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Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Gamaliel; First Century rabbinical teacher, mentor of St. Paul; advised the Sanhedrin to release Peter and other apostles; reportedly became a Christian himself; mentioned in Chapter 5 of the Acts of the Apostles Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/3/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:37-53

Wednesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, 300-371; first recorded bishop of Vercelli in Piedmont, in northwest Italy; reluctantly participated in a council to settle Catholic-Arian troubles, and refused to go along with the condemnation of Saint Athanasius; exiled by the emperor, until a new emperor allowed him to return to Vercelli Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/2/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46

Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1696-1787; born near Naples, and graduated in law at the age of 16; against much opposition, he was ordained a priest in 1726; in 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists; appointed bishop of St. Agatha in 1756; retired, and died in his convent in 1787 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/1/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43

Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556; during his recovery from war wounds, he read a life of Christ and lives of the saints, and was deeply touched; during his conversion, he began to write what would become "The Spiritual Exercises"; in 1534, Ignatius and six others began the Society of Jesus; Ignatius' spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/31/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/30/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52

Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; siblings, close friends of Jesus, who stayed with them when he was in Bethany; when Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life," she responded, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world’"; legends abound about Lazarus, including one which holds that he wrote an account of what he witnessed in the next world before being brought back to life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/29/23 Gospel: John 11:19-27

Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St, Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, 1920-1946; Franciscan religious sister; the first native of India to be canonized a saint, and the first saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church of the Saint Thomas Christian community Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/28/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23

Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Titus Brandsma, 1881-1942; Dutch Carmelite priest, known for his intellect and scholarship; he was singled out as an enemy of the Nazis, because he fought the spread of Nazism in Europe; he was sent to various concentration camps, where he demonstrated charity and concern; he was martyred at Dachau Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/27/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17

Wednesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; no "hard facts" are available about them; even their names come from a legendary source written more than a century after the Passion; but much can be inferred about their heroism and holiness simply by looking at the Blessed Virgin herself Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/26/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9

Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlouf, 1828-1898; raised by an uncle; at 23, he joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon; Sharbel lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death; his reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers; assisted in administering sacraments at neighboring parishes, as needed; died the afternoon of Christmas Eve Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/24/23 Gospel: Matthew 12:38-42

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/23/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the "apostle to the apostles" Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/22/23 Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18

Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1559-1619; born in Brindisi, in the kingdom of Naples; joined the Capuchins at 16, and became definitor general for the order in 1596; helped raise an army among the Germans to fight against the Turks, and served as chaplain; elected vicar general of the Capuchins in 1602, but refused re-election; as papal nuncio in Bavaria, he resolved several royal disputes; retired, but was recalled to go to Spain to intercede with King Philip; the trip exhausted him, and he died a few days after his meeting with the king Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/21/23 Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Apollinaris; sent by St. Peter to be the first bishop of Ravenna; pagans beat him and drove him from the city; he returned, and was exiled, three more times; on his fourth return, he died from wounds received in a savage beating at Classis, a suburb of Ravenna, about 79 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/20/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Wednesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Arsenius the Great, 354-450; served as tutor to the children of Emperor Theodosius I; became a monk in Alexandria, Egypt, studying with St. John the Dwarf; in 434, he went to the rock of Troe, then to Memphis, Egypt, and to the island of Canopus, near Alexandria; he died at Troe Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/19/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27

Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, 1550-1614; overcame a life of gambling, and was moved the preaching of a Capuchin friar; tried twice to enter the Capuchins, but was unsuccessful, because of a sore on his leg; studied for priesthood, and was ordained at 34, and then started his own congregation which care for the sick; at his final illness, he left his bed to see if other patients needed help Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/18/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

Monday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne; Discalced Carmelite nuns who were caught up in the French Revolution, and sentenced to death in 1794; they went to the guillotine singing the "Salve Regina" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/17/23 Gospel: Matthew 10:34-11:1

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/16/23 Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23

Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Bonaventure, 1221-1274; became a Franciscan at the age of 22; elected general minister of the Order, and structured the order through effective legislation, and an organized spirituality based on the vision and insights of Saint Francis; died while participating in the Second Council of Lyon Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/15/23 Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33

Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, 1656-1680; daughter of a Christian Algonquin and a Mohawk chief; lost her parents to a smallpox epidemic which left her disfigured and half-blind; moved by the words of the "Blackrobes"--Jesuit missionaries--who stayed with her uncle, she converted at the age of 19; she grew in grace rapidly, but was always in danger; fled 200 miles north to a Christian Indian village; took a vow of virginity at age 23; died the afternoon before Holy Thursday, 1680 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/14/23 Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23