Saints and the Liturgical Year

[grateful_child]

March 13, 2017 - Monday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who have taught us
to chasten our bodies
for the healing of our souls,
enable us, we pray,
to abstain from all sins,
and strengthen our hearts
to carry out your loving commands.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

Read about St. Roderick of Cordoba and St. Euphrasia:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-13

 

[grateful_child]

March 14, 2017 - Tuesday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Guard your Church, we pray, O Lord, in your unceasing mercy,
and, since without you mortal humanity is sure to fall,
may we be kept by your constant helps from all harm
and directed to all that brings salvation.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

Read about The Value of Fasting and St. Matilda:
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-14

 

[grateful_child]

March 12, 2017 - Second Sunday of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who have commanded us
to listen to your beloved Son,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-12

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

Sharing this reflection from today’s Euchalette, 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2017, p. 4:

"TRANSFIGURATION: The Event That Inspires and Challenges Us"

"The transfiguration of Jesus – the revelation of his divine nature and glory – must have been an unforgettable experience for the three fortunate disciples: Peter, James and John. They treasured its memory till the end of their lives. (See Jn 1:14 and 2 Pt 1:17-18.)

Can the transfiguration of Jesus have a message for us, too? We may think: it happened to him because he, besides being a human being, was also God. But we are poor, simple creatures . . . . We are sinful creatures! Often, our lives, our thoughts, desires, and actions are far from bright . . . .

Yet we know that there is in us a spark of divinity. **Created in the image and likeness of God, we carry within ourselves – like a most precious seed – the possibility and the call to let the brightness of God’s holiness shine out in all its radiance. **But it is a seed housed in the shell of a weak and wounded nature. In many of us, it is a dormant seed, imprisoned in the mud of our vices and sins. By God’s grace, however, the seed remains alive, and retains the potential to sprout and grow, if only we give it a chance." (Continued on next post.)

 

[grateful_child]

"TRANSFIGURATION: The Event That Inspires and Challenges Us"- continued:

"Throughout the centuries, many dared to dream of the Transfiguration as a lifelong task they were determined to undertake. Like Abraham, they heeded the Lord’s call to leave behind the shell of corruption, selfishness, material attachments and complacency, and to burst forth like a seed in springtime, under the sun of God’s love. That was how their lives became a wonderful tree laden with fruits of humility, generosity, purity, charity . . . . The brightness of their virtues shone all around them, and not even death could dim it. The people around them had a glimpse of what Christ was like. We call them “saints.” God calls them “friends.” It is thanks to people such as these that the world is a better place and humankind can reclaim its dignity and grandeur.

**The season of Lent, springtime in our souls, is for us all a reminder of the tremendous potential that is in us. **Jesus’ Transfiguration is an invitation for us all to let the greatness that is in us burst forth and grow to the full. We know the means. They are: openness to God’s grace, conversion, penance, prayer, acts of charity. We know this is the time. This is our chance to let our real greatness show forth." (Euchalette, 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2017, p.4.)

 

[Amiciel]

"TRANSFIGURATION: The Event That Inspires and Challenges Us"- continued:

“**The season of Lent, springtime in our souls, is for us all a reminder of the tremendous potential that is in us. **Jesus’ Transfiguration is an invitation for us all to let the greatness that is in us burst forth and grow to the full. We know the means. They are: openness to God’s grace, conversion, penance, prayer, acts of charity. We know this is the time. This is our chance to let our real greatness show forth.” (Euchalette, 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2017, p.4.)

An article from the Euchalette, March 12, 2017, p.4.

LENT: JOURNEY TO A FULLER LIFE

"Lent is not a season of fruitless mourning over an irredeemable past characterized by sin and failure, but a time for self-evaluation and discernment, a time for prayer, and a time for action.

As such, Lent will necessarily include a reflection on the futility of an aimless and sinful life. It will also include a sincere meditation on the sufferings which Jesus endured because of the sins of mankind . . . because of our sins.

The fundamental goal of Lent is to make us more Christ-like. This can be achieved by keeping two complementary resolutions:

** a. turning away from sin, and
b. commitment to doing good.**

Our basic orientation, then, must be a positive one: a yearning for a fuller life of faith, hope, and love – a life spent in the service of God and neighbor."

 

[grateful_child]

March 15, 2017 - Wednesday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Keep your family, O Lord,
schooled always in good works,
and so comfort them with your protection here
as to lead them graciously to gifts on high.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Read about St. Louise de Marillac and St. Longinus:
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-15

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

 

[grateful_child]

March 16, 2017 - Thursday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who delight in innocence and restore it,
direct the hearts of your servants to yourself,
that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit,
we may be found steadfast in faith
and effective in 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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

Read about The Faults of Our Neighbor, St. Heribert and St. Abraham and St. Mary link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-16

 

[grateful_child]

March 17, 2017 - Friday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, purifying us by the sacred practice of penance,
you may lead us in sincerity of heart
to attain the holy things to come.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

March 17 - Saint Patrick, Bishop (Optional Memorial):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who chose the Bishop Saint Patrick
to preach your glory to the peoples of Ireland,
grant, through his merits and intercession,
that those who glory in the name of Christian
may never cease to proclaim your wondrous deeds to all.
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.”

“St. Patrick (389-461) was sent by Pope St. Celestine I to preach the Faith in Ireland. After thirty years, St. Patrick had converted the whole island.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Patrick, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpatrick.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-17

 

[grateful_child]

March 18, 2017 - Saturday, 2nd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who grant us by glorious healing remedies
while still on earth
to be partakers of the things of heaven,
guide us, we pray, through this present life
and bring us to that light in which you dwell.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 2) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

March 18 - Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who through the Bishop Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
led your Church in a wonderful way
to a deeper sense of the mysteries of salvation,
grant us, through his intercession,
that we may so acknowledge your Son
as to have life ever more abundantly.
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.”

“St. Cyril (315-386) is known mainly for his lectures to catechumens and the newly baptized. His extant instructions show conclusively the Catholic doctrines are the same now as it was then. Arian heretics exiled him three times.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Cyril and Our Lady of Mercy, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/stcyrilofjerusalem.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-18

 

[grateful_child]

March 19, 2017 - Third Sunday of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,
who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,
that we, who are bowed down by our conscience,
may always be lifted up by your mercy.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-19

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

 

[grateful_child]

March 19, 2017 - Third Sunday of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,
who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,
that we, who are bowed down by our conscience,
may always be lifted up by your mercy.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-19

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

Here’s Scott Hahn’s reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

STRIKING THE ROCK

hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/a/3/c/a3c870324df50f85/A_3_Lent_17.mp3?c_id=14507417&expiration=1489651663&hwt=94a2d6389bf1f15341faa424b24bf063

 

[grateful_child]

March 20 - Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity):
(Ordinarily, the Solemnity of St. Joseph would be celebrated on March 19. This year, it gives way to the 3rd Sunday of Lent and is celebrated on March 20.)

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that by Saint Joseph’s intercession
your Church may constantly watch over
the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation,
whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

“St. Joseph is considered the second greatest saint - second only to the Blessed Virgin Mary - because of his humility and closeness to Christ as his foster father. Scripture reveals St. Joseph was just, pure, gentle, prudent, and unfailingly obedient to the divine will. The only meaning of life is to be faithful to the Lord until the last day, as was St. Joseph. Pope Bl. Pius IX named him Patron of the Universal Church, and Pope Bl. John XXIII included his name in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Joseph, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/J/stjoseph.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-20

 

[grateful_child]

March 21, 2017 - Tuesday, 3rd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“May your grace not forsake us, O Lord, we pray,
but make us dedicated to your holy service
and at all times obtain for us your help.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-21

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

 

[grateful_child]

March 19, 2017 - Third Sunday of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,
who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,
that we, who are bowed down by our conscience,
may always be lifted up by your mercy.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-19

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

Sharing this reflection from today’s Euchalette, 3rd Sunday of Lent, March 19, 2017, p. 4:

"THE MANY THIRSTS IN OUR LIFE"

"Our body needs water in order to remain alive and perform its functions well. This need is manifested in the physical “thirst” for fresh, clean, and reinvigorating water and other types of beverage through which our body gets the amount of oxygen and hydrogen it needs.

But** material water is not the only “water” we thirst for. We do experience also the thirst for acceptance, understanding, affirmation, justice, truth, solidarity, compassion, love . . . .** Our happiness depends on the degree to which we manage to satisfy all these forms of “thirst.” That is why they impel us to search for what can satisfy them, in a constant tension between the aspiration of our hearts and minds, and different degrees of fulfillment that always fall short of perfection."
" (Continued on next post.)

 

[grateful_child]

"THE MANY THIRSTS IN OUR LIFE" continued.

"No creature seems capable of satisfying such deep forms of “thirst” in a perfect and lasting manner. This is so because our heart is made for God. It is made for the infinite. That is why we always seek for more. In God alone can we find peace and fulfillment. Unfortunately, many tend to forget it. In so doing, they expose themselves to a series of disappointments and frustrations which derive from the fact that they are “disoriented,” i.e., they are oriented toward something that will never satisfy them in full. Their life is like a train that moves along a wrong rail track that will never lead it to its destination.

This does not mean that those who make God the object of their yearning will always be fully happy and never experience trials and suffering. These things are part of our life on earth simply because this life is a test. We are still journeying toward our eternal happiness, but we are not yet there. **But having one’s heart set on God enables us to experience a great degree of peace even in the midst of difficulties and challenges, simply because we know that we are moving in the right direction. **

The limited degree of happiness we enjoy only reminds us that we are still “on the road to heaven” but not yet there. All that we have to do is persevere in our quest for God in all that we do. When the journey ends, we will find ourselves in the “station” where all our aspirations and “thirsts” are satisfied in full and forever. On the other hand, those who have traveled along the wrong track will find themselves in the middle of nowhere, in a desert that will make their thirsts endlessly painful." (Euchalette, 3rd Sunday of Lent, March 19, 2017, p. 4.)

 

[grateful_child]

March 22, 2017 - Wednesday, 3rd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, we pray, O Lord,
that, schooled through Lenten observance
and nourished by your word,
through holy restraint
we may be devoted to you with all our heart
and be ever united in prayer.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflection:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

Read about Bl. Clemens August von Galen:
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-22

 

[grateful_child]

March 23, 2017 - Thursday, 3rd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“We implore your majesty most humbly, O Lord,
that, as the feast of our salvation draws ever closer,
so we may press forward all the more eagerly
towards the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

March 23 - Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop (Optional Memorial):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who gave increase to your Church
through the apostolic labors and zeal for truth
of the Bishop Saint Turibius,
grant that the people consecrated to you
may always receive new growth in faith and holiness.
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.”

“St. Turibius (1538-1606) was born in Mayorga, Spain. He established ecclesiastical discipline in the Church of Latin America as Archbishop of Lima.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Turibius, see link:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/T/stturibiusdemogrovejo.asp
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-23

 

[grateful_child]

March 24, 2017 - Friday, 3rd Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Pour your grace into our hearts, we pray, O Lord,
that we may be constantly drawn away from unruly desires
and obey by your own gift the heavenly teaching you give us.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 3) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week3.asp

Read about St. Catherine of Sweden:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-24

 

[grateful_child]

March 25, 2017 - The Annunciation of the Lord (Solemnity):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who willed that your Word
should take on the reality of human flesh
in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
grant, we pray,
that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man,
may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-25

Daily Holy Mass from the National Catholic Broadcasting Council, Canada:
www.dailytvmass.com

“At the Annunciation St. Gabriel the Archangel told the Blesssed Virgin Mary she would be the Mother of the Son of God. She gave her fiat (‘be it done’), upon which she conceived the Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians find meaning in this dialogue in which the Mother of God appears so great because of her humility. Because of her consent to God’s Word, she participated in the redemptive work of her Son, Jesus Christ. She is the Mother of Christ and of each Christian.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on the Annunciation, see link:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/theannunciation.asp

 

[grateful_child]

March 26, 2017 - Fourth Sunday of Lent:
Today is also known as “Laetare Sunday”.

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who through your Word
reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way,
grant, we pray,
that with prompt devotion and eager faith
the Christian people may hasten
toward the solemn celebrations to come.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-03-26

Resources for Lent from USCCB:
www.usccb.org/lent

Resources for Lent (Week 4) from EWTN:
ewtn.com/faith/lent/week4.asp