Liturgical Year 2022-2023, Vol.

Advent and Christmas

by Jennifer Gregory Miller (editor)

First of six volumes covering the 2022-2023 Catholic liturgical year, including all the
days of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Trinity Communications
CatholicCulture.org
P.O. Box 582
Manassas, VA 20108

Cover design: Christopher J. Pelicano

Painting attribution: Gerard van Honthorst, Adoration of the Shepherds
© Copyright Trinity Communications 2022
Book ID: LY20222023-V1-AC-jmg

The chapters of this book appeared first on the Trinity Communications website,
CatholicCulture.org.

Our website includes many more Catholic materials, including daily news, commentary,
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Table of Contents
Introduction to the Liturgical Year 6
Advent 9
Introduction to Advent 10
November 27th (First Sunday of Advent) 12
November 28th (Monday of the First Week of Advent) 22
November 29th (Tuesday of the First Week of Advent) 28
November 30th (Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle) 32
December 1st (Thursday of the First Week of Advent) 39
December 2nd (Friday of the First Week of Advent) 45
December 3rd (Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, Priest) 51
December 4th (Second Sunday of Advent) 57
December 5th (Monday of the Second Week of Advent) 64
December 6th (Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent; Optional Memorial of St.
Nicholas, Bishop) 69
December 7th (Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor) 77
December 8th (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
82
December 9th (Friday of the Second Week of Advent; Optional Memorial of St. Juan
Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (USA)) 93
December 10th (Saturday of the Second Week of Advent; Optional Memorial of Our
Lady of Loreto) 99
December 11th (Third Sunday of Advent) 107
December 12th (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (USA)) 113
December 13th (Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr) 121
December 14th (Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor; Ember
Wednesday) 127
December 15th (Thursday of the Third Week of Advent) 135
December 16th (Friday of the Third Week of Advent; Ember Friday) 141
December 17th (December 17, O Wisdom; Ember Saturday) 147
December 18th (Fourth Sunday of Advent ) 156
December 19th (December 19, O Root of Jesse) 163
December 20th (December 20, O Clavis David (O Key of David)) 168
December 21st (December 21, O Oriens (O Dayspring); Optional Memorial of St. Peter
Canisius, Priest and Doctor ) 176
December 22nd (December 22, O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)) 184
December 23rd (December 23, O Emmanuel; Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty,
Priest) 190
December 24th (December 24, Christmas Eve) 198
Christmas 207
Introduction to Christmas 208
December 25th (Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)) 211
December 26th (Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr) 226
December 27th (Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist) 234
December 28th (Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs) 241
December 29th (Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas);
Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr) 247
December 30th (Feast of the Holy Family) 253
December 31st (Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas);
Optional Memorial of St. Sylvester I, Pope) 262
January 1st (Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, The Octave Day
of Christmas) 272
January 2nd (Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and
Doctors) 281
January 3rd (Tuesday of Christmas Time; Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of
Jesus) 290
January 4th (Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious (USA and CAN);
Wednesday of Christmas Time) 299
January 5th (Memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop (USA); Thursday of Christmas
Time) 305
January 6th (Friday of Christmas Time; Optional Memorial of St. André Bessette,
Religious (USA); Epiphany (traditional)) 312
January 7th (Saturday of Christmas Time; Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of
Peñafort, Priest) 320
January 8th (The Epiphany of the Lord) 326
January 9th (Feast of the Baptism of the Lord) 336
LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 6

Introduction to the Liturgical Year

The Church inculcates Christ and His mission through the patterns and rhythms of her
Liturgical Year. She is herself the universal sacrament of salvation and the visible
manifestation on earth of the presence of the Kingdom of God even now. But the Church
also has various ministries and means by which she carries out her special mission. The
Liturgical Year is perhaps the most important means she uses to sanctify the concept of
time itself.
During the course of the Liturgical Year, the saving actions of Christ are presented
again to the Faithful in an effective spiritual sequence that provides occasions for
deepening our experience of Christ, for giving scope to our need for fasts and feasts,
penance and joy, the remission of sin and the foretaste of heavenly glory. The annual
cycle invites us to live the Christian mysteries more deeply, to let the Christ-life seep
into our very bones, and in so doing to transform and renew all human endeavors, all
human culture.
The backbone of the Liturgical Year is the Liturgical Calendar, an annual cycle of
seasons and feasts which both commemmorate and invite us to more fully enter into the
real history of our salvation. At the same time, the days devoted to the celebration of
many of the Church’s saints provide us with inspiring models of what it means to
exemplify the love and virtues which Our Lord and Savior so zealously wishes us to
share. In this way, we may develop in and through time a heart like unto His own.
On the CatholicCulture.org website, we have collected and organized a great many
resources for helping all of us to live the Liturgical Year more consciously and more
actively. In addition to the accounts of the nature, history and purposes of the great
feasts, and of course the lives of the saints, we have brought together a wide variety of
customs for celebrating the various seasons and feasts which have grown up in cultures
throughout the world. And in connection with these customs, we have also collected
appropriate prayers and devotions, family activities, and even receipes—the better to
help us taste and see the glory of the Lord! (Ps 34:8)
All of these resources are organized according to the Liturgical Calendar, and many
of them are deliberately oriented toward use by the family, or what recent popes have
referred to as the domestic church. The family is to be the Church in miniature, the first
of all Christian communities, the warm embrace in which new souls are claimed for
Christ and nourished in every way for His service. The family is also the source of the

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Church’s manifold vocations, including the vocations of those who dedicate themselves
exclusively to Christ and the Church’s service as priests and religious. Thus, in every
way, the Church public, the Church as a whole, the mystical body of Christ in its fulness,
depends on the health and strength of the domestic church, even as she nourishes the
domestic church through her presence, her sacraments, her counsel, her teaching—and,
of course, her Liturgical Year.
It is not possible in an eBook to reproduce the full richness and flexibility of these
resources as they are presented on our website ( www.catholicculture.org). The visual
displays of eBooks cannot, in most cases, equal those of web pages, and it is generally
not as easy to follow the many links available to explore the full range of offerings. What
we have done in the volumes of this series is to present the days of the Liturgical Year in
sequence, grouped in their proper seasons, so that the user can follow the unfolding of
the Liturgical Year with immediate access to the meaning of each day, complete with its
spiritual and liturgical explanations, and its biographies of the saints. Following the basic
presentation for each day are many links to additional information, prayers, activities and
recipes which relate specifically to that day or the Season as a whole.
These materials can be used with profit by anyone. However, if we were to offer
specific advice to parents on how they may make the best use of all the resources in their
own families, we would emphasize the following two points:
First, remember that all of us, but especially children, grow spiritually when we have
the opportunity to associate living examples, customs and activities with God’s love and
saving power. This sort of participation helps children to learn the Faith along with their
mother’s milk, so to speak—or, as we said above, to get it into their very bones. Children
also need heroes, and one way or another they will find them. The saints make the best of
all possible heroes.
Second, avoid trying to do too much. Select carefully and emphasize a few things
that you believe will work well in your situation. Keep your attitude joyful and relaxed.
With a little judicious planning, let your family’s own customs grow and develop over
time. Much of this will be carried on for generations to come, generations which trace
their own faith to and through you.
A word, finally, on the sources of much of the material presented both in this eBook
and on the much larger web site. Many of these wonderful books are, sadly, out of print,
but we owe a great debt to them. You may enjoy pursuing some of these sources on your
own. The years listed are the original publication dates; some have gone through
multiple editions. They include:

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Berger, Florence. Cooking for Christ (National Catholic Rural Life Conference)
1949
Burton, Katherine and Helmut Ripperger. The Feast Day Cookbook, 1951
Butler, Alban. Butler’s Lives of the Saints (updated since the 18th century, up to
12 volumes depending on edition)
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 2002
Gueranger, OSB (Abbot). The Liturgical Year, 1983
Kelly, Fr. George A. Catholic Family Handbook, 1959
Lodi, Enzo. Saints of the Roman Calendar, 1993
McLoughlin, Helen. My Nameday—Come for Dessert, 1962
Mueller, Therese. Our Children’s Year of Grace, 1943
Newland, Mary Reed. Saints and Our Children, 1958
Newland, Mary Reed. We and Our Children, 1954
Newland, Mary Reed. The Year and Our Children, 1956
Parsch, Dr. Pius. The Church’s Year of Grace (5 volumes), 1953
Trapp, Maria Augusta. Around the Year with the Trapp Family, 1955
Weiser, Francis X., SJ. The Easter Book, 1954.

May you find in this series of volumes on the Liturgical Year a true gateway to the riches
of Christ!

[ View this item on CatholicCulture.org. ]

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 Advent

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 10

Introduction to Advent
The Church begins a new Liturgical Year on the First Sunday of Advent. During the
subsequent four weeks, she prepares with mounting expectation for the coming of Christ
in a spirit of waiting, conversion and hope. This is in marked contrast to our commercial
society, which begins enjoying Christmas in October and frequently ends by leaving
people all “Christmased out” by the time the Christmas season actually starts on
December 24th. Advent holds the key to preparing properly for Our Lord’s saving action
in history, which we relive throughout the Liturgical Year.
Advent includes elements of both penitence and joy. In 490, Bishop Perpetuus of
Tours officially declared Advent a penitential season in the Frankish Church of Western
Europe, ordering a fast on three days of every week from November 11 until Christmas.
This forty days’ fast, similar to Lent, was originally called Quadragesima Sancti Martini
(Forty Days’ Fast of Saint Martin’s). By contrast, the Advent season of the Roman
liturgy, developing a century after that of the Frankish Church, was a non-penitential,
festive and joyful time of preparation for Christmas. By the thirteenth century a
compromise was reached, which combined the fasting and penitential character of the
Gallic observance with the Mass texts and shorter four-week cycle of the Roman Advent
liturgy. The liturgy of Advent remained substantially unaltered until Vatican II mandated
a few minor changes to more clearly delineate the spirit of the Lenten and Advent
seasons.
Again, Advent is the beginning of the Church year, and for all of us it provides an
opportunity for a fresh start. There are many popular traditions which can help us to
inculcate the spirit of Advent in our lives and our homes. Among these are the Advent
wreath, the Advent calendar, the Jesse Tree, and the use of the O Antiphons. More
information about these traditions and customs is available on our web site, especially in
the Advent Workshop.
In addition, the various feasts which we celebrate during the Advent season remind
us of those holy men and women who most fully lived the Advent spirit of yearning for
Christ. They form a rich and varied background for our own spiritual progress during this
important season. In Advent, we enjoy the Communion of the Saints in a special way,
asking their help in preparing for the coming of Jesus in our hearts.
There are always four Sundays in Advent, though not necessarily four full weeks.
The liturgical color of the season is violet or purple, except on the Third Sunday of

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Advent, called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, when optional rose vestments may be worn.
The Gloria is not recited during Advent liturgies, but the Alleluia is retained.
The prophesies of Isaiah are read often during the Advent season, but all of the
readings of Advent focus on the key figures of the Old and New Testaments who were
prepared and chosen by God to make the Incarnation possible: the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, Sts. Elizabeth and Zechariah. The expectancy heightens
from December 17 to December 24 when the Liturgy resounds with the seven
magnificent Messianic titles of the O Antiphons.

Advent Workshop

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 12

Advent: November 27th

First Sunday of Advent

Mass Propers for the First Sunday of Advent:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 25 (24):1-3, 124:
To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I
have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my
enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you
be put to shame.

Alleluia Verse, Ps 85:8:

Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.

Preface I of Advent:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the
design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when
he comes again in glory and majesty and all is at last made manifest, we who watch for
that day may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 85 (84):13:

The Lord will bestow his bounty, and our earth shall yield its increase.

For Catholics, the new Liturgical Year commences with the First Sunday of Advent,

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opening the Advent season. In this new Liturgical Year, the Church not only wishes to
indicate the beginning of a period, but the beginning of a renewed commitment to the
faith by all those who follow Christ, the Lord. This time of prayer and path of penance
that is so powerful, rich and intense, endeavors to give us a renewed impetus to truly
welcome the message of the One who was incarnated for us. In fact, the entire Liturgy of
the Advent season, will spur us to an awakening in our Christian life and will put us in a
‘vigilant’ disposition, to wait for Our Lord Jesus who is coming:

‘Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today,
now! The one true God, “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” is not a God who
is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is
the-God-who-comes.’1

The Season of Advent is therefore a season of vigilant waiting, that prepares us to

welcome the mystery of the Word Incarnate, who will give the ‘Light’ to the womb of
the Virgin Mary, but essentially this time prepares us not only to welcome this great
event but to incarnate it in our lives. We could say that the true light enters the world
through the immaculate womb of Mary but it does not stay there. On the contrary, this
light flows out into our dark, obscure, sinful lives to illuminate them, so that we can
become the light that illuminates the world. For this reason, let us live this time of
waiting not only to celebrate a historical memory but to repeat this memory in our lives
and in the service of others. To wait for the Lord who comes, means to wait and to watch
so that the Word of Love enters inside us and focuses us every day of our lives.
As Saint John Henry Newman reminded us in a homily for the Advent Season:
“Advent is a time of waiting, it is a time of joy because the coming of Christ is not only a
gift of grace and salvation but it is also a time of commitment because it motivates us to
live the present as a time of responsibility and vigilance. This ‘vigilance’ means the
necessity, the urgency of an industrious, living ‘wait.’ To make all this happen, then we
need to wake up, as we are warned by the apostle to the Gentiles, in today’s reading to
the Romans: ‘Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to
wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed’ ” (Rm
13:11).
We must start our journey to ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to be illuminated by
His Words of peace and to allow Him to indicate the path to tread (cf. Is 2:1-5).
Moreover, we must change our conduct abandoning the works of darkness and put on the
‘armor of light’ and so seek only to do God’s work and to abandon the deeds of the flesh

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(cf. Rm 13:12-14). Jesus, through the story in the parable, outlines the Christian life style
that must not be distracted and indifferent but must be vigilant and recognize even the
smallest sign of the Lord’s coming because we don’t know the hour in which He will
arrive (cf. Mt 24:39-44).

1 Pope Benedict XVI, Celebration of First Vespers of Advent, Vatican Basilica,

December 2006

—Excerpted from Dicastery for the Clergy

The First Sunday of Advent marks the new Liturgical Year, and the Church shifts into a
new Lectionary Cycle for Sundays, with 2022-23 returning to Cycle A, the Gospel of
St. Matthew. In the Sunday Gospel (Matthew 24:37-44) Jesus invites us to recognize the
signs of the last days. This is a reminder that Advent is not just looking back at the first
coming of Christ at Christmas, but our personal preparation for His Second Coming:
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….you
also must be prepared, for an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
The traditional Collect (Opening Prayer) of the last Sunday of the Church year began
“Stir up the wills of Thy faithful people, we beseech Thee, O Lord…” With this request
to God to “stir up” our wills, this day was traditionally called Stir-Up Sunday. Because
the Ordinary Form celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the
year, “Stir-Up Sunday” can now be the First Sunday of Advent. The traditional Collect
of the First Sunday is asking God to stir up His might: “Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee,
and come.” Many families create a traditional plum pudding or fruit cake or some other
recipe that all the family and guests can “stir-up.” This activity of stirring-up the
ingredients symbolizes our hearts that must be stirred in preparation for Christ’s birth.

What You Need to Know About Advent

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A Short Explanation of the Advent season and Its Significance in the Liturgical
Year
The History, Customs and Folklore of Advent
Resources for Celebrating Advent in the Home

Sunday Readings for the First Sunday of Advent, Cycle A:

The First Reading is taken from Isaiah 2:1-5. Today’s lesson from Isaiah contains one
of the encouraging speeches which God’s great prophet addressed to his fellow-Jews, to
help them persevere in their faith in God. Days of distress and tribulation lay ahead.
Jerusalem, their beloved and holy city, the site of the temple where the true God
manifested his power and his mercy among them, was to be razed one day to the ground,
because of their sins. But when the great day came and God fulfilled his promises to
them, Jerusalem would once more be the glory and the pride, not only of the Jews, but of
all nations.
This prophecy of Isaiah, spoken 700 years before the coming of Christ, has been
fulfilled. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” And we today, thousands of
miles from Jerusalem, and almost two thousand years after his coming among us, are
preparing ourselves for the annual commemoration of that greatest event of history.
The Second Reading is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 13:11-14. In
the verses chosen for today’s second reading, St. Paul urges Roman Christians to keep
the purpose of their conversion, of their acceptance of the gospel, of true salvation,
always before their eyes. They had accepted Christ in order to merit enteral salvation; for
this reason, they must “Cast off the works of darkness,” in which they indulged before
their conversion.
The Gospel is taken from Matthew 24:37-44. St. Matthew gives us a discourse
which our Lord held with his disciples concerning the destruction of the temple of
Jerusalem and the Parousia, or the second coming of Christ as judge of the world. In
the verses we read today Christ is speaking of his second coming, and emphasizes its
unexpectedness and suddenness.
In today’s lesson it is Christ himself who is asking each one of us so to live our lives
that no matter when we are called to judgement we shall not be found wanting. This does
not mean that we must always be praying. Nor does it mean that we must take no interest
in the affairs of this life. Of the two men working in the field and the two women

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grinding corn, one of each was found unworthy, not because of the work he or she was
doing, but because that work had for them wrongly excluded God and his purpose in life.
The two found worthy had room for God and their own eternal welfare in their
hearts—their work was part of their loyal service to God and was a means towards their
salvation.
Christmas comes but once a year but its meaning, its lesson, must remain in our
hearts and minds all the year round. God wants us in heaven forever. He sent his Son on
earth to bring us there. Aided by God’s grace we resolve today so to live our lives that
when death claims us we shall meet Christ, not as condemning judge, but as a loving
brother.

—Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Jesse Tree or Tree of Jesse Overview Printable Jesse Tree guide: The Jesse Tree:

Advent 2022 A Jesse Tree Prayer Service Jesse Tree, Day 1 ~ Creation

Jesse Tree Overview

The Jesse Tree dates back to Europe during
the Middle Ages. Ancient cathedrals have
Jesse Tree designs in their stained glass
windows. The “tree” is usually a branch or
sapling and is decorated with various
symbols that remind us of the purpose and
promises of God from Creation to the Birth
of Jesus Christ.
Jesse was the father of King David and God promised David that his Kingdom
would last forever. Two centuries after the death of King David, God spoke through
the prophet Isaiah and said:

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And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall
grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of
knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Each Jesse Tree ornament usually consists of a handmade symbol or drawing that
represents one of the major stories of the Old Testament along with a brief verse of
Scripture from that story.

Roman Station Churches of Advent and Christmas

Roman Stational churches or station churches are the churches that are appointed for
special morning and evening services during Lent, Easter and other important days
during the Liturgical Year. This ancient Roman tradition started in order to strengthen
the sense of community within the Church in Rome, as this system meant that the
Holy Father would visit each part of the city and celebrate Mass with the
congregation.
"So vividly was the station saint before the minds of the assembled people that he
seemed present in their very midst, spoke and worshiped with them. Therefore the
missal still reads, "Statio ad sanctum Paulum," i.e., the service is not merely in the
church of St. Paul, but rather in his very presence. In the stational liturgy, then, St.
Paul was considered as actually present and acting in his capacity as head and pattern
for the worshipers. Yes, even more, the assembled congregation entered into a
mystical union with the saint by sharing in his glory and by seeing in him beforehand
the Lord’s advent in the Mass" (Pius Parsch, The Church’s Year of Grace, Vol. 2, p.
71).
The Lenten stations are the most prominent since they encompass every day
during the Lenten season. However, there are other times of the year with traditional
station churches. The Advent and Christmas seasons include the four Advent
Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day with three different churches for the three
Masses of the Day, and the three feasts after Christmas and the Octave Day of
Christmas (January 1) and Epiphany, and the Advent Ember Days.
For more information, see:

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The Stational Church by Jennifer Gregory Miller

Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches, a review of George Weigel’s book
by Jennifer Gregory Miller
Following the Roman Stations by Jennifer Gregory Miller
A Peek Into Our Daily Roman Station Walk by Jennifer Gregory Miller
At Home: Lent and Easter by Florence Berger
Pontifical Academy of the Martyrs: Lenten Stations (Text in Italian)—the
Academy has been encouraging the display and veneration of relics at the
stational churches.
The Pontifical North American College: The Roman Station
Liturgy—includes commentary for each Stational day.
Roman Station Churches with Fr. Bill

First Sunday of Advent Station with Santa Maria

Maggiore (St. Mary Major): We enter the house of God.
Mary, God’s Mother, is preparing the crib in which to lay her
Son; she comes to meet us. What a beautiful model of
preparation! The stational church is St. Mary Major at the
Crib and its stational Saint meets us! Already on this first
day of preparation for Christmas, we see the Mother of God
at the crib! Mary now leads us to the altar, where she speaks to us and leads us in
prayer. We ask our blessed Mother Mary, the fruitful earth fecundated by the
goodness of the Lord, the patroness on the first day of the New Year as well as on
this first day of Advent, to obtain for us the grace to prepare with becoming honor
for the approaching solemnity of our redemption. Mary is the highest expression,
the perfect model of true Advent spirit. On this account do we begin our Advent
observance in the great Marian Church Ad praesepe, at the crib. To the
Christians of Rome this church was Bethlehem. In 342 A.D. it was built to
commemorate the Council of Ephesus, and dedicated to the Mother of God. Our
best model for the Advent-Christmas season is, surely, Mary our Mother (adapted
from Pius Parsch, OSB, The Church’s Year of Grace and Martin Hellriegel, Vine

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and Branches). For more information, see: Vatican on the Basilica Churches of
Rome
Rome Art Lover
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: November 27, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: First Sunday of Advent: Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the
resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that,
gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Plum Pudding I
Plum Pudding II
Plum Pudding III
Plum Pudding IV
Plum Pudding V
Rich Dark Fruit Cake II

ACTIVITIES

Advent and the Year of the Eucharist

Advent Calendar II
Advent or Mary Candle I
Advent or Mary Candle II
Advent Wreath I

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Advent Wreath II
Advent Wreath III
Advent Wreath V
Advent Wreath: Background and How To Make Your Own Wreath
Advent Wreath: Making Your Own
Gifts for Jesus, the Advent Manger
Jesse Tree Instructions
Jesse Tree Symbols
Jesse Tree, Day 1 — Creation
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Stir-Up Sunday
Stir-Up Sunday - First Sunday in Advent

PRAYERS

Blessing of the Advent Wreath

Hungarian wheat
Advent Prayers
Jesse Tree Prayer Service
Advent Table Blessing 1
Book of Blessings: Blessing of an Advent Wreath (First Sunday of
Advent)
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception

LIBRARY

Advent: Awaiting God’s Justice | Pope Benedict XVI

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 21

Advent: Awaiting God’s Justice | Pope Benedict XVI

Caryll Houselander and the Flowering of Christ | Janet Golden
Our Whole Life Should Be An ‘Advent’ | Pope Saint John Paul II
Rejoice, the Lord Is Near | Pope Saint John Paul II
See Advent’s Meaning Through Mary | Pope Benedict XVI
The Advent Wreath | Fr. William Saunders
The Joy of Advent | Pope Benedict XVI
The Kingdom of God Is At Hand | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-11-27

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 22

Advent: November 28th

Monday of the First Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. James of the Marches, Priest
(RM)

Mass Propers for Monday of the First Week of Advent:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Jer 31:10; Is 35:4:
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; declare it to
the distant lands: Behold, our Savior will come; you
need no longer fear.

Gospel Verse, Cf. Ps 80:4:

Come and save us, Lord our God; let your face
shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 106 (105):4-5; Is 38:3:

Come, O Lord, visit us in peace, that we may rejoice before you with a blameless
heart.

Advent is the time for renewal or repentance for the coming of Christ. "Interior
repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with
all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil
actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to
change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This
conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers
called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of
heart)" (CCC, 1431). Today’s Gospel (Matthew 8:5-11) of the Centurion and his servant

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illustrates both the invitation for all, from both East and West, to come to Christ. The
Centurion gives us words for our heart for trust and mercy in his grace, “Lord, I am not
worthy to have you enter under my roof: only say the word and my servant will be
healed.”
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. James of the Marches (1391-1476).
St. James became a doctor of canon and civil law, and then decided to live austerely as a
Franciscan friar. St. James studied theology with Saint John of Capistrano. He became a
popular preacher, traveling all over Italy and through 13 Central and Eastern European
countries converting an estimated 250,000. He is considered one of the fathers of the
modern day pawn shop.

Jesse Tree, Day 2 ~ Adam and Eve Jesse Tree Overview

St. James of the Marches

The small town of Montebrandone, on the eastern coast
of Italy, called the March of Ancona, gave birth to this
Saint in the year 1391. While still young he was sent to
the University of Perugia, where his progress in
learning soon qualified him to be chosen preceptor to
the children of a young gentleman of Perugia. He went
with him to Florence, to aid in the administration of a
juridical office the nobleman had obtained there; but
realizing that he was about to be engulfed in the
whirlpool of worldly excesses in which he found
himself, Saint James applied himself to prayer and recollection, and thought of entering
the Carthusian Order.
When traveling one day near Assisi, however, he went into the Church of the
Portiuncula to pray, and moved by the fervor of the holy men who there served God and
by the example of their blessed founder Saint Francis, he determined to petition in that
very place for the habit of the Order. He was then twenty-one years of age; he received

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very place for the habit of the Order. He was then twenty-one years of age; he received
the habit near Assisi, at the convent of Our Lady of the Angels. He began his spiritual
war against the world, the flesh and the devil in prayer and silence in his cell, joining
extraordinary fasts and vigils to his assiduous prayer. He fell ill with a number of
different illnesses which for thirty years he endured with heroic patience, without ever
exempting himself from saying Holy Mass or assisting at the offices in common. For
forty years he never passed a day without taking the discipline.
When, through the response of the Mother of Heaven to his prayers, he became able
to preach, he carried out that ministry with such great fervor and power that he never
failed to touch the most hardened hearts and produce truly miraculous conversions. He
joined Saint John of Capistrano to preach a crusade against the Turks, who had become
masters of Constantinople and were terrorizing Western Europe. At Buda he effected the
miraculous cessation of a furious sedition by simply showing the crucifix to the people;
the rebels themselves took him upon their shoulders and carried him through the streets
of the city. At Prague he brought back to God many who had fallen into error, and when
a magician wanted to dispute with him, he rendered him mute and thus obliged him to
retire in confusion. He traveled through the northern Provinces, into Germany, Dalmatia,
Hungary, Poland, Norway and Denmark and many other places; he went without any
provisions other than his confidence in God. If he found no aid or was without lodging
he rejoiced in his union with Lady Poverty, to whom he was joined by his religious
profession.
When he was called back to Italy to labor against a heresy, he acquired new
persecutors who attempted in several ways, including ambushes, poison, calumny and
the arousing of seditions against him, to do away with him. But God delivered him each
time from the most adroitly conceived artifices. When chosen as Archbishop of Milan,
he fled, and could not be prevailed on to accept the office. He brought about several
miracles at Venice and at other places, often by the simple Holy Name of Jesus written
on a paper. He raised from dangerous illness the Duke of Calabria and the King of
Naples. The Saint died in the Franciscan convent of the Holy Trinity near Naples, to
which city the Holy Father had sent him at the prayer of its King, Ferdinand. The date
was the 28th of November of the year 1476; he was ninety years old, and had spent
seventy of those years in religion.

—Excerpted from Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud
et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 13; Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based
on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 25

Brothers: New York, 1894).

Patronage: Monteprandone, Italy; Naples, Italy

Often Represented As: priest holding in his right hand a chalice from which a snake
is escaping; chalice and serpent; Franciscan holding a chalice and a veil; Franciscan with
a staff, castanets at his girdle, pointing to IHS (from CatholicSaints.info)
Highlights and Things To Do:

St. James is considered one of the "fathers of the modern pawnshop!…To combat
extremely high interest rates, James established montes pietatis—literally,
mountains of charity—nonprofit credit." organizations that lent money on
pawned objects at very low rates. (from Franciscan Media.
St. James lived a very austere life. He was a skinny man who dressed in a
tattered habit. He fasted every day until his health began to fail. The pope
ordered him to eat as a public service, and St. Bernardine of Siena told him to
moderate his penances. We can’t think to possibly take up the same practices,
but his approach in loving God and giving of his whole self is an inspiring
example.
The Order of Friars Minor are known as the “Observants,” usually called
Franciscan friars. Their official name: “Friars Minor” with the abbreviation
OFM. The Franciscan saints John of Capistrano, Albert of Sarteano, and
Bernardine of Siena, and James Marche are considered the “four pillars” of the
Friars Minor. All four of these saints were well-known for their preaching.
St. James Marche’s relics have been preserved in Saints Maria La Nova in
Naples.

Daily Readings for: November 28, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Monday of the First Week of Advent: Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord
our God, as we await the advent of Christ your Son, so that, when he comes and
knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in his praise. Who lives

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 26

and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

RECIPES

Plum Pudding I
Plum Pudding II
Plum Pudding III
Plum Pudding IV
Plum Pudding Rum Sauce I
Plum Pudding Rum Sauce II
Plum Pudding V

ACTIVITIES

Advent and the Year of the Eucharist

Advent Calendar I
Advent Wreath: Background and How To Make Your Own Wreath
Advent Wreath: Making Your Own
Celebrating Advent and Christmas
Death and Burial
Jesse Tree
Jesse Tree Instructions
November and the Holy Souls
Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Anointing of the Sick)
Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November
Prepare for Death
Preparing for Heaven
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: November
Religion in the Home for Preschool: November
Teaching About Death

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 27

Teaching About Death

Teaching Children About Sickness and Death

PRAYERS

Advent Table Blessing 1

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Little Litany of the Holy Souls
Prayer for a Happy Death
Blessing and Prayers for Advent Wreath
Out of the Depths - De Profundis
Daily Acceptance of Death
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace
Collect for Saint Catherine Laboure

LIBRARY

Advent Invites Us to Perceive the Presence of God | Pope Benedict XVI

Advent Wreath: Prayers and Explanation | Unknown
Advent: A Cry of Hope of the Church and the Just | Pope Benedict XVI
Advent: Awaiting God’s Justice | Pope Benedict XVI
Our Whole Life Should Be An ‘Advent’ | Pope Saint John Paul II
See Advent’s Meaning Through Mary | Pope Benedict XVI
The Advent Wreath | Fr. William Saunders

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-11-28

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 28

Advent: November 29th

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. Saturninus, Martyr (RM)

Mass Propers for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Zec 14:5, 7:
Behold, the Lord will come, and all his holy ones
with him; and on that day there will be a great light.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 10:21-24:

Behold, our Lord shall come with power; he will
enlighten the eyes of his servants.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. 2 Tm 4:8:

The Just Judge will bestow a crown of righteousness on those who eagerly await his
coming.

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Saturinius (d. 304), a Roman priest and
martyr. With his deacon Saint Sisinius, he was sentenced to hard labor, exiled, tortured
and beheaded for his faith in the persecutions of Emperor Decius.

Jesse Tree, Day 3 ~ Fall of Man Jesse Tree Overview

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St. Saturninus
Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope
Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul.
He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus
became the first Christian bishop of that city. There
were but few Christians in the place. However, their
number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his
power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the
worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more
because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the
high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his
own church. One day a great multitude was gathered by
an alter, where a bull stood ready for the sacrifice. A
man in the crowd pointed out Saturninus, who was
passing by, and the people would have forced him to idolatry; but the holy bishop
answered: “I know but on God, and to Him I will offer the sacrifice of praise. How can I
fear gods who, as you say, are afraid of me?” On this he was fastened to the bull, which
was driven down the capitol. The brains of the Saint were scattered on the steps. His
mangled body was taken up and buried by two devout women.

—Excerpted from Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Symbols: Bishop dragged by a bull; bishop with a bull at his feet.
Highlights and Things to Do:

San Saturnino Martire is the church in Rome in the place were St. Saturninus
was martyred.
Some of St. Saturnius’ relics are found in the minor basilica of St. John and St.
Paul (Santi Giovanni e Paolo) in Rome, the rest are now housed in San Saturnino
Martire. On November 29, 1987, the relics of the holy Roman martyr
Saturninus, which remained for a long time in the Basilica of Saints John and
Paul, were transferred to the parish church dedicated to his name and erected by
the Supreme Pontiff Pius XI, in 1930, for the pastoral care.
Read more about his relics and see more images.

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Daily Readings for: November 29, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Tuesday of the First Week of Advent: Look with favor, Lord God, on
our petitions, and in our trials grant us your compassionate help, that, consoled by
the presence of your Son, whose coming we now await, we may be tainted no
longer by the corruption of former ways. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever.

RECIPES

Skewered Beef Roman Style

ACTIVITIES

Jesse Tree
Jesse Tree Instructions
Jesse Tree Ornament Ideas and Blessing
Jesse Tree Symbols
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments)

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Prayers
Advent Table Blessing 1
November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Little Litany of the Holy Souls

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Prayer for a Happy Death

Daily Acceptance of Death
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace
Prayer for the Feast of St. Saturninus

LIBRARY

Catacombs: Witness To Early Heroism | Pope Saint John Paul II

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 32

Advent: November 30th

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

Mass Propers for the Feast of St. Andrew: Entrance

Antiphon, Cf. Mt 4:18-19:
Beside the Sea of Galilee, the Lord saw two
brothers, Peter and Andrew, and he said to them: Come
after me and I will make you fishers of men.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 4:19:

Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you
fishers of men.

Preface of the Apostles:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you, eternal Shepherd, do not desert your flock, but through the blessed Apostles
watch over it and protect it always so that it may be governed by those you have
appointed shepherd to lead it in the name of your Son.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Jn 1:42-42:

Andrew told his brother Simon: We have found the Messiah the Christ, and he
brought him to Jesus.

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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, a native of Bethsaida
in Galilee, a fisherman by trade, and a former disciple of John the Baptist. He was the
one who introduced his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah.”
Overshadowed henceforth by his brother, Andrew nevertheless appears again in the
Gospels as introducing souls to Christ. After Pentecost, Andrew took up the apostolate
on a much wider scale, and is said to have been martyred at Patras in southern Greece on
a cross which was in the form of an “X”. This type of cross has long been known as “St.
Andrew’s cross.”
St. Andrew’s feast is a signal of the beginning of Advent (plus or minus a few days).
Beginning on his feast, the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen
times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our
awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for
His coming.

+Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of
the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that
hour vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention
your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed
Mother. Amen.

Jesse Tree, Day 4 ~ Noah Jesse Tree Overview

St. Andrew (or Andreas) the Apostle

Andrew, Peter’s brother, and John were the
first disciples to follow the Lord. With tender
delicacy the Gospel (John 1:35-42) describes
their first meeting with Jesus. Andrew did not

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belong to the inner circle of the apostles, Peter,

James and John, and the evangelists narrate
nothing extraordinary about him (John 6:8); but
tradition (resting on apocrpyhal Acts) extols his
great love of the Cross and of the Savior; and
the Church distinguishes him both in the Mass (his name occurs in the Canon and in the
Libera since the time of Pope St. Gregory I who had a special devotion to him) and in the
Breviary.
The story of his martyrdom rests on the apocryphal Acts which lack historical foundation. The pagan judge exhorted
him to sacrifice to the gods. Andrew replied: “I sacrifice daily to almighty God, the one and true God. Not the flesh of
oxen and the blood of goats do I offer, but the unspotted Lamb upon the altar. All the faithful partake of His flesh, yet
the Lamb remains unharmed and living.” Angered by the reply, Aegeas commanded him to be thrown into prison. With
little difficulty the people would have freed him, but Andrew personally calmed the mob and earnestly entreated them
to desist, as he was hastening toward an ardently desired crown of martyrdom. When Andrew was led to the place of
martyrdom, on beholding the cross from a distance he cried out: “O good Cross, so long desired and now set up for my
longing soul I confident and rejoicing come to you; exultingly receive me, a disciple of Him who hung on you.”
Forthwith he was nailed to the cross. For two days he hung there alive, unceasingly proclaiming the doctrine of Christ
until he passed on to Him whose likeness in death he had so vehemently desired. —The legendary account of our
saint’s martyrdom has this value: it presents to us the mysticism of the Cross of later times. —Excerpted from The
Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch. Patron: Achaia; Amalfi, Italy; anglers; Burgundy; diocese of Constantinople;
fish dealers; fish mongers; fishermen; gout; Greece; Lampertheim; Germany; maidens; old maids; Patras, Greece;
Russia; Scotland; singers; sore throats; spinsters; University of Patras; unmarried women; women who wish to become
mothers. Symbols: Fish; Saint Andrew’s cross; Cross saltire (x-shaped); V or Y shaped cross; two fishes; tall cross
and book; vertical spear; primitive fish hook; fisherman’s net.

Often portrayed as: Man bound to a cross; man preaching from a cross; preacher
holding some fish. Highlights and Things To Do:

Today’s feast traditionally marks the end of the Church year and beginning of
Advent. Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, with this
day being the last possible day of the old Liturgical Year. Christmas is right
around the corner. An old saying reflected this:

St Andrew the King Three weeks and three days before Christmas begins.

Because weddings were not allowed during Advent and Christmas and Andrew
is the patron of unmarried maidens, many countries have marriage-related
superstitions connected to this day. See CatholicSaints.Info for a few traditions.
See the various churches dedicated to St. Andrew and where you can find his
relics.

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Beginning today the Christmas Anticipatory Prayer, also known as the “Novena
to St. Andrew” (Hail and Blessed be the hour…) is prayed every day until
Christmas.
Read Anticipating Christmas, Beginning with the Saint Andrew by Jennifer
Gregory Miller.
Read The Meaning and Misconceptions of The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
by Renata Grzan Wieczorek.
View some of the art depictions of St. Andrew. Here’s another Gallery of
Images of Andrew.
Remember to pray for fishermen and all who make their livelihood by the sea.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, and Romania. The flag of
Scotland (and the Union Flag and the arms and Flag of Nova Scotia) feature a
saltire (X-shaped cross) in commemoration of the shape of St. Andrew’s cross.
Read more about St. Andrew from Butler’s Lives of the Saints and The Golden
Legend.
Foods connected with this feast: St. Andrew was a fisherman, so fish dishes
and biblical themes would reign supreme. Women for Faith and Family have
reprinted Evelyn Vitz’s suggested “Biblical Dinner” menu. But there are other
foods connected with this day:
Scotland: St. Andrew is the patron of Scotland. Scones, haggis,
sheepshead and fish dishes are traditional. The scones are called “wigs”,
although their shape is rectangular.
England: St Andrew is a patron of lace-makers. On his feast, sometimes
known as “Tander”, areas such as Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,
Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire celebrate by feasting, drinking
elderberry wine, sports and serving a special cake called the Tandra
Cake, particularly in Bedfordshire. It has a bread dough base to which
lard, sugar, currants, lemon peel and eggs are added. This is also a day
for squirrel hunting in England, so Brunswick Stew would be another
dish on the table in England.
Slovakian Countries: Halushky (pasta dish) is cooked. Unmarried girls
place slips of paper with names of single young men into the dish.

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Daily Readings for: November 30, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle: We humbly implore your majesty, O

Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and
pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Apostle Cookies
Brunswick Stew
Colcannon II
Colcannon III
Fillet of Flounder in Tomato Sauce
Fish Cake
Gateau Aux Noix Le Saint-André (St. Andrew’s Walnut Cake)
Haggis
Haggis
Halushky or Knedliki
Salmon Primavera with Lemon Butter Sauce
Scottish Drop Scones
Sheep’s Head
Ship Cake
Sole with Red Wine and Onions
Tandra Cakes
Tuna Fondue

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 37

ACTIVITIES

Namedays
Preparing for Heaven
Apostle Cookies
Feast of St. Andrew, November 11
Nameday Ideas for the Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle
St. Andrew

PRAYERS

Advent Prayers
Advent Table Blessing 1
November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Little Litany of the Holy Souls
Prayer for a Happy Death
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
O Bona Crux!
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Daily Acceptance of Death
Prayer for Fisherman and All Those Who Travel by Sea
Table Blessing for the Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace

LIBRARY

Andrew, the Protoclete | Pope Benedict XVI

Friends of Jesus | Pope Benedict XVI

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 38

Message to Bartholomew I for the Feast of St. Andrew | Pope Benedict

XVI
Message to Patriarch Bartholomew I for Feast of St. Andrew | Pope
Francis

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 39

Advent: December 1st

Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld,
Priest (RM); St. Eligius, Bishop (RM)

Mass Propers for Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 119 (118):151-152:
You, O Lord, are close, and all your ways are truth.
From of old I have known of your decrees, for you are
eternal.

Alleluia Verse, Is 55:6:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call him while
he is near.

Communion Antiphon, Ti 2:12-13:

Let us live justly and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope and the
coming of the glory fo our great God.

The Roman Martyrology commemorates today the St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld
(1858-1916), a French Catholic religious and priest, who lived among the Tuareg in the
Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for
the protection of the Tuareg, and is a martyr. His inspiration and writings led to the
founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus among other religious congregations. He was
beatified on November 13, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI, and canonized by Pope Francis
on May 15, 2022.
Also commemorated is St. Eligius, French priest and bishop of Noyon and Tournai,

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 40

who died in 660 AD.

Jesse Tree, Day 5 ~ Abraham Jesse Tree Overview

St. Charles de Foucauld (Brother Charles of Jesus)

Saint Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg,
France on September 15th, 1858. Orphaned at the age
of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their
grandfather in whose footsteps he followed by taking up
a military career.
He lost his faith as an adolescent. His taste for easy
living was well known to all and yet he showed that he
could be strong willed and constant in difficult
situations. He undertook a risky exploration of Morocco
(1883-1884). Seeing the way Muslims expressed their faith questioned him and he began
repeating, “My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.”
On his return to France, the warm, respectful welcome he received from his deeply
Christian family made him continue his search. Under the guidance of Fr. Huvelin he
rediscovered God in October 1886. He was then 28 years old. “As soon as I believed in
God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live for him alone.”
A pilgrimage to the Holy Land revealed his
vocation to him: to follow Jesus in his life at
Nazareth. He spent 7 years as a Trappist, first in
France and then at Akbès in Syria. Later he began to
lead a life of prayer and adoration, alone, near a
convent of Poor Clares in Nazareth.
Ordained a priest at 43 (1901) he left for the
Sahara, living at first in Beni Abbès and later at
Tamanrasset among the Tuaregs of the Hoggar. He
wanted to be among those who were, “the furthest

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 41

removed, the most abandoned.” He wanted all who

drew close to him to find in him a brother, “a
universal brother.” In a great respect for the culture
and faith of those among whom he lived, his desire was to “shout the Gospel with his
life”. “I would like to be sufficiently good that people would say, “If such is the servant,
what must the Master be like?”
On the evening of December 1, 1916, he was killed by a band of marauders who had
encircled his house.
He had always dreamed of sharing his vocation with others: after having written
several rules for religious life, he came to the conclusion that this “life of Nazareth”
could be led by all. Today the “spiritual family of Charles de Foucauld” encompasses
several associations of the faithful, religious communities and secular institutes for both
lay people and priests.

—Excerpted from the Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Highlights and Things To Do:

Read more about St. Charles at the Joseph House and at the Little Sisters of
Jesus.
Here are some quotes by Charles de Foucauld at Jesus Caritas and a picture
biography.
Another excellent biography of Charles de Foucauld which can be downloaded
as a pdf file.
Some short biographies from the Dictionary of African Christian Biography.

St. Eligius
Eligius, a goldsmith at Paris, was
commissioned by King Clotaire to make a
throne. With the gold and precious stones given
him he made two. Struck by his rare honesty,
the king gave him an appointment at court, and
demanded an oath of fidelity sworn upon holy
relics; but Eligius prayed with tears to be
excused, for fear of failing in reverence to the

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relics of the Saints.

On entering the court he fortified himself
against its seductions by many austerities and
continual ejaculatory prayers. He had a
marvellous zeal for the redemption of captives,
and for their deliverance would sell his jewels,
his food, his clothes, and his very shoes, once
by his prayers breaking their chains and opening their prisons. His great delight was in
making rich shrines for relics.
His striking virtue caused him, a layman and a goldsmith, to be made Bishop of
Noyon, and his sanctity in this holy office was remarkable.
He possessed the gifts of miracles and prophecy, and died in 665.

—Excerpted from Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Patron: against boils; against epidemics; against equine diseases; against poverty;
against ulcers; agricultural workers; basket makers; blacksmiths; boilermakers; cab
drivers; candle makers; carpenters; carriage makers; cartwrights; clock makers;
coachmen; computer scientists; craftsmen; cutlers; electricians; engravers; farmers;
farriers; gilders; goldsmiths; guards; gunsmiths; harness makers; horse traders; jewelers;
jockeys; knife makers; laborers; lamp makers; livestock; locksmiths; mechanics;
metalsmiths; miners; minters; numismatics; Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;
saddle makers; scissors grinders; security guards; servants; silversmiths; tinsmiths; tool
makers; veterinarians; watch makers; wheelwrights; Worshipful Company of
Blacksmiths; coin collectors; garages; gas stations; horses; livestock; metal collectors;
numismatists; peasants; petrol stations; precious metal collectors; sick horses;
Eloois-Vijve, Belgium; Sint-Eloois-Winkel, Belgium; Carrozzieri, Italy; Schinveld,
Netherlands (from CatholicSaints.info)

Symbols and Represented As: anvil; hammer; horseshoe; pincers bishop with a crosier
and miniature church of chased gold; bishop with a hammer, anvil, and horseshoe;
bishop with a horse; courtier; goldsmith; man grasping a devil‘s nose with pincers; man
holding a chalice and goldsmith‘s hammer; man holding a horse‘s leg, which he
detached from the horse in order to shoe it more easily; man shoeing a horse; man with
hammer and crown near a smithy; man with hammer, anvil, and Saint Anthony; with
Saint Godebertha of Noyon; giving a ring to Saint Godebertha (from CatholicSaints.info)

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Highlights and Things To Do:

For more information on St. Eligius please see

Who Was Saint Eligius, A Patron Saint of Horses
The Life of St. Loye
St. Eligius, or Eloy, Bishop of Noyon, Confessor
Vatican News

St. Eligius’ remains are in the Noyon cathedral.

Geometry plays a role in today’s feast day. “Recent studies regarding Fractal
patterns and French Gothic Cathedrals constructed from the 12th to 15th century
proved new understanding in the design of these Cathedrals. It was determined
that not only did Noyon Cathedral and others follow Euclidean Geometry, but
also Fractal Geometry and Fractal Dimensions.” See The Fractal Pattern of the
French Gothic Cathedrals.

Daily Readings for: December 01, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Thursday of the First Week of Advent: Stir up your power, O Lord, and
come to our help with mighty strength, that what our sins impede the grace of your
mercy may hasten. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

English Eggs and Bacon

ACTIVITIES

Jesse Tree
Jesse Tree Instructions

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Jesse Tree Instructions

Jesse Tree Ornament Ideas and Blessing
Jesse Tree Symbols
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception

Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace
Prayer of Abandonment
A Daily Prayer of Saint Edmund Campion

LIBRARY

Bl. Charles de Foucauld: Heart of Christianity, Heart of Christ | Cardinal

Jose Saraiva Martins
Charles de Foucauld, Model Of Adoration And Dialogue | Pope Saint
John Paul II
Christendom’s Great Defeat | Christopher Check
The Jesuits | Alban Goodier
The Priest Martyrs of England | Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-01

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Advent: December 2nd

Friday of the First Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr
(RM); St. Silverius, Pope and Martyr (RM)

Mass Propers for Friday of the First Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon:
Behold, the Lord will come descending with
splendor to visit his people with peace, and he will
bestow on them eternal life.

Alleluia Verse:
Behold, our Lord shall come with power; he will
enlighten the eyes of his servants.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Phil 3:20-21:

We await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our mortal bodies, to
conform with his glorified body.

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Bibiana who was martyred at Rome
under Julian the Apostate in 363.
The Church also commemorates St. Silverius, who was pope for a very short time in
546-7 A.D. But his brief pontificate made him a martyr for the truth, which he defended
at the cost of his life. He died in exile at the isle of Ponza, for refusing the empress
Theodora’s demand to reinstate the heresiarch Anthimos in the see of Constantinople.
His body was brought back to Rome and laid in the Vatican basilica.

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Jesse Tree, Day 6 ~ Sarah Jesse Tree Overview

St. Bibiana
St. Bibiana was a Roman who was martyred during
the time of Julian the Apostate. A legend states that
Bibiana’s parents, Flavian and Dafrosa, were devout
Christians as well. Dafrosa was beheaded, and
Flavian, who was a former Roman prefect, had his
face burned with a hot iron and was exiled. Bibiana
and Demetria, her sister, were forced to remain in
their house after all their possessions had been taken
from them. For five months the two sisters fasted
and prayed. When they appeared in court, Demetria
died on the spot, and the judge handed Bibiana over
to a woman named Fufina. This woman tried to
tempt Bibiana to be unfaithful to Christ, but her
efforts were in vain. Bibiana was scourged to death with whips that were loaded with
lead. Her corpse was left out in the open for dogs to eat, but no dogs touched it, and fter
two days a priest named John took the body at night and buried it. St. Bibiana is one of
the three virgin martyrs particularly venerated in Rome, the other two being St. Cecilia
and St. Agnes.

Patron: Diocese of Los Angeles, California; epilepsy; epileptics; hangovers; headaches;

insanity; mental illness; mentally ill people; single laywomen; torture victims.

Symbols: pillar; branch of a tree; dagger; scourge; column and scourge with leaded
thongs.
Highlights and Things To Do:

Saint Bibiana lost everything except her faith. Say a prayer for those you know

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Saint Bibiana lost everything except her faith. Say a prayer for those you know
who are grieving the loss of loved ones, homes, jobs, health or some other
tragedy.
In imitation of St. Bibiana, resolve, with the help of God’s grace, that no human
considerations or advantages, no human ties and affections, will ever move you
to surrender your Catholic faith, to deflect from God’s commandments, to defile
yourself with mortal sin or to lose the priceless pearl of chastity.
Saint Bibiana’s rhas a church in Rome named after her: See:
Churches of Rome
Churches of Rome Wiki

Her relics are enshrined in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los
Angeles, California.

Pope St. Silverius

When news of Agapitus’ death reached Rome, King
Theodahad, fearing the imminent Eastern invasion, was
determined to have a pro-Gothic ally on the throne of
Peter. Silverius, son of the glorified Pope Hormisdas,
was his candidate. The clergy reluctantly submitted to
the will of their king and elected the subdeacon,
accepting him only for the sake of unity. The destiny of
this pope, however, would not follow the same glorious
path as that of his father.
While Silverius was being consecrated in Rome, the
emperor’s wife Theodora was making her own plans to
reinstate the Monophysite, Anthimus, as patriarch of
Constantinople. Striking a bargain with the chosen successor of Boniface II, Vigilius
(who had been serving as nuncio to Constantinople), the empress packed him off to
Rome, promising him the papacy in exchange for the heretic’s rehabilitation. But by the
time Vigilius reached his destination, Silverius was already tending to the needs of the
Apostolic See.
The emperor’s general Belisarius now marched on Rome. As the Eastern army drew
near, the Romans looked to their pope for advice. Silverius, realizing that resistance

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would be fruitless, recommended surrender. In early December of 536, as a triumphant

army occupied Rome, Belisarius summoned the pope to his quarters. Theodora had been
adamant with the general—the pope must submit to her wishes or face dire
consequences. The general’s first tactic with Silverius failed. Using forged letters,
Belisarius had accused the pope of treason on the grounds that he had allowed the city’s
gates to be opened for the retaliating Goths, now led by King Witiges. The general
ordered Silverius to concede to the empress by reinstating Anthimus as patriarch and
giving in to the Monophysite doctrine. Silverius adamantly refused. Belisarius took no
chances the second time; he seized the pope and, stripping him of his pallium, deposed
the protesting Silverius, now clothed only in a monk’s habit. The clergy was then
notified by a subdeacon of the pope’s terrible treatment and sentence of banishment.
When the general ordered the election of a new pope, the ambitious Vigilius was well
prepared. Through coercion Belisarius and Vigilius successfully accomplished the
nomination and election of the latter by the clergy.
Silverius had been deported to Patara, a seaport in Lycia. The local bishop was so
distressed that he personally went to Constantinople to plead with Justinian, telling him
that Silverius had been unjustly accused and, more, unjustly exiled. The emperor
believed there might be some merit to this and ordered Silverius back to Rome to face a
fair trial. Moreover, he ordered that, if found innocent, Silverius was to be given back his
throne. Vigilius panicked, and as soon as Silverius reached Rome, the new pope ordered
his removal to Palmaria, an island in the Gulf of Gaeta. It was on this island that
Silverius was forced to submit his abdication. After suffering torture and starvation,
Silverius died, a martyr for his Church.
Silverius was buried on the same island of his exile, his grave becoming the center of
miraculous healings.

—Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

Patronage: Ponza, Italy; Valprato Soana, Italy

Highlights and Things To Do:

Read more about St. Silverius:

AnaStPaul
Catholic Exchange
Catholic356

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The island of Ponza, Italy claims patronage to San Silverio, and this devotion
was brought over to the USA. See the San Silverio Shrine in Dover Plains.
People who came from Ponza settled in the Morrisania section of the Bronx,
New York. There they have an annual Festival of San Silverio at Our Lady of
Pity Church on 151st Street and Morris Avenue, honoring San Silverio. See
A tradition from Ponza
Family Tradition

Daily Readings for: December 02, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Friday of the First Week of Advent: Stir up your power, we pray, O
Lord, and come, that with you to protect us, we may find rescue from the pressing
dangers of our sins, and with you to set us free, we may be found worthy of
salvation. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

RECIPES

Pepparkakor (Ginger Cookies)

ACTIVITIES

Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December

Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception

Collect for Saint Bibiana
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

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Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace

LIBRARY

Celibacy Dates Back to the Apostles | Fr. Anthony Zimmerman STD

Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher
The Divine Character of the Church in History | Warren H. Carroll
Upon This Rock | Warren H. Carroll

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Advent: December 3rd

Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, Priest

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier

Entrance Antiphon, Ps 18 (17):50, 22 (21):23:
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will tell
of your name to my kin.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 28:19a, 20b:

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with
you always, until the end of the world.

Communion Antiphon, Mt 10:27:

What I say to you in the darkness speak in the light, says the Lord, what you hear
whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552), who was born
in the castle of Xavier in Navarre, Spain. In 1525 he went to Paris where he met St.
Ignatius Loyola and with whom he received Holy Orders in Venice in 1537. In 1540 he
was sent to evangelize India. He labored in western India, the island of Ceylon, Malacca,
Molucca Islands, island of Mindanao (Philippines), and Japan. In 1552 he started on a
voyage to China but died on Sancian Island.

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Jesse Tree, Day 7 ~ Melchizedek Jesse Tree Overview

St. Francis Xavier

This saint, one of the Church’s most illustrious missionaries, came from a noble Basque
family in Spain. He studied at the University of Paris, where he taught philosophy after
obtaining his degree of master of arts. Here he met Ignatius of Loyola and was enrolled
as one of the first seven Jesuits. They decided to go to the Holy Land, but the war
between the Turks and Venice prevented this, so for a time Francis labored at Padua,
Bologna, and Rome.
In 1540 Ignatius chose him as the first missionary to the Portuguese East Indies.
Francis sailed from Lisbon armed with four papal briefs making him nuncio with full
powers and recommending him to the Eastern princes. He landed at Goa in India and
began a vast apostolate lasting over ten years. Here he instructed the adults, gathered the
children by ringing a bell in the streets, catechized them, and also visited the hospitals
and prisons. He then turned to the native Indians, teaching the simple folk by versifying
Catholic doctrine and fitting the verses to popular tunes. He then went on to Cape
Comorin and began the conversion of the Paravas, some days baptizing so many that at
night he could not raise his arm from fatigue. Then to Travencore where he founded
forty-five churches in various villages. Then to Malacca in Malaya, and for eighteen
months from island to island, preaching, instructing, baptizing.
On his return to Goa he heard of the vast harvest of
souls awaiting the laborers in Japan and he set out for this
field with several companions, arriving at Kagoshima in
1549. He set himself to learn the language and started to
preach and teach with such success that twelve years later
his converts were found still retaining their first fervor. In
1551 he returned to Malacca to revisit his converts in
India. Now a new goal loomed up before his eyes—pagan
China, but he was not to reach it.
Arriving on the island of Sancian at the mouth of the
Canton river, he became ill of a fever and would have died abandoned on the burning
sands of the shore if a poor man named Alvarez had not taken him to his hut. Here he
lingered for two weeks, praying between spells of delirium, and finally died, his eyes

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fixed with great tenderness on his crucifix. He was buried in a shallow grave and his
body covered with quicklime, but when exhumed three months later it was found fresh
and incorrupt. It was taken to Goa where it is still enshrined. St. Francis Xavier was
proclaimed patron of foreign missions and of all missionary works by Pope St. Pius X on
March 25, 1904.

—Excerpted from A Saint A Day by Berchmans Bittle, O.F.M.Cap

Patronage: African missions; foreign missions; missionaries; navigators; parish

missions; plague epidemics; World Youth Day 2011 Locations: Australia; Borneo;
Brunei; China; East Indies; India; Japan; Kalimantan, Indonesia; Navarre, Spain; New
Zealand; Sabah, Malaysia; Sarawak, Malaysia; Freising, Germany; Goa, India; Setúbal,
Portugal Dioceses: Agartala, India; Ahmedabad, India; Alexandria, Louisiana; Calcutta,
India; Cape Town, South Africa; Chicoutimi, Québec; Dinajpur, Bangladesh; Green Bay,
Wisconsin; Grodno, Belarus; Hpa-an, Myanmar; Indianapolis, Indiana; Joiliet, Illinois;
Kabankalan, Philippines; Macau, China; Malindi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; Whitehorse,
Yukon Territories Organizations: Apostleship of Prayer; Congregation for the
Propagation of the Faith; Fathers of the Precious Blood; Missioners of the Precious
Blood; Xaverian Brothers (from CatholicSaints.info)

Symbols and Depictions: bell; crucifix; vessel; Pilgrim’s staff; rosary; lily; font; ship
and crucifix; globe.

Often portrayed as: young bearded Jesuit with a torch, flame, cross and lily; young
bearded Jesuit in the company of Saint Ignatius Loyola; preacher carrying a flaming
heart.
Highlights and Things To Do:

What does it mean to be an apostle? Consider how you might imitate St. Francis
Xavier in apostolic works in your own situation. Read this letter from St. Francis
to St. Ignatius to get an idea of his zeal.
Read more about St. Francis Xavier:
Fr. John Harden, Miracles of St. Francis Xavier
Catholic Ireland
Ignition Spirituality

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Loyola Press for children

Read some more about St. Francis and ideas for Celebrating the Feast of St.
Francis Xavier.
St. Francis was sent to India and Japan. Pray for the Church in these countries,
and learn more about the modern Church in India here and here, read about the
history of the Church in Japan.
Find out about and support the Holy Childhood Association (St. Francis always
started with the children first).
Teach your children to pray St. Francis’ favorite prayer, “Give me souls” when
they have some suffering to offer up.
Spend some time meditating on St. Ignatius’ response to St. Francis before his
conversion, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers
the loss of his soul?”
Pray the Litany of St. Francis Xavier.
Make a big pot of soup for this feast day. See also Catholic Cuisine for some
other recipe ideas.
Study some beautiful art depicting St. Francis Xavier at Olga’s Gallery.
See the statue of St. Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica Colonnade.
Read the Letter of St. Francis Xavier, Letter from Japan, to the Society of Jesus
in Europe, 1552.

Daily Readings for: December 03, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Memorial of St. Francis Xavier: O God, who through the preaching of
Saint Francis Xavier won many peoples to yourself, grant that the hearts of the
faithful may burn with the same zeal for the faith and that Holy Church may
everywhere rejoice in an abundance of offspring. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

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ever and ever.

RECIPES

Confessors’ Light Chocolate Cake

Nameday Chocolate Ice Cream
Ship Cake
Xaver Suppe

ACTIVITIES

Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December

Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Celebrating for the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Nameday Ideas for the Feast of St. Frances Xavier
St. Francis Xavier: Letter on the Missions, to St. Ignatius de Loyola, 1549

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Litany of St. Francis Xavier
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace

LIBRARY

Arrival of Relic of St. Francis Xavier | Cardinal George Pell

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Pope Pius IX and Japan. The History of an Oriental Miracle | Shinzo

Kawamura S.J.
Three Men of Extraordinary Holiness | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-03

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Advent: December 4th

Second Sunday of Advent

Mass Propers for the Second Sunday of Advent

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Is 30:19, 30:
O people of Sion, behold, the Lord will come to save
the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of his
voice heard in the joy of your heart.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 3:4, 6:

Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his
paths; all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Preface I of Advent:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the
design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when
he comes again in glory and majesty and all is at last made manifest, we who watch for
that day may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Bar 5:5; 4:36:

Jerusalem, arise and stand upon the heights, and behold the joy which comes to you
from God.

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“As the journey of Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ,
John the Baptist’s call to conversion sounds out in our communities. It is a pressing
invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God Who comes among us to
make divine judgement manifest. The Father, writes St. John the Evangelist, does not
judge anyone, but has entrusted the power of judgement to the Son, because He is the
Son of man.
“And it is today, in the present, that we decide our future destiny. It is with our
concrete everyday behavior in this life that we determine our eternal fate. At the end of
our days on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our
likeness or otherwise to the Baby Who is about to be born in the poor grotto of
Bethlehem, because He is the measure God has given humanity.
“Through the Gospel John the Baptist continues to speak down the centuries to each
generation. His hard clear words bring health to us, the men and women of this day in
which even the experience and perception of Christmas often, unfortunately, reflects
materialist attitudes. The ‘voice’ of the great prophet asks us to prepare the way for the
coming Lord in the deserts of today, internal and external deserts, thirsting for the water
of life which is Christ.” — Benedict XVI
The Optional Memorial of St. John Damascene is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

Jesse Tree, Day 8 ~ Isaac Jesse Tree Overview

Sunday Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle A:

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The First Reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 11:1-10. To help us prepare
for the coming of Christ at Christmas, the Church recalls the prophecies of the great
Isaiah on each of the four Sundays of Advent. To encourage the Chosen People who,
because of the bad example of their worldly leaders, were wavering in their loyalty to
Yahweh their true God, the prophet reminds them of him who is to come. This was 700
years before Christ came, but it was a reminder that God, who had called Abraham and
had made him the father and founder of the Chosen People some thousand years
previously, had not forgotten his promises. He would fulfill his word. He would one day
send them a ruler, a king, who would rule and judge with justice because he would have
the true spirit of the Lord. He who was to come would set up a kingdom of peace, not
only for the Chosen People but for all men. The kingdom he was to establish would be
for Jew and Gentile.
The Second Reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 15:4-9. St. Paul is
telling newly converted Christians, converted Christians of Rome, many of whom were
Jews, that the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament are still a source of instruction,
encouragement, and hope. The call of Abraham and the promises made to him, and to his
descendants, were fulfilled in the coming of Christ. Christ was the glory of the Chosen
People—the fruit of centuries of preparation and expectation—but he brought the
knowledge and blessings of the true God to the Gentile pagans also. Henceforth, all men
are brothers of Christ.
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction. Add to this
what has been written concerning Christ’s coming among us, with his teaching and
promises, and we Christians surely have an inexhaustible source of encouragement and
hope. To help us prepare ourselves to welcome Christ at Christmas, the Church brings
before our minds sections of the Old and New Testaments, which should inspire us with
new faith, hope and charity. Faith in God, who always fulfills his promises, hope for our
eventual salvation, and charity, or love for God, who has done, and is still doing. such
wonderful things for us unworthy men. This charity and love of God must spill over on
our neighbor, if it is sincere, for as St. John tells us, the man who says he loves God and
yet hates his neighbor is a liar (2 Jn. 4:20).
The Gospel is from the Gospel of Matthew 3:1-12, an angel announced to Zechariah,
a priest of the temple, that he would have a son (even though his wife Elizabeth was
barren and advanced in years). This son was destined to be the Precursor who would
announce the proximate arrival of the long-expected Messiah. John, the name given him
by the angel even before his conception, spent his youth and early manhood as a hermit
in the desert of Judea, preparing himself for his exalted office. When God revealed to

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in the desert of Judea, preparing himself for his exalted office. When God revealed to
him that the Messiah was soon to begin his public life, John set out for the bank of the
Jordan, where he began to preach repentance, in order to prepare the people for “him
who was to come.”
In this holy season of Advent, as we prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas. John
the Baptist has words of advice and warnings for each one of us. He advises us to
“prepare the way of the Lord,” by true repentance of our past sins and a firm resolution
to straighten "the ways of the Lord,” that is, not to deviate from the true Christian way of
life in the future.

—Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

Meditation: Jerusalem
In Palestine Christians gather today in Jerusalem for the celebration of holy Mass. In
Rome they proceed to the stational church "Holy Cross at Jerusalem" which serves to
give the atmosphere of the Holy City.
Why “Jerusalem”? Excavations of ancient sites often reveal a number of strata.
When enemies destroyed a city, a new one would rise on the same location, so that today
there are several layers of remains, one city, as it were, above the other. Our Jerusalem
likewise has four strata. The bottommost layer is the Jerusalem of the Jews, that
venerable land where the Lord Jesus began His mission of redemption, where He
suffered and died. This is the historical Jerusalem so dear to us Christians. Anyone
making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land enters that ancient city with holy awe. That
Jerusalem, however, lies buried deep.
For us another has been built upon it, the
Jerusalem of Christians, God’s kingdom on earth,
the holy Church. This city still stands; it is the one
which the divine King will enter at Christmas. Now
we understand why we will hear so much about
Jerusalem during the coming week. We should now
clean and adorn our city, improving its streets and
avenues through which the Savior will make His
entrance. As a motto we should take the words of
the precursor, St. John the Baptist: “Prepare the way
of the Lord, make straight His paths; let every

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valley be filled, every hill be leveled.” Holy Mother Church’s message today is that the
Savior is coming to the Jerusalem of the Christians, to the Church.
Above the second stratum there arises a third, the heavenly Jerusalem at the end of
time. Already now the Church sings of this Jerusalem. For during Advent we await the
Savior who will appear on the Last Day to take all into “the new Jerusalem coming
down from heaven.”
Finally, there may be recognized a fourth Jerusalem, our souls in sanctifying grace.
This city too must be adorned and prepared, for the King will want to enter. That is our
present task.
On Epiphany, the climax to the current season, the Church will cry out: “Arise,
shine, O Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.” That is the goal.
Today we must prepare for the great King’s visit to our city. The whole coming week
must be devoted to it. The Church prays: “Awaken our hearts to prepare the way for
Your only-begotten Son that we may serve Him with purified hearts.”
In the time of the Roman Empire, rulers rode from city to city for the purpose of
official visitations. Their appearance, called epiphany or parousia, was a great event,
one preceded by months of preparation. Something analogous takes place in the
Jerusalem of our souls. From a high watchtower we see the Lord coming afar off.
Suddenly John the Baptist appears; he hurries into the city to announce the King’s
approach. God condescends to manifest Himself to us in grace; but He demands the
proper reception.

—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace by Pius Parsch

Second Sunday of Advent Station with Holy Cross In

Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme): The church in Rome
appointed as the stational church for the Second Sunday of
Advent is the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Of old,
salvation was of the Jews, but through them, and through this
church, salvation is also given to the heathens. The Jerusalem,
the Sion of today’s liturgy, is the Holy Catholic Church, the
vessel that contains Christ and his salvation. In the mind of the liturgy the figure
applies also to each Christian soul, and to the church of stone in which we await the
celebration of Mass in anticipation of the advent of our Redeemer (Baur, The Light
of the World). For more information on Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, see: Roman

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of the World). For more information on Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, see: Roman
Churches Churches of Rome Walks in Rome
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 04, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Second Sunday of Advent: Almighty and merciful God, may no earthly
undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son, but may our
learning of heaven wisdom grain us admittance to his company. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Whole Wheat Sweet Porridge

ACTIVITIES

Advent and the Year of the Eucharist

Christmas Wheat
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Jerusalem Christmas Decorations

PRAYERS

Hungarian wheat
Advent Prayers
Jesse Tree Prayer Service

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Second Sunday of Advent: Prayer Devotions

Advent Table Blessing 1
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception

LIBRARY

Jerusalem, Mother Of All Peoples | Pope Saint John Paul II

Jerusalem, Praise Your Saving God | Pope Saint John Paul II
The Question of Jerusalem | Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Advent: December 5th

Monday of the Second Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. Sabbas, Abbot (RM)

Mass Propers for Monday of the Second Week of

Advent: Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Jer 31:10; Is 35:4:
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; declare it to
the distant lands: Behold, our Savior will come; you
need no longer fear.

Alleluia Verse:
Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 106 (105):4-5; Is 38:3:

Come, O Lord, visit us in peace, that we may rejoice before you with a blameless
heart.

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Sabbas (439-532), an anchorite who
dedicated his life to prayer and manual labor. He is pictured as an abbot with an apple, as
he was once tempted to eat an apple outside of the prescribed mealtime, whereupon he
vowed never to eat apples again. In Jerusalem he built a famous laura (as oriental
monasteries are called), which bears his name. When the Arabs later conquered the Holy
City, the monks fled to Rome, where they built a monastery and introduced the
veneration of their saint. In the Eastern Church St. Sabbas ranks high in popular
devotion; he is distinguished by the titles “God-bearer, the Saint, Citizen of the Holy
City, Star of the Desert, Patriarch of Monks.”

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Jesse Tree, Day 9 ~ Jacob Jesse Tree Overview

St. Sabbas
Saint Sabbas the Sanctified was born in the fifth century in
Cappadocia, in the pious Christian family of John and Sophia.
His father was a military commander. Journeying to
Alexandria on military matters, his wife went with him, but
they left their five-year-old son in the care of an uncle. When
the boy reached eight years of age, he entered the monastery
of St. Flavian, located nearby. The gifted child quickly
learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures.
In vain did his parents urge St. Sabbas to return to the world
and enter into marriage. At seventeen years of age he received
monastic tonsure, and attained such perfection in fasting and prayer that he was given the
gift of wonderworking. After spending ten years at the monastery of St. Flavian, he went
to other monasteries. St. Sabbas lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of
thirty.
He was later blessed to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, however, he left his
hermitage and came to the monastery, where he participated in divine services and ate
with the brethren. After a certain time St. Sabbas received permission not to leave his
hermitage at all, and he struggled in the cave for five years. After several years, disciples
began to gather around St. Sabbas, seeking the monastic life. As the number of monks
increased, a lavra sprang up. When a pillar of fire appeared before St. Sabbas as he was
walking, he found a spacious cave in the form of a church.
St. Sabbas founded several more monasteries. Many miracles took place through the
prayers of St. Sabbas: at the Lavra a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought
there was abundant rain, and there were also healings of the sick and the demoniacs. The
saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 532.

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Symbols and Representation: Abbot with an apple; man holding the rule of his
monastery in his hand; man seated at the edge of a cliff; man praying in a cave with a
lion nearby
Highlights and Things to Do:

Learn about the icon of the Mother of God called the “Milk-Giver” and its
connection to St. Sabbas.
Make preparations for the feast of St. Nicholas. Tonight many families put out
their shoes or stockings for St. Nicholas to fill. Also many families celebrate
with a party on St. Nicholas Eve.
Don’t forget to pray “Hail and Blessed be the hour…”, the Christmas
Anticipatory Prayer every day until Christmas.
Read more about St. Sabas:
Franciscan Media
uCatholic
Loyola Press

Read this longer biography of St. Sabas to find out why he is pictured with an
apple.
Read St. Sabbas the Sanctified and his Holy Lavra.
Visit this site to learn more about the ancient monastery established in the 5th
century by St. Sabas.

Daily Readings for: December 05, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Monday of the Second Week of Advent: May our prayer of petition rise
before you, we pray, O Lord, that, with purity unblemished, we, your servants,
may come, as we desire, to celebrate the great mystery of the Incarnation of your
Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

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God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Bishopwyn I (Bishop’s Wine)

Ciastka Miodowe (Honey Cakes)
Kris Kringle Cookies
Rozijnen Koekjes (Raisin Cookies)
Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) Cookies
Speculaas or Speculatius II

ACTIVITIES

Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December

Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
St. Nicholas Day Party
St. Nicholas Eve
St. Nicholas Puppet Show
St. Nicholas’ Visit

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Jesse Tree Prayer Service
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

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Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Collect for Saint Sabbas

LIBRARY

Allatae Sunt (On The Observance Of Oriental Rites) | Pope Benedict XIV
Joyful Expectation of Christmas Among Christians | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-05

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Advent: December 6th

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent;
Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop

Mass Propers of St. Nicholas: Entrance Antiphon, Cf.

Ez 34:11, 23-24:
I will look after my sheep, says the Lord, and I will
appoint a shepherd to pasture them, and I, the Lord,
will be their God.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 4:18:

The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Jn 15:16:

It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.

Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra. Not
much is known about this 4th century bishop, but that doesn’t diminish his popularity
around the world, both in the East and West. It is known that Nicholas was born in Lycia
in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and died in 352 A.D. as the Bishop of Myra. All
other stories that surround Nicholas illustrate that he practiced both the spiritual and
corporal works of mercy. He was generous, strove to help the poor and disadvantaged,
and worked tirelessly to defend the faith. His legends of generosity and a slip of the
tongue from other languages has made St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas into today’s Santa
Claus.

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Jesse Tree, Day 10 ~ Joseph Jesse Tree Overview

St. Nicholas of Myra

Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra, is undoubtedly one of the most popular saints honored in
the Western world. In the United States, his memory has survived in the unique
personality of Saint Claus — the jolly, rotund, white-bearded gentleman who captivates
children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve. Considered primarily as the patron
saint of children, Nicholas is also invoked by sailors, merchants, bakers, travelers and
pawnbrokers, and with Saint Andrew is honored as the co-patron of Russia.
In spite of his widespread fame, Saint Nicholas, from the historian’s point of view, is
hardly more than a name. He was born in the last years of the third century in Asia
Minor. His uncle, the archbishop of Myra in Lycia, ordained him and appointed him
abbot of a nearby monastery. At the death of the archbishop, Nicholas was chosen to fill
the vacancy, and he served in this position until his death. About the time of the
persecutions of Diocletian, he was imprisoned for preaching Christianity but was
released during the reign of Emperor Constantine.
Popular legends have involved Saint Nicholas in a number of charming stories, one
of which relates Nicholas’ charity toward the poor. A man of Patara had lost his fortune,
and finding himself unable to support his three maiden daughters, was planning to turn
them into the streets as prostitutes. Nicholas heard of the man’s intentions and secretly
threw three bags of gold through a window into the home, thus providing dowries for the
daughters. The three bags of gold mentioned in this story are said to be the origin of the
three gold balls that form the emblem of pawnbrokers.
After Nicholas’ death on December 6 in or around
345, his body was buried in the cathedral at Myra. It
remained there until 1087, when seamen of Bari, an Italian
coastal town, seized the relics of the saint and transferred
them to their own city. Veneration for Nicholas had
already spread throughout Europe as well as Asia, but this

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already spread throughout Europe as well as Asia, but this

occurrence led to a renewal of devotion in the West.
Countless miracles were attributed to the saint’s
intercession. His relics are still preserved in the church of
San Nicola in Bari; an oily substance, known as Manna di
S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers,
is said to flow from them.
The story of Saint Nicholas came to America in
distorted fashion. The Dutch Protestants carried a popularized version of the saint’s life
to New Amsterdam, portraying Nicholas as nothing more than a Nordic magician and
wonder-worker. Our present-day conception of Santa Claus has grown from this version.
Catholics should think of Nicholas as a saint, a confessor of the faith and the bishop of
Myra — not merely as a jolly man from the North Pole who brings happiness to small
children. Many countries and locations honor St. Nicholas as patron: Greece, Russia, the
Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Lorraine, and many cities in Italy, Germany, Austria, and
Belgium.

—Excerpted in part from Lives of the Saints for every day of the Year, Volume III ©
1959, by The Catholic Press, Inc.

Patronage: against imprisonment; against robberies; against robbers; apothecaries;

bakers; barrel makers; boatmen; boot blacks; boys; brewers; brides; captives; children;
coopers; dock workers; druggists; fishermen; grooms; judges; lawsuits lost unjustly;
longshoremen; maidens; mariners; merchants; murderers; newlyweds; old maids; parish
clerks; paupers; pawnbrokers; perfumeries; perfumers; pharmacists; pilgrims; poor
people; prisoners; sailors; scholars; schoolchildren; shoe shiners; spinsters; students;
thieves; travellers; unmarried girls; watermen; Greek Catholic Church in America; Greek
Catholic Union; Bari, Italy; Fossalto, Italy; Duronia, Italy; Portsmouth, England; Greece;
Lorraine; Russia; Sicily. (from Catholicsaints.info)

Symbols and Representation: Three children in a trough or tub; three golden balls on a
book; six golden balls; three golden apples; three loaves; three purses or bags of gold;
anchor; ship; Trinity symbol on a cope; angel; small church; three balls;

Often portrayed as: Bishop with three children in a tub at his feet; Bishop calming a
storm; bishop holding three balls; bishop holding three bags of gold; bishop with three

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children.
Highlights and Things to Do:

Often people connect the stories of Santa Claus with St. Nicholas. This story of
the origin of Santa Claus is one version of this story.
St. Nicholas Center is a website compendium of all things—books, plays, music,
crafts, legends, stories, games, recipes, prayers, etc.—St. Nicholas.
Read the Italian history of St. Nicholas of Bari, ancestor of Santa Claus.
Choose some of the recommended activities — a puppet show, a party, a visit
from “St. Nicholas.” Make sure to include in all the activities the story of St.
Nicholas, virtues to imitate, and his significance in the Advent season. Read how
different countries Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas is a popular saint the world over, and his relics can be found in
various places, including one of his arms in the St. Nicholas Cathedral in
Fribourg, Switzerland.
To enhance your feasting, purchase a copy of the CD by the Anonymous 4
Legends of St. Nicholas. This is medieval music, all in honor of St. Nicholas,
recorded by four female vocalists.
There are numerous recipes to enhance this feast, anything from a soup to
dessert, so have fun in the kitchen trying different ones.
St. Nicholas did his charitable works secretly. Suggest that your children do one
hidden act of kindness in imitation of the saint.
From the Netherlands we have the most popular recipe, speculaas (or St.
Nicholas Cookies; Speculaus; Speculatius; Kris Kringle Cookies; Dutch spice
cookies). You can find tips for using special speculaas cookie molds by Gene
Wilson. Try these sites for St. Nicholas Cookie cutters or molds: House on the
Hill, Rycraft, and St. Nicholas Center. You could also use Nativity Cookie
Cutters, like these from Cookie Craft.

Daily Readings for: December 06, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

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(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent: O God, who have shown forth
your salvation to all the ends of the earth, grant, we pray, that we may look
forward in joy to the glorious Nativity of Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas: We humbly implore your mercy, Lord:

protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas, that the
way of salvation may lie open before us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever.

RECIPES

Bishopwyn I (Bishop’s Wine)

Bishopwyn II (Bishop’s Wine)
Biskkupsky Chelbicek
Bisschopswijn IV (Bishop’s Wine)
Black Forest ‘Good Works’ Cake
Ciastka Miodowe (Honey Cakes)
December 06, St. Nicholas: Klauskerl (St. Nicholas Doughman)
Gevulde Speculaas
Hazelnut Macaroons
Honey Cake
Kris Kringle Cookies
Letter banket
Marzipankartoffel (Marzipan Potatoes)
Moussaka
Nikolausschnitten (St. Nicholas Dainties)
Nikolaussteifel

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Pepernoten or Pfeffernüsse I (Peppernuts)

Pepernoten or Pfeffernüsse III (Peppernuts)
Pepernoten or Pfeffernüsse IV (Peppernuts)
Rozijnen Koekjes (Raisin Cookies)
Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) Cookies
Schokoladekugeln (Chocolate Balls)
Ship Cake
Speculaas or Speculatius I
Speculaas or Speculatius II
Speculaas or Speculatius III
Speculaas or Speculatius IV
Speculaas or Speculatius V
Sprits
St. Nicholas Breads
St. Nicholas Day Initial Cookies
St. Nicholas Pudding
St. Nicholas Soup
Stuffed Pork Shoulder Roast
Tarte Normande Saint-Nicolas
Speculaas or Speculatius VI
Speculaas or Speculatius VII

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating for the Feast of St. Nicholas

Feast of St. Nicholas
Life and Legend of St. Nicholas
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

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Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

Santa Claus
Santa Claus
St. Nicholas Customs
St. Nicholas Day Ideas
St. Nicholas Day Party
St. Nicholas Eve
St. Nicholas Puppet Show
St. Nicholas’ Visit
Visit of St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas Festivities

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Collect for Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bishop and Confessor, 1962

LIBRARY

How to Make the Church Year a Living Reality | Very Reverend Martin B.
Hellriegel
St. Nicholas: A Giver of Gifts | Fr. William Saunders

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St. Nicholas: A Giver of Gifts | Fr. William Saunders

You Better Watch Out—St. Nicholas is Coming to Town | Christopher B.
Warner

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Advent: December 7th

Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. Ambrose:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Sir 15:5:
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and
the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and
understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 10:14:

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my
sheep, and mine know me.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 1:2, 3:

He who ponders the law of the Lord day and night will yield fruit in due season.

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Ambrose (340-397), who was born at
Treves in Gaul, a territory which embraced modern France, Britain, Spain, and part of
Africa. He studied in Rome and later became governor of Liguria and Aemelia with
residence at Milan. While supervising the election of a new bishop of Milan in 374, he
himself was suddenly acclaimed the bishop. He was only a catechumen at the time and
was ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop on December 7. He wrote much on the
Scriptures and Fathers, preached a homily every Sunday, resisted the interference of the
secular powers with the rights of the Church, opposed the heretics, and was instrumental
in bringing about the conversion of St. Augustine. He composed many hymns, promoted
sacred chant, and took a great interest in the Liturgy.

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Jesse Tree, Day 11 ~ Moses Jesse Tree Overview

St. Ambrose
Around the year 333 Ambrose was born at Trier, the child of a noble Roman family.
After his father’s death he went to Rome, and was soon appointed consul with residence
at Milan. While attempting to settle a dispute between the Arians and Catholics over the
choice of a bishop, he himself was chosen, although only a catechumen at the time.
Thereupon he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the study of theology, and gave his
possessions to the poor. He was an illustrious preacher, and through his sermons brought
Augustine to the faith and baptized him.
Candid and fearless no matter how strong the opposition, Ambrose was directed to
confront Maximus, the murderer of the Emperor Gratian. When Maximus refused to do
penance, Ambrose excommunicated him. Later he denied Emperor Theodosius entrance
into church for his massacre of the inhabitants of Thessalonica. It was on this occasion
that allusion was made to [King] David as a murderer and adulterer, and Ambrose
retorted: “You have followed him in sin, now follow him in repentance.” Humbly,
Theodosius accepted the penance imposed.
We often meet this saint in the Divine Office as a teacher and as an inspired
composer of hyms (fourteen of the hymns attributed to him are definitely authentic, true
pearls of religious poetry). His writings are vibrant with ancient Christian liturgical
spirit, for his life was wholly rooted in mystery and sacrament. We can profit greatly by
reading Ambrose’s works. He is one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church.

—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: bee keepers; bees; bishops; candle makers; chandlers; domestic animals;
French Commissariat; geese; honey cake bakers; learning; livestock; police officers;
schoolchildren; security personnel; starlings; students; wax melters; wax refiners; Italy:
archdiocese of Milan; Alassio; Bologna; Carate Brianza; Lombardy; Lonate; Pozzolo;
Milan; Monte San Savino; Stresa; Vigevano (from CatholicSaints.info)

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Milan; Monte San Savino; Stresa; Vigevano (from CatholicSaints.info)

Symbols and Representation: baby with bees on his mouth; scourge, lash or whip,
usually with 3 thongs representing doctrine of Trinity; bees; beehive; books; tower;
dove; cope and mitre; human bones (referring to relics of Sts Gervase and Protase);
scroll with staff of music; pen book and pen; cross; chalice; ox; knotted scourge; two
scourges; goose; writing tablet and stylus; heart surmounted with flame; scroll with
quotation from writings; bishop holding a church; man arguing with a pagan;

Often portrayed as: Bishop holding a church in his hand; beehive; man arguing with a
pagan; with Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Jerome and Saint Augustine of Hippo; at the
grave of Saint Martin of Tours (Ambrose saw his burial in a vision); with Saint Protase
and Saint Gervase (they appeared to Ambrose in a vision to lead him to their lost relics)
Highlights and Things To Do:

See Celebrating the Feast of St. Ambrose for ideas.

Read some of the Writings of St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church.
Find out more about the Ambrosian Rite named after St. Ambrose.
Read about the Authenticity of His Relics.
Food Ideas: Besides the recipes named for Ambrose, other highlighted recipes
are honey cakes or cookies, appropriate since Ambrose is known as the
“Honey-Tongued Doctor.” See Catholic Cuisine for ideas.

Daily Readings for: December 07, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Memorial of St. Ambrose: O God, who made the Bishop Saint Ambrose
a teacher of the Catholic faith and a model of apostolic courage, raise up in your
Church men after your own heart to govern her with courage and wisdom. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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RECIPES

Genoise Book Cake

Honey Chiffon Pie
Honey Pie
Insalata Ambrosiana
Ciastka Miodowe (Honey Cakes)
Honey Cake
Milk and Honey Cookies
Ambrosia Salad
Costoletta alla Milanese (Breaded Veal Chops)

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating for the Feast of St. Ambrose

Jesse Tree, Day 5 — Abraham
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Bees

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LIBRARY

Is There Salvation Outside the Church? | Fr. William G. Most

Keeping in Touch with the Saints | Ann Ball
Saint Ambrose of Milan | Pope Benedict XVI
The Antiquity of the Doctrine of Transubstantiation | W. R. Carson
The Father as the Source of the Whole Trinity: The Procession of the
Holy Spirit in Greek and Latin Traditions | Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity
The Origin of the Hymns of the Liturgy | Grace Hausmann Sherwood

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Advent: December 8th

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary

Mass Propers for the Solemnity of the Immaculate

Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Entrance
Antiphon, Is 61:10:
I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of
my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation,
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride
adorned with her jewels.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Lk 1:28:

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

Preface: The mystery of Mary and the Church:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, and everywhere to give you
thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you preserved the most Blessed Virgin Mary from all stain of original sin, so that
in her, endowed with the rich fullness of your grace, you might prepare a worthy Mother
for your Son and signify the beginning of the Church, his beautiful Bride without spot or
wrinkle.
She, the most pure Virgin, was to bring forth a Son, the innocent Lamb who would
wipe away our offenses; you placed her above all others to be for your people an
advocate of grace and a model of holiness.
And so, in company with the choirs of Angels, we praise you, and with joy we
proclaim.

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Communion Antiphon:
Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, for from you arose the sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary,
the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. As Our Lady Immaculately
Conceived is the patroness of the United States of America, this is a holy day of
obligation in the United States.
Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of
grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed on
December 8, 1854: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her
conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits
of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original
sin.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church

Jesse Tree, Day 12 ~ Joshua Jesse Tree Overview

The Mass Readings for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

The First Reading is from the Book of Genesis 3:9-15, 20. The preceding verses
(2:4—3:8) described the temptation of the woman (later called Eve) by the serpent. She
succumbs and tempts the man. As soon as they had disobeyed God’s command given in
2:16-17, they realized their guilt and tried to hide from God.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.”
These words of God addressed to the serpent, the evil tempter, immediately after the sin
of disobedience committed by the first parents, have been called the proto-Evangelium
or “first good news” of hope for the human race. These verses from the Book of Genesis
have been chosen for today’s feast day, that of the Immaculate Conception of Mary,

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because she was chosen by God to be the human Mother of his Incarnate Son, and was
conceived free form any stain of the sin handed down from the first parents. From the
first moment of her human existence she was “full of grace” and God’s “highly favored
daughter.”
In Mary, therefore, this “first good news” had its first fulfillment. Satan had no part in
her. The serpent had lost his power in her case. This was because of the privileged
position God had allotted to her. She was to be the Mother of the long-expected
Messiah—Savior, who would finally crush the serpent’s head.
The Second Reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 1:3-6; 11-12.
From his prison in Rome (about 63 A.D.) St. Paul wrote this letter to his converts in
Ephesus. The purpose of the letter was to recall to their minds the basic Christian truths
and to encourage them to remain faithful followers of Christ. It is closely connected with
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which we are celebrating today. God planned
from all eternity to make man, the masterpiece and master of creation, his adopted son,
and heir to his own eternal happiness. He was to bring this about through his divine
Son’s adoption of our human nature. Man would then be a brother of Christ and therefore
a son of God by adoption. Christ, the Son of God in human nature, the God-man, is the
pivotal point in all of God’s creative activity. In him, through him, and for him all
creation came into existence. In him and through him all making, the whole human race,
was destined for eternal life.
But man, realizing the many gifts which he had, and forgetting the one who gave
them to him, grew proud of his own capabilities and wanted to be his own master. He
rebelled and sin came into the world. It did not stop God from carrying out his eternal
plan. The Incarnation still took place.
The Gospel is from Luke 1:26-38, a brief account of the Annunciation or the
message of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. He told her that she was to be the Mother of the
Messiah, Son of the Most High. When the angel solved the problem concerning her
virginity, Mary humbly accepted the role that God had planned for her. At that moment
of acceptance the Incarnation took place. The Son of God began his human life in the
chaste womb of the Blessed Virgin.

Meditation: Immaculate Conception of Mary

“Hail Mary, full of grace.” For thousands of centuries, millions of times per day the
Virgin Mary is greeted by the faithful with the greeting of the Archangel, that we hear
resonating anew in today’s Gospel. The sons of the Church learn from the words of the

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resonating anew in today’s Gospel. The sons of the Church learn from the words of the
Archangel Gabriel that the fullness of the mystery of God’s grace was realized in Holy
Mary. St Paul the Apostle teaches us that the Father made all fullness dwell in His
Incarnate Son (c.f. Col 1:12-20), which overflows from Christ’s head and spills out on
His Mystical Body that is the Church. Before descending in Body, Christ’s fullness was
spread in a unique and unrepeatable way on Mary, predestined from eternity to be the
Mother of God.
Significantly in the first reading, the liturgy recalls the figure of Eve, the mother of
all the living. The Fathers of the Church saw in Mary, the new Eve that unties the knot
bound by the first woman. The knot of disobedience tied by Eve, was untied by the
obedience of Mary. As Eve was created in purity and integrity, also the new Eve was
miraculously preserved from the contamination of original sin because she had to give
humanity the Word, who was incarnated for our ransom.
Saint Irenaeus compares the virginity of the pure earth from which Adam was drawn
to the virginity of the immaculate humanity of Mary from which the Second Adam was
drawn. ‘And as the protoplast himself, Adam, had his substance from untilled and as yet
virgin soil (for God had not yet sent rain, and man had not tilled the ground (Genesis 2:5)
so did He who is the Word, recapitulating Adam in Himself, rightly receive a birth,
enabling Him to gather up Adam [into Himself], from Mary, who was as yet a virgin’
(Adversus hereses III, 21:10).
Blessed Pope Pius IX on the 8th of December
1854 proclaimed the Dogma of the faith revealed by
God that the Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first
instant of her conception, by a singular privilege
and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was
preserved exempt from all stain of original sin”
(Denz.-Schonm, 2083). If the official proclamation
of the dogma is relatively recent, the profession of
faith by Christians and the liturgy is very ancient in
this regard. Furthermore, four years later the same
Virgin Mary, appearing in Lourdes to St Bernadette,
confirmed the truth of the doctrine by presenting herself with the title ‘I am the
Immaculate Conception’.
Mary’s predestination to this singular grace—consistent with the suspension of the
universal decree by which every man, from the moment of his conception is

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contaminated with original sin—leads us to ponder in the deepest depths the mystery of
the Most Holy Trinity’s salvific plan. God, One and Triune, had foreseen from the very
beginning the future incarnation of the Word culminating in the redemption of human
nature that had fallen into sin. He therefore predestined pure Mary, so that He could draw
from her uncontaminated humanity, which the Son could adopt in order to re-establish in
Himself the original purity of creation and reorientate it to eternal glory.
For this reason, in the second reading of today’s liturgy, St Paul reminds us that God
wants to see us holy and immaculate before Him. The purity of our origins seemed to be
irredeemably lost. However, in Immaculate Mary, God found the perfect solution to
reverse the disaster made from the misuse of our liberty, and returned humanity to the
original purity that seemed hopelessly lost.
Mary’s Immaculate Conception is a direct consequence of her Divine Maternity. St.
Anselm of Aosta wrote: ‘Assuredly, it was fitting that the Virgin be beautified with a
purity than which a greater cannot be conceived, except for God’s. For, toward her, God
the Father was so disposed to give His only Son who was naturally one and the same
common Son of God the Father and of the Virgin.’ (De conceptu virginali et originali
peccato, XVIII)
This link between the privilege of Divine
Maternity and Mary’s Immaculate Conception
results also in her superiority with respect to us. She
is a perfect image of the Church in heaven, the new
triumphant Jerusalem, that won’t have any marks
nor will there be pain and death. This is why today’s
preface recites: ‘…she was to be a worthy mother of
your Son, your sign of favour to the church at its
beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the
bride of Christ, radiant in beauty’. Also in heaven
Mary is not and will never be only a disciple, but her
Son’s most exalted. She is and will always be the
Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Angels and Saints.
Therefore, the preface of the Mass adds: ‘…You chose her from all creatures to be our
advocate with you and our pattern of holiness.’
Mary was Immaculate because she had to be the Mother of God. She, herself has
received the original grace of purity and the final state of the blessed life that we also, by
collaborating with Divine Grace, hope one day to receive.
Immaculate Mary is full of grace. She is not only Christ’s disciple, who with the help

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of grace has overcome the chains of sin, but she is totius Trinitatis nobile triclinium, the
noble resting place of the Holy Trinity (St Thomas Aquinas, Exposito Salutationis
Angelicae, I). The Immaculate, full of grace, will always be Mother and Queen for that
elect part of the Church that we hope one day to join, that will one day joyfully sing
before the Almighty.

—From the Dicastery for the Clergy

Patronage: United States; barrel makers; cloth makers; cloth workers; coopers; tapestry
workers; upholsterers. See CatholicSaints.info for a long list of locations that claim Our
Lady’s patronage.

Symbols and Representation: crown and monogram; lily; enclosed garden; crown of
stars; glass (symbol of purity) lily often placed in a vase of transparent glass; lily of the
valley.
Highlights and Things to Do:

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception lends itself to fruitful meditation and
should be taught to children. The doctrine of original sin, the sin of Adam and its
effects on the human race, is a good beginning for study. For the best
explanation of the teachings of the Church on this, see the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, numbers 386-412. Also, you might read the Apostolic
Constitution The Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus) where Pope Pius IX
defined ex cathedra the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. The decree was promulgated on December 8, 1854, the date of the
annual feast of the Immaculate Conception. Other reading from the Catholic
Culture Library:
Pope Pius IX’s bull, Ubi Primum (On The Immaculate Conception) an
encyclical of Pope Pius IX to the bishops of the Catholic Church asking
them for opinion on the definition of a dogma on the Immaculate
Conception of the Virgin Mary. It was issued on February 2, 1849;
Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum (On The Immaculate Conception) by Pope
Saint Pius X;
Fulgens Corona (Proclaiming A Marian Year To Commemorate The
Centenary Of The Definition Of The Dogma Of The Immaculate
Conception) by Pope Pius XII;

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Conception) by Pope Pius XII;

On Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Marialis Cultus) by Pope
Saint Paul VI;
Immaculate Conception Defined by Pius IX by Pope Saint John Paul II;
John Duns Scotus: Champion of the Immaculate Conception by Brother
John M. Samaha, S.M.;
The Message of the Virgin of Lourdes by Bishop Donald Montrose,
D.D.;
The Immaculate Conception by Abbot Gueranger

Mary as the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States. Visit
or take a virtual tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception, America’s patronal church.
This day would also be appropriate for parents to plan their approach on family
sex education, as it is the privilege and duty of parents to teach their own
children in this area.
Make a Mary candle for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. See Celebrating
for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception for details and other ideas.
Prepare an all white meal for dinner and then discuss with your children the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception with the visual aids of dinner showing the
purity and the stainlessness of Mary’s soul. Read Teaching the Immaculate
Conception and Advent and the Immaculate Conception for discussion ideas.
Ideas for dinner, with a theme of white for purity:

Appetizers: Crackers and white cheeses; Soups: cream soups, such as

clam chowder, potato soup, cream of celery; Main Course: chicken
breasts, pasta with Alfredo sauce; Side Dishes: mashed potatoes, white
rice, cauliflower with (or without) white cheese sauce, white bread (with
crusts removed), white corn; Dessert: White cake with white icing,
meringue kisses, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, white chocolate.

The special treat for this feast is Moravian Spritz, or gingerbread cookies, loaded
with fine, aromatic spices. These are mixed on the vigil, December 7. Or make
your favorite gingerbread cookie. Perhaps for this solemnity the family could

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your favorite gingerbread cookie. Perhaps for this solemnity the family could
make a gingerbread house or Gingerbread Bowls.
See also Catholic Cuisine for other food ideas.
Today, plant an Immaculate Conception Rose Bush. During this winter season, it
is also a good time to plan a Mary Garden. Flower Theology by John Stokes, the
website Mary’s Gardens and the book Mary’s Flowers, Gardens, Legends and
Meditations by Mary’s Gardens Associate, Vincenzina Krymow, are good
beginnings for planning your garden.
No room for a garden? No time to nurture nature? Read Flowers for the Fairest
by Daniel Foley to read about flowers appropriate for Our Lady, and purchase a
small bouquet or a few flowers…real or silk to display for feasts of Mary.

Daily Readings for: December 08, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: O God, who by the

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin prepared a worthy dwelling for your
Son, grant, we pray, that, as you preserved her from every stain by virtue of the
Death of your Son, which you foresaw, so, through her intercession, we, too, may
be cleansed and admitted to your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever.

RECIPES

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Moravian Hearts
Crown Cake
Moravian Spice Cookies

ACTIVITIES

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Cut-outs and Shadow Boxes

Feasts of Mary in the Family
Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady
Marian Hymn: A Single Branch Three Roses Bore
Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear
Marian Hymn: Ave Maris Stella
Marian Hymn: Beautiful, Glorious
Marian Hymn: Behold a Branch is Growing Or Lo, How a Rose Er
Blooming
Marian Hymn: Lourdes Hymn or Immaculate Mary
Marian Hymn: Salve Regina
Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina
Marian Hymn: Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest
Mary Garden
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Advent — The Immaculate Conception
Celebrating for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Home
Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
Feasts of Our Lady in the Home
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception Rose Bush
Mary Candle I
Mary Candle II
Nameday Ideas for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Teaching the Immaculate Conception

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PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Readings and Hymns for the Immaculate Conception
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto)
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Litany of the Immaculate Conception
Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God
Novena to the Immaculate Conception

LIBRARY

Behold the Handmaid of the Lord | Fr. Francis J. Connell C.SS.R.

For the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Dogma of the
Immaculate Conception | Pope Saint Pius X
Historical Development of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception |
Rev. Francis J. Connell C.SS.R.
Holy Days of Obligation, Or Holy Days of Opportunity | Brother John M.
Samaha S.M.
Mary, Ever Virgin … In Islam | Penelope Johnstone
The Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus) | Pope Pius IX
The Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin | Abbot
Gueranger O.S.B.
Ubi Primum (On The Immaculate Conception) | Pope Pius IX

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Advent: December 9th

Friday of the Second Week of Advent; Optional
Memorial of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
(USA)

Mass Propers for Friday of the Second Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon:
Behold, the Lord will come descending with
splendor to visit his people with peace, and he will
bestow on them eternal life.

Alleluia Verse:
The Lord will come; go out to meet him! He is the
prince of peace!

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Phil 3:20-21:

We await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our mortal bodies, to
confirm with his glorified body.

Mass Propers for St. Juan Diego Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Sir 15:5:
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the
spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 10:14:

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my sheep, and mine know me.

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Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 1:2, 3:

He who ponders the law of the Lord day and night will yield fruit in due season.

Today the Church in the United States celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Juan
Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548), an Indian convert, to whom the Virgin Mary
appeared as he was going to Mass in Tlatlelolco, Mexico. Our Lady asked him to tell the
Bishop that she desired a shrine to be built on the spot to manifest her love for all
mankind. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego as a sign
for the Bishop. This miraculous image has proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine
built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

Jesse Tree, Day 13 ~ Samuel Jesse Tree Overview

St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but tradition and
archaelogical and iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest
indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, “El Nican Mopohua” (written in
Náhuatl with Latin characters, 1556, by the Indigenous writer Antonio Valeriano), give
some information on the life of the saint and the apparitions.
Juan Diego was born in 1474 with the name “Cuauhtlatoatzin” (“the talking eagle”)
in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City, Mexico. He was a gifted member of the
Chichimeca people, one of the more culturally advanced groups living in the Anáhuac
Valley.
When he was 50 years old he was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter da Gand,
one of the first Franciscan missionaries. On December 9, 1531, when Juan Diego was on
his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill, the
outskirts of what is now Mexico City. She asked him to go to the Bishop and to request
in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace

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upon those who invoked her. The Bishop, who did not believe Juan Diego, asked for a
sign to prove that the apparition was true. On December 12, Juan Diego returned to
Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that
he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was winter time, he found roses
blooming. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed
them in his mantle and told him to take them to the Bishop as “proof”. When he opened
his mantle, the flowers fell on the ground and there remained impressed, in place of the
flowers, an image of the Blessed Mother, the apparition at Tepeyac.
With the Bishop’s permission, Juan Diego lived the
rest of his life as a hermit in a small hut near the chapel
where the miraculous image was placed for veneration.
Here he cared for the church and the first pilgrims who
came to pray to the Mother of Jesus.
Much deeper than the exterior grace of having been
chosen as Our Lady’s messenger, Juan Diego received the
grace of interior enlightenment and from that moment, he
began a life dedicated to prayer and the practice of virtue
and boundless love of God and neighbour. He died in
1548 and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the
Virgin of Guadalupe. He was beatified on May 6, 1990 by
Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of Santa Maria di
Guadalupe, Mexico City.
The miraculous image, which is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
shows a woman with native features and dress. She is supported by an angel whose
wings are reminiscent of one of the major gods of the traditional religion of that area.
The moon is beneath her feet and her blue mantle is covered with gold stars. The black
girdle about her waist signifies that she is pregnant. Thus, the image graphically depicts
the fact that Christ is to be “born” again among the peoples of the New World, and is a
message as relevant to the “New World” today as it was during the lifetime of Juan
Diego.

Patron: World Youth Day 2019

Symbols and Representation: eagle; Pictured carrying a tilma full of roses

Highlights and Things to Do:

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Read Pope John Paul II’s homily at the canonization of St. Juan Diego.
Pray to St. Juan Diego for migrant Mexican workers who come to the USA
trying to support their families.
If you know of a Mexican family who may need your help, surprise them with a
food basket or offer them a ride if they don’t have a car. If you speak Spanish,
see if they need an interpreter for an important appointment.
Meditate on Our Lady’s beautiful words to St. Juan Diego: “Hear and let it
penetrate into your heart, my dear little son; let nothing discourage you, nothing
depress you. Let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Also, do not fear
any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are
you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you
not in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?”
Cook some Mexican dishes for dinner and bake a Rose Petal Pound Cake or
other rose theme for dessert in honor of St. Juan Diego.
From the Catholic Culture Library:
On The Canonization Of First Native American
Mexico Has Seen a Great Light
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Recommended Reading: For children: The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie

dePaola. For adults: The Wonder of Guadalupe by Francis Johnston
For music for Juan Diego’s and Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast, see Savae—San
Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble have two cds of authentic music by Mexican
medieval composers. Very beautiful!
Visit Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas for detailed accounts on
the apparition to Juan Diego. You can also send online cards from this site. See
also Patron Saints Index.

Daily Readings for: December 09, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Friday of the Second Week of Advent: Grant that your people, we pray,
almighty God, may be ever watchful for the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
that, as the author of our salvation himself has taught us, we may hasten, alert and
with lighted lamps, to meet him when he comes. Who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. Juan Diego: O God, who by means of Saint Juan
Diego showed the love of the most holy Virgin Mary for your people, grant,
through his intercession, that, by following the counsels our Mother gave at
Guadalupe, we may be ever constant in fulfilling your will. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Empanadas
Mexican Chicken with Fruits
Mexican Cold Fish
Mexican Fritters
Mexican Rice
Mole Poblano
Rose Petal Coconut Cake
Rose Petal Pound Cake

ACTIVITIES

Namedays
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
What is a Nameday?

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PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Prayer to Jesus Christ for Immigrants
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

Ecclesia in America | Pope Saint John Paul II

Gospel Changes, Enriches Traditional Culture, The | Pope Saint John Paul
II
I Express My Closeness To The Indigenous People, Guadalupe And St.
Juan Diego Have A Deep Missionary Meaning | Pope Saint John Paul II
On The Canonization Of First Native American | Bishops’ Commissions
for Indigenous Peoples and for Social Welfare
Our Lady of Guadalupe | Zsolt Aradi
The Marian Heart of America: Our Lady of Guadalupe and our
“Post-Christian” Society | Archbishop José H. Gomez S.T.D.
Young Mexicans, the Greatest Treasure of this Land | Pope Francis

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Advent: December 10th

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent;
Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto
Other Commemorations: St. Eulalia, Virgin and Martyr (RM)

Mass Propers for Saturday of the Second Week of

Advent Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 80 (79):4, 2:
Come and show us your face, O Lord, who are
seated upon the Cherubim, and we will be saved.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 3:4, 6:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his
paths: All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Rev 22:12:

Behold, I am coming soon and my recompense is with me, says the Lord, to bestow a
reward according to the deeds of each.

Mass Propers for Our Lady of Loreto: Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Lk 1:30-32
The angel said to Mary: You have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive
and bear a son, and he will be called Son of the Most High.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 1:28:

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

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Preface I of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, and to praise, bless, and
glorify your name on the feast day of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary.
For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son,
and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal Light,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him the Angels praise your majesty, Dominions adore and Powers tremble
before you. Heaven and the Virtues of heaven and the blessed Seraphim worship
together with exultation. May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in humble praise, as
we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Is 7:14:

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name will be called
Emmanuel.

In 2019 Pope Francis added this Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto to the
Universal Roman Calendar. The title Our Lady of Loreto refers to the Holy House of
Loreto, the house in which Mary was born, and in which the Word was made flesh at the
Annunciation. Tradition says that a band of angels scooped up the little house from the
Holy Land, and transported it first to Tersato, Dalmatia in 1291, then Recanati, Italy in
1294, and finally to Loreto, Italy where it has been for centuries. It was this translation of
the Holy House and the longstanding of the structure Our Lady of Loreto is the patron of
builders, construction workers, and aviation. It is the first shrine of international renown
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and has been known as a Marian center for centuries.
Popes have always held the Shrine of Loreto in special esteem, and it is under their direct
authority and protection. A replica of an ancient statue of Our Lady which is found there,
one of the “Black Madonnas.” The original statue made of cedar from Lebanon was
destroyed in a fire in 1921.
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Eulalia of Merida (190-304), Spain’s
best known virgin martyr. Veneration of St. Eulalia was already popular with Christians
by AD 350; relics from her were distributed through Iberia. Bishop Fidelis of Merida
rebuilt a basilica in her honor around 560 AD. Her shrine was the most popular in
Visigothic Spain. In 780 her body was transferred to Oviedo by King Silo. It lies in a

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coffin of Arab silver donated by Afonso VI in 1075. In 1639, she was made patron saint
of Oviedo.

Jesse Tree, Day 14 ~ Ruth Jesse Tree Overview

Our Lady of Loreto

The shrine of the Holy House of Loreto
is located along the Adriatic Sea coast
of Italy, in a small town located three
hours from Rome. The house has been
said to have been miraculously
transported from Palestine to Italy, and
by the 14th century this shrine in Loreto
is one of the most famous shrines of Our
Lady in Europe.
The large basilica provides the
setting of the small house within the basilica itself. Though the rough walls of the little
building have been raised in height and are cased externally in richly sculptured marble,
the interior measures only thirty-one feet by thirteen feet.
Within the house an altar stands at one end beneath a statue, blackened over time
from the smoke of burning candles and incense, of the Virgin Mother and her Divine
Infant. The current statue is a 1920 replacement of damaged ancient original made of
cedars of Lebanon. The replacement is made of cedar wood from the Vatican.
The inscription on the altar, Hic Verbum caro factum est, is a reminder that this
building is honored by Christians as the house at Nazareth in which the Holy Family
lived, and site of the Incarnation, when the Word became Flesh. Another inscription of
the sixteenth century which decorates the eastern façade of the basilica sets forth at
greater length the tradition which makes this shrine so famous.

Christian pilgrim, you have before your eyes the Holy House of Loreto, venerable
throughout the world on account of the Divine mysteries accomplished in it and the
glorious miracles herein wrought. It is here that most holy Mary, Mother of God,
was born; here that she was saluted by the Angel, here that the eternal Word of

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God was made Flesh. Angels conveyed this House from Palestine to the town
Tersato in Illyria in the year of salvation 1291 in the pontificate of Nicholas IV.
Three years later, in the beginning of the pontificate of Boniface VIII, it was carried
again by the ministry of angels and placed in a wood near this hill, in the vicinity of
Recanati, in the March of Ancona; where having changed its station thrice in the
course of a year, at length, by the will of God, it took up its permanent position on
this spot three hundred years ago [now, of course, more than 600]. Ever since that
time, both the extraordinary nature of the event having called forth the admiring
wonder of the neighboring people and the fame of the miracles wrought in this
sanctuary having spread far and wide, this Holy House, whose walls do not rest on
any foundation and yet remain solid and uninjured after so many centuries, has
been held in reverence by all nations.

—Adapted from The Catholic Encyclopedia.

Highlights and Things to Do:

Why is Our Lady of Loreto connected with

aviation? Read these two articles:
Did angels really carry the Holy
House of Mary to Loreto, Italy? at
Catholic News Agency
Our Lady of Loreto and Aviation
from “All About Mary” at the
University of Dayton

Find out the connection the University of

Notre Dame has with Our Lady of Loreto.
Visit the website of Sanctuary of the Holy
House of Loreto.
Here is further reading about the Basilica of the Holy House (Basilica della
Santa Casa).
The Litany of Loreto originated from this Shrine. Read about the Litany of
Loreto in Context.
See The Illustrated Litany of Loreto for visual meditation on the Litany of

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Loreto.

St. Eulalia
St. Eulalia descended from one of the most
prominent families in Spain. She was educated
in the Christian religion and was taught the
sentiments of perfect piety. From her infancy
she distinguished herself by an admirable
sweetness of temper, modesty and devotion.
She showed a great love of the holy state of
virginity, and by her seriousness and her
contempt of dress, ornaments diversions and
worldly company, she gave early signs of her
sincere desire to lead a heavenly life on earth.
Her heart was raised above the world before
she was thought capable of knowing it, so that its amusements, which usually fill the
minds of youth, had no charms for her, and every day of her life she continued to grow in
virtue.
She was just twelve years old when the bloody edicts of the Emporer Diocletian were
issued, by which it was ordered that all persons, without exception of age, sex, or
profession, should be compelled to offer sacrifice to the gods of the empire.
Eulalia, although young, took the publication of this order as a sign of battle, but her
mother, observing her impatient ardor for martyrdom, carried her into the country.
However, the young saint quickly found a means to make her escape by night, and after
much fatigue, arrived at Merida before daybreak.
That same morning, as soon as the court convened, she presented herself before the
cruel judge, whose name was Dacian, and reproached him with impiety in attempting to
destroy souls by compelling them to renounce the only true God.
The governor then commanded her to be seized. First, employing caresses, Dacian
presented to her the advantages which her birth, youth and fortune gave her in the world
and the grief which her disobedience would bring to her parents. Seeing that these
temptations had no effect, he began to threaten her, placing the cruelest instruments of
torture before her eyes, saying to her, “All this you shall escape if you will but touch a
little salt and frankincense with the tip of your finger.”

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Provoked at these seducing flatteries, she threw down the idol, trampled upon the
cake which was laid for the sacrifice and spat at the judge — an action only to be
excused by her youth and inattention under the influence of a warm zeal, and fear of the
snares which were laid before her.
Upon the judge’s order, two executioners began to tear her tender sides with iron
hooks, so as to leave the very bones bare. While this was happening, she called the
strokes the trophies of Christ. Next, lighted torches were applied to her breasts and sides:
under which torment, instead of groans, nothing was heard from her mouth but
thanksgivings. The fire at length catching her hair surrounded her head and face, and the
saint was stifled by the smoke and flame.
History says that a white dove seemed to come out of her mouth, and to wing its way
upward when the holy martyr expired: at which prodigy the executioners were so much
terrified that they fled and left the body.
Her relics are kept with great veneration at Oviedo, where she is honored as
patroness. The Roman Martyrology mentions her name on December 10.

—Excerpted from Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Patronage: Merida, Spain; Oviedo, Spain; runaways; torture victims; widows

Symbols and Representation: young woman with a cross, stake, and dove; naked
young woman lying in the snow
Highlights and Things to Do:

View this short YouTube video of the Fiesta of St. Eulalia in El Ramu, Spain to
see how devotion to this saint is still celebrated.
Read more about St. Eulalia:
Catholic Ireland
Catholic News Agency

Daily Readings for: December 10, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Saturday of the Second Week of Advent: May the splendor of your
glory dawn in our hearts, we pray, almighty God, that all shadows of the night
may be scattered and we may be shown to be children of light by the advent of
your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto: O God, who at the announcement

of your angel willed that your Word would take flesh in the womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, to us who remember this great mystery in this holy
place, the ability to celebrate both in faith and in holiness of life, the immensity of
your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

RECIPES

Lehi Lentils
Whole Wheat-Barley Bread

ACTIVITIES

Advent Folksong: Maria Walks Amid the Thorn

Advent Penances
Advent Plays and Hymns
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Teaching Moments for the Feast of the Annunciation

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II

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Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto)
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Collect of Pope Saint Melchiades
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Prayer to Our Lady of Loreto for Flying

LIBRARY

Celebrating Christmas: with the Accent on Christ | Unknown

Message for 33rd World Day of Social Communications | Pope Saint John
Paul II
Surviving As a Catholic Family in the Third Millennium | Archbishop
Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap.

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Advent: December 11th

Third Sunday of Advent

Mass Propers for the Third Sunday of Advent Entrance

Antiphon, Phil 4:4-5:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.
Indeed, the Lord is near.

Alleluia Verse, Is 61:1 (Lk 4:18):

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.

Preface II of Advent:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For all the oracles of the prophets foretold him, the Virgin Mother longed for him
with love beyond all telling, John the Baptist sang of his coming and proclaimed his
presence when he came.
It is by his gift that already we rejoice at the mystery of his Nativity, so that he may
find us watchful in prayer and exultant in his praise.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Is 35:4:

Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and
he will save us.

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“Rejoice: the Lord is nigh.” As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy
which should be in our hearts over all that the birth of our Savior means for us. The great
joy of Christians is to see the day drawing nigh when the Lord will come again in His
glory to lead them into His kingdom. The oft-repeated Veni (“Come”) of Advent is an
echo not only of the prophets but also of the conclusion of the Apocalypse of St. John:
“Come, Lord Jesus,” the last words of the New Testament.
The Optional Memorial of St. Damasus I is superseded by the Third Sunday of
Advent liturgy.

Today is known as Gaudete Sunday. The term Gaudete refers to the first word of the
Entrance Antiphon, “Rejoice.” The celebrants have an option to wear rose-colored
vestments to emphasize our joy that Christmas is near, and we also light the rose-colored
candle on our Advent wreath.

Jesse Tree, Day 15 ~ Jesse Jesse Tree Overview

Sunday Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A:

The First Reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 35:1-6, 10. Even if we took
this prophecy of Isaiah as relating to the return from Babylon only, it would still be a
source of consolation to us, and a reason for thanking our good God who, in this return of
the Jews from Babylon, was preparing the way for the coming of his divine Son among
us. The Exodus from Egypt in the 13th century, and the liberation from Babylon in the

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6th, were big steps take by God on the road to our eternal liberation.
But as we know from our Lord’s own interpretation (Mt 11:5), these words of the
prophet referred also to God’s greatest act of love and mercy—the Incarnation of his
divine Son, which was to liberate all mankind from the slavery of sin and worldliness,
and make men citizens of an everlasting homeland, heaven.
The Second Reading is taken from the Letter of James 5:7-10. “The coming of the
Lord is at hand.” These word of St. James are true for all of us, in two senses. His first
coming, which we shall be commemorating in ten days or so, is very near. The sincere
Christian, who prepares, need have no fear of the second coming of Christ, as his
judge—the coming of which St. James speaks today.
The Gospel is taken from Matthew 11:2-11. The Church brings John the Baptist, the
man who prepared the people for Christ’s public mission, before our minds today, as an
example that we should follow, even if only from afar. John prepared himself for the test
of welcoming and introducing Christ to others, by a life of self-mortification and
penance. He told the people that the first essential for getting Christ, and profiting by his
coming, was that they should turn away from sin and give up any evil ways, which
hitherto they had followed. He himself practiced what he preached and his preaching,
therefore, bore fruit among many of his hearers. John is calling on us too today, to
prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming this Christmas, by turning away from sin, and by
the mortification of ourselves in many ways.

—Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

Meditation: Christ Even Now on the Way to Bethlehem

Evidently, in the mind of holy Church, neither the prophecy concerning Bethlehem
Ephrata nor its fulfillment in the day of Caesar Augustus is to be considered merely a
glorious divine disposition and achievement. No, the prophecy of Micheus is still being
verified every day, but predominantly during the annual Advent season; for the selfsame
incarnate eternal Son of God who journeyed to Bethlehem to be born there physically,
now to the end of time comes to human souls as to spiritual Bethlehems, there to be born
anew, again and again.
But be sure to picture these merciful spiritual journeyings of Christ to the Bethlehem
of souls as all too often sadly realistic spiritual repetitions of His first long journey over
the rugged road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Meditate long on the wanton and malicious
opposition He encounters on His way to them from souls that leave their senses and heart

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and mind to be ruled by earthly vanities, and their whole selves to be willing victims of
the sensual and selfish illusions and witcheries of the seven capital vices.
Can you still fail to see why Isaias and the Baptist compare the hardships of the way
of the world’s Messiah-King to souls with a rough, crooked, and almost impassable road
up steep hills and down precipitous valleys and through dangerous mountain passes? Do
you wonder that these prophets of His coming insist so strongly that merely sentimental
longings and routine prayers, however multiplied, cannot prepare us worthily for the
entrance He must expect and the welcome He craves?
Pray very honestly, therefore, that you may begin to see the practical reasons for the
Church’s crying out in the desert world, and even into your own interior soul and heart:

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord: Make straight in the wilderness His paths; Every
valley shall be exalted; Every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the
crooked shall be made straight; And the rough ways plain” (Is. 40:3, 4). Then shall
you see the salvation of God!

—Excerpted from Our Way to the Father by Rev. Leo M. Krenz, S.J.

Third Sunday of Advent, Guadete Sunday, Station with San

Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter’s in the Vatican): The Station is at
St. Peter’s in the Vatican. After the two great basilicas chosen
for the first and for the second Sunday in Advent, we come to
St. Peter’s in the Vatican, a church which shares with the
Lateran the chief feasts of the year. It was selected as the station
for today, because on this Sunday occurred the final scrutiny or
examination of those candidates preparing for the Ordinations usually held on Ember
Saturday in December. The original basilica was built by Constantine in 323 over the
place where St. Peter was buried.
For more information, see: St. Peter’s Basilica Information Rome Art Lover

For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 11, 2022

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(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Third Sunday of Advent: O God, who see how your people faithfully
await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so
great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad
rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Beef Broth
Flan
Hazelnut Macaroons
Jesse Tree Cookies
Mole Poblano
Rose Petal Pound Cake
Sopa de espinaca con codito
Springerle III
Tacos

ACTIVITIES

Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany

Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Spiritual Crib

PRAYERS

Advent Prayers
Jesse Tree Prayer Service
Advent Table Blessing 1
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

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Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

John the Baptist, an Enduring Model of Fidelity to God | Pope Saint John
Paul II
Rejoice Always | Pope Francis
Rejoice, the Lord Is Near | Pope Saint John Paul II
Take Courage, for the Lord Is Near! | Pope Saint John Paul II
The Advent Wreath | Fr. William Saunders
The Joy of Advent | Pope Benedict XVI
Waiting in Joyful Hope! | Bishop John C. Wester
We Are to Celebrate Joy So That the Liturgy Mirrors the Abundance of
Good Things Provided by God | Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson

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Advent: December 12th

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (USA)
Other Commemorations: St. Finnian, Bishop (RM)

Mass Propers for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Entrance Antiphon, Rev 12:1:
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed
with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her
head a crown of twelve stars.

Alleluia Verse:
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all
praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.

Preface II of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, to praise your mighty deeds in
the exaltation of all the Saints, and especially, as we celebrate the memory of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, to proclaim your kindness as we echo her thankful hymn of praise.
For truly even to earth’s ends you have done great things and extended your
abundant mercy from age to age: when you looked on the lowliness of your handmaid,
you gave us through her the author of our salvation, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Through him the host of Angels adores your majesty, and rejoices in your presence
for ever. May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in one chorus of exultant praise, as we
acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:52:

The Lord has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

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In the USA the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, elsewhere it is
an Optional Memorial. Our Lady appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego on
December 9, 1531. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego.
This miraculous image has proved to be ageless and is kept in the shrine built in her
honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1910, Our Lady of Guadalupe was
declared Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945 Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the
Empress of all the Americas.

Jesse Tree, Day 16 ~ David Jesse Tree Overview

Our Lady of Guadalupe

"Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve
you. 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? Do not grieve
nor be disturbed by anything. " —Our Lady to Juan Diego
In the winter of 1531, a poor, 57-year-old Aztec
Indian living five miles outside of Mexico City
encountered a miraculous happening on his way to
morning Mass. First he heard strange music coming
from Tepeyac Hill, and then he heard a woman’s
voice calling his name. Juan Diego climbed the hill
and encountered a young woman, appearing to be of
his own people in physical appearance and dress.
The woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary,
and told Juan Diego to ask the bishop of Mexico
City to build a church on the hill to assist in the
conversion of the nation and be a source of consolation to the people.

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conversion of the nation and be a source of consolation to the people.

Juan Diego obeyed the request, but the bishop was skeptical regarding the message,
even though he perceived that Juan was a humble, and well meaning Catholic. Juan
reported the bishop’s doubt to Our Lady at Tepeyac Hill, and she asked him to return to
the bishop once again, bearing the same message. The bishop once again heard the
story, and told Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for a sign that it was indeed herself that
wished for the church to be built.
When he returned to the hill, Mary gave Juan Diego such a sign. Miraculously, roses
appeared on the hill in the middle of winter, and Juan gathered them in his tilma, or
cloak. Our Lady arranged the roses in his tilma with her own hands, and Juan returned to
the bishop’s presence. When Juan released the tilma, allowing the flowers to fall to the
floor, it was revealed that a miraculous image of Our Lady had imprinted itself on his
tilma (see above).
The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe in Juan Diego’s
message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as Mary had requested, and 8
million people converted to Catholicism in a short period of time upon hearing of or
viewing the miraculous image of Our Lady.
The tilma of Juan Diego has been the subject of much modern research. The tilma,
woven out of coarse cactus fiber, should have disintegrated after 20 years, but although
over 500 years have passed the tilma is still in perfect condition. The pupils of Mary in
the picture reflect the Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the
image. No paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color
imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary’s mantle match
exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.

Patronage: The Americas; pro-life movement; see Catholicsaints.info for a list of

locations that claim her patronage.
Highlights and Things to Do:

Start a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

If you live close to La Crosse, WI visit the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady of
Guadalupe; if not make a virtual visit.
Read more about this title of Our Lady.
Make a sacrifice, say a prayer or visit the Blessed Sacrament for an end to
abortion.

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If your parish is having a pro-life Mass or holy hour try to attend.

Have a party, which includes a procession and a special Mexican dinner to
celebrate the feast.
Read more about Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Unveiling the Image’s Hidden Meaning
The Amazing Truth of OLG
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Caceres
First Photo Ever Taken of OLG
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico
OLG, the Miracle that Changed History

See Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe for ideas.

See Catholic Cuisine for some clever food ideas for the feast.
There is a Mexican Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome.

St. Finnian (or Finan or Finian), Bishop of Cluain-Irard, or Clonard

Among the primitive teachers of the Irish church the
name of St. Finnian is one of the most famous next to
that of St. Patrick. He was a native of Leinster, was
instructed in the elements of Christian virtue by the
disciples of St. Patrick, and out of an ardent desire of
making greater progress passed over into Wales, where
he conversed with St. David, St. Gildas, and St.
Cathmael, three eminent British saints.
After having remained thirty years in Britain, about
the year 520 he returned into Ireland, excellently
qualified by sanctity and sacred learning to restore the
spirit of religion among his countrymen, which had
begun to decay. Like a loud trumpet sounding from
heaven, he roused the sloth and insensibility of the
lukewarm and softened the hearts that were most hardened, and had been long immersed

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in worldly business and pleasure.

To propagate the work of God, St. Finnian established several monasteries and
schools; the chief of which was Clonard, in Meath, which was the saint’s principal
residence. Out of his school came several of the principal saints and doctors of Ireland, as
Kiaran the Younger, Columkille, Columba, the son of Crimthain, the two Brendans,
Laserian, Canicus or Kenny, Ruadan, and others. St. Finnian was chosen and
consecrated bishop of Clonard. The great monastery which he erected at Clonard was a
famous seminary of sacred learning.
St. Finnian, in the love of his flock, and his zeal for their salvation, equalled the
Basils and the Chrysostoms, was infirm with the infirm, and wept with those who wept.
He healed the souls, and often also the bodies of those who applied to him. His food was
bread and herbs, his drink water, and his bed the ground, with a stone for his pillow. He
departed to our Lord on the 12th of December, in 552, according to the Inisfallen
Annals, quoted by Usher, but according to others in 564.

—Excerpted from Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Patronage: diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, Ontario, Canada; diocese of Meath, Ireland

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Finnian:

Catholic Ireland
The Celtic Hermit
Faith Magazine
Catholic Encyclopedia

Read a review about the comic book on St. Finnian.

Clonard Abbey was where the relics of Finnian were enshrined until 887.
Clonard suffered heavy losses from Viking raids, and then was destroyed by the
Danes in 888. The abbey was rebuilt but pillaged and burnt again in 970. Finally,
after much destruction from plundering and accidental fires, Clonard felling into
decline during the 12th century. With the transference by the Norman Bishop of
Rochfort, in 1206, of the See of Meath from Clonard to Trim, the glory of the
former abbey departed forever. Very little remains of the abbey, only some wall
boundaries and earthworks that can be seen from the air.

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Daily Readings for: December 12, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: O God, Father of mercies, who

placed your people under the singular protection of your Son’s most holy Mother,
grant that all who invoke the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, may seek with ever
more lively faith the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and of peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Beef Broth
Flan
Mexican Bread Pudding
Mole Poblano
Rose Petal Pound Cake
Sopa de espinaca con codito
Tacos

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
Enthronement of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady
Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear
Marian Hymn: Beautiful, Glorious

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Marian Hymn: Salve Regina

Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina
Marian Hymn: Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest
Mary Garden
Party for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Unborn
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

Americans Must Be Light of the World | Pope Saint John Paul II

Apparitions True and False | Fr. Peter Joseph
Benedict XVI Arrives in Mexico as a Pilgrim of Faith, Hope and Love |
Pope Benedict XVI
Blesseds Encourage Indigenous People Today To Make Their
Contribution To Evangelization | Pope Saint John Paul II
Developing a Vision of Church in Latin America | Cardinal Alfonso Lopez
Trujillo
Ecclesia in America | Pope Saint John Paul II
I Express My Closeness To The Indigenous People, Guadalupe And St.

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Juan Diego Have A Deep Missionary Meaning | Pope Saint John Paul II
Marian Apparitions: Some Lessons From History | Donal Anthony Foley
May the Future of Latin America Be Forged for the Poor | Pope Francis
Mexico Has Seen a Great Light | Pope Saint John Paul II
Minor Basilicas in the United States | Robert F. McNamara M.A., S.T.L.
On The Canonization Of First Native American | Bishops’ Commissions
for Indigenous Peoples and for Social Welfare
Open America’s Doors To Christ | Pope Saint John Paul II
Our Lady of Guadalupe | Zsolt Aradi
Our Lady of Guadalupe | Zsolt Aradi
Pope Leaves Mexico Reiterating His Call for Solidarity | Pope Benedict
XVI
Regarding Our Lady of America | Cardinal Raymond L. Burke D.D.,
J.C.D.
The Marian Heart of America: Our Lady of Guadalupe and our
“Post-Christian” Society | Archbishop José H. Gomez S.T.D.
The Most Ancient Shrines to Our Lady | Zsolt Aradi
True Devotion to the Virgin Always Leads Us to Jesus | Pope Benedict
XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-12

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Advent: December 13th

Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. Lucy: Entrance

Antiphon, Rev 12:1:
Behold, now she follows the Lamb who was
crucified for us, powerful in virginity, modesty her
offering, a sacrifice on the altar of chastity.

Alleluia Verse:
This is the wise virgin whom the Lord found
watching.

Communion Antiphon, Rev 7:17:

The Lamb who is at the center of the throne will lead them to the springs of the
waters of life.

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Lucy (283-304). St. Lucy (or Lucia)
was born in Syracuse, Sicily, where she also died. She was of a noble Greek family, and
was brought up as a Christian by her mother, who was miraculously cured at the shrine
of St. Agatha in Catania. Lucy made a vow of virginity and distributed her wealth to the
poor. This generosity stirred the wrath of the unworthy youth to whom she had been
unwillingly betrothed and who denounced her to Paschasius, the governor of Sicily.
Tradition has passed on details of her martyrdom. When it was decided to violate her
virginity in a place of shame, Lucy, with the help of the Holy Spirit, stood immovable.
After torture which included taking out her eyes, a fire was then built around her, but
again God protected her. She was finally put to death by the sword. Her name appears in
the second list in the Roman Eucharist Canon.

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Jesse Tree, Day 17 ~ Solomon Jesse Tree Overview

St. Lucy
Today’s feast can easily be harmonized with Advent themes. The very name Lucy
pulsates with light, a living symbol amid the season’s darkness (the days are now the
shortest of the year). As a wise virgin Lucy advances with a burning lamp to meet the
Bridegroom. She typifies the Church and the soul now preparing their bridal robes for a
Christmas marriage.
That the famous Sicilian martyr really lived may be deduced from the great popular
veneration accorded her since most ancient times. The Acts detailing her sufferings,
however, merit little credence. According to these she made a pilgrimage to Catonia with
her mother, who suffered from hemorrhage, to venerate the body of St. Agatha. After
praying devoutly at the tomb, Agatha appeared to her in a dream and consoled her: “O
virgin Lucy, why do you ask of me what you yourself can procure for your mother? For
your faith too has come to her aid and therefore she has been cured. By your virginity
you have indeed prepared for God a lovely dwelling.” And her mother actually was
healed.
Immediately Lucy asked permission to
remain a virgin and to distribute her future
dowry among Christ’s poor. Child and
mother returned to their native city of
Syracuse, and Lucy proceeded to distribute
the full proceeds from the sale of her property
among the poor. When a young man, to
whom Lucy’s parents had promised the
virgin’s hand against her will, had heard of
the development, he reported her to the city
prefect as a Christian. “Your words will be
silenced,” the prefect said to her, “when the storm of blows falls upon you!” The virgin:

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silenced,” the prefect said to her, “when the storm of blows falls upon you!” The virgin:
“To God’s servants the right words will not be wanting, for the Holy Spirit speaks in us.”
“Yes,” she continued, “all who live piously and chastely are temples of the Holy Spirit.”
“Then,” he replied, “I shall order you put with prostitutes and the Holy Spirit will depart
from you.” Lucy: “If I am dishonored against my will, my chastity will secure for me a
double crown of victory.”
Aflame with anger, the judge imposed the threatened order. But God made the virgin
solidly firm in her place and no force could move her. “With such might did the Holy
Spirit hold her firm that the virgin of Christ remained immovable.” Thereupon they
poured heated pitch and resin over her: “I have begged my Lord Jesus Christ that this fire
have no power over me. And in testimony of Him I have asked a postponement of my
death.” When she had endured all this without the least injury, they pierced her throat
with a sword. Thus she victoriously ended her martyrdom.

—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: (adapted from Catholicsaints.info) against ailments: against blindness;

against dysentery; against epidemics; against eye disease; against eye problems; against
hemorrhages; against sore eyes; against sore throats; against throat infections protection:
against fire; against poverty; against spiritual blindness; blind people; martyrs; peasants;
penitent; prostitutes; poor people; sick children professions: authors; cutlers; eyes;
farmers; glass blowers and makers; glaziers; gondoliers; laborers; lamp lighters; lawyers;
maid servants; notaries; ophthalmologists; opticians; porters; printers; saddlers; sailors;
salesmen; seamstresses; stained glass workers; tailors; upholsterers; weavers; writers;
locations: Santa Lucia; Saint Lucy, Barbados; Begijnendijk, Flemish Brabant, Belgium;
Carangola, Brazil; Mathias Lobato, Brazil; Rio Manso; Brazil; Santa Luzia; Brazil;
Belpasso, Italy; Carlentini, Italy; Conzano, Italy; Saint Lucia del Mela, Italy; Mantua,
Italy; Montecchio, Italy; Peccioli, Italy; Perugia, Italy; Santa Lucia di Piave, Italy;
Syracuse, Sicily; Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Italy; Venice, Italy; Villa Santa Lucia, Latium,
Italy; Mtarfa, Malta; Santa Lucía, Nicaragua; Toledo, Spain

Symbols and Representation: cord; eyes; eyes on a dish or book; Lamp; awl; dagger;
swords; three crowns; cauldron; two oxen; stake and fagots; cup; sword through neck;
poniard; ropes; eye held in pincers.

Often portrayed as: Woman hitched to a yoke of oxen; woman in the company of Saint

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Agatha, Saint Agnes of Rome, Barbara, Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Thecla;
woman kneeling before the tomb of Saint Agatha.
Highlights and Things to Do:

Choose one of the customs for St. Lucy’s feast and try it with your family. See
Celebrating for the Feast of St. Lucy
Swedish Lucia Feast
St. Lucia Devotions

Select one of the recipes for this feast to prepare. Of special mention is cuccia,
an Italian dish. This is another version.
See also Catholic Cuisine for some food ideas for this feast day.
Say a prayer to St. Lucy for those who are physically and spiritually blind.
Read the Life of St. Lucy taken from Ælfric’s Lives of the Saints written in the
10th century.
For St. Lucia Swedish resources, see Hemslöjd. Especially recommended are the
St. Lucia’s Crowns, either plastic to wear or brass for display. Or make one, as
suggested by this tutorial.
Read this short biography for children and Lucy’s Lesson of Light.
We recommend the children’s books:
Lucia: Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde
Lucia, Child of Light: The History and Traditions of Sweden’s Lucia
Celebration by Florence Ekstrand
Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker

See the statue of St. Lucy at St. Peter’s Basilica Colonnade

Find where St. Lucy’s relics are.

Daily Readings for: December 13, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Memorial of St. Lucy: May the glorious intercession of the Virgin and
Martyr Saint Lucy give us a new heart, we pray, O Lord, so that we may celebrate
her heavenly birthday in this present age and so behold things eternal. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Frico
Leissi Katter (St. Lucy’s Cats)
Luciabullar (Luciakatter)
Lussekake
Lussekatter (Lucia Buns)
Mormor’s Kakor
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Pepparkakor (Ginger Cookies)
Pepparkakor I (Ginger Snaps)
Saffron Bread
Spritz Cookies II
St. Lucia Crown
St. Lucy’s Cats (lussekatter)

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating for the Feast of St. Lucy

Christmas Wheat
Description of Ember Days
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
St. Lucia Devotions

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St. Lucy and the Christmas Wheat

St. Lucy Party (For Girls)
St. Lucy’s Day
Swedish Lucia Feast

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Prayer in Honor of St. Lucy
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

Life of St. Lucy | Ælfric

Light of St. Lucy | Daniel Stewart
Painting Angels, Saints and Their Symbols | Maria Stella Ceplecha
The Golden Legend: When Saints Were Saints | Sandra Miesel

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Advent: December 14th

Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and
Doctor; Ember Wednesday

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross

Entrance Antiphon, Gal 6:14:
May I never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 5:3:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 16:24:

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
me, says the Lord.

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). He
was born and died in Spain. His parents were poor and could not give him training in any
trade, hence he became the servant of the sick in the hospital of Medina. In 1563 he
offered himself as a lay brother to the Carmelite friars, who, however, perceiving his
unusual talents, had him ordained a priest. When he was about to join the more severe
Order of the Carthusians, St. Teresa of Avila persuaded him to remain and help her in
the reform of the Carmelite Order. This reform of his order caused him such sufferings
and brought him many trials. But his sufferings served only to detach him from creatures.
He had a great devotion to Our Lord’s Passion and voluntarily sought out humiliations.
When Our Lord asked him what reward he would ask for his labors, John answered: “To

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When Our Lord asked him what reward he would ask for his labors, John answered: “To
suffer and to be despised for Thee.” He died of a very painful disease, erysipelas, while
embracing the crucifix. Because of his profound treatises on mystical theology Pope Pius
XI proclaimed him Doctor of the Church in 1926.

December Ember Days or Advent Embertide, Ember Wednesday Shortly after

Gaudete Sunday and St. Lucy’s feast day on December 13 the Advent Ember Days
begin. Today is the traditional Ember Wednesday, which marks the beginning of
Advent Embertide. The Ember days represent an ancient and cherished tradition of the
Roman Church. Four times a year, at the change of seasons, three days of the week,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, were devoted to prayer and fasting to call down God’s
blessing on the new season and on the ordinations which took place during the vigil held
on the Saturday-Sunday night.
The Ember Days are no longer universally marked on the General Roman Calendar,
but are practiced according to the local ordinary. In the 1969 Calendar reform (see
General Instruction on the Roman Missal), the observance of Ember Days was left to the
discretion of the local conference of bishops, and can be adjusted and expanded. In the
USA it is mainly the rural areas that the bishops choose to officially observe Ember
Days, but in other countries they are observed. While Ember Days are not part of the
whole community worship, personal observance at home or small communities is not
discouraged.
Advent, which is of more recent institution in the development of the Liturgical Year,
has endowed the December Ember days with their special character of expectation and
preparation for Christmas, thus reducing the idea of fasting and penance to a secondary
position.
Advent Embertide marked four different themes:

Thanksgiving for the Harvest: Traditionally the Advent Ember Days marked

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thanksgiving for the olive harvest. Olive oil is used for the Holy Oils in the
sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick, and also for
special consecrations and blessings, such as for a new church or altar stone. The
thanksgiving emphasis was expressed on Ember Wednesday, with offering of
first fruits and distribution of blessed food baskets for the needy.
Days of Spiritual Renewal: Holy Mother Church provides us so many
opportunities to redirect, refresh and renew. Our human frailty needs reminders
to resolve to start anew. These three days are opportunities to add extra prayer
and penance for ourselves and others.
Praying for Priests: For centuries this Ember Saturday was the only day in the
Church’s year for conferring the sacrament of Holy Orders. The Church no
longer regularly ordains priests during the times of the Quarterly Ember Days,
but this is a special time, particularly Ember Saturday, to pray for priests,
particularly the ones who are about to be ordained within the year.
Reflecting the Spirit of the Season: Each set of Ember Days reflect the season
of the Liturgical Year in which they occur. The Advent Ember Days fall near the
end of Advent, and the traditional liturgy summarizes the weeks of longing for
the Messiah. The Masses include the Messianic prophecies regarding Christ’s
Birth and Epiphany in order to prepare for Christmas. The 1962 liturgy had
Ember Wednesday’s Gospel focused on the Incarnation, Ember Friday presented
St. Elizabeth and the Visitation of Mary, and Ember Saturday featured St. John
the Baptist.

Of particular note is the ancient liturgy of Missa Aurea or “Golden Mass” on Ember
Wednesday. On this day the Church celebrated the “golden mystery” of our Faith, the
moment the Word became flesh, the Incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb. In the
current Roman Missal, the Golden Mass is not lost but celebrated in the liturgy on
December 20, the O Antiphon day “O Key of David.”
The Stational churches were part of the Ember Days, with Ember Wednesdays
always being with Mary, Station with Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major).

—adapted from Saint Andrew Daily Missal, Pius Parsch, OSB, The Church’s Year of
Grace and Benedict Baur, The Light of the World

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Jesse Tree, Day 18 ~ Elijah Jesse Tree Overview

St. John of the Cross

Juan de Yepes was the Castilian son of a poor silk
weaver of Fontiberos, Toledo, Spain and was born in
1542. His father was of noble birth; he had married
much beneath him, and for that offense had been
entirely cut off by his family. He had taken to silk
weaving as a means of livelihood, but had never been
able to make much of it. Soon after the birth of Juan he
died, worn out with the effort to keep his wife and three
children. The family was left in direst poverty; the
children grew up always underfed, so that to the end of
his life Juan remained dwarfed in stature.
Unable to learn a trade, he became the servant of the
poor in the hospital of Medina, while still pursuing his sacred studies. In 1563, being
then twenty-one, he humbly offered himself as a lay-brother to the Carmelite friars, who,
however, knowing his talents, had him ordained priest. He would now have exchanged to
the severe Carthusian Order, had not St. Teresa of Avila, with the instinct of a saint,
persuaded him to remain and help her in the reform of his own Order.
Thus he became the first prior of the Discalced (meaning “barefoot”) Carmelites. His
reform, though approved by the general, was rejected by the elder friars, who
condemned the saint as a fugitive and apostate, and cast him into prison, whence he only
escaped, after nine months’ suffering, at the risk of his life. Twice again, before his
death, he was shamefully persecuted by his brethren, and publicly disgraced. But his
complete abandonment by creatures only deepened his interior peace and devout longing
for heaven.
St. John was a great contemplative and spiritual writer. He was proclaimed Doctor of
the Church by Pope Pius XI on August 24, 1926. He is the patron of contemplative life,

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mystical theology, mystics, and Spanish poets.

—Excerpted from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints ©1878 and Saints for Sinners by
Alban Goodier, S.J.

“With what procrastinations do you wait, since from this very moment you can love God
in your heart?”

—Excerpted from Prayer of a Soul Taken with Love — St. John of the Cross

Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine and
mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine;
and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me. What do you
ask, then, and seek my soul? Yours is all of this, and all is for you. Do not engage your
self in something less or pay heed to the crumbs that fall from your Father’s table. Go
forth and exult in your Glory! Hide yourself in it and rejoice, and you will obtain the
supplications of your heart.

—Excerpted from Sayings of Light and Love, 26-27 —St. John of the Cross

Patronage: Contemplative life; contemplatives; mystical theology; mystics; Spanish

poets; Segovia, Spain; Ta’ Xbiex, Malta

Symbols and Representation: eagle; priest in Carmelite robes holding a cross

Highlights and Things to Do:

See Celebrating the Feast of St. John of the Cross for ideas.
Read more about St. John of the Cross at the ICS website.
Three of his works, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul and
Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridgegroom Christ are available online
at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Find out more about the Discalced
Carmelites, which is the Carmelite order St. John belonged. Discalced simply
means “unshod or barefooted” which means this division of Carmelites either
wear sandals or are barefooted.

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See Loyola Press for a short biography for children.

Ember Wednesday of Advent Station with Santa Maria

Maggiore (St. Mary Major): The station church for Ember
Wednesday in Advent is the church of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The liturgy invites us to visit the home of the Virgin of
Nazareth and presents us the scenes of the Annunciation.
Reverently beholding the holy Virgin, we contemplate the great
mystery of the Incarnation. The traditional Mass text for the
Golden Mass, or Rorate Mass or Missa Aurea, just before Christmas, emphasizes the
Old Testament background leading to His birth. In the great Church of St. Mary
Major the crib is venerated, which brings Bethlehem very close; Mary is our patron.
She typifies the Church, for the role she played at Christ’s first advent, the Church
now takes in the Savior’s liturgical advent as He manifests Himself in the mysteries
(adapted from Pius Parsch, OSB, The Church’s Year of Grace and Benedict Baur,
The Light of the World). For more information, see: Vatican on the Basilica
Churches of Rome Rome Art Lover
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 14, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Memorial of St. John of the Cross: O God, who gave the Priest Saint
John an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross, grant
that, by imitating him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally
your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Carmelite Sundaes
Gazpacho III

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Gazpacho III
Oatmeal Carmelite Bars
Onion and Egg Ember Day Tart

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating for the Feast of St. John of the Cross

Description of Ember Days
Ember Days
Explanation of Ember Days
Namedays
Rabbits, Ember Days and First Fruits
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Litany of Saint John of the Cross
Ember Day Prayers
Ember Days Prayer
Brief Meditations on the Church Year: Advent Ember Days

LIBRARY

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A Graced Bewilderment: The Dark Night of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta |

Fr. Paul Murray OP
Demons According to St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross | Fr. Antonio
Moreno O.P.
Saint John of the Cross | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Advent: December 15th

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Other Commemorations: St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli
(RM)

Mass Propers of Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 119 (118):151-152:
You, O Lord, are close, and all your ways are truth.
From of old I have known of your decrees, for you are
eternal.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 3:4-6:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his
paths: All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Communion Antiphon, Ti 2:12-13:

Let us live justly and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope and the
coming of the glory of our great God.

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli

(1587-1651) is celebrated in Italy. She was born in Genoa, Italy and entered into an
arranged marriage at the age of 15. She bore two daughters and was widowed at the
young age of 20. She refused another marriage and took up a vow of chastity. She
devoted the rest of her life to helping the needy and the sick and died in 1651, aged 64.
She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 18, 2003.

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Jesse Tree, Day 19 ~ Jonah Jesse Tree Overview

The Three Feasts of the Nativity

When we celebrate Christmas we are
commemorating the three nativities of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the reason for the three
Masses celebrated on this day. The first is the
eternal begetting of God the Son from all
eternity within the mystery of the Blessed
Trinity by the Father, “You are My Son. Today
I have begotten You.” This first nativity was
before the seven days of Creation, when
everything was darkness. This is why the first
Mass is at midnight to recall the darkness that
prevailed during that first eternal birth of the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
The second nativity, or birth, of the Second
Person of the Trinity is commemorated on
Christmas day when He became man, born of
the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem. For the world,
the darkness was beginning to be dispelled. This is why the second Mass is celebrated at
dawn when the dawn is beginning to dispel the darkness.
The third nativity of Christ is when He is born in our souls, through His in-dwelling,
when man, through grace, becomes enlightened. Thus the third Mass is celebrated during
the day when the sun is bright. For man is truly enlightened when he has Christ in his
soul.
The first nativity reminds us of the Spirit of poverty, the Spirit that tells us that all
the things God created is His, to be used for His glory and not for man’s enjoyment.
Even man was to use himself for the glory of God. This represents the six days of

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creation. If Adam, being the head of creation, had observed the spirit of poverty and
used all of creation for the glory of God, then he would have entered into the Sabbath,
God’s rest… i.e. eternal happiness. But Adam messed up everything. And the
consequence: the whole of mankind could not enter God’s rest.
The second nativity reminds us of the Spirit of chastity. That Spirit reminds us to
give up all physical comforts, pleasure and conveniences. And Christ in the manger is a
clear example of this. It is a continuous reminder that true happiness can only be found in
God and that we are on earth to seek God. All the rest will come with that find. True rest
can only be found in God.
The third nativity reminds us of the Spirit of obedience. It is only when we can say,
“Not my will but Your will be done,” can Christ be born in our souls. The apostolic
commission at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel reiterates this, reminding us of the role
of the Church and the men of the Church: “… teach all My commands and how to
observe them.”
Christmas reminds us of one lesson. Christ was born to die. For us the message is
clear. We are born to die to oneself. And to die to oneself means reaching a point in our
lives when we no longer do our own will but the will of the Father in heaven. This is to
lose one’s life in order to find it. If we have learned the lessons of the first nativity, if we
have learned the lesson of the second nativity, our reward is the third nativity, when
Christ is born in our souls….indeed our eternal Christmas. This is truly a Merry Christmas.

—Excerpted from Fr. Odon de Castro, Bo. San Isidro, Magalang, Pampanga, Philippines

St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli

Daughter of Giorgio Centurione, and imposing and
controlling individual who became the Doge of Genoa,
and Lelia Spinola. Raised in a pious family, she felt
drawn to religious life as a child. However, due to
family position she agree to an arranged marriage to
Gasparo Grimaldi Bracelli on 10 December 1602. He
was a drinker, a gambler, and though the couple had two
daughters, Lelia and Isabella, he was little of a father or
husband. Virginia was widowed on 13 June 1607 after
five years of marriage, aged 20, and with two small
children.

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Virginia moved in with her in-laws, cared for her

children, and dedicated her free time to prayer and charity. When her daughters were
grown and married, Virginia devoted herself entirely to caring for the sick, aged, and
abandoned children. In late 1624 and early 1625 war in the region led to many orphans,
some whom Virginia took in and cared for, and she worked with refugees in the town.
When her mother-in-law died in August 1625, Virginia poured herself into the work,
turning her house into a refuge and founding the Cento Signore della Misericordia
Protettrici dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo.
Her house was overrun with the needy during a plague and famine in 1629 – 1630.
To house them all Virginia rented the vacant convent of Monte Calvario and moved her
charges there in 1631. Due to crowding, extra housing was built in 1634, Virginia was
soon caring for 300 patients, and in 1635 she received official government recognition
for her hospital. Virginia worked closely with the young women in her houses, teaching
them religion and ways to earn a living.
The expenses of Monte Calvario were excessive, so Virginia bought two villas and
started construction of a church dedicated to Our Lady of Refuge. It became the mother
church of the Institution, whose Rule was written between 1644 and 1650 and which was
divided into two congregations: Suore di Nostra Signora del Rifugio di Monte Calvario
(Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Calvary) and Figlie di Nostra Signora al Monte
Calvario (Daughters of Our Lady on Mount Calvary). When the group of Protectors, the
superiors and governors of the Institute was selected in 1641, Virginia retired from
administration, working as the humblest sister, doing chores on the grounds and begging
for alms for the Institute.
Sadly, though the Institute was a success, healing the sick, educating children,
training adults, and helping the dissolute return to productive lives, assistance, personal
and financial, began to decline. Without the chance to work with Virginia, many of the
middle and upper class did not participate, fearing the poor and rough residents. Though
her health was failing, Virginia returned to active administrative duties. She worked for
general spiritual development throughout the region, working for the choice of the
Blessed Virgin Mary as patron of the republic of Genoa in 1637, for the institution of the
Forty Hours’ Devotion in 1642, and the revival of home missions in 1643. She acted as
peacemaker between noble houses, and aided in the reconciliation of Church and
Republic authorities in 1647, ending a dispute caused by the government abandoning
support of the Institute. Virginia continued working up to the end of her days, and in later
years received the gifts of visions and interior locutions.

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—Excerpted from CatholicSaints.info

Patronage: Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Calvary

Things To Do and Highlights:

Read more about St. Virginia at:

Homily of Pope St. John Paul II at Canonization in 2003
Catholic News Agency

Daily Readings for: December 15, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: Unworthy servants that we

are, O Lord, grieved by the guilt of our deeds, we pray that you may gladden us by
the saving advent of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Luscious Coffee Ring

ACTIVITIES

Christmas Field Trip

Gifts for Jesus, the Advent Manger
Preparing the Christmas Gifts
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

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Advent Wreath Prayers I

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

The Mystery of Man’s Reconciliation with God | St. Leo the Great

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-15

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Advent: December 16th

Friday of the Third Week of Advent; Ember
Friday
Other Commemorations: St. Adelaide, Empress and Widow
(RM)

Mass Propers for Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon:
Behold, the Lord will come descending with
splendor to visit his people with peace, and he will
bestow on them eternal life.

Alleluia Verse:
Come, Lord, bring us your peace that we may
rejoice before you with a perfect heart.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Phil 3:20-21:

We await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our mortal bodies, to
conform with his glorified body.

We are the blind offspring of the children of pitiful Eve Bringing with us the shadows
born of an age-old error. But when God deigned to assume the mortal form Of a human
nature, then came forth from the Virgin A world of salvation…. —Carmen 4, Sedulius
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Adelaide (931-999), daughter of King
Rudolf II of Jurane, Burgundy. Adelaide’s first arranged marriage at age 16 to King
Lothar II of Italy ended in 3 years at his death. Her second marriage to Emperor Otto the
Great she became Holy Roman Empress and reigned with Otto for 20 years. She suffered

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much during her life. She became regent of the Holy Roman Empire as the guardian of
her grandson in 991–995. While in that role, she spent much of her power helping the
poor, evangelize particularly to Slavs, and to establish and restore churches and
monasteries. After her grandson Otto III was old enough to resume power, she retired to a
convent in Selz, Alsace to live out the rest of her days in prayer.

Today is the traditional Ember Friday of the December Ember Days. The traditional
station church is the Twelve Apostles in Rome, a minor basilica. The older liturgy of
Ember Friday presented St. Elizabeth and the Visitation of Mary. The lectionary and
prayers of the current missal for December 21 reflect the liturgy of the traditional
December Ember Friday. The former fasting and abstinence rules of Ember Days are no
longer binding; it now is a personal choice. Advent has endowed the December Ember
days with their special character of expectation and preparation for Christmas, thus
reducing the idea of fasting and penance to a secondary position.

Jesse Tree, Day 20 ~ Micah Jesse Tree Overview

Today is Day One of the Christmas Novena

St. Adelaide

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St. Adelaide
St. Adelaide was a truly remarkable woman.
She was the daughter of the king of Burgundy,
and was married to Lothair of Italy, the son of
the ruler of Provence as a means of ending a
feud. When her husband was murdered by a
rival prince, she was shut up in captivity by
Berengarius of Ivrea, until rescued by the
emperor Otto the Great, who married her. Otto I
became Holy Roman Emperor and Adelaide,
his Empress. She ruled with her husband until
his death, at which time she was badly treated
by her son Otto II, and later her jealous
daughter-in-law who was co-regent with
Adelaide for her grandson Otto III. The
daughter-in-law Theophano had her banished
from the court twice, yet Adelaide remained
steadfast and faithful, known for her liberality in giving and her piety; and eventually she
was restored to court as the regent for her grandson Otto III. She was active in the
reforms of the great abbey at Cluny, and reposed in 999. She took as her counsellors St.
Adalbert of Magdeburg and SS. Majors and Odilo of Cluny. After Otto was old enough to
reign on his own, Adelaide retired to the convent of Selta (Selz Abbey) near Cologne, a
house she had built. Though she never became a nun, she spent the rest of her days there
in prayer. The Abbey is no longer in existence. Some of her relics are enshrined in
Hanover.
Despite her exalted status, she was a wife and mother, and lived both hard times and
good, always faithful to her Lord, and always ready to give generously to those in need.
She never took revenge on her political enemies once she gained the regency and it was
said that her court was much like a monastery itself in its piety. She is a reminder to me
that regardless of how much or how little I may have, my work remains the same.

—Excerpted from Panagia Icons and A Dictionary of Saints by Attwater

Patronage: abuse victims; against in-law problems; brides; empresses; exiles;

parenthood; parents of large families; people in exile; princesses; prisoners; second
marriages; step-parents; victims of abuse; widows;

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Symbols and Representation: empress dispensing alms and food to the poor, often
beside a ship; escaping from prison in a boat; holding a church; veil
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Adelaide:

EWTN
Catholic Ireland
Virily
Diocese of Shrewsbury

Ember Friday of Advent Station at the Twelve Holy Apostles (Santi Dodici
Apostoli, also Santi Apostoli): The stational church for today’s Mass is the church of
the Twelve Apostles in Rome. Mary is the apostle of the liturgy, the Mediatrix of all
grace. She is the root from which springs the full bloom, Christ. “And of His fullness
we all have received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). It was erected by Julius I
(337-352) over the barracks of ancient Rome’s firemen and entrusted since 1463 to the
Conventual Franciscans. Originally dedicated to the Apostles St. James and St. Philip,
it was rededicated to all the Apostles in the 16th century. It is currently in the care of
Conventual Franciscans. For further info, see: Rome Art Lover Walks in Rome
PNAC

For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 16, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Friday of the Third Week of Advent: May your grace, almighty God,
always go before us and follow after, so that we, who await with heartfelt desire
the coming of your Only Begotten Son, may receive your help both now and in the
life to come. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

RECIPES

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RECIPES

Chiresaye (Cherry Pudding Decorated with Flowers)

Onion and Egg Ember Day Tart

ACTIVITIES

Advent and the Year of the Eucharist

Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Description of Ember Days
Ember Days
Explanation of Ember Days
In the Home: Ember Days (September)
Las Posadas II
O Antiphon Days
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

Advent Wreath Prayers I

Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Novena - December 16 - 24
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Ember Day Prayers

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Ember Days Prayer

Brief Meditations on the Church Year: Advent Ember Days

LIBRARY

Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher

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Advent: December 17th

December 17, O Wisdom; Ember Saturday

Mass Propers for December 17 Entrance Antiphon, Cf.

Is 49:13:
Rejoice, O heavens, and exult O earth, for our Lord
will come to show mercy to his poor.

Alleluia Verse:
O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation
with power and love: come to teach us the path of
knowledge!

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Hg 2:7:

Behold, the Desired of all the nations will come, and the house of the Lord will be
filled with glory.

December 17 marks the beginning of the O Antiphons,

the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth
century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These
antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent
Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies
and types of Christ. The Church in these following
Golden Nights travels through the centuries recalling the
longing for the Redeemer. Today begins with O
Wisdom (O Sapientia).
For more information on the O Antiphons, see

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O Come! The O Antiphons

Rejoice the Lord is Near!
Build an O Antiphon House by Jennifer
Gregory Miller.

It is the last day of the December Ember Days; today is Ember Saturday of Advent.

December Ember Days: Ember Saturday

For centuries this Ember Saturday was the only day in the Church’s year for conferring
the sacrament of Holy Orders. The ordination on the Ember Saturday in Advent was
formerly the only one held in Rome. It was therefore a day of some importance. Indeed,
all the parts of today’s traditional Mass bear the marks of their ancient origin: the
numerous readings interspersed with chants and collects recall the primitive form of the
vigil as it was practiced in Rome.
The Church no longer regularly ordains priests during the times of the Quarterly
Ember Days, but this is a special time, particularly Ember Saturday, to pray for priests,
particularly the ones who are about to be ordained within the year.
It is very difficult for us to sense how important the Ember Vigil services were in the
early Roman liturgy. Embertide meant covenant renewal with God, thanksgiving for the
gifts of nature and grace, and conferral of Holy Orders (Ember Saturday in December
was the Church’s official ordination day). Finally, the December series served as the
ancient Advent observance, before the four-week season was introduced.
In order to understand today’s Mass we must go back to early times when the liturgy
was celebrated at night in the Church of St. Peter in Rome. In the previous missal, the
two previous Ember Day Masses had an intimate and tender character; today’s reflects a
universal spirit (Church of St. Peter). The Mass presents Advent in an abbreviated form;
these and topics developed during its four weeks are synthesized in today’s formulary.

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Before us stands Christ who came as Man, who comes through grace, and who will
come with power in the end of time. These three “comings” are united into one
grace-laden “visitation” in the present. Several times there appears the
light-and-darkness motif; for the Mass was celebrated at a very early morning hour, a
circumstance that spontaneously occasioned the symbolism: from Advent’s night to
Christmas Light. Such is the theme of the traditional Mass.
The citations for the readings from the Mass for Ember Saturday:

Old Testament Lessons:

Isa 19:20-22; Isa 35:1-7; Isa 40:9-11; Isa 45:1-8; Dan 3:47-51, 52-56;

New Testament Epistle:

2 Thes 2:1-8

Gospel:
Luke 3:1-6 St. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).

Jesse Tree, Day 21 ~ Judith Jesse Tree Overview

O Wisdom
Divine Wisdom clothes itself in the nature of a man. It conceals itself in the weakness of
a child. It chooses for itself infancy, poverty, obedience, subjection, obscurity. “I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent I will reject… . Hath not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to
save them that believe. For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after
wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews, indeed, a stumbling block, and

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wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews, indeed, a stumbling block, and
unto the Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God… . But the foolish things of the world
hath God chosen, that He may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath
God chosen, that He may confound the strong. And the base things of the world and the
things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and the things that are not, that He might
bring to naught the things that are” (I Cor. 1:19 ff.).

Come, O divine Wisdom, teach us the way of knowledge. We are unwise; we

judge and speak according to the vain standards of the world, which is
foolishness in the eyes of God.
Come, O divine Wisdom, give us the true knowledge and the taste for what is
eternal and divine. Inspire us with a thirst for God’s holy will, help us seek
God’s guidance and direction, enlighten us in the teachings of the holy gospel,
make us submissive to Thy holy Church. Strengthen us in the forgetfulness of
self, and help us to resign ourselves to a position of obscurity if that be Thy holy
will. Detach our hearts from resurgent pride. Give us wisdom that we may
understand that “but one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). “For what doth it
profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?”
(Matt 16:26.) The Holy Spirit would have us know that one degree of grace is
worth more than all worldly possessions.

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

First O Antiphon: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

Symbols: All-Seeing Eye and the Lamp

Come, and teach us the way of prudence.
Traditional Antiphon: O Wisdom, who came from the
mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and
ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach
us the way of prudence.

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O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
Vespers Antiphon: O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with
your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.
The “all-seeing eye” represents the all-knowing and ever-present God. During the
late Renaissance, the eye was pictured in a triangle with rays of light to represent the
infinite holiness of the Trinity. The lamp is a symbol of wisdom taken from the parable
of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25.
Recommended Reading: Proverbs 8:1-12

St. Josep Manyanet y Vives

Josep Manyanet was born within a large and
Christian family on January 7, 1833 in
Northeastern Spain, in the city of Tremp, province
of Lleida. He was baptized on the same day at his
parish Church of our Lady of Valldeflors, patroness
of the city. At a very early age, when he was five
years old, he was offered to our Lady by his
mother. He had to work to complete his schooling
with the Piarist Fathers in Barbastro and at the
Seminaries of Lleida and Urgell. He was ordained
priest on April 9, 1859.
After twelve years of hard work in the Diocese of Urgell at the service of his bishop
as private secretary, librarian of the seminary, administrator of the chancery and
secretary for pastoral Visitations, he felt God’s call to become a religious priest and to
found two religious congregations.

Founder and Apostle of the Holy Family

With the approval of his bishop, he founded, in 1864, the religious congregations of the
Sons of the Holy Family Jesus, Mary and Joseph and, in 1874, the Missionary Daughters
of the Holy Family of Nazareth with the mission to honor, imitate and propagate the
example of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the Christian formation of families,
especially through the catholic education of children and youth and through priestly
ministry.
With constant work and prayer, with and exemplary life full of virtues, with loving

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With constant work and prayer, with and exemplary life full of virtues, with loving
dedication and solicitude for the souls, he guided and encouraged for almost forty years,
the formation and expansion of his Institutes, opening schools and centers of ministry in
several towns in Spain. Today both Institutes are present in several European countries,
in North and South America and in Africa as well.
Especially called by God to present to the world the example of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, he wrote several books and booklets to spread the devotion of the Holy
Family. He founded the magazine La Sagrada Familia and promoted the idea of the
construction of a Temple dedicated to the Holy Family. The Temple, as yet unfinished in
Barcelona, was built by the architectural genius and Servant of God Antonio Gaudí,
destined to perpetuate the virtues and examples of the Family of Nazareth and to be the
universal spiritual home of all families.

Illnesses and Death

Because of his poor health, due to open sores on his side, which he labelled God’s
mercies for 16 long years, on the 17th of December of 1901, full of virtues and good
deeds, was called by God to his eternal home, in his school “Jesús, María y José” of
Barcelona, central place of his work, surrounded by children, with the same simplicity
that characterized all his life. His last words were his fervent prayer Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.

Witness to Holiness
His saintly life impressed many people who came in contact with him. The Process of
Canonization was formally introduced in 1956. Once the practice of all virtues in a
heroic grade was officially recognized by the church in 1982 and proof of a healing
miracle attributed to his intercession, Pope John Paul II declared him Blessed in 1984.
After the approval of a second miracle through his intercession, Josep was canonized in
Rome, on May 16, 2004.
Pope John Paul II has stated that the sanctity demonstrated by Josep Manyanet stems
from the Holy Family. He was called by God, so that “in his name every family on earth
may be blessed.” The Holy spirit guided him to boldly proclaim the “Gospel of the
family”. His inspiration was that “all families may imitate and bless the Holy Family of
Nazareth”. That is: “to build a Nazareth in every home”, and to make of every family a
“Holy Family”.
His canonization brings forth the truth of his sanctity and the unending value of his
message from Nazareth. That makes him a Prophet of the family and the protector of our

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families.

—Excerpted from the Vatican website

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read this biography of St. Josep’s life.

Read about the Sons of the Holy Family which St. Josep founded.
Consider joining the Holy Family Association in which the laity participate in St.
Josep’s order.
A version of the life of St. Josep on YouTube in Spanish.

Saturday of the First Week of Lent, Station with San Pietro

in Vaticano (St. Peter’s in the Vatican):The Station is in the
Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, where the people would
assemble towards evening, that they might be present at the
ordination of the priests and sacred ministers. The original
basilica was built by Constantine in 323 over the place where St.
Peter was buried.
For more information, see: St. Peter’s Basilica Information Rome Art Lover

For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Today is Day Two of the Christmas Novena.

Daily Readings for: December 17, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 17: O God, Creator and Redeemer of human nature, who

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willed that your Word should take flesh in an ever-virgin womb, look with favor on
our prayers, that your Only Begotten Son, having taken to himself our humanity,
may be pleased to grant us a share in his divinity. Who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Jesse Tree Cookies

Onion and Egg Ember Day Tart

ACTIVITIES

A Christmas Play
Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Jesse Tree Instructions
Las Posadas II
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphon Tree Decorations
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower

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Advent Wreath Prayers I

Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
O Antiphons
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Ember Day Prayers
Prayer to Saint José Manyanet
Ember Days Prayer
Brief Meditations on the Church Year: Advent Ember Days
The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

Now Is The Time For Conversion To Peace | Pope Saint John Paul II
Waiting in Joyful Hope! | Bishop John C. Wester

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-17

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 156

Advent: December 18th

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Mass Propers for the Fourth Sunday of Advent Entrance

Antiphon, Cf. Is 45:8:
Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let
the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be
opened and bring forth a Savior.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 1:23:

The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they
shall name him Emmanuel.

Preface II of Advent:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For all the oracles of the prophets foretold him, the Virgin Mother longed for him
with love beyond all telling, John the Baptist sang of his coming and proclaimed his
presence when he came.
It is by his gift that already we rejoice at the mystery of his Nativity, so that he may
find us watchful in prayer and exultant in his praise.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Is 7:14:

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear and son; and his name will be called
Emmanuel.

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Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a
son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All
this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God
is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home (Mt 1:20-24).

Today is the Second of the O Antiphons, O Adonai (O Almighty God/O Lord and
Ruler). As Moses approached the burning bush, so we approach the divine Savior in the
form of a child in the crib, or in the form of the consecrated host, and falling down we
adore Him. “Put off the shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground … I am who am.”
“Come with an outstretched arm to redeem us.” This is the cry of the Church for the
second coming of Christ on the last day. The return of the Savior brings us plentiful
redemption.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).

Jesse Tree, Day 22 ~ Daniel Jesse Tree Overview

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Sunday Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A:

The First Reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 7:10-14. In today’s
prophecy, Isaiah gives us the most important detail concerning the Messiah, Christ. He
was to be God as well as man. This is what Christ was, as he claimed and as he proved
by his miracles and by his resurrection. What a stunning, and at the same time, what an
inspiring fact this knowledge is for us! We call the Incarnation, the coming of the Son of
God among us in human nature, a mystery. It is one of the basic mysteries of our
Christian religion, but the mystery lies not so much in how it was done (“with God all
things are possible”), but rather in the infinite, mysterious love of God for us, who are so
much below him and so unworthy of his love.
The Second Reading is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 1:1-7. In
today’s reading, we have the opening verses of that Epistles. In it, he calls himself a
servant of Christ, an Apostle, set apart (chosen) to preach the gospel of God. This gospel
is the news of the Incarnation, through which and by which, all men are called to follow
Christ, and become his brothers, and thus sons of God destined to be saints in heaven.
The Gospel of this Sunday, from the Gospel of Matthew 1:18-24 begins in a typical
Hebrew fashion, by giving the genealogical table of Jesus, who was born of Mary. He
does not mention the Annunciation, nor Mary’s problem of preserving virginity while
becoming a mother. But the revelation given to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, which
Matthew here describes, brings out the fact of the virginal conception of Jesus, and his
messianic mission of salvation. Matthew then adds that Christ was the Messiah, to be
born of a virgin, of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke, seven centuries later.
This is the last Sunday of our preparation for Christmas, the anniversary of Christ’s
birth. Like Joseph, we can all feel unworthy of the honor of welcoming him into our
hearts and our homes. We are indeed unworthy, not because we have little of this
world’s goods, but because we have so little humility, so little charity, so little faith and
trust in God’s goodness. Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary, the humblest of the
humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God’s goodness
and mercy. We can never hope to equal them, but we can follow them humbly, from afar.
The feast of Christmas should draw the hearts of every child of God towards the
furnace of divine love. In the manger, the infinite love of God for us miserable sinners is
dramatically and forcefully portrayed before our eyes. In that helpless Baby, represented
by a statue, we know that the person, and the power, of the omnipotent Creator and
sustainer of the universe lie hidden “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” for

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sustainer of the universe lie hidden “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” for
us. He became a creature, like ourselves, so that he would make us sharers in his divine
nature. He came on earth to bring us to heaven. He hid his divine nature so that he could
cover us with it.
“Unsearchable indeed are the judgements of God, and inscrutable his ways.” But
though we are unworthy of his infinite love, it nevertheless stands out as clear as the
noonday sun in the Incarnation. We realize that we can never make ourselves worthy of
this infinite love, but let us imitate Joseph and accept the honor which God is giving us,
as we trust that he will continue to make us daily less unworthy.

—Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

O Lord and Ruler

Thou art He “who didst appear to Moses in the burning bush.” “I have seen the affliction
of My people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of the rigor of them that are
over the works. And knowing their sorrow, I am come down to deliver them out of the
hands of the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land into a good and spacious land,
into a land that floweth with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:7 f.). Thus spoke the Lord to
Moses from the bush which burned but was not consumed, which is a figure of God’s
condescension to assume the weakness of human nature. The human nature of Christ is
united to the burning divine nature, and yet it is not consumed.
As Moses approached the burning bush, so we approach the divine Savior in the form
of a child in the crib, or in the form of the consecrated host, and falling down we adore
Him. “Put off the shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground… . I am who am” (Exod. 3:5, 14).
O Adonai, almighty God! Mighty in the weakness of a child, and in the helplessness
of the Crucified! Thou, almighty God, mighty in the wonders that Thou hast worked!
Mighty in guiding, sustaining, and developing Thy Church! “The gates of hell shall not
prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
“Come with an outstretched arm to redeem us.” This is the cry of the Church for the
second coming of Christ on the last day. The return of the Savior brings us plentiful
redemption. “Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for

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you” (Matt. 25-34).

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Second O Antiphon: O Adonai (O Almighty God/O

Lord and Ruler). Symbols: The Tablets
Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.
Traditional Antiphon: O Lord and Ruler of the House
of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the
burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and
redeem us with outstretched arm.
O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moyse in igne
flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni
ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
Vespers Antiphon: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses
in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out
your mighty hand to set us free.
The tablets of stone are a picture of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses
on Mt. Sinai. They may be used to represent the whole of God’s law, the Pentateuch (the
first five books of the Bible, the Torah), or the entire Old Testament.
Recommended Reading: Micah 5:1-9

Fourth Sunday of Advent Station with Ss. XII Apostoli or

Santi Dodici Apostoli (Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles):
At Rome, the Station is in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles,
better known in Rome as better known as Santi Apostoli. We
receive today a twelve-fold blessing from the apostles with
whom we celebrate this last Sunday of Advent. As living stones
we are built on these twelve solid and sacred foundation stones
who themselves rest on the divine cornerstone, Christ. Ye holy
apostles of Christ, be with us and pray for us, that with well-prepared hearts we may
“go forth to meet Him, and say: Great is His dominion, and His kingdom will have no
end; He is God, the Mighty, the Ruler, the Prince of Peace.” For more information,
see: Rome Art Lover Walks in Rome PNAC

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For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Today is Day Four of the Christmas Novena

Daily Readings for: December 18, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Fourth Sunday of Advent: Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your
grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was
made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be
brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

German Cinnamon Stars

Jesse Tree Cookies

ACTIVITIES

A Christmas Play
Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Christmas Tree
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House

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O Antiphon Tree Decorations

O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Hungarian wheat
Advent Prayers
Jesse Tree Prayer Service
O Antiphons
Advent Table Blessing 1
Christmas Novena - December 16 - 24
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

Christ Was Born for Our Salvation | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-18

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 163

Advent: December 19th

December 19, O Root of Jesse

Mass Propers for December 20 Entrance Antiphon, Cf.

Heb 10:37:
He who is to come will come and will not delay, and
now there will be no fear within our land, for he is our
Savior.

Alleluia Verse:
O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his
people: come to save us without delay!

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:78-79:

The Dawn from on high will visit us, guiding our feet in the way of peace.

Today is the Third of the O Antiphons, O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse). Christ the
King, the Lord! Divine Wisdom, Adonai, the powerful God, is at the same time man
with flesh and blood of the house of Jesse, the father of King David. Truly, the right of
kingship has now passed from the house of David. The glory that once clothed the royal
family has faded and withered, leaving only a blighted and withered root. But from this
root is to spring a glorious blossom, the King of the world. “He shall rule from sea to sea
and from the river unto the ends of the earth. Before Him the Ethiopians shall fall down
and His enemies shall lick the ground. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer
presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall serve Him” (Ps. 71:8-11). To Him
God has said, “Thou art My Son… . I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance,

and the utmost parts of the earth for Thy possession” (Ps. 2:7 ff).

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and the utmost parts of the earth for Thy possession” (Ps. 2:7 ff).

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).

Jesse Tree, Day 23 ~ Isaiah Jesse Tree Overview

O Root of Jesse
“Come to deliver us and tarry not.” The world cries out for Christ its King, who shall
cast out the prince of this world (John 12:31). The prince of this world established his
power over men as a result of original sin. Even after we had been delivered from the
servitude of Satan through the death of Christ on the cross, the prince of this world
attempts to exercise his power over us. “The devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking
whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8). In these trying times, when faith in Christ and in God
has largely disappeared, when the propaganda of a pagan culture is broadcast
everywhere, and the forces of evil and falsehood rise up to cast God from His throne,
who does not feel the power of the devil? Does it not appear that we are approaching that
time when Satan will be released from the depths of hell to work his wonders and
mislead, if possible, even the elect? (Apoc. 20:2; Matt. 24:24.)
“Come, tarry not.” Observe how thoroughly the world of today has submitted to the
reign of Satan. Mankind has abandoned the search for what is good and holy. Loyalty,
justice, freedom, love, and mutual trust are no longer highly regarded. Establish, O God,
Thy kingdom among us, a kingdom established upon truth, justice, and peace. “Come,
tarry not.” “Thy kingdom come.”

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

3rd O Antiphon: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

Symbols: Plant with Flower
Come to deliver us, and tarry not.

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Traditional Antiphon: O Root of Jesse, who stands

for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep
silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make
supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super
quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes
deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.
Vespers Antiphon: O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for
all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before.
Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse is another figure of Christ. Isaiah
prophesied that the Savior would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon
the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.
Recommended Readings: Isaiah 11:1-12

Today is Day Four of the Christmas Novena.

Daily Readings for: December 19, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 20: O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin
graciously revealed the radiance of your glory to the world, grant, we pray, that we
may venerate with integrity of faith the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation
and always celebrate it with due reverence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever.

RECIPES

Jesse Tree Cookies

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Jesse Tree Cookies

Sugar Cookies with Nuts

ACTIVITIES

Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphon Tree Decorations
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
The O Antiphons Verses

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LIBRARY

Now Is The Time For Conversion To Peace | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-19

www.catholicculture.org
LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 168

Advent: December 20th

December 20, O Clavis David (O Key of David)
Other Commemorations: St. Dominic of Silos, Abbot (RM); St.
Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr (RM)

Mass Propers for December 20 Entrance Antiphon, Cf.

Is 11:1; 40:5; Lk 3:6:
A branch shall sprout from the root of Jesse, and the
glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth, and all flesh
will see the salvation of God.

Alleluia Verse:
O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the
prisoners of darkness!

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Lk 1:31:

The Angel said to Mary: Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall
name him Jesus.

Today is the Fourth of the O Antiphons, O Clavis David (O Key of David). O

sublime majesty of the coming Redeemer! To Him has been delivered the key, the
government of the house of David (Is 22:22). Boundless is His power over the graces
and privileges of the Church, over the souls and hearts and the wills of men. He holds the
destiny of the Church in the palm of His hand. He is Master of the storms that arise to
destroy the Church and the souls committed to her. He is capable of dealing with the
false principles and the errors that threaten her doctrines. He has overcome the devil and
his associates, the world, the flesh and its tribulations. To Him all power is given (Matt.

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28:18). “He shall open and none shall shut” (Is 22:22). Against the power that is His all
other forces are powerless. The destiny of souls and the government of the Church are
placed in His hand. He is the Lord of all. O Key of David, I believe in Thy power; and in
the many difficult situations that confront the Church and my own soul, I place my trust
in Thee.
Today’s Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Dominic of Silos (1000-1073), a
Benedictine abbot who lived in Spain in the 11th century.
Also commemorated is St. Zephyrinus (d. 217), the fifteenth pope whose reign was
from 199-217. His long pontificate was a period marked by the persecution of Septimus
Severus, the struggle against heresy, and the organization of the Christian community in
Rome. In the person of the Pope, the Roman Church asserted her claim as the appointed
guardian of the true faith.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions).

Jesse Tree, Day 24 ~ St. Zechariah or Zachary Jesse Tree Overview

O Key of David
“Come, lead the captives from their prison.” With the key of His almighty power, the
Redeemer has opened the prison in which poor, sinful man was languishing in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Key of David, come and deliver the captives from their prison. The Church wishes
that by the practice of virtue we should free ourselves from sin and unfaithfulness. She
asks God that He may spare us from punishment, deliver us from His wrath, from an evil
death, and from hell. The Church prays that God may free us from a heart that clings to
the world, from a spirit that is pleased with worldliness, from a human respect that

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the world, from a spirit that is pleased with worldliness, from a human respect that
degrades us. She urges us to return kindness and affection for scorn, love and
compassion for persecution. Our Holy Mother the Church prays that we may be
delivered from ourselves, from our self-love, and from all our secret sins. She prays that
God may detach our hearts from all that can bind them to earth, for he who has been
freed from the things of the earth is free with the freedom of Christ.
Key of David, come and deliver the captives from their prison. By Thy coming free
us from all that separates us from God. Bring us freedom and redemption; incline us to
surrender ourselves completely to God. So all pray for each, and each for all.

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Fourth O Antiphon: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

Symbols: Key
Come, and bring forth the captive from his prison.
Traditional Antiphon: O Key of David, and Scepter of
the House of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts
and no man opens; Come and bring forth the captive from
his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of
death.
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israël, qui aperis, et
nemo claudit, claudis, et nemo aperuit: veni, et educ vinctum
de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
Vespers Antiphon: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your
will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell
in darkness and the shadow of death and lead your captive people into freedom.
The key is the emblem of authority and power. Christ is the Key of the House of
David who opens to us the full meaning of the scriptural prophecies, and reopens for all
mankind the gate of Heaven.
Recommended Readings: Isaiah 22:22-25

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St. Dominic of Silos

St. Dominic of Silos was defender of the faith. Born in
Canas, Navarre, Spain, circa 1000, he entered the
Benedictines at San Millan de Ia Cogolla. King Garcia
III of Navarre challenged him when he became abbot of
the monastery, and Dominic refused to surrender part of
the Benedictine lands to the crown. For this he was
exiled, going to King Ferdinand I of Castile and Leon,
who made him abbot of St. Sebastian Abbey at Silos,
now called St. Dominic’s.
Dominic reformed the abbey, built the cloisters in
Romanesque style, and started a scriptorium that
became famous throughout the region. One of the most beloved saints in Spain, Dominic
also rescued Christian slaves from the Moors.
Dominic’s shrine is noted for its place in the birth of Dominic de Guzman, the
founder of the Order of Preachers. Dominic de Guzman’s mother begged for a child
there. Dominic was also noted for miracles of healing.

—Excerpted from Evangelizo.org 2001-2014

Patronage: against hydrophobia; against insects; against mad dogs; against rabies;
captives; pregnant women; prisoners; shepherds

Symbols and Representation: abbot surrounded by the Seven Virtues; chains, referring
to prisoners and slaves; mitered abbot enthroned with a book, a veil tied to his crozier
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Dominic of Silos:

The Modern Ancient Saint
Independent Catholic News
Katherine Rabenstein
Catholic365

Read about the connection about St. Dominic and the hounds to St. Dominic of
Silos.
See his depiction of Saint Dominic of Silos enthroned as a Bishop by Bartolome

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See his depiction of Saint Dominic of Silos enthroned as a Bishop by Bartolome

Bermejo.
If St. Dominic’s name is familiar, it might be because of the “Chant” album by
the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos album. It peaked as Number
3 on the Billboard charts in 1994. Read how Gregorian Chant is the voice of the
Church.

St. Zephyrinus
Commodus, looked favorably on the Christians
at the onset of his reign. His son Caracalla had
been raised by a Christian nurse, and the
emperor himself had been cured of some
ailment by a Christian. However, Severus later
reversed his position toward the Christians,
probably due to their unpopularity with the
Roman pagans, and he issued a decree
forbidding any person to become either a Jew or
a Christian. The persecution commenced once
again.
Zephyrinus was a Roman and the son of
Habundius. Some sources indicate that his strength did not lie in leadership, but that he
depended greatly on the more capable and practiced Calixtus, who, since his release
from the labor mines, had been rehabilitated and devoted himself to the Church.
Consequently, he was appointed archdeacon. Not only did he direct the lower clergy for
Zephyrinus but he was also entrusted with the administration of the official cemetery
which the Church now owned.
Heresy stormed the Church from all sides, but Zephyrinus adhered firmly to the
doctrine set forth by the apostles. The excommunicated tanner Theodotus continued to
teach that Christ was not the true Son of God. He had even gone so far as to set up his
own church and place a paid bishop in residence. This bishop, called Natalius, had
previously been tortured for confessing the true faith. According to legend, angels were
sent to Natalius in visions to rebuke him for joining Theodotus, since Jesus did not want
anyone who had suffered for Him to be cast out of the Church. Natalius appeared to have
seen the light; he threw himself upon the mercy of Zephyrinus and begged to be

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pardoned. Natalius was readmitted to communion by the bishop of Rome after

considerable penance.
Zephyrinus decreed that all ordinations, even those of mere clerics, be performed
before the assembled clergy and laity.
Another heresy, called Modalism, taught by Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius, was
brought to the attention of Zephyrinus. Followers of this theory obliterated the
distinctions between the entities of the Trinity. Zephyrinus immediately condemned this,
again citing the original teachings of the apostles.
Zephyrinus was said to have been martyred and was buried in his own cemetery on
the Appian Way.

—Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

Symbols: Monstrance; triple cross.

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Zephyrinus:

Sanctoral
A Catholic Life
Popes in a Year

Say this prayer for the feast of St. Zephyrinus.

Today is Day Five of the Christmas Novena

Daily Readings for: December 20, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 20: O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word the
immaculate Virgin received through the message of an Angel and so became the

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immaculate Virgin received through the message of an Angel and so became the
dwelling-place of divinity, filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, grant, we pray,
that by her example we may in humility hold fast to your will. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Jesse Tree Cookies

Plain Cookies

ACTIVITIES

Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Las Posadas II
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphon Tree Decorations
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I

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Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons

Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
O Antiphons
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
Collect for Saint Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr
The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

Catacombs: Witness To Early Heroism | Pope Saint John Paul II

Christmas Incorporates Mystery of Easter | Pope Saint John Paul II
Gregorian Chant: Back to Basics in the Roman Rite | Piunno John C.
Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher
The Origins of Ash Wednesday | Fr. William Saunders
Was Peter the First Pope? | Art Kelly

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-20

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Advent: December 21st

December 21, O Oriens (O Dayspring);
Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest
and Doctor

Mass Propers for December 21 Entrance Antiphon, Lk

1:31:
The Lord and Ruler will be coming soon, and his
name will be called Emmanuel, because he will be
God-with-us.

Alleluia Verse:
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come ato
save us, Lord our God!

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:45:

Blessed are you who have believed, that what was spoken to you by the Lord would
be fulfilled.

Mass Propers for St. Peter Canisius Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Sir 15:5:
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the
spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 5:16:

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your heavenly Father.

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Communion Antiphon, Cf. Lk 12:42:

Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the
proper time.

Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius
(1521-1597), who was born at Nijmegen, Holland, at the very time that Luther began to
rebel against the Church and St. Ignatius Loyola was laying the foundations of the Jesuit
Order. After studying the arts, civil law and theology, St. Peter joined the Jesuit Order
and was ordained a priest in 1546. He is noted especially for the following services to
the Church: he defended the Catholic faith against the Protestants; by preaching, writing,
founding colleges and seminaries, he caused Catholic life to flourish; he rendered
invaluable services to the ecumenical Council of Trent; he wrote many catechisms which
were translated into twelve languages in his own life time. He died in Fribourg,
Switzerland.
According to the previous missal (1962), today was the feast of St. Thomas the
Apostle, now celebrated July 3. There are many traditions related to St. Thomas
(A-Thomasing and Christmas baking) that were practicing on December 21st that are
connected with preparing for Christmas, since his feast originally was a few days before
Christmas. The traditions still hold merit, but are no longer attached to his feast day.
Today is the Fifth of the O Antiphons, O Oriens (O Radiant Dawn/O
Dayspring/O Morning Star). It is the Sun, the Redeemer, whom we await. “I am the
light [the sun] of the world” (John 8:12). Christ is the light of the world because of the
faith which He has infused into souls. He has enlightened the world by His teaching and
by the example of His life. In the crib, in Nazareth, on the cross on Calvary, in the
tabernacle of our churches, He answers the eternal questioning of the benighted soul.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions).

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Jesse Tree, Day 25 ~ Elizabeth Jesse Tree Overview

O Radiant Dawn
O eternal Sun, come and enlighten us, for where Thou art not, there is darkness, death,
and wickedness. “Come and enlighten all who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death.”
“But now [you are] light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:18). In the Church the light has now
appeared to us on the first Christmas night, on the day of our baptism, daily in the Mass
and at the time of Holy Communion, and in the many inspirations and promptings of
grace. How thankful we should be for this light, which is Christ.
But we have yet to reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. Alas! we let
ourselves be burdened by earthly sorrow, we are distracted by the excitement of the
moment, and our spiritual growth is hampered by our attachment to the things of this
world. Fervently we should repeat that plea of Holy Mother the Church. “O dawning Sun
of righteousness, come and enlighten us, who yet sit in the darkness of suffering, of
human reasoning, and of self-love.”
The light of Christ will be revealed perfectly only when we meet Him at the time of
His second coming. Then we shall be brought into the light of glory, and we shall “shine
as the sun in the kingdom of the Father” (Matt. 13:48). “Sown in corruption we shall rise
in incorruption” (I Cor. 15:42). May the day of enlightenment come soon!

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Fifth O Antiphon: O Oriens (O Dayspring)

Symbols: Sun with Rays

Come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in
the shadow of death.
Traditional Antiphon: O Dawn, splendor of eternal
light, and sun of justice, come, and shine on those seated in

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darkness, and in the shadow of death.

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
Vespers Antiphon: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come,
shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
Just as the natural sun gives light and life to all upon whom its rays fall, so Christ, the
Rising Dawn, dispels darkness and brings eternal life and light.
Recommended Reading: Malachi 4:2-6

St. Peter Canisius

Peter Canisius, the remarkable Jesuit who almost
single-handedly reevangelized Central Europe, founded dozens
of colleges, contributed to the rebirth of Catholicism by his
prodigious writings, and laid the groundwork for the Catholic
Reformation north of the Alps. He was born at Nijmegen,
Holland, in 1521, and his father was an instructor to princes in
the court of the duke of Lorraine. St. Peter Canisius was part of
a movement for religious reform as a very young man and in
1543, after attending a retreat given by Blessed Peter Favre,
joined the Jesuits and was the eighth professed member of the
Society of Jesus.
He worked first in the city of Cologne, becoming a spokesman for the Catholic party.
He became a consultor to the cardinal of Augsburg at the Council of Trent and in 1547
was called by St. Ignatius to Rome. He was sent to Sicily to teach, then, after his solemn
profession in Rome, was sent back to Germany as the first superior of the German
province of the Jesuits.
Peter next began to restore and found colleges, first in Vienna and Prague, and then
in Munich, Innsbruck, and throughout northern Germany. He attracted vocations to the
Jesuits, and the society began to flourish in Central Europe. He organized the Jesuits into
a compact unit and made the society a leading force in the Counter-Reformation. He was
in contact with all the Catholic leaders in Germany, and wrote fourteen hundred letters
giving support to those laboring for reform. He was the adviser of the emperor and the
confidante of three popes. He was consulted by papal legates and nunciatures and was a
severe critic of religious and clerical life in post-Reformation Germany.
He recommended far-reaching reforms and had a profound effect upon the education

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He recommended far-reaching reforms and had a profound effect upon the education
and spiritual life of the clergy. Through his efforts, seminaries were founded, and the
popes sent him on important diplomatic missions. In the midst of his many labors, he
edited and published editions of the Fathers of the Church, catechisms, spiritual manuals,
and textbooks that went into countless editions even in his own lifetime.
He died on December 21, 1597, at Fribourg, Switzerland, and was canonized and
declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925.

Patronage: Germany; Catholic press; catechism writers

Symbols and Representation: with his catechism and other books; teaching a group of
children
Highlights and Things to Do:

Celebrating the Feast of St. Peter Canisius

Read more about St. Peter Canisius:
Catholic Ireland
Loyola Press (for children)
Vatican News

Read the text from the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, February 9,
2011
His relics are in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Celebrating the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle (in the previous 1962 missal)

Today is Day Six of the Christmas Novena

Daily Readings for: December 21, 2022

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(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 21: Hear in kindness, O Lord, the prayers of your people, that
those who rejoice at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh may,
when at last he comes in glory, gain the reward of eternal life. Through Our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius: O God, who for the defense of the
Catholic faith made the Priest Saint Peter Canisius strong in virtue and in learning,
grant, through his intercession, that those who seek the truth may joyfully find
you, their God, and that your faithful people may persevere in confessing you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Christmas Baking: Dried Fruit Bread

Christmas Baking: Kletzenbrot
Cocoanut Busserln (Meringues)
Farina Pudding
Frumenty I
Frumenty Pudding II
Jesse Tree Cookies
Kletzenbrot (Christmas Fruit Bread)
Krabeli (Springerle)
Lamb Pie with Poppy Seed Crust
Lebkuchen I
Lebkuchen II
Lebkuchen III (Inexpensive)
Lebkuchen IV

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Marzipan Cookies
Nut Busserln (Meringues)
Pate de Noel (Christmas Pie)
Risengroed (Rice Pudding)
Rum Balls
Rum Stangerln (Rum Slices)
Spanish Wind

ACTIVITIES

Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
A-Thomasing
Celebrating on December 21, the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle (in the
1962 Liturgical Calendar)
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree
Advent and the Year of the Eucharist
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Las Posadas II
Catechesis for the Feast of St. Thomas
Celebrating for the Feast of St. Peter Canisius

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PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

Saint Peter Canisius | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-21

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Advent: December 22nd

December 22, O Rex Gentium (O King of the
Nations)

Mass Propers for December 22 Entrance Antiphon, Ps

24 (23):7:
O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient
doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!

Alleluia Verse:
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:46, 49:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, for the Almighty has done great things
for me.

Today is the Sixth of the O Antiphons, O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations). “A
certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return”
(Luke 19:12). This nobleman is Christ, the Son of God, King of all nations. His kingdom
is over all men and over all things, both material and spiritual. He has everything in His
hand as God and man. But another, Satan, has broken into His kingdom and has made
himself master of many of Christ’s subjects. In the old dispensation only a small part of
humanity, the chosen people, remained faithful to the almighty King.
Christ, the Son of God, came into this “far country” in order to become man and, by
means of humility, obedience, and poverty, to cast out the usurper who had taken His
subjects. He came to reassert His dominion over all those who had left Him, both Jews
and Gentiles.

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and Gentiles.
The Roman Martyrology includes today as the day of death of St. Frances Xavier
Cabrini, Founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Her feast is celebrated
on November 13 in the United States.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).

Jesse Tree, Day 26 ~ Joseph Jesse Tree Overview

O King of the Gentiles

“Come and save man, whom Thou hast made out of dust.” What is man? He is but a
particle of dust, an insignificant creature who has further separated himself from God
through sin. He has been cut off from the fountain of truth and banished from God to
darkness and misery. Still in the ruins there dwells a spirit that possesses a capacity for
truth. In these ashes there is yet a spark that may be fanned to life to burn with the
brilliance of divine life. But only God can revive this flame. For this reason the Church
cries out, “Come and save man, whom Thou hast made out of dust.” Save him who is so
weak, so miserable and helpless. Remember his nothingness. Consider the many enemies
who lay snares to rob him of divine life and to entice him into sin. Think of his obscured
knowledge and his proneness to evil, of his tendency to error, and his weakness in the
face of temptation. Guard him from the enticements of the world; shelter him from the
poison of erroneous teaching; deliver him from the devil and his angels.
During these days before Christmas, the Church contemplates the overwhelming
misery of unregenerated mankind. She cries out, “Come and save man, whom Thou hast
made out of dust.”
Jesus is King of all nations. “The kings of the earth stood up and the princes met
together against the Lord and against His Christ. Let us break their bonds asunder, and
let us cast away their yoke from us. He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them, and
the Lord shall deride them. Then shall He speak to them in His anger and trouble them in

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the Lord shall deride them. Then shall He speak to them in His anger and trouble them in
His rage. But I am appointed king by Him over Sion, His holy mountain…. The Lord
hath said to Me; Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will
give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for Thy
possession” (Ps. 2:2-8). Well may Herod seek the life of the newborn king. Indeed, many
kings and tribes and nations in the course of time shall deprecate the divine King, Christ.
But to Him has been given all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28: i8). Before Him
every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall confess that He is the Lord (Phil. 2:10f.).
The more the mighty condemn the kingship of Christ, the more shall He be exalted
by the Father.
Now He comes to us in the form of a lovely child. One day in the presence of the
Roman governor He will assert His right to kingship. But after this one public confession
of His royal origin He withdraws again into the obscurity which He had freely chosen.
For the present He is satisfied with this manifestation of His royal dignity. The day will
come, however, when He will manifest it with power and majesty as He comes again on
the clouds of heaven. Before all nations God will declare: “I have anointed Him King of
Sion. My holy mountain.” All men shall pay Him homage as king; all nations shall
acclaim Him the King of Glory.

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

6th O Antiphon: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)

Symbols: Crown and Scepter

Come, and deliver man, whom You formed out of the
dust of the earth.
Traditional Antiphon: O King of the Gentiles and
their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one;
Come, and deliver man, whom You formed out of the dust
of the earth.
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque
angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

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Vespers Antiphon: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O
Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the
dust.
The crown and scepter signify Christ’s universal kingship. As we sing in the fifth O
Antiphon, Christ is not only the King of the Jewish nation, but the “Desired One of all,”
the cornerstone which unites both Jew and Gentile.
Recommended Reading: Revelation 15:1-4

Today is Day Seven of the Christmas Novena.

Daily Readings for: December 22, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 22: O God, who, seeing the human race fallen into death,
willed to redeem it by the coming of your Only Begotten Son, grant, we pray, that
those who confess his Incarnation with humble fervor may merit his company as
their Redeemer. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Gingersnaps
Jesse Tree Cookies

ACTIVITIES

Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

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LITURGICAL YEAR 2022-2023, VOL. 1 188

Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Las Posadas II
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphon Tree Decorations
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)
The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

Praise The Lord, King Of All The Earth | Pope Saint John Paul II

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Advent: December 23rd

December 23, O Emmanuel; Optional Memorial
of St. John of Kanty, Priest

Mass Propers for December 23 Entrance Antiphon,

Cf. Is 9:6; Ps 72 (71):17:
A child shall be born for us, and he will be called
God, the Almighty; every tribe of the earth shall be
blest in him.

Alleluia Verse:
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

Communion Antiphon, Rev 3:20:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door
to me, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.

Mass Propers for St. John of Kanty Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 132 (131):9:
Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with justice; your holy ones shall ring out of
their joy.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 13:34:

I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 24:46-47:

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Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen, I say to
you: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.

Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty
(1390-1473), priest. Born in Kanty (Cracow, Poland), he taught at the university and
became pastor of a parish. He was distinguished for his piety and love of neighbor.
We reach the culmination of the O Antiphons today. Today is the Seventh O
Antiphon, O Emmanuel (O God Is With Us). In previous antiphons our cry was
directed to the Messiah as He manifested Himself to the Chosen People, to the Gentiles,
and in nature; now He is addressed in person and asked to remain with us as Emmanuel.
Reading this final antiphon gives the feeling that a climax has indeed come. The very
term Emmanuel, God with us, reveals the kindly, human heart of Jesus — He wants to
be one of us, a Child of man, with all our human weakness and suffering; He wants to
experience how hard it is to be man. He wants to remain with us to the end of time, He
wants to dwell within us, He wants to make us share His nature.
Today is also the Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty (1390-1473). Born in
Kanty (Kraków, Poland), he taught at the university and became pastor of a parish. He
was distinguished for his piety and love of neighbor.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).

Jesse Tree, Day 27 ~ Blessed Virgin Mary Jesse Tree Overview

O Emmanuel
“O Emmanuel (God with us), our King and Lawgiver, Thou expected one of the nations
and their Redeemer, come and save us, O Lord our God.”
Now we are about to receive the Savior, Emmanuel, God with us. God’s
only-begotten Son, born of the Father before all time, God of God, light of light, true

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only-begotten Son, born of the Father before all time, God of God, light of light, true
God of true God, one being with the Father, is about to be born in time. For the salvation
of men, He has come down upon earth and is conceived by the Holy Ghost in a virgin.
He shall be called God with us, and yet He will be one in nature with us. He is to be like
to us in all things except sin. He wills to share our poverty and to pray and suffer with us;
He assumes our guilt. He is God with us in every phase of our life; He even takes our
place on the cross, He remains with us in Holy Communion, in our daily Mass, and in
our tabernacles. At some time in the future He will still be God with us in His beautiful
heaven. All this He has done for us even though we have repeatedly turned our back on
Him.
Come and save us.“ The great God is with us. He has come, not to destroy the sinful
world, as He once destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, but to redeem it from its sins. This
redemption is to be accomplished at the cost of great personal sacrifice to Him. As if this
did not satisfy the burning ardor of His love, He wills to remain with us in our
tabernacles. He incorporates us into Himself and shares His very life with us. We are
engrafted in Him as a branch might be grafted to a new tree. ”I am the vine, you are the
branches" (John 15:5). God with us! We are united to Christ as a limb is united to a
body, as a branch is united to a vine. We now belong to Christ and no longer to
ourselves. We are one with Him. What a grace, what greatness, what nobility have been
conferred upon us! God looking upon us no longer sees miserable specimens of
mankind, but members of Christ. When He looks upon Christ, He sees Christ and us as
united in one body, as a tree united to its branches. Even the smallest leaf fluttering on
the farthest branch belongs to that tree and lives by the sap of that tree. Could He have
redeemed us in a more perfect manner than by thus implanting in us and infusing in us
His divine life? Let us reflect upon this seriously.
God with us! It was that He might be with us that He came that first Christmas at
Bethlehem. He came that He might lift me up from the dust, and that I might share in His
life. He will return this Christmas that He may continue and complete that work. It is for
the same purpose that He comes in every Holy Mass and Communion, and in each
inspiration and grace He gives us. His final coming will be for the same purpose, and
will have the further aim of sharing with us His glorified life in heaven. We shall then
enjoy the perfect vision of God, perfect love, and the fulfillment of all our desires for all
eternity. For all eternity!

—Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

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7th O Antiphon: O Emmanuel (O God Is With

Us)
Symbols: Manger

Come to save us, O Lord our God.

Traditional Antiphon: O Emmanuel, God with us, our
King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their
Savior: Come to save us, O Lord our God.
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium,
et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus
noster.
Vespers Antiphon: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of
all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.
The manger reminds us of the simplicity and poverty surrounding the birth of Jesus
and is representative of His life of humility.

Recommended Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7

St. John of Kanty

John Cantius was born in the year 1397 in the Polish
town of Kanty (whence his surname). He became a
professor of theology, then parish priest; soon, however,
he returned to the professor’s chair at the University of
Cracow. On foot he visited the holy places of Rome and
Palestine. One day, after robbers had deprived him of all
his effects, they asked him whether he had anything
more. The saint said no, but hardly had they gone when
he remembered having sewn some gold pieces inside
his clothing; immediately he followed and overtook
them. The robbers, astonished at the man’s sense of
truthfulness, refused to accept the money and returned

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truthfulness, refused to accept the money and returned

to him the stolen luggage.
To guard himself and his household from evil gossip he wrote upon the wall of his
room (after the example of St. Augustine): Conturbare cave, non est placare suave,
diffamare cave, nam revocare grave, i.e. “Guard against causing trouble and slandering
others, for it is difficult to right the evil done.” His love of neighbor was most edifying.
Often he gave away his own clothing and shoes; then, not to appear barefoot, he lowered
his cassock so as to have it drag along the ground. Sensing that his death was near at
hand, he distributed whatever he still had to the poor and died peacefully in the Lord at
an advanced age. He is honored as one of the principal patrons of Poland.

Patronage: Lithuania; Poland; diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec (since 1992); Jagiellonian

University

Symbols and Representation: Dressed in a professor’s gown with his arm around the
shoulder of a young student whose gaze he directs towards heaven; giving his garments
to the poor.
Highlights and Things to Do:

His relics are found in University College of St. Ann in Cracow.

Read more about St. John of Kanty:
Catholic Ireland
Loyola Press (children)
WMI Central

Since this day falls so close to Christmas, in imitation of St. John, we could do
some acts of charity for the poor who will be suffering and alone during this
holiday season. Contact your local council or St. Vincent de Paul organization in
your parish to find out what families are needy. Make a food and gift basket to
present to this family.
Another good work would be taking the family to visit a nursing home. This time
of year can often be depressing.
Take some time to learn a little about Poland and its culture and traditions.
Serve some Polish food, like pierogies and kielbasa (Polish sausage). You can try
to make these from scratch, or find them ready-made in your grocery store.

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Visit online the St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, run by the Canons Regular
of St. John Cantius. Read about their patron saint.
Recite the Vespers hymn to St. John Kanty, O Glory of the Polish Race.

Today is Day Eight of the Christmas Novena

Daily Readings for: December 23, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 23, O Emmanuel: Almighty ever-living God, as we see how

the Nativity of your Son according to the flesh draws near, we pray that to us, your
unworthy servants, mercy may flow from your Word, who chose to become flesh
of the Virgin Mary and establish among us his dwelling, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever.

Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by
the example of the Priest Saint John of Kanty we may advance in knowledge of
holy things and by showing compassion to all, may gain forgiveness in your sight.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Jesse Tree Cookies

Pirohi

ACTIVITIES

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ACTIVITIES

Advent and the Year of the Eucharist

Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Advent Hymn: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Las Posadas II
Non-Edible Dough (for Ornaments and Sculptures)
O Antiphon Days
O Antiphon House
O Antiphon Tree Decorations
O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
The Christmas Tree

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
O Glory of the Polish Race
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

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The O Antiphons Verses

LIBRARY

We Give Praise and Thanks to God That the Gospel Seed Has Borne
Abundant Fruit | Pope Saint John Paul II

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Advent: December 24th

December 24, Christmas Eve

Mass Propers for the Mass in the Morning Entrance

Antiphon, Cf. Gal 4:4:
Behold, when the fullness of time had come, God
sent his Son into the world.

Alleluia Verse:
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of
justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:68:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.

The Vigil Mass is used on the evening of December 24, either before or after First
Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of the Nativity. Before the Mass the Nativity of Our Lord
Jesus Christ from the Roman Martyrology can be read or chanted. Mass Propers for the
Vigil Mass of Christmas Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ex 16:6-7:
Today you will know that the Lord will come, and he will save us, and in the morning
you will see his glory.

Alleluia Verse:
Tomorrow the wickedness of the earth will be destroyed: the Savior of the world will
reign over us.

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Preface I of the Nativity of the Lord:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For in the mystery of the Word made flesh a new light of your glory has shone upon
the eyes of our mind, so that as we recognize in him God made visible, we may be
caught up through him in love of things invisible.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Is 40:5:

The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see the salvation of our God.

The liturgical texts express wholehearted confidence in the imminent coming of the
Redeemer. There is much joyous expectation. Most families have their own
observances, customs that should be preserved from generation to generation. Today is
the last day of our Christmas Novena and last day of the Jesse Tree.

For those following the Jesse Tree, you can either continue through Christmas Eve
following Catholic Culture’s Jesse Tree, or use symbols based on the “O” Antiphons
(see Jesse Tree Instructions and O Antiphons).
Jesse Tree, Day 28 ~ St. John the Baptist Jesse Tree Overview

Christmas Eve at Church

The entire liturgy of Christmas Eve is consecrated to the

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anticipation of the certain and sure arrival of the Savior:

“Today you shall know that the Lord shall come and
tomorrow you shall see His glory” (Invitatory of Matins for
the Vigil of the Nativity). Throughout Advent we have seen
how the preparation for Jesus’ coming became more and
more precise. Isaiah, John the Baptist and the Virgin
Mother appeared throughout the season announcing and
foretelling the coming of the King. We learn today that
Christ according to His human nature is born at Bethlehem
of the House of David of the Virgin Mary, and that
according to His divine nature He is conceived of the Spirit
of holiness, the Son of God and the Second Person of the
Trinity.
The certitude of His coming is made clear in two images. The first is that of the
closed gate of paradise. Since our first parents were cast forth from the earthly paradise
the gate has been closed and a cherubim stands guard with flaming sword. The Redeemer
alone is able to open this door and enter in. On Christmas Eve we stand before the gate
of paradise, and it is for this reason that Psalm 23 is the theme of the vigil:

Lift up your gates, O princes, Open wide, eternal gates, That the King of Glory
may enter in… .

Christmas Eve at Home

It must be so that the grown-ups may devote themselves with a
quiet mind, unhindered by any commotion, to these great
mysteries of the Holy Night, that in most Catholic countries the
giving of gifts has been advanced to Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve is an appropriate time for the exchange of
gifts, after the Christ-Child has been placed in the manger, and
the special prayers before the crib — and a round of Christmas
carols — are over. If the gifts are given out before the Midnight
Mass, the children can concentrate more easily on the great
mystery which is celebrated, when the Greatest Gift is given to
all alike, even those who have received no material expression of

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Christmas love. And then, too, Christmas Day with its two
additional Masses can be devoted more to the contemplation of the Christmas mystery
and the demands of Christmas hospitality.
The opening of the eternal gates through which the
King of Glory may enter is indicated by the wreath on the
door of our homes at Christmastide. The Advent wreath,
which accompanied the family throughout the season of
preparation may be taken down. The violet ribbons are
removed, and it is gloriously decorated with white and
gold. It is then placed upon the door as a symbol of the
welcome of Christ into our city, our home and our hearts.
On Christmas Eve the whole house should be strewn with
garlands and made ready for the Light of the World. The crib is set in a special place of
honor, for tonight the central figure of the Nativity scene is to arrive.

Today is Day Nine of the Christmas Novena.

Vigil Mass, Christmas Eve Station with Santa Maria

Maggiore (St. Mary Major): The station church for the Vigil
Mass of Christmas, and also for the Midnight Mass (at the Crib)
and the Christmas Mass during the day is the Basilica of St.
Mary Major in Rome. St. Mary Major is considered
“Bethlehem” to the Romans. It is the Savior of the world
Himself who is promised to us the next day, as the Alleluia
verse and Communion Antiphon tells us. For Further Info: Vatican on the Basilica
Churches of Rome
Rome Art Lover
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 24, 2022

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(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: December 24, Christmas Eve: Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus, and
do not delay, that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief in
your coming. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
for ever and ever.

Solemnity of Christmas, Vigil Mass: O God, who gladden us by year as we wait

in hope for our redemption, grant that, just as we joyfully welcome your Only
Begotten Son as our Redeemer, we may also merit to face him confidently when
he comes again as our Judge. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Basic Sweet Dough

Beet Soup
Buche de Noel
Bunuelous
Carp
Cassata (Cream Tart)
Cheese Pierogi (Polish Filled Dumplings)
Chocolate Cherry Fruit Cake
Christmas Fruit Bread
Christstollen I (Stollen)
Christstollen III (Stollen)
Christstollen IV (Stollen)
Codfish
Coffee Penuche
Cranberry Foam Cocktail
Cream Oyster Stew

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Eggnog II
Eggnog III (Spanish)
Eggnog Pie
Fish Salad
Five-Way Fudge
German Cinnamon Stars
Hot Buttered Rum
Insalata di Rinforzo
Jesse Tree Cookies
Kapusta Czerwona z Grzybamy (Red Cabbage and Mushrooms)
Mazurek with Fruit Topping (Polish Cake)
Melachrino (Spice Cake)
Mexican Cold Fish
Mexican Fritters
Mocha Butter Cream
Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing
Pierogi (Potato Dumplings)
Pockets with Cheese or Berries
Popcorn Balls
Potato Dumplings
Quick Fudge
Sandacz Pieczony (Baked Pike)
Simmered Carp
Six Christmas Dinner Menus
Soft Molasses Cookies
Spritz Cookies II
Ten-Minute Marshmallow Nut Fudge
Truffled Capon

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Vegetable Soup
Walnut Butter Crunch
Wayside Inn Pie
Yule Log Coffee Cake

ACTIVITIES

A Christmas Play
Advent House
Advent Hymn: O Come Emmanuel
Bread of Angels
Christ-Candle
Christmas Eve Celebrations
Christmas Eve Midnight Mass
Christmas Eve Supper
Christmas Eve Supper
Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas
Christmas Song: The Shepherds’ Song
Christmas Tree Decorations
Decorating the Tree
Irish Christmas Candles
Oplatek, Old Polish Custom
Polish Wigilia
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Santa Claus
Slovakian Generous Supper
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas Wreath

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The Christmas Wreath

The Exchange of Gifts
The Feasts of Light: Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas

PRAYERS

Advent Tower
Advent Wreath Prayers I
Blessing of the Christmas Crib
Blessing of the Christmas Tree in the Home
Christmas Eve Prayers
Christmas Novena including the O Antiphons
Enthroning the Christ Child
Blessing of the Crib
Advent Wreath Prayers II
Christmas Baking and Bread Blessing
Christmas Morning Prayers
Christmas Evening Prayers
Novena to the Infant Jesus
Christmas Masses
Blessing of the Christmas Tree
Book of Blessings: Blessing of a Christmas Tree
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Book of Blessings: Blessing of the Christmas Tree for the Home (Shorter
Rite)
Book of Blessings: Blessing of a Christmas Tree
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (1st Plan)

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Christmas Eve Ceremony: Blessing of the Crib

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Roman Martyrology

LIBRARY

Celebrating Christmas: with the Accent on Christ | Unknown

May Christ Teach us to be a Gift for Others | Pope Saint John Paul II
May the Light of this Night Shine Upon the Future | Pope Saint John Paul
II

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Introduction to Christmas
Christmas is surely the most loved season of the Liturgical Year. Throughout this
wonderful time there will always be much hustle and bustle, shopping and baking and
gift giving. But precisely because of these human joys and preparations, it is important
to learn to keep Christ in Christmas, to remain rooted in the fundamental spirituality of
the Christmas Season. This is the joyful celebration of the coming of Our Lord and
Savior.
Christmastide extends from First Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Baptism of Our
Lord, which usually falls on the Sunday after Epiphany. The mystery of the Incarnate
God is one so marvelous that Holy Mother Church celebrates it for eight days, each day
of the Octave being considered a “little Christmas”. For the Eucharistic Liturgy, the
Church is exultant in her finest vestments of white or gold, making use of incense, as
well as extra flowers and candles, to underscore the festal observance of the Lord’s
Nativity. The Gloria—that Christmas hymn of the angels—is sung once again. With
uncontainable joy the faithful raise their voices in numerous carols; and with humble
gratitude, they bend their knees during the Creed at the mention of the Incarnation.
There are four different Masses on Christmas—the Vigil Mass, Masses at Midnight,
dawn and during the day—each with its own distinct Propers and Readings. The message
of all the Readings is the same: ‘Today is born for us a Savior, God-with-us, the Light
that the darkness cannot overcome.’ Only at the Midnight Mass, however, will the
faithful hear chanted the Proclamation of the Birth of Our Savior according to the
Roman Martyrology.
It is fitting that the Christmas Octave closes and the civil year begins with the
celebration of the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary under her most exalted title, the
Mother of God. Other feasts celebrated within the Octave include: the feast of the Holy
Family, the feasts of St. John the Apostle, the Holy Innocents and St. Sylvester, and, in
vestments of red, the feasts of the martyrs St. Stephen and St. Thomas Becket.
The magnificent feast of Epiphany is celebrated with the same degree of solemnity as
Christmas. However, the Feast is not a repetition of the Christmas mystery, but rather the
manifestation of Christ, the light to the nations. On this feast the Church proclaims the
date of Easter thereby connecting and orientating all feasts to the greatest Christian
Solemnity. With the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany) the season of
Christmastide comes to a close.

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Christmas in the domestic church is best observed by attendance at Midnight Mass,

“an event of major liturgical significance” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy,
#111). If that is not possible, the family may prepare for the feast by praying the Office
of Readings before the crib on Christmas Eve. The Church encourages families to attend
daily Mass and pray some hours of the Liturgy of the Hours every day during the
Christmas Octave. Especially on the Feast of the Holy Family, the members of the
family should try to attend Mass together and there renew both their marriage vows and
the family’s entrustment to the patronage of the Holy Family.
The symbols of Christmas help to focus our spiritual attention. The crib and its
Infant-occupant provide daily food for meditation on the simplicity and poverty, the
humility and obedience of our Savior. The tree should remain decorated and lighted
throughout Christmastide, or at least through the feast of Epiphany. Under the tree,
among the gifts—reminders of Christ, the Gift of God’s infinite love—it is a wonderful
practice to include some gifts for the poor, because the “poor belong to every family”
(Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, #109), and because the Son of God “who
was rich…became poor for your sake” (2 Cor 8:9).
Many pious exercises are associated with the eve of the New Year, in Europe called
simply St. Sylvester. Coming at the end of the civil year it affords the faithful an
opportunity to reflect on how swiftly time passes, to do penance for sins committed
during the year, and to give thanks to God for the myriad graces and blessing of the past
year. The family might participate in a parish prayer vigil that concludes with Mass, or if
that is not possible, a vigil could be held in the home before the crib.
In many cultures, Epiphany is the day on which gifts are exchanged, and homes are
blessed and sprinkled with “Epiphany water”. On this feast, the Infant-King in his crib
will wear a crown and a scarlet robe while Caspar, Melchoir and Balthasar inscribe their
initials above the doorways of the domestic church. May it become “a shelter of health,
chastity, self-conquest, humility, charity, mildness, obedience to the Commandments,
and thanksgiving to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen” (Christmas to Candlemas
in a Catholic Home, Epiphany blessing).
There are many more ideas for customs, traditions, prayers, activities and even
recipes on our web site, beginning in the Christmas Workshop. Let us try to celebrate
Christmas with the innocence and humility of children, always keeping in mind the
wonderful birth of the Christ Child.

Christmas Workshop

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Christmas: December 25th

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
(Christmas)

Before the Mass the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

from the Roman Martyrology can be read or chanted.
Solemnity of Christmas, Mass During the Night
Entrance Antiphon, Ps 2:7:
The Lord said to me: You are my Son. It is I who
have begotten you this day.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 2:10-11:

I proclaim to you good news of great joy: today a
Savior is born for us, Christ the Lord.

Communion Antiphon, Jn 1:14:

The Word became flesh, and we have seen his glory.

Mass at Dawn Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Is 9:1, 5; Lk 1:33:

Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us; and he will be called
Wondrous God, Prince of peace, Father of future ages: and his reign will be without end.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 2:14:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

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Communion Antiphon, Cf. Zec 9:9:

Rejoice, O Daughter Sion; lift up praise, Daughter Jerusalem: Behold, your King
will come, the Holy One and Savior of the world.

Mass during the Day Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Is 9:5:

A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his scepter of power rests upon his
shoulder, and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel.

Alleluia Verse:
A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. For today a
great light has come upon the earth.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Ps 98 (97):3:

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity the Lord, the Birth of Jesus
Christ, and the First Day in the Octave of Christmas. Throughout Advent the Church
longed ardently for the coming of our Savior. Today she celebrates His birth with
unrestrained joy. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Son of God
became man to give us a share in that divine life which is eternally His in the Blessed
Trinity. Christmas time begins on December 24 with the first Vespers of the feast and
ends on the feast of the Baptism of Christ. White vestments reappear in our churches as a
sign of joy.
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Anastasia of Sirmium (d. 304). St.
Anastasia is commemorated in the second Mass of Christmas at Dawn (the Station
Church is the Roman church named after her) and the first eucharistic prayer. Nothing
much is known factually about St. Anastasia except that she was she was martyred in the
persecution of the emperor Diocletian, and that this happened at the city of Sirmium
which one of the imperial capitals of the later Roman Empire, now Sremska Mitrovica in
Serbia.

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The Christmas feast is a festival full of joy. The Eternal Word has become Man and
dwells among us. The longings of the patriarchs and
prophets are fulfilled. With the shepherds we hurry to
the manger and adore the Incarnate Son of God, who
for us and for our salvation descended upon earth.
The purpose of the Christmas feast is beautifully
expressed in the Preface of the Nativity: “For by the
mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory
hath shone anew upon the eyes of our mind; so that
while we acknowledge Him a God seen by men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of
things unseen.”

About Christmas
During the Christmas season there is an extensive exchange of greetings and good
wishes among friends. These greetings are a reminder of those “good tidings of great
joy that shall be to all the people, for this day is born to you a Savior Who is Christ the
Lord” (Lk. 2:11). They are a reminder, too, that all blessings and graces come to us from
Christ: “Hath He not also with Him given us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).
Typically there is also an exchange of gifts. This custom should recall to us that on
this day God Himself gave to us the greatest of all gifts, His beloved Son: “God so loved
the world as to give His only begotten Son” (John 3: 16).
The Christmas tree, of which the first-known mention was
made in 1605 at Strasbourg, was introduced into France and
England in 1840. It symbolizes the great family tree of Christ
which through David and Jesse has its roots in Abraham, the
father of the chosen race. It is often laden with gifts to remind us
that Christmas brought us the priceless gifts of grace and of
eternal life. It is frequently adorned with lights that recall to us
that Christ is the Light of the world enlightening those who sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Though not entirely unknown before, the custom of the
Christmas Crib or Creche was adopted by St. Francis of Assisi at Greccio, Italy, on

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Christmas Crib or Creche was adopted by St. Francis of Assisi at Greccio, Italy, on
Christmas 1225. It is a concrete and vivid way of representing to ourselves the
Incarnation and birth of Christ. It depicts in a striking manner the virtues of the newborn
Savior, especially His humility, poverty, and charity.
Catholic Culture offers these links to help
you experience the joy of Christmas by
keeping a spiritual focus on the season.
Throughout this wonderful time there will
always be much hustle and bustle, shopping
and baking and gift giving. But we hope you
will refer to the Catholic Culture calendar
often for ideas and spiritual nuggets to
increase your Christmas joy.
Let us try to celebrate Christmas with the
innocence and humility of children always keeping in mind the wonderful birth of the
Christ Child.
Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive her King.

Christmas at Home and in the Liturgy

The Masses of Christmas
Put Christ Back in Christmas

Christmas—The First Day

The purest of Virgins gave us our God, who was this day born of
her, clothed in the flesh of a Babe, and she was found worthy to
feed him at her Breast: let us all adore Christ, who came to save
us.
Ye faithful people, let us all rejoice, for our Savior is born in
our world: this Day there has been born the Son of the great
Mother, and she yet a pure Virgin.
O Queen of the world, and Daughter of a kingly race! Christ
has risen from thy womb, as a Bridegroom coming from the bride-chamber: He that

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rules the stars lies in a Crib. —Antiphon from the ancient Church of Gaul

Day One Activity (Christmas Drama)

Day One Recipe (Breton Nut Bread)

Meditation: Christmas: the Lord’s Birth

Today is the great solemnity that shows the world that the Word incarnate, the Savior of
mankind, is finally born. God becoming truly man is an enormous event [….]. Something
truly happens that goes beyond any evolutionary process: the fusion of man and God, the
creature and the Creator. It is not the progression of another step in the evolutionary
process, but the eruption of a personal action, founded on love, that from this point
forward reveals to men new space and possibilities. (Joseph Ratzinger in God and the
World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald, 2001, p. 197).
Christmas says to us: alone we can’t profoundly change the world to remedy it.
Alone, we can make the world better or worse, but we can’t save it. Christ came
therefore, because left to ourselves; we couldn’t escape the ‘mortal disease’ that has
enveloped us from the first moment of conception in our mother’s womb. This gives us
hope, true hope, and true Christian optimism: I can’t do it but He is there! This is the
mystery of grace synthesized in the human figure of God incarnate.
Christmas Eve and Christmas day are moments
of contemplation. We consider, in many
dimensions, the mystery of love that was incarnated
for us. First of all, we contemplate the light and joy,
without forgetting Jesus and Mary’s sorrows and
sufferings, and the many difficulties that had
surrounded them: the cold, the uncomfortable place,
the dangers….. It would be good to accompany these
thoughts by reciting and meditating slowly on the
Holy Rosary, preferably in front of a crib. ‘Blessed
grotto of Bethlehem that testified to the wonders!
Who, in this hour would not turn our hearts? Who would not prefer the opulent palace of
the King?’ (P. Guéranger, L’Anno Liturgico, Alba 1959 [orig. franc. 1841], I, p122).
Listen to the way that St Bonaventure, the seraphic doctor, invites us to contemplate

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Listen to the way that St Bonaventure, the seraphic doctor, invites us to contemplate
this scene in his ‘Meditation on the life of Jesus Christ’: `You have also lingered, bent
your knee, adored the Lord God, venerated His Mother and greeted Joseph, the holy old
man, with reverence. Therefore, kiss the feet of the baby Jesus, who lies in the manger,
and pray that the Holy Virgin will allow you to hold Him. Take Him between your arms,
hold Him and see His lovable face, kiss it with reverence and rejoice with Him. You can
do this because He has come to bring salvation to sinners and He has humbly conversed
with them, finally giving Himself as food’ (cit. in Guéranger, pp 136-137).
Christmas also reminds us of the great mystery of God’s people, of the Church
acquired through Christ’s blood, animated by the life giving Spirit, governed by the
legitimate shepherds in communion with the successor of Peter. On this day in which the
Word came to earth, assuming human nature, body, and soul, how can we not think
about His Mystical Body that is animated by the Holy Spirit? ‘For this reason, by no
weak analogy, [the Church] is compared to the mystery of the incarnate Word. As the
assumed nature inseparably united to Him, serves the divine Word as a living organ of
salvation, so, in a similar way, does the visible social structure of the Church serve the
Spirit of Christ, who vivifies it, in the building up of the body’ (Vatican II, Lumen
Gentium, n.8).
Holy Christmas also reminds us of the mystery of Mary as Mother of God, mother of
the Incarnated Word, and mother of His mystical body, the Church. Christmas
encourages us to contemplate Jesus together with Mary, reflecting on Jesus with ‘His
mother’, as recounted many times in the Gospels. If our faith must be fully evangelical,
it can not neglect a sane and profound devotion to the Mother of God, as she shows us
the easiest way to reach Jesus.

—From the Dicastery for the Clergy

St. Anastasia
We include St. Anastasia’s commemoration because the Station for the second Mass of
Christmas, Mass at Dawn, is with St. Anastasia, in the Roman Church Sant’Anastasia al
Palatino.
Anastasia was martyred at Sirmium in Dalmatia (today’s Sremska Mitrovica in
Serbia), probably under Diocletian, but only worthless legends have survived concerned
her. She was venerated in Rome in the fifth century and, under the influence of
Byzantine officials there (Anastasia’s relics had been translated to Constantinople), her

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Byzantine officials there (Anastasia’s relics had been translated to Constantinople), her
memory became assoicated with the second Mass of Christmas; she is still
commemorated at that Mass in the Roman Missal, though the Byzantines keep her feast
on December 22. She is named in the canon of the Mass.

—From A Dictionary of Saints by Donald Attwater

Patronage: martyrs; weavers; widows; Borgorose, Italy

Symbols and Representation: woman with palm branch of martyrdom; woman holding
a small cross and vase; woman with a flame in her hand; woman holding a bowl with a
flame in it
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Anastasia:

Golden Legend about St. Anastasia.
Read Saints of the Canon
Catholic Ireland

St. Anastasia’s relics were transferred to Constantinople In the 5th century,

where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later, the relics, including her
skull, were transferred to the Monastery of St. Anastasia the Pharmokolitria,
Chalkidiki of Greece, near Mount Athos. In 2012, the relics were stolen and
have not been recovered. (see story).
Enjoy the virtual tour of St. Anastasia chapel in the Crypt Church of the Basilica
of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC.
Read below about the station church for the Mass at Dawn.

The Solemnity of the Nativity the Lord, At Night (First

Mass of Christmas) and Mass During the Day (Third Mass
of Christmas) Station with Santa Maria Maggiore ad praesepe
(St. Mary Major at the Crib): The feast of Christmas is
distinguished by a threefold celebration of the Mass. The old
Romans imitated a venerable custom of the Church at

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Jerusalem. There the Christians assembled at the Nativity

Grotto in Bethlehem and consecrated the hour of the Lord’s birth by the celebration
of a night Mass. Thereupon they returned to Jerusalem, arriving at early dawn.
Nothing seemed more fitting than to spend that hour commemorating the resurrection
in the church of the Resurrection, keeping Christmas with the shepherds. This was
their second Mass.
On the day itself they would gather again in Jerusalem’s main church for the
Mass. Thus originated the custom of three Masses on Christmas. When the custom
was adopted in Rome, the first, or midnight mass was held in Mary’s church of the
Crib (St. Mary Major meant Bethlehem to the Roman Christians); the second Mass
was celebrated at St. Anastasia’s; and the day’s final liturgy took place back
originally at St. Peter’s, but it became St. Mary Major. From Rome the custom spread
throughout the West; and when priests began to offer holy Mass daily, it became
customary for every priest to celebrate three Masses on Christmas.
The Station is at St. Mary Major’s, ad praesepe, that is, “at the Crib.” In this
basilica is a model of the Crib of Jesus, dating from at least the time of Sixtus III
(432-440). In the seventh century, a relic from the Crib at Bethlehem was placed
there. To the Romans, St. Mary Major represented “Bethlehem”. Our gaze is fixed on
the crib which has become the throne of the God-man. For more information, see:
Vatican on the Basilica Churches of Rome Rome Art Lover

The Solemnity of the Nativity the Lord, Mass at Dawn (Second Mass of
Christmas) Station at Sant’Anastasia al Palatino (St. Anastasia of Palatine):
Today’s stational church is St. Anastasia, dedicated to the early 4th century martyr St.
Anastasia of Sirmium, who is included in the Roman Canon. The Mass of the Aurora
or Dawn on Christmas Day was celebrated, often referred to as the Mass of the
Shepherds. The Church of St. Anastasia was the Greek palace church ( anastasis
means “resurrection”). The Mass has the themes of the rising sun and the shepherds’
visit to the crib. All about us is light as amazed we behold the newborn King of the
world. Pope Francis granted the church to the Syro Malabar Church in July 2020. For more information, see:
Spotting History Walks in Rome Rome Art Lover For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 25, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Christmas Mass During the Night: O God, who have made this most
sacred night radiant with the splendor of the true light, grant, we pray, that we,
who have known the mysteries of his light on earth, may also delight in his
gladness in heaven. Who lives and reigns with you in unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Christmas Mass at Dawn: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, as we are bathed
in the new radiance of your incarnate Word, the light of faith, which illumines our
minds, may also shine through in our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever.

Christmas Mass During the Day: O God, who wonderfully created the dignity
of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it, grant, we pray, that we
may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever.

RECIPES

Almond Macaroon Cakes

Arroz Dulce
Basic Sweet Dough
Bishopwyn II (Bishop’s Wine)
Biskkupsky Chelbicek
Bobajka (Poppy Seed Potato Strips)
Breton Nut Bread
Brioche
Buche de Noel
Cassata (Cream Tart)

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Chocolate Cherry Fruit Cake

Christmas Dessert: Rabanadas
Christmas Dinner: Black Beans and Rice
Christmas Dinner: Chestnut Stuffing
Christmas Dinner: Rice with Chicken
Christmas Fruit Bread
Christmas Lady Cookies (Meringues)
Christmas Pie
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Punch
Christmas Punch for Children
Christmas Tree Cookie Decorations
Christstollen I (Stollen)
Christstollen II (Stollen)
Christstollen III (Stollen)
Christstollen IV (Stollen)
Christstollen VI (Stollen)
Coffee Braid
Coffee Penuche
Cole Slaw with Boiled Dressing
Corn Meal Meat Pie
Cranberry Foam Cocktail
Cranberry Muffins
Cream Oyster Stew
Eggnog I
Eggnog II
Eggnog III (Spanish)
Eggnog Pie

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Five-Way Fudge
Fondant Icing
Fruit Punch for Children, with variations
Galette
German Cinnamon Stars
Hard Sauce
Krabeli (Springerle)
Lamb’s Wool IV
Lemon Sauce
Melachrino (Spice Cake)
Mincemeat for Pie
Mocha Butter Cream
Norwegian Berlinerkranser
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing
Plum Pudding Coffee-Brandy Ice Cream Sauce
Plum Pudding I
Plum Pudding II
Plum Pudding III
Plum Pudding IV
Plum Pudding Rum Sauce I
Plum Pudding Rum Sauce II
Plum Pudding V
Popcorn Balls
Quick Fudge
Rich Dark Fruit Cake II
Roast Goose V (with Sauerkraut)
Rolada z Befsztyka (Steak Rolls)

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Rum Sponge Cake

Sage and Onion Stuffing
Six Christmas Dinner Menus
Soft Molasses Cookies
Sorrel Soup
Springerle III
Springerle IV or Anise Cookies
Spritz Cookies II
Spritz Cookies II
St. Nicholas Breads
Stuffed Turkey II
Sugar Cookies with Nuts
Ten-Minute Marshmallow Nut Fudge
Thin Knots
Three-Way Fruit Cake
Torte
Turron (Soft Spanish Almond Nougat)
Vanocka (Czech Braided Bread)
Walnut Butter Crunch
Wassail
Wayside Inn Pie
Yule Log
Yule Log Coffee Cake
Zimtstern (Swiss Cinnamon Stars)

ACTIVITIES

A Christmas Play
A Christmas Quiz

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A Russian German Christmas

Celebrating Advent and Christmas
Celebrating Christmas Day at Home
Christ-Candle
Christ-Guest at Christmas
Christingles
Christmas Crib
Christmas Crib
Christmas Folk Song: Shepherds, Up!
Christmas Hymn: O Infant, God’s Eternal Son
Christmas Ideas for Young Children
Christmas in Ireland
Christmas in the Polish Home
Christmas Music: Caroling, Folk Dancing and Yodeling
Christmas Pie
Christmas Play
Christmas Traditions
Cooking for Christmas
Day One—Christmas Drama for the Home
Hymn: From Heaven High, O Angels, Come
Hymns and Carols
Irish Christmas Candles
Making a Christ-Candle
Meaning and History of Christmas
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Post-Midnight Mass Traditions
Put Christ Back in Christmas
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December

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Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

The Exchange of Gifts
The Masses of Christmas
Giving of Presents

PRAYERS

Blessing of the Christmas Crib

Blessing of the Christmas Tree in the Home
Meal Prayers for the Christmas Season
Christmas Night Prayers
Enthroning the Christ Child
Blessing of the Crib
Christmas Baking and Bread Blessing
Christmas Morning Prayers
Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Masses
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Christmas Eve Ceremony: Blessing of the Crib
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Roman Martyrology

LIBRARY

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07. A Child Is Born | Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty

And the Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us | Pope Francis
Christmas: Opportunity to Reflect on Meaning of Existence | Pope
Benedict XVI
December 25: The Nativity of Christ, or Christmas Day | Alban Butler
History & Origin: Feast of the Nativity | Fr. Francis X. Weiser
Jesus Christ Is the World’s True Wealth | Pope Saint John Paul II
Making Christmas Come Alive | Fr. Roger J. Landry
Nativity of the Lord: Mystery of Joy and Light | Pope Benedict XVI
Proclaim Christ Child’s Message Of Hope Throughout The World | Pope
Saint John Paul II
The Meaning of Christmas | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Christmas: December 26th

Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr

Mass Propers for the Feast of St. Stephen Entrance

Antiphon, Gal 6:14:
The gates of heaven were opened for blessed
Stephen, who was found to be first among the number of
the Martyrs and therefore is crowned triumphant in
heaven.

Alleluia Verse, Ps 118:26a, 27a:

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord:
the Lord is God and has given us light.

Preface III of the Nativity of the Lord:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For through him the holy exchange that restores our life has shone forth today in
splendor: when our frailty is assumed by your Word not only does human mortality
receive unending honor not by this wondrous union we, too, are made eternal.
And so, in company with the choirs of angels, we praise you, and with joy we
proclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Acts 7:58:

As they were stoning Stephen, he called out: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Today is the Second day in the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast

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Today is the Second day in the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast
of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Stoned outside Jerusalem, he died praying
for his executioners. He was one of the seven deacons who helped the apostles; he was
“filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit,” and was “full of fortitude.” The Church
draws a comparison between the disciple and his Master, emphasizing the imitation of
Christ even unto the complete gift of self. His name is included in the Roman Canon.

Feast of St. Stephen—Day Two

Saint Stephen is the first martyr of the Church, and is the

patron of stonemasons, masons, bricklayers, deacons,
headaches, and horses. His story comes from the Acts of the
Apostles. He is usually pictured in deacon’s vestments, holding
the symbol of martyrdom, a palm branch. Sometimes he has a
stone in his left hand, to indicate his death by stoning. He is
depicted in many images wearing a wreath, which refers to the
origin of his name, the Greek word Stephanos meaning
“wreath.”
"If you know what witness means, you understand why
God brings St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents to the crib in the cave as
soon as Christ is born liturgically. To be a witness is to be a martyr. Holy Mother
Church wishes us to realize that we were born in baptism to become Christ — He
who was the world’s outstanding Martyr." —Love Does Such Things, by Rev. M.
Raymond, O.C.S.O.

Day Two Activity Boxing Day (Christmas Drama)

Day Two Recipe (St. Stephen’s Horns)

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St. Stephen
The deacon Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem two years after
the death of Christ, has always been the object of very
special veneration by the faithful. He is the first martyr.
The account in the Acts of the Apostles relating his arrest
and the accusations brought against him emphasize the
parallel with our Saviour’s trial; he was stoned outside the
city wall and died, like his Master, praying for his
executioners.
Stephen belongs to the group of seven deacons whom
the Apostles associated with their work in order to lighten
their load. He was “filled with faith and with the Holy
Spirit,” “full of grace and strength” he showed himself as
a man of God, radiating divine grace and apostolic zeal. As the first witness to Christ he
confronted his opponents with quiet courage and the promise made by Jesus (Mark
13.11) was fulfilled: “…Disputing with Stephen they were not able to resist the wisdom
and the spirit that spoke.”
In St. Stephen, the first martyr, the liturgy emphasizes the imitator of Christ even to
the extent of the complete gift of self, to the extent of that great charity which made him
pray in his suffering for his executioners. By establishing the feast on the day after
Christmas the Church draws an even closer comparison between the disciple and the
Master and thus extends his witness to the whole mission of the redeeming Messiah.

Professing the Christian Faith Demands the Heroism of the Martyrs

On the day after the solemnity of Christmas, we
celebrate today the feast of St. Stephen, deacon and first
martyr. At first glance, to join the memory of the
“protomartyr” and the birth of the Redeemer might
seem surprising because of the contrast between the
peace and joy of Bethlehem and the tragedy of St.
Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem during the first persecution
against the nascent Church.

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In reality, this apparent opposition is surmounted if

we analyze in greater depth the mystery of Christmas.
The Child Jesus, lying in the cave, is the only-begotten
Son of God who became man. He will save humanity
by dying on the cross.
Now we see Him in swaddling clothes in the manger; after His crucifixion, He will
again be wrapped in bandages and placed in the sepulcher. It is no accident that the
Christmas iconography sometimes represents the divine newborn Child lying in a small
sarcophagus, to indicate that the Redeemer was born to die, He was born to give His life
in ransom for all.
St. Stephen was the first to follow in the steps of Christ with martyrdom: like the
divine Master, he died forgiving and praying for his executioners (cf. Acts 7:60). During
the first four centuries of Christianity all the saints venerated by the Church were
martyrs.
They are a countless multitude, which the liturgy calls “the white army of martyrs,”
(martyrum candidatus exercitus). Their death was not a reason for fear and sadness, but
of spiritual enthusiasm, which always gave rise to new Christians. For believers, the day
of death, and even more so, the day of martyrdom, is not the end of everything, but rather
the “passage” to immortal life, it is the day of the final birth, the “dies natalis.” Thus is
understood the link that exists between the “dies natalis” of Christ and the “dies natalis”
of St. Stephen. If Jesus had not been born on earth, men would not have been able to be
born for heaven. Precisely because Christ was born, we are able to be “reborn.”
Also Mary, who took the Redeemer in her arms in Bethlehem, suffered an interior
martyrdom. She shared His Passion and had to take Him, once again, in her arms when
they took Him down from the cross. To this Mother, who felt the joy of the birth and the
anguish of the death of her divine Son, we entrust those who are persecuted and those
who are suffering, in different ways, for witnessing and serving the Gospel.
With special spiritual closeness, I am also thinking of the Catholics who maintain
their fidelity to the See of Peter without giving in to compromises, at times even at the
cost of grave sufferings. The whole Church admires their example and prays that they
will have the strength to persevere, knowing that their tribulations are a source of
victory, though for the moment they might seem to be a failure.

—Angelus Message, Pope Benedict XVI, December 26, 2006

Patronage: brick layers; casket makers; coffin makers; deacons; against headaches;

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horses; masons; stone masons; quarrymen; Guild of Saint Stephen See

CatholicSaints.info for multiple locations and dioceses that hold Stephen as a patron.

Symbols and Representation: carrying a pile of rocks; deacon carrying a pile of rocks;
deacon with rocks gathered in his vestments; deacon with rocks on his head; deacon with
rocks or a book at hand; stones; palm of martyrdom; man holding a green palm and a
golden book, presumably a Bible
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read Pope John Paul II’s 2003 Angelus Message for the Feast of St. Stephen.
Read Pope Francis’ message from December 26, 2014, Saint’s martyrdom strips
Christmas of false ‘saccharine-sweetness’
Read more about St. Stephen:
Domestic Church
Loyola Press for children
Catholic Ireland
Golden Legend: Saint Stephen and Invention of Saint Stephen,
Protomartyr

See the statue of St. Stephen at St. Peter’s Basilica Colonnade

St. Stephen’s relics are found in
Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le mura (Papal Basilica of Saint
Lawrence outside the Walls) which is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches
of Rome and one of the 5 papal basilicas.
Part of the right arm of Saint Stephen is enshrined at the Russian
Orthodox Monastery Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.
There is also a relic known as St. Stephen’s Purse which is an elaborate
gold and jewel-encrusted box believed to contain soil soaked with the
blood of St. Stephen. The reliquary is held in the Kunsthistorisches
Museum in Vienna, Austria.

December 26, Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr

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Station with St Stephen’s Rotunda at the Coelian (Santo

Stefano Rotondo al Celio): The Station, at Rome, is in the
church of St. Stephen on Monte Celio. The church is
dedicated first to St. Stephen, the First Martyr, but is also
dedicated unofficially to St. Stephen of Hungary. This is the
Hungarian national church. This church is southeast of the Colosseum, off the usual
beaten path. The actual site of the church was occupied by a set of barracks housing
Roman soldiers. The earliest church was consecrated by Pope Simplicius between
468 and 483. Its architecture is unique in the Late Roman world and the oldest
example of a circular church, often thought that it was modelled on the Anastasis of
the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Although the inside is circular, the exterior is on a
cruciform plan. The church has undergone various periods of ruination, disrepair, and
restoration. The relics of the first martyr were never in the church. Besides being one
of the original churches in the round, another key feature is found on the walls of the
church, decorated with numerous frescoes, portraying 34 scenes of martyrdom,
commissioned by Gregory XIII in the 16th century. Each painting has a titulus or
inscription explaining the scene and giving the name of the emperor who ordered the
execution, as well as a quotation from the Bible. For more information, see: Roman
Churches Great Buildings Liturgical Arts Journal Rome Art Lover For further
information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 26, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of St. Stephen: Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we
worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly
birthday of a man who know how to pray even for his persecutors. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Gingersnaps

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Roast Suckling Pig

Saint Stephen’s Scrambled Eggs
St. Stephen’s Day Stew
St. Stephen’s Horns
Whiskey Punch

ACTIVITIES

“Boxing” Day
Acting St. Wenceslas’ Story at Preschool Age
Celebrating St. Stephen’s Day
Christmas and the Eucharist
Christmas Play
Customs of St. Stephen’s Day
Day Two—Activities for the Feast of St. Stephen
Feast of St. Stephen
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
St. Stephen’s Day
St. Stephen’s Day Customs
Story of St. Wenceslas by Joan Windham
Story of St. Wenceslaus
What is a Nameday?
Boxing Day — St. Stephen

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers

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Saint Stephen’s Day Night Prayers

Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Litany of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr

LIBRARY

St. Stephen, Even When Condemned to Death, Entrusted Life to the

Lord’s Hands | Pope Francis
St. Stephen: Meditation upon Sacred Scripture in Order to Understand the
Present | Pope Benedict XVI
Stephen, the Protomartyr | Pope Benedict XVI
The Zero Sum Games | Stephen J. Heaney

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Christmas: December 27th

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

Mass Propers for the Feast of St. John, Apostle and

Evangelist Entrance Antiphon:
This is John, who reclined on the Lord’s breast at
supper, the blessed Apostle, to whom celestial secrets
were revealed and who spread the words of life through
all the world.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Te Deum:

We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the
glorious company of Apostles praise you.

Preface I of the Nativity of the Lord:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For in the mystery of the Word made flesh a new light of your glory has shone upon
the eyes of our mind, so that as we recognize in him God made visible, we may be
caught up through him in love of things invisible.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Jn 1:14, 16:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and from his fullness we
have all received.

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Today is the Third day in the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast
of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (d. 101). Born in Bethsaida, he was called while
mending his nets to follow Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the
fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse. His passages on the pre-existence of
the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our
souls, are among the finest of the New Testament. He is the evangelist of the divinity of
Christ and His fraternal love. With James, his brother, and Simon Peter, he was one of
the witnesses of the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, he leans on the Master’s breast.
At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusts His Mother to his care. John’s pure life kept him
very close to Jesus and Mary in years to come. John was exiled to the island of Patmos
under Emperor Domitian.

Feast of Saint John—Day Three

St. John was born in Bethsaida, and like his brother James, was
a fisherman. He was called while mending his nets to follow
Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the
fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse. His passages
on the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation
became the light of the world and life of our souls, are among
the finest of the New Testament.
He is the evangelist of the divinity of Christ and His
fraternal love. With James, his brother and Simon Peter, he was one of the witnesses
of the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, he leans on the Master’s breast. At the
foot of the cross, Jesus entrusts His Mother to his care. John’s pure life kept him very
close to Jesus and Mary. In years to come John was exiled to the island of Patmos
under Emperor Domitian, but lived to an old age. —From the Daily Roman Missal

Day Three Activity (Blessing of Wine)

Day Three Recipe (St. John’s Wine)

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St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

St. John, the Evangelist, who is styled in the Gospel, “the beloved disciple”, was a
Galilean, son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother to St. James the Greater, both of
whom were fishermen. The two were called by Jesus to be disciples as they were
mending their nets by the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus showed St. John particular instances of kindness and affection above all the
rest. He had the happiness to be present with Peter and James at the Transfiguration of
Christ, and was permitted to witness His agony in the Garden. He was allowed to rest on
Our Savior’s bosom at the Last Supper, and to him Jesus confided the care of His holy
Mother as He hung dying on the Cross.
St. John was the only one of the Apostles who did not forsake the Savior in the hour
of His Passion and Death.
It seems that St. John remained for a long time in Jerusalem, but
that his later years were spent at Ephesus, whence he founded many
churches in Asia Minor. St. John wrote his Gospel after the other
Evangelists, about sixty-three years after the Ascension of Christ;
also three Epistles, and the wonderful and mysterious Book of the Apocalypse or
Revelation. He was brought to Rome and, according to tradition, was cast into a caldron
of boiling oil by order of Emperor Domitian. Like the Three Children in the fiery furnace
of Babylon, he was miraculously preserved unhurt.
He was later exiled to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse, but
afterwards returned to Ephesus.
In his extreme old age he continued to visit the churches of Asia. St. Jerome relates
that when age and weakness grew upon him so that he was no longer able to preach to
the people, he would be carried to the assembly of the faithful by his disciples, with great
difficulty; and every time said to his flock only these words: “My dear children, love one
another.”
St. John died in peace at Ephesus in the third year of Trajan (as seems to be gathered
from Eusebius’ history of the Saint); that is, the hundredth of the Christian era, or the
sixty-sixth from the crucifixion of Christ, St. John then being about ninety-four years
old, according to St. Epiphanus.

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—Excerpted from Heavenly Friends, St. Paul Editions

Patronage: against burns; against epilepsy; against foot problems; against hailstorms;
against poisoning; burn victims; arms manufacturers; art dealers; authors; basket makers;
bookbinders; booksellers; publishers; butchers; candle makers; compositors; editors;
engravers; friendships; glaziers; government officials; harvests; lithographers; notaries;
painters; papermakers; printers; saddle makers; scholars; sculptors; stationers; tanners;
theologians; typesetters; vintners; writers. See CatholicSaints.info for locations that
claim St. John as patron.

Symbols and Representation: Cup or chalice and serpent (cup or sorrow foretold by
Jesus); eagle rising out of a cauldron (refers to being a martyr of spirit, but not in deed);
serpent entwined on a sword; grave; Prester John seated on tomb, with book, orb, and
sword; eagle on a closed book; scroll of his Gospel; scroll of the Apocalypse; nimbed
eagle; book.
Highlights and Things To Do:

Read more about St. John:

Catholic Ireland
Catholic News Agency
Loyola Press for children

St. John’s relics have been lost, but read Saints in Rome for the churches in
Rome that are dedicated to St. John and about his house in Ephesus.
Read the three audiences of Pope Benedict XVI about St. John:
John, Son of Zebedee
John, the Theologian
John, Seer of Patmos

December 27, Feast of St. John the Evangelist Station with

Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major): St. John, the
principal evangelist of the Divinity of Christ, is also the one
among the apostles whose teaching best brings out the profound

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changes effected in our human lives by the Incarnation of the

Word; “born of God”, henceforth we are to live, by grace, the
very life of Christ which springs forth in us to eternal life. The
reason for the station church, St. Mary Major, is easily seen; John was entrusted as a
son to the Mother of God. For Further Info: Vatican on the Basilica Churches of
Rome Rome Art Lover
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: December 27, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of St. John: O God, who through the blessed Apostle John have
unlocked for us the secrets of your Word, grant, we pray, that we may grasp with
proper understanding what he has so marvelously brought to our ears. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Apostle Cookies
Heart Cake (cut-up)
Mulled Rosé Punch
Scripture Cake I
St. John’s Wine (Mulled Wine)

ACTIVITIES

Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December

Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
St. John’s Wine
Christmas Play

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Apostle Cookies
Celebrating St. John the Apostle
St. John the Evangelist

PRAYERS

Blessing of Wine for the Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist
Christmas Morning Prayers
Christmas Evening Prayers
St. John’s Wine
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Day Three— Blessing of Wine for the Feast of St. John the Apostle
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
A Child’s Gospel Night Prayer
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Wine on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and
Evangelist
Roman Ritual: Another Form for Blessing Wine on the Feast of St. John,
Apostle and Evangelist
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Wine for the Sick

LIBRARY

Compendium of Pope Benedict XVI’s Addresses on the Apostles | Pope

Benedict XVI
Hauerietis Aquas (On the Sacred Heart) | Pope Pius XII

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John, Son of Zebedee | Pope Benedict XVI

John, the Seer of Patmos | Pope Benedict XVI
John, the Theologian | Pope Benedict XVI
The Sacred Heart And The Eucharist | Fr. John A. Hardon S.J.

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Christmas: December 28th

Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Mass Propers for the Feast of the Holy Innocents

Entrance Antiphon:
The innocents were slaughtered as infants for
Christ; spotless, they follow the Lamb and sing for ever:
Glory to you, O Lord.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Te Deum:

We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the
white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Preface III of the Nativity of the Lord:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For through him the holy exchange that restores our life has shone forth today in
splendor: when our frailty is assumed by your Word not only does human mortality
receive unending honor not by this wondrous union we, too, are made eternal.
And so, in company with the choirs of angels, we praise you, and with joy we
proclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Rev 14:4:

Behold those redeemed as the first fruits of the human race for God and the Lamb,
and who follow the Lamb whereever he goes.

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her

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“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matt 2:18, from Jer
31:15)
Today is the Fourth Day in the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the
Feast of Holy Innocents, Martyrs. The Church celebrates the memory of the small
children of the neighborhood of Bethlehem put to death by Herod. Sacrificed by a
wicked monarch, these innocent lives bear witness to Christ who was persecuted from
the time of His birth by a world which would not receive Him. It is Christ Himself who
is at stake in this mass-murder of the children; already the choice, for or against Him, is
put clearly before men. But the persecutors are powerless, for Christ came to perform a
work of salvation that nothing can prevent; when He fell into the hands of His enemies
at the time chosen by God it was to redeem the world by His own Blood.
Our Christmas joy is tempered today by a feeling of sadness. But the Church looks
principally to the glory of the children, of these innocent victims, whom she shows us in
heaven following the Lamb wherever He goes.

Feast of the Holy Innocents—Day Four

The Holy Innocents saved the Child Jesus from death by King
Herod by the shedding of their own blood. The Holy Innocents
are the special patrons of small children, who can please the
Christ Child by being obedient and helpful to parents, and by
sharing their toys and loving their siblings and playmates.
The feast of the Holy Innocents is an excellent time for
parents to inaugurate the custom of blessing their children. From
the Ritual comes the form which we use on solemn occasions,
such as First Communion. But parents can simply sign a cross on the child’s forehead
with the right thumb dipped in holy water and say: May God bless you, and may He
be the Guardian of your heart and mind—the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Day Four Activity (Holy Innocents)

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Day Four Recipe (Blanc Mange)

The Holy Innocents

Today, dearest brethren, we celebrate the birthday of
those children who were slaughtered, as the Gospel tells
us, by that exceedingly cruel king, Herod. Let the earth,
therefore, rejoice and the Church exult — she, the
fruitful mother of so many heavenly champions and of
such glorious virtues. Never, in fact, would that impious
tyrant have been able to benefit these children by the
sweetest kindness as much as he has done by his hatred.
For as today’s feast reveals, in the measure with which
malice in all its fury was poured out upon the holy
children, did heaven’s blessing stream down upon them.
“Blessed are
you, Bethlehem in
the land of Judah!
You suffered the
inhumanity of King
Herod in the
murder of your
babes and thereby
have become
worthy to offer to the Lord a pure host of infants. In full right do we celebrate the
heavenly birthday of these children whom the world caused to be born unto an eternally
blessed life rather than that from their mothers’ womb, for they attained the grace of
everlasting life before the enjoyment of the present. The precious death of any martyr
deserves high praise because of his heroic confession; the death of these children is
precious in the sight of God because of the beatitude they gained so quickly. For already
at the beginning of their lives they pass on. The end of the present life is for them the
beginning of glory. These then, whom Herod’s cruelty tore as sucklings from their
mothers’ bosom, are justly hailed as ”infant martyr flowers"; they were the Church’s first
blossoms, matured by the frost of persecution during the cold winter of unbelief.

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—St. Augustine

Patronage: against ambition; against jealousy; altar servers; babies; children; children’s
choir; choir boys; foundlings; students
Highlights and Things to Do:

Today is also called Childermas Day. Read about the customs and traditions of
this day , including the Feast of Fools and the Feast of the Boy Bishop.
Read this article by Msgr. Luciano Alimandi on the humility of children.
Read the Golden Legend of the Holy Innocents.
Read more about the Holy Innocents:
CNA
NCRegister
EWTN

See the poem Holy Innocents by Christina Rossetti.

December 28, Feast of the Holy Innocents Station with

San Paolo fuori le mura (St. Paul Outside the Walls): It is
natural that with the feast of Christmas there should be
associated the anniversary of those Saints who hold a rank apart
amongst martyrs, as they were martyred out of hatred for the
Infant born at Bethlehem, and thus unconsciously bore witness
to Him. The station is at St. Paul’s-Outside-the-Walls, which is
unusual, owing to the distant situation of this basilica, but it
claims to possess several of the bodies of these little Holy
Innocents, and thus is quite reasonable to be the stational church for their feast. For
more info, see: Vatican on the Basilica Roman Churches PNAC
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

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Daily Readings for: December 28, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of the Holy Innocents: O God, whom the Holy Innocents
confessed and proclaimed on this day, not by speaking but by dying, grant, we
pray, that the faith in your which we confess with our lips may also speak through
our manner of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Almond and Honey Ring

Blanc Mange
Christ’s Diapers
Innocents’ Pabulum
Oven-Baked Rice Pudding

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating the Holy Innocents

Christmas Play
Day Four—Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Innocents
December 28 - Feast of the Holy Innocents
Feast of the Holy Innocents—The Youngest’s Day
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

Roman Ritual: Blessing of Children

Blessing of Children on Holy Innocents
Christmas Morning Prayers

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Christmas Evening Prayers

Holy Innocents or Childermas Day: Parental Blessing of Children
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing of Children
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Parental Blessing
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

Bring Back the Creche! | John Phillips

Holy Mass - Holy Innocents: The Holy Sacrifice Versus Human Sacrifice |
Fr. John A. Hardon S.J.
The Cry of Children | Pope Francis
The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized |
International Theological Commission

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-28

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Christmas: December 29th

Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of
the Lord (Christmas); Optional Memorial of St.
Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

Mass Propers for the Fifth Day with the Octave of

Christmas Entrance Antiphon, Jn 3:16:
God so loved the world that he gave his Only
Begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not
perish, but may have eternal life.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 2:32:

A light of revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.

Communion Antiphon, Lk 1:78:

Through the tender mercy of our God, the Dawn from on high will visit us.

Mass Propers for the Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket: Entrance Antiphon:
This holy man fought to the death for the law of his God and did not fear the words
of the godless, for he was built on solid rock.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 5:6:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they will be satisfied.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 16:24:

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Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 16:24:

Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
me, says the Lord.

Today is the Fifth day in the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the
Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170), bishop and martyr. He was
born in London and after studying in Paris, he first became chancellor to the king and
then in 1162 was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury. He went from being “a patron of
play-actors and a follower of hounds” to being a “shepherd of souls.” He absorbed
himself in the duties of his new office, defending the rights of the Church against Henry
II. This prompted the king to exile him to France for six years. After returning to his
homeland he endured many trials and was murdered by agents of the king.

Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas—Day Five

Given the tempo of the liturgical season with its feasts it is easy
to overlook that one saint who for many centuries was, after
Mary and Joseph, the most venerated person in European
Christendom.
St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury was
assassinated in his cathedral on December 29, 1170 because of
his opposition to his former friend, King Henry II of England,
who was encroaching on the liberties of the English Church.
Devotion to him spread like wildfire. He was enshrined in the hearts of men, and
in their arts. In statues and stained glass, in song and story this good bishop was
everywhere to be found: France, Italy, Spain, Sweden. Many miracles were attributed
to his heavenly advocacy. —Excerpted from Days of the Lord

Day Five Activity (Caroling)

Day Five Recipe (Sugar Plum Cake as a Crown Cake)

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St. Thomas Becket (also known as St. Thomas of Canterbury)

Thomas Becket was born in 1118 of a merchant family. He studied in London and Paris,
entered the service of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, became Lord Chancellor
under King Henry II in 1155, and in 1162 Archbishop of Canterbury. Till then a
submissive courtier, he now initiated a fearless struggle against the king for the freedom
of the Church and the inviolability of ecclesiastical property, occasioning his
imprisonment, exile, and finally martyrdom (December 29, 1170). Canonization came
quickly (1173); in 1539 King Henry VIII ordered his remains burned.
Formerly the Breviary included this summary of the saint’s last
days: “Calumniators informed the king that the bishop was agitating
against him and the peace of the realm; and the king retorted that with
one such priest he could not live in peace. Hearing the royal displeasure,
several godless courtiers agreed to do their sovereign a favor by
assassinating Thomas. Secretly they traveled to Canterbury and fell
upon the bishop while he was attending Vespers. His priests rushed to his aid and tried to
bar the church door; Thomas opened it himself with these words: The house of God may
not be defended like a fortress. I gladly face death for the Church of God. Then to the
soldiers: I command it in the Name of God: No harm may be done to any of mine.
Thereupon he cast himself on his knees, commended his flock and himself to God, to the
Blessed Virgin Mary, to St. Denis and other holy patrons of his church, and with the
same heroic courage with which he had withstood the king’s laws, he bowed his holy
head to the sacrilegious sword on December 29, 1170.”
With all the strength that is given us for the defense of God’s rights, we must resist
those who seek to subject the Church to their power, even if they are those to whom on
other grounds we owe service. In St. Thomas of Canterbury the Church celebrates one of
her great bishops; by applying to him the Gospel of the Good Shepherd she venerates in
him the true pastor of Christ’s flock who gave his life for his sheep.

Patronage: Clergy; secular clergy; Exeter College Oxford; Portsmouth, England.

Symbols: Sword through a mitre; pallium and archbishop’s cross; battle axe and crosier;
red chasuble; altar and sword.

Often portrayed as: Archbishop with a wounded head; archbishop holding an inverted
sword; archbishop kneeling before his murderers; archbishop being murdered in church;

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crosier with a battle-axe head at the top

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about this historical event. For some web sources see The Murder of
Thomas Becket, 1170, and more information on Henry II. Watch this You Tube
video of Canterbury Cathedral.
Some wonderful literature is based on this saint. Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey
Chaucer (1342 - 1400) follows a group of 30 pilgrims traveling to the
Canterbury Cathedral, the pilgrimage spot of St. Thomas Becket. T. S. Eliot
wrote a play called Murder in the Cathedral based on St. Thomas’ murder.
See Catholic Cuisine for other recipes ideas for St. Thomas Becket.

Daily Readings for: December 29, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas: Almighty and invisible God,
who dispersed the darkness of this world by the coming of your light, look, we
pray, with serene countenance upon us, that we may acclaim with fitting praise the
greatness of the Nativity of your Only Begotten Son, Who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket: O God, who gave the Martyr Saint
Thomas Becket the courage to give up his life for the sake of justice, grant,
through his intercession, that, renouncing our life for the sake of Christ in this
world, we may find it in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who
lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Canterbury Cherry Bars

Castle Apple Pie

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ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Christmas at Home and in the Liturgy
Christmas Play
Cut-outs and Shadow Boxes
Day Five—Activities for the Feast of St. Thomas Becket
Nameday Celebration Prayers and Ideas for Saint Thomas
Namedays
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Prayer for St. Thomas a Becket
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

None

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Christmas: December 30th

Feast of the Holy Family

Mass Propers for the Feast of the Holy Family Entrance

Antiphon, Lk 2:16:
The shepherds went in haste, and found Mary and
Joseph and the Infant lying in a manger.

Alleluia Verse, Col 3:15a, 16a:

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Preface II of the Nativity:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For on the feast of this awe-filled mystery, though invisible in his own divine nature,
he has appeared visibly in ours; and begotten before all ages, he has begun to exist in
time; so that, raising up in himself all that was cast down, he might restore unity to all
creation and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom.
And so, with all the Angels, we praise, as in joyful celebration we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Bar 3:38:

Our God has appeared on the earth, and lived among us.

Today is the Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas. When there is no Sunday within
the Octave of Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is
celebrated on the Sixth Day of the Octave of Christmas.

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celebrated on the Sixth Day of the Octave of Christmas.

Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the
Child Jesus. All we know are the facts of the sojourn in Egypt, the return to Nazareth,
and the incidents that occurred when the twelve-year-old boy accompanied his parents to
Jerusalem. In her liturgy the Church hurries over this period of Christ’s life with equal
brevity. The general breakdown of the family, however, at the end of the past century
and at the beginning of our own, prompted the popes, especially the far-sighted Leo
XIII, to promote the observance of this feast with the hope that it might instill into
Christian families something of the faithful love and the devoted attachment that
characterize the family of Nazareth. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and
promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar of all
Christian families.

—Excerpted from With Christ Through the Year, Rev. Bernard Strasser, O.S.B.

Feast of the Holy Family—Day Six

Today is the feast day of the Holy Family, but also every
family’s feast day, since the Holy Family is the patron and
model of all Christian families. Today should be a huge family
feast, since it is devoted entirely to the Holy Family as a model
for the Christian family life. As Rev. Edward Sutfin states:
“The children must learn to see in their father the
foster-father St. Joseph, and the Blessed Mother as the perfect
model for their own mother. The lesson to be learned is both
practical and theoretical, in that the children must learn how to obey and to love their
parents in thought, word and action, just as Christ was obedient to Mary and Joseph.
Helping mother in the kitchen and in the house work, and helping father in his odd
jobs about the home thus take on a new significance by being performed in a
Christ-like spirit.” ( True Christmas Spirit, ©1955, St. Meinrad Archabbey, Inc.)

Day Six Activity (Holy Family Celebration)

Day Six Recipe (Popcorn Balls)

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The Holy Family

Marriage is too often conceived as the sacrament which
unites a man and a woman to form a couple. In reality,
marriage establishes a family, and its purpose is to
increase the number of the elect, through the bodily and
spiritual fecundity of the Christian spouses.
1. Every marriage intends children. Although Mary
and Joseph were not united in a carnal way, their
marriage is a true marriage: an indissoluble, exclusive
union, wholly subordinated to the child. Mary and Joseph are united only in order to
bring Jesus into the world, to protect and raise him. They have only one child, but he
contains the whole of mankind, even as Isaac, an only child, fulfilled the promise made
to Abraham of a countless progeny.
2. The purpose of every marriage is to establish a Christian family. The Holy Family
observed the religious laws of Israel; it went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year with
other Jewish families (Lk. 2:41). Jesus saddens and amazes his father and his mother
because to their will and company he prefers “to be in his Father’s house”. Thus it may
happen that God’s will obliges the family to make disconcerting sacrifices. Yet every
Christian family must live in harmony and in prayer, which are the pledges of joy and
union.
3. “He remained obedient to them.” Jesus was God. And through the fullness of grace
Mary stood above Joseph. Nevertheless — if we except the event in the Temple —
Joseph remained the head of the family; he took the initiative (as when the Holy Family
fled to Egypt), and in Nazareth Jesus obeyed his parents.

—Excerpted from Bread and the Word, A.M. Roguet

Mass Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family, Cycle A:

The First Reading is from the Book of Sirach 3:2-6; 12-14. Although all the emphasis
in these verse seems to be on the obligation of children to their parents, there is a
profound lesson here for parents, too. “Like father like son” is an old and a true saying
very often. If the parents fail to do what is right and just in the sight of God they can

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hardly complain if their children turn out disobedient to God and to them. The young
learn more from example than from precept. Today, on this feast day, I would ask all
parents to examine themselves and see how how they are fulfilling this grave
responsibility—which God has placed on them. Are they preparing their children by
word and example, especially by example, to be worthy citizens of heaven where they
will be their parents’ crown and glory?
The Second Reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 3:12-21.
Ninety per cent of the first readers of St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians were pagans
before their conversion. To practice the new Christian virtues was no easy task for
people reared in the laxity and license of the paganism of their day. Yet they did practice
these virtues and produced many saints and martyrs. Let us being in our own family
circle to bring sanity back to our world. Let us have the true peace of Christ in our hearts
and in our home, each one carrying out the task God has allotted to him. We shall not
convert the world immediately but we shall have made a start. The world is the sum-total
of its individual families.
The Gospel is from Matthew 2:13-15; 19-23. During this holy season of Christmas,
Jesus Mary and Joseph should be remembered frequently by every Christian. To help us
to remember them and above all to strive to imitate them, the Church has dedicated this
Sunday to the memory of the Holy Family. Although they were God’s closest friends,
and although they were the holiest family that ever lived, or ever will live, on earth, they
had more than their share of this world’s troubles and cares. Today’s Gospel story tells
us of some of these earthly woes and sufferings. They had just settled in Bethlehem, and
the Baby Jesus was only a few months old when, to avoid his murder at the hands of the
murderous and jealous Herod, they had to flee from Bethlehem and become displaced
persons in a foreign and pagan land.
The message of today’s Gospel story is a message of encouragement and consolation
for every one of us. If the Holy Family suffered such trials and hardships, surely we
should be ready and willing to suffer and bear with the trials that God sends us for our
own eternal welfare.

—Adapted from The Sunday Readings, by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The devotion to the Holy Family was born in
Bethlehem, together with the Baby Jesus. The shepherds

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Bethlehem, together with the Baby Jesus. The shepherds

went to adore the Child and, at the same time, they gave
honor to His family. Later, in a similar way, the three
wise men came from the East to adore and give honor to
the newborn King with gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh that would be safeguarded by His family.
We can go further to affirm that in a certain sense
Christ, Himself, was the first devotee of His family. He
showed His devotion to His mother and foster father by
submitting Himself, with infinite humility, to the duty
of filial obedience towards them. This is what St
Bernard of Clairvaux said in this regard, ‘God, to whom angels submit themselves and
who principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but
Joseph also for Mary’s sake [….]. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without
precedent. A human creature commands God; it is sublime beyond measure.’ (First
Homily on the ‘Missus Est’).
Today’s celebration demonstrates Christ’s humility and obedience with respect to the
fourth commandment, whilst also highlighting the loving care that His parents exercised
in His keeping. The servant of God, Pope John Paul II, in 1989, entitled his Apostolic
Exhortation, ‘Redemptoris Custos’ (Guardian of the Redeemer) which was dedicated to
the person and the mission of Saint Joseph in the life of Christ and of the Church. After
exactly a century, he resumed the teaching of Pope Leo XIII, for who Saint Joseph
`…shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the
guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men’ (Encyclical
Quamquam Pluries [1889] n. 3).
Pope Leo XIII continued, ‘…Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the
legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was.[…] It is, then, natural and worthy
that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt
it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly
patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.’ Not many years before, blessed Pope
Pius IX had proclaimed Saint Joseph, ‘Patron of the Catholic Church’ (1870)
Almost intuitively, one can recognize that the mysterious, exemplary, guardianship
enacted by Joseph was conducted firstly, in a yet more intimate way, by Mary.
Consequently, the liturgical feast of the Holy Family speaks to us of the fond and loving
care that we must render to the Body of Christ. We can understand this in a mystical
sense, as guardians of the Church, and also in the Eucharistic sense. Mary and Joseph

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took great care of Jesus’ physical body. Following their example, we can and must take
great care of His Mystical Body, the Church, and the Eucharist which He has entrusted to
us. If Mary was, in some way, ‘the first tabernacle in history’ (John Paul II Ecclesia de
Eucharistia, n. 55) then we the Tabernacle in which Our Lord chose to reside in person,
in His Real Presence, was also entrusted to us. We can learn from Mary and Joseph!
What would they ever have overlooked in the care of Jesus’ physical body? Is there
something, therefore, that we can withhold for the right and adoring care of His
Eucharistic Body? No amount of attention, no sane act of love and adoring respect will
ever be too much! On the contrary, our adoration and respect will always be inferior to
the great gift that comes to us in the Holy Eucharist.
Looking at the Holy Family, we see the love, the protection, and the diligent care
that they gave to the Redeemer. We can not fail to feel uneasiness, perhaps a shameful
thought, for the times in which we have not rendered the appropriate care and attention
to the Blessed Eucharist. We can only ask for forgiveness and do penance for all the
sacrilegious acts and the lack of respect that are committed in front of the Blessed
Eucharist. We can only ask the Lord, through the intersession of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, for a greater love for their Son Incarnate, who has decided to remain here on
earth with us every day until the end of time.

Highlights and Things to Do:

Let us imitate the Holy Family in our Christian families, and our family will be a
cell and a prefiguration of the heavenly family. Say a prayer dedicating your
family to the Holy Family. Also pray for all families and for our country to
uphold the sanctity of the marriage bond which is under attack.
Read more about Pope Leo XIII who instituted the Feast of the Holy Family and
read his encyclical On Christian Marriage. You can also check out the Vatican’s
page of Papal documents on the Family.
Read the explanation of Jesus’ knowledge in the activities section. Read Pope
Pius X’s Syllabus of Errors which condemns the modernist assertion that Christ
did not always possess the consciousness of His Messianic dignity.
Have the whole family participate in cooking dinner. You might try a Lebanese
meal. Some suggestions: stuffed grape leaves, stuffed cabbage rolls, lentils and
rice, spinach and meat pies, chicken and dumplings, hummus, Lebanese bread,

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rice, spinach and meat pies, chicken and dumplings, hummus, Lebanese bread,
tabbouleh — a Lebanese salad and kibbi, a traditional Lebanese dish of specially
ground meat mixed with spices and cracked wheat. This is the same kind of food
that Mary served Jesus and St. Joseph.

Daily Readings for: December 30, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of the Holy Family: O God, who were pleased to give us the
shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in
practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy
of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

RECIPES

Dolmas
Dolmas
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

ACTIVITIES

Christmas at Home and in the Liturgy

Day Three—Activities for the Feast of the Holy Family
Explanation of the Verse: ‘Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature’
Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family - II
Introducing the Holy Family to Your Baby
The Home, a Training Ground

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PRAYERS

Consecration of the Family to the Holy Family I

Consecration of the Family to the Holy Family II
Parents’ Prayer for Children
Consecration to the Holy Family
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Parental Blessing
Prayer to the Holy Family
Prayer of Parents for Their Children
Novena to the Holy Family
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

A Letter to Families | Catholic Bishops of Minnesota

Benedict XVI Angelus Address for Feast of the Holy Family 2010 | Pope
Benedict XVI
Christian Marriage: a Covenant of Love and Life | Cardinal Bernard Law
Holy Family Radiates Example of True Love | Pope Saint John Paul II
Holy Family Teaches Us What Is Essential | Pope Saint John Paul II
Indulgenced Prayer for a Christian Family | Unknown
May the Holy Family of Nazareth Bless and Protect the Egyptian People |
Pope Francis

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Prayer and the Holy Family of Nazareth | Pope Benedict XVI

The Christian Family: Good News | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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Christmas: December 31st

Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity
of the Lord (Christmas); Optional Memorial of
St. Sylvester I, Pope
Other Commemorations: John Francis Regis, Priest (RM); St.
Catherine Laboure, Virgin and Religious (RM)

Mass Propers for the Seventh Day in the Octave of

Christmas Entrance Antiphon, Is 9:5:
A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his
scepter of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name
will be called Messenger of great counsel.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 1:14a, 12a:

The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him he gave power to become
the children of God.

Communion Antiphon, 1 Jn 4:9:

God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might have eternal life
through him.

Mass Propers for St. Sylvester I Entrance Antiphon:

The Lord chose him for himself as high priest, and, opening his treasure house, made
him rich in all good things.

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Alleluia Verse, Mt 28:19a, 20b:

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the
world.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Jn 10:11:

The Good Shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep.

Today is the Seventh Day in the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord [Christmas]. The
Church also celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Sylvester I, Pope and Confessor
(died 335 A.D.). He ruled the Church during the reign of Constantine when the Arian
heresy and the Donatist schism had provoked great discord. He convoked the first
Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. John Francis Regis (1597-1640) was
ordained into the Society of Jesus in 1630. He was gifted with a marvelous talent for
missions, he labored for the conversion of the Huguenots, assisted the needy, and aided
in the rescue of wayward women.
St. Catherine Labouré (1806-1876) is also commemorated today. The Blessed
Virgin Mary appeared to her, a member of the Daughters of Charity, three times in 1830
and commissioned her to have made the Miraculous Medal and to spread devotion to it.
St. Catherine Laboure was canonized in 1947.

Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas—Day Seven

The last day of the year is also the feast of St. Sylvester
— bishop of Rome in 314. Constantine gave him the
Lateran Palace, which became the cathedral church of
Rome. Many legends exist about Sylvester. He
supposedly cured Constantine from leprosy and later
baptized him on his deathbed. New Year’s Eve, along
with its innocent gaiety, is really a day for serious

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reflection. On the eve of the civil New Year the children

may join their parents in a holy hour, in prayer and thanksgiving for the gifts and
benefits which God has given them in the past year, and to pray for necessary graces
in the forthcoming civil year.

Day Seven Activity (New Year’s Eve Party)

Day Seven Recipe (Silvesterpunsch)

St. Sylvester
St. Sylvester, a native Roman, was chosen by God to govern His holy Church during the
first years of Her temporal prosperity and triumph over Her persecuting enemies. Pope
Melchiades died in January, 314. St. Sylvester was chosen as his successor. He governed
the Church for more than twenty-one years, ably organizing the discipline of the Roman
Church, and taking part in the negotiations concerning Arianism and the Council of
Nicaea. He also sent Legates to the first Ecumenical Council.
During his Pontificate were built the great churches founded at
Rome by Constantine — the Basilica and baptistery of the Lateran,
the Basilica of the Sessorian palace (Santa Croce), the Church of St.
Peter in the Vatican, and several cemeterial churches over the graves
of martyrs. No doubt St. Sylvester helped towards the construction of these churches. He
was a friend of Emperor Constantine, confirmed the first General Council of Nicaea
(325), and gave the Church a new discipline for the new era of peace. He might be called
the first “peace Pope” after centuries of bloody persecution. He also established the
Roman school of singing. On the Via Salaria he built a cemeterial church over the
Catacomb of St. Priscilla, and it was in this church that he was buried when he died on
December 31, 335.
Numerous legends dramatize his life and work, e.g., how he freed Constantine from
leprosy by baptism; how he killed a ferocious dragon that was contaminating the air with
his poisonous breath. Such legends were meant to portray the effects of baptism and
Christianity’s triumph over idolatry. For a long time the feast of St. Sylvester was a
holyday of obligation. The Divine Office notes: He called the weekdays feria, because
for the Christian every day is a “free day” (the term is still in use; thus Monday is feria
secunda).

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secunda).

—Compiled from Heavenly Friends, Rosalie Marie Levy and The Church’s Year of
Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: animals; for good harvests; stone masons; Order of Saint Sylvester;
Locations in Italy: Barberino di Mugello, Branca, Calvisano, Castroreale, Feroleto
Antico, Piegaro, Poggio Catino
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about Pope St. Sylvester:

Popes in a Year to find out more about Pope Sylvester.
Loyola Press for children
Catholic Ireland
Vatican News

See St. Sylvester’s statue in Basilica of St. Peter’s Colonnade.

St. Sylvester’s relics are in Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome. See the
other churches dedicated to St. Sylvester in Rome.

St. John Francis Regis

Born into a family of some wealth, John Francis was so
impressed by his Jesuit educators that he himself wished
to enter the Society of Jesus. He did so at age 18.
Despite his rigorous academic schedule he spent many
hours in chapel, often to the dismay of fellow
seminarians who were concerned about his health.
Following his ordination to the priesthood, he undertook
missionary work in various French towns. While the
formal sermons of the day tended toward the poetic, his
discourses were plain. But they revealed the fervor
within him and attracted people of all classes. Father
Regis especially made himself available to the poor. Many mornings were spent in the
confessional or at the altar celebrating Mass; afternoons were reserved for visits to

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prisons and hospitals.

The Bishop of Viviers, observing the success of Father Regis in communicating with
people, sought to draw on his many gifts, especially needed during the prolonged civil
and religious strife then rampant throughout France. With many prelates absent and
priests negligent, the people had been deprived of the sacraments for 20 years or more.
Various forms of Protestantism were thriving in some cases while a general indifference
toward religion was evident in other instances. For three years Father Regis traveled
throughout the diocese, conducting missions in advance of a visit by the bishop. He
succeeded in converting many people and in bringing many others back to religious
observances.
Though Father Regis longed to work as a missionary among the North American
Indians in Canada, he was to live out his days working for the Lord in the wildest and
most desolate part of his native France. There he encountered rigorous winters,
snowdrifts and other deprivations. Meanwhile, he continued preaching missions and
earned a reputation as a saint. One man, entering the town of Saint-Andé, came upon a
large crowd in front of a church and was told that people were waiting for “the saint”
who was coming to preach a mission.
The last four years of his life were spent preaching and in organizing social services,
especially for prisoners, the sick and the poor. In the autumn of 1640, Father Regis
sensed that his days were coming to a conclusion. He settled some of his affairs and
prepared for the end by continuing to do what he did so well: speaking to the people
about the God who loved them. On December 31, he spent most of the day with his eyes
on the crucifix. That evening, he died. His final words were: “Into thy hands I commend
my spirit.”
He was canonized in 1737.

—Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patronage: against plague; embroiderers; lace makers; lace workers; medical social
workers; social workers; French Jesuits; Sisters of Saint Francis Régis; Regis University;
Regis High School (New York City); Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, Colorado)

Symbols and Representation: Jesuit wearing a leather cape and holding a staff topped
with a crucifix
Highlights and Things to Do:

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Read more about St. John Francis Regis:

Catholic Encyclopedia
Fr. Hardon’s Real Presence
at Jesuit Prayer Ministry website.

Visit this AnaStPaul for more information.

St. Catherine Labouré

St Catherine Labouré was born on the 2nd of May 1806
at Fainles-Moutiers, a picturesque village of Burgundy,
France. She was the ninth child in a happy family of
eleven. God made known the choice of this soul by
marking her at an early age with the seal of suffering,
for when she was only nine years old she lost her
mother.
Saint Catherine Labouré responded to the divine call
by entering the Community of the Daughters of Charity
of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. Here, during the first
months of her novitiate, she was favored with a number of apparitions of the Blessed
Virgin, who confided to her the mission of having the Miraculous Medal made.
Until shortly before her death Saint Catherine kept a strict silence concerning these
apparitions, speaking of them only to her confessor, according to the instructions of Our
Lady.
During 46 years Saint Catherine witnessed the wonders and miracles wrought
through the Medal. During all this time, carefully guarding her secret of the apparitions,
she humbly performed her commonplace duties, devoting herself especially to the care
of the infirmed men of Enghien, a suburb of Paris. For this she is called the patroness of
seniors.
On the 31st of December 1876, Saint Catherine left this earth for heaven, to
contemplate there her Immaculate Queen whose love and beauty had captured her heart
on earth.
Her body was exhumed 57 years later and found in perfect condition. Even death
respected her who had enjoyed the extraordinary privilege of resting her hands on the
knees of the Blessed Virgin for more than two hours during one of the apparitions. Saint

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Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 27, 1947.

The simplicity of Saint Catherine’s life endears her to everyone. She became a saint
by doing her commonplace duties well, for God. This “Saint of Ordinary People” has the
secret of sanctity for us all.

—Excerpted from Central Association of the Miraculous Medal

Patronage: pigeon fanciers; pigeons

Symbols and Representation: Daughters of Charity habit; Miraculous Medal

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous Medal:
Mary’s Touch
the Vincentians
EWTN

Make a virtual visit to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. There
you can see St. Catherine’s incorrupt body.
See Association of the Miraculous Medal.
Philadelphia is the home of the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal
Shrine.

Daily Readings for: December 31, 2022

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas: Almighty ever-living God,

who in the Nativity of your Son established the beginning and fulfillment of all
religion, grant, we pray, that we may be numbered among those who belong to
him, in whom is the fullness of human salvation. Who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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Optional Memorial of St. Sylvester: Come, O Lord, to the help of your people,
sustained by the intercession of Pope Saint Sylvester, so that, running the course
of this present life under your guidance we may happily attain life without end.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Admiralpunsch (Admiral Punch—New Year’s Eve Punch)

Dark Fruit Cake I
Eggnog II
Eggnog III (Spanish)
Flaming Brandy Punch
Herring Salad
Jellied Pineapple Salad
Kalter Eierwein (Cold Egg Wine)
Kringler
Mulled Wine I
Mulled Wine II
New Year’s Eve Punch
New Year’s Eve: Midnight Buffet Menu
Risgrynsgröt (Rice Porridge)
Silvesterpunsch (Cold New Year’s Eve Punch)
Silvesterpunsch (Sylvester Punch)
Silvesterpunsch (Warm New Year’s Eve Punch)
White Fruit Cake
Wine Punch I (Sangria)

ACTIVITIES

Christmas Play

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Christmas Play
Day Seven—Activities for New Year’s Eve
Game of Thanks
Gumdrop on a String
Handkerchief Game
I Want to Be Ready
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration
New Year’s Eve Party
Quotations Game
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
Treasure Hunt

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
An Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Collect for Saint Catherine Laboure

LIBRARY

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Apparitions True and False | Fr. Peter Joseph

Different Kinds of Scapulars | Fr. William Saunders
Marian Apparitions: Some Lessons From History | Donal Anthony Foley
Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher
The Miraculous Medal | Zsolt Aradi
The Tears of Our Lady | Zsolt Aradi
We commend the new year to Mary | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-12-31

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Christmas: January 1st

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
Mother of God, The Octave Day of Christmas

Mass Propers for the Octave Day of Christmas,

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of
God Entrance Antiphon:
Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who
rules heaven and earth for ever.

Alleluia Verse, Heb 1:1-2:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through
the Son.

Preface I of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, and to praise, bless, and
glorify your name on the Solemnity of the Motherhood of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary.
For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son,
and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal Light,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him the Angels praise your majesty, Dominions adore and Powers tremble
before you. Heaven and the Virtues of heaven and the blessed Seraphim worship
together with exultation. May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in humble praise, as
we acclaim:

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Communion Antiphon, Heb 13:8:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, our
Lady’s greatest title. This feast is the Octave Day of Christmas. In the current liturgical
Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave.
It is also the World Day of Peace.
“Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of
the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation
and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his
Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has
often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and
represented in the liturgy as the ”Seat of Wisdom." —Catechism of the Catholic Church
721
A plenary indulgence may be gained by reciting or singing the hymn Veni Creator
Spiritus on the first day of the year. This hymn is traditionally sung for beginnings of
things, calling on the Holy Spirit before endeavoring something new.

The Word Took Our Nature from Mary

The Apostle tells us: The Word took to himself the sons of Abraham, and so had to be
like his brothers in all things. He had then to take a body like ours. This explains the fact
of Mary’s presence: she is to provide him with a body of his own, to be offered for our
sake. Scripture records her giving birth, and says: She wrapped him in swaddling
clothes. Her breasts, which fed him, were called blessed. Sacrifice was offered because
the child was her firstborn. Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he
announced his birth. He did not speak of “what will be born in you” to avoid the
impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside; he spoke of
“what will be born from you” so that we might know by faith that her child originated
within her and from her.
By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it

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completely and then invest it with his own nature, and so prompt the Apostle to say:
This corruptible body must put on incorruption; this mortal body must put on
immortality.
This was not done in outward show only, as
some have imagined. This is not so. Our Savior
truly became man, and from this has followed
the salvation of man as a whole. Our salvation is
in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to
the body. The salvation of the whole man, that
is, of soul and body, has really been achieved in
the Word himself.
What was born of Mary was therefore
human by nature, in accordance with the
inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord
was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is
our sister, for we are all born from Adam.
The words of Saint John: The Word was made flesh, bear the same meaning, as we
may see from a similar turn of phrase in Saint Paul: Christ was made a curse for our
sake. Man’s body has acquired something great through its communion and union with
the Word. From being mortal it has been made immortal; though it was a living body it
has become a spiritual one; though it was made from the earth it has passed through the
gates of heaven.
Even when the Word takes a body from Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with
neither increase nor decrease. It is for ever perfect. In the Trinity we acknowledge one
Godhead, and thus one God, the Father of the Word, is proclaimed in the Church.

—Excerpted from a letter by St. Athanasius

Mass Readings for the Octave Day of Christmas: Solemnity of Mary,

Mother of God:
The First Reading is taken from the Book of Numbers 6:22-27. After the Exodus (or
coming out of Egypt) and after God had made a covenant on Mount Sinai with the
Chosen People, Moses, on God’s instructions, set the tribe of Levi apart so that they
would offer the sacrifices and carry out the liturgy in the name of, and for, the rest of the
tribes. The direct line of Aaron, head of the tribe of Levi, were to be the priests who

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tribes. The direct line of Aaron, head of the tribe of Levi, were to be the priests who
would have the principal part in the offering of the sacrifices and in the other liturgical
acts. One of the liturgical acts of the priests was to bless the people after the daily
sacrifices and on other solemn occasions. The blessing was a reward for the keeping of
the covenant by the people, and a guarantee that the blessing promised to all nations
through Abraham would be fulfilled one day. The words of the blessing given by God to
Moses are recorded in these verses of the book of Number read at today’s Mass.
The Second Reading is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians 4:4-7. The
Galatians—pagans recently converted to Christianity by Paul—were being disturbed in
their faith by Judaizers, that is, by Jews who pretended to be Christians but were not.
These were telling the new converts that Christianity was not something really new, but
only a new form of Judaism, and therefore the converts must accept circumcision and
other practices of the old law. Paul in his letter reacts strongly to this falsehood.
Christianity is not a reform of Judaism, he states, but is its replacement. Judaism was
only a preparation, Christianity is the fulfillment; the old law was but a shadow of things
to come, Christianity is the reality.
The "fullness of time has come,“ the period of permeation and promise has ended.
Men are no longer slaves of the law or slaves of their past pagan polytheism and its
practices. They are now free men and new men, sons of God. They can now truly call
God ”Abba Father" “for God sent his Son born of a woman.” The Incarnation has taken
place, men are no longer mere human beings, they have a new life given them in
Baptism. They now share in the divine life because Christ has shared their human life
with them.
The Gospel of today’s feast is from the Gospel of Luke 2:21. This story of the
humble shepherds of Bethlehem coming to find Jesus “in the manger wrapped in
swaddling clothe” already read at the Dawn Mass on Christmas Day, is repeated today
because of the feast we are celebrating, the Divine Motherhood of Mary. It is the feast of
Christmas again, the feast of the Incarnation and birth of our Savior, but it is Mary’s part
in this wonderful mystery of God’s love for men that the Church is stressing today.

—Adapted from The Sunday Readings by Keven O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Octave Day of

Christmas—Day Eight

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Although New Year’s Day is not celebrated by the Church, this

day has been observed as a Holy Day of Obligation since early
times for this feast. Each family and country has different
traditional foods to eat on New Year’s Day, with lentils being
the main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat
lentils at the beginning of the year.
New Year’s is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and
good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason
that this day, too, could not be sanctified in Christ.

Day Eight Activity (New Year’s Day Party)

Day Eight Recipe (New Year’s Pretzel)

January 1, Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the

Mother of God, The Octave Day of Christmas Station with
Santa Maria in Trastevere (St. Mary Across the Tiber): The
station is at St. Mary’s across the Tiber, one of the most
interesting churches in Rome, full of relics of the fifth, seventh,
and eighth centuries, and of the Middle Ages, and further
associated with the memory of St. Callistus (third century). After St. Mary Major’s, it
is considered the most beautiful of the churches consecrated to Our Lady in Rome. It
is fitting that the Mass be celebrated in this church, for the feast is really the Octave
of Christmas, dedicated to Mary. For Further Info, see: Churches of Rome Info Rome
Art Lover Roman Churches
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: January 01, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Solemnity of the BVM, Mother of God: O God, who through the
fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary bestowed on the human race the grace of eternal
salvation, grant, we pray, that we may experience the intercession of her, through
whom we were found worthy to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

RECIPES

Almond Pretzels
Basilopitta
Black Bun
Children’s Punch
Eggnog I
Eggnog II
Eggnog III (Spanish)
Glögg
Glögg—non-alcoholic American Style
God Cakes
Initial Cookies
Jellied Pineapple Salad
Lemon Wafers
Mexican Wedding Cookies
New Year Cookies
New Year’s Cake
New Year’s Day Refreshments
New Year’s Dinner Menu
New Year’s Eve Punch
New Year’s Eve: Midnight Buffet Menu
New Year’s Kranz

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New Year’s Pretzel

New Year’s Pretzel
New Year’s Rolls
Oliebollen I
Oliebollen II
Roast Beef and Individual Yorkshire Puddings
Roast Suckling Pig
Rum Rolls
Scotch Shortbread
Scripture Cake I
Seed Cake
Silvesterpunsch (Sylvester Punch)
Snow Balls
Sweet Potato-Coconut Dessert
Vasilopita I
Vasilopita II
Vasilopitta
Wassail Bowl

ACTIVITIES

Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin

Christmas and the Eucharist
Christmas Play
Day Eight—Activities for New Year’s Day
Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
Feasts of Mary in the Family
Feasts of Our Lady in the Home
Hymn: Child Jesus So Dear

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Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady

Marian Hymn: A Single Branch Three Roses Bore
Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear
Marian Hymn: Beautiful, Glorious
Marian Hymn: Lourdes Hymn or Immaculate Mary
Marian Hymn: Mary the Dawn
Marian Hymn: Salve Regina
Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina
Marian Hymn: Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest
Mary Garden
New Year’s Day Ceremony
New Year’s Day, Honoring Godparents
New Year’s Eve Activities
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration
New Year’s Eve Party
New Year’s Family Resolutions
New Year’s Visit
Pomander
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January
Song for the New Year
The Role of Woman as Mother
What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers

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Christmas Evening Prayers

Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto)
New Year’s Prayer for Church and State
Blessing for the New Year
Veni, Creator Spiritus
Prayer for Peace
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
St. Cyril of Alexandria’s Litany of Praise of the Mother of God
Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God

LIBRARY

Contemplate The Mystery Of The Incarnation | Pope Saint John Paul II

We commend the new year to Mary | Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-01

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Christmas: January 2nd

Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory
Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors
Other Commemorations: St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr
(RM)

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. Basil the Great

and St. Gregory Nazianzen Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Sir
44:15, 14:
Let the peoples recount the wisdom of the Saints,
and let the Church proclaim their praise. Their names
will live on and on.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 23:9b, 10b:

You have but one Father in heaven; you have but one master, the Christ.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. 1 Cor 1:23-24:

We proclaim Christ crucified; Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Basil the Great (329-379) and St.
Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), bishops and doctors. This is the Ninth Day of the
Christmas season.
St. Basil was a brilliant student born of a Christian family in Caesarea, Cappadocia
(Turkey). For some years, he followed the monastic way of life. He vigorously fought
the Arian heresy. He became Bishop of Caesarea in 370. The monks of the Eastern
Church today still follow the monastic rules which he set down.

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St. Gregory was also from Cappadocia. A friend of Basil, he too followed the
monastic way of life for some years. He was ordained priest and in 381 became Bishop
of Constantinople. It was during this period when the Arian heresy was at its height. He
was called “The Theologian” because of his great learning and talent for oratory.
The Roman Martyrology today commemorates of St. Telesphorus, Pope and
Martyr (d. 138). According to St. Irenaeus, St. Telesphorus, who governed the Church
from 128 to 138 during a period of violent persecution, suffered martyrdom for the faith.

St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen—Day Nine

Although New Year’s Day is not celebrated by the Church,

this day has been observed as a holy day of obligation
since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of
God. Each family and country has different traditional
foods to eat on New Year’s Day, with lentils being the
main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat
lentils at the beginning of the year.
New Year’s is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting
and good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too,
could not be sanctified in Christ.

Day Nine Activity (Blessing of the Bread of St. Basil)

Day Nine Recipe (St. Basil’s Day Bread)

St. Basil the Great

St. Basil was born about 330, the oldest of four sons; three of his brothers became
bishops, one of whom was St. Gregory of Nyssa. His pious grandmother Macrina
exercised a great influence upon his religious education: “Never shall I forget the deep
impression that the words and example of this venerable woman made upon my soul.”
Between St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzen an intimate friendship existed from
youth to old age. Of Western monasticism St. Benedict was the father and founder, of

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Eastern monasticism, St. Basil.

As bishop, Basil was a courageous and heroic
champion of the Catholic faith against the Arian
heresy. In 372 Emperor Valens sent Modestus, the
prefect, to Cappadocia to introduce Arianism as the
state religion. Modestus approached the holy bishop,
upbraided him for his teaching, and threatened
despoliation, exile, martyrdom, and death. To these
words of the Byzantine despot, Basil replied with the
peace of divine faith: “Is that all? Nothing of what you
mentioned touches me. We possess nothing, we can be
robbed of nothing. Exile will be impossible, since
everywhere on God’s earth I am at home. Torments
cannot afflict me, for I have no body. And death is welcome, for it will bring me more
quickly to God. To a great extent I am already dead; for a long time I have been
hastening to the grave.” Astonished, the prefect remarked: “Till today no one has ever
spoken to me so courageously.” “Perhaps,” rejoined Basil, “you have never before met a
bishop.” Modestus hastened back to Valens. “Emperor,” he said, “we are bested by this
leader of the Church. He is too strong for threats, too firm for words, too clever for
persuasion.”
Basil was a strong character, a burning lamp during his time. But as the fire from this
lamp illumined and warmed the world, it consumed itself; as the saint’s spiritual stature
grew, his body wasted away, and at the early age of forty-nine his appearance was that of
an old man. In every phase of ecclesiastical activity he showed superior talent and zeal.
He was a great theologian, a powerful preacher, a gifted writer, the author of two rules
for monastic life, a reformer of the Oriental liturgy. He died in 379, hardly forty-nine
years old, yet so emaciated that only skin and bones remained, as though he had stayed
alive in soul alone.

Patronage: hospital administrators; monks; reformers; Cappadocia; Russia; Cessaniti,

Italy

Symbols and Representation: Supernatural fire, often with a dove present; carrying a
scroll or book, referring to his influential writings
Highlights and Things to Do:

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Read more about St. Basil:

Loyola Press for children
Catholic Ireland
Catholic News Agency
Vatican News

See St. Basil’s Sermons about Fasting.

See the collection of St. Basil’s writings or Catholic Culture’s collection of
Church Fathers’ writings, including Basil and Gregory.
Catholic Cuisine has some clever recipes for St. Basil.
St. Basil is claimed both by the Eastern and Western churches, including the
Orthodox. His relics are distributed far and wide, but mainly in Orthodox
settings.

St. Gregory Nazianzen

Gregory, surnamed the “Theologian” by the Greeks, was
born at Nazianz in Cappadocia in 339. He was one of the
“Three Lights of the Church from Cappadocia.” To his
mother, St. Nonna, is due the foundation for his saintly life
as an adult. He was educated at the most famous schools of
his time - Caesarea, Alexandria, Athens. At Athens he
formed that storied bond of friendship with St. Basil which
was still flaming with all the fervor of youthful enthusiasm
when he delivered the funeral oration at the grave of his
friend in 381.
Gregory was baptized in 360, and for a while lived the quiet life of a hermit. In 372
he was consecrated bishop by St. Basil. At the urgent wish of Gregory, his father and
bishop of Nazianz, he assisted him in the care of souls. In 381 he accepted the see of
Constantinople, but grieved by the constant controversies retired again to the quiet life he
cherished so highly and dedicated himself entirely to contemplation.
During his life span the pendulum was continually swinging back and forth between
contemplation and the active ministry. He longed for solitude, but the exigencies of the
times called him repeatedly to do pastoral work and to participate in the ecclesiastical

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movements of the day. He was unquestionably one of the greatest orators of Christian
antiquity; his many and great accomplishments were due in great measure to his
exceptional eloquence. His writings have merited for him the title of “Doctor of the
Church.”

—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: for harvests; poets

Symbols and Representation: bishop with a book, codex or scroll; censer; man writing
with dove nearby; man writing with the hand of God over him; iconographically, he is
depicted as balding with a bushy white beard.
Highlights and Things to Do:

We too must harmoniously combine the two phases of spiritual life, the
contemplative which tends to solitude and the active or pastoral which responds
to the need of the times and the good of souls.
See the collection of St. Gregory’s writings here or Catholic Culture’s collection
of Church Fathers’ writings, including Basil and Gregory or CCEL.
Read more about St. Gregory:
Loyola Press for children
Catholic Ireland
Catholic News Agency
Franciscan Media

Read Basil, Gregory and the Holy Spirit.

See the statue of St. Gregory in St. Peter’s Basilica Colonnade.
St. Gregory Nazianzen’s relics are mainly in Istanbul in the Patriarchal Cathedral
of St. George in the Fanar, with some small relics in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
See this site for further details. In 2004, Pope St. John Paul II transferred the
main relics back to Istanbul.

St. Telesphorus

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St. Telesphorus was Greek, probably from Calabria. He is

considered the eighth pope in succession of St. Peter,
reigning from 127 or 128-137 or 138 A.D.. The Liber
Pontificalis (Book of the Popes) mentions he was living as
a hermit (monk or anchorite) before election as pope, often
thought to be living on Mount Carmel. Because of that
location, the Carmelite order has often claimed him, and he
is often depicted in the Carmelite habit.
It is often thought that he instituted the tradition of
keeping a seven-week Lenten season, the three Masses for Christmas and also singing
the Gloria, but this is often disputed.
He established the tradition that Easter should be celebrated on Sunday, rather than
other days of the week like the Jewish Passover tradition. However, he maintained
fellowship with communities that did not celebrate Easter on Sunday. According to St.
Irenaeus, he was “an illustrious martyr.” His remains are interred in the Vatican.

Symbols and Representation: Pope with a chalice over which three Hosts hover (may
refer to the celebration of Christmas with 3 Masses said to represent the temporal,
spiritual, and eternal birth of Christ); pope with a chalice with a nearby club (possibly an
indication of his martyrdom).
Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. Telesphorus:

UCatholic
Catholic365
Popes In a Year

Pope Telesphorus’ relics are in St. Peter’s Basilica, but his tomb is unknown.
Originally around Saint Peter’s tomb the following popes were traditionally
believed to have been buried: Pope Linus (2), Pope Anacletus (3), Pope
Evaristus (5), Pope Telesphorus (8), Pope Hyginus (9), Pope Pius I (10), Pope
Anicetus (11) (later transferred to the Catacomb of Callixtus), and Pope Victor I
(14).
See Pope Telesphorus’ decree in Latin A Decree on The Fast of Seven Weeks
before The Passover.

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Daily Readings for: January 02, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Memorial of St. Basil and St. Gregory: O God, who were pleased to
give light to your Church by the example and teaching of the Bishops Saints Basil
and Gregory, grant, we pray, that in humility we may learn your truth and practice
it faithfully in charity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Basilopitta
Cherries Jubilee II
Glow Wine
Jiffy On-Fire Dessert
New Year’s Cake
Snowballs on Fire
Vasilopita I
Vasilopita II
Vasilopitta

ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Christmas Play
Day Nine—Activities for the Feast of St. Basil and St. Gregory
Namedays
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January

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Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Blessing of the Vasilopita or Bread of Saint Basil
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

Fragments From The Lost Writings Of Irenaeus | St. St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher
Sacramentum Caritatis | Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Basil | Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Gregory Nazianzus Part 1 | Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Gregory of Nyssa | Pope Benedict XVI
St. Basil - Part 2 | Pope Benedict XVI
St. Basil The Great | Eric J. Scheske
The Popes and the Eastern Rites | Allen Maloof
The Saintly Scholars of the Church | Fr. Stephen McKenna
Urbanitatis Veteris (On The Foundation Of A Seminary In Athens) | Pope
Leo XIII

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View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-02

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Christmas: January 3rd

Tuesday of Christmas Time; Optional Memorial
of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Mass Propers for Tuesday of Christmas Time before

Epiphany Entrance Antiphon, Ps 118 (117):26-27:
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord:
The Lord is God and has given us light.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 1:14a, 12a:

The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him he gave power to become
the children of God.

Communion Antiphon, Eph 2:4; Rom 8:3:

Because of that great love of his with which God loved us, he sent his Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh.

Mass Propers for the Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Entrance
Antiphon, Phil 2:10-11:
At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 1:21:

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people

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from their sins.

Communion Antiphon, Ps 8:2:

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name through all the earth!

The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
According to the previous liturgical calendar (1962), this feast was celebrated on January
2. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was removed, though a votive Mass
to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the
revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an Optional Memorial on
January 3.
The Church reveals to us the wonders of the Incarnate Word by singing the glories of
His name. The name of Jesus means Savior; it had been shown in a dream to Joseph
together with its meaning and to Our Lady at the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel.
Devotion to the Holy Name is deeply rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in
the Acts of the Apostles. It was promoted in a special manner by St. Bernard, St.
Bernardine of Siena, St. John Capistrano and by the Franciscan Order. It was extended to
the whole Church in 1727 during the pontificate of Innocent XIII. The month of January
has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

Most Holy Name of Jesus—Day Ten

The name of Jesus is a name of gladness, a name of hope

and a name of love. A name of gladness, because if the
remembrance of past transgressions afflicts us, this name
comforts us, reminding us that the Son of God became man
for this purpose, to make himself our Savior.
A name of hope, because he that prays to the Eternal
Father in the name of Jesus may hope for every grace he
asks for: If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will
give it you.
A name of love. For the name of Jesus brings to our remembrance all the

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sufferings which Jesus has endured for us in his life and at his death. —Excerpted
from St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ

Day Ten Activity (Holy Name Activities)

Day Ten Recipe (Sugar Cookies)

Holy Name of Jesus

This feast marks no progress in the development of the Church
year. It merely embellishes the occasion just observed when the
Child received the Name Jesus as had been foretold by the angel.
The feast is meant to impress on us Christians the dignity of the
Holy Name. It is a relatively new feast, stemming out of devotional
piety. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to find in it some liturgical or
ancient Christian dogma. What did a name signify originally? The
name should express the nature of a thing. Thus Adam in paradise
gave the animals names in accordance with their being. Among the
Jews God’s name expressed His essence, Yahweh, i.e., I (alone)
AM WHO AM (and cause all else to be). The Jews had the highest
respect for the name of God, a reverence that finds continuation in the Our Father:
“Hallowed be Thy Name.”
Persons who played prominent roles in the history of salvation often received their
names from God Himself. Adam — man of the earth; Eve — mother of all the living;
Abraham — father of many nations; Peter — the rock. The Savior’s precursor was given
the name God assigned him. According to divine precedent, then, the name of the
Redeemer should not be accidental, of human choosing, but given by God Himself. For
His name should express His mission. We read in Sacred Scripture how the angel
Gabriel revealed that name to Mary: “You shall call His name Jesus.” And to St. Joseph
the angel not merely revealed the name but explained its meaning: “You shall call His
name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” The Messiah should not only
be the savior, but should be called Savior. With Jesus, therefore, the name actually tells
the purpose of His existence. This is why we must esteem His name as sacred. Whenever
we pronounce it, we ought to bow our heads; for the very name reminds us of the
greatest favor we have ever received, salvation.

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greatest favor we have ever received, salvation.

—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in
the womb." Luke 2:21.
1. It is not difficult to meditate upon the Holy
Name, or to use the Holy Name in prayer. More
than any other name, perhaps alone among all
proper names, it is appropriate to the One Who
owned it. Usually the names of men are given at
random; they mean nothing in themselves; a man
who happens to be called John might just as well
have been called Thomas or William; the mere
name tells us nothing about him; it is a convenient
means of distinguishing him from others, a label put
upon him and little or no more With a few human
beings it has been otherwise: Adam, Abraham,
Josue, John the Baptist were given names that
signified the men on whom they were bestowed. But with none is this so true as it is with
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With care the Angel impressed it on His Mother’s
mind: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus," he said, and there followed the description of
His future greatness. With care it was repeated to Joseph: Thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
2. The Name stands as a complete summary and description of our Lord’s character
and office, and it is under this aspect that it has been regarded by thousands of saints,
whose hearts have melted at its mere sound. To them Jesus is their God, Jesus is their
King, Jesus is their Redeemer, Jesus is their Mediator, Jesus is their Saviour, Jesus is
their great Priest, Jesus is their Intercessor, Jesus is the Captain under Whom they fight,
Jesus is the Leader Whom they follow, Jesus is their Teacher, Jesus is the Giver of their
law, Jesus is the Spouse and Shepherd of their souls, Jesus is their Light, Jesus is their
Life, Jesus is the Judge before Whom they rejoice to think that they must one day stand,
Jesus is their final and eternal Reward, for which alone they live.
3. But He is also to them the mirror of all the
most glorious and winning virtues. He is, and His

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most glorious and winning virtues. He is, and His

Name tells them that He is, unbounded Charity,
infinite Mercy, extremest Kindness, deepest
Humility, most devoted Piety, transparent
Simplicity, uttermost Poverty, Chastity without a
stain. It is the prerogative of love to transform those
who love into the likeness of Him Whom they love;
and as the mere name of one who is loved cannot
sound in the ear or be thought of in the mind
without adding to the love which is already there, so
the thought of the Holy Name and the mention of
the Holy Name have a kind of sacramental power in
the hearts of His saints. They seem to convey the grace which enables men to think like
Him, to speak like Him, to act like Him, to sacrifice themselves like Him, and to Him,
and for Him, and along with Him, to make Him known to others, not by word only, but
also by reproduction of Him in themselves, and to win all men to love Him.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within thee bless His Holy Name. Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee. Ps. cii. i, 2.
1. The great saint of the Holy Name is St. Bernardine of Siena. In his missionary
expeditions he carried it on a banner, and used it continually in his sermons. He has a
long treatise on the Holy Name, which teems with matter for prayer. The Holy Name, he
says, is first of all fruitful for beginners. For these, for sinners, " it shows the immense
mercifulness of God, it enables a devout man to gain a victory in every conflict, whether
with the devil, the flesh, or the world, it has the power of healing sickness when rightly
used, it fills with joy and exultation those who are in any adversity.“ He quotes St. Peter,
that ”through His name all receive remission of sin who believe in Him"; St. John :
“Your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake”; St. Peter again: “There is no other
name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved”; the prayer of the Church
in the Acts of the Apostles, that God would “stretch forth his hand to signs and cures and
wonders, to be done by the name of thy only Son Jesus”; the further statement in the
Acts, that the Apostles went forth “from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they
were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.”
2. Next it is fruitful for the proficient.
“It is cherished in their hearts and fed upon
by faith, it is taken into their mouths and
preached or spoken about, it is made the

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spring of their actions, which then become a

great accumulation of merits, it is
appropriated in a new way by perseverance,
and then it becomes a principle of abiding
and enduring life, the remedy of the frailty
and fickleness which belong to our poor
nature.”
By virtue of this Holy Name, he tells us,
we ourselves have become the sons of God.
In the virtue of this Holy Name St. Paul
placed all his hope of doing good. The power of the Holy Name is the power of the Holy
Ghost. And for its power of endurance he asks: “Art thou not refreshed as often as thou
rememberest the name of Jesus? What is there equal to it for the feeding of the mind that
thinks of it, for repairing weariness, for strengthening virtues, for nourishing good and
upright ways, for fostering true affections?”
3. Lastly it is fruitful for those whom he calls the perfect. The first fruit is “the
sweetness with which those who meditate upon it are filled,” according to the beautiful
rhythm of St. Bernard, Jesu dulcis memoria. The second is the wonderful power which
this Holy Name gives to the prayers and petitions of the devout soul. The third is the
immense sweetness which it gives to those who continually renew its memory. The
fourth is the triumph and glory which it will produce in eternity: “They shall glory in
Thee, all who love Thy name/ And thus for the sake of the name of Jesus the whole soul
will live, and be endowed and enriched and beautified with all its powers; it will be made
like to God three and one, united to Him, enlightened by Him, and plunged in perfect
peace through Him, for it is to live for ever in the state of perfect bliss, furnished with the
accumulation of all good.”

—Excerpted from The Prince of Peace by Alban Goodier

Patronage: diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina; diocese of Pratovecchio, Italy

Highlights and Things to Do:

St. Bernardine of Siena (feast May 20) promoted devotion to the Holy Name of
Jesus. From the Catholic Culture Library: St. Bernardino Fostered Holy Name
Devotion.
Find out more about the Holy Name Society.

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Daily Readings for: January 03, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Tuesday of Christmas Time Before Epiphany: O God, who in the

blessed childbearing of the holy Virgin Mary kept the flesh of your Son free from
the sentence incurred by the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have been
taken up into this new creation, may be freed from the ancient taint of sin.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus: O God, who founded the
salvation of the human race on the Incarnation of your Word, give your peoples
the mercy they implore, so that all may know there is no other name to be invoked
but the Name of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Initial Cookies

ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Christmas Play
Day Ten—Activities for the Optional Memorial of the Holy Name of
Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January

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Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

Revering His Holy Name
Story of the Holy Name of Jesus
What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Divine Praises
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus
Invocation or Ejaculation to the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis
Memoria
Prayer of Petition in honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Act of Reparation for Blasphemies Uttered Against the Holy Name of
Jesus
Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Novena in Honor of the Holy Name
A Holy Name Prayer (January 3)

LIBRARY

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St. Bernardino Fostered Holy Name Devotion | Nora Hamerman

The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus | Fr. William Saunders
What’s in a name? | Dr. Michael P. Foley

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-03

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Christmas: January 4th

Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
(USA and CAN); Wednesday of Christmas
Time

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann

Seton Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Prv 14:1-2:
Behold a wise woman who has built her house. She
feared the Lord and walked in the right path.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the
Kingdom of heaven.

Communion Antiphon:
I am the living bread from heaven, says the Lord. Whoever eats this bread will live
forever; the bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.

Mass Propers for Wednesday of Christmas Time Entrance Antiphon, Is 9:1:

A people who walked in darkness has seen a great light; for those dwelling in a land
of deep gloom, a light has shone.

Alleluia Verse, Heb 1:1-2:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he
has spoken to us through the Son.

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Communion Antiphon, 1 Jn 1:2:

That life which was with the Father became visible, and has appeared to us.

Today in the USA and Canada the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton, religious (1774-1821). Born in New York, Elizabeth Ann Bayley married
William Seton and they had five children. After her husband’s death from tuberculosis,
she converted to Catholicism and founded the American Sisters of Charity, a community
of teaching sisters which began Catholic schools throughout the United States,
especially helping with the education of underprivileged children. Mother Seton laid the
foundation of the American parochial school system and was the first native-born
American to be canonized.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton—Day Eleven

Elizabeth Seton was born on August 28, 1774, of a wealthy and

distinguished Episcopalian family. She was baptized in the
Episcopal faith and was a faithful adherent of the Episcopal
Church until her conversion to Catholicism.
She established her first Catholic school in Baltimore in
1808; in 1809, she established a religious community in
Emmitsburg, Maryland. After seeing the expansion of her small
community of teaching sisters to New York and as far as St.
Louis, she died on January 4, 1821, and was declared a saint by Pope Paul VI on
September 14, 1975. She is the first native-born American to be canonized a saint.

Day Eleven Activity (Story Time)

Day Eleven Recipe (Colonial Wassail)

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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

This wife, mother and foundress of a religious congregation was born Elizabeth Ann
Bayley on August 28, 1774 in New York City, the daughter of an eminent physician and
professor at what is now Columbia University. Brought up as an Episcopalian, she
received an excellent education, and from her early years she manifested an unusual
concern for the poor.
In 1794 Elizabeth married William Seton, with whom she had five children. The loss
of their fortune so affected William’s health that in 1803 Elizabeth and William went to
stay with Catholic friends at Livorno, Italy. William died six weeks after their arrival,
and when Elizabeth returned to New York City some six months later, she was already a
convinced Catholic. She met with stern opposition from her Episcopalian friends but was
received into full communion with the Catholic Church on March 4, 1805.
Abandoned by her friends and relatives, Elizabeth was invited by the
superior of the Sulpicians in Baltimore to found a school for girls in that
city. The school prospered, and eventually the Sulpician superior, with
the approval of Bishop Carroll, gave Elizabeth and her assistants a rule
of life. They were also permitted to make religious profession and to
wear a religious habit.
In 1809 Elizabeth moved her young community to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she
adopted as a rule of life an adaptation of the rule observed by the Sisters of Charity,
founded by St. Vincent de Paul. Although she did not neglect the ministry to the poor,
and especially to Negroes, she actually laid the foundation for what became the
American parochial school system. She trained teachers and prepared textbooks for use
in the schools; she also opened orphanages in Philadelphia and New York City.
She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, was beatified by Pope St. John XXIII in
1963, and was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1975.

—Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patronage: against the death of children; against in-law problems; against the loss of
parents; Apostleship of the Sea; opposition of Church authorities; people ridiculed for
their piety; Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana; widows
Highlights and Things to Do:

Meditate on these words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, “What was the first rule of
our dear Savior’s life? You know it was to do His Father’s will. Well, then, the

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first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in
the manner He wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is His willl. I know what is
His will by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small
in itself, is the will of God for me. Then, do it in the manner He wills it.”
Pray this beautiful prayer of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton daily: Oh Father, the first
rule our dear Savior’s life was to do Your Will. Let His Will of the present
moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for
its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so
that doing what You wish, we will be pleasing to You. Amen.
Read more about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton:
Loyola Press for children.
Catholic Ireland
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as a Model of John Paul II’s Feminine Genius

See Catholic Cuisine for some food ideas for her feast day.
Visit in person or online the National Shrine of Elizabeth Seton in Emmitsburg,
Maryland, which is where she is buried.
Nearby is also the National Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where St. Elizabeth
prayed.

Daily Readings for: January 04, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (USA and CAN): O God, who
crowned with the gift of true faith Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s burning zeal to find
you, grant by her intercession and example that we may always seek you with
diligent love and find you in daily service with sincere faith. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Wednesday of Christmas Time before Epiphany: Grant us, almighty God, that

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Wednesday of Christmas Time before Epiphany: Grant us, almighty God, that
the bringer of your salvation, who for the world’s redemption came forth with
newness of heavenly light, may dawn afresh in our hearts and bring us constant
renewal. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever.

RECIPES

Wassail (Colonial)

ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Christmas Play
Day Eleven—Activities for the Eleventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

LIBRARY

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Ecclesia in America | Pope Saint John Paul II

Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) | Pope
Saint John Paul II
Right From the Start: John Carroll, Our First Bishop | Cardinal Timothy
M. Dolan
Spirituality for Widows | Ronda Chervin Ph.D.
Students have the right to learn the Church’s teaching in all its richness |
Pope Saint John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-04

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Christmas: January 5th

Memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop (USA);
Thursday of Christmas Time
Other Commemorations: St. Edward, King and Confessor
(RM)

Mass Propers for the Memorial of St. John Neumann

(USA) Entrance Antiphon, Ps 16:5-6:
O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is
who hold fast my lot. For me the measuring lines have
fallen on pleasant sites; fair to me indeed is my
inheritance.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 10:11-18:

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.

Communion Antiphon, Mt 19:29:

Everyone who has given up home, brothers, or sisters, father or mother, wife or
children or property for my sake will receive many times as much and inherit everlasting
life.

Mass Propers for Thursday of Christmas Time before Epiphany Entrance Antiphon, Cf.
Jn 1:1:
In the beginning and before all ages, the Word was God and he humbled himself to
be born the Savior of the world.

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Alleluia Verse:
A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. Today a
great light has come upon the earth.

Communion Antiphon, Jn 3:16:

God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe
in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.

In the USA today is the Memorial of St. John Nepomucene Neumann, bishop
(1811-1860). John was born in Bohemia (current Czech Republic). While in the
seminary he felt a desire to help in the American missions. After coming to the United
States he was ordained in New York in 1836. Entering the Congregation of the Most
Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1840, he worked in establishing parishes and parish
schools. In 1852 he was consecrated Bishop of Philadelphia and prescribed the Forty
Hours devotion.
The Roman Martyrology commemorates today St. Edward the Confessor
(1003-1066). He was the grandson of St. Edward, king and martyr and became king of
England at the age of forty-seven. As king he was noted for his gentleness, humility,
detachment and angelic purity. He preserved chastity in his wedded life. So little was his
heart set on riches that he freely dispensed his goods at the palace gate to the sick and
poor. His reign was one of almost continuous peace. The people were prosperous and
ruined churches were rebuilt. All spoke affectionately of the wise measures of the “good
King Edward.”

St. John Neumann—Day Twelve John Neumann was born in

Bohemia on March 20, 1811. Since he had a great desire to
dedicate himself to the American missions, he came to the
United States as a cleric and was ordained in New York in 1836
by Bishop Dubois.
In 1840, John Neumann entered the Congregation of the

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Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). He labored in Ohio,

Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1852, he was consecrated bishop
of Philadelphia. There he worked hard for the establishment of parish schools and for
the erection of many parishes for the numerous immigrants. Bishop Neumann died
on January 5, 1860; he was beatified in 1963.

Day Twelve Activity (Visit to the Blessed Sacrament)

Day Twelve Recipe (Vanocka)

St. John Neumann

John Nepomucene Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, the third of six children of a
stocking knitter and his wife in the village of Prachatitz in Bohemia. From his mother he
acquired the spirit of piety and through her encouragement entered the Seminary at
Budweis.
During his seminary years, he yearned to be a foreign missionary in America. He left
his native land and was ordained in June, 1836 by Bishop John Dubois in New York. He
spent four years in Buffalo and the surrounding area building churches and establishing
schools.
In 1840, he joined the Redemptorists. Eight years later he became
a United States citizen. By order of Pope Pius IX in 1852 he was
consecrated fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. His mastery of eight
languages proved extremely helpful in his quest for souls. He was a
pioneer promoter of the Parochial School System in America.
One of the highlights of Saint John Neumann’s life was his participation, in Rome, in
the Proclamation of the Dogma of our Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception.
Through his efforts, the Forty Hours Devotion was introduced in the Philadelphia
Diocese. He founded the first church in America for Italian-speaking people. He also
founded the Glen Riddle group of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.
At 48 years of age, completely exhausted from all his apostolic endeavors, he
collapsed in the street on January 5, 1860. He is buried beneath the altar of the lower
Church in St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia.

Symbols and Representation: Black Redemptorist habit with a pectoral cross

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Symbols and Representation: Black Redemptorist habit with a pectoral cross

Patronage: Catholic Education

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about St. John Neumann:

St. John Neumann site
Loyola Press for children
Papa Stronsay Texts
Salisbury, PA

See Bishop Neumann’s info on Catholic Hierarchy.

If you live close to Philadelphia or are passing through visit the Shrine of St.
John Neumann. The remains of St. John Neumann rest under the altar of the
shrine within a glass-walled reliquary. This was formerly his parish of St.
Peter’s.
Learn more about the Redemptorist Order.
See Catholic Cuisine for some food ideas for St. John Neumann’s feast day.

St. Edward the Confessor

Edward, one of the last kings of the Anglo-Saxons, a grandson of the martyr-king
Edward, passed his youth in exile with his uncle, a Norman leader. In an environment of
sin he preserved innocence of life. Called to the throne of England in 1042, he sought to
put into practice the Christian ideals for a ruler, with the help of God’s grace. His first
efforts were directed toward a renewal of religion in the hearts of his people. Priests were
invited into his kingdom, churches were built. Yielding to pressure, he married, but is
said to have retained virginity during his whole married life.
His favorite saint was St. John the Evangelist; he would not deny any request asked
in his name. One day the Beloved Disciple appeared to him in the form of a beggar and
asked alms in the name of the fourth evangelist; as Edward had no ready money, he gave
up the ring on his finger. Shortly thereafter St. John returned the ring with the message
that his death was near. The king ordered public prayers to be said for himself and died
in the Lord on the day foretold, January 5, 1066.

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—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: Difficult marriages; kings; separated spouses; English royal family;

Sestriere, Italy

Symbols and Representation: Elderly king offering a ring or coin to Saint John who is
disguised as a beggar; ring in his hand; scepter surmounted by a dove; purse; St. John’s
Gospel; sealed scroll; crown; ring; curing a leper; carrying a sick man on his shoulders
Highlights and Things to Do:

Find out more about England and Europe during the time of St. Edward’s life,
particularly the Norman invasion.
Imitating St. Edward, we need to reach out to the needy, both spiritually and
physically.
This holy king esteemed purity and innocence. His favorite saint was the
virgin-disciple of the Lord. His body remained wholly incorrupt. Say a Hail
Mary everyday for the virtue of purity.
Learn the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and put them into practice. St.
Edward lived these daily.
Read The Golden Legend about St. Edward.
Read more about St. Edward:
New Liturgical Movement
Meet the Patron Saint of Difficult Marriages and Separated Spouses
St. Edward Confessor, Optometrist

An Ancient Tomb Discovered

See about King Edward’s Crown and King Edward’s Sapphire.

Daily Readings for: January 05, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

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Collect: Memorial of St. John Neumann (USA): O God, who called the Bishop
Saint John Neumann, renowned for his charity and pastoral service, to shepherd
your people in America, grant by his intercession that, as we foster the Christian
education of youth and are strengthened by the witness of brotherly love, we may
constantly increase the family of your Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever.

Thursday of Christmas Time before Epiphany: O God, who by the Nativity of

your Only Begotten Son wondrously began for your people the work of
redemption, grant, we pray, to your servants such firmness of faith, that by his
guidance they may attain the glorious prize you have promised. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reign with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God for ever and ever.

RECIPES

English Eggs and Bacon

Galuschde (Krautwickel, stuffed cabbage)

ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Christmas Play
Humility and Detachment
Namedays
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January
Teaching About Criticism
What is a Nameday?

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PRAYERS

Christmas Morning Prayers

Christmas Evening Prayers
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Daily Prayer to St. Edward

LIBRARY

Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom | Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI Address at Ecumenical Celebration at Westminster Abbey |
Pope Benedict XVI
Blessed John Neumann, C.SS.R.—Pastoral Bishop | Michael J. Curley
C.SS.R.
St. John Neumann: Model for Priests | Rev. Daniel F. McSheffery

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-05

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Christmas: January 6th

Friday of Christmas Time; Optional Memorial
of St. André Bessette, Religious (USA);
Epiphany (traditional)

Mass Propers for Friday of Christmas Time before

Epiphany Entrance Antiphon, Ps 112 (111):4:
A light has risen in the darkness for the upright of
heart; the Lord is generous, merciful and just.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Mk 9:6:

The heavens were opened and the voice of the
Father thundered: This is my beloved Son. Listen to
him.

Communion Antiphon, 1 Jn 4:9:

By this the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his Only Begotten Son into the
world, so that we might have life through him.

Mass Propers for the Optional Memorial of St. André Bessette Entrance Antiphon, Ps
16(15):5:
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; you yourself who secure my portion.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 11:28:

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the

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Lord.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 19:27-29:

Amen, I say to you: That you who have left all and followed me, will receive a
hundredfold and possess eternal life.

In the United States, today is the Optional Memorial of St. André Bessette, Religious
(1845-1937). St. André was born near Quebec, and entered the Congregation of the Holy
Cross as a Brother. He performed humble tasks for over forty years and entrusted all of
the poor and sick who flocked to his cell to the care of St. Joseph. During his life he was
able to have a chapel built to the spouse of the Virgin Mary. After his death, the shrine
grew into the great basilica known as St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal.
In various regions today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. 7. In the
United States and other regions where the solemnity of the Epiphany is not observed as a
holyday of obligation, it is assigned to a Sunday, which is then considered a proper day
on the calendar, falling on the Sunday between 2 January and 8 January (from General
Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar).
According to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) calendar, the
Optional Memorial of St André Bessette is celebrated in Canada on January 7.

St. André Bessette - Day Thirteen

Brother André spent most of his days in a narrow lodge, with

only a table, some chairs and a bench as furnishings. He was
attentive to the needs of all, smiling, obliging. In the evening he
would engage in the difficult work of maintaining the parlor and
hallway floors. He was on his knees until late at night, washing,
polishing, and waxing by the dim light of a candle. —Abbey of
Saint-Joseph de Clairval
The use of candles is one of the loveliest Christmas customs
that we can keep on using throughout the year. Now, more than ever, Christmas is a
festival of light in a dark world, a time to hold our candles high, and to teach our

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children all the little ceremonies which make life gracious and full of meaning. No
matter how long we live, nor how learned we become, we may travel the world over,
and find nothing more beautiful than candlelight on the face of a child. “Now the
Lord be thanked because we have light.” —Dorothy Albaugh Stickell

Day Thirteen Activity (Candles for the Domestic Church)

Day Thirteen Recipe (Yule Spice Cake)

St. André Bessette

Brother André expressed a saint’s faith by a lifelong devotion to Saint Joseph.
Sickness and weakness dogged André from birth. He was the eighth of twelve
children born to a French Canadian couple near Montreal. Adopted at twelve, when both
parents had died, he became a farmhand. Various trades followed: shoemaker, baker,
blacksmith-all failures. He was a factory worker in the United States during the boom
times of the Civil War.
At twenty-five, he applied for entrance into the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
After a year’s novitiate, he was not admitted because of his weak health. But with an
extension and the urging of Bishop Bourget (see Marie-Rose Durocher, October 6), he
was finally received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College
in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger. “When I
joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained forty years.”
In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night
on his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a
small statue of Saint Joseph, to whom he had been devoted
since childhood. When asked about it he said, “Some day,
Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on
Mount Royal!”
When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer
and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person
lightly with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers
began to spread.
When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, André volunteered to nurse. Not
one person died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood. His superiors

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one person died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood. His superiors
were uneasy; diocesan authorities were suspicious; doctors called him a quack. “I do not
cure,” he said again and again. “Saint Joseph cures.” In the end he needed four
secretaries to handle the eighty thousand letters he received each year.
For many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried to buy land on Mount Royal.
Brother André and others climbed the steep hill and planted medals of Saint Joseph.
Suddenly, the owners yielded. André collected two hundred dollars to build a small
chapel and began receiving visitors there-smiling through long hours of listening,
applying Saint Joseph’s oil. Some were cured, some not. The pile of crutches, canes and
braces grew.
The chapel also grew. By 1931 there were gleaming walls, but money ran out. “Put a
statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If he wants a roof over his head, he’ll get it.” The
magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took fifty years to build. The sickly boy who could
not hold a job died at ninety.
He is buried at the Oratory and was beatified in 1982. On December 19, 2009, Pope
Benedict XVI promulgated a decree recognizing a second miracle at Brother André’s
intercession and on October 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI formally declared sainthood
for Brother André.

—Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Highlights and Things to Do:

Read more about the life of St. André.

Learn more about the Holy Cross Brothers, the order of which St. André was a
member. Pray for an increase in vocations and for those who are already living
the religious life.
If you live close to St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, make a pilgrimage. If
that’s not possible make a virtual pilgrimage.
Say a prayer for the sick who were so dear to the heart of Brother André.
Try the recipes offered to sample authentic French Canadian food.
Read more about Brother André:
Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops
Seven Crosses of Brother André’s Life
Healthy Catholics

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The remains of Bessette lie in the church he helped build, St. Joseph’s Oratory.
His body lies in a tomb built below the Oratory’s Main Chapel, except for his
heart, which is preserved in a reliquary in the same Oratory. The heart was stolen
in March 1973, but was recovered in December 1974.
See Catholic Cuisine for a maple candy recipe for this day.

Daily Readings for: January 06, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Friday of Christmas Time before Epiphany: Cast your kindly light
upon your faithful, Lord, we pray, and with the splendor of your glory set their
hearts ever aflame, that they may never cease to acknowledge their Savior and
may truly hold fast to him. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. André: Lord our God, friend of the lowly, who gave
your servant, Saint André Bessette, a great devotion to Saint Joseph and a special
commitment to the poor and afflicted, help us through his intercession to follow
his example of prayer and love and so come to share with him in your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Candied Fruit Peel—Epiphany Gift

Cappelletti all’uso di Romagna (Soup with Little Hats)
Galette des Rois
King Cake (New Orleans’ Style)
Maple Tourlouche (Upside Down Cake)
Tourtière (Meat Pie)

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Tourtière (Meat Pie)

Twelfth Night Cake III
Twelfth Night Cake IV

ACTIVITIES

Carnival or Mardi Gras

Christmas and the Eucharist
Day Thirteen—Activities for the Thirteenth Day of Christmas
Enthroning the Crib for Epiphany
Epiphany Crib Scene Figures
Epiphany Home Blessing Ceremony
Explanation of Epiphany, or the Manifestation of the Lord
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Pre-Lent and Carnival
Pre-Lent, or Carnival in the Home
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January
Singing and Acting
St. Joseph’s Oil
The Echo Yodel
The Feasts of Light: Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas
Tradition of the Epiphany Mystery Play
Turkey in the Straw
Twelfth Night Cake And Kings Tradition
What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

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Roman Ritual: Blessing of Chalk on Epiphany

Blessing of the Home on Epiphany
Procession to the Royal Crib on Epiphany
Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life
Prayer for a Sick Person
Epiphany Prayers for the Home (without Home Blessing)
Summary of Epiphany Blessings from the Roman Ritual
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Epiphany Home Blessing
Prayer to Saint Joseph for Protection
Epiphany Prayer from Mozarabic Breviary
Epiphany Prayer - 2 from Mozarabic Breviary
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Gold, Incense, and Myrrh on Epiphany
Epiphany Home Blessing Ceremony
Epiphany Meal Blessing
Solemn Announcing of Movable Feastdays on Epiphany

LIBRARY

An Extreme Revolution of Holiness: An Insider’s Look at Citizenship

With the Saints | Fr. Thomas Rosica
Blessed Brother Andre Bessette, C.S.C.: The Miracle Man of Montreal |
Unknown

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Finding St. Joseph | Sandra Miesel

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-06

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Christmas: January 7th

Saturday of Christmas Time; Optional
Memorial of St. Raymond of Peñafort, Priest
Other Commemorations: St. André Bessette, Religious
(Memorial, CAN)

Mass Propers for Saturday of Christmas Time before

Epiphany Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Jn 1:1:
In the beginning and before all ages, the Word was
God and he humbled himself to be born the Savior of
the world.

Alleluia Verse, Lk 7:16:

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God
has visited his people.

Communion Antiphon, Jn 3:16:

God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe
in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.

Mass Propers for the Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Peñafort Entrance Antiphon,
Cf. Lk 4:18:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me and sent me to preach the
good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted.

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Alleluia Verse, Lk 21:34-36:

Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the
Son of Man.

Communion Antiphon, Mt 28:20:

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord.

Today is the Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Peñafort, Priest (1175-1275).

Born in Barcelona, Spain, St. Raymond of Peñafort was the third Superior-General of
the Domincan Order. He is famous for his work in the freeing of slaves. He wrote five
books of Decretals which are now a valuable part of the Canon Law of the Church. The
Summa Casuum, which is about the correct and fruitful administration of the Sacrament
of Penance, is the most notable of his works.
The Church in Canada celebrates the feast of St. André Bessette today. See January 6
for prayers and information.

St. Raymond of Peñafort—Day Fourteen

St. Raymond devoted much of his life to helping the poor. The
famous incident which is recounted in the story of Raymond’s
life took place when he went with King James to Majorca. The
King dismissed Raymond’s request to return home. Relying on
his faith and love of God, Raymond walked on the waves to his
ship, spread his cloak to make a sail, made the sign of the cross
then sailed to the distant harbor of Barcelona.
For St. Raymond’s feast we should remember that,
“carolling and story telling belong to the whole Christmas season. Hospitality and
giving to others also must continue if true Christmas joy is to remain. An outing to
which friends are invited or a party that includes a round of carolling become perhaps
even more appropriate with the approach of Epiphany.” —Excerpted from The
Twelve Days of Christmas

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Day Fourteen Activity (Legend of the Little Girl)

Day Fourteen Recipe (Christstollen)

St. Raymond of Peñafort

The blessed Raymond was born at Barcelona, of the noble family of Peñafort. Having
been imbued with the rudiments of the Christian faith, the admirable gifts he had
received, both of mind and body, were such that even when quite a boy he seemed to
promise great things in his later life.
Whilst still young, he taught humanities in Barcelona. Later on, he went to Bologna,
where he applied himself with much diligence to the exercises of a virtuous life, and to
the study of canon and civil law. He there received the Doctor’s cap, and interpreted the
sacred canons so ably that he was the admiration of his hearers. The holiness of his life
becoming known far and wide, Berengarius, the Bishop of Barcelona, when returning to
his diocese from Rome, visited Bologna in order to see him; and after most earnest
entreaties, induced Raymond to accompany him to Barcelona. He was shortly after made
Canon and Provost of that Church, and became a model to the clergy and people by his
uprightness, modesty, learning and meekness. His tender devotion to the Holy Mother of
God was extraordinary, and he never neglected an opportunity of zealously promoting
the devotion and honor which are due to her.
When he was about forty-five years of age, he made his solemn
profession in the Order of the Friars Preachers. He then, as a soldier but
just entered into service, devoted himself to the exercise of every virtue,
but above all to charity to the poor, and this mainly to the captives who
had been taken by the infidels. It was by his exhortation that St Peter
Nolasco (who was his penitent) was induced to devote all his riches to
this work of most meritorious charity. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Peter, as also to
blessed Raymond and to James the First, King of Aragon, telling them that it would be
exceedingly pleasing to herself and her divine Child, if an Order of Religious men were
instituted whose mission it should be to deliver captives from the tyranny of infidels.
Whereupon, after deliberating together, they founded the Order of our Lady of Mercy for
the Ransom of Captives; and blessed Raymond drew up certain rules of life, which were
admirably adapted to the spirit and vocation of the said Order. Some years after, he
obtained their approbation from Gregory the Ninth, and made St Peter Nolasco, to whom

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obtained their approbation from Gregory the Ninth, and made St Peter Nolasco, to whom
he gave the habit with his own hands, first General of the Order.
Raymond was called to Rome by the same Pope, who appointed him to be his
Chaplain, Penitentiary, and Confessor. It was by Gregory’s order that he collected
together, in the volume called the Decretals, the Decrees of the Roman Pontiffs, which
were to be found separately in the various Councils and Letters. He was most resolute in
refusing the Archbishopric of Tarragona, which the same Pontiff offered to him, and, of
his own accord resigned the Generalship of the Dominican Order, which office he had
discharged in a most holy manner for the space of two years. He persuaded James the
King of Aragon to establish in his dominions the Holy Office of the Inquisition. He
worked many miracles; among which is that most celebrated one of his having, when
returning to Barcelona from the island of Majorca, spread his cloak upon the sea, and
sailed upon it, in the space of six hours, the distance of a hundred and sixty miles, and
having reached his convent, entered it through the closed doors. At length, when he had
almost reached the hundredth year of his age, and was full of virtue and merit, he slept in
the Lord, in the year of the Incarnation 1275. He was canonized by Pope Clement the
Eighth.

Patronage: Attorneys; barristers; canon lawyers; lawyers; medical record librarians;

Barcelona, Spain; Navarre, Spain

Symbols and Representation: book; cloak; key; Dominican using his cloak as a sail
HIghlights and Things to Do:

St. Raymond diligently studied Canon Law. Spend some time learning what are
the obligations and rights of the laity under Church law.
Learn more about the Spanish Inquistion.
Raymond died at the age of 100 years old and was buried in the the Cathedral of
Barcelona, The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.
St. Raymond contributed much to the understanding of the Sacrament of
Penance.
See Catholic Cuisine for some clever food ideas for this saint.

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Daily Readings for: January 07, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Saturday of Christmas Time before Epiphany: Almighty ever-living

God, who were pleased to shine forth with new light through the coming of your
Only Begotten Son, grant, we pray, that, just as he was pleased to share our bodily
form through the childbearing of the Virgin Mary, so we, too, may one day merit
to become companions in his kingdom of grace. Who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Optional Memorial of St. Raymond: O God, who adorned the Priest Saint
Raymond with the virtue of outstanding mercy and compassion for sinners and for
captives, grant us, through his intercession, that, released from slavery to sin, we
may carry out in freedom of spirit what is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Flan
Flan
Paella I
Paella II

ACTIVITIES

Christmas and the Eucharist

Day Fourteen—Activities for the Fourteenth Day of Christmas
Namedays
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

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What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Christmas Table Blessing 1

Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Prelates, Kings and Peoples of the Earth!
Act of Contrition
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)
The Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts

LIBRARY

Doctrines of Dominican Theology | J. A. McHugh O.P., S.T.M., Litt.,D.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-07

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Christmas: January 8th

The Epiphany of the Lord

On the Epiphany of the Lord, after the singing of the

Gospel, a Deacon or cantor, in keeping with an ancient
practice of Holy Church, announces the
Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts
following this formula.
Mass Propers for the Vigil Mass of the Epiphany
Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Bar 5:5:
Arise, Jerusalem, and look to the East and see your
children gathered from the rising to the setting of the sun.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 2:2:

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.

Preface of the Epiphany of the Lord Christ the light of the nations:
It is truly right and just our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as a light for the
nations, and, when he appeared in our mortal nature, you made us new by the glory of his
immortal nature.
And so, with the Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all
the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we
acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Rev 21:23:

The brightness of God illumined the holy city Jerusalem, and the nations will walk by

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The brightness of God illumined the holy city Jerusalem, and the nations will walk by
its light.

Mass Propers for the Epiphany, Mass during the Day Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Mal 3:1; 1
Chr 29:12:
Behold the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power
and dominion.

Alleluia Verse, Mt 2:2:

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.

Communion Antiphon, Cf. Mt 2:2:

We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the

Epiphany of the Lord. “The Lord and ruler is coming;
kingship is his, and government and power.” With these
words the Church proclaims that today’s feast brings to a
perfect fulfillment all the purposes of Advent. Epiphany,
therefore, marks the liturgical zenith of the
Advent-Christmas season. — Pius Parsch

The Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated either on

January 6 or, according to the decision of the episcopal
conference, on the Sunday between January 2 and January
8. The young Messiah is revealed as the light of the
nations. Yet, as the antiphon for the Magnificat at Second Vespers reminds us, three
mysteries are encompassed in this solemnity: the adoration of the Christ Child by the
Magi, the Baptism of Christ and the wedding feast at Cana. Extra candles and/or lamps
may be placed around the sanctuary and in other parts of the church to honor Christ

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revealed as the Light of the Gentiles (Ceremonial of Bishops). It is customary to replace

the images of the shepherds at the crib with the three Magi and their gifts. —Ceremonies
of the Liturgical Year, Msgr. Peter J. Elliott, Ignatius Press.

The feast of the Epiphany, which was kept in

the East and in certain Western Churches before
being observed in Rome, seems to have been
originally a feast of the nativity; January 6, for
those churches where it was kept, was the
equivalent of Christmas (December 25) in the
Roman Church. The feast was introduced at
Rome in the second half of the sixth century and
became the complement and, so to say, the
crown of the Christmas festival.
Epiphany means manifestation. What the
Church celebrates today is the manifestation of
our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He
is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. Christian tradition
has ever seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the
peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation. St.
Leo brings out this point admirably in a sermon, read at Matins, in which he shows in the
adoration of the Magi the beginnings of Christian faith, the time when the great mass of
the heathen sets off to follow the star which summons it to seek its Saviour.
That is the meaning, too, of the wonderful prophecy from Isaias which the liturgy
appoints to be read in the first nocturn at Matins and at the Epistle of the Mass. This
same thought of universal redemption the Church returns to as she sings, in the antiphon
to the Magnificat at 2nd Vespers, applying the words to herself, of the union with Christ
typified by the wedding feast at Cana, by the baptism of her children foreshadowed by
that of Christ in the waters of the Jordan. Formerly the Epiphany was an additional day
for solemn baptisms.

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Solemnity of the Epiphany—Day Fifteen

Epiphany is a large celebration, especially in Spanish speaking

countries. Things look different around the household: the infant
Jesus in the manger now has a small gold crown and is wearing
regal robes. The figures of the wise men have reached
Bethlehem, completing the nativity scene.
The Church extends itself on Epiphany to the homes of the
faithful. The custom of blessing the home on this day probably
originated from these words in the Gospel, “And entering into
the house, they found the Child with Mary, His Mother, and falling down they adored
Him.” The priest blesses the house if he can be present, but if not, the father of the
family may do so.

Day Fifteen Activity (Epiphany Party)

Day Fifteen Recipe (Twelfth Day Cake)

Mass Readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Cycle A:

The First Reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-6. The prophet is
trying to cheer the exiles by foretelling the glorious future of the new Jerusalem which is
not yet rebuilt. The special radiance of God will illuminate it. Gentiles will bring their
riches to it. From East and West peoples will flock to it. The Feast of the Epiphany is the
feast which commemorates the manifestation of God to the Gentiles. This manifestation
began when the Wise Men from the East came to Bethlehem to pay their respects and
offer their gifts to the newly-born king of the Jews. Though the words of Isaiah were not
understood by his hearers as referring to this event, it was only in the coming of the
Magi, to welcome Christ, that they were really fulfilled.
The Second Reading is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 3:2-3;
5-6. St. Paul’s thoughts in his prison in Rome are not for himself nor for the fate that
awaits him. He is thinking instead of the mission Christ gave him, to evangelize the
Gentile nations. He has done much already, and even in prison he does all he can to

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continue the good work. He writes to his Gentile converts from Rome, to remind them of
their great privilege in being called to the Christian faith. They are now God’s new
Chosen People, they are now members of Christ’s mystical body.
The Gospel of today’s feast, is from the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi are
the central personages in today’s feast of Epiphany. They were pagans who did not know
the true God of the Jews. Yet that true God revealed to them that the King he had
promised to the Jews had come. The expected Prince was born. They came to Jerusalem,
the capital of Judah, expecting, of course, to find the city and the whole country
rejoicing. Instead they found suspicion and hatred in the reigning king—a hatred which
in a few days turned to murder. Among the religious leaders they found knowledge of
their past history, but utter indifference as regards the present and the future. These
leaders knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem; they must have realized that the
Magi were very sure of the truth revealed to them—they would not have come such a
long journey on a “fool’s errand.” In spite of that, the thought of going to Bethlehem
with the Magi never entered their minds. These were the leaders who some years later
refused to listen to Christ and in spite of his miracles refused to admit his claim that he
was not only the promised Messiah, but the true Son of God. These were men who
rejected him because he had mercy on sinners, and spoke of a future life. What they
wanted from their Messiah was political power and earthly freedom and prosperity. Like
Herod they ended with murder—the crucifixion of the “King of the Jews.” The pagan
king was not much worse than the indifferent leaders of God’s Chosen People. Let us
resolve to make the Magi our models, to follow them to Bethlehem and offer Christ all
that we have and are.

—Adapted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Station with San

Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter’s in the Vatican):The Station is in
the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, in keeping with the
dignity of the festival of the Epiphany. Epiphany means
manifestation. It is the mystery of Christmas, the manifestation
of Christ to the world. It is no longer only to the Jews that He is
shown; in the person of the three Wise Men it is to all people
that He stand revealed as the light of nations. The original basilica was built by

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Constantine in 323 over the place where St. Peter was buried.
For more information, see: St. Peter’s Basilica Information Rome Art Lover Roman Churches Walks in Rome

For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.

Daily Readings for: January 08, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Vigil Mass May the splendor
of your majesty, O Lord, we pray, shed its light upon our hearts, that we may pass
through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Epiphany Mass During the Day: O God, who on this day revealed your Only
Begotten Son tot he nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy that we,
who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your
sublime glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Brazilian King’s Bread

Candied Fruit Peel—Epiphany Gift
Cappelletti all’uso di Romagna (Soup with Little Hats)
Dutch King’s Bread
Epiphany Bread
Fave dei Morti II
Fireside Punch
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Galette des Rois

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Gateau des Rois (1)

Gateau des Rois (2)
Insalata di Rinforzo
King Cake (New Orleans’ Style)
King’s Ring
Kings’ Bread Ring
Lamb Pie with Poppy Seed Crust
Lamb’s Wool I
Lamb’s Wool II
Lamb’s Wool III
Lamb’s Wool IV
Little Hats Cappelletti
Little Mince Pies
Mostarda di Cremona (Fruited Mustard)
Pate de Noel (Christmas Pie)
Rosca de Reyes
Spanish King’s Bread
Spanish King’s Cake
Twelfth Night Bread I
Twelfth Night Bread II
Twelfth Night Bread of Lady Carcas
Twelfth Night Cake I
Twelfth Night Cake II
Twelfth Night Cake III
Twelfth Night Cake IV
King’s Cake

ACTIVITIES

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A Children’s Party for Twelfth Night

A Christmas Play
An Epiphany Drama
Carnival or Mardi Gras
Celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany
Christmas and the Eucharist
Christmas at Home and in the Liturgy
Day Twelve ~ Activities for the Twelfth Day of Christmas
Day Twelve—Activities for the Feast of Epiphany
Enthroning the Crib for Epiphany
Epiphany Cake Tradition
Epiphany Crib Scene Figures
Epiphany Feast Suggestions
Epiphany Home Blessing Ceremony
Epiphany Mass
Epiphany Mass in an Eastern Rite
Epiphany of Our Lord
Epiphany Plays for the Family and Community
Explanation of Epiphany, or the Manifestation of the Lord
Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
Giving of Presents
Kings’ Party or Twelfth Night Party
Living the Liturgy in the Home for Advent and Christmas
Meaning of Epiphany
Posters for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

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Singing and Acting

The Feasts of Light: Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas
The Wise Men, An Epiphany Legend
Tradition of the Epiphany Mystery Play
Twelfth Night Cake And Kings Tradition

PRAYERS

Roman Ritual: Blessing of Chalk on Epiphany

Blessing of the Home on Epiphany
Procession to the Royal Crib on Epiphany
Christmas Morning Prayers
Christmas Evening Prayers
Epiphany Prayers for the Home (without Home Blessing)
Summary of Epiphany Blessings from the Roman Ritual
Christmas Table Blessing 1
Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing of a Christmas Tree
Book of Blessings: Blessing of Homes During the Christmas and Easter
Seasons
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
Epiphany Home Blessing
Book of Blessings: Blessing of the Christmas Tree for the Home (Shorter
Rite)
Epiphany Prayer from Mozarabic Breviary
Epiphany Prayer - 2 from Mozarabic Breviary

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Roman Ritual: Blessing of Gold, Incense, and Myrrh on Epiphany

Roman Ritual: Blessing of Homes on Epiphany
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Water on Eve of Epiphany
Roman Ritual: Litany of the Saints
Epiphany Home Blessing Ceremony
Epiphany Meal Blessing
Solemn Announcing of Movable Feastdays on Epiphany
Roman Ritual: Blessing of Eggs
The Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts

LIBRARY

Be An Epiphany Of Christ, Of His Merciful Love | Pope Saint John Paul II

Benedict XVI Homily for Feast of the Epiphany 2011 | Pope Benedict
XVI
Epiphany Celebrates Church’s Catholicity | Pope Saint John Paul II
The Epiphany of the Lord | Kilian J. Hennrich O.F.M., Cap., A.M.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2023-01-08

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Christmas: January 9th

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Mass Propers for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Mt 3:16-17:
After the Lord was baptized, the heavens were
opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove,
and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

Alleluia Verse, Mk 9:7:

The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved
Son, listen to him.

Preface: The Baptism of the Lord:

It is truly right and just our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For in the waters of the Jordan you revealed with signs and wonders a new Baptism,
so that through the voice that came down from heaven we might come to believe in your
Word dwelling among us, and by the Spirit’s descending in the likeness of a dove we
might know that Christ your Servant has been anointed with the oil of gladness and sent
to bring the good news to the poor.
And so, with the Powers of heaven, we worship you constantly on earth, and before
your majesty without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, Jn 1:32, 34:

Behold the One of whom John said: I have seen and testified that this is the Son of
God.

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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. "When the
Solemnity of the Epiphany is transferred to Sunday, if this Sunday occurs on January 7
or8, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following Monday (Third
Roman Missal).
This feast brings to an end the season of Christmas. The Church recalls Our Lord’s
second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the
Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power
to beget sons of God. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which
the entire Trinity intervenes.
In the Eastern Church this feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ
in the River Jordan God appeared in three persons. The baptism of John was a sort of
sacramental preparatory for the Baptism of Christ. It moved men to sentiments of
repentance and induced them to confess their sins. Christ did not need the baptism of
John. Although He appeared in the "substance of our flesh" and was recognized
“outwardly like unto ourselves”, He was absolutely sinless and impeccable. He conferred
upon the water the power of the true Baptism which would remove all the sins of the
world: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world”.
Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ’s baptism are symbolical of what
happened at our Baptism. At Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at
our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed
the “Beloved Son” of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At
Christ’s baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At
His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin.

—Excerpted from Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

Customs on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

In the Ukraine the faithful gather in the front of the church where a cross of ice is placed.
Since there are no rivers near churches, a tub is filled with water and is placed in front of
the ice cross. During special and very unique services the water is blessed and brought
home. This is taken in before breakfast is eaten. The remains are kept during the year to
keep the home safe from fire, lightening and sickness.
The priest visits his parishioners to bless their homes with the holy water that the

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The priest visits his parishioners to bless their homes with the holy water that the
New Year may be one of cooperation with the gift of God; His Son and the participation
in the Life He has come to lead us in toward Salvation. The evening meal is very much a
repeat of the Holy Supper except that there are no restrictions on meat and dairy
products. It starts with Kutia, which has been saved from Christmas Eve.

Feast of the Baptism of Christ—Day Sixteen

Today we celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. This
is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. The
past, the present, and the future are made manifest in this
epiphany.
The most holy one placed Himself among us, the
unclean and sinners. The Son of God freely humbled
Himself at the hand of the Baptist. By His baptism in the
Jordan, Christ manifests His humility and dedicates Himself
to the redemption of man. He takes upon Himself the sins of
the whole world and buries them in the waters of the Jordan.
—The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Day Sixteen Activity (Renewal of Baptismal Vows)

Day Sixteen Recipe (Christ’s Diapers)

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The mystery of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by St
John, the Precursor, proposes the contemplation of an
already adult Jesus. This mystery is infinitely linked to
the Solemnities of the Lord’s birth and the Epiphany
that we have just celebrated, as in some ways it takes up
and represents their significance to us.
At Christmas we have contemplated the human
birth of the Word incarnate by the Virgin Mary. In the

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4th century, the Fathers of the Church deepened the

understanding of the faith with regard to the Christmas
mystery in the light of Jesus’ Humanity. They spoke of
the Incarnation of the Word already working like the
‘Christification’ of that humanity that he had assumed
from His mother. Or put in simpler terms: Jesus is the Christ from the first instant of
conception in Mary’s spotless womb because He Himself, with His Divine Power,
consecrated, anointed and ‘Christified’ that human nature with which He became
incarnate.
In the mystery of the Epiphany, we then meditated on Christ’s manifestation to all
nations that was represented by the Magi, the wise men from the East, who came to
adore the Child.
Now, in the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan River, we again encounter and
represent the truth of the Lord’s incarnation and His manifestation as the Christ. Jesus’
Baptism is in fact His definitive manifestation as the Messiah or Christ to Israel, and as
the Son of the Father to the entire world. Here we find the dimension of the Epiphany
which was His manifestation to all nations. The Father’s voice from heaven shows that
Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a
dove shows the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God. The true and unique God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shows Himself in Christ, through Him, with Him and in
Him.
The Baptism in the Jordan returns to the great Christmas theme of ‘Christification,’
Jesus of Nazareth’s spiritual anointing, His presentation as the Anointed One par
excellence, the Messiah or the One sent by the Father for the salvation of mankind. The
Spirit that descended on Jesus shows and seals in an incontrovertible way the
‘Christification’ of Jesus’ humanity that the Word had already fulfilled from the first
moment of His miraculous conception by Mary. Jesus, from the very beginning, was
always the Lord’s Christ, He was always God. Yet, His one, true humanity, that which is
perfect in every way, as the Gospel records, constantly grew in natural and supernatural
perfection. ‘ And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with
men’ (Lk2:52). In Israel at 30 years of age, one reached full maturity and therefore could
become a master. Jesus came of age and the Spirit, descending and remaining on Him,
definitively consecrated His whole being as the Christ.
The same Spirit, that descended on the water of the River Jordan wafted over the
waters during the first creation (Gen 1:2). Therefore, the Baptism in the Jordan presents
yet another truth: that Jesus has started a new creation. He is the second man (1 Cor

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15:47) or the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that comes to repair the first Adam’s guilt. He
does this as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. ‘Looking at the events in light of
the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded
the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of
the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners’
(Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p 18).

—Excerpted from the Dicastery for the Clergy

Mass Readings for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The First Reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:1-4; 6-7. This
prophecy of Isaiah was chosen today’s feast which commemorates the baptism of Christ
in the Jordan, because on that occasion the Father’s voice from heaven proclaimed that
Christ was “his beloved servant in whom he was well pleased.” Following the
interpretation of the inspired Evangelists and of the ancient and constant tradition of the
Church, we can have no hesitation in seeing gin these works of Isaiah, written five
centuries or so before Christ, a description of the Savior who came on earth to teach Jew
and Gentile the new law of God, the law of love and mercy,.
The Second Reading is from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38. These
verse of Acts are read for use today because they contain a reference to our Lord’s
baptism. That day, nearly two thousand years ago, when Christ by his baptism in the
Jordan, began his public preaching of salvation for all men, is a day—a feastday—no
true Christian can ever forget. The baptism of John was for sinners—a sign of change of
heart and a turning to God. Christ had no sin, he had never turned away from God, he
was God—but he was the representative of sinful humanity. He represented us sinners
that day and opened the door of salvation for us. In that ceremony Christ was proclaimed
by the heavenly Father to be his son and faithful servant, and the power of the Holy
Spirit came upon him.
But this was all for us; as God he already had all things in common with the Father
and the Holy Spirit. But in his human nature—our weak human nature—he was one that
day proclaimed God’s true and faithful servant. At the same moment we human beings
were accepted in him and through him as God’s adopted children. The mission of Christ
was for us. There is no comparison between what God has prepared for us, and promises
us, and the trifling conditions he asks us to fulfill in order to earn his promised reward.
The Gospel for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is from the Gospel of

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The Gospel for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is from the Gospel of
Matthew 3:13-17. John’s mission was to prepare his fellow-Jews for the inauguration of
the messianic kingdom, expected and eagerly awaited, for centuries. His baptism, a
washing of the people in the Jordan waters, was an outward sign of their inner
repentance, and a turning of their hearts to God. Jesus had no sins of which to repent, and
his heart was always with God. He was God in human nature, but he wished to associate
with all pious Jews, and so, like them, to be baptized by John. This was his way of
inaugurating the messianic era. God’s revelation to the Baptist and to the bystanders,
which immediately followed the baptism, showed that it was the inaugural act of
Christ’s messianic mission.

—Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.

Daily Readings for: January 09, 2023

(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: Almighty ever-living God, who,
when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit
descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your
children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well
pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Initial Cookies
Kutia
Letter banket
Christ’s Diapers

ACTIVITIES

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A Two-Fold Theme: Baptism and Penance

Activities for the Feast of the Baptism of Christ
Baptism Catechesis
Baptism Customs
Baptismal Day
Christmas and the Eucharist
Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
Introducing God to Our Children
Making a Baptismal Garment and Candle
On Celebrating Baptism
Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Baptism)
Receive the White Garment
Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January
Religion in the Home for Preschool: January
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
Sacramental Life in the Home: Baptism
Teaching Baptism Through Scripture

PRAYERS

Christmas Table Blessing 1

Christmas Table Blessing 2
Christmas Table Blessing 3
Christmas Table Blessing 4
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas Season
(2nd Plan)
To Jordan’s Water
Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Christmas (1st Plan)

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Renewal of Baptismal Promises

LIBRARY

Baptism Is Not a Formality | Pope Francis

Baptism Is the Starting Point of a Lifelong Path to Conversion | Pope
Francis
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord | Pope Benedict XVI
Holy Trinity Is Revealed at Jesus’ Baptism | Pope Saint John Paul II
In Baptism Jesus Is in Solidarity with Us | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org:

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