Monday, August 3, 2026

Whole day: an act of worship...

    But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him.  He will be like a tree planted 
by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.   
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are 
always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought 
and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7


"Keep struggling, so that the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar 
really becomes the center and the root of your interior life
and so your whole day will turn into an act of worship -
an extension of the Mass you have attended
and a preparation for the next.
This will then overflow in aspirations, visits to 
the Blessed Sacrament, and the offering up of your
professional work and your family life."

St Josemaria Escriva

The Forge, n0.69
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Sunday, August 2, 2026

For the life of the world...

The Lord's Day is the lord of days....
but also remembering today... 

 “Society will again someday become Christian
won to Jesus Christ by the apostolate of
Eucharistic Prayer.”  -  St Peter Julian Eymard



“The spread of the Eucharistic Kingdom of Christ 
is necessary for the salvation of society
The Eucharist is the life not only of the 
individual Christian, but of nations as well. 
We know well that an age flourishes or degenerates
in accordance with its worship of the divine Eucharist. 
It is the life and measure of its faith, charity, and virtue. 

The Eucharist is not only for personal piety; 
it is essential to social life, 
for it is the very life of the world.
We must take Christ from the solitude of His tabernacle, so 
that He may place Himself at the head of Christian society, 
to guide and save it. We must build stately palaces, royal 
thrones, organize a court of faithful servants, a family of friends 
and a host of adorers and apostles. Such a public and solemn 
protestation of our faith in the kingship of Christ, in the reality 
of His sacramental presence is a prime necessity of our day.”

St. Peter Julian Eymard
France ~ 1811-1868
Founder of Congregation of
Priests of the Blessed Sacrament (1856)
Apostle of the Eucharist
Check out the Eymard Library - 
9 small volumes on Eucharistic piety
Feast Day - August 2

  
To be possessed by Jesus and to possess Him -
that is the perfect reign of Love." 
 St Peter Julian Eymard

St. Peter Julian Eymard (Eucharistic quotes)

St Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us!  

Saturday, August 1, 2026

Setting hearts ablaze...

  "All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our
love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer
and our supreme good." - St Alphonsus Ligouri

 

"To cast fire upon the earth -
that is my mission!
how I wish it were already blazing fiercely! 
Nothing in the world can set hearts ablaze 
with love for God like the Blessed Sacrament. 
That is why this Divine Bread 
has been pictured as a furnace of love." 

 St Alphonsus Ligouri
Italy ~ 1696 - 1787
Lawyer before ordination as priest (age 30)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Founder of Redemptorist order
Prolific writer and gifted in the fine arts
Feast Day - August 1

Image: The Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist is like a consuming Fire (2003) Elizabeth Wang

8_1_St_Alphonsus_Liguori+300+x+434.jpg (300×434)

"I love Jesus Christ and that is why I am on fire
with the desire to give Him souls, first of all my own, 
and then an incalculable number of others." 
 St Alphonsus Ligouri

Someone once remarked, after a sermon by Alphonsus,
"It is a pleasure to listen to your sermons; 
you forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ."
_______________________

(7 mins, including blessing from Redemptorist Provincial at end of video)
Click here: TOP 25 QUOTES BY ALPHONSUS LIGUORI (of 120)

St Alphonsus Ligouri, pray for us!

Friday, July 31, 2026

Grace upon grace...

 “He who goes about to reform the world 
must begin with himself, or
 he loses his labor.” - St Ignatius of Loyola


If we confess our sins, He who is upright can be depended upon 
to forgive sins, and to cleanse us from every wrong. - I John 1:9

"Of the gifts of grace which
the soul receives in the Eucharist,
one must be counted among the highest;
the Eucharist does not allow the soul
to remain long in sin
or to persist in it obstinately."

St. Ignatius of Loyola
Spain - 1491-1556
Priest, Founder of Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Most pivotal player in CounterReformation
Patron of retreats
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius -
Classic - a MUST READ! 
Jesuit motto:  Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (A.M.D.G.)
"For the greater glory of God"
Feast Day - July 31



"Some of us would be surprised if they knew what God
could make of them if, in the decisive moments of their lives,
they gave ear to the voice of grace!"  - St Ignatius of Loyola

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Double blessing...

"Those in the Catholic Church, whom some rebuke for praying to 
Saints and going on pilgrimages, do not seek any Saint as their savior.  
Instead, they seek saints as those whom their Savior loves, and 
whose intercession and prayer for the seeker He will be content to hear.  
For His Own sake, He would have those He loves honored.  
And when they are thus honored for His sake, then the honor 
that is given them for His sake overflows especially to Himself."  
 St Thomas More.


"What does it matter where we go?

Wherever we go, won't we be serving God there?
And wherever we go, won't we have our Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament with us?
Isn't that enough to make us happy?

Bl Solanus Casey
11/25/1870-07/31/1957
Nee Wisconsin
Capuchian Friar
Generous heart toward sick and poor
Many miracles of healing attributed to his intercession
Known for "Attitude of Gratitude"
Book he authored: Thank God ahead of Time
Feast Day - July 30


"We must be faithful to the present moment 
or we will frustrate the plan of God 
for our lives." - Bl Solanus Casey
Who is Blessed Fr Solanus Casey? - YouTube (10 mins)
Holy Healer: The Remarkable Life of Father Solanus Casey| National Catholic Register
Bl Solanus, pray for us!
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“He is the Bread sown in the virgin,
leavened in the flesh,
molded in His passion,
baked in the furnace of the sepulchre,
placed in the churches,
and set upon the altars,
which daily supplies 
Heavenly Food to the faithful."

St Peter Chrysologus
Archbishop, Doctor of the Church
Adult convert
Italy - c. 380-450
"Golden-worded"
Feast Day - July 30

PHOTO CREDIT of stained glass image: Debbie Scalise



"Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil
 cannot rejoice with Christ." 
St Peter Chrysologus   
(2 mins)
St Peter Chrysologus, pray for us!