Liturgical Year 2019-2020, Vol. 2

Ordinary Time before Lent

by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Darden Brock (editors)

Second of six volumes covering the 2019-2020 Catholic liturgical year, including all the days of the initial portion of Ordinary Time which falls between Christmas and Lent.

Trinity Communications CatholicCulture.org P.O. Box 582 Manassas, VA 20108 © Copyright Trinity Communications 2020 Book ID: LY20192020-V2-OTBL-jmgmdb

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, liturgical year resources, Church documents, reviews, and collections of historic Catholic writings and references. You can also sign up for daily and weekly email newsletters.

Trinity Communications is a non-profit corporation. If you would like to support our work, please register and contribute on the website; or mail a check or money order along with your email address to Trinity Communications, P.O. Box 582, Manassas, VA 20108, USA.

We look forward to seeing you at www.catholicculture.org. Table of Contents

Introduction to the Liturgical Year 6 Introduction to Ordinary Time 9 January 13th (First Monday in Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. , and doctor; Memorial of St. Kentigern, bishop (Scotland)) 11 January 14th (Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time) 16 January 15th (Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time; Our Lady of Prompt Succor; Black Christ of Esquipulas (Guatemala) ) 24 January 16th (Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time) 30 January 17th (Memorial of St. Anthony, abbot) 34 January 18th (Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time) 38 January 19th (Second Sunday of Ordinary Time) 41 January 20th (Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Fabian, and ; St. Sebastian, martyr) 46 January 21st (Memorial of St. Agnes, and martyr; Our Lady of High Grace (Dominican Republic)) 51 January 22nd (Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children) 57 January 23rd (Thursday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Vincent of Saragossa, & martyr; St. Marianne Cope) 62 January 24th (Memorial of St. , bishop and doctor; Optional memorial of Our Lady of Peace) 68 January 25th (Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle) 73 January 26th (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time) 77 January 27th (Monday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici, virgin) 81 January 28th (Memorial of St. , and doctor) 84 January 29th (Wednesday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time) 90 January 30th (Thursday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time) 93 January 31st (Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest) 97 February 1st (Saturday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time; Feast of St. Brigid, Virgin (Ireland) (NZ, Opt. Mem.)) 101 February 2nd (The Presentation of the Lord) 105 February 3rd (Monday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr; St. Ansgar, bishop ) 112

February 4th (Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time) 117 February 5th (Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr) 121 February 6th (Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, ) 126 February 7th (Friday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time) 131 February 8th (Saturday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Emiliani, priest; St. Josephine Bakhita, virgin) 134 February 9th (Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time ) 141 February 10th (Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin) 145 February 11th (Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of ) 149 February 12th (Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time) 155 February 13th (Thursday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time) 159 February 14th (Memorial of Sts. Cyril, monk and St. Methodius, bishop) 164 February 15th (Saturday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time; St. Claude de la Colombiere, priest (some places)) 170 February 16th (Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time) 176 February 17th (Monday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of Seven Founders of the Order of Servites) 180 February 18th (Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time) 184 February 19th (Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time) 188 February 20th (Thursday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Sts. Francisco & Jacinta Marto (Portugal)) 193 February 21st (Friday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. , bishop and doctor) 197 February 22nd (Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle) 201 February 23rd (Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time) 205 February 24th (Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time) 209 February 25th (Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time) 212 LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 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 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 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

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 7

Church’s manifold vocations, including the vocations of those who dedicate themselves exclusively to Christ and the Church’s service as 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:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 8

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: http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/introduction-to-liturgical-year/

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 9

Introduction to Ordinary Time

The rhythm of the liturgical seasons reflects the rhythm of life—with its celebrations of anniversaries and its seasons of quiet growth and maturing. Ordinary Time, meaning ordered or numbered time, is celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord up to Ash Wednesday; and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes it the largest season of the Liturgical Year. In vestments usually green, the color of hope and growth, the Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ–his life, miracles and teachings–in the light of his Resurrection. If the faithful are to mature in the spiritual life and increase in faith, they must descend the great mountain peaks of Easter and Christmas in order to “pasture” in the vast verdant meadows of tempus per annum, or Ordinary Time. Sunday by Sunday, the Pilgrim Church marks her journey through the tempus per annum as she processes through time toward eternity. In her revision of the Liturgy, the Church has sought to reestablish the preeminence of Sunday, that feast day par excellence, over every other feast day. Recognizing, too, that Our Lord is really present when Sacred Scripture is read during the Liturgy, she has opened up the “treasures of the bible so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s Word” (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 51). To encourage her children to have a warm and living love for Scripture, the Church has enlarged the Sunday Lectionary so that the various books of the New Testaments are read roughly from beginning to end over a period of weeks, and the synoptic Gospels are read in a three-year cycle: Year A—Matthew; Year B—Mark; Year C—Luke. Old Testament readings and Psalms are chosen to correspond to the Gospel passages and to bring out the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New. The revised weekday lectionary for Ordinary Time complements the Sunday lectionary with its two-year cycle of readings presenting all the major portions of the Bible, and a one-year cycle for the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. While insisting that the feasts that commemorate the mysteries of salvation take precedence, the Church nonetheless includes the celebration of the feast days of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the saints in the liturgical calendar:

By inserting into the annual cycle the commemoration of the martyrs and other

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 10

saints on the occasion of their anniversaries, “the Church proclaims the Easter mystery of the saints who suffered with Christ and with him are now glorified” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 102). When celebrated in the true spirit of the liturgy, the commemoration of the saints does not obscure the centrality of Christ, but on the contrary extols it…. The intrinsic relationship between the glory of the saints and that of Christ is built into the very arrangement of the liturgical year, and is expressed most eloquently in the fundamental and sovereign character of Sunday as the Lord’s Day. (John Paul II, Dies Domini, 78)

Parents are challenged to keep the Easter mystery alive in their families throughout the season of Ordinary Time—to focus on the mysteries of Christ which the Church sets before them in the weekly Mass readings and to apply those readings to their daily lives. In this way, faith will bear fruit within their homes, intensifying through the fertile weeks of Ordinary Time until its conclusion, the crowning feast of Christ the King. Then, at the close of every Liturgical Year, we look forward with renewed hope to Christ’s coming again in glory to reign as Lord forever. For it is Jesus Christ we seek when we strive to live the Liturgical Year with the Church. He is the “Lord of time; he is its beginning and its end; every year, every day and every moment are embraced by his Incarnation and resurrection, and thus become part of the ‘fullness of time’.” (Easter Vigil Liturgy, Blessing of the Paschal Candle) The second and final segment of Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Year is very long, running from the day after Pentecost (the close of the Easter season) to the day before Advent. The first half of this period is covered in Volume 5 of our series on the Liturgical Year, and the second half in Volume 6.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/introduction-to-ordinary-time/

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 11

Ordinary Time: January 13th

First Monday in Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, bishop and doctor; Memorial of St. Kentigern, bishop (Scotland) Old Calendar: Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

St. Hilary of Poitiers (310-367) was one of the great champions of the Catholic belief in the divinity of Christ. By his preaching, his treatise on the Trinity, his part in the Councils, his daring opposition to the Emperor Constantius, he showed himself a courageous apostle of the truth. He could not tolerate that the specious plea of safeguarding peace and unity should be allowed to dim the light of Gospel teaching. Bl. Pius IX proclaimed him a . In Scotland St. Kentigern’s feast is a memorial. He was a missionary to Scotland and bishop of the Strathclyde Britons. Exiled, he fled to Wales. He died in 603. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ that marks the end of the Christmas season.

St. Hilary St. Hilary was one of those great Christian heroes who poured out their lives laboring and suffering in defense of Christ’s divinity. Scarcely had the days of bloody persecution ended (313), when there arose, now within the Church, a most dangerous enemy of another sort, Arianism. The heresy of Arianism denied the divinity of Christ; it was, in

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 12 fact, hardly more than a form of paganism masquerading as the Christian Gospel. The smoldering strife soon flared into a mighty conflict endangering the whole Church; and its spread was all the more rapid and powerful because emperors, who called themselves Christian, proved its best supporters. Once again countless martyrs sealed in blood their belief in Christ’s divinity; and orthodox who voiced opposition were forced into exile amid extreme privations. Among the foremost defenders of the true faith stood Hilary. He belonged to a distinguished family and had received an excellent education. Though a married man, he was made bishop of Poitiers by reason of his exemplary life. It was not long before his valiant defense of the faith precipitated his exile to Phrygia. Here he composed his great work on the Blessed Trinity (in twelve books). It is a vigorous defense of the faith, which, he said, “triumphs when attacked.” Finally, after four years he was permitted to return to his native land. He continued his efforts, and through prudence and mildness succeeded in ridding Gaul of Arianism. Because of his edifying and illustrious writings on behalf of the true religion, the Church honors him as one of her doctors. Here is an example of Hilary’s vigorous style: “Now it is time to speak, the time for silence is past. We must expect Christ’s return, for the reign of Antichrist has begun. The shepherds must give the warning signals because the hirelings have fled. Let us lay down our lives for the sheep, for brigands have entered the fold and the roaring lion is rampaging about. Be ready for martyrdom! Satan himself is clothed as an angel of light.” A favorite motto of St. Hilary was Ministros veritatis decet vera proferre, “Servants of the truth ought speak the truth.”

— From Pius Parsch, The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Against snakes; backward children; snake bites.

St. Kentigern St. Kentigern was also known as Mungo (“dear one” or “darling”), his mother was a British princess named Thenaw (or Thaney or Theneva). When it was discovered that she was pregnant of an

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 13 unknown man, she was hurled from a cliff and, when discovered alive at the foot of the cliff, was set adrift in a boat on the Firth of Forth. She reached Culross, was given shelter by St. Serf, and gave birth to a child to whom Serf gave the name Mungo. Raised by the , he became a at Glasgow and was so renowned for his holiness that he was consecrated bishop of Strathclyde about 540. Driven to flight because of the feuds among the neighboring chieftains, he went to Wales, met St. at Menevia, and founded a monastery at Llanelwy. About 553, Kentigern returned to Scotland, settled at Hoddam, and then returned to Glasgow, where he spent his last days. He is considered the first bishop of Scotland and with Thenaw is joint patron of Glasgow.

— From John J. Delaney, Dictionary of Saints

Glasgow’s Coat of Arms includes a bird, a fish, a bell and a tree; the symbols of Kentigern. The Bird commemorates the pet robin owned by Saint Serf, which was accidentally killed by monks who blamed it on Saint Kentigern. Saint Kentigern took the bird in his hands and prayed over it, restoring it to life. The Fish was one caught by Saint Kentigern in the Clyde River. When it was slit open, a ring belonging to the Queen of Cadzow was miraculously found inside it. The Queen was suspected of intrigue by her husband, and that she had left with his ring. She had asked Saint Kentigern for help, and he found and restored the ring in this way to clear her name. The Bell may have been given to Saint Kentigern by the Pope. The original bell, which was tolled at funerals, no longer exists and was replaced by the magistrates of Glasgow in 1641. The bell of 1641 is preserved in the People’s Palace. The Tree is symbol of an incident in Saint Kentigern’s childhood. Left in charge of the holy fire in Saint Serf’s monastery, he fell asleep and the fire went out. However he broke off some frozen branches from a hazel tree and miraculously re-kindled the fire.

Patron: Glasgow, Scotland; salmon.

Symbols: Bell; bird; fish; ring; robin; salmon; tree.

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 14

Things to Do:

Make a custard pie in honor of St. Kentigern.

Daily Readings for: January 13, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: .Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son, which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever

RECIPES

Custard Pastries Shortcrust Pastry

ACTIVITIES

How to be a Good Father How to be a Good Mother What Your Child Needs

PRAYERS

Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Sacred Triduum (2nd Plan)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 15

Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan) Prayer for Perseverance in Faith

LIBRARY

Saint Hilary of Poitiers | Pope Benedict XVI The Saintly Scholars of the Church | Fr. Stephen McKenna

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-13

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 16

Ordinary Time: January 14th

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Hilary, bishop and doctor; St. Felix of Nola, priest and martyr

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Felix who lived in the third century. He was a priest and suffered greatly in the Decian persecution. The tomb of St. Felix at Nola, a small town in the south of Italy, was a much frequented place of pilgrimage in Christian antiquity, and in the Middle Ages of him spread throughout the west. Along with St. Hilary his feast is celebrated today on the Extraordinary Form Calendar. St. Hilary’s feast is celebrated on January 13 in the Ordinary Form Calendar. It is also the feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague. The image of the Child Jesus known as the “Infant Jesus of Prague” was in reality of Spanish origin. In the 17th century, this beautiful statue was brought by a Spanish princess to Bohemia and presented to a Carmelite monastery. For many years this statue has been enshrined on a side altar in the Church of Our Lady of Victory in the city of Prague. It is of wax, and is about nineteen inches high. It is clothed in a royal mantle, and has a beautiful jeweled crown on its head. Its right hand is raised in blessing; its left holds a globe signifying sovereignty.

St. Felix In one of the early persecutions the priest Felix was first tortured on the rack, then thrown into a dungeon. While lying chained on broken glass, an angel appeared, loosed his bonds, and led him out to freedom. Later, when the persecution had subsided, he converted many to the Christian faith by his

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 17 subsided, he converted many to the Christian faith by his preaching and holy example. However, when he resumed his denunciation of pagan gods and false worship, he was again singled out for arrest and torture; this time he escaped by hiding in a secret recess between two adjacent walls. No sooner had he disappeared into the nook than a thick veil of cobwebs formed over the entrance so that no one suspected he was there. Three months later he died in peace (260), and is therefore a martyr only in the wider sense of the word. St. Paulinus of Nola (see June 22), who cherished a special devotion toward St. Felix, composed fourteen hymns (carmina natalicia) in his honor. In his day (fifth century) the saint’s tomb was visited by pilgrims from far and wide and was noted for its miraculous cures.

— The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Against eye disease; against eye trouble; against false witness; against lies; against perjury; domestic animals; eyes.

Symbols: Cobweb; deacon in prison; spiderweb; young priest carrying an old man (Maximus) on his shoulders; young priest chained in prison with a pitcher and potsherds near him; young priest with a bunch of grapes (symbolizes his care of the aged Maximus); young priest with a spider; young priest with an angel removing his chains.

Things to Do:

Let us be convinced that if we strive and struggle in God’s behalf, we may also rely on His special protection. God shields you from your enemies, even, if need be, by a spider’s web. Spend some time recalling occasions when you were protected in an unusual way from harm.

Infant Jesus of Prague Devotion to the Child Jesus under the title “Infant Jesus of Prague” is over three and a half centuries old. The devotion originated in Spain, spread to what is now Czechoslovakia, and from there to all parts of the globe. Replicas of the original statue dressed in royal priestly vestments are to be found in thousands of churches and private homes. In the United States,

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 18 found in thousands of churches and private homes. In the United States, there is a national shrine in honor of the Christ Child under this title in Prague, Oklahoma. In 1556, Maria Manriquez de Lara brought a precious family heirloom, a statue of the child Jesus, with her to Bohemia when she married the Czech nobleman Vratislav of Pernstyn. The statue of the child is eighteen inches tall, carved of wood, and thinly coated with wax. The left foot is barely visible under a long white tunic. The statue stands on a broad pedestal, and there is a waist-high silver case which holds it upright. The left-hand holds a miniature globe surmounted by a cross, signifying the worldwide kingship of Christ. The right hand is extended in blessing in a form usually used by the Supreme Pontiff; the first two fingers are upraised to symbolize the two natures in Christ, while the folded thumb and last two fingers touch each other to represent the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Since 1788, there have been two jeweled rings on the fingers of the statue. These were gifts of a noble family in thanks for the miraculous cure of their daughter. The head of the image has a wig of blond human hair. Old carvings and pictures indicate that at one time the wig may have been white. In 1655, the statue was solemnly crowned in a special coronation ceremony. The crown was presented by the supreme burgrave of the Czech kingdom. The original garments worn by the statue when it arrived in Bohemia are still preserved. Since the great cholera epidemic of 1713, however, the garments of the statue have been changed with the liturgical season. The wardrobe of the Infant of Prague resembles liturgical vestments. There are a number of sets of vestments belonging to the statue which are of artistic and historic importance, including sets presented in thanksgiving by Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Ferdinand. Today, the from St. ’s Church in the Mala Strana quarter of Prague enjoy the privilege of clothing the Infant in keeping with the ancient custom. At the time the change of vestments is made, numerous devotional objects such as medals, pictures and rosaries are touched to the statue to be distributed to all parts of the world. Princess Polyxena Lobkowitz inherited the statue of the infant from her mother. She had a great devotion to it, honoring it highly in her own home. On the death of her husband in 1623, she determined to spend the rest of her life in works of charity and piety. She was particularly generous to the Discalced Carmelites of Prague. Their

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 19 monastery had been founded by Emperor Ferdinand II. After the emperor moved to Vienna, the monastery, having lost its wealthy founder and patron, fell on hard times, often not even having enough to eat. (At that time, cloistered monasteries depended heavily on donations for their daily needs.) In 1628, Princess Polyxena presented her beloved statue to the friars, telling them, prophetically, that as long as they honored the Child Jesus as king, venerating His image, they would not want. Her prediction was verified, and as long as the Divine Infant’s image was honored the community prospered, spiritually and temporally. However, when the devotions relaxed, it seemed as if God’s blessing departed from the house. The statue was set up in the oratory of the monastery, and twice daily special devotions were performed before it. The novices were particularly devoted to the Holy Infant. One of them, Cyrillus of the Mother of God, was suffering interior trials. After prayers to the Child Jesus, he found a sudden relief from his worries and became the greatest apostle of the Holy image. During the Thirty Years’ War, the novitiate was moved to Munich, Germany in 1630. In 1631, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, an inveterate foe of Catholicism, invaded, and many inhabitants of Prague fled, including all of the Carmelites except two who remained to protect the monastery. The enemy took possession of the monastery in November of 1631, and the house was plundered. The image of the Infant was thrown in a heap of rubbish behind the high altar, where it lay forgotten for seven years. In 1637, Father Cyrillus returned to Prague. The monastery had suffered many reverses in recent years, and the city was again overrun with hostile troops. The prior of the community called the monks together to offer prayers. Father Cyrillus remembered the favors formerly received through the intercession of the Infant, and he asked permission to search the monastery in hopes that the statue might have been left behind

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 20 when the monastery was plundered. At last the statue was found, and Father Cyrillus placed the dusty little image on an altar in the oratory, where the long-forgotten devotions were renewed with vigor. One day, after the other monks had left the oratory, Father Cyrillus remained kneeling in front of the statue for hours, meditating on the divine goodness. In a mystical ecstasy, he heard the statue speak these words: “Have pity on me, and I will have pity on you. Give me my hands, and I will give you peace. The more you honor me, the more I will bless you!” Startled, the priest looked and noticed for the first time that the statue’s hands had been broken off. He went immediately to the prior to beg him to have the statue restored. The prior, not having the same devotion or understanding as Father Cyrillus, excused himself by saying that the monastery was too poor. Shortly thereafter, a wealthy and pious man came to Prague and fell ill. Father Cyrillus was called to the dying man, who offered financial help to repair the statue. The prior, however, used the donated money to buy an entirely new statue instead of having the old one repaired. On its very first day, the new statue was shattered by a falling candlestick. To Father Cyrillus, this was an indication that the wishes of the Infant must be fulfilled literally. The sorrowing priest took the damaged statue to his cell, where he prayed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin for the money to repair the statue. No sooner had he finished his prayer than he was called to the church, where he found a noble lady waiting for him. She handed him a considerable amount of money and then disappeared. Happily, Father Cyrillus took the money to the prior and again requested the repair of the statue. At last, the prior agreed, provided the repairs did not exceed a certain amount. Unfortunately, the estimates were too high, so again the statue was not repaired. Interiorly, the priest heard a voice telling him to place the statue at the entrance of the sacristy. He did so, and soon a stranger came and noticed the broken hands of the statue. The stranger offered to have the statue repaired at his own expense, an offer that was joyously accepted. At last the repaired statue was placed in the church. A pestilence was raging in Prague at the time, and the prior himself nearly died. He vowed to spread the devotion of the Infant if he were cured. Shortly thereafter, he ordered a general devotion to the Infant, in which all the friars took part. At last

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 21 the Infant had won the hearts of the Carmel of Prague and become a cornerstone of their devotion. In 1641, a generous benefactress donated money to the monastery for the erection of an altar to the Blessed Trinity with a magnificently gilded tabernacle as the resting place for the miraculous statue, which was then exposed for public veneration In 1642, a baroness financed the erection of a handsome chapel for the Infant which was blessed in 1644 on the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which has remained the principal feast day of the miraculous Infant ever since. In 1648, the Archbishop of Prague gave the first ecclesiastical approval of the devotion when he consecrated the chapel and gave permission to priests to say Mass at the chapel altar. In 1651 the Carmelite general made a canonical visitation to the monastery to examine matters regarding the devotion. The statue was solemnly crowned in 1655. In 1741, the statue was moved to its final magnificent shrine on the epistle side off the church of Our Lady of Victory. It became one of the most famous ,and popular shrines in the world. In 1739 the Carmelites of the Austrian Province made the spread of the devotion a part of their apostolate. The popularity of the little King of Prague spread to other countries in the eighteenth century. Pope Leo XIII confirmed the Sodality of the Infant of Prague in 1896 and granted many indulgences to the devotion. Pope St. Pius X unified an organizing membership into a confraternity under the guidance of the Carmelites which increased the spread of the devotion in our own century. Church authorities have canonically established a U.S. national shrine to the Infant Jesus of Prague at Prague, Oklahoma. Excerpt from the book “A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals,” by Ann Ball, published by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, Indiana 46750.

Patron: Invoked against: Financial Distress

Symbols: Raised right hand, globe, crown

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 22

Read more about the Infant Jesus of Prague at Sensus Fidelium. Also visit the Meditations from Carmel for more information. Make a virtual visit to the Muzeum of the Infant Jezus of Prague in Poland.

Daily Readings for: January 14, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Spiedini Romano

ACTIVITIES

Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Confirmation)

PRAYERS

Little Litany of the Holy Souls

LIBRARY

None

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 23

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-14

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 24

Ordinary Time: January 15th

Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time; Our Lady of Prompt Succor; Black Christ of Esquipulas (Guatemala) Old Calendar: St. Paul, confessor, the first Hermit; St. Maurus, abbot; Our Lady of Prompt Succor

It was from St. Jerome (+ 420) that the west learned of the life of St. Paul the Hermit; the book, which he devoted to the life of the first Christian hermit, charmed and instructed generations of the faithful and formed the inspiration of many artists. St. Paul is said to have died in 341, in a hermitage in the region of Thebes in Egypt after having received at the age of 113 a visit from St. Antony. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, St. Paul is celebrated as a Confessor, III class and St. Maurus is commemorated. St. Maurus was one of the first disciples of St. Benedict. In this son of a patrician Roman family, entrusted by his parents to the father of western monasticism, Benedictine tradition celebrates the perfect monk, and the model of childlike obedience. Many monasteries, particularly in France, adopted him as patron. He died about A.D. 580. In some places today is the feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Patroness of the State of Louisiana. The feast of the Black Christ of Esquipulas (Santo Cristo de Esquipulas) appears in Appendix I of the U.S. edition of the Misal Romano, Tercera Edicion (2018). Respecting the liturgical norms, this feast may be celebrated for pastoral reasons whnever Votive Masses are permitted.

St. Paul, the first hermit

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 25

St. Paul, the first hermit St. Paul is called “the first hermit” in the Missal and Breviary, a rare distinction, for such titles are seldom appended. Our saint was the standard-bearer of those courageous men who for the love of Christ left the world and entered the wilderness to dedicate themselves wholly to contemplation amid all the privations of desert life. The were the great men of prayer in those difficult times when the Church was locked in fierce struggle with heresy after heresy. For centuries the example of their lives served as the school of Christian perfection. Their action set the background for the rise of monasticism and religious orders in the Church. The Breviary retains an edifying legend concerning today’s saint. One day St. Anthony, then ninety, was divinely inspired to visit the hermit Paul. Though they had never met previously, each greeted the other correctly by name. While they were conversing at length on spiritual matters, the raven that had always brought Paul half a loaf of bread, came with a whole loaf. As the raven flew away, Paul said: “See, the Lord, who is truly good and merciful, has sent us food. Every day for sixty years I have received half a loaf, but with your arrival Christ sent His servants a double ration.” Giving thanks, they ate by a spring. After a brief rest, they again gave thanks, as was their custom, and spent the whole night praising God. At daybreak Paul informed Anthony of his approaching death and asked him to fetch the cloak he had received from St. Athanasius, that he might wrap himself in it. Later, as Anthony was returning from his visit, he saw Paul’s soul ascending to heaven escorted by choirs of angels and surrounded by prophets and apostles. Further traditional matter may be found in The Life of Paul the Hermit, written by St. Jerome about the year 376.

Patron: Clothing industry; weavers.

Symbols: Dead man whose grave is being dug by a lion; man being brought food by a bird; man clad in rough garments made of leaves or skins; old man, clothed with palm-leaves, and seated under a palm-tree, near which are a river and loaf of bread; with Saint Anthony the Abbot.

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 26

Bake a loaf of bread to celebrate this feast, as it is recounted in the Golden Legend how St. Paul received his daily bread every day from God. Read St. Jerome’s account of the Life of St. Paul. The Order of St. Paul the Hermit (Paulines) runs the Shrine of Our Lady of Chestochowa in Doylestown, PA. Read more about the order and if in the neighborhood pay a visit (or a virtual visit) to the Shrine.

St. Maurus In Benedictine history Maurus holds a distinguished place, taught and trained by St. Benedict himself. While still very young, Maurus and another youth, Placid, were brought by their parents to be reared in monastic life by the of Monks. An incident reveals Maurus’ spirit of childlike obedience. One day Placid was sent to a near-by lake to draw water. Soon he was at the shore, where, boy that he was, he fell victim to his own heedlessness. Eager to fill the vessel quickly, he reached out too far and was dragged in by the rapidly filling jar. He was being borne along by the waves when from his cell St. Benedict realized what had happened. “Hurry, run to the lake! Placid has fallen in!” he called to Maurus. Stopping only for his spiritual father’s blessing, Maurus sped to the lake, seized Placid by the hair and brought him ashore. Imagine his shock and amazement when he realized that he had run some distance on water! His explanation? Such a miracle could not have happened save by virtue of his master’s command! St. Gregory relates the incident in his Second Book of Dialogues along with much other interesting detail from the life of St. Benedict. The makes this comment on the miracle: How greatly he advanced in faith under his teacher (St. Benedict) is attested by an occurrence unheard of since the days of St. Peter; for, on one occasion he walked upon water as though it were dry land. The tradition that Maurus later became abbot at Glanfeuil in France lacks historical support.

Patron: Against cold; against gout; against hoarseness; charcoal burners; cobblers; cold; coppersmiths; gout; hoarseness; shoemakers.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 27

Symbols: Monk saving Saint Placid from drowning while a cowl floats above him; abbot with crozier; abbot with book and censer; holding the weights and measures of food and drink given him by Saint Benedict.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor Devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor dates back to 1802, when the Ursuline Order in New Orleans pleaded for help in sustaining the Order with new sisters from France. Their prayers were answered with papal permission for sisters to be transferred from France to New Orleans. In thanksgiving for this favor, the Ursulines dedicated a statue in their convent chapel to Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 1810. In 1812, a terrible fire broke out in New Orleans, and the wind was blowing the flames toward the convent. Prayers before the statue of Our Lady were answered with a reversal of the wind direction and the convent was spared. During the Battle of New Orleans, in 1815, the sisters again invoked the assistance of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. As the sound of guns and cannons thundered around the chapel during Mass, they vowed to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung every year if the Americans were victorious. At Communion time, a messenger arrived with the news that Gen. Andrew Jackson’s overmatched army had successfully driven the British from the city. Once again Our Lady had responded promptly. In 1928, the approved the selection of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Patroness of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. The Mass of Thanksgiving is offered each January 8 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in New Orleans.

Patron: State of Louisiana; the Archdiocese of New Orleans; City of New Orleans

Things to Do:

Read a brief but remarkable history of the devotion to Our Lady of Prompt

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 28

Succor at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

Black Christ of Esquipulas The statue of the Black Christ (El Cristo Negro) was commissioned by Spanish conquistadors for a church in Esquipulas. It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. By 1603, a miracle had already been attributed to the icon, and it attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims over the years. The history of the Basilica begins in 1735, when a priest named Father Pedro Pardo de Figueroa experienced a miraculous cure after praying before the statue. When he became Archbishop of Guatemala, he commissioned a beautiful basilica to properly shelter the beloved statue. The church was completed in 1759. The main church, which the Vatican upgraded to the category of Basilica in 1968, is the home of the “Cristo Negro de Esquipulas” or “Black Christ of Esquipulas,” in English. It is one of the most popular images of the Catholic faith, because of the many miracles attributed to it, devotees all over the country pray to the Black Christ for personal petitions. The sculpture of the Black Christ dates back to 1595 and is made of cedar wood. It was commissioned by Spanish conquistadors for a church in Esquipulas. It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. It inspires one of the most important Catholic pilgrimages, topped only by the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Mexico. Quirio Cataño sculpted the dramatic art piece in March 9, 1595. Nine years later, in 1603, it had already performed at least one miracle. In 1736, the Bishop of Guatemala XV and first metropolitan Archbishop Fray Pedro Pardo de Figueroa began the process of the construction of a grand Baroque temple to house the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas. On November 4, 1758, the church was inaugurated, that now shelters the venerated image . The Basilica Esquipulas is the second most important religious site in the Americas, after the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Mexico.

Daily Readings for: January 15, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 29

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Date and Nut Bread Whole Wheat Bread I

ACTIVITIES

How God Provides Nameday Prayers and Ideas for St. On Parental Duty and How Parents Let Their Children Risk Chastity Story of St. Paul the Hermit

PRAYERS

Blessing of Saint Maurus over the Sick Prayer for Those Suffering Despair Litany of Saint Maurus Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor

LIBRARY

Bl. Claude La Colombiere: A Priest after Christ’s Heart | Rev. Walter Kern

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-15

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 30

Ordinary Time: January 16th

Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Marcellus, pope and martyr; St. Honoratus, archbishop (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Marcellus who was elected Pope just at the time when had spent somewhat his first violence against the Church. In he reorganized the Catholic hierarchy disrupted by the persecution. He was exiled and put to labor. He is considered a martyr as he died in 309 because of his treatment during his exile. Historically today is the feast of St. Honoratus who was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, and came from a distinguished Roman family. After a pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, he became a hermit on the isle of Lerins, where he was joined by Sts Lupus of Troyes (July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (November 16), and Hilary of Arles (May 5), among others.

St. Marcellus Diocletian’s terrible persecution had taken its toll. It was reported that within a period of thirty days, sixteen thousand Christians were martyred. The Church in Rome was left scattered and disorganized, and the Holy See remained vacant for over two years. It wasn’t until the ascension of Emperor Maxentius and his policy of toleration that a pope could be chosen. Marcellus, a Roman priest during the reign of Marcellinus, was elected. The new pope was confronted with enormous problems. His first challenge was to reorganize the badly

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 31 problems. His first challenge was to reorganize the badly shaken Church. He is said to have accomplished this by dividing Rome into twenty-five parishes, each with its own priest. The next task was more challenging. Once again a pope was faced with the problem of what to do with the many brethren who had compromised their faith during the reign of Diocletian. Marcellus upheld the doctrine of required penance before absolution. The apostates keenly desired readmission to communion, but they violently opposed the harshness of the penance demanded by the rigorist, Marcellus. Riots broke out throughout the city, and even bloodshed, to the point that Emperor Maxentius intervened. He believed that the pontiff was the root of the problem, and in the interest of peace, he banished Marcellus; the pope died a short time later. Apart from persecution, this was the first time that the secular government was known to have interfered with the Church. There is some confusion whether his body was brought back to Rome or whether he was allowed to return to the Holy See before his death. There is no doubt, however, that he was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Via Salaria.

Symbols: Pope with a donkey or horse nearby; pope standing in a stable.

St. Honoratus St. Honoratus was of a consular Roman family settled in Gaul. In his youth he renounced the worship of idols, and gained his elder brother, Venantius, to Christ. Convinced of the hollowness of the things of this world, they wished to renounce it with all its pleasures, but a fond pagan father put continual obstacles in their way. At length, taking with them St. Caprais, a holy hermit, for their director, they sailed from Marseilles to Greece, with the intention to live there unknown in some desert. Venantius soon died happily at Methone, and Honoratus, being also sick, was obliged to return with his conductor. He first led a hermitical life in the mountains near Frejus. Two small islands lie in the sea near that coast; on the smaller, now known as St.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 32

Honoré, our Saint settled, and, being followed by others, he there founded the famous monastery of Lerins, about the year 400. Some of his followers he appointed to live in community; others, who seemed more perfect, in separate cells as anchorets. His rule was chiefly borrowed from that of St. Pachomius. Nothing can be more amiable than the description St. Hilary has given of the excellent virtues of this company of saints, especially of the charity, concord, humility, compunction, and devotion which reigned among them under the conduct of our holy abbot. He was, by compulsion, consecrated Archbishop of Arles in 426, and died, exhausted with austerities and apostolical labors, in 429.

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

Daily Readings for: January 16, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Sole with Red Wine and Onions

ACTIVITIES

Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Holy Eucharist)

PRAYERS

Collect Prayer for the Feast of St. Marcellus

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 33

LIBRARY

Masses for the Repose of Souls | Fr. William Saunders

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-16

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 34

Ordinary Time: January 17th

Memorial of St. Anthony, abbot Old Calendar: St. Anthony, abbot

In both calendars the Church commemorates the abbot from the 3rd century. St. Anthony, the father of monks, retired to the desert at about the age of eighteen in order to live in perfect solitude. He laid the foundations of community life, and gave to his disciples that profound broad and sane instruction, the mature result of solitude and prayer, which forms the surest basis of Christian asceticism.

St. Anthony Anthony “the Great”, the “Father of Monks”, ranks with those saints whose life exercised a profound influence upon succeeding generations. He was born in Middle Egypt (about 250) of distinguished parents. After their untimely deaths, he dedicated himself wholly to acts of mortification. One day while in church he heard the words of the Gospel: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor” (Matt. 19:21). It seemed as if Christ had spoken to him personally, giving a command he must obey. Without delay he sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and went into the desert (about 270). When overcome by fatigue, his bed was the hard ground. He fasted rigorously, ate only bread and salt, and drank only water. Nor would he take food before sundown; at times he passed two days without any nourishment. Often, too, he spent whole nights in prayer. The saint suffered repeatedly from diabolical attacks, but these merely made him more steadfast in virtue. He would encourage his disciples in their struggle with the devil with such words: “Believe me; the devil fears the vigils of pious souls, and their fastings,

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 35 with such words: “Believe me; the devil fears the vigils of pious souls, and their fastings, their voluntary poverty, their loving compassion, their humility, but most of all their ardent love of Christ our Lord. As soon as he sees the sign of the Cross, he flees in terror.” He died in 356 on Mount Kolzin by the Red Sea, 105 years old. A year later his friend, the fearless bishop and confessor St. Athanasius, wrote his biography, which for centuries became the classic handbook of ascetics. As seen by St. Anthony, the purpose of asceticism is not to destroy the body but to bring it into subjection, re-establishing man’s original harmonious integrity, his true God-given nature. St. Anthony lived in solitude for about twenty years. “His was a perfectly purified soul. No pain could annoy him, no pleasure bind him. In him was neither laughter nor sadness. The sight of the crowd did not trouble him, and the warm greetings of so many men did not move him. In a word, he was thoroughly immune to the vanities of the world, like a man unswervingly governed by reason, established in inner peace and harmony.” Here are a few of his famous sayings to monks. “Let it be your supreme and common purpose not to grow weary in the work you have begun, and in time of trial and affliction not to lose courage and say: Oh, how long already have we been mortifying ourselves! Rather, we should daily begin anew and constantly increase our fervor. For man’s whole life is short when measured against the time to come, so short, in fact, that it is as nothing in comparison with eternity… . Therefore, my children, let us persevere in our acts of asceticism. And that we may not become weary and disheartened, it is good to meditate on the words of the apostle: ‘I die daily.’ If we live with the picture of death always before our eyes, we will not sin. The apostle’s words tell us that we should so awaken in the morning as though we would not live to evening, and so fall asleep as if there were to be no awakening. For our life is by nature uncertain and is daily meted out to us by Providence. If we are convinced of this and live each day as the apostle suggests, then we will not fall into sin; no desire will enslave us, no anger move us, no treasure bind us to earth; we will await death with unfettered hearts.”

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

Patron: Amputees; animals; basket makers; basket weavers; brushmakers; butchers;

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 36 cemetery workers; domestic animals; eczema; epilepsy; epileptics; ergotism (Saint Anthony’s fire); erysipelas; gravediggers; hermits; hogs; monks; pigs; relief from pestilence; skin diseases; skin rashes; swine; swineherds.

Symbols: Bell; pig; t-shaped staff; tau cross with a bell on the end; man with a pig at his side.

Things to Do:

Read St. Athanasius’ account of St. Anthony. Learn more about Western Monasticism. Pray for those in monastic life and pray for a resurgence of vocations to this life. Spend some time contemplating death, considering God’s judgments and the thought of eternity. Say a prayer to St. Anthony for vigilance in the fight against temptations, prudence in avoiding dangerous occasions, courage under trial and humility in victory.

Daily Readings for: January 17, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony to serve you by a wondrous way of life in the desert, grant, through his intercession, that, denying ourselves, we may always love you above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Saint Antony of the Desert Soup

ACTIVITIES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 37

How God Provides Namedays What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Prayer for the Dead - 2

LIBRARY

Monastery of St. Anthony in Upper Egypt Continues to be an Oasis of Spirituality and Culture | Egidio Picucci

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-17

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 38

Ordinary Time: January 18th

Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Prisca, virgin and marty; St. Peter’s Chair at Rome (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Rome and the commemoration of St. Prisca, virgin and martyr. The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on February 22. Regarding St. Prisca, the Martyrology reads: “In the city of Rome, the holy virgin and martyr Prisca; after many tortures she gained the crown of martyrdom under Emperor Claudius II (about 270).” Prisca should not be confused with Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, mentioned in the Acts, whose feast dates to the earliest days of Christianity.

St. Prisca Prisca, who is also known as Priscilla, was a child martyr of the early Roman Church. Born to Christian parents of a noble family, Prisca was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. While Claudius did not persecute Christians with the same fervor as other Roman emperors, Christians still did not practice their faith openly. In fact, Prisca’s parents went to great lengths to conceal their faith, and thus they were not suspected of being Christians. Prisca, however, did not feel the need to take precaution. The young girl openly professed her dedication to Christ, and eventually, she was reported to the emperor. Claudius had her arrested, and commanded her to make a sacrifice to Apollo, the pagan god of the sun. According to the legend, Prisca refused and was tortured

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 39

According to the legend, Prisca refused and was tortured for disobeying. Then, suddenly, a bright, yellow light shone about her, and she appeared to be a little star. Claudius ordered that Prisca be taken away to prison, in the hopes that she would abandon Christ. When all efforts to change her mind were unsuccessful, she was taken to an amphitheatre and thrown in with a lion. As the crowd watched, Prisca stood fearless. According to legend, the lion walked toward the barefoot girl, and then gently licked her feet. Disgusted by his thwarted efforts to dissuade Prisca, Claudius had her beheaded. Seventh-century accounts of the grave sites of Roman martyrs refer to the discovery of an epitaph of a Roman Christian named Priscilla in a large catacomb and identifies her place of interment on the Via Salaria as the Catacomb of Priscilla.

— Excerpted from Ordinary People Extraordinary Lives.

Daily Readings for: January 18, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Ham a la King on Corn Bread Squares

ACTIVITIES

Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Penance)

PRAYERS

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 40

Collect for the Feast of St. Prisca Novena for Church Unity Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-18

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 41

Ordinary Time: January 19th

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Second Sunday after Epiphany

With the feast of the Baptism of the Lord we have entered into the liturgical time that we call “ordinary.” On this second Sunday, the Gospel presents to us the scene of the meeting between Jesus and at the Jordan River. The narrator is the eye witness, , who, before he was a of Jesus was a disciple of the Baptist, together with his brother James, with Simon and Andrew, all are from Galilee, all are fisherman. So, John the Baptist sees Jesus, who steps forward from the crowd and, inspired from above, sees in Jesus the one sent by God. For this reason he points him out with theses words: “Behold the lamb of God, he who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The word that is translated with “take away” literally means “to relieve,” “to take upon onself.” Jesus has come into the world with a precise mission: to free it from the slavery of sin, taking humanity’s faults upon himself. In what way? By loving. There is no other way to defeat evil and sin than with the love that moves one to give the gift of his life for others. In the testimony of John the Baptist, Jesus is given the traits of the Servant of the Lord, who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” ( 53:4), to the point of dying on the cross. He is the true Passover lamb, who immerses himself in the river of our sin, to purify us. The Baptist sees before him a man who gets in line with sinners to be baptized even though he does not need to. He is the man who God sent into the world as the sacrificial lamb. The word “lamb” appears several times in the New Testament and always in reference to Jesus. This image of the lamb might surprise us: an animal that is certainly not characterized by its strength and hardiness takes upon himself such an oppressive weight. The enormous mass of evil is removed and taken away by a weak and fragile creature, who is a symbol of obedience, docility and defenseless love, who goes to the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 42 creature, who is a symbol of obedience, docility and defenseless love, who goes to the point of sacrificing himself. The lamb is not an oppressor but is docile; he is not aggressive but peaceful; he does not show his claws or teeth in the face of an attack, but endures it and is submissive. And this is how Jesus is! This is how Jesus is! He is like a lamb. What does it mean for the Church, for us, today to be disciples of Jesus the Lamb of God? It means putting innocence in the place of malice, love in the place of force, humility in the place of pride, service in the place of prestige. It is good work! We Christians must do this: put innocence in the place of malice, love in the place of force, humility in the place of pride, service in the place of prestige. Being disciples of the Lamb means that we must not live like a “city under siege,” but like a city on a hill, open, welcoming, solidary. It means not having an attitude of closedness, but proposing the Gospel to everyone, testifying with our life that following Jesus makes us more free and more joyful. — Angelus Address January 19, 2014

Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 and is the second of the “suffering servant” prophecies, found in Isaiah. These were prophecies uttered during the Babylonian exile to encourage the Jewish exiles to persevere in their trust in Yahweh, who would soon liberate them from Babylon, and eventually send them the long-expected Messiah, promised to . The second reading is from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1:1-3. The opening verses of this letter have been chosen for the reading because they show the prophecy, read in the first lesson, as fulfilled among the pagans, as well as emphasizing the purpose of the Messiah’s coming: the sanctification and true enlightenment of all nations. The Gospel is from St. John 1:29-34. The pages of the Gospel present John the Baptist as a symbolic example of a ‘bridegroom’s friend’, as Christ’s excellent and exemplary witness. The Baptist’s pre-eminent witness was affirmed in two ways: firstly with regard to the content of his testimony and secondly with respect to its style. With regard to the content of his testimony, the Baptist identified Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (Jn 1:29). Anticipating Jesus’ messianic and salvific role, each

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 43 of the start their Gospels with the Baptist’s words. The Lamb refers to the idea of salvation. The Lamb is the gift of liberation that, following the flight from Egypt, the Israelites sacrificed to the Lord. The Lamb recalls the servant of the Lord, the messianic image described by the Prophet Isaiah, ‘like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers’ (Is 53:7). The Lamb recalls the image of the Victorious Lamb in the Book of the Apocalypse who at the end of time will definitively destroy evil and sin. John the Baptist is therefore, an authoritative witness who knew Jesus’ exact identity and why He came amongst men. With regard to John the Baptist’s style, St John’s Gospel (cfr Jn 3:28-29) presents St John the Baptist through the image of the ‘bridegroom’s friend’. He gives witness, yet is not positioned central to the events that are unfolding. His testimony is totally centralised on Christ. John indicates the presence of the Lord and then steps into the margins. ‘I am not the Christ’ and he goes on to affirm ‘I am the one who has been sent to go in front of him. 'It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom’s voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete. He must grow greater, I must grow less.’(Jn 3:28-30) Today’s Gospel offers us an eloquent example to imitate, so that we can also become Christ’s authoritative witnesses. A believer can only give an authoritative witness if it coexists in perfect harmony with two of the Baptist’s evangelical qualities. Firstly, knowledge of Christ that is cultivated through prayer, the sacramental and ecclesial life, reading good books and edifying friendships. Secondly, the constant attributes of a ‘bridegroom’s friend’ who goes in search of the Groom through the virtue of humility because always, in everyone’s life, Christ must increase and we must decrease!

From the Congregation for the Clergy

Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Second Sunday after Epiphany “A wedding took place …

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 44

(Mary) said to Jesus, ‘They have no wine.’ … Jesus said to (the attendants), ‘Fill the jars with water … Draw out now’ … When the chief steward had tasted the water … become wine … (he said to the bridegroom), ‘Thou hast kept the good wine until now’” (Gospel). A lesson to our young married couples of today! Believe and trust in Him to keep your family if you keep His Word! A spiritual change also took place, since “His disciples believed in Him” (Gospel). Consider the daily miracle of God’s “grace that has been given us” (Epistle), to change from evil to good in both single and married life. Jesus “kept the good wine” of Divine Life for us (symbolized by Chalice at left in the picture). We must “fill the jars … (of our good will) to the brim” (Gospel). Let us recognize the “great things” (Offertory) done for our soul through Mary’s prayers to Jesus. Like the disciples, let us “believe” and “do whatever He tells” us (Gospel).

— Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Daily Readings for: January 19, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace on our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Bride’s Cake I Bride’s Cake II Italian Wedding Cookies

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 45

Kourambiedhes Wedding Cakes

ACTIVITIES

Attending a Catholic Wedding

PRAYERS

Married Couple’s Prayer to the Sacred Heart Book of Blessings: Orders for the Blessing of a Married Couple Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)

LIBRARY

Christian Marriage: a Covenant of Love and Life | Cardinal Bernard Law

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-19

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 46

Ordinary Time: January 20th

Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Fabian, pope and martyr; St. Sebastian, martyr Old Calendar: Sts. Fabian and Sebastian

St. Fabian and St. Sebastian have always been venerated together, and their names were coupled in the ancient , as they are still in the Litany of Saints. St. Fabian was Pope from 236 to 250 AD. He promoted the consolidation and development of the Church. He divided Rome into seven diaconates for the purpose of extending aid to the poor. He was one of the first victims of the persecution of Decius, who considered him as a rival and personal enemy. St. Sebastian, a native of Milan, was an officer in Diocletian’s imperial guard. He became a Christian and suffered martyrdom upon orders of the emperor around 288. He is the patron of athletes.

St. Fabian St. Fabian, a Roman, was as energetic as he was admired and respected. He was able to accomplish a great deal during his long pontificate. Escaping the persecution of Emperor Maximus Thrax, who had been assassinated, Fabian enjoyed peace in the Church under the reigns of succeeding emperors. One of St. Fabian’s first acts was to reorganize the clergy of Rome to better serve the increasing flock. He is also credited with beautifying and enlarging the cemeteries. He ordered paintings to adorn the vaults, and he erected a church above the cemetery of Calixtus. The Church flourished under St. Fabian as a succession of emperors left the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 47

The Church flourished under St. Fabian as a succession of emperors left the Christians to themselves. This peaceful time came to an abrupt end with the ascension of Emperor Decius. He was a cruel enemy and he decreed that all Christians were to deny Christ by openly worshipping pagan idols. The Church was to lose many followers, but more stood firm to suffer torture and even death. Certainly, one of the first was . Arrested, he was thrown in prison and died at the hands of his brutal captors. He is buried in the cemetery of Calixtus.

Things to Do:

Pope Fabian’s two special interests were the poor and the liturgy. Offer your Mass today for someone in spiritual need since this is the worst poverty and the greatest charity.

St. Sebastian The name of Sebastian is enveloped in a wreath of legends. The oldest historical account of the saint is found in a commentary on the psalms by St. ; the passage reads: “Allow me to propose to you the example of the holy martyr Sebastian. By birth he was a Milanese. Perhaps the persecutor of Christians had left Milan, or had not yet arrived, or had become momentarily more tolerant. Sebastian believed that here there was no opportunity for combat, or that it had already passed. So he went to Rome, the scene of bitter opposition arising from the Christians’ zeal for the faith. There he suffered, there he gained the crown.” St. Sebastian was widely venerated during the Middle Ages, particularly as a protector against the plague. Paul the Deacon relates that in 670 a great pestilence at Rome ceased when an altar was dedicated in his honor. The Breviary account of the saint is highly legendary; in part it reads: “Diocletian tried by every means to turn Sebastian from the faith of Christ. After all efforts had proven fruitless, he ordered him tied to a post and pierced with arrows. When everyone thought him dead, a devout woman named Irene arranged for his burial during the night; finding him still alive, she cared for him in her own house. After his recovery he appeared again before Diocletian and boldly

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 48 her own house. After his recovery he appeared again before Diocletian and boldly rebuked him for his wickedness. Enraged by the saint’s sharp words, the emperor ordered him scourged until he expired. His body was thrown into a sewer.”

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

Patron: Archers; armourers; arrowsmiths; athletes; bookbinders; diseased cattle; dying people; enemies of religion; fletchers; gardeners; iron mongers; lacemakers; laceworkers; lead workers; masons; plague; police; racquet makers; Rio de Janeiro; soldiers; Spanish police officers; stone masons; stonecutters.

Symbols: Arrows of martyrdom; naked youth tied to a tree and shot with arrows; arrows; crown.

Things to Do:

Read a longer account of St. Sebastian’s life. St. Sebastian’s Day is marked in and in Kerala, India with huge celebrations. Try a Sicilian or Kerala dish for dinner tonight in honor of the saint. If you have an athlete in your family teach them the prayer to St. Sebastian.

Daily Readings for: January 20, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, glory of your Priests, grant we pray, that, helped by the intercession of your Martyr Saint Fabian, we may make progress by communion in the faith and by worthy service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Grant us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of fortitude, so that, taught by the glorious

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 49

example of your Martyr Saint Sebastian, we may learn to obey you rather than men. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace on our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Chicken Curry Gaddina Catanisi - Catania-Style Chicken Risotto Formaggi

ACTIVITIES

Religion in the Home for Elementary School: January Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

PRAYERS

Prayer to St. Sebastian Collect for the Feast of St. Sebastian Litany of St. Sebastian Novena for Church Unity Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

LIBRARY

None

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 50

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-20

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 51

Ordinary Time: January 21st

Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr; Our Lady of High Grace (Dominican Republic) Old Calendar: St. Agnes

St. Agnes (c. 304) like St. Cecilia, is to be numbered among the most famous martyrs of Rome. When the Diocletian persecution was at its height, and when priests as well as laymen were apostatizing from the faith, Agnes, a girl of twelve, freely chose to die for Christ. When she was commanded to offer incense to false gods, she raised her hand to Christ and made the Sign of the Cross. When the heathens threatened to bind her hand and foot, she herself hastened to the place of torture as a bride to her wedding feast. Pain had no terror for her—although the fetters slipped from her small hands while even the pagan bystanders were moved to tears. When the son of the Roman prefect offered to marry her, she replied: “The one to whom I am betrothed is Christ Whom the angels serve.” When the executioner, who was to behead her, hesitated, she encouraged him with the words: “Strike, without fear, for the bride does her Spouse an injury if she makes Him wait”. The name of “Agnes” means “lamb-life,” and hence the lamb is the symbol of the modesty and innocence of the virgin-martyr. The feast of Our Lady of High Grace (Bienaventurada Virgen Maria de Altagracia) appears in Appendix I of the U.S. edition of the Misal Romano, Tercera Edicion (2018). Respecting the liturgical norms, this feast may be celebrated for pastoral reasons whenever Votive Masses are permitted.

St. Agnes Agnes is one of the most glorious saints in the calendar of the Roman Church. The

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 52 greatest vie with one another in sounding her praise and glory. St. Jerome writes: “All nations, especially their Christian communities, praise in word and writing the life of St. Agnes. She triumphed over her tender age as well as over the merciless tyrant. To the crown of spotless innocence she added the glory of martyrdom.” Our saint’s name should be traced to the Greek hagne - the pure, rather than to the Latin agna - lamb. But the Latin derivation prevailed in the early Church. The reason may have been that eight days after her death Agnes appeared to her parents with a train of virgins, and a lamb at her side. St. Augustine knew both derivations. “Agnes”, he writes, “means ‘lamb’ in Latin, but in Greek it denotes ‘the pure one’”. The Latin interpretation occasioned the yearly blessing of the St. Agnes lambs; it takes place on this day in the Church of which she is patron, and the wool is used in weaving the palliums worn by archbishops and, through privilege, by some bishops. In the church built by the Emperor Constantine over the saint’s grave, Pope Gregory the Great preached a number of homilies. Reliable details concerning the life of St. Agnes are very few. The oldest material occurs in St. Ambrose’s De Virginibus, parts of which are read today at Matins. The value of the later (definitely unauthentic) “Passion” of the saint is enhanced by the fact that various antiphons and responsories in the Office are derived from it. From such liturgical sources we may construct the following “life of St. Agnes”. One day when Agnes, then thirteen years old, was returning home from school, she happened to meet Symphronius, a son of the city prefect. At once he became passionately attracted to her and tried to win her by precious gifts. Agnes repelled him, saying: “Away from me, food of death, for I have already found another lover” (r. Ant.). “With His ring my Lord Jesus Christ has betrothed me, and He has adorned me with the bridal crown” (3. Ant., Lauds). “My right hand and my neck He has encircled with precious stones, and has given me earrings with priceless pearls; He has decked me with lovely, glittering gems” (2. Ant.). “The Lord has clothed me with a robe of gold, He has adorned me with priceless jewels” (4. Ant.). “Honey and milk have I received from His mouth, and His blood has reddened my cheeks” (5. Ant.). “I love Christ, into whose chamber I shall enter, whose Mother is a virgin, whose Father knows not woman, whose music and melody are sweet to my ears. When I love Him, I remain chaste; when I touch Him, I remain pure; when I possess Him, I remain a virgin” (2.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 53

Resp.). “I am betrothed to Him whom the angels serve, whose beauty the sun and moon admire” (9. Ant.). “For Him alone I keep my troth, to Him I surrender with all my heart” (6. Ant.). Incensed by her rebuff, Symphronius denounced Agnes to his father, the city prefect. When he threatened her with commitment to a house of ill fame, Agnes replied: “At my side I have a protector of my body, an angel of the Lord” (2. Ant., Lauds). “When Agnes entered the house of shame, she found an angel of the Lord ready to protect her” (1. Ant., Lauds). A light enveloped her and blinded all who tried to approach. Then another judge condemned her to the stake because the pagan priests accused her of sorcery. Surrounded by flames she prayed with outstretched arms: “I beseech You, Father almighty, most worthy of awe and adoration. Through Your most holy Son I escaped the threats of the impious tyrant and passed through Satan’s filth with feet unsullied. Behold, I now come to You, whom I have loved, whom I have sought, whom I have always desired.” She gave thanks as follows: “O You, the almighty One, who must be adored, worshipped, feared - I praise You because through Your only begotten Son I have escaped the threats of wicked men and have walked through the filth of sin with feet unsullied. I extol You with my lips, and I desire You with all my heart and strength.” After the flames died out, she continued: “I praise You, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, because by Your Son the fire around me was extinguished” (4. Ant., Lauds). And now she longed for union with Christ: “Behold, what I yearned for, I already see; what I hoped for, I already hold in embrace; with Him I am united in heaven whom on earth I loved with all my heart” (Ben. Ant.). Her wish was granted; the judge ordered her beheaded. —The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Affianced couples; betrothed couples; bodily purity; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; engaged couples; gardeners; Girl Scouts; girls; rape victims; diocese of Rockville Centre, New York; virgins.

Symbols: Lamb; woman with long hair and a lamb, sometimes with a sword at her throat; woman with a dove which holds a ring in its beak; woman with a lamb at her side.

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 54

Read St. Ambrose’s De Virginibus about the martyrdom of St. Agnes. “It is the birthday of a martyr, let us offer the victim. It is the birthday of St. Agnes, let men admire, let children take courage, let the married be astounded, let the unmarried take an example.”

Our Lady of High Grace The Dominican Republic, where the evangelization of the New World began, is under the protection of the Virgin under two titles: Our Lady of Mercy, the principal patroness who was so proclaimed in 1616 during the Spanish colonial rule, and the Virgin of Altagracia, Protector and Queen of the hearts of the Dominicans. “Tatica from Higuey,” as the natives of Quisqueya fondly refer to her, has her story and legend. There are historic documents that prove that in 1502, in the island of Santo Domingo, the Most Blessed Virgin was honored under the title of our Lady of la Altagracia, whose portrait had been brought from Spain by Alfonso and Antonio Trejo, brothers who were among the first European settlers of the island. When the brothers moved to the city of Higuey, they took the image with them. Later they offered it to the parish church so that everyone could venerate it. The first shrine was completed in 1572, and in 1971 the present Basilica was consecrated. Popular piety has it that the devout daughter of a rich merchant had asked him to bring her a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia from Santo Domingo. The father tried to get it for her, but with no success. Neither clergymen nor tradesmen had ever heard that Marian title. Back at Higuey, the merchant decided to stay overnight at a friend’s house. After dinner, feeling sorry for his daughter’s disappointment when he should arrive empty-handed, he described to those present his unsuccessful search. As he spoke, an old man with a long beard, who was passing by, took out of his knapsack a rolled up painting and gave it to the merchant saying, “This is what you are looking for.” It was the Virgin of Altagracia. At day break the old man had disappeared. The portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia is thirty-three centimeters wide by forty-five high. Expert opinion has it that it is a primitive work of the Spanish school, painted towards the end of the fifteenth or beginning of the sixteenth century. The painting, which depicts a Nativity scene, was restored successfully in Spain in 1978, and its original beauty and color can now be appreciated. The rigor of time, candles’ smoke and rubbing by the hands of the devotees had so altered the surface of the portrait that it had become nearly unrecognizable.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 55

The scene of Jesus’ birth is painted on a fine cloth. The Virgin, lovely and serene, occupies the center of the picture; she is looking with tenderness at the child who lies nearly naked on the straw of the manger. A blue cloak sprinkled with stars envelops her and a white scapular closes her garments in front. Maria of Altagracia wears the colors of the Dominican flag; anticipating in this manner the national identity. A radiant crown and twelve stars frame her head which now has a crown on it. The frame which holds the painting is probably the most refined example of Dominican gold work. This marvel made of gold, precious stones and enamel, is the work of an unknown eighteenth-century artist. Possibly he used the jewels that the Virgin’s devotees gratefully offered her. The image of Our Lady of Altagracia had the privilege of being crowned twice: on August 15, 1922 - during the pontificate of Pius XI - and by Pope John Paul II, who on January 25, 1979, during his visit to Santo Domingo, personally crowned the image with a golden silver tiara, his personal gift to the Virgin, the first evangelizer of the Americas. Source: University of Dayton, http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/engthree.html

Daily Readings for: January 21, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who choose what is weak in the world to confound the strong, mercifully grant, that we, who celebrate the heavenly birthday of your Martyr Saint Agnes, may follow her constancy in the faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Lamb Cake

ACTIVITIES

Celebration for the Feast of St. Agnes

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 56

Customs on the Feast of St. Agnes

PRAYERS

Prayer to St. Agnes Hymn to St. Agnes Novena for Church Unity Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

LIBRARY

Divini Amoris Scientia (Apostolic Letter Proclaiming St. Therese of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church) | Pope John Paul II The Role of the Woman in the Life of the Church | Fides Dossier

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-21

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 57

Ordinary Time: January 22nd

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Old Calendar: Saints Vincent and Anastasius, martyrs

January 22 is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the day established by the Church of penance for abortion, has been formally named as the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” On this day (or January 23rd when January 22nd falls on a Sunday) your parish, school or religious formation program may celebrate the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life. This Mass, found in our newly-translated Missal, may now be used on occasions to celebrate the dignity of human life. The relevant change reads: “The liturgical celebrations for this day may be the Mass “For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life? (no. 48/1 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions), celebrated with white vestments, or the Mass “For the Preservation of Peace and Justice? (no. 30 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions), celebrated with violet vestments.” In addition to this special Mass on this day, perhaps your parish, school or religious formation program could encourage traditional forms of penance, host pro-life and chastity speakers, lead informative projects that will directly build up the culture of life, show a pro-life film, raise funds for local crisis pregnancy centers or offer additional prayer services. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Vincent and Anastasius. During the early years of the fourth century, Vincent, a young deacon, was inhumanly tortured by Dacian, Roman governor of Valencia in Spain. Vincent rejoiced in his sufferings until he drew his last breath. More than three hundred years later, Anastasius the Persian, a convert from the priestly caste of Magi, endured a similar martyrdom in distant Assyria. Through all the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 58

Christian sacrifices to that of Calvary for the salvation of every man born into the world.

The Love of Life Love is not merely a feeling, but is rather the desire for the best possible good for those whom we love. Through our natural intelligence and through Divine Revelation we become aware of the value of this most basic of all gifts which is life. Mere reason leads us to comprehend that it is better to be alive than never have had been in existence. The knowledge of the value of life that comes through revelation leads us to understand better this gift and to appreciate it: as a result, we worship and love more and more the Giver of this gift. This love is what moves us to protect the life of the unborn or any who might be unjustly treated. We are also led to protect women that might feel tempted or forced to commit abortion, as we know the devastating consequences that abortion will have in their lives. Last but not least we have to love, even if most of them seem to be utterly unlovable, the many perpetrators of abortion: medical personnel, and pro-abortion activists and politicians. We have to do everything that we can to convince them of their errors so that they repent and change their ways, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of society. All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Using a traditional scholastic term, we can state that He is the exemplary cause of every human being, in other words, He is the model on which all human beings are created. He looked upon himself and wished that other beings would share in His own happiness. So if we reflect upon ourselves, we can begin to understand our participation in the greatness of our Creator. This participation on His greatness leads us to comprehend that He has brought us out of nothing with a purpose, because knowing His intelligence and His loving nature it is clear that all His actions are always guided by a magnificent purpose. The first intention for which He has created us is that we should enjoy for an eternity His loving company in Heaven. All human persons are called to this eternal and loving company, no one is excluded, save those who, through their own actions, exclude themselves. This manner of creation brings us to understand the unique essential dignity of every human being. A dignity that is not lost for any deprivation of the many external perfections that we might expect to find in a human person. A person might be born with a disability, or may suffer disability through injury or disease, but these deprivations do not affect his basic dignity. A Christian also has the hope that one day when the doors of Paradise will be opened for those children, all their human imperfections will be healed

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 59

Paradise will be opened for those children, all their human imperfections will be healed and they will enjoy forever the beatific vision that we all long for. We are also created to be collaborators in the salvation of the World. The Lord normally does not intervene directly in the world; He does it through our free collaboration in his plans of salvation. He gives to us the saving truths through Holy Scripture, our natural reason and the mediation of the Church and we have to manifest them in our daily lives. If we love those truths we should be impelled to share them with all whom the Lord places in front of us. So when we speak with love and conviction of those truths we cannot be accused of carrying out an exaggerated rhetoric when we defend human life from its biological beginning until natural death. Nobody in his right mind can call it “vitriolic rhetoric” when we denounce that millions upon millions of unborn babies have been killed in the womb in the U.S. and in the rest of the world. It is literally a question of life and death, for the victim, for the mother of the baby and for the perpetrator of abortion, assisted suicide or euthanasia. The victim will have his earthly life terminated; the mother will suffer greatly for her actions, and the perpetrator and the mother will live under the shadow of the unhappiness of having rejected the loving truths of their Creator and certainly they will place their eternal salvation in jeopardy. Our main solidarity has to be always with the victim of the crime, because if the conscience of the nation is not moved by this growing injustice, we know that a growing number will be victimized in the future. Our solidarity is also with the mothers of those babies because often they have been misled or forced into committing this terrible action. Last but not least we wish and pray that all abortionists will understand the terrible consequences of their actions and be converted.

Excerpted from Spirit & Life, Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula, Interim President, Human Life International

St. Anastasius The Martyrology relates: At Bethsaloen in Assyria, St. Anastasius, a Persian monk, who after suffering much at Caesarea in Palestine from imprisonment, stripes, and fetters, had to bear many afflictions from Chosroes, king of Persia, who caused him to be beheaded. He had sent before him to martyrdom seventy of his companions, who were drowned in a river. His head was brought to Rome, at AquÆ SalviÆ,

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 60 together with his revered image, by the sight of which demons are expelled, and diseases cured, as is attested by the Acts of the second Council of Nicea. The saint was venerated highly in Rome.Things to Do:

Read more about St. Anastasius at St. Anastasios the Persian and about St. Anastasius and St. Vincent here

Daily Readings for: January 22, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Pollo Chilindrón

ACTIVITIES

A Day of Penance and Prayer

PRAYERS

Novena for Church Unity Prayer to End Abortion Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 61

LIBRARY

The Catholic Duty to Be Pro-life | Austin B. Vaughan

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-22

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 62

Ordinary Time: January 23rd

Thursday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Vincent of Saragossa, deacon & martyr; St. Marianne Cope Old Calendar: St. Raymund of Penafort, confessor; St. Emerentiana, virgin and martyr; St. John the Almoner (hist)

St. Vincent of Saragossa, one of the greatest of the Church, suffered martyrdom in Valencia in the persecution under Diocletian. He was born in Huesca, Spain. Marianne Cope was born on January 23, 1838, in Darmstadt, Germany. In 1862, she entered the Sisters of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York, after having postponed her entrance nine years in order to fulfill family obligations. She was instrumental in the founding of several schools and hospitals for immigrants. In 1883, she led a group of sisters to the Hawaiian Islands to care for the poor, especially those suffering from leprosy. In 1888 she went to Kalaupapa, Moloka‘i, where she set up a home for girls with leprosy. After the death of Saint Damien de Veuster, she also took over the home he built for boys. She died on August 9, 1918. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII today is the feast of St. Raymond of Penafort which is now celebrated on January 7 on the . It is also the commemoration of St. Emerentiana whose veneration is connected with that of St. Agnes. She was venerated at Rome not far from the Basilica of St. Agnes-Outside-the-Walls on the via Nomentana. The acts of St. Agnes make Emerentiana her foster sister; according to this source, while still a catechumen she was stoned at the tomb of the youthful martyr where she had gone to pray.

St. Vincent of Saragossa

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 63

St. Vincent of Saragossa Vincent of Saragossa was one of the Church’s three most illustrious deacons, the other two being Stephen and Lawrence. He is also Spain’s most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the Diocletian persecution and put to death. From legend we have the following details of his martyrdom. After brutal scourging in the presence of many witnesses, he was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments nor threats could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. Next, he was cast on a heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and seared with hot metal plates. Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with pieces of broken glass. A heavenly brightness flooded the entire dungeon, filling all who saw it with greatest awe. After this he was placed on a soft bed in the hope that lenient treatment would induce apostasy, since torture had proven ineffective. But strengthened by faith in Christ Jesus and the hope of everlasting life, Vincent maintained an invincible spirit and overcame all efforts, whether by fire, sword, rack, or torture to induce defection. He persevered to the end and gained the heavenly crown of martyrdom. — The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Portugal; vine dressers; vinegar makers; vintners; wine growers; wine makers.

Symbols: Deacon holding a ewer; deacon holding several ewers and a book; deacon with a raven; deceased deacon whose body is being defended by ravens; deacon being torn by hooks; deacon holding a millstone.

Things to Do:

Read this account of St. Vincent’s martyrdom. Pray to St. Vincent for those ordained deacons in the Church, especially those in your own parish. Read Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7 to discover the role of deacons in the early Church.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 64

Church. Cook a Spanish dish in honor of St. Vincent.

St. Marianne Cope St. Marianne Cope was born in western Germany in 1838. She entered religious life in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1862. She served as a teacher and principal in several schools in the state and established two of the first hospitals in the central New York area: St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. In 1883, Mother Marianne’s community was the only one of fifty to respond positively to an emissary from Hawaii who requested Catholic sisters to provide health care on the Hawaiian Islands, especially to those with leprosy. Over the next five years, St. Marianne set up a system of long-term education and care for her patients. She ministered to patients at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai. Her time of service overlapped with the last years of St. Damien of Molokai, a priest who served victims of Hansen’s disease and himself died of leprosy. St. Marianne promised her sisters that none of them would ever contract the disease. To this day, no sister has. Her care earned her the affectionate title “beloved mother of the outcasts.” She died in 1918 and was beatified on May 14, 2005 and canonized on October 21, 2012, both by Pope Benedict XVI. “At a time when little could be done for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage and enthusiasm,” Pope Benedict XVI said in his homily during the Mass for her . “She is a shining and energetic example of the best of the tradition of Catholic nursing sisters and of the spirit of her beloved Saint Francis.”

Excerpted from Catholic News Agency

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 65

For more information on St. Marianne Cope visit Hawaii Magazine and the Vatican Watch this YouTube video about St. Marianne Cope

St. Emerentiana St. Emerentiana was a Roman virgin, the foster sister of St. Agnes who died at Rome in the third century. Already as a catechumen she was conspicuous for her faith and love of Christ. One day she boldly upbraided the idolaters for their violent attacks on the Christians. The enraged mob retaliated by pelting her with stones. She died in the Lord praying at the tomb of St. Agnes, baptized in her own blood. A church was built over her grave which, according to the Itineraries, was near the church erected over the place of burial of St. Agnes, and somewhat farther from the city wall. In reality Emerentiana was interred in the coemeterium majus located in this vicinity not far from the coemeterium Agnetis.

Patron: Those who suffer from digestive disorders.

Symbols: Young girl with stones in her lap, usually holding a palm or lily.

St. John the Almoner St. John was married, but when his wife and two children died he considered it a call from God to lead a perfect life. He began to give away all he possessed in alms, and became known throughout the East as the Almoner. He was appointed Patriarch of Alexandria; but before he would take possession of his see he told his servants to go over the town and bring him a list of his lords-meaning the poor. They brought word that

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 66 there were seventy-five hundred of them, and these he undertook to feed every day. On Wednesday and Friday in every week he sat on a bench before the church, to hear the complaints of the needy and aggrieved; nor would he permit his servants to taste food until their wrongs were redressed. The fear of death was ever before him, and he never spoke an idle word. He turned those out of church whom he saw talking, and forbade all detractors to enter his house. He left seventy churches in Alexandria, where he had found but seven. A merchant received from St. John five pounds weight of gold to buy merchandise. Having suffered shipwreck and lost all, he had again recourse to John, who said, “Some of your merchandise was ill-gotten,” and gave him ten pounds more; but the next voyage he lost ship as well as goods. John then said, “The ship was wrongfully acquired. Take fifteen pounds of gold, buy corn with it, and put it on one of my ships.” This time the merchant was carried by the winds without his own knowledge to England, where there was a famine; and he sold the corn for its weight in tin, and on his return he found the tin changed to finest silver. St. John died in Cyprus, his native place, about the year 620. Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Things to Do:

See Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria and The Life of St John the Almsgiver by Leontius

Daily Readings for: January 23, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, mercifully pour out your Spirit upon us, so that our hearts may possess the strong love by which the Martyr Saint Vincent triumphed over all bodily torments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 67

O God, who called us to serve your Son in the least of our brothers and sisters, grant, we pray, that by the example and intercession of the Virgin Saint Marianne Cope, we may burn with love for you and for those who suffer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace on our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Soft Molasses Cookies

ACTIVITIES

Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Anointing of the Sick)

PRAYERS

Novena for Church Unity Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-23

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 68

Ordinary Time: January 24th

Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor; Optional memorial of Our Lady of Peace Old Calendar: St. Timothy, bishop and martyr

His ardent love of God and souls, his great kindliness, rare wisdom and sure teaching made St. Francis exceptionally influential in bringing about conversions and in guiding souls in the spiritual life. He won back to the faith more than 70,000 heretics, thus restoring to the Church a great part of the Chablais, which had been ravaged by Protestantism. He was St. Jane de Chantal’s spiritual director, and with her founded the Order of the Visitation. He is the author of Treatise on the Love of God and Introduction to the Devout Life. St. Francis died at Lyons in 1622. This is also the optional memorial of Our Lady of Peace celebrated in the diocese of Honolulu. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII today is the feast of St. Timothy, bishop and martyr. St. Timothy was the faithful companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. His feast is now celebrated on January 26. St. Francis de Sales feast was celebrated on January 29 and the feast of Our Lady of Peace was celebrated on July 9.

St. Francis de Sales Francis was born on August 21, 1567, and ordained to the priesthood in 1593. From 1594 to 1598 he labored at the difficult and dangerous task of preaching to the Protestants of Chablais and effected the return of some 70,000 souls to the Catholic faith. In 1602 he became bishop of Genf. His zeal for souls is attested in 21,000

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 69 extant letters and 4,000 sermons which exemplify how he applied St. Paul’s words: “I have become all things to all men.” You may epitomize his character in two words, kindliness and lovableness — virtues that were the secret of his success. His writings reflect his kindheartedness and sweet disposition. Most widely known is the saint’s Introduction to the Devout Life, which, with the Imitation of Christ, is rightly considered the finest outline of Christian perfection. Francis’ Introduction proves to the world that true piety makes persons amiable, lovable and happy. A renowned and holy friendship existed between him and St. Frances de Chantal. In cooperation with her he founded the Visitation Nuns in 1610. Out of love for his own poor diocese, he refused opportunities for advancement, including the cardinalate. In recognition of the Introduction and his other writings, Francis has been declared a doctor of the Church. How Francis developed a gentle and amiable disposition is a story in itself; he was not born a saint. By nature his temperament was choleric, fiery; little was needed to throw him into a state of violent anger. It took years before he mastered his impatience, his unruly temper. Even after he became bishop, there were slips, as for instance, when someone rang a bell before he had finished preaching. The important point, of course, is that by constant perseverance he did in time attain perfect self-mastery. Wherein lies a lesson.

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

Patron: Authors; Diocese of Baker, Oregon; Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio; Catholic press; Diocese of Columbus, Ohio; confessors; deaf people; deafness; Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware; educators; journalists; teachers; writers.

Symbols: Bald man with a long beard wearing a bishop’s robes holding a book; heart pierced with thorns or picture of the Virgin.

Things to Do:

Buy a copy of Introduction to the Devout Life or read it online here. Read more about St. Francis de Sales. Learn more about the errors of Calvinism and the Jansenistic heresy, both of which St. Francis’ converted many followers.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 70

Learn more about the Salesian order. St. Francis was born near Geneva, Switzerland, try a Swiss recipe in his honor.

Our Lady of Peace Our Lady Queen of Peace has been the patroness of the in Hawaii since 1827. The first Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands arrived at Honolulu Bay on July 7, 1827. These missionaries were members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of Perpetual Adoration and upon their arrival in the islands dedicated their labors to the patroness of the Congregation, Our Lady Queen of Peace and placed the Islands under her protection. It was in her honor that these missionaries erected the first Catholic Church. After more than a decade of contentious relations with the Hawaiian government, the missionaries were finally allowed to proceed with their evangelization work. In thanksgiving, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was erected. Completed in 1843, a statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace was placed in the niche above the main altar. The Cathedral was solemnly blessed and dedicated to Our Lady of Peace on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1843. The original statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace is located in the Convent Chapel of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts in Picpus, France. During the troubled days of the Commune, in 1871, the populace, incited by atheistic leaders, invaded churches, chapels and convents, destroying every emblem of religion that fell into their hands. The chapel of Our Lady Queen of Peace became their prey. The Superior, with tears in her eyes, begged them to spare their beloved shrine; and, strange to say, the rabble went away, leaving it unharmed. When the tempest of the persecution subsided, the statue was again returned to its usual place and honored and venerated by a phalanx of devout souls. On July 9, 1906, the statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace was solemnly crowned in the name of by his Eminence Cardinal Amette, Archbishop of Paris. Every year on July 9 the feast of Our Lady Queen of Peace is celebrated with great solemnity in the Congregation of the Fathers and Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and Perpetual Adoration. During World War I Pope Benedict XV added the title Queen of Peace to the Litany

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 71 of Loreto.

Things to Do:

Pray the Litany of Loreto. Pray for peace in the world, especially for an end to the war in Iraq and for the safety of all soldiers.

Daily Readings for: January 24, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who for the salvation of souls willed that the Bishop Saint Francis de Sales become all things to all, graciously grant that, following his example, we may always display the gentleness of your charity in the service of our neighbor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Zuercher Ratsherrentopf

ACTIVITIES

Namedays What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Prayer of Love by Saint Francis de Sales Prayer of Dedication by St. Francis de Sales Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 72

Prayer for Peace Novena for Church Unity Novena for Purification Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

LIBRARY

Saint Francis de Sales | Pope Benedict XVI The ‘Four Pillars’ of Salesian Spirituality | Angelo Amato S.D.B.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-24

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 73

Ordinary Time: January 25th

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle Old Calendar: Conversion of St. Paul

St. Paul, named Saul at his circumcision, a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, was born at Tarsus, the capitol of Cilicia. He was a Roman citizen. He was brought up as a strict Jew, and later became a violent persecutor of the Christians. While on his way to Damascus to make new arrests of Christians, he was suddenly converted by a miraculous apparition of Our Lord. From a fierce persecutor he became the great Apostle of the Gentiles. He made three missionary journeys which brought him to the great centers of Asia Minor and southern Europe, and made many converts. Fourteen of his Epistles are found in the New Testament. He was beheaded in Rome around 66 A.D., and his relics are in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls near the Ostian Way.

St. Paul St. Paul was born at Tarsus, Cilicia, of Jewish parents who were descended from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Roman citizen from birth. As he was “a young man” at the stoning of Stephen and “an old man” when writing to Philemon, about the year 63, he was probably born around the beginning of the Christian era. To complete his schooling, St. Paul was sent to Jerusalem, where he sat at the feet of the learned Gamaliel and was educated in the strict observance of the ancestral Law. Here he also acquired a good knowledge of exegesis and was trained in the practice of disputation. As a convinced and zealous Pharisee, he returned to Tarsus before the public life of Christ opened in Palestine.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 74 of Christ opened in Palestine. Some time after the death of Our Lord, St. Paul returned to Palestine. His profound conviction made his zeal develop to a religious fanaticism against the infant Church. He took part in the stoning of the first martyr, St. Stephen, and in the fierce persecution of the Christians that followed. Entrusted with a formal mission from the high priest, he departed for Damascus to arrest the Christians there and bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he was nearing Damascus, about noon, a light from heaven suddenly blazed round him. Jesus with His glorified body appeared to him and addressed him, turning him away from his apparently successful career. An immediate transformation was wrought in the soul of St. Paul. He was suddenly converted to the Christian Faith. He was baptized, changed his name from Saul to Paul, and began travelling and preaching the Faith. He was martyred as an Apostle in Rome around 65 AD.

— Excerpted from Lives of the Saints

Patron: Against snakes; authors; Cursillo movement; evangelists; hailstorms; hospital public relations; journalists; lay people; missionary bishops; musicians; poisonous snakes; public relations personnel; public relations work; publishers; reporters; rope braiders; rope makers; saddlemakers; saddlers; snake bites; tent makers; writers; Malta; Rome; Poznan, Poland; newspaper editorial staff Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Diocese of Covington, Kentucky; Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama; Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Symbols: Book and sword; three fountains; two swords; scourge; serpent and a fire; armour of God; twelve scrolls with names of his Epistles; phoenix; palm tree; shield of faith; sword; book.

Often portrayed as: Thin-faced elderly man with a high forehead, receding hairline and long pointed beard; man holding a sword and a book; man with 3 springs of water nearby.

Things to do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 75

Things to do:

Visit this section on Catholic Culture prepared for the Year of St. Paul in 2008.

Daily Readings for: January 25, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who taught the whole world through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, draw us, we pray, nearer to you through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today, and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Insalata Di Tarocci Almond Horseshoe Cakes Apostle Cookies Crown Cake Genoise Book Cake Hobby Horse Cake Horseshoe Cookies St. Martin’s Horseshoes

ACTIVITIES

Apostle Cookies Nameday Prayers and Ideas for St. Paul the Apostle St. Paul and the Epistle Charades St. Paul’s Day, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 76

St. Paul’s Day, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London St. Paul’s Family Tree The Veneration of Saints

PRAYERS

Litany of Saint Paul the Apostle Novena for Church Unity Novena for Purification Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer to St. Paul the Apostle A Prayer to St. Paul for the Printing of Good Books The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

LIBRARY

Life of Saint Paul before and after Damascus | Pope Benedict XVI St Paul and the Church | Pope Benedict XVI St. Paul and the Apostles | Pope Benedict XVI St. Paul Apostle to the Gentiles | Unknown St. Paul’s New Outlook | Pope Benedict XVI The Keys of Forgiveness: The Loving Power of the Successor of Peter | Sandro Magister The Life of St. Paul | Salvatore J. Ciresi Ut Unum Sint (That They May Be One) | Pope John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-25

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 77

Ordinary Time: January 26th

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Epiphany

As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb’edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb’edee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Today is the feast of Sts. Timothy & Titus which is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-4. This reading is another prophecy, concerning the messianic days, given by Isaiah in the eighth century B.C. It describes the new era of liberty and joy, which the future Messiah will usher in. The second reading is from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1:10-13, 17. St. Paul corrects the Corinthians for the pride that was causing them to form factions and divisions. The Gospel is from St. Matthew 4:12-23. The prophet Isaiah announced a future of liberation and great joy for all of Galilee, through the image of light that dispels the darkness in which the people walk. The Gospel, quoting verbatim the same passage of the prophet Isaiah, presents Jesus as the Light thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. He is the light that was promised to dispel the darkness of sin and to free man from the obscurity in which he is enclosed.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 78

The light becomes an efficacious means to express God’s involvement in human history. God manifests Himself as ‘The Light’ that disperses the darkness. The light illuminates, encircles, defines things, emphasises the colours and gives depth to space. The light heartens and comforts: to be in an enlightened place helps us to accept reality for what it is and makes one feel happier, more certain and protected. God’s initiative with regard to men permits them to have a renewed relationship with reality. In God’s light everything assumes a new significance, its authentic and definitive meaning. A light which illuminates gives strength and permits the disclosure of the universe and man. This is why, after saying, ‘on those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone’ (Is 9:1), the text adds, ‘you have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing’ (Is 9:2). A joy and happiness that became real in Jesus’ presence. He is the promised light that has come into our midst, His physical presence that expresses the definitive arrival of the Light. The light that shines brightly marks God’s initiative performing His first merciful and free step towards a wounded humanity. This dynamic is expressed through Jesus call of the first Apostles. He chooses them with an unequivocal call, ‘Follow Me’. Faced with God’s sudden interruption in their lives He invited them to abandon the nets and trust themselves totally to the Lord for a new ‘catch’, a new definitive horizon. At the Last Supper, the end of His earthly life, Jesus reminds His disciples ‘you did not choose me, no, I chose you’ (Jn 15:16). This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to remember that our personal vocation is founded on God’s original and absolutely free choice. His invitation towards us, therefore, is an invitation to make a final decision to let Him conquer or re-conquer us to mark a turning point in our lives. Let us ask the Lord, for us and the whole Church, for the gift of a true conversion of our hearts enabling us to receive Christ as the only Light to follow. Christ is the only one that really dispels the darkness within and around us.

From the Congregation for the Clergy

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day 5: Everything has become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 79

5:17) Paul encountered Christ, the risen Lord, and became a renewed person—just as everyone does who believes in Christ. This new creation is not visible to the naked eye. Instead it is a reality of faith. God lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit and lets us share in the life of the Trinity. Vatican Resources

Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Third Sunday after Epiphany “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Gospel). By a twofold display of His mercy Jesus first confirmed His Divinity before the Jewish priests when He cleansed the despised leper (picture in background), then before the Gentiles by curing the centurion’s paralyzed servant. We, too, publicly profess faith in His Divinity by our mercy in taking “the words of grace” to leprous, paralyzed sinners (Communion Verse). What kind of mercy? St. Paul outlines certain practices in the Epistle: refrain from rendering “evil for evil;” “provide good things” to “all men;” peace to our enemy, leaving “vengeance” to God Who know how to “repay.”

— Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Daily Readings for: January 26, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 80

RECIPES

Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

Teaching About the Mass

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1 Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (1st Plan) Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-26

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 81

Ordinary Time: January 27th

Monday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici, virgin Old Calendar: St. , bishop, confessor and doctor; St. Angela Merici

St. Angela was born in northern Italy. In 1516, she founded the Order of Ursulines, the first teaching order for women approved by the Church. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. John Chrysostom (September 13 in the Ordinary Form). St. Angela Merici’s feast is celebrated on June 1, except in the convents of her order where it is also celebrated today.

St. Angela Merici The saint was born in 1474 in the diocese of Verona. Early in life she dedicated herself to Christ as His bride. After the death of her parents, she desired to live solely for God in quiet and solitude, but her uncle insisted that she manage his household. She renounced her patrimony in order to observe most perfectly the rule for Franciscan Tertiaries. During a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1524, she lost her eyesight temporarily. Pope Clement VII, whom she visited in Rome, desired her to remain in the Holy City. Later she founded a society for girls, under the protection of St. Ursula; this was the beginning of the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 82

Ursuline Order. St. Angela was almost seventy when she died; her body remained incorrupt for thirty days. Remarkable phenomena occurred at her burial in the Church of St. Afra.

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

Patron: Bodily ills; disabled people; handicapped people; illness; loss of parents; physically challenged people; sick people; sickness.

Symbols: Cloak; ladder.

Things to Do:

Read more about the life of St. Angela and her travels to the Holy Land. St. Angela formed the Company of St. Ursula, a secular institute. Read more about secular institutes and their role in the Church. Read Jeff Mirus’ review Stages on the Road by Sigrid Undset. The book includes an essay on St. Angela Merici.

Daily Readings for: January 27, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May the Virgin Saint Angela never fail to commend us to your compassion, O Lord, we pray, that, following the lessons of her charity and prudence, and express it in what we do. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 83

RECIPES

Pasticcio di Polenta Genoise Book Cake Overnight Basic Italian Polenta Risi e Bisi Rose Petal Coconut Cake Rose Petal Pound Cake Salmon Primavera with Lemon Butter Sauce

ACTIVITIES

Nameday Celebration Prayers and Ideas for St. Angela Merici Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Holy Orders)

PRAYERS

Litany of St. Angela Merici Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-27

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 84

Ordinary Time: January 28th

Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor Old Calendar: St. Peter Nolasco, confessor

St. Thomas Aquinas is the ’s greatest glory. He taught philosophy and theology with such genius that he is considered one of the leading Christian thinkers. His innocence, on a par with his genius, earned for him the title of “Angelic Doctor.” St. Thomas’ feast is celebrated on March 7 in the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. In th 1962 Missal today is the feast of St. Peter Nolasco, who was born in southern France. After the death of his wealthy parents, he spent his inheritance in Barcelona to rescue Christians enslaved by the Moors. He formed a lay confraternity, which later developed into the religious order of the Mercedarians, and led his fellow workers into Moorish territory to purchase the freedom of Christian captives, and to make numerous conversions among the non-Christians. Later Peter’s Mercedarians labored among the Indians of the far-flung Spanish American Empire.

St. Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas ranks among the greatest writers and theologians of all time. His most important work, the Summa Theologiae, an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. At the Council of Trent it was consulted after the Bible.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 85

To a deeply speculative mind, he joined a remarkable life of prayer, a precious memento of which has been left to us in the Office of Corpus Christi. Reputed as great already in life, he nevertheless remained modest, a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was. When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate. How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others. After he died his lifelong companion and confessor testified, “I have always known him to be as innocent as a five-year-old child. Never did a carnal temptation soil his soul, never did he consent to a mortal sin.” He cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agnes, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person. He died in 1274, at the age of fifty, in the abbey of Fossa Nuova. He is the patron saint of schools and of sacred theology.

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

Patron: Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; students; theologians; universities; University of Vigo.

Symbols: Chalice; monstrance; ox; star; sun; teacher with pagan philosophers at his feet; teaching.

Things to do:

Read G.K. Chesterton’s biography, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Dumb Ox, which is full of Chestertonian profundity and wit online or purchase it from Amazon. Dive into the intellectual depth and beauty of St. Thomas’ thought in his Summa Theologiae. Familiarize yourself with his method of inquiry by reading his section on God’s attributes, especially the goodness of God. Here is a Bibliography in English.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 86

Nearly everyone, especially young people, knows and appreciates the story of St. Thomas chasing the prostitute from his room with a burning log. (She was sent by his wealthy family to tempt him away from the religious life.) After he drove away the temptress, two angels came to him and fastened a mystical chastity cord around his waist. Buy or fashion your own chastity belt, easy to make from braided yarn or thin, soft rope. (St. Joseph chastity belts are available at some Catholic shops.) This would be a beautiful alternative or addition to the “True Love Waits” chastity pledge and ring. It is a wonderful low-key symbol for self-conscious teens. It also serves as an excellent reminder to pray daily for the virtue of chastity. Meditate upon the profound humility of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose intellectual capacity far surpasses any since his time. He stopped writing at the end of his life after having a vision of the glory of God, claiming that ‘All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me.’ How often do we take pride in our own intellectual achievements, fully crediting them to ourselves? If you are a student or teacher, or at all concerned about the crisis of Catholic education, make ample use of the Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas for Schools and the Prayer to the Angel of Schools. Read Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical, Aeterni Patris, strangely relevant to our time in its exhortation towards a renewal in philosophical study with a focus on the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas. Finally, read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Fides et Ratio, especially the section on The enduring originality of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. He expresses a similar intent to that of Pope Leo XIII’s in the following words, “If it has been necessary from time to time to intervene on this question, to reiterate the value of the Angelic Doctor’s insights and insist on the study of his thought, this has been because the Magisterium’s directives have not always been followed with the readiness one would wish.” From the Catholic Culture library: Light from Aquinas , The Meaning of Virtue in St. Thomas Aquinas and The Philosophy of Woman of St. Thomas Aquinas. For many more documents search the library for “aquinas”.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 87

St. Peter Nolasco One night while Peter Nolasco was praying, the Blessed Virgin appeared (1228) and told him how greatly pleased she and her divine Son would be if a religious order were established in her honor for the express purpose of delivering Christians held in bondage by the infidels. In compliance with her wish, Peter, together with St. Raymond of Penafort and James I, King of Aragon, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives. Besides the usual vows, all members were required to take a fourth, one by which they bound themselves to become captives of the pagans, if necessary, to effect the emancipation of Christians. On one occasion Peter Nolasco ransomed 400 at Valencia and Granada; twice he traveled to Africa as “the Ransomer,” not without peril to his own life; and records show that through his personal efforts a total of 890 Christians regained their liberty. He died with these words from Psalm 110 on his lips: The Lord has sent redemption to His people.

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

Things to Do:

To find out more about the history of the Mercedarian Order read this account.

Daily Readings for: January 28, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he accomplished. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 88

RECIPES

Cappelletti all’uso di Romagna (Soup with Little Hats) Mostarda di Cremona (Fruited Mustard) Pasticcio di Polenta Risotto alla Milanese Brodo Apostolorum Crown Cake Genoise Book Cake German Cinnamon Stars Lamb Cake Little Hats Cappelletti Nameday Sugar Cookies Overnight Basic Italian Panettone Polenta Ship Cake Star-Studded Chiffon Pie Symbolic Pastries Vegetable Soup with Rice

ACTIVITIES

Eucharist Hymn: Adoro Te Devote - Hidden God Eucharist Hymn: Pange Lingua Eucharist Hymn: Sacris Solemniis - At This Our Solemn Feast Eucharist Hymn: Tantum Ergo - Down in Adoration Falling Eucharist Hymn: Verbum Supernum - The Word of God

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 89

Nameday Celebration Prayers and Ideas for Saint Thomas Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Matrimony)

PRAYERS

Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas for Schools Prayer to the Angel of Schools Litany of St. Thomas Aquinas Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

Saint Thomas Aquinas (2) | Pope Benedict XVI Saint Thomas Aquinas (3) | Pope Benedict XVI Saint Thomas Aquinas | Pope Benedict XVI Studiorum Ducem (On St. Thomas Aquinas) | Pope Pius XI The Meaning of Virtue in St. Thomas Aquinas | Fr. John A. Hardon S.J. The Philosophy of Woman of St. Thomas Aquinas | Kristin M. Popik The Teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas in Regard To the Apostles | Nicholas Halligan O.P. Thomas and the Experience of God | Fr. Inos Biffi Thomas Aquinas: a Doctor for the Ages | Romanus Cessario Thomas Aquinas: the Angelic Doctor | Sal Ciresi

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-28

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 90

Ordinary Time: January 29th

Wednesday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Francis De Sales, bishop, confessor and doctor; St. Gildas the Wise, abbot (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. In the Ordinary Rite his feast is celebrated on January 24. Historically today is the feast of St. Gildas the Wise, Scottish bishop and author and sometimes listed as Badonicus. He was born in the Clyde River area of Scotland. After becoming a disciple of St. Finnian, Gildas was a hermit for a time in Wales. He was also trained by St. Illtyd. He was famous for writing De Excidiio Britanniae, a Latin work describing moral decline in Britain.

St. Gildas the Wise He was probably born about 517, in the North of England or Wales. His father’s name was Cau (or Nau) and that he came from noble lineage. He lived in a time when the glory of Rome was faded from Britain. The permanent legions had been withdrawn by Maximus, who used them to sack Rome itself and make himself Emperor. Gildas noted for his piety was well educated, and was not afraid of publicly rebuking contemporary monarchs, at a time when libel was answered by a sword, rather than a Court order. He lived for many years as an ascetic hermit on Flatholm Island in the Bristol Channel. Here he established his reputation for that peculiar Celtic sort of holiness that consists of extreme self-denial and isolation. At around this time, according to the Welsh, he also preached to Nemata, the mother of St David, while she was pregnant with the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 91 he also preached to Nemata, the mother of St David, while she was pregnant with the Saint. In about 547 he wrote De Excidio Britanniae (The Ruin of Britain). In this he writes a brief tale of the island from pre-Roman times and criticizes the rulers of the island for their lax morals and blames their sins (and those that follow them) for the destruction of civilization in Britain. The book was avowedly written as a moral tale. He also wrote a longer work, the Epistle. This is a series of sermons on the moral laxity of rulers and of the clergy. In these Gildas shows that he has a wide reading of the Bible and of some other classical works. Gildas was an influential preacher, visiting Ireland and doing missionary work. He was responsible for the conversion of much of the island and may be the one who introduced anchorite customs to the monks of that land. He retired from Llancarfan to Rhuys, in Brittany, where he founded a monastery. Of his work on the running of a monastery (one of the earliest known in the Christian Church), only the so-called Penitential, a guide for Abbots in setting punishment, survives. He died around 571, at Rhuys. The monastery that he had founded became the center of his cult. St. Gildas is regarded as being one of the most influential figures of the early English Church. The influence of his writing was felt until well into the Middle Ages, particularly in the Celtic Church.

Things to Do:

Read St. Gildas’s work The Ruin of Britain here.

Daily Readings for: January 29, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 92

RECIPES

Glowing Menorah Cake

ACTIVITIES

Attitudes on Confession Examination of Conscience

PRAYERS

Act of Contrition Prayer Before Confession Prayer Before Confession - 2 Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-29

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 93

Ordinary Time: January 30th

Thursday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Martina, virgin and martyr; St. Bathildes (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Martina who was a Roman virgin born of an illustrious family. Both of her parents died while she was very young. She distributed among the poor the immense wealth which she inherited and so laid up for herself unfailing treasures in heaven. With great constancy she refused to offer sacrifices to false gods. She was tortured in various inhuman ways, she was exposed to the attacks of beasts in the amphitheater, and was finally beheaded about the year 228. Today is the historical feast of St. St. Bathildes, wife of Clovis II, King of the Franks. She was Queen of the Franks and Abbess of Chelles. She died as a on January 30, 679 in Chelles, Seine Et Marne, France.

St. Martina She was a noble Roman virgin, who glorified God, suffering many torments and a cruel death for her faith, in the capital city of the world, in the third century. There stood a chapel consecrated to her memory in Rome, which was frequented with great devotion in the time of St. Gregory the Great. Her relics were discovered in a vault, in the ruins of her old church and translated with great pomp in the year 1634, under the Pope Urban VIII, who built a new church in her honor, and composed himself the hymns used in her office in the Roman Breviary. The city of Rome ranks her among its particular patrons. The history of the discovery of her relics was published by Honoratus of Viterbo, an Oratorian.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 94

— Taken from Vol. I of The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints by the Rev. Alban Butler, the 1864 edition published by D. & J. Sadlier, & Company.

Patron: Nursing mothers; Rome, Italy.

Symbols: Maiden with a lion; being beheaded by a sword; tortured by being hung on a two-pronged hook; receiving a lily and the palm of martyrdom from the Virgin and Child.

Things to Do:

Read about the Roman Church dedicated to St and St Martina. Pray to St. Martina for the courage to destroy those idols of our affections, to which we are so prone to offer the sacrifice of our hearts. Examine your conscience and try to identify what these idols might be.

St. Bathildes St. Bathildes was an Englishwoman, who was carried over whilst yet young into France, and there sold as a slave, at a very low price, to Erkenwald, mayor of the palace under King Clovis II. When she grew up, her master was so much taken with her prudence and virtue that he placed her in charge of his household. The renown of her virtues spread through all France, and King Clovis II. took her for his royal consort. This unexpected elevation produced no alteration in a heart perfectly grounded in humility and the other virtues; she seemed to become even more humble than before. Her new station furnished her the means of being truly a mother to the poor; the king gave her the sanction of his royal authority for the protection of the Church, the care of the poor, and the furtherance of all religious undertakings. The death of her husband left her regent of the kingdom. She at once forbade the enslavement of Christians, did all in her power to promote piety and filled France with hospitals and religious houses. As soon as her son Clotaire was of an age to govern, she withdrew from the world

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 95

As soon as her son Clotaire was of an age to govern, she withdrew from the world and entered the convent of Chelles. Here she seemed to entirely forget her worldly dignity and was to be distinguished from the rest of the community only by her extreme humility, her obedience to her spiritual superiors, and her devotion to the sick, whom she comforted and served with wonderful charity. As she neared her end, God visited her with a severe illness, which she bore with Christian patience until, on the 30th of January, 680, she yielded up her soul in devout prayer.

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

Daily Readings for: January 30, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Poor Man’s Feast

ACTIVITIES

Life of St. Martina

PRAYERS

Hymn to St. Martina Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 96

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-30

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 97

Ordinary Time: January 31st

Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest Old Calendar: St. John Bosco, confessor

St. John Bosco was the founder of the Salesian Society, named in honor of St. Francis de Sales, and of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. His lifework was the welfare of young boys and girls, hence his title, “Apostle of Youth.” He had no formal system or theory of education. His methods centered on persuasion, authentic religiosity, and love for young people. He was an enlightened educator and innovator.

St. John Bosco John Bosco was born near Castelnuovo in the archdiocese of Turin, Italy, in 1815. His father died when John was only two years old and it was his mother Margaret who provided him with a good humanistic and Christian education. His early years were financially difficult but at the age of twenty he entered the major seminary, thanks to the financial help received from Louis Guala, founder and rector of the ecclesiastical residence St. in Turin. John Bosco was ordained a priest on June 5, 1846, and with the help of John Borel he founded the oratory of St. Francis de Sales. At this time the city of Turin was on the threshold of the industrial revolution and as a result there were many challenges and problems, especially for young men. Gifted as he was as an educator and a leader, Don Bosco formulated a system of

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 98 education based on “reason, religion and kindness.” In spite of the criticism and violent attacks of the anti-clericals, he conducted workshops for the tradesmen and manual laborers, schools of arts and sciences for young workers, and schools of the liberal arts for those preparing for the priesthood. In 1868 there were 800 students involved in this educational system. To ensure the continuation of his work, Don Bosco founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), which was approved in 1869. Also, with the help of Sister Mary Dominic Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Auxiliatrix. In 1875 a wave of emigration to Latin America began, and this prompted the inauguration of the Salesian missionary apostolate. Don Bosco became a traveller throughout Europe, seeking funds for the missions. Some of the reports referred to him as “the new St. Vincent de Paul.” He also found time to write popular catechetical pamphlets, which were distributed throughout Italy, as was his Salesian Bulletin. This great apostle of youth died on January 31, 1888, and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. Pope John Paul II named him “teacher and father to the young.”

— Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patron: Apprentices; boys; editors; Mexican young people; laborers; schoolchildren; students; young people.

Things to Do:

St. John Bosco at a young age learned how to juggle and do other tricks to attract children to him. This provided opportunities for him to give catechesis to these children. Think of different activities that you could do to attract children—perhaps juggling, putting on puppet shows, storybook time—and use that opportunity to teach a virtue, catechism lesson, or just to be a good example. Good clean fun or a wholesome activity is a lesson in itself in a world where there is so much corruption. If you feel brave, try cooking the stuffed raw peppers suggested for today. Mama Margaret probably cooked Peperoni farciti à la Piemontaise (peppers stuffed with boiled rice), a speciality from Turin, for St. John Bosco’s boys. Read this article from Catholic Culture’s library, Don Bosco, Seeker of Souls.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 99

Read this article from Catholic Culture’s library, Don Bosco, Seeker of Souls.

Daily Readings for: January 31, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher of the young, grant we pray, that, aflame with the same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Genoise Book Cake Grissini Grissini al Formaggio Grissini Integrali Overnight Basic Italian Polenta Stuffed Raw Peppers

ACTIVITIES

Nameday Notes for John Namedays What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Novena to St. John Bosco Novena in Honor of St. John Bosco

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 100

Novena in Honor of St. John Bosco Novena for Purification Nameday Prayer for St. John Bosco

LIBRARY

Don Bosco, Seeker of Souls | Msgr. Paul E. Campbell M.A., Litt.D., Ed.D. Salesians: Protecting, Reviving Faithfulness to the Call | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-31

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 101

Ordinary Time: February 1st

Saturday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time; Feast of St. Brigid, Virgin (Ireland) (NZ, Opt. Mem.) Old Calendar: St. Ignatius, bishop and martyr;

Surnamed “the Mary of the Gael,” St. Brigid was born at Faughart, near Dundalk. She took the veil in her youth and eventually founded the nunnery of Kildare, the first to be erected on Irish soil, thus becoming the spiritual mother of all Irish nuns. Around her name there have been formed hundreds of legends, which could be fittingly described as “the Little Flowers of St. Brigid,” the keynote being mercy and pity for the poor. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is also the feast of St. Ignatius. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on October 17.

St. Brigid Bridget (Brigid, Bride, Bridey) of Kildare was born around 450 into a Druid family, being the daughter of Dubhthach, court poet to King Loeghaire. At an early age, Brigid decided to become a Christian, and she eventually took vows as a nun. Together with a group of other women, she established a nunnery at Kildare. She was later joined by a community of monks led by Conlaed. Kildare had formerly been a pagan shrine where a sacred fire was kept perpetually burning. Rather than stamping out this pagan flame, Brigid and

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 102

Rather than stamping out this pagan flame, Brigid and her nuns kept it burning as a Christian symbol. (This was in keeping with the general process whereby Druidism in Ireland gave way to Christianity with very little opposition, the Druids for the most part saying that their own beliefs were a partial and tentative insight into the nature of God, and that they recognized in Christianity what they had been looking for.) As an abbess, Brigid participated in several Irish councils, and her influence on the policies of the Church in Ireland was considerable. Many stories of her younger days deal with her generosity toward the needy.

Patron: Babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle; chicken farmers; children whose parents are not married; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Leinster; mariners; midwives; milk maids; newborn babies; nuns; poets; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers; watermen.

Symbols: Abbess; usually holding a lamp or candle; often with a cow nearby.

Things to Do:

Read Amy Steedman’s biography of Saint Brigid of Ireland to gain a greater appreciation and devotion for this holy woman, who had a great tenderness for mothers and their children. Read Saint Brigit: The Mary of the Gael (Catholic Culture Library) or go to this fascinating page St. Brigit - The Giveaway where you will find some folklore and recipes. Saint Brigid always recognized Christ in the sick and the poor. Visit Christ in a nursing home or hospital today, and pray for the grace of clear vision, even when you encounter Him in a distressing disguise. Meditate on today’s beautiful reading, in 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13. Is this the kind of love you share with your family? Pray to Saint Brigid for the grace to be patient, kind, and gentle with those entrusted to your care. For more recipes and for a craft go to Brigid’s Day Foods and How to Make a Traditional St. Brigid’s Cross.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 103

Daily Readings for: February 01, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Barm Brack Barmbrack Boxty Dumplings Boxty Pancakes Colcannon I Colcannon II Irish Potato Pancakes III Irish Scones Irish Soda Bread I Irish Soda Bread IV Irish Tea Barmbrack Parsley Jelly Potato Dish Potato Pancakes II Steak and Oyster Pie

ACTIVITIES

Irish Hospitality

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 104

St. Brigid of Ireland

PRAYERS

Litany of Saint Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

Benedict XVI Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland | Pope Benedict XVI Our Lady in Old Irish Folklore and Hymns | James F. Cassidy St. Brigit: The Mary of the Gail | Hugh de Blacam

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-01

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 105

Ordinary Time: February 2nd

The Presentation of the Lord Old Calendar: Fourth Sunday after Epiphany; Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus and is also known as Candlemas day, since the blessing and procession of candles is included in today’s liturgy. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is referred to as the “Purification of Mary.” This is known as a “Christmas feast” since it points back to the Solemnity of Christmas. Many Catholics practice the tradition of keeping out the Nativity creche or other Christmas decorations until this feast. On February 2nd a quaint tradition unfolds, known well to schoolchildren and adults alike. The fate of Spring hangs in the balance as a burrowing animal looks for its shadow. But where did this tradition come from? See the link below for an article that explains this tradition.

Presentation of the Lord The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as “The Encounter.” In the sixth century, it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more penitential character and in Gaul (France) with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as “Candlemas.” The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of , the events now point toward Easter. "In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented in the Temple by his Blessed Mother and his foster father. This is another ‘epiphany’

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 106 celebration insofar as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of . Christ is the light of the nations, hence the blessing and procession of candles on this day. In the Middle Ages this feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or ‘Candlemas,’ was of great importance. "The specific liturgy of this Candlemas feast, the blessing of candles, is not as widely celebrated as it should be, except of course whenever February 2 falls on a Sunday and thus takes precedence. There are two ways of celebrating the ceremony, either the Procession, which begins at a ‘gathering place’ outside the church, or the Solemn Entrance, celebrated within the church."

— From Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year

Until 1969, the ancient feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, which is of Oriental origin, was known in the West as the feast of the Purification of Our Lady, and closed the Christmas Cycle, forty days after the Lord’s birth. This feast has for long been associated with many popular devotional exercises. The faithful:

gladly participate in the processions commemorating the Lord’s entry into the Temple in Jerusalem and His encounter with God, whose house He had come to for the first time, and then with Simeon and Anna. Such processions, which in the West had taken the place of licentious pagan events, always had a penitential character, and were later identified with the blessing of candles which were carried in procession in honor of Christ, ‘the light to enlighten the Gentiles’ (Lk 2, 32); are sensitive to the actions of the Blessed Virgin in presenting her Son in the Temple, and to her submission to the Law of (Lk 12, 1-8) in the rite of purification; popular piety sees in the rite of purification the humility of Our

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 107

Lady and hence, 2 February has long been regarded as a feast for those in humble service.

Popular piety is sensitive to the providential and mysterious event that is the conception and birth of new life. Christian mothers can easily identify with the maternity of Our Lady, the most pure Mother of the Head of the mystical Body — notwithstanding the notable differences in the Virgin’s unique conception and birth. These too are mothers in God’s plan and are about to give birth to future members of the Church. From this intuition and a certain mimesis of the purification of Our Lady, the rite of purification after birth was developed, some of whose elements reflect negatively on birth. The revised Rituale Romanum provides for the blessing of women both before and after birth, this latter only in cases where the mother could not participate at the baptism of her child. It is a highly desirable thing for mothers and married couples to ask for these blessings which should be given in accord with the Church’s prayer: in a communion of faith and charity in prayer so that pregnancy can be brought to term without difficulty (blessing before birth), and to give thanks to God for the gift of a child (blessing after birth). In some local Churches, certain elements taken from the Gospel account of the Presentation of the Lord (Lk 2, 22-40), such as the obedience of Joseph and Mary to the Law of the Lord, the poverty of the holy spouses, the virginity of Our Lady, mark out 2 February as a special feast for those at the service of the brethren in the various forms of consecrated life. The feast of 2 February still retains a popular character. It is necessary, however, that such should reflect the true Christian significance of the feast. It would not be proper for popular piety in its celebration of this feast to overlook its Christological significance and concentrate exclusively on its Marian aspects. The fact that this feast should be ‘considered […] a joint memorial of Son and Mother’ would not support such an inversion. The candles kept by the faithful in their homes should be seen as a sign of Christ ‘the light of the world’ and an expression of faith.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 108

— Excerpted from Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

Things to Do:

Ask your parish priest to bless the candles that you will be using on your home altar this year. Have a family Candlemas procession, found in the prayer links. Read Luke 2:22-35, the account of the presentation including the Canticle of Simeon. Meditate on the constant fiat of Our Lady of Sorrows, who embraced the will of God even as Simeon predicted that a sword would pierce her heart. Read this article to see what the connection between Candlemas and Groundhog Day.

Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Fourth Sunday after Epiphany "‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the sea, and there came a great calm" (Gospel). This is a picture of both the human and the Divine in Jesus and in His Church (symbolized by the dome of St. Peter’s at the right). Jesus, a tired Man, fell off to sleep during “a great storm.” Jesus, the tireless, wide-awake God, “arose,” as it were from the tomb of a dead sleep, to restore “a great calm.” Enemies of the Church are ever ready to gloat over our human “weakness” (Prayer, Secret), tossed about by the “waves” of human passion, by the “winds” of inhuman evil spirits. The Divine Presence is within our baptized, absolved souls. Let us rise up “from the facination of earthly things” (Postcommunion).

— Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 109

Daily Readings for: February 02, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Crepes for the Feast of St. Bernadette Crepes Saint-Gwenole Crepes Suzette Rosca de Reyes Strawberry Cream Crepes

ACTIVITIES

Antiphon for Candlemas Day Candlemas Ceremony Candlemas Day Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album Feasts of Mary in the Family Feasts of Our Lady in the Home Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady Marian Hymn: A Single Branch Three Roses Bore Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 110

Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear Marian Hymn: Beautiful, Glorious Marian Hymn: Hail Mary, Queen in Heav’n Enthroned Marian Hymn: Salve Regina Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina Marian Hymn: Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest Mary Garden Procession on Candlemas Reflections on the Feast of the Presentation Shadow-Box Show and Procession for Candlemas The Feasts of Light: Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Candlemas in the Home

PRAYERS

Excerpt from the Blessing of Candles February Devotion: The Holy Family Prayer for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) Family Candlemas Procession Nunc Dimittis - The Canticle of Simeon Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God Novena for Purification Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Blessing of Candles and the Propers of Mass for February 2, Extraordinary Form Blessing of Candles and Propers of the Mass for the Feast of the Presentation, Ordinary Form Prayer for Candlemas Day (February 2)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 111

LIBRARY

Presentation Prefigures the Cross | Pope John Paul II The Purification, Commonly Called Candlemas-Day | Alban Butler The Season’s Finale | Dr. Pius Parsch

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-02

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 112

Ordinary Time: February 3rd

Monday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr; St. Ansgar, bishop Old Calendar: St. Blaise

St. Blaise enjoyed widespread veneration in the Eastern and Western Churches due to many cures attributed to him. According to tradition, he was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and was martyred under Licinius. On this day the Church gives a “Blessing of the Throats” in honor of St. Blaise. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat. St. Ansgar became known as the “Apostle of the North” for his great evangelical work in Denmark and Sweden. He was Bishop of Hamburg and then of Bremen. Gregory IV appointed him as his delegate to Denmark and Sweden.

St. Blaise St. Blaise was a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus and was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer. Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games, and found many waiting outside Blaise’s cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 113 his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the blessing of throats on Blaise’s feast day. Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and invited his persecutors to walk out and prove the power of their gods; they drowned. When he returned to land, he was martyred by being beaten, his flesh torn with wool combs (which led to his association with and patronage of those involved in the wool trade), and then beheading. Blaise has been extremely popular for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches and many cures were attributed to him, notably that of a child who was suffocating through a fish bone being caught in his throat. In 1222 the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labour in England on his feast. He is one of the . He is invoked for all throat afflictions, and on his feast two candles are blessed with a prayer that God will free from all such afflictions and every ill all those who receive this blessing.

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

It is customary in many places to bless the throats of the faithful with two candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross. The rite of the blessing of throats may take place before or after Mass. The priest or deacon places the candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the formula: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.”

— Excerpted from Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year

Patron: Against wild beasts; animals; builders; carvers; construction workers; coughs; Dalmatia; Dubrovnik; goiters; healthy throats; stonecutters; throat diseases; veterinarians; whooping cough; wool-combers; wool weavers.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 114

Symbols: 2 candles; 2 crossed candles; candle; hermit tending wild animals; iron comb; man healing a choking boy; man with two candles; wax; wool comb.

Things to Do:

Take your children to Mass to receive the blessing of throats today. Establish a home altar with the blessed candles (symbols of Saint Blaise) from the feast of the Presentation, February 2. Visit this website and learn more about St. Blaise and how he saved Dubrovnik in Croatia in the 12th century.

St. Ansgar The “apostle of the north” (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Less than two years later he was recalled, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis’s death. After thirteen years’ work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism. He directed new apostolic activities in the North, traveling to Denmark and being instrumental in the conversion of another king. By the strange device of casting lots, the king of Sweden allowed the Christian missionaries to return. Ansgar’s biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher, a humble and ascetical priest. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating the Lord in washing their feet and waiting on them at table. He died peacefully at Bremen, Germany, without achieving his wish to be a martyr. Sweden became pagan again after his death, and remained so until the coming of missionaries two centuries later.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 115

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron: Denmark; Scandinavia; Sweden.

Symbols: Wearing a fur pelise; holding the Catheral of Hamburg.

Daily Readings for: February 03, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Hear, O Lord, the supplications your people make under the patronage of the Martyr Saint Blaise, and grant that they may rejoice in peace in this present life, and find help for life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

O God, who willed to send the Bishop Saint Ansgar to enlighten many peoples, grant us, through is intercession, that we may always walk in the light of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Chicken Noodle Soup Chicken Soup with Rice Mostaccioli II (Little Mustache Almond Cookies)

ACTIVITIES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 116

Feast of St. Blaise Fourteen Holy Helpers

PRAYERS

Book of Blessings: Blessing of Throats on the Feast of Saint Blaise Prayer to St. Blaise Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Ritual: Blessing of Candles on the Feast of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr Roman Ritual: Blessing of Throats on the Feast of St. Blaise Roman Ritual: Blessing of Bread, Wine, Water, Fruit on the Feast of St. Blaise

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-03

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 117

Ordinary Time: February 4th

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Andrew Corsini, bishop and confessor; St. Jane de Valois, foundress (hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Andrew who was born in the fourteenth century in Florence, Italy. He fell into bad company; but soon, touched by the grief of his mother, the young nobleman entered the Carmelite Order. Having served as prior of his convent, he was chosen to fill the vacant bishopric of Fiesole. He continually helped the poor, doing so in secret in the case of those who were ashamed to make known their distress. By showing his people the true nature of Christian peace, Bishop Andrew put an end to a number of troublesome disturbances in the city. He died on the feast of the Epiphany, 1373.

St. Andrew Corsini St. Andrew Corsini lived from 1302 to 1373. While still carrying him in her womb, his mother dreamed she had given birth to a wolf that sauntered to the gate of the Carmelite monastery, and entering the vestibule of the church, was changed to a lamb. Andrew was reared as a pious and God-fearing youth, but little by little he succumbed to the pleasures of the world in spite of frequent warnings and reproofs from his mother. After he became aware that his parents had vowed him to the service of Blessed Mary, he mended his ways and at the age of seventeen entered the Carmelite Order. Though persistently tempted and assailed by the devil, he never swerved from his holy decision. A man of austere penance, he fasted continuously, always wore a hair shirt, and prayed the penitential psalms daily. For humility’s sake he often washed the feet of the poor and beggars. His special gift from God was the grace to effect the conversion of hardened

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 118 beggars. His special gift from God was the grace to effect the conversion of hardened sinners. In 1360, despite his efforts to the contrary, he was made bishop of Fiesole in Tuscany.

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

Patron: Civil disorder; riot.

Symbols: Holding a cross, with a wolf and lamb at his feet, and floating above a battlefield on a cloud or a white palfrey.

Things to Do:

Pray to St. Andrew Corsini that your children, especially teenagers, may find their true vocation and follow it faithfully. St. Andrew’s fellow often sought his aid in solving the disputes which had split their families and cities — imitate this peacemaker, renowned for his prudence and wisdom, by sowing peace in your own home.

St. Jane de Valois Born of the blood royal of France, herself a queen, Jane of Valois led a life remarkable for its humiliations even in the annals of the Saints. Her father, Louis XI., who had hoped for a son to succeed him, banished Jane from his palace, and, it is said, even attempted her life. At the age of five the neglected child offered her whole heart to God, and yearned to do some special service in honor of His blessed Mother. At the king’s wish, though against her own inclination, she was married to the Duke of Orleans. Towards an indifferent and unworthy husband her conduct was ever most patient and dutiful. Her prayers and tears saved him from a traitor’s death and shortened the captivity which his rebellion had merited. Still nothing could win a heart which was already given to another. When her husband ascended the throne as Louis XII, his first act was to repudiate by false representations one who

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 119 through twenty-two years of cruel neglect had been his true and loyal wife. At the final sentence of separation, the saintly queen exclaimed, “God be praised Who has allowed this, that I may serve Him better than I have heretofore done.” Retiring to Bourges, she there realized her long-formed desire of founding the Order of the Annunciation, in honor of the Mother of God. Under the guidance of St. Francis of Paula, the director of her childhood, St. Jane was enabled to overcome the serious obstacles which even good people raised against the foundation of her new Order. In 1501 the rule of the Annunciation was finally approved by Alexander VI. The chief aim of the institute was to imitate the ten virtues practised by Our Lady in the mystery of the Incarnation, the superioress being called “Ancelle,” handmaid, in honor of Mary’s humility. St. Jane built and endowed the first convent of the Order in 1502. She died in heroic sanctity, 1505, and was buried in the royal crown and purple, beneath which lay the habit of her Order.

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

Things to Do:

For more information about St. Jane de Valois please visit St. Jeanne de Valois, Roman Catholic Saints Read more about the Order of the Annunciation founded by St. Jane here

Daily Readings for: February 04, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 120

Tuscan-Style Peppered Chicken

ACTIVITIES

How to Deal with People

PRAYERS

Collect for the Feast of St. Andrew Corsini Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

Order Of The Brothers Of The Most Blessed Virgin Mary Of Mount Carmel (Carmelites: White Friars: O. Carm.) | Helen Walker Homan

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-04

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 121

Ordinary Time: February 5th

Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr Old Calendar: St. Agatha

St. Agatha died in defense of her purity, in Catania, Sicily, where she was born. After Quintanus, the governor of Sicily, tried in vain to force her to consent to sin, she was imprisoned for a month with an evil woman. He then turned from sensuality to cruelty and had her breasts cut off; but that night Agatha was healed by St. Peter. She was then rolled over sharp stones and burning coals, and finally taken to prison where she died while praying. Her name appears in the Roman Canon.

St. Agatha It is impossible to write a historically reliable account of St. Agatha’s life. The “Acts” of her martyrdom are legendary, dating from the sixth century. According to these sources Agatha was a Sicilian virgin of noble extraction. Quintianus, governor of Sicily, became deeply enamored of her; but she rejected his advances. As a result she was charged with being a Christian and brought before his tribunal. To the question concerning her origin she replied: “I am noble-born, of a distinguished family, as all my relatives will attest.” When asked why she lived the servile life of a Christian, she answered: “I am a handmaid of Christ, and that is why I bear the outward appearance of a slave; yet this is the highest nobility, to be a slave to Christ.” The governor threatened her with the most dreadful tortures if she did not renounce Christ. Agatha countered: “If you threaten me with wild beasts, know that at the Name of Christ they grow tame; if you use fire, from heaven angels will drop healing dew on me.”

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 122

After being tortured, “Agatha went to prison radiant with joy and with head held high as though invited to a festive banquet. And she commended her agony to the Lord in prayer.” The next day, as she again stood before the judge, she declared: “If you do not cause my body to be torn to pieces by the hangmen, my soul cannot enter the Lord’s paradise with the martyrs. She was then stretched on the rack, burned with red-hot irons, and despoiled of her breasts. During these tortures she prayed: ”For love of chastity I am made to hang from a rack. Help me, O Lord my God, as they knife my breasts. Agatha rebuked the governor for his barbarity: “Godless, cruel, infamous tyrant, are you not ashamed to despoil a woman of that by which your own mother nursed you?” Returning to prison, she prayed: “You have seen, O Lord, my struggle, how I fought in the place of combat; but because I would not obey the commands of rulers, my breasts were lacerated.” In the night there appeared to her a venerable old man, the apostle Peter, with healing remedies. Agatha, ever delicately modest, hesitated to show him her wounds. “I am the apostle of Christ; distrust me not, my daughter.” To which she replied: “I have never used earthly medicines on my body. I cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, who renews all things by His word.” She was miraculously healed by St. Peter: “Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I give you praise because by Your apostle You have restored my breasts.” Throughout the night a light illumined the dungeon. When the guards fled in terror, her fellow prisoners urged her to escape but she refused: “Having received help from the Lord, I will persevere in confessing Him who healed me and comforted me.” Four days later she was again led before the judge. He, of course, was amazed over her cure. Nevertheless, he insisted that she worship the gods; which prompted another confession of faith in Christ. Then by order of the governor, Agatha was rolled over pieces of sharp glass and burning coals. At that moment the whole city was rocked by a violent earthquake. Two walls collapsed, burying two of the governor’s friends in the debris. Fearing a popular uprising, he ordered Agatha, half dead, to be returned to prison. Here she offered her dying prayer: “Blessed Agatha stood in the midst of the prison and with outstretched arms prayed to the Lord: O Lord Jesus Christ, good Master, I give You thanks that You granted me victory over the executioners’ tortures. Grant now that I may happily dwell in Your never-ending glory.” Thereupon she died. A year after her death the city of Catania was in great peril from an eruption on

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 123

Mount Etna. Pagans, too, were numbered among those who fled in terror to the saint’s grave. Her veil was taken and held against the onrushing flames, and suddenly the danger ceased. Her grave is venerated at Catania in Sicily.

—The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Bell-founders; breast cancer; breast disease; Catania, Italy; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mount Etna; fire; fire prevention; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; , Italy; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wet-nurses; Zamarramala, Spain.

Symbols: Breasts on a dish; embers; knife; loaves of bread on a dish; pincers; shears; tongs; veil; virgin martyr wearing a veil and bearing her severed breasts on a silver platter.

Things to Do:

Bake an Agatha loaf! On St. Agatha’s feast day people would bake loaves attached to a picture of St. Agatha and prayers for protection from fires. The parish priests would bless the loaves, and people would keep them in their homes in case of a poor harvest and famine. The prayers would then be hung above the main door of each home to invoke St. Agatha’s guardianship. Spanish tradition associates this feast day with ancient fertility customs. Young men would visit many farms throughout the countryside, singing songs of praise to St. Agatha and invoking God’s blessing upon people, animals, and fields. However, if they did not receive the customary gifts of money or food for their services, they would call down a ‘quick old age’ upon the ungrateful inhabitants of that farm. Although most of us do not live in such communities where this kind of custom would be practicable or even understood, we can pray to St. Agatha for a greater openness to the transmission of new life in our culture, and actively affirm and support young couples with children whenever possible. St. Agatha is the patron saint against fire. Take this day to establish a fire escape plan for the family and to practice a family fire drill. Also check the smoke detectors, fire alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors to see if they are all working. Change the batteries on all the alarms! (Idea taken from A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families by Monica McConkey. Used with

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 124

permission. Write to [email protected] or see Arma Dei for more information about this great book. Treasure Chest is filled with unique ideas for activities, crafts and recipes to help families celebrate the various Seasons and Feast Days of the year.) She also has a couple of excellent websites worth a visit: Equipping Catholic Families and Arma Dei Shop.

Daily Readings for: February 05, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May the Virgin Martyr Saint Agatha implore your compassion for us, O Lord, we pray, for she found favor with you by the courage of her martyrdom and the merit of her chastity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Cherries Jubilee I Cherries Jubilee II Flambe Cherry Pie Martyrs’ Chiffon Dessert Whole Wheat Batter Bread Whole Wheat Bread I Whole Wheat Bread II

ACTIVITIES

Customs on the Feast of St. Agatha Nameday Ideas for St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Religion in the Home for Elementary School: February Religion in the Home for Preschool: February

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 125

PRAYERS

Litany of the Saints (older form) Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-05

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 126

Ordinary Time: February 6th

Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs Old Calendar: St. Titus, confessor and bishop; St. Dorothy, virgin and martyr

Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit, and his twenty-five companions were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. They were the first martyrs of East Asia to be canonized. They were killed simultaneously by being raised on crosses and then stabbed with spears. Their executioners were astounded upon seeing their joy at being associated to the Passion of Christ. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Titus, whose feast in the Ordinary Form is combined with St. Timothy on January 26. It is also the feast of St. Dorothy, virgin and martyr, in the Extraordinary Form.

St. Paul Miki and Companions Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to Americans as the city on which the second atomic bomb was dropped, killing hundreds of thousands. Three and a half centuries before, twenty-six were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and members of the ; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his church. Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 127

Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862.

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Things to Do:

The survival of Japanese Catholicism is one of the most moving stories in the entire history of the Church. For over two centuries the people had no priests but lived the faith as best they could, in secret, not daring to keep written materials but handing down their beliefs by word of mouth. (James Hitchcock, The Nagasaki Martyrs) You can read more in this article from Catholic Culture’s Library, The Nagasaki Martyrs. Stop for a moment today to pray for Christians who are persecuted throughout the world. Read more about St. Paul Miki and Companions at these websites: St. Paul Miki; or view this video St. Paul Miki’s Martyrdom. Read Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Meminissee Iuvat on prayers for the persecuted Church.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 128

St. Dorothy St. Dorothy, (i.e., the gift of God), a virgin from Caesarea in Cappadocia, allegedly suffered a martyr’s death under Diocletian. Her relics are honored in a church dedicated to her honor in the Trastevere section of Rome. (On the door of St. Dorothy’s Church the names of those who had not received holy Communion during Easter time used to be posted.) Her feast was introduced into the Roman calendar during the Middle Ages. A very edifying story is related in connection with her name. As Dorothy was being led to execution because of her faith in Christ, she prayed, “I thank You, O Lover of souls, for having called me to Your paradise.” A certain Theophilus, an official of the Roman governor, jestingly retorted, “Farewell, bride of Christ, send me apples or roses from your Bridegroom’s garden of bliss.” Dorothy answered, “I most certainly will.” While devoting herself to prayer during the few moments permitted before receiving the death stroke, she beheld a vision of a beautiful youth who carried three apples and three roses in a napkin. She said to him, “I implore you to take these to Theophilus.” Soon the sword severed her neck, and her soul returned to God. As Theophilus was mockingly telling his friend of Dorothy’s promise, a young man stood before him holding a linen in which were wrapped three beautiful apples and three magnificent roses. “See, the virgin Dorothy sends you these from the garden of her Bridegroom, even as she promised you.” Highly astonished, for it was February and everything in nature was frozen, Theophilus received the gifts and cried out: “Truly indeed, Christ is God.” And soon he too died a martyr’s death for publicly confessing the faith.

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

Patron: Brewers; brides; florists; gardeners; midwives; newlyweds.

Symbols: Crowned with flowers and surrounded by stars as she kneels before the executioner; crowned with palm and flower basket; surrounded by stars; crowned; carrying a flower basket; in an orchard with the Christ-child in an apple tree; leading the Christ-child by the hand; maiden carrying a basket of fruit and flowers, especially roses; roses; veiled with flowers in her lap; veiled; holding apples from heaven on a branch;

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 129 with a basket of fruit and the Christ-child riding a hobby horse; with an angel and wreath of flowers; with an angel carrying a basket of flowers.

Things to Do:

Read the Golden Legend account of the Life of St. Dorothy. Decorate your table with red roses and a bowl of apples, and tell the story of Theophilus and Saint Dorothy to your family at dinner.

Daily Readings for: February 06, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, strength of all the Saints, who through the Cross were pleased to call the Martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions to life, grant, we pray, that by their intercession we may hold with courage even until death to the faith that we profess. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Japanese Stir-Fry

ACTIVITIES

Pain and Suffering Teaching About Death

PRAYERS

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 130

LIBRARY

The Catholic Holocaust of Nagasaki—“Why, Lord?” | Brother Anthony Josemaria

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-06

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 131

Ordinary Time: February 7th

Friday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Romuald, abbot

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Romuald, abbot, the anniversary of the translation of his relics in 1481. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on June 19, the day he died in 1027.

The Supreme Lover The Goodness of God means that God gives us what we need for our perfection, not what we want for our pleasure and sometimes for our destruction. As a sculptor, He sometimes applies the chisel to the marble of our imperfect selves and knocks off huge chunks of selfishness that His image may better stand revealed. Like a musician, whenever He finds the strings too loose on the violin of our personality, He tightens them even though it hurts, that we may better reveal our hidden harmonies. As the Supreme Lover of our soul, He does care how we act and think and speak. What father does not want to be proud of his son? If the father speaks with authority now and then to his son, it is not because he is a dictator, but because he wants him to be a worthy son. Not even progressive parents, who deny discipline and restraint, are indifferent to the progress of their children. So long as there is love, there is necessarily a desire for the perfecting of the beloved. That is precisely the way God’s goodness manifests itself to us. God really loves us and, because He loves us, He is not disinterested. He no more wants you to be unhappy

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 132 than your own parents want you to be unhappy. God made you not for His happiness, but for yours, and to ask God to be satisfied with most of us as we really are, is to ask that God cease to love.

— Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Daily Readings for: February 07, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Minestrone

ACTIVITIES

Explaining the Mass and Sacraments Preschool Parent Pedagogy: Planning the Teaching of our Faith Teaching About the Mass Teaching the Trinity Teaching Through Example The Sign of the Cross What Truths to Teach Why teach at home?

PRAYERS

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 133

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

I Will Arise and Return to My Father | Pope John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-07

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 134

Ordinary Time: February 8th

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorials of St. Jerome Emiliani, priest; St. Josephine Bakhita, virgin Old Calendar: St. John of Matha, confessor

St. Jerome Emiliani was born in in 1486. He converted to Christianity after a rather dissolute youth, and dedicated himself to the service of the poor, the sick, and abandoned children. He founded a congregation (Somaschi) which looked after the education of children, especially orphans. He died of the plague while serving the afflicted. Saint Josephine was a young Sudanese girl sold into slavery and brought to Italy where, while serving as a nanny, she was sent to live with the Canossian Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice. There she was baptized, and, having reached majority age, was granted her freedom by Italian law. In 1896 she joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity where she served humbly for the next twenty five years. She died after a long and painful illness, during which she would cry out to the Lord: “Please loosen the chains… they are so heavy!” Her dying words were “Our Lady! Our Lady!” According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. John of Matha, who came from Provence, France and was ordained a priest in Paris. He retired to a solitary life conscious that God was calling him to a special mission, and spent three years in prayer and recollection. He then founded the Trinitarian Order for the ransom of Christians held by the Mohammedans. A great number of houses were founded and innumerable prisoners set free. St. John spent the last two years of his life in Rome, where he died.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 135

St. Jerome Emiliani A careless and irreligious soldier for the city-state of Venice, Jerome was captured in a skirmish at an outpost town and chained in a dungeon. In prison Jerome had a lot of time to think, and he gradually learned how to pray. When he escaped, he returned to Venice where he took charge of the education of his nephews—and began his own studies for the priesthood. In the years after his ordination, events again called Jerome to a decision and a new lifestyle. Plague and famine swept northern Italy. Jerome began caring for the sick and feeding the hungry at his own expense. While serving the sick and the poor, he soon resolved to devote himself and his property solely to others, particularly to abandoned children. He founded three orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes and a hospital. Around 1532 Jerome and two other priests established a congregation dedicated to the care of orphans and the education of youth. Jerome died in 1537 from a disease he caught while tending the sick. He was canonized in 1767. In 1928 Pius XI named him the universal patron of orphans and abandoned children.

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron: Abandoned people; orphans.

Symbols: Ball and chain; man shackled with a ball and chain who is attending the sick; man wearing a ball and chain, and receiving an apparition of Mary and the Child Jesus.

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Jerome: Life of St. Jerome Meditate on these words: “Before dying, Jerome gives to his own a testament that is not only the synthesis of his spiritual experience, but also an itinerary of Christian life: Follow the way of the Crucified, despise the world, love one another, serve the poor. The life of love for the poor is born from a community of people who live the commandment of the reciprocal love, after having

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 136

decided to have, as a goal, only God. The cross becomes the expression of this dedication and love, on the example of Jesus Christ.” We suggest you visit the Somascan Fathers and Brothers’ website where you can read St. Jerome’s letters written in 1535 as well as other documents and you can also learn more about this religious community.

St. Josephine Bakhita For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave, but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of seven, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was resold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan. Two years later he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Soon Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine’s behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885. Josephine entered the Institute of Saint Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school and the local citizens. She once said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!” The first steps toward her began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 137 canonized eight years later.

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M. “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know him. What a great grace it is to know God!”. — St. Josephine Bakhita

Things to Do:

Visit these websites for more about the life of St. Josephine: Josephine Bakhita (Vatican’s biography); Josephine Bakhita - an African Saint (Has links to information about the Faith in Africa and the persecution which continues). The Canossian Daughters of Charity are called to contemplate, experience and share God’s love for every person and to participate in Christ’s mission of salvation in a life of total dedication to God, communion and humble service with Mary, mother of love beneath the cross. Learn more about the Canossian Daughters of Charity, the order in which St. Josephine became a professed religious. A Sister seeing St. Josephine so peaceful and always in prayer, asked, “Do you wish to go to heaven?” “I wish neither to go nor to stay. God knows where to find me, when He wants me.” To another who asked how she was going on, she answered, “I am going slowly, step by step, because I have two heavy bags to carry - one containing my own sins, the other Christ’s merits. When I get to the other side, I will open my bags and say, ‘Eternal Father, now judge!’ and to St Peter, 'You can close that door of yours, for I’m going to stay.'” Pray for those suffering persecution in Sudan. Read what Bishop Macram Max Gassis says in this article, Sudan: Country of Terrorism, Religious Persecution, Slavery, Rape, Genocide, and Man-Made Starvation and this statement from the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Regional Conference.

St. John of Matha John of Matha, the founder of the Trinitarian Order, was born at Faucon, on the borders of Provence, in France. He was trained as a young noble in horsemanship and the use of arms, decided to study for the priesthood, and was

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 138 ordained in Paris. After some years in solitude, he conceived the idea of founding an order to ransom Christian captives from the Muslims and went to Rome to obtain the blessing of Pope Innocent III. Houses of the order were established at Cerfroid and Rome and in Spain. He was very successful in the work of ransoming captives and his order spread. Very little is known for certain about his life, and in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to bolster his reputation, certain members of his order fabricated stories about him, filled his life with miracles and amazing adventures, and connected the beginnings of his order with St. Felix of Valois. The Trinitarian Order had not preserved any archives of their order and had little knowledge of the life of their founder. Another order, the Order of Mercy, was founded for the same reason as their own, and they compiled a fictitious record of the beginnings of their order. This takes nothing away from the achievements of St. John of Matha, but it does obscure the true story of his life and work. We do know that he received approval of his order from Pope Innocent III in 1198 and that he died in Rome in 1213. His relics were taken to Madrid in 1655, and he was recognized as a saint in 1694. At his death, there were thirty-five houses of the order throughout Europe. The Trinitarians were one of the first religious orders to combine monastic discipline with pastoral work and one of the first to become international in its work. The order flourishes today in several countries and in 1906 made a foundation in the United States.

Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints, Rev. Clifford Stevens

Patron: Against lightning; against pestilence; archers; automobile drivers; automobilists; bachelors; Baden, Germany; boatmen; bookbinders; Brunswick, Germany; bus drivers; cab drivers; epilepsy; epileptics; floods; fruit dealers; fullers; gardeners; hailstorms; holy death; lightning; lorry drivers; mariners; market carriers; Mecklenburg, Germany; motorists; pestilence; porters; Rab Croatia; sailors; Saint Christopher’s Island; Saint Kitts; storms; sudden death; taxi drivers; toothache; Toses, Girona, Catalonia, Spain; transportation; transportation workers; travellers; truck drivers; truckers; watermen.

Symbols: Branch; giant; torrent; tree; man with Christ on his shoulders.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 139

Things to Do:

Like of Calcutta, St. John of Matha saw a critical need for the Church at the time and set about doing something about it. He devoted all of his time, his efforts, and his resources to ransom his fellow Christians from slavery, and his work continued into modern times, until slavery was abolished. Like him, we should look around us and see what good has to be done and then courageously put our hand to the task. Read a longer biography of St. John.

Daily Readings for: February 08, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, Father of mercies, who sent Saint Jerome Emiliani as a helper and father to orphans, grant through his intercession, that we may preserve faithfully the spirit of adoption, by which we are called, and truly are, your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

O God, who led Saint Josephine Bakhita from abject slavery to the dignity of being your daughter and a bride of Christ, grant, we pray, that by her example we may show constant love for the Lord Jesus crucified, remaining steadfast in charity and prompt to show compassion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 140

Mafé

ACTIVITIES

Namedays What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

Collect for Feast of St. John of Matha Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Prayer to St. Jerome Emiliani Somascans’ Prayer Prayer in Honor of St. Josephine Bakhita

LIBRARY

A Theologian of Humility | Mariapia Bonanate Order of the Most Holy Trinity | Helen Walker Homan St. Josephine Bakhita Was a Humble Witness to God’s Love | Unknown

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-08

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 141

Ordinary Time: February 9th

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Septuagesima Sunday

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from Isaiah 58:7-10. When lowliness unites all men, then God will fill the need of the world with his glorious presence. The final age will have to come. The second reading is from St. Paul 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. We continue this week with Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians as he addresses divisions within the Church. As you will recall, two weeks ago we heard Paul address those who claimed to belong to , those who claimed Cephas, others who claimed Paul, and even those who followed only Christ. At that time he reminded them all that the Church is the body of Christ and as such cannot be divided. Last week he reminded us that God has chosen what is weak by human reckoning to be His followers. If anyone can boast, they can boast only in that they have been chosen by God. This week he reminds us that we are to pay attention to what is important—we are to hear the clear message of the crucified Christ and pay attention to it and not the messenger. The Gospel is from St. Matthew 5:13-16. No less an authority than Christ himself calls his true followers the “salt of the earth.” and the “light of the world.” These are titles of honor, surely, and of the greatest distinction. Christ is putting his true follower on almost a level with himself.He was the light of the world; he was the salt of the earth.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 142

He it was who gave men the knowledge of the true nature of God, as shown by the Incarnation. He it was who gave this life its flavor, who gave this life its meaning, its preservation. By his death and resurrection he took away the sting of death, and removed its eternal corruption, by the guarantee and promise of a resur rection to an eternal life. This very Christian knows, and this knowledge every Christian helps to bring to those who are ignorant of it, if he lives his life daily and sincerely. The Christian who does this, is really another Christ; he is continuing his work of salvation during his years on earth. He is the salt, of the earth and the light of the world. How many of us, can truly say that these honorable titles, which Christ gives to his followers, are given to us? In true humility, we can all say that we are far from worthy of any such honorable titles. Yet in all sincerity too, many if not the majority among us, are doing their little bit of Christ’s work, in cultivating their own small comer of his vineyard. The parents who teach the Christian way of life to their children by word, and especially by example, are spreading the Christian faith. The workmen, whether in office or factory, who show that they are Christians by their honesty, charity for their fellowmen, their respect for God, and the things of God, in their speech, are spreading their Christian faith. All those who show moderation in their personal expenditures, and donate some of their savings to help their brothers, their fellowrnen who are in need, these are true disciples of Christ and are cooperating with him in bringing God’s children back to their Father who is in heaven. Unlike the salt that has lost its flavor, and the light that is kept under the bushel, the Christian who has thus behaved can change his attitude, provided he is aided by God’s grace which is never refused. He can become once more what he ought to be—a life-preserver for his neighbor. Life on earth is short. The demands of our Christian life may not always be easy, but we know that if we live up to them, we are other Christs. We are continuing his great work by our own good example to our neighbor, and we are giving glory to God, and are earning for ourselves the eternal light of heaven.

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

Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Septuagesima Sunday “Why do you stand here all day idle? … Go you also into the vineyard” (Gospel).

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 143

As athletes of Christ we are called to a competitive “race” (Epistle). As workers with Christ we are ordered into the “vineyard” (Gospel). It is a “race” with death for the “prize” of life eternal. Only “one receives the prize” by His own right, Christ! But, remember, He still runs in us if we do not lag in this “race,” as did Israel under “Moses” (Epistle). God comes to us “early” in life. Unitl the last “hour” He repeats, “Why … stand … idle?” Each “hour” brings us nearer to the “evening” of reward, not due to the excellence of our work in itself but mercifully given by God as a recompense (Gospel).

— Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Daily Readings for: February 09, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Year-Round Favorite Sunday Dinner (Sample Menu)

ACTIVITIES

Home Concerts

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1 Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 144

Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan) Prayer for Pope Francis

LIBRARY

New Evangelization Should Inspire All Your Teaching and Catechesis | Pope John Paul II While Extraordinary Miracles Abound, Many No Longer Believe in True Presence of the Holy Sacrament | Fr. Richard Foley S.J.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-09

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 145

Ordinary Time: February 10th

Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin Old Calendar: St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict, the Patriarch of Western monasticism. She was born in Umbria, Italy, about 480. Under Benedict’s direction, Scholastica founded a community of nuns near the great Benedictine monastery Monte Cassino. Inspired by Benedict’s teaching, his sister devoted her whole life to seeking and serving God. She died in 547 and tradition holds that at her death her soul ascended to heaven in the form of a dove.

St. Scholastica St. Scholastica, like her brother, dedicated herself to God from early youth. Information on the virgin Scholastica is very scanty. In his Second Book of Dialogues (Ch. 33 and 34) Pope St. Gregory has described for us the last meeting between brother and sister: "His sister Scholastica, who had been consecrated to God in early childhood, used to visit with him once a year. On these occasions he would go to meet her in a house belonging to the monastery a short distance from the entrance. For this particular visit he joined her there with a few of his disciples and they spent the whole day singing God’s praises and conversing about the spiritual life. "When darkness was setting in they took their meal together and continued their conversation at table until it was quite late. Then the holy nun said to him, ‘Please do not leave me tonight, brother. Let us keep on talking about the joys of heaven till morning.’ ‘What are you saying, sister?’ he replied. ‘You know that I cannot stay away from the monastery.’ The sky was so clear at the time, there was not a cloud in sight. "At her brother’s refusal Scholastica folded her

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 146 hands on the table and rested her head upon them in earnest prayer. When she looked up again, there was a sudden burst of lightning and thunder accompanied by such a downpour that Benedict and his companions were unable to set foot outside the door. By shedding a flood of tears while she prayed, this holy nun had darkened the cloudless sky with a heavy rain. The storm began as soon as her prayer was over. In fact, the two coincided so closely that the thunder was already resounding as she raised her head from the table. The very instant she ended her prayer the rain poured down. "Realizing that he could not return to the abbey in this terrible storm, Benedict complained bitterly. ‘God forgive you, sister!’ he said. ‘What have you done?’ Scholastica simply answered, ‘When I appealed to you, you would not listen to me. So I turned to my God and He heard my prayer. Leave now if you can. Leave me here and go back to your monastery.’ "This, of course, he could not do. He had no choice now but to stay, in spite of his unwillingness. They spent the entire night together and both of them derived great profit from the holy thoughts they exchanged about the interior life. The next morning Scholastica returned to her convent and Benedict to his monastery. "Three days later as he stood in his room looking up toward the sky, he beheld his sister’s soul leaving her body and entering the heavenly court in the form of a dove. Overjoyed at her eternal glory, he gave thanks to God in hymns of praise. Then, after informing his brethren of her death, he sent some of them to bring her body to the abbey and bury it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. The bodies of these two were now to share a common resting place, just as in life their souls had always been one in God." Her tomb is at Monte Cassino.

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

Patron: Against rain; convulsive children; nuns; storms.

Symbols: Nun with crozier and crucifix; nun with dove flying from her mouth.

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 147

Tell your children about the "holy twins": St. Scholastica and the tender love she had for her brother St. Benedict. Ask them how they can help one another to become saints. Make an altar hanging or window transparency in the shape of a dove to honor St. Scholastica. If you are traveling to Italy try to visit St. Benedict’s Abbey of Monte Cassino. Here is a YouTube video with more pictures. If not, make a virtual visit. Learn how to prayerfully read Sacred Scripture in this article, Lectio Divina: Daily Information for a New Life by Fr. Ryan, O.S.B.

Daily Readings for: February 10, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: As we celebrate anew the Memorial of the Virgin Saint Scholastica, we pray, O Lord, that, following her example, we may serve you with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Chicken Valdostana

ACTIVITIES

Home Altar Hangings Namedays What is a Nameday? Window Transparencies

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 148

PRAYERS

Litany of Saint Scholastica Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

Order Of Saint Benedict | Helen Walker Homan The Task of Woman in the Modern World | Janet Kalven

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-10

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 149

Ordinary Time: February 11th

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes Old Calendar: Apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes

Today marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to fourteen-year-old Marie Bernade (St. Bernadette) Soubirous. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin appeared eighteen times, and showed herself to St. Bernadette in the hollow of the rock at Lourdes. On March 25 she said to the little shepherdess who was only fourteen years of age: “I am the .” Since then Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and many cures and conversions have taken place. The message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer, and charity.

Our Lady of Lourdes The many miracles which have been performed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin at Lourdes prompted the Church to institute a special commemorative feast, the “Apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.” The Office gives the historical background. Four years after the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854), the Blessed Virgin appeared a number of times to a very poor and holy girl named Bernadette. The actual spot was in a grotto on the bank of the Gave River near Lourdes. The Immaculate Conception had a youthful appearance and was clothed in a pure white gown and mantle, with an azure blue girdle. A golden rose adorned each of her bare feet. On her first apparition, February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin bade the girl make the sign of the Cross piously and say the rosary with her. Bernadette saw her take the rosary that was hanging from her arms into her hands. This was repeated in

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 150 the rosary that was hanging from her arms into her hands. This was repeated in subsequent apparitions. With childlike simplicity Bernadette once sprinkled holy water on the vision, fearing that it was a deception of the evil spirit; but the Blessed Virgin smiled pleasantly, and her face became even more lovely. The third time Mary appeared she invited the girl to come to the grotto daily for two weeks. Now she frequently spoke to Bernadette. On one occasion she ordered her to tell the ecclesiastical authorities to build a church on the spot and to organize processions. Bernadette also was told to drink and wash at the spring still hidden under the sand. Finally on the feast of the Annunciation, the beautiful Lady announced her name, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The report of cures occurring at the grotto spread quickly and the more it spread, the greater the number of Christians who visited the hallowed place. The publicity given these miraculous events on the one hand and the seeming sincerity and innocence of the girl on the other made it necessary for the bishop of Tarbes to institute a judicial inquiry. Four years later he declared the apparitions to be supernatural and permitted the public veneration of the Immaculate Conception in the grotto. Soon a chapel was erected, and since that time countless pilgrims come every year to Lourdes to fulfill promises or to beg graces.

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

February 11 was proclaimed World Day of the Sick by Pope John Paul II. Therefore, it would be appropriate to celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on this day during a Mass or Liturgy of the Word. (The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is only to be given to "those of the faithful whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age", Roman Ritual. This Sacrament must not be given indiscriminately to all who take part in Masses for the sick.)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 151

We pilgrims to Lourdes Anyone who has made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Lourdes will not have missed the opportunity to pray at the Grotto where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the 11th of February 1858. A mystical place, similar to the welcoming “bosom” of a mother, almost a baptismal font, in which to immerse ourselves and rediscover the unrivalled beauty of being Christians: having God as our Father and Mary as our Mother! Lourdes is one of the most important “places of grace” known to the Church. It is like a vast basin of purity where countless souls have removed the clothes of sin and put on the snow white garments of spiritual rebirth! Some, like the author, found the light necessary to embrace the call to the priesthood, others, the strength to remain faithful to this commitment. How can we deny that the Mother is the one who knows the Will of the Son better than anyone else and that turning to Her we understand better the mysterious plan God has for each one of us? No one better than Mary can convince us to “do whatever he tells you”! In Lourdes, like the servants at Cana, we too sincerely open our hearts to the presence of the Mother and, attentive to her words, we are captivated by the mystery of the Son. Then we see His Will for what it truly is: our path to happiness! Bernardette actually saw the Lady dressed in white, whereas we see her not with our eyes but with our heart, which is aware in faith of her presence on our journey. In front of the Grotto of Massabielle the pilgrim’s interior vision is illuminated with a light typical of that place of grace: the light of the spiritual motherhood of Mary who gives Jesus to us as at Christmas, again and again. Those apparitions have sustained countless souls, encouraging them on the path of conversion and personal sanctification. And their change has helped improve the world because the whole world benefits from the conversion of even one heart. For us, pilgrims to Lourdes, Mary’s universal motherhood is a mystery to discover again and again, so she may accompany us all through life. In Lourdes this Marian light is present everywhere: when we bathe in the waters, in the evening when we mingle with thousands of others to pray the rosary at the torchlight procession; in the afternoon when we join crowds of sick persons taking part in the Blessed Sacrament Procession …

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 152 we join crowds of sick persons taking part in the Blessed Sacrament Procession … Her presence is a mystery to savor in our soul and to learn, with Mary, to honour her Son, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The first to witness Our Lady’s presence at Lourdes was little Bernardette Soubirous, who became her intrepid messenger. Although she is buried far away in Nevers in the north of France, her body totally incorrupt, as if she were asleep, you can “meet” Saint Bernadette everywhere in Lourdes. It is sweet to remember her and read the humble words she addressed to Our Lady: “Yes, gentle Mother, you lowered yourself, you came down to earth to appear to a helpless little girl… You, the Queen of Heaven and earth, deigned to make use of what was most humble for the world” (from her Journal dedicated to the Queen of Heaven, 1866). The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, recalling that “this year (2008) the beginning of Lent coincides providentially with the 150th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes”, said in his Angelus reflection on the 1st Sunday of Lent “the message which Our Lady still offers at Lourdes recalls the words Jesus said at the beginning of his public mission and that we hear so often in these first days of Lent: ‘Convert and believe in the Gospel, pray and do penance. Let us respond to the call of Mary who echoes that of Christ and let us ask Her to help us ‘enter’ Lent with faith and live this season of grace with deep joy and generous commitment” (Benedict XVI, Angelus 10 February 2008). (Agenzia Fides 13/2/2008; righe 47, parole 662)

— Mgr. Luciano Alimandi

Patron: Bodily ills.

Symbols: The Blessed Virgin (“The Immaculate Conception”) who wears a white dress, blue belt, and a rose on each foot.

Things to Do:

Watch The Song of Bernadette, a masterpiece filmed in 1943. Bring flowers (roses would be appropriate) to your statue of Our Lady at your home altar, especially if you have a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. Obtain some Lourdes holy water and give the parental blessing to your children

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 153

(see link). Give extra care to the sick in your community — cook dinner for a sick mother’s family, bring your children to the local nursing home (the elderly love to see children), send flowers to a member of your parish community who is ill.

Daily Readings for: February 11, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant us, O merciful God, protection in our weakness, that we, who keep the Memorial of the Immaculate Mother of God, may with the help of her intercession, rise up from our iniquities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection.

RECIPES

Cassoulet French Style Shepherd’s Pie Initial Cookies Minced Chicken (or Turkey) a la King Soupe Basque

ACTIVITIES

Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady Marian Hymn: A Single Branch Three Roses Bore Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 154

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

PRAYERS

Parental Blessing Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto) Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

LIBRARY

The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God | Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People Two Lourdes Miracles and a Nobel Laureate: What Really Happened? | Rev. Stanley L. Jaki

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-11

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 155

Ordinary Time: February 12th

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Eulalia

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Seven Founders of the Servite Order. Their feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on February 17th. Historically today is the feast of St. Eulalia the most celebrated virgin martyr of Spain. She was a native of Merida, thirteen years of age, and was burnt at the stake in her native city under Diocletian.

St. Eulalia Prudentius has celebrated the triumph of this holy virgin who was a native of Merida, then the capital city of Lusitania in Spain now a declining town in Estremadura, the archiepiscopal dignity having been translated to Compostella. Eulalia, descended from one of the best families in Spain, was educated in the Christian religion, and in sentiments of perfect piety, from her infancy distinguished herself by an admirable sweetness of temper, modesty, and devotion, showed a great love of the holy state of virginity, and by her seriousness and her contempt of dress, ornaments diversions, and worldly company, gave early proofs of her sincere desire to lead on earth a heavenly life. 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 young persons, had no charms for her, and every day of her life made an addition to her virtues.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 156

She was but twelve years old when the bloody edicts of Dioclesian 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, young as she was, took the publication of this order for the signal of battle; but her mother, observing her impatient ardor for martyrdom, carried her into the country. The saint found means to make her escape by night, and after much fatigue arrived at Merida before break of day. As soon as the court sat, the same morning, she presented herself before the cruel judge, whose name was Dacianus, and reproached him with impiety in attempting to destroy souls, by compelling them to renounce the only true God. The governor commanded her to be seized, and first employing caresses, represented 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. Then he had recourse to threats, and caused the most dreadful instruments of torture to be placed 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.” Provoked at these seducing flatteries, she threw down the idol, trampled upon the cake which was laid for the sacrifice, and, as Prudentius relates, 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 for her. At the judge’s order two executioners began to tear her tender sides with iron hooks, so as to leave the very bones bare. In the mean time she called the strokes so many 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. Prudentius tells us, 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. A great snow that fell covered it and the whole forum where it lay; which circumstance shows that the holy martyr suffered in winter. The treasure of her relics was carefully entombed by the Christians near the place of her martyrdom: afterwards a stately church was erected on the spot, and the relics were covered by the altar which was raised over them, before Prudentius wrote his hymn on the holy martyr in the fourth century He assures us that "pilgrims came to venerate her bones; and that she, near the throne of God, beholds them, and, being made propitious by hymns, protects her clients. Her relics are kept with great veneration at Oviedo, do, where she is honored as patroness. The mentions her name on the 10th of December.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 157

Excerpted from Butler’s Lives of the Saints

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

Symbols: Maiden with a cross, stake, and dove; naked maiden lying in the snow

Daily Readings for: February 12, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Gingersnaps

ACTIVITIES

Security of Faith within the Home The Home, a Training Ground

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1 February Devotion: The Holy Family Prayer to the Holy Family Novena to the Holy Family

LIBRARY

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 158

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-12

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 159

Ordinary Time: February 13th

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Catherine de Ricci, virgin (Hist); Shove Tuesday (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Catherine de Ricci a native of Florence, Italy, who became a Dominican tertiary in 1535 and eventually filled the offices of novice-mistress and prioress. She was famous for her ecstasies in which she beheld and enacted the scenes of our Lord’s passion. It is said that she met St. Philip Neri, in a vision who was still alive in Rome. Three future popes were among the thousands who flocked to her convent to ask her prayers.

St. Catherine de Ricci The early testimony to St. Catherine’s sanctity is quite striking. Her biography was written by F. Seraphin Razzi, a Dominican friar, who knew her, and who was fifty-eight years old when she died. The nuns of her monastery gave an ample testimony that this account was conformable partly to what they knew of her, and partly to manuscript memorials left by her confessor and others concerning her. Printed in Lucca in 1594, it is therefore considered highly reliable. Her life was again compiled by F. Philip Guidi, confessor to the saint and to the Duchess of Urbino, and printed at Florence in 1622. Fathers Pio and John Lopez, of the same order, have given abstracts of her life. Since St. Catherine died in 1589, we can see how quickly the story of her life was told. The Ricci are an ancient family, which still subsists in a flourishing condition in Tuscany. Peter de Ricci, the father of our saint, was married to Catherine Bonza, a lady of suitable birth. The saint was born at Florence in 1522, and called at her baptism Alexandrina, but she took the name of Catherine at her religious profession. Having lost

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 160 her mother in her infancy, she was formed to virtue by a very pious godmother, and whenever she was missing she was always to be found on her knees in some secret part of the house. When she was between six and seven years old, her father placed her in the Convent of Monticelli, near the gates of Florence, where her aunt, Louisa de Ricci, was a nun. This place was to her a paradise: at a distance from the noise and tumult of the world, she served God without impediment or distraction After some years her father took her home. She continued her usual exercises in the world as much as she was able; but the interruptions and dissipation, inseparable from her station, gave her so much uneasiness that, with the consent of her father, which she obtained, though with great difficulty, in the year 1535, the fourteenth of her age, she received the religious veil in the convent of Dominicanesses at Prat, in Tuscany, to which her uncle, F. Timothy de Ricci, was director. God, in the merciful design to make her the spouse of his crucified Son, and to imprint in her soul dispositions conformable to His, was pleased to exercise her patience by rigorous trials. For two years she suffered inexpressible pains under a complication of violent distempers, which remedies themselves served only to increase. These sufferings she sanctified by the interior dispositions with which she bore them, and which she nourished principally by assiduous meditation on the passion of Christ, in which she found an incredible relish and a solid comfort and joy. After the recovery of her health, which seemed miraculous, she studied more perfectly to die to her senses, and to advance in a penitential life and spirit, in which God had begun to conduct her, by practicing the greatest austerities which were compatible with the obedience she had professed; she fasted two or three days a week on bread and water, and sometimes passed the whole day without taking any nourishment, and chastised her body with disciplines and a sharp iron chain which she wore next her skin. Her obedience, humility, and meekness were still more admirable than her spirit of penance. The least shadow of distinction or commendation gave her inexpressible uneasiness and confusion, and she would have rejoiced to be able to lie hid in the center of the earth, in order to be entirely unknown to and blotted out of the hearts of all mankind, such were the sentiments of annihilation and contempt of herself in which she constantly lived. It was by profound humility and perfect interior self-denial that she learned to vanquish in her heart the sentiments or life of the first Adam—that is, of corruption, sin, and inordinate self-love. But this victory over herself, and purgation of her affections, was completed by a perfect spirit of prayer; for by the union of her soul with God, and the establishment of the absolute reign of his love in her heart, she was

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 161 dead to and disengaged from all earthly things. And in one act of sublime prayer she advanced more than by a hundred exterior practices in the purity and ardor of her desire to do constantly what was most agreeable to God, to lose no occasion of practicing every heroic virtue, and of vigorously resisting all that was evil. Prayer, holy meditation, and contemplation were the means by which God imprinted in her soul sublime ideas of his heavenly truths, the strongest and most tender sentiments of all virtues, and the most burning desire to give all to God, with an incredible relish and affection for suffering contempt and poverty for Christ. What she chiefly labored to obtain, by meditating on his life and sufferings, and what she most earnestly asked of him, was that he would be pleased, in his mercy, to purge her affections of all poison of the inordinate love of creatures, and engrave in her his most holy and divine image, both exterior and interior–that is to say, both in her conversation and her affections, that so she might be animated, and might think, speak, and act by his most Holy Spirit. The saint was chosen, very young, first, mistress of the novices, then sub-prioress, and, in the twenty-fifth year of her age, was appointed perpetual prioress. The reputation of her extraordinary sanctity and prudence drew her many visits from a great number of bishops, princes, and cardinals-among others, of Cervini, Alexander of Medicis, and Aldobrandini, who all three were afterwards raised to St. Peter’s chair, under the names of Marcellus II, Clement VIII, and Leo XI. Something like what St. Austin relates of St. John of Egypt happened to St. Philip Neri and St. Catherine of Ricci. For having some time entertained together a commerce of letters, to satisfy their mutual desire of seeing each other, whilst he was detained at Rome she appeared to him in a vision, and they conversed together a considerable time, each doubtless being in a rapture. This St. Philip Neri, though most circumspect in giving credit to or in publishing visions, declared, saying that Catherine de Ricci, whilst living, had appeared to him in vision, as his disciple Galloni assures us in his life. 1 And the continuators of Bollandus inform us that this was confirmed by the oaths of five witnesses.2 Bacci, in his life of St. Philip, mentions the same thing, and Pope Gregory XV, in his bull for the canonization of St. Philip Neri, affirms that whilst this saint lived at Rome he conversed a considerable time with Catherine of Ricci, a nun, who was then at Prat, in Tuscany.3 Most wonderful were the raptures of St. Catherine in meditating on the passion of Christ, which was her daily exercise, but to which she totally devoted herself every week from Thursday noon to three o’clock in the afternoon on Friday. After a long illness she passed from this mortal life to everlasting bliss and the possession of the object of all her

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 162 desires, on the feast of the Purification of our Lady, on the 2nd of February, in 1589, the sixty-seventh year of her age. The ceremony of her beatification was performed by Clement XII in 1732, and that of her canonization by Benedict XIV in 1746. Her festival is deferred to the 13th of February. 1 Gallon. apud Contin Bolland. Acta Sanctorum, Maii, t. 6, p. 503, col. 2, n. 146. 2 Ibid. p. 504, col. 2. 3 In Bullar. Cherubini, t. 4, p. 8.

— Excerpted from Vol. II of “The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints” by the Rev. Alban Butler, the 1864 edition published by D. & J. Sadlier, & Company

Patron: Against illness; sick people

Things to Do:

Read St. Catherine de Ricci, V., O.S.D. - EWTN.com and the full text of her letters.

Daily Readings for: February 13, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Creme Brulee Creole Fastnachts King Cake (New Orleans’ Style)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 163

Scalloped Ham and Potatoes Shrove Tuesday Buns II

ACTIVITIES

Carnival or Mardi Gras Habits of Prayer in the Family Lenten Customs of the Russian Germans Pre-Lent, or Carnival in the Home

PRAYERS

The Canticle of the Passion Prayer for the Feast of St. Catherine de Ricci

LIBRARY

A Parent’s Blueprint for Making Youth Holy | Rev. Egan S.A. Women as Guardians of Purity | Alice von Hildebrand

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-13

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 164

Ordinary Time: February 14th

Memorial of Sts. Cyril, monk and St. Methodius, bishop Old Calendar: St. Valentine, priest and martyr

St. Cyril was a priest and a philosopher and accompanied his brother St. Methodius to Moravia to preach the Gospel. They both perfected a Slavonic alphabet which is now known as the Cyrillic alphabet and translated the liturgy into this language. They were summoned to Rome, where Cyril died on this date in 869, and Methodius was consecrated bishop and sent to Pannonia. He died on April 6, 885, in Velehrad, Czech Republic, after working tirelessly on spreading the Gospel. According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, their feast is celebrated on July 7. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Valentine. St. Valentine, a priest of Rome, was martyred, it would appear, in about 270. On the Flaminian Way, at the site of his martyrdom, Julius I built a basilica which was visited frequently.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cyril and Methodius, the apostles of the Slavs, were brothers who hailed from Thessalonia. After receiving an excellent education, they were sent by the Eastern Emperor Michael III (842-856) into the kingdom of Grand-Moravia; through great effort and in spite of tremendous difficulties they converted the Slavonic nations. They translated the Bible into Slavonic and devised a kind of writing, called glagolitic, which even to the present day is used in the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 165 liturgical services of some Eastern rites. In 867 the two brothers came to Rome, were met by Pope Hadrian II (867-872) and the whole papal court. They gave a report of their labors but encountered opposition on the part of jealous clergy who took offense, it was said, because of their liturgical innovations. Cyril and Methodius explained their methods and from the Pope himself received episcopal consecration (868). Soon after, Cyril died at Rome, only forty-two years old, and was buried in St. Peter’s; later his body was transferred to San Clemente, where his remains still rest. His funeral resembled a triumphal procession. Methodius returned to Moravia and labored as a missionary among the Hungarians, Bulgarians, Dalmatians, and the inhabitants of Carinthia. Falling again under suspicion, he returned to Rome and defended the use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy. The Pope bestowed upon him the dignity of archbishop. After his return to Moravia, he converted the duke of Bohemia and his wife, spread the light of faith in Bohemia and Poland, is said to have gone to Moscow (after the erection of the See of Lemberg), and to have established the diocese of Kiev. After his return he died in Bohemia and was buried in the Church of St. Mary at Velehrad, the services being conducted in Greek, Slavonic, and Latin.

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

Patron: Slavic Peoples; Bohemia; Bulgaria; Bosnia; Croatia; Czech Republic; Czechoslovakia; ecumenism; Europe; Moravia; Russia; unity of the Eastern and Western Churches; Yugoslavia; ecumenism; against storms.

Symbols for St. Cyril: With Saint Methodius; Oriental monk holding a church with the help of Methodius; surrounded by Bulgarian converts; wearing a long philosopher’s coat.

Symbols for St. Methodius: With Saint Cyril; Oriental bishop holding up a church with Saint Cyril; Oriental bishop holding a picture of the Last Judgement.

Things to Do:

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 166

Learn more about the Missionaries to the Slavs. Read Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical, Grande Munus (On Ss. Cyril And Methodius) and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Slavorum Apostoli. If you are interested in languages you can learn more about the Glagolitic alphabet created by St. Cyril and Methodius.

St. Valentine

Legend states that Valentine, along with St. Marius, aided the Christian martyrs during the Claudian persecution. In addition to his other edicts against helping Christians, Claudius had also issued a decree forbidding marriage. In order to increase troops for his army, he forbade young men to marry, believing that single men made better soldiers than married men. Valentine defied this decree and urged young lovers to come to him in secret so that he could join them in the sacrament of matrimony. Eventually he was discovered by the Emperor, who promptly had Valentine arrested and brought before him. Because he was so impressed with the young priest, Claudius attempted to convert him to Roman paganism rather than execute him. However, Valentine held steadfast and in turn attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity, at which point the Emperor condemned him to death. While in prison, Valentine was tended by the jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter. Asterius’ daughter was very kind to Valentine and brought him food and messages. They developed a friendship and toward the end of his imprisonment Valentine was able to convert both father and daughter to Christianity. Legend has it that he also miraculously restored the sight of the jailer’s daughter. The night before his execution, the priest wrote a farewell message to the girl and signed it affectionately “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that lives on even to today. He was executed on February 14th, 273 AD in Rome. The Martyrology says, “At Rome, on the Flaminian Way, the heavenly birthday of the blessed martyr Valentine, a priest. After performing many miraculous cures and giving much wise counsel he was beaten and beheaded under Claudius Caesar.”

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 167

The church in which he is buried existed already in the fourth century and was the first sanctuary Roman pilgrims visited upon entering the Eternal City. The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest’s execution—St. Valentine’s Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples.

Patron: Affianced couples; against fainting; bee keepers; betrothed couples; engaged couples; epilepsy; fainting; greeting card manufacturers; greetings; happy marriages; love; lovers; plague; travelers; young people.

Symbols: Birds; roses; bishop with a crippled or epileptic child at his feet; bishop with a rooster nearby; bishop refusing to adore an idol; bishop being beheaded; priest bearing a sword; priest holding a sun; priest giving sight to a blind girl.

Things to Do:

Read the Golden Legend account of St. Valentine’s life. Pray to St. Valentine for an increase of true, sacrificial love within marriages. Make Valentines for those closest to you — your family and friends. If you have children, teach them to make valentines from red construction paper and doilies. Introduce your family to some of our delicious Valentine’s day recipes, such as heart cake or peppermint mousse. Begin to read and discuss some of St. John Paul II’s works on marriage; for example, Love and Responsibility or his The Theology of the Body Human Love in the Divine Plan (Parish Resources).

Daily Readings for: February 14, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who enlightened the Slavic peoples through the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, grant that our hearts may grasp the words of your teaching,

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 168

and perfect us as a people of one accord in true faith and right confession. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Biskkupsky Chelbicek Greek Homestyle Chicken Heart Cake Heart Cakes Letter banket Moravian Love Cakes Peppermint Mousse Pirogs Potato Dumplings Cookies Valentine Gingerbread

ACTIVITIES

Hymn: Ubi Caritas Hymn: Where Charity and Love Prevail St. Valentine’s Day St. Valentine’s Day, Saint Exchange Valentine Game Valentine-Making Ideas

PRAYERS

Litany of the Love of God

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 169

LIBRARY

Sts Cyril And Methodius: Christian Faith Does Not Stifle But Purifies, Exalts, Integrates Cultural Values | Pope John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-14

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 170

Ordinary Time: February 15th

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time; St. Claude de la Colombiere, priest (some places) Old Calendar: Saints Faustinus and Jovita, martyrs

The Jesuit Priest St. Claude de la Colombière was the first to believe in the mystical revelations of the Sacred Heart given to St. Margaret Mary in Paray le Monial Convent, France. Thanks to his support, St. Margaret Mary’s superior also believed, and propagation of the devotion to the Sacred heart was started. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Faustinus and Jovita, two martyrs of Brescia, in Italy, where they are the patrons of the city. A late account of their martyrdom makes them two brothers, one, Faustinus, a priest and the other, Jovita, a deacon.

St. Claude de la Colombière Claude La Colombiere was born on 2nd February 1641 as the third child of the notary Bertrand La Colombière and Margaret Coindat, in St. Symphorien d’Ozon near Lyon in the Southeastern France. His family was well-known, pious and had a good social status. After the family moved to Vienne Claude began his early education there, completing his studies in rhetoric and philosophy in Lyon. It was during this period that Claude first sensed his vocation to the religious life in the Society of Jesus. However, from one of his early

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 171 vocation to the religious life in the Society of Jesus. However, from one of his early notations, we know that he “had a terrible aversion for the life embraced”. This affirmation is not hard to understand by any who are familiar with the life of Claude, for he was very close to his family and friends and much inclined to the arts and literature and an active social life. On the other hand, he was not a person to be led primarily by his sentiments. At the age of 17 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Avignon. In 1660 he moved from the Novitiate to the College, also in Avignon, where he pronounced his first vows and completed his studies in philosophy. Afterwards he was a professor of grammar and literature in the same school for another five years. In 1666 he went to the College of Clermont in Paris for his studies in theology. Already noted for his tact, poise and dedication to the humanities, Claude was assigned by superiors in Paris the additional responsibility of tutoring the children of King Louis XIV’s Minister of Finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert. His theological studies concluded and now a priest, Claude returned to Lyon. For a time he was teacher in the College, then full-time preacher and moderator of several Marian congregations. Claude became noted for solid and serious sermons. They were ably directed at specific audiences and, faithful to their inspiration from the gospel, communicated to his listeners serenity and confidence in God. His published sermons produced and still produce significant spiritual fruits. Given the place and the short duration of his ministry, his sermons are surprisingly fresh in comparison with those of better-known orators. The year 1674 was a decisive one for Claude, the year of his Third Probation at Maison Saint-Joseph in Lyon. During the customary month of the Exercises the Lord prepared him for the mission for which he had been chosen. His spiritual notes from this period allow one to follow step-by-step the battles and triumphs of the spirit, so extraordinarily attracted to everything human, yet so generous with God. He took a vow to observe all the constitutions and rules of the Society of Jesus, a vow whose scope was not so much to bind him to a series of minute observances as to reproduce the sharp ideal of an apostle so richly described by St. Ignatius. So magnificent did this ideal seem to Claude that he adopted it as his program of sanctity. That it was indeed an invitation from Christ himself is evidenced by the subsequent feeling of interior liberation Claude experienced, along with the broadened horizons of the apostolate he witnesses to in his spiritual diary. On 2nd February 1675 he pronounced his solemn profession and was named rector of the College at Paray-le-Monial. Not a few people wondered at this assignment of a talented young Jesuit to such an out-of the-way place as Paray. The explanation seems to

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 172 be in the superiors’ knowledge that there was in Paray an unpretentious religious of the Monastery of the Visitation, Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Lord was revealing the treasures of his Heart, but who was overcome by anguish and uncertainty. She was waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promise and send her “my faithful servant and perfect friend” to help her realize the mission for which he had destined for her: that of revealing to the world the unfathomable riches of his love. After Father Colombière’s arrival and her first conversations with him, Margaret Mary opened her spirit to him and told him of the many communications she believed she had received from the Lord. He assured her he accepted their authenticity and urged her to put in writing everything in their regard, and did all he could to orient and support her in carrying out the mission received. When, thanks to prayer and discernment, he became convinced that Christ wanted the spread of the devotion to his Heart, it is clear from Claude’s spiritual notes that he pledged himself to this cause without reserve. In these notes it is also clear that, even before he became Margaret Mary’s confessor, Claude’s fidelity to the directives of St. Ignatius in the Exercises had brought him to the contemplation of the Heart of Christ as symbol of his love. After a year and half in Paray, in 1676 Father La Colombière left for London. He had been appointed preacher to the Duchess of York - a very difficult and delicate assignment because of the conditions prevailing in England at the time. He took up residence in St. James Palace in October. In addition to sermons in the palace chapel and unremitting spiritual direction both oral and written, Claude dedicated his time to giving thorough instruction to the many who sought reconciliation with the Church they had abandoned. And even if there were great dangers, he had the consolation of seeing many reconciled to it, so that after a year he said: “I could write a book about the mercy of God I’ve seen Him exercise since I arrived here!” The intense pace of his work and the poor climate combined to undermine his health, and evidence of a serious pulmonary disease began to appear. Claude, however, made no changes in his work or life style. All of a sudden, at the end of 1678, he was calumniously accused and arrested in connection with the Titus Oates “papist plot”. After two days he was transferred to the severe King’s Bench Prison where he remained for three weeks in extremely poor conditions until his expulsion from England by royal decree. This suffering further weakened Claude’s health which, with ups and downs, deteriorated rapidly on his return to France. During the summer of 1681 he returned to Paray, in very poor condition. On 15 February 1682, the first Sunday of Lent, towards evening Claude suffered the severe

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 173 hemorrhage which ended his life. On the 16 June 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified Claude La Colombière, and Pope John Paul II declared him a saint on 31 May 1992. The Universal Church celebrates his feast day on February 15. His charism, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was that of bringing souls to God along the gospel way of love and mercy which Christ revealed to us.

Excerpted from Vatican Radio, Joseph Paimpallikunnal

Patron: Toy makers; turners.

Things to Do:

Visit this website for more information about St. Claude. Read “Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude De Colombière”. Watch this video about St. Claude de la Colombiere. Find more information about St. Claude here.

St. Faustinus and Jovita Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and were zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia in Lombardy, during the persecution of Adrian. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith. Faustinus, a priest, and Jovita, a deacon, were preaching the Gospel fearlessly in the region when Julian, a pagan officer, apprehended them. They were commanded to adore the sun, but replied that they adored the living God who created the sun to give light to the world. The statue before which they were standing was brilliant and surrounded with golden rays. Saint Jovita, looking at it, cried out: “Yes, we adore the God reigning in heaven, who created the sun. And you, vain statue, turn black, to the shame of those who adore you!” At his word, it turned black. The Emperor commanded that it be cleaned, but the pagan priests had hardly begun to touch it when it fell into ashes. The two brothers were sent to the amphitheater to be devoured by lions, but four of

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 174 those came out and lay down at their feet. They were left without food in a dark jail cell, but Angels brought them strength and joy for new combats. The flames of a huge fire respected them, and a large number of spectators were converted at the sight. Finally sentenced to decapitation, they knelt down and received the death blow. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons and possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.

— Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year, edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O. Cist., Ph.D. (Catholic Book Publishing Co.: New York, 1951-1955).

Patron: Brescia.

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Faustinus and Jovita here and here. Read what the Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the city in Italy in which they lived. Discover Brescia and if you are a cooking enthusiast try making the authentic Italian dish, risotto allo zafferano, (rice with saffron). Read About: Italian Cuisine and if you are REALLY interested you can learn what arborio rice is. If your not interested in the finer details you can make the recipe in Catholic Culture’s database.

Today’s station is at St. George’s. Pope St. Gregory established a diaconia, an institution that cared for the poor, at the site of this church. The area has a special place in the history of Rome, as an ancient tradition claims that it was here that Romulus killed his brother Remus before founding the city.

Daily Readings for: February 15, 2020

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 175

Daily Readings for: February 15, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Risotto alla Bresciana

ACTIVITIES

Dramatics at Home for Elementary Children

PRAYERS

Prayer from Ash Wednesday to Saturday Sacrifice Beads Lent Table Blessing 1 Book of Blessings: Blessing and Distribution of Ashes

LIBRARY

Spiritual Warfare: The Occult Has Demonic Influence | Bishop Donald Montrose D.D.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-15

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 176

Ordinary Time: February 16th

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Sexagesima Sunday

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from Sirach 15:15-20. Today’s reading comes from the section of Sirach’s writing on man’s free will and responsibility. The second reading is from St. Paul 1 Corinthians 2:6-10. Last week we heard Saint Paul address how his preaching illustrates the fact that man’s strength and wisdom are nothing compared to those of God. Today we hear him tell of the true wisdom of God. The Gospel is from St. Matthew 5:17-37. In this Sermon on the Mount, we have various sayings of Christ, actually spoken on different occasions. Matthew, in his systematic manner, has gathered these sayings into one continuous discourse here. This makes it easier for his readers, who were Jewish converts, to grasp the new order of salvation as inaugurated by Christ. They knew the ten commandments, but they knew them as their rabbis had taught them. These rabbis, for the most part Pharisees, put all the stress on the letter of the law and on its external observance. Christ’s opening statement, that the attitude of his followers towards the commandments (and other precepts of the law) must be different, and superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, clearly indicates how Christianity must differ from, and supersede, Judaism. Christ is not abolishing the ten commandments, but he is demanding of his followers a more perfect, a more sincere, fulfillment of them. The whole moral value of any legal

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 177 observance (the Mosaic law included), comes from the interior disposition of him who observes or keeps the law. No man serves or honors God by any exterior acts, be they ever so arduous or continuous, unless these acts proceed from an intention and a will to honor and please God. This is the charter, the constitution, of the new law, Christianity. The old law is not abolished, but deepened and given a new life. Avoiding murder therefore is not enough; the true Christian must remove any inclination to murder by building up true, brotherly love for all men in his heart. We must not only not injure our neighbor or fellowman in his person, or in his character, but we must be ever ready to help him and prevent injury to him, whenever and wherever we can. We must not only not commit adultery, but must also develop a Christian respect and esteem for purity, the virtue which will preserve us not only from adultery but even from thoughts of adultery, or any other abuse of our sexual gifts given us by God for his sublime purpose. We must be truthful always, and men of our word. This virtue is not only necessary for man’s salvation, but is the basis of rational intercourse between men in civilized society. While our civil courts still deem it necessary to impose oaths on contestants and witnesses (since they have, unfortunately, to take account of the liars and deceivers who still are a menace to society), the truthful man need not be afraid of insulting or dishonoring God by calling him as his guarantor, if asked to do so. True and loyal service of God therefore begins in the heart and has its value from this interior disposition. Keeping the ten commandments is our way of proving to God that we are grateful, obedient and loyal to him who gave us all we have and who has promised us future gifts infinitely greater still. And just as our love for God is proved by our true love for our neighbor, so the last seven of the commandments impose on us obligations regarding our neighbor. It is only by fulfilling these seven that we can fulfill the first three which govern our relations with God. This truth is expressed by our Lord in the words: It you are offering your gift at the altar, and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there … first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift.

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

Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Sexagesima

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 178

Sunday “The sower went out to sow his seed … Now … the seed is the word of God” (Gospel). Every springtime God, as it were, rewrites the Book of Genesis and Creation. Appropriate to the coming spring, Jesus is now pictured as the Divine “Sower.” He sows “seed” in the soil of our souls, covered with “rocks” of hardening pride, “thorns” of softening “pleasures!” The Epistle is a vivid picture, moving in quick action over Europe and Asia, but above all moving our souls to action as it describes the sacrifices of Paul, the “sower,” sowing the “word of God,” despite passions from within, persecutions from without.

— Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Daily Readings for: February 16, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Spring, Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

Teaching Children About Sickness and Death

PRAYERS

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 179

Prayer for a Sick Person Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 2 Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan) Litany for the Sick and Afflicted

LIBRARY

Mental Illness: ‘A Real and Authentic Social Health Care Emergency’ | Pope Benedict XVI

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-16

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 180

Ordinary Time: February 17th

Monday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of Seven Founders of the Order of Servites

Today the liturgy honors seven noble Florentines who in the thirteenth century, at a time when Florence and all Italy was torn by civil strife, banded together to found, not far from Florence on Monte Senario, the Order of Servites of the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially dedicated to penance and meditation on the sorrows of our Lady in the passion of our Savior. This order was approved by the Holy See in 1304. One of the seven, Alexis Falconieri, died on this date in 1310. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite this feast is celebrated on February 12.

Seven Founders of the Orders of Servites These seven men were the founders of the Servite Order, a community instituted for the special purpose of cultivating the spirit of penance and contemplating the passion of Christ and Mary’s Seven Sorrows. Due to the spirit of humility cherished by the members of the Order, their accomplishments are not too widely known. But in the field of home missions great things are to their credit, and certainly they have benefited millions by arousing devotion to the Mother of Sorrows. The Breviary tells us that in the midst of the party strife during the thirteenth century, God called seven men from the nobility of Florence. In the year 1233 they met and prayed together most fervently. The Blessed Mother appeared to each of them individually and urged them to begin a more perfect life. Disregarding birth and wealth, in sackcloth under shabby and well-worn clothing they withdrew to a small building in

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 181 the country. It was September 8, selected so that they might begin to live a more holy life on the very day when the Mother of God began to live her holy life. Soon after, when the seven were begging alms from door to door in the streets of Florence, they suddenly heard children’s voices calling to them, “Servants of holy Mary.” Among these children was St. Philip Benizi, then just five months old. Hereafter they were known by this name, first heard from the lips of children. In the course of time they retired into solitude on Monte Senario and gave themselves wholly to contemplation and penance. Leo XIII canonized the Holy Founders and introduced today’s feast in 1888.

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

Things to Do:

With the aid of the Gospels, meditate on the Seven Sorrows of Mary: the prophecy of Simeon; the flight into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple; the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross; the Crucifixion; the taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross; the burial of Jesus. Learn more about the Order of Servites at here and EWTN.

The station for today is at the church dedicated to St. . Michalangelo was one of the artists commissioned for the decoration of the church. The Renaissance façade, one of the first in this style, is built of travertine marble said to be from the ruins of the Colosseum.

Daily Readings for: February 17, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Impart to us, O Lord, in kindness the filial devotion with which the holy brothers venerated so devoutly the Mother of God and led your people to yourself. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 182

unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Cream of Tomato Soup Dolmas Gateau au Rhum Irish Potato Pancakes III Paczki (Polish Doughnuts) Pancakes Perfect Pancakes Potato Doughnuts

ACTIVITIES

Raising Truthful Children Religion in the Home for Elementary School: February

PRAYERS

Prayer from Ash Wednesday to Saturday Sacrifice Beads Lent Table Blessing 1 To Mary in Honor of Her Seven Sorrows Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

LIBRARY

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 183

Mary Through the Ages, Her Beauty Bespeaks the Beauty of God | Sylvie Barnay Some Practical Lessons of Historical Spirituality | Basil Cole O.P.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-17

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 184

Ordinary Time: February 18th

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Simeon, bishop and martyr; St. , virgin; St. Flavian, bishop and martyr (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Simeon, bishop and martyr. He was successor to the apostle St. James in the See of Jerusalem and was arrested and probably crucified in about A.D. 110, under the emperor Trajan. He ruled over the Church of Jerusalem for forty years. Historically today is also the feast of St. Flavian of Constantinople, Patriarch of Constantinople and martyr of the 5th century.

St. Simeon A blood relative of Christ, he was martyred in early apostolic times. Succeeding the apostle James, Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was, it may be said, the first bishop of Jerusalem. Under the Emperor Trajan he was arraigned before Atticus, the governor, on charges of being a Christian and a relative of Jesus. For at a certain period, all descendants of David were apprehended. After enduring all types of torture, he was affixed to a cross, even as His Savior. Those present marveled how a man of such advanced age (he was 120 years old) could so steadfastly and joyously bear the excruciating pains of crucifixion. He died on the 18th of February, 106 A.D. The siege and the destruction of Jerusalem took place during his episcopacy. He accompanied the Christian community to Pella.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 185

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

Things to Do:

In the spirit of the blind man in today’s Gospel and mindful of St. Simeon’s joy upon his martyrdom, pray for vision to see the Crucified Christ in all your struggles. Saint Josemaria Escriva recommends that the serious Christian carry with him a small crucifix, which he may keep before himself at all times. In your case, this may be the kitchen, the office, the classroom, or any place in which you are fulfilling your duties. When it becomes difficult to persevere, look upon Christ and be reminded of the value of your small trials. Read this account of the martyrdom of St. Simeon by St. Eusebius of Caesarea. If you are interested in genealogy you might like to read about the genealogy of Christ at New Advent.

St. Flavian St. Flavian was patriarch of Constantinople, and he was hated by the Emperor Theodosius II’s chancellor, partly because he would not give Church money to the Emperor. In 448, St. Flavian held a synod that condemned the abbot Eutyches for denying that Jesus Christ had two distinct natures, a denial that was the beginning of the Monophysite heresy. Eutyches then appealed to Pope St. Leo I, but the Pope sustained the decision and wrote his famous “Leo’s Tome” to St. Flavian, a letter expounding the orthodox position on the matter. The Emperor called another council at Ephesus in 449, which St. Leo later called a “robber synod.” Conducted in open violence, it unjustly deposed St. Flavian and Eusebius, Eutyches’ accuser in 448. St. Flavian was beaten so severely that he died days later in his place of exile. In 451 the Council of Chalcedon vindicated St. Flavian, reinstated Eusebius and exiled the Bishop of Alexandria, who had supported the heresy. St. Pulcheria had St. Flavian’s body

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 186 brought back to Constantinople and buried with those of his predecessors.

— Excerpted from Saints Calendar & Daily Planner by Tan Books

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Flavian at EWTN.

Daily Readings for: February 18, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Lehi Lentils

ACTIVITIES

Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album

PRAYERS

Prayer on the Feast of St. Simeon

LIBRARY

Lent, A Time to Shoulder Our Christian Responsibilities | Pope Benedict XVI

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 187

Why We Need Lent | George W. Rutler

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-18

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 188

Ordinary Time: February 19th

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Conrad of (Hist), St. Gabinus (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Conrad of Piacenza, a friar and hermit celebrated for piety and miraculous cures at in Sicily and St. Gabinus, brother of Pope St. , father of St. Susanna, who was ordained in his old age.

St. Conrad of Piacenza St. Conrad was a Franciscan tertiary and hermit. He was a noble, born at Piacenza, Italy. While hunting, Conrad made a fire that quickly engulfed a neighboring cornfield. A poor man was arrested as an arsonist and condemned to death, but Conrad stepped forward to admit his guilt in the matter. As a result, he had to sell his possessions to pay for the damages. Conrad and his wife decided to enter the religious life. She became a Poor Clare, and he entered the Franciscan Third Order as a hermit. Conrad went to Noto, on Sicily, where he lived the next three decades at St. Martin’s Hospital and in a hermitage built by a wealthy friend. During his last years, he lived and prayed in the grotto of Pizzone outside of Noto. His cult was approved by Pope Paul III.

Excerpted from Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 189

St. Gabinus St. Gabinus was the father of St. Susanna. In the Spring of 293 AD, Diocletian announced the engagement of Maxentius Galerius to Susanna. Susanna refused the marriage proposal. Her father Gabinus and her uncle Caius supported this decision and encouraged her to keep her commitment to Christ. Her non-Christian uncles, Claudius and Maximus tried to persuade Susanna to marry Maxentius, after all this would make her Empress one day. In a conversation between the four brothers, Claudius and Maximus were converted to Christianity. The General Maxentius then came to the house, believing he could persuade Susanna to marry him. Susanna’s refusal soon led to the suspicion that she and other members of her family might be Christians. The Roman Consul Macedonius then called Susanna to Roman Forum and asked her to prove her loyalty to the state by performing an act of worship before the God Jupiter. She refused, confirming the fact that both she and other members of her family might well be Christian, There was no attempt to arrest her however, as she was a member of the Emperor’s family. Susanna refused the marriage proposal, not only because she was a Christian but in addition, she had taken a vow of virginity. When Diocletian on the eastern frontier learned of his cousin’s refusal and the reasons why, he was deeply angered, and ordered her execution. A cohort of soldiers arrived at the house and beheaded her. Her father Gabinus was arrested and starved to death in prison. Maximus and Claudius, together with Claudius’s wife Prepedigna and their children, Alexander and Cuzia are all martyred. Ironically the only survivor was Pope Caius, who had escaped and hid in the catacombs. These murders within Diocletian’s own family would foreshadow the last great persecution against the Christian church which the Emperor began in 303 AD. Diocletian’s daughter Valeria was divorced, and in June 293 AD married Maxentius who would succeed Diocletian in 305 AD. In the year 330 AD, a basilica was built over the site of the house of Susanna. It was

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 190

In the year 330 AD, a basilica was built over the site of the house of Susanna. It was first named San Caius in honor of the pope who had lived here. The bodies of Susanna and Gabinus were brought back from the catacombs and buried in the church.

Excerpted from The Church of

St. Barbatus St. Barbatus was born in the territory of Benevento in Italy, toward the end of the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great, in the beginning of the seventh century. His parents gave him a Christian education, and Barbatus in his youth laid the foundation of that eminent sanctity which recommends him to our veneration. The innocence, simplicity, and purity of his manners, and his extraordinary progress in all virtues, qualified him for the service of the altar, to which he was assumed by taking Holy Orders as soon as the canons of the Church would allow it. He was immediately employed by his bishop in preaching, for which he had an extraordinary talent, and, after some time, made curate of St. Basil’s in Morcona, a town near Benevento. His parishioners were steeled in their irregularities, and they treated him as a disturber of their peace, and persecuted him with the utmost violence. Finding their malice conquered by his patience and humility, and his character shining still more bright, they had recourse to slanders, in which their virulence and success were such that he was obliged to withdraw his charitable endeavors among them. Barbatus returned to Benevento, where he was received with joy. When St. Barbatus entered upon his ministry in that city, the Christians themselves retained many idolatrous superstitions, which even their duke, Prince Romuald, authorized by his example, though son of Grimoald, King of the Lombards, who had edified all Italy by his conversion. They expressed a religious veneration for a golden viper, and prostrated themselves before it; they also paid superstitious honor to a tree, on which they hung the skin of a wild beast; and those ceremonies were closed by public games, in which the skin served for a mark at which bowmen shot arrows over

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 191 their shoulders. St. Barbatus preached zealously against these abuses, and at length he roused the attention of the people by foretelling the distress of their city, and the calamities which it was to suffer from the army of the Emperor Constans, who, landing soon after in Italy, laid siege to Benevento. Ildebrand, Bishop of Benevento, dying during the siege, after the public tranquillity was restored St. Barbatus was consecrated bishop on the 10th of March, 663. Barbatus, being invested with the episcopal character, pursued and completed the good work which he had so happily begun, and destroyed every trace of superstition in the whole state. In the year 680 he assisted in a council held by at Rome, and the year following in the Sixth General Council held at Constantinople against the Monothelites. He did not long survive this great assembly, for he died on the 29th of February, 682, being about seventy years old, almost nineteen of which he had spent in the episcopal chair.

Excerpted from Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Barbatus at EWTN.

Daily Readings for: February 19, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Legume Soup

ACTIVITIES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 192

Lenten Practices for Children On how our Work is Love, and how we can work with Christ to save Souls with our Love Precious Coins: Mortification and Self-Denial

PRAYERS

Prayer for the First Week of Lent Lent Table Blessing 1 Prayer Before a Crucifix Brief Meditations on the Church Year: Spring or Lent Ember Days

LIBRARY

Be Merciful, O Lord, for We Have Sinned | Pope John Paul II

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-19

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 193

Ordinary Time: February 20th

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Sts. Francisco & Jacinta Marto (Portugal) Old Calendar: St. Eucherius, bishop (Hist)

Franciso and Jacinta Marto were officially declared saints of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The brother and sister who tended to their families’ sheep with their cousin Lucia Santo in the fields of Fatima, witnessed the apparitions of Mary, now commonly known as Our Lady of Fatima. Pope John Paul II beatified Francisco and Jacinta May 13, 2000, on the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. Both under 12 years old, they were the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church. Historically today is the feast of St. Eucherius, Benedictine bishop of Orleans, France, exiled for opposing Charles Martel, the famous and powerful Mayor of the Palace.

Sts. Francisco & Jacinta Marto Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three children, Portuguese shepherds from Aljustrel, received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. At that time, Europe was involved in an extremely bloody war. Portugal itself was in political turmoil, having overthrown its monarchy in 1910; the government disbanded religious organizations soon after. At the first appearance, Mary asked the children to return to that spot on the thirteenth of each month for the next six months. She also asked them to learn to read and write and to pray the rosary “to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.” They were to pray for sinners and for the conversion of Russia, which had recently

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 194 overthrown Czar Nicholas II and was soon to fall under communism. Up to 90,000 people gathered for Mary’s final apparition on October 13, 1917. Less than two years later, Francisco died of influenza in his family home. He was buried in the parish cemetery and then re-buried in the Fatima basilica in 1952. Jacinta died of influenza in Lisbon, offering her suffering for the conversion of sinners, peace in the world and the Holy Father. She was re-buried in the Fatima basilica in 1951. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun and was still living when Jacinta and Francisco were beatified in 2000. Sister Lucia died five years later. The shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is visited by up to 20 million people a year.

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons and Feast by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.

St. Eucherius This Saint was born at Orleans, of a very illustrious family. At his birth his parents dedicated him to God, and set him to study when he was but seven years old, resolving to omit nothing that could be done toward cultivating his mind or forming his heart His improvement in virtue kept pace with his progress in learning: he meditated assiduously on the sacred writings, especially on St. Paul’s manner of speaking on the world and its enjoyments as mere empty shadows that deceive us and vanish away. These reflections at length sank so deep into his mind that he resolved to quit the world. To put this design in execution, about the year 714 he retired to the abbey of Jumiége in Normandy, where he spent six or seven years in the practice of penitential austerities and obedience. Suavaric, his uncle, Bishop of Orleans, having died, the senate and people, with the clergy of that city, begged permission to elect Eucherius to the vacant see. The Saint entreated his monks to screen him from the dangers that threatened him; but they preferred the public good to their private inclinations, and resigned him for that important charge. He was consecrated with universal applause in 721. Charles Martel, to defray the expenses of his wars and other undertakings, often stripped the churches of their revenues. St. Eucherius reproved these encroachments

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 195 with so much zeal that, in the year 737, Charles banished him to Cologne. The extraordinary esteem which his virtue procured him in that city moved Charles to order him to be conveyed thence to a strong place in the territory of Liege. Robert, the governor of that country, was so charmed with his virtue that he made him the distributor of his large alms, and allowed him to retire to the monastery of Sarchinium, or St. Tron’s. Here prayer and contemplation were his whole employment till the year 743, in which he died, on the 20th of February.

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

At Rome, the Station is in the church of St. Anastasia, where, formerly, the Mass of the Aurora on Christmas Day was celebrated. The first church was built in the late 3rd or early 4th century, and was one of the first parish churches of ancient Rome. It was given by a woman called Anastasia and called titulus Anastasiae after her. Later, it was dedicated to a martyr of the same name.

Daily Readings for: February 20, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

God of infinite goodness who loves the innocent and exalts the humble grant that, in imitation of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta, we may serve you with purity of heart and so be worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 196

Portuguese Almond Torte

ACTIVITIES

Teaching Self-Denial

PRAYERS

Prayer for the First Week of Lent To Keep A True Lent Lent Table Blessing 1 Fatima Prayer of Reparation

LIBRARY

Why the Christian Must Deny Himself | Austin G. Murphy

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-20

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 197

Ordinary Time: February 21st

Friday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, bishop and doctor

St. Peter Damian, a man of vehemence in all his actions who was brought up in the hard school of poverty, found that he had the vocation of a reformer. He exercised it in the first place against himself as one of the hermits of Fontavellana in about 1035, but he did not remain for long hidden in his cell: his colleagues soon made him their abbot (1043). In 1057, Stephen IX made him Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. By his preaching and writings he was one of the valuable collaborators of the eleventh century popes in their great work of reform. Pope Leo XII declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1823. His feast is celebrated on February 23 according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

St. Peter Damian St. Peter Damian must be numbered among the greatest of the Church’s reformers in the Middle Ages, yes, even among the truly extraordinary persons of all times. In Damian the scholar, men admire wealth of wisdom: in Damian the preacher of God’s word, apostolic zeal; in Damian the monk, austerity and self-denial; in Damian the priest, piety and zeal for souls; in Damian the cardinal, loyalty and submission to the Holy See together with generous enthusiasm and devotion for the good of Mother Church. He was a personal friend of Pope Gregory VII. He died in 1072 at the age of 65. On one occasion he wrote to a young nephew, “If I may speak figuratively, drive out the roaring beasts from your domain; do not cease from protecting yourself daily by receiving the Flesh and Blood of the Lord. Let your secret foe see your lips reddened

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 198 with the Blood of Christ. He will shudder, cower back, and flee to his dark, dank retreat.”

In his poem, the Divine Comedy, Dante places Damian in the “seventh heaven.” That was his place for holy people who loved to think about or contemplate God.

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

Symbols: Cardinal bearing a discipline in his hand; pilgrim holding a papal Bull, to signify his many legations.

Things to Do:

St. Peter Damian was a great reformer, often prescribing penances and fasting to lax religious. Choose a day every week, most appropriately Friday, on which you will fast and offer penances for specific intentions. Pray especially that our nation and the world will recognize the evil of homosexuality. Pray for those who are guilty of this sin. Read more about St. Peter Damian at EWTN. Pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Peter Damian revised and recommended it. Go to The Mary Page for a copy.

Today’s Station is at St. Mary Major. The spring Ember Week consecrated the new season to God and by prayer and fasting sought to obtain abundant graces for those who on Saturday were to receive Holy Orders. The Station was fittingly held in the church, which witnessed the first scrutinies for the coming ordinations, and which was dedicated to the mother of the great High Priest.

Daily Readings for: February 21, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 199

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may so follow the teaching and example of the Bishop Damian, that, putting nothing before Christ and always ardent in the service of your Church, we may be led to the joys of eternal light. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Cream of Chicken Bisque

ACTIVITIES

Elementary Parent Pedagogy: Teaching Purity at the Elementary Age

PRAYERS

Prayer for the First Week of Lent Lent Table Blessing 1 Prayer for Purity

LIBRARY

Invincibly Defended by the Banner of the Cross | St. Peter Damian Message for the 100th Anniversary of St. Peter Damian | Pope Benedict XVI St. Peter Damian | Fr. Paul Haffner

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 200

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-21

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 201

Ordinary Time: February 22nd

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle Old Calendar: Chair of St. Peter at Antioch

This feast brings to mind the mission of teacher and pastor conferred by Christ on Peter, and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope. We celebrate the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle, and renew our assent to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, extended both to truths which are solemnly defined ex cathedra, and to all the acts of the ordinary Magisterium. The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter at Rome has been celebrated from the early days of the Christian era on 18 January, in commemoration of the day when Saint Peter held his first service in Rome. The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter at Antioch, commemorating his foundation of the See of Antioch, has also been long celebrated at Rome, on 22 February. At each place a chair (cathedra) was venerated which the Apostle had used while presiding at Mass. One of the chairs is referred to about 600 by an Abbot Johannes who had been commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to collect in oil from the lamps which burned at the graves of the Roman martyrs. — New Catholic Dictionary

Chair of St. Peter Since early times, the Roman Church has had a special commemoration of the primatial authority of St. Peter. As witness one of the most renowned of the Apostolic Fathers, the Roman See has always held a peculiar place in the affection and obedience of orthodox believers because of its “presiding in love” and service over all the Churches of God. "We shall find in the Gospel that Jesus Christ, willing to begin the mystery of unity in His Church, among all His disciples chose twelve; but that, willing to consummate the mystery of unity in the same Church, among the twelve He chose one. He called His

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 202 mystery of unity in the same Church, among the twelve He chose one. He called His disciples, said the Gospel; here are all; and among them He chose twelve. Here is the first separation, and the Apostles chosen. And these are the names of the twelve Apostles: the first, Simon, who is called Peter. [Mt. 10, 1-2] Here, in a second separation, St. Peter is set at the head, and called for that reason by the name of Peter, ‘which Jesus Christ,’ says St. Mark, ‘had given him,’ in order to prepare, as you will see, the work which He was proposing to raise all His building on that stone. "All this is yet but a beginning of the mystery of unity. Jesus Christ, in beginning it, still spoke to many: Go, preach; I send you [see Mt. 28, 19]. Now, when He would put the last hand to the mystery of unity, He speaks no longer to many: He marks out Peter personally, and by the new name which He has given him. It is One who speaks to one: Jesus Christ the Son of God to Simon son of Jonas; Jesus Christ, who is the true Stone, strong of Himself, to Simon, who is only the stone by the strength which Jesus Christ imparts to him. It is to him that Christ speaks, and in speaking acts on him, and stamps upon him His own immovableness. And I, He says, say to you, you are Peter; and, He adds, upon this rock I will build my Church, and, He concludes, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Mt. 16, 18] To prepare him for that honor Jesus Christ, who knows that faith in Himself is the foundation of His Church, inspires Peter with a faith worthy to be the foundation of that admirable building. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. [Mt. 16, 16] By that bold preaching of the faith he draws to himself the inviolable promise which makes him the foundation of the Church. “It was, then, clearly the design of Jesus Christ to put first in one alone, what afterwards He meant to put in several; but the sequence does not reverse the beginning, nor the first lose his place. That first word, Whatsoever you shall bind, said to one alone, has already ranged under his power each one of those to whom shall be said, Whatsoever you shall remit; for the promises of Jesus Christ, as well as His gift, are without repentance; and what is once given indefinitely and universally is irrevocable. Besides, that power given to several carries its restriction in its division, while power given to one alone, and over all, and without exception, carries with it plenitude, and, not having to be divided with any other, it has no bounds save those which its terms convey.”

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 203

Excerpted from The See of St. Peter, Jacques Bossuet.

Things to Do:

Read what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about the Chair of St. Peter. View some photographs of the Chair of St. Peter.

Daily Readings for: February 22, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Apostle Cookies Salmon Mousse

ACTIVITIES

Apostle Cookies Devotion to the Saints

PRAYERS

Prayer for the First Week of Lent Sacrifice Beads Lent Table Blessing 1 Prayer for Pope Francis

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 204

Prayer for Pope Francis Litany of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles

LIBRARY

Petrine Ministry Is Based on Christ’s Promise | Pope John Paul II Primacy of Peter, The | Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz Tend the Flock and Be Examples to It | Pope John Paul II Upon This Rock | Warren H. Carroll

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-22

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 205

Ordinary Time: February 23rd

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Quinquagesima Sunday

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Today is the feast of St. which is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of Leviticus 19:1-2. 17-18. Today, we hear one of the rules of conduct which are set out in chapter 19; that of love of neighbor. Other rules included reverence for parents, observance of the Sabbath, avoidance of idolatry, upon harvesting leaving some of the grain in the fields for the poor, and the practice of justice and charity in social dealings. The second reading is from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 3:16-23. As we work our way through the first part of 1st Corinthians, last week we heard Saint Paul tell of the true wisdom of God. This week he again addresses the divisions in the people of God and reminds the Corinthians (and us) who we really belong to. The Gospel is taken from St. Matthew (5:38-48). The lesson we have to learn from today’s gospel hardly needs any emphasizing. We must, if we are truly Christian, forgive those who offend or injure us. We must love all men, whether they be friends or enemies. G. K. Chesterton says : “We are commanded to love our neighbors and our enemies; they are generally the same people.” This is very true for all of us. It is very easy for me to love (in a theoretical way) all Japanese, Chinese, Russians and most Europeans–they never come in contact with me and never tread on my corns. But it is

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 206 my neighbors, those among whom I live and work, who are liable to injure me and thus become my enemies. Charity begins at home, because it is here that it can and should be learned and practiced. It is first and foremost necessary for Christian peace in the home. Husband and wife must learn to understand and tolerate each other’s imperfections and faults. If one offends in what the other would regard as something serious, the offended one should not demand an apology but should show forgiveness before the other has humbly to apologize. No two persons in the world, not even identical twins, can agree on all things, so it is vain and unrealistic to expect even one’s married partner to agree with one in all points. Christian charity alone can cover the multitude of faults of both partners. If there is peace and harmony between husband and wife, as there will be if both are truly charitable, the children will learn too to be understanding and forgiving. Such a home will be a truly happy home even if it has little of the world’s riches. Our charity must spread from the home to our neighbors–to all those with whom we have contact. It is easy to get on with most people, but in every neighborhood and in every village or town there will always be those who are difficult. There will be the dishonest, the tale-bearers, the quarrelsome, the critic of everyone and everything. It is when we have dealings with such people that all our Christian charity is necessary. Most likely we will never be able to change their ways of acting, but charity will enable us to tolerate their faults and will move us to pray for their eternal welfare. Life for many, if not for most people, has many dark, gloomy and despairing moments. The man or woman who is moved by true Christian charity can bring a beam of sunshine, a ray of hope, into the lives of these people. Fr. Faber in a booklet on kindness has a poem which we could all learn and practice with great profit for ourselves and for a neighbor in need of kindness. He says: "It was but a sunny smile, And little it cost in the giving, But it scattered the night like the morning light And made the day worth living. It was but a kindly word, A word that was lightly spoken, et not in vain for it chilled the pain Of a heart that was nearly broken. It was but a helping hand, And it seemed of little availing, But its clasp was warm, it saved from harm A brother whose strength was failing." Try the sunny smile of true love, the kindly word of Christian encouragement, the helping hand of true charity, and not only will you brighten the darkness and lighten the load of your brother but you will be imitating in your own small way the perfect Father of love who is in heaven.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 207

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

Commentary on the Readings for Quinquagesima Sunday

Jesus said to him, “Receive thy sight, thy faith has saved thee” (Gospel). “We are going up to Jerusalem,” city of His Great Sacrifice, during Lent. His intimate followers were spiritually blind to the need of a Good Friday. In this picture we even see them angrily trying to hold back one who wanted to see the need of Lenten penance–faith which lives by love: love for God, love for neighbor (Epistle). Where there is love, there is no labor; but if there is labor, it is loved. The Introit, Prayer and Gradual inspire us with confidence as we too, “go up” with faith (Offertory) and charity (Communion Verse).

Excerpted from My Sunday Missal, Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Daily Readings for: February 23, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Never Out of Season Sunday Dinner (Sample Menu)

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 208

ACTIVITIES

Farewell to Alleluia Spirit of Lent, The

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 3 Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan) Prayer Before a Crucifix

LIBRARY

In Christ You Can Face the Future with Hope | Pope John Paul II More Blessed To Give Than To Receive, It Is | Pope John Paul II War-Time Clarifications: Who Is Our Enemy? | Fr. James V. Schall S.J.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-23

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 209

Ordinary Time: February 24th

Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Matthias, apostle

But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mark 10:5-9). According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Matthias, apostle. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on May 14.

From the Beginning of Creation Marriage Was Sacred The link between secularization and the crisis of marriage and of the family is only too clear. The crisis concerning the meaning of God and that concerning moral good and evil has succeeded in diminishing an acquaintance with the fundamentals of marriage and of the family which is rooted in marriage. For an effective recovery of the truth in this field, it is necessary to rediscover the transcendent dimension that is intrinsic to the full truth of marriage and the family, overcoming every dichotomy that tends to separate the profane aspects from the religious as if there were two marriages: one profane and another sacred. “God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gn 1,27). The image of God is found in the duality of man and woman and in their interpersonal communion. For this reason, transcendence is inherent in the existence of marriage, right from the start, because it belongs to the natural distinction between man and woman in the order of creation. In their being “one flesh”

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 210 distinction between man and woman in the order of creation. In their being “one flesh” (Gn 2,24), the man and the woman, in their mutual assistance and fruitfulness, participate in something sacred and religious, as the Encyclical Arcanum divinae sapientiae of my Predecessor Leo XIII emphasized, pointing to the understanding of marriage held in ancient civilizations (10 Feb. 1880, Leonis XIII P.M. Acta, vol. II, p. 22). In this regard, he observed that marriage “from the very beginning was a figure (adumbratio) of the Incarnation of the Word of God” (ibid.). In the state of original innocence, Adam and Eve already had the supernatural gift of grace. In this way, before the Incarnation of the Word took place historically, its effective holiness was already being bestowed on humanity.

Excerpted from Natural Marriage Already Has Sacred Dimension, John Paul II, February 5, 2003

Daily Readings for: February 24, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Pretzels

ACTIVITIES

Fish Mobile

PRAYERS

Prayer for the First Week of Lent

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 211

Lent Table Blessing 1 Prayer Before a Crucifix

LIBRARY

None

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-24

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 212

Ordinary Time: February 25th

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Walburga, abbess (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Walburga, sister of Sts. Willibald and Winebald. She became a nun at Wimborne in Dorset under St. Tatta and followed St. Lioba to Germany at the invitation of St. Boniface. She died abbess of Hiedenheim, whence her relics were translated to Eichstatt. It is also the day before Ash Wednesday, called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Traditionally, it is the last day for Christians to indulge before the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In many southern states of the USA Mardi Gras is a traditional holiday. The most famous celebration takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has been celebrated there on a grand scale, with masked balls and colorful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s. On April 17th, 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius XII confirmed the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all the dioceses and religious orders who would ask for the Indult from Rome in order to celebrate it. You can learn more about this devotion at Holy Face Devotion and at the Holy Face Association.

St. Walburga St. Walburga was born around 710. She is the daughter of St. Richard and the niece of St. Boniface. When St. Richard set out for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his sons, Ss. Willibald & Winibald, he entrusted 11 year old Walburga to the monastery school at Wimborne. She remained as a nun, spending a total of 26 years there.

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 213

Wimborne. She remained as a nun, spending a total of 26 years there. When St. Boniface put out an appeal for nuns to help him in the evangelization of Germany, St. Walburga answered the call. On the way to Germany, there was a terrible storm at sea. Walburga knelt on the deck of the ship and prayed. The sea immediately became calm. Some sailors witnessed this and spread the word that she was a wonderworker, so she was received in Germany with great respect. At first, she lived at Bischofsheim, under the rule of St. Lioba. Then she was made abbess at Heidenheim, near to where her brother, Winibald served as an abbot over a men’s monastery. After his death, she ruled both monasteries. She worked many miracles in the course of her ministry. She wrote a biography of her brother, Winibald, and of Willibald’s travels in Palestine, in Latin. She is regarded as the first woman author in both England and Germany. On September 23, 776, she assisted Willibald in translating the uncorrupt relics of their brother, Winibald, to a new tomb in the church at Heidenheim. Shortly after this, she fell ill. Willibald cared for her until she died on February 25, 777, then placed her next to Winibald in the tomb. After St. Willibald’s death in 786, people gradually forgot St. Walburga and the church fell into disrepair. In 870, Bishop Oktar was having Heidenheim restored. Some workmen desecrated Walburga’s grave. She appeared in a dream to the bishop, who then translated her relics to Eichstadt. In 893, St. Walburga’s body was found to be immersed in a mysterious sweet-smelling liquid. It was found to work miraculous healings. The liquid, called St. Walburga’s oil, has flowed from her body, ever since, except for a brief period when the church was put under the interdict after robbers shed the blood of a bell-ringer in the church. Portions of St. Walburga’s relics have taken to several other cities and her oil to all parts of the world.

Daily Readings for: February 25, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we

www.catholicculture.org LITURGICAL YEAR 2019-2020, VOL. 2 214

may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

German Apple Pancakes German Meat Balls with Sour Cream Gravy Sour Beef

ACTIVITIES

How Sanctity Does Not Come Easily Waiting for Prayers to be Answered

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 2

LIBRARY

A Tree Planted Near Running Waters | Sr. Maria-Walburga Schortemeyer O.S.B.

View this item on CatholicCulture.org: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-02-25

www.catholicculture.org About CatholicCulture.org

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, liturgical year resources, Church documents, reviews, and collections of historic Catholic writings and references. You can also sign up for daily and weekly email newsletters.

Trinity Communications is a non-profit corporation. If you would like to support our work, please register and contribute on the website; or mail a check or money order along with your email address to Trinity Communications, P.O. Box 582, Manassas, VA 20108, USA.

We look forward to seeing you at www.catholicculture.org.