Monday after Epiphany

Commentary of the day
Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century)
No. 15

"On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen"

The joy of those who seek its day
is like the sun:
even so my joy is in the Lord
since he is the sun to me.
His rays have raised me up,
his light has dispersed all shadows from my countenance.

Thanks to him I was given eyes
and saw his holy day;
I had ears
and heard his truth;
I had thoughts of knowledge
and with its aid I rejoiced.

I have forsaken the way of error;
I turned to him
and from him received abundantly of salvation.
He bestowed it on me according to his kindness
and his beauty has fashioned me.
In his name I have put on incorruptibility,
by his grace I have forsaken corruption.

Mortality has vanished from before my face,
the dwelling-place of the dead has been annihilated by my word,
immortal life has arisen in the land of the Lord.
It has been revealed to believers
and granted without reserve
to all those who put their trust in him.
Alleluia!

'An unclean soul is synonymous with a heart full of frivolity.'

St. Padre Pio

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
Memorial
January 4th
[in the diocese of the US]

Foundress and first superior of the Sisters of Charity in the United States, born in New York City, August 28, 1774, of non-Catholic parents of high position; died at Emmitsburg, Maryland, January 4, 1821.

Her father was the first professor of anatomy at Columbia College and eminent for his work as health officer of the Port of New York. Her mother was the daughter of an Anglican minister of Staten Island, N.Y. Her mother died when Elizabeth was three yeas old, leaving two other young daughters. The father married again, and among the children of this second marriage was Guy Charleton Bayley, whose convert son, James Roosevelt Bayley, became Archbishop of Baltimore. Elizabeth always showed great affection for her stepmother, who was a devout Anglican, and for her stepbrothers and sisters. Her education was chiefly conducted by her father, a brilliant man of great natural virtue, who trained her to self-restraint as well as in intellectual pursuits. She read industriously, her notebooks indicating a special interest in religious and historical subjects. She was very religious, wore a small crucifix around her neck, and took great delight in reading the Scriptures, especially the Psalms, a practice she retained until her death.

She was married William Magee Seton, on January 25, 1794. In her sister-in-law, Rebecca Seton, she found the "friend of her soul", and as they went about on missions of mercy they were called the "Protestant Sisters of Charity". In 1803 Mr. Seton's health required a sea voyage; he started with his wife and eldest daughter for Leghorn, where the Filicchi brothers, business friends of the Seton firm, resided. The other children, William, Richard, Rebecca, and Catherine, were left to the care of Rebecca Seton.

From a journal which Mrs. Seton kept during her travels we learn of her heroic effort to sustain the drooping spirits of her husband during the voyage, followed by a long detention in quarantine, and until his death at Pisa ( December 27, 1803). She and her daughter remained for some time with the Filicchi families. While with these Catholic families and in the churches of Italy Mrs. Seton first began to see the beauty of the Catholic Faith. She reached home June 3, 1804, accompanied by Antonio Filicchi. Her sister-in-law, Rebecca, died in July. A time of great spiritual perplexity began for Mrs. Seton, whose prayer was, "If I am right Thy grace impart still in the right to say. If I am wrong Oh, teach my heart to find the better way." Mr. Hobart (afterwards an Anglican bishop), who had great influence over her, used every effort to dissuade her from joining the Catholic Church, while Mr. Filicchi presented the claims of the true religion and arranged a correspondence between Elizabeth and Bishop Cheverus. Through Mr. Filicchi she also wrote to Bishop Carroll. Elizabeth meanwhile added fasting to her prayers for light. The result was that on Ash Wednesday, March 14, 1805, she was received into the Church by Father Matthew O'Brien in St. Peter's Church, Barclay St., New York. On March 25 she made her first Communion with extraordinary fervor. She well understood the storm that her conversion would raise among her Protestant relatives and friends at the time she most needed their help. Little of her husband's fortune was left, but numerous relatives would have provided amply for her and her children had not this barrier been raised.

Mr. Cooper, a Virginian convert and seminarian, offered $10,000 to found an institution for teaching poor children. A farm was bought half a mile from the village of Emmitsburg and two miles from Mt. St. Mary's College. Meanwhile Cecilia Seton and her sister Harriet came to Mrs. Seton in Baltimore. As a preliminary to the formation of the new community, Mrs. Seton took vows privately before Archbishop Carroll and her daughter Anna. In June, 1808, the community was transferred to Emmitsburg to take charge of the new institution. In December, 1809, Harriet Seton, who was received into the Church at Emmitsburg, died there, and Cecilia in April, 1810. Bishop Flaget was commissioned in 1810 by the community to obtain in France the rules of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Three of these sisters were to be sent to train the young community in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, but Napoleon forbade them to leave France. The rule, with some modifications, was approved by Archbishop Carroll in January, 1812, and adopted. Against her will, and despite the fact that she had also to care for her children, Mrs. Seton was elected superior. Many joined the community; Mother Seton's daughter, Anna, died during her novitiate ( March 12, 1812), but had been permitted to pronounce her vows on her death-bed. Mother Seton and the eighteen sisters made their vows on July 19, 1813. The fathers superior of the community were the Sulpicians, Fathers Dubourg, David, and Dubois. Father Dubois held the post for fifteen yeas and laboured to impress on the community the spirit of St. Vincent's Sisters of Charity, forty of whom he had had under his care in France. The fervour of the community won admiration everywhere. The school for the daughters of the well-to-do prospered, as it continues to do (1912), and enabled the sisters to do much work among the poor. In 1814 the sisters were given charge of an orphan asylum in Philadelphia; in 1817 they were sent to New York. The previous year (1816) Mother Seton's daughter, Rebecca, after long suffering, died at Emmitsburg; her son Richard, who was placed with the Filicchi firm in Italy, died a few years after his mother. William, the eldest, joined the United States Navy and died in 1868. The most distinguished of his children are Most. Rev. Robert Seton, Archbishop of Heliopolis (author of a memoir of his grandmother, "Roman Essays", and many contributions to the "American Catholic Quarterly" and other reviews), and William Seton (q.v.).
In 1880 Cardinal Gibbons (then Archbishop) urged the steps be taken toward her canonization. The result of the official inquiries in the cause of Mother Seton, held in Baltimore during several years, were brought to Rome by special messenger, and placed in the hands of the postulator of the cause on June 7, 1911.
Elizabeth Ann Seton was beatified in 1963 and canonized on September 14, 1975.
(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition )

CANONIZATION OF ELISABETH ANN SETON
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER PAUL VI
14 September 1975
Yes, Venerable Brothers and beloved sons and daughters! Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Saint! We rejoice and we are deeply moved that our apostolic ministry authorizes us to make this solemn declaration before all of you here present, before the holy Catholic Church, before our other Christian brethren in the world, before the entire American people, and before all humanity. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a Saint! She is the first daughter of the United States of America to be glorified with this incomparable attribute! But what do we mean when we say: «She is a Saint»? We all have some idea of the meaning of this highest title; but it is still difficult for us to make an exact analysis of it. Being a Saint means being perfect, with a perfection that attains the highest level that a human being can reach. A Saint is a human creature fully conformed to the will of God. A Saint is a person in whom all sin-the principle of death-is cancelled out and replaced by the living splendor of divine grace. The analysis of the concept of sanctity brings us to recognize in a soul the mingling of two elements that are entirely different but which come together to produce a single effect: sanctity. One of these elements is the human and moral element, raised to the degree of heroism: heroic virtues are always required by the Church for the recognition of a person's sanctity. The second element is the mystical element, which express the measure and form of divine action in the person chosen by God to realize in herself-always in an original way-the image of Christ (Cfr. Rom. 8, 29).
The science of sanctity is therefore the most interesting, the most varied, the most surprising and the most fascinating of all the studies of that ever mysterious being which is man. The Church has made this study of the life, that is, the interior and exterior history, of Elizabeth Ann Seton. And the Church has exulted with admiration and joy, and has today heard her own charism of truth poured out in the exclamation that we send up to God and announce to the world: She is a Saint! We shall not now give a panegyric, that is, the narrative which glorifies the new Saint. You already know her life and you will certainly study it further. This will be one of the most valuable fruits of the Canonization of the new Saint: to know her, in order to admire in her an outstanding human figure; in order to praise God who is wonderful in his saints; to imitate her example which this ceremony places in a light that will give perennial edification; to invoke her protection, now that we have the certitude of her participation in the exchange of heavenly life in the Mystical Body of Christ, which we call the Communion of Saints and in which we also share, although still belonging to life on earth. We shall not therefore speak of the life of our Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. This is neither the time nor the place for a fitting commemoration of her.
But at least let us mention the chapters in which such a commemoration should be woven. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is an American. All of us say this with spiritual joy, and with the intention of honoring the land and the nation from which she marvellously sprang forth as the first flower in the calendar of the saints. This is the title which, in his original foreword to the excellent work of Father Dirvin, the late Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, attributed to her as primary and characteristic: «Elizabeth Ann Seton was wholly American»! Rejoice, we say to the great nation of the United States of America. Rejoice for your glorious daughter. Be proud of her. And know how to preserve her fruitful heritage. This most beautiful figure of a holy woman presents to the world and to history the affirmation of new and authentic riches that are yours: that religious spirituality which your temporal prosperity seemed to obscure and almost make impossible. Your land too, America, is indeed worthy of receiving into its fertile ground the seed of evangelical holiness. And here is a splendid proof-among many others-of this fact.
May you always be able to cultivate the genuine fruitfulness of evangelical holiness, and ever experience how-far from stunting the flourishing development of your economic, cultural and civic vitality -it will be in its own way the unfailing safeguard of that vitality. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was born, brought up and educated in New York in the Episcopalian Communion. To this Church goes the merit of having awakened and fostered the religious sense and Christian sentiment which in the young Elizabeth were naturally predisposed to the most spontaneous and lively manifestations. We willingly recognize this merit, and, knowing well how much it cost Elizabeth to pass over to the Catholic Church, we admire her courage for adhering to the religious truth and divine reality which were manifested to her therein. And we are likewise pleased to see that from this same adherence to the Catholic Church she experienced great peace and security, and found it natural to preserve all the good things which her membership in the fervent Episcopalian community had taught her, in so many beautiful expressions, especially of religious piety, and that she was always faithful in her esteem and affection for those from whom her Catholic profession had sadly separated her.
For us it is a motive of hope and a presage of ever better ecumenical relations to note the presence at this ceremony of distinguished Episcopalian dignitaries, to whom-interpreting as it were the heartfelt sentiments of the new Saint-we extend our greeting of devotion and good wishes. And then we must note that Elizabeth Seton was the mother of a family and at the same time the foundress of the first Religious Congregation of women in the United States. Although this social and ecclesial condition of hers is not unique or new (we may recall, for example, Saint Birgitta, Saint Frances of Rome, Saint Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal, Saint Louise de Marillac), in a particular way it distinguishes Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton for her complete femininity, so that as we proclaim the supreme exaltation of a woman by the Catholic Church, we are pleased to note that this event coincides with an initiative of the United Nations: International Women's Year. This program aims at promoting an awareness of the obligation incumbent on all to recognize the true role of women in the world and to contribute to their authentic advancement in society. And we rejoice at the bond that is established between this program and today's Canonization, as the Church renders the greatest honor possible to Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton and extols her personal and extraordinary contribution as a woman -a wife, a mother, a widow, and a religious.
May the dynamism and authenticity of her life be an example in our day-and for generations to come-of what women can and must accomplish, in the fulfillment of their role, for the good of humanity. And finally we must recall that the most notable characteristic of our Saint is the fact that she was, as we said, the foundress of the first Religious Congregation of women in the United States. It was an offspring of the religious family of Saint Vincent de Paul, which later divided into various autonomous branches-five principal ones-now spread throughout the world. And yet all of them recognize their origin in the first group, that of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph's, personally established by Saint Elizabeth Seton at Emmitsburg in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The apostolate of helping the poor and the running of parochial schools in America had this humble, poor, courageous and glorious beginning. This account, which constitutes the central nucleus of the earthly history and vorldwide fame of the work of Mother Seton, would merit a more extended treatment. But we know that her spiritual daughters will take care to portray the work itself as it deserves.
And therefore to these chosen daughters of the Saint we direct our special and cordial greeting, with the hope that they may be enabled to be faithful to their providential and holy institution, that their fervor and their numbers may increase, in the constant conviction that they have chosen and followed a sublime vocation that is worthy of being served with the total gift of their heart, the total gift of their lives. And may they always be mindful of the final exhortation of their Foundress Saint those words that she pronounced on her deathbed, like a heavenly testament, on January 2, 1821: «Be children of the Church». And we would add: for ever! And to all our beloved sons and daughters in the United States and throughout the entire Church of God we offer, in the name of Christ, the glorious heritage of Elizabeth Ann Seton. It is above all an ecclesial heritage of strong faith and pure love for God and for others-faith and love that are nourished on the Eucharist and on the Word of God. Yes, brethren, and sons and daughters: the Lord is indeed wonderful in his saints. Blessed be God for ever!
Source: Vatican Website

Collect:
O God, who crowned with the gifts of true faith
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's burning zeal to find you,
grant by her intercession and example
that we may always seek you with diligent love
and find you in daily service with sincere faith.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen
Readings from the Common of Holy Men & Women: For Religious.

Information: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Feast Day: January 4

Born: 28 August 1774 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: 4 January 1821 in Emmitsburg, Maryland

Canonized: 14 September 1975 by Pope Paul VI

Patron of: Catholic Schools; State of Maryland

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Feast Day: January 04
Born: 1774 :: Died: 1821

Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City, USA. They were not Catholics but Episcopalian. Her father, Richard Bayley, was a well-known doctor and her mother, Catherine, died when Elizabeth was just three years old.

As a teenager, she did many things to help poor people. When Elizabeth was nineteen she married William Magee Seton, a rich merchant who owned a fleet of ships. Elizabeth, William and their five children had a happy life together.

But ten years later, William lost his fortune and his good health within a short time. His wife heard that the weather in Italy might help him get better. Elizabeth, William and their oldest daughter, Anna, traveled there by ship. But William did not get better and finally died of tuberculosis.

Elizabeth and Anna remained in Italy as guests of the Filicchi family. The Filicchis were very kind and tried to make Elizabeth and Anna's sorrow easier by sharing their own deep love for the Catholic faith. Elizabeth began to believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

When she returned home to New York she decided to become a Catholic. Her family and friends did not understand. They were very upset, but she went ahead with courage. Elizabeth joined the Church on March 4, 1805.

To support her family and make sure her children received a proper education, Elizabeth opened a school in Boston and ran it like a religious community. A few years later, the archbishop invited Elizabeth to come and open a girls' school in Baltimore.

It was there that Elizabeth decided to live as a sister. Many women came to join her, including her sister, sister-in-law and her own daughters, Anna and Catherine. They became the American Sisters of Charity and Elizabeth was given the title "Mother Seton."

She started many Catholic schools and a few orphanages. She made plans for a hospital, which was opened after her death. Elizabeth loved to write, and she also translated some textbooks from French to English. But Elizabeth was loved most for her care of the poor and the sick. Mother Seton died on January 4, 1821, in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

If something should happen that changes our lives from happy to difficult, let us turn to God as Mother Seton did and ask for His help. God can help bring out our hidden talents and we are then able to do things we never dreamed possible.

[Elizabeth Ann Seton] Chuck the telly!
Nobility in the United States: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
The Conversion of Elizabeth Ann Seton: First American-born Saint
Biography of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 1774-1821
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 4
12.	And when Jesus had heard that John was delivered up, he retired into Galilee:	Cum autem audisset Jesus quod Joannes traditus esset, secessit in Galilæam :	ακουσας δε ο ιησους οτι ιωαννης παρεδοθη ανεχωρησεν εις την γαλιλαιαν
13.	And leaving the city Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capharnaum on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim;	et, relicta civitate Nazareth, venit, et habitavit in Capharnaum maritima, in finibus Zabulon et Nephthalim :	και καταλιπων την ναζαρετ ελθων κατωκησεν εις καπερναουμ την παραθαλασσιαν εν οριοις ζαβουλων και νεφθαλειμ
14.	That it might be fulfilled which was said by Isaias the prophet:	ut adimpleretur quod dictum est per Isaiam prophetam :	ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος
15.	Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:	Terra Zabulon, et terra Nephthalim, via maris trans Jordanem, Galilæa gentium :	γη ζαβουλων και γη νεφθαλειμ οδον θαλασσης περαν του ιορδανου γαλιλαια των εθνων
16.	The people that sat in darkness, hath seen great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.	populus, qui sedebat in tenebris, vidit lucem magnam : et sedentibus in regione umbræ mortis, lux orta est eis.	ο λαος ο καθημενος εν σκοτει ειδεν φως μεγα και τοις καθημενοις εν χωρα και σκια θανατου φως ανετειλεν αυτοις
17.	From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.	Exinde cœpit Jesus prædicare, et dicere : Pœnitentiam agite : appropinquavit enim regnum cælorum.	απο τοτε ηρξατο ο ιησους κηρυσσειν και λεγειν μετανοειτε ηγγικεν γαρ η βασιλεια των ουρανων
[...]
23.	And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom: and healing all manner of sickness and every infirmity, among the people.	Et circuibat Jesus totam Galilæam, docens in synagogis eorum, et prædicans Evangelium regni : et sanans omnem languorem, et omnem infirmitatem in populo.	και περιηγεν ολην την γαλιλαιαν ο ιησους διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων και κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας και θεραπευων πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν εν τω λαω
24.	And his fame went throughout all Syria, and they presented to him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and such as were possessed by devils, and lunatics, and those that had palsy, and he cured them:	Et abiit opinio ejus in totam Syriam, et obtulerunt ei omnes male habentes, variis languoribus, et tormentis comprehensos, et qui dæmonia habebant, et lunaticos, et paralyticos, et curavit eos :	και απηλθεν η ακοη αυτου εις ολην την συριαν και προσηνεγκαν αυτω παντας τους κακως εχοντας ποικιλαις νοσοις και βασανοις συνεχομενους και δαιμονιζομενους και σεληνιαζομενους και παραλυτικους και εθεραπευσεν αυτους
25.	And much people followed him from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.	et secutæ sunt eum turbæ multæ de Galilæa, et Decapoli, et de Jerosolymis, et de Judæa, et de trans Jordanem.	και ηκολουθησαν αυτω οχλοι πολλοι απο της γαλιλαιας και δεκαπολεως και ιεροσολυμων και ιουδαιας και περαν του ιορδανου

12. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee;
13. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nepthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

RABANUS; Matthew having related the forty days' fast, the temptation of Christ, and the ministry of Angels, proceeds, Jesus having heard that John was cast into prison.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. By God without doubt, for none can effect anything against a holy man, unless God deliver him up. He withdrew into Galilee, that is, out of Judea; both that the might reserve His passion to the fit time, and that he might set us an example of flying from danger.

CHRYS. It is not blameworthy not to throw one's self into peril, but when one has fallen into it, not to endure manfully. He departed from Judea both to soften Jewish animosity, and to fulfill a prophecy, seeking moreover to fish for those masters of the world who dwelt in Galilee. Note also how when he would depart to the Gentiles, he received good cause from the Jews; His forernuner was thrown into prison, which compelled Jesus to pass into Galilee of the Gentiles.

GLOSS. He came as Luke writes to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and there entering into the synagogue, he read and spoke many things, for which they sought to throw Him down from the rock, and thence he went to Capernaum; for which Matthew has only, And leaving the town of Nazareth, He came and dwelt at Capernum.

GLOSS; Nazareth is a village in Galilee near Mount Tabor; Capernaurn a town in Galilee of the Gentiles near the Lake of Gennesaret; and this is the meaning of the word, on the sea coast. He adds further in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtali, where was the first captivity of time Jews by the Assyrians. Thus where the Law was first forgotten, there the Gospel was first preached; and from a place as it were between the two it was spread both to Jews and Gentiles.

REMIG. He left one, viz. Nazareth, that he might enlighten more by His preaching and miracles. Thus leaving an example to all preachers that they should preach at a time and in places where they may do good, to as many as possible. In the prophecy, the words are these, At that first time the land of Zabuiloun and the land of Naphtali was lightened, and at the last time was increased the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

JEROME; They are said at the first time to be lightened from the burden of sin, because in the country of these two tribes, the Savior first preached the Gospel; at the last time their faith was increased, most of the Jews remaining in error. By the sea here is meant the Lake of Gennesaret, a lake formed by the waters of the Jordan, on its shores are the towns of Capernaum, Tiberias, Bethsaida, and Corozaim, in which district principally Christ preached. Or, according to the interpretation of those Hebrews who believe in Christ, the two tribes Zabulon and Naphtali were taken captive by the Assyrians, and Galilee was left desert; and the prophet therefore says that it was lightened, because it had before suffered the sins of the people; but afterwards the remaining tribes who dwelt beyond Jordan and in Samaria were led into captivity; and Scripture here means that the region which had been the first to suffer captivity, now was the first to see the light of Christ's preaching. The Nazarenes again interpret that this was the first part of the country that, on the coming of Christ, was freed from the errors of the Pharisees, and after by the Gospel of the Apostle Paul, the preaching was increased or multiplied throughout all the countries of the Gentiles.

GLOSS. But Matthew here quotes the passage as to make them all nominative cases referring to one verb. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Naphtali, which is the way of the sea, and which is beyond Jordan, viz. the people of Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which walked in darkness.

GLOSS. Note that there are two Galilees; one of the Jews, the other of the Gentiles. This division of Galilee had existed from Solomon's time, who gave twenty cities in Galilee to Hyram, King of Tyre; this part was afterwards called Galilee of the Gentiles; the remainder, of the Jews.

JEROME; Or we must read beyond Jordan, of Galilee of the Gentiles; so, I mean, that the people who either sat, or walked in darkness, have seen light, and that not a faint light, as the light of the Prophets, but a great light, as of Him who in the Gospel speaks thus, I am the light of the world. Between death and the shadow of death I suppose this difference; death is said of such as have gone down to the grave with the works of death; the shadow of such as live in sin, and have not yet departed from this world; these may, if they will, yet turn to repentance.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Otherwise, the Gentiles who worshipped idols, and demons, were they who sat in the region of the shadow of death; the Jews, who did the works of the Law, were in darkness, because the righteousness of God was not yet manifested to them.

CHRYS. But that you may learn that he speaks not of natural day and night, he calls the light, a great light, which is in other places called the true light; and he adds, the shadow of death, to explain what he means by darkness. The words arose, and shined, Show, that they found it not of their own seeking, but God Himself appeared to them they did not first run to the light; for many were in the greatest miseries before Christ's coming; they did not walk but sat in darkness; which was a sign that they hoped for deliverance; for as not knowing what way they should go, shut in by darkness they sat down, having now no power to stand. By darkness he means here, error and ungodliness.

RABAN. In allegory, John and the rest of the Prophets were the voice going before the Word. When prophecy ceased and was fettered, then came the Word, fulfilling what the Prophet had spoken of it, He departed into Galilee, i.e. from figure to verity. Or, into the Church, which is a passing from vice to virtue. Nazareth is interpreted 'a flower,' Capernaum, 'the beautiful village;' He left therefore the flower of figure, (in which was mystically intended the fruit of the Gospel,) and came into the Church, which was beautiful with Christ's virtues. It is by the sea-coast, because placed near the waves of this world, it is daily beaten by the storms of persecution. It is situated between Zabuloin and Naphtali, i.e. common to Jews and Gentiles. Zabulon is interpreted, 'the abode of strength;' because the Apostles, who were chosen from Judaea, were strong. Nephtali, 'extension,' because the Church of the Gentiles was extended through the world.

AUG. John relates in his Gospel the calling of Peter, Andrew, and Nathanael, and the miracle in Cana, before Jesus' departure into Galilee; all these things the other Evangelists have omitted, carrying on the thread of their narrative with Jesus' return into Galilee. We must understand then that some days intervened, during which the things took place concerning the calling of the disciples which John relates.

REMIG. But this should be considered with more care, viz. that John says that the Lord went into Galilee, before John the Baptist was thrown into prison. According to John's Gospel after the water turned into wine and his going down to Capernaum, and after his going up to Jerusalem, he returned into Judea and baptized, and John was not yet cast into prison. But here it is after John's imprisonment that he retires into Galilee, and with this Mark agrees. But we need not suppose any contradiction here. John speaks of the Lord's first coming into Galilee, which was before the imprisonment of John. He speaks in another place of His second coming into Galilee, and the other Evangelists mention only this second coming into Galilee which was after John's imprisonment.

EUSEB. It is related that John preached the Gospel almost up to the close of his life without setting forth anything in writing, and at length came to write for this reason. The three first written Gospels having come to his knowledge, he confirmed the truth of their history by his own testimony; but there were yet some things wanting, especially an account of what the Lord had done at the first beginning of His preaching. And it is true that the other three Gospels seem to contain only those things which were done in that year in which John the Baptist was put into prison, or executed. For Matthew, after the temptation, proceeds immediately, Hearing that John was delivered up; and Mark in like manner. Luke again, even before relating one of Christ's actions, tells that Herod had shut up John in prison. The Apostle John then was requested to put into writing what the preceding Evangelists had left out before the imprisonment of John; hence he says in his Gospel, this beginning of miracles did Jesus.

17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Christ's Gospel should be preached by him who can control his appetites, who contemns the goods of this life, and desires not empty honors. From this time began Jesus to preach, that is, after having been tempted, he had overcome hunger in the desert, despised covetousness on the mountain, rejected ambitious desires in the temple. Or from the time that John was delivered up; for had he begun to preach while John was yet preaching, He would have made John be lightly accounted of, and John's preaching would have been thought superfluous by the side of Christ's teaching; as when the sun rises at the same time with the morning star, the star's brightness is hid.

CHRYS. For another cause also he did not preach till John was in prison, that the multitude might not be split into two parties; or as John did no miracle, all men would have been drawn to Christ by His miracles.

RABAN. In this he further teaches that none should despise the words of a person inferior to Him; as also the Apostle, If anything be revealed to him; that sits, let the first hold his peace.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He did wisely in making new the beginning of His preaching, that he should not trample upon John's teaching, but that he might the rather confirm it and demonstrate him to have been a true witness.

JEROME; Showing also thereby that He was Son of that same God whose prophet John was; and therefore he says, Repent you.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. he does not straightway preach righteousness which all knew, but repentance, which all needed. Who then dared to say, 'I desire to be good, but am not able?' For repentance corrects the will, and if you will not repent through fear of evil, at least you may for the pleasure of good things; hence he says, the kingdom of heaven is at hand; that is, the blessings of the heavenly kingdom. As if He had said, Prepare yourselves by repentance, for the time of eternal reward is at hand.

REMIG. And note, He does not say the kingdom of the Canaanite, or the Jebusite, is at hand; but the kingdom of heaven. The law promised worldly goods, but the Lord heavenly kingdoms.

CHRYS. Also observe how that in this His first address he says nothing of Himself openly; and that very suitably to the case, for they had yet no right opinion concerning Him. In this commencement moreover he speaks nothing severe, nothing burdensome, as John bad concerning the ax laid to the root of the condemned tree, and the like; but he puts first things merciful, preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of heaven.

JEROME; Mystically interpreted, Christ begins to preach as soon as John was delivered to prison, because when the Law ceased, the Gospel commenced.

23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24. And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought to Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them.
25. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Kings, when about to go to war with their enemies, first gather an army, and so go out to battle; thus the Lord when about to war against the Devil, first collected Apostles, and then began to preach the Gospel.

REMIG. An example of life for doctors; that they should not be inactive, they are instructed in these words, And Jesus went about.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Because they being weak could not come to their physician, he as a zealous Physician went about to visit those who had any grievous sickness; The Lord went round the several regions, and after His example the pastors of each region ought to go round to study the several dispositions of their people, that for the remedy of each disease some medicine may be found in the Church.

REMIG. That they should not be acceptors of persons the preachers are instructed in what follows, the whole of Galilee. That they should not go about empty, by the word teaching. That they should seek to benefit not few but many, in what follows, in their synagogues.

CHRYS. By which too He showed the Jews that he came not as an enemy of God, or a seducer of souls, but as consenting with his Father.

REMIG. That they should not preach error nor fable, but sound doctrine, is inculcated in the words, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. 'Teaching' and 'preaching' differ; teaching refers to things present, preaching to things to come; He taught present commandments and preached future promises.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, he taught natural righteousness, those things which natural reason teaches, as chastity, humility, and the like, which all men of themselves see to be goods. Such things are necessary to be taught not so much for the sake of making them known as for stirring the heart. For beneath the prevalence of carnal delights the knowledge of natural righteousness sleeps forgotten. When then a teacher begins to denounce carnal sins, his teaching does not bring up a new knowledge, but recalls to memory one that had been forgotten. But He preached the Gospel, in telling of good things which the ancients had manifestly not heard of, as the happiness of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the like. Or, He taught by interpreting the prophecies concerning himself; He preached by declaring the benefits that were to come from Himself.

REMIG. That the teacher should study to commend his teaching by his own virtuous conduct is conveyed in those words, healing every sort of disease and malady among the people; maladies of the body, diseases of the soul.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, by disease we may understand any passion of the mind, as avarice, lust, and such like, by malady unbelief, that is, weakness of faith. Or, the diseases are the more grievous pains of the body, the maladies the slighter. As he cured the bodily pains by virtue of His divine power, so he cured the spiritual by the word of His mercy. He first teaches, and then performs the cures, for two reasons. First, that what is needed most may come first; for it is the word of holy instruction, and not miracles, that edify the soul. Secondly, because teaching is commended by miracles, not the converse.

CHRYS. We must consider that when some great change is being wrought, as the introduction of a new polity, God is accustomed to work miracles, giving pledges of His power to those who are to receive His laws. Thus when he would make man, he first created a world, and then at length gave man in paradise a law. When he would dispense a law to the holy Noah, he showed truly great wonders; and again when he was about to ordain the Law for the Jews, he first showed great prodigies, and then at length gave them the commandments. So now when about to introduce a sublime discipline of life, He first provided a sanction to His instructions by mighty signs, because the eternal kingdom He preached was not seen, by the things which did appear, he made sure that which as yet did not appear.

GLOSS. Because preachers should have good testimony from those who are without, lest if their life is open to censure, their preaching be contemned, he adds, And the fame of him went abroad through all Syria.

RABAN. Syria here is all the region from Euphrates to the Great sea, from Cappadocia to Egypt, in which is the country of Palestine, inhabited by Jews.

CHRYS. Observe the reserve of the Evangelist; he does not give an account of any one of the various cases of healing, but passes in one brief phrase an abundance of miracles, they brought to him all their sick.

REMIG. By these he would have us understand various but slighter diseases; but when he says, seized with divers sicknesses and torments, he would have those understood, of whom it is subjoined, and who had demons.

GLOSS. 'Sickness' means a hasting ailment; 'tutiment' is an acute pain, as pleurisy, and such like; they who had demons are they who were tormented by the demons.

REMIG. 'Lunatics' are so called from the moon; for as it waxes in its monthly seasons they are tormented.

JEROME; Not really smitten by the moon, but who were believed to be so through the subtlety of the demons, who by observing the seasons of the moon, sought to bring an evil report against the creature, that it might result to the blasphemy of the Creator.

AUG. Demons are enticed to take up their abode in many creatures, (created not by themselves but God,) by delights adapted to their various natures; not that they are animals, drawn by meats; but spirits attracted by signs which agree with each one's taste.

RABAN. Paralytics are those whose bodies have their nerves slackened or resolved from a Greek word, signifying this.

PSEUD-CHRYS. In some places it is, He cured many; but here, He cured them, meaning 'all;' as a new physician first entering a town cures all who come to him to beget a good opinion concerning himself

CHRYS. He requires no direct profession of faith from them , both because he had not yet given them any proofs of His miraculous power, and because in bringing their sick from fat they had shown no small faith.

RABAN. The crowds that followed Him consisted of four sorts of men, some followed for the heavenly teaching as disciples, some for the curing of their diseases, some from the reports concerning Him alone, and curiosity to find whether they were true; others from envy, wishing to catch Him in some matter that they might accuse Him. Mystically, Syria is interpreted lofty Galilee, 'turning:' or ' a wheel;' that is, the Devil and the world; the Devil is both proud and always turned round to the bottom; the world in which the fame of Christ went abroad through preaching: the demoniacs are the idolaters; the lunatics, the unstable; the paralytics, the slow and careless.

GLOSS. The crowds that follow the Lord, are they of the Church, which is spiritually designated by Galilee, passing to virtuousness; Decapolis is he who keeps the Ten Commandments; Jerusalem and Judea, be who is enlightened by the vision of peace and confession; and beyond Jordan, he what having passed the waters of Baptism enters the land of promise.

REMIG. Or, they follow the Lord from Galilee, that is, from the unstable world; from Decapolis, (the country of ten towns,) signifying those who break the Ten Commandments and from Jerusalem, because before it was preserved unhurt in peace; and from Jordan, that is, from the confession of the Devil; and from beyond Jordan, they who were first planted in paganism, but passing the water of Baptism came to Christ.

Catena Aurea Matthew 4

Christ teaching the Lord's Prayer

AD ca. 1200
Miniature on vellum
Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague

Monday

January 4, 2016

To Be As One

â€œ In this Year of Mercy, it is important during January for us to consider, contemplate, and act on Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue.

Jesus said, â€œHoly Father, keep them in your name that you
have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.â€

â€œChiara Lubich is the founder of Focolare, a movement that promotes unity, reconciliation and the spirit of love. In one of her writings she points out: ‘In this world we are all brothers and sisters and yet we pass each other as if we were strangers.’ Too true. Even in our Sunday gatherings we often do not know the people around us. We come and we go. We cling to our own paths too frequently, and seldom know the richness of the people around us; seldom are able to share and celebrate their triumphs; seldom able to share and grieve their losses. And yet, Jesus calls us to be one as he and the Father are one; to be one in knowing each other and loving one another.â€ ~ An excerpt from a Paulist blog post by Fr. John Geaney, CSP, May 2015

If you desire to learn more ways to foster healing and reconciliation in and among Godâ€™s people, visit the Paulist website. ___________________________________________________________________________________

Year of Mercy Calendar for today: Pray for Christian Unity this week.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, January 4

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton, a widow with 5 children, and foundress
of the Sisters of Charity. In 1808 the
Archbishop of Baltimore asked her to open an
all-girl's school which became the first Catholic
school in America.

Catholic Culture

Christmas: January 4th

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

MASS READINGS

January 04, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who crowned with the gift of true faith Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's burning zeal to find you, grant by her intercession and example that we may always seek you with diligent love and find you in daily service with sincere faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Born in New York, Elizabeth Seton married and became a mother of five children. After her husband's death, she converted to Catholicism and founded the American Sisters of Charity, a community of teaching sisters which began Catholic schools throughout the United States, especially helping with the education of underprivileged children. Mother Seton laid the foundation of the American parochial school system and was the first native-born American to be canonized.

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
This wife, mother and foundress of a religious congregation was born Elizabeth Ann Bayley on August 28, 1774 in New York City, the daughter of an eminent physician and professor at what is now Columbia University. Brought up as an Episcopalian, she received an excellent education, and from her early years she manifested an unusual concern for the poor.

In 1794 Elizabeth married William Seton, with whom she had five children. The loss of their fortune so affected William's health that in 1803 Elizabeth and William went to stay with Catholic friends at Livorno, Italy. William died six weeks after their arrival, and when Elizabeth returned to New York City some six months later, she was already a convinced Catholic. She met with stern opposition from her Episcopalian friends but was received into full communion with the Catholic Church on March 4, 1805.

Abandoned by her friends and relatives, Elizabeth was invited by the superior of the Sulpicians in Baltimore to found a school for girls in that city. The school prospered, and eventually the Sulpician superior, with the approval of Bishop Carroll, gave Elizabeth and her assistants a rule of life. They were also permitted to make religious profession and to wear a religious habit.

In 1809 Elizabeth moved her young community to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she adopted as a rule of life an adaptation of the rule observed by the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. Although she did not neglect the ministry to the poor, and especially to Negroes, she actually laid the foundation for what became the American parochial school system. She trained teachers and prepared textbooks for use in the schools; she also opened orphanages in Philadelphia and New York City.

She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, was beatified by Pope John XXIII in 1963, and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patron: Death of children; in-law problems; loss of parents; opposition of Church authorities; people ridiculed for their piety; Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana; widows.

Things to Do:

Meditate on these words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, "What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do His Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner He wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is His willl. I know what is His will by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small in itself, is the will of God for me. Then, do it in the manner He wills it."

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious (Memorial)

Teaching … proclaiming … curing … (Matthew 4:23)

Are you a basketball fan? If so, you have probably heard of the “triple threat.” This is when the offensive player has three choices of what to do with the ball: dribble, pass, or shoot. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ fame is spreading like wildfire, and he, too, has a triple threat. But instead of making a choice, he does all three: he teaches, proclaims, and cures. Perhaps his approach holds some insights for us.

By using a three-pronged approach, Jesus made sure that he reached as many people as possible. While teaching, he explained passages, answered questions, and challenged the traditional ways of thinking. By proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, he encouraged, blessed, comforted, and restored people, telling them about the freedom that could be theirs. By curing diseases, he made the kingdom of God a tangible reality that could meet the needs of the people he encountered.

You might be thinking: “Okay, this is true for Jesus, but I can’t do these things.” Well, maybe you can, and maybe you already have. Have you ever answered a question about your faith? Or maybe a comment from a friend challenged you to dig deeper and understand something. You are learning how to teach! Have you ever shared about anything that God has done for you? You have proclaimed the gospel! Have you ever reached out to someone in need or prayed for someone who is sick? You are a healing presence in a hurting world!

The rapid spread of the gospel that Matthew describes here is not limited to Jesus’ day and age. He wants to work through each of us to reach as many people as possible. He wants to use you.

So the next time someone asks you a question, answer it with kindness and love. The Lord will help you if you stay close to him. When someone needs an encouraging word, ask Jesus to bless the words you speak. You may not realize how comforting your witness can be. If someone is in need, look for ways you can help. It may be small, but it can make all the difference. It may not seem like much, but you can spread the gospel everywhere you go!

“Lord, use me to share the good news of your kingdom with everyone I meet today.”

1 John 3:22–4:6
Psalm 2:7-8, 10-12

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 4, 2016:

January is poverty awareness month. How can you as a family help the poor, especially those in your own community? At the least, remember in your prayers today those who are struggling to meet their basic needs.

Regnum Christi

The Passing of the Torch

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Matthew 4: 12-17; 23-25

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

Introductory Prayer: My heavenly Father, you made me out of your infinite love. Even though I have failed to love you as a good child should, still you send me gift upon gift. You sent your Son to redeem me and to make me one with you, in and through your Son. You and your only beloved Son sent your Spirit of love and truth, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in me. Thank you for bringing me into the intimacy of your Triune love. In return, I offer you my own heart and my desire to respond generously to whatever you ask of me.

Petition: Jesus, help me to open my heart to you.

The True Light Is Here: John the Baptist did all that the Father had asked. Through it all he remained humble. The people thought he was the Christ; however, he would not allow the winds of pride to extinguish the light of truth, so he proclaimed that he was not the Christ. The world rewarded John the Baptist with silence and death. On the contrary, what treasure did God bestow upon him for his fidelity? Acclaim – “Welcome my good and faithful servant” – and eternal life. John was merely the voice calling people to repent and convert. Now the Word himself proclaims these words. John was a voice in the wilderness. Now the Word who is light and life itself enters the public scene. May the light of truth open our hearts to the true and everlasting Kingdom. Am I able to distinguish between what is gold in God’s eyes and what glistens so attractively yet is merely “fool’s gold”? Is this capacity consistent with what I preach by my word and example?

Jesus Preaches with More Than Words: Our Lord Jesus went about doing only good: healing the sick, comforting the lonely, forgiving sinners, and preaching the Gospel. Our faith tells us this, and we can visualize it as we read the Gospel. But do we really encounter our Lord like those who crossed his path 2,000 years ago? I can answer this question by looking at my life: Do I live more and more like Christ, or not? Do I appreciate and thank Christ for all the good he has done in my life? Do I want with all of my heart to be with Christ forever, on earth and in heaven? Where my heart is, there is my treasure. Like Christ, I am called to preach with more than words.

People Respond to the Truth: A disciple of Christ can never be discouraged, because people do respond to the truth, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see this throughout the Gospels and throughout the history of the Church. When our efforts to evangelize seem to fall on hard ground, we need to examine how we will react. Christ commanded us to preach his gospel in word and deed. He demanded that we produce fruit. Christ also said we would do greater things than he did. We also know that Christ has defeated sin and death. Knowing all this, how can we be discouraged by the lack of fruit in our efforts to evangelize? We do the work, and Christ takes care of the rest. It’s that simple.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you came to save sinners; enter into my life anew on this new day. Remove all fear that I have of you, Lord Jesus. Teach me that you are a God of compassion and that you are meek and humble of heart.

Resolution: I will develop a simple plan to help my parish in its efforts to evangelize.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 32, Issue 1

<< Monday, January 4, 2016 >>

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

1 John 3:22â€”4:6
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Psalm 2:7-8, 10-12

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
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THE DOWN PAYMENT

"And this is how we know that He remains in us: from the Spirit that He gave us." â€”1 John 3:24

At the Christmas season, we celebrate not only Immanuel, "God with us" but also God within us. "Those who keep His commandments remain in Him and He in them" (1 Jn 3:24; see also 1 Jn 4:16; 5:20; Jn 14:20; 6:56; 17:23). Christ in us is our "hope of glory" (Col 1:27).

However, "perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you" (2 Cor 13:5). "This is how we know that He remains in us: from the Spirit that He gave us" (1 Jn 3:24; 4:13). The Holy Spirit is "the first Payment" (2 Cor 1:22). "He is the Pledge of our inheritance, the first Payment against the full redemption of a people God has made His own, to praise His glory" (Eph 1:14). For example, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church, the Body of Christ, continues Christ's ministry of healing by curing "the people of every disease and illness" (Mt 4:23). When we see others healed or when we ourselves are healed, this work of the Holy Spirit gives us reason to believe that all God's promises are true â€” including His promise to live within us.

When we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), we walk and believe by the light of the Holy Spirit. Come, only true Christmas Spirit! Come, Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Father, "I believe! Help my lack of faith!" (Mk 9:24, our transl.)

Promise: "A people living in darkness has seen a great light. On those who inhabit a land overshadowed by death, light has arisen." â€”Mt 4:16

Praise: St. Elizabeth, the first native-born American to be canonized, was a convert to Catholicism at age thirty. Though she only lived sixteen more years, she walked by faith and led many others to faith in Christ.