For your July calendar

Here are some dates you might want to remember in July:

• July 4 - Independence Day
• July 14 - Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha
• July 22 - Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
• July 30 - World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
• July 31 - Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Summer Reading Recommendations

As we have done in previous years, we will provide occasional summer reading recommendations with social justice themes.

Our first recommendation is Rutilio Grande: A Table for All by Rhina Guidos (copyright 2018).  According to the Education for Justice description:  "This new biography looks deeply into the life of [Servant of God] Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ, whose passion for justice for those in poverty shaped Blessed Oscar Romero and many others during the long oppression and conflict in El Salvador."  A reading guide for this book is available here.

This book is a timely addition to our knowledge of the life and work of Oscar Romero, whose canonization will happen in the fall.

On the Call to Holiness in Today's World

We continue to share excerpts from Gaudete et Exsultate:

"At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life.  It consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord's death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with him.  But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus' earthly life: his hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrificing love" (n. 20).

"In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for 'holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full'" (n. 21).

"What we need to contemplate is the totality of [the lives of the saints], their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person" (22).

"This is a powerful summons to all of us.  You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission.  Try to do so by listening to God in prayer and recognizing the signs that he gives you.  Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received.  Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today's world" (n. 23). 

"Let yourself be transformed.  Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission.  The Lord will bring it to fulfillment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to his supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens" (n. 24).  

Day 1: Religious Freedom Week

You will recall from our previous post that Religious Freedom Week begins today.  The daily resources from the USCCB are available here.  Today's reflection is:

"On this feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, we remember these saints who were martyred in 1535 for standing up for the sanctity of marriage and the freedom of the Church in opposition to England's King Henry VIII.  In our country today, the Church faces challenges to her freedom to serve in healthcare, child welfare services and education.  While we seek to be faithful to Christ by serving our neighbors, ignoring conscience cannot be the condition placed on people of faith for service in the public square.  Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher show us what faithful service looks like.  They loved and served their country.  Yet they rightly recognized that they were being forced to choose between the Church and the king.  They were faithful to the Church.  May their example continue to illuminate the path for us, as we seek to faithfully serve our Church and country."

Prayer: St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, pray for us, and for the protection of religious freedom in America and around the world.

June 20: World Refugee Day

"New Together" is a Public Service Announcement for World Refugee Day 2018.  At only 1:15 long, it is a very simple, moving message to help us recommit to our prayers and actions for refugees.  (The video is embedded below.  Email subscribers who do not see a video below, please click here to view it on YouTube.)

Today, and every day, let us pray for refugees:

Sheltering God,
You were born in flight,
Your parents anxious and given no rest.
The manner of your birth calls me to
Open-heartedness and sensitivity to the strangers in our midst.
Help me not to flee your challenge.
The violence of the present time teaches me fear of the stranger,
Reluctant to reach out to those who are different.
Grace me this day as I seek
To see you in the faces of those uprooted,
Weary, as they seek refuge and peace.  Amen.
(Copyright, Education for Justice)

Fortnight for Freedom/Religious Freedom Week

Remember that the USCCB's "Fortnight for Freedom" campaign runs from June 21-July 4.  Prayer resources and reflections are available here.  Within the Fortnight is Religious Freedom Week, which begins on June 22 (the Feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher).  Resources for Religious Freedom Week are available here.

On the Call to Holiness in Today's World

We continue reading through Gaudete et Exsultate:

"To be holy does not require a bishop, a priest or a religious.  We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer.  That is not the case.  We are called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves" (n. 14).

"Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation.  Do not be dismayed, for the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this, and holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life (cf. Gal 5:22-23)" (n. 15).

"This holiness to which the Lord calls you will grow through small gestures.  Here is an example:  a woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbor and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts.  But she says in her heart: 'No, I will not speak badly of anyone.' This is a step forward in holiness.  Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love.  That is another sacrifice that brings holiness" (n. 16).

"At times, life presents great challenges.  Through them, the Lord calls us anew to conversion that can make his grace more evident in our lives. . . . At other times, we need only find a more perfect way of doing what we are already doing. . . . [Quoting Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen van Thuan]: "I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way'" (n. 17).

"I this way, led by God's grace, we shape by many gestures the holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather 'as good stewards of the manifold grace of God'" (n. 18).