Seguir al Señor significa nada menos que la cruz (3): ofrecernos con Jesús como un sacrificio viviente y no ajustarnos a este mundo (2). Seguirle implicara rechazo y desprecio (1), pero el Señor es nuestro auxilio (Sal). Jr 20:7-9; Sal 62:2-6, 8-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27

Following the Lord means nothing less than the cross (3): offering ourselves with Jesus as a living sacrifice and not conforming ourselves to this world (2). Following him will entail derision and scorn (1), yet the Lord is our help (Ps). Jer 20:7-9 Ps 63:2-6, 8-9 Rom 12:1-2 Mt 16:21-27

Let us rejoice (Ps) in Mary's birth, the mother of Jesus (2). She was predestined (1b) to give birth "by the strength of the Lord" (1a). This 5th c. feast marks the anniversary of the dedication of a basilica in Jerusalem built, according to tradition, on the location of the home of St. Anne (26 July), the mother of Mary; patroness of Cuba. Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30 Ps 13:6abc Mt 1:1-16, 18-23

Que no se endurezcan nuestros corazones (Sal), sino que nos alejemos del pecado (1). En el amor que nos tenemos los unos a los otros (2), tal vez sen os llame a confrontar a nuestra hermana y hermano por el mal que pudiesen estar haciendo (3). Ez 33:7-9; Sal 94:1-2, 6-9; Rom 13:8-10; Mt 18:15-20

May our hearts not be hardened (Ps), but may we turn from our sin (1). In our love for one another (2), we may be called to confront our sister and brother for the wrong they may be doing (3). Ez 33:7-9 Ps 95:1-2, 6-9 Rom 13:8-10 Mt 18:15-20

"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent (1), so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (3). "God highly exalted him" and made him Lord (2)! How unforgettable are his deeds (Ps)! This feast celebrates a double anniversary. In Jerusalem, Constantine erected a round church, the Anastasis, above the empty grave of Jesus, and a basilica, the Martyrium; in the square between the two churches, a shrine, Calvarium, marking the place of the crucifixion. Dedicated in 335, they were destroyed by the Persians in 614. The two churches were rebuilt by Patriarch Modestus of Jerusalem c. 626, but were later destroyed by the Muslims in 1009. The present church of the Holy Sepulcher, rebuilt by the Crusaders, was dedicated in 1149. Today also commemorates the discovery of the Lord's cross by the empress St. Helena. Nm 21:4b-9 Ps 78:1b-2, 34-38 Phil 2:6-11 Jn 3:13-17

By the 14th c., the sorrows of Mary numbered seven: the presentation of Jesus in the Temple; the flight into Egypt; Jesus being lost in Jerusalem; the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way to Calvary; the crucifixion; the taking down of Jesus' body from the cross; and his burial.

Así como el Señor es bondadoso y misericordioso (Sal), así debemos perdonarnos los unos a los otros (1). Nuestro perdón no debe tener límite (3) y debe reflejar así el amor eterno de Cristo. No hay otro Señor mas que El (2). Eclo 27:30—28:7; Sal 102:1-4, 9-12; Rom 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35

As the Lord is kind and merciful (Ps), so should we be forgiving toward one another (1). Our forgiveness is to be without limit (3) and so reflect Christ's eternal love. He alone is Lord (2). Sir 27:30-28:7 Ps 103:1-4, 9-12 Rom 14:7-9 Mt 18:21-35

El “Padre Pio”, siendo Francesco Forgione su nombre de pila, nació en 1887 en la pequeña aldea italiana de Pietrelcina. Sacerdote capuchino que recibió los estigmas/ vivió cincuenta años en el monasterio de San Giovanni Rotondo, donde se le buscaba continuamente como consejero espiritual, confesor e intercesor. A pesar de dicha notoriedad, el a menudo decía, “solo quiero ser un pobre fraile que reza”. Dedico su vida a la eucaristía y a la oración. Murió el 23 de septiembre de 1968 a la edad de ochenta y un años. El papa Juan Pablo II anuncio la inclusión de este memorial en el Calendario Romano General en junio de 2002. Sele considera el santo patrono de los voluntarios de la defensa civil y de los adolescentes católicos.