Universalis: Today

Friday 4 July 2008
Friday of week 13 of the year
or Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

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Tomorrow: Saturday of week 13 of the year
or Saint Antony Mary Zaccaria, priest
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Let us give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy lasts for ever.

St Elizabeth of Portugal (1271 - 1336): She was the daughter of King Peter III of Aragón and was named after her great-aunt, St Elizabeth of Hungary. She was married to King Denis of Portugal, by whom he had two children. She set up hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions, patiently endured her husband’s infidelities and provided for the education of his bastards, and acted as peacemaker in the quarrelsome and complicated politics of the time.
On her husband’s death in 1325 she retired from public affairs and devoted herself to prayer and the service of the poor. Throughout her life she was faithful and regular in prayer, and daily recited the Liturgy of the Hours.
In 1336 her son, by now King Alfonso IV of Portugal, went to war against King Alfonso XI of Castile. Elizabeth followed the Portuguese army on the field in an effort to bring about peace. She succeeded, but the effort killed her.
The canonisation of royal personages may seem offensive to our modern egalitarian principles; but though it may be hard to attain sanctity in a mediaeval kingdom or its equivalent, a modern corporation, with God nothing is impossible.
See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Mid-morning reading (Terce)	Philippians 2:2 - 4 ©
Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.

Noon reading (Sext)	2 Corinthians 13:4 ©
He was crucified through weakness, but still he lives now through the power of God. So then, we are weak, as he was, but we shall live with him, through the power of God, for your benefit.

Afternoon reading (None)	Colossians 3:12 - 13 ©
You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.

July 2008
Thu 3	Saint Thomas, Apostle Feast
Fri 4	Friday of week 13 of the year or Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
Sat 5	Saturday of week 13 of the year or Saint Antony Mary Zaccaria, priest
Sun 6	14th Sunday of the year
Mon 7	Monday of week 14 of the year
Tue 8
Wed 9	Wednesday of week 14 of the year or Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his Companions, Martyrs
Thu 10
Fri 11	Saint Benedict, Abbot Feast

Calendar used: Europe - England

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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