Universalis: Today

Monday 21 July 2008
Monday of week 16 of the year
or Saint Laurence of Brindisi, priest, Doctor

[About today]

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Tomorrow: Saint Mary Magdalen
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Let us rejoice in the Lord and extol him with songs.

St Laurence of Brindisi (1559 - 1619): He was born in Brindisi, joined the Capuchin Friars, and studied at the University of Padua, where he learned a number of languages (including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, French, and German) and acquired a deep knowledge of the Bible.
His principal vocation was preaching. He preached all over Europe, not just to Catholics but to Protestants (because of his knowledge of Scripture) and to Jews (because of his knowledge of Hebrew). He wrote many sermons, commentaries, and works of controversy in support of this vocation.
His administrative talents meant that he also held a number of high administrative offices in the Capuchin order. He was also entrusted with many important diplomatic missions. On one of these, he not only persuaded the German princes to help defend Hungary from the invading Turks, but also led their troops into battle, armed only with a crucifix. He was engaged in another delicate mission, to plead the cause of the oppressed people of Naples to King Philip III of Spain, when he died in Lisbon.
For Laurence of Brindisi, preaching was the most important task of his life; but he took care to ensure that his preaching was backed by sound learning, so that he could preach to and not at his audiences. Let us take care that our own apostolate is similarly well founded.
See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Mid-morning reading (Terce)	Leviticus 20:26 ©
Be consecrated to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I will set you apart from all these peoples so that you may be mine.

Noon reading (Sext)	Wisdom 15:1 - 3 ©
You, our God, are kind, loyal and slow to anger, and you govern all things with mercy. To acknowledge you is indeed the perfect virtue, to know your power is the root of immortality.

Afternoon reading (None)	Baruch 4:21 - 22 ©
Take courage, my children, call on God: he will deliver you from tyranny, from the hands of your enemies; for I look to the Eternal for your rescue, and joy has come to me from the Holy One at the mercy soon to reach you from your saviour, the Eternal.

August 2008
Mon 18	Monday of week 20 of the year
Tue 19	Tuesday of week 20 of the year or Saint John Eudes, priest
Wed 20	Saint Bernard, Abbot, Doctor
Thu 21	Saint Pius X, Pope
Fri 22	Our Lady, Mother and Queen
Sat 23	Saturday of week 20 of the year or Saint Rose of Lima, Virgin
Sun 24	21st Sunday of the year
Mon 25	Monday of week 21 of the year or Saint Louis or Saint Joseph of Calasanz, priest
Tue 26

Calendar used: General Calendar

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.

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