St. John Berchmans

Feast Day: November 26
Born: 1599 :: Died: 1621

John was born at Driest, Brabant in Belgium. He was one of five children and the son of a shoemaker. As his parents brought their five children up with much care and love, three of their children entered the religious life.

As a child, John stayed very close to his sick mother. Still, he liked to join with his young friends in putting on plays about Bible stories. He was especially good at playing the part of Daniel defending the innocent Susanna.

From the age of seven he formed the habit of rising early and would serve two or three Masses with great eagerness. He once said, "If I do not become a saint when I am young, I shall never become one."

By the time he was thirteen, he wanted to begin studying for the priesthood. However, his father, a shoemaker, needed his help in supporting the family. Finally, Mr. Berchmans decided to let John become a servant in the household of a priest. From there he could go to classes in the seminary.

Three years later, John Berchmans entered the Society of Jesus. He prayed, studied hard, and enthusiastically acted out parts in religious plays.

He made a motto: "Have great care for little things," and he lived up to it. St. John Berchmans never did any great or heroic things during his life. But he did every little thing well and for the love of God, from waiting on tables to copying down notes on his studies.

He was known as the saint who performed ordinary actions with extraordinary perfection. Kindness, courtesy and constant fidelity were an important part of his holiness.

When his was in his third year of college doing philosophy, he was asked to participate in a public debate, defending the Catholic faith, at a Greek college. He spoke with great confidence and knowledge on the subject.

But when he returned to his own college after the debate, he became sick with a violent fever and no doctor could discover what illness he had. Yet John knew he was going to die.

He was very cheerful as always. When the doctor ordered that his forehead be bathed with wine, John joked: "It's lucky that such an expensive sickness is not going to last long."

John did not live to become a priest. In fact, he died in 1621 at the early age of twenty-two but he had, without any doubt, reached his goal of holiness.

John died clutching his rosary, crucifix and rules of his order in his hands. Miracles took place at his funeral. Right away people began to call him a saint.

the saints are our friends. Some days, our only friends.

Amen to that!

Thanks for stopping by.

Catholic

Almanac:

Monday, November 26
Liturgical Color: Green
Today is the Memorial of St. Leonard of Port Maurice. He gave up a medical career to become a Franciscan priest in 1703. Known for his preaching ability, Leonard spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Conception. (FC)

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: November 26, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. 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.

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Ordinary Time: November 26th

Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Sylvester, abbot; St. Peter of Alexandria, bishop and martyr; St. John Berchmans, priest (Hist); St. Leonard of Port Maurice, priest (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Sylvester. He was the son of a lawyer and had also studied law before becoming a canon in his native town of Osimo. He was a zealous and fervent priest. His determination to retire into solitude was caused by the sight of the decomposing corpse of a friend. He at first lived as a hermit at Grotta Fucile, and then on Monte Fano where followers came to join him. He gave them the habit and Rule of St. Benedict together with certain other customs which reflect his own aspirations and the devotional tendencies of his day. He died in 1267 at the age of ninety.

It is also the commemoration of St. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, who was beheaded on November 25, 311, during Maximinus Daia's persecution. He was a great bishop, famous for wisdom and holiness; "a model of charity and zeal, severe towards himself, merciful to sinners, a divine model of the Christian teacher," says Eusebius.

St. Sylvester
Abbot Sylvester founded the Sylvestrine Order, a reform congregation of the Order of St. Benedict, in 1231. Upon seeing the corpse of an aristocrat relative, who had been very handsome, in the coffin, he cried out, "I am what this man was, I will be what this man is!" After the funeral services the words of our Lord kept ringing in his ears, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24). He betook himself to a hermitage, led a life of perfection, and died at the age of ninety in 1267.

The members of his Order wear a Benedictine habit, Turkish blue in color. Today there remain seven Sylvestrine monasteries in Italy and several mission houses in Ceylon and in the United States.

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

Things to Do:

By meditating at an open coffin St. Sylvester saw the vanity of this world and began a life of solitude. The thought of death is very appropriate at the end of the liturgical year. Glance back over the year and see how vain the world appears with its TV standard of living.
Read Pope John Paul II's Address to the Sylvestrine Benedictines and learn more about their order.

St. Peter of Alexandria
St. Peter, bishop of Alexandria, was beheaded on November 25, 311, during Maximinus Daia's persecution. He was a great bishop, famous for wisdom and holiness; "a model of charity and zeal, severe towards himself, merciful to sinners, a divine model of the Christian teacher," says Eusebius.

While in prison some priests pleaded for him with Arius, whom he had condemned. The action was reported to Peter; he replied that Jesus had appeared to him that very night with a torn garment, and when he sought an explanation, the Lord answered, "Arius has torn asunder My garment which is My Church." Peter's foremost virtue was perseverance; once he had made a decision he never vacillated. He is known as "the last martyr" of the Diocletian persecution.

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

Things to Do:

Read this account of the life of St. Peter taken from the St. Pachomius Orthodox Library.

St. John Berchmans
This young saint of the Society of Jesus was born in Flanders, the oldest of five children. He grew up in an atmosphere of political turmoil caused by a religious war between the Catholic and Protestant sections of the Netherlands. He studied at the Gymnasium at Diest and worked as a servant in the household of Canon John Froymont at Malines in order to continue his studies.

In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Malines, and St. John Berchmans was one of the first to enter. He was an energetic student and was a leader among the students. In 1616, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Malines and came under the influence of Father Antoine Sucquet. The young Berchmans developed a strong and deep spirituality based on the loving practice of fidelity. St. Aloysius of Gonzaga was his spiritual model, and he was influenced as well by the example of the Jesuit English martyrs.

It was his realistic appreciation for the value of ordinary things, a characteristic of the Flemish mystical tradition, which constituted his holiness. He was affable, kind, and endowed with an outgoing personality that endeared him to everyone. In 1618, he was sent to Rome to study philosophy and was an exceptional student. He requested after ordination to become a chaplain in the army, hoping to be martyred on the battlefield.

In the summer of 1619, the intense heat of Rome started to affect his health and he began progressively to get weaker. The doctors could not determine what was wrong, and for two years he was continually sick, requiring medical care, and as the summer of 1621 came, it was clear that he would not last long. He died peacefully on August 13, 1621, and numerous miracles were attributed to him at the time of his funeral.

He was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1865 and canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. His body lies in the church of St. Ignatius in Rome, where Aloysius of Gonzaga is also buried.

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

Patron: Altar boys; altar servers; Oblate novices; young people.

Symbols: Standing with hands clasped, holding his crucifix, his book of rules, and his rosary.

Things to Do:

Like St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John Berchmans was not noted for anything extraordinary. He made kindness and courtesy as well as constant fidelity an important part of his holiness. The path to holiness lies in the ordinary rather than the extraordinary. That is a lesson that some learn only late in life. Read more about St. John Berchmans' life and spirituality.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice
Leonard, called "the great missionary of the 18th century" by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, was another Franciscan who tried to go to the foreign missions (China), failed at that and succeeded tremendously in some other work.

Leonard’s father was a ship captain whose family lived in Port Maurice on the northwestern coast of Italy. At 13, Leonard went to Rome to live with his uncle Agostino and study at the Roman College. Leonard was a good student and was destined for a career in medicine. In 1697, however, he joined the Friars Minor, a decision that his uncle opposed bitterly.

After ordination Leonard contracted tuberculosis and was sent to his hometown to rest or perhaps to die. He made a vow that if he recovered he would dedicate his life to the missions and to the conversion of sinners. He soon was able to begin his 40-year career of preaching retreats, Lenten sermons and parish missions throughout Italy. His missions lasted 15 to 18 days, and he often stayed an additional week to hear confessions. He said: "I believe that in those days the real and greatest fruit of the mission is gathered. As much good is done in these days as during the mission."

As a means of keeping alive the religious fervor awakened in a mission, Leonard promoted the Stations of the Cross, a devotion which had made little progress in Italy up to this time. He also preached regularly on the Holy Name of Jesus.

Since he realized that he needed time simply to pray alone, Leonard regularly made use of the ritiros (houses of recollection) that he helped establish throughout Italy.

Leonard was canonized in 1867; in 1923 he was named patron of those who preach parish missions.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.

Things to Do:

Read The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved by St. Leonard of Port Maurice.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 21:1-4

34th Week in Ordinary Time

“This poor widow put in more than all the rest.” (Luke 21:3)

We so often concern ourselves with calculations and comparisons. We weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a course of action. We look over our shoulders to see what someone else is pledging to the capital campaign or bringing to the parish potluck dinner. We sometimes burden our children by comparing their accomplishments with those of their older siblings.

Jesus knows his disciples also engage in comparisons, but he invites them to revise their calculations. No, the widow’s “two small coins” can’t objectively compare with the much greater offerings of the wealthy. Yet Jesus insists that she gave more because it was all she had. The difference wasn’t how much she gave but how much (or how little) she had left over. This is the calculation that demonstrated her trust in her heavenly Father.

In a subtle way, these wealthy people probably felt they were giving God enough to make sure that he would prosper them in return. There was a certain proportionality in their sense of giving. They felt that God owed them based on how generous they were.

By contrast, this widow knew there was an infinite gap between her and God. She knew that she depended on him for her very “livelihood”: her life, her health, her family, her food, her shelter, her talents, all that she was and all that she had. It all had come from God, and so it all belonged to God. She had no illusion of being able to give him what he truly deserved or repay him for his kindness to her. But this realization didn’t make her feel worthless. Quite the opposite, she was overflowing with gratitude. And her generosity made Jesus smile with delight.

So go ahead and make comparisons if you want. Just don’t waste your time comparing yourself with someone else who may have received much less or given much more than you. Instead, take a look at how generous God has been to you. He has held nothing back, including his only begotten Son. Soak in that love, and let it stir up your own generosity. Don’t try to figure out how much you have to offer. Simply give him as much as you can.

“Jesus, you love a cheerful giver. In gratitude I give you my heart.”

Revelation 14:1-5; Psalm 24:1-6

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for November 26, 2012:

(Reader’s Tip) The marriage vow is forever. It’s non-negotiable, but most everything can be worked out. The vow between husband and wife is made before God, and God never gives up or loses hope.

Vultus Christi

Towards Advent

By

Father Mark

on November 26, 2012 7:00 AM |

Late November Saints

The saints of these last days of the liturgical year incite us to look beyond the conditions of this present life and to set our hope on the things that God has prepared for us in "the holy city, new Jerusalem" (Ap 21:2), "what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived" (1 Cor 2:9).

Saint Cecilia of Rome

On the 22nd, Saint Cecilia was set before us: an icon of the Church, Virgin and Bride, "carrying the Gospel always on her heart and meditating therein day and night, talking with God in prayer" (Responsory).

Saint Columbanus

On the 24th, we monks remember Saint Columbanus, the Irish missionary monk who demonstrated that the search for God and zeal for the extension of His kingdom go hand in hand. Monastic implantations, be they ancient or new, are an indispensable part of the New Evangelization.

O God who, in Saint Columbanus,
wonderfully joined the work of evangelization
to the practice of the monastic life,
grant, we beseech Thee,
that through his intercession and example,
we may seek Thee above all things
and work to increase the number of those who believe.

Holy Martyrs of Vietnam

Also on the 24th the Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, that "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1) put to death "for their testimony to Jesus and for the Word of God" (Ap 20:4).

Saint Sylvester Gozzolino, Abbot

Today, November 26th, marks the feast of Saint Sylvester, a holy Benedictine abbot of the thirteenth century who, according to legend, was shocked into a conversion of life while gazing into an open tomb.

All-merciful God,
who, when the holy abbot Sylvester
stood before an open grave,
called him from the vanity of perishable things
to a life of shining holiness in the wilderness,
we humbly entreat Thee
that, like him, we may prefer nothing to the love of Christ
and live, already in this world,
with our hearts fixed on the joys of heaven.

Death Daily Before One's Eyes

Saint Sylvester is well suited to these last days of November. Together with Saint Benedict, he calls us "to fear the Day of Judgment, to dread hell, to yearn for eternal life with all possible spiritual desire, and to keep death daily before one's eyes" (RB 4:44-46).

Dies Irae

The feast of Saint Sylvester puts me in mind of the sequence of the Requiem Mass, the powerful and poignant Dies Irae. The place of the Dies irae in Western civilization is immense. For centuries, it has gripped the imaginations of poets, artists, and composers.

As a small boy I knew only the plainchant setting of the Dies Irae, from having heard it sung so frequently in my parish church. I often hummed it to myself, fascinated by its dramatic First Mode intervals. In 8th grade, however, I sang as a treble in Britten's stupendous War Requiem. The experience gave me quite another impression of the Dies Irae.

While in the traditional liturgy the Dies Irae continues to be sung in the Requiem Mass, the post-Conciliar reformed liturgy designates it for use in the Divine Office throughout the week immediately preceding the First Sunday of Advent. The Dies irae was originally composed for Advent, trumpeting the One who comes come to judge the world.

The Trump that Wakes the Dead

In Canto VI of his Lay of the Last Minstrel, Sir Walter Scott condenses the Dies irae into twelve lines. We do well to ponder them this week.

That day of wrath, that dreadful day,
When heaven and earth shall pass away,
What power shall be the sinner's stay?
How shall he meet that dreadful day?

When, shriveling like a parchèd scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll;
When louder yet, and yet more dread,
Swells the high trump that wakes the dead:

Oh, on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay,
Be thou the trembling sinner's stay,
Though heaven and earth shall pass away.

Monks no longer have the custom of keeping an open tomb at the ready as the salutary destination of a daily stroll. We do well nonetheless to bend ourselves to the wisdom of Saint Benedict and the example of Saint Sylvester by "keeping death daily before our eyes." And we do well to ruminate the poetry of the Dies irae.

The Right Perspective

If anything, these practices will place all other things in the right perspective, disposing us to detachment, showing us how narrow and petty are the things that hold us in their grip. In the end, heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of Christ our Lord and merciful Judge will remain.

Regnum Christi

The Richest Gift

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Edward Hopkins, LC

Luke 21:1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."

Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe that you have blessed me with life and with a vibrant faith. Thank you. I dedicate this time and prayer to you. I love you, and I offer you all that I am and all that I have with the desire of becoming a joyful gift to you.

Petition: Lord, teach me to share joyfully all that I have received!

1. Some Wealthy People: Jesus sat before the temple treasury. What did Jesus see as he looked on? He saw more than we do. He saw the heart. Wealth tends to captivate us with desire and enslave us with concerns and worries. Jesus saw many hearts squeeze out just a couple drops of their abundant security, a gesture that was neither painful nor difficult. The act of fulfilling, or thinking they were fulfilling a duty to God, caused them to glow with self-satisfaction. Some even were bloated with pride for having given so much, and yet their act was empty of real self-giving. They gave with routine indifference. Their giving lacked love. What does Jesus see in my daily or weekly gifts? Do I generously give God my all when I see him on the altar? Do I generously give him my all when I am on my knees in prayer? Do I give him my all on my feet at work?

2. A Poor Widow: Only Jesus could have seen that this widow was now reduced to total dependence on family or friends. She gave more because she gave herself with a heart full of surrender. Is there anything we can give God that he has not already given us? We can give God our trustful surrender. The poor widow gave to God with trust since she knew that he would continue to care for her. She had no other real desire but to be with him and be enriched by him. Her giving was serene and resigned, not despairing, but rather full of hope. She had the hope of one who knows deep down how much God loves her. How much do I trust and depend on him, particularly when other securities begin to disappear?

3. Offering My Whole Life: Jesus shows the great importance of how we give—not only of what we give. What we have—our possessions and those, which in some way we have made our own—are not for us. We have them so that we might give them, and we should give them back to God, for they are his. We give them as an expression of our love for God. I give my life when I work diligently, practice charity, pray, or sacrifice for love of Christ. All these acts of love, if not made explicit before, are made into an intentional gift to Jesus, when I mentally place them upon the paten along with the hosts to be consecrated during the Offertory at Mass. Do I give him my whole life?

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, awaken me to all you are for me, and let me realize all that you have given me. May I never cease to thank you through my own self-giving. You are my living and constant invitation to be more generous, to give more often and with more love. Open my heart, Lord, to your work!

Resolution:In prayer, I will make a list of all that I can do for Jesus this week and offer this to him. Then, on Sunday during the Offertory, I will mentally place before him on the paten all the sacrifices I have made during the week—my real gift to him, given with faith and love.

The Gift of Self

by Food For Thought on November 26, 2012 ·

Reading 1 Rv 14:1-3, 4b-5

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Gospel Lk 21:1-4

Perhaps many of us give to charity from our surplus and think we are making a sacrifice! Jesus is not asking us to give away our entire livelihood. He is seeking a willing heart that gladly makes sacrifices for the sake of his kingdom. He wants our trust. He wants us to rely on his generosity and his ability to protect us from financial ruin when we care enough to disregard the cost of helping others.

What happened to the widow in the Gospel story after she went home? Did she starve? Is that what we are afraid will happen to us if we are sacrificially generous? Do we believe that Jesus would praise those who make huge acts of love and then crush them as if their good deeds had been foolish?

Let us put our faith into action. Let us make sacrifices for the charities that need our help. Let us give more than we normally would. Instead of assuming that other people will donate enough to pay the bills of churches and ministries, let us add to our donation an amount that someone else should give but does not. This is a gift to Jesus, since what we do to others, we certainly do to him.

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
1.	AND looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury.	Respiciens autem, vidit eos qui mittebant munera sua in gazophylacium, divites.	αναβλεψας δε ειδεν τους βαλλοντας τα δωρα αυτων εις το γαζοφυλακιον πλουσιους
2.	And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites.	Vidit autem et quamdam viduam pauperculam mittentem æra minuta duo.	ειδεν δε τινα και χηραν πενιχραν βαλλουσαν εκει δυο λεπτα
3.	And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:	Et dixit : Vere dico vobis, quia vidua hæc pauper plus quam omnes misit.	και ειπεν αληθως λεγω υμιν οτι η χηρα η πτωχη αυτη πλειον παντων εβαλεν
4.	For all these have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God: but she of her want, hath cast in all the living that she had.	Nam omnes hi ex abundanti sibi miserunt in munera Dei : hæc autem ex eo quod deest illi, omnem victum suum quem habuit, misit.	απαντες γαρ ουτοι εκ του περισσευοντος αυτοις εβαλον εις τα δωρα του θεου αυτη δε εκ του υστερηματος αυτης απαντα τον βιον ον ειχεν εβαλεν

1. And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3. And he said, Of a truth I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more than they all:
4. For all these have of their abundance cast in to the offerings of God: but she of her penury has cast in all the living that she had.

GLOSS. Our Lord having rebuked the covetousness of the Scribes who devoured widows' houses, commends the almsgiving of a widow; as it is said, And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting into the treasury, &c.

BEDE; In the Greek language, signifies to keep, and gaza in Persian means riches, hence gazophylacium is used for the name of the place in which money is kept. Now there was a chest with an opening at the top placed near the altar, on the right hand of those entering the house of God, into which the Priests cast all the money, which was given for the Lord's temple. But our Lord as He overthrows those who trade in His house, so also He remarks those who bring gifts, giving praise to the deserving, but condemning the bad. Hence it follows, And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in there two mites.

CYRIL; She offered two oboli, which with the sweat of her brow she had earned for her daily living, or what she daily begs for at the hands of others she gives to God, showing that her poverty is fruitful to her. Therefore does she surpass the others, and by a just award receives a crown from God; as it follows, Of a truth I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more, &c.

BEDE; For whatever we offer with an honest heart is well pleasing to God, who has respect to the heart, not the substance, nor does He weigh the amount of that which is given in sacrifice, but of that from which it is taken as it follows, For all these have cast in of their abundance, but she all that she had.

CHRYS. For God regarded not the scantiness of the offering, but the overflowing of the affection. Almsgiving is not the bestowing a few at things out of many, but it is that of the widow emptying herself of her whole substance. But if you cannot offer as much as the widow, at least give all that remains over.

BEDE; Now mystically, the rich men who cast their gifts into the treasury signify the Jews puffed up with the righteousness of the law; the poor widow, the simplicity of the Church which is called poor, because it has either cast away the spirit of pride, or its sins, as if they were worldly riches. But the Church is a widow, because her Husband endured death for her. She cast two mites into the treasury, because in God's sight, in whose keeping are all the offerings of our works, she presents her gifts, whether of love to God and her neighbor, or of faith and prayer. And these excel all the works of the proud Jews, for they of their abundance cast into the offerings of God, in that they presume on their righteousness, but the Church casts in all her living, for every thing that has life she believes to be the gift of God.

THEOPHYL. Or the widow may be taken to mean any soul bereft as it were of her first husband, the ancient law, and not worthy to be united to the Word of God. Who brings to God instead of a dowry faith and a good conscience, and so seems to offer more than those who are rich in words, and abound in the moral virtues of the Gentiles.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

The Widow's Mite

W. T. Blandford-Fletcher (1858-1936)

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
Worcester, England

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, November 26, 2012 >>

Revelation 14:1-5
View Readings

Psalm 24:1-6

Luke 21:1-4

THE NEW SONG

"They were singing a new hymn before the throne, in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders. This hymn no one could learn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the world." —Revelation 14:3

Those in heaven can sing the new song of the Lamb. Only those baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can sing the new song (Mt 28:19). They alone sing the new song who are so immersed in the Holy Trinity that they are branded on their foreheads with the names of the Father and the Son (Rv 14:1). Only those begotten and owned by God sing the new song. They "are pure and follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rv 14:4).

To sing the new song means to live the new life in Christ, to love Him with all our hearts, and to "bless the Lord at all times" (Ps 34:2). To sing the new song means to be a people of praise because we are a people of love. To love and to praise the Lord means that we have been purified by obedience to the truth (1 Pt 1:22). This means we have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) and have been created "to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance" (Eph 2:10).

Forever sing the new song of salvation and live the new life of love, praise, purification, and obedience. By faith with good works, accept the grace to sing the new song.

Prayer: Father, teach me how to praise You always and forever.

Promise: "This poor widow has put in more than all the rest. They make contributions out of their surplus, but she from her want has given what she could not afford — every penny she had to live on." —Lk 21:3-4

Praise: Karen resolved to pray for the Pope and bishops rather than criticize them.

Spiritual Adoption Prayer for the Unborn

Jesus, Mary, Joseph I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child that I have spiritually adopted.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

St. John Berchmans

Daily Readings for: November 26, 2012(Readings on USCCB website)

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

Meditation: Luke 21:1-4

Towards Advent

The Gift of Self

One Bread, One Body

THE NEW SONG

Daily Readings for: November 26, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)