The St Andrew Christmas Novena – The Christmas Anticipation Prayer
Pray 15 Times each day.
Let us Pray!
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment,
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe,
I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
………………… [here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
and of His blessed Mother.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Martyr for Christ
“St Andrew was the first convert among the Apostle; he was especially in our Lord’s confidence; thrice is he described as introducing others to Him; [but] he is little known in history; while the place of dignity and the name of highest renown, have been allotted to his brother Simon, whom he was the means of bringing to the knowledge of his Saviour ….
These men, are not necessarily, the most useful men in their generation, not the most favoured by God, who made the most noise in the world and who seem to be principals in the great changes and events recorded in history ….
His marvellous Providence works beneath a veil, which speaks but an untrue language. And, to see Him who is the Truth and the Life, we must stoop underneath it and so, in our turn, hide ourselves from the world.”
Quote of the Day – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Martyr on the Cross for Christ
This is what the Apostle is claimed to have said on that occasion, according to an ancient story (which dates back to the beginning of the sixth century), entitled The Passion of Andrew:
“Hail, O Cross, inaugurated by the Body of Christ and adorned with His limbs as though they were precious pearls. Before the Lord mounted you, you inspired an earthly fear. Now, instead, endowed with heavenly love, you are accepted as a gift.
Believers know of the great joy that you possess and of the multitude of gifts you have prepared. I come to you, therefore, confident and joyful, so that you too may receive me, exultant as a disciple of the One who was hung upon you…. O blessed Cross, clothed in the majesty and beauty of the Lord’s limbs!…
Take me, carry me far from men and restore me to my Teacher, so that, through you, the One who redeemed me by you, may receive me.
Hail, O Cross, yes, hail indeed!”
One Minute Reflection – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Gospel: Matthew 4:18–22
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” … Matthew 4:19
REFLECTION – “The call reaches them in the middle of their daily activity – the Lord reveals Himself to us, not in an extraordinary or impressive way but in the everyday circumstances of our life. There we must discover the Lord and there, He reveals Himself, makes His love felt in our heart and there — with this dialogue with Him in the everyday circumstances of life — He changes our heart. The response of the four fishermen is immediate and willing – “Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (v. 20). On the shores of the lake, in an inconceivable land, the first community of disciples of Christ was born. May the knowledge of these beginnings give rise in us to the desire to bear Jesus’ word, love and tenderness in every context, even the most difficult and resistant. To carry the Word to all the peripheries! … Pope Francis – Angelus, 22 January 2017
PRAYER – Lord, in Your kindness hear our petitions. You called Andrew the Apostle, to preach the Gospel and guide Your Church in faith. May he always be our friend in Your presence, to help us with his prayers. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ and Martyr
Great Saint Andrew Friend of Jesus
By Frederick Oakley (1802-1880)
(Frederick Oakley was an Anglican minister
who converted to Catholicism)
Great Saint Andrew friend of Jesus,
Lover of His glorious Cross,
Quickly at the master’s bidding,
Called from ease to pain and loss,
Sweet Saint Andrew, Simon’s brother,
Like him started life anew,
Gladly spread the holy gospel
Which from word of God he drew.
Blessed Saint Andrew, noble herald,
True apostle, martyr bold,
Who, by deeds his words confirming,
Sealed with blood the truth he told.
Never was a crown more glorious,
Never prize to heart so dear,
As to him the Cross of Jesus
When its promised joys drew near.
Loved Saint Andrew, Scotland’s patron,
Watch thy land with heedful eye,
Rally round the Cross of Jesus
All her storied chivalry!
To the Father, Son and Spirit,
Fount of sanctity and love,
Give we glory, now and ever,
With the saints who reign above.
Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Martyr – 30 November
Saint Andrew was the brother of the Apostle Peter and like his brother was born in Bethsaida of Galilee (where the Apostle Philip was also born). While his brother would eventually overshadow him as the first among the apostles, it was Saint Andrew, a fisherman like Peter, who (according to the Gospel of John) introduced Saint Peter to Christ.
St Andrew was a fisherman who lived in Galilee during the time of Jesus. He followed John the Baptist and listened to his teachings. One day, John saw Jesus walking along the road. John said to his followers, “Behold the Lamb of God.” He told his followers to go and talk to Jesus. He wanted them to know that Jesus was the One for whom they had been waiting. Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus and spent an afternoon with him. Early the next day Andrew found Simon Peter, his brother and told him, “We have found the Messiah.”
Both men gave up their work as fishermen to become apostles of Jesus. Andrew was one of the first to be called. He seemed to take delight in bringing others to Jesus. 
Andrew was the one who told Jesus about the little boy who had the loaves of bread and the fish, the beginning of a meal that fed more than five thousand people.
It was Andrew and Philip whom the Greeks approached when they wanted to see Jesus. These events indicate that Andrew was a man who was easy to approach, a man you could trust.
Like the other apostles, Andrew became a missionary. He preached about Jesus in the area around the Black Sea. Tradition tells us he preached in northern Greece, Turkey and Scythia (now the southern part of Russia).
Tradition places Saint Andrew’s martyrdom on 30 November of the year 60 (during the persecution of Nero) in the Greek city of Patras. A medieval traditional also holds that, like his brother Peter, he did not regard himself as worthy of being crucified in the same manner as Christ and so he was placed on an X-shaped cross, now known (especially in heraldry and flags) as a Saint Andrew’s Cross. The Roman governor ordered him bound to the cross rather than nailed, to make the crucifixion and thus Andrew’s agony, last longer.
Because of his patronage of Constantinople, Saint Andrew’s relics were transferred there around the year 357. Tradition holds that some relics of Saint Andrew were taken to Scotland in the eighth century, to the place where the town of S. Andrews stands today. In the wake of the Sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, the remaining relics were brought to the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Amalfi, Italy. In 1964, in an attempt to strengthen relations with the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople, Pope Paul VI returned all relics of Saint Andrew that were then in Rome to the Greek Orthodox Church.
Every year since then, the Pope has sent delegates to Constantinople for the feast of Saint Andrew (and, in November 2007, Pope Benedict himself went), just as the Ecumenical Patriarch sends representatives to Rome for the 29 June feast of Saints Peter and Paul (and, in 2008, went himself). Thus, like his brother Saint Peter, Saint Andrew is in a way a symbol of the striving for Christian unity.
St Andrew’s Feast takes pride of place in the Liturgical Calendar, for in the Roman Catholic calendar, the liturgical year begins with Advent and the First Sunday of Advent is always the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew. Though Advent can begin as late as 3 December, Saint Andrew’s feast, today is traditionally listed as the first Saint’s day of the liturgical year, even when the First Sunday of Advent falls after it—an honour commensurate with Saint Andrew’s place among the apostles The tradition of praying the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena 15 times each day from the Feast of Saint Andrew until Christmas flows from this arrangement of the calendar.
The name “Andrew” is a Greek name meaning “courageous” or “manly.” St Andrew lived up to his name.
St Andrew, pray that we live up to the name “Christian”!
St Andrew’s Patronages are here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/30/saint-of-the-day-30-november-st-andrew-apostle-of-christ-martyr/
St Andrew the Apostle (Feast)
St Andrew!
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/30/saint-of-the-day-30-november-st-andrew-apostle-of-christ-martyr/
St Abraham of Persia
Bl Alexander Crow
St Anders of Slagelse
Bl Andrew of Antioch
Bl Arnold of Gemblours
St Castulus of Rome
St Constantius of Rome
St Crider of Cornwall
St Cuthbert Mayne
St Domninus of Antioch
St Euprepis of Rome
Bl Everard of Stahleck
Bl Frederick of Regensburg
St Galganus
St Isaac of Beth Seleucia
Bl Joscius Roseus
St Joseph Marchand
St Justina of Constantinople
Bl Ludwik Gietyngier
St Mahanes the Persian
St Maura of Constantinople
St Merola of Antioch
St Mirocles of Milan
St Sapor
St Simeon of Persia
St Thaddeus Liu Ruiting
St Trojan
St Tudwal of Tréguier
Bl William de Paulo
Zosimus the Wonder Worker
—
Martyrs of Saxony – 6 saints: Missionaries who worked with Saint Willehad of Bremen. Martyrs. – Attroban, Benjamin, Emmingen, Folkard, Gerwald and Grisold. They were martyred on 30 November 782 at River Weser, Lawer Saxony, Germany.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Augustinians of Madrid – 51 beati and Martyred Hospitallers of Madrid – 7 beati – Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.
Announcing a Novena in honour of the Immaculate Conception
Begins 1 DecemberAs the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is moved forward by one day this year, from 8 to 9 December, due to the 8th being the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we will start the Novena a day later than usual.
This year we will use Reflections and Meditations from St Maximillian Kolbe.
See you there!
Thought for the Day – 29 November – The Memorial of Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos SJ (1711-1735) – First apostle of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Spain.
Today’s young Saint and Mystic, Blessed Bernardo’s devotion led him to the most exquisite union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus … the spiritual marriage. Yes. It is no less strange however, that the Word, left His Father, to become one with man, to become Bread from Heaven.
I read someplace that Bl Bernardo’s intercession is especially helpful to those who struggle with the vice of impurity. I think Bernardo’s devotion to the Sacred Heart – the complete surrender of all his affections – is an antidote to all impurity. The grace of espousal seems to me, to be similar to the consummate love of Jesus in the Eucharist for us, whereby He gives us His body, blood, soul and divinity at every Communion. Isn’t it like that? Isn’t that total union what we are called to? At every Communion – even when I feel nothing, see nothing, hear nothing – it seems especially then, that faith supplies.
I never had experiences such as those Bl Bernardo participated in – I’m just grateful to be able to be recollected after each Communion and sometimes, to receive immense consolation too. Knowing He is there and I am with Him. I like the way Bl Bernardo put it: “I see that everything in my heart is moving towards God, drawn like iron to a magnet. It desires only God, searches only for God and longs only for God….” For Bernardo, that was his constant state – and he remained faithful to the graces he received. For me, perhaps this desire is only imperfectly experienced in the thanksgiving after Communion. Which is why I never want to waste those moments of recollection.
“Always holding my right hand, the Lord had me occupy the empty throne, then He fitted on my finger a gold ring…. “May this ring be an earnest of our love. You are Mine and I am yours. You may call yourself and sign Bernardo de Jesus, thus, as I said to my spouse, Santa Teresa, you are Bernardo de Jesus and I am Jesus de Bernardo. My honour is yours, your honor is Mine. Consider My glory that of your Spouse, I will consider yours, that of My spouse. All Mine is yours and all yours is Mine. What I am by nature you share by grace. You and I are one!” – The Visions of Bernard Francis De Hoyos, S.J. by Henri Bechard, S.J.
In the ascetic-mystical life of the saints, God Himself purifies the soul of disordered passions in and through purifying trials and temptations. Thus proving true Christ’s words, ‘what is impossible for man is possible for God.’ Blessed Bernardo was no exception.
As Catholics, we are not at all surprised by the ‘mystical marriage of today’s young Saint with Jesus’. However, it seems the rest are prone to think this an unusual and strange occurrence and regard it as an aberration, so please if you search Blessed Bernardo you might be horrified at some nasty statements – don’t be – you know the better part!
For “I am in You and You are in Me”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:29–33
“The issue is now clear.
It is between light and darkness
and every one must choose his side.”
“Each and everyone of us,
at the end of the
journey of life,
will come,
face to face
with either one
or the other
of two faces…
And one of them,
either, the
merciful face of Christ
or the
miserable face of Satan,
will say,
“Mine, mine.”
May we be Christ’s!”
“Many who plan
to seek God
at the eleventh hour
die at 10:30.”
Lord Jesus, May we Seek Your Face
By Pope Benedict XVI
Lord Jesus,
grant us restless hearts,
hearts which seek Your Face.
Keep us from the blindness of heart
which sees only the surface of things.
Give us the simplicity and purity
which allows us to recognise
Your Presence in the world.
When we are not able
to accomplish great things,
grant us the courage
which is born of humility and goodness.
Impress Your Face on our hearts.
May we encounter You along the way
and show forth Your image to the world.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:29–33 and the Memorial of Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos SJ (1711-1735)
“But my words will not pass away….” …Luke 21:33
REFLECTION – “The Word of God makes us change our concept of realism. Indeed, the realist is the one who recognises in the Word of God, the foundation of all things. As you see these things happening, you know that the Kingdom of God is near (Lk 21:31). Now the word is not simply audible, not only does it have a voice, now the word has a face, one which we can see – that of Jesus of Nazareth.” …. Pope Benedict XVI
PRAYER – Lord God, open our hearts to Your grace and the Light of Your word. Let it go before us and be with us, open our eyes to see and our hearts to love, that we may always be intent upon doing Your will and following Your Word which has the Face of Your dearly beloved Son, Jesus our Saviour. Please hear the prayers of the beloved of Heart of Jesus, Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos on our behalf. We make our prayer through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos SJ (1711-1735)
O Christ Jesus,
When All is Darkness
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness
and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love
and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose,
Your will through all things.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 29 November – Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos SJ (1711-1735) Professed Priest of the Society of Jesus, Mystic, Apostle of the Sacred Heart – born on 21 August 1711 at Torrelobatón, Valladolid, Kingdom of Spain (1711-08-21) and died on 29 November 1735, Valladolid, Spain of natural causes (typhoid), aged 24. The miracle for his Beatification involved a young lady with typhoid.
Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos de Seña was born on 21 August 1711 to Don Manuel de Hoyos and Doña Francisca de Seña. His father worked at the town hall at Torrelobatón near Valladolid. He was baptised on 6 September in his local parish church in the names of “Bernardo Francisco Javier.” He was named in honour of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Saint Francis Xavier. He received his Confirmation in 1720.
On 11 July 1726, a not quite fifteen year old Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos y Seña crossed the threshold of the Jesuit novitiate of the Province of Castile. Straightaway he chose the Flemish Saint John Berchmans SJ as his model and intercessor. 
At his profession on 12 July 1728, he heard Our Lord say to him: “From today on I will unite Myself more intimately to you because of my love for you.” Our Lord, His Virgin Mother, Saint Ignatius, Saint Teresa of Avila and other celestial visitors manifested themselves to the young Jesuit, conversed with him, counselled him and encouraged him. In 1726 both Aloysius Gonzaga SJ and Stanislaus Kostka SJ were Canonised by Pope Benedict XIII. The two became models of holiness for the Jesuit priest, as well as John Berchmans who was already on the course for Canonisation.
On 10 August 1729, the Saviour, covered with His Precious Blood, appeared to Bernardo, and showing him the wound in His Side, said, “Rejected by humanity, I come to find my consolation with chosen souls.” Bernardo’s experience closely resembles that of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque fifty-three years earlier in the Visitation Monastery of Paray-le-Monial in France.
Bernardo was ordained a priest on 2 January 1735, for which he had to obtain special permission due to his young age. Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Francis de Sales, mystically present at the ordination, served as his “godfathers” in the priesthood. In that same year he wrote:
Hitherto I had great confidence in my prayers and petitions, depending on the intercession of the Heart of Jesus, at present I have no doubt about obtaining whatsoever I ask, if it is for the greater glory of God. I am convinced that at the altar, the Eternal Father can refuse me nothing . . . I find myself with views like that of Venerable Father La Colombière concerning the greatness of this sacrifice. Here I am as if I were triumphant, for it seems to me not only that I am making reparation for myself and for the whole world but that the Eternal Father is my debtor.
Now and again, during Mass . . . a word of the Eternal Father has assured me of the satisfaction He takes in His Son and in His Heart and how this satisfaction may embolden me, even at the sight of my sins and ingratitude, to presume as much as I fancy, for all is contained in the merits of Jesus, whose minister I am and whose place I take.”
Father Bernardo de Hoyos died on 29 November 1735 at the age of twenty-four. He left behind the memory of his brief but fruitful ministry as a priest, the reputation of a charism for delivering souls from the vice of impurity – his book, The Hidden Treasure, published under the name of Father John de Loyola and a wealth of detailed accounts of his mystical experiences of the Heart of Jesus.
On 17 January 2009, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, met with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B. The Pope authorised the promulgation of a number of decrees, among them the recognition of a miracle attributed to the Servant of God Bernardo Francisco Hoyos.
On 19 April 2010, Father Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos was beatified in Valladolid, Spain. The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. In addition to nearly a 1,000 priests and more the 20,000 faithful, approximately fifty bishops and cardinals attended the ceremony. The new Blessed’s liturgical memorial was confirmed for today, the anniversary of his death.
All Saints of the Seraphic Order (Franciscan): the Church celebrates the many Franciscan saints who followed in the footsteps of St Francis. It is a special day for all Franciscans to celebrate the feast of ‘All the Saints of the Seraphic Order.’
St Francis of Assisi prayed the following prayer:
“O Lord Jesus Christ, two favours I beg of You before I die. The first is that I may, as far as it is possible, feel in my soul and in my body the suffering in which You, O gentle Jesus, sustained in Your bitter passion. And the second favour is that I, as far as it is possible, may receive in my heart that excessive charity by which You, the Son of God, were inflamed and which actuated You willingly to suffer so much for us sinners.”
In response to his earnest prayer, the Lord appeared in the form of a seraph, or a six-winged angel (They are usually considered the highest order of angelic beings, immediately above the Cherubim and their special duty is to love God).
Then Jesus bestowed on St Francis the wounds of His suffering. St Francis had been marked with the love of Christ, the stigmata. St Francis died two years later in 1226, leaving the world the Franciscan Order, which became synonymous with the Seraphic Order. To this day, seraph wings and seraphs are symbolic of the Franciscan Order.
The final Rule of life for Franciscan friars was also approved on this day in 1223. To commemorate this and all the saintly examples produced in the Franciscan Order, on this day all the saints of the Seraphic order are remembered at Franciscan churches.
Our Lady of Beauraing/Our Lady of the Golden Heart:
Appeared multiple occasions between 29 November 1932 and 3 January 1933 On 2 February 1943, Bishop Andre Marie Charue authorised public devotion to Our Lady of Beauraing. On 2 July 1949 the Bishop declared that the Queen of Heaven had truly appeared to the children. Pilgrims flock to the small town of Beauraing, province of Namur (Belgium) and many cures are claimed. She is celebrated under this title on 29 November.
Bl Alfredo Simón Colomina
Bl Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos Seña SJ (1711-1735)
St Blaise of Veroli
St Brendan of Birr
St Demetrius of Veroli
Bl Denis of the Nativity
Bl Edward Burden
St Francesco Antonio Fasani OFM Conv (1681 – 1742)
His story:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/29/saint-of-the-day-29-november-st-francesco-antonio-fasani-1681-1742-29-november/
Bl Frederick of Ratisbon
Bl George Errington
St Hardoin of Brittany
St Illuminata of Todi
St James of Saroug
Bl Jutta of Heiligenthal
St Paphnutius of Heracleopolis
St Paramon
St Philomenus of Ancyra
St Radbod of Utrecht
Bl Redemptorus of the Cross
St Sadwen of Wales
St Saturninus of Rome
St Saturninus of Toulouse
St Sisinius of Rome
St Walderic of Murrhardt
Bl William Gibson
Bl William Knight
Dear American Friend,
On your Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to be sure to remind you of this:
“You are greatly appreciated!”
There is no greater blessing God has given me than the people that support, pray and join me in my mission to advance the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church, in communion with our Saints.
Thank you.
I pray you are reminded not just today but every day,
of how grateful I am for you all.
May God bless you and your beloved families.
Ana
Breathing Catholic
We thank you, Father,
for the gift of Jesus, Your Son,
who came to our earth
and lived in a simple home.
We have a greater appreciation
of the value and dignity
of the human family
because He loved
and was loved within its shelter.
Bless us this day.
may we grow in love,
for each other in our family
and so give thanks to You,
who are the Maker of all human families
and our abiding peace.
Amen
St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Begins on St Andrew’s Feast Day – 30 November
Just a reminder of this beautiful Catholic tradition 
The Feast of Saint Andrew has always been closely associated with the beginning of Advent as it is on 30 November, around the First Sunday of Advent. In light of that fact, a prayer was developed as a daily preparation for Christmas and took 30 November as its starting point.
It is sometimes called the Christmas Novena, St Andrew’s Novena, St Andrew’s Christmas Prayer, or the Christmas Anticipation Prayer.
It is a beautiful prayer that focuses on the moment of Christ’s birth and can act as an inspiring meditation for Advent and of course, we pray for our own intentions – 15 times a day – God is listening! The prayer is customarily prayed 15 times a day, as a family, it is most efficacious to pray it five times before and after mealtimes, alternating the family members.
Let us prepare our hearts to welcome Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer and pray the “Christmas Novena.”
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe,
I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
………………… [here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
and of His blessed Mother.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 28 November – It’s time to Hope! Advent is nearly upon us
This year, as before, I will post daily Advent Reflections drawn from diverse Saints and Holy people – please join me in prayer and in awakening our souls to hope.
In one of his Christmas stories Charles Dickens tells of a man who lost his emotional memory, that is, he lost the whole chain of feelings and thoughts he had acquired in the encounter with human suffering. This extinction of the memory of love is presented to him as liberation from the burden of the past but it becomes clear, immediately, that the whole person has been changed, now, when he meets with suffering, no memories of kindness are stirred within him… Since his memory has dried up, the source of kindness within him has also disappeared. He has become cold and spreads coldness around him.
Goethe deals with the same ideas as Dickens, in his account of the first celebration of the feast of Saint Roch in Bingen, after the long interruption caused by the Napoleonic wars. He observes the people as they press, tightly packed, through the church past the image of the saint and he watches their faces – the faces of the children and the adults are shining, mirroring the joy of the festal day. But with the young people, Goethe reports, it was otherwise. They went past unmoved, indifferent, bored. And he gives an illuminating explanation – they were born in evil times, had nothing good to remember and consequently had nothing to hope for. In other words, it is only the person who has memories who can hope. The person who has never experienced goodness and kindness simply does not know what such things are.
Recently a counsellor who spends much of his time talking with people on the verge of despair, was speaking in similar terms about his own work, if his client succeeds in recalling a memory of some good experience, he may once again be able to believe in goodness and thus relearn hope, then there is a way out of despair. Memory and hope are inseparable. To poison the past does not give hope, it destroys its emotional foundations.
Sometimes Charles Dickens’ story strikes me as a vision of contemporary experience. This man who let himself be robbed of the heart’s memory by the delusion of a false liberation — do we not find him with us today, in a generation whose past has been poisoned by a particular program of liberation that has stifled hope? When we read of the pessimism with which our young people look toward the future, we ask ourselves, Why? Is it that, in the midst of material affluence, they have no memory of human goodness that would allow them to hope? By outlawing the emotions, by satirising joy, have we not trampled on the root of hope?
These reflections bring us straight to the significance of the Christian season of Advent. For Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God Who became a Child. This is a healing memory, it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope. All the feasts in the Church’s calendar are events of remembrance and hence events of hope. These events, of such great significance for mankind, which are preserved and opened up by faith’s calendar, are intended to become personal memories of our own life history, through the celebration of holy seasons by means of liturgy and custom. Our personal memories are nourished by mankind’s great memories, in turn, it is only by translating them into personal term,s that these great memories are kept alive. Man’s ability to believe always depends in part on faith having become dear on the path of life, on the humanity of God having manifested itself through the humanity of men. No doubt each of us could tell his own story here as to what the various memories of Christmas, Easter or other festivals mean in his life.
It is the beautiful task of Advent, to awaken in all of us, memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.
“Those who run
toward the Lord,
will never lack space…
One who is climbing
never stops,
he moves from
beginning to beginning,
according to beginnings,
that never end.”
Quote of the Day – 28 November – The Memorial of St Catherine Labouré DC (1806-1876)
“If you listen to Him,
He will speak to you also
because with the good God,
it is necessary to speak
and to listen.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 November – Thursday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:20–28
“Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”…Luke 21:28
REFLECTION – “When we think of the end of time, with all of our sins, with our history, let us think of the banquet which will be freely offered us and let us lift up our heads. Do not give way to depression. Hope! Reality is ugly. There are many, many people, cities and people, so many people who are suffering; many wars, so much hatred, so much envy, so much spiritual worldliness and so much corruption. Yes, it’s true! All of this will fall!
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to be prepared for the banquet that awaits us, always with our heads held high.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 27 November 2014
PRAYER – Lord God, creator of all Light and creator of all good, grant that we may look up to You always and know that by Your Light and your goodness we are safe in this world of corruption. May the Light of our Lord Jesus, make the path He has set out bright and clear and may the prayers of St James of the Marches be a help in our struggle. Lead us, Lord, in Your kindness and mercy to the banquet which awaits us. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 28 November – The Memorial of St James of the Marches OFM Conv (1391-1476)
Beloved and Most Holy
Word of God
By St James of the Marches (1391-1476)
Beloved and most holy Word of God!
You enlighten the hearts of the faithful,
You satisfy the hungry,
console the afflicted.
You make the souls of all,
productive of good
and cause all virtues to blossom.
You snatch souls
from the devil’s jaw.
You make the wretched holy
and men of earth,
citizens of heaven!
Amen
Saint of the Day – 28 November – Saint James of the Marches OFM Conv. (1391-1476) Franciscan Priest, brilliant Preacher, Penitent, Reformer, Writer, Papal legate, Inquisitor, founder of several monasteries in Bohemia, Hungary and Austria – born on 1 September 1391 at Monteprandone, March of Ancona, Italy as Domenico meaning “of the Lord” (from Latin, Dominus) Gangala and died on 28 November 1476 at Naples, Italy. Patronages – Monteprandone, co-patron of Naples, Italy, of children. His body is incorrupt.
Domenico was born into an extremely poor family at Montebrandone (in the Marche of Ancona), in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea. Unfortunately, his cruel father abused him and James left home as a boy. He placed himself under the care of his uncle, a priest. Through the generosity of his uncle, Domenico was educated in nearby towns of Ascoli and Offida.
At the University of Perugia he took the degree of Doctor of Canon and Civil Law. He began his career in Florence as tutor in a noble family and as judge. On one occasion, while travelling to Assisi for his work, he went to pray in the church of the Portiuncula, St Mary of the Angels. Inspired by the friars he witnessed there and by the example of St Francis, Domenico decided to enter the Franciscan Order. In 1416, at 23 years of age, he became a novice, taking the religious name of James.
Studying under Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444), James was widely recognised for his oratory, delivering both forceful and effective sermons and converting thousands of souls. Ordained at age twenty seven, James was sent on mission with Saint John Capistrano (1603-1663), travelling throughout Italy, German, Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary.
Noting his orthodoxy, Pope Saint Martin V appointed him inquisitor to root out heretical sects that were growing in power throughout Italy. He continued his travels, preaching, working against heresy and attempting to reconcile various branches of the Franciscan Order. He attended the Council of Florence in 1438, working diligently to reconcile the Eastern and Latin Churches, with little success.
Elected Bishop of Milan, James humbly declined the position, preferring to continue his itinerant lifestyle, travelling, preaching and confirming the truth of Church doctrine. Saint James preached every day for 40 years, beginning on the date of his ordination and ending on the date of his death. He preached a message of penance, which he also put into practice. James slept only three hours each evening and fasted nine months of the year. Thinly dressed, always in the same tattered brown robe, he always wore underneath his habit either a rough hair shirt or an iron coat of mail armed with short sharp spikes.and susceptible to illness, Saint James ate little, giving all he had to the needy. As he grew older and his health began to observably fail, Pope Martin V ordered him to eat regularly, as a public service, so that he could continue his ministry. Charitable, Saint James instituted several montes pietatis, (literally, “mountains of money”) which provided low-interest loans to all who needed them.
James took his vows seriously. Due to his promise of poverty, he travelled on foot everywhere he went. He pulled a small wagon by hand, which contained all his possessions – a bible, a prayer book, some theological works, liturgical vestments and vessels. He personally hand-copied most of the few books he owned and he wore just his threadbare habit. He took the practice of obedience very seriously, as well. In fact, on one occasion, he received an order from his superior to go abroad while lifting a cup to his mouth to drink. He immediately set it down and left without drinking, as he was afraid of losing the merit of obedience by the least delay.
Under Pope Callistus III, in 1455, he was appointed an arbiter on the questions at issue between the Conventuals and Observants. His decision was published 2 February 1456 in a papal bull, which pleased neither part.
In 1462, James became the subject of the Inquisition. In a sermon, he preached his theological opinion on the Blood of Christ, stating that the blood shed during Christ’s passion was not hypostatically united to the divinity of Christ during the three days of his burial. The case was controversial, and James was summoned to appear before the Dominican inquisitor, which he refused. Eventually, James appealed to the Holy See, after which a silence was imposed upon both the Dominican inquisitors and the Franciscans. No decision was ever reached.
Saint James spent the last three years of his life at Naples and died there on 28 November 1476. His funeral was attended by the Pope, the king of Naples, the royal court, many clergy and countless laypersons. James’s body remained in the Franciscan church of Santa Maria la Nova in Naples for over five centuries until 2001 when it was finally transferred to his birthplace of Monteprandone. There his incorrupt body remains exposed for the faithful to venerate. 
Pope Urban VIII Beatified him on 12 August 1624, and St James of the Marches was Canonised on 10 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
He is generally represented as a Franciscan holding a chalice and a veil. His emblem is a chalice from which a snake is escaping – an allusion to the endeavours of certain heretics to poison him. Numerous miracles have been reported through his intercession, both while he lived and subsequent to his death.
Our Lady of Kibeho: is the name given to Marian apparitions concerning several adolescents, in the 1980s in Kibeho, south-western Rwanda. The apparitions communicated various messages to the schoolchildren, including an apocalyptic vision of Rwanda descending into violence and hatred. The visions may be regarded as an ominous foreshadowing of the Rwandan Genocide, and particularly the second Kibeho Massacre in 1995. The school where the visions occurred became a place of slaughter during the Genocide as dozens of children were shot and hacked to death by Hutu terrorists.
In 2001, the local bishop of the Catholic Church officially recognised the visions of three schoolchildren as authentic. The feast day of Our Lady of Kibeho is today, 28 November, the anniversary of the initial apparition to Alphonsine Mumureke in 1981. The Marian sanctuary at Kibeho was named “Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows” in 1992. The first stone was laid on 28 November 1992. In a 2003 agreement between the local ordinary and the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallotines), the rectorate of the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho is entrusted to the Pallotine Fathers. The rector is appointed by the local bishop and the Regional Pallottine Rector.
St Anrê Tran Van Trông
Bl Calimerius of Montechiaro
St Catherine Labouré DC (1806-1876) Incorrupt
St Catherine’s Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/28/saint-of-the-day-28-november-st-catherine-laboure-dc-1806-1876/
St Fionnchu of Bangor
St Hilary of Dijon
St Hippolytus of Saint Claude
St Honestus of Nimes
St Irenarcus
St James of the Marches OFM (1391-1476) Incorrupt
Bl James Thompson
St Papius
St Quieta of Dijon
St Rufus
St Simeon the Logothete
St Sosthenes of Colophon
St Stephen the Younger
Bl Theodora of Rossano
—
Martyrs of Constantinople – 8 saints: A group of over 300 Christians martyred during the persecutions of the Iconoclast emperors. We have a lot of information on Saint Stephen the Younger, but for the others we have nothing but seven of their names – Andrew, Auxentius, Basil, Gregor, John, Peter and Stefan. They were
scourged, stoned and/or dragged to death through the streets of Constantinople in 764.
Martyrs of North Africa – 13 saints: A group of thirteen clerics killed or exiled in the persecutions of Arian Vandals in North Africa – Crescens, Crescentian, Cresconius, Eustace, Felix, Florentian, Habetdeum, Hortulanus, Mansuetus, Papinianus, Quodvultdeus, Urban and Valerian.
Martyrs of Tiberiopolis – 14 saints: A group of fourteen Christian laymen, deacons, priests and bishops who were martyred together in the persecutions of Julian the Apostate – Basil, Chariton, Comasios, Daniel, Etymasius, Hierotheos, John, Nicephorus, Peter, Sergius, Socrates, Theodore, Thomas and Timothy.
361 at Tiberiopolis, Phyrgia (in modern Turkey)
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Augustinians of Madrid – 12 beati; Martyred Hospitallers of Madrid – 15 beati; Oblate Martyrs – 23 beati.
• Blessed Ángel Francisco Bocos Hernández
• Blessed Ángel Sastre Corporales
• Blessed Antonio Hilario Delgado Vílchez
• Blessed Antonio Meléndez Sánchez
• Blessed Avelino Rodríguez Alonso
• Blessed Balbino Villaroel y Villaroel
• Blessed Benito Alcalde González
• Blessed Bernardino Álvarez Melcón
• Blessed Cándido Castán San José
• Blessed Cecilio Vega Domínguez
• Blessed Clemente Díez Sahagún
• Blessed Clemente Rodríguez Tejerina
• Blessed Daniel Gómez Lucas
• Blessed Eduardo Bautista Jiménez
• Blessed Eleuterio Prado Villaroel
• Blessed Francisco Esteban Lacal
• Blessed Francisco Polvorinos Gómez
• Blessed Gregorio Escobar García
• Blessed Isidoro Martínez Izquierdo
• Blessed José Guerra Andrés
• Blessed José Mora Velasco
• Blessed José Peque Iglesias
• Blessed José Prieto Fuentes
• Blessed José Ruiz Cuesta
• Blessed José Vega Riaño
• Blessed Juan Alcalde y Alcalde
• Blessed Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo
• Blessed Juan Baldajos Pérez
• Blessed Juan Herrero Arroyo
• Blessed Juan Jesús Adradas Gonzalo
• Blessed Juan José Caballero Rodríguez
• Blessed Juan María Múgica Goiburu
• Blessed Juan Pedro del Cotillo Fernández
• Blessed Julián Plazaola Artola
• Blessed Justo Fernández González
• Blessed Justo Gil Pardo
• Blessed Justo González Lorente
• Blessed Lucinio Ruiz Valtierra
• Blessed Luis Campos Górriz
• Blessed Manuel álvarez Rego
• Blessed Manuel Gutiérrez Martín
• Blessed Marcelino Sánchez Fernández
• Blessed Marcos Pérez Andrés
• Blessed Pascual Aláez Medina
• Blessed Pedro de Alcántara Bernalte Calzado
• Blessed Pedro María Alcalde Negredo
• Blessed Vicente Andrés Llop Gaya
• Blessed Publio Rodríguez Moslares
• Blessed Ramiro Frías García
• Blessed Sabino Rodrigo Fierro
• Blessed Samuel Pajares García
• Blessed Senén García González
• Blessed Serviliano Riaño Herrero
• Blessed Vicente Blanco Guadilla
Thought for the Day – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19
“But not a hair of your head shall perish.” … Luke 21:9
“You can be a witness to Christ every day. You were tempted by the spirit of impurity but… you considered that chastity of spirit and body should not be soiled – you are a martyr or, in other words, a witness to Christ… You were tempted by the spirit of pride but, seeing the poor and needy, you were seized by tender compassion and preferred humility to arrogance – you are a witness to Christ. Better still – you have not given your witness in word alone but in deed as well.
What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are each day of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! The apostle Paul knew that kind of martyrdom and witness of faith rendered to Christ, he who said: “Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience” (2Cor 1,12). For how many people have made a confession of faith exteriorly but denied it interiorly!… So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions. There are “kings and rulers,” judges of formidable power, in the persecutions within, likewise. You have an example of these in the temptations undergone by our Lord (Mt 4,1ff.)”… (Sermon 20 on Psalm 118)
“When I feel overwhelmed by misfortune,
the greatest joy that the Lord can give me,
is to go to the altar, to put my forehead against it
(as on the day of my ordination to the priesthood)
and to feel the presence of the only reality.
Not only does calm return
but my body seems to be annihilated,
the only true life begins,
the life of that which is intangible.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19
“Blessed are you
when men revile you
and persecute you …
on my account”
But to bear with insult,
patiently undergo humiliation,
pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5,39.44) –
that is the Lord’s cup,
that is the Lord’s feast.“
“Sheltered under the name of
Jesus Christ,
I do not fear these pains ….”
“One doesn’t suffer
when one suffers
for Christ.”
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men,
I also will acknowledge before my Father,
who is in heaven…”
One Minute Reflection – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19 and the Memorial of Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (c 700-784)
“But not a hair of your head shall perish.” … Luke 21:9
REFLECTION – “I cry out to Thee and entreat Thee, first that Thou would keep me from myself and from following any will but Thine.
Next, I beg of Thee, that in Thy infinite compassion Thou would temper Thy will to me, that it may not be severed but imdulgent to me.
Visit me not, O my loving Lord – if it be not wrong so to pray – visit me not those trying visitations which saints alone can bear!
Still, I leave all in Thy hands, my dear Saviour – I bargain for nothing. Only, if Thou shall bring heavier trial on me, give me more grace – flood me with the fulness of Thy strength and consolation, that they may work in me, not death but life and salvation. Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890), Priest, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian, Writer, Poet, Apologist
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts O Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be afraid, never be deceived or misled but by Your strength, stand firm in our faith. For Your Son, walks before us, beside us and behind us. The Holy Spirit of Your love fills us. Let nothing put us to shame. Grant that by the prayers of St Virgilius of Salzburg and all Your saints, we may be strengthened for the journey. Through our Lord Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, God eternally and forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Jesu, be You my Life!
Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914)
I cannot live alone another hour,
Jesu, be You my Life!
I have not power to strive,
be You my Power
In every strife!
I can do nothing
– hope, nor love, nor fear.
But only fail and fall.
Be You my soul and self,
O Jesu dear.
My God and all!
Amen
Saint of the Day – 27 November – Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (c 700-784) Bishop, Abbot, early Astronomer, Architect, Writer, Poet, Patron of the Arts – he was called “the Apostle of Carinthia” and “the Geometer.” He is also known as Fergal, Fearghal, Ferghil, Vergil, Virgiel, Virgil. Patronages – against birth complications, of Salzburg, Austria and of the Slovenes.
Despite the city attached to his name, St Virgilius of Salzburg was actually an Irish Priest and Pilgrim on his way to the Holy Land, who stopped in Salzburg on his journey and stayed as its Bishop.
As abbot of a monastery in Ireland in the eighth century, Virgilius was one of the most learned men in Europe (he even gained the sobriquet the “The Geometer” for his knowledge of geometry). Virgilius decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and he and his fellow companions sailed to France. He spent two years wandering and travelling throughout Europe but did not get any farther east than Bavaria.
During a stay in Salzburg, Virgilius was appointed Abbot of St Peter’s Monastery (where St Rupert too, had previously been a monk and then the Abbot), a role that included administrative duties for the Bishop of that diocese. He performed these duties admirably and when the Bishop died, he found himself compelled to accept an appointment as Bishop of Salzburg.
He encountered a difficult situation with St Boniface (c 675-754), who disagreed with some of his decisions and teachings and complained to the pope. These inter-saint disagreements came to nothing, however and Virgil continued on his tenure as a fantastically effective Bishop, without further disruption from saint or sinner.
St Rupert (c 660-710) was the first Bishop of Salzburg and also the Abbot of St Peter’s in Salzburg. He is said to have laid the foundations of the Salzburg Cathedral which St Virgilius completed. It became an even larger and grander building than St Rupert had originally envisaged. St Virgilius together with St Rupert, are the Patrons of Salzburg Cathedral. The Statue at the bottom is displayed at the Cathedral.
St Rupert’s biography, whose Memorial is on 27 March, is here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/27/saint-of-the-day-st-rupert-of-salzburg-c-660-710/
The images below show St Virgilius with the Architects in discussion of the Cathedral.
St Virgilius sent Missionaries to the surrounding areas and he, himself travelled to preach the Gospel to new people, as far as Hungary and is known as the Apostle to the Slovenians. When he returned from one such journey, Virgilius, fell ill and died on this date in 784.
When the Salzburg Cathedral was partly destroyed by a fire in 1181, St Virgilius’ grave was discovered and an “astounding series of miracles” generated a widespread cult. This led to his Canonisation by Pope Gregory IX in 1233.
Although he has become known as St Virgilius of Salzburg, Virgilius was very much a person of his place and time. He was an Irish scholar and Priest inspired by that unique Irish passion for his faith; the almost fanatical love of literature, learning and art that marked Ireland’s Golden Age and, was enflamed, by the Irish spirit of wanderlust which drove the Irish monks to re-educate and evangelise Europe. Virgil did things “the Irish way” and was, as one Austrian writer says, “a stiff-necked Irishman.” Although, he achieved many of his greatest accomplishments on the eastern frontier of European civilisation, he remained a son of that bastion of learning and enlightenment on the farthest west. Virgilius’s Irish character shaped most of what he did in Austria.
St Virgilius was truly an amazing person. He was the most learned man of his age but sadly, all of his writings were destroyed. He was hailed for his great knowledge and his holiness and his feast is celebrated both in Ireland and throughout central Europe.
Memorial of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal/The Medal of the Immaculate Conception (the correct title is the latter) :
27 November is the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and is celebrated by it’s own Mass in Some Places.
The Miraculous Medal is a devotion to the Virgin Mary called the “Miraculous” Medal for the many miracles associated with those that wear it. It is one of my favourite medals to wear.
The Miraculous Medal came to the world through an Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Catherine Labouré in Paris, France in 1830. In Mary’s second apparition, she asked that “a medal should be struck in this image. The people wearing it, will receive my indulgence and those who piously say this short prayer will enjoy my very special protection”.
Two of the most famous conversions due to the miraculous medal was that of Fr Alphonse Ratisbonne NDS (1814-1884), an anti-Catholic Jewish banker and Claude Newman (1923-1944).
Fr Alphonse Ratisbonne received a vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. After his conversion, he became a priest and worked for the conversion of the Jewish people.
St Acacius of Sebaste
St Acharius of Noyon
St Apollinaris of Monte Cassino
St Barlaam
Bl Bernardine of Fossa
St Bilhild of Altmünster
Bl Bronislao Kostkowski
St Eusician
St Facundus
St Fergus the Pict
St Gallgo of Wales
St Gregory of Sinai
St Gulstan
St Hirenarchus of Sebaste
St James Intercisus
St John Angeloptes
St John of Pavia
St Josaphat
Bl José Pérez González
Bl Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga
St Laverius
St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)
About St Leonard:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/27/saint-of-the-day-27-november-st-leonard-of-port-maurice-ofm-1676-1751/
St Maximus of Reiz
St Primitivus of Sahagun
St Secundinus of Ireland
St Severinus the Hermit
St Siffred of Carpentras
St Valerian of Aquileia
St Virgilius of Salzburg (c 700-784)
—
Martyrs of Antioch – (3 saints): A group of Christians martyred together for their faith. Little information has survived except for their names – Auxilius, Basileus and Saturninus.
Martyrs of Nagasaki – (11 beati): A group of eleven Christians martyred together for their faith during a period of official persecution in Japan. They are:
• Blessed Alexius Nakamura
• Blessed Antonius Kimura
• Blessed Bartholomaeus Seki
• Blessed Ioannes Iwanaga
• Blessed Ioannes Motoyama
• Blessed Leo Nakanishi
• Blessed Matthias Kozasa
• Blessed Matthias Nakano
• Blessed Michaël Takeshita
• Blessed Romanus Motoyama Myotaro
• Blessed Thomas Koteda Kyumi
They were martyred on 27 November 1619 in Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Bartolomé Gelabert Pericás
• Blessed Eduardo Camps Vasallo
• Blessed José Pérez González
• Blessed Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga
• Blessed Miguel Aguado Camarillo
• Blessed Pedro Armendáriz Zabaleta
Thought for the Day – 26 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:5–11
“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified” … Luke 21:9
Saint John Chrysostom (c 345-407)
Father & Doctor
The nearer the king approaches, the more we should pray. The nearer the moment arrives for bestowing the trophy on the combatant, the harder we should struggle. This is what they do at the race – as the end of the course nears and they are reaching the goal, they stir up the horses’ enthusiasm even more. In the same way Saint Paul says: “Now is salvation nearer to us than when first we believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand” (Rm 13:11-12).
Since night is disappearing and day is coming to view, let us carry out the works of day and leave behind the works of darkness. This is what we do in the course of life – when we see night giving way to dawn and hear the swallows singing, then we rouse one another even though it is still dark… We hurry to our daily tasks; we get dressed after being snatched from sleep so that the sun will find us ready. What we do then, let us do now. Let us shake off our dreams, rouse ourselves from thoughts of this present life, leave our heavy slumber and put on the garment of virtue. This is what the apostle clearly says to us: “Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light” (v.12). For day is calling us to the battle, to the fight.
But don’t be afraid when you hear these words about fighting and combat! For if it is uncomfortable to put on heavy material armour, it is pleasant, on the other hand, to put on spiritual armour, for this is an armour of light. In this way you will shine more brightly than the sun and, even as you sparkle brightly, you will be safe because these are weapons… weapons of light. So then? Are we excused from fighting? Not at all! We are to fight but without being overcome by fatigue and without pain. For it is not so much a war to which we are being summoned, as a feast and celebration.
O Yes, Lord Jesus,
come and reign!
Let my body
be Your temple,
my heart,
Your throne,
my will,
Your devoted servant,
let me be Yours forever,
living only in You
and for You!
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 26 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:5–11
“Take heed that you are not led astray,
for many will come in my name,
saying, ‘I am he!’“
“If you believe what you like in the Gospels
and reject what you don’t like,
it is not the Gospel you believe
but yourself.”
“If you only follow the teachings of the Church
that you like and reject what you don’t like,
then it is not Christ and the Catholic faith
that you claim to believe in but yourself.
The creed that we profess
does not begin by saying,
“I believe in me…”
“A dead thing goes with the stream
but only a living thing can go against it.”
“Really great moral teachers
never do introduce new moralities,
it is quacks and cranks who do that.”
Mere Christianity
“We are no longer able to hear God.
There are too many frequencies filling our ears.”
“No age has been more prone
to confuse the sin with the sinner,
not by hating the sinner along with the sin
but by loving the sin along with the sinner.
We often use “compassion”
as an equivalent for moral relativism.”
“We have laws against polluting our rivers
but not against polluting our minds!”
“I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries,
to swim against the tide,
yes, I am asking you
to rebel against this culture.”
AnaStpaul 
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