MONDAY, AUGUST 24
Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

We begin the week with the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. Nathanael-Bartholomew is not a “secondary” figure, even though it might seem so. The Gospel of John recounts an episode that offers us much food for thought and in which the saint we celebrate today is the protagonist: the calling of the apostle. Nathanael is sitting in the shade of a fig tree when his friend Philip approaches him and, enthusiastically, says: “We have found the one about whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets, wrote: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth” (Jn 1:45). Bartholomew, distrustful and skeptical, objects: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). Philip then invites him to find out for himself before passing judgment. “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (Jn 1:47), Jesus says, showing that he already knows him (“Before Philip called you, I saw you when you were under the fig tree,” Jn 1:48). Bartholomew then responds with a true profession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:49). Let us make these words our own and, throughout the day, often address Jesus with these words: “You are the Son of God; you are King!”

For further study:
• “On Your Word” daily missal, July-August 2020

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy)

The spiritual life of Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, born in Abellin (Galilee) on January 5, 1846, although rich in extraordinary events, shines with simplicity. Humble and illiterate, she knew how to give advice and theological explanations with crystal clarity, the fruit of uninterrupted communion with the Lord, her faith, and above all the love that consumed her. Ecstasies, prophecies, and raptures were frequent; she continually practiced virtues such as humility and obedience. For a long period she shared in the sufferings of the Passion; from 1867, especially during Lent, the stigmata appeared on her body. Only in 1876, after pleading with the Lord, did she obtain that the external signs disappear; only the painful participation in the Lord’s sufferings remained. On November 13, 1983, she was beatified by John Paul II and was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis on May 17, 2015.

For further study:
• Life and Thoughts of Mariam Baouardy. The Little Nothing

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
Saint Monica

“She gave birth to me both through her flesh, so that I might be born into the light of time, and through her heart, so that I might be born into the light of eternity”; thus Saint Augustine wrote of his mother, Saint Monica, whose memorial we celebrate today. Through her goodness and prayer, Monica managed to convert her husband, who, despite loving her deeply, did not spare her bitter suffering. After becoming a widow, she devoted her care to Augustine; for him, rebellious against grace, she prayed and wept. She was always at his side, gentle and discreet; she followed him on his various journeys in Italy, to Rome and Milan. The Bishop of Thagaste, the place of origin of the saint and her son, had told her: “It is impossible for a son of so many tears to be lost.” And so it was. Monica had the consolation of seeing her son return to the faith and receive Baptism. Let us look to her example when we are worried about our children or grandchildren. Let us never stop praying and believing that sooner or later God’s light will flood their hearts.

For further study:
• Saint Monica. A mother strong in piety

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
Beginning of the novena to Saint Teresa of Calcutta

“We will never know how much good a simple smile can do.” These were the words of Mother Teresa, who, in the heart of Calcutta’s slum, was herself the smile that offered comfort and brought the light of Jesus into the darkness of poverty. Begin the novena today in preparation for her feast day.

For further study:
• Novenas to Mother Teresa of Calcutta

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
Saint Augustine

The life of Saint Augustine, whose memory we celebrate today, can be divided into two phases: first, the restless anxiety of someone who, while searching for the way, makes many mistakes, and then the ardent desire of someone who, having found the way, wants to reach the destination to embrace his beloved. Pope Francis recalled that, before finding the way, «Augustine is a man who has “arrived”; he has everything, but in his heart there remains the restlessness of searching for the deeper meaning of life; his heart is not asleep, I would say it is not anesthetized by success, possessions, or power. Augustine does not shut himself away, does not settle, but continues to seek the truth, the meaning of life, and continues to seek the face of God. Certainly, he makes mistakes, and even takes wrong paths; he sins, he is a sinner, but he does not lose the restlessness of spiritual searching. And in this way he discovers that God was waiting for him; indeed, that God had never stopped seeking him first. I would like to say to those who feel indifferent toward God and toward faith, to those who are far from God or have abandoned him, and also to us, with our own “distances” from God and our own “abandonments” of him, perhaps small ones, but there are many in everyday life: look deep within your heart, look into your inmost self, and ask yourself: do you have a heart that desires something great, or a heart lulled to sleep by possessions? Has your heart preserved the restlessness of searching, or have you allowed it to be suffocated by things that ultimately cause it to atrophy? God is waiting for you, he is seeking you: what do you answer? Have you realized this state of your soul? Or are you asleep? Do you believe that God is waiting for you, or are these words merely “words” to you?» Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by these questions from the Pope.

For further study:
• My confessions
• The Christian life

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
Beginning of the novena to the Child Jesus of Prague of Arenzano

Today begins the novena to the Child Jesus of Prague of Arenzano, whose devotion finds its most vibrant center of dissemination in Italy precisely at the shrine of Arenzano. The devotion began with a small statue of the Child Jesus, which has brought about miracles and graces throughout history.

For further study:
• Prayers to the Child Jesus
• Book set: “Novena and Chaplet to the Infant Jesus of Prague” and Chaplet of the Infant Jesus of Prague
• Devotion to the Child Jesus

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29
Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist

“On the threshold of the New Testament, John the Baptist, refusing to remain silent about the law of the Lord and to compromise with evil, ‘sacrificed his life for truth and justice’ and thus became a precursor of the Messiah even in martyrdom (cf. Mk 6:17-29). For this reason, ‘he who came to bear witness to the light and who deserved to be called a lamp that burns and shines by that same light, which is Christ, was imprisoned in the darkness of the dungeon... And he to whom it had been granted to baptize the Redeemer of the world was baptized in his own blood.’” Thus wrote John Paul II in Veritatis splendor, regarding the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, whose memorial is celebrated today. Jesus heard the account of the beheading that took place in the fortress of Machaerus from the lips of the Baptist’s disciples (among them John the Evangelist and Andrew). Since the fifth century, a memorial of the Lord’s Precursor was celebrated in Jerusalem on August 29. Let us turn to his intercession.

For further study:
• “On Your Word” daily missal, July-August 2020

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30
Beginning of the novena for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Today we begin the novena in preparation for the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which falls on September 8. “The feast - Pope Francis recalled - coincides with the end of summer and the harvest, and reminds us that God is faithful to his promises and, in Mary Most Holy, prepared a living temple in which his Son, becoming incarnate, wished to dwell among us and obtain salvation for us.”

For further study:
• The Glories of Mary