From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Drink:!   
      
      First drink from the Old Testament, so that you may drink from the   
   New as well. You cannot drink from the second without drinking from   
   the first. Drink from the Old Testament to slake your thirst, and from   
   the New to quench it completely. Compunction is found in the Old   
   Testament; joy in the New.   
      Drink Christ because he is the vine; drink Christ because he is the   
   rock that poured out water. Drink Christ because he is the fountain of   
   life; drink Christ because he is the river whose running waters give   
   joy to the city of God, and because he is peace, and because out of   
   his heart will flow rivers of living water.   
      Drink Christ to drink the blood which redeemed you; drink Christ to   
   drink his words: The Old Testament is his word; the New Testament is   
   his word. Holy scripture is drunk and swallowed when the power of the   
   eternal Word penetrates the depths of the mind and the virtue of the   
   soul. In short, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word of   
   God. Drink this word, but according to its own order. Drink it first   
   in the Old Testament; then hasten to drink it also in the New.   
   --St. Ambrose of Milan   
      
   ============   
   June 27th - Our Lady of Perpetual Help   
      
    (Also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, and the Madonna di San Matteo.)   
      
    We are reminded that Our Blessed Mother constantly intercedes for us   
   with Jesus, Our Lord--in our times of struggle, pain, and difficulty.   
      
   Mother of Perpetual Help, you have been blessed and favored by God.   
   You became not only the Mother of the Redeemer but the Mother of the   
   redeemed as well. We come to you today as your loving children. Watch   
   over us and take care of us. As you held the child Jesus in your   
   loving arms, so take us in your arms. Be a mother ready at every   
   moment to help us. For God who is mighty has done great things for   
   you, and His mercy is from age to age on those who love Him. Our   
   greatest fear is that in time of temptation, we may fail to call out   
   to you, and become lost children. Intercede for us, dear Mother, in   
   obtaining pardon for our sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and   
   the grace always to call upon you, Mother of Perpetual Help.   
      
   Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a title and devotion given to Our   
   Blessed Mother, following an association with a Byzantine painting   
   originating as early as the 13th century. Since that time, this golden   
   image has inspired Catholics to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for   
   intercession with her beloved Son, Jesus Christ.   
      
   The painting, as interpreted by art historians and theologians,   
   represents a message of salvation and reparation: “You can come to   
   me.” The icon, possibly painted in Crete by an unknown artist, depicts   
   Our Blessed Mother, holding the infant Christ. To her right is the   
   Archangel Michael, carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion.   
   On her left is the Archangel Gabriel carrying the cross and nails used   
   in the crucifixion. Also known as the Theotokos of the Passion, the   
   icon suggests that Christ, even as an infant, knew of His passion and   
   death, and is seeking the comfort of his mother.   
      
   The origins and early history of the painting are lost to record, but   
   in the 15th century, the icon was first venerated at the Church of San   
   Matteo. Prior to that, history suggests that the painting was stolen   
   in Crete, and brought to Italy by a pious merchant, who eventually   
   (possibly following an apparition of the Blessed Mother to his   
   daughter) bequeathed the painting to the church, which was served for   
   a time by the Hermits of Saint Augustine. The picture remained in the   
   church for nearly 300 years.   
      
   In 1812 the French invaded Rome and destroyed the church. The picture   
   disappeared. Between 1863 and 1865 it was discovered in an oratory of   
   the Augustinian Fathers at Santa Maria in Posterula. Under the   
   direction of Pope Pius XI, the original icon was displayed for public   
   veneration under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of   
   Saint Alphonsus (built on the original site of the destroyed Church of   
   San Matteo), where it remains today.   
   by Jacob   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   He who goes about to take the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass from the   
   Church plots no less a calamity than if he tried to snatch the sun   
   from the universe.   
   --St. John Fisher   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal   
   weight of glory beyond all comparison  [2 Cor 4:17]  RSVCE   
      
      
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   PRAYER OF AFFIRMATION   
      
       I am loved by God;   
       I am made by God;   
       I am forgiven by God;   
       I am accepted by God unconditionally;   
       I am a child of God;   
       I am sustained by God;   
       I am important to God;   
       I am used by God;   
       I am enabled by God;   
       I am destined for God.   
      
       Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)