With the arrival of the month of August, there are many things for us to do and to make decisions about and all of them important. However, as Catholics we also will be celebrating several feasts of the saints which should remind us just what is of the greatest importance for us. This is the reality that the Divine Life we received at baptism in the gift of faith is ours to use to save our souls and, in the process, help others to save their souls. The life of every saint is a living testament to this truth.
In the Church’s liturgical calendar for the month of August, almost every weekday has a celebration of a memorial, feast or solemnity of an individual saint. Three, in particular, should stand out for all of us. August 6 is the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Read St. Matthew’s account of this singular moment in the life of Our Lord Jesus in Chapter 17: 1-8. The Church asks us to put ourselves there with Jesus and Peter, James and John. Hear the voice of the Father and take to heart His command to know that Jesus is His Beloved Son and to listen to Him. Understand that what Jesus did for Peter, James and John in giving them a glimpse of His glory so that His Passion and Death could be better understood, is what He does for us. We, too, are destined for the same glory, but it is ours to have or lose depending on whether we nourish and live our faith, or we neglect and lose it by not listening to Him and following Him.
August 15 is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a well-known Church solemnity and commemorates for us that moment of her death when body and soul are separated. But, because Mary is the Mother of God, He would not allow Her body to lie in a grave and to corrupt. Thus, it is a defined truth of the Catholic faith that Mary was assumed by the Lord, body and soul into heaven, so she enjoys immediately the Beatific Vision. This is what we hope to have at the final judgment when the dead rise from the grave and body and soul are reunited and the just go to heaven. This great solemnity not only gives Mary rightful honor, but should give each of us great consolation and hope that, following her example of love and devotion to Our Blessed Lord in obedience and humility, we can have heaven.
August 29 is the Passion of St. John the Baptist. His life and death are well-narrated in the Gospels. This day commemorates his death as a martyr for justice and moral integrity and truth. Read and pray over the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 14: 1-12 and use John’s life and death as a point for an examination of life and conscience. We should ask ourselves if we are willing to lay down our lives for the Lord, His Church and for what is morally good. Like Our Blessed Mother, St. John gives us an example to follow and how to make God’s will our will.
Be safe, be wise and be strong in our beloved Catholic Faith this month!