St. Clare was born around 1193 in Assisi, Italy. St. Francis of Assisi lived in the same town. Clare used to listen to Francis preach. Her heart burned with a great desire to imitate him. Like him, she wanted to live a poor, humble life for Jesus. But her parents would never agree to such a plan. So on the night of Palm Sunday, 1212, when she was eighteen years old, she left her comfortable home and her family whom she loved. In a little chapel outside Assisi, she gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and offered her a rough brown habit to wear. She stayed with the Benedictine nuns until more nuns would join her. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her fifteen-year-old sister Agnes joined her.

Other young women wanted to be “poor ladies” of Jesus, too. Before long there was a small religious community. They lived in a house at the church of San Damiano, which St. Francis himself had repaired. St. Clare and her nuns wore no shoes. They never ate meat. They lived in a poor house in an atmosphere of silent prayer. Yet they were very happy because they were living a life of poverty as Jesus had done. Once an army of rough soldiers came to attack the city of Assisi. Although very sick, St. Clare asked to be carried to the window. She had the Blessed Sacrament placed right where the soldiers could see it. Then she knelt and begged God to save the nuns and the city. “O Lord, protect these sisters whom I cannot protect now,” she prayed. And a voice within her seemed to say: “I will keep them always in my care.” At the same time, a sudden fright struck the attackers. They fled as fast as they could.

St. Clare was abbess of her convent for forty years. Twenty-nine of those years she was sick. But she said that she was joyful anyway because she was serving the Lord. Some people worried that the nuns were suffering because they were so poor. St. Clare spent most of her life defending what she called the “privilege of poverty.” The pope tried to soften her Rule’s requirement of poverty, but Clare convinced him that she and her nuns were called to live with no possessions, trusting completely in God. St. Clare died on August 11, 1253. Just two years later she was proclaimed a saint by Pope Alexander IV.

Sometimes we forget to give time to the Lord. We might be so concerned about certain things that we allow them to drown out the voice of Jesus. That’s when we can ask St. Clare to show us how to keep Jesus as the center of our lives and hearts.

This famous martyr of Rome lived in the third century. He was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus II was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping. “Father, where are you going without your deacon?” “I am not leaving you, my son,” answered the pope. “In three days you will follow me.” Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand. He even sold some of the Church’s possessions to have more to give away.

The prefect of Rome, a greedy man, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasure to him. The saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people who were being supported by the Church. He showed them to the prefect and said: “This is the Church’s treasure.” The prefect was furious. In his anger he condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted him. God gave him so much strength and joy that Lawrence is said to have instructed his executioner, “Turn me over. I am broiled enough on this side.” Before he died, he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus. He prayed that the Catholic faith would spread all over the world.

Lawrence died on August 10, 258. Devotion to him spread throughout Italy and northern Africa. Emperor Constantine built a beautiful basilica in Lawrence’s honor. St. Lawrence is among the saints mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer at Mass.

When we’re inclined to complain about something that bothers us, we can ask St. Lawrence to help us be patient. The martyrs had the grace to be faithful to Christ in terrible circumstances because they had been faithful to him in the little everyday situations that we all face.

St. Dominic was born in Castile, Spain, in 1170. He was a member of the Guzman family and his mother is Blessed Joan of Aza. When Dominic was seven, he began to go to school. His uncle, a priest, directed his education. After years of study, he became a priest too. Dominic lived a quiet life of prayer and obedience with other virtuous priests. But God had a special plan for Dominic. He would begin a new religious Order. It would be called the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans.

The Dominicans preached the faith. They helped correct false teachings called heresies. It all began when Dominic was on a trip through southern France. He realized that the heresy of Albigensianism, a false teaching, was doing great harm. St. Dominic felt such pity for the people who were being misled by it. He wanted to help them. The Dominicans helped to spread the truth with preaching and prayer, especially the Holy Rosary. Dominic also encouraged the people to be humble and to make sacrifices. Once someone asked St. Dominic what book he used to prepare his wonderful sermons. “The only book I use is the book of love,” he said. He always prayed to be filled with true love of neighbor. He urged the Dominicans to be devoted to the study of the Bible and to prayer. No one did more than St. Dominic and his preachers to spread the beautiful practice of saying the Rosary.

St. Dominic and St. Francis of Assisi were close friends. Their two Orders of Dominicans and Fran-ciscans helped Christians become holier. Dominic’s friars opened centers in Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; and Rome and Bologna, Italy. He lived to see his Order spread to Poland, Scandinavia, and Palestine. The friars also went to Canterbury, London, and Oxford, all in England. Dominic died in Bologna on August 6, 1221. His great friend, Cardinal Ugolino of Venice became Pope Gregory IX. He proclaimed Dominic a saint in 1234.

We can ask St. Dominic to help us grow in our love for our Catholic faith. We can also ask him to teach us to be as devoted to the Rosary as he was.

Today we remember fourteen martyrs who were martyred at Lancaster on the hill above the Cathedral including St. Edmund Arrowsmith S.J., St. Ambrose Barlow OSB & Blessed James Bell, & John Finch, layman, Richard Hayhurst, Robert Nutter O.P., & Edward Thwing, Thurstan Hunt & Robert Middleton S.J., John Thules & Roger Wrenno, layman, plus Edward Bamber, John Woodcock O.F.M., & Thomas Whitaker (these last three being the last group of Lancaster martyrs on this day, 7th August 1646).
We pray that our witness to Christ may be strong and faithful and pray for vocations to the priesthood in the footsteps of our martyrs.

A Catechism on prayer, by St John Mary Vianney

Consider, children, a Christian’s treasure is not on earth, it is in heaven. Well then, our thoughts should turn to where our treasure is.
    Man has a noble task: that of prayer and love. To pray and to love, that is the happiness of man on earth.
    Prayer is nothing else than union with God. When the heart is pure and united with God it is consoled and filled with sweetness; it is dazzled by a marvellous light. In this intimate union God and the soul are like two pieces of wax moulded into one; they cannot any more be separated. It is a very wonderful thing, this union of God with his insignificant creature, a happiness passing all understanding.
    We had deserved to be left incapable of praying; but God in his goodness has permitted us to speak to him. Our prayer is an incense that is delightful to God.
    My children, your hearts are small, but prayer enlarges them and renders them capable of loving God. Prayer is a foretaste of heaven, an overflowing of heaven. It never leaves us without sweetness; it is like honey, it descends into the soul and sweetens everything. In a prayer well made, troubles vanish like snow under the rays of the sun.
    Prayer makes time seem to pass quickly, and so pleasantly that one fails to notice how long it is. When I was parish priest of Bresse, once almost all my colleagues were ill, and as I made long journeys I used to pray to God, and, I assure you, the time did not seem long to me. There are those who lose themselves in prayer, like a fish in water, because they are absorbed in God. There is no division in their hearts. How I love those noble souls! Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Colette saw our Lord and spoke to him as we speak to one another.
    As for ourselves, how often do we come to church without thinking what we are going to do or for what we are going to ask. And yet, when we go to call upon someone, we have no difficulty in remembering why it was we came. Some appear as if they were about to say to God: ‘I am just going to say a couple of words, so I can get away quickly.’ I often think that when we come to adore our Lord we should get all we ask if we asked for it with a lively faith and a pure heart.

Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God,
    by your grace Saint John Mary Vianney
    was remarkable for his zeal as priest and pastor.
Help us by his example and prayers
    to win our brethren for Christ by love,
    and to share with them in eternal glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

St. John Mary Vianney was born near Lyons, France, in 1786. As a child he took care of his father’s sheep. He loved to pray and when he was eighteen, he asked his father’s permission to become a priest. His father was worried about losing his help on the family farm. After two years, however, Mr. Vianney agreed. At twenty, John studied under Father Balley. The priest was very patient but Latin soon became a major problem for John. He became discouraged. It was then that he decided to walk sixty miles to the shrine of St. John Francis Regis, a popular saint in France. John prayed for help. After that pilgrimage, he still had as much trouble as ever with his studies. But he never again grew discouraged.

John was finally able to enter the seminary. Studies were hard. No matter how much he tried, he never did very well. When the final examinations came, they were spoken, not written. John had to face a board of teachers and answer their questions. He was so upset that he broke down in the middle of the test. Father Balley spoke up for John. He pointed out that John was a good and holy man, he was full of common sense, and he understood what the Church taught about the faith. It was agreed that these qualities made up for what John was lacking in learning. John was ordained.

At first, he was appointed as Father Balley’s curate, assisting him until his death in 1817. Then Father Vianney was sent to a little parish called Ars, where he would spend the rest of his life. When he first arrived, the people of Ars did not care much about their faith. They drank too much, worked all day Sunday, and never went to church. Many used terrible language. Father Vianney fasted and did penance for his people. He tried to stop them from sinning. Eventually, one tavern after another closed down because business became so slow. People began to worship regularly on Sundays and attended weekday Mass. The swearing was not so frequent. What had happened in Ars? “Our priest is a saint,” the people would say, “and we must obey him.”

God gave John the power to see into people’s minds and to know the future. Because of this gift, he converted many sinners and helped people make the right decisions. Hundreds of pilgrims began to come to Ars each day. St. John Vianney often spent sixteen hours daily hearing confessions. Even though he felt he would be happier and more at peace in a monastery, he remained at Ars for forty-two years and died there in 1859 at the age of seventy-three. St. John Vianney was proclaimed a saint in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.

St. John Vianney devoted an enormous amount of time to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this sacrament, our sins are forgiven and we receive the graces we need to live our life according to the teachings of Jesus. Let’s make it a point to take advantage of this sacrament by going to confession more frequently.

St. Alphonsus was born near Naples, Italy, in 1696. He received his degree in law at the age of sixteen and became a successful lawyer. But a mistake he made in court caused him to lose an important case, and Alphonsus decided to leave his practice to follow his true calling to be a priest. His father, who had high expectations for his son, tried to persuade him not to do it. However, Alphonsus had made up his mind. He joined the Oratorians and was ordained in 1726. His life was filled with activity. He preached and wrote books. He started a religious congregation called the Redemptorists. Alphonsus offered wise spiritual direction and brought peace to people through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He also wrote hymns, played the organ, and painted pictures.
St. Alphonsus wrote sixty books. This is incredible considering his many other responsibilities. He also was often sick. He had frequent headaches, but would hold something cold against his forehead and keep doing his work.

Although he was naturally inclined to be hasty, Alphonsus tried to control himself. He became so humble that when the pope wanted to make him a bishop in 1762, he gently said “no.” When the pope’s messengers had come in person to tell him of the pope’s choice, they called Alphonsus “Most illustrious Lord.” Alphonsus said, “Please don’t call me that again. It would kill me.” The pope knew that Alphonsus would help the church greatly and appointed him bishop of St. Agatha of the Goths. Alphonsus sent many preachers all over his diocese. The people needed to be reminded again of the love of God and the importance of their religion. Alphonsus told the priests to preach simple sermons. “I never preached a sermon that the simplest person in the church could not understand,” he said.

As he got older, St. Alphonsus suffered from illnesses. He had painful rheumatism and became crippled. He grew deaf and almost blind. He also had disappointments and suffered from depression. But he had great devotion to the Blessed Mother as we know from his famous book called The Glories of Mary. The trials were followed by great peace and joy and a holy death.
Alphonsus died in 1787 at the age of ninety-one. Pope Gregory XVI proclaimed him a saint in 1839. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1871.

St. Alphonsus wrote many prayers, one of them we use today, especially throughout this pandemic, when we could not receive holy communion. We say his prayer when we make an act of spiritual communion.

“My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.”

Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus. They lived in the little town of Bethany near Jerusalem. They were dear friends of Jesus, and he often came to visit them. In fact, the Gospel tells us: “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary and Lazarus.” It was St. Martha who lovingly served the Lord when he visited them.

One day, she was preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples. She realized that the task would be easier if her sister would help. She watched Mary sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, listening to him. “Lord, tell my sister to help me,” Martha suggested. Jesus was very pleased with Martha’s loving service. However, he wanted her to know that listening to God’s Word and praying is even more important. So he said gently, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part.”

St. Martha’s great faith in Jesus was seen when her brother Lazarus died. As soon as she heard that Jesus was coming to Bethany, Martha went to meet him. She trusted Jesus and felt the freedom to say: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Then Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise. He said, “He who believes in me, even if he die, shall live. Do you believe this?” And Martha answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.” Jesus worked a great miracle and raised Lazarus from the dead!

Later, Jesus came again to have supper with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. St. Martha served them at table as usual. This time, though, Martha had a much more loving attitude. She served with a joyful heart.

St. Martha is an example of hospitality. When we welcome and serve others, Jesus considers it as done to himself. St. Martha is also a model of faith and trust. She was a close friend of Jesus and knew she could believe his every word. She’ll help us to develop a close relationship with the Lord as well.