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Saint Giuseppe Maria Tomasi

Saint Giuseppe Maria Tomasi was an Italian Theatine Catholic priest, scholar, reformer and cardinal. His scholarship was a significant source of the reforms in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church during the 20th century. He was beatified by Pope Pius VII in 1803, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1986.

His life was oriented toward God from his first years. Formed and educated in the family home, where they did not lack riches or moral training, he gave proofs of a spirit very open to study and to piety. His parents cared greatly for this and for his own Christian formation and his instruction in the classical and modern languages, above all in the Spanish language, because he was destined by the family for the royal court of Madrid, as he was bound to inherit from his own father, as his title of nobility, that of Grandee of Spain.

But Tomasi’s own spirit aspired, even from youth, to be small in the Kingdom of God, and to serve not the kings of the earth but the King of heaven. He cultivated his pious desire in his heart until he obtained the consent of his father to follow his vocation to the religious life.

Saint Giuseppe Maria Tomasi taught catechism to the children of the poor in his titular church, also introducing its congregants to the use of Gregorian chant. He died in 1713, mourned by all, especially by Pope Clement, who so admired his sanctity that he had consulted him before accepting the papacy. He was buried in his titular church. The relics of his body, transferred in 1971 from the Basilica of his title of Ss. Silvestro e Martini ai Monti, are presently exposed for the veneration of the faithful in the Basilica of San Andrea della Valle of the Theatine Fathers, in Rome.

Sources:

Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Bl. Giuseppe Maria Tommasi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Biography at The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

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Matthew 24:42

Verse:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”- Matthew 24:42

Prayer As We Patiently Wait on God

Dear Lord, As I go through my days, facing each of the situations before me, I pray that you give me the strength to be patient as I wait for you to move in every single one. Help me to be brave and courageous when the fear grows strong and the time passes so slowly. Help me to cast fear far away, as I keep my eyes on you in every single situation today. In your Name, I pray, Amen.

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Saint Melania

Saint Melania was a Christian saint who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius. She was the only child of the rich and powerful Valerius Publicola and Caeionia Albina. Her relatives from both sides of her family held the highest positions in the state.

At the age of 14, she was arranged to be marriage to Valerius Pinianus. After the early deaths of two children, she and her husband embraced Christian asceticism and maintained a celibate life thereafter. As the sole heiress of her father and paternal grandfather, she inherited their wealth and enormous estates on the death of Publicola after 7 years marriage.

Her dislike of rich apparel which had caused her so much suffering during her father’s life, now led her to give away her silken robes as church altar cloths, her gold ornaments, and everything that was rich and costly in her attire. She wore a garment of coarse wool of the cheapest kind, and fashioned rather to hide and disfigure her beautiful form. She took with her to her villa a great number of poor families and slaves, whom she treated as brothers and sisters.

Melania’s country house afforded hospitality to the pilgrims to Rome, especially numerous deputations of bishops and priests who were received with every mark of honour and respect. She dispensed lavish hospitality and spared no expense in the entertainment of her guests. She decided to dispose of her vast estates and give the proceeds to ecclesiastical institutions and to the poor.

Sources:

Schlitz, Carl (1913). "St. Melania (the Younger)". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Rampolla del Tindaro, Mariano; Leahy, Ellen Mary Agnes; Thurston, Herbert (1908). London : Burns & Oates. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
Palladius, The Lausiac History (1918), Chapter LIV The Elder Melania
Butler, Alban (1962). Butler's lives of the saints. Vol. 4. P.J. Kenedy & Sons. p. 647. OCLC 18475812.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_the_Younger

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Saint Egwin

Born in the seventh century of royal blood, Egwin entered a monastery, and was enthusiastically received by royalty, clergy, and the people as the bishop of Worcester, England. As a bishop he was known as a protector of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge.

His popularity didn’t hold up among members of the clergy, however. They saw him as overly strict, while he felt he was simply trying to correct abuses and impose appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments arose, and Egwin made his way to Rome to present his case to Pope Constantine. The case against Egwin was examined and annulled.

Upon his return to England, Egwin founded Evesham Abbey, which became one of the great Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary, who had reportedly made it known to Egwin just where a church should be built in her honor.

Egwin died at the abbey on December 30, 717. Following his burial many miracles were attributed to him: The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were healed.

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Psalm 119:105

Verse:

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” - Psalm 119:105

Prayer For A Light To Our Paths

Dear God, thank you for giving me the Bible. I pray that you reveal it’s teachings to me. I pray that you show yourself to me. Give me guidance and lead me along my life. Light my path with your word and show me the way. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Matthew 24:26-27

Verse:

“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” - Matthew 24:26-27

Prayer To Live in the Truth

The end times can be a scary place to exist. There are many who fight the truth, speak against the truth, and oppress those who believe in and stand for the truth. For those of us that live our lives according to the Truth, it gets harder every day. We are misunderstood and mislabeled. We are lonely and alone at times. But through it all, we maintain a hope and a peace that surpass all understanding. Amen.

Sources:

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Saint Aileran

Saint Aileran was one of the most distinguished scholars at the School of Clonard in the 7th century.
His early life is not recorded, but he was attracted to Clonard by the fame of Saint Finnián and his disciples. He became lector of the school in 650. He died of the Yellow Plague, and his death is recorded in the Annals of Ulster. Because of his knowledge of the works of Origen, Philo, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and others, he was well versed in patristic literature.
According to John Colgan, numerous works can be ascribed to Ailerán, including the Fourth Life of Saint Patrick, a Latin litany, and the Lives of Saint Brigid and Saint Féichín of Fore. Ailerán’s best known work is his mystical interpretation of the Ancestry of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the genealogy of Jesus in Saint Matthew’s Gospel. This was published in the Benedictine edition of the Fathers, and the editors said that they published it although Aileran was not a Benedictine, because he unfolded the meaning of the Sacred Scripture with so much learning and ingenuity that every student of the Sacred Volume and especially preachers of the Divine Word will regard the publication as most acceptable.” Another work of his is titled A Short Moral Explanation of the Sacred Names, which could be a fragment of a larger work.

Sources:

Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Aileran." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 20 Sept. 2012
Ailerani Interpretatio Mystica Progenitorum Domini Iesu Christi". Archived from the original on 6 April 2012.
Monasticism in Ireland - History of West Cork". www.libraryireland.com.
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1198

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2 Timothy 1:7

Verse:

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” - 2 Timothy 1:7

Prayer For Self Control

Almighty God, help me maintain a calm and composed demeanor, rather than being ruled by anger. Your Word teaches me that those who do not control their temper are like a city without walls and defenseless. Give me control over irritability and rage. As Your Spirit develops within me the godly virtues of forgiveness and long-suffering, may I put to death my sinful nature which wars against my spiritual nature. Amen.

Sources:

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Saint Anthony the Hermit

Saint Anthony the Hermit, also referred to as Anthony of Lerins was born in Valeria. When he was eight years old, his father died and he was entrusted to the care of the holy Abbot Severinus of Noricum, in modern-day Austria. Upon the death of Severinus in 482, Anthony was sent to Germany and put in the care of his uncle, Constantius, an early Bishop of Lorsch. While there, Anthony is thought to have become a monk at the age of twenty.
In 488, at about 20 years of age, Anthony moved to Italy to take up an eremitical life with a small group of hermits living on an island in Lake Como. He was eventually joined by numerous disciples seeking to emulate his holiness and he chose to seek greater solitude in Gaul. He lived in various solitary places until two years before his death he became a monk at the Abbey of Lérins, where he became well known locally for the holiness of his life and the miracles he had performed.
Anthony is honoured on 28 December by the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church and commemorated also on that same day by the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Sources:

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=146
Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004), p. 689

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Proverbs 27:17

Verse:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17

Words of Blessing For A Friend

Lord please give my treasured friend love and blessings without end. Bring contentment in her life; Comfort her in times of strife. Always keep her safe, secure; Let her path to You be sure. Lord, I pray my friend will be close to you, eternally.
Amen.

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