Oct 6 – Memorial for St. Bruno, Priest St. Bruno (1030–1101) was educated in Paris and Rheims, France. He was ordained in 1055. He taught theology, and one of his students later became Blessed Pope Urban II. He presided over the cathedral school at Rheims from 1057 to 1075. He criticised the worldliness he saw... Continue Reading →
30 September, Wednesday — “Follow the Leader”
Sep 30 – Memorial for St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor St. Jerome (347-419) led a misspent youth. He later converted in theory, being baptised in 365, and then had a true conversion when he studied theology. He was a monk, and revised the Latin text of the Bible. The result of his 30 years of... Continue Reading →
28 September, Monday — Job training
Sep 28 – Memorial for St. Wenceslaus, martyr; Memorial for St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs St. Wenceslaus (907-929) was the son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia, whose family had been converted by St. Cyril and St. Methodius, and Drahomira, daughter of a pagan chief, who was baptised on her wedding day but apparently... Continue Reading →
25 September, Friday — Trust in God through all the seasons
Friday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Ecc 3:1-11Lk 9:18-22 When I first read Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, there was something familiar; I knew it. I knew it from long before I knew HIM. Turns out it’s actually a famous 1960s folk-rock song called ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ by The Byrds. Almost every single line is taken word-for-word... Continue Reading →
24 September, Thursday — Nothing is new and all is vanity
Thursday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Ecc 1:2-11Lk 9:7-9 For all his toil…what does man gain by it? I have always imagined, whenever I come across today’s first reading, that the Preacher speaking is someone who’s perhaps past his prime, and who now waxes pearls of wisdom from personal lived experiences and the rhythms... Continue Reading →
23 September, Wednesday — Travelling Light: Trusting God on the Journey
Sep 23 – Memorial for St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest St. Pio (1887-1968) was ordained when he was 22. He founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920s he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000... Continue Reading →
22 September, Tuesday — To Be His Mother and Brothers
Tuesday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Pro 21:1-6,10-13Lk 8:19-21 “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.” As I reflect on today's Gospel, the words "want to see you" somehow jump right out at me. We are told that when the mother and brothers of Jesus came looking for Him,... Continue Reading →
19 September, Saturday — Seeds of Glory
Sep 19 – Memorial for St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr St. Januarius (d. 305) was arrested on account of his profession of the Christian religion during persecution of Christians. He was cast into the fiery furnace, through which he passed wholly unharmed. On the following day, along with a number of fellow martyrs, he was... Continue Reading →
16 September, Wednesday — The More Excellent Way
Sep 16 – Memorial for Sts. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr; and Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr St. Cornelius (d. 253) was elected after a year-and-a-half period, during which persecutions were so bad that papal ascension was a quick death sentence. He worked to maintain unity in a time of schism and apostasy. He called a synod... Continue Reading →
14 September, Monday — Nothing but you, Lord
Sep 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross The feast was celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the recovering of that portion of the Holy Cross which was preserved at Jerusalem, and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. Emperor Heraclius... Continue Reading →
