Saints and the Liturgical Year

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This year, **the Lenten Season begins on **February 18, 2015, Ash Wednesday. From the ‘Daily Roman Missal’, MTF, we read:

"*Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper exclusive. The annual observance of Lent is the special season for the ascent to the holy mountain of Easter.

Through the twofold theme of repentance and baptism, the season of Lent disposes both the catechumens and the faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery. Catechumens are led to the sacraments of initiation by means of the rite of election, the scrutinies, and catechesis. The faithful, listenig more intently to the word of God and devoting themselves to prayer, are prepared through a spirit of repentance to renew their baptismal promises.

Catechesis should impress upon the minds of the faithful not only the social consequences of sin but also the essence of the virtue of penance, namely, detestation of sin as an offense against God. The role of the Church in penitential practices is not to be neglected, and the people are to be exhorted to pray for sinniners.

During Lent penance should not be only inward and individual but also outward and social, and should be directed toward works of mercy on behalf of our brothers and sisters.

The faithful should be urged to take a greater and more fruitful share in the Lenten liturgy and penitential services. They should be advised particularly to approach the sacrament of penance during Lent, in accordance with the law and traditions of the Church, so that they may share in the joys of Easter Sunday with purity of heart. The Alleluia is not used from the beginning of Lent until the Easter Vigil*." (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)
 
February 18, 2015 - Ash Wednesday:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-18

“On Ash Wednesday, a universal day of fast, ashes are distributed. The faithful, by receiving ashes, enter upon the season appointed for spiritual purification. This sign, biblical in origin and preserved among the customs of the Church until our own day, expresses the human condition as affected by sin. In this sign we outwardly profess our guilt before God and thereby, prompted by the hope that the Lord is kind and compassionate, patient and abounding in mercy, express our desire for inward conversion. This sign is also the beginning of the journey of conversion that will reach its goal in the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation during the days leading to Easter.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF)

"Ash Wednesday is a day of universal fast and abstinence in the Church. Fasting is required from ages 18 to 60, and abstinence is from age 14 (CIC 1252).

On the ferial days of Lent no obligatory memorials may be celebrated. Those which occur during Lent are considered optional memorials for the year. Those who wish to celebrate an optional memorial during Lent … may say the Collect of the Saint, provided the saint is inscribed in the General Roman Calendar." (Ordo XIV)
 
February 19, 2015 - Thursday After Ash Wednesday:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

Read about St. Conrad of Piacenza and St. Gabinus:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-19
 
February 20, 2015 - Friday After Ash Wednesday:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Show gracious favor, O Lord, we pray,
to the works of penance we have begun,
that we may have strength to accomplish with sincerity
the bodily observances we undertake.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

Read about Blessed Francisco & Jacinta Marto from:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-20
 
February 21, 2015 - Saturday After Ash Wednesday:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Almighty ever-living God,
look with compassion on our weakness
and ensure us your protection
be stretching forth the right hand of your majesty.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

February 21 - Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial):
Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we may so follow the teaching and example
of the Bishop Saint Peter 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.”

“St. Peter Damian (1001-1072), a Benedictine monk, wrote many important works on the liturgy as well as on theology and morals. He supported Pope St. Gregory VII in his struggle for the rights of the Church.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Peter Damian, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpeterdamian.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-21
 
February 22, 2015 - First Sunday of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant, almighty God,
through the yearly observances of holy Lent,
that we may grow in understanding
of the riches hidden in Christ
and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-22

Ordinarily, February 22 is the Feast of The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“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.”

“This feast commemorates the office of supreme pastor conferred by Christ upon St. Peter and continued in unbroken succession to the present. It celebrates the unity of the Church, which is founded upon the Apostle, and reinforces assent to the teaching office (Magisterium) of the Roman Pontiff, extending both to truths solemnly defined ex cathedra and to all acts of the ordinary Magisterium.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the Apostle, see link:
www.ewtn.com/library/Doctrine/CE_CHAIR.HTM
 
February 23, 2015 - Monday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Convert us, O God our Savior,
and instruct our minds by heavenly teaching,
that we may benefit from the works of Lent.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

February 23 - Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“God of all creation,
who were pleased to give the Bishop Saint Polycarp
a place in the company of he Martyrs,
grant, through his intercession,
that, sharing with him in the chalice of Christ,
we may rise through the Holy Spirit to eternal 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.”

“St. Polycarp (d.155) was converted to Christianity by St. John the Evangelist. He was consecrated Bishop of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey). He was about eighty-six when the Roman proconsul urged him to renounce Christ or face death. St. Polycarp said, ‘For eighty-six years I have served him and he has never wronged me. How can I renounce the King who has saved me?’” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Polycarp, see link:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpolycarp.asp
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-23
 
February 24, 2015 - Tuesday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Look upon your family, Lord,
that, through the chastening effects of bodily discipline,
our minds may be radiant in your presence
with the strength of our yearning for 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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-24
 
February 25, 2015 - Wednesday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Look kindly, Lord, we pray,
on the devotion of your people,
that those who by self-denial are restrained in body
may by the fruit of good works be renewed in mind.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on St. Walburga, see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-25
 
February 26, 2015 - Thursday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord,
a spirit of always pondering on what is right
and of hastening to carry it out,
and, since without you we cannot exist,
may we be enabled to live according to your will.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on St. Porphyrius, see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-26
 
February 27, 2015 - Friday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Grant that your faithful, O Lord, we pray,
may be so conformed to the paschal observances,
that the bodily discipline now solemnly begun
may bear fruit in the souls of 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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

Read about St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-27
 
February 28, 2015 - Saturday, 1st Week of Lent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Turn our hearts to you, eternal Father,
and grant that, seeking always the one thing necessary
and carrying out works of charity,
we may be dedicated to your worship.
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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on St. Hilary, Pope, and St. Romanus of Condat see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-28
 
March 01, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-01

Lenten Season 2015, from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp
 
March 02, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on Blessed Charles the Good, click link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-02

Lenten Season 2015, from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp
 
March 03, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

March 3 - Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin (Optional Memorial in the Dioceses of the United States):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“God of love,
you called Saint Katharine Drexel
to teach the message of the Gospel
and to bring the life of the Eucharist
to the native American and African American peoples;
by her prayers and example,
enable us to work for justice
among the poor and the oppressed,
and keep us undivided in love
in the eucharistic community of your Church.
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.”

“Born into a wealthy Philadelphia family, St. Katharine (1858-1955) took an avid interest in the material and spiritual well-being of African-Americans and Native Americans. She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People and opened mission schools in the West for native Americans and in the South for African-Americans. In 1915 she founded Xavier University in New Orleans. At her death, there were more than 500 sisters teaching in sixty-three schools.”

For more on St. Katharine Drexel, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/K/stkatharinedrexel.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-03

Lenten Season, 2015 from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week1.asp
 
grateful_child said:
March 01, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-01
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Sharing this reflection on the Transfiguration from last year’s Euchalette, 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 16, 2014. The Lenten challenge is just as applicable this year as it was last year:

“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.

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." (P. 4.)
 
March 04, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

Lenten Season, 2015 from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp

March 04 - St. Casimir (Optional Memorial):

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Almighty God, to serve you is to reign;
grant that, with the help of Saint Casimir’s intercession,
we may constantly serve you in holiness and justice.
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. Casimir (1458-1484) was the son of King Casimir IV and Queen Elizabeth, monarchs of Poland and Lituania. In constrast to other members of the royal court, St. Casimir was an example of faith, piety, humility, and chastity. He had a great love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is the patron of Poland and Lithuania.” (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on St. Casimir and on St. Lucius I, see links:
www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/stcasimir.asp
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-04
 
March 5, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on St. John Joseph of the Cross, see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-05

Lenten Season, 2015 from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp
 
March 6, 2015 - 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:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

For information on St. Colette, see link:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-03-06

Lenten Season 2015 from EWTN:
www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/week2.asp
 
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