As I observed in my recent posts on St. Servulus, St. Nicasius, and St. Anastasia, lesser observances are often overwhelmed during great celebrations such as Christmas and Easter.
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The Beloved Disciple: St. John the Evangelist (3rd Day of Christmas)
John is the model of the disciple who leans into the heart of Jesus. Like Mary the sister of Martha (see Luke 10:38), he has "chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from" him.
St. Stephen and Good King Wenceslas: 2nd Day of Christmas
Just as our Christmas joy is tempered by the realization that the child lying in the manger must someday hang on the Cross, St. Stephen reminds us, a mere day after the Feast of the Nativity itself, that following the Child of Bethlehem can mean our own Calvary.
Merry Christmas (and Feast of St. Anastasia)!
St. Anastasia shares in the Incarnation by sharing her feast day with the commemoration of Christ's Nativity on the Solemnity of Christmas.
The Christmas Conversion of St. Thérèse
The Lord didn’t need to knock Thérèse down, beat her up, or have her shot in order to get her full attention. All he needed was to allow her to overhear a couple of stray comments from the father she loved so dearly.
God Bless Little Saints: St. Servulus
St. Servulus puts flesh on the words of St. Paul: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions (Colossians 1:24).”
Small Beginnings: 4th Sunday of Advent
How can it be that the Firstborn of All Creation was born again as a little human baby? A baby lying in a manger out of which animals feed? From small beginnings . . .
Evermore and Evermore: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.”
Sixty human generations or more have passed since Aurelius Prudentius first published hymn IX of his Liber Cathereminon. We still sing it today as the Christmas hymn "Of the Father's Love Begotten."
Keep Your Eye on the Ball: 3rd Sunday of Advent
The Good News is good news indeed, but it is not quite a free pass. We have a part we need to play beyond simply waiting for our Savior. We need to keep our eye on the ball.
Only in the Lord: St. Nicasius and Advent
St. Nicasius understood that human righteousness would overawe neither Huns nor Vandals. Instead, he put his trust in the Lord.