In a previous article, we discussed the “treasure” of devotions, discovering the devotions the Church indicates from January to June.
We now continue our journey by discovering all the devotions from July through the end of the year.
July
The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As Pope Francis reminds us, “from the very beginnings of Christianity, the mystery of Christ’s Blood, a mystery of love, has fascinated many people, because they have understood in the light of faith that Christ’s Blood is the source of salvation for the world. God chose the sign of blood because no other sign is so eloquent in expressing the supreme love of life given for others. This gift is repeated at every Eucharistic celebration, in which, together with Christ’s Body, his precious Blood is made present, the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, poured out for all for the forgiveness of sins.”
August
The month of August is dedicated to God the Father, our Creator. Father is the privileged title Jesus uses when addressing God. God’s greatest joy is being called “Father”, so, following Jesus’ teaching, let us often call upon him by this title. “God is a Father - your Father! - full of tenderness and infinite love. Call him Father many times, and tell him - one to one - that you love him, that you love him very much! That you feel the pride and strength of being his child” (Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer).
September
In September we celebrate the holy archangels and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The archangels
Pope Francis reminds us that “they stand before the Lord to serve him, to praise him and also to contemplate the glory of the Lord’s face: the angels are the great contemplatives; they contemplate the Lord, serve and contemplate. But the Lord also sends them to accompany us along the path of life.” The angels tell us that we are not alone!
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September is the month in which the Church invites us to contemplate Jesus’ cross. In fact, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on the 14th of this month. It is the symbol of Jesus’ supreme love for all of us: on the cross he gave his life for all people.
October
October is the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, one of the most frequently recited prayers for driving Satan away. Reciting the Rosary allows us to obtain graces and consolations through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. The name rosary derives from “crown of roses.” The rose is indeed the flower symbolizing Mary: in the Middle Ages, statues of the Virgin were adorned with crowns of roses as a sign of love and devotion.
October is also the month dedicated to the guardian angel
On October 2, we remember our guardian angels. During this month, then, it is good to feel especially close to these companions on our journey whom God has placed beside us along the path of life.
November
The month of November is dedicated to the saints and the souls of the departed.
Saints
The month of November begins with the solemnity of All Saints. It is good to pause and reflect on these shining examples, beacons on our journey that show us the way to follow. We could take the opportunity to learn more about their lives by reading a good biography and discover that we can all become saints; we are all called to holiness.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SAINTS
Souls of the Departed in Purgatory
November is also the month dedicated to the souls of the departed. This devotion is expressed through acts of suffrage for the dead and through a deep meditation on the transience of human life. Through our prayers, we can obtain plenary indulgences while also helping the souls in Purgatory.
December
The month of December is dedicated to the Holy Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Immaculate Conception.
Immaculate Conception
The Virgin, in her immaculate beauty, is for us a sign raised in the heavens of holiness and purity. She invites us to rediscover our universal vocation to holiness: although, unlike Mary, we are conceived in original sin, through our cooperation with grace we can nevertheless be reborn and become the image of God.
Holy Christmas
Christmas is a universal celebration. Even those who do not profess faith can perceive in this annual Christian celebration something extraordinary and transcendent, something intimate that speaks to the heart. It is the celebration that sings of the gift of life and celebrates the central event of history: the incarnation of the divine Word for the redemption of humanity.
Devotions accompany the year, as if to say that heaven does not want to stop “bending over the earth” and inviting us to lift our eyes. Let us embrace the beauty of these occasions, to savor the true joy that comes from above!
