Daily Saints

Epiphany of the Lord

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

1774–1821; Patron Saint of Catholic schools, widows, loss of parents and children, and people ridiculed for their piety; Invoked against in-law problems and those who oppose the Church; Canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first citizen of the United States to be canonized a saint. She was born in New York into a prestigious and loving Anglican family of strong faith just two years before the Declaration of Independence was written. Her father was a well-respected physician. Unfortunately, her mother died when Elizabeth was only three. One of her sisters would die a year later. Her father remarried shortly after, and he and his new wife had seven children. Elizabeth was very fond of her stepmother and often accompanied her on charitable rounds caring for the poor. Sadly, when her stepmother and her father eventually separated, Elizabeth’s stepmother abandoned her, leaving young Elizabeth without a mother once again.

After a materially comfortable but difficult childhood, Elizabeth entered into a beautiful marriage at the age of nineteen with a wealthy shipping magnate named William Seton, with whom she had five children. While Elizabeth was pregnant with their third child, her father-in-law died, so the couple took William’s six younger siblings into their home to care for them. Soon after, a shocking event occurred. William’s business went bankrupt and the entire family had to abandon their home and move in with Elizabeth’s father who died shortly afterward in 1801.

By 1803, William was suffering from tuberculosis. At the recommendation of a physician, Elizabeth, her husband, and their eldest daughter spent their last bit of money to travel to the warmer climate of Italy to see if William could regain his health. Shortly after their arrival, William died. Elizabeth, only twenty-nine years old, was now fatherless, twice motherless, widowed, in a foreign land, and far from four of her children, for whom she had no way to provide.

When one has faith, heavy crosses can elicit much grace, which is what happened to Elizabeth. A month before her beloved William died, Elizabeth wrote in a journal, “Oh well may I love God—well may my whole soul strive to please him, for what but the strain of an Angel can ever express what he has done and is constantly doing for me—While I live—while I have my being in Time and thro’ Eternity let me sing praises to my God.” She was not bitter or resentful; instead, she praised God for all the good He had done for her.

While in Italy, before returning to New York to be reunited with the rest of her children, Elizabeth stayed with a devout Catholic family whose father had been a business partner of her husband. Through their inspiration and example, Elizabeth began to discover the Catholic faith. She visited many churches, discovered the Memorare prayer to the Virgin Mary, experienced the Sacred Liturgy, inquired about Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, and began to understand the Church’s unbroken Apostolic succession.

When she arrived back in New York the following summer, her sister-in-law and closest friend, Rebecca, also died. Though heartbroken, Elizabeth strengthened her faith, deepened her devotion to our Blessed Mother, and continued seeking the will of God. When family and friends learned of her interest in Catholicism, she was shunned. Despite personally experiencing the anti-Catholicism so rampant in that era, Elizabeth persevered and entered the Church the following Ash Wednesday.

The journey that God had in mind for Elizabeth from that point forward would turn out to be monumental. She became a teacher in New York, but when word of her conversion to Catholicism spread, the Episcopalian parents whose children she taught withdrew them. Eventually, in 1809 at the invitation of the Sulpician Order, she moved to Maryland where she founded a congregation of sisters and started the first Catholic grade school in America. The school offered a free education to poor girls. Elizabeth was elected superior of the congregation and was henceforth called “Mother Seton.” Her daughters were able to live with her and continue their education at the school, and her sons lived and were educated at the nearby boys’ school. She remained superior until her death at the age of forty-six. She continued her childhood love of caring for the poor and inspiring many others to do the same.

Mother Seton faced many challenges in life, but she faced them with faith, with the tenderness of her personality, and with affection, determination, and concern for the poor and outcasts. She was a woman of great personal faith who discovered the true objective faith in the Catholic Church. For these and many other reasons, this poor woman became rich in eternity, while also enriching the lives of many others along the way.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-4-saint-elizabeth-ann-seton-religious-usa-memorial/

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The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors

St. Basil: 329–379; Patron Saint of monks, hospital administrators, reformers, and Russia

St. Gregory: 329–389; Patron Saint of harvests and poets Pre-Congregation canonizations

Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen were among the most devoted defenders of the faith in the fourth century. Both were bishops and both are now saints and doctors of the Church. These two men met while studying in Caesarea Cappadocia and strengthened their tight friendship in Athens. After Basil’s death, Gregory wrote of their bond, “We seemed to have one soul, inhabiting two bodies” (Orationes of Saint Gregory 43:20).

Both saints came from families of saints. Basil’s maternal grandmother was a martyr; his paternal grandmother, his parents, and three of his siblings are also saints. Gregory’s father was converted to Catholicism by his wife. After his conversion, he was ordained a priest and then consecrated as Bishop of Nazianzen. He served as bishop for about forty-five years, living into his nineties. These saintly parents had three children, all of whom became saints.

At the time that Saints Gregory and Basil lived, the Church, the body of Christ, was suffering from the pandemic of Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Christ. This heresy was like a disease infecting the Church. Arianism entered the bloodstream of Christ’s body and weakened every limb and muscle, causing convulsions, violent outbursts, and deep divisions among both bishops and the faithful. The clear teaching and brave episcopal leadership of Saints Basil and Gregory helped the Church to heal, to eradicate this heresy, and to restore unity of faith in the East. But not all warmly welcomed their efforts. They both suffered greatly. From the emperor, many bishops, and other clergy and laity, they received many abuses, calumnies, physical attacks, and threats. Through it all, they remained faithful to their preaching and calm and focused in their resolve, restoring a deeper and more ancient unity to Christ’s faithful. Today, their voluminous writings are among the most inspiring, insightful, and convincing teachings of the early Church, particularly as they pertain to Christ’s divinity and the Most Holy Trinity.

These two men did not become saints simply because they were smart. They were also holy. And their holiness came from a life of deep prayer. After they both received an excellent education at the finest universities, they mutually sought to live as hermits, with Basil leading the way by forming what would become the model for monasticism in the East. They both spent years in solitude and prayer at different stages of their lives. Their interior communion with God through prayer, more than anything else, prepared them for their common mission.

Consider following the example of these two great saints by turning to God in prayer. Though you might not be called to become a hermit, you can certainly set aside time every day to focus on a deeper life of prayer. As you do, you will discover God calling you to approach Him more closely, and then entrusting you with some greater mission to be accomplished for His glory.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/2-january-saints-basil-the-great-and-gregory-nazianzen-bishops-and-doctors-memorial/

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Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Catholic Special Day, Daily Saints

Holy Day of Obligation

Only a mother could begin to understand the great mystery and beauty of motherhood. But only one mother could begin to understand the unfathomable beauty of being the mother of the Son of God. After the birth of Jesus, the shepherds came to adore her Child and recounted how a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared to them, revealing that Mary’s Child was the Messiah. As Mary heard those words, she pondered them, reflected upon them, and kept them in her heart. This was but the first time we are told of Mary’s pondering heart after the birth of her Son, but we can be certain that she pondered Him over and over, entering ever more deeply into the mystery of her motherhood of the Son of God.

As the Mother of God, Mary’s prayerful pondering was beyond our comprehension. The bond she shared with her divine Son far surpassed a mere human bond. Jesus was not only her Son, He was also her Savior. Therefore, she adored Him as a mother loves her child, but also as a servant worships her God. The relationship between this unique mother and Son is infinitely awe-inspiring.

Our Blessed Mother is given the unique title of “Mother of God” first and foremost to express our faith in the divinity of Jesus. Jesus was both human and divine, but in Him these two natures were perfectly united. Therefore, one cannot say that Mary was only the mother of the humanity of Jesus, she was the mother of the Person. And that one Person was, at the same time, God and man.

Recall that once Jesus began His public ministry and was teaching, there was a woman in the crowd who cried out, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Jesus corrected her by saying, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:27). At first read, one could conclude that Jesus was downplaying the role of His own mother, but He was actually doing the opposite. Jesus was actually highlighting the most unifying aspect of His relationship with His mother. Mary was not His mother only in a biological sense. She wasn’t blessed only because she bore Him in her womb. Rather, her deepest union with her divine Son came from her spiritual union with His will and that of the Father in Heaven. She said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She heard the word of God and observed it perfectly. She did that at the Annunciation, she continued to do so as she raised her Child, and she did it most perfectly as she stood before the Cross, offering her dying Son to the Father for the salvation of the world. Mary’s motherhood was one that encompassed her whole being. It was one that united her to her Son in ways we will never fully comprehend.

Mary is the Mother of God and, therefore, is the mother of all of God’s children, including you. Honor and love your heavenly mother today and rejoice as you reflect upon this glorious queen and holy mother. As we celebrate this greatest saint in the history of the world, ponder the ponderer. Ponder her love for her Son. Ponder her obedience to His divine will. Ponder Him as her Savior. Ponder every human and divine aspect of their loving relationship.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-1—octave-day-of-christmas-solemnity-of-mary-mother-of-god/

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Saint Sylvester I, Pope

Daily Saints

c. Late Third Century–335; Patron Saint of animals, harvests, and stonemasons; Pre-Congregation canonization

Little is known about the early life of Pope Saint Sylvester I, but many legends have emerged over the centuries. He is believed to have been born in Rome to Christian parents and raised as a devout follower of Christ. He was ordained a priest in Rome where he served during one of the severe persecutions of the Church.

In 303, Emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Galerius issued a series of edicts outlawing Christianity. By that time, the Church had substantially expanded within the empire, although it was still a minority religion. The new edicts led to the destruction of churches, the burning of sacred texts, and legal punishments against Christians. When Christians were reported to the authorities, they were required to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods and renounce their faith. Those who refused were often imprisoned, tortured, and even killed.

In 312, the co-emperors of the West, Constantine and Maxentius, were at war, each making their own claim as ruler following Diocletian’s death the year before. Just prior to their final battle at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine, who was sympathetic toward Christianity, saw a sign in the sky that would change Christianity and the Roman Empire forever. Church historian Eusebius tells the famous story this way:

About the time of the midday sun, when day was just turning, he [Constantine] said he saw with his own eyes, up in the sky and resting over the sun, a cross-shaped trophy formed from light, and a text attached to it which said, ‘By this conquer’…He was, he said, wondering to himself what the manifestation might mean; then, while he meditated, and thought long and hard, night overtook him. Thereupon, as he slept, the Christ of God appeared to him with the sign which had appeared in the sky, and urged him to make himself a copy of the sign which had appeared in the sky, and to use this a protection against the attacks of the enemy.

The sign was the cross. Constantine and his troops painted the cross on their shields, and his army was victorious. The following year, Constantine and Eastern Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan that legalized Christianity. Constantine immediately began to work closely with Pope Miltiades. However, Pope Miltiades died in January of 314 and, within that same month, Sylvester was elected, making him the first pontiff whose entire papacy took place under the support and protection of the Roman emperor.

It is difficult to speak about Pope Sylvester’s papacy without intertwining it with Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine had already given Pope Miltiades the palace of Empress Fausta in Rome for his residence, known as the Lateran Palace. Once Sylvester became pope, he took possession of the palace and expanded it with the support of Constantine. It was dedicated in 324, making it the official cathedral church and residence of the pope. Today it is named the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. With the support of Constantine, several other churches and chapels were built in Rome and the Holy Land, such as the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and chapels built over the graves of martyrs. Constantine also furnished the churches well, while Pope Sylvester oversaw their construction and beautification.

Around the year 318, Arius, a priest in Alexandria, accused his bishop of heresy and preached that the Son of God was subordinate to the Father, lacking eternal divinity. After a local synod exiled Arius, he began to travel the empire, preaching his heresy and winning followers. Pope Sylvester and Emperor Constantine soon became aware of the controversy. In 325, with the pope’s blessing and support, the emperor called the first ecumenical council in Nicaea. Though Pope Sylvester did not personally attend, he sent papal delegates who presented his position and consented to the outcome of the council. The council addressed Arius’ heresy, which denied Christ’s divinity. A deacon from Alexandria named Athanasius strongly defended Christ’s divinity. The council of over 300 bishops formulated the Nicene Creed to affirm the Church’s faith. Only two bishops, along with Arius, refused to accept it and were exiled. Deacon Athanasius was soon after chosen as Bishop of Alexandria and is known today as Saint Athanasius.

Since Pope Sylvester was the first pope to serve the Church under the legal support of the emperor, and because he did so for twenty-one years, he is often seen as the first formal administrator of the Church. He had a palace, money, numerous converts, and the organizational support of the emperor. The centuries of persecution built the foundation of the Church, and Pope Sylvester began to build the actual structure of the Church.

One of the lasting effects of the relationship between Pope Sylvester and Emperor Constantine came from a forged eighth-century document called “The Donation of Constantine.” That document relates a story that Constantine was cured of leprosy by Pope Sylvester and, in gratitude, Constantine bestowed the pope with temporal power over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire. Upon doing so, Constantine moved to Constantinople and ruled the Eastern part of the Empire. By the Middle Ages, this forged document greatly influenced the political and religious landscape of medieval Europe. Later popes and rulers used it to support the position that the pope was not only a spiritual ruler but also a temporal ruler in Rome and in much of Italy, and that all temporal rulers were subservient to the pope.

As we honor Pope Sylvester today, ponder the fact that in many ways, the Church we have today began with him. Though the faith was purified and articulated in the first centuries, the great basilicas, ecumenical councils, and organized administration of the Church began with Pope Sylvester. Pray for the Church today as we honor this important pope. The Church always has and always will be flawed in her members and leaders, but the fact that the Church has survived for more than 2,000 years is a testimony to its divine institution and a guarantee from Christ that the gates of hell will not prevail against it when Peter, in the person of the pope, remains in charge.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/31-december-saint-sylvester-i-pope–optional-memorial/

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Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

Daily Saints

c. 1119–1170; Patron Saint of clergy; Canonized by Pope Alexander III on February 21, 1173

Thomas Becket (also called Thomas of London) was born in Cheapside, London, to middle-class parents of Norman descent. As a youth he enjoyed hunting with his father. At the age of ten, he was sent to the newly founded Merton Augustinian Priory just outside of London, where he received a thorough education in the liberal arts. At the age of twenty, he spent time studying in Paris, but due to financial difficulties, his father helped him find a job as a clerk for a family member. When Thomas was around the age of twenty-two, Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury hired him as a clerk. Thomas soon became the archbishop’s most trusted assistant. He was sent to Rome on several important diplomatic missions and to Bologna and Auxerre for studies in civil and canon law. In 1154, when Thomas was around the age of thirty-five, the archbishop ordained him as a deacon and appointed him as the Archdeacon of Canterbury.

In December 1154, twenty-one-year-old Henry II became King of England. At that time, England and Normandy had just ended a period of civil war, referred to as “The Anarchy.” As a result, England was politically divided and weakened. The new young king urgently needed a capable and strong chancellor to help him as he worked to reunite the kingdom, assert control, and implement legal and administrative reforms. For this daunting task, Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury recommended his archdeacon, Thomas Becket, for the job. The king accepted his recommendation, and Archdeacon Thomas Becket became the second most powerful civil authority in England.

As chancellor, Thomas oversaw the administration of the royal chancery, including the creation and issuance of official documents. He served as an important legal advisor to the king, held responsibility for the highest court of appeals, was the chief diplomat, represented the king in foreign and Church matters, and assisted in the kingdom’s financial matters. Chancellor Thomas Becket and King Henry II not only worked well together in the administration and reformation of the kingdom, they also became close friends. They enjoyed riding together, hunting, indulging in a luxurious lifestyle, and every form of comradery. Becket’s administrative skills helped the king reassert his control over the kingdom and even portions of the Church. The two fought side by side in battles and were said to be of one mind and heart in all that they did. Although Chancellor Becket retained his status as a deacon, his lifestyle was notably secular. Despite this, he was widely recognized as a man of faith and purity, even amidst his indulgences and various excesses.

In 1161, six years after Deacon Thomas became Chancellor of England, Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died. The Archdiocese of Canterbury was the most important diocese in England, and the archbishop was considered the senior English bishop. Desirous of exerting even more influence and control over the Church in England, King Henry wanted his close friend, Chancellor Thomas Becket, to become archbishop. Henry presumed that Thomas would continue to act as his chancellor, helping the king to make further inroads into the Church’s governance. Thomas, however, was staunchly opposed to the idea. He knew of Henry’s intentions for the Church, and Becket also knew that if he were the archbishop, he would have to fulfill that role with the same strength as he had fulfilled the role of chancellor. In other words, he knew he would have to defend the Church against King Henry. The king appointed him anyway, and the pope confirmed his appointment. In June 1162, Becket was first ordained as a priest and, the very next day, consecrated as a bishop, assuming the role of Archbishop of Canterbury.

Within a year of his consecration, Archbishop Thomas began a profound spiritual transformation. He shed the luxuries he was accustomed to, devoted himself to prayer, fasted, and did penance. While the king wanted Thomas to remain as Chancellor of England so as to unite the two roles in one person at the service of the king, the archbishop refused and resigned his chancellorship. This angered the king, and their close friendship immediately began to suffer. Over the next year and a half, King Henry and Archbishop Thomas began to clash. The archbishop attempted to regain church property that had been seized by the king, asserted the independence of the Church, and argued that clerics who violated the law could only be tried in Church courts, not civil. In response, Henry began to harass the archbishop, impose arbitrary fines on him, and make false accusations of embezzlement.

In January 1164, King Henry issued sixteen decrees, known as the Constitutions of Clarendon, that sought to limit the powers of the Church and expand state authority. He required the bishops to consent to these decrees. While some bishops acquiesced, Archbishop Thomas Becket staunchly opposed them. In October of that same year, the king formalized his accusations and put Archbishop Thomas on trial in Northampton Castle. In a sham trial, Becket was found guilty of contempt of royal authority and misappropriation of funds during his time as Chancellor. With a guilty verdict, the king demanded Becket resign his archbishopric, which he refused to do. Instead, he hid and sailed to France where he took refuge in the court of King Louis VII. Shortly afterwards, Becket traveled to Sens, France, where Pope Alexander III was living in exile. The pope offered Archbishop Thomas his full support and permitted him to live in the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny in Burgundy while negotiations took place with King Henry.

Over the next four years, negotiations among King Henry II, Pope Alexander III, and Archbishop Thomas Becket continued but made little progress. The archbishop continued to firmly oppose the Constitutions of Clarendon, and the king continued to insist on them. Archbishop Thomas did make some minor concessions, but it wasn’t until the pope sent a delegation to Henry that Henry finally agreed to permit Becket to return to Canterbury.

The faithful were overjoyed at the return of their archbishop, but soon after, tensions flared when Archbishop Becket excommunicated three bishops. These bishops had crowned King Henry’s son as the future king, an act traditionally reserved for the Archbishop of Canterbury, thus infringing upon his rights. When King Henry learned of the excommunication, he sent four knights to bring the archbishop to Winchester where he was to defend his actions. One tradition states that as the king gave his orders to the knights, he angrily said, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” The knights confronted the archbishop in his cathedral, but the archbishop refused to go with them. They then gathered their weapons and charged into the church saying, “Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the King and country?” As soon as they reached him, the knights began to split open his skull while he clung to a pillar in the cathedral as the monks sang Vespers. His final words were, “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the church, I am ready to embrace death.” His brains spilled upon the cathedral floor, and a cleric who accompanied the knights then stepped upon Becket’s neck saying, “We can leave this place, knights, he will not get up again.”

Archbishop Becket was immediately praised as a martyr, and veneration of him quickly spread across England. Three years after Thomas Becket’s death, Pope Alexander III declared him a saint. Four years after Thomas Becket’s death, King Henry visited the saint’s tomb and did public penance for the role he played in his death. Saint Thomas Becket’s tomb became a popular place of pilgrimage in Europe, and numerous miracles were attributed to his intercession.

As we honor this heroic archbishop and saint of God, ponder the firm resolve that Saint Thomas had in defense of the Church. Guided by divine inspiration, he knew in his heart the necessity to resist the king’s unjust intrusion into the Church’s governance and administration. Honor Saint Thomas by invoking his intercession, praying fervently for the universal right to worship God freely, and for the Catholic Church’s liberty to spread the Gospel and administer the Sacraments unhindered.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/29-december-saint-thomas-becket-bishop-and-martyr–optional-memorial/

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The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Daily Saints

It is amazing that God chose to enter our fallen human condition by becoming Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was born of her, raised by her and Saint Joseph, acquired human knowledge through their teaching, worked with His hands, experienced the fullness of human society, and did so within the context of an earthly family. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph made up a sacred family, the Holy Family. Today’s feast continues our Christmas Day celebration. This feast falls within the octave of Christmas that culminates January 1 with the Solemnity of the Mother of God.

Though the earthly life shared by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph has always been a source of prayer and inspiration, the feast we celebrate today is relatively new. In 1890, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Sapientiae Christianae (On Christians as Citizens) in which he emphasized the duties of Christians as citizens in a changing world. At that time, the holy father was concerned about the negative impact that the Industrial Revolution, secularism, and new political ideologies—such as communism—were having upon Christian citizens and the family in particular. He feared that the desire for economic advancement and the communistic separation of God from the political structures would result in the breakdown of the family, the fundamental building block of society. In that encyclical, the Holy Father stated:

This is a suitable moment for us to exhort especially heads of families to govern their households according to these precepts, and to be solicitous without failing for the right training of their children. The family may be regarded as the cradle of civil society, and it is in great measure within the circle of family life that the destiny of the States Is fostered. Whence it is that they who would break away from Christian Discipline are working to corrupt family life, and to destroy it utterly, root and branch.

In 1892, Pope Leo XIII issued an apostolic letter, Breve Neminem Fugit, in which he highlighted the importance of the Holy Family for the world as a model for every virtue necessary for human growth.

To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care. In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith. And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate.

In 1893, Pope Leo XIII instituted the Feast of the Holy Family as a liturgical celebration to be celebrated in any diocese that requested it. The feast continued to spread, bringing about a renewed appreciation for the sacredness of family life. In 1921, three years after the end of World War I, Pope Benedict XV, sharing the concerns of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII, added the Feast of the Holy Family to the universal Church calendar.

In 1964, while making an apostolic visit to the Holy Land, Pope Paul VI gave a beautiful speech in Nazareth on the Holy Family. This speech is now included in the Office of Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family. He begins by saying, “Nazareth is a kind of school where we may begin to discover what Christ’s life was like and even to understand his Gospel. Here we can observe and ponder the simple appeal of the way God’s Son came to be known, profound yet full of hidden meaning.” In that speech, the Holy Father wanted to help make Jesus’ family life, culture, and daily interactions as a child tangible and relatable to all so that His childhood, along with the role of His parents, would be a source of reflection for the strengthening of the family.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World), reinforced the concept of the family as the “domestic church” with its role in fostering prayer, teaching the faith, and nurturing Christian virtues. He highlighted that in the family, the Christian faith is first proclaimed to children, making the family vital to the mission of the Church, and the most fundamental institution in the world.

As we honor the Holy Family, one of the best ways to do so is to prayerfully ponder the daily life that the Holy Family shared. Because Scripture does not record many of their family interactions in Nazareth, much is left to our prayerful imagination. What we do know is that human familial virtue within the Holy Family, especially between mother and Son, was at a level of perfection. The kindness, respect, obedience, unity, charity, and every other Christian virtue that they lived must become the model for Christian living and for family life.

The Holy Family began with apparent scandal when Mary became pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. Mary and Joseph suffered through the gossip and misunderstandings this miraculous pregnancy brought with it. Though Joseph learned of this conception from an angel in a dream, it was his faith and righteousness that empowered him to remain faithful to Mary and love her with a pure heart. Their family began in Bethlehem, in poverty and rejection. They then fled to Egypt to protect their Child from the paranoia and cruelty of Herod. They later returned to Nazareth and lived faithfully with family and friends. Jesus learned the trade of woodworking from Joseph, grew in wisdom and knowledge, spoke with the elders in the Temple at the age of twelve, and remained obedient to his earthly parents. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches us that Jesus had direct knowledge of the Beatific Vision from the moment of His conception and had the fullness of infused knowledge. But He also grew in acquired knowledge, learning with a human mind through sensory experience and conceptual understanding. Mary and Joseph watched this growth, participated in it, grew from it themselves, and Mary “pondered all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51).

As you ponder their inner family dynamics, relationships, and charity, use them as a model of how best to relate to your own family. Some families more fully imitate those sacred virtues; others fall gravely short. Look into your own heart and ask the Holy Family to teach you how to show greater love to those in your family. Though you will never arrive at perfection, you can receive inspiration from their lives, leading to greater growth and unity, making your own family a greater source of strength for your Christian living.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/the-holy-family-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph–feast/

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Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Daily Saints

AD 1; Patron Saints of babies, abandoned babies, children’s choirs, students, and altar servers; Invoked against ambition, jealousy; Pre-Congregation canonization

Herod the Great, King of Judea, was gripped by paranoia and insecurity. He jealously clung to his power and ruthlessly attacked anyone whom he saw as a threat, including his immediate family. In 35 BC, he drowned his brother-in-law who was the High Priest at that time, fearful of his popularity and influence over the people, making it look like an accident. In 29 BC, Herod began to suspect his beloved wife, Mariamne, of infidelity and plotting to take over the throne. She stood trial and was executed. Mariamne’s mother and grandfather were also executed. In 7 BC, Herod executed two of his own sons, Aristobulus and Alexander, and in 4 BC, Herod killed his son Antipater. Every execution was the result of Herod’s paranoid delusion that the person was plotting against him and seeking his throne.

Shortly after Jesus’ birth, the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew relates the story of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the Massacre of the infants, and the return of the Holy Family to Nazareth. We read, “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage’” (Matthew 2:1–2). Given Herod’s propensity for violence toward those whom he saw as a threat, he was the last person with whom the Magi should have shared their news regarding the “newborn king of the Jews.”

Upon hearing about the newborn king, Herod became greatly troubled and gathered the chief priests and scribes to learn from them where the promised king would be born. They answered him, “In Bethlehem of Judea…” (Matthew 2:5). Herod then set his wicked plan into motion. He called the Magi back, asked when the star first appeared, and ordered them to find the child and bring the babe to him so he could also do Him homage. The Magi did seek out and find the Christ Child, prostrated themselves before Him, did Him homage, and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Afterward, the Magi were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their homeland in the East by a different route.

Foiled in his attempt to kill the newborn king, Herod had to move to a more drastic plan. “When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi” (Matthew 2:16). According to the early liturgies of the Eastern Churches, between 14,000 and 144,000 boys were massacred. However, those high numbers might only be symbolic. Given the fact that Bethlehem was a small town, possibly with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, the number of boys under the age of two might have been closer to a couple of dozen. One legend states that Herod even killed one of his own sons at that time. The same legend continues that when the Roman Emperor Augustus heard of the act, he stated, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than son.”

Regardless of the actual number of boys killed, they are now honored as the first martyrs for Christ. The early deacon Saint Stephen, whose feast we celebrated two days ago, still retains the title of the first Christian martyr, given his baptism. But these children were the first to die on account of Christ. Of these infants, Saint Augustine said, “Herod accordingly kills many little children, in his determination to bring about the death of just one. And while he carried out this most celebrated and cruel slaughter of so many innocents, he was himself the first one he slew by such an utterly wicked deed” (Sermon 373). Within the wisdom and power of God, Herod will forever be condemned by his deed, and these children will forever be exalted.

As we continue our octave of Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ and yet acknowledge the great suffering that surrounded His earthly life. The devil and his fallen angels did everything they could to try to destroy God’s perfect plan of salvation. They stirred up hatred, jealousy, paranoia, and every other vile sin imaginable in an attempt to destroy our Lord’s mission. Their attack began at the time of Jesus’ birth and continued during his public ministry. In the end, Jesus’ apparent defeat turned into His glorious triumph. So also with these innocent children. Their cruel and tragic deaths have been transformed by God, and they will forever be honored in Heaven.

These Christmas martyrdoms speak to us today. Though peace and joy should ideally permeate this season, we must face the reality of hardships, persecutions, and other forms of suffering. Jesus’ birth does not remove suffering from our lives, but it does transform it, enabling us to share in the glorious sufferings of Saint Stephen, these Holy Innocents, and all saints who have united themselves most fully to Christ.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/28-december-holy-innocents-martyrs–feast/

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Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist

Daily Saints

Early First Century–c. 101; Patron Saint of arms manufacturers, art dealers, authors, basketmakers, bookbinders, booksellers, publishers, butchers, candlemakers, compositors, editors, engravers, friendships, glaziers, government officials, harvests, lithographers, notaries, painters, papermakers, printers, saddlemakers, scholars, sculptors, theologians, and winemakers; Invoked against burns, epilepsy, foot problems, hailstorms, and poisoning; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint John the Apostle stands out from the other Apostles in many ways. He is believed to be the author of the Gospel of Saint John, three letters in the New Testament—John 1, 2, 3— and the Book of Revelation. In the Gospel attributed to him, he refers to himself not as “John,” but as “the one whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). Tradition holds that he outlived the other Apostles, dying around the year 101. He is the only Apostle who died of natural causes rather than martyrdom. His writing style is mystical, reflective, and contemplative, and he includes rich symbolism. His Gospel and letters focus upon divine love and the intimacy to which we are called to love and be loved by God.

Little is known about John’s background other than what is mentioned in the Gospels. He was most likely from either Capernaum or Bethsaida, just north of the Sea of Galilee. He was a fisherman, along with his father, Zebedee, and his brother, James. He was a friend and fishing companion with Simon and Andrew. John’s mother was Salome, who might have been a sister to the Blessed Virgin Mary, making John and James cousins of Jesus.

John was likely a disciple of Jesus’ other cousin, John the Baptist, and it was the Baptist who pointed John and Andrew to Jesus: “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’ The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus” (John 1:35–37). A few verses later we read, “Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.” The other disciple is not named, but most scholars believe that it was John, Andrew’s friend.

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark share a similar version of John’s calling. In both versions, Jesus encounters Simon and Andrew casting their net into the sea. He calls them and they immediately follow. Jesus then walks a little farther, sees James and John mending their nets with their father Zebedee, calls them, and they leave their father and follow Jesus immediately. Luke’s version adds more detail and differs slightly. Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and tells him to lower his net for a catch. He does so, despite not catching anything all night, and catches so many fish that Simon and the men in the boat have to call their friends—James, John, and Zebedee—to help them. After that, Andrew, Simon, James, and John become Jesus’ followers.

Once Jesus had called all of His Apostles, he named James and John as “Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). This designation might have been because they were excessively zealous. For example, they asked Jesus whether they should call down fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan town that would not welcome them (Luke 9:54), and they, along with their mother, asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in His Kingdom (Matthew 20:20–23).

Though the Twelve Apostles accompany Jesus throughout His public ministry, Peter, James, and John emerge as His closest companions. Notably, Jesus brings only these three disciples with Him during important moments in His life and ministry: when He raises Jarius’ daughter from the dead, is transfigured in glory, and during the Agony in the Garden. Mark 13:3 also relates that Peter, Andrew, James, and John had a private conversation with Jesus about the signs of the end times.

After John and Andrew become Jesus’ followers, John is not mentioned again in his Gospel until the Last Supper when he leans on Jesus’ breast (John 13:23–25), an act that symbolizes John’s profound love of Christ. John then enters the Garden of Gethsemane with Peter and James while Jesus prays in agony. After witnessing Jesus’ arrest and trial, John is the only Apostle who stands before the Crucifix with Jesus’ mother. The others fled in fear. It was there that Jesus entrusted His mother to John’s care, “Woman, behold, your son” and “Behold, your mother” (John 19:26–27). After the Resurrection, John ran to the tomb ahead of Peter when Mary of Magdala informed the two of them that she had seen the risen Lord. John waited for Peter and permitted him to enter the tomb first (John 20:2–8). Finally, John is present at the miraculous catch of fish after the Resurrection (21:7, 20–24). It was at that resurrection appearance that Peter specifically asked Jesus about what would happen to John. Jesus replies, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” This reply led the disciples to believe that John would not die.

After Jesus’ Ascension, John is among those gathered in the upper room who receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:13; 2:1–4). In Acts 3:1–11, John and Peter perform a miraculous healing of a lame man at the temple, leading to Peter’s powerful sermon to the crowd. In Acts 4, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees detain John and Peter for a night in prison. The next day, the two boldly testify about Jesus before the high priests, asserting their duty to obey God over human orders. The authorities then released them for fear of the crowds. In Acts 8:14, just after the martyrdom of Stephen, Peter and John are sent to Samaria to pray for new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. This is the last mention of John in the Acts of the Apostles.

Though there is no reliable documentation about where John traveled and ministered after Samaria, most scholars believe that he and the Blessed Virgin Mary moved to Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, and John spent the rest of his life caring for her and ministering throughout Asia Minor, which made up what is today western Turkey. This belief is especially based on the letters mentioned in the Book of Revelation that were written to seven churches he most likely helped establish: Ephesus (Revelation 2:1–7), Smyrna (Revelation 2:8–11), Pergamum (Revelation 2:12–17), Thyatira (Revelation 2:18–29), Sardis (Revelation 3:1–6), Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7–13), and Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22). Walking to each of these cities, one after another, was about a 400-mile journey encircling western Asia Minor.

One tradition states that during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81–96), John was arrested and dropped in a boiling cauldron of oil. After he was miraculously unharmed, many witnesses converted to the faith. The emperor then exiled him to the Island of Patmos for a year, which is believed to be where he had mystical visions and wrote those visions down in the Book of Revelation, “I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). The Book of Revelation is an apocalyptic text filled with complex and vivid symbolic visions depicting the ultimate battle between good and evil and the triumph of God. It offers messages to seven churches in Asia Minor, presenting prophecies about the end times, the Second Coming of Christ, and the establishment of the New Heavens and New Earth, providing a hopeful and triumphant conclusion to the Christian biblical message.

The three letters attributed to John—1 John, 2 John, and 3 John—focus upon love, truth, and Christian fellowship. John describes God as Love and exhorts the reader to good Christian living. He warns against following false teachers, stresses the importance of following Christ’s teachings, and encourages the work of itinerant preachers and the responsibility of the communities to welcome them.

Today, near Ephesus, there is a pilgrim site called “Meryem Ana Evi” (House of Mary), which is believed to be the house in which John and the Blessed Virgin Mary lived and from which the Mother of God was assumed into Heaven. Another tradition states she was assumed into Heaven near Jerusalem. John lived to an old age, died of natural causes, and was buried near Ephesus in what are today the ruins of Saint John’s Basilica, Selçuk.

John was truly the beloved disciple of Christ, remained so throughout his long earthly life, and will be so forever in Heaven. An ancient story from shortly after Saint John’s death states that at the end of his life, Saint John continuously repeated to his flock, “My little children, love one another.” John’s life can be summed up with love. God is love. We must love God, and we must love one another. Love is everything. Ponder this love that Saint John had for his Lord and pray to him, asking him to intercede for you so that your love of God and others will greatly increase.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/27-december-saint-john-the-apostle-and-evangelist–feast/

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Epiphany of the Lord

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

1774–1821; Patron Saint of Catholic schools, widows, loss of parents and children, and people ridiculed for their piety; Invoked against in-law problems and those who oppose the Church; Canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors

St. Basil: 329–379; Patron Saint of monks, hospital administrators, reformers, and Russia

St. Gregory: 329–389; Patron Saint of harvests and poets Pre-Congregation canonizations

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Holy Day of Obligation

Saint Sylvester I, Pope

c. Late Third Century–335; Patron Saint of animals, harvests, and stonemasons; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

c. 1119–1170; Patron Saint of clergy; Canonized by Pope Alexander III on February 21, 1173

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Holy Innocents, Martyrs

AD 1; Patron Saints of babies, abandoned babies, children’s choirs, students, and altar servers; Invoked against ambition, jealousy; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist

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