Aug 5 – Memorial for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome
First raised at the order of Pope Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the Liberian Basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother of God in 431. Re-dedicated at that time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world honouring God through Mary.
St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal cathedrals in memory of the first centres of the Church. This basilica represents the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her life.
– http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1098.
Jer 31:1-7
Mt 15:21-28
You will plant vineyards once more on the mountains of Samaria (the planters have done their planting: they will gather the fruit).
We planted a small vineyard on our property eight years ago. It was an experiment, a way of cultivating the land with a minimal amount of water. It has turned out to be so much more than that for us and our family. There is an abundance of wisdom in nature, and every season in our vineyard yields fresh life lessons.
It requires you to be very hands on. Tending it for yourself is a different experience than paying someone to tend it for you. The vine looks different, the fruit tastes different. You appreciate the seasons more when you get your hands dirty and your brow sweaty. Rain, sun, wind, cold – you become aware and learn to read the signs.
I love that Scripture is full of action words – plant, build, rise, go, ransom. God gives us free will to decide for ourselves and to act on our choices, with the promise that those who keep faith with Him and do the work, He will bless with deliverance. I try to remember this when I’m faced with hurdles. God wants people of action, people who strive hard and take risks. People who aren’t afraid to try, with no assurances of success. God wants people who live their faith, who are sensitive to His call. He doesn’t want people who sit back comfortably, risk nothing, and expect Him to do all the heavy lifting. God does not want people who seek the easy way out. A vine doesn’t break bud, flower, and bear fruit all on its own. It needs nourishing and nurturing. It needs to struggle to produce great juice. It needs pruning and leafing, and when the season finally comes around, it needs harvesting, pressing and fermenting before we can partake of its nectar.
And so it is with life. A life well lived requires us to show up and do the work, knowing that success and a favourable result is not guaranteed. There will be setbacks, failure, hurdles that seem insurmountable. God is there to remind us that like in the vineyard, there will be the lean years and years of abundance, years of doubt, years of joy, years of work with nothing to show for it. But in every season, there is God, ever faithful through it all. We simply have to hold fast, be still and know that He is God.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
Prayer: We pray for all those who strive, who fail, who get up, and keep going. Life is more than a series of to-do lists that we cross off. It is a journey, marked by seasons, with God ever by our side.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all the people God sends to us, who aid us with learning the lessons He knows we will need, for the next part of our journey.
OXYGEN 
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