Devotions from May 31 to June 6, 2021
In this week, which begins with the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us rediscover the value of humility.
Regarding humility, Pope Francis reminds us that “those who are humblest of heart pray like this: with essential humility, so to speak; with simple humility: ‘Lord, what You want, when You want and how You want.’ And they pray like this, without getting angry because their days are full of problems, but facing reality and knowing that in humble love, in love offered in every situation, we become instruments of God’s grace. Lord, what You want, when You want and how You want.” Let us imitate the humility of Mary and the saints we remember this week.
MONDAY, MAY 31
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Visitation prolongs and expands the messianic joy of salvation: it is the meeting between the young mother, Mary, greeted as the Mother of the Lord, and the elderly Elizabeth, a symbol of Israel’s expectation. Mary’s concern, expressed in her hurried journey, conveys not only an act of charity but also the announcement that the time has been fulfilled. John, who leaps in his mother’s womb, is already beginning his mission as forerunner. Of Franciscan origin (1263), the feast is now celebrated as the crowning of the “month of the Virgin.” “In the Incarnation, Mary humbles herself, confessing that she is the servant of the Lord, but charity and humility are not perfect unless they pass from God to our neighbor. It is not possible to love the God we do not see unless we love the people we do see: this is the Visitation” (Saint Francis de Sales).
For further study:
• According to Your Word - May-June Missal
• With Living Water May-June 2021
MONDAY, MAY 31
First day of the thirteen-day devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua
The thirteen-day devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua is one of the oldest devotional practices dedicated to the Saint. In Conventual Franciscan churches, the feast and devotion to Saint Anthony were once accompanied and supported by a series of thirteen invocations - the thirteen-day devotion itself - in which requests of a material and spiritual nature were interwoven. Let us take this opportunity, during these thirteen days, to explore more deeply the extraordinary figure of this saint, who at just 36 years of age had already gained a reputation as a wonder-worker. Let us reflect and make resolutions of conversion, asking for the intercession of Saint Anthony.
For further study:
• Thirteen-day devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua
• Prayers to Saint Anthony of Padua
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2
First day of the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In our time, when love is desecrated or even suffers the harsh blows of hedonistic demands, devotion to the Divine Heart brings us back to the true face of Love: that of sacrifice and self-offering. «The meaning of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is to discover ever more deeply and allow ourselves to be enveloped by the humble fidelity and gentleness of Christ’s love, the revelation of the Father’s mercy. We can experience and savor the tenderness of this love in every season of life: in times of joy and in times of sadness, in times of health and in times of infirmity and illness» (Cf. Pope Francis, Homily, June 27, 2014).
Let us live these days that prepare us for this luminous solemnity with ardent faith.
For further study:
• Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Prayers to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
THURSDAY, JUNE 3
First day of the novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The proximity of the celebrations of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary highlights the profound union between the Mother and the Son of God. The Virgin meditates in her heart on the events in which she is involved together with Jesus, and this helps her discover the Lord’s will. In this way, Mary teaches us to nourish ourselves deeply on the Word of God and to find God through meditation, prayer, and silence. Finally, Mary teaches us to reflect on the events of our daily lives and to discover in them the God who reveals himself by becoming part of our history.
For further study:
• Pray, pray, pray
• Prayers to the Immaculate Heart of MAria
SUNDAY, JUNE 6
Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today’s solemnity tells us that the Mass is the treasure to be placed first in the Church and in life. At the same time, we rediscover the importance of adoration, which continues the work of the Mass in us. The Eucharist is the memorial of God’s love, which is our strength and the support for our journey. In the Eucharist there is all the savor of Jesus’ words and gestures, the taste of his Passover, the fragrance of his Spirit. By receiving it, the certainty that we are loved by him is impressed upon our hearts.
At the Last Supper, “Jesus gives his Body and his Blood through the bread and wine, to leave us the memorial of his sacrifice of infinite love. And with this grace-filled ‘viaticum,’ the disciples have everything necessary for their journey throughout history, to extend the kingdom of God to everyone. The gift Jesus made of himself, voluntarily sacrificing himself on the cross, will be their light and strength. And this Bread of life has reached us! The Church’s wonder before this reality never ends. A wonder that continually nourishes contemplation, adoration and remembrance” (Pope Francis, Homily, 4 June 2015). Let us live this solemnity in profound adoration, growing ever more deeply in awareness of the inestimable gift Jesus has given us.
For further study:
• Prayers for Eucharistic adoration
• Eucharistic miracles around the world
“Mary is exactly as God wants his Church to be: a tender Mother, humble, poor in possessions and rich in love.” Thus Pope Francis in a tweet. Let us imitate the humility of the Virgin Mary and her capacity for welcoming others. Let us learn from her what it means to love our brothers and sisters with tenderness.
Have a good journey!
