Catholic Saints & Feasts of the Liturgical Year

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor—Memorial

1195–1231
Patron Saint of amputees, animals, mail, horses, expectant mothers, fishermen, harvests, lost articles, boatmen, and travelers, as well as the elderly, oppressed, poor, and starving
Canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 30 May 1232
Declared the Evangelizing Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. ~Sermon of Saint Anthony of Padua

Prayer:
Saint Anthony, you were not only drawn to a life of study and prayer, you were also humble, desiring only to glorify God and save souls. God used you in powerful ways, despite the short time you had on earth. Please pray for me, that I will devote the rest of my life to the pursuit of holiness, embracing every grace I am given for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, beginning with my own. Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images Saint Anthony Taking the Habit of the Franciscan Order

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 11: Saint Barnabas the Apostle—Memorial

Early First Century–c. 61
Patron Saint of Cyprus, Antioch, and peacekeeping missions
Invoked against hailstorms
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. ~Acts 11:22–26

Prayer:
Saint Barnabas, you listened to the Gospel from the mouth of Christ Himself, witnessed His miracles, and allowed His saving message to transform your life. As a result, you spent the rest of your life preaching the Good News and saving many souls. Please pray for me, that I will follow your example and dedicate my life to the mission to which I am called. Saint Barnabas, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church—Memorial
Celebrated the Monday after Pentecost

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Indeed, the Mother standing beneath the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal. She thus became the tender Mother of the Church which Christ begot on the cross handing on the Spirit. Christ, in turn, in the beloved disciple, chose all disciples as ministers of his love towards his Mother, entrusting her to them so that they might welcome her with filial affection. ~From the Decree of the Congregation of Divine Worship adding the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church to the General Roman Calendar

Prayer:
Most glorious Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to you I entrust myself just as Jesus entrusted John to your care. Receive me as your spiritual child, and nurture me with your Son’s divine grace. Thank you for your “Yes” to the Father’s plan, for your life, and for your continuous “Yes” through time and eternity. May my “Yes” echo yours as I surrender fully to God’s plan. Mother Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Madonna del Popolo (Barocci) from Wikipedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 9: Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 306–373
Patron Saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders
Pre-Congregation canonization
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I, Ephrem, am dying. With fear, but also with reverence, I entreat you, citizens of Edessa, not to bury me under the altar or elsewhere in the house of God. It is not fitting that a worm teeming with corruption be buried in the temple and sanctuary of God. But lay me out in the tunic and mantle which I used and wore daily. Accompany me with psalms and prayers. I had neither pouch nor staff, neither wallet nor silver and gold; nor did I ever acquire or possess anything else earthly. Work diligently at my precepts and doctrines; as my disciples, do not fall away from the Catholic faith. With regard to the faith, be especially constant. Guard against adversaries – I mean evildoers, boasters, and tempters to sin. And may your city be blessed; for Edessa is the city and mother of the wise. ~Testament of Saint Ephrem

Prayer:
Saint Ephrem, you offered yourself to the service of God, and God used you as an instrument to lead many to glorify Him. Please pray for me, that I may also become an instrument of the Holy Spirit, placing all my gifts at the service of God, for His greater honor and glory. Saint Ephrem, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikimedia Commons: Main 

Read entire reflection online >>>

Pentecost Sunday—Solemnity

Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. ~Acts 2:1–4

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, come to me and bestow upon me Your seven-fold gifts, so that I can grow closer to Christ Jesus and act more faithfully as a member of His Body. Bear good fruit in my life, and in the lives of others, so that the saving message of the Gospel will reach far and wide, drawing all people to Yourself for Your eternal praise and glory. Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit —I love You, believe in You, and trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 6: Saint Norbert, Bishop—Optional Memorial

c. 1080–1134
Patron Saint of expectant mothers and Bohemia
Canonized by Pope Gregory XIII on July 28, 1582
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
…it happened one day that he was hastening secretly to a place called Freden. He was dressed in silk, accompanied by a single servant. While on the way a dark cloud overtook him, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and much more inconvenient, there was no house for shelter nearby. While both he and his companion were unnerved, suddenly the terrifying sound and sight of a thunderbolt struck the ground, opening it to the depth of a man’s height. From here steamed forth a putrid stench which fouled him and his garments. Struck from his horse he thought he heard a voice denouncing him. Returning to his senses and now repentant he reflected on the words of the Psalmist: “Turn from evil and do good.” Thus motivated, he returned home…put on a hair shirt beneath his outer garments…went to the monastery of Siegburg and there…he advanced in fear and love of the Lord. ~Vita of Saint Norbert

Prayer:
Saint Norbert, you discovered that a worldly life, one that seeks only selfish goals, is empty. Once God spoke to your heart, calling you close to Himself, you listened and responded. Please pray for me, that I will become keenly aware of God’s will in my life and will respond with total generosity and zeal. Saint Norbert, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Maarten Pepyn, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 5: Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

c. 675–754
Patron Saint of Great Germania
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Gregory, the servant of the servants of God, to Boniface, a holy priest: Your holy purpose, as it has been explained to us, and your well-tried faith lead us to make use of your services in spreading the Gospel, which by the grace of God has been committed to our care. Knowing that from your childhood you have been a student of Sacred Scripture and that you now wish to use the talent entrusted to you by God in dedicating yourself to missionary work, we rejoice in your faith and desire to have you as our colleague in this enterprise. Wherefore., since you have humbly submitted to us your plans regarding this mission,…in the name of the indivisible Trinity and by the authority of Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles…we now place your humble and devout work upon a secure basis and decree that you go forth to preach the Word of God to those people who are still bound by the shackles of paganism. ~Letter from Pope Gregory III to Saint Boniface

Prayer:
Saint Boniface, you heard God calling you as a youth and responded with zeal. You continued to respond to His will for the rest of your life. Through that holy obedience and service, the gift of eternal salvation was bestowed upon many. Please pray for me, that I may have the courage and zeal that you had, so that I will never hesitate to say “Yes” to the will of God. Saint Boniface and companions, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 3: Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs—Memorial

1860–1886
Patron Saints of African youth, converts, and torture victims
Canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 18, 1964
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
This is the place where Christ’s light shone on your land with a particular splendor. This was the place of darkness, Namugongo, where Christ’s light shone bright in the great fire which consumed Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions. May the light of that holocaust never cease to shine in Africa! The heroic sacrifice of the Martyrs helped to draw Uganda and all of Africa to Christ, the true light which enlightens all men (Cf. John 1: 9). Men and women of every race, language, people and nation (Cf. Rev. 5: 9) have answered Christ’s call, have followed him and have become members of his Church, like the crowds which come on pilgrimage, year after year, to Namugongo. Today, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Saint Peter, has also come on pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Holy Uganda Martyrs. Following in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI, who raised these sons of your land to the glory of the altars and later was the first Pope to visit Africa, I too wish to plant a special kiss of peace on this holy ground. ~Pope John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, the flame of faith burned in your hearts, while the flames of your executioners consumed your earthly bodies. The witness you gave through your martyrdoms became the spark that ignited faith in Christ in all of Uganda and across Africa. Please pray for me, that I will have the faith that you had so that God can take each suffering and cross I endure and transform it into good. Saint Charles and Companions, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

Mid-Third Century–c. 304
Invoked by those enduring hardships in life
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Here lie the bodies of Saints Marcellinus the priest and Peter the exorcist, who by a marvelous inspiration, with the help of the Lord, have brought many unbelievers to the knowledge of the true faith, have taught them the commandments of the law, and at last, by the command of the impious tyrant, have deserved to be crowned with the palm of martyrdom. ~Epitaph written by Pope Saint Damasus I

Prayer:
Saints Marcellinus and Peter, you bravely laid down your lives for the sake of the Gospel and, in doing so, spiritually befriended all those who would be inspired by your witness. Please pray for me, that I too may have the courage to bear witness to Christ by living selflessly and sacrificially for others, so that God’s grace and mercy may be poured out on them through my witness. Saints Marcellinus and Peter, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

June 1: Saint Justin Martyr—Memorial

c. 100–c. 165
Patron Saint of philosophers, lecturers, and apologists
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. ~First Apology, Saint Justin Martyr

Prayer:
Saint Justin Martyr, you used your mind to seek the truth and found yourself restless until you discovered the Christian faith. With your newfound faith, wedded to your human intellect, you embraced your God-given mission of defending the faith against persecution. Please pray for me, that I may also come to a deeper understanding of the Truth and have the courage I need to proclaim that Truth to others. Saint Justin Martyr, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Feast

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” ~Luke 1:39–45

Prayer:
Most glorious Virgin Mary, you were filled with the Holy Spirit at the time of the Annunciation and carried the Eternal Son of the Father within you. As you journeyed to visit Elizabeth, you did so with a holy urgency and drive, enabling you to fulfill the will of Your Son. Please pray for me, that I may be filled with that same urgency to become holy and to spread that holiness to others. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Philippe de Champaigne, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

The Ascension of the Lord—Solemnity
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter or on the Seventh Sunday of Easter

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. ~Acts 6:1–12

Prayer:
My Ascended Lord, forty days after You rose from the dead You ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, taking up Your throne from which You pour forth both judgment and mercy. As we honor this great mystery of Your divine and human life, I beg for mercy upon me and upon the whole world. Free us from all sin, and open the floodgates of Your mercy so that all people will share one day, body and soul, in the glory of Your Beatific Vision. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 29: Saint Paul VI, Pope—Optional Memorial

1897–1978
Patron Saint of Vatican Council II
Canonized by Pope Francis on October 14, 2018
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
And most important of all, on taking my leave of this earthly scene, and going to face the judgment and mercy of God, there are so many things I should say, indeed so many. On the state of the Church; let her give ear to some words of ours which we uttered on her behalf seriously and lovingly. On the Council: let it be brought to a good conclusion, and let its prescriptions be put into effect. As regards ecumenism: the approach to the separated Brethren must go on, with great understanding and patience, with great love; but without deflecting from the true Catholic doctrine. As regards the world: one must not think to help it by following its ways of thought, its habits and tastes, but by studying it, loving it and serving it. I close my eyes on this sorrowful, dramatic and magnificent world, invoking once again on her behalf the divine goodness. Again I bless everyone, especially Rome, Milan and Brescia. For the Holy Land, the land of Jesus, where I went as a pilgrim of faith and peace, a special greeting and blessing. ~Last Testament, Paul VI

Prayer:
Pope Saint Paul VI, you were a faithful servant of Christ and His Church. You prayerfully sought to share the ancient and glorious faith of the Church with the whole world in any way you could. Please pray for me, that I will also be a faithful servant of Christ’s Church, doing all I can to further its mission of bringing the grace and mercy of God to all. Pope Saint Paul VI, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 27: Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop—Optional Memorial

Early Sixth Century–604
Patron Saint of England
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
The powerful Ethelbert was at that time king of Kent…the king came into the island, and sitting in the open air, ordered Augustine and his companions to come and hold a conference with him…When they had sat down, in obedience to the king’s commands, and preached to him and his attendants there present the Word of life, the king answered thus: “Your words and promises are fair, but because they are new to us, and of uncertain import, I cannot consent to them so far as to forsake that which I have so long observed with the whole English nation. But because you are come from far as strangers into my kingdom, and, as I conceive, are desirous to impart to us those things which you believe to be true, and most beneficial, we desire not to harm you, but will give you favorable entertainment, and take care to supply you with all things necessary to your sustenance; nor do we forbid you to preach and gain as many as you can to your religion.” Accordingly he gave them an abode in the city of Canterbury… ~Ecclesiastical History of England, by Saint Bede

Prayer:
Saint Augustine of Canterbury, you were open to the will of God in your life, despite the radical and unexpected nature of your calling. You responded with courage, faith, and hope, and God used you in powerful ways. Please pray for me, that I will also respond to the will of God with courage, so that the faith God has given to me will be shared with others in accord with His holy will. Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikipedia main

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 26: Saint Philip Neri, Priest—Memorial

1515–1595
Patron Saint of Rome, joy, comedians, and artists
Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Leafing through the biography of St Philip, in fact, one is surprised and fascinated by the cheerful and relaxed method he used to educate, supporting each person with fraternal generosity and patience. As is well known, the saint used to put his teaching into short and wise maxims: “Be good, if you can;” “Scruples and melancholy, stay away from my house;” “Be simple and humble;” “He who does not pray is a speechless animal;” and, bringing his hand to his forehead, “Holiness is three fingers deep.” Behind the cleverness of these and many other “sayings,” we are aware of the acute and realistic knowledge he had acquired of human nature and the dynamics of grace. He translated the experience of his long life and the wisdom of a heart inhabited by the Holy Spirit into these immediate, terse teachings. These aphorisms have now become a patrimony of wisdom as it were for Christian spirituality. ~Saint John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Philip Neri, through deep prayer God transformed you and filled your heart with the gift of divine joy. You shared that gift with countless others, drawing many to the love of God. Please pray for me, that I may also be filled with the joy that permeated your heart so that I will be a holy instrument of God’s love. Saint Philip Neri, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Indianapolis Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin—Optional Memorial

1566–1607
Patron Saint of the sick
Canonized by Pope Clement IX on April 28, 1669
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Self-love is like the worm that gnaws at the root and destroys not only the fruit, but even the very life of the plant. The traitor that we have to fear most is self-love, for self-love betrays us as Judas betrayed our Lord with a kiss. He who conquers self-love conquers all. ~Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

Prayer:
Saint Mary Magdalene de Pizza, you were wise beyond what any book could teach. You came to know the deepest truths of God and life through your free embrace of every suffering for the love of God. Please pray for me, that I may love God as you loved Him, and be devoted to Him as you were devoted. May my life become a living sacrifice of love, poured out for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Saint Mary Magdalene de Pizza, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.


Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Pedro de Moya, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious—Optional Memorial

c. 1020–1085
Invoked against corruption within the Church
Canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on May 24, 1728
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
In the name of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I withdraw, through Thy power and authority, from Henry the king, son of Henry the emperor, who has risen against Thy Church with unheard of insolence, the rule over the whole kingdom of the Germans and over Italy. And I absolve all Christians from the bonds of the oath which they have made or shall make to him; and I forbid anyone to serve him as king. For it is fitting that he who strives to lessen the honor of Thy Church should himself lose the honor which belongs to him. And since he has scorned to obey as a Christian, and has not returned to God Whom he had deserted…I bind him in thy stead with the chain of the anathema. And, leaning on Thee, I so bind him that the people may know and have proof that thou art Peter, and above thy rock the Son of the living God hath built His church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. ~Pope Gregory VII

Prayer:
Pope Saint Gregory, you were a valiant defender of the God-given authority bestowed upon the Church, especially upon the papacy. You sought to reform the Church and free it from the corruption that was tearing it apart. Pray for me, that I will always be open to the reform of my own soul and will respond to God’s will to help the Church in her continuous need for purification. Pope Saint Gregory VII, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images from Picryl 

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 673–735
Patron Saint of lectors, scholars, English writers, and historians
Pre-Congregation canonization
Canonization confirmed and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
To the most glorious King Ceolwulf. Bede, the servant of Christ and Priest. I formerly, at your request, most readily sent to you the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, which I had lately published, for you to read and judge; and I now send it again to be transcribed, and more fully studied at your leisure. And I rejoice greatly at the sincerity and zeal, with which you not only diligently give ear to hear the words of Holy Scripture, but also industriously take care to become acquainted with the actions and sayings of former men of renown, especially of our own nation… ~Preface of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England

Prayer:
Saint Bede the Venerable, you were a holy monk who embraced his vocation with zeal and devotion. You prayed, studied, and wrote in accord with God’s holy will. By your hidden service to the Church, God influenced popes, saints, monks, and countless others in ways that we will only understand in Heaven. Please pray for me, that I will embrace my vocation with all my heart, so as to live my mission and discover my own path to holiness. Saint Bede the Venerable, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia—Optional Memorial

1386–1457
Patron Saint of abuse victims, impossible causes, sickness, wounds, parenthood, and widows
Invoked against marital problems, fighting and discord, and infertility
Canonized by Pope Leo XIII on May 24, 1900
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Dear brothers and sisters, the worldwide devotion to Saint Rita is symbolized by the rose. It is to be hoped that the life of everyone devoted to her will be like the rose picked in the garden of Roccaporena the winter before the saint’s death. That is, let it be a life sustained by passionate love for the Lord Jesus; a life capable of responding to suffering and to thorns with forgiveness and the total gift of self, in order to spread everywhere the good odor of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 2:15) through a consistently lived proclamation of the Gospel. ~Address of Saint John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Rita, you endured much suffering throughout your life, but you embraced that suffering with love and united it to the sufferings of your Savior. Please pray for me, that I will be strengthened to imitate your profound love, will accept all sufferings with love, and seek to bring about peace in my heart and in the hearts of those around me. Saint Rita of Cascia, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: NN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr and Companions, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

1869–1927
Venerated especially in Mexico
Invoked against government persecution
Canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
“The Church … had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied” (Acts 9: 31). We can well apply this passage from the Acts of the Apostles to the situation which Cristóbal Magallanes and his 24 companion martyrs had to endure in the first 30 years of the 20th century. Most of them belonged to the secular clergy and three were laymen seriously committed to helping priests. They did not stop courageously exercising their ministry when religious persecution intensified in the beloved land of Mexico, unleashing hatred of the Catholic religion. They all freely and calmly accepted martyrdom as a witness to their faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. ~Homily of Saint John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions, you chose to die rather than give in to atheistic and anti-Catholic oppression. You valued the Catholic faith over your own lives. Please pray for me, that I will have the courage you each had so that I can give witness to my love of God, even to the shedding of my blood. Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest—Optional Memorial

1380–1444
Patron Saint of public relations, public speaking, and advertisers
Invoked against gambling addictions and chest problems
Canonized by Pope Nicholas V on May 24, 1450
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
The name of Jesus is the splendor of preachers, because it causes His Word to be proclaimed and heard with glowing splendor. Whence, do you think, came the great, sudden, and shining light of faith that filled the world, if not from the preaching of Jesus? Was it not by the light and sweetness of this Name that God called us into His wonderful light? It is to us, on whom the light has shone and who in that light see light, that the apostle addresses these apt words: “Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light.”…Hence this Name must be proclaimed so that it may shine; it must not be hidden. ~Sermon of Saint Bernardine

Prayer:
Saint Bernardine, your deepest desire was to love, praise, and adore God and to give Him the glory due His Name. Please pray for me, that I will always seek to glorify the Holy Name of Jesus in my life, and through me, that God will inspire many others to do the same. Saint Bernardine of Siena, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Statens Museum for Kunst, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 18: Saint John I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. Late Fifth Century–526
Invoked against temptations toward false unity and acceptance of heresy
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Who does not envy the happiness of a martyr in his dungeon, when he beholds the inward joy, peace, and sentiments of charity with which he closes his eyes to this world! And much more when he contemplates in spirit the glory with which the soul of the saint is conducted by angels, like Lazarus, to the abodes of immortal bliss! On the contrary, the wicked tyrant cannot think himself safe upon his throne… At best, his treacherous pleasures are a wretched exchange for the true joy and peace of virtue; nor can he fly from the torment of his own conscience, or the stench of his guilt. How dreadfully are his horrors increased upon the approach of death! And how will he to all eternity condemn his extravagant folly, unless by sincere repentance he shall have prevented everlasting woes! ~Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Prayer:
Pope Saint John, you chose to value the truth of the Catholic faith over your own life. You remained steadfast in the proclamation of the Gospel until the end. Please pray for me, that I will never waver in my faith, and will never give in to temptations to water down that faith. May I have the same courage that you had so that God will be able to use me to reach out to those who need to know His saving truths. Saint John I, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikimedia Commons: Features 

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 15: Saint Isidore—USA Optional Memorial

c. 1070–c. 1130
Patron Saint of Madrid, farms, farmers, bricklayers, and rural communities
Invoked against the death of a child
Canonized by Pope Gregory XV, March 12, 1622
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. ~Matthew 6:33

Prayer:
Saint Isidore, you were born into poverty and worked by the sweat of your brow throughout your life. All that you did, you did to give God glory. Even small tasks were sanctified in your life. Please pray for me, that I will find dignity and holiness by doing the most mundane chores and labors of my life with love. May I always seek first God’s Kingdom, making His will the center of my life. Saint Isidore the Laborer, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Joseph von Führich, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 14: Saint Matthias the Apostle—Feast

First Century
Patron Saint of alcoholics, carpenters, and tailors
Invoked against smallpox
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” ~Luke 10:1–3

Prayer:
Saint Matthias, you heard Jesus calling you to follow Him from the very beginning of His public ministry. You responded with generosity, fulfilling the humble role of a disciple and missionary. When you were chosen as one of the Twelve and ordained a bishop, you fulfilled your shepherding duty of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Please pray for me, that I will listen to the voice of God and respond to His call generously all the days of my life. Saint Matthias, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Workshop of Simone Martini, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 13: Our Lady of Fátima—Optional Memorial

1916–1917
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration… The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror. ~from the First Secret of Fátima

Prayer:
Our Lady of the Rosary, you are the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the Mother of God. Please pray for me, that I will heed the messages that you revealed at Fátima. Pray that I will live a life of continuous sacrifice of prayer, so as to make reparation for the sins and sacrileges committed against your most Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of your divine Son. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Featured images: Ramon FVelasquez

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 12: Saint Pancras, Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 289–c. 304
Patron Saint of children, jobs, and health
Invoked against cramps, false witnesses, headaches, and perjury
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
In the same place, on the Aurelian road, the holy martyr Pancratius, who, at fourteen years of age, endured martyrdom by decapitation under Diocletian.
Also, at Rome, Saint Denis, uncle of the same blessed Pancratius. ~Roman Martyrology for May 12

Prayer:
Saint Pancras, though young in age, you were old in faith and courage. You chose to die rather than to worship false gods. Please pray for me, that I will imitate your faith and courage in my life, holding nothing back from my wholehearted service of the true King of all Kings. Saint Pancras, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Photo by Lawrence, O.P., Flikr

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 12: Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

Died c. 98
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Nereus and Achilleus the martyrs joined the army and carried out the cruel orders of the tyrant, obeying his will continually out of fear. Then came a miracle of faith. They suddenly gave up their savagery, they were converted, they fled the camp of their evil leader, throwing away their shields, armor, and bloody spears. Professing the faith of Christ, they are happy to witness to its triumph. From these words of Damasus understand what great deeds can be brought about by Christ’s glory. ~Pope Saint Damasus

Prayer:
Saints Nereus and Achilleus, you chose exile and death rather than serve an evil tyrant by denying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your courage and martyrdom inspired many in the early Church, and the seeds of faith that God sowed through your blood have grown throughout the centuries, producing an army of soldiers for the Kingdom of God. Please pray for me, that I will never cower in the face of persecution, but will accept all for the glory and honor of Christ. Saints Nereus and Achilleus, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 10: Saint John of Ávila, Priest and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

1499–1569
Patron Saint of Spanish priests
Canonized by Pope Paul VI on May 31, 1970
Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI on October 7, 2012
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I know of nothing better than to meditate on the fact that our Lord, with Whom we are to treat, is both God and man, and to think over the reasons for which He comes down upon the altar. Surely such a stroke of love should be enough to awaken anyone from the slumber of indifference. Let such a one reflect upon this Mystery and say to himself: “It is God Almighty Who will come down upon the altar at the words of Consecration: I shall hold Him in my hands, and converse with Him, and receive Him into my breast.” If only we remember this, and if, by the help of God’s Holy Spirit, it penetrate our soul, it will suffice, and more than suffice, to enable us, frail mortals as we are, to perform this sacred duty as we ought. ~Letter to a priest on preparation for Mass, Saint John of Ávila

Prayer:
Saint John of Ávila, God used you to transform southern Spain during a most difficult time in the history of the Church. You prayed and devoted yourself to God’s mission, and much good fruit was borne as a result. Please pray for me, that I will see those around me as my mission field and will work tirelessly to set a holy example and guide them by the words you inspire me to share. Saint John of Ávila, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image:Pierre Subleyras, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 10: Saint Damien de Veuster of Molokai, Priest—USA Optional Memorial

1840–1889
Patron Saint of outcasts and those suffering from leprosy
Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Dear brother, I continue happy and content and even though I am very sick, I only want to fulfill the will of the Good God….I am still able, though not without some difficulty, to stand every day at the altar where I never forget any of you: Please, in return, pray and get prayers for me as I am gently drawn towards my grave. May God strengthen me and give me the grace of perseverance and a good death. ~Final letter from Saint Damien to his brother

Prayer:
Saint Damien, you heard God’s call and you responded. You held nothing back, laying your life down out of love. Please pray for me, that I will have eyes of love to see the broken and rejected all around me and will have the courage I need to respond to them with the Heart of Christ. Saint Damien of Molokai, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikimedia Commons 

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 3- Saints Philip and James, Apostles—Feast

Saint Philip: c. 4–c. 80
Patron Saint of hatmakers and pastry chefs
Saint James: First century BC–c. 62
Patron Saint of pharmacists and the dying
Pre-Congregation canonizations
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
The next day he decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ~John 1:43–46

Prayer:
Saints Philip and James, you were both highly blessed to be companions of the Lord Jesus, listening to Him preach, witnessing His miracles, and receiving from Him a commission to continue His work. Please pray for me, that I will also come to know our Lord and Savior through prayer and the Holy Scriptures, so that I will be prepared for the mission that God has for me. Saints Philip and James, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 2- Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor—Memorial

c. 296–373
Patron Saint of theologians
Pre-Congregation canonization
Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Now when Arius and his fellows made these assertions, and shamelessly avowed them, we being assembled with the Bishops of Egypt and Libya, nearly a hundred in number, anathematized both them and their followers. But Eusebius and his fellows admitted them to communion, being desirous to mingle falsehood with the truth, and impiety with piety. But they will not be able to do so, for the truth must prevail; neither is there any communion of light with darkness, nor any concord of Christ with Belial. ~Saint Athanasius

Prayer:
Saint Athanasius, your faith, knowledge of the truth, and unwavering commitment to the proclamation of the truth resulted in much suffering in your life. However, God used that suffering and your courage to purify the Church and to set Her on a glorious path. Please pray for me, that I will imitate your faith and courage in my own life so that God can use me to leave a lasting legacy for those whom I am called to love and serve. Saint Athanasius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images by Lawrence OP, via Flickr here

Read entire reflection online >>>

May 1: Saint Joseph the Worker—Optional Memorial

Patron Saint of workers
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he was a carpenter. This simple word sums up Joseph’s entire life. For Jesus, these were hidden years, the years to which Luke refers after recounting the episode that occurred in the Temple: “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” (Lk 2:51). This “submission” or obedience of Jesus in the house of Nazareth should be understood as a sharing in the work of Joseph. Having learned the work of his presumed father, he was known as “the carpenter’s son.” If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus’ work at the side of Joseph the carpenter. ~Saint John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, #22

Prayer:
Saint Joseph, God gave you great responsibility in life, which you embraced with loving devotion and hard work. You found dignity in your labors as you sought to fulfill the will of God by caring for your family. Please pray for me, that I will always keep the right priorities in life, never wavering from my duty to labor, and never laboring in vain for selfish profit. I choose you as my model and intercessor this day and always. Saint Joseph, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 30: Saint Pius V, Pope—Optional Memorial

1504–1572
Patron Saint of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
Invoked for the reform and defense of the Church
Canonized by Pope Clement XI on May 22, 1712
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
From the very first, upon Our elevation to the chief Apostleship, We gladly turned our mind and energies and directed all our thoughts to those matters which concerned the preservation of a pure liturgy, and We strove with God’s help, by every means in our power, to accomplish this purpose. For, besides other decrees of the sacred Council of Trent, there were stipulations for Us to revise and re-edit the sacred books: the Catechism, the Missal and the Breviary. With the Catechism published for the instruction of the faithful, by God’s help, and the Breviary thoroughly revised for the worthy praise of God…We deemed it necessary to give our immediate attention to what still remained to be done, viz, the re-editing of the Missal as soon as possible… ~Promulgating the Tridentine Liturgy, Saint Pius V

Prayer:
Saint Pius V, you were unwavering in your faith and unwavering in your courage. God used those virtues to help defend and reform His Church at a time when it was suffering greatly. Please pray for me, that as the Church continues to be in need of renewal and the Gospel in need of proclamation, I will be a holy instrument in the hands of God. May I also be courageous and faithful until the end, no matter the cost. Saint Pius V, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 29: Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church—Memorial

1347–1380
Patron Saint of Europe, Italy, nurses, the sick, and those ridiculed for their piety
Invoked against fires, miscarriages, temptations
Canonized by Pope Pius II on June 29, 1461
Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI on October 4, 1970
Proclaimed Co-Patron of Europe by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1999
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Do you not know, dear daughter, that all the sufferings, which the soul endures, or can endure, in this life, are insufficient to punish one smallest fault, because the offense, being done to Me, Who am the Infinite Good, calls for an infinite satisfaction? However, I wish that you should know, that not all the pains that are given to men in this life are given as punishments, but as corrections, in order to chastise a son when he offends; though it is true that both the guilt and the penalty can be expiated by the desire of the soul, that is, by true contrition, not through the finite pain endured, but through the infinite desire; because God, who is infinite, wishes for infinite love and infinite grief ~The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena

Prayer:
Eternal God, eternal Trinity, You have made the Blood of Christ so precious through His sharing in Your Divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find, the more I search for You. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When You fill my soul, I have an ever greater hunger, and I grow more famished for Your light. I desire above all to see You, the true Light, as You really are. Amen. Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image:  via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 28: Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest—Optional Memorial

1673–1716
Patron Saint of preachers
Canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 20, 1947
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I declare with the saints: Mary is the earthly paradise of Jesus Christ the new Adam, where He became man by the power of the Holy Spirit, in order to accomplish in her wonders beyond our understanding. She is the vast and divine world of God where unutterable marvels and beauties are to be found. She is the magnificence of the Almighty where He hid His only Son, as in His own bosom, and with Him everything that is most excellent and precious. What great and hidden things the all-powerful God has done for this wonderful creature, as she herself had to confess in spite of her great humility, “The Almighty has done great things for me.” ~from “True Devotion” by Saint Louis de Montfort

Prayer:
Saint Louis-Marie, throughout your life you endured many hardships. You endured your father’s outbursts, received mockery from worldly clergy, and struggled to fulfill your vocation. Through it all, you deepened your devotion to our Blessed Mother and entrusted yourself to God alone through her. Please pray for me, that I may live for God alone by consecrating myself totally to Jesus through Mary in imitation of you. Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Wikimedia – main

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 28: Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr—Optional Memorial

1803–1841
Patron Saint of Oceania
Canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 12, 1954
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
It does not matter whether or not I am killed; the religion has taken root on the island; it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God. ~Saint Peter Chanel

Prayer:
Saint Peter, God placed the seed of desire in your heart as a youth to give yourself to His service as a missionary in far-off lands. When that desire came to fruition, you held nothing back, laying your life down sacrificially. Through that sacrifice, your blood nourished the faith of the people you served, and God transformed them into His holy people. Please pray for me, that I will courageously give of myself for God’s glory, no matter the cost. Saint Peter Chanel, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Tauʻolunga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Divine Mercy Sunday—Solemnity
Eighth Day of of the Octave of Easter

Liturgical Color: White

Prayer:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us (#1319). Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: The First Image of Merciful Jesus—Vilnius (Lithuania)

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist—Feast

c. 12–c. 68
Patron Saint of attorneys, captives, shoemakers, lions, notaries, glass workers, Egypt, and Venice
Invoked against impenitence, insect bites, scrofulous & struma diseases
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'”  ~Mark 1:1–4

Prayer:
Saint Mark, I thank you for your “Yes” to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank you for your ministry and especially for your Gospel account. Please pray for me, that I may never tire of turning back to the mission that God has entrusted to me. May I imitate your fidelity and hard work for Christ, going so far as to lay my life down for others. Saint Mark, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Images via Wikimedia - main

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 24: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 1577–1622
Patron Saint of lawyers and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Canonized by Pope Benedict XIV in 1746
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Catholic faith, how stable, how firm you are, how well‐rooted, how well‐founded on a strong rock. Heaven and earth will pass away, but you can never perish. From the beginning the whole world has spoken against you, but you have triumphed mightily over all. For this is the Victory which overcomes the world, our faith; this is what has brought the most powerful kings under Christ’s rule, and made peoples the servants of Christ. ~From Saint Fidelis’ final sermon

Prayer:
Saint Fidelis, though you discovered your religious vocation later in life, what you lost in time you made up for in zeal and love of neighbor. You did not fear for your own life but only feared not doing enough for the salvation of souls. Pray for me, that I may imitate your courage and determination to do all I can to build up Christ’s Church. Saint Fidelis, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 23- Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 956–997
Patron Saint of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
Canonized by Pope Sylvester II in 999
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Adalbert is that evangelical seed which fell to the earth and died, and has brought forth a manifold harvest in all the nations associated with his mission. This was the case of Bohemia, Hungary, the Poland of the Piast, and also of Pomerania, Gdansk, and the people living in this region. After the thousand years which separate us from his death on the Baltic, we are becoming ever more fully aware that the blood of this martyr, shed in these territories ten centuries ago, made an essential contribution to evangelization, faith, and new life. How great is our need today to follow the example of his life devoted completely to God and to the spread of the Gospel. His witness of service and apostolic fervor was profoundly rooted in faith and love of Christ. Of Saint Adalbert we can say with the Psalmist: “His soul constantly thirsted for God, he longed for him like an empty, dry land without water” (cf. Ps 63:2). ~1997 homily of Saint John Paul II in Poland

Prayer:
Saint Adalbert, you courageously ministered as a good shepherd to the people to whom you were sent. Though you met with continuous resistance, your commitment never wavered. In the end, that commitment resulted in the shedding of your blood. Please pray for me, that I will follow your courageous example and lay my life down for others, no matter the cost. Saint Adalbert of Prague, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Mihály Kovács, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 23- Saint George, Martyr—Optional Memorial

Died c. 303
Patron Saint of agricultural workers, soldiers, archers, equestrians, chivalry, peacekeeping missions, sheep, shepherds, scouting, England and many other countries, cities, and dioceses
Invoked against skin diseases and syphilis
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Immediately on the publication of the decree against the churches in Nicomedia, a certain man, not obscure but very highly honored with distinguished temporal dignities, moved with zeal toward God, and incited with ardent faith, seized the edict as it was posted openly and publicly, and tore it to pieces as a profane and impious thing; and this was done while two of the sovereigns were in the same city,—the oldest of all, and the one who held the fourth place in the government after him. But this man, first in that place, after distinguishing himself in such a manner suffered those things which were likely to follow such daring, and kept his spirit cheerful and undisturbed till death. ~Church historian Eusebius

Prayer:
Saint George, your witness as a martyr is inspiring. The blood you shed has won for you the power to intercede before God on our behalf. You have been invoked by countless generations throughout the world. Kings, soldiers, and people of every class have relied upon you. Therefore, I turn to you today and beg your intercession. Please slay the evil in my life and win for me victory in Christ. Saint George, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Hans von Kulmbach, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 21- Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

c. 1033–1109
Especially invoked by scholastic philosophers and in Canterbury
Possibly canonized prior to 1170; canonization confirmed by Pope Alexander VI on October 4, 1494
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Clement XI in 1720
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Man cannot seek God, unless God himself teaches him; nor find him, unless he reveals himself. God created man in his image, that he might be mindful of him, think of him, and love him. The believer does not seek to understand, that he may believe, but he believes that he may understand: for unless he believed he would not understand.
Up now, slight man! flee, for a little while, your occupations; hide yourself, for a time, from your disturbing thoughts. Cast aside, now, your burdensome cares, and put away your toilsome business. Yield room for some little time to God; and rest for a little time in him. Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts save that of God, and such as can aid you in seeking him; close your door and seek him… ~Proslogion, Saint Anselm

Prayer:
Saint Anselm, you had a profound, intimate, and personal love of God that arose from your fervent life of prayer. From that prayer, faith was enkindled within you. From that faith, understanding poured forth from your intellect to inspire others and teach them the way to God. Please pray for me, that I may always turn to God through prayer so that my interior life of prayer will be the foundation of all I do and all I am. Saint Anselm, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: from Adobe Stock

Read entire reflection online >>>

Easter Sunday—Solemnity

c. 33 A.D.
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of his glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples… ~Excerpt from The Exsultet

Prayer:
My Resurrected Lord, the glory to which You have called me is beyond my natural capacity to comprehend. I could never imagine what awaits those who fully, and without reserve, surrender their lives to You and obey every aspect of the Father’s will. Please fill me with a realization that there is so much more that I do not know. Inflame my soul with a desire to quench that longing to know You more so as to share more fully in the glories of the Resurrection while here on earth and forever in Heaven. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Francesco Buoneri, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Triduum
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
“Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” ~Matthew 27:22–23

Prayer:
My suffering and sacrificial Lord, You have sanctified this day and endowed it with grace. As I commemorate Your saving sacrifice, draw me into this mystical act of love. Help me to remain prayerful and recollected throughout this day and into tomorrow. Invite me to stand before Your Cross and to gaze upon Your beaten and torn body. As I do, pour forth the abundance of Your mercy flowing from Your wounded side. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Holy Thursday

c. 33 A.D.
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” ~Luke 22:19–20

Prayer:
My agonizing Lord, You endured every human suffering imaginable out of love for me and all Your children. Please give me the grace I need to accompany You through Your suffering and death. May I unite my sufferings with Yours, embracing them freely and with love, so that I may fulfill the Father’s will, sacrificially laying my life down for others, and may one day share fully in the glories of Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Tiepolo Last Supper, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion—Solemnity
Sixth Sunday of Lent

Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest. ~Matthew 21:9

Prayer:
Most glorious King, blessed are You Who continuously comes to us, leading the way to Heaven. Hosanna in the highest! As I begin this most Holy Week, commemorating Your gift of salvation, I pray that this commemoration will also be a real and transforming participation in Your life, death, and resurrection. Thank You for redeeming us, dear Lord. Please open my heart to receive Your grace fully. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Pietro Lorenzetti, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 13: Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 595–655
Pre-Congregation canonization
Invoked by those persecuted by the state
Liturgical Color: Red (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
It is now forty-seven days since I have been permitted to wash myself either in cold or warm water. I am quite wasted and chilled, and have had no respite either upon sea or land from the flux which I suffer. My body is broken and spent, and, when I would take any nourishment, I want such kind of food as is necessary to support me; and have a perfect aversion and loathing to what I have. But I hope that God, who knows all things, when he shall have taken me out of this world, will bring my persecutors to repentance. ~Words attributed to Saint Martin in Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Prayer:
Saint Martin, your mind was imbued with the orthodox faith, and your will was strengthened with the virtue of courage in the face of opposition. You did not hesitate to do what was right, despite knowing the consequences you would suffer. Please pray for me, that I may have your same courage and clarity of mind so that I will be a greater instrument of God’s truth in this world. Saint Martin, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: from Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 11- Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

1030–1079
Patron Saint of Poland, soldiers in battle, moral order
Canonized by Pope Innocent IV on September 17, 1253, in Assisi, Italy
Liturgical Color: Red (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
Just as a baptized person comes to Christian maturity by means of this sacrament of Confirmation, so Divine Providence gave to our nation, after its Baptism, the historical moment of Confirmation. Saint Stanislaus, who was separated by almost a whole century from the period of the Baptism and from the mission of Saint Adalbert, especially symbolizes this moment by the fact that he rendered witness to Christ by his own blood. ~1979 homily of Saint John Paul II in Poland

Prayer:
Saint Stanislaus, your birth was a gift from Heaven, and your life of virtue, courage, and charity was a gift to the Church of Poland. Please pray for me, that I will never cower in the face of opposition, always preferring persecution over sin, and a holy life over fear of death. Like you, may I become a true witness of my faith and a source of inspiration to others. Saint Stanislaus, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Stanisław Samostrzelnik, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 7: Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Priest—Memorial

1651–1719
Patron Saint of educators
Canonized by Pope Leo XIII on May 24, 1900
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
Indeed, if I had ever thought that the care I was taking of the schoolmasters out of pure charity would ever have made it my duty to live with them, I would have dropped the whole project. For since, naturally speaking, I considered the men whom I was obliged to employ in the schools at the beginning as being inferior to my valet, the mere thought that I would have to live with them would have been insupportable to me. In fact, I experienced a great deal of unpleasantness when I first had them come to my house. This lasted for two years. It was undoubtedly for this reason that God, who guides all things with wisdom and serenity, whose way it is not to force the inclinations of persons, willed to commit me entirely to the development of the schools. God did this in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time, so that one commitment led to another in a way that I did not foresee in the beginning. ~Memoir of Saint John de La Salle

Prayer:
Saint John Baptist de La Salle, God led you one step at a time throughout your life. Your generosity to the promptings of grace in your heart led you down a path you could have never imagined. Please pray for me, that I will always be open to the plan God has for my life, and will generously respond to that plan no matter what. Saint John Baptist de La Salle, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: from Adobe Stock—featured

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 5: Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest—Optional Memorial

c.1350–1419
Patron Saint of builders, plumbers, fishermen, and prisoners
Canonized by Pope Calixtus III in 1455
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
By study of Holy Scripture and by factual experience we know that when any great and heavy affliction is about to come on the world, often some warning sign is shown in the sky or in the upper air. And this happens by the mercy of God, so that people forewarned of impending tribulation by means of these signs, through prayer and good works, may obtain in the tribunal of mercy a reversal of the sentence passed against them by God the judge in the heavenly courts; or at least by penance and amendment of life, may prepare themselves against the impending affliction. ~Sermon of Saint Vincent on the Last Judgment

Prayer:
Saint Vincent, you put prayer first in your life, and from that prayer became an exceptionally effective minister of the Gospel. God used you to convert countless thousands as you submitted yourself to His divine will with generosity and zeal. Please pray for me, that I may always seek God in prayer and allow my life of prayer to be the fuel for the ministry to which I am called. Saint Vincent Ferrer, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Alonso Cano, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 4: Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

c.560–636
Patron Saint of computer technicians, the Internet, and students
Pre-Congregation canonization
Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1722 by Pope Innocent XIII
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
Isidore, a man of great distinction, bishop of the church of Seville, successor and brother of bishop Leander, flourished from the time of Emperor Maurice and King Reccared. In him antiquity reasserted itself—or rather, our time laid in him a picture of the wisdom of antiquity: a man practiced in every form of speech, he adapted himself in the quality of his words to the ignorant and the learned, and was distinguished for unequaled eloquence when there was fit opportunity. Furthermore, the intelligent reader will be able to understand easily from his diversified studies and the works he has completed, how great was his wisdom. ~Tribute to Saint Isidore by Bishop Braulio of Saragossa

Prayer:
Saint Isidore, God gifted you with a keen intellect that you wholeheartedly devoted to the service of Christ and His Church. Coupled with your personal holiness and charismatic nature, you left an enduring legacy of faith for countless generations. Please pray for me, that I will devote every gift I have been given to the glory of God and the building up of His Church. Saint Isidore, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 2: Saint Francis of Paola, Hermit—Optional Memorial

1416–1507
Patron Saint of boatmen, mariners, and naval officers
Canonized by Pope Leo X on May 1, 1519
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your souls with prudence and diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke. Therefore you must fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who so burned with love for us that he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sakes he suffered all the agonies of body and mind, and did not shrink from any torment. He gave us a perfect example of patience and love. For our part, we too must be patient when things go against us. ~Letter of Saint Francis of Paola

Prayer:
Saint Francis, the closer you grew to God, the more radical your daily life became. However, the radical life you lived eventually became normal to you and your ordinary way to holiness. Please pray for me that I may live a life so completely given over to God that this total self-giving becomes my ordinary way of life. Saint Francis of Paola, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: The Miracles of Francis Paola, Peter Paul Rubens, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

April 8: Annunciation of the Lord—Solemnity
Normally celebrated on March 25, but transfered to April 8 due to Holy Week this year

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. ~Luke 1:38

Prayer:
Most glorious and ever-virgin Mary, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to you to announce the coming of God within your virginal womb, you inquired with humility how this could be. The Archangel spoke further, and you assented to this divine mystery with all your heart. Please pray for me, that I may always consent to the will of God in my life so that your divine Son may also be conceived in my soul to continue His saving work of redemption. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Paolo de Matteis, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

March 23: Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop—Optional Memorial

1538–1606
Patron Saint of Peru, Latin American bishops, and native people’s rights
Canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on December 10, 1726
Liturgical Color: Purple (Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
Nothing gave the saint so much pleasure as the greatest labors and dangers, to procure the least spiritual advantage to one soul. Burning with the most vehement desire of laying down his life for his flock, and of suffering all things for him who died for us, he feared no danger. ~Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Prayer:
Saint Turibius, you were a true shepherd whose primary concern was the salvation of every soul. You devoted yourself wholeheartedly to that mission. Please pray for me, that I may imitate you and become a better instrument of the Gospel, reaching people in ways that will more fully open their hearts to Christ. Saint Turibius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Sebastiano Conca, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

March 19: Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Solemnity

First Century
Patron Saint of the Universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and a happy death
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. ~Matthew 1:24–25

Prayer:
Saint Joseph, you were obedient to the will of the Father in Heaven as it was revealed to you by an angel. You took Mary as your wife and Jesus as your Son. You raised Him, protected Him, and exercised a fatherly authority over Him. Please exercise that same fatherly authority, given to you by the Father in Heaven, over my life. I entrust myself to your intercession and authority and pray that you protect me always, guiding me to your Son in Heaven. Saint Joseph, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Fra Bartolomeo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

March 18- Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 315–c. 387
Pre-Congregation canonization
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883
Liturgical Color: Purple (Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
God is loving to man, and loving in no small measure. For say not, I have committed fornication and adultery: I have done dreadful things, and not once only, but often: will He forgive? Will He grant pardon? Hear what the Psalmist says: “How great is the multitude of Your goodness, O Lord!” Your accumulated offenses surpass not the multitude of God’s mercies: your wounds surpass not the great Physician’s skill. Only give yourself up in faith: tell the Physician your ailment: say thou also, like David: “I said, I will confess me my sin unto the Lord:” and the same shall be done in your case, which he says immediately: “And you forgave the wickedness of my heart.” ~Saint Cyril, Catechetical Lecture 2

Prayer:
Saint Cyril, you were a loving shepherd and a firm defender of the Truth of the divinity of Christ. You never wavered in your mission, not even during persecution and exile, but proclaimed Christ Jesus to your flock. Please pray for me, that I will always remain firm in my faith, especially when challenged by a hostile world, and will lovingly proclaim the truth to those who need it most. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

March 17: Saint Patrick, Bishop—Optional Memorial

c. 387–c. 460 or 493 (Actual dates are uncertain)
Patron Saint of Ireland
Invoked against snake bites
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Purple (Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many…was taken captive. I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people…And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God… ~Confession of Saint Patrick

Prayer:
Saint Patrick, you were captured and made a slave. God used that captivity to change your heart and draw you to Himself. Once converted, you chose to become a holy slave of Christ, bringing His saving message to a hostile and pagan land. Please pray for me, that I may imitate your conversion and place myself at the service of the will of God. Saint Patrick, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Sicarr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read online

March 9: Saint Francis of Rome, Religious—Optional Memorial

1495–1550
Patron Saint of hospitals, nurses, firefighters, booksellers, alcoholics, and the sick
Canonized October 16, 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
A married woman must, when called upon, leave her devotions to God at the altar to find him in her household affairs. ~Famous quote of Saint Frances

Prayer:
Saint Frances of Rome, you loved and served God at every stage of your life. Please pray that I may serve God within my vocation, seeking only His holy and perfect will. Saint Frances, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Giovanni Battista Gaulli, via Wikimedia Commons

Read online

March 8: Saint John of God, Religious—Optional Memorial

1495–1550
Patron Saint of hospitals, nurses, firefighters, booksellers, alcoholics, and the sick
Canonized October 16, 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote: Lord be blessed for in your great kindness to me who am such a great sinner having done so many wicked things, yet you see fit to set me free from such a tremendous temptation and deception which I fell into through my own sinfulness. You have brought me into a safe harbor where I shall endeavor to serve you with all my strength. My Lord, I beg you with all my might, give me the strength of your grace and always let me see your clemency. I want to be your slave, so kindly show me what I should do. Give peace and quiet to my soul which greatly desires this. O most worthy Lord, may this creature of yours serve and praise you. May I give my whole heart and mind to you. ~Prayed by Saint John of God at the time of his final conversion

Reflection: Saint John of God was born in the village of Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal to middle-class, faith-filled parents. According to his early biographer, John was abducted from his home when he was only eight years old and taken to the town of Oropesa, Spain, more than 200 miles away. In Oropesa, John found himself homeless and alone. He met a good man named El Mayoral who gave him a job as a shepherd and a place to live. John worked hard until he was twenty-two years old, never returning to his parents’ home. El Mayoral wanted John to marry his daughter, but John wanted to see the world. He joined the army of the Holy Roman Emperor and battled the French. During his service, he was assigned to guard some captured clothing that went missing. John was accused of theft and condemned to death, but others intervened and he was released. Frustrated with military life, John returned to El Mayoral’s farm where he worked for another four years before entering the army once again to fight the Turks for the next eighteen years.

Upon the completion of his military service, John decided to return to his home country in Montemor-o-Novo to learn what became of his parents. After much searching, he found one of his elderly uncles who informed him that his mother died of heartbreak after his abduction and that his father joined the Franciscans and advanced in holiness. John said to his uncle, “I no longer wish to stay in this country; but rather to go in search of a way to serve Our Lord beyond my native place, just as my father did. He gave me a good example by doing that. I have been so wicked and sinful and since the Lord has given me life, it is fitting that I should use it to serve him and do penance.”

John began an interior search for the best way he could serve God and decided to journey to Africa, to ransom himself to the Muslims in exchange for their prisoners. On the journey, he met a knight and his family who were destitute and unable to care for themselves. The knight begged for John’s help that John gladly gave by working and giving them his earnings. When one of John’s fellow workers fled to Muslim territory and converted to Islam, John began to despair, thinking he should have done more for his friend. After seeking counsel from a Franciscan monastery, he decided to return to the mainland of Spain for the good of his soul.

Upon his arrival, John threw himself into a life of prayer, made a general confession, and tearfully went from church to church begging God for the forgiveness of his sins. To support himself, he began to buy and sell religious pictures and books as a traveling salesman. He found this to be spiritually rewarding and fruitful for the salvation of souls. Eventually, at the age of forty-six, he set up a small shop of religious items at Granada’s city gate.

Soon after, the great preacher Saint John of Ávila came to town to preach a mission. John was in attendance and was so moved by John of Ávila’s sermons, and so keenly aware of his own sins, that he started running through the streets like a madman, shouting for mercy. He returned to his shop and destroyed every book that was not religious, gave every other religious book and picture away to those passing by, gave away the rest of his possessions, and continued crying out in the streets that he was a sinner. “Mercy! Mercy, Lord God, on this tremendous sinner who has so offended you!” Many thought John was a lunatic. Some good men brought him to Saint John of Ávila who heard his confession, counseled him, consoled him, and offered his continued guidance. But John was so deeply touched by the priest’s holy help that he wanted everyone in the town to know how sinful he was, so he ran through the streets crying out again and rolled in mud as a sign of his sinfulness. Eventually, two compassionate men took John to the local insane asylum for treatment.

The theory of the day was that those who were insane were best cured by locking them in a dungeon and torturing them continuously until they chose to abandon their insanity, and this is what happened to John. Saint John of Ávila heard of this and began communicating with John, encouraging him, and guiding him. He received every beating in the asylum with joy as penance and offered each sacrificially to God. Throughout, John exhorted the warden and other officers to treat the patients better. When John began to exude a peaceful disposition, the warden was pleased and permitted him to be freed of his shackles. John showed mercy and compassion to others, performing menial charitable tasks and spreading God’s love. He thought to himself, “May Jesus Christ eventually give me the grace to run a hospice where the abandoned poor and those suffering from mental disorders might have refuge and that I may be able to serve them as I wish.”

After receiving permission to leave the asylum, John made a pilgrimage and had a vision of the Blessed Mother who encouraged him to work for the poor and infirm. Upon his return to Granada, he moved forward with his desire to open a hospital. Through begging, he was able to rent a building, furnish it, and begin seeking out the sick. He worked tirelessly to care for them, begged for food, brought priests to hear their confessions, and nursed them back to health. In the years following, John extended his mission of mercy to the poor, the abandoned, widows, orphans, the unemployed, prostitutes, and all who suffered. Soon, others were so inspired by the work John was doing that they joined him. His companions in the work made up what would eventually become the Order of Hospitallers. In John’s life, the group would be only an organized group of companions, but twenty-two years after John’s death, the pope would approve this group of men as a new religious order. Among the many miracles that have been reported, the most notable was when John ran in and out of a burning hospital to rescue patients without being burned himself.

Saint John of God is a shining example of God’s power. He was a sinner and was thought to be mentally ill, but God did incredible things through him. If you ever feel as though you have nothing to offer God, think of Saint John and know that the weaker you may feel, the more God can use you.

Prayer: Saint John of God, you struggled in many ways throughout your life. Through it all, you never gave up your desire to serve God and others. Please pray for me, especially when I lose hope, that I may imitate your example and offer myself to God for His glory and the service of all. Saint John of God, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Church of St Bartholomew on the Tiber Island in Rome

Read Online

March 7: Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs—Memorial

Saint Perpetua: c. 182–203
Patron Saint of cattle and martyrs
Invoked against the death of childrenSaint Felicity: Unknown–203
Patron Saint of martyrs, help to have male children, and widows
Invoked against sterility and the death of children
Pre-Congregation canonizations
Liturgical Color: Red (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote: Now dawned the day of their victory, and they went forth from the prison into the amphitheater as it were into heaven, cheerful and bright of countenance; if they trembled at all, it was for joy, not for fear. Perpetua followed behind, glorious of presence, as a true spouse of Christ and darling of God; at whose piercing look all cast down their eyes. Felicity likewise, rejoicing that she had borne a child in safety, that she might fight with the beasts, came now from blood to blood, from the midwife to the gladiator, to wash after her travail in a second baptism. ~The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity #18

Reflection: The first records of martyrdom in North Africa took place in 180 when twelve Christians were tried and put to death for their faith. After those first martyrs, the Christian faith in North Africa grew stronger and new converts became commonplace. In an attempt to slow the growth of Christianity, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus issued a decree forbidding subjects of the Roman Empire to convert. If they did, they were given the opportunity to renounce their faith and honor the Roman gods. If they refused, they were put to death. In 203, five catechumens preparing for baptism were arrested in the Roman city of Carthage (modern-day Tunisia). Among those catechumens were the two martyrs we honor today.

Vibia Perpetua was a twenty-two-year-old married noblewoman at the time of her arrest. She was also a mother, having recently given birth to a son whom she was still nursing. Her father was a pagan, but her mother and a brother were baptized Christians. A second brother was preparing for baptism alongside Perpetua, and a third brother had already died as a pagan. Perpetua had been touched by Christ and decided to become a Christian, but she was arrested before her baptism. Her pagan father came to her in prison and pleaded with her to renounce the Christian faith and refuse baptism to save her life so she could raise her son. Perpetua records that conversation as follows: “‘Father, do you see this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ And he said, ‘No.’ ‘Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian’” (Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity). A few days later, Perpetua was secretly baptized in prison.

While in prison, Perpetua’s heart yearned for her baby. To her joy, the infant was brought to her so she could nurse him. When that happened, she said, “My prison suddenly became a palace to me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.”

Felicity, a slave, was also a young woman and pregnant at the time of her arrest. One eyewitness stated, “Felicity had feared that she might not be allowed to suffer with the rest, because pregnant women were not sent into the arena. However, she gave birth in the prison to a daughter whom one of their fellow Christians at once adopted.”

When these brave women stood before their judge, Perpetua’s father showed up with her baby, pleading with her to renounce Christ, save her life, and be there for her son. The judge also encouraged her: “Spare your father’s white hairs. Spare the tender years of your child. Offer sacrifice for the prosperity of the emperors.” Perpetua refused. When asked directly if she were a Christian, she responded, “Yes, I am.” At that, her father violently inserted himself into the situation but was struck by the guard. When Perpetua saw this, her heart broke. She later recounted, “I felt this as if I myself had been struck, so deeply did I grieve to see my father treated thus in his old age.” The judge passed sentence and all were condemned to death by wild beasts. Still, they were filled with great joy as they returned to their prison. After the sentencing, Perpetua was no longer allowed to see her baby boy.

On the day of their martyrdom, Perpetua and Felicity walked to the arena with heads high and joyful spirits. With them were Revocatus, a fellow slave with Felicity, and two freemen, Saturninus and Secundulus. The men were sent into the arena first to be devoured by a leopard, a wild boar, and a bear. Saturnius was the last standing. When a second leopard attacked and blood poured out, the crowd cried out, “He is well baptized now!”

Perpetua and Felicity were then placed in the arena, and a wild cow was let loose as a way of mocking them as nursing mothers. The beast gravely wounded them but did not kill them, so an executioner was dispatched. Perpetua cried out to her brother, “Stand fast in the faith, and love one another. Do not let our sufferings be a stumbling block to you.” She then noticed the fear in the eyes of the executioner so she guided his sword to her neck and the young women received their eternal reward.

Perpetua and Felicity were both new young mothers at the time of their martyrdom. They loved their newborn babies with tender love. But they also loved their God Whom they had both recently come to know. They were forced to choose. Either reject Christ and be there to raise their babies or remain Christian and leave their babies. With heroic courage and faith, they remained true to both. They remained faithful to Christ, dying as martyrs, and they fulfilled their greatest motherly duty by giving heroic witnesses of faith to their babies. We can only hope that as their children grew and were told the stories of their mothers’ love of God, those children were inspired and sought to imitate their mothers’ Christian faith.

Place yourself in that same situation. Would you have had the courage to face death? Would you be able to stay true to your profession of faith under such extreme emotional and familial pressures? Pray to these saintly mothers and be reminded that the greatest gift we can pass onto others is the witness of our faith in Christ. Life is empty unless Christ is loved and professed, and death loses its sting when our lives are Christ’s.

Prayer: Saints Perpetua and Felicity, you loved your infants and you loved your God. By embracing martyrdom for your faith, you gave the greatest witness possible to your children. Please pray for me, that I will never shy away from living my faith openly in a hostile world and that I will be a holy witness of God’s most pure love to all. Saints Perpetua and Felicity, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Image from National Museum in Warsaw, via Wikimedia Commons

Read Online

Ash Wednesday

Quote: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ~Distribution of ashes

Reflection: It was a common practice within the early Church that those who were found guilty of grave public sin needed to do public penance before they were admitted back into communion with the Church and admitted to the Most Holy Eucharist. The public sinners came forward in sackcloth forty days before Easter and were sprinkled with ashes, in keeping with many Old Testament examples of public penance. They fasted and prayed for forty days and then, on Easter, were readmitted into full communion with the Church. Eventually, prior to the end of the first millennium, this practice was extended to the entire Church as a way of highlighting everyone’s need for penance. One of the earliest mentions of this practice becoming universal comes from an English Benedictine monk who wrote:

We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast.

Today, as a sign of our ongoing need to repent of our sins and do penance, the faithful are invited to come forward to be marked with ashes as a sign of their commitment to the penitential season of Lent, so as to celebrate with great joy the Solemnity of Easter. Lent is forty-six days long. Forty of those days are penitential days, and six of them are Sundays. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with the Easter Vigil. The forty penitential days are an imitation of Jesus’ forty days in the desert.

As we come forward to receive ashes, the minister traditionally says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This line is taken from the Book of Genesis when God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. He told Eve that she would suffer the pains of childbirth and be subjected to her husband. God told Adam that he would labor for his food through sweat and toil. To both of them, God said this curse would last “Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Thus, the final curse of original sin is death: “...to dust you shall return.”

As we come forward to receive ashes, we should hear God saying to us, as He said to Adam and Eve, that we also suffer the consequences of original sin and will die. But that curse must be seen in the light of God’s final plan of salvation. Today, we acknowledge that the curse of death will endure but also hold onto the hope of resurrection made possible through Christ. Lent is a time of repentance for our sin and hope in redemption. Ash Wednesday is our liturgical and public statement that we have chosen both repentance and redemption.

As you come forward to receive the ashes today, don’t just go through the motions. Make this act a prayer and one of deep interior devotion. Call to mind your sins and the sins of your whole life, as best you can. Acknowledge the just punishment of eternal death that you deserve for your sins. But then call to mind the infinite and unmerited mercy of God. Remember that even though you are an undeserving sinner, God has reached down from Heaven to offer you the gift of eternal salvation. He has invited you to receive this gift through your repentance and humility. Humble yourself today in “sackcloth and ashes,” and as with those public sinners of old, God will use this Lent to more fully unite your soul with His through His glorious death and resurrection.

Prayer: Most glorious and Triune God, You have justly condemned me but mercifully offered me redemption. As I enter this season of Lent, I wholeheartedly acknowledge my sin and repent. Please be merciful to me, a sinner. Help me to make this Lent a truly penitential season so that my soul will be more disposed to receive You this Easter. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read Online

March 4: Saint Casimir—Optional Memorial

1458–1484
Patron Saint of Poland, Lithuania, and Lithuanian youth
Believed to have been canonized by Pope Leo X in 1521 or Pope Adrian VI in 1522
Canonization confirmed by Pope Clement VIII in 1602
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote: Daily, daily sing to Mary; Sing, my soul, her praises due. All her glorious actions cherish, With the heart’s devotion true. Lost in wond’ring contemplation, Be her majesty confessed! Call her Mother, call her Virgin, Happy Mother, Virgin blest! ~Verse of a favorite hymn of Saint Casimir

Reflection: King Casimir IV was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His wife, Queen Elizabeth, was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Albert II. Their marriage was arranged primarily for political reasons, giving King Casimir IV greater influence in Bohemia and Hungary, but their marriage also bore great spiritual fruit. They had thirteen children, the third being the saint we honor today, Saint Casimir, named after his father.

Saint Casimir was born on October 3, 1458, the second son and third child in the Polish royal family. King Casimir IV’s father had converted to Catholicism from paganism and introduced Christianity to Lithuania. King Casimir IV was, therefore, raised in a good Catholic home which he also provided to his children. A faithful Catholic herself, Queen Elizabeth was the loving mother of her thirteen children.

As children born into royalty, Casimir and his siblings were well educated. From the age of nine until sixteen, Casimir and his older brother were tutored by a Polish priest named Father Jan Długosz. This good priest taught the boys Latin, German, law, history, rhetoric, and classical literature.

Casimir had no desire for power, war, riches, or nobility. Father Długosz had taught him well, and Casimir had fallen in love with his God and the Blessed Virgin. He prayed frequently, often slept on the floor, engaged in other penitential practices, spent entire nights meditating on the Passion of our Lord, dressed simply, and desired to live a life of chastity. He was charitable to the poor, manifested the virtues, and edified all who encountered him. He especially had a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother and each day sang an ancient hymn called, “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary.”

When Casimir was only thirteen, the King of Bohemia and Hungary died and King Casimir IV asserted his right to name a successor. The Bohemians agreed and accepted Vladislaus, the King’s firstborn son, as their king, but some of the Hungarians did not, preferring a godless tyrant named Matthias Corvinus. With the support of some of the Hungarian nobles, King Casimir IV decided to name his son Casimir to the Hungarian throne by force. Casimir was sent to lead the Polish army in battle against the Hungarians and take the throne. Casimir agreed out of obedience to his father, but his heart was not in it. He opposed the war, and in time the effort failed and Casimir returned to Poland. His opposition grew even stronger when he heard that Pope Sixtus IV had asked his father not to go to war. Upon Casimir’s arrival home, his father was furious and imprisoned him in a tower for three months. Those three months, however, were just what Casimir longed for.

In the solitude of imprisonment, Casimir was able to return to his life of prayer and deepen his union with God. Afterward, he continued his studies and life of devotion, vowing to remain celibate for the Kingdom of God. His father was not pleased and attempted to arrange a marriage for him, but he refused. After completing his studies at the age of sixteen, Casimir worked closely with his father, but his heart remained with God and the Blessed Mother. When Casimir was twenty, his father had to be absent from Poland for about five years, tending to matters in Lithuania. During those years, Casimir was put in charge of ruling Poland, which he did with thoughtfulness, justice, and charity. When Casimir was twenty-five, he became ill with a lung disease. His father rushed back to Poland to be with his son, and on March 4, 1484, at the age of twenty-five, Casimir died.

After his death, devotion to Casimir quickly exploded. Many people prayed to him, and many attributed miracles to his intercession. One notable miracle took place in 1519 when the Lithuanian army was engaged in battle with the Russians. It is said that Saint Casimir appeared to the Lithuanian soldiers in a vision and directed them to a place where they could best defend their city, which they successfully did. This might be the reason that Saint Casimir is the patron saint of both Poland and Lithuania.

Shortly after that miracle, it is believed that Pope Leo X carefully examined Casimir’s life and miracles and was prepared to canonize him, but might have died before he was able to do so. Therefore, his successor, Pope Adrian VI, might have been the one to canonize him. Because those questions remained for some time, Pope Clement VIII officially confirmed Casimir’s canonization in 1602, adding him to the Roman liturgical calendar for Poland and Lithuania. In 1620, Saint Casimir was added to the Roman Calendar of the universal Church.

Worldly power, riches, and honors were all within the grasp of this young prince, yet he chose the power, riches, and honors bestowed by the heavenly King instead. His heart was filled with faith from a very early age that only grew as he got older. Even after Casimir’s death, God used him to inspire many. Ponder your own ambitions in life, and seek to imitate this young prince who rejected the lies of this world, preferring only the eternal truths of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Saint Casimir, at an early age you fell in love with God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. You prayed to them unceasingly and devoted your life to their service. You were a true prince in the court of the Great King of Heaven. Please pray for me, that I will always avoid the lures of this world, keeping my eyes fixed only on Heaven. Saint Casimir, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Image from Flickr, by Lawrence OP

Read online

March 3: Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin—USA Optional Memorial
1858–1955
Patron Saint of racial justice and philanthropists
Canonized October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if in Lent)

Quote: Like the little girl who wept when she found that her doll was stuffed with sawdust and her drum was hollow, I too have made a horrifying discovery and my discovery like hers is true. I have ripped both the doll and the drum open and the fact lies plainly and in all its glaring reality before me: All, all, all (there is no exception) is passing away and will pass away . . . I am disgusted with the world. God in His mercy has opened my eyes to the fact of vanitas vanitatis, and as He has made me see the vile stark emptiness of this earth. I look to Him—the God of Love—in hope. ~Letter to her spiritual director

Reflection: On November 26, 1858, Catherine Marie Drexel was born in Philadelphia to Hannah Langstroth Drexel and her husband, Francis Drexel, an international banker and one of the wealthiest men in the United States. Her mother died when Catherine was only five weeks old, so Catherine and her older sister Elizabeth were cared for by their aunt and uncle until their father remarried in 1860. Three years later, Francis and his new wife, Emma, had a daughter, Louisa.

The three girls had what many would describe as an ideal childhood. They were lovingly cared for, lived in a large home in Philadelphia, received an excellent education from private tutors, frequently traveled with their father and stepmother throughout the United States and Europe, and were taught the Catholic faith in both word and deed. Francis and Emma Drexel were devout Catholics who regularly prayed and performed charitable works. They taught the girls that their wealth was a gift to be used for the good of others. One way they put this conviction into practice was by opening their large home to the community a few times each week, distributing food, clothing, and money for rent assistance to the poor. When widows or single women were embarrassed to come, Emma would quietly seek the women out to assist them. She often taught the girls that “Kindness may be unkind if it leaves a sting behind.” The girls also learned about prayer by witnessing their father and stepmother praying daily before an altar in their home.

When Catherine was only fourteen years old, she formulated a spiritual plan for her life with the help of her spiritual director, Father James O’Connor, who later was named the first bishop of Omaha. Catherine’s parents’ witness greatly influenced her, and she began to understand that spiritual riches were worth more than all the material wealth in the world.

After completing her formal education at the age of twenty, Catherine made her social debut and was presented to Philadelphia high society, as was the custom for young wealthy women. Her heart, however, was not drawn to the life of a social elite, but to God and care for the poor. Over the next few years, Catherine’s stepmother suffered from cancer and died on January 29, 1883, at the age of forty-nine, which helped Catherine to realize that money cannot buy health or happiness. The following year, Catherine and her sisters traveled to the Western United States with their father where they saw firsthand the poverty of the Native American community on reservations. In 1885 their father died, leaving his fortune to his three girls. Francis’ will set up trust funds that stipulated that each daughter would equally receive the income produced by his remaining $14 million estate, which translated into about $1,000 every day for each daughter. By comparison, in the year 2023, the $14 million estate would be equivalent to almost $500 million, and each daughter would receive about $35,000 per day.

Despite receiving this fortune, Catherine’s heart remained with the poor, especially the Native Americans out West, and impoverished Black communities. Over the next two years, with the help of two priests, she made substantial donations to reservations and visited them herself. In 1887, she was struggling with what she would do with her life. She felt drawn to the contemplative religious life but knew that this would make it impossible for her to use her inheritance for charitable work. During a visit to Rome, she had a private audience with Pope Leo XIII during which she begged the Holy Father to send an order of missionaries to the Native Americans. The pope lovingly said to her, “But why not be a missionary yourself, my child?” The pope’s words resonated deeply within her heart, and she soon found herself in tears outside Saint Peter’s Basilica, knowing what she must do.

In 1889, Catherine entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, taking the name Sister Mary Katharine. The news traveled quickly among the social elite. Philadelphia’s Public Ledger printed an article with the headline: “Miss Drexel Enters a Catholic Convent—Gives Up Seven Million.” She made her final vows in 1891, and with thirteen companions founded the “Blessed Sacrament Sisters for Indians and Colored People.” Sister Katharine was chosen as the first superior general.

Mother Katharine quickly went to work, using her inheritance to found a boarding school for Pueblo Indians in New Mexico and a school for African American girls in Virginia. Over the next sixty-four years, Mother Katharine and her sisters established forty-nine elementary schools, twelve high schools, Xavier University in New Orleans for Black students, and fifty-one convents. At the time of her death, her order had grown to more than 500 women religious.

In 1935, following a heart attack at the age of seventy-seven, Mother Katharine retreated to a life of prayer. Her original longing for a contemplative life was realized and lasted for the next twenty years. Her father’s will was set up in such a way that the income she received from the trust fund could only be passed on to her children. If she had no children, the money was to be distributed to religious organizations that her father had specified. Of course, Mother Katharine’s order was not one of them, being founded after her father’s death. Some believe that God allowed her to live until the age of ninety-six so that her annual earnings from her trust fund could be used for the ongoing charitable work of her order. She lived her last years in prayer, in personal poverty, simplicity, and charity, giving all she had and all she was to the poor. She was canonized in the year 2000, only the second person born in the United States to be canonized up to that time (after Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton).

Many people dream of being rich. Saint Katharine Drexel teaches us that money is not the source of fulfillment in life. Love is. Whether you are rich or poor, your happiness comes from lovingly serving the will of God. Be inspired by this holy woman and learn from her example by choosing the poverty of Christ over the riches of the world, and you will discover the true riches of Heaven.

Prayer: Saint Katharine, you gave up earthly wealth so that you could receive the spiritual riches of a life of grace, and better the lives of many. God called and you responded. Please pray for me, that I may never give my heart over to worldly and passing goals, but will seek only a life of selfless service to all whom you give me to love. Saint Katharine Drexel, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Image via Flickr: CC 2.0

Read online

February 27: Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial
951–c. 1003
Widely venerated in the Armenian Church
Declared a Doctor of the Church in 2015 and inscribed on the Church Calendar as an Optional Memorial by Pope Francis in 2021
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote: Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart. The voice of a sighing heart, its sobs and mournful cries, I offer up to you, O Seer of Secrets, placing the fruits of my wavering mind as a savory sacrifice on the fire of my grieving soul to be delivered to you in the censer of my will. ~From Prayer One, Book of Narek, by Saint Gregory

Reflection: The Apostles Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Bartholomew are believed to have traveled to Armenia to share the Gospel. In 301, the Armenian king was converted who, in turn, made Christianity the kingdom’s official religion, making Armenia the first nation to do so. In the centuries that followed, churches and monasteries were built, the faith was taught, liturgies were celebrated, and an extensive Christian culture emerged.

In the year 451, the Armenian Church separated from the Church of Rome over disagreements on doctrine from the Council of Chalcedon. Though the Armenian Church remained an apostolic Church, being founded by the Apostles, it became separated from the pope. Its Sacraments and life of prayer continued, but the division also continued. In recent decades, greater attempts at unification have been made, and the saint we honor today is the most recent attempt by the Roman Church to more fully unite with the Eastern Church of Armenia.

By the tenth century, the Kingdom of Armenia was celebrated for its faith, many churches, literature, art, and architecture. It was a relatively peaceful time. In the year 951, a boy named Gregory was born near Lake Van, the largest lake in the Kingdom of Armenia, modern-day Turkey. His mother died when he was young. His father was the ruling prince of the Andzevatsiq province and also an Armenian bishop and scholar. His father was vocally supportive of some of the teachings of the Council of Chalcedon and believed that the head of the Armenian Church, called the Catholicos, enjoyed only the rank of bishop. This did not sit well with the Catholicos, who later excommunicated Gregory’s father from the Armenian Church.

After their mother’s death, Gregory and his older brother were sent to live at the Monastery of Narek, under the guardianship of their maternal great-uncle Abbot Anania, the monastery’s founder. At about the age of twenty-six, Gregory was ordained a priest for the monastery and remained there for the rest of his life, teaching theology in the monastery’s school.

The loss of his mother early in life led Gregory to a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother. He would later write, “This spiritual, heavenly mother of light cared for me as a son more than an earthly, breathing, physical mother could (Prayer 75).”

Shortly after his ordination to the priesthood, Gregory wrote a commentary on the Song of Songs. He also wrote commentary on the Book of Job, numerous chants, homilies, and speeches that sang the praises of holy men. Toward the end of his life, he wrote his most famous work, The Book of Lamentations, or, as it is commonly known today, The Book of Narek.

Gregory’s father had taught him to remain in a state of continuous dialogue with God, ever attentive to His divine presence. The Book of Narek seems to flow from Gregory’s ongoing dialogue. The book is a compilation of ninety-five prayers. Each prayer begins with the phrase, “Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart.” The prayers then go on to express the deepest love of God by a soul that seems troubled, and even tormented at times. The torment, however, is not despair, but an interior expression of hope from a soul who is in touch with his fallen humanity and sin, while at the same time keenly aware of God’s mercy. His prayers reflect the psalms and are similar to Saint Augustine’s Confessions. Saint Gregory states that these prayers were written “by the finger of God” (Prayer 34) and that Gregory saw God, as he says, “with my own eyes” (Prayer 27f). In one of the final prayers, Gregory states, “although I shall die in the way of all mortals, may I be deemed to live through the continued existence of this book…This book will cry out in my place, with my voice, as if it were me” (Prayer 88b; c). He believed his book was written not only for himself, his monks, or the Armenian people, but for all people, for the entire world.

Less than a century after Saint Gregory’s death, the Kingdom of Armenia was invaded by the Byzantines, then by the Turks. In the centuries that followed, these once-flourishing people suffered greatly under foreign domination. This suffering culminated in the twentieth century during the Armenian genocide when the Turks murdered an estimated 1–1.8 million Armenians. Throughout those centuries of great suffering and oppression, Saint Gregory’s book of prayers became the daily prayers of the Armenian people. Everyone had a printed copy; many people even slept with a copy under their pillow. In 2015, when the pope declared Saint Gregory a Doctor of the Church, and in 2021 when Saint Gregory was placed on the liturgical calendar for the Roman Church, his book of prayers suddenly became prayers for the entire world. They are prayers that need to be prayed by all people today so that the world will humble itself before God and become acutely aware of its sin and need for God’s mercy. Let us conclude with the conclusion of Saint Gregory’s final prayer.

Prayer: Prepare the earth for the day of light and let the soil bloom and bring forth fruit, heavenly cup of life-giving blood, ever sacrificed, never running dry all for the salvation and life of the souls in eternal rest. And though my body die in sin, with Your grace and compassion, may I be strengthened in You, cleansed of sin through You, and renewed by You with life everlasting, and at the resurrection of the righteous be deemed worthy of Your Father’s blessing. To Him together with You, all glory, and with the Holy Spirit, praise and resounding thanks, now, always and forever, Amen.

Pray the Book of Narek: stgregoryofnarek.am

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Hovhannes Asatryan SutiComposer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read online

February 23: Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial
(Optional Memorial if Lenten weekday)

c. 65–c. 155 (or 166)
Invoked against earaches and dysentery
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red (Purple if Lenten Weekday)


Quote: I exhort you all therefore to be obedient to the word of righteousness and to practice all endurance, which also you saw with your own eyes in the blessed Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus, yes and in others also who came from among yourselves, as well as in Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles; being persuaded that all these ran not in vain but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not the present world, but Him that died for our sakes and was raised by God for us. ~Letter of Polycarp to the Phillippians

Reflection: Imagine learning about Christ from someone who knew Jesus personally. What a blessing that would be! This is the blessing today’s saint enjoyed. Saint Polycarp came to know Jesus through the preaching of Saint John the Apostle, the beloved disciple of our Lord.

Saint John’s preaching touched many lives, including that of a young man named Polycarp. It is believed that Saint John ordained Polycarp a bishop and sent him to the town of Smyrna, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Polycarp might have been only a teenager when he was ordained, and he shepherded the Church in Smyrna for more than sixty or seventy years. Saint Irenaeus later wrote that Polycarp “would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and he would call their words to remembrance.” Irenaeus was Polycarp’s disciple, being about sixty-five years younger. That the faith passed on from Jesus to John, from John to Polycarp, from Polycarp to Irenaus, and from Irenaeus to his disciples down through the ages well illustrates that the faith we have today is “apostolic,” meaning passed down to us from the Apostles. Polycarp is commonly referred to as one of the three Apostolic Fathers of the Church because he learned from one of the Twelve and because some of his writings still exist. The other two are Saint Ignatius of Antioch and Saint Clement of Rome (the third pope).

As a bishop, Polycarp was a fierce and courageous defender of the faith, especially against early heresies. He also worked closely with other bishops in the early Church, including the pope. One of those bishops was the Apostolic Father Saint Ignatius of Antioch. In 107 A.D. Ignatius was arrested and brought in chains through the city of Smyrna. Polycarp met him on the way and kissed his chains. Ignatius later wrote to Polycarp, asking him to care for his people. Polycarp did so in part by writing a letter to the Church in Philippi in which he beautifully exhorted the people in their faith. This is the only letter from Polycarp that has survived.

Once when traveling through Rome, Polycarp sought out Pope Anicetus to gain his counsel about the many concerns of the Church. On most things they agreed, but they disagreed on the appropriate day of the year to celebrate Easter. The pope preferred it always be on the Sunday after Passover, but Polycarp preferred it to be more closely tied to Passover, no matter on which day of the week it fell. Since they could not agree, the pope permitted Polycarp and his Eastern Churches to continue their practice, while the Roman Church continued its practice. They affectionately concluded their time together by celebrating the Holy Mass.

Though Polycarp collaborated with the pope and other bishops, he was quite harsh with heretics. For example, a heretic named Marcion taught that there were two gods, the Old Testament God and the New Testament God. One day Polycarp encountered Marcion in Rome. Marcion was surprised that Polycarp knew about his teaching and asked, “Do you know me, Polycarp?” Polycarp replied, “Yes, I know you to be the firstborn of the devil!”

Polycarp is perhaps best known for his martyrdom, which is the second earliest written detailed account of a martyr’s death, the first being the account of Saint Stephen’s stoning as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to that account, when the Roman authorities sought to arrest Polycarp, he at first hid for a week at the encouragement of some of his followers. Eventually, he was found but before he was arrested, he asked for an hour to pray and prepare himself. He was then brought before the proconsul in an arena filled with spectators. The proconsul called him an atheist because he rejected the gods of the Roman Empire. He then promised Polycarp would live if he rejected Christianity. The Romans found it more effective to convince Christians to blaspheme Christ than to martyr them. The proconsul threatened him with wild beasts, but Polycarp responded, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and in nothing has he wronged me. How, then, can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?” The proconsul then threatened to burn him to death, but Polycarp said, “You threaten me with fire that burns but for a season, and is soon quenched. For you are ignorant of the fire of the judgment to come, and of the eternal punishment reserved for the wicked.” The proconsul then condemned him to death and people gathered wood for the fire, but when they approached him to fasten him with nails to the wood, Polycarp said, “Leave me as I am, for He Who gives me strength to endure the fire will also allow me, without the security of your nails, to remain on the pyre without moving.” The fire was then lit, and Polycarp remained there by his own will. But to the surprise of all, his flesh did not burn. Instead, there came forth a sweet aroma as the fire surrounded him and protected him. Angered at this spectacular event, one of the soldiers thrust a spear into him, killing him. When he did this, a dove emerged from his chest, and so much blood gushed forth that the flames were extinguished. On seeing Polycarp’s dead body, some of the angry mob feared that his followers would take his sacred body and worship it, so they ignited the fire once again and burned his dead body.

Martyrdom like this takes incredible courage to endure. It requires that one prefer a wholehearted profession of faith in Christ over one’s earthly life. Though you might not be called to such a physical martyrdom, you are called to have Polycarp’s faith and courage. That courage will make you a martyr in spirit, and that faith will lift you to the heights of Heaven. Ponder your own depth of faith and courage today, and allow Polycarp’s witness to strengthen your resolve to become more like him.

Prayer: Saint Polycarp, you were blessed to be among the first followers of the Apostles and worked fervently for many decades to spread and defend the pure faith. In the end, you gave witness to Christ with a martyr’s death. Please pray for me, that I may learn from your witness and follow your holy example. Saint Polycarp, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Octave 444, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Reading online

February 22: Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle—Feast

Liturgical Color: White


Quote: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ~Matthew 16:17–19

Reflection: In Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, visitors are immediately struck by the large alabaster window on the back wall of the apse that depicts the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Below the window is an ancient wooden chair, believed to have been used by Saint Peter. In the seventeenth century, that ancient chair was encased in bronze by the famous artist Bernini and then placed above the altar in the apse. Surrounding the chair are statues of four early Doctors of the Church. Two of them represent the Eastern Church: Saint John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius. Two of them represent the Western Church: Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine. These great saints represent the universality of the Church, both East and West, as well as the unity of their theological teaching with the authority of the Bishop of Rome. Above the chair are two angels jointly holding the triple crown tiara used by the Bishop of Rome, symbolizing that he is the father of kings, governor of the world, and Vicar of Christ. In their other hands, each angel holds a key, symbolizing the authority of the Bishop of Rome in matters of faith and morals.

Today’s feast celebrates not only that chair as a precious relic from the time of Saint Peter, it also celebrates all that this chair represents. This feast was formally celebrated in Rome as early as the fourth century, but honor for the supremacy of Saint Peter and his successors was celebrated from the moment Jesus entrusted Peter with his unique mission.

In the Gospel of Matthew 16:13–20, we have the discourse between Jesus and His disciples, which is the basis of today’s feast and our belief in the unique and universal authority of Saint Peter and his successors. Jesus asked the disciples, “[W]ho do you say that I am?” Simon responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” With that profession of faith, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, saying to him, “And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” “Peter” in Greek is Petros. The Greek word petra means a solid rock formation that is fixed, immovable, and enduring. Therefore, Jesus chose to make Peter a solid, fixed, and immovable foundation of rock on which the Church would be built and endure until the end of time. Jesus went on to tell Peter that He would give him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and that whatever he bound and loosed on earth would be bound and loosed in Heaven.

It’s interesting to note that immediately after this discourse between Jesus and Peter, Jesus rebukes Peter for giving into fear after Jesus spoke about His impending death. While in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the eve of Jesus’ saving Passion, Peter chooses to sleep rather than stay awake and pray with Jesus. Then, after Jesus is arrested, Peter denies three times that he even knows Jesus. God chose a man of weakness and fear to become the rock foundation for the Church. This shows that God’s power is not limited by the instruments to whom He entrusts His power.

After Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, Peter and the others are filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. After this gift, Peter is more prepared for his mission. He is the first one to go forth courageously to preach the Word of God to the people in Jerusalem. He resolved conflicts within the Church when they arose. He became the first bishop of the newly evangelized city of Antioch and then chose to go to Rome, becoming the first bishop of Rome, where he would die a martyr. However, the death of Saint Peter was not the death of his authority and singular mission. Saint Linus followed him as the second bishop of Rome, and then Saint Cletus, Saint Clement, and so forth until today.

Of the pope’s authority, Vatican Councils I and II affirmed that when the pope speaks Ex Cathedra, meaning, “From the Chair,” he speaks with the authority of Saint Peter who was entrusted with full, supreme, and universal authority to teach and govern. His teaching extends to all matters of faith and morals, and his governance encompasses the entire world. (Lumen Gentium, #22).

As we ponder the authority and infallibility of the one who sits in the Chair of Saint Peter, try to see this sacred power, given to one weak and sinful man after another, as an act of the love of Christ for His Church. It is the power of Christ and His divine love that makes it possible for these men to shepherd the Church, providing stability, longevity, certitude, and hope. When popes are also saints, we are doubly blessed. When they are not, our Lord still works through them, providing the Church with the ongoing rock foundation it needs to endure all things until the end of time. Pray for the pope today. Pledge your obedience to him when he speaks Ex Cathedra, and know that your unity with him ensures your unity with Christ, Who governs through him.

Prayer: Saint Peter, you were a weak and sinful man, but God entrusted you with great responsibility, despite your unworthiness. Please pray for me, that despite my unworthiness, I may be open to all that God entrusts to me and that I may use those gifts for His glory and the salvation of souls. Saint Peter and all your successors in Heaven, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read online

February 21: Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

1007–1072
Patron Saint of Faenza and Font-Avellano, Italy
Pre-Congregation canonization
Canonization confirmed and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XII in 1823
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote: May your mind…fear the imminent day of Judgment, that you may not have to fear when it is upon you, that, as you prudently examine yourself in your own judgment, you may appear before the tribunal of the eternal Judge, not to be judged anew, but as one already judged and purified in the process; and that because through confession you have stood in the presence of the Judge, you may not be compelled to undergo the severe examination of the Judgment, but with the judges and senators of the land, as a judge yourself you may joyfully be conducted into glory. Amen. ~Letter 92

Reflection: Orphan, laborer, student, monk, hermit, priest, theologian, teacher, writer, poet, ascetic, penitent, prior, reformer, bishop, cardinal, saint…these are but a few words to describe today’s courageous saint.

Peter was the youngest child born into a poor but noble family in Ravenna, Italy. His parents died when he was young, so he went to live with one of his older brothers who mistreated him and forced him to labor as a swineherd. Eventually, another brother, a priest from Ravenna named Father Damian, took him in and provided him with an excellent education in which he greatly excelled. Peter was so grateful to his priest brother that he added his brother’s name to his own, making him Peter Damian.

Upon the completion of his education, Peter Damian began to teach with much success. However, he soon found that the university setting was not for him, so he withdrew to a monastery in Fonte-Avellana for a forty-day retreat. Upon completing his retreat, he discerned a call to monastic life and received the habit.

As a monk, Peter Damian lived a secluded life of prayer and extreme penance. His penances were so severe that they affected his health more than once. Eventually, his intellectual gifts were used once again when he was asked to teach his fellow monks. For the next few years, he taught in his own and neighboring monasteries and also began to write. One of his first works was the Vita, or “Life” of Saint Romuald, a recently deceased monk from his monastery known for his exceptional holiness.

In 1043, at the age of thirty-five, Brother Peter Damian was named the prior of his monastery. He led the brothers with zeal and fidelity to their rule. He also began founding new hermitages in the surrounding villages.

At that time, Pope Benedict IX was a truly scandalous pope who had obtained the papacy through bribery and lived an immoral life. In 1045, the pope decided to leave the papacy to marry his cousin. Before doing so, he wrote to his godfather, Father John Gratian, for advice. Being a holy man, Father Gratian encouraged him to resign, which Benedict did, leaving the papacy to Father Gratian, who became Pope Gregory VI. Brother Peter Damian was overjoyed at the change and wrote to the new pope, encouraging him to tackle corruption and scandal within the Church. In the years that followed, more than one pope called on Brother Peter Damian to help accomplish that very goal. He wrote many letters in an attempt to bring about reforms of the clergy, fought against simony (the selling of Church offices and spiritual favors), addressed sexual abuses, challenged the bishops, reformed monasteries, and gave a spectacular personal witness of holiness.

In 1057, Brother Damian was made the Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia by the pope, despite his attempts to turn down the position. As a new cardinal, he quickly challenged his brother cardinals and tried to weed out corruption. He would eventually return to his hermitage and resume his life of prayer, but his fervor in fighting against the evils of the time continued. Pope after pope called on him for help, even while other Church leaders opposed him.

In 1072, at the age of sixty-five after battling one corruption after another, Cardinal Peter Damian fell ill. After a week of illness in a monastery near his hometown, the cardinal died while the monks chanted around his bed.

Every age of the Church has different needs. In the eleventh century, the Church needed an unwavering and courageous voice for reform. Saint Peter Damian was that voice. Though his heart was most at home in his monastery doing penance and chanting the psalms, his body was actively eradicating the mold that had covered the Church. Through his valiant efforts, many parts of the Church began to radiate as the Bride of Christ once again.

Each of us is called to be a reformer in one way or another. First, we must seek to reform our own souls by eliminating sin through prayer, penance, and fidelity to God’s Law. From there, God will use us to extend His reform to others. Ponder any ways that you need to reform your own life, and then offer yourself to God’s service so that He can use you to weed out the evils you encounter in your daily life.

Prayer: Saint Peter Damian, you were drawn to a life of solitude, prayer, and penance. From that hidden life as a monk, God sent you forth to reform His wounded Church. You answered the call with courage and zeal. Please pray for me, that I will never shy away from reforming my own life and that I will always answer the call to be an instrument of that reformation wherever I am sent. Saint Peter Damian, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read Online

February 17: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order—Optional Memorial

Thirteenth Century
Invoked to aid in the imitation of the charity and patience of Our Lady of Sorrows
Canonized January 15, 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
I have chosen you to be my first Servants, and under this name you are to till my Son’s Vineyard. Here, too, is the habit which you are to wear; its dark color will recall the pangs which I suffered on the day when I stood by the Cross of my only Son. Take also the Rule of Saint Augustine, and may you, bearing the title of my Servants, obtain the palm of everlasting life. ~From a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reflection: Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amideus, Hugh, Sostene, and Buonagiunta were seven successful cloth merchants from Florence, Italy. As members of a lay organization dedicated to the Blessed Mother, they were each devout in their faith. Their comradery, centered around their faith, not only united them more fully to God, but also to each other with a holy bond and a holy mission.

At that time, Florence was a bustling city wrought with conflicts, due to competition between the noble rulers and the populists who sought to govern by the will of the people. Florence’s economy was also booming, due to the new merchant class whose financial worth was counted in coins rather than in the amount of land and servants they possessed. Within this context, these seven holy men of Florence desired an escape from the lust for money and power, and from the conflict that continued to grow.

Around the year 1233, it is reported that all seven of these devout men individually experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, calling them to withdraw from the world and to devote themselves entirely to the service of God. They obeyed, and on September 8, the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they gave up their careers and property and moved into a dilapidated house outside the city wall. They embraced the mendicant life of begging, poverty, and prayer. Many were drawn to them and found in them men of wisdom and virtue. As a result, they received many requests for spiritual counsel and moral guidance. Though they were drawn to this form of charity, they soon discovered that their first calling was to a life of prayer. Their close proximity to the city of Florence hindered the solitude to which they were called, so they moved to a dwelling eleven miles from the city on Monte Senario.

Around the year 1240, at Monte Senario, the seven received a joint vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who appeared to them surrounded by angels. She instructed them on their mission, clothed them in their habits, presented them with their rule of life, and personally founded their order.

Central to their mission was to spread devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary and to be her servants. Within a decade, the order was tentatively approved by the pope and their numbers began to grow. In addition to new foundations in Italy, they quickly spread to Germany, France, and Spain. By the early thirteenth century, final papal approval was given and the order spread to Hungary, Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and modern-day Belgium. Eventually, missions were established in Crete, the Philippines, and India. Today, the Servite order has expanded to all parts of Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

These holy men were called together by our Blessed Mother as they worked and lived in a growing city. Once united by their faith, they were set apart and drawn by God to a life of prayer. From that prayer, and their commitment to poverty, chastity, and obedience, God drew many others into their companionship. And through their companions, missionaries went forth to the corners of the earth.

As you ponder the lives of these holy men, especially consider the unity they shared by answering the call to pray and serve together. That unity flowed from their love of God and our Blessed Mother. It also flowed from their united obedience to their calling. United as one in Christ, each individual was strengthened and the fruitfulness of their labors grew exponentially.

You, too, are called to holiness and to a holiness that unites you with others who share your mission. Pray to God that you will be able to follow the example of these holy men by joining with those whom God has put in your life to strengthen your faith and expand the mission you have been given.

Prayer: Dearest Founders of the Servite Order, you were called and you responded. You were given direction by Our Lady herself, and you obeyed. From that obedience, God raised up an army of servants who have spent centuries sharing His love and mercy with the world. Pray for me, that I may always obey God’s will and seek to serve Him alongside those whom God has placed in my life. Seven Holy Founders, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read Online

February 14: Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop—Memorial
(Optional Memorial if Lenten weekday)

Saint Cyril: c. 827–869
Saint Methodius: c. 815–885

Co-Patrons of Europe, Slavic peoples, unity of Eastern and Western Churches
Pre-Congregation canonization

Quote: Hear my prayer and protect your faithful people, for you have established me as their unsuitable and unworthy servant. “Make your people known for the unity and profession of their faith. Inspire the hearts of your people with your word and your teaching. You called us to preach the Gospel of your Christ and to encourage them to lives and works pleasing to you. “I now return to you, your people, your gift to me. Direct them with your powerful right hand, and protect them under the shadow of your wings. May all praise and glorify your name, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. ~From an old Slavonic biography of Saint Cyril

Reflection: Imagine what life would be like if you were unable to read because the language you spoke was not even in written form. No alphabet, no books, only a spoken language. This is the context into which our saints today were sent to preach the Gospel.

Their story began in Thessalonica, Greece, a territory first evangelized by Saint Paul. Seven sons were born to a Greek-speaking imperial magistrate and his wife. Two of the boys were named Constantine and Michael. Their mother was most likely of Slavic descent, and the boys learned her unwritten language, along with Greek and Latin. When Constantine was about fourteen years old, he was sent to the great Greek city of Constantinople to study. It was there that he also came to know the young Byzantine Emperor, Michael III, who was only a young child. After completing his education, Constantine decided to become a priest. Shortly after his ordination, he was invited to teach and soon became well known as the “Philosopher.” Constantine’s brother Michael, about twelve years older than Constantine, began his career in civil service in Macedonia but chose to abandon that position to become a monk, taking the name Methodius.

When Constantine was about thirty years old and his brother Methodius was in his early forties, Constantine decided to give up his teaching career and embrace a life of prayer in his brother’s monastery. Within a few years, however, Emperor Michael III, now an adult, asked Constantine to go on a mission to evangelize the Jews and Turks of Khazars, modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea. Methodius accompanied him on this mission, and they learned both Hebrew and Turkish so as to speak to the people in their native tongues.

Within a couple of years, Prince Rastislav of Moravia asked Emperor Michael III to send missionaries to Great Moravia, today’s Czech Republic. His people had rejected paganism and embraced Christianity, but they didn’t have anyone who could explain the faith to them in their native Slavic language since the Germanic clergy adhered strictly to Latin. It was this mission that would be the beginning of a new era and a new method of evangelization within the Church.

In Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius began to translate the Bible and liturgical books into the Slavic language. Since there was no written form of the language or even an alphabet, Cyril created one. He translated the various sounds into symbols, which enabled him and his brother to then write down the sacred texts. In addition to their translations, they began to teach the people and future Slavic clerics how to read their new written language. Eventually, the new alphabet developed into what is now known as the Cyrillic alphabet and is the basis of many Eastern European and Asian languages used by more than 250 million people today.

Despite the fact that the Slavic people were overjoyed to hear the Gospel and pray the liturgy in their native language, many of the Germanic clergy took issue with this approach. To solve this problem, the brothers traveled to Rome where they received the approval of Pope Adrian II, who ordained them bishops and sent them back to Great Moravia. Before leaving Rome, however, Constantine fell sick. Before dying, he fully consecrated himself to God as a monk in one of the Greek monasteries, taking the monastic name Cyril. His brother Methodius then returned to Great Moravia to continue his work.
Bishop Methodius spent the next fourteen years evangelizing the people in their native language, forming clergy, and effectively administering the Church. He continued to endure harsh treatment from the Germanic clergy, even being imprisoned by them for a time, but he pressed on, extending his missionary work even beyond the borders of Great Moravia.

It wasn’t until a millennia later that these brothers received the universal honor they deserved when the Western Church added them to its liturgical calendar. A century after that, Pope John Paul II, a Slav himself, honored these two brothers with the title of co-patrons of Europe and Apostles to the Slavs.

These great brothers teach us that the Gospel must be personal and understood through the prism of our own language, culture, and human experience. They also teach us that we must work to share the Gospel with others in ways that they understand and to which they can relate. As we honor these great missionaries, ponder the ways that God wants to use you to reach out to others with His saving message. Though you might not be called to invent a new alphabet to do so, you will be called to step out of your comfort zone. Be courageous, creative, and zealous in this effort in imitation of these Apostles to the Slavs.

Prayer: Saints Cyril and Methodius, you both gave your lives to the service of God. You served with zeal, creativity, and much determination. Please pray for me, that God may use me to become an instrument of His saving grace to those in need, bringing the Good News in ways to which they can relate. Saints Cyril and Methodius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: N.N./Pitichinaccio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 11: Our Lady of Lourdes—Optional Memorial

cJanuary 11–July 16, 1858
Patron Saint of the sick, asthma sufferers
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
I went every day for a fortnight, and each day I asked her who she was, and this petition always made her smile. After the fortnight I asked her three times consecutively. She always smiled. At last I tried for the fourth time. She stopped smiling. With her arms down, she raised her eyes to Heaven and then, folding her hands over her breast she said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” ~Testimony of Saint Bernadette Soubirous

Prayer:
Dearest Mother, the Immaculate Conception, you chose the humblest of instruments in Bernadette to proclaim your universal message of repentance. You declared to the world that you are, indeed, the Immaculate Conception. Please pray for me, bring healing to my soul, and help me to be freed of all sin so that I may one day share in your glory in Heaven. Saint Bernadette, pray for me. Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 10: Saint Scholastica, Virgin—Memorial

c. 480–543
Patron Saint of nuns, school, tests, reading, convulsive children
Invoked against storms and rain
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
The holy nun said to her brother: “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”
When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. ~Dialogues, Saint Gregory the Great

Prayer:
Saint Scholastica, you and your brother shared not only the same family, but you were also deeply united in a spiritual friendship centered on God. Please pray for me, that I may discover friends who assist me on my journey through this world and that I may be such a friend to others. Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 8: Saint Jerome Emiliani, Founder—Optional Memorial

1486–1537
Patron Saint of orphans and abandoned children
Canonized on July 16, 1767 by Pope Clement XIII
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
One morning, we were twenty-eight at St. Magdalene Hospital and we were praying. Since we had nothing to eat, father Jerome told us, “Do not doubt, my sons, the Lord will take care!” And while he was still praying, we heard the doorbell ring. They went to open the door. A person wanted to see father Jerome. He went to the door and came back with four loaves of bread…he fed all twenty-eight of us with only those four loaves and fresh water because he did not have anything else. And everybody had enough. And the father kept saying we had to eat cheerfully because the Lord would never abandon us. ~Eyewitness testimony

Prayer:
Saint Jerome, you had a desire for greatness within your heart. Though you first sought to fulfill that desire by worldly and passing honors, God opened your eyes and helped you to discover that the greatest honor is found in the wholehearted service of His holy will. Please pray for me, that I may imitate your generosity and devote myself to the service of the Gospel and the care of those in need. Saint Jerome, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Giacomo Guerrini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 8: Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin—Optional Memorial

1869–1947
Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors
Canonized October 1, 2000 by Saint Pope John Paul II
Liturgical Color: White (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
If I was to meet those slave-traders that abducted me and those who tortured me, I’d kneel down to them to kiss their hands, because, if it had not have been for them, I would not have become a Christian and religious woman. ~Saint Josephine Bakhita

Prayer:
Saint Josephine, you endured unimaginable cruelty from earthly masters. Through it all, you sought out the God Who continuously spoke to you from within. When you met this glorious God within the Catholic faith, you refused to serve anyone other than Him. Please pray for me, that I may allow God to transform every hardship in my life into a source of His grace and transforming mercy. Saint Josephine Margaret Fortunata, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Vatican

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 6: Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs—Memorial

Martyred February 5, 1597
Patron Saints of Japan
Canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Our brother, Paul Miki, saw himself standing now in the noblest pulpit he had ever filled. To his “congregation” he began by proclaiming himself a Japanese and a Jesuit. He was dying for the Gospel he preached. He gave thanks to God for this wonderful blessing and he ended his “sermon” with these words: “As I come to this supreme moment of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved except the Christian way. My religion teaches me to pardon my enemies and all who have offended me. I do gladly pardon the Emperor and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.” ~Office of Readings

Prayer:
Holy Martyrs of Nagasaki, you and countless others gave your lives in witness to the faith that God planted in your hearts. Please pray for me, that I will have the same faith and courage that each one of you had, so that I will be a witness to Christ in all that I do. Holy martyrs of God, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Wolfgang Kilian, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 5: Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

c. 231–c. 251
Patron Saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, rape victims, bellfounders, and bakers
Invoked against earthquakes, natural disasters, and fires
Pre-Congregation canonization, later confirmed by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, 7th century
Liturgical Color: Red (Purple if Lenten Weekday)

Quote:
O Lord who made and created me, and have kept me from my infancy, … who took from me the love of the world, who have kept my body from pollution, who made me to overcome the executioner’s torments, iron, fire and chains, who gave me the virtue of patience in the midst of torments, I pray Thee to receive my spirit. ~1529 Roman Breviary

Prayer:
Saint Agatha, you offered your life to Christ and your divine Spouse and were faithful to your last breath. Please pray for me, that I may learn from the witness of your life to be single-hearted in my fidelity to the will of God and devoted to Him above all earthly fears and evils, trusting in Him until the end. Saint Agatha, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Paolo Veronese, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 3: Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial

Died c. 316
Patron Saint of illnesses of the throat and other illnesses, wool workers, animals, bricklayers, bakers, farm workers
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Through the intercession of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ~Blessing of throats

Prayer:
Saint Blaise, you accepted the will of God as it was expressed through the acclamation of the people to become their shepherd. You lovingly spread the faith, healed the sick, and laid down your life as a martyr. Please pray for me and my family that we may be kept safe from all illness, especially illnesses of the throat, and pray that I will have the same courage you had to be a witness to Christ, even to the point of death. Saint Blaise, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Pethrus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 3: Saint Ansgar, Bishop—Optional Memorial

801–865
Patron Saint of Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, and various locations in Germany
Declared a saint by Pope Nicolas I c. 865
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Most noble father, Anskar, restore us by thy grace, and those who wander now afar, in Christ’s own bosom place. In holy strife contending, thou did’st the faith proclaim, to Danes and Swedes declaring, the honour of His name. An unbelieving nation, from thee the light receives, the teachings of salvation, it now with joy believes. ~Swedish hymn

Prayer:
Saint Ansgar, you heard God calling you and responded to that call with great fervor and courage. Through your labors, God brought about the conversion of many to the faith. Please pray for me, that I may imitate your fervor by laying my life down sacrificially for others. May I, like you, become a true martyr in spirit, carrying my cross to the very end. Saint Ansgar, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: via Wikimedia Commons 

Read entire reflection online >>>

February 2: Presentation of the Lord—Feast

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. ~Luke 2:22–24

Prayer:
My saving Lord, Your loving parents offered You to Your Father in the Temple in accordance with the Law You revealed to Moses. In that offering, our souls are purified and we are offered to Your Father with You. I thank You for the gift of salvation and pray that my soul will always radiate Your light as You dwell within me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Ludovico Carracci, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 31: Saint John Bosco, Priest—Memorial

1815–1888
Patron Saint of apprentices, boys, editors, laborers, magicians, students
Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 1, 1934
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
My sons, in my long experience, very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them. See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness. ~Letter from St. John Bosco

Prayer:
Saint John, your heart was a merciful one, and it was touched by the plight of many suffering boys living in poverty and imprisonment. You loved them with the heart of Christ and brought them hope. Please pray for me that I may see Christ in all people, never condemning or judging, but working to build them up as a loving minister of God’s compassionate heart. Saint John Bosco, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: via Wikimedia Commons 

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 28: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor—Memorial

1225–1274
Patron Saint of students, Catholic schools, apologists, booksellers, chastity, philosophers, publishers, scholars, theologians
Invoked against storms
Canonized by Pope John XXII on July 18, 1323
Proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
In order that the salvation of men might be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught divine truths by divine revelation. It was therefore necessary that besides philosophical science built up by reason, there should be a sacred science learned through revelation. ~Summa Theologica, by Saint Thomas

Prayer:
Saint Thomas, God revealed Himself to you through your interior life of prayer from an early age. You listened to His voice, pondered all that He revealed, and used your natural gifts to share these truths with the Church. Please pray for me, that I may also open my mind to the many truths that God wants to speak to me so that the Truth Himself will become the center of my mission in life. Saint Thomas, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Images via Adobe Stock: main

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 27: Saint Angela Merici, Virgin—Optional Memorial

1474–1540
Patron Saint of sickness, death of parents, disabled, handicapped, or physically challenged people
Canonized May 24, 1807 by Pope Pius VII
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
My very own sisters, it is necessary that we be vigilant, and so much more so, as the undertaking is of such importance that there could be no greater, in which lie our life and well-being, and in which we are called to a life of such glory that we are spouses of the Son of God, and will become queens in heaven. ~Prologue of the Rule of the Company of Saint Ursula #15–17

Prayer:
Saint Angela, you fell in love with God at a young age and fostered that love through hard times. After losing many within your beloved family, God gave you new spiritual children to care for as a spiritual mother. You embraced that calling, and much good fruit was borne in the Church. Please pray for me, that I may learn from your example by caring for those whom God has placed in my life, devoting myself to serving them in accord with God’s perfect will. Saint Angela, pray for me. Jesus I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: via Wikimedia Commons 

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 26: Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops—Memorial

Saint Timothy: 17–97
Invoked against intestinal disorders and stomach diseases
Saint Titus: First Century–96
Patron Saint of Crete
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I hope, in the Lord Jesus, to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be heartened by hearing news of you. For I have no one comparable to him for genuine interest in whatever concerns you. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know his worth, how as a child with a father he served along with me in the cause of the gospel. ~Philippians 2:19–22
For even when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—external conflicts, internal fears. But God, who encourages the downcast, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his arrival but also by the encouragement with which he was encouraged in regard to you, as he told us of your yearning, your lament, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. ~2 Corinthians 7:5–7

Prayer:
Saints Timothy and Titus, you were called by God to share in the apostolic ministry of Saint Paul, to go forth to preach, and to draw many souls to Heaven. Your faith, zeal, and countless virtues assisted you in this mission. Please pray for me, that I may also share in the apostolic work of the Church and help bring many souls to Christ. Saints Timothy and Titus, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 25: The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle—Feast

c. 33–34
Patron Saint of missionaries, evangelists, writers, public workers, ropemakers, saddlemakers, and tentmakers
Invoked against hailstorms and snakebites
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed. ~1 Corinthians 15:9–11

Prayer:
Saint Paul, you were filled with zeal throughout your life. First, you were zealous in persecuting the early Christians in an attempt to defend the Jewish interpretation of the Law of Moses. After you encountered Jesus, Whom you were persecuting, you completely changed your life and became one of the most zealous evangelists in the history of the world. Please pray for me, that I may embrace the same zeal you had and allow Jesus to convert my soul as fully as you allowed Him to convert you. Saint Paul, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 24: Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor—Memorial

1567–1622
Patron Saint of authors, journalists, writers, deaf persons, educators
Canonized April 8, 1665, by Pope Alexander VII
Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877 by Pope Pius IX
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Finally, my beloved child, I intreat you by all that is sacred in heaven and in earth, by your own Baptism, by the breast which Jesus sucked, by the tender Heart with which He loves you, and by the bowels of compassion in which you hope—be stedfast and persevere in this most blessed undertaking to live a devout life…  ~“The Devout Life,” St. Francis de Sales

Prayer:
Saint Francis de Sales, you became a true shepherd of your flock, tirelessly preaching the faith to them, calling them to repentance, exhorting them to embrace a life of prayer and virtue, and helping them to more fully love God by fulfilling His will in their lives. Please pray for me, that I may also respond to your preaching and may seek to become a saint within the context of the vocation I have been given. Saint Francis, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Wikimedia 

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 23: Saint Marianne Cope, Virgin—USA Optional Memorial

1838–1918
Patron Saint of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS, Hawaii
Canonized October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen ones, whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders…. I am not afraid of any disease, hence, it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned “lepers.” ~Letter of Mother Marianne Cope

Prayer:
Saint Marianne, you were a martyr in spirit, laying down your life for those in need of your love and affection. You embraced the outcast wholeheartedly with joy and gratitude. Please pray for me, that I may also seek out the outcasts in our world and help them come to know the love and mercy of our glorious God. Saint Marianne, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Sisters of Saint Francis Archive

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 22: Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr—Optional Memorial
Celebrated January 23 in the USA
Late Third Century–c. 304
Patron Saint of vinegar makers, wine makers, brickmakers, and sailors
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
We have been watching a magnificent spectacle with the eyes of faith, the holy martyr Vincent everywhere victorious. He was victorious in his words, victorious in the pains he endured; victorious in his confession, victorious in his tribulations; victorious when burned with fire; victorious when submerged in the waves. When his flesh, which was a kind of tribute to the victorious Christ, was thrown into the sea from the boat, it silently said, “We are cast down, but not lost.” ~Sermon of Saint Augustine

Prayer:
Saint Vincent, in the face of persecution and torture, you remained courageous, even fixated on the love of Christ. You conquered the evil one by your fidelity and were crowned with glorious martyrdom. Please pray for me, that I may also receive that crown through my daily sacrifices of love. Saint Vincent, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 22: Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children—USA Memorial

Moved to January 23 when January 22 is a Sunday
Liturgical Color: White or Violet

Quote:
God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life… ~Collect for today’s Mass

Prayer:
Most precious Lord, You dwelt within the womb of your dear mother, sanctifying the womb, and elevating the dignity of all human life. I pray today for the full legal protection of every unborn child. I also pray that every heart that supports abortion will be changed so as to experience the freedom that comes from living in the Truth. I offer to You, this day, all my sufferings and sacrifices to help atone for every violation against human dignity committed through acts of abortion. Please bring healing, hope, and freedom to all. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 21: Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

c. 291–c. 304
Patron Saint of those seeking chastity and purity, engaged couples, rape victims, gardeners, young girls, and Girl Scouts
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
He who chose me first for Himself shall receive me. Why are you delaying, executioner?…She stood, she prayed, she bent down her neck. You could see the executioner tremble, as though he himself had been condemned, and his right hand shake, his face grow pale, as he feared the peril of another, while the maiden feared not for her own. ~De Virginibus, Saint Ambrose

Prayer:
Saint Agnes, at a tender age you gave your life to Christ, choosing Him alone as your Spouse. Your fidelity to Christ was unwavering, showing you preferred death over betrayal. Please pray for me, that I may also choose Christ as the Spouse of my soul and be faithful to Him even until death. Saint Agnes, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 20: Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

Died 250
Patron Saint of Rome
Pre-Congregation canonization
Elected pope 236
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” ~Mark 1:10–11

Prayer:
Saint Fabian, you were divinely chosen as the Vicar of Christ on earth. In your humility and obedience to the will of God, you not only bore this heavy responsibility but also died for it. Please pray for me, that I may have the same courage as you to face an un-Christian culture bravely and accept the consequences of such a choice, no matter the cost. Saint Fabian, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 20: Saint Sebastian, Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 255–c. 288
Patron Saint of archers, pinmakers, athletes, against epidemics, and of a holy death
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
The Lord Jesus, Whom I serve, has raised me, as it were, from the dead, for this very purpose, that once more I might meet you, and protest, in the presence of all the people here assembled, that you are guilty of the most cruel injustice, when you persecute His servants, whom you know to be innocent. Repent, therefore, of your crimes before it is too late. ~The Acts of the Early Martyrs, Fastré S.J.

Prayer:
Saint Sebastian, you received the glorious crown of martyrdom twice. Your courage and fidelity to Christ in the face of persecution was unwavering. Your encouragement of the persecuted was heroic. Please pray for me, that I may have your same unwavering courage and thus equally fulfill God’s will, no matter how high the cost. Saint Sebastian, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikipedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 17: Saint Anthony of Egypt, Abbot—Memorial

251–356
Patron Saint of basketmakers, gravediggers, butchers, swineherds, motorists, amputees, monks, and farmers
Invoked against skin diseases and epilepsy
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
And the place was suddenly filled with the forms of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, serpents, asps, scorpions, and wolves, and each of them was moving according to his nature….with boldness Anthony said, “If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us.” So after many attempts they gnashed their teeth upon him, because they were mocking themselves rather than him. ~Life of St. Anthony, by Saint Athanasius

Prayer:
Saint Anthony, you heroically embraced the unique vocation you were given by God. You entered into silence and solitude so as to enter more deeply into communion with the Triune God. Please pray for me, that I will learn from your life of prayer and always spend time seeking God in the solitude of prayer each and every day. Saint Anthony, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 13: Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 315–367
Patron Saint of children academically behind, children learning to walk, mothers, and the sick
Invoked against rheumatism and snakebites
Pre-Congregation canonization
Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1851 by Pope Pius IX
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Let me, in short, adore You our Father, and Your Son together with You; let me win the favor of Your Holy Spirit, Who is from You, through Your Only-begotten. For I have a convincing Witness to my faith, Who says, “Father, all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” (John 17:10), even my Lord Jesus Christ, abiding in You, and from You, and with You, forever God: Who is blessed for ever and ever. Amen. ~De Trinitate 12.57

Prayer:
Saint Hilary, your heart was restless as a pagan, but you turned that restlessness into a search for the Truth. Upon finding it, you dove in head-first, entering deeper and deeper into the great mystery of the Trinity. Please pray for me, that I will also be diligent and resolute in my determination to discover the great mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. As I grow in faith, may I also share in your zeal to model the faith to others. Saint Hilary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

Baptism of the Lord—Feast

Sunday after Epiphany
Or, if Epiphany is celebrated on January 7 or 8, the following Monday
Liturgical Color: White/Gold

Quote:
It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” ~Mark 1:9–11

Prayer:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You came to me in my baptism and united me in my fallenness with You in Your divinity. I pray that I will continuously be aware of all that divides us and will never grow weary of repenting of my sin. I do repent once again, dear Lord. I beg for Your mercy and forgiveness and open myself more fully to You, Your Father, and the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 7—Saint Raymond of Peñafort, Priest—Optional Memorial

1175–1275
Patron Saint of attorneys, canonists, and medical record librarians
Canonized by Pope Clement VIII on April 29, 1601
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Look then on Jesus, the Author and Preserver of faith: in complete sinlessness He suffered, and at the hands of those who were His own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!) give thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings. ~From a letter by Saint Raymond

Prayer:
Saint Raymond, your numerous gifts were noticed by many, but above all you sought not recognition but humility and the salvation of souls. Please pray for me, that I may always place my gifts at the service of God and obey His holy commands with perfection and love. Saint Raymond of Peñafort, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 6: Saint André Bessette, Religious—USA Optional Memorial

1845–1937
Patron saint of family caregivers in Canada
Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
God is good! How beautiful and powerful he is! He must be beautiful, because the human soul, which is a reflection of God’s beauty, is so beautiful! ~Spoken on his deathbed

Prayer:
Saint André, you were not given any monumental tasks in this world, but you were given great responsibility. You were responsible for loving those who came to you, listening to those who needed to be heard, and praying for those who needed your prayers. Please pray for me, that I may learn from your humble service and live my daily duty in deep love and fidelity to the will of God. Saint André, pray for me. Saint Joseph, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

Epiphany of the Lord—Solemnity

January 6, or on the first Sunday after January 1 in countries where this feast is not a Holy Day of Obligation
Liturgical Color: White/Gold

Quote:
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:10-11

Prayer:
Most glorious Christ Child, the Father in Heaven honored Your birth by placing a star over the place where you lay. Through that new star, Your divine presence was made manifest to the world in the Magi who responded with faith and worship. Please manifest Yourself to me within my own soul where You wish to be born, and give me the love and zeal I need to follow the example of the Magi, offering You my own gifts in adoration and trust. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 5—Saint John Neumann, Bishop—Memorial: USA

1811–1860
Patron saint of sick children and of immigrants
Canonized by Pope Saint Paul VI on June 19, 1977
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
My heart is pierced with sorrow when I hear of the loss of one of my sheep. Lord Jesus, have mercy. Permit not that any one of those whom you have entrusted to me should be lost. O my Jesus, I will pray, fast, suffer, and, with the help of your grace, sacrifice life itself. ~Neumann’s Diary

Prayer:
Saint John Neumann, you loved God from the depths of your soul and desired to serve Him and His people through tireless charity, preaching, leadership, and compassion. You brought the Gospel on foot to people far and wide, had a deep love for the poor and troubled, and worked as an effective administrator, building up the life of the Church. Please pray for me, that I may be inspired by your zeal and commit myself to the fulfillment of God’s will for my life. Saint John Neumann, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: From the National Shrine of Saint John Neumann

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 4—Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious—Memorial: USA

1774–1821
Patron Saint of Catholic schools, widows, loss of parents and children, and people ridiculed for their piety
Invoked against in-law problems and those who oppose the Church
Canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I often asked [William] when he could not speak, ‘You feel my love that you are going to your Redeemer’ and he motioned yes with a look up of Peace at a quarter past 7 on Tuesday morning 27th December—his Soul was released—and mine from a struggle next to death. ~Journal of Saint Elizabeth

Prayer:
Saint Elizabeth, God permitted you to endure many trials in life, but through them all you persevered and deepened your trust in Him. Please pray for me when I encounter difficulties. May I have the faith that you had and discover the riches that you discovered. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image Via Restored Traditions

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 3—The Most Holy Name of Jesus, Optional Memorial

Liturgical Color: White

Prayer:
Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love, and strength! You are the refuge of those who repent, our banner of warfare in this life, the medicine of souls, the comfort of those who mourn, the delight of those who believe, the light of those who preach the true faith, the wages of those who toil, the healing of the sick. To You our devotion aspires; by You our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating You. O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity. Amen.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikipedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 2—Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors—Memorial

St. Basil: 329–379
Patron Saint of monks, hospital administrators, reformers, and Russia
St. Gregory: c. 329–389
Patron Saint of harvests and poets
Pre-Congregation canonizations
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Much time had I spent in vanity, and had wasted nearly all my youth in the vain labor which I underwent in acquiring the wisdom made foolish by God. Then once upon a time, like a man roused from deep sleep, I turned my eyes to the marvelous light of the truth of the Gospel, and I perceived the uselessness of the “wisdom of the princes of this world, that come to naught” (1 Cor. 2:6) I wept many tears over my miserable life and I prayed that guidance might be vouchsafed me to admit me to the doctrines of true religion. ~Letter of Saint Basil #223

Prayer:
Saints Gregory and Basil, you were called by God to be a light in the midst of darkness during a time of great turmoil within the Church. Please pray for me, that I will never live enveloped in the darkness of this world but will always carry the light of Christ to scatter falsehood and sin, so that God may be glorified and souls may be saved. Saints Basil and Gregory, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: CEZAN93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

January 1—Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God—The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord

Holy Day of Obligation
(Obligatory in USA: unless it falls on Saturday or Monday)
Liturgical Color: White/Gold

Quote:
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. ~Luke 1:31–33

Prayer:
Most holy Mother of God, you were blessed beyond all people, graced beyond what I will ever comprehend. Thank you for your “Yes” to God in all things. Thank you for your pure and holy love for your Son, for your motherly heart, your motherly pondering, and your motherly care for all your children. Pray for me that I may become more like your Son so as to merit you as my mother and queen. Mother of God, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 31: Saint Sylvester I, Pope—Optional Memorial

c. Late Third Century–335
Patron Saint of animals, harvests, and stonemasons
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote: And so, on the first day after receiving the mystery of the holy baptism, and after the cure of my body from the squalor of the leprosy, I recognized that there was no other God save the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; whom the most blessed Sylvester the pope doth preach…And when, the blessed Sylvester preaching them, I perceived these things, and learned that by the kindness of St. Peter himself I had been entirely restored to health: I…decree that his holy Roman church shall be honored with veneration; and that, more than our empire and earthly throne, the most sacred seat of St. Peter shall be gloriously exalted; we giving to it the imperial power, and dignity of glory, and vigor and honor. And we ordain and decree that he shall have the supremacy as well over the four chief seats Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Jerusalem, as also over all the churches of God in the whole world. ~From the legendary “Donation of Constantine” 

Prayer:
Saint Sylvester, you were privileged not only to be elected pope, but to do so during a time of great progress and transformation for the Church. You took control and navigated the Church at this crucial and pivotal time by God’s grace and hard work. Please pray for me, that I will wholeheartedly embrace the mission given to me by Christ, so that God can use me for important work in this day and age. Saint Sylvester, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Public domain via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—Feast
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
How I would like to return to my childhood and attend the simple yet profound school that is Nazareth! How wonderful to be close to Mary, learning again the lesson of the true meaning of life, learning again God’s truths…First, we learn from its silence…The silence of Nazareth should teach us how to meditate in peace and quiet, to reflect on the deeply spiritual, and to be open to the voice of God’s inner wisdom and the counsel of his true teachers…Second, we learn about family life…May it show us the family’s holy and enduring character and exemplify its basic function in society: a community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the rewards it brings, in sum, the perfect setting for rearing children—and for this there is no substitute. ~Pope Paul VI, Address from Nazareth

Prayer:
Most Holy Family of Nazareth, you were a true school of love in which the perfection of family love grew strong. Please bestow upon me, my family, and families everywhere the grace needed to more fully imitate the love you shared, so that families everywhere will continue to be the fundamental building block of the world. Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us and have mercy on all. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Public domain via Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 29: Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. 1119–1170
Patron Saint of clergy
Canonized by Pope Alexander III on February 21, 1173
Liturgical color: White (Red only where celebrated as a Feast)

Quote:
Remember the profession, which you made and placed in writing upon the altar at Westminster, to preserve the  Church’s liberties, when you were consecrated and anointed to be king. Restore the Church of Canterbury, from which you received your promotion and consecration, to the state in which it was in the days of our predecessors, with all its possessions, castles, manors, and farms, and all other property that has been taken away from any of my men, whether clerks or laymen, and allow us to resume our duties in the aforesaid Church, without trouble or molestation. If your majesty will consent to this, I am prepared to serve you with all obedience as my beloved lord and sovereign, as far as lies in my power SAVING THE HONOUR OF GOD AND OF THE ROMAN CHURCH, AND MY OWN ORDER. But if you will not do these things, know for a certainty that you shall feel the severity of God’s vengeance! ~From a letter to King Henry II by Saint Thomas Becket

Prayer:
Saint Thomas Becket, you lived much of your life in a worldly pompous way, but upon being consecrated a bishop, you turned to a life of prayer, penance, and defense of the Church. Please pray for me, that I will also turn from all worldly attractions and will devote myself wholeheartedly to the service of God and His Church. Saint Thomas Becket, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Public domain via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 28: Holy Innocents, Martyrs—Feast

AD 1
Patron Saints of babies, abandoned babies, children’s choirs, students, and altar servers
Invoked against ambition, jealousy
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” ~Matthew 2:16–18

Prayer:
Dear Holy Innocents, you were treated with the utmost cruelty even before you were capable of understanding such cruelty. God permitted your suffering, and now He exalts you forever as the first witnesses to Him who shed your blood. Please pray for me, that I will always bear witness to Christ in my life and will walk with peace and joy amidst the sufferings in this life. Holy Innocents, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Public domain via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 27: Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist—Feast

Early First Century–c. 101
Patron Saint of arms manufacturers, art dealers, authors, basketmakers, bookbinders, booksellers, publishers, butchers, candlemakers, compositors, editors, engravers, friendships, glaziers, government officials, harvests, lithographers, notaries, painters, papermakers, printers, saddlemakers, scholars, sculptors, theologians, and winemakers
Invoked against burns, epilepsy, foot problems, hailstorms, and poisoning
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical color: White

Quote:
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?” It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. ~John 21:20–25

Prayer:
Saint John the Apostle, at a young age you heard Jesus’ call to follow Him, and you willingly accepted. During His ministry, you grew in a profound and mystical love of your Lord, and that love increased throughout your life. Please pray for me, that this pure and holy love will increase in my life so that I can share that love with others. Saint John the Apostle, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Main image: public domain

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 26: Saint Stephen, the First Martyr—Feast

Early First Century–c. 33–36
Patron Saint of altar servers, builders, casket makers, deacons, horses, masons, and quarrymen
Invoked against headaches
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it.” When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them;” and when he said this, he fell asleep. ~Acts 7:51–60

Prayer:
Saint Stephen, you were graced to be the first follower of Christ who was martyred for your faith. You did not shy away from the cruelty and hatred of your persecutors but spoke the truth to them and prayed that they be forgiven. Please also pray for me, that I will be forgiven for the sins I have committed against others and will follow you by offering my life wholeheartedly to Christ every day of my life. Saint Stephen, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image, public domain via Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 25: Nativity of the Lord—Solemnity

Quote:
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ~Luke 2:1–7

Prayer:
Most Holy Savior of the World, You are the Light that scattered the darkness. You chose to be born in the most humble conditions, elevating humility as a means of great holiness. As we celebrate Your birth, I pray that You will also be born in my life, and through me, into the world. May this Christmas be a time in which I come to know You more fully and intimately, joining the shepherds in their adoration of You, so that I can share in the abundant new life You came to bestow. Holy Savior, have mercy on me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Main image public domain

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 23: Saint John of Kanty (Cantius), Priest—Optional Memorial

c. 1390–1473
Patron Saint of teachers, students, priests, pilgrims, Lithuania, and Poland
Canonized by Pope Clement XIII on July 16, 1767
Liturgical Color: Violet

Quote:
Fight all false opinions, but let your weapons be patience, sweetness and love. Roughness is bad for your own soul and spoils the best cause. ~Saint John of Kanty

Prayer:
Saint John Cantius, though you were a great intellectual, your humility and deep faith, coupled with your genuine love for those whom you ministered to, had a lasting effect upon the people of your community, and upon all of Poland. Please pray for me, that I will learn from your life and imitate your virtues so that I, too, will one day be counted among the saints. Saint John Cantius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Photo: Saint John Kanty Parish, Buffalo, NY

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 21: Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor—Optional Memorial

1521–1597
Patron Saint of the Catholic press, Germany, and writers of catechisms
Canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI on May 21, 1925
Liturgical Color: Violet

Quote:
There I felt that a great consolation and the presence of grace had been granted to me through these intercessors [Peter and Paul]. They confirmed my mission in Germany and seemed to transmit to me, as an apostle of Germany, the support of their benevolence. You know, Lord, in how many ways and how often on that same day you entrusted Germany to me, which I was later to continue to be concerned about and for which I would have liked to live and die. ~Journal entry of Saint Peter Canisius after a papal blessing and prayer in Saint Peter’s Basilica

Prayer:
Saint Peter Canisius, God called you into His service at a crucial time when the Church in Germany and all of Europe was experiencing confusion and was in need of reform. Your deep faith in Christ, coupled with your theological knowledge, enabled you to be a holy instrument of conversion for countless people for centuries afterward. Please pray for me, that I will learn from your example and become an apostle to those to whom I am sent. Saint Peter Canisius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: SchiDD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 14: Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor—Memorial

c. 1542–1591
Patron Saint of contemplatives, mystical theology, and Spanish poets
Canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on December 27, 1726
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926
Commonly referred to as the “Mystical Doctor”
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
In order to expound and describe this dark night, through which the soul passes in order to attain to the Divine light of the perfect union of the love of God, as far as is possible in this life, it would be necessary to have illumination of knowledge and experience other and far greater than mine; for this darkness and these trials, both spiritual and temporal, through which happy souls are wont to pass in order to be able to attain to this high estate of perfection, are so numerous and so profound that neither does human knowledge suffice for the understanding of them, nor experience for the description of them; for only he that passes this way can understand it, and even he cannot describe it. ~Prologue of Ascent to Mount Carmel, Saint John of the Cross

Prayer:
Saint John of the Cross, through the sufferings you endured in your youth and as a friar, God purified you and called you deeper. You responded, and through you the Carmelites were reformed, and from you came a wealth of spiritual treasures in your teachings. Please pray for me, that I will never shy away from the sufferings of the Cross but will see those sufferings as the means of my deeper union with our loving God. Saint John of the Cross, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Museo Nacional de Arte, Public domain, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 13: Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

c. 283–c. 304
Patron Saint of blind people, martyrs, peasants, penitent prostitutes, poor people, sick children, authors, cutlers, farmers, glassmakers, glaziers, gondoliers, laborers, lawyers, maidservants, notaries, eye doctors, porters, printers, saddlers, sailors, salesmen, seamstresses, tailors, upholsterers, weavers, and writers.
Invoked against dysentery, epidemics, hemorrhages, throat infections, fire, poverty, and spiritual blindness.
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
December 13: At Syracuse, in Sicily, the birthday of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, in the persecution of Diocletian. By the order of the ex-consul Paschasius, she was delivered to profligates, that her chastity might be insulted; but when they attempted to lead her away, they could not succeed, either with ropes or with many yoke of oxen. Then pouring hot pitch, rosin, and boiling oil over her body without injuring her, they finally plunged a sword into her throat, and thus completed her martyrdom. ~Official Roman Martyrology

Prayer:
Saint Lucy, you grew deep in faith at a young age, committed yourself to your God, and never turned back. Please pray for me, that I will have your strength, wisdom, and charity so that I will unwaveringly fulfill the will of God, choosing Him above all else. Saint Lucy, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Images, public domain via Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe—USA Feast

Patroness of the Americas

Quote:
Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish for? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything. ~Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego

Prayer:
Dearest Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Ever-Virgin and Lady of Guadalupe, your love for the people of Central America led you to appear to a humble Christian and entrust him with a sacred task. His willingness to fulfill your will led to the conversion of countless people who will now spend their eternity with you in Heaven. Please pray for me, and for the Americas, that we will never turn away from your divine Son and will always rely upon your motherly intercession. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Main image: Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 11: Saint Damasus I, Pope—Optional Memorial

c. 305–384
Patron Saint of archeologists
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
You who read, whoever you are, recognize the equal merit of the two to whom Damasus the bishop has dedicated this inscription after their rewards. The Jewish people stoned Stephen when he was instructing them on a better course, he who carried off the trophy from the enemy: the faithful deacon first laid hold of martyrdom. When a raving gang was pressing holy Tarsicius to reveal to the uninitiated the sacraments of Christ that he was carrying, he wished rather to release his spirit, struck down, than to betray the heavenly limbs to mad dogs. ~An epitaph written by Pope Saint Damasus

Prayer:
Pope Saint Damasus, you lived during a transformative time in the history of the Church. Through you, God navigated the Church of your day, leading toward a fuller image of the Kingdom of Heaven. Please pray for me, that I, in my own way, will make myself more fully available to God so that He can use me to help navigate His Church through the challenges it faces in my day and age. Pope Saint Damasus, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Main image: public domain, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 10: Our Lady of Loreto—Optional Memorial

Patron Saint of aviators and builders

Quote:
I was indeed happy when on the way to Loreto. Our Lady had chosen an ideal spot in which to place her Holy House. Everything is poor, simple, and primitive; the women still wear the graceful dress of the country and have not, as in the large towns, adopted the modern Paris fashions. I found Loreto enchanting. And what shall I say of the Holy House? I was overwhelmed with emotion when I realized that I was under the very roof that had sheltered the Holy Family. I gazed on the same walls Our Lord had looked on. I trod the ground once moistened with the sweat of St. Joseph’s toil, and saw the little chamber of the Annunciation, where the Blessed Virgin Mary held Jesus in her arms after she had borne Him there in her virginal womb. I even put my Rosary into the little porringer used by the Divine Child. How sweet those memories! ~Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Prayer:
Our Lady of Loreto, your home was a sacred place. Within it, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Within your home, you raised your divine Son and saw Him grow in grace and virtue. The love you shared with your Son in that home was pure and perfect in every way. Please pray for me, that my home will more fully reflect the grace and virtue that abounded in your home so that my home will become more like your Holy House. Our Lady of Loreto, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Main image: public Domain via Metmuseum

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 9: Saint Juan Diego, Hermit—Optional Memorial

1474–1548
Patron Saint of Indigenous peoples
Canonized by Pope John Paul II on July 31, 2002
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
I beg you to entrust your message to someone more known and respected so that he will believe it. I am only a simple Indian whom you have sent as a messenger to an important person. Therefore, he didn’t believe me, and I do not want to greatly disappoint you.—My dearest son, you must understand that there are many more noble men to whom I could have entrusted my message and yet, it is because of you that my plan will succeed. Return to the bishop tomorrow. Tell him that it is I myself, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, who is sending you. ~Reported conversation between Our Lady and Juan Diego

Prayer:
Saint Juan Diego, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to you, she called you, “Juanito, the most humble of my sons…” In your humility, you obeyed her instructions and, through you, the Mother of God was able to evangelize an entire nation. Please pray for me, that I will also grow in humility so that the Mother of God can use me for her purpose, in accord with God’s perfect will. Saint Juan Diego, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.


Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image from Lawrence OP, Flickr: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 8: Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Solemnity
Patronal Feast of the United States—Holy Day of Obligation

c. 15 BC
Patron Saint of the United States, clothmakers, clothworkers, coopers, upholsterers, the Amazon rainforest, and numerous dioceses, cities, and countries
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful. ~From the Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854

Prayer:
Most holy Mother, you are the Immaculate Conception, God’s most precious treasure and His singular delight. To your intercession and mediation I entrust my life. Take me to your Son and pour forth His grace upon me and upon the whole world. I entrust to you every care, concern, confusion, struggle, and cross. I turn to you for every grace of faith, hope, and love from Heaven, so that I can become more fully conformed to the image of your Son Who alone is the Savior of the World. Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image, public domain via Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 7: Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor—Memorial

c. 339–c. 397
Patron Saint of beekeepers, bishops, candlemakers, domestic animals, geese, honey cake bakers, learning, livestock, police officers, schoolchildren, security personnel, starlings, and wax refiners
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
To avoid dissensions we should be ever on our guard, more especially with those who drive us to argue with them, with those who vex and irritate us, and who say things likely to excite us to anger. When we find ourselves in company with quarrelsome, eccentric individuals, people who openly and unblushingly say the most shocking things, difficult to put up with, we should take refuge in silence, and the wisest plan is not to reply to people whose behavior is so preposterous. Those who insult us and treat us contemptuously are anxious for a spiteful and sarcastic reply: the silence we then affect disheartens them, and they cannot avoid showing their vexation; they do all they can to provoke us and to elicit a reply, but the best way to baffle them is to say nothing, refuse to argue with them, and to leave them to chew the cud of their hasty anger. This method of bringing down their pride disarms them, and shows them plainly that we slight and despise them. ~Saint Ambrose

Prayer:
Saint Ambrose, God called you to become bishop, and you responded. Once ordained, you embraced your new calling with vigor and unwavering devotion. Through you, many lives were touched and continue to be touched through your writings and witness. Please pray for me, that I will be more fully open to God’s will for my life, always surrendering my own preferences and embracing God’s. Saint Ambrose of Milan, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Public domain via Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 6: Saint Nicholas, Bishop—Optional Memorial

c. 270–c. 346
Patron Saint of children, sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, Russia, and numerous countries and cities
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ~Matthew 19:21

Prayer:
Saint Nicholas, through your intercession, God has touched many lives. The legends of your life have inspired faith throughout the centuries, just as your priestly and episcopal ministry impacted the people of your day. Please pray for me, that I will become a true saint and fulfill the mission God has given to me. Saint Nicholas of Myra, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


Image: Public domain via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 4: Saint John Damascene, Priest, Religious and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 676–749
Patron Saint of pharmacists, icon painters, and theology students
Pre-Congregation canonization
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1890
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
In other ages God had not been represented in images, being incorporate and faceless. But since God has now been seen in the flesh, and lived among men, I represent that part of God which is visible. I do not venerate matter, but the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake and deigned to live in matter and bring about my salvation through matter…But I do not venerate it in absolute terms as God! How could that which, from non-existence, has been given existence, be God?…Is not the wood of the Cross, three times blessed, matter?… And the ink, and the most Holy Book of the Gospels, are they not matter? The redeeming altar which dispenses the Bread of life, is it not matter?… And, before all else, are not the flesh and blood of Our Lord matter? Either we must suppress the sacred nature of all these things, or we must concede to the tradition of the Church the veneration of the images of God and that of the friends of God who are sanctified by the name they bear, and for this reason are possessed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. ~Saint John Damascene

Prayer:
Saint John Damascene, you sensed God calling you out of the world to a place where you could enter into deep communion with Him. In that holy monastery, you were formed in virtue and holy learning. God then used you in remarkable ways for the good of the Church and His glory. Please pray for me, that I will embrace the deeper conversion I need so as to be better equipped to serve God as He wills. Saint John Damascene, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>

December 3: Saint Francis Xavier, Priest—Memorial

1506–1552
Patron Saint of foreign missions, missionaries, navigators, and parish missions
Invoked against plague epidemics
Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
By the favor of God we all arrived in Japan in perfect health on the 15th of August, 1549. We landed at Cagoxima, the native place of our companions. We were received in the most friendly way by all the people of the city, especially the relations of Paul, the Japanese convert, all of whom had the blessing to receive the light of truth from heaven, and by Paul’s persuasion became Christians. During our stay at Cagoxima the people appeared to be wonderfully delighted with the doctrines of the divine law, so entirely new to their ears. Japan is a very large empire entirely composed of islands. One language is spoken throughout, not very difficult to learn…The Japanese are very ambitious with honors and distinctions, and think themselves superior to all nations in military glory and valor…They are, in short, a very warlike people, and engaged in continual wars among themselves; the most powerful in arms bearing the most extensive sway. They have all one sovereign, although for one hundred and fifty years past the princes have ceased to obey him, and this is the cause of their perpetual feuds. ~From a letter to the Jesuits in Europe, from Saint Francis Xavier

Prayer:
Saint Francis Xavier, the Gospel was planted deep in your heart through the Spiritual Exercises given to you by Saint Ignatius, your founder. Those exercises transformed your life, and through you, many other lives were touched. Please pray for me, that I will be open to the transformation that God wants for me, so that I can then go forth to share His love with others. Saint Francis Xavier, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Image: Joseph-Marie Vien, CC0, via Wikimedia