Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals

All of the individual pages devoted to the saints, including prayers, devotions and biographical sketches have been replicated and moved to the Index of the Saints listed below.

Alphabetical Index of the Lives and Teachings of the Saints. Over 200

Sermons of the Saints and for
Various Sundays and Feast Days
Throughout the Year

Children's Sermon for the 19th Sunday After Pentecost

The Resurrection

The Christmas Season

Advent Calendar with Traditional Meditations

Meditations on the
Precious Blood

Meditations on the
Our Father

Meditations on the
The Great Truths

Meditations on the
The Holy Angels

Meditations on the
The Poor Souls in Purgatory

Advent Calendar,
December Meditations

Meditations on the Holy Infancy

Meditations on the Hidden Life of Christ

Meditations on St. Joseph

Prayer to St. Joseph

O my beloved Saint Joseph! Adopt me as thy child; take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body and soul, and the spirit of prayer, through thy intercession with Jesus. Grant me a spirit of sacrifice of humility, and self-denial; obtain for me a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet tender love for Mary, my mother.

Saint Joseph, be with me in life, be with me in death, and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus, my Merciful Savior. Amen

Daily Meditations in April on Humility by Rev. R.F. Clarke, S.J.

Teach Humility, sweet Jesus,
To this poor, proud heart of mine,
Which yet wishes, O my Jesus,
To be modeled after Thine.

April Novenas can also be said at any time before or after the Saints Feast Day.

Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th Novena to St. Mark, April 17th through April 25th Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel, April 18th - April 26th Novena to St. Paul of the Cross, April 20th - April 28th Novena to St. Catherine of Sienna, April 22th - April 30th Novena to St. Michael the Archangel, April 30th - May 8th

Music: Te, Joseph, Celebrent; Hymn: Dearest Joseph

Please refresh the page
for most recent updates.

April 20th: Ferial Day; Within the Octave of the Solemnity of St. Joseph

                 Newly Added
The Chastity of St. Joseph and His Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart Holy Purity Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena to St. Mark, April 17th through April 25th Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel, April 18th - April 26th Novena to St. Paul of the Cross, April 20th - April 28th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Related Links during the Octave of the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Solemnity of St. Joseph Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th                  Newly Added
The Patronage of St. Joseph Thirty Days Prayers to St. Joseph with Additional Devotions The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 The Patronage of St. Joseph St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church The Espousal or Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying; St. Jospeh Patron of a Happy Death The Flight into Egypt Sermons on St. Joseph Joseph Dearest Video

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April 19th: Ferial Day; Within the Octave of the Solemnity of St. Joseph

                 Newly Added
Trusting in God Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena to St. Mark, April 17th through April 25th Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel, April 18th - April 26th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Related Links during the Octave of the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Solemnity of St. Joseph Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th                  Newly Added
The Patronage of St. Joseph Thirty Days Prayers to St. Joseph with Additional Devotions The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 The Patronage of St. Joseph St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church The Espousal or Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying; St. Jospeh Patron of a Happy Death The Flight into Egypt Sermons on St. Joseph Joseph Dearest Video

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April 18th:
Solemnity of St. Joseph

Solemnity of St. Joseph Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th Newly Added
The Patronage of St. Joseph Thirty Days Prayers to St. Joseph with Additional Devotions The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 The Patronage of St. Joseph St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church The Espousal or Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying; St. Jospeh Patron of a Happy Death The Flight into Egypt Sermons on St. Joseph Joseph Dearest Video

Other Links in Honor of St. Joseph

Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family The Christian Father Instructions for the
Catholic Family The Christian Family

April Meditations on Humility Eastertide Prayers Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena to St. Mark, April 17th through April 25th Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel, April 18th - April 26th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who in Thy unspeakable providence wast pleased to choose blessed Joseph for Thy most holy Mother's spouse: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may become worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector upon earth. Who livest etc.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Joseph was by birth of the royal family of David, but was living in humble obscurity as a carpenter when God raised him to the highest sanctity, and fitted him to be the spouse of His Virgin Mother, and foster-father and guardian of the Incarnate Word. Joseph, says the Holy Scripture, was a just man; he was innocent and pure, as became the husband of Mary; he was gentle and tender, as one worthy to be named the father of Jesus; he was prudent and a lover of silence, as became the master of the holy house; above all, he was faithful and obedient to divine calls. His conversation was with angels rather than with men. When he learned that Mary bore within her womb the Lord of heaven, he feared to take her as his wife; but an angel bade him fear not, and all doubts vanished. When Herod sought the life of the divine Infant, an angel told Joseph in a dream to fly with the Child and His Mother into Egypt. Joseph at once arose and obeyed. This sudden and unexpected flight must have exposed Joseph to many inconveniences and sufferings in so long a journey with a little babe and a tender virgin, the greater part of the way being through deserts and among strangers; yet he alleges no excuses, nor inquires at what time they were to return.

St. Chrysostom observes that God treats thus all His servants, sending them frequent trials to clear their hearts from the rust of self-love, but intermixing seasons of consolation. "Joseph," says he, "is anxious on seeing the Virgin with child; an angel removes that fear. He rejoices at the Child's birth, but a great fear succeeds: the furious king seeks to destroy the Child, and the whole city is in an uproar to take away His life. This is followed by another joy, the adoration of the Magi; a new sorrow then arises: he is ordered to fly into a foreign unknown country, without help or acquaintance." It is the opinion of the Fathers that upon their entering Egypt, at the presence of the child Jesus, all the oracles of that superstitious country were struck dumb, and the statues of their gods trembled and in many places fell to the ground. The Fathers also attribute to this holy visit the spiritual benediction poured on that country, which made it for many ages most fruitful in Saints.

After the death of King Herod, of which St. Joseph was informed in another vision, God ordered him to return with the Child and His Mother into the land of Israel, which our Saint readily obeyed. But when he arrived in Judea, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded Herod in that part of the country, and apprehensive that he might be infected with his father's vices, he feared on that account to settle there, as he would otherwise probably have done for the education of the Child; and therefore, being directed by God in another vision, he retired into the dominions of Herod Antipas, in Galilee, to his former habitation in Nazareth. St. Joseph, being a strict observer of the Mosaic law, in conformity to its direction annually repaired to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Our Saviour, now in the twelfth year of His age, accompanied His parents thither. Having performed the usual ceremonies of the feast, they were returning with many of their neighbors and acquaintances towards Galilee; and never doubting but that Jesus was with some of the company, they travelled on for a whole day's journey before they discovered that He was not with them. But when night came on and they could hear no tidings of Him among their kindred and acquaintance, they, in the deepest affliction, returned with the utmost speed to Jerusalem.

After an anxious search of three days they found Him in the Temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law, and asking them such questions as raised the admiration of all that heard Him, and made them astonished at the ripeness of His understanding; nor were His parents less surprises on this occasion. When His Mother told Him with what grief and earnestness they had sought Him, and asked, "Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold Thy Father and I sought Thee in great affliction of mind," she received for answer, "How is it that you sought Me? did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But though thus staying in the Temple unknown to His parents, in all other things He was obedient to them, returning with them to Nazareth, and there living in all dutiful subjection to them. As no further mention is made of St. Joseph, he must have died before the marriage of Cana and the beginning of our divine Saviour's ministry. We cannot doubt that he had the happiness of Jesus and Mary attending at his death, praying by him, assisting and comforting him in his last moments; whence he is particularly invoked for the great grace of a happy death and the spiritual presence of Jesus in that hour.

Reflection--St. Joseph, the shadow of the Eternal Father upon earth, the protector of Jesus in His home at Nazareth, and a lover of all children for the sake of the Holy Child, should be the chosen guardian and pattern of every true Christian family.

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April 17th: St. Anicetus, Pope, Martyr

                 Newly Added
Sermon: On Divine Hope St. Anicetus; No Salvation Outside the Catholic Faith No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation The Church Abjuration of Heresy and Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, Pius IV., 1565 Eastertide Prayers Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th Novena to St. Mark, April 17th through April 25th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Related Links for the Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Sunday
Sermons by Fr. Weninger Second Sunday After Easter:
Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for Good Shepherd Good Shepherd Sunday                  Newly Updated
Sermon: Duties of Parents--They Must Guard their Flock Pastors as True Shepherds and the Evils of Negligent Pastors How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Anicetus Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord etc.

St Anicetus succeeded St. Pius, and sat about eight years, from 165 to 173. If he did not shed his blood for the Faith, he at least purchased the title of martyr by great sufferings and dangers. He received a visit from St. Polycarp, and tolerated the custom of the Asiatics in celebrating Easter on the 14th day of the first moon after the vernal equinox, with the Jews. His vigilance protected his flock from the wiles of the heretics Valentine and Marcion, who sought to corrupt the faith in the capital of the world.

The first thirty-six bishops at Rome, down to Liberius, and, this one excepted, all the popes to Symmachus, the fifty-second, in 498, are honored among the Saints; and out of two hundred and forty-eight popes, from St. Peter to Clement XIII. seventy-eight are named in the Roman Martyrology. In the primitive ages, the spirit of fervor and perfect sanctity, which is nowadays so rarely to be found, was conspicuous in most of the faithful, and especially in their pastors. The whole tenor of their lives breathed it in such a manner as to render them the miracles of the world, angels on earth, living copies of their divine Redeemer, the odor of whose virtues and holy law and religion they spread on every side.

Reflection--If, after making the most solemn protestations of inviolable friendship and affection for a fellow-creature, we should the next moment revile and contemn him, without having received any provocation or affront, and this habitually, would not the whole world justly call our protestations hypocrisy, and our pretended friendship a mockery? Let us by this rule judge if our love of God be sovereign, so long as our inconstancy betrays the insincerity of our hearts.

       †

April 16th: Ferial Day.

                 Newly Added
Sermon: The Pleasure of Serving God Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Related Links for the Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Sunday
Sermons by Fr. Weninger Second Sunday After Easter:
Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for Good Shepherd Good Shepherd Sunday                  Newly Updated
Sermon: Duties of Parents--They Must Guard their Flock Pastors as True Shepherds and the Evils of Negligent Pastors How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

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April 15th: 2nd Sunday after Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday

Good Shepherd Sunday
Sermons by Fr. Weninger Second Sunday After Easter:
Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for Good Shepherd Good Shepherd Sunday Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Newly Updated
Sermon: Duties of Parents--They Must Guard their Flock Pastors as True Shepherds and the Evils of Negligent Pastors How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. Unworthy Communion Eastertide Prayers

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th

Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

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April 14th: St. Justin Martyr and St. Tiburtius and Companions, Martyrs.

St. Justin Martyr Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th Devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Newly Added
The Folly of Sin

Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

On the Benefits of a Good Confession On Spiritual Murder Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

O God, Who by the foolishness of the cross didst wonderfully instruct blessed Justin Martyr in the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ: grant that through his intercession we may drive forth the deceits of error and become steadfast in faith. Through the same etc.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Justin was born of heathen parents at. Neapolis in Samaria, about the year 103. He was well educated, and gave himself to the study of philosophy, but always with one object, that he might learn the knowledge of God. He sought this knowledge among the contending schools of philosophy, but always in vain, till at last God himself appeased the thirst which He had created. One day, while Justin was walking by the seashore, meditating on the thought of God, an old man met him and questioned him on the subject of his doubts; and when he had made Justin confess that the philosophers taught nothing certain about God, he told him of the writings of the inspired prophets and of Jesus Christ Whom they announced, and bade him seek light and understanding through prayer.

The Scriptures and the constancy of the Christian martyrs led Justin from the darkness of human reason to the light of faith. In his zeal for the Faith he travelled to Greece, Egypt, and Italy, gaining many to Christ. At Rome he sealed his testimony with his blood, surrounded by his disciples. "Do you think," the prefect said to Justin, "that by dying you will enter heaven, and be rewarded by God?" "I do not think," was the Saint's answer; "I know." Then, as now, there were many religious opinions, but only one certain�the certainty of the Catholic faith. This certainty should be the measure of our confidence and our zeal.

Reflection--We have received the gift of faith with little labor of our own. Let us learn how to value it from those who reached it after long search, and lived in the misery of a world which did not know God. Let us fear, as St. Justin did, the account we shall have to render for the gift of God.

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April 13th: St. Hermenegild, Martyr

Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart St. Hermenegild, Martyr

Matters of Faith:

How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? The Dogma of the Incarnation Rests on the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Catholic Church's Teaching on Justification Saints: the Gift of Miracles Refuting Protestant Errors of Private Interpretation

O God, Who didst teach Thy blessed Martyr Hermenegild to choose the kingdom of heaven rather than an earthly kingdom: grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example, we may despise things that perish and pursue those that are everlasting. Through our Lord etc.

(Roman Breviary)

Leovigild, King of the Visigoths, had two sons, Hermenegild and Recared, who reigned conjointly with him. All three were Arians, but Hermenegild married a zealous Catholic, the daughter of Sigebert, King of France, and by her holy example was converted to the faith. His father, on hearing the news, denounced him as a traitor and marched to seize his person. Hermenegild tried to rally the Catholics of Spain in his defence, but they were too weak to make any stand, and, after a two years' fruitless struggle, he surrendered on the assurance of a free pardon. When safely in the royal camp, the king had him loaded with fetters and cast into a foul dungeon at Seville. Tortures and bribes were in turn employed to shake his faith, but Hermenegild wrote to his father that he held the crown as nothing, and preferred to lose sceptre and life rather than betray the truth of God. At length, on Easter night, an Arian bishop entered his cell, and promised him his father's pardon if he would but receive Communion at his hands. Hermenegild indignantly rejected the offer, and knelt with joy for his death-stroke. The same night a light streaming from his cell told the Christians who were watching near that the martyr had won his crown, and was keeping his Easter with the Saints in glory. He died in 586 A.D.

Leovigild on his death-bed, though still an Arian, bade Recared seek out St. Leander, whom he had himself cruelly persecuted, and, following Hermenegild's example, be received by him into the Church. Recared did so, and on his father's death labored so earnestly for the extirpation of Arianism that he brought over the whole nation of the Visigoths to the Church. "Nor is it to be wondered," says St. Gregory, "that he came thus to be a preacher of the true faith, seeing that be was brother of a martyr, whose merits did help him to bring so many into the lap of God's Church."

Reflection.---St. Hermenegild teaches us that constancy and sacrifice are the best arguments for the Faith, and the surest way to win souls to God.

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April 12th: Ferial Day.

Newly Added
Sermon: Bearing Injustice The 8th Commandment Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

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April 11th: St. Leo I, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Leo I. Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Grant unto us, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that through the intercession of Thy Confessor, holy Isidore, the Farmer, we may take no pride in knowledge but rather by his merits and example, we may always serve thee with a humility that is pleasing to Thee. Through our Lord, etc.

(Roman Breviary)

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April 10th, Ferial Day

Newly Added
Sermon: the Gift of Faith Explained Abjuration of Heresy and Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, Pius IV., 1565 Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, April 10th - April 18th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

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April 9th, The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Annunciation Sermons of Fr. Weninger
for the Annunciation Children's Sermon for the
The Annunciation: Sermons for Children           Newly Added
Feast of the Annunciation: Explained by Rev. L. Goffine St. Gabriel Ave Maria The Dogma of the Incarnation Rests on the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God The Humility of the Blessed Virgin of Mary 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Encyclical on the
Recitation of the Rosary Prayers of Our Lady
of the Rosary The History of the Rosary How to Say the Rosary Rosary Novenas Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

O God, Who didst please that Thy Word should take flesh at the message of an Angel in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary: grant to us Thy suppliants, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This great festival takes its name from the happy tidings brought by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin, concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God. It commemorates the most important embassy that was ever known: an embassy sent by the King of kings, performed by one of the chief princes of His heavenly court; directed, not to the great ones of this earth, but to a poor, unknown virgin, who, being endowed with the most angelic purity of soul and body, being withal perfectly humble and devoted to God, was greater in His eyes than the mightiest monarch in the world.

When the Son of God became man, He could have taken upon Him our nature without the cooperation of any creature; but He was pleased to be born of a woman. In the choice of her whom He raised to this most sublime of all dignities, He pitched upon the one who, by the riches of His grace and virtues, was of all others the most holy and the most perfect. The design of this embassy of the archangel is to give a Saviour to the world, a victim of propitiation to the sinner, a model to the just, a son to this Virgin, remaining still a virgin, and a new nature to the Son of God, the nature of man, capable of suffering pain and anguish in order to satisfy God's justice for our transgressions.

When the angel appeared to Mary and addressed her, the Blessed Virgin was troubled: not at the angel's appearance, says St. Ambrose, for heavenly visions and a commerce with the blessed spirits had been familiar to her; but what alarmed her, he says, was the angel's appearing in human form, in the shape of a young man. What might add to her fright on the occasion was his addressing her in words of praise. Mary, guarded by her modesty, is in confusion at expressions of this sort, and dreads the least appearance of deluding flattery. Such high commendations make her cautious how she answers, till in silence she has more fully considered of the matter: "She revolved in her mind," says St. Luke, "what manner of salutation this should be." Ah, what numbers of innocent souls have been corrupted for want of using the like precautions!

The angel, to calm her, says: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor before God." He then informs her that she is to conceive and bring forth a Son Whose name shall be Jesus, Who shall be great, and the Son of the Most High, and possessed of the throne of David, her illustrious ancestor. Mary, out of a just concern to know how she may comply with the will of God without prejudice to her vow of virginity, inquires, "How shall this be?" Nor does she give her consent till the heavenly messenger acquaints her that it is to be a work of the Holy Ghost, who, in making her fruitful, will not intrench in the least upon her virginal purity.

In submission, therefore, to God's will, without any further inquiries, she expresses her assent in these humble but powerful words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word" What faith and confidence does her answer express! what profound humility and perfect obedience!

Reflection.--From the example of the Blessed Virgin in this mystery, how ardent a love ought we to conceive of purity and humility! The Holy Ghost is invited by purity to dwell in souls, but is chased away by the filth of the contrary vice. Humility is the foundation of a spiritual life. By it Mary was prepared for the extraordinary graces and all virtues with which she was enriched, and for the eminent dignity of Mother of God.

Meditation on the Annunciation

Mary's life as Joseph's Spouse was no less one of devotion and recollection and prayer than her life in the Temple. In their little cottage her time was spent, when her household duties were done, in fervent prayer to God. Thus she is said to have been occupied when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her. Mary's prayers and Mary's longing desires had moved the Heart of God to send a Redeemer for mankind! O omnipotent efficacy of earnest desire and persevering prayer!

The message the Angel brought bewildered the chaste and humble maiden. Her first thought was one of fear--fear lest the privilege announced to her should be purchased at the cost of her Immaculate virginity: she would not sacrifice this even to be Mother of the Messias: anything rather than forfeit that priceless jewel!

But God, who sent an Angel to comfort Christ in His Passion, reassured Mary by the Angel's voice: Fear not, thou hast found grace with God. Because thou dost esteem thyself the most unworthy, God will exalt thee to a dignity which seems almost beyond the power of God to confer: He will make thee the Mother of His Son. O wondrous dignity of true humility!

Mary, it was thy lowliness,
Well pleasing to the Lord,
That made thee worthy to become
The Mother of the Word.

       †

April 8th: Low Sunday

Low Sunday: Sermon for Chidren and Adults Sermons: Low Sunday by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger                  Newly Added
Sermon for Low Sunday: Steadfastness The Spiritual Resurrection Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion                  Newly Added
Sermon on the End of the World and General Judgment by St. Vincent Ferrer                  Newly Added
Sermon on the Last Judgment--Sheep and Goats by St. Vincent Ferrer The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Eastertide Prayers

Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have been celbrating the Paschal Festivities, may, through Thy bounty, ever retain their effect, both in life and in conversation. Through our Lord, etc.

(Roman Breviary)

Meditation for Low Sunday

How Christ appeared to His Disciples in the Cenacle (John xx.)

First Point.--Consider how to Christ no door is shut, and how where evil could not find admittance good entered. For the disciples being assembled in the Cenacle, the doors well closed for fear of the Jews, Christ arisen and glorious entered, and placed Himself in their midst, like the sun in the centre of the heavens, illuminating and gladdening their hearts with the light of His Resurrection and the sweetness of His words. Consider the benignity of the Saviour, the love He bears His chosen ones, the care He takes to console them in their sorrows, and how for this purpose He multiplies miracles, making use of the subtility that He enjoyed in His glorious Body to enter through closed doors. Rejoice to have such a Lord and Master, and place great confidence in His love and providence; beg of Him to visit thee in thine afflictions and troubles, and to console and strengthen thee as He did His apostles and disciples.

Second Point.--Ponder how in this visit Christ placed Himself in the centre of that congregation; for He desires to be in the midst of His chosen ones, and in the centre of thy heart, making it His abode and resting-place. Empty it then of all earthly things, and offer it entirely to Him, that He may come unto thee, visit thee, console thee, and abide with thee. Ponder the extreme delight of all that holy company at beholding the glory of their Master and Redeemer; how all would approach to adore, reverence, and serve Him; with what love and caresses He would receive them, and reassure them against the fear they were in of the Jews who persecuted them. Approach thou also, adore and reverence thy Lord; beg of Him to bless thee, to give thee a share in the joy of His Resurrection, and to strengthen and encourage thee in His holy service.

Third Point.--Consider how He showed them the sacred wounds of His Hands, Feet, and Side, which in His glorified Body must have shone more brightly than the stars of heaven, thus increasing His beauty. See how He prides Himself on having suffered for thee, that thou mayst place thy pride in suffering for Him; and behold how the affronts and wounds suffered in this world for the glory of God and the good of souls are in the next turned into diamonds and precious stones of glory, honour, and beauty. O Lord! would that I might suffer affronts, stripes, wounds, insults, and death for Thee as Thou didst endure them for me! Beg of the Lord this favour, and encourage thyself by His example to suffer with joy for His love whatever may befall thee..

Fourth Point.--Consider how the Evangelist St. John says that He then breathed on them, and gave them the Holy Ghost for the remission of sins, not contenting Himself with the great happiness He gave them in making them participators of the glory of His Resurrection, but giving them at the same time the fulness of the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Especially for this did Christ come into the world, for this He sent His disciples, not to punish but to forgive sins, and for this did He communicate to them the Holy Ghost. Oh, that He would come into our souls, and give us this gift of gifts of His Holy Spirit! Beg of Him to come into thine, and to do thee this favour, pardoning thee thy sins with the liberality with which He pardoned the apostles, giving them the very breath of His mouth. O Lord, that Thou wouldst give me strength with Thy breath, the pardon of my sins, and grace to abide in Thy favour; this I beg, this I entreat; hold me in Thy hand that I may never offend Thee more.

       †

April 7th: Easter Saturday and First Saturday

First Saturday Devotions Easter Saturday: The Holy Sepulchre The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Eastertide Prayers The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

On the Benefits of a Good Confession On Spiritual Murder Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

†

April 6th: Easter Friday and First Friday

First Friday Devotions Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart Easter Friday: In Defense of the Resurrection Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

How Christ Bore His Wounds on His Risen Body

by Alonso de Andrade, 1878

First Point. Today being Friday, contemplate the marks of the Passion on the risen Body of Christ our Lord, each one more resplendent than the sun; see what glory the Eternal Father has bestowed on Him because of all He suffered for men. Consider that whereas He might have risen without those marks, as He did without those of the stripes and of the thorns, and those made on His Divine Face by the buffets He received, He willed that the wounds made by the nails and the spear should remain, because they were the marks of His Cross by which He consummated our redemption. Whence thou shouldst derive great courage and consolation in thy troubles and labours, remembering that they are tokens of glory and means to attain it, and that in a few days they will be changed into the eternal repose that thou wilt enjoy in bliss.

Second Point. Consider the reasons why Christ preserved the wounds of His Passion on His sacred Body after the Resurrection, of which one was to keep alive and fresh in us the memory of His Passion, and to give us to understand that, as the Apostle St. John tells us in the Apocalypse, that in heaven the angels and blessed sing canticles of the Passion, so here on earth His chosen ones should also sing them, bearing it ever in mind, meditating it, contemplating it, and conversing thereon; for there is nothing more agreeable to the Lord. Beg of God His grace to meditate His Passion as thou shouldst, and with all the tenderness and gratitude to which so great a mercy obliges thee.

Third Point. Consider another reason given by St. Bernard, which is that He might intercede for men before the Eternal Father, showing His open wounds, and begging, through them, pardon for sin and fresh graces and mercies. O Lord, what thanks can I render Thee for the love Thou bearest me, since not once, but many times, Thou hast opened for me the wounds of Thy sacred Body! O my soul! see what an Advocate thou hast in the presence of God, and what a plea, signed with His Blood, He presents at His tribunal for thee! Pray with Him ; offer those most precious wounds in satisfaction for thy sins, and beg of the Eternal Father through them to grant thee fresh favours; for their value is infinite, and therefore greater than anything thou canst ask for or obtain. Beg for thyself and for the whole Church abundance of celestial goods; let the wounds of Christ supply with their value what is wanting to thy works.

Fourth Point. Consider how St. Paul says that he bore stamped on his body the wounds of Christ, because by mortification and penance he made himself His image, also because he glorified in them rejoicing more in ignominies for Christ's sake than in the honours of the world, and also because of the grateful memory he always carried with him of so signal a benefit. Whence let us draw so to study the image of our Redeemer as to transform our bodies into living images of Him by mortification and penance, to glory in His ignominies, as He gloried in suffering them for us, and to take courage to suffer crucifixion and death, if need be, for His service.

†

April 5th, St. Vincent Ferrer, Confessor and Easter Thursday.

St. Vincent Ferrer I. St. Vincent Ferrer II. Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity

St. Vincent Ferrer, his life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion Newly Added
Sermon on the Last Judgment--Sheep and Goats by St. Vincent Ferrer

Easter Thursday Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Video: Resurrection and Ascension Novena for Easter, April 16th through April 24th The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

April Meditations on Humility The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

O God, who didst vouchsafe to make Thy Church illustrious by the merits and preaching of blessed Vincent Thy Confessor: grant to us Thy servants, that we may be instructed by his example, and through his intercession may be delivered from all harm. Through our Lord, etc.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.

R. He clothed him with a robe of glory.

Ant. I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock. (Roman Breviary)

This wonderful apostle, the Angel of the Judgment, was born at Valencia in Spain in 1357. At the age of eighteen, he was professed in the Order of Saint Dominic. After a brilliant course of study he became Master of Sacred Theology, and began to preach. For three years he read only the Sacred Scriptures, and came to know the entire Bible by heart. He brought the light of Christ to the Jews of Valencia, and their synagogue became a church.

Grief at the great schism then afflicting the Church reduced him to the point of death at the age of forty, but Our Lord Himself whom he saw in glory, healed him and bade him go forth to convert sinners, for My judgment is near. In the language of Scripture, a judgment is a time of trial during which the good become better by prayer and abandonment to God's Providence, and the impious blaspheme. The judgment which was to fall upon Europe, the rending of the robe of Christ through the still greater fragmentation of the Church, would follow soon after Saint Vincent's time; his passage preserved large numbers of souls from its fatal dangers.

This virtually miraculous apostolate lasted twenty-one years. He preached throughout western Europe, in the towns and villages of Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland. Everywhere tens of thousands of sinners were reformed. Infidels, heretics, Jews were enlightened and warmed by the Sun of Justice. Stupendous miracles enforced his words. Twice each day the miracle bell summoned the sick, the blind, the lame to be cured, and the most obdurate sinners became Saints. Speaking only his native Spanish, he was understood in all tongues. Processions of ten thousand penitents followed him in perfect order. Convents, orphanages, hospitals, arose where he passed.

Amid all the honors which came to him, his humility remained profound, his prayer constant. He always made prayer his principal preparation for preaching. Once, however, when a person of high rank was to be present at his sermon, he neglected prayer for study. The nobleman was not particularly struck by the discourse which had been thus carefully laid out. But he came again to hear the Saint, and the second sermon, for which Saint Vincent's supplications before the Crucifix were the preparation, made a deep impression on his soul. When Saint Vincent heard of his reaction, he remarked that in the first sermon it was Vincent who had preached, but in the second, Jesus Christ.

Saint Vincent fell ill at Vannes in Brittany, and received the crown of everlasting glory in 1419.

Reflection. Whatever you do, said Saint Vincent, think not of yourself, but of God. In this spirit he preached, and God spoke by him; in this spirit, if we listen, we shall hear the voice of God.

†

April 4th, Easter Wednesday

Novena for Easter Easter Wednesday Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

For the Wednesday
in Easter Week:

How Christ Appeared to the Apostles whilst Fishing in
the Sea of Tiberias (JOHN XXI.)

by Alonso de Andrade, 1878

First Point. Consider how, as the Holy Evangelist St. John tells us, St. Peter invited the other disciples to go fishing, and not having caught anything all night, Christ appeared on the shore and ordered them to cast the net on the right hand, and they then took a great draught.

Wherein ponder how it becomes the disciples of Christ to solicit others to the performance of good works in His service after the example of St. Peter, and learn hence always to draw thy neighbor to works of piety and devotion, and to persuade him to the performance of them. Consider next the mercy of the Savior, and how great was that He manifested towards His disciples, appearing to them during their labor, and when discouraged at having caught nothing, and draw thence great confidence in God, that He will be favorable to thee and visit thee in thy labors, and in the works that thou undertakes for His holy service. Beg of Him not to forget thee, but to visit and strengthen thee as He visited and strengthened His disciples.

Second Point. Consider the reasons why the disciples caught nothing until Christ our Redeemer came to them. First, because they cast their net at night, which signifies sin; and those that work whilst in a state of sin, however hard they labor, gain nothing for eternal life. Secondly, because at first they fished of their own will, and afterwards in obedience to Christ's command, which assures success to those who are governed and guided by it.

Thirdly, because they cast the net on the left hand, which signifies the temporal goods of this world; and Christ our Lord commanded them to cast it on the right, which symbolizes eternal treasures. From which thou hast to learn to labor always in the light of grace, and not in the darkness of sin, to be guided by the will of God, seeking always His honor, glory, and service, in whatever works thou dost perform, and always to cast thy net to the right, seeking heavenly things if thou wouldst obtain great profit.

Grieve for all the labor thou hast spent in the course of thy life in laying up perishable riches, and in seeking the dignities and vain honors of this world, all of which are empty nothingness; and taking the advice of Christ, cast thy net to the right for time and heavenly riches, and thy labor will be as completely successful as was that of the disciples.

Third Point. Consider how the Holy Evangelist says, that whilst the disciples were fishing at His command, Christ was on the shore, in their sight, without their knowing Him, preparing food for them when they should come. For He is ever in sight of those who labor for His service, without their seeing or knowing Him, and He prepares their food, providing for their needs.

Draw from this great courage to employ thyself in His service, with steadfast confidence in the care His providence ever has of His servants and of thee, supplying thy wants. Cast all thy care with the utmost confidence into His hands, and be assured that He sees and assists thee in thy works and labors, as He did the disciples, though thou sees Him not with thy bodily eyes.

Fourth Point. Consider how, as soon as the disciples had taken so great a draught of fishes, they recognized that it was by the virtue of Christ; and learn to acknowledge that the success of thy labors is the work of His hands, and to give Him thanks for it, attributing the glory of them to Him from whose hand thou receives it.

See how the disciples then came to shore, with what joy Christ would receive them, and theirs at beholding Him risen ; the benignity with which He would sit down with them, divide the bread and fish that He had prepared on the hot coals, and give it to them to eat. O sweet Jesus! blessed be Thou a thousand times for dealing thus with Thy servants! Who would not serve Thee always, Who art so tender and loving? Approach the Lord, my soul, with the disciples, leave the restless sea of this world in which thou art engulfed, abandon the nets which hold thee prisoner, and casting aside all worldly occupations, entreat Him to permit thee to draw near to His table, beg of Him to give thee a few of the crumbs that fall from it, and take thy place amongst His people, to remain for ever in His service.

†

April 3rd, Easter Tuesday

Easter Tuesday Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Eastertide Prayers Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

Easter Tuesday: The Resurrection of Christ
by Rev. Johann Zollner

The Resurrection of Christ encourages us to the faithful performance of the divine will in every situation of life.

(a.) "My food is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work."John--4:, 34. Our Saviour could say this in truth, for His whole life upon earth was one continual, uninterrupted fulfilment of the will of His heavenly Father. For thirty years He leads a hidden life, because His Father wills it; He begins His public life, goes about, teaches, works miracles, and finally dies on the cross in unspeakable tortures and sufferings, because it is the will of His Father. Thus the human will of Christ was entirely subject to the will of God; He did everything that God willed, and in whatever manner He willed.

How gloriously do we see Him rewarded for the faithful performance of the divine will! When He came forth from the grave with a glorified body, "God hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and in hell. And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."--Phil. 2: 9-11. What a glorious end! What a great reward!

If we consider our risen Redeemer in the State of His glory, must not we also be encouraged to do the will of God in good as well as in evil days? What does not man do to procure for himself a pleasant earthly life? What tribulations, what perils, and humiliations does he not undergo, not only for days and weeks, but for years? And we can be dilatory in doing the will of God, knowing, as we do, that if we work and suffer with Christ we shall be glorified with him?

2. To a constant warfare against the enemies of our salvation . . . .

a.)The life of Christ was a continual combat with Satan, the prince of the world. He had come to crush the serpent's head, to destroy the kingdom of Satan, to recover for us,the bright inheritance which we had lost by sin, and to redeem us from the slavery of centuries; but Satan resisted with all his might, hence a continual contest and struggle. In the desert, where he tempted our Lord three times and was overcome as often, he had found out that he alone could not prevail against Him; then he looked for confederates to help him frustrate His labor for the redemption of mankind. And he found willing tools in the Scribes and Pharisees and the Jews in general.

What did not Christ endure from them, how often did they lay snares to catch Him in His speech, how did they calumniate, blaspheme and insult Him, in order to destroy all confidence in Him ;and render Him odious to the people! They did not shrink even from brute force, for more than once were they about to lay hands on him, and to take his life.

Finally the devil entered into Judas, who betrayed his Lord and Master, and delivered Him into the hands of His enemies. Jesus dies on the cross. Hell is apparently successful; and its blind instruments exult in their triumph, believing that they have conquered and destroyed the name of Jesus for ever. But the intoxication of victory is of short duration. Easter Sunday announces a victory such as heaven and earth never before witnessed. Christ rises from the dead, glorious and immortal; the nations, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, adore Him; Judaism and Paganism fall, and the kingdom of Christ is spread over all the earth.

(b.) Warfare is our lot upon earth. "The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days are like the days of a hireling."--Job 7: 1. We carry about us a wicked enemy, our concupiscence, which prevents us reposing in God, and prepares violent temptations for us. We must fight against the devil, who, full of hatred and envy, pursues and everywhere lays snares, seeking our ruin. We live in a world which endeavors to seduce us by its false maxims, scandals, and bad examples. Especially in our days Infidels and Freethinkers do their utmost to tear religion and the fear of God out of our hearts.

Who can listen to their language, or read their papers and books, without being horrified by their hatred of Christianity? Who would not be discouraged at the aspect of the persecutions which the Catholic Church and her children are obliged to suffer? But let us not be of little faith; Christ, who crushed the head of the serpent, forsakes us not; His victory is our victory, for He has merited for us the grace to overcome every enemy. Let us gather round the banner of the cross, and no power, either of man or the devil, can harm us. And what a triumph, if we are found brave warriors! we shall enter with Him into His glory and receive a great reward, as He says Himself: "To him that overcometh, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God."--Apoc. 2: 7.

3. Earnestly to aspire to perfection. The Resurrection of Christ is the pledge and type of our future resurrection. Christ is our head, we His members; what has been done with the head, must also be done with the members. As certain as Christ is risen, so certain shall we rise again. "If Christ be preached that he rose again from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again."--I. Cor. 15: 12, 13. Christ is also the type of our resurrection. "Our Lord Jesus Christ will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory."--Phil. 3 : 21. The bodies of the just, therefore, after their resurrection, will resemble the body of the risen Christ; they will be finally transformed and glorified; they will become impassible, immortal, spiritual, and united with the soul, will enjoy an unsperkable felicity in heaven.

PERORATION

"Be mindful that the Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead."-- II. Tim. 2: 8. This truth of our holy religion is the foundation of our faith and the strongest incentive to a holy life. If you are temped against faith interiorly or exteriorly, say: "What I believe, is the doctrine of Christ, but He is risen from the dead, He is the Son of God, the infallible truth, I therefore stand firm in my faith and nothing in the world shall ever make me waver in it."

If it seems hard sometimes to walk the way of holiness, and if you must endure hard trials, falter not in your courage, look up to Christ; having finished His course, He triumphs over sin, death, and hell, now and for evermore. His infinitely blessed lot shall be ours; therefore follow Him courageously, and trusting in His grace, devote yourselves to His service to your last breath; then the blessed Easter morning will also dawn for you in heaven, where, with the Angels and Saints, you will sing an everlasting Alleluia. Amen.

†

April 2nd, Easter Monday

Easter Monday                  Newly Added
The Wonderful Prerogatives of Our Lord's Glorified Body Paschal Time The Mystery of Paschal Time Sacramentals: Blessed Candles Children's Sermon for Easter Sunday The Resurrection Easter Sunday: We Must Rise from Sin                  Newly Added
Easter Sunday: How and Why we are to Keep Easter A Litany for Easter The Spiritual Resurrection Litany of the Resurrection Liturgical Year: Easter Sunday Easter Sunday Sermons Eastertide Prayers

Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter, March 31st through April 8th Novena for the Annunciation, April 1st through April 9th

O God, Who by the Paschal solemnity hast given Thy healing remedies to the world, continue, we beseech Thee, to pour forth Thy heavenly gift on Thy people, that they may deserve to attain perfect liberty, and go forward to life everlasting. Through our Lord, etc.

       †

April 1st, Easter Sunday
Easter Blessings from
Catholic Harbor

Novena for Easter Children's Sermon for Easter Sunday The Resurrection Easter Sunday: We Must Rise from Sin A Litany for Easter The Spiritual Resurrection Newly Added
Easter Sunday: How and Why we are to Keep Easter Paschal Time Litany of the Resurrection Liturgical Year: Easter Sunday Easter Sunday Sermons Eastertide Prayers Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Vol. 4 Part 2:The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Catholic Harbor Videos for Lent and Easter

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Paschal Time

Alleluia, or "Praise the Lord," is an expression of joy and hope for the eternal happiness which our Lord obtained for us by His glorious Resurrection. The Church sings Alleluia today, and often during the Octave, because Christ is risen from the grave, and as St. Augustine says, "We have left the grave of sin, and are ready to walk in the way of the divine commandments."

The Paschal Season commemorates the triumph of our Lord. It is an invitation to spiritual joy. As Christ arose from the dead so must we rise from coldness and indifference to a life of fervor and holiness. Christ offered Himself in complete holocaust on the Cross; we must offer ourselves completely to God through our risen Savior; risen with Christ, we must "seek the things that are above."

Christ promised the miracle of His Resurrection. Se fulfilled that promise, proving His Divinity and giving our faith a sure foundation. He could have ended His stay on earth with His Resurrection on Easter Sunday, but He preferred to remain among His beloved for forty days:

1. To strengthen their faith in the mystery of the Resurrection. "To them also He showed Himself alive after His Passion by many proofs, during forty days appearing to them and speaking of the kingdom of God." (Acts 1, 3.)

2. To stimulate the hope of universal resurrection as the consequence and fruit of His glorious Resurrection.

3. To console the faithful for their sorrow during His Passion and Death.

Since Christ rose from the dead, we know that He is the Son of God, His doctrine is divine. His Church is true, and we, as members of His Mystical Body, provided we are His true disciples, shall one day rise with glorified bodies. Easter is a day of gladness for all Christians, and their triumphant joy is given dramatic expression in the Sequence which follows the Gradual, the frequent alleluias, and the position of the Paschal Candle within the sanctuary throughout the Easter season.

"It is Christ Jesus Who yes, and rose again, He Who is at the right hand of God, Who also intercedes for us." Who, then, "shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8, 34f.)

Prayer:

O God, Who on this say, through Thy Only-begotten Son, didst overcome death, and open unto us the gate of everlasting Life: as, by Thy anticipating grace, Thou dost breath good desires into our hearts, so also, by Thy gracious help, bring them to good effect. Through the same, etc.

(Roman Breviary)

Sequence

O Christians, to the Paschal Victim bring: Of praise the sacrificial Offering. For the sheep the Lamb His Blood did shed: The sinless Christ in the sinners: stead: With God the guilty reconciling. The Life with Death did fiercely strive: Through dying the Leader now reigns alive.

O Mary, what did thy wond'ring eyes adore? "I saw the tomb of One Who dies no more! The glorious risen Lord was shown to me: The napkin, linen cloths there lying: I heard the angels testifying. Yes, Christ is ris'n and you shall see Thy Hope and mine in Galilee!"

We know that Christ rose from the grave: O conqu'ring King, us sinners save. Amen. Alleluia.

†

March 31st, Holy Saturday

Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Holy Saturday Meditation Holy Saturday Holy Saturday Instructions 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Holy Hour Good Friday: The Two Thieves The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899. Vol 4 The Life of Our Savour Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899. Vol. 3 Clock of the Passion Liturgical Commentary
for Good Friday Good Friday Sermons
by Fr. Weninger, 1876 Sermon by Bishop Ehrler:
The Greatest of All Sorrows The Death of Our Lord Passion of Christ The Greatest Suffering on Earth The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine

Litany of the Holy Cross Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Psalter of Jesus Stations of the Cross The Shorted Method of the
Stations of the Cross Seven Penitential Psalms Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. Spiritual Communion Litany of Penance Litany of the Saints Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries Videos for Medition During Holy Week

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

                 Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession                  Newly Added
On Spiritual Murder Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

For Children

Index of Children Prayers, Lent Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Catholic Bible Stories

Recommended Reading:

The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Penitent Christian The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875 Introduction to a Devout Life
written by St. Francis De Sales

Please remember the departed souls of your family in your prayers today

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Faithful Departed

Novenas in March

Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena for Easter

Look down, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon this Thy family: for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered up into the hands of wicked men and to undergo the torment of the Cross. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In early Christian times no special liturgical service was held on this day because there was a Solemn Vigil, or Watch, during the night before Easter. Towards the end of this function, before daybreak, the Catechumens received Baptism. They were immersed in the saving waters, being thus mystically buried with Jesus. But also, at the very hour of our Lord's triumphant Resurrection from the sepulchre, they rose spiritually, being born again to a life of grace; and they received likewise the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

This partly explains the particular character of our Holy Saturday service, with its special Scriptural readings, the blessing of the fire, the blessing of the Font, and the sudden change from austere ceremonies to the anticipated joys of Easter.

In later times these Vigil ceremonies were anticipated, being observed first in the evening, and finally in the morning of Holy Saturday.

The Ceremonies of Holy Saturday are divided into five parts:

1. Blessing of the Fire, Incense, and Paschal candle.

2. Reading of the Prophecies.

3. Blessing of Baptismal Font--which in the Old Roman Liturgy, preceded the Baptism and Confirmation of the new converts.

4. Litany of the Saints and Mass In honor of Christ Resurrected.

5. First Vespers of Easter Sunday.

       †

March 30th, Good Friday. Day of Fast and Abstinence

Devotions for Good Friday:

The hours of twelve noon through three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday are most solemn, as these are the hours our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for our redemption. The following links are recommended for devotions and readings during these hours.

Index for the Season of Lent Instruction for Good Friday The Holy Hour Clock of the Passion Devotions and Prayers
for Good Friday: the Words of Jesus on the Cross Good Friday: The Two Thieves Liturgical Commentary
for Good Friday Good Friday Sermons
by Fr. Weninger, 1876 Sermon by Bishop Ehrler:
The Greatest of All Sorrows The Death of Our Lord                  Newly Added
Good Friday: On the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ and Eternity of Hell                  Newly Added
On the Denial of St. Peter Contrition

The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899. Vol 4 The Life of Our Savour Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899. Vol. 3 Videos for Medition During Holy Week Passion of Christ The Greatest Suffering on Earth The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Library of Catholic Books for the Season of Lent Prayers, Devotions, Feasts and Books Dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Prayers, Examination of Conscience and Related Links in Preparation for the Sacrament of Penance The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine

Litany of the Holy Cross Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Psalter of Jesus Stations of the Cross The Shorted Method of the
Stations of the Cross Seven Penitential Psalms Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. Spiritual Communion Litany of Penance Litany of the Saints Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

For Children

Index of Children Prayers, Lent Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Catholic Bible Stories

Recommended Reading:

The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Penitent Christian The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875 Introduction to a Devout Life
written by St. Francis De Sales

Please remember the departed souls of your family in your prayers today

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Faithful Departed

Look down, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon this Thy family: for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered up into the hands of wicked men and to undergo the torment of the Cross. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This day was formerly for the Jewish people a day of preparation for Easter, and was called by them the Passover; for Christians it is the anniversary of the death and burial of our Lord Who on this day, being Himself both hight Priest and Victim, offered Himself upon the Cross for the salvation of the world.

Because Christ died for Jews and Gentiles, the first Lesson is from the Prophet Osee and the second Lesson is from Exodus. From them we infer that by the bloody death of the immaculate Lamb Jesus we are healed of our sins, and redeemed from death.

The second part of these Ceremonies consists of the unveiling and Adoration of the Cross. In the versicles which are chanted alternately by the choir, Christ tenderly and lovingly reproaches the people who crucified Him. They are, therefore, called reproaches, words of complaint, and continue during the Veneration of the Cross by the Priest.

The third part consists of the Procession and the Mass of the Presanctified. The Sacred Host consecrated on Holy Thursday and kept in the chalice is brought by the Priest in procession from the repository to the main Altar, incensed in sign of adoration. The Mass of the Presanctified begins now with the Pater Noster and ends with the Communion.

Crux Fidelis

Faithful Cross, thou stand'st alone, None like thee in our woods is grown, None can with thy rich growth compare, Or leaves like thine, or flowers bear, Sweet wood, sweet nails, both sweet and fair, Sweet is the precious weight ye bear.

Pange Lingua

Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
Of His flesh the mystery sing;
Of His Blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our immortal King,
Destined, for the world's redemption,
From a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order,
Wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
Seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
First fulfills the Law's command;
Then as Food to all His brethren,
Gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature,
By His word to Flesh He turns;
Wine into His Blood He changes;
What though sense no change discerns,
Only be the heart in earnest,
Faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who reigns on high,
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from Each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen. Alleluia.

       †

March 29th, Maundy Thursday. Day of Fast

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who are continually afflicted through our excesses, may be delivered by the Passion of Thy only-begotten Son: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Holy Thursday Sermons
by Fr. Weninger, 1876 Liturgical Commentary:
Maundy Thursday Instruction for Holy Thursday Take Heed Lest You Fall Newly Added
The Treason of Judas and the Death of the Wicked Part 4: The Four Gates of Hell Hell The Sight of Hell, A Book for Children and Young Persons as well as Adults Reflection on Hell The Life of Our Savour Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1891 The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Fr. O' Keeffe, 1891 Unworthy Communion Why the Mass is in Latin Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Catholic Worship, Explained The Angels in the Liturgy The Sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist God the Teacher of Mankind: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 1884 The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Index for the Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion

Novenas in March

Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th

Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Litany of Penance Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Passion of Christ Clock of the Passion The Holy Hour The Psalter of Jesus The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross

Index of Children Prayers, Lent Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Catholic Bible Stories

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger

Holy Thursday:

The Mass today commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ordination of the Apostles. On this day only one Mass may be celebrated in each church at which two Hosts are consecrated, one of which is borne in procession to the Altar of Repose and placed in the repository to be used on the following day at the Mass of the Presanctified.

During the Mass, the Church lays aside for a moment the penitential purple, and assumes festive white vestments. The Altar is decorated and the Gloria is sung. The ringing of bells ceases after the Gloria until Holy Saturday, and after Vespers the Altars are stripped.

The Mandatum or Washing of the Feet takes place on this day because our Lord washed the feet of His Apostles before the institution of the Holy Eucharist from which this feast derives its name and most characteristic feature.

Meditation by:
St. Alphonsus De Ligouri

The Last Supper of Jesus

Jesus knowing that his hour was come to pass out of this world to the father; having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Knowing that the time of his death and departure from this world was come, and having hitherto loved men even to excess, he wished to give them the last and the greatest proof of his love. Behold him seated at table, all on fire with charity, turning to his disciples and saying, With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you? My disciples (and he then said the same to us all), know that I have desired nothing during my whole life but to eat this last supper with you; for after it I shall go to sacrifice my life for your salvation.

Then, O my Jesus, dost Thou desire so ardently to give Thy life for us, Thy miserable creatures? Ah! this Thy desire inflames our hearts with a desire to suffer and die for the love of Thee, since Thou dost condescend to suffer and die for the love of us. O beloved Redeemer, make known to us what Thou willest from us: we are willing to please Thee in all things. We sigh to give Thee pleasure, to correspond at least in part to Thy great love for us. Increase always more and more this blessed flame within us: may it make us forget the world and ourselves, that from this day forward we may think only of pleasing Thy enamored heart.

He riseth from supper, and layeth aside His garments, and having taken a towel girded Himself. After that He putteth water into a basin. and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded? My soul, behold thy Jesus, rising from the table, laying aside his garments, taking a white cloth and girding himself with it; he afterwards puts water into a basin, kneels down before his disciples, add begins to wash their feet. Then the sovereign of the universe, the only-begotten of God, humbles himself so as to wash the feet of his creatures. O angels, what do you say? It would have been a great favor if Jesus Christ had permitted them, as he did Magdalene, to wash his divine feet with their tears. But no; he wished to place himself at the feet of his servants in order to leave us at the end of his life this great example of humility, and this proof of the great love that he bears to men.

And, O Lord, shall we be always so proud as not to be able to bear a word of contempt, or the smallest inattention, without instantly feeling resentment, and thinking of seeking revenge, after we had by our sins deserved to be trampled on by the devils in hell? Ah, my Jesus, Thy example has rendered humiliations and insults amiable to us. I purpose henceforth to bear every injury and affront for the love of Thee.

Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it, and gave to His disciples and said. Take ye and eat, this is My body. After the washing of the feet, an act of humility the practice of which Jesus recommended to his disciples, he took his garments, and, sitting down again to table, wished to give men the last proof of the tender love that he had for them, and that was the institution of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar

He took for that purpose bread, consecrated it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying. "Take and eat, this is my body." He then recommended them as often as they should communicate to remember the death which he suffered for their sake. As often as you shall eat this bread . . . you shall show the death of the Lord. Jesus Christ did then, what a dying prince who tenderly loved his spouse would do: he selects among all his gems and jewels the most beautiful and costly; he then calls his spouse and says to her, O my dear spouse, I am going to die; and, that thou mayest not forget me, I leave thee this gem as a memorial of me: when thou dost look at it, remember me and the love I have borne thee.

"No tongue," says St. Peter of Alcantara, in his meditations, "is able to express the greatness of the love which Jesus bears to every soul. Hence, that his absence might not be an occasion of forgetting Him, He left, before his departure from this world, to His spouse this Most Holy Sacrament, in which He Himself remained, wishing that between them there should be no other pledge than Himself to keep alive the remembrance of Him." We may then imagine how pleasing it is to Jesus Christ that we remember His Passion, since He has instituted the sacrament of the altar, that we may preserve a continual remembrance of the immense love which He has shown us in his death.

O my Jesus, O God enamored of souls! Has Thy affection for men enraptured Thee to such a degree as to make Thyself their food? Tell me what more remains for Thee to do in order to oblige us to love Thee? In . the Holy Communion Thou givest Thyself to us entirely and without reserve: it is then but just that we give our whole being unreservedly to Thee. I wish to be all Thine, I wish to love nothing but Thee, my God. Thou hast said that he who eats Thy flesh lives only for Thee. He that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. Since then Thou hast so often permitted me to eat Thy flesh, make me die to myself that I may live only for Thee, only to serve Thee, and give Thee pleasure. My Jesus, I wish to fix all my affections in Thee: assist me to be faithful to Thee.

St. Paul remarks the time in which Jesus Christ instituted this great sacrament, and says, The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said. Take ye and eat: this is My body. O God, on the very night in which men were preparing to put him to death, the loving Redeemer prepared for us this bread of life and of love to unite us entirely to himself, as he declared when he said, He that eateth My flesh abideth in Me, and I in him.

O love of my soul, worthy of infinite love! Thou canst not give greater proofs of Thy affection and tender love for me. Ah, draw me entirely to Thyself: if I know not how to give Thee my whole heart, take it Thou to Thyself. Ah, my Jesus, when shall I be all Thine, as Thou dost make Thyself all mine when I receive Thee in this sacrament of love? Ah, enlighten me, and unfold to me always more and more Thy amiable qualities, which render Thee so worthy of love, that I may be always more and more enamored of Thee, and may be wholly employed in pleasing Thee. I love Thee, O my sovereign good, my joy, my love, my all.

†

March 28th, St. John Capistran, Confessor

St. John Capistran, Confessor. Wednesday of Holy Week. Day of Fast       Newly Added Catholic Book
"St. John Capistran" --A Saint
for our time. Novena to St. Vincent Ferrer,
March 28th through April 5th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son                  Newly Added
The Treason of Judas and the Death of the Wicked

The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross The Life of Our Savour Jesus Christ, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1891 Wednesday in Holy Week Prayers Honoring the Passion and Death of Jesus Passion-tide and Holy Week Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God Stabat Mater Video

Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Children Prayers, Lent Clock of the Passion The Psalter of Jesus Seven Penitential Psalms The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Passion Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Art of Dying Well
by St. Robert Bellarmine Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Sacrament of
Extreme Unction Death General Judgement Heaven Hell The Thought of Eternity The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them? Spiritual Communion

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, who through blessed John didst make Thy faithful, in virtue of the most holy Name of Jesus, to triumph over the enemies of Thy Cross: grant, we beseech Thee, by his intercession that we may overcome the snares of the enemies of our souls, and be found worthy to receive the crown of righteousness from Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

       †

March 27th, St. John Damascene, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. Tuesday in Holy Week. Day of Fast

                 Newly Added
Our Lord is Condemned to the Cross; Jesus Carries His Cross St. John Damascene The Church Triumphant Veneration of the Saints Tuesday in Holy Week Prayers Honoring the Passion and Death of Jesus Passion-tide and Holy Week Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Clock of the Passion The Holy Hour Vol. 3: Holy Week and the Passion of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Litany of the Holy Cross The Psalter of Jesus The Steps of Our Savior's Passion The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Almighty, everlasting God, Who didst fill blessed John with heavenly learning and with a spirit of wonderful strength, that he might spread devotion to holy images: grant us through this prayers and example, to imitate the virtues of those whose images we venerate and to experience their protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint John was born in the late 7th century, and is the most remarkable of the Greek writers of the 8th century. His father was a civil authority who was Christian amid the Saracens of Damascus, whose caliph made him his minister. This enlightened man found in the public square one day, amid a group of sad Christian captives, a priest of Italian origin who had been condemned to slavery; he ransomed him and assigned him to his young son to be his tutor. Young John made extraordinary progress in grammar, dialectic, mathematics, music, poetry, astronomy, but above all in theology, the discipline imparting knowledge of God. John became famous for his encyclopedic knowledge and theological method, later a source of inspiration to Saint Thomas Aquinas.

When his father died, the caliph made of him his principal counselor, his Grand Vizier. Thus it was through Saint John Damascene that the advanced sciences made their apparition among the Arab Moslems, who had burnt the library of Alexandria in Egypt; it was not the Moslems who instructed the Christians, as was believed for some time in Europe. Saint John vigorously opposed the ferocious Iconoclast persecution instigated by the Emperor of Constantinople, Leo the Isaurian. He distinguished himself, with Saint Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the defense of the veneration of sacred images.

The Emperor, irritated, himself conjured up a plot against him. A letter was forged, signed with Saint John�'s name, and addressed to himself, the Emperor of Constantinople, offering to deliver up the city of Damascus to him. That letter was then transmitted by the Emperor to the Caliph of Damascus, advising him as a good neighbor should do, that he had a traitor for minister. Although Saint John vigorously defended himself against the charge, he was condemned by the Caliph to have his right hand cut off. The severed hand, by order of the Caliph, was attached to a post in a public square. But Saint John obtained the hand afterwards, and invoked the Blessed Virgin in a prayer which has been preserved; he prayed to be able to continue to write the praises of Her Son and Herself. The next morning when he awoke, he found his hand joined again to the arm, leaving no trace of pain, but only a fine red line like a bracelet, marking the site of the miracle.

The Saint was reinstated afterwards to the favor of the local prince, but he believed that heaven had made it clear he was destined to serve the Church by his writings. He therefore distributed his property and retired soon thereafter to the monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, where he spent most of his remaining years in apologetic writings and prayer. Occasionally he left to console the Christians of Syria and Palestine and strengthen them, even going to Constantinople in the hope of obtaining martyrdom there. However, he was able to return to his monastery. There he died in peace at the age of 104, and was buried near the door of the monastery church, in the year 780.

       †

March 26th, Monday in Holy Week

Newly Added
Jesus: the Willing Victim Monday in Holy Week Passion-tide and Holy Week The Penitent Christian Vol. 3: Holy Week and the Passion of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Holy Hour The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers:
the Season of Lent Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Contrition Prayers and Devotions for the Dying

JESUS UNJUSTLY CONDEMNED--HIS RESIGNATION

1st Prel. Consider Jesus, "who delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly."

2nd Prel. Ask for victory over, your passions.

Point I: "Pilate saith to them, . . . . . Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then, therefore, he delivered Him to them for to be crucified." (St. John 19: 15, 16.)

Consideration: Never did judge pronounce a more unjust sentence; for He that was condemned as the worst of malefactors had been four times publicly proclaimed innocent. How did it happen that Pilate, naturally right-minded and well-intentioned, descended to such cowardly wickedness? We know the reason; from the beginning he lacked energy and resolution to oppose the popular fury; for he was aware that "for envy they had delivered Him." (St. Matt. 27: 18.)

Application: Nothing is more to be dreaded than the first giving way to passion; generally, the first false step paves the way for others, and brings us only too often to a point from which we should formerly have shrunk with horror. Thus we learn how men once distinguished for their qualities of heart and mind, even religious who were long the edification of their brethren, have fallen into heresy, apostacy, and even infidelity. They merely yielded in the beginning to some slight temptation of wounded self-love or sensuality; but in the end they were blinded by passion, and became its victims.

Affections: Thank God who has mercifully preserved you from falling a victim to those passions which you have so often flattered, where you should rather have struggled against them energetically.

Resolutions: To oppose courageously the first attacks of passion, according to the proverb, "Principiis obsta." "Resist from the beginning."

Point II: "And Pilate, taking water, washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just man. Look you to it. And the whole people answering, said, His blood be upon us, and upon our children." (St. Matt. 27:24, 25.)

Consideration: When those charged with the maintenance of law and order fail in their duty, the consequences are usually as fatal to their subordinates as to themselves. We have a proof of this here: if Pilate, when convinced of our Lord's innocence, had censured His enemies as they deserved, and given Him back justified to the affection of the people, these last would have had no part in the guilt of the chief priests, nor would they have uttered that fearful imprecation, which, during more than eighteen centuries, has hung over their race: "His blood be upon us, and upon our children."

Resolutions: When humbled by reproof, I will say, with the holy King David: "Bonum mihi, quia humiliasti me." "It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me." (Psalm 118: 71.)

Point III: "And they took Jesus, and led Him forth, and, bearing His own cross, He went forth to that place which is called Calvary." (St. John 19: 16, 17.)

Consideration: St. Peter speaks of the perfect submission with which Jesus accepted His unjust sentence. "Tradebat autem judicanti se injuste." "He delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly." (1. Peter 2:23.) That is, He looked on it as imposed by His Father in expiation of the sins of the world. God makes use of the malice or the mistakes of men to accomplish His designs, and in expiation of the sins of the world. The design of God here was the reparation of His glory and the redemption of mankind by the death of His Divine Son. And it was this that our Lord had ardently desired from the first moment of His Incarnation: judge, therefore, of the joy and eagerness with which He laid the heavy cross upon His shoulders.

Application: Our Lord here teaches us how to meet the persecution and ill-treatment of wicked men, and how we should receive the humiliations, or even the punishments, that our superiors may inflict upon us by mistake. How has it been with you in such instances? If you have Jesus always before your eyes, nothing will seem difficult; all your glory and happiness will be in bearing the cross after Him.

Colloquy with Jesus, the Model and King of martyrs.

†

March 25th, Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday I. Palm Sunday II. Palm Sunday:
Epistle and Gospel                  Newly Added
Palm Sunday: Serving God from the Heart How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? Passion-tide and Holy Week Children's Sermon for Palm Sunday Our Redeemer & Messiah Vol. 3: Holy Week and the Passion of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Holy Hour The Psalter of Jesus Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers:
the Season of Lent Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Contrition Prayers and Devotions for the Dying

Almighty, everlasting God, Who didst cause our Savior to take upon Him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should imitate the example of His humility; mercifully grant that we may deserve both to keep in mind the lessons of His patience, and also to be made partakers of His resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

Ant. The Lord God is my helper, and therefore I am not confounded.

They surrounded me; on all sides thy surrounded me: but in the name of the Lord I will be avenged on them.

Judge my cause: defend me, for Thou art mighty, O Lord.

With the angels and with the children may we be found faithful, singing to Him who triumphed over death: Hosanna in the hightest.

Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let me not be confounded, O Lord, my God. (Roman Breviary)

In today's liturgy the twofold point of view from which the Church regards the Cross is expressed in two ceremonies, one marked by joy and the other by sadness. First comes the Blessing and Procession of Palms in which everything overflows with a holy joy which enables us after nineteen centuries to revive the spirit of the magnificent scene of our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then follows the Mass whose chants and lessons relate exclusively to the sorrowful memory of our Redeemer's Passion.

The Blessing of palms takes place at St. Mary Major which in Rome represents Bethlehem, the birthplace of Him whom the Magi hailed as "King of the Jews." Thence the procession goes to St. John Lateran, in which church in former times the Station took place since, by its dedication to St. Saviour, it calls up memories of the Passion which is the subject of today's Mass".

The Redeemer's triumph must be preceded by His humiliation "even to the death of the cross" (Ep.), which is to serve as a model for us, that "instructed by His patience", we may "partake in His Resurrection".

Explanation of the Passion according to the four Evangelists

Events preceding the Passion

Towards evening on the Tuesday in Holy Week, after leaving the Temple, our Lord ascended the mount of Olives; "You know" He said to His disciples, "that after two days shall be the Pasch, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified." Now among the Jews the days are reckoned to begin on the previous evening; Wednesday had already begun and it was on the following Friday that our Lord was put to death. The Passover corresponded with the full moon of the Spring equinox since it was then that the Hebrews left Egypt. In the hurry of their departure they had no time to prepare unleavened bread, in memory of which fact the Jews abstained from leavened bread throughout this Feast.

The Last Supper in the Cenacle

When the Evangelists speak of the "First day of the Azymes" they mean Thursday evening, that is, in the Jewish reckoning, the beginning of Friday. It was on Thursday that Peter and John were sent by the Master to prepare the supper in the "upper room" of a certain house and there at the fall of evening, that is, during the first watch lasting until nine o'clock, our Lord went with His disciples. They reclined round the table in eastern fashion on low couches, the left hand supported on cushions, so that John, on our Lord's right, could easily rest his head on the Master's breast. During the meal, taking one of the great cakes of unleavened bread, about eight inches across and very thin, our Lord changed it into His Body, uttering the Eucharistic prayer or grace, just as the father of the family was accustomed to do when eating the Passover lamb, he thanked almighty God for having delivered Israel from her captivity.

And then, after supper, when there still remained one more cup to drink, He changed it in the same way into His Blood, using the same words by which Moses had sealed the Old Covenant made in the blood of creatures: "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you, to which our Lord added two words: This is my Blood of the New Testament". It was when speaking of the Passover, the centre of the whole religious life of the Jewish people, that the great Lawgiver of Israel said: "You shall keep it a feast to the Lord in your generations with an everlasting observance. "In the same way our Redeemer commanded the Apostles, "and therefore" adds the Council of Trent," all their successors in the priesthood, to consecrate in the same way this bread and cup of wine in memory of Him".

For the lamb sacrificed for more than fifteen hundred years by the children of Israel is substituted the Lamb of God which will be sacrificed by us to the end of the world, and the Mass, which is identified with the Passover and Calvary, becomes the religious centre of all Christian people.

Our Lord's last discourse -- Gethsemane

The Supper over, Jesus uttered the sublime discourse which is the last testament of His love, the second part of it being spoken while He was on His way from the Cenacle to leave the city. Passing through the gate which stood not far from the Pool of Siloam, He traversed the valley of Cedron, by the suburb of Ophel, to enter the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The three apostles who had been witnesses of His Transfiguration were here also as part-witnesses of His thrice renewed agony, and Judas, who had sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, came with the captain and soldiers of a Roman cohort accompanied by guards commanded by Temple police, sent by the Sanhedrim. In the depth of night they entered Jerusalem with our Lord, climbing the slopes to the north east of the city and went straight to the palace of the High Priests.

Ecclesiastical Trial before Annas and Caiaphas

Here the ecclesiastical trial was about to take place since it pertained to the Jewish religious authorities to examine Jesus on what they called His assumed title of the Son of God. The Sanhedrin consisted of seventy members, at the head of which were the chief priests and their supreme head the High Priest, which office Annas had succeeded in obtaining for his five sons in succession, and then in the year of our Lord's death for his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Faithless to their mission, these official representatives of the Jewish religion no longer looked for any Messias other than a warrior king who should deliver them by main force from the Roman yoke.

Our Lord was at first taken before Annas, the father-in-law as we have seen of the High Priest, but since he was no longer in office it was beyond his competence to judge our Lord when He appeared before him. The affair had been mismanaged and had to be referred to the tribunal of the real High Priest, Caiaphas. He awaited Jesus, in another wing of the Palace, seated, according to custom, with legs crossed, on a slightly raised platform. Around him on the ground, on cushions set in the form of a semicircle, were grouped the other priests. The proceedings were illegal because while they should have taken place in the day-time with witnesses present, it was actually two o'clock in the morning, and such witnesses as there were detected in flagrant imposture.

Then Joseph Caiphas, overpowered by rage, solemnly called upon our Lord to tell him if He were the Christ, a measure quite contrary to the Roman Law which in such a case invalidates the confession of the accused; and our Lord who had waited for this moment before speaking, formally declared His Divinity before the Jewish religious authority in full council assembled. They then found Him worthy of death, a sentence which He accepted since it was precisely His character as Son of God which enabled Him to give an infinite value to the sacrifice which He was about to offer to God the Father for His brethren, the sons of men.

The servants of the High Priest -- Saint Peter -- Judas

Our Lord was then given over to the mockeries of the High Priest's servants who, uttering blasphemies, covered Him with spittle. It was during this night that Peter, who had followed Jesus afar off, was brought by John into the High Priest's palace where he denied his Master three times, and after the cock had crowed for the second time, he went out from the palace, and as the Greek text implies, "he wept with a loud voice, with sobs". Towards morning the Sanhedrin met again in order to give some semblance of legality to its sentence which according to law, had to be passed in the day-time. Our Lord appeared before the court and having declared Himself the Son of God was condemned afresh.

Judas now understood the magnitude of his crime, and being consumed with remorse approached the Council of Priests which was still sitting and confessed that he had "sinned in betraying innocent blood". Then the traitor seized with despair, threw down the pieces of silver in the Temple and going out to the pool of Siloam, lost himself in the deep valley through which flows the mountain stream of Hinnom. In this narrow place known as the Gehenna (Ge-Hinnom) "he hanged himself" and "burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out".

The Civil Trial before Pilate

But it was Rome, of whom Palestine was at that time a dependency, that had the sole power of life and death. It was necessary to refer a case of this kind to the Roman Procurator and our Lord was taken to the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate, in the fortress of Antonia. Here the Jews did not enter, since in the house of a pagan they would have contracted legal defilement, at this time of the Passover Feast.

Our Lord's civil trial was, in its turn, about to commence. But before this new tribunal a political charge was a necessity. In the Jewish view the Messias was to be an earthly monarch, so they accused Jesus, who said that He was the Messias, of being a rival king to Caesar.

On this new ground was reproduced, point by point, the same procedure as that of the night before, the same silence of our Lord in the face of false witnesses, the same formal assertion of His spiritual kingship before the pagan world, represented this time by those who actually held the world power; the same ill-treatment by subordinates, in this case the Roman soldiery. Our Lord, who in reality guided the whole proceeding, would be condemned only as the Son of God and King of souls. He put the question again on religious ground, when He said: "My kingdom is not of this world."

This was to remove the matter from Pilate's province, and he, up to the very end, declared our Lord perfectly innocent. The Jews then had recourse to intimidation, and Pilate who was too much of a coward to use his authority in the teeth of a mob who would avenge itself by accusing him in high places, looked round for means to safeguard his own interests without altogether ignoring the protests of some remnant of conscience, informed as it was by pagan superstition, which vaguely feared the chastisement of the gods.

Herod -- Pilate -- Barabbas -- The Scourging

As a first expedient, Pilate learning that Jesus was a Galilean, despatched him to Herod the Tetrarch of Galilee. This was the son of Herod the Great who had ordered the massacre of the innocents when the Magi announced that the "King of the Jews" had not long been born. Mortif��0�2ed by our Lord's silence, he sought in his turn to humble the Jews by clothing Jesus in the white robe worn by those who laid claim to that royalty which they denied Him.

Pilate's second plan was to propose the exchange with Barabbas. This attempt to establish a parallel between Christ and a murderer met with no better success. His third scheme was to order our blessed Lord to be scourged. This was a shameful punishment reserved only for slaves. The culprit, stripped of his garments, had his hands tied to the iron ring attached to a low pillar, while the executioner armed with a scourge of supple thongs with bone tips, with calculated deliberation lashed with it the back of his victim, bent and taut. The thongs bending pliantly about the body passed from shoulder to breast, ploughing deep furrows from which, while the blood gushed forth, pieces of flesh fell away.

In this state our blessed Lord was brought forth to the mob, wearing His crown of thorns and with a reed for His sceptre. The irony of the scene was not lost on the Jews. How dare they pretend any longer to see Caesar's rival in such a king?

The condemnation of Jesus

They reject Him, therefore, with contempt, on His claim to be the Son of God which was to be the sole cause of His death, and Pilate, shaken by the decisive argument "We will denounce you to Caesar", thinks about finding a last expedient to quiet his conscience. By the symbolic act of washing his hands he shows the Jews that, before his tribunal, Jesus is innocent and that he gives Him up to them only because of their claim that He is condemned by their laws. In this declaration he persisted up to the very last moment when he caused to be attached to the Cross an inscription in three languages, pointing out according to custom, the ground on which the prisoner was condemned. It bore these words: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

Pilate, in his cowardice was guilty of homicide but the Jews in their hatred attacked the Son of God and were the murderers of God Himself.

The Way of the Cross The Crucifixion The Last Agony

At about eleven o'clock, our Lord leaves the Judgment hall of Pilate. The sorrowful way of the Cross begins with the path which leads down into the valley of Tyropoeon and traverses towards the east a steep slope leading up to the gates of the city itself. There, outside the walls, was Mount Golgotha, the spot where executions generally took place, and here in the midst of the intense darkness which reigned from noon until three o'clock and which was noted everywhere in the Roman Empire, our blessed Lord underwent His last torments.

Death on the cross was the most cruel and terrible of tortures, for the victim necessarily compelled to remain in one position, had for several hours to support the whole weight of his body on his out stretched arms. The horrible tension thus inflicted, congested the blood at the face and neck, causing intolerable pain of which the chief feature was a burning thirst. To die by crucifixion was to die of pain alone, in anguish of the most agonizing kind.

Towards evening it was the custom to hasten death by breaking the sufferer's legs, the feet being a little more than three feet above the ground.

Jesus' Death and Burial

Then came the decisive moment which was to mark the hour of redemption for the human race. Our blessed Lord is about to sign as with a seal, the seal of His Blood, all the acts of His life that they may become redemptive in character. Further, to show that it is not by constraint but through love for His Father and for men that He allows death to work its will upon Him, He utters a loud cry and expires. Our Divine Redeemer is dead. With Mary His Mother and with St. John let us remain at the foot of the Cross, and like the handful of Jews who were converted at this moment, strike our breasts, since it is to make satisfaction for our sins that He has offered His life to God.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. About five o'clock our Lord was taken down from the Cross and buried in haste since the Sabbath, this week "a great Sabbath Day", began at six. As a matter of fact it coincides with the 15th. Nisan, the most important day of the Passover, thus perfectly symbolizing the rest into which our Lord had entered for ever.

The Jews had no cemetery but were accustomed to prepare a monument on their own property, often on both sides of the high road. Joseph, who came from Arimathea, a Judean town, had Jesus laid in the sepulchre which he had made for himself and which stood in a garden near the scene of our Redeemer's death; while Nicodemus brought about "an hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes" with which to embalm Him provisionally. They then closed the sepulchre with a great stone, shaped like a millstone, which could only be moved with the greatest difficulty. This done the holy women returned to the city where they bought spices, intending to complete our Lord's burial with greater care after the Sabbath rest. The next day, Saturday, the Jews sealed the tomb and placed guards there.

Let it be our joy today to repeat with our Lord the Communion prayer: "Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, Thy will be done."

       †

March 24th, St. Gabriel, Archangel. Day of Fast.

St. Gabriel The Annunciation Ave Maria Joyful Mysteries Litany of the Holy Angels The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels The Three Archangels and the Guardian Angels in Art, 1899 The Angels in the Liturgy Good and Bad Angels Your Guardian Angel throughout life Meditations on St. Joseph for the Month of March

Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion The Psalter of Jesus The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Good and Evil Explained

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

                 Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession                  Newly Added
On Spiritual Murder Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

O God, Who didst choose Gabriel, the Archangel, from among the other Angels to announce the mystery of Thy Incarnation: Mercifully grant, that we who keep his feast upon earth may feel his patronage in heaven: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Gabriel was sent to Daniel to enlighten him as to the time when Christ would be born (Epistle), and to Zachary, at the hour in which he offered incense in the temple (Offertory), to announce to him the birth of John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messias (Gospel). "Only Gabriel, a name that means 'Power of God,' was found worthy among all the angels," says St. Bernard, "to announce to Mary the designs of God with regard to her" (Matins). "He was chosen from among all the angels," says the Collect, " to proclaim the mystery of the Incarnation."

With a feeling of holy reverence, St. Gabriel came to the Virgin who from all eternity had been chosen to be the mother on earth of Him of whom God is the Father in heaven. In the words inspired by the most High, and which the Church desires us to repeat frequently, he said to her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

And seeing that Mary was taken aback by this salutation, the angel explained that he had come to obtain her consent, her Fiat, that the great mystery on which depended the redemption of mankind might be accomplished. "I am Gabriel who stand before God, and I have been sent to speak to thee and to tell thee these good tidings " (Matins).

It was Mary's wish to remain a virgin, and the angel of the Lord announced that she would conceive of the Holy Ghost and that she would give birth to a son to whom she would give the name of Jesus, that is to say, Saviour.

Mary then, without hesitating, submitted with the most profound humility : Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to Thy word.

And in that instant was accomplished the greatest of all miracles when God raised unto Himself and into union with Him the blessed fruit of the womb of the Virgin : " And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."

The angel then returned to heaven. "Having learned by the mouth of Gabriel the Incarnation of the Word, may it be given to us to obtain by his help the fruits of that same Incarnation." (Postcommunion).

       †

March 23rd, Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Day of Fast and Abstinence.

Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. Our Lady of Sorrows Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows                  Newly Added
Feast of the Seven Sorrows
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sorrowful Mysteries 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Stabat Mater Video Spiritual Communion The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Set Forth in Her Titles from the Litany of Loreto The Christian Mother Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875 The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Clock of the Passion The Holy Hour

The Seven Holy Founders St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Seven Penitential Psalms Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, at whose Passion, as foretold by Simeon, a sword of sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of glorious Mary, Virgin and Mother: grant in Thy mercy, that we who reverently call to mind her anguish and suffering, may be helped by the glorious merits and prayers of all the saints who faithfully stand at Thy Cross, and win the happy fruit of Thy Passion: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Eve when placed by the hand of God in a garden of delights, received but one precept to be obeyed so as to be forever happy--a precept easy of accomplishment, the non-observance whereof should needs be inexcusable, inasmuch as neither urgent want nor strong inclination led to its violation; there was conjoined, moreover, the assurance of death following inevitably upon the transgression of the precept. But the serpent, kindling with jealousy and hate, came to tempt her. She gazed on the forbidden fruit, gathered thereof, and carried it to her husband, and together they ate, incurring the fatal loss, and involving mankind in their downfall. Mary, preceded by the God made man, went toiling with Him up the arid steep of Calvary, in order to accomplish the most heart-rending of all sacrifices.

Eve had rebelled: Mary surrendered her will. Eve had yielded to the enticing voice of the tempter; Mary heard the voice of the same demon of jealousy and hate, uttering by the mouth of the impious Jews blasphemies and maledictions, but she was not frightened from her purpose. Eve, in her disobedience, stretched forth her hand toward the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; Mary, in her submission to the designs of God, stretches forth hers to the tree of the cross. Eve had sacrificed to her caprice the spouse through whom she had received being; Mary assists at the sacrifice of the Son to Whom she has given being. Eve was born of man without the agency of a mother; Mary gave birth to the Man-God without the intervention of a spouse. Eve, after her disobedience, became the mother, in the order of nature, of a race accursed; Mary, through her submission, has become, in the order of grace, the Mother of a race sanctified.

These points of resemblance and contrast offer themselves spontaneously to the mind, provided we ponder somewhat over the remembrance celebrated by the Church on the Friday in Holy Week, under the title of "The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin." A mother's heart can alone comprehend the agony of torture endured by this Mother at the foot of the cross whereon her Son was immolated; we do not attempt to describe, nor are any mere human lips, indeed, able to express it.

Reflection.--Let us adore this divine and mysterious abyss of charity, in whose depth our salvation was worked out at the price of so much suffering; and let us bear in mind what we have cost that Mother to whose guardianship we were made over even from the sublime height of the cross.

       †

March 22nd,
St. Isidore the Farmer, Confessor

St. Isidore, the Farmer 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Index of Children Prayers Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Necessity of Mortification

The Sacrament of Penance, all of Your Questions Answered Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P.

The Penitent Christian is a valuable aid in making a good confession. All necessary facets of the Sacrement of Penance are covered in detail to answer your individual questions.

The Penitent Christian Litany of Penance Examination of Conscience Contrition

Novenas during the month of March

Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries Grant us, we beseech Thee, O God, by the intercession of Thy Confessor the Holy farm-laborer, Isidore, that we may overcome any feelings of pride, and may always serve Thee with That Humility which pleases Thee, through his merits and example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Isidore the Farmer, was born near Madrid of very poor but very Christian parents, who early inspired in him love for God and horror of sin. His education was accomplished entirely by the Holy Spirit who taught him, without books, the science of salvation.

He married a wife rich in virtue, Maria Torribia, and God blessed them with a son whom they brought up in the sentiments of their own piety. The child fell into a well, which is still shown in Madrid, and drowned; but when his parents prayed he might be returned to them, the water rose to ground level and brought up the child full of life and health. They promised then to separate, apparently out of gratitude to God, and to live in perpetual continence.

Saint Isidore himself was a day-laborer on a farm near Madrid, but every day found him at Mass in one of the churches of the city before he set out for his daily task. His employer desired to verify whether he was wasting time during his work, and one day saw two mysterious personages helping the holy worker to guide his plow; Isidore himself told him they were Angels. Afterwards the wealthy owner became still more convinced that piety was useful in all occupations. For not only did his worker bring back to life one of his horses, which he very much needed; when his daughter, too, died, she was resurrected by the Saint. A fountain of water which the Saint caused to surge up by striking the ground still exists.

Saint Isidore, though poor, shared all he had with the poor; and one day, when no provisions were left, his cupboard was found well furnished when still another beggar arrived.

Saint Isidore died some time after his wife; and forty years later his remains, which had been in extremely wet ground, were found incorrupt. They were taken into the Church of Saint Andrew and re-interred there; miracles have been countless, and celestial music has often been heard at his tomb. He has protected the city of Seville, making himself visible occasionally; and the kings of Spain themselves urged his canonization, which was carried out in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

†

March 21st, St. Benedict, Abbot. Day of Fast

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedict procure favor for us, we beseech thee, O Lord: that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Benedict Prayers and Devotions To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger St. Benedict by Leonard Goffine Newly Added
On Serving Two Masters Part 14: Does Satan Exist? Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation Part 13: A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms St. Michael/ Exorcism On Serving the Devil On the Spiritual Combat

Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

St. Benedict, blessed by grace and in name, was born of a noble Italian family about 480. When a boy he was sent to Rome, and there placed in the public schools. Scared by the licentiousness of the Roman youth, he fled to the desert mountains of Subiaco, and was directed by the Holy Spirit into a cave, deep, craggy, and almost inaccessible. He lived there for three years, unknown to any one save the holy monk Romanus, who clothed him with the monastic habit and brought him food. But the fame of his sanctity soon gathered disciples round him.

The rigor of his rule, however, drew on him the hatred of some of the monks, and one of them mixed poison with the abbot's drink; but when the Saint made the sign of the cross on the poisoned bowl, it broke and fell in pieces to the ground. After he had built twelve monasteries at Subiaco, he removed to Monte Casino, where he founded an abbey in which he wrote his rule and lived until death. By prayer he did all things: wrought miracles, saw visions, and prophesied. A peasant, whose boy had just died, ran in anguish to St. Benedict, crying out, "Give me back my son!" The monks joined the poor man in his entreaties; but the Saint replied, "Such miracles are not for us to work, but for the blessed apostles. Why will you lay upon me a burden which my weakness cannot bear? "Moved at length by compassion he knelt down and, prostrating himself upon the body of the child, prayed earnestly. Then rising, he cried out, "Behold not, O Lord, my sins, but the faith of this man, who desireth the life of his son, and restore to the body that soul which Thou hast taken away." Hardly had he spoken when the child's body began to tremble, and taking it by the hand he restored it alive to its father.

Six days before his death he ordered his grave to be opened, and fell ill of a fever. On the sixth day he requested to be borne into the chapel, and, having received the body and blood of Christ, with hands uplifted, and leaning on one of his disciples, he calmly expired in prayer on the 21st of March, 543.

Reflection.--The Saints never feared to undertake any work, however arduous, for God, because, distrusting self, they relied for assistance and support wholly upon prayer.

†

March 20th, Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
On Spiritual Murder The Sin of Scandal The Penitent Christian

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus Clock of the Passion

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

†

March 19th, St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Grant, O Lord, that we may be helped by the merits of the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother: so that what we cannot obtain of ourselves, may be given to us through his intercession: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers Sermons on St. Joseph Instructions for the Feast of St. Joseph The Patronage of St. Joseph Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying
St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church Solemnity of St. Joseph has been moved to April 18th Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family March Meditation on St. Joseph Christmas Video Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine

Other Links in Honor of St. Joseph

The Flight into Egypt Instructions for the
Catholic Family The Christian Father Instructions and Prayers for Fathers The Christian Family The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

On the nineteenth of March, our holy Mother the Church reminds us of the feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Foster- Father of Jesus, and Patron of the Universal Church. The Catholic Church has always honored St. Joseph in a special manner, after Our Lady and above the other Saints.

St. Gregory the Great tells us that Christ is the Son of God, not only because He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, but also because God formed His sacred humanity. In the first promise of the Redeemer as we read it in the Gospel Commentary, Christ is called, not the seed of man, but the seed of the woman;(1) and in the genealogy of Christ re- corded by St. Matthew, no mention is made of His descent from Joseph, but only of Mary.(2) Yet, Christ was commonly thought to be the son of Joseph.(3) Mary was espoused to St. Joseph that no accusation might be made against her by the world, and that she might have in him a protector. About St. Joseph we have the following facts: He was a carpenter,(4) he was a just man.(5)

On the first page of the New Testament, in the first chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, stand the name and the office of 8t. Joseph, the foundation of his claim to the veneration of Christians and the complete justification of all the honor paid him by the unerring Spouse of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church.

The Spouse of Mary Immaculate, the Head of the Holy Family, the Foster-Father of the Incarnate Word, to his faithful guardianship were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins. As King Assuerus desired to honor Mardochai of old, the protector of Queen Esther, so the King of Heaven desired to honor Joseph, yet, not with the fleeting hours of earthly greatness, whose remembrance would quickly fade from the minds of men, but with a dignity which should claim increasing reverence in each succeeding age. Even as the elder Joseph in King Pharaoh's court, his prototype, had been clothed with the king's own garment, so was he clothed with the earthly representation of the eternal fatherhood of God. He was the spouse on earth of her who was the Bride of the Holy Ghost.

St. Bernardine of Siena lays down the following principle of God's dealing with His saints which is verified most of all in St. Joseph. "When the divine favor chooses anyone for a singular grace or for a sublime state or position, to that person are given, together with his vocation, all those gifts of grace that are necessary for him as well as those that befit the office to -which he is chosen.

St. Joseph was chosen from among men to have the chief part, after his Immaculate Spouse, in the supreme work of God's mercy, the Incarnation of the Eternal Word. He -was to he the companion and spouse of the Mother of God, the guide, protector and ruler of the Word Made Flesh. His office required the rarest qualities of soul and mind: these were given him with gifts of grace that were limited only by omnipotent generosity.

What must not have been the graces given him in early life to prepare him for his life-work! And then, after the Espousals, must not the prayers of Mary his spouse have obtained for him plentiful floods of divine grace? But who "will attempt to measure the increase of holiness coming to him from his years of close companionship with the Source of all holiness, his Foster-Son Christ Jesus? His life after the Nativity was one long Communion day, grace following grace in his soul; his heart was ever filled with the thought of thanksgiving, as in the psalm, "What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has ren- dered unto me?"

In Christian art we find St. Joseph presented to us in accordance with the truth of Scripture and tradition. Christian artists have ever dwelt lovingly on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Of the Holy Family, pictures are given by the best authorities from the earliest days of the Church; some were found on the walls of the Roman Catacombs of Sts. Calistus and Priscilla; others, to be seen on sepulchral marbles and sarcophagi,, as well as upon ivory and earthenware.

The exquisite legend or tradition of the Espousals is beautifully portrayed in Raphael's painting, "The Marriage of St. Joseph,'' Tradition tells us that .there were many suitors for the hand of Mary, the heiress of Joachim and Anna. All the unmarried laen of the race of David, Joseph among the number, were summoned by the high priest, who bade each of them bring a rod with his name inscribed upon it. These rods the high priest placed in the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as Moses had done with the rods of Aaron and the princes of the tribes, and he besought the Lord to repeat the sign for him whom He had chosen to be Mary's spouse. On the morrow, it was found that, while the rods of the others had remained unchanged, Joseph's rod had budded and blossomed and now bore leaves and beautiful flowers. This is said by many to be the origin of the flowering rod with which St. Joseph is so often represented in art.

The Hidden Life has ever been a magnet for devout artists. The touching traditions that have come down to us fill out the Gospel narrative and afford subjects for Christian art as well as for pious contemplation.

In the Holy House at Nazareth there was constant labor. St. Justin, the Christian Apologist of the second century, tells us that "Jesus was reputed the son of Joseph, the carpenter or worker in wood and He Himself was reckoned to be a carpenter; for while He dwelt among men He had performed carpenter's work, making plows and yokes, teaching us thus to lead just lives, free from idleness.'' Would that these lessons might sink deeply into the souls of all Christians, and that, our thoughts dwelling oftener upon this Holy Family, our labor might become sanctified by closer union with theirs.

The life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at Nazareth was a life of prayer and of labor, a hard life to lead, as worldly-minded men consider it, a lowly life and, in truth, distasteful to many whose ideas of labor are altogether at variance with Catholic teaching and practice. "To lead just lives" in the practice of all the virtues befitting our state; "to lead lives free from idleness'' avoiding useless works and those not given us to do, and doing with all our might the work that God has given us. What toil will not be sweetened for him who has allowed these lessons to penetrate deeply into his mind and heart! What merit will he not gain if all his days are days of labor and of prayer in union with that prayer and labor which at Nazareth helped to save the world!

The end of earthly life was at hand; St. Joseph's work was done, his mission on earth fulfilled. Now he might repeat, with fuller meaning, the words of the holy old man Simeon--words that when first pronounced had filled his soul with wonder--"Now, O Lord, Thou dost dismiss Thy servant according to Thy word in peace." His eyes had indeed beheld the salvation of the Lord; he had seen Him Whom many kings eagerly desired to look upon; it had been given him not only to see and to hear, but to carry in his arms, to embrace, to clothe and to protect the only- begotten Son of God.

The "Death of St. Joseph" by Overbeck, represents the Saint at the very moment of death; Our Lady kneels beside Him, her hands clasped in prayer, and Our Lord, with hand upraised, is giving him the last blessing. Angels gaze with rapture upon the scene, and chant the words of the Apocalypse:

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." St. Joseph's death in the arms of Jesus has made him the special patron of the dying.

St. Jerome tells us St. Joseph was perfect in every virtue; and St. Thomas Aquinas gives as the reason for his holiness that he was so close to the Fount of holiness, just as the spring is clearer as we approach its source. St. Francis de Sales tells us that St. Joseph was conspicuous for his purity, and therein surpassed all the saints and even the angels. He was called father by Him Whose Father was in heaven.(6) Many saints assert that St. Joseph has a very high place in heaven as the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, and that he will be called upon by men in the last days of the world and give signs of his great power. St. Joseph is the patron of the Church;(7) that is, his prayers for the Church have great efficacy at the throne of God. St. Thomas Aquinas says that St. Joseph received power from God to help us in all necessities; and St. Teresa declared that no prayer of hers to St. Joseph in temporal or spiritual need was ever left unanswered.

May this short story increase our love for St. Joseph and help us to desire more ardently to have a very special share in his powerful protection in life and in death, since God has given him to us also, the most blessed and powerful guide and protector in our last passage, which we trust is to lead us to that heavenly home, of which the cottage at Nazareth was the image and the anticipation.(8)

1. Gen, iii, 15.
2. Matt. i, 16.
3.Luke iii, 23
4. Matt. xiii. 55.
5. Ib. i. 19.
6. St. Basil.
7. Pius IX, 1870.
8. Rev. Alban Butler.

†

March 18th, Passion Sunday. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Confessor.

Passion Sunday,
Sermon and Litany Fifth Sunday of Lent:
Epistle and Gospel Passion Sunday: God Abandons the Incorrigible Sinner The Obdurate Sinner Children's Sermon for Passion Sunday Newly Added
Purchased by His Blood Newly Added Catholic Book
The Sacred Passion of Jesus Christ by Rev. Clarke, 1889 The Flowers of the Passion
by St. Paul of the Cross Clock of the Passion The Holy Hour Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent and Passion-tide. A Resource Center of Prayers, Devotions, Books and Sermons. All related links to the Sacrament of Penance, Marriage, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints. Index of Children Prayers, Lent Lenten Novena in Honor of Christ Crucified and Penitential Litany for Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Litany of the Holy Cross The Psalter of Jesus Seven Penitential Psalms Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Holy Rosary: Glorious Mysteries

Passiontide: from Passion Sunday to Holy Saturday

The Mass of Passion Sunday is full of the thought of the Passion of Jesus and of the infidelity of the Jews, whose place in the Kingdom of God was taken by those who were baptized, that is to say by the Christians.

Passion Sunday

The Crucifix over the main altar is veiled today. Think it over in amazement! Jesus is obliged to hid Himself when "humanity 'stones' Divinity" (Gospel). The Jewish synagogue makes its final decision to ignore the miracles, the doctirne, and the sinless life of Christ, even though all these were prophesied in their own Old Testament. Due to stiff-necked pride and hard-hearted materialism, their part of the covenant had become a dead letter. Jesus makes a terrifying analysis of them: "Your are not of God." In the EPISTLE, St. Paul indicates how the Hight Priest of the Old Testament offered the blood sacrifices of victim goats, an offering which acknowleged that man deserves to be done away with for trying to do away with God by sinful rebellion. He now beholds the Altar of Calvary, where Jesus, Eternal High Priest, sheds His precious Blood to "cleanse our conscience" and "to serve the living God." Let us not "stone" Christ or cause Him to hide Himself.

"We are not unaware," says St. Leo, "that among all Christian celebrations the Paschal mystery holds the first place. Our manner of living throughout the whole year, by reforming our ways, ought to give us the dispositions for keeping it worthily and in a fitting manner. These present days which we know to be close to that most sublime sacrament of divine mercy, require devotion in a yet higher degree" (Second Nocturn).

The mystery of which St. Leo speaks, is our Redeemer's Passion, whose anniversary is close at hand. Priest and Mediator of the New Testament, Jesus will soon ascend His Cross, and the blood which He will shed He will offer to His Father, entering into the Holies which is heaven itself (Epistle). The Church sings: "All hail, thou Mystery adored! Hail, Cross! on which the Life Himself died, and by death our life restored!" (Hymn of Vespers). The Eucharist is the memorial of this boundless love of God for men for when instituting it our Lord said: "This is my Body which shall be delivered for you; this chalice is the new testament in My Blood. Do this... in commemoration of Me" (Communion).

What is the response of man to all these divine favours? "His own received Him not," says St. John, speaking of the welcome which the Jews gave Jesus. "For good they rendered Him evil and prepared for Him nothing but insults. "You", our Lord told them, "dishonour me," and in fact, the Gospel shows us the ever growing hatred of the Sanhedrin.

Abraham, the father of God's people, firmly believed the divine promises which heralded the future Messia; and in Limbo his soul, which, as believing was beyond the reach of eternal death, rejoiced to see these promises fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

But the Jews, who ought to have recognized in Jesus the Son of God, greater than Abraham and the prophets, because eternal, misunderstood the meaning of His words, insulted Him by treating Him as a blasphemer and possessed, and tried to stone Him (Gospel). And God tells Him, in the person of Jeremias: "Be not afraid at their presence: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord... For behold I have made thee this day a fortified city and a pillar of iron and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof and to the priests and to the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee and shall not prevail: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (First Nocturn).

"I seek not my own glory," says Jesus, "there is one that seeketh and judgeth" (Gospel). And by the mouth of the psalmist He goes on: "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. This "lying" people our Lord declares to be the Jews. The psalmist continues: "Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies... from the unjust man Thou wilt deliver me" (Gradual).

"The Lord who is just will cut the necks of sinners" (Tract). God will not permit men to lay their hands on Jesus until His hour is come (Gospel), and when that hour of sacriflce came, He snatched His Son from the hands of evil men by raising Him from the death. This death and resurrection had been foretold by the prophets and typified in Isaac when, on the point of being sacrified at God's command by Abraham his father he was restored to life by almighty God, his place being taken by a ram who became a type of the Lamb of God, offered in man's stead (c. p. 257). Thus our Lord, in His first coming, was to be humbled and made to suffer; not until later will He appear in all His power.

But the Jews, blinded by their passions, could appreciate only one kind of coming, a coming in triumph, and so scandalized by the Cross of Christ, they rejected Him. In their turn, almighty God rejected them, while graciously receiving those who put their trust in the redemption of Jesus Christ, uniting their sufferings to His. "Rightly, and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost," says St. Leo, "did the holy Apostles institute these days of more rigorous fasting, so that by a common sharing in the Cross of Christ, even we ourselves may do something towards uniting ourselves with the work that He has accomplished for us. As St. Paul says: "If we suffer with Him, we also shall be glorified with Him." Where we find our Lord's sufferings being shared, there we can look on the attainment of the happiness promised by Him as a thing safe and assured."

Today's station is in the Basilica of Saint Peter, raised on the site of Nero's circus where the prince of the Apostles died, like His Divine Master on a cross. In recalling our Lord's Passion, the anniversary of which draws near, let us remember that if we are to experience its saving effects we must, like the Master, know how to suffer persecution for justice sake. And when as members of God's family, we are persecuted with and like our Lord, let us ask of God, that we may be "governed in body" and "kept in mind".

March 18th, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Confessor

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, through the intercession of blessed Cyril, Thy Bishop: so to know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent, that we may be accounted worthy to be numbered always with the sheep who hear his voice. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Cyril was born at or near the city of Jerusalem, about the year 315. He was ordained priest by St. Maximus, who gave him the important charge of instructing and preparing the candidates for Baptism. This charge he held for several years, and we still have one series of his instructions, given in the year 347 or 318. They are of singular interest as being the earliest record of the systematic teaching of the Church on the creed and sacraments, and as having been given in the church built by Constantine on Mount Calvary. They are solid, simple, profound; saturated with Holy Scripture; exact, precise, and terse; and, as a witness and exposition of the Catholic faith, invaluable.

On the death of St. Maximus, Cyril was chosen Bishop of Jerusalem. At the beginning of his episcopate a cross was seen in the air reaching from Mount Calvary to Mount Olivet, and so bright that it shone at noonday. St. Cyril gave an account of it to the emperor; and the faithful regarded it as a presage of victory over the Arian heretics. While Cyril was bishop, the apostate Julian resolved to falsify the words of Our Lord by rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem. He employed the power and resources of a Roman emperor; the Jews thronged enthusiastically to him and gave munificently. But Cyril was unmoved. "The word of God abides," he said; "one stone shall not be laid on another."

When the attempt was made, a heathen writer tells us that horrible flames came forth from the earth, rendering the place inaccessible to the scorched and scared workmen. The attempt was made again and again, and then abandoned in despair. Soon after, the emperor perished miserably in a war against the Persians, and the Church had rest. Like the other great bishops of his time, Cyril was persecuted, and driven once and again from his see; but on the death of the Arian Emperor Valens he returned to Jerusalem. He was present at the second General Council at Constantinople, and died in peace in 386, after a troubled episcopate of thirty-five years.

Reflection.--"As a stout staff," says St. John Chrysostom, "supports the trembling limbs of a feeble old man, so does faith sustain our vacillating mind, lest it be tossed about by sinful hesitation and perplexity."

†

March 17th, St. Patrick, Bishop and Confessor. Day of Fast

I. St. Patrick Prayers Devotions II. St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland III. The Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, 1890 IV. St. Patrick's Shamrock and the book: "St. Patrick: His Life, His Heroic Virtues, His Labours, and the Fruits of His Labours" V. The Patrons of Erin:
St. Patrick and St. Brigid Instructions for the Feastday
of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland St. Patrick's Prayer Book

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

O God, Who didst deign to send blessed Patrick Thy Confessor and Bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations: grant, through his merits and intercession, that what Thou commandest us to do, we may be Thy mercy be able to accomplish. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

If the virtue of children reflects an honor on their parents, much more justly is the name of St. Patrick rendered illustrious by the innumerable lights of sanctity with which the Church of Ireland shone during many ages, and by the colonies of Saints with which it peopled many foreign countries; for, under God, its inhabitants derived from their glorious apostle the streams of that eminent sanctity by which they were long conspicuous to the whole world.

St. Patrick was born towards the close of the fourth century, in a village called Bonaven Taberniae which seems to be the town of Kilpatrick, on the mouth of the river Clyde, in Scotland, between Dumbarton and Glasgow. He calls himself both a Briton and a Roman, or of a mixed extraction, and says his father was of a good family named Calphurnius, and a denizen of a neighboring city of the Romans, who not long after abandoned Britain, in 409. Some writers call his mother Conchessa, and say she was niece to St. Martin of Tours.

In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by certain barbarians, who took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst snow, rain, and ice. Whilst he lived in this suffering condition, God had pity on his soul, and quickened him to a sense of his duty by the impulse of a strong interior grace. The young man had recourse to Him with his whole heart in fervent prayer and fasting; and from that time faith and the love of God acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. After six months spent in slavery under the same master, St. Patrick was admonished by God in a dream to return to his own country, and informed that a ship was then ready to sail thither. He went at once to the sea-coast, though at a great distance, and found the vessel; but could not obtain his passage, probably for want of money.

The Saint returned towards his hut, praying as he went; but the sailors, though pagans, called him back and took him on board. After three days� sail they made land, but wandered twenty-seven days through deserts, and were a long while distressed for want of provisions, finding nothing to eat. Patrick had often spoken to the company on the infinite power of God; they therefore asked him why he did not pray for relief. Animated by a strong faith, he assured them that if they would address themselves with their whole hearts to the true God He would hear and succor them. They did so, and on the same day met with a herd of swine. From that time provisions never failed them, till on the twenty-seventh day they came info a country that was cultivated and inhabited.

Some years afterwards he was again led captive, but recovered his liberty after two months. When he was at home with his parents, God manifested to him, by divers visions, that He destined him to the great work of the conversion of Ireland. The writers of his life say that after his second captivity he travelled into Gaul and Italy, and saw St. Martin, St. Germanus of Auxerre, and Pope Celestine, and that he received his mission and the apostolical benediction from this Pope, who died in 432. It is certain that he spent many years in preparing himself for his sacred calling. Great opposition was made against his episcopal consecration and mission, both by his own relatives and by the clergy. These made him great offers in order to detain him among them, and endeavored to affright him by exaggerating the dangers to which he exposed himself amidst the enemies of the Romans and Britons, who did not know God.

All these temptations threw the Saint into great perplexities; but the Lord, Whose will he consulted by earnest prayer, supported him, and he persevered in his resolution. He forsook his family, sold his birthright and dignity, to serve strangers, and consecrated his soul to God, to carry His name to the ends of the earth. In this disposition he passed into Ireland, to preach the Gospel, where the worship of idols still generally reigned. He devoted himself entirely to the salvation of these barbarians. He travelled over the whole island, penetrating into the remotest corners, and such was the fruit of his preachings and sufferings that he baptized an infinite number of people.

He ordained everywhere clergymen, induced women to live in holy widowhood and continence, consecrated virgins to Christ, and instituted monks. He took nothing from the many thousands whom he baptized, and often gave back the little presents which some laid on the altar, choosing rather to mortify the fervent than to scandalize the weak or the infidels. He gave freely of his own, however, both to pagans and Christians, distributed large alms to the poor in the provinces where he passed, made presents to the kings, judging that necessary for the progress of the Gospel, and maintained and educated many children, whom he trained up to serve at the altar. The happy success of his labors cost him many persecutions.

A certain prince named Corotick, a Christian in name only, disturbed the peace of his flock. This tyrant, having made a descent into Ireland, plundered the country where St. Patrick had been just conferring confirmation on a great number of neophytes, who were yet in their white garments after Baptism. Corotick massacred many, and carried away others, whom he sold to the infidel Picts or Scots. The next day the Saint sent the barbarian a letter entreating him to restore the Christian captives, and at least part of the booty he had taken, that the poor people might not perish for want, but was only answered by railleries.

The Saint, therefore, wrote with his own hand a letter. In it he styles himself a sinner and an ignorant man; he declares, nevertheless, that he is established Bishop of Ireland, and pronounces Corotick and the other parricides and accomplices separated from him and from Jesus Christ, Whose place he holds, forbidding any to eat with them, or to receive their alms, till they should have satisfied God by the tears of sincere penance, and restored the servants of Jesus Christ to their liberty. This letter expresses his most tender love for his flock, and his grief for those who had been slain, yet mingled with joy because they reign with the prophets, apostles, and martyrs. Jocelin assures us that Corotick was overtaken by the divine vengeance.

St. Patrick held several councils to settle the discipline of the Church which he had planted. St. Bernard and the tradition of the country testify that St. Patrick fixed his metropolitan see at Armagh. He established some other bishops, as appears by his Council and other monuments. He not only converted the whole country by his preaching and wonderful miracles, but also cultivated this vineyard with so fruitful a benediction and increase from heaven as to render Ireland a most flourishing garden in the Church of God, and a country of Saints.

Many particulars are related of the labors of St. Patrick, which we pass over. 'in the first year of his mission he attempted to preach Christ in the general assembly of the kings and states of all Ireland, held yearly at Tara, the residence of the chief king, styled the monarch of the whole island, and the principal seat of the Druids, or priests, and their paganish rites. The son of Neill, the chief monarch, declared himself against the preacher; however, Patrick converted several, and, on his road to that place, the father of St. Benignus, his immediate successor in the see of Armagh.

He afterwards converted and baptized the Icings of Dublin and Munster, and the seven sons of the king of Connaught, with the greatest part of their subjects, and before his death almost the whole island. He founded a monastery at Armagh; another called Domnach-Padraig, or Patrick's Church; also a third, named Sabhal-Padraig; and filled the country with churches and schools of piety and learning, the reputation of which, for the three succeeding centuries, drew many foreigners into Ireland. He died and was buried at Down in Ulster. His body was found there in a church of his name in 1185, and translated to another part of the same church.

Ireland is the nursery whence St. Patrick sent forth his missionaries and teachers. Glastonbury and Lindisfarne, Ripon and Malmesbury, bear testimony to the labors of Irish priests and bishops for the conversion of England. Iona is to this day the most venerated spot in Scotland. Columban, Fiacre, Gall, and many others evangelized the "rough places" of France and Switzerland. America and Australia, in modern times, owe their Christianity to the faith and zeal of the sons and daughters of St. Patrick.

Reflection.--By the instrumentality of St. Patrick the Faith is now as fresh in Ireland, even in this cold nineteenth century, as when it was first planted. Ask him to obtain for you the special grace of his children--to prefer the loss of every earthly good to the least compromise in matters of faith.

†

March 16th, Ferial Day of Fast

Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart WHAT WE MUST DO
TO GAIN HEAVEN Importance of Salvation Newly Added
On the Dangers of Bad Thoughts

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena to St. Gabriel,
March 16th through March 24th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

On the merciful
chastisements of God

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

God, being infinite goodness, desires only our good and to communicate to us His own happiness. When He chastises us, it is because we have obliged Him to do so by our sins. Hence the prophet Isaias says, that, on such occasions, He doth a work foreign to His desires. xxviii. 21. Hence it is that it is said, that it is the property of God to have mercy and to spare, to dispense His favours and to make all happy. O God, it is this Thy infinite goodness which sinners offend and despise, when they provoke Thee to chastise them. Wretch that I am, how often have I offended Thy infinite goodness!

Let us therefore understand that when God threatens us, it is not because He desires to punish us, but because He wishes to deliver us from punishment; He threatens, because He would have compassion on us. O God thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us. Ps. lix. 3. But how is this? He is angry with us, and treats us with mercy? Yes! He shows Himself angry towards us, in order that we may amend our lives, and that thus He maybe able to pardon and save us; hence, if in this life He chastise us for our sins, He does so in His mercy, for by so doing He frees us from eternal woe. How unfortunate then is the sinner who escapes punishment in this life!

Since then, O God, I have so much offended Thee, chastise me in this life, that Thou mayest spare me in the next. I know that I have certainly deserved hell; I accept all kinds of pain, that Thou mayest reinstate me in Thy grace and deliver me from hell, where I should be for ever separated from Thee. Enlighten and strengthen me to overcome every obstacle to Thy favour.

He who makes no account of the divine threats, ought much to fear lest the chastisement threatened in the Proverbs should suddenly overtake him: The man that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him, shall suddenly be destroyed; and health shall not follow him. xxix. 1. A sudden death shall overtake him that despises God's reprehensions, and he shall have no time to avoid eternal destruction.

This, O Jesus, has happened to many, and I indeed have deserved that the like should happen to me; but, O my Redeemer, Thou hast shown that mercy towards me which Thou hast not shown to many others who have offended thee less frequently than I have done, and who are now suffering in hell without the least hope of ever again being able to regain Thy favour. I know, O Lord, that Thou desirest my salvation, and I also desire it, that I may please Thee. I renounce all, and turn myself to Thee, who art my God, and my only good. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, and Thee alone. O infinite goodness, I am exceedingly displeased with myself for having hitherto done evil against Thee; and I wish that I had suffered every evil, rather than offended Thee. Suffer me not any more to depart from Thee, rather let me die than offer Thee so great an injury. In Thee, my crucified Jesus, do I place all my hopes. O Mary, mother of Jesus, recommend me to your Son.

†

March 15th, Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
The Vice of Covetousness 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena of the Seven Sorrows,
March 15th through March 23rd Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

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March 14th, Ferial Day of Fast

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Death and the Importance of Salvation Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity, Prayers Against Temptation

And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences (Galat. v. 24).

Consider first, what is the mark of being dear to Christ. It is not being a worker of miracles, a preacher, a prophet, a doctor of the world; but it is being greatly mortified, a thing which all can attain by the grace of God, if they will. See, therefore, how much mortification should be esteemed.

Consider secondly, that this mortification is called crucifixion: "They have crucified." First, because he who mortifies himself should do it out of devotion to his Lord, that is, to make himself like Him on the Cross. Secondly, because mortification must be stable, solid, not inconstant like that of some. He who is nailed remains immoveable on the Cross, like Jesus, Who did not descend from it until He was taken down. Thirdly, because mortification should be painful, as the crucifixion of Christ was. He who is nailed to the Cross suffers much greater pain than he who is only bound to it. See whether thou thinkest that thy mortification is of this sort.

Consider thirdly, that it does not say, "They have crucified their vices and concupiscences," but, "Their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences," because he who does not go to the root of the evil is not a good doctor. The flesh is the root of all the evils which the soul suffers, and therefore if we wish to be perfectly cured we must subdue the flesh. What corporal penances dost thou do? Dost thou try to subdue the flesh, or dost thou not rather pamper it?

Consider fourthly, that it does not say the flesh alone, but the flesh with all the rest; because exterior mortification is worth little if it is not accompanied at the same time with interior. Indeed, the former ought to be regulated by the latter. What does it avail to take away that which was not the cause of the fever, if the fever itself, which is already in the veins, is not taken away at the same time?

Consider fifthly, what the things that thou shouldst destroy by this interior mortification are--the vices and concupiscences. The vices are the sins, the concupiscences are the passions. For if thou attackest the sins only, thou dost nothing; thou must also attack the passions; first, indeed, the sins, by cleansing the soul, then the passions, by putting it in order. Which are the passions that predominate in thee? Try to know them that thou mayest mortify them, so that if they live, at least they may live on the Cross.

Consider sixthly, that nevertheless it does not say, "With the sins and concupiscences," but, "With the vices." Peccata are actual sins, vitia habitual sins. It is difficult to get so far, by the exercise of mortification, as not to commit a single actual sin, however small, but not so to avoid retaining any vice. Therefore thou must mortify the vices above all, whether they be little or great, not content with making them live on the Cross like the passions, but making them die there. And this also thou mayest attain to with the grace of God.

†

March 13th, Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
The Root of All Sin On the Abuse of Divine Mercy by St. Alphonsus The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori The Penitent Christian Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity, Prayers Against Temptation

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th Novena to St. Benedict,
March 13th through March 21st 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Recommended Reading During Lent

The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

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March 12th, St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church. Day of Fast

St. Gregory the Great Litany of the Saints The Heresy of Indifferentism Newly Added
On the Vanity of the World

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Recommended Reading During Lent

The Penitent Christian is a valuable aid in making a good confession. All necessary facets of the Sacrement of Penance are covered in detail to answer your individual questions.

The Penitent Christian The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who hast given to the soul of Thy servant Gregory, the rewards of everlasting bliss, mercifully grant, that we, who are oppressed by the weight of our sins, may be relieved by his intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

O God, Who for his merits didst make the blessed pontiff Gregory the equal of Thy saints; grant us this boon, that we who keep high festival in memory of him may also reproduce the pattern of his life: through our Lord. etc. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Gregory was a Roman of noble birth, and while still young was governor of Rome. On his father's death he gave his great wealth to the poor, turned his house on the Coelian Hill into a monastery, which now bears his name, and for some years lived as a perfect monk. The Pope drew him from his seclusion to make him one of the seven deacons of Rome; and he did great service to the Church for many years as what we now call Nuncio to the Imperial court at Constantinople. While still a monk the saint was struck with some boys who were exposed for sale in Rome, and heard with sorrow that they were pagans. "And of what race are they?" he asked. "They are Angles." "Worthy indeed to be Angels of God," said he. "And of what province?" "Of Deira," was the reply. "Truly must we rescue them from the wrath of God. And what is the name of their king?" "He is called Ella." "It is well," said Gregory; "Alleluia must be sung in their land to God."

He at once got leave from the Pope, and had set out to convert the English when the murmurs of the people led the Pope to recall him. Still the Angles were not forgotten, and one of the Saint's first cares as Pope was to send from his own monastery St. Augustine and other monks to England. On the death of Pope Pelagius II., Gregory was compelled to take the government of the Church, and for fourteen years his pontificate was a perfect model of ecclesiastical rule. He healed schisms; revived discipline; saved Italy by converting the wild Arian Lombards who were laying it waste; aided in the conversion of the Spanish and French Goths, who were also Arians; and kindled anew in Britain the light of the Faith, which the English had put out in blood. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant, guided and consoled her pastors with innumerable letters, and preached incessantly, most effectually by his own example. He died A. D. 604, worn out by austerities and toils; and the Church reckons him one of her four great doctors, and reveres him as St. Gregory the Great.

Reflection.--The champions of faith prove the truth of their teaching no less by the holiness of their lives than by the force of their arguments. Never forget that to con Pert others you must first see to your own soul.

†

March 11th, Fourth Sunday of Lent (LAETARE SUNDAY)

4th Sunday Lent Sermons for the Fourth
Sunday in Lent Children's Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent Fourth Sunday of Lent: Epistle and Gospel The Gift of Mircacles Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

The Four Last Things

Death General Judgement Heaven Hell The Thought of Eternity The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them?

Grant, we beseech thee, almighty God: that we who justly suffere for our deeds, may be relieved by the consolation of Thy grace. Through our Lord.

R. Moses stood before Pharao and said: Thus saith the Lord: Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.

V. The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to thee, saying. Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.

(Roman Breviary)

Fourth Sunday of Lent
by Dom Gueranger

This Sunday, called, from the first word of the Introit, Laetare Sunday, is one of the most solemn of the year. The Church interrupts her Lenten mournfulness; the chants of the Mass speak of nothing but joy and consolation; the Organ, which has been silent during the preceding three Sundays, now gives forth its melodious voice; the Deacon resumes his Dalmatic, and the Subdeacon his Tunic ; and instead of purple, Rose-coloured Vestments are allowed to be used. These same rites were practised in Advent, on the third Sunday, called Gaudete. The Church's motive for introducing this expression of joy in today's Liturgy, is to encourage her Children to persevere fervently to the end of this holy Season. The real Mid-Lent was last Thursday, as we have already observed; but the Church, fearing lest the joy might lead to some infringement on the spirit of penance, has deferred her own notice of it to this Sunday, when she not only permits, but even bids, her children to rejoice!

†

March 10th, Forty Holy Martyrs. Day of Fast.

The Forty Martyrs The Sin Unto Death
by Cardinal Manning The Providence of God and why He permits evil How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Why the World Continually Persecutes the Church

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Stations of the Cross The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who acknowledge the boldness of Thy glorious Martyrs in confessing Thy name, may enjoy their loving intercession for us before Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste were soldiers quartered at Sebaste in Armenia, about the year 320. When their legion was ordered to offer sacrifice they separated themselves from the rest and formed a company of martyrs. After they had been torn by scourges and iron hooks they were chained together and led to a lingering death. It was a cruel winter, and they were condemned to lie naked on the icy surface of a pond in the open air till they were frozen to death. But they ran undismayed to the place of their combat, joyfully stripped off their garments, and with one voice besought God to keep their Ranks unbroken. "Forty," they cried, "we have come to combat: grant that forty may be crowned." There were warm baths near by, ready for any one amongst them who would deny Christ.

The soldiers who watched saw angels descending with thirty-nine crowns, and, while he wondered at the deficiency in the number, one of the confessors lost heart, renounced his faith, and, crawling to the fire, died body and soul at the spot where he expected relief. But the soldier was inspired to confess Christ and take his place, and again the number of forty was complete. They remained steadfast while their limbs grew stiff and frozen, and died one by one. Among the Forty there was a young soldier who held out longest against the cold, and when the officers came to cart away the dead bodies they found him still breathing. They were moved with pity, and wanted to leave him alive in the hope that he would still change his mind. But his mother stood by, and this valiant woman could not bear to see her son separated from the band of martyrs. She exhorted him to persevere, and lifted his frozen body into the cart. He was just able to make a sign of recognition, and was borne away, to be thrown into the flames with the dead bodies of his brethren.

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March 9th, St. Frances of Rome, Widow. Day of Fast and Total Abstinence. In some places St. Dominic Savio's feast day is also celebrated on March 9th.

St. Frances of Rome, Widow Duties of Marriage Your Guardian Angel throughout life Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Manual of the Sacred Heart

The Life of St. Dominic Savio, Child Saint St. Dominic Savio, Patron of First Communicants First Communion by Mother Mary Loyola

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries Meditations on St. Joseph for the Month of March

Novenas during the month of March

Novena to St. Patrick,
March 9th through March 17th Novena to St. Joseph,
March 11th through March 19th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

O God, Who among other gifts of Thy grace, didst honor blessed Frances, Thy servant, with the familiar presence of an angel; grant, we beseech Thee, that by the help of her intercession, we may become worthy of being admitted into fellowship with the angels. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

V. With thy comeliness and thy beauty.

R. Set out, proceed prosperously, and reign.

Ant. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of good pearls. When he finds a single one of great price, he gives all that he has and buys it.

(Roman Breviary)

Frances was born at Rome in 1384. Her parents were, of high rank. They overruled her desire to become a nun, and at twelve years of age married her to Rorenzo Ponziano, a Roman noble. During the forty years or their married life they never had a disagreement. While spending her days in retirement and prayer, she attended promptly to every household duty, saying, "A married woman must leave God at the altar to find Him in her domestic cares;" and she once found the verse of a psalm in which she had been four times thus interrupted completed for her in letters of gold.

Her ordinary food was dry bread. Secretly she would exchange with beggars good food for their hard crusts; her drink was water, and her cup a human skull. During the invasion of Rome, in 1413, Ponziano was banished, his estates confiscated, his house destroyed, and his eldest son taken as a hostage. Frances saw in these losses only the finger of God, and blessed His holy name. When peace was restored Ponziano recovered his estate, and Frances founded the Oblates.

After her husband's death, barefoot and with a cord about her neck she begged admission to the community, and was soon elected Superioress. She lived always in the presence of God, and amongst many visions was given constant sight of her angel guardian, who shed such brightness around him that the Saint could read her midnight Office by this light alone. He shielded her in the hour of temptation, and directed her in every good act. But when she was betrayed into some defect, he faded from her sight; and when some light words were spoken before her, he covered his face in shame. She died on the day she had foretold, March 9, 1440.

Reflection.--God has appointed an angel to guard each one of us, to whose warnings we are bound to attend. Let us listen to his voice here, and we shall see him hereafter when he leads us before the throne of God.

†

March 8th, St. John of God, Confessor. Day of Fast

Litany and Life of St. John of God, Patron of the Sick and Dying Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying Jesus Christ, Our Physician Practice During Lent.html 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Meditations on St. Joseph for the Month of March

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who didst let blessed John, when burning with Thy love, to walk through flames unscathed, and by his means didst beget new offspring for Thy Church: grant, through the help of his merits that our vices may be healed by the fire of Thy love and that we may receive remedies unto life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Nothing in John's early life foreshadowed his future sanctity. He ran away as a boy from his home in Portugal, tended sheep and cattle in Spain, and served as a soldier against the French, and afterwards against the Turks. When about forty years of age, feeling remorse for his wild life, he resolved to devote himself to the ransom of the Christian slaves in Africa, and went thither with the family of an exiled noble, which he maintained by his labor. On his return to Spain he sought to do good by selling holy pictures and books at low prices. At length the hour of grace struck.

At Granada a sermon by the celebrated John of Avila shook his soul to its depths, and his expressions of self-abhorrence were so extraordinary that he was taken to the asylum as one mad. There he employed himself in ministering to the sick. On leaving he began to collect homeless poor, and to support them by his work and by begging. One night St. John found in the streets a poor man who seemed near death, and, as was his wont, he carried him to the hospital, laid him on a bed, and went to fetch water to wash his feet. When he had washed them, he knelt to kiss them, and started with awe: the feet were pierced, and the print of the nails bright with an unearthly radiance. He raised his eyes to look, and heard the words, "John, to Me thou doest all that thou doest to the poor in My name: I reach forth My hand for the alms thou givest; Me dost thou clothe, Mine are the feet thou dost wash." And then the gracious vision disappeared, leaving St. John filled at once with confusion and consolation.

The bishop became the Saint's patron, and gave him the name of John of God. When his hospital was on fire, John was seen rushing about uninjured amidst the flames until he had rescued all his poor. After ten years spent in the service of the suffering, the Saint's life was fitly closed. He plunged into the river Xenil to save a drowning boy, and died, 1550, of an illness brought on by the attempt, at the age of fifty-five.

Reflection.--God often rewards men for works that are pleasing in His sight by giving them grace and opportunity to do other works higher still. St. John of God used to attribute his conversion, and the graces which enabled him to do such great works, to his self-denying charity in Africa.

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March 7th, St. Thomas Aquinas, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. Day of Fast

St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions
40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas

Related Links to St. Thomas Aquinas:

The Sixth Commandment: Explained by St. Thomas Aquinas Corpus Christi What is the Sin Against the Holy Ghost Temptations and the Devils who Tempt What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. The Value and Necessity of Christian Doctrine

Index for the Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Meditations on St. Joseph for the Month of March

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who by the wonderful learning of blessed Thomas, Thy Confessor, givest glory to Thy Church, and by his holy deeds makest her fruitful: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may both perceive with the understanding what he taught and follow his example in what he practiced. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Thomas was born of noble parents at Aquino in Italy, in 1226. At the age of nineteen he received the Dominican habit at Naples, where he was studying. Seized by his brothers on his way to Paris, he suffered a two years' captivity in their castle of Rocca-Secca; but neither the caresses of his mother and sisters, nor the threats and stratagems of his brothers, could shake him in his vocation. While St. Thomas was in confinement at Rocca-Secca, his brothers endeavored to entrap him into sin, but the attempt only ended in the triumph of his purity. Snatching from the hearth a burning brand, the Saint drove from his chamber the wretched creature whom they had there concealed. Then marking a cross upon the wall, he knelt down to pray, and forthwith, being rapt in ecstasy, an angel girded him with a cord, in token of the gift of perpetual chastity which God had given him. The pain caused by the girdle was so sharp that St. Thomas uttered a piercing cry, which brought his guards into the room. But he never told this grace to any one save only to Father Raynald, his confessor, a little while before his death. Hence originated the Confraternity of the "Angelic Warfare," for the preservation of the virtue of chastity.

Having at length escaped, St. Thomas went to Cologne to study under Blessed Albert the Great, and after that to Paris, where for many years he taught philosophy and theology. The Church has ever venerated his numerous writings as a treasure-house of sacred doctrine (ex. Summa Theologica); while in naming him the Angelic Doctor she has indicated that his science is more divine than human. The rarest gifts of intellect were combined in him with the tenderest piety.

Prayer, he said, had taught him more than study. His singular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament shines forth in the Office and hymns for Corpus Christi, which he composed. To the words miraculously uttered by a crucifix at Naples, "Well hast thou written concerning Me, Thomas. What shall I give thee as a reward?" he replied, "Naught save Thyself, O Lord." He died at Fossa-Nuova, 1274, on his way to the General Council of Lyons, to which Pope Gregory X. had summoned him.

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March 6th, Sts. Felicitas and Perpetua, Martyrs

Ss. Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs What is it to be a Mother? Duties of Parents Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross The Psalter of Jesus Seven Penitential Psalms The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that we may reverence with unceasing devotion the triumphs of Thy holy Martyrs, Perpetura and Felicitas, and although we cannot pay them the honor that is their due, let us at least present to them our humble service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

†

March 5th,
Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
The Following of Christ The Corporal Works of Mercy 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Seven Penitential Psalms Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

On giving ourselves to God without reserve

by St. Alphonsus Di Liguori

God has declared that He loves all those who love him: I love them that love Me. Prov. viii. 17. But it is not to be supposed that God will give Himself entirely to one who loves any thing in the world equally with God. At one time St. Teresa was in this state, keeping up an affection, not indeed an impure affection, but an inordinate one, for a certain relative. When however she divested herself of this attachment, God was pleased to say to her in a vision: "Now that thou art wholly mine, I am wholly thine." O my God, when shall the day arrive when I shall be wholly thine? Consume within me, I beseech Thee, by the flames of Thy divine love, all those earthly affections which hinder me from belonging entirely to Thee. When shall I be able to say to Thee with truth: my God, Thee only do I desire, and besides Thee there is nothing that I wish for.

One is my dove, my perfect one is but one. Cant. vi. 8. God so loves the soul that gives herself entirely to Him, that He seems to love no other; and hence He calls her His only dove. St. Teresa after her death revealed to one of her sisters that God has greater love for one soul that aspires to perfection than for a thousand others that are in a state of grace, but are tepid and imperfect. O my God, for how many years hast thou invited me to become entirely Thine, and I have refused! Death is already approaching, and shall I die as imperfect as I have hitherto lived? No, I hope that death will not find me as ungrateful as I have hitherto been. Help me; for I desire to leave all things to become entirely Thine.

Jesus Christ, through the love which He has for us, has given His whole self to us. He hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us. Eph. v. 2. "If then," says St. Chrysostom, "God has given Himself entirely to you without reserve, if He has given you all, and nothing more remains for Him to give you, as indeed He has done in His passion and in the holy Eucharist, reason requires that you also should give yourself without reserve to Him." St. Frances of Sales says: "The heart is too little to love our bountiful Redeemer, who has loved us even to the laying down of His life for us." O what ingratitude, what injustice, to divide our hearts, and not to give them wholly to God! Let us then say with the spouse in the Canticles: "My "beloved to me, and I to my beloved." Thou, my God, hast given all to me, I will give all to Thee. I love Thee, my sovereign good. "My God and my all." Thou desirest that I should be all Thine, and such do I desire to be. O Mary, my Mother, pray for me that I may not love anything but God.

†

March 4th, Third Sunday in Lent; St. Casimir, Confessor

Third Sunday in Lent I. Third Sunday in Lent II. Third Sunday of Lent:
Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent Index for the Season of Lent Practice During Lent.html 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

On the Spiritual Combat Trifling with God and How to Become Masters of Ourselves On the Use of Temptations and How to Overcome Discouragement Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation Does Satan Exist? To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger St. Michael/ Exorcism The Spiritual Combat
by Fr. Scupoli, 1865 A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels Beware if you have no Temptations Temptations: Why we have them Lead us not into Temptation Temptations and the Devils who Tempt Good and Bad Angels Litany of the Holy Angels

One of the most thoroughly documented accounts of an official Exorcism in the Catholic Church

The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori The Penitent Christian Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity, Prayers Against Temptation

Motives for Penance Derived from the Thought of the Evil which Sin has Wrought
by Rev. Bruno Vercruysse

1st Prel. Imagine you hear St. Peter saying to the people of Jerusalem, "Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts 3: 19.)

2d Prel. Beg for a strong impulse of the will to comply with the Apostle's precept.

Point I--MULTITUDE OF OUR SINS

Consideration: Go over the past years of your life in spirit--before and after your First Communion, before and after your entrance into religion, the places where you have lived, the sins you have committed; run rapidly over the commandments of God and the Church, the obligations attached to your vows, the offices and employments that have been confided to you; and you will be surprised and terrified at the sight of your innumerable sins. What would it be if you saw them as God sees them!

Application: For a single mortal sin, Adam and his posterity were condemned to death and eternal torments; for a single venial sin, those great friends of God, Moses, David, and Ezechias, suffered severe punishment--a feeble shadow only, however, of the punishment for the smallest sin in the next world. What ought I, then, to expect, who have committed so many sins? It matters nothing that I forget them; God never forgets. He will leave nothing unpunished, not even the slight fault of an idle word. Our Lord Himself has told us so. We have many motives, then, to induce us to do real and continual penance; and in this holy time we shall receive special graces, which will make the practice of it easier. "Ecce nunc tempus acceptable." "Behold, now is the acceptable time." (11. Cor. 6: 2.)

Affections: Acknowledge humbly before God your sins and infidelities. Express your earnest desire to do penance for them. Ask grace to accomplish this desire.

Resolutions: Resolve on certain acts of penance and mortification which you will perform each day of this second week of Lent.

Point II--THE INJURY THAT SIN IS TO GOD

Consideration: Each mortal sin is a threefold insult to God, and its malice is infinite, inasmuch as it is committed against Him whose Majesty is infinite. We offend Him by insubordination and rebellion: God commands, and we do not obey. We offend Him by contempt: we prefer a transitory and vile enjoyment, sometimes a shameful one, to God and His laws. We injure Him by ingratitude: we make use of His very gifts to offend and insult Him. Each venial sin is also a three-fold injury; it is certainly of a slighter kind, but still its malice is so great that, if by a single venial sin we could change all the lost souls into saints who should praise God eternally in Heaven, we should not commit it, because the praises of all the human race could not compensate God for the injury done to Him by one venial sin.

Application: And the sins which you have committed against the Lord your God have contained malice such as this; and both faith and reason teach us that this malice increases, in proportion to the light and grace we have received. What ought we, then, to think about our venial sins? Who can count them? What an additional motive for penance during these chosen days, of which the Divine Office says, "The days of penance are come, to reclaim us from our sins!" "Advenerunt nobis dies paenitentia? ad redimenda peccata."

Point III--THE INJURY DONE TO OUR LORD BY SIN

Consideration: Our sins have been an injury to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Prophet Isaias speaks of our Lord as "Virum Dolorum," the "Man of Sorrows," (Isaias 53: 3,) above all other men; and it was our sins that made Him so; the sins of the whole world were laid on Him; and God beheld Him as the guilty one, on whom the weight of Divine justice was to fall. "Attritus est propter scelera nostra." "He was bruised for our sins," (Is. 53: 5) says the Holy Ghost. They were our sins which scourged Him, which crowned Him with thorns, which struck Him, spat upon Him, nailed Him to the cross, and made Him die upon it.

Application: This thought ought to overwhelm us with shame: There were times in my life when, in union with the cruel Jews, I cried out, "Let Him be crucified!" and, "Not this man, but Barabbas--not this man, but my passion." There have been times when, in union with the murderers, I ran the nails into my Saviour's hands and feet. I have done this, as far as I could, every time I committed a mortal sin. And every time I have committed a venial sin, I have added fresh suffering to the open wounds of Jesus. Thoughts like these armed the holy penitents of the desert against themselves. Imitate them during these holy days of universal penance and expiation.

March 4th, St. Casimir, Confessor

Devotions to St. Casimir

O God, Who didst strengthen holy Casimir with the virtue of constancy in the midst of royal delights and the snares of the world, we beseech Thee, grant by his intercession, that Thy faithful people may despise the things of the world and ever aspire to those of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Casimir, the second son of Casimir III, King of Poland, was born in 1458. From the custody of a very virtuous mother, Elizabeth of Austria, he passed to the guardianship of a devoted master, the learned and pious John Dugloss. Thus animated from his earliest years by precept and example, his innocence and piety soon ripened into the practice of heroic virtue.

In an atmosphere of luxury and magnificence the young prince fasted, wore a hair shirt, slept upon the bare earth, prayed by night, and watched for the opening of the church doors at dawn. He became so tenderly devoted to the Passion of Our Lord that at Mass he seemed quite rapt out of himself; his charity to the poor and afflicted knew no bounds. His love for our Blessed Lady he expressed in a long and beautiful hymn, familiar to us in English as Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary. At the age of twenty-five, sick with a long illness, he foretold the hour of his death, and chose to die a virgin rather than accept the life and health which the physicians held out to him in the married state.

The miracles wrought by his body after death fill an entire volume. The blind saw, the lame walked, the sick were healed, a dead girl was raised to life. At one time the Saint in glory, seen in the air by his army, led his Catholic countrymen to battle and delivered them by a wondrous victory from the schismatic Russian hosts.

One hundred and twenty-two years after his death Saint Casimir's tomb in the cathedral church of Vilna was opened, that the holy remains might be transferred to the rich marble chapel where it now lies. The place was damp, and the very vault crumbled away in the hands of the workmen; yet the Saint's body, wrapped in robes of silk, still intact, was found whole and incorrupt, and emitting a sweet fragrance which filled the church and refreshed all who were present. Under his head was found his hymn to Our Lady, which he had had buried with him.

Reflection. May the meditation of Saint Casimir's life make us increase in devotion to the most pure Mother of God--a sure means of preserving holy purity in our own soul.

†

March 3rd, First Saturday. Ferial Day of Fast

First Saturday Devotions Our Lady of Fatima: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Novena of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary;
Fatima and the Rosary Mary's Fatima Message. Peace and Devotions by Fr. Lovasik, 1955 Prayers for Peace

What we should pray for Prayer: its Conditions and Circumstances How to Obtain Answers to Our Prayers How to Practice Mental Prayer

                 Newly Added
The Careless Christian and Self-Watchfulness Holy Purity Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

                 Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

       †

March 2nd, First Friday. Ferial Day of Fast and TotalAbstinence

First Friday Devotions Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Newly Added
The Careless Christian and Self-Watchfulness Holy Purity Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity

Friday After the Second Sunday: Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

†

March 1st, Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
Trifling with God and How to Become Masters of Ourselves Sins Against the Holy Ghost Examination of Conscience: 7 Deadly Sins and Sins Against the Holy Ghost On the Deplorable State of a Christian, who is Cold and Insensible with regard to Heaven

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of March

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

On the merciful
chastisements of God

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

God, being infinite goodness, desires only our good and to communicate to us His own happiness. When He chastises us, it is because we have obliged Him to do so by our sins. Hence the prophet Isaias says, that, on such occasions, He doth a work foreign to His desires. xxviii. 21. Hence it is that it is said, that it is the property of God to have mercy and to spare, to dispense His favours and to make all happy. O God, it is this Thy infinite goodness which sinners offend and despise, when they provoke Thee to chastise them. Wretch that I am, how often have I offended Thy infinite goodness!

Let us therefore understand that when God threatens us, it is not because He desires to punish us, but because He wishes to deliver us from punishment; He threatens, because He would have compassion on us. O God thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us. Ps. lix. 3. But how is this? He is angry with us, and treats us with mercy? Yes! He shows Himself angry towards us, in order that we may amend our lives, and that thus He maybe able to pardon and save us; hence, if in this life He chastise us for our sins, He does so in His mercy, for by so doing He frees us from eternal woe. How unfortunate then is the sinner who escapes punishment in this life!

Since then, O God, I have so much offended Thee, chastise me in this life, that Thou mayest spare me in the next. I know that I have certainly deserved hell; I accept all kinds of pain, that Thou mayest reinstate me in Thy grace and deliver me from hell, where I should be for ever separated from Thee. Enlighten and strengthen me to overcome every obstacle to Thy favour.

He who makes no account of the divine threats, ought much to fear lest the chastisement threatened in the Proverbs should suddenly overtake him: The man that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him, shall suddenly be destroyed; and health shall not follow him. xxix. 1. A sudden death shall overtake him that despises God's reprehensions, and he shall have no time to avoid eternal destruction.

This, O Jesus, has happened to many, and I indeed have deserved that the like should happen to me; but, O my Redeemer, Thou hast shown that mercy towards me which Thou hast not shown to many others who have offended thee less frequently than I have done, and who are now suffering in hell without the least hope of ever again being able to regain Thy favour. I know, O Lord, that Thou desirest my salvation, and I also desire it, that I may please Thee. I renounce all, and turn myself to Thee, who art my God, and my only good. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, and Thee alone. O infinite goodness, I am exceedingly displeased with myself for having hitherto done evil against Thee; and I wish that I had suffered every evil, rather than offended Thee. Suffer me not any more to depart from Thee, rather let me die than offer Thee so great an injury. In Thee, my crucified Jesus, do I place all my hopes. O Mary, mother of Jesus, recommend me to your Son.

†

February 28th, Ferial Day of Fast

Newly Added
On the Use of Temptations and How to Overcome Discouragement 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of February

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena to St. John of God: Feb. 28th - March 8th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

THE FEWNESS OF THOSE SAVED. WILL YOU BE ONE OF THEM?

On the Words of Christ: "Many
are called, but few are chosen."

First Point: Consider that, as St. Jerome says, Christ concluded His discourse with these words, because the touchstone of the spiritual life consists not so much in beginning as in ending well. This man condemned by the King for not having on a wedding garment, began well, obeying the Voice of God and coming to His banquet, not excusing himself as others had unreasonably done; but he ended ill, because he took not the pains to fulfil his duty by coming to the table of the Lord in suitable attire. Take warning from his example not to rely on former virtue, becoming careless in God's holy service and not persevering to the end, lest it happen to thee as to this guest, and, whilst thy companions are chosen and partake of the table of the Lord, thou be rejected and precipitated into hell.

Second Point: Consider, with St. John Chrysostom, that Christ spoke these words with reference to those who are called to the faith and chosen for heaven. Many are they who enter the Church, and few those elected to beatitude. Ponder this decree, and let thy soul be filled with awe and trembling, lest thou be one of the many; for there are numbers of the damned who were more virtuous on earth than thou. Consider how numerous are those now in hell who have not committed half so many sins as thou hast, and God has granted to thee this mercy of awaiting thy repentance which He bestowed not on them. Render Him infinite thanks for this incomparable benefit, and entreat of Him one more grace, that of His assistance to escape from sin, and to serve Him until death, so as to secure salvation.

Third Point: Consider, on the one hand, the infinite number of the damned, and the small number of the saved; and, on the other, how terrible a thing it is to be condemned for ever, to enter the eternal dungeons, to be deprived of God and of His light, to suffer with the devils, without relief or cessation; and how blessed is the lot of the predestined, who go to heaven to enjoy God without end! Then go a step farther, and ponder that of necessity one of these two very different fates must be thine, that the risk is great of its being that of the many, and it were great good fortune should it be that of the few. Humble thyself to the very dust of the earth with fear and trembling, beseeching God to hold thee by the hand, and not to suffer thee to be of the number of the majority, but of the few who merit to eat at His table in His kingdom. Ponder the behaviour of the Apostles, when Christ told them that one of their would betray Him; and although the consciences of the eleven did not accuse them, they all trembled and feared, saying, "Is it I?" What, then, would they have said, and how great would have been their alarm, had they been told that many would commit that crime, since they were so distressed to learn that it was to be perpetrated by a single one? Behold, then, how much reason thou hast for fear, knowing that many will be condemned and few saved, and see how it becomes thee to always live in fear, lamenting, and ever on thy guard, lest so miserable a fate be thine; for, were it to threaten but one only person in the world, there would still be great cause for us all to live in dread.

Fourth Point: Consider the reasons why so many are lost and so few saved, which may all be reduced to one universal cause, namely, that the greater number of persons live ill, and the smaller number live well. There are few who are fervent and serve God after the manner of the elect, whilst the tepid and lukewarm are numerous. Many are they whom the greed of temporal things renders blind, and few those who have eyes to see and covet spiritual and eternal wealth: therefore the chosen ones are few, and the reprobate many. Bewail, then, the blindness of the world and the very considerable number of souls who go to perdition, for the sake of that which is so valueless; for, as the Wise Man tells us, their number is infinite and unlimited. Cry aloud to the Lord to open their eyes that, seeing their peril, they may correct themselves; beg this grace especially for thyself, and implore light to see what is lacking to thee. Beg of God one spark of Divine love, in order to despise what is earthly, and to covet what is heavenly, and great fervour wherewith to serve Him perseveringly, after the manner of His elect, so as to merit a place in their midst.

†

February 27th,
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Confessor

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Newly Added Catholic Book
On the The Life of Blessed Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows Litany of the Passion

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena to St. Thomas Acquinas: Feb. 27th - March 7th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O God, Who didst teach blessed Gabriel continually to recall the sorrows of Thy most sweet Mother, and through her didst raise him up to the glory of holiness and of miracles: grant us, through his intercession and example, so to share in the mourning of Thy Mother, that we may be saved by her maternal protection: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Gabriel was born at Assisi in 1838. He was guided by Our Lady into the Passionist Order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross, and became a veritable Apostle of Her Sorrows. He was a very great and truly contemplative soul, whose only preoccupation was to unite himself to God at all times. He allowed no distractions to enter his spirit, and even though Italy, his country, was in a state of great excitement and activity when he entered religion, he wanted to know nothing of it.

The way to attain union with our Saviour and our God was, for Saint Gabriel, as for Saint Louis de Montfort, His Heavenly Mother. He wrote home to his father, from the first month of his noviciate, "Believe your son, whose heart is speaking by his lips; no, I would not exchange one single quarter of an hour spent near the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, our consolatrix, our protectress and our hope, for a year or several years spent in the diversions and spectacles of the earth." Among his resolutions was that of visiting Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament each day, and praying for the gift of a tender and efficacious devotion to His Most Holy Mother. He wrote a beautiful Credo, worthy to be printed in letters of gold, expressing all that he believed of the Mother of God.

At twenty-four years of age Saint Gabriel died of tuberculosis, having already attained heroic sanctity by a life of self-denial and great devotion to our Lord's Passion and the Compassion of His Mother.

Although his life was without any miraculous event, after his death in 1862 many miracles occurred at his tomb in Isola di Gran Sasso, Italy. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and his feast was extended to the entire church by Pope Pius XI in 1932. He is the patron of youth, and especially of young religious.

†

February 26th, Ferial Day of Fast

St. John Vianney: On Suffering The Sickness of the Body is a Blessing to the Soul Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novenas during the month of February

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen, are eternal (2 Cor. iv. 17, 18).

Consider first, that it is not any tribulation, but "that what is at present our tribulation," because if thou regardest tribulation which is past it does not give pain now, and therefore there is no occasion so much as to mention it. If thou regardest present tribulation, "that which is at present," what is it? "Momentary and light;" it is indeed an evil, but a momentary, that is a very brief one, especially if thou comparest it with eternity. And it is light also: light with respect to the faults for which thou hast to atone, light with respect to the grace which is granted thee to endure it, and light with respect to the reward, which is prepared for thee if thou bearest it patiently.

Consider secondly, above all, how great will be the good that this little evil will yield to thee, "above measure" and "exceedingly." "Above measure," because it will be immeasurable, that is to say, very far superior to all thy merits. For, although it is said that the Lord "judgeth according to every one's work," this "according" does not denote equality of quantity, as though each person were to enjoy precisely as much as he has suffered, but it denotes equality of proportion, so that he who suffered most enjoys most. "Exceedingly," because it will not be like the goods of this world, subject to various changes, but it will be placed on the summit of the true Olympus, immutable and imperturbable. "I will lift thee up above the high places of the earth," where no evil of any kind will come. Besides this it will be eternal. "Eternal" as opposed to momentary; and it will be like a very heavy "weight" as opposed to a light one. These are the four prerogatives that especially belong to the glory of Paradise: it is superabundant, it is unchangeable, it is eternal, it is weighty.

Consider thirdly, the reason why this glory, which is, in one word, the clear vision of God, is called a weight. Not, certainly, because it will ever become heavy to any one, for after millions of centuries it will be ever new, most blissful, most joyful; but because it contains so exceeding a gladness, that human strength would soon be oppressed by it if it were not invigorated by the strength which is given to it by the light of glory. Or it may mean that it is like a weight, because as a weight draws to itself all things which are attached to it, so this glory will draw to itself the whole being of the blessed in Heaven, in such a manner that, not being able to resist so mighty an attraction, it will be compelled, with all its faculties, to yield to it, and so to become all glorious, both in body and soul.

Consider fourthly, that it is not said that tribulation will bring thee so much glory, but that actually it produces it for thee in thyself--" Worketh for us"--not indeed as a physical, but as a moral cause; and not as an efficient, but as a meritorious cause. From which thou oughtest clearly to understand that this same glory is not a gift, as some would have it, but a reward, although indeed a superabundant reward. Think, therefore, that as God once placed Adam in the terrestrial Paradise "to dress it and keep it," so too He places in thee tribulation, poverty, ignominy, infirmity, that they may form in thee a paradise, though a much better, because a heavenly one. Let them do their work therefore, because the measure of thy reward will be in proportion to the merit they produce in thee by the trouble they cause thee. Would not the earth be foolish to complain of the labourer as unmerciful for maltreating it with the pickaxe, the spade, and the ploughshare?

Consider fifthly, the means which will help thee to suffer willingly all those trials which come to thee through tribulation. Look at those invisible, that is to say heavenly goods, of which we have spoken. Oh! how the hope of them will animate thee. But it is not enough merely to glance at them from time to time; it is necessary to contemplate them, that is, to gaze at them with special attention. Nay, even this is not enough, but it is also necessary, at the same time, not to look at visible, that is to say, earthly goods, because the sight of them fascinates the soul, distracts and diverts it, so that it is not altogether occupied with heavenly things. For it is not "while we look at the things which are not seen," but it is "while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." Both our eyes must be fixed on heaven.

Consider sixthly, how right it is that thou shouldst contemplate heavenly goods and that thou shouldst not contemplate earthly goods, since the former are eternal and the latter are transitory: "For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Wilt thou, then, stand so long gazing at things which pass away? Thou laughest at the rustic who stops to gaze at the river rushing past with great velocity. But what are all visible things? Are they not just like such a river? Let them go.

†

February 25th, Second Sunday of Lent

The Transfiguratioin of our Lord gives us an idea of the beauty of a soul in the state of sanctifying grace. "This is the will of God, your sanctification." It must be our firm determination to preserve the divine life of the soul, at any price.

2nd Sunday in Lent 2nd Sunday in Lent; Transfiguration Prayers Second Sunday of Lent: Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent On the Deplorable State of a Christian, who is Cold and Insensible with regard to Heaven How to become a Saint Newly Added
On the Angelic Virtue and The Will of God, Our Sanctification Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who seest us to be destitute of all strength, do Thou both inwardly and outwardly keep us; that in body we may be defended from all adversities, and in mind cleansed from evil thoughts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Transfiguration of our Lord gives us an idea of the beauty of a soul in the state of sanctifying grace. "This is the will of God, your sanctification." It must be our firm determination to preserve the divine life of our soul, at any price.

In today's Epistle, the Apostle shows what manner of life should be followed by Christians; and the Church, by repeating his words, exhorts the Faithful to profit of the present Season of grace, and regain all the beauty of the image of God, which the grace of Baptism first gave them. A Christian is a vessel of honour, formed and enriched by the hand of God; let him, therefore, shun whatsoever would degrade his noble origin, and turn him into a vessel of dishonor, fit only to be broken and cast with the unclean into the sink of hell.

The Christian Religion has so far ennobled man, that even his very body may share in the soul's sanctity; on the other hand, she teaches us, that this sanctity of the soul is impaired, yea, altogether effaced, by the loss of the body's purity. The whole man, therefore, both body and soul, is to be reformed by the practices of this holy Season. Let us purify the soul by the confession of our sins, by compunction of heart, by the love of God; and let us give back its dignity to the Body, by making it bear the yoke of penance, that so it may be, henceforth, subservient and docile to the Soul, and, on the day of the general Resurrection, partake in her endless bliss.

O God, Who hast given to the soul of Thy servant Gregory, the rewards of everlasting bliss, mercifully grant, that we, who are oppressed by the weight of our sins, may be relieved by his intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

O God, Who for his merits didst make the blessed pontiff Gregory the equal of Thy saints; grant us this boon, that we who keep high festival in memory of him may also reproduce the pattern of his life: through our Lord. etc. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Gregory was a Roman of noble birth, and while still young was governor of Rome. On his father's death he gave his great wealth to the poor, turned his house on the Coelian Hill into a monastery, which now bears his name, and for some years lived as a perfect monk. The Pope drew him from his seclusion to make him one of the seven deacons of Rome; and he did great service to the Church for many years as what we now call Nuncio to the Imperial court at Constantinople. While still a monk the saint was struck with some boys who were exposed for sale in Rome, and heard with sorrow that they were pagans. "And of what race are they?" he asked. "They are Angles." "Worthy indeed to be Angels of God," said he. "And of what province?" "Of Deira," was the reply. "Truly must we rescue them from the wrath of God. And what is the name of their king?" "He is called Ella." "It is well," said Gregory; "Alleluia must be sung in their land to God."

He at once got leave from the Pope, and had set out to convert the English when the murmurs of the people led the Pope to recall him. Still the Angles were not forgotten, and one of the Saint's first cares as Pope was to send from his own monastery St. Augustine and other monks to England. On the death of Pope Pelagius II., Gregory was compelled to take the government of the Church, and for fourteen years his pontificate was a perfect model of ecclesiastical rule. He healed schisms; revived discipline; saved Italy by converting the wild Arian Lombards who were laying it waste; aided in the conversion of the Spanish and French Goths, who were also Arians; and kindled anew in Britain the light of the Faith, which the English had put out in blood. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant, guided and consoled her pastors with innumerable letters, and preached incessantly, most effectually by his own example. He died A. D. 604, worn out by austerities and toils; and the Church reckons him one of her four great doctors, and reveres him as St. Gregory the Great.

Reflection.--The champions of faith prove the truth of their teaching no less by the holiness of their lives than by the force of their arguments. Never forget that to con Pert others you must first see to your own soul.

†

February 24th,
St. Matthias, Apostle. Ember Saturday

St. Matthias, Apostle The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations Litany of the Saints

Ember Day Reflection

Since not a moment passes in life in which we do not experience the goodness of God, we owe Him gratitude. Saint Paul instructs us: "In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus regarding you all" (1 Thess. 5:18). Not only should we thank God for the particular benefits received each day, but we should also give thanks for our creation, for our redemption, and for the gift of faith.

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Lent: The Acceptable Time for Penance Take Heed Lest Your Fall The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Novena to St. Casimir: Feb. 24th - March 4th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

Newly Added
On the Benefits of a Good Confession Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession The Seal of Confession General Confession Prayers and Devotions After Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments St. John Vianney: Sermon on Confession and the Priesthood The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Litany of Penance

O God, Who didst join blessed Matthias to the company of Thy Apostles: grant, we beseech Thee, that, by his intercession, we may enjoy for evermore Thy compassion and loving kindness towards us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

After our blessed Lord's Ascension His disciples met together, with Mary His mother and the eleven apostles, in an upper room at Jerusalem. The little company numbered no more than one hundred and twenty souls. They were waiting for the promised coining of the Holy Ghost, and they persevered in prayer. Meanwhile there was a solemn act to be performed on the part of the Church, which could not be postponed. The place of the fallen Judas must be filled up, that the elect number of the apostles might be complete.

St. Peter, therefore, as Vicar of Christ, arose to announce the divine decree. That which the Holy Ghost had spoken by the mouth of David concerning Judas, he said, must be fulfilled. Of him it had been written, "His bishopric let another take." A choice, therefore, was to be made of one among those who had been their companions from the beginning, who could bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus. Two were named of equal merit, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. Then, after praying to God, Who knows the hearts of all men, to show which of these He had chosen, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was forthwith numbered with the apostles. It is recorded of the Saint, thus wonderfully elected to so high a vocation, that he was above all remarkable for his mortification of the flesh. It was thus that he made his election sure.

Reflection.--Our ignorance of many points in St. Matthias's life serves to fix the attention all the more firmly upon these two--the occasion of his call to the apostolate, and the fact of his perseverance. We then naturally turn in thought to our own vocation and our own end.

†

February 23rd, St. Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. Vigil of St. Matthias Ember Friday Day of Fast and Abstinence.

St. Peter Damian Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity The Sixth Commandment Against the Sin of Homosexuality Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity Meditations on Saving Your Soul: Will it be Heaven or Hell? False Confidence of Salvation Death and the Importance of Salvation Importance of Salvation and the Feast of the Most Precious Blood Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation

Ember Day Reflection

Since not a moment passes in life in which we do not experience the goodness of God, we owe Him gratitude. Saint Paul instructs us: "In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus regarding you all" (1 Thess. 5:18). Not only should we thank God for the particular benefits received each day, but we should also give thanks for our creation, for our redemption, and for the gift of faith.

Friday After First Sunday: The Feast of the Holy Lance and the Nails of Our Lord. Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Steps of Our Savior's Passion Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus Catholic Video: O Sacred Head Surrounded

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Grant unto us, we beseech Thee, almighty God: to follow the counsels and example of blessed Peter Thy Confessor and Bishop, that, by despising earthly things, we may attain unto everlasting joys. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. O excellent Doctor, light of holy Church, blessed Peter lover of the divine law, pray unto the Son of God for us.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.

R. He clothed him with a robe of glory.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter Damian was born in 988, and lost both parents at an early age. His eldest brother, in whose hands he was left, treated him so cruelly that a younger brother, a priest, moved by his piteous state, sent him to the University of Parma, where he acquired great distinction. His studies were sanctified by vigils, fasts, and prayers, till at last, thinking that all this was only serving God by halves, he resolved to leave the world. He joined the monks at Font-Avellano, then in the greatest repute, and by his wisdom and sanctity rose to be Superior. He was employed on the most delicate and difficult missions, amongst others the reform of ecclesiastical communities, which was effected by his zeal.

Seven Popes in succession made him their constant adviser, and he was at last created Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. He withstood Henry IV. of Germany, and labored in defence of Alexander II. against the Antipope, whom he forced to yield and seek for pardon. He was charged, as Papal Legate, with the repression of simony; again, was commissioned to settle discords amongst various bishops, and finally, in 1072, to adjust the affairs of the Church at Ravenna. He was laid low by a fever on his homeward journey, and died at Faenza, in a monastery of his order, on the eighth day of his sickness, whilst the monks chanted matins around him.

Reflection.--The Saints studied, not in order to be accounted learned, but to become perfect. This only is wisdom and true greatness, to account ourselves as ignorant, and to adhere in all things to the teachings and instincts of the Church.

†

February 22nd, St. Peter's Chair at Antioch and a Commemoration of St. Paul.

St. Peter, Apostle and First Pope, from the Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs, 1867 Prayers and Devotions St. Peter the Apostle and St. Peter's Chair Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd The Church The Church is One The Church is Holy The Church is Catholic The Church is Apostolic Contrition St. Peter The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Vol. 2: Parables and Teachings of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son--These devotions can be said at anytime during the entire season of Lent.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O God, Who in delivering to Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, didst confer on him the pontifical power of binding and loosing: grant, that by the help of his intercession we may be loosed from the bonds of our sins: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. Thou art the shepherd of the sheep, O Prince of the Apostles, unto thee were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Ant. O holy Apostle Paul, preacher of the truth, and teacher of the Gentiles, intercede for us with God, who chose thee.

V. Thou art a vessel of election, O holy Apostle Paul.

R. A preacher of the truth to the whole world.

(Roman Breviary)

That St. Peter, before he went to Rome, founded the see of Antioch is attested by many Saints. It was just that the Prince of the Apostles should take this city under his particular care and inspection, which was then the capital of the East, and in which the faith took so early and so deep root as to give birth in it to the name of Christians. St. Chrysostom says that St. Peter made there a long stay; St. Gregory the Great, that he was seven years Bishop of Antioch; not that he resided there all that time, but only that he had a particular care over that Church. If he sat twenty-five years at Rome, the date of his establishing his chair at Antioch must be within three years after Our Saviour's Ascension; for in that supposition he must have gone to Rome in the second year of Claudius.

In the first ages it was customary, especially in the East, for every Christian to keep the anniversary of his Baptism, on which he renewed his baptismal vows and gave thanks to God for his heavenly adoption: this they called their spiritual birthday. The bishops in like manner kept the anniversary of their own consecration, as appears from four sermons of St. Leo on the anniversary of his accession or assumption to the pontifical dignity; and this was frequently continued after their decease by the people, out of respect for their memory. St. Leo says we ought to celebrate the chair of St. Peter with no less joy than the day of his martyrdom; for as in this he was exalted to a throne of glory in heaven, so by the former he was installed head of the Church on earth.

Reflection.--On this festival we are especially bound to adore and thank the Divine Goodness for the establishment and propagation of His Church, and earnestly to pray that in His mercy He preserve the same, and dilate its pale, that His name may be glorified by all nations, and by all hearts, to the boundaries of the earth, for His divine honor and the salvation of souls, framed to His divine image, and the price of His adorable blood.

†

February 21st, Ember Wednesday: Day of Fast

Newly Added
On Christian Self-Love and the Necessity of Holy Fear and Avoiding Sloth Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Explanation of the Law of God Index of the Ten Commandments

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

†

February 20th, Ferial Day

Newly Added
On the Loving Chastiser and How to be Victorious in our Earthly Fight 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

St. Michael/ Exorcism

†

February 19th, Ferial Day

Newly Added
First Sunday in Lent: On the Spiritual Combat Catholic Book: The Spiritual Combat by Fr. Scupoli, 1865 Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels St. Michael/ Exorcism Part 13: A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms Your Guardian Angel throughout life The Twelve Works of Our Guardian Angel

First Sunday in Lent: A Series of Related Links on Temptations and the Devil

Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas: Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Psalter of Jesus Index for the Season of Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. Seven Penitential Psalms Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd Novena to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: Feb. 19th - Feb. 27th 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

On the Requisite Dispositions for the Holy Time of Lent

by Rev. Bruno Vercruysse

1st Prel. Represent to yourself Adam at the moment when, after his condemnation, he hears the humiliating words, "Dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou return." (Gen. 3. 19.)

2d Prel. Beg of God that He will deign to penetrate you with the feelings the Church desires us to be inspired with today.

FIRST DISPOSITION REQUISITE: HUMILITY

Consideration: Remember, O man! that "dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou return." (Ibid.) Who uttered these harsh words, which are heard through the whole Catholic world? God Himself, nearly six thousand years ago. To whom did He address them? To Adam, our first parent, as soon as, in punishment for his sin, the sentence of death had been pronounced on him and his posterity. "Because thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work," said the Lord. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou return." (Ibid.) But why did God add these words, which do not increase in any way the punishment already given? It was doubtless to subdue and annihilate the pride of Adam, and inspire him with such deep humility as would dispose his heart to salutary penance. Thus we see that Adam, who had begun to excuse himself, answered not, but accepted the penance imposed, and persevered in it, humble, penitent, and resigned, for the long space of nine hundred years. God was pleased with this penance, and our first parent was saved by it through the merits of the future Redeemer.

Application: We have sinned in Adam, we have sinned ourselves, we are very guilty, we have great need of doing penance, of imploring pardon; God is ready to give it to us. But we have seen that the first feeling He seeks in the heart of a sinner is humility, and a conviction of his own unworthiness. The first disposition then into which we ought to try to enter and in which to persevere during Lent--that time of universal penance--is a profound humility, springing from the knowledge of our nothingness and our sins. It is this which should form the principal merit of our works of penance.

Affections: Ask the grace to know thyself, and in view of thy miseries to acquire a profound humility which may go on increasing daily during this season of penance.

SECOND DISPOSITION REQUISITE: COMPUNCTION

Consideration: "Remember, O man! that thou art dust, and into dust shalt thou return." Who is it that utters again, every year on Ash Wednesday, the same words that God pronounced in the terrestrial paradise? Our holy Mother Church, by the mouth of her ministers. And to whom does she address them? To each of us, to all the faithful who assemble in the house of God. And at what moment? At the same moment when she places ashes on our foreheads --the emblem of death and penance. It is as if she said, O man! whosoever thou may be, remember that thou must die and become like unto this dust, because of sin; remember, that if thou dost not penance for thy sins, thou wilt only rise again from the dust of the tomb to pass in body and soul into a place of eternal torments.

Application: The Church obliges us to listen to those grave and terrific truths only to inspire us, from the first day of Lent, with holy and deep compunction. Compunction of heart is the second essential disposition for whoever desires to attain one of the principal ends of Lent--salutary penance. If our works of mortification and penance are accompanied by sentiments of true contrition and humility, they will be pleasing before God. He has pledged His word that He will pardon our sins; for, says the royal Prophet, " Cor humiliatum, Deus, non despicies." "A contrite and humbled heart, O God! Thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 50: 19.) If we are wanting in these dispositions, ought we not to fear that all the practices of Lent, even the most painful ones, will be of little use to us?

Affections: Beg earnestly of God the grace of an humble and contrite heart; say to Him with the Prophet, " Feed us with the bread of tears, and give us for our drink tears in measure." (Psalm 79:6.)

Resolutions: To recite each day during Lent the Psalm Miserere, and to endeavor to do so with the sentiments of humility and compunction which inspired the penitent and saintly king to receive the holy ashes this day with the same dispositions. Colloquy with the holy King David. Beg of him to obtain for us the spirit of penance and compunction of heart. To recite the Psalm Miserere, should time permit, in these dispositions.

Affections and Prayers

Lord, give me of this water. O Jesus, with the Samaritan woman, I beseech thee, give me of this water of Thy love, which may make me forget the earth, and live only for Thee who art infinitely lovely. "Water our barren clay." My soul is a barren soil which produces nothing but the weeds and the thorns of sin: Oh water it with Thy holy grace, that it may yield some fruit to Thy glory, before it leaves this world by death! O fountain of living water, O sovereign good, how often have I deserted Thee for the defiled waters of the earth, which have deprived me of Thy love! O that I had rather died than offended Thee! But for the future I will seek after nothing but Thee my God. Succour me, and make me always faithful to Thee. Mary, my hope, keep me always under your holy protection.

†

February 18th,
First Sunday of Lent

The Subject of this Sunday's Gospel is the Temptation of Christ

First Sunday in Lent: from the Liturgial Year by Dom Gueranger. Temptation of Jesus in the Desert Newly Added
First Sunday in Lent: On Serving the Devil Sermons by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger First Sunday of Lent: Epistle and Gospel, Instructions for Lent Children's Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent Newly Added
How to Fast from the Heart Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent

First Sunday in Lent: A Series of Related Links on Temptations and the Devil

Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas The Necessity of Mortification Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of forty days; grant to Thy household that what we strive to obtain from Thee by self denial, we may secure by good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Originally the forty days of penance were counted from this Sunday. The liturgical gathering of the " station " takes place to-day, as it was since the fourth century, at Saint John Lateran, which is the patriarchal basilica of the Bishops of Rome, At its first consecration, it was dedicated to " Saint Saviour," a name which calls to mind the Redemption accomplished by our Blessed Lord.

Immediately after His baptism, our Lord began to prepare for His public life by a fast of forty days in the mountainous desert which stretches between Jericho and the mountains of Judea. It was there that He was tempted by Satan, who wished to discover whether the son of Mary was in reality the Son of God (Gospel). As in the case of Adam, he adresses his first attack to the senses. Our Lord is hungry and the tempter suggests to Him that He should turn stones into bread. In the same way he tries, during these forty days, to make us give up our fasting and mortification. This is the concupiscence of the flesh.

The devil had promised our first parent that he should be as God. Now he takes our Lord to the pinnacle of the Temple and tries to induce Him to let Himself be carried by the angels through the air amidst the applause of the crowds below. Satan tempts us by pride, which is opposed to the spirit of prayer and meditation on God's word. This is the pride of life.

Finally, just as he had promised Adam a knowledge which like that of God Himself, should enable him to know all things, so Satan assures Jesus that he will make Him ruler over all created things if He will fall at his feet and worship him. In the same way the devil seeks to attach us to temporal goods, when we ought, by alms and works of charity, to be doing good to our neighbour. This is the concupiscence of the eyes or avarice.

Since the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, our Lord made use of the ninetieth psalm against Satan, and this is the theme of the whole Mass and is found again and again in the office of the day. " His truth shall cover thee with a shield," says the psalmist. This psalm is, therefore, the ideal psalm for Lent as a special time of warfare against the devil. Again, the eleventh verse," He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways," recurs in Vespers like a refrain during the whole season. We find the entire psalm in the Tract, which reminds us of the old custom of singing psalms during certain parts of the Mass. Some of its verses make up the Introit with its verse, the Gradual, the Communion and the Offertory, which last was formerly composed, in to-day's mass, of three verses instead of one, following the order of the threefold temptation as recorded in the Gospel.

Side by side with this psalm the Epistle, certainly dating from the time of Saint Leo, sounds one of the characteristic notes of Lent. There Saint Paul borrows a text of Isaias : " In an accepted time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee." "Behold," says the apostle, " now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation" (Epistle and first nocturn). On this Saint Leo comments : " Although there is no season of the year which is not rich in divine gifts and in which we by God's grace do not find immediate access to His mercy; nevertheless at this time when the return of the day on which we are redeemed summons us to fulfill all the duties of Christian piety, the souls of Christians must be stirred with more zeal for spiritual progress, and possessed of a very great confidence in almighty God. In this manner, with pure souls and bodies, shall we celebrate this mystery of the Lord's Passion, sublime beyond all others.

True, we ought always to be in the divine presence, just as much as on the Easter feast. But because this spiritual vigour is the possession of only a few, while, on the one hand, the weakness of the flesh leads to any very severe observance being relaxed, and on the other, the varied occupations of this life share and divide our interest, it necessarily happens that the dust of the world soils the hearts even of religious themselves. This divine institution has been planned with great profit to our salvation in a manner that the exercises of these forty days may help us to regain the purity of our souls, making up, in a way, for the faults of the rest of the year, by fasting and pious deeds. However, we must be careful to give no one the least cause of complaint or scandal, so that our general behaviour may not be inconsistent with our fasting and penance. For it is useless to reduce the nourishment of the body unless the soul departs from sin " (Second nocturn).

February 18th, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin (in some places)

St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin Novena of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette Our Lady of Lourdes Inspirational Account of the Life of St. Bernadette and the Apparition of Lourdes In Defense of the Miracles of Lourdes, A History of Its Apparitions and Cures Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph: Feb. 18th - Mar. 19th

O God, protector and lover of the humble, Who hast bestowed upon Thy servant, Marie Bernadette, the favor of beholding the Immaculate Virgin Mary and of conversing with her, grant, we beseech Thee, that walking through the simple paths of faith, we may deserve to behold Thee in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

February 18th, St. Simeon, Bishop and Confessor

St. Simeon, Bishop and Martyr

Look upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Simeon, Thy Martyr and Bishop shied us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Simeon was the son of Cleophas, otherwise called Alpheus, brother to St. Joseph, and of Mary, sister to the Blessed Virgin. He was therefore nephew both to St. Joseph and to the Blessed Virgin, and cousin to Our Saviour. We cannot doubt but that he was an early follower of Christ, and that he received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, with the Blessed Virgin and the apostles. When the Jews massacred St. James the Lesser, his brother Simeon reproached them for their atrocious cruelty. St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, being put to death in the year 62, twenty-nine years after Our Saviour's Resurrection, the apostles and disciples met at Jerusalem to appoint him a successor. They unanimously chose St. Simeon, who had probably before assisted his brother in the government of that Church.

In the year 66, in which Sts. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome, the civil war began in Judea, by the seditions of the Jews against the Romans. The Christians in Jerusalem were warned by God of the impending destruction of that city. They therefore departed out of it the same year,--before Vespasian, Nero's general, and afterwards emperor, entered Judea,--and retired beyond Jordan to a small city called Pella, having St. Simeon at their head. After the taking and burning of Jerusalem they returned thither again, and settled themselves amidst its ruins, till Adrian afterwards entirely razed it. The Church here flourished, and multitudes of Jews were converted by the great number of prodigies and miracles wrought in it.

Vespasian and Domitian had commanded all to be put to death who were of the race of David. St. Simeon had escaped their searches; but, Trajan having given the same order, certain heretics and Jews accused the Saint, as being both of the race of David and a Christian, to Atticus, the Roman governor in Palestine. The holy bishop was condemned to be crucified. After having undergone the usual tortures during several days, which, though one hundred and twenty years old, he suffered with so much patience that he drew on him a universal admiration, and that of Atticus in particular, he died in 107. He must have governed the Church of Jerusalem about forty-three years.

Reflection.--We bear the name of Christians, but are full of the spirit of worldlings, and our actions are infected with the poison of the world. We secretly seek ourselves, even when we flatter ourselves that God is our only aim; and whilst we undertake to convert the world, we suffer it to pervert us. When shall we begin to study to crucify our passions and die to ourselves, that we may lay a solid foundation of true virtue and establish its reign in our hearts?

†

February 17th, Ferial Day

In some locations, the Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family is celebrated

The Flight into Egypt Children's Sermon:
The Flight into Egypt
Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd

Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross Index for the Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers, Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

Causes of Relapse into Sin Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Penitent Christian The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

On Divine Love, as a Light which Enlightens us.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

One of the worst effects which Adam's sin produced in us, was its blinding our reason by means of the passions, which darkened the mind. O how miserable is the soul that allows itself to be ruled by any of the passions! Passion is a vapour, a veil, which will not suffer us to see the truth. How can he fly from evil, who knows not what is evil? Our mental obscurity increases in proportion as our sins increase. But the Holy Ghost, who is called "Light most blessed," with His divine rays, not only inflames our hearts to love Him, but also dispels our darkness, and reveals to us the vanity of all worldly things, the value of eternal goods, the importance of salvation, the price of grace, the goodness of God, the infinite love which He deserves from us, and the immense love He has shown to us: The sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the spirit of God (1 Cor. ii. 14. ).

Man absorpt in the pleasures of the earth, knows but little of these truths, and hence he unhappily loves that which he should hate, and hates that which he should love. St. Mary Magdalen, of Pazzi, exclaimed: "O love not known, O love not loved!" And hence St. Teresa said, that God is not loved because He is not known. Hence the saints ever sought light from God: "Send forth thy light: illuminate our darkness: open thou our eyes." Yes, because without light, precipices cannot be avoided, and God cannot be found.

Affections and Prayers

O Holy and Divine Spirit, I believe that thou art truly God, and one God with the Father and with the Son. I adore and acknowledge Thee as the giver of those lights, by which Thou hast discovered to me the evil which I have done by offending Thee, and the obligation which I am under of loving Thee: I thank Thee for them, and am exceedingly sorry for having offended Thee. I have deserved to be abandoned by Thee in my darkness, but I am sensible Thou hast not yet abandoned me.

Continue, O Eternal Spirit, to enlighten me, and make me know still more and more Thy infinite goodness, and give me strength to love Thee for the future with my whole heart. Add grace upon grace, that so I may be sweetly overcome, and constrained to love no other but Thee. I thank Thee through the merits of Jesus Christ. I love Thee, my sovereign good, I love Thee more than myself. I desire to be all thine, accept of me, and suffer me not to depart from Thee any more. O Mary, my Mother, assist me always by your holy intercession.

†

February 16th, Ferial Day of Fast and Abstinence.

Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Stations of the Cross The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross Newly Added
Jesus Crowned with Thorns and Loaded with Ignominy Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent and Passion-tide. A Resource Center of Prayers, Devotions, Books and Sermons. All related links to the Sacrament of Penance, Marriage, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints. Index of Children Prayers, Lent The Necessity of Mortification Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

On our Journey to Eternity

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. Eccles. xii. 5. This earth is not our true country; we are only passing through it on our way to eternity. The land in which I dwell, the house which I inhabit are not mine: in a short time, and when I least expect it, I must leave them. The house which will contain my body, until the day of general judgment, will be the grave, and the house of my soul will be eternity, in heaven if I be saved, in hell if I be lost. Foolish indeed then should I be were I to place my affections on things which I must soon leave. I will endeavour to procure for myself a happy mansion in which I may dwell for ever.

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. It is said he shall go, to give us to understand that each one shall go, in another life, into that house which he himself has chosen: he shall go, he shall not be conducted, but shall go thither of his own free will. Faith teaches us that, in the next life, there are two habitations: one is a palace of delights, where all are happy for ever, and this is paradise: the other is a prison of excruciating torments, where all are for ever miserable, and this is hell. Choose, my soul, to which of the two thou wilt go. If thou desire heaven, thou must walk in the way which leads to heaven; if thou shouldst walk in the way which leads to hell, thou wilt one day unhappily find thyself there. Jesus, enlighten me, Jesus strengthen me. Suffer me not to be separated from thee.

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. If then I be saved and enter into the house of bliss, I shall there be happy for ever; but if I be lost and enter inter into the house of woe, I shall be miserable for ever. If therefore I would be saved, I must keep eternity always before my eyes. He who frequently meditates upon eternity does not become attached to the goods of this world, and thus secures his salvation. I will endeavour, therefore, so to regulate all my actions that they may be so many steps towards a happy eternity. O God, I believe in life eternal. Henceforth I will live only for Thee; hitherto I have lived for myself and have lost Thee, my sovereign good. I will never more lose thee; but will for ever serve and love thee. Assist me, O Jesus, and do not abandon me. Mary, my mother, protect me.

†

February 15th, St. Faustina and Jovita, Martyrs

Ss. Faustinus and Jovita, Martyrs Final Perseverance
by St. Bonaventure Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd

The Necessity of Mortification Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Daily Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Practise During Lent, by Gueranger Lenten Reflection on Via Crucis Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 The End of Man On Those Who During Shrove-Tide, Prefer to Follow the Devil, Rather than Christ by Fr. Francis Hunolt, 1740

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly festival of Thy holy Martyrs, Faustinus and Jovita, grant in Thy mercy, that we who rejoice in their merits may be inspired by the example of their lives. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia, while, the bishop of that place lay concealed during the persecution. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith at Brescia in Lombardy, under the Emperor Adrian. Julian, a heathen lord, apprehended them: and the emperor himself, passing through Brescia, when neither threats nor torments could shake their constancy, commanded them to be beheaded. They seem to have suffered about the year 121. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons, possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.

Reflection.--The spirit of Christ is a spirit of martyrdom--at least of mortification and penance. It is always the spirit of the cross. The more we share in the suffering life of Christ, the greater share we inherit in His spirit, and in the fruit of His death. To souls mortified to their senses and disengaged from earthly things, God gives frequent foretastes of the sweetness of eternal life, and the most ardent desires of possessing Him in His glory. This is the spirit of martyrdom, which entitles a Christian to a happy resurrection and to the bliss of the life to come.

†

February 14th, Ash Wednesday, Day of Fast and Abstinence

All of the Lenten Sermons, Prayers, Devotions, Books and vital information relevant to this Holy Season of Lent can be accessed via our Lenten Index page listed below.

Index for the Season of Lent Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Lent Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday: Epistle and Gospel, Instructions for Lent The Necessity of Mortification Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Novena and Penitential Litany for Lent; The Prodigal Son Daily Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Practise During Lent, by Gueranger Lenten Reflection on Via Crucis Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 The End of Man On Those Who During Shrove-Tide, Prefer to Follow the Devil, Rather than Christ by Fr. Francis Hunolt, 1740

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified: mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people and turn away the scourge of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Today's station at Rome is at Saint-Sabina's on the Aventine, in a sanctuary built on the former site of the holy martyr's house. Having been converted by her maid-servant, she was beheaded for the faith and secretly buried. It is to this Church that, in former times, the Pope used to go barefoot "to begin with holy fasts the exercises of Christian warfare, that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial". In the fifth century it was one of the twenty-five parishes of Rome. Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance is sackcloth and ashes, the Church today, to humble our pride and remind us of the sentence of death, which as a consequence of our sins we are bound to undergo, sprinkles ashes on our heads with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return". We come from dust and to dust we shall return! Here indeed, is a thought that should humble our pride.

In this custom we have the remains of an ancient ceremony referred to in the Roman Pontifical. Those Christians who were guilty of grave faults had to undergo public penance. Accordingly on Ash Wednesday, the Bishop used to bless the sackcloth which was to be worn by the penitents during the holy Forty Days, and place upon their heads ashes made from palms used the previous year in the Palm Sunday procession. Then, while the faithful were singing the Seven Penitential Psalms, "the penitents were expelled from the holy place on account of their sins, just as Adam was driven out of paradise because of his disobedience". They were not allowed to put off their penitential garb or to re-enter the Church before Holy Thursday after they had gained their reconciliation by toil and penance, and by sacramental confession and absolution.

At the Council of Beneventum (1091) Pope Urban VI commanded that the ashes should be received by all the faithful indiscriminately. Let us receive them in a spirit of humility and penance, and that by this powerful sacramental we may obtain from almighty God the blessings which the Church implores in the act of blessing them. For, truly, "God overlooks the sins of men for the sake of repentance" (Introit). He is "rich in mercy" to those who are "converted to Him with all their heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning" (Epistle). We must not indeed, like the Pharisees, rend our garments as a sign of grief, but rather our hearts" (ibid.), for it is not men who are to testify to our fasting, but our Father who sees our inmost souls and will repay us (Gospel), as our Lord Himself tells us in the Sermon on the Mount. Let us then, draw from the Eucharist the help which we need (Postcommunion), so that celebrating today the institution of this sacred fast (Secret), we may "perform it with a devotion which nothing can disturb" (Collect).

February 14th, St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr

St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr Novena to St. Valentine:
Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th Holy Purity Index: Links to All Marriage and Family Pages. Provides answers to all of your questions. The Sacrament of Marriage Christian Marriage Preparation for Marraige After Lent/ Laws of the Church Duties of Marriage St. Michael/ Exorcism Part 13: A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger

Readings and Prayers to Combat the Vice of Impurity The 6th Commandment Moral Teaching on Unchaste Thoughts and Desires Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori The Ravages of Adultery

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul: Feb. 14th - Feb. 22nd The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who are keeping the festival of blessed Valentine Thy Martyr, may, through his intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through our Lord. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

V. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord.

R. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.

Ant. This Saint hath striven for the law of his God even unto death, and hath not feared for the words of the ungodly; for he had been founded upon a firm rock.

(Roman Breviary)

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who assisted the martyrs during the persecution under Claudius II. His great virtue and influence became known, and he was apprehended and brought before the emperor's tribunal. "Why, Valentine, do you want to be the friend of our enemies and reject our friendship?" The Christian priest replied, "My Lord, if you knew the gift of God, you would be happy, and your empire with you; you would reject the cult of your idols and would adore the true God and His Son Jesus Christ." One of the judges interrupted, asking the martyr what he thought of Jupiter and Mercury. "That they were miserable, and spent all their lives in debauchery and crime!" The judge, furious, cried, "He has blasphemed against the gods and against the empire!" The emperor nonetheless continued his questioning with curiosity, pleased to have this opportunity to know what Christians thought. Valentine had the courage to exhort him to do penance for the blood of Christians which he had shed. "Believe in Jesus Christ, be baptized and you will be saved, and already in this life you will insure your empire's glory and the triumph of your arms." Claudius began to be convinced, and said to those in attendance, "Hear the beautiful doctrine this man is teaching us!" But the prefect of Rome, dissatisfied, cried out, "See how this Christian is seducing our prince!" Claudius, weakening, abandoned the holy priest to another judge.

This man, named Asterius, had a little girl who had been blind for two years. Hearing of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, he asked Valentine if he could convey that light to his child. Saint Valentine placed his hand on her eyes and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, true Light, illuminate this blind child!" The child saw, and the Judge with all his family confessed Christ and received Baptism. The emperor, hearing of this, would have turned his gaze away from these conversions, but fear caused him to betray his sense of justice. With several other Christians Saint Valentine was tortured and martyred in the year 268.

This illustrious martyr has always been held in great honor in Rome, where there still exists a catacomb named for him.

Reflection: In the cause of justice and truth, human prudence should not be consulted; in that case, it is mere human respect. Saint Paul says: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." (I Cor. 3:19)

†

February 13th, Ferial Day

                 Newly Added
How to Fast from the Heart                  Newly Added
Preparing for Lent

Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

On divine Love as the Virtue which Strengthens us.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Love is strong as death.--Cant. viii. 6. As there is no created strength which can resist death; so to the soul that loves God, there is no difficulty which yields not to love. When the soul that loves would please its beloved, love overcomes all losses, contempt, and sorrows: "Nothing is so hard but that it may be conquered by the fire of love." This is the most certain mark by which to know whether a soul really loves God, its being as faithful to Him when things are adverse as when they are prosperous. St. Francis of Sales says: "that God is as amiable when He chastises us as when He consoles us, because he does both from love." Hence when He afflicts us the most in this life, He loves us the most. St. John Chrysostom considered St. Paul bound in chains more happy than St. Paul wrapt to the third heavens.

Hence the holy martyrs, in the midst of their torments, rejoiced and gave thanks to God for the great favour which He conferred upon them in allowing them to suffer for His love. And the other saints, where tyrants were wanting to afflict them, became their own tormentors by the penances which they imposed upon themselves, in order to please God. St. Augustin says: "He who loves, either does not feel labour, or loves it."

Affections and Prayers:

O God of my soul, I say that I love thee, and yet what do I do for Thy love? Nothing. It is a sign therefore that I either do not love Thee, or love Thee not enough. Send therefore, O Jesus, the Holy Ghost upon me, to come and strengthen me to do and to suffer something for Thy love, before death overtake me. Suffer me not, O Lord, to depart out of this life cold: and ungrateful, as I have hitherto been. Give me strength to love sufferings, on account of the many sins by which I have deserved hell.

O my God, who art all goodness and all love, Thou desirest to dwell in my soul, from which I have so often expelled Thee: come and take possession of it, dwell within it and make it air Thine own. I love Thee, O my Lord, and if I love Thee thou art with me, as St. John assures me: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.--1 St. John iv. 16. Since therefore Thou art with me, increase the flames, the chains of Thy love, that I may neither desire, nor seek, nor love any other but Thee, and thus bound: by Thy love never separate myself from Thee any more. I desire, O Jesus, to be Thine, to be all Thine. O Mary, my Queen and advocate, obtain for me love and holy perseverance. Amen

       †

February 12th, Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessors.

The Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessors Manual of Devotions in Honour of Our Lady of Sorrows St. Philip Benizi Temptations and the Devils
who Tempt 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary

Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine:
Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O God, Who, to honor the memory of Thy most holy Mother's sorrows, didst, by means of seven blessed Fathers, beget within Thy Church a new family of her Servants: mercifully grant that we may so share their weeping that we may also enjoy their bliss. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Hymn: Sic patres vitam

The fathers lived a life in shade, Yet seemed to Peter's vision seven White glistening lilies for the Maid, The Queen of heaven,

Through city streets, o'er hills and plains, Upborne by love divine, they trod, To fix in men the Mother's pains, The swords of God.

This was the power in which they spoke, Till each wild passion owned their sway: They cheered the sad, from sinners broke Their chains away.

Till at last the Virgin Queen Led them to mansions in the sky, Mansions where garlands aye are green, And never die.

May they hear cries of all who pray, And see how hard our earthly strife: Aiding us onward to the day When all is life.

Now to the Father thanks and praise; To Thee, O Son, the same we send; To thee, great Spirit, through all days, World without end. Amen

When in the thirteenth century the most cultured peoples of Italy were divided by bloodthirsty factions and by the dreadful schism fostered by Frederick II, the merciful providence of God raised up, among others remarkable for holiness, seven men of the nobility of Florence, who were united by mutual affection, and afforded a notable example of brotherly love. These men were: Bonfilio Monaldi, Bonagiunta Manetti, Manettus dell' Antella, Amadeus de Amadei, Hugo Lippi, Gerard Sostegni, and Alexis Falconieri. In the year 1233, on the feast of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin, while they were fervently praying in a certain convent of pious men, called the Praisers, each one of them was urged by the Mother of God herself in a vision, to embrace a more holy and more perfect life. Therefore, having first conferred on the matter with the bishop of Florence, these seven men, laying aside their wealth and rank, and clothing themselves in hair-shirts under very old and ragged garments, on September 8 withdrew to a humble retreat in the country, desiring to begin their holier life on the very day when the Mother of God herself began her own most holy life upon earth.

God showed by a miracle that their manner of life was pleasing to him. For one day shortly afterwards, when these seven men were begging alms from door to door throughout the city of Florence, it happened that they were acclaimed by the voices of children, among whom was St. Philip Benizi, then only five months old, as the Servants of blessed Mary, which was to be always their title in the future. Wherefore to avoid crowds of people, and led by their love of solitude, they all withdrew to the solitude of Monte Senario, and there adopted a manner of life almost heavenly. For they lived in caves, took no food but herbs and water, and subdued their bodies by vigils and other austerities, continually meditating on the passion of Christ and the sorrows of his afflicted Mother.

One Good Friday when they were absorbed in fervent prayer, the blessed Virgin appeared to them all in person a second time, and showed them the somber habit they were to adopt; and told them that she wished them to found a new order of religious in the Church, whose mission was to cultivate and spread devotion to the sorrows which she endured beneath the cross of the Lord. Holy Peter, illustrious Martyr of the Order of Preachers, learned this from familiar association with these holy men, and also from a strange vision of the Mother of God. it was at his instance, that they founded the regular Order under the title of Servants of the Blessed Virgin; which later was approved by the sovereign Pontiff Innocent IV.

These holy men were soon joined by many companions, and began to preach Christ crucified everywhere in the towns and cities of Italy, especially in Tuscany. They brought civil feuds to an end, and brought back almost innumerable sinners to the paths of virtue. Not only Italy, but France, Germany and Poland benefited by their evangelical labors. Finally, after having diffused the good odor of Christ far and wide, and also being illustrious in the glory of miracles, they passed to the Lord. In life they were one in their love of religion and of true brotherhood, in death they were united in one tomb and in the veneration of the people.

†

February 11th, Quinquagaesima Sunday and the Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes

Quinquagaesima Sunday Quinquagesima Sunday:
Sermon for Children and Parents Quinquagesima Sunday:
Epistle and Gospel. Necessity of Good Works The Corporal Works of Mercy How Blind the Sinner Is They that Live in Sin Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion

Our Lady of Lourdes Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette In Defense of the Miracles of Lourdes, A History of Its Apparitions and Cures St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin Inspirational Account of the Life of St. Bernadette and the Apparition of Lourdes Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Immaculate Conception History and Defense of the Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the Immaculate Conception

Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling for Thy Son: we humbly beseech Thee, that we who celebrate the Apparition of the same Virgin may win health of mind and body. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In the fourth year after the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin, the Virgin herself deigned to appear on several occasions to a certain very poor but pious and innocent girl named Bernadette, in a rocky cavern overlooking the grotto of Massabielle, on the banks of the river Gave, near the town of Lourdes in the diocese of Tarbes in France. The Immaculate Virgin showed herself as a young and gracious figure, robed in white, with a white veil and blue girdle, and golden roses on her bare feet. At the first apparition on February 11, 1858, she taught the child to make the sign of the cross correctly and devoutly, and, taking a chaplet from her own arm, encouraged her by example to say the holy rosary; this was also repeated in the subsequent apparitions.

On the second day the girl, who feared some deceit of the devil, in all simplicity cast holy water at the Virgin, who smiled more graciously than before. At the third apparition, the girl was invited to repeat her visits to the grotto for fifteen days. During this time the Virgin conversed with her, exhorted her to pray for sinners, to kiss the ground and do penance; and finally commanded her to tell the priests, that a chapel was to be built in that place, and that pilgrims should come to it solemnly in prayer. She was also told to drink and wash in the water from a spring, until the invisible, but which soon gushed out of the ground. On the feast of the Annunciation the girl earnestly begged the Virgin, who had so often visited her, to reveal her name, and joining her hands and raising her eyes to heaven, she said: I am the Immaculate Conception.

†

February 10th,
St. Scholastica, Virgin

St. Scholastica, Virgin Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, Who, to show us the path of innocence, didst cause the soul of Thy blessed virgin Scholastica to go up into heaven in the form of a dove: grant that by the help of her merits and prayers, we may live in such innocence as to be worthy to win everlasting bliss. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Of this Saint but little is known on earth, save that she was the sister of the great patriarch St. Benedict, and that, under his direction, she founded and governed a numerous community near Monte Casino. St. Gregory sums up her life by saying that she devoted herself to God from her childhood, and that her pure soul went to God in the likeness of a dove, as if to show that her life had been enriched with the fullest gifts of the Holy Spirit. Her brother was accustomed to visit her every year, for "she could not be sated or wearied with the words of grace which flowed from his lips."

On his last visit, after a day passed in spiritual converse, the Saint, knowing that her end was near, said, "My brother, leave me not, I pray you, this night, but discourse with me till dawn on the bliss of those who see God in heaven." St. Benedict would not, break his rule at the bidding of natural affection; and then the Saint bowed her head on her hands and prayed; and there arose a storm so violent that St. Benedict could not return to his monastery, and they passed the night in heavenly conversation. Three days later St. Benedict saw in a vision the soul of his sister going up in the likeness of a dove into heaven. Then he gave thanks to God for the graces He had given her, and for the glory which had crowned them.

When she died, St. Benedict, her spiritual daughters, and the monks sent by St. Benedict mingled their tears and prayed, "Alas! alas! dearest mother, to whom dost thou leave us now? Pray for us to Jesus, to Whom thou art gone." They then devoutly celebrated holy Mass, "commending her soul to God;" and her body was borne to Monte Casino, and laid by her brother in the tomb he had prepared for himself." And they bewailed her many days;" and St. Benedict said, "Weep not, sisters and brothers; for assuredly Jesus has taken her before us to be our aid and defence against all our enemies, that we may stand in the evil day and be in all things perfect." She died about the year 543.

Reflection.--Our relatives must be loved in and for God; otherwise the purest affection becomes inordinate and is so much taken from Him.

†

February 9th,
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church and St. Apollonia, Virgin and Martyr In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The following links are particularly relevant today. All Catholics must thoroughly know and firmly believe the infallable teachings of the Catholic Church, or else they will be deceived by false teachers and false prophets and lose their souls. St. Paul warned against this when he wrote to the Galatians: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema.--Galatians 1: 8-9

Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller The Heresy of Indifferentism: the Consequence of Luther's Heresy of Faith Alone Why the Catholic Church Condemns Attendance at False Worship by Michael Mueller, 1874 Abjuration of Heresy and Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, Pius IV., 1565 Unworthy Communion: Applies to Divorced and Remarried Catholics

O God, Who didst make blessed Cyril, Thy Confessor and Bishop, the invincible champion of the divine motherhood of the most blessed Virgin Mary: grant through his intercession, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God may be saved by her motherly care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria in 412. Having at first thrown himself with ardor into the party politics of the place, God called him to a nobler conflict. In 428, Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, began to deny the unity of Person in Christ, and to refuse to the Blessed Virgin the title of "Mother of God." He was strongly supported by disciples and friends throughout the East. As the assertion of the divine maternity of Our Lady was necessary to the integrity of the doctrine of the Incarnation, so, with St. Cyril, devotion to the Mother was the necessary complement of his devotion to the Son. St. Cyril, after expostulating in vain, accused Nestorius to Pope Celestine. The Pope commanded retraction, under pain of separation from the Church, and intrusted St. Cyril with the conduct of the proceedings.

The appointed day, June 7, 431, found Nestorius and Cyril at Ephesus, with over 200 bishops. After waiting twelve days in vain for the Syrian bishops, the council with Cyril tried Nestorius, and deposed him from his see. Upon this the Syrians and Nestorians excommunicated St. Cyril, and complained of him to the emperor as a peace-breaker. Imprisoned and threatened with banishment, the Saint rejoiced to confess Christ by suffering. In time it was recognized that St. Cyril was right, and with him the Church triumphed. Forgetting his wrongs, and careless of controversial punctilio, Cyril then reconciled himself with all who would consent to hold the doctrine of the Incarnation intact. He died in 444.

Reflection.--The Incarnation is the mystery of God's dwelling within us, and therefore should be the dearest object of our contemplation. It was the passion of St. Cyril's life; for it he underwent toil and persecution, and willingly sacrificed credit and friends.

February 9th,
St. Apolonia, Virgin and Martyr

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Apollonia, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

At Alexandria, in 249, the mob rose in savage fury against the Christians. Metras, an old man, perished first. His eyes were pierced with reeds, and he was stoned to death. A woman named Quinta was the next victim. She was led to a heathen temple and bidden worship. She replied by cursing the false god again and again, and she too was stoned to death. After this the houses of the Christians were sacked and plundered. They took the spoiling of their goods with all joy.

St. Apollonia, an aged virgin, was the most famous among the martyrs. Her teeth were beaten out; she was led outside the city, a huge fire was kindled, and she was told she must deny Christ, or else be burned alive. She was silent for a while, and then, moved by a special inspiration of the Holy Ghost, she leaped into the fire and died in its flames. The same courage showed itself the next year, when Decius became emperor, and the persecution grew till it seemed as if the very elect must fall away. The story of Dioscorus illustrates the courage of the Alexandrian Christians, and the esteem they had for martyrdom. He was a boy of fifteen.

To the arguments of the judge he returned wise answers: he was proof against torture. His older companions were executed, but Dioscorus was spared on account of his tender years; yet the Christians could not bear to think that he had been deprived of the martyr's crown, except to receive it afterwards more gloriously. "Dioscorus," writes Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria at this time, "remains with us, reserved for some longer and greater combat." There were indeed many Christians who came, pale and trembling, to offer the heathen sacrifices. But the judges themselves were struck with horror at the multitudes who rushed to martyrdom. Women triumphed over torture, till at last the judges were glad to execute them at once and put an end to the ignominy of their own defeat.

Reflection.--Many saints, who were not martyrs, have longed to shed their blood for Christ. We, too, may pray for some portion of their spirit; and the least suffering for the faith, borne with humility and courage, is the proof that Christ has heard our prayer.

†

February 8th,
St. John of Matha, Confessor

St. John of Matha, Confessor Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who by heavenly power, and through holy John, didst found the Order of the most holy Trinity for ransoming prisoners from the power of the Saracens: grant, we beseech thee, that by virtue of his helpful merits pleading for us we may, by Thy help, be delivered from all bondage, whether of soul or body. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The life of St. John of Matha was one long course of self-sacrifice for the glory of God and the good of his neighbor. As a child, his chief delight was serving the poor; and he often told them he had come into the world for no other end but to wash their feet. He studied at Paris with such distinction that his professors advised him to become a priest, in order that his talents might render greater service to others; and, for this end, John gladly sacrificed his high rank and other worldly advantages.

At his first Mass an angel appeared, clad in white, with a red and blue cross on his breast, and his hands reposing on the heads of a Christian and a Moorish captive. To ascertain what this signified, John repaired to St. Felix of Valois, a holy hermit living near Meaux, under whose direction he led a life of extreme penance. The angel again appeared, and they then set out for Rome, to learn the will of God from the lips of the Sovereign Pontiff, who told them to devote themselves to the redemption of captives. For this purpose they founded the Order of the Holy Trinity. The religious fasted every day, and gathering alms throughout Europe took them to Barbary, to redeem the Christian slaves. They devoted themselves also to the sick and prisoners in all countries. The charity of St. John in devoting his life to the redemption of captives was visibly blessed by God.

On his second return from Tunis he brought back one hundred and twenty liberated slaves. But the Moors attacked him at sea, overpowered his vessel, and doomed it to destruction, with all on board, by taking away the rudder and sails, and leaving it to the mercy of the winds. St. John tied his cloak to the mast, and prayed, saying, "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. O Lord, Thou wilt save the humble, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud." Suddenly the wind filled the small sail, and, without guidance, carried the ship safely in a few days to Ostia, the port of Rome, three hundred leagues from Tunis. Worn out by his heroic labors, John died in 1213, at the age of fifty-three.

Reflection.--Let us never forget that our blessed Lord, bade us love our neighbor not only as ourselves, but as He loved us, Who afterwards sacrificed Himself for us.

†

February 7th,
St. Romuald, Abbot

St. Romuald, Abot Your Guardian Angel throughout life The Spiritual Combat
by Fr. Scupoli, 1865 Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation Part 13: A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms St. Michael/ Exorcism Part 5: The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels How to Merit from Suffering Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Romuald procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord: That we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In 976, Sergius, a nobleman of Ravenna, quarrelled with a relative about an estate, and slew him in a duel. His son Romuald, horrified at his father's crime, entered the Benedictine monastery at Classe, to do a forty days' penance for him. This penance ended in his own vocation to religion. After three years at Classe, Romuald went to live as a hermit near Venice, where he was joined by Peter Urseolus, Duke of Venice, and together they led a most austere life in the midst of assaults from the evil spirits. St. Romuald founded many monasteries, the chief of which was that at Camaldoli, a wild desert place, where he built a church, which he surrounded with a number of separate cells for the solitaries who lived under his rule. His disciples were hence called Camaldolese. He is said to have seen here a vision of a mystic ladder, and his white-clothed monks ascending by it to heaven. Among his first disciples were Sts. Adalbert and Boniface, apostles of Russia, and Sts. John and Benedict of Poland, martyrs for the faith. He was an intimate friend of the Emperor St. Henry, and was reverenced and consulted by many great men of his time. He once passed seven years in solitude and complete silence.

In his youth St. Romuald was much troubled by temptations of the flesh. To escape them he had recourse to hunting, and in the woods first conceived his love for solitude. His father's sin, as we have seen, first prompted him to undertake a forty days' penance in the monastery, which he forthwith made his home. Some bad example of his fellow monks induced him to leave them and adopt the solitary mode of life. The penance of Urseolus, who had obtained his power wrongfully, brought him his first disciple; the temptations of the devil compelled him to his severe life; and finally the persecutions of others were the occasion of his settlement at Camaldoli, and the foundation of his Order. He died, as he had foretold twenty years before, alone, in his monastery of Val Castro, on the 19th of June, 1027.

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February 6th,
St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor

St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor A Series of Sermons in Defense of the Catholic Teaching on Oral Tradition, the Word of God, and Errors of Private Interpretation The Catholic Church's Teaching on Justification

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Novena to St. Valentine: Feb. 6th - Feb. 14th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who didst adorn blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop with apostolic virtues: grant through his merits and intercession, that we may live righteous and godly lives in this world, and be worthy to arrive at our heavenly country. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Titus was a convert from heathenism, a disciple of St. Paul, one of the chosen companions of the Apostles in his journey to the Council of Jerusalem, and his fellow-laborers in many apostolic missions. From the Second Epistle which St. Paul sent by the hand of Titus to the Corinthians we gain an insight into his character and understand the strong affection which his master bore him. Titus had been commissioned to carry out a twofold office needing much firmness, discretion, and charity.

He was to be the bearer of a severe rebuke to the Corinthians, who were giving scandal and were wavering in their faith; and at the same time he was to put their charity to a further test by calling upon them for abundant alms for the church at Jerusalem. St. Paul meanwhile was anxiously awaiting the result. At Troas he writes, " I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus, my brother." He set sail to Macedonia. Here at last Titus brought the good news. His success had been complete. He reported the sorrow, the zeal, the generosity of the Christians, till the Apostle could not contain his joy, and sent back to them his faithful messenger with the letter of comfort from which we have quoted. Titus was finally left as a bishop in Crete, and here he, in turn, received the epistle which bears his name, and here at last he died in peace.

The mission of Titus to Corinth shows us how well the disciple caught the spirit of his master. He knew how to be firm and to inspire respect. The Corinthians, we are told, "received him with fear and trembling." He was patient and painstaking. St. Paul "gave thanks to God, Who had put such carefulness for them in the heart of Titus." And these gifts were enhanced by a quickness to detect and call out all that was good in others, and by a joyousness which overflowed upon the spirit of St. Paul himself, who "abundantly rejoiced in the joy of Titus."

May blessed Dorothy, Thy Virgin and Martyr earnestly entreat for us pardon from Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: for both by her chastity and by her acknowledgment of Thy power she ever pleased Thee well. Through our Lord etc. (Roman Breviary)

February 6th,
St. Dorothy, Virgin and Martyr

St. Dorothy was a young virgin, celebrated at Caesarea, where she lived, for her angelic virtue. Her parents seem to have been martyred before her in the Diocletian persecution, and when the Governor Sapricius came to Caesarea he called her before him, and sent this child of martyrs to the home where they were waiting for her.

She was stretched upon the rack, and offered marriage if she would consent to sacrifice, or death if she refused. But she replied that "Christ was her only Spouse, and death her desire." She was then placed in charge of two women who had fallen away from the faith, in the hope that they might pervert her; but the fire of her own heart rekindled the flame in theirs, and led them back to Christ. When she was set once more on the rack, Sapricius himself was amazed at the heavenly look she wore, and asked her the cause of her joy. "Because," she said, "I have brought back two souls to Christ, and because I shall soon be in heaven rejoicing with the angels." Her joy grew as she was buffeted in the face and her sides burned with plates of red-hot iron. "Blessed be Thou," she cried, when she was sentenced to be beheaded," blessed be Thou, O Thou Lover of souls! Who dost call me to Paradise, and invitest me to Thy nuptial chamber."

St. Dorothy suffered in the dead of winter, and it is said that on the road to her passion a lawyer called Theophilus, who had been used to calumniate and persecute the Christians, asked her, in mockery, to send him " apples or roses from the garden of her Spouse." The Saint promised to grant his request, and, just before she died, a little child stood by her side bearing three apples and three roses. She bade him take them to Theophilus and tell him this was the present which he sought from the garden of her Spouse. St. Dorothy had gone to heaven and Theophilus was still making merry over his challenge to the Saint when the child entered his room. He saw that the child was an angel in disguise, and the fruit and flowers of no earthly growth. He was converted to the faith, and then shared in the martyrdom of St. Dorothy.

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February 5th,
St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

St. Agatha, Virgin Martyr Novena to St. Agatha:
Feb. 5th - Feb. 13th Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity Moral Teaching on Unchaste Thoughts and Desires Part 5: The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels Holy Purity Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Agatha, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Agatha was born in Sicily, of rich and noble parents--a child of benediction from the first, for she was promised to her parents before her birth, and conse- crated from her earliest infancy to God. In the midst of dangers and temptations she served Christ in purity of body and soul, and she died for the love of chastity. Quintanus, who governed Sicily under the Emperor Deems, had heard the rumor of her beauty and wealth, and he made the laws against the Christians a pretext for summoning her from Palermo to Catania, where he was at the time. "O Jesus Christ!" she cried, as she set out on this dreaded journey," all that I am is Thine; preserve me against the tyrant."

And Our Lord did indeed preserve one who had given herself so utterly to Him. He kept her pure and undented while she was imprisoned for a whole month under charge of an evil woman. He gave her strength to reply to the offer of her life and safety, if she would but consent to sin, "Christ alone is my life and my salvation." When Quintanus turned from passion to cruelty, and cut off her breasts, Our Lord sent the Prince of His apostles to heal her. And when, after she had been rolled naked upon potsherds, she asked that her torments might be ended, her Spouse heard her prayer and took her to Himself.

St. Agatha gave herself without reserve to Jesus Christ; she followed Him in virginal purity, and then looked to Him for protection. And down to this day Christ has shown His tender regard for the very body of St. Agatha. Again and again, during the eruptions of Mount Etna, the people of Catania have exposed her veil for public veneration, and found safety by this means; and in modern times, on opening the tomb in which her body lies waiting for the resurrection, they beheld the skin still entire, and felt the sweet fragrance which issued from the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Reflection.--Purity is a gift of God: we can gain it and preserve it only by care and diligence in avoiding all that may prove an incentive to sin.

Hymn: Jesu Corona Virginum

Jesu, the Virgins' crown, do thou Accept us as in prayer we bow; Born of that Virgin, whom alone The Mother and the Maid we own.

Amongst the lilies thou dost feed, By Virgin choirs accompanied; With glory decked, the spotless brides Whose bridal gifts thy love provides.

They, wheresoe'er thy footsteps bend, With hymns and praises still attend: In blessed troops they follow thee, With dance, and song, and melody.

We pray Thee therefore to bestow Upon our senses here below Thy grace, that so we may endure From taint of all corruption pure.

To God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, Three in One, Laud, honor, might, and glory be From age to age eternally. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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February 4th,
Anthony Corsini, Bishop and Confessor. Sexagesima Sunday

Sexagesima Sunday:
Epistle and Gospel. How we should listen to Sermons Sexagesima Sunday A Series of Sermons in Defense of the Catholic Teaching on Oral Tradition, the Word of God, and Errors of Private Interpretation Sexagesima Sunday:
Sermon for Children and Parents Catholic Bible Stories Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop and Confessor

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Andrew, born at Florence, of the noble family of the Corsini, was a child born in answer to his parents' prayers, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. For what manner of man he was to be was shown by a divine sign before he was born: for his pregnant mother dreamed she had given birth to a wolf, which ran to the Carmelite church, and was immediately changed into a lamb at the porch of that temple.

In youth, though educated piously and as befitting his rank, he gradually fell into vice, and was often rebuked by his mother. But when he learned that he had been dedicated by his parents' vow to the Virgin Mother of God, he was set on fire by divine love, and hearing of his mother's dream, entered the Order of the Carmelites; in which he was often molested by the devil with various temptations, but nothing could make him change his resolution of entering religion. He was shortly after sent to Paris and after completing the curriculum of studies and taking his degree, he returned to his own country, and was made superior of his order in Tuscany.

About that time the church of Fiesole lost its shepherd, and chose Andrew for its bishop; he thought himself unworthy of the office and for a long time hid himself until found outside the city, where he was betrayed by the voice of a child speaking miraculously, and, fearing to resist the will of God, he accepted the bishopric. When exalted to that dignity, he applied himself more than ever to the practice of humility, which he had always cultivated; and to the zeal of a shepherd he united tender compassion for the poor, almsgiving, constant prayer, watchings, and other practices of virtue, and he was also noted for the gift of prophecy so that his sanctity was proclaimed by all.

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February 3rd,
St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr and One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. First Saturday

First Saturday Devotions Prayers, Devotions and
Novena to St. Blaise 14 Holy Helpers Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly?

Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Feb. 3rd - Feb. 11th Saints: the Gift of Miracles The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Blase devoted the earlier years of his life to the study of philosophy, and afterwards became a physician. In the practice of his profession he saw so much of the miseries of life and the hollowness of worldly pleasures, that he resolved to spend the rest of his days in the service of God, and from being a healer of bodily ailments to become a physician of souls. The Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, having died, our Saint, much to the gratification of the inhabitants of that city, was appointed to succeed him. St. Blase at once began to instruct his people as much by his example as by his words, and the great virtues and sanctity of this servant of God were attested by many miracles. From all parts the people came nocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual ills.

Agricolaus, Governor of Cappadocia and the Lesser Armenia, having begun a persecution by order of the Emperor Licinius, our Saint was seized and hurried off to prison. While on his way there, a distracted mother, whose only child was dying of a throat disease, threw herself at the feet of St. Blase and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, the Saint offered up his prayers, and the child was cured; and since that time his aid has often been effectually solicited in cases of a similar disease. Refusing to worship the false gods of the heathens, St. Blase was first scourged; his body was then torn with hooks, and finally he was beheaded in the year 316.

Reflection.--There is no sacrifice which, by the aid of grace, human nature is not capable of accomplishing. When St. Paul complained to God of the violence of the temptation. God answered, " My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in infirmity."

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February 2nd,
The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Friday Devotions Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sermons and Prayers for the Purification The Presentation Candlemas Day: Epistle and Gospel and Explanation of the Feast Day Children's Sermons on the
Feast Day of Candlemas

Novena of the Purification:
Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Sacramentals: Blessed Candles Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena to St. Blaise:
Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Almighty, everlasting God, we humbly beseech Thy majesty: that as Thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, so Thou wouldst grant that we too may be presented unto Thee with hearts made clean. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

God hath chosen her, And forechosen her. God hath chosen.

V. He hath made her to dwell in His tabernacle. And forechosen her. Glory be to the Father. God hath chosen.

V. Grace is poured out on thy lips.

R. Therefore hath God blessed thee forever.

(Roman Breviary)

With the feast of the Purification ends the sanctoral Cycle of the Season after Epiphany. It is one of the oldest feasts of Our Lady, and in Rome in the seventh Century ranked after the Assumption. The law of God, given by Moses to the Jews, ordained that a woman, after childbirth, should continue for a certain time in a state which that law calls unclean, during which she was not to appear in public, nor presume to touch anything consecrated to God. This term was of forty days upon the birth of a son, and double that time for a daughter. On the expiration of the term, the mother was to bring to the door of the tabernacle, or Temple, a lamb and a young pigeon, or turtle-dove, as an offering to God. These being sacrificed to Almighty God by the priest, the woman, was cleansed of the legal impurity and reinstated in her former privileges.

A young pigeon, or turtle-dove, by way of a sin-offering, was required of all, whether rich or poor; but as the expense of a lamb might be too great for persons in poor circumstances, they were allowed to substitute for it a second dove.

Our Saviour having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and His blessed Mother remaining always a spotless virgin, it is evident that she did not come under the law; but as the world was, as yet, ignorant of her miraculous conception, she submitted with great punctuality and exactness to every humbling circumstance which the law required. Devotion and zeal to honor God, by every observance prescribed by His law, prompted Mary to perform this act of religion, though evidently exempt from the precept. Being poor herself, she made the offering appointed for the poor; but, however mean in itself, it was made with a perfect heart, which is what God chiefly regards in all that is offered to Him. Besides the law which obliged the mother to purify herself, there was another which ordered that the first-born son should be offered to God, and that, after its presentation, the child should be ransomed with a certain sum of money, and peculiar sacrifices offered on the occasion.

Mary complies exactly with all these ordinances. She obeys not only in the essential points of the law, but has strict regard to all the circumstances. She remains forty days at home; she denies herself, all this time, the liberty of entering the Temple; she partakes not of things sacred; and on the day of her purification she walks several miles to Jerusalem, with the world's Redeemer in her arms. She waits for the priest at the gate of the Temple, makes her offerings of thanksgiving and expiation, presents her divine Son by the hands of the priest to His Eternal Father, with the most profound humility, adoration, and thanksgiving. She then redeems Him with five shekels, as the law appoints, and receives Him back again as a sacred charge committed to her special care, till the Father shall again demand Him for the full accomplishment of man's redemption.

The ceremony of this day was closed by a third mystery --the meeting in the Temple of the holy persons Simeon and Anne with Jesus and His parents. Holy Simeon, on that occasion, received into his arms the object of all his desires and sighs, and praised God for being blessed with the happiness of beholding the so-much-longed-for Messias. He foretold to Mary her martyrdom of sorrow, and that Jesus brought redemption to those who would accept of it on the terms it was offered them; but a heavy judgment on all infidels who should obstinately reject it, and on Christians, also, whose lives were a contradiction to His holy maxims and example. Mary, hearing this terrible prediction, did not answer one word, felt no agitation of mind from the present, no dread for the future; but courageously and sweetly committed all to God's holy will. Anne, also, the prophetess, who in her widowhood served God with great fervor, had the happiness to acknowledge and adore in this great mystery the Redeemer of the world. Simeon, having beheld Our Saviour, exclaimed: "Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, because my eyes have seen Thy salvation."

This feast is called Candlemas, because the Church blesses the candles to be borne in the procession of the day. "The wax of the candles signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant," says St. Anselm, "the wick figures His soul, and the flame His Divinity."

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February 1st, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Confessor and Martyr. St. Brigid of Kildare (Historical Calendar)

St. Ignatius of Antioch,
Bishop and Martyr St. Brigid of Kildare, Virgin, Abbess and Patroness of Ireland. Novena Prayer
The Patrons of Erin: St. Patrick and St. Brigid The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Novena of the Purification:
Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise:
Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Mary Help of Christians Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

L ook upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Ignatius, Thy Martyr and Bishop, shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was the disciple of St. John. When Domitian persecuted the Church, St. Ignatius obtained peace for his own flock by fasting and prayer. But for his part he desired to suffer with Christ, and to prove himself a perfect disciple. In the year 107, Trajan came to Antioch, and forced the Christians to choose between apostasy and death. "Who art thou, poor devil," the emperor said when Ignatius was brought before him, "who settest our commands at naught?" "Call not him 'poor devil,'" Ignatius answered, who bears God within him." And when the emperor questioned him about his meaning, Ignatius explained that he bore in his heart Christ crucified for his sake. Thereupon the emperor condemned him to be torn to pieces by wild beasts at Rome. St. Ignatius thanked God, Who had so honored him, " binding him in the chains of Paul, His apostle."

He journeyed to Rome, guarded by soldiers, and with no fear except of losing the martyr's crown. He was devoured by lions in the Roman amphitheatre. The wild beasts left nothing of his body, except a few bones, which were reverently treasured at Antioch, until their removal to the Church of St. Clement at Rome, in 637. After the martyr's death, several Christians saw him in visions standing before Christ, and interceding for them.

Reflection.--Ask St. Ignatius to obtain for you the grace of profiting by all you have to suffer, and rejoicing in it as a means of likeness to your crucified Redeemer.

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January 31st,
St. John Bosco, Confessor

Prayers and Devotions
to St. John Bosco St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Don Bosco: A Sketch of His Life Life and Miracles, 1884 The Life of St. Dominic Savio,
Child Saint St. Dominic Savio, Patron of First Communicants Index of Children Prayers The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Novena of the Purification:
Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise:
Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Mary Help of Christians Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who hath raised up in Thy Confessor St. John Bosco a father and teacher of youth, and didst will that through him with the help of the Virgin Mary new religious families should flourish in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee, that enkindled by the same fire of charity we may be able to labor in finding souls and serve only Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This apostolic priest of modern times is hailed as the patron of youth. He was born in Castelnuovo, Italy, on August 16, 1815. As a youngster, he was employed for a time as a shepherd, and this leisurely work gave him opportunity for prayerful union with God which was so evident in the years of his labor for souls. As a young priest in Turin, he was under the guidance of Don Joseph Caffasso, now a saint. An act of kindness to a poor boy in 1842 began the work of charity associated with his name thereafter, the care of needy youth.

For them he organized clubs and night schools, giving them recreation and training. Despite obstacles and difficulties from all sides the endeavor, which included technical schools and work shops, grew until he had to found a society, the Salesians, to perpetuate it. The work for boys gradually branched into a work for needy girls, for whom a Community, Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, was inaugurated. Don Bosco was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. The same Pope, who had known the saintly priest, canonized him five years later. Bl. Dominic Savio, canonized in 1950, was one of the early pupils of the Salesians.

Reflection.--A personal love of Christ developed in his own youth was the source of the deep zeal for the young which characterized St. John Bosco's work. There is nothing as precious as a soul. St. John Chrysostom asks: "What is equal to that profession which is concerned with directing the soul and forming the mind and character of the young?"

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January 30th, St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr

St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr Veneration of the Saints

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise: Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Martina, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Martina, a Roman virgin, was the child of a noble Christian consul, of whom it was said that he was extremely merciful towards the poor, and very zealous for faith in the Most Holy Trinity. His daughter lost both her parents while she was still very young, and for love of Christ she distributed all she inherited to the poor, that she might be more free to hasten towards martyrdom, during the persecution which had recently begun.

Under the emperor Alexander Severus she was discovered in a church one day by three officers of a search party, and commanded to follow them to a temple of Apollo. She cheerfully agreed, saying she would do so after praying for a short time and taking leave of her bishop. The officers reported their important capture to the emperor, believing she would readily renounce her faith. But when he ordered her to speak, she replied that she would sacrifice to none other than the true God, and never to idols, the handiwork of men. She was tortured by iron hooks, but her executioners were thrown to the ground amid a great light as she prayed, and arose converted, like Saint Paul, to the Christian faith.

She was tormented again the following day before the emperor, cruelly scourged while attached by her hands and feet to posts. When, one day later, she was taken to a temple of Diana, the demon left amid horrible screams. Fire from heaven fell and burnt the idol, which in tumbling crushed many of its priests and pagan worshipers. Saint Martina, after suffering other tortures and being spared by an enraged lion and a fiery furnace, was finally beheaded. Her death occurred on January 1st during the fourth year of Alexander Severus.

Her relics were found in 1634, during the papacy of Urban VIII, near the Mamertine Prison, with those of several other martyrs. All were placed in a beautiful church dedicated to Saint Martina in the Roman Forum. Urban VIII spared no efforts in promoting her veneration; and through his solicitude the Office was enhanced with hymns for Matins and Lauds. In these we read that her soul rose to heaven, where she was seen afterwards upon a royal throne, while the Blessed sang praises to God.

Hymn: Non illam crucians

T he agonizing hooks, the rending scourge, Shook not the dauntless spirit in her breast; With torments racked, Angels her fainting flesh Recruit with heavenly feast. In vain they cast her to the ravening beasts;

C alm at her feet the lion crouches down; Till smitten by the sword at length she goes To her immortal crown. Now, with the Saints Martina reigns in bliss, And, where idolatry sat throned of yore, From her victorious altar praise and prayer With odorous incense soar.

O thou, the Martyrs' strength, all cheating joys expel, And fill us with thy bright and never-fading love; Show us the beam divine, which forms the crowning joy, God, Three in One, of bliss above. Amen

Hymn: Martinae celebri plaudite

W ith joyous songs, great Rome, Martina's fame extol, Her glowing praises tell, and all her mighty deeds; A Virgin pure and chaste, she leads a stainless life, And for her Lord a Martyr bleeds.

A happy home is hers, and all that makes this world So sweet, and fresh, and fair, to those who love its wiles: From noblest parents sprung, 'mid wealth, and love, and joy, Her life speeds on, 'mid naught but smiles.

T hese pleasures soon she spurns--her wealth she gladly gives To Christ's own blessed poor--herself, to God above; No other wealth she seeks save her own spotless Spouse, Forever blest in his pure love. Amen

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January 29th, St. Francis De Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church.

Prayers and Devotions and Novena to St. Francis De Sales Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th Introduction to a Devout Life No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise: Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, by whose gracious will blessed Francis, Thy Confessor and Bishop, became all things unto all men for the saving of their souls: mercifully grant, that, being filled with the sweetness of Thy love, we may, through the guidance of his counsels and by the aid of his merits, attain unto the joys of life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Francis was born of pious and noble parents, in the town of Sales, whence the family name. From his earliest years, he gave pledge of his future sanctity by the innocence and gravity of his conduct. Having been instructed in the liberal sciences during his youth, he was sent early to Paris to study philosophy and theology; and that his education might be entirely complete, he took the degree of doctor in both laws, and with the greatest distinction. He visited the sanctuary of Loreto, where he renewed the vow of perpetual virginity, with which he had already bound himself in Paris; which virtue he observed in spite of all the temptations of the devil and all the allurements of the flesh.

He refused to accept a high dignity in the Senate of Savoy, and entered the clerical army. He was ordained priest, and was made provost of the diocese of Geneva. This charge he fulfilled so perfectly that Granier, his bishop, selected him for the arduous undertaking of laboring, by the preaching of God's word, for the conversion of the Calvinists of Chablais and the country about Geneva. This mission he undertook with much joy. He had to suffer the harshest treatment from the heretics, who frequently sought to take his life, calumniated him, and laid plots against him. But he showed heroic courage in the midst of all these dangers and persecutions, and by the divine assistance converted, as it is stated, seventy-two thousand heretics to the Catholic faith, among whom were many distinguished by high position and by their learning.

After the death of Granier, who had already made him his coadjutor, he was consecrated bishop of Geneva. Then his sanctity showed itself in every direction, by his zeal for ecclesiastical discipline, his desire for peace, his charity to the poor, and every virtue. For the greater glory of God, he founded a new Order of nuns, which he called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin. These nuns follow the Rule of St. Augustine, but Francis added additional constitutions distinguished by wisdom, prudence and tenderness. He enlightened the Church by writings full of heavenly wisdom, which point out a safe and easy path to Christian perfection. At length, in his fifty-fifth year, while returning from France to Annecy, after having celebrated Mass at Lyons, on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, he was stricken with a fatal disease, and on the following day he passed to heaven, in the year of our Lord 1622. His body was taken to Annecy, and was buried with great honor in the church of the nuns of the above-mentioned order and immediately he became distinguished for miracles. These were officially authenticated and he was placed among the number of the Saints by Pope Alexander VII, with January 29 assigned as his feast; and Pope Pius IX, after consulting the Congregation of Sacred Rites, declared him a Doctor of the universal Church.

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January 28th,
St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor

St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor Our Lady of Ransom Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion Septuagesima Sunday Septuagesima Sunday:
for Children and Parents Septuagesima Sunday:
Epistle and Gospel

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise: Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd

O God, Who as an example of Thy love didst divinely inspire blessed Peter to beget within Thy Church a new family for the ransom of the faithful: grant through his intercession, that we may be loosed from the bonds of sin, and enjoy freedom for evermore in our heavenly country: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter, of the noble family of Nolasco, was born in Languedoc, about 1189. At the age of twenty-five he took a vow of chastity, and gave over his vast estates to the Church. Some time after, he conceived the idea of establishing an order for the redemption of captives. The divine will was soon manifested. The Blessed Virgin appeared on the same night to Peter, to "Raymond of Pennafort, his confessor, and to James, King of Arragon, his ward, and bade them prosecute without fear their holy designs.

After great opposition, the Order was solemnly established, and approved by Gregory IX., under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. By the grace of God, and under the protection of His Virgin Mother, the Order spread rapidly, its growth being increased by the charity and piety of its members, who devoted themselves not only to collecting alms for the ransom of the Christians, but even gave themselves up to voluntary slavery to aid the good work.

Reflection.--St. Peter Nolasco and his knights were lay men, not priests, and yet they considered the salvation of their neighbor intrusted to them. "We can each of us by counsel, by prayer, but above all by holy example, assist the salvation, of our brethren, and thus secure our own.

January 28th,
Second Commemoration of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

This History of Virginity and the Life of St. Agnes Prayers and Devotions to St. Agnes

Almighty, everlasting God, Who choosest the weak things of the world to confound the strong; mercifully grant that we, who keep the solemn feast of blessed Agnes, Thy virgin and martyr, may enjoy her intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Agnes was but twelve years old. when she was led to the altar of Minerva at Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. In the midst of the idolatrous rites she raised her hands to Christ, her Spouse, and made the sign of the life-giving cross. She did not shrink when she was bound hand and foot, though the gyves slipped from her young hands, and the heathens who stood around were moved to tears.

The bonds were not needed for her, and she hastened gladly to the place of her torture. Next, when the judge saw that pain had no terrors for her, he inflicted an insult worse than death: her clothes were stripped off, and she had to stand in the street before a pagan crowd; yet even this did not daunt her. "Christ," she said, "will guard His own." So it was. Christ showed, by a miracle, the value which He sets upon the custody of the eyes. Whilst the crowd turned away their eyes from the spouse of Christ, as she stood exposed to view in the street, there was one young man who dared to gaze at the innocent child with immodest eyes. A flash of light struck him blind, and his companions bore him away half dead with pain and terror.

Lastly, her fidelity to Christ was tried by flattery and offers of marriage. But she answered, "Christ is my Spouse: He chose me first, and His I will be." At length the sentence of death was passed. For a moment she stood erect in prayer, and then bowed her neck to the sword. At one stroke her head was severed from her body, and the angels bore her pure soul to Paradise.

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January 27th,
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Prayers and Devotions to St. John Chrysostom

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise: Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O Lord, we beseech Thee, let Thy heavenly grace give increase to Thy Church: which thou hast vouchsafed to make illustrious by the glorious merits and teaching of blessed John Chrysostom, Thy Confessor and Bishop. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

John was born at Antioch in 344. In order to break with a world which admired and courted him, he in 374 retired for six years to a neighboring mountain. Having thus acquired the art of Christian silence, he returned to Antioch, and there labored as priest, until he was ordained Bishop of Constantinople in 398. The effect of his sermons was everywhere marvelous. St. Nilus relates that St. John Chrysostom was wont to see, when the priest began the holy sacrifice, " many of the blessed ones coming down from heaven in shining garments, and with bare feet, eyes intent, and bowed heads, in utter stillness and silence, assisting at the consummation of the tremendous mystery."

Beloved as he was in Constantinople, his denunciations of vice made him numerous enemies. In 403 these procured his banishment; and although he was almost immediately recalled, it was not more than a reprieve. In 404 he was banished to Cucusus in the deserts of Taurus. In 407 he was wearing out, but his enemies were impatient. They hurried him off to Pytius on the Euxine, a rough journey of nigh 400 miles. He was assiduously exposed to every hardship, cold, wet, and semi-starvation, but nothing could overcome his cheerfulness and his consideration for others. On the journey his sickness increased, and he was warned that his end was nigh. Thereupon, exchanging his travel-stained clothes for white garments, he received Viaticum, and with his customary words, " Glory be to God for all things. Amen," passed to Christ.

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January 26th,
St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

St. Polycarp Bishop and Martyr Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? Hell Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd Novena to St. Blaise: Jan. 26th - Feb. 3rd

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Polycarp, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy that we who keep his festival may also enjoy his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John. He wrote to the Philippians, exhorting them to mutual love and to hatred of heresy. When the apostate Marcion met St. Polycarp at Rome, he asked the aged Saint if he knew him. "Yes," St. Polycarp answered, "I know you for the first-born of Satan." These were the words of a Saint most loving and most charitable, and specially noted for his compassion to sinners. He hated heresy, because he loved God and man so much. In 167, persecution broke out in Smyrna.

When Polycarp heard that his pursuers were at the door, he said, "The will of God be done," and meeting them, he begged to be left alone for a little time, which he spent in prayer for "the Catholic Church throughout the world." He was brought to Smyrna early on Holy Saturday; and, as he entered, a voice was heard from heaven, "Polycarp, be strong." When the proconsul besought him to curse Christ and go free, Polycarp answered, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never did me wrong; how can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?"

When he threatened him with fire, Polycarp told him this fire of his lasted but a little, while the fire prepared for the wicked lasted forever. At the stake he thanked God aloud for letting him drink of Christ's chalice. The fire was lighted, but it did him no hurt; so he was stabbed to the heart, and his dead body was burnt. "Then," say the writers of his acts, "we took up the bones, more precious than the richest jewels or gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, at which may God grant us to assemble with joy to celebrate the birthday of the martyr to his life in heaven!"

Reflection.--If we love Jesus Christ, we shall love the Church and hate heresy, which rends His mystical body, and destroys the souls for which He died. Like St. Polycarp, we shall maintain our constancy in the faith by love of Jesus Christ, Who is its author and its finisher.

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January 25th,
Conversion of St. Paul and Commemoration of St. Peter

The Conversion of St. Paul Epistle and Gospel for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation The Steps to a Sinners Conversion True Conversion: One of the best sermons for hardened sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Death-Bed Repentance They that Live in Sin Prayer: its Conditions and Circumstances Ss. Peter and Paul St. Peter Contrition Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment The Church is Catholic The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy

Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Novena of the Purification: Jan. 25th - Feb. 2nd

O God, Who hast taught the whole world by the preaching of blessed Paul the Apostle: mercifully grant, that we who this day keep the memory of his Conversion, may, by following his example, advance in the way that leads unto Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The great apostle Paul, named Saul at his circumcision, was born at Tarsus, the capital of Silicia, and was by privilege a Roman citizen, to which quality a great distinction and several exemptions were granted by the laws of the empire. He was early instructed in the strict observance of the Mosaic law, and lived up to it in the most scrupulous manner. In his zeal for the Jewish law, which he thought the cause of God, he became a violent persecutor of the Christians.

He was one of those who combined to murder St. Stephen, and in the violent persecution of the faithful which followed the martyrdom of the holy deacon, Saul signalized himself above others. By virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he dragged the Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison. In the fury of his zeal he applied for a commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, that they might serve as examples for the others. But God was pleased to show forth in him His patience and mercy.

While on his way to Damascus, he and his party were surrounded by a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, and suddenly struck to the ground. And then a voice was heard saying, " Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute Me?" And Saul answered, " Who art Thou, Lord?" and the voice replied, "I am Jesus, Whom thou dost persecute." This mild expostulation of Our Redeemer, accompanied with a powerful interior grace, cured Saul's pride, assuaged his rage, and wrought at once a total change in him. Wherefore, trembling and astonished, he cried out, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Our Lord ordered him to arise and to proceed on his way to the city, where he should be informed of what was expected from him.

Saul, arising from the ground, found that, though his eyes were open, he saw nothing. He was led by hand into Damascus, where he was lodged in the house of a Jew named Judas. To this house came by divine appointment a holy man named Ananias, who, laying his hands on Saul, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to thee on thy journey, hath sent me that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost." Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized; he stayed some few days with the disciples at Damascus, and began immediately to preach in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. Thus a blasphemer and a persecutor was made an apostle, and chosen as one of God's principal instruments in the conversion of the world.

Reflection.--Listen to the words of the "Imitation of Christ," and let them sink into your heart: "He who would keep the grace of God, let him be grateful for grace when it is given, and patient when it is taken away. Let him pray that it may be given back to him, and be careful and humble, lest he lose it."

(Butler's Lives of Saints)

Hymn: Egregie Doctor, Paule

O great Apostle Paul, may thy deep wisdom teach Our earth-bound souls to strive with thee the skies to reach; Till that which perfect is shall shine with fuller glow, and that be done away, which here in part we know.

All honor, might, and power, and hymns of joy we bring, While to the Trinity eternal praise we sing; He rules the universe in wondrous unity, And shall, throughout the days of all eternity. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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January 24th,
St. Timothy, Bishop and Martyr

Prayers and Devotions to St. Timothy A Series of Sermons in Defense of the Catholic Teaching on Oral Tradition, the Word of God, and Errors of Private Interpretation The Catholic Church's Teaching on Justification The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st

L ook upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Timothy, Thy Martyr and Bishop, shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Timothy was a convert of St. Paul. He was born at Lystra in Asia Minor. His mother was a Jewess, but his father was a pagan; and though Timothy had read the Scriptures from his childhood, he had not been circumcised as a Jew. On the arrival of St. Paul at Lystra the youthful Timothy, with his mother and grandmother, eagerly embraced the faith.

Seven years later, when the Apostle again visited the country, the boy had grown into manhood, while his good heart, his austerities and zeal had won the esteem of all around him; and holy men were prophesying great things of the fervent youth. St. Paul at once saw his fitness for the work of an evangelist. Timothy was forthwith ordained, and from that time became the constant and much beloved fellow-worker of the Apostle. In company with St. Paul he visited the cities of Asia Minor and Greece--at one time hastening on in front as a trusted messenger, at another lingering behind to confirm in the faith some recently founded church.

Finally, he was made the first Bishop of Ephesus; and here he received the two epistles which bear his name, the first written from Macedonia and the second from Rome, in which St. Paul from his prison gives vent to his longing desire to see his "dearly beloved son," if possible. once more before his death. St. Timothy himself not many years after the death of St. Paul, won his martyr's crown at Ephesus. As a child Timothy delighted in reading the sacred books, and to his last hour he would remember the parting words of his spiritual father, "Attende lectioni--Apply thyself to reading."

Reflection.--St. Paul, in writing to Timothy, a faithful and well-tried servant of God, and a bishop now getting on in years, addresses him as a child, and seems most anxious about his perseverance in faith and piety. The letters abound in minute personal instructions for this end. It is therefore remarkable what great stress the Apostle lays on the avoiding of idle talk, and on the application to holy reading. These are his chief topics. Over and over again he exhorts his spiritual son Timothy to " avoid tattlers and busy bodies; to give no heed to novelties; to shun profane and vain babblings, but to hold the form of sound words; to be an example in word and conversation; to attend to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine."

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January 23rd,
St. Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor

St. Raymund of Penafort, Confessor Saints: the Gift of Miracles

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th St. John Bosco's Novena to Our Lady Help of Christians: Jan. 23rd - Jan. 31st Prayers for America and Guidelines for Making a Moral Decision

In some locations, the Feast of the Espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on January 23rd

The Espousal and Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Marriage Index: Links to All Marriage and Family Pages. Provides answers
to all of your questions. Marriage of Mary with Joseph--page 161

The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859

O God, Who didst choose blessed Raymond to be eminent as a minister of the sacrament of penance, and didst marvelously guide him through the waters of the sea: grant that through his intercession we may have strength to produce worthy fruits of penance and to reach the haven of eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Born A. D. 1175, of a noble Spanish family, Raymond, at the age of twenty, taught philosophy at Barcelona with marvelous success. Ten years later his rare abilities won for him the degree of Doctor in the University of Bologna, and many high dignities. A tender devotion to our blessed Lady, which had grown up with him from childhood, determined him in middle life to renounce all his honors and to enter her Order of St. Dominic. There, again, a vision of the Mother of Mercy instructed him to cooperate with his penitent St. Peter Nolasco, and with James, King of Aragon, in founding the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives.

He began this great work by preaching a crusade against the Moors, and rousing to penance the Christians, enslaved in both soul and body by the infidel. King James of Aragon, a man of great qualities, but held in bond by a ruling passion, was bidden by the Saint to put away the cause of his sin. On his delay, Raymond asked for leave to depart from Majorca, since he could not live with sin. The king refused, and forbade, under pain of death, his conveyance by others. Full of faith, Raymond spread his cloak upon the waters, and, tying one end to his staff as a sail, made the sign of the cross and fearlessly stepped upon it. In six hours he was borne to Barcelona, where, gathering up his cloak dry, he stole into his monastery. The king, overcome by this miracle, became a sincere penitent and the disciple of the Saint till his death.

In 1230, Gregory IX, summoned Raymond to Rome, made him his confessor and grand penitentiary, and directed him to compile "The Decretals," a collection of the scattered decisions of the Popes and Councils. Having refused the archbishopric of Tarragona, Raymond found himself in 1238 chosen third General of his Order; which post he again succeeded in resigning, on the score of his advanced age. His first act when set free was to resume his labors among the infidels, and in 1256 Raymond, then eighty-one, was able to report that ten thousand Saracens had received Baptism. He died A.D. 1275.

Reflection: Ask St. Raymond to protect you from that fearful servitude, worse than any bodily slavery, which even one sinful habit tends to form.

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January 22nd,
Sts. Vincent and Anastasius, Martyrs

St. Vincent of Saragosa, Martyr Meditations on the Holy Infancy Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th

Give ear, O Lord, to our supplications: and grant that we who acknowledge the guilt of our sins may be set free by the pleading of Thy blessed Martyrs Vincent and Anastasius. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Vincent was archdeacon of the church at Saragossa. Valerian, the bishop, had an impediment in his speech; thus Vincent preached in his stead, and answered in his name when both were brought before Dacian, the president, during the persecution of Diocletian. When the bishop was sent into banishment, Vincent remained to suffer and to die.

First of all, he was stretched on the rack; and, when he was almost torn asunder, Dacian, the president, asked him in mockery "how he fared now." Vincent answered, with joy in his face, that he had ever prayed to be as he was then. It was in vain that Dacian struck the executioners and goaded them on in their savage work. The martyr's flesh was torn with hooks; he was bound in a chair of red-hot iron; lard and salt were rubbed into his wounds; and amid all this he kept his eyes raised to heaven, and remained unmoved. He was cast into a solitary dungeon, with his feet in the stocks; but the angels of Christ illuminated the darkness, and assured Vincent that he was near his triumph.

His wounds were now tended to prepare him for fresh torments, and the faithful were permitted to gaze on his mangled body. They came in troops, kissed the open sores, and carried away as relics cloths dipped in his blood. Before the tortures could recommence, the martyr's hour came, and he breathed forth his soul in peace.

Even the dead bodies of the saints are precious in the eight of God, and the hand of iniquity cannot touch them. A raven guarded the body of Vincent where it lay flung upon the earth. When it was sunk out at sea the waves cast it ashore, and he was buried by faithful Christians.

The above image is a 3D sonogram of a baby 3 months old in the womb.

Today is the 45th Anniversary of the United States Supreme Courts infamous ruling, Roe vs Wade, that legalized the murder of unborn children. Since 1973, there have been over 60,123,000 abortions performed in the United States alone. Since 1980, the worldwide total number of abortions exceeds 1,482,306,000

Pro-life Video download, "The Silent Scream." A Chilling documentary by a former abortion doctor who proves abortion is murder. The video is graphic and not suitable for children.

Prayer of the Expectant Mother

O great St. Gerard, beloved Servant of Jesus Christ, perfect imitator of your meek and humble Savior, and devoted child of the Mother of God, enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in yours and made you a seraph of love. O glorious St. Gerard, because you bore, like your Divine Master, without murmur or complaint, the calumnies of wicked men when falsely accused of crime, you have been raised up by God as the Patron and Protector of expectant mothers: preserve me from danger and from the excessive pains accompanying childbirth, and shield the child which I now carry, that it may see the light of day and receive the lustral waters of Baptism. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ( Say Nine Hail Marys.)

Links relevant to the Sin of Abortion:

Crimes Against Life The Killing of the Foetus, Casti Connubii A Series of Catholic Lectures
on the Evils of Abortion and
the Defense of the Unborn The Crime of Abortion; Prayers for America and Guidelines for Making a Moral Decision The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children The 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 6th and 9th Commandment Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance Motives and Ends of Marriage Advantages of Christian Marriage Prayer Against the Forces of Anti-life God Will Punish You! Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Other related Links:

Prayers for Catholic Mothers Blessings of Many Children What is it to be a Mother? Prayer Book: The Christian Mother Prayer Book: The Christian Father

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January 21st,
St Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Prayers & Devotions to St. Agnes Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st A History of Virginity and
the Life of St. Agnes Holy Purity Prayers for the Preservation of Chastity. An Explanation and Defense of the Virtue of Chastity Children Prayers and Sermons 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany: for Children and Parents 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany: Epistle and Gospel 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly?

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Meditations on the Holy Infancy Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th Novena to St. Francis De Sales: Jan. 21st - Jan. 29th

Almighty, everlasting God, Who choosest the weak things of the world to confound the strong; mercifully grant that we, who keep the solemn feast of blessed Agnes, Thy virgin and martyr, may enjoy her intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Agnes was but twelve years old. when she was led to the altar of Minerva at Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. In the midst of the idolatrous rites she raised her hands to Christ, her Spouse, and made the sign of the life-giving cross. She did not shrink when she was bound hand and foot, though the gyves slipped from her young hands, and the heathens who stood around were moved to tears.

The bonds were not needed for her, and she hastened gladly to the place of her torture. Next, when the judge saw that pain had no terrors for her, he inflicted an insult worse than death: her clothes were stripped off, and she had to stand in the street before a pagan crowd; yet even this did not daunt her. "Christ," she said, "will guard His own." So it was. Christ showed, by a miracle, the value which He sets upon the custody of the eyes. Whilst the crowd turned away their eyes from the spouse of Christ, as she stood exposed to view in the street, there was one young man who dared to gaze at the innocent child with immodest eyes. A flash of light struck him blind, and his companions bore him away half dead with pain and terror.

Lastly, her fidelity to Christ was tried by flattery and offers of marriage. But she answered, "Christ is my Spouse: He chose me first, and His I will be." At length the sentence of death was passed. For a moment she stood erect in prayer, and then bowed her neck to the sword. At one stroke her head was severed from her body, and the angels bore her pure soul to Paradise.

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January 20th,
Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs

Ss. Fabian, Pope and Sebastian, Martyrs Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th

Look upon our weakness, O almighty God: and, because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, may the glorious intercession of Thy blessed martyrs Fabian and Sebastian shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The two great Roman martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian, made manifest the first in 250 in the persecution of Decius, the second in 284 in that of Diocletian, the divine power of Christ "Who operated wonders in them". The ancient martyrologies unite their names.

The appearance of the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, had attested the divinity of Jesus on the day of His Baptism. It was also a dove hovering above Fabian that pointed him out to the Church as vicar of Jesus Christ.

St. Sebastian, an officer of the imperial household and commander of a cohort, encouraged his brothers in arms subjected to torments on account of their faith. Diocletian ordered him to be pierced with arrows. Sebastian, having escaped death, reappeared before the emperor and reproached him with his crimes. He was condemned to be flogged to death.

Like the martyrs mentioned in the Epistle, these two saints "were found perfect" in the testimony they bore of their faith in Jesus Christ, "for it was for the cause of the Son of Man that they suffered persecution". Numerous cures were wrought by St. Sebastian or rather by the virtue of Christ Who was in him.

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January 19th, St. Canute, King and Martyr

St. Canute, Martyr The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st Powerful Novena to St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th

O God, Who to give renown to Thy Church didst vouchsafe to adorn Thy blessed king Canute with the palm of martyrdom and with glorious miracles: mercifully grant, that, as he followed our lord in his sufferings, so we too may follow in his footsteps, and deserve to attain to everlasting joys. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Canute, King of Denmark, was endowed with excellent qualities of both mind and body. It is hard to say whether he excelled more in courage or in conduct and skill in war; but his singular piety eclipsed all his other endowments. He cleared the seas of pirates, and subdued several neighboring provinces which infested Denmark with their incursions. The kingdom of Denmark was elective till the year 1660, and, when the father of Canutus died, his eldest brother, Harold, was called to the throne. Harold died after reigning for two years, and Canutus was chosen to succeed him. He began his reign by a successful war against the troublesome, barbarous enemies of the state, and by planting the faith in the conquered provinces. Amid the glory of his victories he humbly prostrated himself at the foot of the crucifix, laying there his diadem, and offering himself and his kingdom to the King of kings. After having provided for the peace and safety of his country, he married Eltha, daughter of Robert, Earl of Flanders, who proved a spouse worthy of him. His next concern was to reform abuses at home. For this purpose he enacted severe but necessary laws for the strict administration of justice, and repressed the violence and tyranny of the great, without respect to persons.

He countenanced and honored holy men, and granted many privileges and immunities to the clergy. His charity and tenderness towards his subjects made him study by all possible ways to make them a happy people. He showed a royal munificence in building and adorning churches, and gave the crown which he wore, of exceeding great value, to a church in his capital and place of residence, where the kings of Denmark are yet buried. To the virtues which constitute a great king, Canutus added those which prove the great saint. A rebellion having sprung up in his kingdom, the king was surprised at church by the rebels. Perceiving his danger, he confessed his sins at the foot of the altar, and received Holy Communion. Stretching out his arms before the altar, the Saint fervently recommended his soul to his Creator; in this posture he was struck by a javelin thrown through a window, and fell a victim for Christ's sake.

January 19th,
St. Marius and Companions, Martyrs

Graciously hear Thy people, O Lord, who humbly pray through the intercession of Thy Saints: that by Thy grace we may enjoy peace during our life on earth and also help for life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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January 18th,
St. Peter's Chair at Rome; Commemoration of St. Paul

Related Links to St. Peter and St. Paul

Prayers and Devotions to St. Peter the Apostle Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul Sermons
by Fr. Weninger The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations The Church The Church is One The Church is Holy The Church is Catholic The Church is Apostolic How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Contrition Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st Powerful Novena for the Feast of the Conversion St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, who in delivering to Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, didst confer on him the pontifical power of binding and loosing: grant that by the help of his intercession we may be loosed from the bonds of our sins: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

V. Thou art Peter.

R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

Ant. Thou art the shepherd of the sheep, O Prince of the Apostles, unto thee were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Ant. O holy Apostle Paul preacher of the truth, and treacher of the Gentiles, intercede for us with God, who chose thee.

V. Thou art a vessel of election, O holy Apostle Paul.

R. A preacher of the truth to the whole world.

(Roman Breviary)

God had established the Roman Empire, and extended its dominion beyond that of any former monarchy, for the more easy propagation of His Gospel. Its metropolis was of the greatest importance for this enterprise. St. Peter took that province upon himself, and, repairing to Rome, there preached the faith and established his ecclesiastical chair. That St. Peter preached in Rome, founded the Church there, and died there by martyrdom under Nero, are facts the most incontestable, by the testimony of all writers of different countries who lived near that time; persons of unquestionable veracity, and who could not but be informed of the truth in a point so interesting and of its own nature so public and notorious.

This is also attested by monuments of every kind; by the prerogatives, rights, and privileges which that church enjoyed from those early ages in consequence of this title. It was an ancient custom observed by churches to keep an annual festival of the consecration of their bishops. The feast of the Chair of St. Peter is found in ancient martyrologies. Christians justly celebrate the founding of this mother-church, the centre of Catholic communion, in thanksgiving to God for His mercies to His Church, and to implore His future blessings.

Hymn: Quodcumque in orbe

Peter, whatever thou shalt bind on earth, The same is bound above the starry sky; What here thy delegated powers doth loose, Is loosed in heaven's supremest court on high: To judgment shalt thou come, when the world's end is nigh.

Praise to the Father through all ages be! The same to Thee, O coeternal Son! And Holy Ghost, one glorious Trinity; To whom all majesty and might belong; So sing we now, and such be our eternal song. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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January 17th,
St. Anthony, Abbot

St. Anthony of the Desert, Abbot The Life of St. Antony
by St. Athanasius Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st Powerful Novena for the Feast of the Conversion St. Paul: Jan. 17th - Jan. 25th

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Anthony procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Antony was born in the year 251, in Upper Egypt. Hearing at Mass the words, " If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor," he gave away all his vast possessions. He then begged an aged hermit to teach him the spiritual life. He also visited various solitaries, copying in himself the principal virtue of each. To serve God more perfectly, Antony entered the desert and immured himself in a ruin, building up the door so that none could enter. Here the devils assaulted him most furiously, appearing as various monsters, and even wounding him severely; but his courage never failed, and he overcame them all by confidence in God and by the sign of the cross.

One night, whilst Antony was in his solitude, many devils scourged him so terribly that he lay as if dead. A friend found him thus, and believing him dead carried him home. But when Antony came to himself he persuaded his friend to carry him, in spite of his wounds, back to his solitude. Here, prostrate from weakness, he defied the devils, saying, "I fear you not; you cannot separate me from the love of Christ." After more rain assaults the devils fled, and Christ appeared to Antony in glory. His only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise. Many souls flocked to him for advice, and after twenty years of solitude he consented to guide them in holiness--thus founding the first monastery. His numerous miracles attracted such multitudes that he fled again into solitude, where he lived by manual labor. He expired peacefully at a very advanced age. St. Athanasius, his biographer, says that the mere knowledge of how St. Antony lived is a good guide to virtue.

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January 16th, St. Marcellus I., Pope and Martyr

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Mercifully hear, O Lord we beseech Thee, the prayers of Thy people, that we my be helped by the merits of blessed Marcellus Thy Martyr and Bishop, whose martyrdom we celebrate. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

During the third century paganism and Christianity vied for supremacy in the Roman Empire. Hoping to stifle the Church completely, the emperor Diocletian in 303 began the last and fiercest of the persecutions. In time, Christian charity conquered pagan brutality, and as the Church attracted more and more members, the Roman government would be compelled to recognize its existence, but it was only after almost three hundred years, during which persecutions had forced Christian worship underground, that the Church would finally come out into the open after the Edict of Nantes in 313. It was still young and disorganized, vulnerable to heresy and apostasy, and needed a strong leader to settle questions of doctrine and discipline.

Such a leader came to the Chair of Peter in 304, when Saint Marcellus was elected pope. Saint Marcellinus, his predecessor, while being taken to torture, had exhorted him not to cede to the decrees of Diocletian, and it became evident that Marcellus did not intend to temporize. He established new catacombs and saw to it that the divine mysteries were continually celebrated there. Then three years of relative peace were given the church when Maxentius became emperor in 307, for he was too occupied with other difficulties to persecute the Christians.

After assessing the problems facing the Church, Saint Marcellus planned a strong program of reorganization. Rome then as now was the seat of Catholicism, and his program was initiated there. He divided the territorial administration of the Church into twenty-five districts or parishes, placing a priest over each one, thus restoring an earlier division which the turmoil of the persecutions had disrupted. This arrangement permitted more efficient care in instructing the faithful, in preparing candidates for baptism and penitents for reconciliation. With these measures in force, Church government took on a definite form.

Marcellus' biggest problem was dealing with the Christians who had apostatized during the persecution. Many of these were determined to be reconciled to the Church without performing the necessary penances. The Christians who had remained faithful demanded that the customary penitential discipline be maintained and enforced. Marcellus approached this problem with uncompromising justice; the apostates were in the wrong, and regardless of the consequences, were obliged to do penance. It was not long before the discord between the faithful and the apostates led to violence in the very streets of Rome.

An account of Marcellus' death, dating from the fifth century, relates that Maxentius, judging the pope responsible for the trouble between the Christian factions, condemned him to work as a slave on the public highway. After nine months of this hard labor, he was rescued by the clergy and taken to the home of a widow named Lucina; this woman welcomed him with every sign of respect and offered him her home for a church. When the emperor learned that Christian rites were being celebrated there, he profaned the church by turning it into a stable and forced the Holy Father to care for the animals quartered there. In these sad surroundings, Marcellus died on January 16, 310. He was buried in the catacombs of Priscilla, but later his remains were placed beneath the altar of the church in Rome which still bears his name.

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January 15th,
St. Paul, The First Hermit

St. Paul first hermit, Confessor Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly solemnity of blessed Paul, Thy Confessor, grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep his festival, may also follow the pattern of his life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Paul was bom in Upper Egypt, about the year 330, and became an orphan at the age of fifteen. He was very rich and highly educated. Fearing lest the tortures of a terrible persecution might endanger his Christian perseverance, he retired into a remote village. But his pagan brother-in-law denounced him, and St. Paul, rather than remain where his faith was in danger, entered the barren desert, trusting that God would supply his wants. And his confidence was rewarded; for on the spot to which Providence led him he found the fruit of the palm-tree for food, and its leaves for clothing, and the water of a spring for drink.

His first design was to return to the world when the persecution was over; but, tasting great delights in prayer and penance, he remained the rest of his life, ninety years, in penance, prayer, and contemplation. God revealed his existence to St. Antony, who sought him for three days. Seeing a thirsty she-wolf run through an opening in the rocks, Antony followed her to look for water, and found Paul.

They knew each other at once, and praised God together. When St. Antony visited him, a raven brought him a loaf, and St. Paul said, "See how good God is! For sixty years this bird has brought me half a loaf every day; now thou art come, Christ has doubled the provision for His servants." Having passed the night in prayer, at dawn of day Paul told Antony that he was about to die, and asked to be buried in the cloak given to Antony by St. Athanasius. Antony hastened to fetch it, and on his way back saw Paul rise to heaven in glory. He found his dead body kneeling as if in prayer, and two lions came and dug his grave. Paul died in his one hundred and thirteenth year.

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January 14th,
St. Hilary, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. 2nd Sunday After the Epiphany

St. Hilary Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church Catechism on Modernism: A Condemnation of the Errors of Modernism by St. Piux X. The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st

2nd Sunday After the Epiphany: The Wedding Feast of Cana

Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion 2nd Sunday After the Epiphany: Epistle and Gospel 2nd Sunday After the Epiphany: for Children and Parents 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Duties of Catholic Parents in Relation to Mixed Marriages The Duties of Catholics Married
to Non-Catholics                  Newly Added
The Sacrament of Matrimony and Liturgical Explanation of the Nuptual Mass Index: Links to All Marriage and Family Pages. Provides answers
to all of your questions. Preparation for Marriage Christian Marriage Holy Family Glossary of Terms Based on Faith and Morals, Relevant to Marriage and Family Life Commandments, Sin and Repentance Prayer for a Husband or Wife The Christian Mother The Christian Father

The Ravages of Adultery Unworthy Communion

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who didst give blessed Hilary to be a minister of eternal salvation to Thy people; grant, we beseech Thee, that we who have had him on earth as Teacher of life, may be worthy to have him for advocate in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Hilary was a native of Poitiers in Aquitaine. Born and educated a pagan, it was not until near middle age that he embraced Christianity, moved to that step primarily by the idea of God presented to him in the Holy Scriptures. He soon converted his wife and daughter, and separated himself rigidly from all non-Catholic company, fearing the influence of error, rampant in a number of false philosophies and heresies, for himself and his family.

He entered Holy Orders with the consent of his very virtuous wife, and separated from his family as was required of the clergy. He later wrote a very famous letter to his dearly-loved daughter, encouraging her to adopt a consecrated life. She followed this counsel and died, still young, a holy death.

In 353 Saint Hilary was chosen bishop of his native city. Arianism, under the protection of the Emperor Constantius, was then at the heights of its exaltation, and Saint Hilary found himself called upon to support the orthodox cause in several Gallic councils, in which Arian bishops formed an overwhelming majority. He was in consequence accused to the emperor, who banished him to Phrygia. He spent his more than three years of exile in composing his great works on the Trinity.

In 359 he attended the Council of Seleucia, in which Arians, semi-Arians, and Catholics contended for the mastery. He never ceased his combat against the errors of the enemies of the Divinity of Christ. With the deputies of the council he went to Constantinople, and there so dismayed the heads of the Arian party that they prevailed upon the emperor to let him return to Gaul. He traversed Gaul, Italy and Illyria, preaching wherever he went, disconcerting the heretics and procuring the triumph of orthodoxy. He wrote a famous treatise on the Synods. After some eight years of missionary travel he returned to Poitiers, where he died in peace in 368.

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January 13th, Octave of the Epiphany

Epiphany.--The word signifies, a shining upon or manifestation. The Greeks call it, Theophany, or shining of God. The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles seems to be the predominant idea in this feast. It is not, therefore, any one incident in the life of Christ that is commemorated; but many. The appearance of the star is usually the first. The descent of the Holy Spirit at our Lord's baptism next. Then the miracle of Cana; and in this way, may embrace whatever in the life or works of Christ demonstrated his Messiahship.

Devotions to the Holy Infancy Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Novena to St. Agnes:
January 13th - January 21st

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

Prayer:

V. Christ manifested himself to us. Alleluia.
B. Come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Let us pray:

Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of heaven and earth, who dost reveal thyself to little ones: grant us, we beseech thee, to honor meetly the holy mysteries of thy Son, the child Jesus, and to follow Him humbly in our lives, so that we may come to the eternal kingdom promised by Thee to little ones. Through the same Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.

Happiness of the Magi
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Behold the Magi overwhelmed with joy prostrate at the feet of Jesus. Beg the grace to share somewhat of this joy.

The Magi Admitted to the Knowledge of Jesus

One of the first thoughts that comes to the mind when we hear the gospel narrative of the calling of the Magi is the thought of the happiness which fell to their lot. What a happiness indeed, to have been miraculously called from the darkness of the Gentiles to the Divine light of the Incarnate Word; to have been taught the sublime lessons of the Gospel even before they were preached to the world! To what did the Magi owe this wonderful happiness in preference to so many millions who lived and died in infidelity and sin? Only to the mercy and predilection of the Saviour God.

Application: You also have been the object of this same predilection of God, in this that He caused you to be born of Catholic parents, who taught you from your tenderest infancy the knowledge and love of Jesus. You might have been born, as so many are, of Pagan, Mohammedan, or Jewish parents, and how great then would have been your misery in time and eternity! To what do you owe your preservation, your being so richly supplied with means of salvation and of sanctification? Is it not solely to the mercy of your Saviour?

Affections: Joy and thanksgiving

Resolutions: Often call to mind these words of the Holy Ghost: "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required."--(St. Luke 12:48.)

The Baptism of our Lord

From St. Andrew's Daily Missal: Of the old Office, which celebrated on this day the Baptism of Jesus and the glorious manifestation that the Heavenly Father gave of His divinity, we have only preserved the Collects and Gospel. The rest is taken from the Mass of Epiphany, so that we continue to keep in touch with the Infant of Bethlehem. The whole world was awaiting the Messiah, and now that "the Sovereign Lord has come, who holds in His hand the kingdom, and power and dominion" over hearts (Introit), it is time that John appeared, "that man sent from God" (Last Gospel). The holiness of the Forerunner is recognised by all the Jews and Gentiles, who come in crowds (Epistle) to receive his baptism of penance. He has all the influence over them necessary for the fulfillment of his mission, which is to present officially the Bride-groom to the Bride, Christ to the souls of men.

The Gospel tells us that John saw the Holy Ghost come down upon Jesus, and that he gave "testimony that He was the Son of God" who appeared on earth in the substance of our flesh" (Collect).

The waters are from henceforth sanctified by their contact with the Man-God. It is by Baptism, in fact, that "all nations shall be made to serve Jesus" (Offertory).

The Sacrament of Baptism The Baptism of Jesus The Ceremonies of the Sacrament of Baptism Explained Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899

Baptism of Jesus:
St. Matt. iii. 13 - 17

Our Lord bids farewell to His holy Mother; makes His way to the Jordan; is baptized by St. John amid a crowd of sinners, and is proclaimed by the Voice from Heaven the Beloved Son of God.

I. For thirty years Jesus had dwelt in sweet companionship with His holy Mother. Never since the world began had there been any intercourse so full of unspeakable delight as that of Jesus and Mary. Now the time had come to break the bond: it was like the tearing asunder of their loving hearts for them to part. Yet Christ goes on His way with the greatest cheerfulness and joy: for it was the will of God that He should forsake His Mother, and the motto of His life was: "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O my God."

2. It is the same Divine guidance that leads Him to the Jordan, to be baptized among sinners, just as if He, the Lamb of God, were Himself a sinner. Yet He never hesitates for an instant. It was the will of God, and, therefore, it is His greatest joy to do what men would esteem so misleading and illjudged, so fatal to the success of His future Mission. Do I thus implicitly obey the will of God?

3. Obedience and humility are the surest way of winning honor from God. He loves to exalt the humble, to pour Divine gifts upon the obedient. A Voice from Heaven declares Him Who had thus humbled Himself to be the well-beloved Son of God. The Holy Spirit descending in visible form proclaims wisdom to be the special privilege of the obedient.

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January 12th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Newly Added
Showing Forth Our Faith How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

On the Lessons our Lord Jesus
gives us in His private life
by Richard Challoner

Consider first, those words spoken by our Lord Jesus to His parents, when they found him in the temple, in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions, Luke ii. Did you not know, said He, that I must be about my Father's business? He came down from Heaven, not to do His own will, but the will of Gim that sent Him (John iv. 38). This was His daily food, during His mortal life. My meat, said He, is to do the will of Him that sent me (John iv. 34). This then was the exercise of His private life; which He spent in obscurity, and retirement, under a poor carpenter's roof. He was all the while about the business of his Father. He was ever doing the will of His Father. All His thoughts and words, all His actions, and omissions, were directed to His Father's glory. And this is the great lesson we are to learn from Him in His private life. We, all of us, like Him, came into this world for nothing else but to do the will of God: we all of us ought to be ever about the business of our heavenly Father: all our thoughts, words, actions, and omissions, ought to be directed to Him. O let us study well this great lesson, which the Son of God employed fo many years in teaching!

Consider 2d1y, how He went down with Joseph and Mary to Nazareth, and was subject to them (Luke ii. 51). O stand astonished my soul, to see the Lord and maker of heaven and earth, submitting Himself to His creatures, and obedient to them! O see how He serves them even in the meanest offices; how he works, with His reputed father, at His mechanic trade. But with what modesty, and silence, with what recollection and application of his soul to His heavenly Father by continual adoration, thanksgiving, oblation, and love, and by continual prayer and intercession for us? Christians, learn from this great example, to be ever humble, meek, and obedient. Learn to sanctify your ordinary employments, and even your common actions, by recollection and mental prayer. Learn that even the highest persection may be found in the exercise of the lowest and meanest offices; if in these the soul do but take care to keep close to her God, and to embrace Him by love.

Consider 3dly, what is written of our Lord, with relation to this private part of his life. That Jesus increased in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men (Luke ii. 52). Our Lord, who from the first moment of His conception, was full of all heavenly wisdom and divine grace, was pleased in proportion to His advancing in age, to shew forth every day more than other, in His words and actions, the admirable treasures of wisdom and grace that were hidden in His soul: to teach us to make a continual progress in the way of God; and to advance every day by large steps, from virtue to virtue, till we come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ (Eph. iv. 13). Christians, do we seriously apply ourselves to learn this excellent lesson? What progress have we hitherto made, after so many years pretending to walk after Jesus Christ in the way of virtue? Have we not for the most part rather gone backward than forward? O let us now at least begin to be in earnest!

Conclude to learn of our Saviour all those lessons which he desires to teach us in His private life: particularly these three, 1. To be ever about the business of our Father. 2. To be ever submissive and obedient to His. vice-gerents, and 3. To be ever making the best of our way to Him.

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January 11th, St. Hyginus, Pope and Martyr

                 Newly Added
The Business of Life
and Vanity of Earthly Things Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Hyginus, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Church makes commemoration, today, of the holy Pope and Martyr Hyginus. He held the Apostolic Chair under the reign of Antoninus, and closed his four-years Pontificate by martyrdom. We have no history of his life, but we venerate in him one of the links of that grand chain of Pontiffs, which unites us, by St. Peter, to our Lord Jesus Christ. The whole weight of the government of the Church was upon his shoulders, and he was courageous and faithful in the discharge of his duties; his reign was during the age of Persecution, when to be Pope was to be a victim of tortures and death. As we have already said, he soon won his Palm, and was associated in heaven with the three Magi, who had, before leaving this world, preached the gospel in Greece, the country of our Saint. Let us ask him to bless the offerings we are making to the Divine Infant of Bethlehem, and to pray for us, that we may obey this sweet King, who asks us to give Him, not our blood by martyrdom, but our hearts by charity.

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January 10th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links

Catechism on Modernism: A Condemnation of the Errors of Modernism by St. Piux X. What is Liberalism Lamentabili Sane: Syllabus of Errors

For behold short years pass away, and I am walking in a path by which I shall not return (Job xvi. 23).

Consider first, that the years pass quickly by. To convince thyself that so it is, look back, and see the years that are already gone. Oh, how short they seem! So also shall be those that still remain to thee. What excuse, then, canst thou give for being so careless in laying up treasure for Heaven?" Short years pass away," and dost thou give up so much time to sleep?" Short years pass away," and dost thou yield so much of them to vanity?" Short years pass away," and dost thou spend so much of them even in sin? It is unutterable folly. "In the morning sow thy seed (Eccles. xi. 6)." Rise early from thy couch to pray, to sing hymns of praise, to study, to do good service to thy neighbour. For thou shalt gather good fruit in eternity, according as thou hast sown good fruit in thy lifetime here.

Consider secondly, that time not only passes quickly, but passes never to return, so that the time thou losest now is lost for ever; it comes back no more, it can never be regained, it is like the water which flows once only over the river-bed and never again returns. And dost thou value it so lightly? At the hour of death thou shalt find deep cause of grief in having allowed it to go by unprofitably. At that hour how shalt thou groan, not only over wasted years, but over wasted hours and minutes, aye, and the smallest points of time, which now thou art ashamed to value, lamenting that thou didst not treasure them with avaricious soul. What says the Lord, speaking of this? "Let not one particle of a good gift escape thee (Ecclus. xiv. 14)." How precious a thing is time! Thou dost let it run to waste like water, and He would have thee value it like gold; He would have thee set store by each little shred of it. But wonder not at this. Every little point of time well spent can bring thee a richer revenue than the greatest kingdom in all the universe.

Consider thirdly, what would not one of the damned be willing to do, if by Divine favour he were allowed to return to life and go over his course anew. Think you he would be careless in employing the time given him by God? Oh, how he would toil! Oh, how he would strain each nerve! Oh, with what anxious, care he would devote each precious moment to the welfare of his soul! But this has not been granted. What will be thy fate if only then thou dost set store by time, when time for thee shall be no more? Say therefore ever to thyself, in the words of holy Job, "I am walking in a path by which I shall not return." Human life is a road which is trodden but once. Happy the man who knows how to turn to account the present opportunities of making profit and amassing wealth. Whoso neglects to do this now, cannot through all eternity come back to set his error right.

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January 9th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links January Meditations on
the Holy Infancy--January 9th

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown (Ecclus. xxvii. 4).

Consider first, that this wretched earth is not thy lasting city. Thy city is Heaven. Very different are those two cities of the present and the future! To compare them would be like comparing some little village or hamlet to Imperial Rome. Earth in respect of Heaven is a poor man's hovel. How lovely, then, must be that city of the other world, "the city of perfect beauty," if this earthly city delights thee so much!

Consider secondly, what ought in consequence to be thy course of conduct on this earth. It should be such as thou wouldst pursue in a city where thou hast no fixed abode, but art only a sojourner for a few days. Thou dost not interest thyself in its affairs; thou art not attached to it by feelings of affection; thou dost fix thy gaze upon it certainly, but always as an object which concerns thee not. Such must thy conduct be throughout thy life on earth, since it is not thy city. "We have not here a lasting city." Thou art a sojourner. And dost thou seek with eagerness to fix thy dwelling here?

Consider thirdly, that thou art not only a sojourner on earth, but a pilgrim, and therefore it is added, "But we seek one that is to come." What dost thou do when thou dost pass in pilgrimage from place to place? Thou art not anxious to provide thyself with anything beyond the mere necessaries of life. Thou travellest lightly equipped and unencumbered, and thou dost assiduously seek the shortest way to thy native land. Thus thou must act in the case proposed. Here have thy body, there thy mind; like the pilgrim, who in the body traverses some city on his journey, but in spirit has already reached the city for which he sighs. But alas! how different is thy conduct! Scarcely ever are thy thoughts in Heaven. This is a bad sign. Surely it cannot be thy own true country.

�

January 8th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links

For behold short years pass away, and I am walking in a path by which I shall not return (Job xvi. 23).

Consider first, that the years pass quickly by. To convince thyself that so it is, look back, and see the years that are already gone. Oh, how short they seem! So also shall be those that still remain to thee. What excuse, then, canst thou give for being so careless in laying up treasure for Heaven?" Short years pass away," and dost thou give up so much time to sleep?" Short years pass away," and dost thou yield so much of them to vanity?" Short years pass away," and dost thou spend so much of them even in sin? It is unutterable folly. "In the morning sow thy seed (Eccles. xi. 6)." Rise early from thy couch to pray, to sing hymns of praise, to study, to do good service to thy neighbour. For thou shalt gather good fruit in eternity, according as thou hast sown good fruit in thy lifetime here.

Consider secondly, that time not only passes quickly, but passes never to return, so that the time thou losest now is lost for ever; it comes back no more, it can never be regained, it is like the water which flows once only over the river-bed and never again returns. And dost thou value it so lightly? At the hour of death thou shalt find deep cause of grief in having allowed it to go by unprofitably. At that hour how shalt thou groan, not only over wasted years, but over wasted hours and minutes, aye, and the smallest points of time, which now thou art ashamed to value, lamenting that thou didst not treasure them with avaricious soul. What says the Lord, speaking of this? "Let not one particle of a good gift escape thee (Ecclus. xiv. 14)." How precious a thing is time! Thou dost let it run to waste like water, and He would have thee value it like gold; He would have thee set store by each little shred of it. But wonder not at this. Every little point of time well spent can bring thee a richer revenue than the greatest kingdom in all the universe.

Consider thirdly, what would not one of the damned be willing to do, if by Divine favour he were allowed to return to life and go over his course anew. Think you he would be careless in employing the time given him by God? Oh, how he would toil! Oh, how he would strain each nerve! Oh, with what anxious, care he would devote each precious moment to the welfare of his soul! But this has not been granted. What will be thy fate if only then thou dost set store by time, when time for thee shall be no more? Say therefore ever to thyself, in the words of holy Job, "I am walking in a path by which I shall not return." Human life is a road which is trodden but once. Happy the man who knows how to turn to account the present opportunities of making profit and amassing wealth. Whoso neglects to do this now, cannot through all eternity come back to set his error right.

�

January 7th, The Feast of the Holy Family within the Octave of the Epiphany

The First Sunday after the Epiphany Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th The Feast of the Holy Family: Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon for
the Feast of the Holy Family Index of Children Prayers Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Influence of the Example of Parents Upon Their Children Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season Glosary of Terms for Marriage and Family Life and Relevant Cannon Laws from 1917 Code All Relevant Instructions and Sermon on the Holy Family All Relevant Teachings on Christian Marriage

The Christian Family Instructions for the Catholic Family Duties of Parents The 4th Commandment Religious and Moral
         Training of Children

What is it to be a Mother? Prayers for Catholic Mothers The Maternity of Mary In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God Blessings of Many Children Prayer for Deceased Parents The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children What is a mixed Marriage The Ravages of Adultery Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine

Related Books:

Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The Christian Mother The Christian Father The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 2nd Day within the Octave of the Epiphany The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who by subjecting Thyself to Mary and Joseph, hast hallowed domestic life with ineffable virtues: do Thou grant the example of Thy holy Family, and obtain everlasting fellowship therewith: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Pop Leo XIII, June 14, 1892

Neminem fugit:

When God, compassionate, determined to complete the work of human reparation which the world had awaited throughout long ages, he so established and designed the whole, that from its very inception, it would show to the world the sublime pattern of a divinely constituted family. In this all men should see the perfect example of domestic union, and of all virtue and holiness. Such was the family of Nazareth, in which before he had shone forth in full light to all nations, the Sun of justice, Christ our God and Savior, led a hidden life with the Virgin for mother and most holy Joseph for foster father.

There is no doubt that all those virtues of ordinary home life, those acts of mutual love, holy behavior and pious practices shone forth in the highest degree in this Holy Family, destined to be a model for all others. Accordingly, the benign dispositions of Providence fashioned that family so that every individual Christian, whatever his condition or station, by turning his attention to it, could find in it easily, reason and incentive for the exercise of every virtue.

Fathers of families, for example, have in Joseph a shining pattern for watchfulness and foresight. Mothers have in the most holy Virgin Mother of God an extraordinary model of love, of modesty, of submissiveness of mind, and of perfect faith. Children of the family have in Jesus who was subject to Joseph and Mary, a divine example of obedience to admire, cultivate and imitate. Those nobly born may learn from a family of royal blood how to restrain themselves in good fortune, and to retain their dignity in ill. The rich may learn from this family how much less estimable are riches than virtue. If working men and all those sorely harassed by family distresses and slender circumstances would but look to the most holy members of this domestic society, they would find there reason to rejoice rather than to grieve at their lot. In common with the Holy Family they have to work, they have to provide for the daily needs of life. Joseph had to work at his trade to earn a living; even the divine hands toiled at the artisan's calling. Surely then we need not wonder that wise men who were rich, cast their wealth aside willingly, and chose poverty in company with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

For all these reasons, therefore, it was right and proper that devotion to the Holy Family should have been introduced among Catholics and once begun should have grown from day to day. Proof of this lies first in the sodalities instituted under the invocation of the Holy Family; then in the unique honors bestowed upon it; and above all, by the privileges and favors granted to this devotion by our predecessors to stimulate fervor and piety in its regard. This devotion was held in great honor, even in the seventeenth century. Having been widely propagated through Italy, France and Belgium, it spread through practically the whole of Europe. Passing over the vast tract of the Atlantic Ocean, it was extended in America, through Canada, where under favorable circumstances, it became flourishing. Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues. When Jesus, Mary and Joseph are invoked in the home, there they foster charity, there they exert a good influence over conduct, set an example of virtue, and make more bearable the hardships of every life. To increase devotion to the Holy Family, Pope Leo XIII prescribed that Christian families should be dedicated to it. Benedict XV extended the Mass and Office to the whole Church.

       �

January 6th, The Epiphany of Our Lord and First Saturday

First Saturday Devotions The Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany The Epiphany: Christ is King by Fr. Weninger Homilies for the Epiphany The Feast of the Epiphany: Epistle and Gospel Children's Sermon: The Epiphany Children's Video: The Three Kings The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 29th - Jan. 6th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links The Month of the Nativity Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, Who on this day by the guidance of a star didst reveal Thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: mercifully grant, that we who know Thee now by faith, may be brought to contemplate the beauty of Thy majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The word Epiphany means "manifestation," and it has passed into general acceptance throughout the universal Church, from the fact that Jesus Christ manifested to the eyes of men His divine mission on this day first of all, when a miraculous star revealed His birth to the kings of the East. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy that "a star would arise from Jacob". (Numbers 24:17) It was understood by these Wise Men that this star was announcing the Saviour-King, destined to be born of the Jews. And they, in spite of the difficulties and dangers of a long and tedious journey through deserts and mountains almost impassable, hastened at once to Bethlehem to adore Him. And there they offered Him mystical presents, as to the King of kings, to the God of heaven and earth, and to a Man whose human nature made Him mortal and subject to sufferings.

The second manifestation commemorated by this feast day occurred when He came forth from the waters of the Jordan after having received Baptism from the hands of Saint John, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the visible form of a dove. A voice from heaven was heard, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The third manifestation which the Church's liturgy recalls to us is that of the divine power of Jesus when, at the marriage-feast of Cana, by the first of His miracles He changed water into wine. And at the sight of this prodigy His disciples believed in His Divinity. These three great events, concurring to the same end, the Church has wished to celebrate in one and the same festival.

†

January 5th, Vigil of the Epiphany and St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. First Friday

The Vigil of the Epiphany Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 29th - Jan. 6th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th First Friday Devotions Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

      12th Day of Christmas
Related Christmastide Links:

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Octave of Christmas Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season

Stations of the Cross Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Telesphorus Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

Ant. This Saint hath stiven for the law of his God even unto death, and hath not feared for the words of the ungodly; for he had been founded upon a firm rock.

V. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord.

R. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.

(Roman Breviary)

       †

January 4th, Octave of the Holy Innocents

January 3rd, Most Holy Octave of St. John the Evangelist

Octave of St. John
the Apostle and Evangelist St. John the Evangelist Litany of Charity and Butler's Lives of Saints on St. John the Evangelist St. John the Apostle: Epistle and Gospel The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation

Related Links for St. John the Evangelist, beloved by our Lord
for his Angelic Purity

Holy Purity Moral Teaching on Unchaste Thoughts and Desires The Sin of Impurity

In some placed the Feast of St. Genevieve is celebrated also on January 3rd.

St. Genevieve, Virgin

10th Day of Christmas
Related Christmastide Links:

Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 29th - Jan. 6th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Octave of Christmas Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season

Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

O God, Who didst appoint Thy only-begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind, and didst command that He should be called Jesus: mercifully grant that we who pay honor to His holy name on earth, may enjoy the vision of Him in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Homily of St. Bernard

O great and wonderful mystery! The Child is circumcised, His name is called Jesus. What is the connection between these two events? It would seem that circumcision should be for those to be saved rather than for the Savior; more fitting that He should be the circumciser rather than the circumcised. But behold how from the very instant of His birth the mediator between God and man joined human things with divine, the lowest with the highest. He is born of a woman, but her womb is made fruitful without the loss of the flower of her virginity. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes, but the very swaddling clothes are honored by the praise of Angels. He is laid in a manger, but a shining star of heaven reveals it. The Circumcision, similarly proved the very truth of the humanity He had assumed and the Name which is above all names, points out the glory of his majesty. He was circumcised like a true son of Abraham, He was called Jesus as the true Son of God.

My Jesus bears His name, not as others before him bore it,--a vain and empty title. In Him it was not the shadow of a great name; but the very substance of it. The Evangelist testifies that the name was given Him from heaven, saying: Which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. Note the deep significance of the words. After Jesus was born He was called "Jesus" by men, he who had been called "Jesus" by an Angel before He was conceived in the womb. He was the Savior of Angels and of men; of men from his Incarnation; of Angels from the beginning of their creation. His name, says the Evangelist, was called Jesus, which was given Him by the Angel. Therefore in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And that word which the Prophet says is cut short, is made manifest in the Gospel--the Word made flesh.

It is fitting that when the Son Who was born for us was being circumcised He was called Jesus "Savior," since even then He was beginning to work out our salvation, pouring out for us His most pure blood. Nor should Christians speculate upon why Christ the Lord willed to be circumcised. He was circumcised for the same reason that He was born, and for which He suffered. Neither one nor the other was for Himself, but for the elect. He was not born in sin; He was not circumcised to free Himself from sin, nor did He die for His own sins, but for ours. Which was called, says the Evangelist, by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. This name was not merely attributed to Him; it is plain He was called this name from eternity. As it inheres in His own proper nature to be a Savior, so the name is inherent in Him. It was not conferred upon Him either by an angelic creature or human being.

Hymn: Jesu, decus angelicum

O Jesu, thou the beauty art
Of Angel worlds above;
Thy Name is music to the heart,
Enchanting it with love.

Celestial Sweetness unalloyed!
Who eat thee hunger still;
Who drink of thee still feel a void,
Which only thou canst fill.

O my sweet Jesu! hear the sighs
Which unto thee I send;
To thee mine inmost spirit cries
My being's hope and end.

Stay with us. Lord, and with thy light
Illume the soul's abyss;
Scatter the darkness of our night,
And fill the world with bliss.

The following stanza is never changed.
O Jesu, spotless Virgin flower,
Our life and joy; to Thee
Be praise, beatitude, and power,
Through all eternity.
Amen.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

†

January 2nd, Most Holy
Name of Jesus and Octave
of St. Stephen

Related Links to the Name of Jesus

Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Name Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd The Feast of the Holy Name: Epistle and Gospel Meditations on the Holy
Name of Jesus Meditations on the Life of Jesus Christ: Circumcision, New Years and the Holy Name The Month of the Nativity: Includes the Feasts of the Circumcision, Holy Name, Epiphany and the Purification Beginning on Page 135 The 2nd Commandment Examination of Conscience
the 2nd Commandment Our Redeemer & Messiah The Psalster of Jesus The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession Devotions to the Infant Jesus Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th

Octave of St. Stephen

St. Stephen, Marytr

9th Day of Christmas
Related Christmastide Links:

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Octave of Christmas Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season

O God, Who didst appoint Thy only-begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind, and didst command that He should be called Jesus: mercifully grant that we who pay honor to His holy name on earth, may enjoy the vision of Him in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Homily of St. Bernard

O great and wonderful mystery! The Child is circumcised, His name is called Jesus. What is the connection between these two events? It would seem that circumcision should be for those to be saved rather than for the Savior; more fitting that He should be the circumciser rather than the circumcised. But behold how from the very instant of His birth the mediator between God and man joined human things with divine, the lowest with the highest. He is born of a woman, but her womb is made fruitful without the loss of the flower of her virginity. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes, but the very swaddling clothes are honored by the praise of Angels. He is laid in a manger, but a shining star of heaven reveals it. The Circumcision, similarly proved the very truth of the humanity He had assumed and the Name which is above all names, points out the glory of his majesty. He was circumcised like a true son of Abraham, He was called Jesus as the true Son of God.

My Jesus bears His name, not as others before him bore it,--a vain and empty title. In Him it was not the shadow of a great name; but the very substance of it. The Evangelist testifies that the name was given Him from heaven, saying: Which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. Note the deep significance of the words. After Jesus was born He was called "Jesus" by men, he who had been called "Jesus" by an Angel before He was conceived in the womb. He was the Savior of Angels and of men; of men from his Incarnation; of Angels from the beginning of their creation. His name, says the Evangelist, was called Jesus, which was given Him by the Angel. Therefore in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And that word which the Prophet says is cut short, is made manifest in the Gospel--the Word made flesh.

It is fitting that when the Son Who was born for us was being circumcised He was called Jesus "Savior," since even then He was beginning to work out our salvation, pouring out for us His most pure blood. Nor should Christians speculate upon why Christ the Lord willed to be circumcised. He was circumcised for the same reason that He was born, and for which He suffered. Neither one nor the other was for Himself, but for the elect. He was not born in sin; He was not circumcised to free Himself from sin, nor did He die for His own sins, but for ours. Which was called, says the Evangelist, by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. This name was not merely attributed to Him; it is plain He was called this name from eternity. As it inheres in His own proper nature to be a Savior, so the name is inherent in Him. It was not conferred upon Him either by an angelic creature or human being.

January 1st,
Circumcision of Our Lord

The Circumcision I. The Circumcision II. (New Years) The Circumcision of our Lord Sermons for Children's Masses Instructions for the Feast of Circumcision
Meditations on the Holy
Name of Jesus The Month of the Nativity: Includes the Feasts of the Circumcision, Holy Name, Epiphany and the Purification Devotions to the Infant King Devotions to the Holy Infancy The Dogma of the Incarnation Rests on the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th

Related Christmastide Links:

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Octave of Christmas Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus Spiritual Communion

O God, Who, by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The feast of the Circumcision has been kept since the sixth century. Moses commanded that all young Israelites should undergo this rite on the eight day after birth. It is a type of Baptism, by which a man is spiritually circumcised. "See," says St. Abrose, "how the whole sequence of the Old Law foreshadowed that which was to come; for circumcision signifies the blotting out of sins.

He who is spiritually circumcised by the rooting up of his vices is judged worthy of the Lord's favor. While speaking of the first drops of his Sacred Blood that Our Redeemer shed for the cleansing of our souls, the Church emphasizes the thought of the cutting out of all that is evil in us. "Jesus Christ. . . gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse us." (Epistle)

On this, the eight day after Christmas, the Church commemorates the Circumcision of our Redeemer and also honors Mary's divine Maternity.

O admirable interchange:

The Creator of mankind, assuming a living body, deigned to be born of a Virgin: and becoming man without man's concurrence, bestowed on us his Divinity.

2. When thou wast born ineffably of the Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled: As dew upon the fleece thou earnest down, to save mankind: we praise thee, O our God.

5. In the bush seen by Moses as burning yet unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of thy glorious virginity: O Mother of God, intercede for us.

4. The root of Jesse hath budded, the star hath arisen out of Jacob: a Virgin hath brought forth the Savior: we praise thee, O our God.

5. Behold, Mary hath brought forth "' unto us a Savior, whom John, seeing, exclaimed, saying: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him that taketh away the sins of the world, alleluia.

Hymn: A solis ortus

From lands that see the sun arise To earth's remotest boundaries, The Virgin-born today we sing, The Son of Mary, Christ the King.

Blest Author of this earthly frame, To take a servant's form he came, That, liberating flesh by Flesh, Whom he had made might live afresh.

In that chaste parent's holy womb Celestial grace hath found its home; And she, as earthly bride unknown, Yet calls that Offspring blest her own.

The mansion of the modest breast
Becomes a shrine where God shall rest: The pure an undefiled one Conceived in her womb the Son.

That Son, that Royal Son she bore, Whom Gabriel's voice had told afore; Whom, in his mother yet concealed, The infant Baptist had revealed.

The manger and the straw he bore, The cradle did he not abhor; By milk in infant portions fed, Who gives e'en fowls their daily bread.

The heavenly chorus filled the sky, The Angels sang to God on high, What time to shepherds, watching lone, They made creation's Shepherd known.

All honor, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen

Sermon of St. Leo, Pope

Dearly beloved: The man who devoutly and reverently participates in today's feast, is he who has no false ideas about the Lord's Incarnation, nor thinks unworthily of the Godhead. For it is as dangerous an evil to deny the truth of the human nature in Christ as to refuse to believe his glory is equal with that of his Father. Therefore, when we would approach to an understanding of the mystery of the birth of Christ, wherein He is born of a Virgin Mother, we must rise above the fogs of human reason, and clear the mists of wordly wisdom from the eye of enlightened faith.

Divine is the authority for our belief, divine the teaching we follow. Whether we listen to the testimony of the Law, to the revelation of the Prophets, or to the clarion of the Gospel, what John, filled with the Holy Ghost, thundered is true: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing that has been made. What this same preacher added is equally true: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory--glory as of the only-begotten of the Father.

Therefore in both natures it is the same Son of God. Taking our humanity he did not lose his divinity; renewing man by sharing in his manhood, he remained immutable in himself. The Godhead which is common to him and to the Father, underwent no lessening of omnipotence; nor did the form of a servant dishonor the form of God. The supreme and eternal essence which lowered itself for the salvation of the human race,--although it translated us to his glory, did not cease to be what it was. Hence, whenever the only-begotten Son of God confesses himself to be less than the Father, to whom he says he is equal, he demonstrates the truth of both of these natures in himself; for the inequality proves his humanity, and the equality his divinity.

Thou art blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, for remaining ever undefiled thou art become the Mother of the Savior: He lay in a manger, He whose glory filled the heavens.

†

December 31st, St. Sylvester I, Pope and Confessor. Sunday within the Octave of Christmas

Sunday within the Octave of Christmas Day: Epistle and Gospel Sunday within the Octave of Christmas: for Children and Parents Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Spiritual Communion

New Years Eve; Prayer to Lead a Holy Life and Prayer of Thanksgiving Reflection for the End of the Year

Assess your life during 2017 for the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy:

The Corporal Works of Mercy The Spiritual Works of Mercy Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick

The Value of Time Consideration of Last End The Hound of Heaven
by Francis Thompson--
A Scriptural Interpretation
of the Poem What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Spiritual Communion Litany of Penance Stations of the Cross Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Related Christmas Links:

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O Eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Silvester, Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

When only just born, the Infant God is persecuted by Herod: the Church still in her cradle sends to heaven her first martyr in the person of the deacon Stephen, and her first twenty-five Popes die martyrs.

Returned from Egypt, Jesus grows in age and wisdom at Nazareth, where the years pass in quietness: under the pontificate of Sylvester I (314 - 335) the Church, after three hundred years of persecution begins to enjoy liberty, which is her greatest boon. She spreads in the Roman Empire, and the Council of Nicea (325) establishes triumphantly against Arius the doctrine of the Divinity of the Saviour, of which the liturgy of the Season of Christmas is full.

At the first Council of Nicea, the Breviary tells us, the Catholic Faith on the divinity of Christ was explained by three hundred and eighteen bishops; Arius and his sect being condemned. At the request of the Fathers, Sylvester confirmed again this council in a Synod held at Rome, and in which Arius was condemned again.

According to the legend of the Breviary, Sylvester decreed also that the bishop alone should consecrate the chrism; that in the administration of Baptism the priest should anoint with the holy oils the crown of the head of the person being baptized; that deacons should wear the dalmatic and have a maniple of linen on the left arm; and finally that the sacrifice of the Mass should be offered up upon an altar cloth of linen.

He fixed also a certain period for those who should receive Holy Orders, during which they must exercise successively their Order in the Church before being raised to a higher degree. Sylvester ruled the Church twenty one and a half years. He was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Salarian Way.

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December 30th, within the Octave of the Nativity

6th Day within Octave of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th Novena to the Holy Family: Dec. 30th - Jan. 7th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

Meditation on the Infant Jesus
by Richard Challoner

Consider first, that the devotion of this holy time calls us to the crib of Bethlehem, there to contemplate our infant Savior, and to entertain our souls with him. O what a large field for meditation have we here opened to us! Christians, place yourselves in spirit near the manger of your Lord, and fix the eyes of your soul upon Him. Reflect who He is whom, you here behold lying before you, as a helpless infant, in this open stall, suffering and weeping, poor and humble, wrapped up in these swathing clothes, and laid in this crib between an ox and an ass? Ah! faith will inform you, that under all these mean appearances lies concealed the Lord of glory. This infant, not yet one day old, is the eternal Son of the eternal God! this weak, helpless babe, is He who by His almighty power made both heaven and earth! He who is here wrapped up so straitly, and confined to this narrow crib, fills heaven and earth, with His incomprehensible immensity! this speechless Child is God's own Word, who called forth all things out of nothing, and whom all things obey!

O wonderful mystery, which has thus united together the highest and the lowest, all that is great in heaven with all that is little and contemptible upon earth, in the person of this Infant-God! But what means all this? What has brought this great God down to this stable, to this crib? Why has He thus debased and perfectly annihilated himself? Ah! my soul, it is for thy sake!--for the love of thee! it is to redeem thee, and deliver thee from sin and hell! it is to afford thee an example of all virtue! it is to draw thy heart to Himself, and to engage thee to love Him.

Consider 2dly, and study well the great lessons which the Son of God desires to teach thee from the crib. Learn humility, from the contemplation of His unparalleled humiliations, which He here so joyfully embraces for thy sake: learn poverty of spirit, from the consideration of His voluntary poverty: learn mortification and self-denial, from the view of His sufferings, which are all His own choice. Learn of Him to despise this cheating world, with all its empty shows, painted toys, childish amusements, and allurements of its sensual pleasures, which He, who is the wisdom of God, despises and condemns in His birth. But especially apply thyself to study well, and to learn from the contemplation of the Son of God in the crib, the infinite charity of God, His infinite love for thee, and the infinite enormity of sin, by which we continually rebel against this infinite charity.

O my soul, couldst thou but penetrate with thy inward eyes into the heart of thy infant God, what heavenly flames woudst thou there discover of a more than seraphic love for thee? Thou wouldst there meet thyself in the midst of the heart of thy Saviour, where he has so long given thee a place. O! there thou wouldst effectually learn both to hate thy sins, and to love God.

Consider 3dly, the affections wherewith thy meditations ought to be accompanied in the stable of Bethlehem, if thou desirest to entertain in a proper manner thy new-born King and Saviour. Here thou must exercise thyself in acts of the three theological virtues; of a lively faith in this thy Infant God and all His sacred truths, which He here concealed in the mystery of His incarnation and birth, and all the wonders of His almighty power, wisdom, and goodness, which He has here wrought for love of us; and of all the treasures of heaven, which He here brings with Him to communicate to our souls; of a most firm hope and confidence in His infinite power, mercy, and goodness, which are here displayed before thee in this mystery; of a most ardent love for Him, in return for that love which He here shows thee.

Then pour forth thy soul in His presence, in acts of adoration, praise, and glory; in acts of thanksgiving for all He has done, as well for thee, as for the whole world; in acts of oblation of thy whole being, by dedicating all the powers of thy soul to His love and service, and making at His feet (who is come to be the great High Priest of God and man) an humble confession of all thy sins, with a most hearty sorrow and contrition for having ever offended so good a God; craving mercy, pardon, and absolution of Him, and through Him, and firmly resolving upon a new life for the future.

Conclude to let this be thy daily exercise during the holy time of Christmas; and not to suffer any worldly entertainments or diversions to deprive thee of the company of thy Saviour, at least so far as to prevent thee from waiting frequently on Him, and spending a competent part of thy time with Him in proper meditations and affections. If thou art at a loss to know how thou oughtest to entertain thyself with Him, beg of Him to teach thee; for He comes to be thy Instructor. And if thou art sensible of the meanness of thy own performances, in point of adoration, praise, glory, thanksgiving, &c. offer up to the eternal Father the adoration, praise, glory, and thanksgiving, of this thy new-born Saviour, to supply thy defects.

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December 29th, St. Thomas of Canterbury, Bishop and Martyr

St. Thomas of Canterbury, Bishop and Martyr Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

O God, for the sake of whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the swords of wicked men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his assistance may obtain the saving effect of their petitions. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Thomas, son of an English nobleman, Gilbert Becket, was born on the day consecrated to the memory of Saint Thomas the Apostle, December 21, 1117, in Southwark, England. He was endowed by both nature and grace with gifts recommending him to his fellow men; and his father, certain he would one day be a great servant of Christ, confided his education to a monastery. His first employment was in the government of the London police. There he was obliged to learn the various rights of the Church and of the secular arm, but already he saw so many injustices imposed upon the clergy that he preferred to leave that employment rather than to participate in iniquity. He was perfectly chaste and truthful, and no snares could cause to waver his hatred for any form of covert action.

He was employed then by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him on missions to Rome and permitted him to study civil law at the University of Bologna (Italy) for an entire year. After a few years, witnessing his perfect service, he made him his Archdeacon and endowed him with several benefices. The young cleric's virtue and force soon recommended him also to the king, who made of him his Lord Chancellor. In that high office, while inflexible in the rendition of justice, he was generous and solicitous for the relief of misery. He was severe towards himself, spending the better part of every night in prayer. He often employed a discipline, to be less subject to the revolts of the flesh against the spirit. In a war with France he won the respect of his enemies, including that of the young king Louis VII. To Saint Thomas, his own sovereign, Henry II, confided the education of the crown prince. Of the formation of the future king and the young lords who composed his suite, the Chancellor took extreme care, knowing well that the strength of a State depends largely on the early impressions received by the elite of its youth.

When Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died, the king insisted on the consecration of Saint Thomas in his stead. Saint Thomas at first declined, warning the king that from that hour their friendship would be threatened by his own obligations to uphold the rights of the Church against infringement by the sovereign, whose tendencies were not different from those of his predecessors. In the end he was obliged by obedience to yield. The inevitable conflict was not long in coming. Saint Thomas resisted when the king's courtiers drew up a list of royal "customs" at Clarendon, where the parliament of the king was assembled, and Henry obliged all the bishops as well as the lords to sign a promise to uphold these without permitting any restrictions whatsoever. Many of these pretended "customs" violated the liberties of the Church, and some were even invented for the occasion. Saint Thomas, obliged in conscience to resist, was soon the object of persecution, not only from the irritated king but by all who had sworn loyalty to his nefarious doings.

Saint Thomas took refuge in France under the protection of the generous Louis VII, who resisted successfully the repeated efforts of Henry to turn away his favor from the Archbishop. The Pope at that time was in France, and he, too, was besieged by Henry's emissaries, but knew well how to pacify minds and protect the defender of the Church. Thomas retired to a Benedictine monastery for two years, and when Henry wrote a threatening letter to its abbot, moved to another. After six years, his office restored as the Pope's apostolic legate, a title which Henry had wrested from him for a time, he returned to England, to preach again and enforce order in his see. He knew well that it was to martyrdom that he was destined; it is related that the Mother of God appeared to him in France to foretell it to him, and that She presented him for that intention with a red chasuble. By this time the persecuted Archbishop's case was known to all of Christian Europe, which sympathized with him and elicited from king Henry an appearance of conciliation.

A few words which the capricious Henry spoke to certain courtiers who hated Thomas, sufficed for the latter to decide to do away with the prelate who contravened all their unchristian doings. They violated a monastic cloister and chapel to enter there while he was assisting at Vespers; the Saint himself prevented the monks from resisting the assassins at the door. Refusing to flee the church as the assassins summoned him to do, he was slain before the altar, by cruel and murderous repeated blows on the head. He died, saying: "I die willingly, for the name of Jesus and for the defense of the Church."

The actions of the Pope in this conflict make clear what all of history teaches: the lives of the Church's Saints themselves comprise the history of the world. The humility of Thomas had prompted him, after a moment of weakness he had manifested in a difficult situation, to judge himself unfit for his office and offer his resignation as Archbishop. The Pope did not hesitate a moment in refusing his resignation. He judged with apostolic wisdom that if Thomas should be deprived of his rank for having opposed the unjust pretensions of the English royalty, no bishop would ever dare oppose the impingements of iniquity on the Church's rights, and the Spouse of Christ would be no longer sustained by marble columns, but by reeds bending in the wind.

The martyred Archbishop was canonized by Pope Alexander III on Ash Wednesday, 1173, not yet three years after his death on December 29, 1170, to the edification of the entire Church.

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December 28th, The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

The Holy Innocents The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children The 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 5th Commandment A Series of Catholic Lectures on the Evils of Abortion and the Defense of the Unborn The Nature of Sin Devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe Blessings of Many Children Duties of Parents Duties of Parents as Shepherds of their Flock Prayers for Catholic Mothers

Novena for the Feast of the Circumcision:
Dec. 23rd - Dec. 31st Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Novena of the Epiphany: Dec. 28th - Jan. 5th

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents confessed this day, not in speech, but by their death: destroy in us the evil of all vice, that our lives may show forth in our deeds that faith in Thee which our lips express. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Feast of the Holy Innocents dates back to about the fifth century. The massacre of these infants manifests the royal character of Jesus. It is because Herod believed the words of the Magi and those of the High Priests whom he consulted that he sees a rival in the Infant of Bethlehem and jealously pursues Him " that is born King of the Jews'". But as the Church sings "O cruel Herod, why thus fear. Thy King and God who comes below? No earthly crown comes He to take, who heavenly kingdoms doth bestow."

It is this God-King that "the Innocents by dying confess" (Collect). "Their passion is the exaltation of Christ." And the praise that they render to God is a subject of confusion in the enemies of Jesus (Introit), for, far from attaining their object, they only served to fulfil the saying of the Prophet" out of Egypt have I called My Son " (Gospel), and that at Bethlehem would be heard the lamentations of the mothers mourning for their children. To picture their desolation in more vivid colours, Jeremias recalls Rachel whose lamentations are heard in Rama, bewailing her children because they are not. Like a compassionate mother, the Church robes her priests today in vestments of mourning, and suppresses the Gloria and Alleluia.

This feast is celebrated at St. Paul-without-the-Walls because the bodies of several of those holy martyrs are venerated there.

Let us show forth in holiness of life, the divinity of Christ, that was confessed by the death of these innocent souls children.

Hymn: Audit tyrannus

With terror doth the tyrant hear
The King of kings hath come to dwell Where David's court shall widely rear A sceptered reign o'er Israel.

Then cries out, raging, at the word:
"He comes to stand where we have stood: Hence, soldier, and with ruthless sword Deluge the cradles deep with blood!"

What profiteth a crime so dread?
What hope shall Herod's bosom sway? Alone amidst the thronging dead, The Christ is safely borne away!

All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

Sermon of St. Augustine

Today, dearly beloved, we honor the birthday of those infants who--as the text of the Gospel tells--were slain by Herod, the savage king. Therefore let the earth rejoice with greatest joy, she who is the prolific mother of these heavenly soldiers, and of this exceeding host. For behold! this sacrilegious man never could have so richly endowed this blessed legion of little ones though he showered them with his favors, as he did by bestowing upon them his hate. For the church shows by the solemnity of today's feast that as iniquity abounded against these little ones, so in the same degree grace and blessing rained down upon them.

Blessed art thou, O Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, who suffered with patience the cruelty of King Herod, in the slaughter of the Innocents. O Bethlehem, found worthy to offer to God in a single sacrifice, a white- robed multitude of defenseless children! It is proper that we honor the birthday of these-- that birthday when earth brought them forth to eternal life--that day more blessed than the one which brought them forth from their mothers' wombs. For they were raised to the dignity of eternal life almost before they had entered upon a temporal one.

The precious deaths of other martyrs deserve praise because by their sufferings they testified to Christ; that of these innocents is lovely in its consummation. At the dawn of life, he who places the limits upon the present, made their going down the beginning of glory. Truly they are called the Flowers of the Martyrs, they whom the impiety of Herod tore away as they nursed at their mothers' breasts. They came forth in the midst of the winter of infidelity, the first buds of the Church, swelling forth to be nipped by the hoar frost of persecution.

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December 27th, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th St. John the Apostle: Epistle and Gospel Sermons on St. John
the Apostle and Evangelist    Newly Added Catholic Book
The Apocalypse of St. John The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Advent Calendar Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Of Thy goodness, O Lord, enlighten Thy Church: that being illumined by the doctrines of blessed John Thy Apostle and Evangelist, she may attain to everlasting gifts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

From the book of St. Jerome

John, the Apostle, whom Jesus loved best, was the son of Zebedee, and the brother of the Apostle James whom Herod beheaded after the passion of the Lord. He was the last of the Evangelists to write a Gospel. This he wrote in answer to the appeal of the Bishops of Asia to combat Cerinthus and other heretics, especially those spreading the doctrines of the Ebionites, who were asserting that Christ had had no existence before Mary. Therefore John felt it devolved upon him to teach the Divine Nativity.

In the fourteenth year after the persecution of Nero, a second persecution was stirred up by Domitian. In this John was exiled to Patmos. There he wrote the Apocalypse, which has been interpreted by Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus.

After Domitian had been slain, and his acts, because of their extreme cruelty, repealed by the Senate, John, during the reign of Nerva, returned to Ephesus. Remaining there until the reign of Trajan, he founded and ruled all the Churches of Asia. Blessed John the Evangelist remained at Ephesus to the very last of an extreme age.

In the end, when he could scarcely endure the journey to the church in the arms of his disciples, when he was unable to speak at any length, at each single gathering he said nothing else than: "Little children, love one another." Finally the disciples and the brethren who were present, wearied with the tedium of constant repetition, asked, "Master, why do you say the same thing always?" He replied to them in a sentence worthy of John, "Because it is the precept of the Lord; if this only is done, it is enough."

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December 26th, St. Stephen, Martyr

St. Stephen, Marytr Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Christmas: All Devotions, Carols and Related Links Catholic Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion

Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus: Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Grant to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may imitate what we revere: and that we may learn to love even our enemies; for we are celebrating the feast-day of him who, even for persecutors, knew how to entreat our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Church was still in her infancy when Stephen, renowned for his virtues, received from the Apostles the mission to organise the meals where the poor were fed in common. He worked such "great wonders and signs among the people " that the Jews from five different synagogues became alarmed and summoned him before the Sanhedrin.

Jesus had upbraided the Jews "for having killed and stoned the Prophets" , Stephen in his turn, addressing his judges declared that in crucifying Christ they had shown themselves worthy of their fathers who put to death the messengers of God. The holy deacon then lifting his eyes to heaven said that "he saw the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God ". What a splendid testimony to the Divinity of this Child whom we venerate in the crib.

On hearing these words, the Jews fulfilling once more the words of the Master, "with one accord ran violently upon Stephen and stoned him," who, falling on his knees, commended his soul to Jesus and asked pardon for his executioners.

Stephen is the first of the witnesses of Christ, it is therefore only right that he should appear first in the glorious procession of saints who surround the cradle of the Saviour. It is a tendency noticeable in a Greek martyrology of the fourth century to connect the greatest of the New Testament saints with the feast of the Nativity. His name is inscribed in the Canon of the Mass.

Following after the example of Stephen, may we "love by charity even those who wrong us", and be ever ready to surrender our life for Christ.

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Merry Christmas from Catholic Harbor

December 25th, The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Christmas Day

Christmas Day Prayers and Devotions Christmas Day Homilies Christmas Day: Epistle and Gospel Christmas Day: for Children and Parents Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays Advent Calendar Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus The Nativity Catholic Christmas Carols Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi

The Christmas Office begins with First Vespers (4 pm - 6 pm) on the Vigil of Christmas

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Christmas Novena Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Novena in Honor Holy Name of Jesus:
Dec. 25th - Jan. 2nd Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that the new Birth of Thy only-begotten Son in the flesh may deliver us; who are held by the old bondage under the yoke of sin. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God... All things were made by Him". "Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth, and the works of Thy hands are the heavens". "Thine are the Heavens and Thine is the earth, the world and the fulness hereof Thou hast founded". Since man was made by Him, by Him also, will he be restored to his first dignity. Therefore "the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us". "God... last of all in these days (i.e., the age of the Messias), hath spoken to us by His Son who is the brightness of His glory". And the Church sings that "this day a great light hath descended upon the earth". This Light shone in the darkness, but the darkness did not receive it, for "the Word came into the world but His own received Him not, but as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God". In short, it was to free us from the bondage of sin, to cleanse us from our faults and to cause us to be born anew to the divine life that the only-begotten Son of God was bom, according to the flesh.

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, Isaias already extolled the power of this Infant-God. "A child is born to us... whose government is upon His shoulder"; while His miracles are foreshadowed by almighty God in delivering the Hebrews from the Egyptian captivity. Now, as then, "all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation that God has brought to His people".

The Redemption accomplished by Christ at His first coming will be completed by Him at the end of time. As St. Paul explains" (our Lord) making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the Majesty on High", so that His glorified humanity shares the throne of the Eternal God" Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom. Justice and judgment are the preparation of Thy throne". "One day," St. Luke tells us, the Son of Man will come ia His glory and that of His Father and His angels, to give to each one according to his works." When (at the end of the world) He bringeth His first-begotten into the world. He saith : "And let all the angels of God adore Him". Then will take place a transformation of all created things, since the Son of God, Himself unchanging, "shall change them as a vesture".

Again, the Apostle, quoting for the seventh time from the passage from which this epistle is taken, adds that almighty God will make of the enemies of Christ a "footstool " for His feet. This will be the final triumph of the Incarnate Word Who, at His second coming will punish those who did not receive Him at His first coming on earth, while He will give a share in His immortality to those who, like the Magi, come to worship from afar, received Him with faith and love and so were made sons of God.

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December 24th, Vigil of the Nativity (Christmas Eve)

Christmas Eve: St. Alphonsus Liguori Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Advent and Christmas Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Advent Calendar The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi

The Christmas Office begins with First Vespers (4 pm - 6 pm) on the Vigil of Christmas The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Spiritual Communion

Christmastide:
The Christmas season begins with the vigil of the feast (Dec. 24th) and ends in the temporal cycle on the octave day of the Epiphany, Jan. 13; in the sanctoral cycle on the Purification of our Lady (Feb. 2.).

O God, who dost gladden us by the annual expectation of our redemption: grant that we, who joyfully receive Thy only-begotten Son as a Redeemer, may safely behold Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ coming as a judge: Who liveth etc. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Hymn: Verbum Supernum

Celestial Word, to this our earth
Sent down from God's eternal clime.
To save mankind by mortal birth
Into a world of change and time;

Lighten our hearts, vain hopes destroy;
And in thy love's consuming fire
Fill all the soul with heavenly joy,
And melt the dross of low desire.

So when the Judge of quick and dead
Shall bid his awful summons come,
To whelm the guilty soul with dread,
And call the blessed to their home,

Saved from the whirling, black abyss,
Forevermore to us be given
To share the feast of saintly bliss,
And see the face of God in heaven.

To God the Father and the Son
Our songs with one accord we raise;
And to the Holy Spirit,
One With them, be ever equal praise. Amen.

The Vigil of Christmas is impregnated with holy cheerfulness, and if it were not for the vestments of penance and fasting, one would imagine bit the feast had begun.

The Church joyfully awaits the twofold coming of her Redeemer, (Collect) who "saves His people from their sins" (Gospel) and who is the Shepherd of Israel (Gradual) that is the Church, of whom all are members who have faith in Jesus Christ. Thus Isaias foretells that " all flesh shall see the salvation of God" and St. Paul adds that he has been chosen to be the Apostle of the Gospel, "for obedience to the faith in all nations for His name."

With the help of to-day's Mass, we may prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the "adorable birthday" of the only-begotten Son of God (Secret and Postcommunion), the son of David, whom the spouse of Joseph brought into the world (Gospel) and who, " born as man" according to the seed of' David, has by His Resurrection proved, beyond all question, that He was God (Epistle).

Since this resurrection was for Christ the prelude to His glorious reign, for us it is the pledge of our own glorification and resurrection at the end of time; thus, to-day's liturgy prepares us for the second Coming of our Lord. "To-day", the Introit and the Gradual say, "you shall know that the Lord will come and save us and in the morning you shall see His glory." "Sanctify yourselves and be ye ready," says the first response at Matins, "for to-morrow, you shall see the Son of God in your midst."

"By these two days, to-day and to-morrow," explains St. Bernard, are meant that of the present life which is short and gloomy, and that of eternity amidst the splendours of the saints. Our learning here below consists in remembering that the Lord is coming; and it is the first Coming of the Son of God which enlightens us about His second Coming. It calls forth contrition, blazes forth in correction, shines through our zeal and renews us within and without.

Meditate on the marvels of the Lord's mercy vouchsafed in His Incarnation, that when the last morning dawns, we may contemplate those of his glory.

"To-morrow" says the Alleluia, "shall the iniquity of the earth be abolished; and the Saviour of the world shall reign over us." "Almighty God, the Creator of all things," adds the psalmist, "is indeed the King of glory, having snatched man from the power of Satan, receives him into His heavenly Jerusalem. Then shall the glory of the Lord be manifested" (Com.). Let us, therefore, prepare ourselves "with holy joy, celebrating the coming of the only-begotten Son of God, who comes as Redeemer at Christmas, in order that we may be able to contemplate Him with assurance, when He shall come as Judge at the end of the world" (Collect).

December 24th, 4th Sunday of Advent

Only with an intense desire for the coming of Jesus Christ can we begin to merit His spiritual gifts. The Catholic Liturgy reminds us, during these four weeks, of the time during which the world was without Jesus. This mediator we now await, and since we can go to God only through Him, we implore Him to hasten His coming.

4th Sunday in Advent: The Fullness of Time The Love of God Fourth Sunday of Advent: Epistle and Gospel Fourth Sunday of Advent:
for Children and Parents Christ Our Lord Mary Walks Amid the Thorns: Hymn for the 4th Sunday of Advent Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays

Like the whole liturgy of this season, the purpose of the Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is to prepare us for the twofold coming of Christ: His coming in mercy at Christmas; and in justice at the end of the world. Allusion is made to the first in the Introit, Gospel, Offertory and Communion, and to the second in the Epistle; while the Collect, Gradual and Alleluia can be applied to either of the two.

In this mass we meet once again with the three great figures that are before the mind of the Church throughout Advent, Isaias, St. John the Baptist and Our Lady. The prophet Isaias foretells of St. John the Baptist that he will be "A voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight His paths . . . and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." And, "the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the Baptism of penance for the remission of sins" (Gospel).

"John", St. Gregory explains, "told those who hurried in crowds to be baptised: "Ye brood of vipers, who hath told you to flee from the wrath to come?" Now the wrath to come is the final chastisement, which the sinner will not be able to escape unless he have recourse now to the lamentations of penance. The friend of the Bridegroom warns us to bring forth not fruits merely of penance but worthy fruits. These words are a call to each man's conscience, bidding him lay up by means of penance a treasure of good works, the greater in proportions to the ravage of sin which caused it (3rd Noct.). And St. Leo says, "God Himself teaches us by the prophet Isaias: I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, and I will turn the darkness before them into light and I will not foresake them."

The Apostle St. John makes clear to us, the way in which this mystery is fulfilled, when he says, "And we know that the Son of God is come. And He hath given us understanding that we may know the true God and may be in His true Son." (2nd Noct.) The liturgy continues: Because of the great love that God has manifested towards us He has sent on earth His only begotten Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. Also in the Communion sentence the Church recalls to us the prophecy of Isaiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son; and His name shall be called Emmanuel."

And again, in the Offertory, she combines in a single salutation the words addressed to our Lady by the archangel and by St. Elizabeth. St. Gregory writes: "Gabriel, whose name means strength of God, is sent to Mary, since he comes to announce the Messias whose will it is, to appear in humiliation and abasement, in order to subdue all the powers of the air. It was fitting that He should be heralded by Gabriel the 'Strength of God'; He, who was to come as the Lord of Might, the All-powerful and Unconquerable in battle, to crush the powers of the air in universal defeat" (Sermon 35).

In the Collect, just as we are reminded of the display of our Lord's "great might" which will take place at the time of His second coming, when as supreme Judge, He will come in the spendor of His divine Majesty to render to each according to his works, so we find and allusion to this same great power manifested in His first coming. It was as one clothed in His weak and mortal human nature that our Lord put the Devil to flight. As we think of our Lord as nigh at hand in one or other of His "comings", let us say, with the Church, "Come, Lord Jesus, and tarry not."

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December 23rd, Ember Saturday. Day of Fast and Partial Abstinence.

Christmas Carols Catholic Harbor's Videos
for the Christmas Season Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Advent and Christmas The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Advent Calendar The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

Related links for the Sacrament of Penance

The Idolatry of the Creature Due to Impurity Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition The False Peace of a Sinful Conscience, by Fr. Hunolt, 1691-1746 Render an Account of Your Life: A Must Read for Every Soul The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

On the Preparation for the Birth of Christ

Consider first, that when the time drew near in which the world was to be blessed with the birth of our Saviour, the Blessed Virgin, who bore Him in her womb, and her chaste spouse, St. Joseph, in obedience to the edict of the emperor Augustus, took a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, there to be enrolled in the city of David, as they were both of them of the royal stock of David. The emperor, in giving out these orders, had no other view than the gratifying his vanity, or his avarice, by the tax imposed on that occasion. But God, who had ordained, and foretold long before by His prophet Micheas, that His Son should be born in Bethlehem, was pleased to bring about His eternal decrees in this manner; and to prepare, by this occasion, a place for His birth suitable to the great designs for which He sent Him into this world. For behold after a long and wearisome winter's journey, when the Blessed Mother, with the Son of God in her womb, was arrived at Bethlehem, the town was full; and none of the inhabitants, not even of their own kindred and family, would receive them into their houses, or give them any entertainment: the very inns would not lodge them: there was no room for them. O ye heavens, stand astonished to see the Son of God, the Lord and Maker of heaven and earth, thus debase Himself, from the very beginning, as not to allow Himself, even in His very birth, any of the common conveniences of life; no not so much as a house to cover His head! O let Him be so much the more dear to us, by how much He has made himself more mean and contemptible for the love of us!

Consider 2dly, what kind of a palace the King of heaven prepared on this occasion for the birth of His Son. St. Joseph, after seeking in vain for a lodging in the town, found out at last an open stable, or stall for beasts, exposed on all sides to the inclemency of the weather; which, for want of better accommodation, their poverty and humility were contented to take up with. And this was the palace the divine wisdom made choice of for the birth of our great king: the manger here, which had served for the ox and the ass, was the royal bed of state, in which He was first laid upon His coming down amongst us. O how has the Word incarnate here annihilated Himself for us! O how loudly has He condemned, from His very birth, our corrupt self-love in all its branches; with all the maxims of worldly pride, and the favourite inclinations of flesh and blood! Man fell originally from God by proudly affecting a superior excellence which might make him like to God, by coveting to have what God did not allow him, and by seeking to gratify his sensual appetite with the forbidden, fruit: therefore the Son of God begins his mortal life by the exercise of a most profound humility, to cure our pride; by embracing a volgntary poverty, even to the want of all things, in opposition to our covetousness, and love of the mammon of the world; and by choosing for Himself hardship? and sufferings, in opposition to our love of sensual and worldly pleasures. O let us study well these lessons which this heavenly master begins to teach us by His great example, even from His first appearance amongst us!

Consider 3rdly, Christian souls, that the Son of God, who heretofore came down from heaven to be born into this world, for you, earnestly desires at present to be spiritually born in you. See then, that you correspond, on your part, with this His earnest desire, by preparing your souls for Him, and giving them up to Him. O be not like those unhappy Bethlehemites, who refused Him a place in their houses, and would not find any room for Him! But then, if you are willing to admit Him, take care to discharge from your inward house all such company, as is disagreeable to Him; for how great soever His desire is of coming and being spiritually born in your souls, He will not come thither as long as you wilfully entertain there His and your mortal enemies, the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life: those very enemies, whom He came from heaven to fight against; and against whom he has declared an eternal war, by the austerity, poverty, and humility of His birth, of His education, and of His whole life and death. Moreover, if you desire to have Him to abide in you, by virtue of a spiritual birth, you must allow Him the chiefest place in your heart and soul, by driving far away from you all irregular affections to the world, or to any creature whatsoever. For though He did not disdain the stable, nor the crib, the ox nor the ass; He will not endure a heart divided, or occupied by unclean affections; which will not allow Him the whole bed, without a partner in love.

Conclude to let nothing be wanting on your part to insure to yourselves the happiness of having the Son of God spiritually born in your soul. O invite him thither with all possible affection; ready to give up all things else that He may abide with you: and beg of Him, who knows your poverty and misery, that He would prepare Himself a place in you, and furnish your souls with all those ornaments of virtue and grace, which are suitable to this His spiritual birth.

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December 22nd, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotions to the Sacred Heart

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for the Christmas Season Christmas Carols Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Advent and Christmas The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Novena to St. Stephen:
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Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

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December 21st, St. Thomas, Apostle

St. Thomas the Apostle Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Why the World Continually Persecutes the Church How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller True Conversion: One of the best sermons for hardened sinners The Conversion of Sinners The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

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for the Christmas Season Christmas Carols Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Advent and Christmas The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we may glory in the solemn festival of thy blessed Apostle Thomas: so that we may ever be helped by his intercession and follow his faith with true devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and have believed, alleluia.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Thomas was one of the fishermen on the Lake of Galilee whom Our Lord called to be His apostles. By nature slow to believe, too apt to see difficulties, and to look at the dark side of things, he had withal a most sympathetic, loving, and courageous heart. Once when Jesus spoke of the mansions in His Father's house, St. Thomas, in his simplicity, asked: "Lord, we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?" When Jesus turned to go toward Bethany to the grave of Lazarus, the desponding apostle at once feared the worst for his beloved Lord, yet cried out bravely to the rest: "Let us also go and die with Him."

After the Resurrection, incredulity again prevailed, and whilst the wounds of the crucifixion were imprinted vividly on his affectionate mind, he would not credit the report that Christ had indeed risen. But at the actual sight of the pierced hands and side, and the gentle rebuke of his Saviour, unbelief was gone forever; and his faith and ours has ever triumphed in the joyous utterance into which he broke: "My Lord and my God!"

St. Thomas transmitted the precepts of the Catholic faith and life to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, and Bactrians. He finally went to the Indies and instructed the inhabitants in the Christian religion. Up to the last, by the holiness of his life and teaching, and by the greatness of the miracles which he wrought, he excited the admiration of all men, and led them to the love of Jesus Christ.

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December 20th, Vigil of St. Thomas the Apostle. Ember Wednesday. Day of Fast and Partial Abstinence

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for the Christmas Season The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

A DAY OF REFORMATION

Begin this day by an examen of all that in you needs reform; ask the Holy Spirit to show you yourself, and to give you resolution to undertake the correction of all your failings. Thoroughly study your dispositions, your humour, your inclinations, your manner of behaving towards God, your neighbour, and yourself; note down what you have to reform, and adopt the resolution of earnestly labouring at this great work every day of your life. Asp. "Help us, O God our Saviour, and for the glory of Thy name, come and deliver us." (Ps. lxxvii.)

The Messiah invoked as Holy of holies.

O Holy of holies, O unspotted Mirror, Mirror of God's majesty and Image of the Divine Bounty! come to blot out our iniquities, and to establish eternal justice (Dan. ix. 24. Wisd. vii.) Thus did the wise man as well as the prophet Daniel speak of the Messiah. It is principally under the view of God's great goodness, and with reference to His sanctity, that the patriarchs, prophets, and all the ancient just, sighed for His coming. How necessary was it not that the Holy of holies should appear at that epoch, when a torrent of depravity swept over the earth, and men drank down iniquity like water; when all flesh had corrupted its way; when the nations had formed to themselves gods, the work of men's hands; when they even deified their own vices, and that to all but the true God did they erect temples, and build altars!

The Jews themselves were then in a state of great degradation, so that our Lord said on appearing amongst them, "If your justice exceed not that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." A pagan philosopher (Plato) is reported to have said of those awful times, "The world has committed some great crime which God has resolved never to pardon. It is only the just man come from heaven," he continues in a sort of prophetic strain, "who can reform the world in the sad state to which it has been reduced by the crimes of men."

And the royal Psalmist too says of this period, "There is no one who does good, no, not one: they are all become abominable." Is the unhappy era in which we live more distinguished for virtue and wisdom than that which preceded the coming of the Lord Jesus? Is it less corrupt? Can we say it is less wicked? Alas! no; the words of the prophet Osee are but too true of us also: "There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land; cursing, and lying, and homicide, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood." (iv. 2.)

O God our Protector! stem this frightful torrent, convert sinners, make the just still more just, and the sanctified still more holy, that when you come at the last day to search Jerusalem even with lamps, we may not be found in iniquity, nor discovered in corruption.

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December 19th Ferial Day

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for the Christmas Season Christmas Novena:
Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Novena to St. Stephen:
Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Novena to St. John the Evangelist:
Dec. 19th - Dec. 27th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

On the Glory the Son of God gave to his Father, in his Mother's Womb

Consider first, that as the soul of Christ, from the first instant of His conception, by being assumed to the divine Person of the Word, was full of all light and knowledge, and consequently enjoyed from the beginning the perfect use of reason and understanding: so the inward powers and faculties of His soul, from the first instant of His conception, were always employed; they were never idle. Now as the great design of God, in the incarnation of His Son, was His own glory, and the redemption of man: so the continual occupation of the Son of God made man, was the procuring of His Father's glory and man's salvation: from the very first moment that His soul received a being by creation, this was His perpetual employment.

It was from the beginning the indispensable duty, both of angels and men, in their first creation, to turn themselves immediately to God, by adoration, oblation, and love; and to dedicate themselves eternally to Him and to His glory. The omission of this at first, was the cause of the condemnation of Lucifer and his companions: and the like omission is to this day the cause of the condemnation of millions of men, who unhappily turn themselves away from God, for the sake of the creature. But the soul of Christ, our great deliverer, and our most perfect model and pattern, has taught us better things, by His nine months occupation in the virgin's womb: where, silent as He is, He preaches to us admirable lessons, with regard to the glory we ought at all timtts to give to God.

Consider 2ndly, that these lessons, which the Son of God teaches us, by His great example, in His mother's womb, are contained in the different acts of virtue in which He there spent his time. He began, as we learn from the psalmist, (Ps. xxxix. 7, 8, 9.) by offering Himself to His Father, without reserve, to do all His will: He embraced this will in the midst of His heart : He substituted Himself in the place of all the ancient sacrifices, to be the great burnt-offering and sin-offering, that should be immolated for God's glory, and for the expiation of the sins of the world: He presented His body, just then formed by the Holy Ghost, with His ears pierced, (as it was prescribed in the law, with relation to such as yielded themselves up to be servants for ever, Deut. xv. 17.) to be entirely at the disposal of his Father, a perpetual servant, obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross.

O let us hear from Himself these His dispositions, Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire: but thou hast pierced ears for me. Burnt-offering and sin-offering thou didst not require; then said I, behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy will in the midst of my heart. O, my soul, how happy shall we be, if we labour in good earnest to imitate those dispositions of our dear Jesus, by embracing, like Him, the will of God and His holy law in the midst of our hearts; and offering ourselves, without reserve, to be at all times His devoted servants!

Consider 3dly, that infinite glory which our Lord gave to His Father all the time He was in His mother's womb: first by the acts of adoration and homage; which as man, He continually paid to God; perfectly annihilating Himself in His sight, and continually bowing down all the powers of His soul, to offer Him a most acceptable worship, worthy of His divine majesty : 2dly, by acts of praise and thanksgiving, which He offered up both for Himself, and for the whole creation : 3dly, by acts of oblation, and eternal dedication of Himself to His Father; to be ever His, both in life and death; both in time and eternity; with a total consecration of His whole soul and body; of His whole will, memory, and understanding; of all His senses and faculties; and of all His thoughts, words, and deeds, to His divine service: 4thly, by acts of a most pure and most perfect love, zeal, and desire, of ever promoting, in all things, and above all things, the sanctification of the name of God, the propagation of His kingdom, and the doing His will upon earth, as it is in heaven. Such acts as these, joined with acts of charity, and prayer for us poor sinners, were the perpetual occupation of Christ our Lord in His mother's womb. A happy employment indeed, and most worthy of our imitation at all times!

Conclude to embrace, and to follow in the practice of thy life, these heavenly lessons which the Son of God teaches thee by His divine example from His mother's womb: no other exercises can be either more agreeable to Him or to His Father, or more advantageous to thyself.

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December 18th, The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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for the Christmas Season Christmas Carols Christmas Novena:
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Dec. 18th - Dec. 26th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

from the Liturgical year, 1910

This feast, which is now kept not only throughout the whole of Spain but in almost all the Churches of the Catholic world, owes its origin to the bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on the twenty-fifth of March, inasmuch as this joyful solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the Passion of our Lord, so that it is sometimes obliged to be transferred into Easter time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason; they therefore decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days before Christmas, a solemn feast with an octave, in honour of the Annunciation, and as a preparation for the great solemnity of our Lord's Nativity.

In course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to the practice of the Church of Rome, and of those of the whole world, which solemnize the twenty-fifth of March as the day of our Lady's Annunciation and the Incarnation of the Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the feast of the eighteenth of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what must have been the sentiments of the holy Mother of God during the days immediately preceding her giving Him birth. A new feast was instituted, under the name of the 'Expectation of the blessed Virgin's delivery.'

Prayer: Most just indeed it is, O holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see Him, who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb ; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also thine; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and, on earth, peace to men of good-will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to the great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when the solemn hour has come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to His entrance into our hearts.

The Great Antiphon to Our Lady

O Virgin of virgins! how shall this be? for never was there one like thee, nor will there ever be. Ye daughters of Jerusalem, why look ye wondering at me? What ye behold, is a divine mystery.

Our Lady of Expectation Pray for us!

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December 17th, 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)

Third Sunday of Advent Third Sunday of Advent: Three-fold Hope Third Sunday of Advent: Epistle and Gospel Third Sunday of Advent:
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Christmas Novena: Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Incline Thy ear, O Lord, we beseech Thee, to our prayers: and enlighten the darnkess of our mind by the grace of Thy visitation. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Enter to-day into the dispositions of a soul perfectly obedient to the orders of the Most High; be attentive to His voice, and He will not fail to speak to your heart. Be fervent in executing His will; when you see the light, walk on in its brightness, or it will set in darkness, and God may speak to you no more. Obey the Divine call, like your sacred model the Holy Virgin; follow her in spirit and heart, studying her every movement in her visit of charity to Elizabeth, and conforming yours to them as much as possible.

Asp. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it done to me according to Thy word."

The Messiah as "Root of Jesse."

O Rod of Jesse! who standest as a sign, around which all nations should rally, before whom kings shall be silent, and whom all people shall invoke, come and gather them from the four ends of the earth. (Isai. xi. 52.) Jesse, otherwise Isai, was the father of David, the great progenitor of the Son of God according to the flesh, who is therefore called Rod of Jesse. It is this divine Branch, who should raise the glorious standard under which all nations were to assemble, that the church now invokes, beseeching Him with sighs and tears to hasten His approach. Isaiah desired Achaz to demand of God the immediate appearance of this divine signal, and Achaz refused under pretence of not tempting the Lord.

The holy prophet indignant thereat, says, "Is it a small thing to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel, which signifies, God with us.� And He shall exalt upon a high mountain His glorious standard impurpled in His blood, and all nations shall gather around it. The splendour with which He will operate these things, and the prodigies which shall accompany them, will astonish kings themselves; those who refused to believe and adore, shall be confounded and struck dumb at His victories ; and drawn along with the multitudes who invoke Him as their deliverer, they too will confess to His name, and feel happy in being ranged under His banner.

Heresy and schism, discord and division, having divided the children of the church, she conjures her Divine Spouse in the words of the prophet to unfold His glorious standard, which by a just judgment He for sometime seems to have withdrawn from our view. It is the only means of reanimating the drooping spirits, and raising the fallen courage of the children of the faith, and of uniting them one with another, as the standard of an earthly prince raised upon the battle-field, serves at once as a rallying point for his troops, and often insures the victory. Let us unite with our holy Mother, and beseech this admirable Conqueror to hasten and succour us, that we may see broken down the numerous barriers which separate us one from another in faith and practice; that there may be acknowledged but one God, one Faith, one Baptism, and we be so united together, that retracing a model of the primitive church, it may be said of us, that there is among us but one heart and one soul.

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December 16th, St. Eusebius, Bishop and Martyr.

St. Eusebius Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Christmas Novena: Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar Spiritual Communion The Month of the Nativity

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

The Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition On Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Nature of Sin Mortal Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Time is No More They that Live in Sin The Sinner Seeks God The Sinner at Death The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Eusebius, Thy Martyr and Bishop, grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also enjoy his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Eusebius was born of a noble family on the island of Sardinia, where his father is said to have died in prison for the Faith. He was brought up in Rome in the practice of piety, and studied in Vercelli, a city of Piedmont. Eusebius was ordained a priest there, and served the Church of Vercelli with such zeal that when the episcopal chair became vacant he was unanimously chosen, by both clergy and people, to fill it.

The holy bishop saw that the best and principal means to labor effectually for the edification and sanctification of his people was to have a zealous clergy. Saint Ambrose assures us that he was the first bishop who in the West united the monastic life with the clerical, living and having his clergy live almost like the monks of the East in the deserts. They shared a common life of prayer and penance, in a single residence, that of the bishop, as did the clergy of Saint Augustine in his African see. Saint Eusebius was very careful to instruct his flock in the maxims of the Gospel. The force of the truth which he preached, together with his example, brought many sinners to a change of life.

When a Council was held in Italy, under the influence of the Emperor Constans and the Arian heretics, with the intention of condemning Saint Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Saint Eusebius courageously resisted the heretics. He attempted to have all present sign the Nicene Creed, but the paper was torn out of his hands and his pen was broken. With Saint Dionysus of Milan, he refused to sign the condemnation of the bishop of Alexandria. The Emperor therefore had him banished to Scythopolis in Palestine with Saint Dionysus of Milan, then to Cappadocia, where Saint Dionysus died; and finally he was taken to the Upper Thebaid in Egypt, where he suffered grievously. The Arians of these places loaded him with outrages and treated him cruelly, and Saint Eusebius confounded them wherever they were.

At the death of Constans in 361, he was permitted to return to his diocese, where he continued to combat Arianism, concertedly with Saint Hilarion of Poitiers. He has been called a martyr in two panegyrics appended to the works of Saint Ambrose. Two of his letters, written from his dungeons, are still extant, the only ones of his writings which have survived. One is addressed to his church, the other to the bishop of Elvira to encourage him to oppose a fallen heretic and not fear the power of princes. He died in about the year 370. His relics are in a shrine in the Cathedral of Vercelli.

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December 15th,
Octave of the Immaculate Conception

Octave of the Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the
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He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall (I Cor. x. 12).

by Fr. Paul Segneri, 1892

Consider first, that he "who stands" is not told to take heed lest he fall; but "he that thinketh himself to stand;" for who is there that can with truth be said to stand without wavering? Dost thou think, perchance, that thou art safe in thy standing? Thou art much deceived. Call to mind Lucifer, who fell from the very height of Heaven; call to mind Samson, Solomon, and David; and do not imagine that only beginners in the way of the Lord ever come to fall: even the most advanced may fall. Therefore Ecclesiasticus said: "Keep the fear of God, and grow old therein (Ecclus. ii. 6)". For not only should this holy fear be possessed in youth, but it should remain to old age, even with those who have never fallen in their youth. All alike have cause to fear: the penitent because they have fallen; the innocent because they may fall; since the Apostle addresses himself alike to all: "He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall."

Consider secondly, that the Apostle says, let every one "take heed;" and therefore it behoves thee to keep an eye upon thyself, and to pause in order to examine well wherein consists thy greatest danger. There are eight causes which equally contribute to a fall, four interior and four exterior. All must be known in order to be avoided. The four interior causes are: (1) Short-sightedness, like that which affects the blind, who cannot rightly discern the road: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit (St. Matt xv. 14. 1)." Of this nature is the neglect of many to ascertain correctly the work there is for them to do. (2) Weakness, of the kind proper to women, old men, and children: "They have themselves been weakened and have fallen." Of this nature is tepidity in well-doing. (3) Heaviness, which of itself always drags downward, as in those who carry too much flesh: "He that maketh his house high, seeketh a downfall (Prov. xvii. 16)." Of this nature is the pampering of the body. (4) An overweening sense of security, like the confidence of men who in their headlong course are overthrown even upon the smoothest road: "He who trusteth in his riches shall fall (Prov. xi. 28.)." Of this nature is the presumptuous reliance on our own strength.

The four exterior causes are: (1) The slippery nature of the road, as when incautious men lose their footing in the mire: "Their way shall be as a slippery way (Jerem. xxiii. 12)." Of this nature is the insufficient guard over the senses. (2) The variety of difficulties, obstacles, and snares to be met with everywhere, as when birds are caught in nets: "They are bound and have fallen (Psalm xix. 9)." Of this nature are all dangerous occasions. (3) The multitude who press against thee, as when men are borne down by a crowd: "They shall be driven on, and fall therein (Jerem. xxiii. 12)." To this class belong all promptings of evil spirits, all wicked advice and bad example. (4) The load which presses heavily upon the back; and this produces a fall from which it is difficult to rise, as we see in the case of heavily laden beasts of burthen: "The iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again (Isaias xxiv. 20)." Of this nature is the sin which is not rejected with loathing; and by its weight drags thee down to another sin, and makes recovery more and more difficult. Observe how numerous are these dangers of falling, in the midst of which thou hast to live, and be appalled.

Consider thirdly, that, if thou wish not to fall in future, thou must take heed of all those matters here set down, in such sort, that if thou canst not altogether do away with them, as thou canst not put an end to sin, thou mayest at least diminish their force: "Forsake thy sin and offend less (Ecclus. xvii. 21, 22)." But even so, wilt thou ever succeed in assuring thy safety by thyself alone? Do not dream of this. If, therefore, thou wouldst act wisely, provide thyself with two things, a guide and a support. For a guide, choose a good spiritual director who may thus address thee: "This is the way, walk ye in it, and go not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left (Isaias xxx. 21)." For so shalt thou more easily see how to choose the safe road. Thy support thou shalt find in the Divine assistance, which thou must never cease to ask for in prayer; for thus thou shalt also see how to avoid those perils which ever attend thee on thy way. Without these two things, thou canst not advance a single step in the way of the Lord, without running the greatest risks.

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December 14th, Seventh Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

Spiritual Communion The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Seventh Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

by Dom Gueranger

Let us consider how our blessed Lady, having arrived at the house of her holy cousin Elizabeth, rendered her every possible service with the greatest love, favoured her with her sweet and holy conversations, assisted at the glorious birth of St. John the Baptist, and at length returned home to her humble dwelling in Nazareth. But, that we may the better enter into these divine mysteries, let us again listen to the seraphic St. Bonaventure.

When, therefore, her time was expired, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, whom our Lady took up, and with all diligence did what was required. The babe looked into Mary's face like one that knew her; and as she gave him unto his mother, he turned his head towards Mary, for he fain would be in her arms again. Mary, on her part, delighted in nursing this holy babe, and fondled him, and kissed him with great joy. Consider the honour that is here given unto John. Never had child such arms as these to carry him. Many other privileges are related as being granted unto him; but for this present, I must needs pass them by.

Now, on the eighth day, the child was circumcised, and was called John. Then was the mouth of Zachary opened, and he prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!" Thus were made, in that house, the two most beautiful canticles, namely, the Magnificat and the Benedictus. Meanwhile our Lady, going aside lest she should be seen by those that had come together for the ceremony, listened attentively to the canticle of Zachary, which prophesied of her Son, and most prudently pondered in her heart upon all these things. At length, when the time came for her to return home, she bade Elizabeth and Zachary farewell, and, giving John her blessing, she returned unto Nazareth. Recall to thy mind, in this her second journey, all that was told thee of her poverty. She returned to her house, where she would find neither bread, nor wine, nor those things which were needed. She had no property, nor money. She had been, now these three months, living with persons who were very rich; but now she returns unto her poor cottage, and has to procure her livelihood by the labour of her hands. Do thou sympathize with her, and learn to love poverty.'

Sequence in Honour
of Our Blessed Lady

Hail, O glorious Virgin! brightness of the heavens, rose of the world lily, of purity.

Hail precious gem! more beauteous than the sun, and joy of pure souls.

Thou art the sinner's hope, O Mary! thou art the holy Mother of our Redeemer, and the consolation of us whom He redeemed.

Thou didst stay the reign of death, thou didst commence the reign of life. To thee, O Mary, the triple hierarchy sing their praises.

Hail! flowery stem of Jesse, bright star of the sea, source that broughtest to us Him that is our true light.

Thou bearest the fruit of life, and he whom thou leadest will not miss the port of salvation.

O flowery garden, so sweet to the sick! O sealed fount of purity, that gavest us Jesus, the author of grace. Thou throne of the true Solomon, enriched by the King of glory with the best of heaven's gifts.

O merciful Queen! thou art the rich unfailing stream of all sanctity.

Have pity on us who trust in thee, and refresh our thirsty souls with thy efficacious prayers.

Hear our sighs, O Mary! and suffer us not poor children of Eve, to go astray.

Look with thy eye of love on our many wants: compassionate our poverty.

Vessel of every fragrance, and Mother and treasury of divine grace.

Breathe thy fragrance into our souls, and obtain for us the riches of grace.

Beautiful Mother of our sweet Jesus! the world received its Saviour through thee, and the heavenly citizens call thee Queen.

Obtain for us that peace which has no end, and after this our exile, that light which is divine Amen

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December 13th, St. Lucy Virgin and Martyr

Devotions to St. Lucy Holy Purity

Spiritual Communion The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

Graciously hear us, O God our salvation: and grant that we, who are gladdened by the festival of blessed Lucy, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may learn therefrom loving devotion towards Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Born in Sicily towards the end of the third century, of noble origin, St. Lucy, as the Gospel twice reminds us, gave away all her riches to the poor and when she had nothing more she gave herself to Jesus.

Whilst the follish virgins neglected to fill their lamps with the "oil of gladness", Lucy, whose name signifies light, waited with her lighted lamp in hand, that is with her soul filled with grace, the coming of her Spouse.

"Pure hearts are the temples of the Holy Ghost," she declared to her judge. It is this Spirit, also symbolized by the "Oil of gladness" as we are told in the ceremonies of Maundy-Thursday, an oil that gave suppleness and strength to her soul in such a miraculous way that St. Lucy resisted her executioners unto death rather than lose the treasure of her virginity. Wherefore her name occurs in the Canon of the Mass. She died in 303.

The lighted lamp in hand is the soul in a state of grace; let us in this season of Advent wait for the Spouse Who will soon come.

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December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe

Devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Final Day of Novena The Spanish History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Prior to the 16th Century Apparitions in Mexico The Narative of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe The Image of Our Lady Guadalupe as recounted by Emmanuel Amor 1885 A Series of Catholic Lectures on the Evils of Abortion and
the Defense of the Unborn Blessings of Many Children Prayers for Catholic Mothers What is it to be a Mother? The Christian Mother

Spiritual Communion The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who hast willed that, under the special patronage of the blessed Virgin Mary, we be laden with perpetual favors, grant to Thy suppliants that, as we this day rejoice in her commemoration on earth, we may enjoy the vision of her in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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December 11th, St. Damasus I, Pope and Confessor

The Practice of Advent,
by Dom Gueranger 4th Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception from the Liturgical Year, 1870 Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the
Immaculate Conception The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O Eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Damasus, Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Incline thy ear, O Lord, we beseech Thee, to our prayers: and enlighten the darkness of our mind by the grace of Thy visitation: Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

St. Damasus was a Spaniard, a man of eminence, and learned in the Scriptures. He called the first Council of Constantinople, in which he suppressed the impious heresy of Eunomius and Macedonius. He also condemned the Council of Rimini, which had already been challenged by Liberius, inasmuch as it was in this assembly of Rimini, as St. Jerome writes, that, mainly by the trickery of Valens and Ursacius, there was published a condemnation of the faith which had been taught by the Nicene Council, and thus the whole world grieved to find itself made Arian.

He built two basilicas; one dedicated to St. Lawrence, near Pompey's theatre, and this he endowed with magnificent presents, with houses and with lands; the other on the Ardeatine Way, at the Catacombs. The bodies of SS. Peter and Paul lay for some time in the Platonia, a place which Damasus dedicated and decorated with inscriptions in beautiful verses. He also wrote on virginity, both in prose and verse, and several poems on other subjects.

He established the law of retaliation for those who falsely accused others of crime. He decreed that, as was the custom in many places, the Psalms should be sung in all churches in alternate choirs, day and night; and that at the end of each Psalm there should be said: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. It was by his order that St. Jerome translated the New Testament from the Greek text.

He governed the Church seventeen years, two months, and twenty-six days; and five times during this period he held ordinations in the month of December, for thirty-one priests, eleven deacons, and sixty-two bishops for various places. He was conspicuous for his virtue, learning, and prudence, and having lived nearly eighty years, he fell asleep in the Lord, during the reign of the older Theodosius. He was buried in the basilica which he had built on the Ardeatine Way, where also lay his mother and sister. His relics were afterwards translated to the church of St. Lawrence, called, after him, St. Lawrence in Damaso.

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December 10th, St. Melchaides, Pope and Martyr. 2nd Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent 2nd Sunday of Advent:
Are you truly converted? Second Sunday of Advent: Epistle and Gospel Second Sunday of Advent:
for Children and Parents Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays True Conversion: One of the best sermons for hardened sinners The Conversion of Sinners Abjuration of Heresy and Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, Pius IV., 1565 The Sin Unto Death
by Cardinal Manning On Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment 3rd Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception from the Liturgical Year, 1870

Also celebrated in some places on December 10th is the feast of the Holy House of Loreto

Translation of the Holy
House of Loretto The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Set Forth in Her Titles from the Litany of Loreto The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the flock, and through blessed Melchaides, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. This Saint hath striven for the law of his God even unto death, and hath not feared for the words of the ungodly; for he had been founded upon a firm rock.

V. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord.

R. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.

(Roman Breviary)

He was of African origin, and combated the Donatist heresy, and excommunicated Donatus, Bishop of Cellae Negrae in Numidia, who denied absolution to the "Betrayers," as thy called those who had given up the sacred books to the heathens. When Donatists appealed to the Emperor Constantine to obtain his support against the African Catholics, he rebuked them for seeking the aid of temporal authority, and at once referred them to the Pope, Melchiades. "But because," says St. Augustine, "Constantine dared not judge the bishops' cause, he appointed it to be discussed and terminated by bishops, which also was done at Tome, under the presidency of Melchiades."

The Pope chose fifteen bishops out of Italy to sit with him; and by them the too rigorous Donatists were condemned (A.D. 313.)

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December 9th, Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent 2nd Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Month of the Nativity

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

The Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition On Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Nature of Sin Mortal Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Time is No More They that Live in Sin The Sinner Seeks God The Sinner at Death The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

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December 8th, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the
Immaculate Conception History and Defense of the Immaculate Conception Children's Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception In Defense of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, her Perpetual Virginity, the Rosary and the Angelus Domini Mary, Our Advocate with Our Judge, by Fr. Francis Doyle 1879 Spiritual Communion Related Links:

The Miraculous Medal
the Origin and History Our Lady of Lourdes Ave Maria 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God Litany of the Life of the Blessed Virgin The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Set Forth in Her Titles from the Litany of Loreto The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859

Christmas Novena of St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for Thy Son: we beseech Thee, that, as by the death of the same Son, foreseen by Thee, thou didst keep her free from all stain, so by her intercession Thou wouldst grant to us also to come with clean hearts to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

V. This day is the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary.

R. Who with her virginal foot crushed the serpent's head.

Ant. All generations shall call me blessed, because he who is mighty has done great things for me, alleluia.

(Roman Breviary)

Who and what was the blessed and glorious Mary, always a Virgin, has been revealed by God in the message of an Angel, in these words, Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. It was fitting that a fulness of grace should be poured into that Virgin who gave glory to the heavens, and the Lord to the earth, who has brought peace to earth, who has given faith to the Gentiles, who has killed sin, who has given law to life, who has made the crooked ways straight. Truly, she is full of grace; for to others grace comes measure by measure, whereas in Mary grace dwells at once in all fulness. Truly, she is full of grace.

We believe that the holy Fathers and Prophets had grace; but they were not full of grace. But into Mary came a fulness of all the grace which is in Christ, although in a different manner. Therefore is it said: Blessed art thou among women, that is, Blessed art thou above all women. And thus the fulness of blessing in Mary took away entirely whatever curse was put upon Eve. In her praise Solomon writes in the Canticle of Canticles, Come, my dove, my spotless one. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. And again. Come from Libanus, come, thou shalt be crowned.

Not unfittingly therefore is she bidden to come from Libanus, for Libanus means a radiant whiteness. For she was dazzlingly white with her many virtues and merits, and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost she was cleansed whiter than snow; showing in all things the simplicity of a dove; for all in her was purity and simplicity, truth and grace; all mercy and justice, which has looked down from heaven: and for this reason was she immaculate, because corruption was not found in her. She encompassed a man in her womb, as holy Jeremias testifies, and she received him from no other person.

The Lord, he says, has made a new thing upon the earth, and a woman shall encompass a man. Truly a new thing, and a novelty of power preeminent above all novelties, in that God (whom the world cannot bear, nor man see and live), entered the hospice of her womb, as if unaware of her virginity; was so borne therein that the whole God was in her; and so came forth that, (as Ezechiel prophesies), the door remained shut. So the same Canticle sings of her: A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up, thy plants are a paradise. Truly a garden of delights, in which were all manner of flowers, and the perfume of virtues; so enclosed that neither violation nor corruption by any deceit were known. Therefore: a fountain sealed with the seal of the whole Trinity.

Hymn: Praeclara custos

Fair guardian of the virgin choir, Unsullied Mother of the Lord, Our hope, the Angels' joy, in whom A door to heaven is restored;

Thou lily, white amid the thorns, Thou dove, with wondrous beauty girt; Thou tender stem from Jesse's root Whose Blossom heals our deadly hurt.

Thou tower beyond the dragon's reach; Thou friendly star to shipwrecked men, From error guide us by thy light, That we may find our course again:

Dispel the mists that dim our eyes, From treacherous shoals divert our way, Lest on the storm-tossed sea of life From thy safe course we go astray.

All honor, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen

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December 7th, St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Vigil of the Immaculate Conception: Day of Fast and Abstinence.

Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st St. Ambrose St. Augustine of Hippo Part 1: Temptations:
             Why we have them Temptations and the Devils who Tempt Death-Bed Repentance How to Teach Little Ones: A Children's Catechism On the Mode of Teaching Christian Doctrine to Children The Month of the Nativity The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Season of Advent Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season

Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Novena to St. Andrew:
Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations (Roman Breviary)

O God, Who didst wondrously preserve the Mother of Thy Only-begotten Son from original sin in her conception, grant, we beseech Thee, that strenghtened by her intercession we may be ready to keep her festival with pure hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

O God, Who didst give blessed Ambrose to be a minister of eternal salvation to Thy people: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who have had him on earthy as Teacher of life, may be worthy to have him for advocate in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.

R. He clothed him with a robe of glory.

Ant. O excellent Doctor, light of holy Church, blessed Ambrose, lover of the divine law, pray unto the Son of God for us.

(Roman Breviary)

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was the son of another Ambrose, a Roman citizen, and was born when his Father was Prefect of Gaul. It a is related that a swarm of bees settled upon his lips when he was in his cradle, which was considered an omen of his future eloquence. He received a liberal education at Rome. He was afterwards, under the Prefect Probus, made governor of Liguria and Aemilia, and so came with authority to Milan.

When the Arian Bishop, Auxentius, died, the most violent disputes arose among the people about the choice of a successor. Ambrose came to the church in his official capacity and urged upon the contending factions, in a long and powerful speech, the necessity of keeping the public peace; whereupon a child suddenly cried out, "Ambrose, Bishop," and the whole assembly tool it up, and unanimously called for his election.

On his refusing to accede to their entreaties, the earnest request of the people was presented to the Emperor Valentinian. He was very much pleased that those whom he had selected as judge were sought after as priests. It was also pleasing to the prefect Probus, who, as though he foresaw the event, said to Ambrose in his departure: Go, act not as judge, but as bishop.

The desire of the people being thus seconded by the will of the emperor, Ambrose was baptized (for he was still a catechumen), and was admitted to sacred orders, ascending all the degrees of orders as prescribed by the Church; and on the eighth day, which was the seventh of the Ides of December (December 7), he took up the burden of the episcopacy. Being made bishop, he most strenuously defended the Catholic faith and ecclesiastical discipline. He converted to the true faith many Arians and there heretics, among whom as that outstanding light of the Church, St. Augustine, the Spritual child of Ambrose in Christ Jesus.

When the Emperor Gratian was killed. Ambrose again set out as Ambassador to his murderer Maximus, to insist on his doing penance for his crime; and in his refusal, Ambrose refused to hold communion with him. The Emperor Theodosius, having been responsible for the massacre at Thesalonica, was forbidden by the saint to enter the church. On the emperor's excusing himself by saying that King David had also committed murder and adultery, Ambrose replied: Thou hast imitated his sin; now, imitate his repentance. Whereupon, Theodosius humbly performed the public penance which the bishop had imposed upon him.

The holy Bishop having thus endured the greatest labors and solicitudes for the Church of God, and having written many admirable books, foretold the day of his death, even before before he was taken with his last sickness. Honoratus, bishop of Vercelli, after three admonitions from God to go to the dying saint, hastened and administered to him the Sacred Body of the Lord. Ambrose having received it, arranged his hands in the form of a cross, prayed, and yielded his soul up to God, on the day before the Nones of April (April 4), in the year of our Lord 397.

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December 6th, St. Nicholas, Bishop and Confessor

St. Nicholas of Myra Instructions for the Feast of St. Nicholas, Epistle and Gospel
Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st Children Prayers and Sermons for the Season of Advent and Christmas How to Teach Little Ones: A Children's Catechism On the Mode of Teaching Christian Doctrine to Children The Month of the Nativity The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Season of Advent Vol. 1, Part 1: The Holy Childhood from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899, for the Advent and Christmas Season Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Catholic Bible Stories Short Catechism of Church History for Youth Children's Devotions to the Guardian Angels

Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Novena to St. Andrew:
Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who didst glorify the blessed Bishop Nicholas with numberless miracles: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his merits and prayers we may be saved from the fires of hell. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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December 5th,
St. Sabbas, Abbot

Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Novena to St. Andrew:
Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Novena to St. Lucy: Dec. 5th - Dec. 13th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Sabbas, procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord: that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.

R. He clothed him wtih a robe of glory.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Sabas, one of the most renowned patriarchs of the monks of Palestine, was born in the year 439, near Caesarea. In order to settle a dispute which had arisen between some of his relatives in regard to the administration of his estate, while still young he forsook the world and entered a monastery, wherein he became a model of fervor.

When Sabbas had been ten years in this monastery, being eighteen years old, he went to Jerusalem to visit the holy places, and attached himself to a monastery there under control of St. Euthymius; but on the death of the holy abbot our Saint sought the wilderness, where he chose his dwelling in a cave on the top of a high mountain, at the bottom of which ran the brook Cedron. After he had lived here five years, several came to him, desiring to serve God under his direction. He was at first unwilling to consent, but finally founded a new monastery of persons all desirous to devote themselves to praise and serve God without interruption.

His great sanctity becoming known, he was ordained priest, at the age of fifty-three, by the patriarch of Jerusalem, and made Superior-General of all the anchorites of Palestine. He lived to be ninety-four, and died on the 5th of December, 532.

Prayer from the Liturgical Year

O Sabas, thou man of desires! in thy expectation of that Lord, who has bidden His servants watch until He come, thou didst withdraw into the desert, fearing lest the turmoil of this world might distract thy mind from God. Have pity on us who are living in the world, and are so occupied in the affairs of that world, and yet who have received the commandment, which thou didst so take to heart, of keeping ourselves in readiness for the coming of our Savior and our Judge. Pray for us, that when He comes we may be worthy to go out to meet Him. Remember also the monastic state, of which thou art one of the brightest ornaments; raise it up again from its ruins; let its children be men of prayer and faith, as of old; let thy spirit be among them, and the Church thus regain, by thy intercession, all the glory which is reflected on her from the sublime perfection of this holy state.

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December 4th,
St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Peter Chrysologus Advent Calendar The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Death IV.    The Suddenness of the
         Last Day Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)
by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr

Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Novena to St. Andrew:
Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Dec. 4th - Dec. 12th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who didst miraculously point out the eminent Doctor Peter Chrysologus, and choose him to be a ruler and teacher of Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that as on earth he taught us the way of life, so in heaven he may be our intercessor with Thee. Through our Lord etc. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

R. Jerusalem, thy salvation cometh quickly: why art thou wasted with sorrow? Is there no counselor in thee, that pangs have taken thee? I will save thee, and deliver thee, fear not.

V. For I am the Lord Thy God, the Holy One of Israel, Thy Redeemer. I will save thee, and deliver thee, fear not.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter gained the name Chrysologus, which means "speech of gold" by his great eloquence. As the Collect reminds us, his promotion to the See of Ravenna (A.D. 433), owing to an apparition of the Apostle St. Peter to Pope Sixtus III., was miraculous.

You are the salt of the earth. . . and the light of the world," says the Gospel. "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke . . . . . do the work of an evangelist." That is what St. Peter did; he composed more than one hundred and sixty homilies, full of learning, which earned him the title of Doctor of the Church.

It was he who wrote this well-known saying: "He who amuses himself with Satan cannot rejoice with Christ." He died at Imola in A.D. 450.

Also Commemorated
Dec. 4th, St. Barbara, Virgin and Martyr

Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th The Fourteen Holy Helpers Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying The Bad Death Influence of the Example of Parents Upon Their Children

O God, who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Barbara, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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December 3rd,
St. Francis Xavier, Confessor. First Saturday

St. Francis Xavier Apostle of India and Japan St. Francis Xavier I. St. Francis Xavier II. Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd

Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays The Season of Advent First Sunday of Advent First Sunday in Advent: Fear of the General Judgment Are you prepared for the
2nd Coming of Christ by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger First Sunday of Advent: Epistle and Gospel First Sunday of Advent: for Children and Parents The Suddenness of the Last Day Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)
by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr Christ Our Lord The Second Coming The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st

4 Part Series on the Person of the Christ at the Last Judgement:

Part 1: The Judge as God Part 2: The Judge as Man Part 3: The Judge as Redeemer Part 4: The Judge as Our Model

The End of Man The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them? Consideration of Last End

Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th Novena to St. Andrew:
Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who wast pleased by the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis, to bring into Thy Church the nations of the Indies: mercifully grant that we who honor his glorious merits, may also follow the pattern of his virtues. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

V. The Lord loved him, and adorned him.

R. He clothed him with a robe of glory.

Ant. I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.

(Roman Breviary)

A young Spanish gentleman, in the dangerous days of the Reformation, was making a name for himself as a Professor of Philosophy in the University of Paris, and had seemingly no higher aim, when St. Ignatius of Loyola won him to heavenly thoughts. After a brief apostolate amongst his countrymen in Rome he was sent by St. Ignatius to the Indies, where for twelve years he was to wear himself out, bearing the Gospel to Hindostan, to Malacca, and to Japan.

Thwarted by the jealousy, covetousness, and carelessness of those who should have helped and encouraged him, neither their opposition nor the difficulties of every sort which he encountered could make him slacken his labors for souls. The vast kingdom of China appealed to his charity, and he was resolved to risk his life to force an entry, when God took him to Himself, and on the 3rd of December, 1552, he died, like Moses, in sight of the promise.

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December 2nd,
St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr and First Saturday

First Saturday Devotions St. Bibiana, Virgin & Martyr Advent Calendar: with daily meditations through Dec. 31st

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th St. Andrew Christmas Novena --Begins the Feast of St. Andrew and ends Christmas Day Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

The Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition On Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Nature of Sin Mortal Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Time is No More They that Live in Sin The Sinner Seeks God The Sinner at Death The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, the giver of all good s, who didst unite in thy servant Bibiana the flower of virginity with the palm of martyrdom: so unite our souls to Thee in the bond of charity by virtue of her intercession, that being freed from all dangers, we may obtain the rewards of everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Bibiana was a native of Rome, born in the fourth century, the daughter and sister of martyrs. Flavian, her Christian father, was apprehended during the reign of Julian the Apostate, branded on the face as a slave, and banished to Toscany, where he died of his wounds a few days later. Her mother, Dafrosa, was beheaded two weeks later. Their two daughters, Bibiana and Demetria, after the death of their parents were stripped of all they had in the world, and then imprisoned with orders to give them no food. The Roman praetorian offered them rewards if they would abandon their faith, and threatened a cruel death if they would not conform, but they replied courageously that the goods and advantages of this world had no attraction for them, and that they would endure a thousand deaths rather than betray their faith and their Saviour. Demetria, after having pronounced this ardent defense, fell to the ground and expired at her sister's side; she is inscribed in the Roman martyrology on June 21st.

The officer gave orders that Bibiana be placed in the custody of a woman named Rufina, who was commanded to corrupt her or mistreat her. But the martyr made prayer her shield and remained invincible. Enraged at the courage and perseverance of the young virgin, the persecutor ordered her to be tied to a pillar and whipped until she expired, with scourges tipped with leaden plummets. The Saint underwent this punishment cheerfully, and died at the hands of the executioners. She was buried by a holy priest at a site where afterwards a chapel and then a church were built above her tomb. In 1628 the church was splendidly rebuilt by Pope Urban VIII, and in it he placed the relics of the two sisters and of Saint Dafrosa, their mother.

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December 1st, Ferial Day and First Friday

Advent Calendar -- Meditations for the Month of December Devotions to the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus First Friday Devotions

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th St. Andrew Christmas Novena --Begins the Feast of St. Andrew and ends Christmas Day

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The First Day of December
by Dom Gueranger

Four thousand years of expectation preceded the merciful coming of the Saviour of the world, and they are expressed by the four weeks of Advent, which we must spend before we come to the glorious festivity of our Lord's Nativity. Let us reflect upon the holy impatience of the saints of the old Testament, and how they handed down, from age to age, the grand hope, which was to be but hope to them, since they were not to see it realized. Let us follow, in thought, the long succession of the witnesses of the promise : Adam, and the first patriarchs, who lived before the deluge; then, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs of the Hebrew people ; then Moses, Samuel, David, and Solomon; then, the prophets and the Machabees; and, at last, John the Baptist and his disciples.

These are the holy ancestors, of whom the Book of Ecclesiasticus speaks, where it says: 'Let us praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation (Ecclus. xliv. 1) and of whom the apostle thus speaks to the Hebrews: 'All these being approved by the testimony of faith, received not the promise ; God providing some better thing for us, that they should not be perfected without us': their faith was tried and approved, and yet they received not the object of the promises made to them. It is for us that God had reserved the stupendous gift, and therefore He did not permit them to attain the object of their desires (Heb. xi. 39, 40).

Let us honour them for their faith; let us honour them as our veritable fathers, since it is in reward of their faith, that our Lord remembered and fulfilled His merciful promise; let us honour them, too, as the ancestors of the Messias in the flesh. We may imagine each of them saying, as he lay on his dying bed, this solemn prayer to Him who alone could conquer death: 'I will look for Thy Salvation, O Lord!' It was the exclamation of Jacob, at his last hour, when he was pronouncing his prophetic blessings on his children: 'and then,' says the Scripture, 'he drew up his feet upon his bed, and died, and he was gathered unto his people (Gen. xlix. 32).'

Thus did all these holy men, on quitting this life, go to await, far from the abode of eternal light, Him who was to come in due time and reopen the gate of heaven. Let us contemplate them in this place of expectation, and give our grateful thanks to God, who has brought us to His admirable light, without requiring us to pass through a limbo of darkness. It is our duty to pray ardently for the coming of the Deliverer, who will break down, by His cross, the gates of the prison, and will fill it with the brightness of His glory. During this holy season, the Church is continually borrowing the fervent expressions of these fathers of the Christian people, making them her own prayer for the Messias to come. Let us turn to those great saints, and beg of them to pray, that our work of preparation for Jesus' coming to our hearts may be blessed by God.

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November 30th,
St. Andrew, Apostle

St. Andrew, Apostle Novena to St. Andrew: Nov. 30th - Dec. 25th    Newly Added
Feast of St. Andrew, by Rev. Geoffine, 1896 Novena of the Immaculate Conception: Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th The Labor of the Apostles:
Their Teaching of the Nations The Lives of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul: The Apostles Creed Vol. 1, Part 2: The Ministry of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Vol. 2: Parables and Teachings of Jesus Christ from the Latin Vulgate, as Illustrated by Catholic Artist and Historian, James Tissot, 1899 Stations of the Cross Exaltation of the Holy Cross Finding of the Holy Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875

As we approach the end of the month of November which is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, please continue to pray for them--especially those departed members of your family--each day, using the prayers and devotions included in the Purgatory Index below:

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

We humbly beseech Thy majesty, O Lord: That as blessed Andrew was raised up to be a preacher and ruler in Thy Church, so he may be our constant intercessor with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

Ant. The Lord saw Peter and Andrew, and He called them.

Follow me, I will make you fishers of men, saith the Lord.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Andrew was one of the fishermen of Bethsaida, and was the brother of Saint Peter. He became a disciple of Saint John the Baptist. When called himself by Christ on the banks of the Jordan, his first thought was to go in search of his brother, and he said to Peter, "We have found the Messiah!" and brought him to Jesus.

It was Saint Andrew who, when Christ wished to feed the five thousand in the desert, pointed out a little lad with five loaves and a few fishes. After Pentecost, Saint Andrew went forth upon his mission to plant the Faith in Scythia and Greece and, at the end of years of toil, to win a martyr's crown at Patrae in Achaia. When Saint Andrew first caught sight of the gibbet on which he was to die, he greeted the precious wood with joy. "O good cross!" he cried, "made beautiful by the limbs of Christ, so long desired, now so happily found! Receive me into thy arms and present me to my Master, that He who redeemed me through thee may now accept me from thee!" After suffering a cruel scourging he was left, bound by cords, to die upon this diagonal cross. For two whole days the martyr remained hanging on it, alive, preaching with outstretched arms from this chair of truth, to all who came near, and entreating them not to hinder his passion.

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November 29th, St. Saturninus, Martyr; the Vigil of St. Andrew

As we approach the end of the month of November which is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, please continue to pray for them--especially those departed members of your family--each day, using the prayers and devotions included in the Purgatory Index below:

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O God, Who dost vouchsafe that we may rejoice on the festival of blessed Saturninum Thy Martyr; grant that we may be assisted by his merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Ant. This Saint hath striven for the law of his God even unto death, and hath not fearred for the words of the ungodly; for he had been founded upon a firm rock.

V. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord.

R. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul. He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus became the first Christian bishop of that city. There were but few Christians in the place. However, their number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his own church.

One day a great multitude was gathered by an altar, where a bull stood ready for the sacrifice. A man in the crowd pointed out Saturninus, who was passing by and the people would have forced him to idolatry; but the holy bishop answered: "I know but one God, and to Him I will offer the sacrifice of praise. How can I fear gods who, as you say, are afraid of me? On this he was fastened to the bull, which was driven down the capitol. The brains of the Saint were scattered on the steps. His mangled body was taken up and buried by two devout omen.

THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Baltassar, the godless Baltassar, sat drinking at his licentious banquet, surrounded by his courtiers. Sunk, as it were, in sensuality and drunkenness, he blasphemed the Lord, abused the mercy of God, and even went so far as to profane the consecrated vessels of ths temple. He considered this day as a day of joy and revelry. Unhappy man! it is thy judgment day! Suddenly, an awful hand was seen, writing on the wall these words: "Mane: Thecel: Phares:" I have numbered, I have weighed, I have divided! I have numbered thy days, they are ended: I have weighed thy deeds, they condemn thee: I have divided thy kingdom, and deliver thee to thine enemies. This was the verdict given, and the judgment pronounced against him. On the same night it was fulfilled; he who had lived a profligate, died a reprobate.

Let us fear the impenetrable judgments of God; let us think of them day and night, that we may always be prepared for them; let us tremble before the powerful arm of God, and never forget that even as God is a God of mercy, so also is he a God of justice.

St. Jerome was one of the greatest penitents in the Church of God. Disgusted by the tumult and grandeur of Rome, he retired into Palestine, and buried himself, so to say, in solitude. The austerity of his life and of his penance are not to be described nore his mortifications, discipline, and holy severity which he inflicted upon himself. He beat beat his breast with a stone, so that his body was always wounded and bathed in blood. With all this he kept continually before his mind, in fear and trembling, the severity of the judgment of God. Absorbed in profound meditation on this thought, "Alas!" he exclaimed with a shudder, "I think I hear at every moment the dreadfull trumpet, which will one day call us to judgment. Day and night it is sounding in my ears, and my troubled soul can find no rest, reflecting always upon the majesty of that God who is one day to judge it" Thus he passed his life in fear, and in the expectation of judgment. Happy was he, to anticipate that fearful trial by his constant and severe penance.

Let us also learn to reflect upon the judgment of God, for we must one day appear before it. Let us learn to fear it, for it will decide our fate for eternity. Let us learn to prepare for it, for our happiness or misery depends upon this preparation. Let us judge ourselves severely, that God may judge us in His mercy. Let us rise above the vain judgment of men, for this it is which turns us aside from the law of God. Finally, let us ask of God that he wrill be gracious to us on the dreadful day of retribution.

November 29th, Vigil of St. Andrew

We beseech thee, almighty God, that blessed Andrew the Apostle, whose festival we anticipate, may implore Thy help for us; that being cleansed from our sins, we may be also delivered from all dangers. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith to them: Come and see. They came, and saw where he abode, and they stayed with him that day: now it was about the tenth hour. And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him.

He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.    John 1: 37, 42

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November 28th, in some places St. Catherine Laboure

As we approach the end of the month of November which is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, please continue to pray for them--especially those departed members of your family--each day, using the prayers and devotions included in the Purgatory Index below:

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr

St. Catharine Laboure The Miraculous Medal
the Origin and History

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Novena to St. Nicholas: Nov. 28th - Dec. 6th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

On the soul's being presented before the tribunal of God.
by St. Alphonsus Di Liguori

When criminals are presented before their judges, though they fear and tremble, yet flatter themselves that either their crimes will not be proved against them, or that their judges will remit in part the punishments which they have deserved. O God! how great will be the terror of a guilty soul when presented before Jesus Christ, from whom nothing will be hidden, and who will judge her with the utmost severity! I am the judge and the witness, Jer. xxix. 23., will He then say to her: I am thy judge and I am witness of all the offences thou hast committed against me. O my Jesus, I deserved to hear this from thy mouth, had the hour of my judgment arrived. But now thou art pleased to assure me, that if I will repent of my sins, thou wilt no longer remember them: I will not remember all his iniquities. Ez. xviii. 22.

It is the opinion of divines, that in the same place in which the soul is separated from the body, she will be judged, and her lot decided either for eternal life or eternal death. But should the soul unhappily depart from the body in sin, what shall she be able to say when Jesus Christ shall remind her of His abused mercies, of the years He granted her, of the calls by which He invited her, and of the many other means which He afforded her of securing her salvation? Jesus my Redeemer, Thou who condemnest obstinate sinners, dost not condemn those who love Thee and who are sorry for having offended Thee. I am a sinner, but I love Thee more than myself, and I am sorry above every evil for having displeased Thee; O, do Thou pardon me before the time comes when Thou wilt judge me.

At what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come. St. Luke xii. 40. When, therefore, O my Jesus and my judge, Thou shalt judge me, after my death, Thy wounds will be a terror to me, reproaching me with my ingratitude for the love which Thou hast shown me in suffering and dying for me; but now they encourage me and give me confidence to hope for pardon from Thee, my Redeemer, who, for the love of me and that Thou mayest not have to condemn me, didst suffer Thyself to be tormented and crucified. We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. O my Jesus! have pity on me, who am one of those sheep for whom Thou didst shed Thy sacred blood. If hitherto I have despised Thee, I now esteem and love Thee above all things. Make known to me the means by which I may be saved, and strengthen me to fulfil Thy holy will. I will no longer abuse Thy goodness. Thou hast placed me under too many obligations to Thee, I will no longer suffer myself to live at a distance from Thee and deprived of Thy love. Mary, mother of mercy, have compassion on me.

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November 27th, Ferial Day, in some places the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Novena and Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal The Miraculous Medal
the Origin and History Prayers of Thanksgiving How to Obtain Answers to Our Prayers November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)
by Rev. Nicholaus Gihr

Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

On November the 27th, is celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Follows a brief history of the wondrous events which caused the establishment of that feast:

Sister Catherine Laboure was a humble, pious novice, in a Paris house of the Sisters of Charity. She was praying to Our Lady in the Sisters' Chapel, during the night of November 27, 1830, when Our Lady appeared before her eyes, presenting a medal she held to the novice's gaze. On one side of the medal was a figure of the Blessed Virgin, standing on a globe and crushing the serpent's head with her foot, while rays of light descended to the earth from her outstretched hands, and the other side showed a large M surmounted by a cross, and beneath the M two hearts, one of them encircled with thorns, the other pierced with a sword -- these hearts meaning, of course, the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

As Sister Catherine was looking with most loving veneration on the Virgin-Mother of Our Lord and noting the medal she held out, the sister heard a wonderously sweet, pure voice tell her that the rays on the medal were symbols of the graces which the speaker-- Mary Immaculate--obtains for those who ask them, that Our Lady wished a medal to be struck after this model, and that those who wore the medal, properly blessed, in a spirit of true devotion, should receive special graces.

The novice told no one of her miraculous experience except only her spiritual director, and at the solicitation of the latter, she later made the fact known to the Archbishop of Paris, Msgr. de Quelen, by whose authority the first medals of the model shown through the apparition were struck in 1832. From the beginning, these medals proved most efficacious instruments of grace, and those who wore them obtained countless miraculous favors--conversions and cures, especially--until now the practice of wearing Our Lady's Miraculous Medal may be said to be a universal practice among devout Catholics.

At the instance of the late Pope Leo XIII, the Statue of Mary Immaculate of the Miraculous Medal which stands in the chapel of the Apparition, Rue du Bac, Paris, was solemnly crowned by Cardinal Richard on July 26,1897. A famous and glorious example of the wonders worked by means of the Miraculous Medal is found in the conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne.

Enemies of, and scoffers at, Catholic faith and practice particularly delight in calling devotion to Our Blessed Lady, when it is evidenced by the wearing of her Miraculous Medal, a "childish thing." But such devotion is not childish. It is childlike, instead. And being childlike, showing--as show it does--the wearer's loving trust in the Heavenly Mother, the Catholic's practice of wearing the Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Virgin cannot fail to make every one who follows it truer and better, by constantly recalling to the heart and the mind she who is not only purity incarnate, piety itself, tenderness unbounded, flawless virtue, but also the Mother of God, and, by His will, our own Mother and Patroness.

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November 26th, St. Silvester, Abbot and Last Sunday After Pentecost

The End of the World: Parts 1 - 6
Last Sunday After Pentecost: Epistle and Gospel Last Sunday After Pentecost: The General Judgment & 2nd Coming of Christ The Second Coming Death and the Importance of Salvation The Sinner at Death Meditations on Saving Your Soul: Will it be Heaven or Hell? Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Salvation: from the Catechism of St. John Vianney No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Spiritual Communion Manner of Hearing Mass At Home: For those who on account of sickness, old age, or for other proper reasons cannot assist at holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holidays

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Why Catholics are obligated to visit their loved ones at the cemetery The Cry of the Souls in
Purgatory to us

Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 19th - Nov. 27th Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd Novena to St. Barbara, Holy Helper: Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O most merciful God, Who when the holy Abbot Sylvester stood within an open tomb, meditating on the transitory vanities of this world, wast pleased to summon him into the wilderness and make his life illustrious by signal virtue: we earnestly beseech Thee, that like him, we may despise earthly things, and enjoy communion with thee forevermore. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Sylvester was born of noble parentage at Osimo, in the Marches of Ancona. Owning to his rare merit, the Canons of the cathedral of Osimo admitted him to share their dignity. When present one day at the funeral of an illustious man, a relative of his, he was struck by the hideous appearance of the body of a man who had been so handsome, and exclaimed: "I am today what he was, and one day I shall be what he is."

He immediately gave up everything and retired into a desert where he devoted himself to penance and meditation. "Later, he built at Monte Fano" says the Roman breviary, "a church in honor of the holy father Benedict who advised him in a vision to found a religious order whose rule and habit he described to him. It was the Order of the Sylvestrines."

This branch of the Benedictine Order spread in a short time and already numbered twenty-five houses in Italy when its founder died in 1267, at the age of ninety.

In some places the feast of St. Leonard of Port Maurice is celebrated on November 26th.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them? St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross Spiritual Communion

Also commemorated Nov. 26th

St. Peter of Alexandria

St. Peter, a man of great virtue and learning, was patriarch of Alexandria, his native city. At the time when the Emperors, Dioclesian and Maximian, endeavored to extirpate the Christian religion, he did all in his power to strengthen the Christians in the true faith and encourage them to prepare for martyrdom. He himself desired nothing more ardently than to give his life for Christ's sake; but the faithful forced him to conceal himself until the persecution ceased. Hardly had this storm abated, when Meletius, a bishop, gave him new trouble, by promulgating heretical dogmas, and committing other crimes, for which St. Peter had to depose him from his see and excommunicate him. The conduct and the doctrine of Meletius were defended, in defiance of St. Peter, by Arius, a proud and ambitious priest of Alexandria; and as neither prayers nor threats could move Arius to desist from such unjust and wicked proceedings, the zealous Patriarch saw himself obliged to separate him also, by excommunication, from the Church of Christ.

During this schism of the Church, an imperial officer arrived at Alexandria, seized St. Peter, and cast him into a dungeon. Arius thought that, after the death of St. Peter, he would surely succeed to the patriarchal chair if he were reconciled to the Church. He therefore pretended to repent of his fault, and going to the clergy, he requested them to beg the Patriarch to revoke the sentence of excommunication, declaring that he had abandoned the cause of Meletius, and was resolved to live and die a Catholic. Achillas and Alexander, moved by his deceitful words begged St. Peter to grant the request. The Patriarch, enlightened by God, replied with a deep sigh: "I know that Arius is full of hypocrisy and blasphemy; how can I receive him again into the Church? You must know that in excommunicating him, I have not acted of my own accord, but by inspiration from the Almighty. Only last night, Christ appeared to me in the form of a beautiful youth, clothed in a snow-white garment, which was sadly rent. I was terrified, and asked: 'Lord, what is the meaning of this? Who has torn Thy robe?' He answered: 'Arius has done it; for, by his heresy, he has divided My Church and will make the rent still larger.'"

Peter added that Christ had forbidden him to receive Arius again into the pale of the Church, and commanded Achillas and Alexander also to reject him, when they would, one after the other, succeed to the patriarchal chair. Having said this, the Saint admonished them to guard, with fatherly care, the flock of Christ, and then, with his blessing, dismissed them. Soon after, by command of the emperor, St. Peter was dragged to the place of execution, without having had a trial. The Christians endeavored to interfere; but the Saint hastened joyfully to the spot where he was to receive the crown of martyrdom. His death happened in the year 310. The Christians carried the holy body into the Church, clothed it in the pontifical robes, and placed it upon the chair of St. Mark, on which Peter's humility and his reverence for the holy Evangelist had never allowed him to sit in his lifetime, as he always sat down on one of the steps leading to it. Having for some time showed all due honors to the holy body, they laid it into the tomb.

Practical Considerations

St. Peter is one of those glorious martyrs, who joyfully hastened to the place of execution to give their lives for the true faith. Have you not sometimes desired that you had lived at that period, and given your blood for Christ? I praise you for having had such a pious wish. But as you have no occasion now to die a martyr for the love of the Saviour, endeavor at least to live for Him, and to be a martyr without shedding your blood. How can this be done? Origen says: "We can be martyrs without shedding our blood, by patiently bearing crosses and trials." In like manner speaks St. Bernard, when he says: "By preserving true patience continually in your mind, you may become a martyr without the sword." St. Gregory says the same, and remarks, also: "To bear wrongs and persecutions patiently, and to love our enemy, is a kind of martyrdom." "It is martyrdom," says St. Chrysostom, "when we bear poverty patiently for God's sake." "If a Christian," writes St. Augustine, "lives according to the gospel, his entire life is one cross, one long martyrdom." The same holy teacher instructed us, on a former occasion, that we are martyrs by conquering our passions, by avoiding lust, by preserving justice, by despising avarice and by restraining pride.

In a sermon of St. Lawrence, we read that "martyr," according to the Greek, means " witness." "As often, therefore," says he, "as we fulfil the commands of Christ, and do good, so often are we witnesses of the Lord, and in that sense, martyrs." Hence you may become a martyr of Christ, in this manner and you will find frequent opportunity for it. Endeavor, therefore, to bear patiently crosses and sufferings; live according to the Gospel of the Lord; moderate your passions; be chaste, and avoid all vices; let your conduct be witness of your fidelity to your Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be a true, though bloodless, martyr.

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November 25th, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr

St. Catherine of Alexandria, One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers False Confidence of Salvation

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Why Catholics are obligated to visit their loved ones at the cemetery The Cry of the Souls in
Purgatory to us

Novena to St. Catherine of Alexandria: Nov. 17th - Nov. 25th Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 19th - Nov. 27th Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Novena to St. Francis Xavier: Nov. 25th - Dec. 3rd

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition On Contrition and the Purpose of Amendment Contrition: Explanation of Perfect Contrition and the Necessity of Contrition for Forgiveness of Sins The Nature of Sin Mortal Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments Time is No More They that Live in Sin The Sinner Seeks God The Sinner at Death The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

O God, Who gavest the law to Moses from the top of Mount Sinai and didst marvelously carry thither by Thy holy Angels the body of Thy blessed Virgin and Martyr Catherine: grant we beseech Thee, that through her merits and intercession we may be able to reach that mountain which is Christ: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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November 24th, St. John of the Cross, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. John of the Cross, Confessor and Doctor of the Church Novena to St. John of the Cross: Nov. 24th - Dec. 2nd Catholic Book: The Life of St. John of the Cross, Imprimatur 1873 The Short Method of the
Stations of the Cross. Offer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory Stations of the Cross Litany of the Holy Cross How to Obtain Answers to Our Prayers What we should pray for Prayer: its Conditions and Circumstances How to Practice Mental Prayer St. Michael/ Exorcism A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Devotions to the Sacred Heart Feast of the Sacred Heart Consecration of Children to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Why Catholics are obligated to visit their loved ones at the cemetery The Cry of the Souls in
Purgatory to us Prayers for Deceased Parents

Novena to St. Catherine of Alexandria: Nov. 17th - Nov. 25th Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 19th - Nov. 27th Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations

O God, Who didst endow holy John, Thy Confessor and Doctor, with a wonderful love of self-denial and of the Cross: grant that, by ever clinging to his example, we may obtain everlasting glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

John of the Cross, born of pious parents at Hontiveros in Spain, was from his very infancy dear to the Virgin Mother of God. When he was five years old he fell into a well, but the hand of the same Mother of God lifted him out, and he escaped unharmed. So ardently did he burn with a desire to suffer that when he was but nine years old, he accustomed himself to sleep upon twigs, spurning a softer bed. As a young man he engaged himself as a servant to the sick poor in the hospital of Medina del Campo.

He showed the strength of his charity towards these unfortunates by undertaking the most menial offices. His example inspired others to devote themselves to similar charitable works. As he was called to a still higher vocation, John entered the institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, where under obedience he was ordained to the priesthood. But he desired a more severe discipline, and a more austere mode of life. He obtained permission of his superior to follow the primitive rule of the order. As a constant reminder of the passion of the Lord, he declared war upon himself as against his own worst enemy. By vigils, fastings, iron disciplines and all kinds of penances he crucified his body with its vices and concupiscences. Saint Teresa considered him worthy to be numbered among the holiest and purest souls, then ornamenting the Church of God.

The extreme austerities which he practiced, the armor of virtue he admired, and above all his constant contemplation of divine Hysterics were the source of the prolonged and wonderful ecstasies which he experienced frequently. He burned with such love of God that the divine fire could not be confined within himself; it radiated to all from his countenance. John was exceedingly zealous to help his neighbors to salvation, so he devoted himself to preaching the word of God and to administering the sacraments.

As his soul became enriched with many merits, as he strove constantly to help others to follow a stricter rule of life, in the providence of God, he was assigned as companion to Saint Teresa, that she who had restored the ancient strict observance to her order of the Sisters of Carmel, might with John's help extend it among his brethren. Like that handmaiden of God, John endured all the trials of great labor in carrying out this assignment. Disdaining hardships and dangers, one by one he visited all the convents the saintly Teresa had founded in Spain. In these, and in many other monasteries which he erected through his own efforts, he spread the rule of the stricter observance. Moreover he confirmed his words by his own example. After Teresa, he may very justly be said to be the founder as well as the first advocate of the Discalced Carmelites.

John kept his virginity unspotted. He not only repulsed certain shameless women who tried to tempt his virtues; he even won them back to Christ. The Apostolic See has declared that he was divinely aided in expounding the mysteries of God, as was Saint Teresa also. The books he wrote on mystical theology are filled with heavenly wisdom. Once when Christ asked him what reward he wanted in return for his great labors, John answered, "Only that I may suffer and be despised for love of Thee."

He was renowned for his power over demons, and his ability to cast them out from possessed persons. He was famous because he could read the souls of men, had the gift of prophecy, and worked the most glorious miracles. Yet with it all he was so humble that he begged the Lord again and again to give him a death of absolute obscurity. This prayer was granted. John died at Ubeda, suffering from dreadful malady, the gangrenous infection of five distinct ulcers upon his leg. He endured these sufferings bravely, for in his excess of love he wished to suffer.

When he had received the last sacraments of the Church with holy and saintly devotion, he embraced the image of Christ crucified, who was in his heart always as well as on his lips, and said, "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." Having spoken this he fell asleep in the Lord. He died on the day, and at the very hour, he had predicted in the year of salvation 1591, in the forty-ninth year of his age. At his death a ball of fire enveloped his soul. His Body exhaled exhaled a distinct fragrance and still lies uncorrupted and reverenced at Segovia. As he had been famous for his miracles, both before and after his death, the supreme pontiff, Benedict XIII enrolled him among the saints. Pius XI, after consultation with the Congregation of Sacred Rites, declared him a doctor of the universal Church.

Also commemorated Nov. 24th

St. Chrysogonus, Martyr

The birth of heaven," says the Roman Martyrology, "of St. Chrysogonus, martyr, who after having been long in chains and in prison for the faith of Christ, having endured these torments with the greatest fortitude, was taken to Aquileia, by order of Diocletian, and there beheaded and thrown into the sea: such was his glorious martyrdom." St. Chrysogonus is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass and in his church at Rome is held the Station on Monday in Passion Week.

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November 23rd,
St. Clement I., Pope and Martyr and St. Felicitas, Martyr

  Prayers of Thanksgiving           Newly Added
Prayers for America and Guidelines for Making a Moral Decision A Memorial to those who have served in the Military Prayers for Deceased Parents St. Clement I. and St. Felicity The Seven Brothers The Christian Mother Prayers for Catholic Mothers Children Prayers and Sermons

November Devotions to the
Poor Souls in Purgatory Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Why Catholics are obligated to visit their loved ones at the cemetery The Cry of the Souls in
Purgatory to us

Novena to St. Catherine of Alexandria: Nov. 17th - Nov. 25th Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 19th - Nov. 27th

Daily Rosary: Joyful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries with Meditations Daily Rosary: Glorious Mysteries with Meditations The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

O Eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Clement, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.

Ant. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of good pearls. When he finds a single one of great price, he gives all that he has and buys it.

(Roman Breviary)

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November 22nd, St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr

Novena and Devotions to St. Cecilia The Li