'Tis the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (apparitions 9-12 December 1531): Madonna-link ūna, Madonna-link duæ, Madonna-link tria, Madonna-link Array of Hope, Madonna-link U.S.C.C.B., Madonna-link The Bible & the Virgin Mary, & Wikipedia-link.
Most Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Poor, teach me to fight for justice for those whoa re oppressed. Help me to identify with the humble ones of this world, as you did when you appears to [Saint] Juan Diego.Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Book of Zechariah, chapter two, verses fourteen thru seventeen;
or, the Book of Revelation, chapter eleven, verse nineteen(a) & chapter twelve, verses one thru six(a) & ten(a/b);
The Book of Judith (R/. chapter fifteen, verse nine[d]), chapter thirteen, verses eighteen(b/c/d/e) & nineteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses thirty-nine thru forty-seven.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we celebrate the great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. What followed the apparition of Mary at Tepeyac is one of the most astounding chapters in the history of Christian evangelization.
Though Franciscan missionaries had been laboring in Mexico for twenty years, they had made little progress. But within ten years of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe practically the entire Mexican people, nine million strong, had converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe had proved a more effective evangelist than Peter, Paul, St. Patrick, and St. Francis Xavier combined! And with that great national conversion, the Aztec practice of human sacrifice came to an end. She had done battle with fallen spirits and had won a culture-changing victory for the God of love.
The challenge for us who honor her today is to join the same fight. We must announce to our culture today the truth of the God of Israel, the God of Jesus Christ, the God of nonviolence and forgiving love. And we ought, like Our Lady of Guadalupe, to be bearers of Jesus to a world that needs him more than ever.
Reflect: In what ways does our culture "sacrifice humans," either literally or figuratively? What is your responsibility as a disciple of Christ to work to put an end to these affronts to human dignity?
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter three (verses one thru seventeen);
Commentary: The Preaching of John the Baptist (Matthew, 3:1-12) & the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew, 3:13-17).
Saints of the Day
'Tis also the festival of Saint Abra of Poitiers, Virgin (circa 342-360): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Daughter of St. Hilary of Poitiers [13 January].
'Tis also the festival of Saint Corentin of Quimper, Bishop (died circa 460; also spelt Corentius, Kaourintin), Bishop of Quimper (453-460), one of the Seven Founder Saints of Brittany: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Quimper & Wikipedia-link Brittany.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Finnian of Clonard, Abbot (circa 470-552; also spelt Fionnán, etc.; Latinized as Vennianus, etc.), founding abbot of Clonard Abbey (circa 520-552), teacher of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland (A.K.A. of Erin): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Abbey-link & Wikipedia-link Clonard, & Apostles-link & Wikipedia-link Erin.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Columba of Terryglass (died 552, A.K.A. Colum mac Crimthainn, Colum moccu Loigse), founding abbot at Terryglass (548-552), one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland (A.K.A. of Erin): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Abbey-link & Wikipedia-link Terryglass, & Apostles-link & Wikipedia-link Erin.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Saint Vicelin of Oldenburg, Bishop (circa 1086-1154, the "Apostle of Holstein"), twelfth (XII) Bishop of Oldenburg (1149-1154): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Oldenburg & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Pius Bartosik, Priest & Martyr, O.F.M. Conv. (1901-1941, A.K.A. Ludwik Bartosik), martyred in the reign of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, one of the One Hundred Eight Blessed Polish Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link (List, № 50); Martyrs-link Polska & Wikipedia-link Polska.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Our Lady of Guadalupe is still the great sign of the nearness of Christ with Whom she invites every human being to enter into communion. She also invites people into communion with one another in respect for each one's rights & in a just common sharing of the goods of this earth."Bonus! Papal Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 2005-2013; feast: 22 October)
"Being awake for God & for other people—that is the kind of ‘waking’ that Advent has in mind, the wakefulness that discovers the light & brightens the world."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927, r. 2005-2013)
"Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Stregthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"When you see the storm coming, if you seek safety in that firm refuge which is Mary, there will be no danger of your wavering or going down."
—St. Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975, feast: 26 June)
"Now we come to what our Lord said about heaven. It was the night of the Last Supper. Jesus gathered about Him all His apostles—poor, weak, frail men. He washed their feet. He was facing the agony in the garden, & that terrible betraying kiss of Judas, & even the denial of Peter himself. One would think that all the talk would be about Himself. Certainly, when we have trials, that is what we think about. But our Lord thought about the apostles. He saw the sadness in their faces, & He said, 'Be not troubled, do not be sad, I go to prepare a place for you. In My Father's house there are many mansions.' How did He know about the Father's house? He came from there. That was His home. Now preparing to go back home, He tells them about the Father's house & He says, 'I go to prepare a place for you.' God never does anything for us without great preparation. He made a garden for Adam, as only God knows how to make a garden beautiful. Then, when the Jews came into the promised land, He prepared the land for them. He said He would give them houses full of good things, houses which they never built. He said that He would give [them] vineyards & olive trees which they never planted. Just so, He goes to prepare a place for us. Why? Simply because we were not made for heaven; we were made for earth. Man, by sin, spoiled the earth, & God came down from heaven in order to help us remake it. After having redeemed us, He said that He would now give us heaven, so we got all this; the earth, & heaven too."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
No comments:
Post a Comment