Episodes

  • October 20: Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest—USA: Optional Memorial (October 19 outside of the USA)

    October 20: Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest—USA: Optional Memorial (October 19 outside of the USA)
    Oct 18 2024
    Read entire reflection online >>>

    October 20: Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest—USA: Optional Memorial
    (October 19 outside of the USA)

    1694–1775
    Patron Saint of Hungary and Ovada, Italy
    Canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 29, 1867
    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    You must correspond faithfully to His merciful action by humbling yourself ever more in your nothingness before His Sovereign Majesty, renouncing all these gifts and remaining in utter nakedness and nothingness. At the same time offer a holocaustal sacrifice of all these gifts and put them in the thurible of your heart so that, enkindled by God’s charity, they may ascend as a fragrant incense before the Most High Majesty of the Supreme Good ~From a letter to Mother Mary Crucified, by Saint Paul of the Cross

    Prayer:
    Saint Paul of the Cross, God drew you to the heights of contemplation and taught you the deepest truths within the depths of your soul. You then shared the good fruits of your contemplation with the world. Please pray for me, that I will continuously seek to deepen my faith by deepening my prayer and penance, never shying away from the most glorious Gift of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul of the Cross, 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: Featured
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    20 mins
  • October 19: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs—USA: Memorial

    October 19: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs—USA: Memorial
    Oct 18 2024
    Read entire reflection online >>>

    October 19: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs—USA: Memorial

    Saint René Goupil (1606–1642); Saint Isaac Jogues (1607–1646); Saint Jean de la Lande (Unknown–1646); Saint Antoine Daniel (1601–1648); Saint Gabriel Lalemant (1610–1649); Saint Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649); Saint Charles Garnier (1606–1649); Saint Noël Chabanel (1613–1649)
    Patron Saints of North America
    Canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Having stopped near the gate of the Village, to see what they might say to us, one of those two Iroquois draws a hatchet, which he held concealed under his blanket, and deals a blow with it on the head of René, who was before him. He falls motionless, his face to the ground, pronouncing the holy name of JESUS (often we admonished each other that this holy name should end both our voices and our lives)…I rise again, and run to the dying man, who was quite near. They dealt him two other blows with the hatchet, on the head, and dispatched him—but not until I had first given him absolution, which I had been wont to give him every two days since our captivity; and this was a day on which he had already confessed.” ~Account of the martyrdom of Saint René Goupil, the first martyr, from Saint Isaac Jogues

    Prayer:
    Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and companions, you abandoned the comforts of your life in France and traveled to a new land to share the Gospel with a people who had never heard of Christ. Your courage and love for all of God’s people brought you there, and you shed your blood for that act of love. Please pray for me, that I will have the same depth of love for all whom God calls me to serve. Holy Martyrs of North America, 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.


    Lawrence OP, via Flickr: Featured
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    15 mins
  • October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist—Feast

    October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist—Feast
    Oct 17 2024
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    October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist—Feast

    First Century, died c. age 84
    Patron Saint of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, glassworkers, goldworkers, laceworkers, notaries, physicians, and surgeons
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. ~Luke 1:1–4

    Prayer:
    Saint Luke, you were a faithful servant of Saint Paul and a devout worshiper of Jesus, your Lord. You placed before God all your natural gifts, your education, time, and energy so that He could use you for the fulfillment of His holy will and the proclamation of the Gospel. Please pray for me, that I will always devote myself without hesitation to the fulfillment of God’s will, so that God can use me as He will to draw many to Christ. Saint Luke, 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: via Wikipedia
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    12 mins
  • October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

    October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial
    Oct 16 2024
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    October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

    Early- to Mid-First Century–c. 107
    Patron Saint of the Church in Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean
    Invoked against throat diseases
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God. No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. ~Saint Ignatius, letter to the Romans

    Prayer:
    Saint Ignatius of Antioch, you were highly blessed to be part of the earliest days of the Church. You were touched by Christ, made the radical commitment to follow Him, served as a bishop, and died courageously and joyfully as a martyr. Please pray for me, that I will discover what you discovered and believe what you believed, so that I will also long for nothing other than to be in the service of God’s will, sacrificially laying my life down. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, 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.


    Public domain, via Wikimedia
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    13 mins
  • October 16: Saint Hedwig, Religious—Optional Memorial

    October 16: Saint Hedwig, Religious—Optional Memorial
    Oct 16 2024
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    October 16: Saint Hedwig, Religious—Optional Memorial

    1174–1243
    Patron Saint of brides, widows, duchesses, those whose children have died, and difficult marriages
    Invoked against jealousy
    Canonized by Pope Clement IV on March 26, 1267
    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    The greater one is by birth, the greater one must be in virtue, and the more distinguished we are in station, the more we must distinguish ourselves by our conduct, in order to be a bright example to others. ~Maxim attributed to Saint Hedwig

    Prayer:
    Saint Hedwig, you were born of noble and wealthy lineage, yet you never allowed that to deter you from holiness. Instead, you used all you had for the glory of God and the advancement of the Church. Please pray for me, that I may use all I have been given in life for God’s glory and never for selfish or vain purposes. Saint Hedwig, 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.


    Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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    7 mins
  • October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor—Memorial

    October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor—Memorial
    Oct 15 2024
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    October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor—Memorial

    1515–1582
    Patron Saint of Spain, lacemakers, and those in need of grace, in religious orders, and ridiculed for their piety
    Invoked against bodily ills, headaches, and sickness
    Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622
    Declared a Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970

    Quote:
    Let us imagine, then, that this castle has several mansions, or rooms; some above, some below, and others on the sides, and that in the center of all these is the principal room, in which subjects of the greatest secrecy are discussed between God and the soul. You should often reflect on this comparison; for perhaps our Lord may be pleased that I should help you by means thereof, to understand something regarding those favors He is pleased to bestow on souls, and what difference there is in them; this I may be able to explain, as far as my understanding can reach; but it is impossible for one to understand them all, because there are many, and how much more for a person so ignorant as I am? ~Saint Teresa, Interior Castle

    Prayer:
    Saint Teresa of Ávila, God called you to religious life, but within that life He called you deeper, into a profound life of mystical union with Him. Please pray for me, that I will come to know God with the same depth of knowledge you had, so that God can use me for the purpose to which He has called me. Saint Teresa of Ávila, 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: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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    12 mins
  • October 14: Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

    October 14: Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial
    Oct 13 2024
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    October 14: Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

    Late Second Century–c. 223
    Patron Saint of cemetery workers
    Pre-Congregation canonization
    Liturgical Color: Red

    Quote:
    Calistus, by nationality a Roman, son of Domitius, from the district Urbs Ravennantium, occupied the see 5 years, | 6 years, 2 months and 10 days. He was bishop in the time of Macrinus and Theodoliobullus, from the consulship of Antoninus (AD 218) and of Alexander (AD 222). He was crowned with martyrdom. He instituted a fast from corn, wine and oil upon the Sabbath day thrice in the year, according to the word of the prophet, of a fourth, of a seventh, and of a tenth. He built a basilica beyond the Tiber. He held 5 ordinations in the month of December, 16 priests, 4 deacons, 8 bishops in divers places. He also was buried in the cemetery of Calipodius on the Via Aurelia at the third milestone, October 14. He constructed another cemetery on the Via Appia, where many priests and martyrs rest, which is called even to this day the cemetery of Calistus. ~Liber Pontificalis

    Prayer:
    Saint Callistus, you did not come from nobility but from slavery. Though you suffered greatly, God used those sufferings to form you into a man with a merciful heart who sought to reconcile every sinner with Him. Please pray for me, that I will be open to God’s abundant mercy in my life and show that mercy to others without exception. Saint Callistus, 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: Hugo DK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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    11 mins
  • October 11: Saint John XXIII, Pope—Optional Memorial

    October 11: Saint John XXIII, Pope—Optional Memorial
    Oct 10 2024
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    October 11: Saint John XXIII, Pope—Optional Memorial

    1881–1963
    Patron Saint of papal delegates
    Canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014
    Liturgical Color: White

    Quote:
    Since the Lord chose me, unworthy as I am, for this great service, I feel I have no longer any special ties in this life, no family, no earthly country or nation, nor any particular preferences with regard to studies or projects, even good ones. Now, more than ever, I see myself only as the humble and unworthy “servant of God and servant of the servants of God.” The whole world is my family. This sense of belonging to everyone must give character and vigor to my mind, my heart and my actions. ~Saint John XXIII, journal entry

    Prayer:
    Saint John XXIII, you were raised in humble conditions, were formed well in the faith, responded to God’s grace, and were used in powerful ways that have had a profound effect upon the Church and world. Please pray for me, that I will always remain faithful to God’s will so that He can use me in the particular ways He chooses. Saint John XXIII, 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 via Wikimedia Commons
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    14 mins