Jan 2 -- Sts Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops, doctors Basil the Great (329-379) was a noble by birth. His parents and four of his nine siblings were canonized, including St. Gregory of Nyssa. He was the grandson of St. Marcina the Elder. As a youth, he was noted for organizing famine relief, and... Continue Reading →
31 December, Thursday – God was there
Dec 31 – Memorial for St. Sylvester I, pope Sylvester (d. 335) was pope in the reign of Emperor Constantine I, who built the Lateran and other churches. He sent legates to the First Council of Nicaea, and was involved in the controversy over Arianism. The spurious Donation of Constantine was supposedly given to St.... Continue Reading →
23 December, Wednesday — Do not ignore your spiritual life!
Dec 23 – Memorial for St. John of Kanty, presbyter St. John of Kanty (1390-1473) was a Polish country lad. A brilliant student at the University of Krakow, Poland, he became a priest and professor of theology at the University of Krakow, where he was falsely accused and ousted by university rivals. At the age of... Continue Reading →
21 December, Monday — Let’s welcome Mary with love, joy and peace!
Dec 21 – Memorial for St. Peter Canisius, priest, doctor of the Church St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was the son of Jacob Canisius, a wealthy burgomeister, and Ægidia van Houweningen, who died shortly after Peter’s birth. He was educated in Cologne, Germany, where he studied art, civil law, and theology. He received a master’s degree by... Continue Reading →
14 December, Monday — God has given you authority. What does it mean to use it for the sake of love?
Dec 14 – Memorial for St. John of the Cross, priest, religious, doctor of the Church St. John (1675–1726) was born in poverty. He cared for the poor in the hospital in Medina. He became a lay Carmelite brother in 1563 at age 21, though he lived stricter than their Rule. He studied at Salamanca. He... Continue Reading →
12 December, Saturday — Who was that man?
Dec 12 – Memorial for Our Lady of Guadalupe Guadalupe is, strictly speaking, the name of a picture, but the name was extended to the church containing the picture and to the town which grew up around the church. It makes the shrine, it occasions the devotion, it illustrates Our Lady. It is taken as... Continue Reading →
11 December, Friday — What if…?
Dec 11 – Memorial for St. Damasus I, pope St. Damasus (306-384) was raised in a pious family. His father was a priest in Rome, and Damasus served for a time as deacon in his father’s church, St. Laurence. He was ordained a priest and became assistant to Pope Liberius. He was elected the 37th pope... Continue Reading →
10 December, Thursday — Humbly walking before God
Dec 10 -- Our Lady of Loreto Tradition holds that a small house in Loreto, Italy, originated in Nazareth and is the actual home of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dimensions are very small, one-room measuring 30 x 13 feet. It is composed simply of stones and mortar found in Palestine and hand-chiseled in a... Continue Reading →
9 December, Wednesday — Reducing our anxiety in life
Dec 9 – Memorial for St. Juan Diego, hermit, layman John (1474-1548) was born an impoverished free man in a strongly class-conscious society. He was a farm worker, a field labourer, and a mat maker. He became a married layman with no children. Even as a pagan, he was a mystical and religious man, and... Continue Reading →
4 December, Friday — Anger
Dec 4 – Memorial for St. John Damascene, priest, doctor of the Church St. John Damascene was born in Damascus about 675. After holding public office for a time, he withdrew to the monastery of Sabas near Jerusalem. He wrote ‘The Fount of Wisdom’, in which he presented a comprehensive teaching on Christian doctrine, which had... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 