Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday in Advent Embertide
[Station at St. Mary Major‘s] (Reposted from December 15, 2010, and revised) Zacharias 8:19 records the tradition of fasting four times a year to focus on God through His creation: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and […]
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Begin the “O” Antiphons
(Reposted from 17 December 2010 and revised) Also known as the Greater Advent Antiphons, the O Antiphons are Magnificat antiphons used at Vespers (around sunset) of the last seven days of Advent preceding the vigil of Christmas. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are: December 17: […]
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
[Station at St. Peter’s (Vatican)] On this day the Church urges us to gladness in the middle of this time of expectation and penitence: the coming of Jesus approaches more and more. This Sunday is called “Gaudete” (Rejoice) from the first word of the Introit. St. John, the holy precursor, announces to the Jews the […]
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Comm. of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop and Martyr
A native of Sardinia and friend of Pope Liberius, Eusebius of Vercelli was a champion of Nicene doctrine. In 355, he suffered exile for his refusal to subscribe to the Arian creed proposed by the Council of Milan. Not until Julian the Apostate freed exiled Christian bishops in 362 was Eusebius able to return. In […]
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Hagiography states that Saint Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Diocletian persecution. According to apocryphal texts, the beautiful Lucia was born to a prosperous family of nobility in Syracuse on the island of Sicily. In the days of early Christian persecution, legends say that Lucia carried food to Christians hiding in dark underground tunnels. […]
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Our Lady of Guadalupe
“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not […]
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Comm. of Pope St. Damasus
On Liberius‘ death, riots broke out over the election of a successor. The majority favored Damasus, who was born in Rome of Spanish descent. He had served as a deacon under Liberius and upheld the Nicene Creed. In less than a month, Damasus was installed in the Lateran palace. A minority, however, refused to accept […]
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Monday, December 10, 2012
Pope St. Miltiades, Martyr
Two popes had been exiled by Emperor Maxentius, and for nearly two more years the Church in Rome was steeped in turmoil, making it impossible to choose a pope. Finally Miltiades, an African, was elected. He had served as a priest under Marcellinus during the terrible Diocletian persecution. Now, however, he witnessed the effects of […]
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Sunday, December 9, 2012
Second Sunday of Advent
[Station at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem] For the Second Sunday of Advent numerous references appear to Jerusalem and her people, beginning with the Introit “People of Sion,” for Jesus Christ will be the deliverer and the shepherd of the faithful Jews and of the Gentiles. It is the Church’s intent that the faithful be […]
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