Thursday, September 22, 2016
Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop and Confessor
White Double In 1517 a cruel blow fell upon the great Augustinian family; Luther, one of its members, raised the cry of revolt which was to be echoed for centuries by every passion. But the illustrious Order, which had unwittingly nurtured this child of evil, was none the less acceptable to God; and He deigned, […]
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Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Red Double of the Second Class The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham. The Eagle and the Lion have already risen in the heavens of the holy Liturgy; today we salute the Man; and next month the Ox will appear, to complete the number of the […]
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Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Saint Eustace and His Companions, Martyrs
Red Double The twentieth of September marks one of the saddest events in history. At the height of her power, in the glorious days of Pepin and Charlemagne, the eldest daughter of the Church had crowned her mother; and the Church, in the person of her Head, reigned in reality, as well as by right […]
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The Ember Days of September
For the third time this year, Holy Church comes claiming from her children the tribute of Penance, which, from the earliest ages of Christianity, was looked upon as a solemn consecration of the Seasons. The historical details relative to the institution of the Ember Days will be found on the Wednesdays of the third week […]
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Monday, September 19, 2016
Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr; and His Companions, Martyrs
Red Double Januarius is ever preaching the Gospel to every creature; for his miraculous blood perpetuates the testimony he bore to Christ. Let those who say they cannot believe unless they see, go to Naples; there they will behold the martyr’s blood, when placed near his head which was cut off seventeen hundred years ago, […]
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
The Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Green Semidouble The Paralytic carrying his bed is the subject of this day’s Gospel, and gives the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost its title. It has been thought, by some, that its having the number it bears has caused it to be inserted in the Missal immediately after the Ember Days of autumn. We will not, […]
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Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor
White Double While, in France, the rising spirit of Jansenism was driving God from the hearts of the people, a humble son of St. Francis, in Southern Italy, was showing how easily love may span the distance between earth and heaven. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things […]
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Saturday, September 17, 2016
The Stigmata of Saint Francis
White Double The great Patriarch of Assisi will soon appear a second time in the holy Liturgy, and we shall praise God for the marvels wrought in him by divine grace. The subject of today’s feast, while a personal glory to St. Francis, is of greater importance for its mystical signification. The Man-God still lives […]
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Friday, September 16, 2016
Saint Cornelius, Pope and Martyr; and Saint Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr
Red Semidouble There is a peculiar beauty in the meeting of these two Saints upon the sacred Cycle. Cyprian, in a famous dispute, was once opposed to the Apostolic See: Eternal Wisdom now offers to the homage of the world, in company with one of the most illustrious successors of St. Peter. Cornelius was, by […]
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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Feast of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary
White Double of the Second Class O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow! Is this, then, the first cry of that sweet babe whose coming brought such pure joy to our earth? Is the standard of suffering to be so soon unfurled […]
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