Along with Francis of Assisi, today's saint was a stigmatic. ✝️
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July 10, 2025

Dear Friend,

 

One of my jobs here at Franciscan Media is to cultivate the entries for our daily Pause+Pray offering. And while I find them inspirational and insightful, sometimes all I need to remember is the urging of the name—Pause+Pray.

 

We live fast-paced lives in a fast-paced world. The concept of taking a break can often seem foreign to us. But we need that time to reconnect with ourselves. Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes, but it's important. That was our thinking behind developing Pause+Pray. We wanted to offer something brief that would help you find a moment to stop, reflect, and pray in the midst of your busy life.

 

If you find these daily messages helpful and would like to continue seeing more in the future, please consider making a gift to Franciscan Media. Donate today!

 

May God give you peace!

 

Susan Hines-Brigger

Executive Editor

SAINT OF THE DAY
saint-veronica-giuliani

Saint of the Day for July 10:

Veronica Giuliani

(December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727)

 

Listen to Saint Veronica Giuliani’s Story Here

Veronica’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata.

Veronica was born in Mercatelli, Italy. It is said that when her mother Benedetta was dying she called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound below Christ’s heart.

 

At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by the Capuchins. Her father had wanted her to marry, but she convinced him to allow her to become a nun. In her first years in the monastery, she worked in the kitchen, infirmary, sacristy, and also served as portress. At the age of 34, she was made novice mistress, a position she held for 22 years. When she was 37, Veronica received the stigmata. Life was not the same after that.

 

Church authorities in Rome wanted to test Veronica’s authenticity and so conducted an investigation. She lost the office of novice mistress temporarily and was not allowed to attend Mass except on Sundays or holy days. Through all of this Veronica did not become bitter, and the investigation eventually restored her as novice mistress.

 

Though she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was elected abbess, an office she held for 11 years until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions, died in 1727, and was canonized in 1839. Her Liturgical Feast Day is July 9.

 

Reflection

Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis of Assisi and to Veronica Giuliani? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Celano points out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of these saints’ commitment to the cross. The stigmata that appeared in Veronica’s flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity toward her sisters.

MINUTE MEDITATIONS
woman_pier_alone

 

 

Spiritual Emptiness

 

Reflecting on times of emptiness when I was depressed, I know that faith sharing was extremely helpful, whether it was with friends, my Secular Franciscan fraternity, or a spiritual director. I remember going to confession and admitting that I wasn’t feeling anything in prayer and felt that I wasn’t praying. The confessor counseled me that I was praying and that God’s graces were there every moment. 

 

Don’t be alone in your spiritual emptiness. Join a Bible study or faith-sharing group in your parish in person or online. Through sharing with others, I have realized that much of my faith journey is ordinary and not extraordinary. Accepting this reality has made my journey easier and helped me be more faithful to prayer times. 

 

—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “When Your Prayers Feel Empty“
by Laura Britto

PAUSE+PRAY
man_worried_nervous

 

 

Hold Nothing Back

Reflect

Many of us are nervous when it comes to going to confession. We worry about what to say, and whether we will say or do it right. What if we make a mistake? Forget something? Mess up? Too often we are so focused on ourselves and our sins that we forget the gift of reconciliation. A gift of ourselves, of our shame and weakness. Our fears and our failings. Hold nothing back. When we open our heart completely before God, broken and contrite, we become the acceptable sacrifice—a gift God never scorns, never rejects. 

 

Pray

Lord Jesus,
you are the source of all mercy and love.
Contrite and broken I come before you.
Have mercy on me, a lowly sinner.
Give me the courage and faith
to make an honest and sincere confession,
and to trust in your mercy all the days of my life.

 

Act

Take some time to read and reflect on the beautiful penitential Psalm 51, and pay special attention to verses 16-17. What kind of sacrifice does God want from you?

 

Today's Pause+Pray was written by Herman Sutter. Learn more here!

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