There are four major basilicas in Rome—St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Church honors the Dedication of St. Mary Major. In 431 BC the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be the mother of God. At that point, this basilica was built to commemorate this great event. It is the oldest church in the world dedicated to Mary, and of the four basilicas, it is the most beautiful.  This was the church that Pope Francis always went to pray, when he returned to Rome from his travels. He also had a tomb built in the basilica where he is now buried.

As Jesus and the Twelve approached Jerusalem, He began speaking to them of His Passion and Death. Their faith in Him was shaken. At that point, He took Peter, James and John up onto Mount Tabor where He was transfigured. In a vision, they saw Him with Moses (the Lawgiver) and Elijah (the great prophet) symbolizing that the Old Testament (called the Law and the Prophets by the Jews) spoke of this reality. At the same time, the voice of God from Heaven proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
    
Wednesday, Aug. 6, is the Feast of the Transfiguration.

A contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi, Dominic was a brilliant scholar and preacher. He founded a community of men (the Order of Preachers [OP]) to preach against the heresies of the day. A second Dominican Order of Women was later founded, and a third order of laypeople.
    
Friday, Aug. 8, is the Feast of St. Dominic.

Edith Stein was a German Jewish philosopher, who converted to Catholicism, and became a Carmelite sister.  She took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. As Nazi Germany was rising, she was considered a Jew by race, despite her conversion. She and her sister were smuggled out of Germany to a convent the Netherlands. Eventually, she was arrested and taken to Auschwitz, where she was murdered in a gas chamber.