Episodes

  • Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe—Solemnity

    Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe—Solemnity
    Nov 23 2024
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    Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe—Solemnity

    Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
    Liturgical Color: White or Gold

    Quote:
    Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” ~Matthew 25:31–34

    Prayer:
    My glorious King of the Universe, You are perfect in all of Your ways. Your divine Law must reign in my heart and become the purpose of my life. As we honor Your kingship this day, I rededicate myself to You and submit more fully to Your sovereign control of my life. Please do with me what You will, and use me to help build Your Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

    Image: Denobili, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia
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    11 mins
  • November 24: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and his Companions, Martyrs—Memorial

    November 24: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and his Companions, Martyrs—Memorial
    Nov 23 2024
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    November 24: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and his Companions, Martyrs—Memorial

    Seventeenth–Nineteenth Centuries
    Patron Saints of Vietnam
    Canonized by Pope John Paul II June 19, 1988
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    I, Paul, in chains for the name of Christ, wish to relate to you the trials besetting me daily, in order that you may be inflamed with love for God and join with me in his praises, for his mercy is forever. The prison here is a true image of everlasting hell: to cruel tortures of every kind—shackles, iron chains, manacles—are added hatred, vengeance, calumnies, obscene speech, quarrels, evil acts, swearing, curses, as well as anguish and grief. But the God who once freed the three children from the fiery furnace is with me always; he has delivered me from these tribulations and made them sweet, for his mercy is forever. In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not alone—Christ is with me. ~From a letter of Saint Paul Le-Bao-Tinh sent to students of the Seminary of Ke-Vinh in 1843

    Prayer:
    Saints Andrew Dung-Lac, Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, Peter Thi, Agnese Le Thi Thành, Jean-Théophane Vénard, and all Vietnamese martyrs, known and unknown, I thank you for your witness of love, for your fidelity to Christ in the face of such brutal tortures, and for the gift of your prayers from Heaven. Please pray for me, and especially for the Church in Vietnam, that we will all be faithful to Christ unto death, never counting the cost, but giving all in imitation of you. Martyrs of Vietnam, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Images from Lawrence OP, Flickr: Main
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    18 mins
  • November 23: Saint Columban (Columbanus), Abbot—Optional Memorial

    November 23: Saint Columban (Columbanus), Abbot—Optional Memorial
    Nov 22 2024
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    November 23: Saint Columban (Columbanus), Abbot—Optional Memorial

    543–615
    Patron Saint of motorcyclists
    Invoked against floods
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    All we Irish dwelling on the edge of the world are disciples of Saints Peter and Paul and of the disciples who, under the Holy Spirit, wrote the Sacred Canon. We accept nothing outside this evangelical and apostolic teaching. There was no heretic, no Jew, no schismatic, but the Catholic Faith, as first delivered to us by you, the successor of the apostles, is kept unshaken…. We, indeed, are, as I have said, chained to the Chair of Saint Peter; for although Rome is great and known afar, it is great and honored with us only by this Chair. ~Saint Columban

    Prayer:
    Saint Columban, God called you at a young age to enter monastic life so as to form you into a holy man of God. He later called you forth to preach, administer the Sacraments, found new communities, teach, and influence the Church throughout Europe. Please pray for me, that I will first cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the conversion of my own soul so that God can then use me for His greater glory and the salvation of souls. Saint Columban, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Image: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia
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    14 mins
  • November 23: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr—USA Optional Memorial

    November 23: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr—USA Optional Memorial
    Nov 22 2024
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    November 23: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr—USA Optional Memorial

    1891–1927
    Invoked by the Mexican Church and in times of political persecution
    Beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Deceitful are the ephemeral pleasures and joys of this world. Our supreme comfort in this life is to die to the world that we may live with Jesus crucified. Let others seek gold and other earthly treasures. I already possess the immortal treasure of holy poverty on the Cross of Jesus crucified. The angelic virtue, growing like a pure, fragrant lily in the hidden beauteous garden of the cloister, adorns the forehead with heavenly tints, for it has roots in the Cross of Jesus crucified. A third crown completes my oblation, it is the seal of glory, whereby the obedient, spotless Lamb gained victory. Obedience is the secure science of living with Jesus crucified. With this triple treasure, I can hope to pass beyond the fleeting confines of mortal man, by living poor on this earth and rich in heaven, united with Jesus crucified. ~Blessed Miguel, from his spiritual notebook, written when he joined the Jesuits

    Prayer:
    I believe, O Lord; but strengthen my faith … Heart of Jesus, I love Thee; but increase my love. Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee; but give greater vigor to my confidence. Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life. Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Image: Public Domain, Wikimedia: Main
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    16 mins
  • November 23: Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

    November 23: Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial
    Nov 22 2024
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    November 23: Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

    c. 35–c. 99
    Patron Saint of sailors, mariners, sick children, and stonecutters
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Concerning the things pertaining to our religious observance which are most profitable for a life of goodness to those who would pursue a godly and righteous course, we have written to you, men and brethren, at sufficient length. For concerning faith and repentance and true love and continence and soberness and patience, we have touched upon every passage, putting you in mind that you ought in righteousness and truth and long-suffering to be well-pleasing to Almighty God with holiness, being of one mind—not remembering evil—in love and peace with instant gentleness, even as also our fathers forementioned found favor by the humility of their thoughts towards the Father and God and Creator and all mankind. And of these things we put you in mind with the greater pleasure, since we were well assured that we were writing to men who were faithful and of highest repute and had peered into the oracles of the instruction of God. ~Pope Saint Clement, Letter to the Corinthians

    Prayer:
    Pope Saint Clement, you were entrusted with the care of the Church on earth at the very beginning of its founding. You led through your pastoral care, your writings, and by the witness of your life. Please pray for me, that I will have the courage to lay my life down for Christ. Pray that out of love for others, I will share the Gospel with those entrusted to my care in imitation of you. Saint Clement I, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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    12 mins
  • November 22: Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

    November 22: Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial
    Nov 21 2024
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    November 22: Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

    Late Second or Early Third Century
    Patron Saint of bodily purity, composers, luthiers, martyrs, music, musicians, musical instrument makers, poets, and singers
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Almachius urged, “Set aside your delusions and worship the gods.”
    Cecilia responded, “You’re blinded. What you call gods, we see as mere stones. Touch them, and you’ll understand what your eyes can’t see.”
    Furious, Almachius ordered her to be taken to her house and burned in a hot bath. However, she felt it as if it were a cool, refreshing place. Hearing this, Almachius ordered her beheading there. The executioner struck her three times but failed to behead her. By law, a fourth strike wasn’t allowed. Thus, she was left, half alive. Over the next three days, she donated her belongings to the poor, preached her faith, and directed new believers to Urban for baptism, saying, “I’ve been granted three days to guide these souls to you and wish my home to become a church.” After three days, she passed away. Saint Urban and his followers buried her with respect, turning her home into a church, which still operates today. ~from the Golden Legend

    Prayer:
    Saint Cecilia, at a time in the Roman Empire when following Christ was illegal and brought with it the penalty of death, you clung to your divine Spouse without fear. Your courage and love converted your husband and his brother, and your martyrdom continues to inspire many today. Please pray for me, that I will never fear any form of suffering that is inflicted upon me because of my faith, but will follow your example and willingly lay down my life out of love for God and others. Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Main image: Public domain, via Wikimedia
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    11 mins
  • November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Memorial

    November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Memorial
    Nov 20 2024
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    November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Memorial

    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. And her parents went down marveling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. ~Protoevangelium of James

    Prayer:
    Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary, you were conceived without sin and remained sinless throughout your life. With the perfection of every virtue and grace, you loved and served God even as a young child. Please pray for me, as I help to inspire young people in the ways of holiness, that I will never shy away from pointing them to you as a model and mediator of God’s grace. Most Holy Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

    Image: from Lawrence OP, Flickr
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    9 mins
  • November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles—Optional Memorial

    November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles—Optional Memorial
    Nov 17 2024
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    November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles—Optional Memorial

    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labors; and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience. ~Epistle of Saint Clement of Rome to the Corinthians

    Prayer:
    Saints Peter and Paul, God used you in unique and powerful ways that continue to have a profound impact upon the lives of God’s people today. Please pray for me, that I will also become a foundation upon which God continues to build His Church and from which the message of salvation goes forth. Saints Peter and Paul, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Source of content: mycatholic.life
    Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.


    Image from Lawrence OP, Flickr
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    11 mins