Daybreak

Thursday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Pius X, 1835-1914; he encouraged Italian Catholics to become more politically involved; one of his first papal acts was to end the supposed right of governments to interfere by veto in papal elections; he denounced the ill treatment of indigenous peoples on the plantations of Peru, sent a relief commission to Messina after an earthquake, and sheltered refugees at his own expense; Pius X foresaw World War I, but it killed him; he said, "This is the last affliction the Lord will visit on me. I would gladly give my life to save my poor children from this ghastly scourge”; he died a few weeks after the beginning of the war, in 1914 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/21/25 Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14