A married man known for his love of prayer, Saint Isidore the Farmer is one of the five saints of Spain. Saint Isidore worked on the estate of a wealthy landowner and thus attained the title of farmer.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the commander…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 20:28-38
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters (there was a group of…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 19:1-8
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus…
First reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day…
Almighty and ever-faithful Lord,
gratefully acknowledging Your mercy
and humbly admitting our need,
we pledge our trust in You and each other.
Filled with desire,
we respond to Your call for discipleship
by shaping our lives in imitation of Christ.
We profess that the call requires us
to be stewards of Your gifts.
As stewards, we receive Your gifts gratefully,
cherish and tend them in a responsible manner,
share them in practice and love with others,
and …
Saint Damien de Veuster became so well known for his work among the lepers in Hawaii that Moloka’i almost became his surname. Dedicating his life to those suffering from Hansen’s disease, Damien made the world aware of their plight. He succumbed to the disease and died in 1889.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:23-28
After staying in Antioch some time, Paul left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country…
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:9-18
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision, “Do not…
O loving messenger of the Incarnation, descend upon all those for whom I wish peace and happiness. Spread your wings over the cradles of the new-born babes, O thou who didst announce the coming of the Infant Jesus.
Give to the young a lily petal from the virginal scepter in your hand. Cause the Ave Maria to re-echo in all hearts that they may find grace and joy through Mary.
Finally, recall the sublime words spoken on the day of the Annunciation– “Nothing is impossible with God,” and …
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 18:1-8
Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of…
O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 17:15, 22—18:1
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and…
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. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas, and the magistrates had them…
O heavenly Father, Almighty God, we humbly beseech Thee to bless and sanctify this house and all who dwell therein and everything else in it, and do Thou vouchsafe to fill it with all good things; grant to them, O Lord, the abundance of heavenly blessings and from the richness of the earth every substance necessary for life, and finally direct their desires to the fruits of Thy mercy. At our entrance, therefore, deign to bless and sanctify this house as Thou didst deign to bless the house of …
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:11-15
We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to…
Dear Lord, please give me strength,
To face the day ahead.
Dear Lord, please give me courage,
As I approach each hurting bed.
Dear Lord, please give me wisdom
With every word I speak.
Dear Lord, please give me patience,
As I comfort the sick and weak.
Dear Lord, Please give me assurance,
As the day slips into night.
That I have done the best I can,
That I have done what’s right.
First reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter,…
Padre nuestro,
que estás en el cielo.
Santificado sea tu nombre.
Venga tu reino.
Hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo.
Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada dĂa.
Perdona nuestras ofensas,
como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden.
No nos dejes caer en tentaciĂłn y lĂbranos del mal.
Amén.
In 1546, Charlotte Guillard (ca. 1485–1557) owned one of the most prestigious printing houses in Paris, the Soleil d’Or, and that year she printed an impressive, updated edition of the letters of Saint Jerome under her own name. The editor and commentator of this particular book, however, was the famous Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1468?-1536), whose published annotations on Jerome had been censured by the Venetian Inquisition and the Index of the University of Paris two years prior.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a…
Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
And call on you as my loving protector.
Guide me by your wisdom,
Correct me with your justice,
Comfort me with your mercy,
Protect me with your power.
I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on …
Read MoreA reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor 15:1-8
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached…
My holy Angel Guardian, ask the Lord to bless the journey which I undertake, that it may profit the health of my soul and body; that I may reach its end, and that, returning safe and sound, I may find my family in good health. Do thou guard, guide and preserve us. Amen.
Read MorePope Pius XII emphasized both Catholic devotion to Saint Joseph and the dignity of human labor when he created the celebration of Saint Joseph the Worker. Work, as our Church teaches, should always be for the good and benefit of humanity. Saint Joseph is our model and patron in our work endeavors.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:7-21
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:1-6
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 15:1-6
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 14:19-28
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 14:5-18
There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders,…
First reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 9:26-31
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 13:44-52
On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 13:26-33
When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue: “My brothers, children of the…
A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter 1 Pt 5:5b-14
Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:
God opposes the proud…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 12:24—13:5a
The word of God continued to spread and grow.
After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission, they…
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles Acts 11:1-18
The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too…
First reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 4:8-12
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 9:31-42
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. She was being built up and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 9:1-20
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 8:1b-8
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the…
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) dedicated her whole life to advocating for civil rights, especially the education of youth. You can find her work making headlines in Chronicling America newspapers, as well as her friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and other high profile people of the day. Even some comic books featured her biography.
Read MoreA reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 7:51—8:1a
Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and…
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 6:8-15
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:22-29
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
This is an example of how Jesus corrects the attitude of the people, of the crowd, because as they were journeying they gradually strayed from that first moment, from the first spiritual consolation, and took a path that was not the right one, a path more worldly than evangelical.
This makes us understand how many times we ourselves have started out on the path of following Jesus, with the values of the Gospel, and then halfway down the road we get another idea, we see some sign or other, and we stray and conform to something more temporal, more material, more worldly – let’s say – and we lose the memory of that first enthusiasm we had when we heard Jesus speak. The Lord always makes us return to that first encounter, the first moment when He looked at us, He spoke to us and He inspired in us the desire to follow Him. This is a grace to ask of the Lord, because in life we will always have this temptation to stray because we see something else: “But that will go really well, but that’s a good idea”, and we distance ourselves. The grace to return to the first call, the first moment: to not forget, to not forget my history, when Jesus looked at me with love and said to me, “This is your path”; when Jesus, through many people, made me understand what the path of the Gospel is, and not other paths that are more worldly, with other values. To return to the first encounter. (Santa Marta, 27 April 2020)
Read MoreA Marist priest and the first martyr of the South Pacific, Saint Peter Chanel worked on the island of Futuna. Struggling and having little success in his evangelization efforts with the local people, Peter Chanel eventually was awakened on April 28 and clubbed to death in his home. Within two years of his death, the whole island had become Catholic.
Read MoreA diocesan priest with a great devotion to Mary, Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort attracted many people to the faith by his preaching. He lived a life of notable poverty and simplicity.
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