Devotions from August 9 to 15, 2021
«Our Lady is the star who guides us»: let us make these words of Pope Francis our own, especially during the week in which we celebrate the glorious Assumption of the Virgin.
«That one of us dwells in Heaven body and soul gives us hope: we understand that we are precious, destined to rise again. God will not let our bodies vanish into nothingness. With God, nothing will be lost! In Mary, the destination has been reached, and we have before our eyes the reason for which we journey: not to conquer the things down here, which vanish, but to attain the homeland above, which is forever. And Our Lady is the star who guides us. She went before us. She, as the Council teaches, “shines forth as a sign of sure hope and comfort to the People of God as they journey” (Lumen gentium, 68)» (Pope Francis).
The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary illuminates this week, in which we are called to lift our gaze to Heaven, above all our limitations and fears. Let us allow ourselves to be illumined by her radiant face and by the example of the saints whom we remember in these days.
MONDAY, AUGUST 9
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
German by nationality and Jewish by origin, Stein became Catholic by free choice; in her, these three components were not in conflict but instead helped enrich her personality.
She was born on October 12, 1891, in Breslau, which was then part of Germany, the youngest of eleven siblings, four of whom had died. At the age of 14, Edith Stein abandoned the faith of her fathers, becoming an atheist. She studied philosophy in Göttingen and gained a reputation as a brilliant philosopher. In the summer of 1921, while staying with the Conrad-Martius family, reading a book marked a turning point. Edith recounted: «I happened to pick up a book in the library; its title was The Life of St. Teresa as Told by Herself. I began reading and could not put it down until I had finished. When I closed it, I said to myself: “This is the truth.”» She, who had long sought the truth, found it in the mystery of the cross. The following year she received Baptism, and in 1933 entered the Carmel of Cologne, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. On August 2, 1942, she was deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp, and on August 9, together with the other deportees, including her sister Rosa, crossed the threshold of the gas chamber, sealing her life with martyrdom. It was John Paul II who beatified her on May 1, 1987, and canonized her on October 11, 1998. In 1999, together with Saint Bridget of Sweden and Saint Catherine of Siena, she was declared a Co-Patroness of Europe.
“Those who belong to Christ must live the whole life of Christ: they must attain the maturity of Christ and finally set out on the way of the Cross,” the Saint used to say. Let us deepen our knowledge of her life and invoke her intercession.
For further reading:
• “On Your Word” Daily Missal – July-August 2021
• With Living Water. Daily Liturgy of the Hours – July-August 2021
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11
Saint Clare
On the evening of Palm Sunday in 1211 (or 1212), eighteen-year-old Clare fled her home in Assisi and ran to the Portiuncula, where Francis and the group of Friars Minor were waiting for her. Groups of girls and women joined her in a small building near the church of San Damiano. Fascinated by Francis’s example, the girl wanted to establish a community of enclosed nuns, who would later become known as the Poor Clares. “In the convent of San Damiano, Clare heroically practiced the virtues that should distinguish every Christian: humility, a spirit of piety and penance, and charity. Although she was the superior, she wanted to personally serve the sick sisters, even undertaking the humblest tasks: charity, in fact, overcomes every resistance, and those who love make every sacrifice joyfully” (Benedict XVI).
Clare was distinguished by her devotion to the Eucharist. Twice, Assisi was threatened by the army of Emperor Frederick II, and Clare was taken to the city walls holding the ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament; her biographers recount that, at the sight, the army fled. Precisely because of these events, and other miracles that were remembered, she was canonized just two years after her death on August 11, 1253.
For further reading:
• The Little Flowers of Saint Clare
• Prayers of Saint Francis and Saint Clare
• Pen-and-ink portrait by Sister Chiara
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11
Beginning of the triduum to Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Today we begin the triduum to Saint Maximilian Kolbe, meditating on his words, which sound more relevant than ever today: “Fighting evil in the spirit of Marian knighthood means fighting with love for all human beings, including the less virtuous. It means highlighting goodness in such a way as to make it irresistible, instead of spreading evil by describing it. When the opportunity arises to draw society's or the authorities' attention to some wrongdoing, we must do so with love for the person involved and with delicacy. We must not exaggerate or go into more detail about such wrongdoing than is necessary to remedy it.” We invoke his intercession so that he may help us find our way in these times of ours, bombarded as we are by an excess of information that seems intent on highlighting evil rather than the seeds of goodness that are germinating.
For further reading:
• In prayer with Saint Maximilian Kolbe
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14
Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Maximilian Kolbe offered his life to save a father of a family in the Auschwitz extermination camp: “I am a Catholic priest,” he said, asking to take the condemned man's place. In the starvation bunker, the condemned prisoners' cries of despair soon gave way to hymns to the Lord: Father Kolbe prepared them to meet their God! The singing spread to the surrounding cells, and the entire prison began to offer its praise to the Lord! After fourteen days, four prisoners remained alive, including Father Maximilian. They then decided to kill them by lethal injection: it was August 14, 1941, the eve of Mary's Assumption, when the voluntary Franciscan martyr extended his arm, saying, “Hail Mary”; these were his last words.
When canonizing Maximilian Kolbe, John Paul II recognized his martyr's halo and proclaimed him the “patron saint of our difficult times.”
For further reading:
• The one in love with Mary
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The dogma of the Assumption was defined in 1950 by Pius XII. It is the principal feast of the Virgin, corresponding to the death of the other saints, which in Mary’s case is called dormitio. Today the Church celebrates in Mary the fulfillment of the Paschal Mystery. Since Mary was “full of grace,” without any shadow of sin, the Father wished to associate her with Jesus’ resurrection. The Immaculate Virgin foretold the purpose of redemption, which is to lead humanity to complete innocence; the Assumed Virgin is a foreshadowing of redemption’s final goal: the glorification of humanity in Christ. Today Mary calls Christians to recognize themselves as part of the history of salvation and destined to be conformed to Christ, through the work of the Spirit, in the Father’s house.
Pope Francis reminds us that “the feast of the Assumption of Mary is a reminder for all of us, especially for those afflicted by doubts and sadness, who live with their gaze turned downward and are unable to lift their eyes. Let us look upward: heaven is open; it does not inspire fear and is no longer distant, because at heaven’s threshold there is a mother waiting for us, and she is our mother. She loves us, smiles at us, and helps us with loving care. Like every mother, she wants the best for her children and tells us: ‘You are precious in the eyes of God; you were not made for the small satisfactions of the world, but for the great joys of heaven.’ Yes, because God is joy, not boredom. God is joy. Let us take the Madonna’s hand.” Let us look to her with confidence, “the star that guides us.”
For further reading:
• “On Your Word” Daily Missal – July-August 2021
• With Living Water. Daily Liturgy of the Hours – July-August 2021
“Let us be drawn to true beauty; let us not be sucked into life’s trivialities, but choose the greatness of heaven. May the Blessed Virgin, Gate of Heaven, help us look every day with trust and joy toward the place where our true home is, where she is waiting for us as a mother.” Let us welcome this invitation from Pope Francis and give priority to the things of God. Let us allow ourselves to be guided along the way by the “star that guides us,” the Virgin Mary.
Have a good journey!
