum apostola ), dedicating to her this beautiful comment: "Just as a woman had announced the words of death to the first man, so also a woman was the first to announce to the Apostles the words of life" ( Super Ioannem, ed . Cai , § 2519). — Pope Benedict XVI

July 22, 2016 Day 6 - St. Anne Novena Glorious Saint Anne, mother of the Mother of God, I beg your powerful intercession for the freedom from my sins and the assistance I need in my troubles… (State your intention here.) What can I not hope for if you deign to take me under your protection? The Most High has been pleased to grant the prayers of sinners, whenever you have been charitable enough to be their advocate. Therefore, I beg you to help me in all spiritual and temporal dangers; to guide me in the true path of Christian perfection, and finally to obtain for me the grace of a happy death, so that I may contemplate your beloved Jesus and daughter Mary in your loving companionship throughout all eternity. Amen. Pray for us, Saint Anne, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both,

July 22nd is the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. At a time when women were forbidden from testifying in legal proceedings, Mary Magdalene was first to bear witness to Christ's Resurrection. Sacred Scripture records her telling the Apostles what she had seen and heard, hence her title coined by Saint Thomas Aquinas, "the Apostle to the Apostles". Western Christianity has traditionally identified her with three women in the New Testament: the sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with oils and washes them with her tears; Mary of Magdala; and Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha of Bethany. All three women exhibit penitence, faith and humility in response to Christ. Whatever her true identity, Mary Magdalene's life demonstrates Jesus' power to redeem, heal and transform. In Mark 16:9 it is written: "When (Christ) had risen, early on the first day of the week, (Easter morning) he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons."

July 21, 2016 Day 5 - St. Anne Novena Great Saint Anne, how far I am from resembling you. I so easily give way to impatience and discouragement; and so easily give up praying when God does not at once answer my request. Prayer is the key to all heavenly treasures and I cannot pray, because my weak faith and lack of confidence fail me at the slightest delay. O my powerful protectress, come to my aid, listen to my petition… (State your intention here.) Make my confidence and fervor, supported by the promise of Jesus Christ, increase as the trial to which God in His goodness subjects me is prolonged, that I may obtain like you more than I can venture to ask for. In the future I will remember that I am made for heaven and not for earth; for eternity and not for time; that consequently I must ask, above all, the salvation of my soul which is assured to all who pray properly and who persevere in prayer. Amen. Pray for us, Saint Anne, that we may be made worthy of the promises

God is love, and all his operations proceed from love. Once he wills to manifest that goodness by sharing his love outside himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of his goodness and love and glory. So, Christ was intended before all other creatures and for his own sake. For him all things were created and to him all things must be subject, and God loves all creatures in and because of Christ. Christ is the first-born of every creature, and the whole of humanity as well as the created world finds its foundation and meaning in him. Moreover, this would have been the case even if Adam had not sinned. — St. Lawrence of Brindisi St. Lawrence believed that God, even more than being a Creator, the source of Almighty Power, or a Judge, is first and foremost a Lover. He taught that, even if Adam had remained sinless, God would still have sent Jesus to humanity to share God's love.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin Franciscan priest and Doctor of the Universal Church, was born on July 22, 1559 in Brindisi, Italy. He is considered the greatest linguist among the Doctors. In addition to his native Italian, Lawrence could read and speak fluently Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish and French. He labored in many fields, serving as an army chaplain, diplomat, leader of the Counter-Reformation in Austria and Bohemia, teacher of Scripture, exegete and mariologist. Unusual for a scholar, Lawrence was acutely sensitive to the needs of others. At age 31, he was elected Major Superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany. He combined brilliance, compassion and administrative skill to carry out his duties. In 1602, he was elected Minister General of the Capuchins. Under his guidance, the Order grew both geographically and in numbers. St. Lawrence is a tremendous model for priests in their studies and preaching. He died exactly sixty years to th