Catholic Saints & Feasts of the Liturgical Year

Read entire reflection online >>>USA: Thanksgiving Day—Optional MemorialFourth Thursday in NovemberPrayer:Most Holy Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One God in Three Persons, perfectly united by divine love. I thank You profoundly for the gift of Your grace in my life, especially as that Gift is communicated to me through the Mass. In gratitude for all You have bestowed upon me, I pray that I will go forth for the rest of my life and become an instrument of Your loving mercy to all. Most Holy Trinity, I love Thee, adore Thee, and Thank Thee for everything. I wholeheartedly trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Images from Lawrence OP, Flickr: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>November 25: Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr—Optional Memorialc. 287–c. 305Patron Saint of apologists, apprentice milliners and seamstresses, archivists, attorneys, barbers, potters, spinners, the dying, educators, girls, jurists, knife sharpeners, librarians, maidens, mechanics, millers, nurses, old maids, philosophers, preachers, scholars, schoolchildren, scribes, secretaries, tanners, teachers, theologians, and unmarried girlsPre-Congregation canonizationLiturgical Color: RedQuote: Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I thank Thee for having firmly set my feet on the rock of the Faith and directed my steps on the pathway of salvation. Open now Thy arms wounded on the cross to receive my soul, which I offer in sacrifice to the glory of Thy Name. Forgive the faults I committed in ignorance and wash my soul in the blood I will shed for Thee. Do not leave my body, slaughtered by love for Thee, in the power of those who hate me. Kindly regard this people and give them the knowledge of the truth. Finally, O Lord, in Thy infinite mercy exalt those who will invoke Thee through me so that Thy name be always glorified. ~Prayer attributed to Saint Catherine before her executionPrayer:Saint Catherine, you devoted yourself to your God after learning of Him through the teaching of a holy monk. Once you wedded yourself to your Lord, you never wavered in your love for Him. Please pray for me, that I will also hear God’s Word, spoken in the depths of my soul, and will respond to His voice with all my heart. Saint Catherine of Alexandria, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: Museo Nacional de Arte, Public domain, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>November 24: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and his Companions, Martyrs—MemorialSeventeenth–Nineteenth CenturiesPatron Saints of VietnamCanonized by Pope John Paul II June 19, 1988Liturgical Color: RedQuote: 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 1843Prayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Images from Lawrence OP, Flickr: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe—SolemnityLast Sunday in Ordinary TimeLiturgical Color: White or GoldQuote: 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 25:31–34Prayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: Denobili, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>November 23: Saint Columban (Columbanus), Abbot—Optional Memorial543–615Patron Saint of motorcyclistsInvoked against floodsPre-Congregation canonizationLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: 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 ColumbanPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. Image: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>November 23: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr—USA Optional Memorial1891–1927Invoked by the Mexican Church and in times of political persecutionBeatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988Liturgical Color: RedQuote: 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 JesuitsPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: Public Domain, Wikimedia: Main

Read entire reflection online >>>November 23: Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorialc. 35–c. 99Patron Saint of sailors, mariners, sick children, and stonecuttersPre-Congregation canonizationLiturgical Color: RedQuote: 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 CorinthiansPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 22: Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr—MemorialLate Second or Early Third CenturyPatron Saint of bodily purity, composers, luthiers, martyrs, music, musicians, musical instrument makers, poets, and singersPre-Congregation canonizationLiturgical Color: RedQuote: 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 LegendPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Main image: Public domain, via Wikimedia

Read entire reflection online >>>November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—MemorialLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: 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 JamesPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: from Lawrence OP, Flickr

Read entire reflection online >>>November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles—Optional MemorialLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: 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 CorinthiansPrayer: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.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image from Lawrence OP, Flickr

Read entire reflection online >>>November 18: Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin—USA Optional Memorial1769–1852Invoked for perseverance amid adversity and against the opposition of Church authoritiesCanonized by Pope John Paul II on July 3, 1988Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue which will sustain him in the struggle of life, you have not educated him, but only put in his hand a powerful instrument of self-destruction. ~Saint RosePrayer:Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, God called you from an early age, and you responded. As you endured one hardship after another in the pursuit of your religious vocation, you persevered, continuously devoting yourself to God’s service. In the end, God brought every desire He had planted in your heart to fruition. Please pray for me, that I will always overcome every obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s will by divine faith, hope, and love. I pray that I will always persevere as you did, so that God will be more fully glorified by my life. Saint Rose, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image Public domain

Read entire reflection online >>>November 17: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious—Memorial1207–1231Patron Saint of Third Order Franciscans, bakers, beggars, brides, charitable societies and workers, exiles, falsely accused people, homeless people, hospitals, lacemakers, nursing homes, nursing services, people ridiculed for their piety, widowsInvoked against in-law problems, the death of children, and toothacheCanonized by Pope Gregory IX on May 27, 1235Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: On Good Friday in 1228, having placed her hands on the altar in the chapel of her city, Eisenach, to which she had welcomed the Friars Minor, in the presence of several friars and relatives Elizabeth renounced her own will and all the vanities of the world. She also wanted to resign all her possessions, but I dissuaded her out of love for the poor. Shortly afterwards she built a hospital, gathered the sick and invalids and served at her own table the most wretched and deprived. When I reprimanded her for these things, Elizabeth answered that she received from the poor special grace and humility ~Testimony of her spiritual director, Friar Conrad, during the process of canonizationPrayer:Saint Elizabeth, you dedicated yourself to your loving and crucified Lord from an early age, rejecting the vanities of this world. Despite your many temptations and hardships, you remained true to your King until the end. Please pray for me, that I will also reject all that is vain in this world and always choose my Lord and His will above all else. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: Edmund Leighton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 16: Saint Gertrude the Great, Virgin—Optional Memorial1256–1302Patron Saint of nunsInvoked for poor souls in PurgatoryEquivalent canonization in 1606Added to the Universal Roman Calendar by Pope Clement XII in 1677Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: Let the Abyss of Uncreated Wisdom invoke the Abyss of Omnipotent Power to praise and extol the amazing charity which, by an excess of Thine infinite mercy, O most sweet God of my life and only Love of my soul, hast led Thee through a desert, pathless, and dry land,— that is, through the many obstacles I have placed to Thy mercy,—to descend into the valley of my miseries. I was in the twenty-sixth year of my age when, on the Monday before the Feast of the Purification of Thy most chaste Mother, in a happy hour, after Compline, at the close of day, Thou the true Light, Who art clearer than any light, and yet deeper than any recess, having resolved to dissipate the obscurity of my darkness, didst sweetly and gently commence my conversion by appeasing the trouble which Thou hadst excited in my soul for more than a month, which Thou didst deign to use, as I believe, to destroy the fortress of vain-glory and curiosity which my pride had raised up within me, although I bore the name and habit of a religious to no purpose; but Thou didst will to use this means, that Thou mightest thereby show me Thy salvation. ~Saint GertrudePrayer:Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. Saint Gertrude the Great and Saint Matilda, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: Pietro Liberi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 16: Saint Margaret of Scotland—Optional Memorialc. 1045–1093Patron Saint of learning, parents of large families, parents who have lost a child, queens, and widowsCanonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1251Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: She was called Margaret, and in the sight of God she showed herself to be a pearl, precious in faith and works. She was indeed a pearl to you, to me, to all of us, yea, to Christ Himself, and being Christ’s she is all the more ours now that she has left us, having been taken to the Lord. This pearl, I repeat, has been removed from the dunghill of the present world, and now she shines in her place among the jewels of the Eternal King. ~From a biography written by her spiritual director, Bishop TurgotPrayer:Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland, you received much in this earthly life, but gave so much more. The glory of God and the salvation of souls was your greatest desire. Please pray for me, that I will always use what I have received, not for selfish gain, but for the fulfillment of the will of God in all things. Saint Margaret, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image: William Hole, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Common

Read entire reflection online >>>November 15: Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor—Optional Memorialc. 1200–1280Patron Saint of scientists, medical technicians, natural sciences, philosophers, schoolchildren, and theology studentsCanonized by Pope Pius XI on December 16, 1931Declared a Doctor of the Church (Universal Doctor) during his canonizationLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: I have felt moved to write a few last thoughts describing, as far as one may in this waiting-time of our exile and pilgrimage, the entire separation of the soul from all earthly things and its close, unfettered union with God.I have been more urged to this, because Christian perfection has no other end but charity, which unites us to God. This union of charity is essential for salvation, since it consists in the practice of the precepts and in conformity to the Divine will. Hence it separates us from whatever would war against the essence and habit of charity, such as mortal sin. ~Saint Albert, “On Union With God”Prayer:Saint Albert the Great, though your mind was incapable of comprehending the depth and breadth of God, you strove for that goal nonetheless. As a result of that continuous striving, God used you in numerous ways, helping to lay a firm foundation for the development of the Church’s faith. Please pray for me, that I will devote myself more fully to the study, prayerful pondering, and contemplation of all that God has revealed, so that I will be drawn more deeply into communion with Him. Saint Albert the Great, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image from Lawrence OP, Flickr

Read entire reflection online >>>November 13: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin—USA Memorial1850–1917Patron Saint of immigrants, emigrants, hospital administrators, and orphansInvoked against malariaCanonized by Pope Pius XII on July 7, 1946Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: How lovely and sweet it is to undertake a sea voyage when one is tired and worn out with the labors of the Missions! The day was fixed, the cabins were secured, and September the 2nd came all too quickly…As soon as I had finished waving my handkerchief to the Sisters, I sat on a chair, and fell asleep. When I awoke…I realized that I was far away from the Sisters and felt the sorrow of separation from them… Reflecting upon my vocation as a Missionary, I remembered that I ought not to allow sadness to take hold of me. So I entered into the Heart of Jesus, where I saw all the Sisters, and though I could not speak to them, I asked the Sacred Heart to tell each of them what I had forgotten, or what I had not time to say. Great was my pleasure at the thought that the Sacred Heart would inspire you with the good resolution to do what I want you to do, and to add to it His Grace, and thus facilitate the exercise of those virtues which give to true Missionaries of the Sacred Heart that energy which makes them zealous for the salvation of souls. ~Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, letter to her daughtersPrayer:Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, in your humility and obedience you became a founder of an army of holy women who went forth across the globe to bring the Mercy in the Heart of Jesus to those in need. Please pray for me, that I will discover that same abundant mercy in Jesus’ Heart and will become an instrument of that love to all. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Image from Lawrence OP, Flickr

Read entire reflection online >>>November 12: Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial1580–1623Patron Saint of UkraineInvoked for the reunification of Eastern and Western ChristiansCanonized by Pope Pius IX on June 29, 1867Liturgical Color: RedQuote: You people of Vitebsk want to put me to death. You make ambushes for me everywhere, in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, and in the marketplace. I am here among you as a shepherd, and you ought to know that I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for the holy union, for the supremacy of Saint Peter, and of his successor the Supreme Pontiff. ~Saint JosaphatPrayer:Saint Josaphat, God drew you to Himself from an early age, and you responded to His grace. As you grew in faith, God also drew you to the mission of Church unity. Please pray for me, and pray for our Church and world, that all will become one in Christ and that I will do my part to help bring that unity about. Saint Josaphat, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Main image: Józef Simmler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 11: Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop—Memorial316 or 336–397Patron Saint of beggars, cavalry, equestrians, geese, horses, innkeepers, Pontifical Swiss Guards, quartermasters, reformed alcoholics, soldiers, tailors, and winemakersInvoked against alcoholism and povertyPre-Congregation canonizationLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: Accordingly, at a certain period, when he had nothing except his arms and his simple military dress, in the middle of winter, a winter which had shown itself more severe than ordinary, so that the extreme cold was proving fatal to many, he happened to meet at the gate of the city of Amiens a poor man destitute of clothing. He was entreating those that passed by to have compassion upon him, but all passed the wretched man without notice, when Martin, that man full of God, recognized that a being to whom others showed no pity, was, in that respect, left to him. Yet, what should he do? He had nothing except the cloak in which he was clad, for he had already parted with the rest of his garments for similar purposes. Taking, therefore, his sword with which he was girt, he divided his cloak into two equal parts, and gave one part to the poor man, while he again clothed himself with the remainder. ~From the Life of Saint Martin, by Sulpicius SeverusPrayer:Saint Martin of Tours, though you were born into a pagan family, God spoke to your heart from an early age, and you listened and responded. Your kindness, deep prayer, and generosity led to your ongoing conversion, making you an inspiration to all. Please pray for me, that I will always listen to God’s voice and respond with all my heart. Saint Martin of Tours, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Main image: Anthony van Dyck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 10: Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor—Memorialc. 400–461Pre-Congregation canonizationDeclared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754Liturgical Color: WhiteQuote: He conquered that we too might likewise conquer. For there are no works of power, dearly beloved, without the trials of temptations, there is no faith without proof, no contest without a foe, no victory without conflict. This life of ours is in the midst of snares, in the midst of battles; if we do not wish to be deceived, we must watch: if we want to overcome, we must fight. ~Sermon by Saint Leo the GreatPrayer:Saint Leo the Great, you exercised your papal ministry with humility and strength, wisdom and pastoral diplomacy, guiding the Church through a difficult period. Please pray for me, that I will learn from your example and always remain firm in my faith, doing all I can to lead others to God. Saint Leo the Great, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Main image: Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read entire reflection online >>>November 9: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica—FeastLiturgical Color: WhiteQuote: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. ~John 2:19–21Prayer:Christ our Savior, through the intercessions of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, I pray for the Church today. I pray for your abundant mercy upon every sinner whom you are calling into your Church for reconciliation. I pray for my local parish, diocese, country, and the Universal Church headed in Rome. I especially pray for the Holy Father, the pastor of the Lateran Basilica and shepherd of the whole Church. Draw him close to You, make him holy, and use him to draw many people to Yourself. Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, pray for us. Jesus I trust in You.Source of content: mycatholic.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia