Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-23-17, St. Clement I, St. Miguel Augustin Pro, Thanksgiving

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 11-23-17 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Prayer of Thanksgiving for Our Priests

You came from among us to be, for us, one who serves.
We thank you for ministering Christ to us
and helping us minister Christ to each other.
We are grateful for the many gifts you bring to our community -
For drawing us together in worship,
for visiting us in our homes,
for comforting us in sickness,
for showing us compassion,
for uniting us in marriage,
for baptising our children,
for confirming us in our calling,
for supporting us in bereavement,
for helping us to grow in faith,
for encouraging us to take the initiative,
for helping the whole community realise God’s presence among us.
For our part, we pray that we may always be attentive to your needs
and never take you for granted.
You, like us, need friendship and love,
welcome and a sense of belonging,
kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.
We pray also for the Priests who have wounded Priesthood.
May we be willing to forgive and may they be open to healing.
God our Father, we ask you to bless our Priests
and confirm them in their calling.
Give them the gifts they need to respond with generosity and a joyful heart.
We offer this prayer for our Priests, who are our brothers and friends.

Amen.

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 17
11.	And it came to pass, as he was going to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.	Et factum est, dum iret in Jerusalem, transibat per mediam Samariam et Galilæam.	και εγενετο εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτον εις ιερουσαλημ και αυτος διηρχετο δια μεσου σαμαρειας και γαλιλαιας
12.	And as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off;	Et cum ingrederetur quoddam castellum, occurrerunt ei decem viri leprosi, qui steterunt a longe :	και εισερχομενου αυτου εις τινα κωμην απηντησαν αυτω δεκα λεπροι ανδρες οι εστησαν πορρωθεν
13.	And lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, master, have mercy on us.	et levaverunt vocem, dicentes : Jesu præceptor, miserere nostri.	και αυτοι ηραν φωνην λεγοντες ιησου επιστατα ελεησον ημας
14.	Whom when he saw, he said: Go, shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean.	Quos ut vidit, dixit : Ite, ostendite vos sacerdotibus. Et factum est, dum irent, mundati sunt.	και ιδων ειπεν αυτοις πορευθεντες επιδειξατε εαυτους τοις ιερευσιν και εγενετο εν τω υπαγειν αυτους εκαθαρισθησαν
15.	And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God.	Unus autem ex illis, ut vidit quia mundatus est, regressus est, cum magna voce magnificans Deum,	εις δε εξ αυτων ιδων οτι ιαθη υπεστρεψεν μετα φωνης μεγαλης δοξαζων τον θεον
16.	And he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan.	et cecidit in faciem ante pedes ejus, gratias agens : et hic erat Samaritanus.	και επεσεν επι προσωπον παρα τους ποδας αυτου ευχαριστων αυτω και αυτος ην σαμαρειτης
17.	And Jesus answering, said, Were not ten made clean? and where are the nine?	Respondens autem Jesus, dixit : Nonne decem mundati sunt ? et novem ubi sunt ?	αποκριθεις δε ο ιησους ειπεν ουχι οι δεκα εκαθαρισθησαν οι δε εννεα που
18.	There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger.	Non est inventus qui rediret, et daret gloriam Deo, nisi hic alienigena.	ουχ ευρεθησαν υποστρεψαντες δουναι δοξαν τω θεω ει μη ο αλλογενης ουτος
19.	And he said to him: Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole.	Et ait illi : Surge, vade : quia fides tua te salvum fecit.	και ειπεν αυτω αναστας πορευου η πιστις σου σεσωκεν σε

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11. And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14. And when he saw them, he said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18. There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19. And he said to him, Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole.

AMBROSE; After speaking the foregoing parable, our Lord censures the ungrateful;

TITUS BOST. saying, And it came to pass, showing that the Samaritans were indeed well disposed towards the mercies above mentioned, but the Jews not so. For there was enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans, and He to allay this, passed into the midst of both nations, that he might cement both into one new man.

CYRIL; The Savior next manifests His glory by drawing over Israel to the faith. As it follows, And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, men who were banished from the towns and cities, and counted unclean, according to the rites of the Mosaic law.

TITUS BOST. They associated together from the sympathy they felt as partakers of the same calamity, and were waiting till Jesus passed, anxiously looking out to see Him approach. As it is said, Which stood afar off, for the Jewish law esteems leprosy unclean, whereas the law of the Gospel calls unclean not the outward, but the inward leprosy.

THEOPHYL. They therefore stand afar off as if ashamed of the uncleanness which was impaled to them, thinking that Christ would loathe them as others did. Thus they stood afar off, but were made nigh to Him by their prayers. For the Lord is nigh to all them that call upon him in truth. Therefore it follows, And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us.

TITUS BOST. They pronounce the name of Jesus, and gain to themselves the reality. For Jesus is by interpretation Savior. They say, Have mercy upon us, because they were sensible of His power, and sought neither for gold and silver, but that their bodies might put on again a healthful appearance.

THEOPHYL. They do not merely supplicate or entreat Him as if He were a man, but they call Him Master or Lord, as if almost they looked upon Him as God. But He bids them show themselves to the priests, as it follows, And when he saw them, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests. For they were examined whether they were cleansed from their leprosy or not.

CYRIL; The law also ordered, that those who were cleansed from leprosy should offer sacrifice for the sake of their purification.

THEOPHYL. Therefore in bidding them go to the priests he meant nothing more than that they were just about to be healed; and so it follows, And it came to pass that as they went they were healed.

CYRIL; Whereby the Jewish priests who were jealous of His glory might know that it was by Christ granting them health that they were suddenly and miraculously healed.

THEOPHYL. But out of the ten, the nine Israelites were ungrateful, whereas the Samaritan stranger returned and lifted up his voice in thanksgiving, as it follows, And one of them turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.

TITUS BOST. When he found that he was cleansed, he had boldness to draw near, as it follows, And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks. Thus by his prostration and prayers shelving at once both his faith and his gratitude. It follows, And he was a Samaritan.

THEOPHYL. We may gather from this that a man is not one whit hindered from pleasing God because he comes from a cursed race, only let him bear in his heart an honest purpose. Further, let not him that is born of saints boast himself, for the nine who were Israelites were ungrateful; and hence it follows, And Jesus answering him said, Were there not ten cleansed?

TITUS BOST. Wherein it is shown, that strangers were more ready to receive the faith, but Israel was slow to believe; and so it follows, And he said to him, Arise, go your way, your faith has made you whole.

AUG. The lepers may be taken mystically for those who, having no knowledge of the true faith, profess various erroneous doctrines. For they do not conceal their ignorance, but brazen it forth as the highest wisdom, making a vain show of it with boasting words. But since leprosy is a blemish in color, when true things appear clumsily mixed up with false in a single discourse or narration, as in the color of a single body, they represent a leprosy streaking and disfiguring as it were with true and false dyes the color of the human form. Now these lepers must be so put away from the Church, that being as far removed as possible, they may with loud shouts call upon Christ. But by their calling Him Teacher, I think it is plainly implied that leprosy is truly the false doctrine which the good teacher may wash away. Now we find that of those upon whom our Lord bestowed bodily mercies, not one did He send to the priests, save the lepers, for the Jewish priesthood was a figure of that priesthood which is in the Church. All vices our Lord corrects and heals by His own power working inwardly in the conscience, but the teaching of infusion by means of the Sacrament, or of catechizing by word of mouth, was assigned to the Church. And as they went, they were cleansed; just as the Gentiles to whom Peter came, having not yet received the sacrament of Baptism, whereby we come spiritual to the priests, are declared cleansed by the infusion of the Holy Spirit. Whoever then follows true and sound doctrine in the fellowship of the Church, proclaiming himself to be free from the confusion of lies, as it were a leprosy, yet still ungrateful to his Cleanser does not prostrate himself with pious humility of thanksgiving, is like to those of whom the Apostle says, that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, nor were thankful. Such then will remain in the ninth number as imperfect. For the nine need one, that by a certain form of unity they may be cemented together, in order to become ten. But he who gave thanks was approved of as a type of the one only Church. And since these were Jews, they are declared to have lost through pride the kingdom of heaven, wherein most of all unity is preserved. But the man who was a Samaritan, which is by interpretation “guardian,” giving back to Him who gave it that which he had received, according to the Psalm, My strength will I preserve for you, has kept the unity of the kingdom with humble devotion.

BEDE; He fell upon his face, because he blushes with shame when he remembers the evils he had committed. And he is commended to rise and walk, because he who, knowing his own weakness, lies lowly on the ground, is led to advance by the consolation of the divine word to mighty deeds. But if faith made him whole, who hurried himself back to give thanks, therefore does unbelief destroy those who have neglected to give glory to God for mercies received. Wherefore that we ought to increase our faith by humility, as it is declared in the former parable, so in this is it exemplified in the actions themselves.

Catena Aurea Luke 17

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Christ healing the ten lepers

Decani, Serbia

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 19
41.	And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying:	Et ut appropinquavit, videns civitatem flevit super illam, dicens :	και ως ηγγισεν ιδων την πολιν εκλαυσεν επ αυτη
42.	If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes.	Quia si cognovisses et tu, et quidem in hac die tua, quæ ad pacem tibi : nunc autem abscondita sunt ab oculis tuis.	λεγων οτι ει εγνως και συ και γε εν τη ημερα σου ταυτη τα προς ειρηνην σου νυν δε εκρυβη απο οφθαλμων σου
43.	For the days shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side,	Quia venient dies in te : et circumdabunt te inimici tui vallo, et circumdabunt te : et coangustabunt te undique :	οτι ηξουσιν ημεραι επι σε και περιβαλουσιν οι εχθροι σου χαρακα σοι και περικυκλωσουσιν σε και συνεξουσιν σε παντοθεν
44.	And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.	et ad terram prosternent te, et filios tuos, qui in te sunt, et non relinquent in te lapidem super lapidem : eo quod non cognoveris tempus visitationis tuæ.	και εδαφιουσιν σε και τα τεκνα σου εν σοι και ουκ αφησουσιν εν σοι λιθον επι λιθω ανθ ων ουκ εγνως τον καιρον της επισκοπης σου

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41. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42. Saying, If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hid from your eyes.
43. For the days shall come upon you, that your enemies shall cast a trench about you, and compass you round, and keep you in on every side,
44. And shall lay you even with the ground, and your children within you; and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another; because you knew not the time of your visitation.

ORIGEN; All the blessings which Jesus pronounced in His Gospel He confirms by His own example, as having declared, Blessed are the meek; He afterwards sanctions it by saying, Learn of me, for I am meek; and because He had said, Blessed are they that weep, He Himself also wept over the city.

CYRIL; For Christ had compassion upon the Jews, who wills that all men should be saved. Which had not been plain to us, were it not revealed by a certain mark of His humanity. For tears poured forth are the tokens of sorrow.

GREG. The merciful Redeemer wept then over the fall of the false city, which that city itself knew not was about to come upon it. As it is added, saying, If you had known, even you (we may here understand) would weep. You who now rejoice, for you know not what is at hand. It follows, at least in this your day. For when she gave herself up to carnal pleasures, she had the things which in her day might be her peace. But why she had present goods for her peace, is explained by what follows, But now they are hidden from your eyes. For if the eyes of her heart had not been hidden from the future evils which were hanging over her, she would not have been joyful in the prosperity of the present.

Therefore He shortly added the punishment which was near at hand, saying, For the days shall come upon you.

CYRIL; If you had known, even you. The Jews were not worthy to receive the divinely inspired Scriptures, which relate the mystery of Christ. For as often as Moses is read, a veil overshadow s their heart that they should not see what has been accomplished in Christ, who being the truth puts to flight the shadow. And because they regarded not the truth, they rendered themselves unworthy of the salvation which flows from Christ.

EUSEBIUS; He here declares that His coming was to bring peace to the whole world. For to this He came, that He should preach both to them that were near, and those that were afar off. But as they did not wish to receive the peace that was announced to them, it was hid from them. And therefore the siege which was shortly to come upon them He most expressly foretells, adding, For the days shall come upon you, &c.

GREG. By these words the Roman leaders are pointed out. For that overthrow of Jerusalem is described, which was made by the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus.

EUSEBIUS; But how these things were fulfilled we may gather from what is delivered to us by Josephus, who though he was a Jew, related each event as it took place, in exact accordance with Christ's prophecies.

GREG. This too which is added, namely, They shall not leave in you one stone upon another, is now witnessed in the altered situation of the same city, which is now built in that place where Christ was crucified without the gate, whereas the former Jerusalem, as it is called, was rooted up from the very foundation. And the crime for which this punishment of overthrow was inflicted is added, Because you knew not the time of your visitation.

THEOPHYL. That is, of my coming. For I came to visit and to save you, which if you had known and believed on Me, you might have been reconciled to the Romans, and exempted from all danger as did those who believed on Christ.

ORIGEN; I do not deny then that the former Jerusalem was destroyed because of the wickedness of its inhabitants, but I ask whether the weeping might not perhaps concern this your spiritual Jerusalem. For if a man has sinned after receiving the mysteries of truth, he will be wept over. Moreover, no Gentile is wept over, but he only who was of Jerusalem, and has ceased to be.

GREG. For our Redeemer does not cease to weep through His elect whenever he perceives any to have departed from a good life to follow evil ways. Who if they had known their own damnation, hanging over them, would together with the elect shed tears over themselves. But the corrupt soul here has its day, rejoicing in the passing time; to whom things present are its peace, seeing that it takes delight in that which is temporal. It shuns the foresight of the future which may disturb its present mirth; and hence it follows, But now are they hid from your eyes.

ORIGEN; But our Jerusalem is also wept over, because after sin enemies surround it, (that is, wicked spirits,) and cast a trench round it to besiege it, and leave not a stone behind; especially when a man after long continence, after years of chastity, is overcome, and enticed by the blandishments of the flesh, has lost his fortitude and his modesty, and has committed fornication, they will not leave on him one stone upon another, according to Ezekiel, His formed righteousness I will not remember.

GREG. Or else; The evil spirits lay siege to the soul, as it goes forth from the body, for being seized with the love of the flesh, they caress it with delusive pleasures. They surround it with a trench, because bringing all its wickedness which it has committed before the eyes of its mind, they close confine it to the company of its own damnation, that being caught in the very extremity of life, it may see by what enemies it is blockaded, yet be unable to find any way of escape, because it can no longer do good works, since those which it might once have done it despised. On every side also they enclose the soul when its iniquities rise up before it, not only in deed but also in word and thought, that she who before in many ways greatly enlarged herself in wickedness, should now at the end be straitened every way in judgment. Then indeed the soul by the very condition of its guilt is laid prostrate on the ground, while its flesh which it believed to be its life is bid to return to dust. Then its children fall in death, when all unlawful thoughts which only proceed from it, are in the last punishment of life scattered abroad. These may also be signified by the stones. For the corrupt mind when to a corrupt thought it adds one more corrupt, places one stone upon another. But when the soul is led to its doom, the whole structure of its thoughts is rent asunder. But the wicked soul God ceases not to visit with His teaching, sometimes with the scourge and sometimes with a miracle; that the truth which it knew not it may hear, and though still despising it, may return pricked to the heart in sorrow, or overcome with mercies may be ashamed at the evil which it has done. But because it knows not the time of its visitation, at the end of life it is given over to its enemies, that with them it may be joined together in the bond of everlasting damnation.

Catena Aurea Luke 19

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Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

Author unknown

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, November 23

Liturgical Color: Green

Today is the optional memorial
of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro.
He was a priest in Mexico during
a time of Catholic persecution.
Arrested on false charges,
Blessed Miguel forgave his
executioners as he was shot. He
died in 1926.

[Salvation]

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Image: The blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, Mexican Jesuit | photo by Grentidez

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro

Saint of the Day for November 23

(January 13, 1891 – November 23, 1927)

 

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro’s Story

“¡Viva Cristo Rey!”–Long live Christ the King!–were the last words Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock.

Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, Mexico, Miguel entered the Jesuits in 1911, but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925.

Father Pro immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics.

He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared, but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. Miguel Pro was beatified in 1988.

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Reflection

When Fr. Miguel Pro was executed in 1927, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president, and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993, 1999, and 2002. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people, and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs.

[Salvation]

Father Pro: A Mexican Hero
The Cristeros and Us (George Weigel)
Movie on Cristeros War Exposes Mexican Govt.'s Anti-Christian Campaign
The Story, Martyrs, and Lessons of the Cristero War
When the Catholic Faith Was Outlawed

Viva Cristo Rey!
For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristeros (EWTN program on YouTube)
New Trailer for Cristeros Film
The Undercover Priest, Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro
The Martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.
A Patron Saint for the Falsely Accused [Father Miguel Augustin Pro, S.J.]
Mexican "Cristeros" Martyrs Beatified
Blessed Miguel Pro:Heroic Mexican Martyr["VIVA CRISTO REY!"]
Father Miguel Pro: Heroic Mexican Martyr
Blessed Miguel Pro [last dying words:"Viva El Cristo Rey"("Long Live Christ The King")]

[Salvation]

Information: St. Columban

Feast Day: November 23

Born: 540, Leinster, Ireland

Died: 23 November 615

Major Shrine: Abbey church at Bobbio

[Salvation]

Information: St. Clement I

Feast Day: November 23

Born: Rome, Italy

Died: 101

Patron of: boatmen, marble workers, mariners, sailors, sick children, stonecutters, watermen

[Salvation]

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day: St. Columban

St. Columban

Feast Day: November 23
Born: 543 :: Died: 615

St. Columban, the most famous of the Irish missionary-monks was born at West Leinster in Ireland. His family was wealthy and he received a good education.

As a handsome teenager, he had a great wish to serve God but he was also tempted by all the pleasures the world had to offer him. He finally decided to become a monk.

His mother could not bear the thought of him leaving her and she even blocked the door to stop him from leaving. However, Columban felt the call to serve God in a quiet monastery.

After many years as a monk in Ireland, Columban and twelve other monks sailed to France. There was a shortage of priests there at that time. The French people were inspired by the lives of the monks and came to them for prayer and healing.

These holy men did penance, prayed a lot and lived in charity. Many young men were attracted to this holy way of life. They came and asked to join the monks. Soon the monks were building other monasteries to house all the disciples of St. Columban.

There were some people, however, who thought the rules of these monks were too strict. St. Columban also faced danger when he spoke to the king about his sins. The king immediately put him in prison. Later, he and his Irish monks had to leave France.

St. Columban, though quite old, still tried to preach to unbelievers in Switzerland. When he was seventy, he went into Italy and defended the faith against the Arians who were against the Catholic teachings.

In his letters to Pope St. Boniface IV, St. Columban showed his great devotion to the Holy Father. He said, "All we Irish, living in the most distant parts of the earth, are bound to the Chair of St. Peter."

In his last years, St. Columban built the great monastery of Bobbio in Italy. Columbanus always enjoyed being in the forests and caves and as he walked through the woods, birds and squirrels would ride on his shoulders.

When he knew his time was near, he went into a cave alone and stayed there until he died on November 23, 615. After his death, both the Irish and the Italians were very devoted to this wonderful missionary.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 23rd

Optional Memorials of St. Clement I, pope & martyr; St. Columban, abbot; Bl. Miguel Pro, priest and martyr; Thanksgiving Day

MASS READINGS

November 23, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God, who are wonderful in the virtue of all your Saints, grant us joy in the yearly commemoration of Saint Clement, who, as a Martyr and High Priest of your Son, bore out by his witness what he celebrated in mystery and confirmed by example what he preached with his lips. 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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O God, who in Saint Columban wonderfully joined the work of evangelization to zeal for the monastic life, grant, we pray, that through his intercession and example we may strive to seek you above all things and to bring increase to your faithful people. 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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Our God and Father, who conferred upon your servant Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro the grace of ardently seeking your greater glory and the salvation of others, grant, through his intercession and example, that by faithfully and joyfully performing our daily duties and effectively assisting those around us, we may serve you with zeal and ever seek your glory. 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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Recipes (2)

• Quarter Bannock
• Wayz-Goose

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Activities (9)

• Celebrating Thanksgiving
• Namedays
• November and the Holy Souls
• Pope St. Clement
• St. Columba, Abbot
• Thanksgiving and Martinmas
• Thanksgiving Day
• Thanksgiving Placemat
• What is a Nameday?

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Prayers (6)

• November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
• Little Litany of the Holy Souls
• Prayer for a Happy Death
• Daily Acceptance of Death
• Chaplet of Blessed Miguel Pro, SJ
• Prayer for the Feast of St. Felicitas

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Library (4)

• Clement of Alexandria | Pope Benedict XVI
• Clement Of Rome, The First Epistle of Clement To The Corinthians | Pope Clement Of Rome
• Saint Columban | Pope Benedict XVI
• St. Clement, Bishop of Rome | Pope Benedict XVI

Old Calendar: St. Clement I; St. Felicitas, martyr

St. Clement is the third successor of St. Peter who ruled the Church from c. 92 to 102 and is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. Pope St. Clement wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which is one of the most ancient and precious documents surviving from early Christian times; it shows his profoundly religious spirit, wholly imbued with the mystery of the things of God and love of Christian unity.

The most famous of Irish monks, St. Columban was born around 525-530. Well educated and desiring to be a "pilgrim of God," Columban traveled to France and founded several well-disciplined monasteries as centers of religion and culture. Because of difficulties he decided to return to Ireland. A shipwreck directed him towards Rome and to the founding of his final monastery, at Bobbio in Italy. The aged Abbot died on this date in 615. His feast was moved from November 21. It is celebrated on November 23 by Benedictines and Ireland.

Fr. Miguel Pro was born in Guadalupe, Mexico, in 1891. The Mexican government began a major persecution of the Church in 1911. Fr. Pro completed his studies in Belgium and was ordained a Jesuit in 1926. He returned to Mexico and performed his ministry heroically until November 23, 1927. He was caught and condemned for being a Catholic priest. Fr. Miguel Pro ended his life facing the firing squad with his arms outstretched until he became a living cross. He called out the words, Viva Cristo Rey! as his body was wracked with a hale of bullets. He was proclaimed "blessed" by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the commemoration of St. Felicitas, a Roman martyr of uncertain date. She was buried in the cemetery of Maximus. Her name occurs in the calendar of the Roman Church in the fifth century.

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Many people assume that the United States has celebrated Thanksgiving Day since the time of the pilgrims as a sign of thanksgiving for the harvest season. This is not exactly true. President Abraham Lincoln instituted the holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. However, he did not have the harvest in mind. He wanted Americans to celebrate the holiday as a sign of unity and thanksgiving to God.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens” (President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation, October 3, 1863).

There is no American holiday that so closely resembles the symbolism and meaning of the sacrament of the Eucharist. We celebrate Thanksgiving as a sign of American unity and thanksgiving to God who has given us great gifts.

Excerpted from The Religion Teacher

For more information please see Thanksgiving Day.

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St. Clement
St. Clement I of Rome (92-101) was one of the first popes; according to St. Ireneus, he was the third after Peter. Clement most probably died as a martyr. Otherwise little is known of his life. It is not certain whether he is the one Paul mentions as his companion in Phil. 4:3. St. Clement's letter to the Corinthians is authentic; in it he authoritatively intervenes in that strife-torn community, a memorable act in the early history of the papacy.

The breviary gives these legendary details. Because of his zeal for souls, Pope Clement was banished to distant Chersonese; there he found two-thousand Christians who had received a similar sentence. When he came to these exiles he comforted them. "They all cried with one voice: Pray for us, blessed Clement, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ. He replied: Without any merit of my own, the Lord sent me to you to share in your crowns." When they complained because they had to carry the water six miles, he encouraged them, "Let us all pray to the Lord Jesus Christ that He may open to His witnesses a fountain of water." "While blessed Clement was praying, the Lamb of God appeared to him; and at His feet a bubbling fountain of fresh water was flowing." Seeing the miracle, "All the pagans of the neighborhood began to believe."

When Trajan heard of these marvels, he ordered Clement to be drowned with an iron anchor about his neck. "While he was making his way to the sea, the people cried with a loud voice: Lord Jesus Christ, save him! But Clement prayed in tears: Father, receive my spirit." At the shore the Christians asked God to give them the body. The sea receded for three miles and there they found the body of the saint in a stone coffin within a small marble chapel; alongside lay the anchor. "You have given a dwelling to Your martyr Clement in the sea, O Lord, a temple of marble built by the hands of angels." The body was taken to Rome under Nicholas 1 (858-867) by Sts. Cyril and Methodius and placed in a church dedicated to his honor (S. Clemente). This is one of the most venerable of the churches in Rome because it retains all the liturgical arrangements of ancient times.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: Boatmen; marble workers; mariners; sailors; sick children; stonecutters; watermen.

Symbols: Double or triple cross; tiara; fountain; anchor; maniple; marble temple in the sea; cross and anchor; nimbed lamb.

Things to Do:

• Read this "In Depth Analysis" article on St. Clement of Rome.

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St. Columban, Abbot
St. Columban was born in West Leinster, Ireland, sometime between 540 and 550, and decided when he was a youth, to dedicate himself to God despite his mother's opposition. He lived for a time on Cluain Iris, an island in Lough Erne, with a monk named Sinell, and then became a monk at Bangor. With twelve other monks he was sent as a missionary to Gaul about 585. He built his first monastery at Annegray about 590, and it was so successful that he followed with two more, at Luxeuil and Fontes (Fontaines). Soon his followers spread all over Europe, building monasteries in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. He aroused much opposition, especially from the Frankish bishops, by the Celtic usages he installed in his monasteries and for refusing to acknowledge bishops' jurisdiction over them. He defended his practices in letters to the Holy See and refused to attend a Gallican synod at Chalons in 603 when summoned to explain his Celtic usages. In 610 King Theodoric II of Burgundy, angered by Columban's denunciation of his refusal to marriage and his practice of keeping concubines, ordered all Irish monks banished from his realm. Columban was shipwrecked on the way to Ireland but was offered refuge by King Theodebert II of Neustria at Metz and began to evangelize the Alemanni in the area around Bregenz on Lake Constance. Though successful, he was again banished in 612, when Burgundy warred against and conquered Neustria; Theodoric now ruled over the area in which Columban was working. Columban decided to flee his old adversary and crossed the Alps to Italy, where he was welcomed to Milan by Arian King Agilulf of the Lombards. Columban founded a monastery at Bobbio, between Milan and Genoa, which became one of the great monasteries of its time—a center of culture, learning, and spirituality. He died there on November 23. Columban wrote his Monastic Rule, sermons, poetry, and treatises against Arianism.

Excerpted from Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney

Patron: Against floods; motorcyclists.

Symbols: Bear's den; wolves; foliated crucifix; fountain; sunbeam.

Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Columban.
  
• Read 4 Facts about the Catholic Saint who Fought the Loch Ness Monster

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Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro
Miguel Pro was born January 13, 1891, at Guadalupe Zacatecas, Mexico. From his childhood, high spirits and happiness were the most outstanding characteristics of his personality. The loving and devoted son of a mining engineer and a pious and charitable mother, Miguel had a special affinity for the working classes which he retained all his life.
At 20, he became a Jesuit novice and shortly thereafter was exiled because of the Mexican revolution. He traveled to the United States, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium, where he was ordained in 1925. Father Pro suffered greatly from a severe stomach problem and when, after several operations his health did not improve, in 1926 his superiors allowed him to return to Mexico in spite of the religious persecution in the country.

The churches were closed and priests were in hiding. Father Pro spent the rest of his life in a secret ministry to the sturdy Mexican Catholics. In addition to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out the works of mercy by assisting the poor of Mexico City with their temporal needs. He adopted many disguises to carry out his secret ministry. In all that he did, he remained filled with the joy of serving Christ, his King, and obedient to his superiors.

Falsely accused in a bombing attempt on the President-elect, Pro became a wanted man. He was betrayed to the police and sentenced to death without the benefit of any legal process.

On the day of his death, Father Pro forgave his executioners, prayed, bravely refused the blindfold, and died proclaiming "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long Live Christ the King).

Things to Do:

• Watch this short Catholic News Agency You Tube video of Fr. Miguel Pro.

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St. Felicitas (or Felicity of Rome)
On July 10 we had the feast of the Seven Martyred Brothers; today their saintly mother receives special honor. Her body, together with that of her youngest son Silvanus, rests in the cemetery of Maximus; later her remains were transferred to the church of St. Susanna, where they still are honored. She was beheaded in 165 A.D.

"That blessed woman Felicity, whose Birth-feast we are keeping today, had as much dread of leaving her seven sons living after her in the flesh, as have carnal minded mothers of seeing them go dead before them. When she was taken in the strong pains of persecution, she braced up the hearts of her children by bidding them cleave to the Fatherland above, and became their mother for the spiritual, as she had previously been for the fleshly life, bringing them forth for God by her exhortation, as she had brought them forth for the world by her body. And shall I not call this woman a Martyr? Nay, more than Martyr. The seven whom she trusted to God were seven children sent before her to death. She suffered first and triumphed last."

Excerpted from a Sermon by St. Gregory the Pope

Patron: Death of children; martyrs; sterility; to have male children; widows.

Symbols: Seven swords; cauldron of oil and sword; sword with seven heads; eight palms.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 19:41-44

Thanksgiving Day (USA)

You did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:44)

Some “visitations” from God are hard to miss. The Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Angelic messengers revealed God’s plans to Zechariah and Mary. On the road to Damascus, Saul was struck down by a blinding light.

These are spectacular visitations, but God usually comes to us in more subtle ways. He might visit you in a gentle conviction of sin that moves you to repent and strive to live in a new way. He might come in an impulse to do something you’ve never considered before. Maybe he will whisper a thought, an inspiration, or a desire that persists over the course of days and weeks. Or he might give you a quiet assurance that arrives in wakeful hours of the night.

Very often God “visits” us through Scripture. Maybe a reading at Mass swells your heart with hope or excitement. Or perhaps a verse or a passage or even just a word stands out, as if the Lord has underlined it just for you.

If you experience any of these things, pause for a moment. Think about what emotions God is stirring in you. See what thoughts come to mind. What might he want to say to you? This may be a “visitation” from your God!

But don’t just enjoy this visitation. Respond to it! Acknowledge it by writing it down: “Lord, I think you are saying ___ to me.” Maybe you can keep a log of what you think God is putting on your heart. Then experiment with those things, responding as best you can in the ways that occur to you. God is more interested that you respond than in exactly how you do so. Take small chances on what you think he’s revealing. You’ll know you are on the right track if you begin to feel a sense of peace or joy.

Jesus came to us in the flesh to show us how deeply he wants to be united with us. He placed his Holy Spirit in us so that we could recognize his coming. Because God’s creativity is endless, the variety of his visitations is limitless too. What is constant is that he takes pleasure in coming to you.

“Father, thank you for revealing your presence to me. Lead me in your truth and guide me today and always.”

1 Maccabees 2:15-29
Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15

[Salvation]

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

Daily Marriage Tip for November 23, 2017:

“Thanks be to God!” is a common expression not only of thanks but also of relief that a danger was averted. In this season of thanks, is there a bad fortune that you avoided? Thank God for His blessings of safety and protection in so many ways…and for all the gifts of His love, too!

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

November 23, 2017 – Build Your Life on the Rock That Is Christ

Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, many times I have overlooked your love in the circumstances of my life. I know you are always present, even if I don’t feel your love. This time of prayer is an opportunity to show you my love, and I truly desire to bring you consolation as you so often bring consolation to me.

Petition: Heavenly Father, help me to stand firm amidst the vicissitudes of life.

1. “As for Me and My Household, We Will Serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
The beauty of this life is that it offers us so many options. We have all been given the grace of free will, and we can choose to do many things. We can choose where we would like to work, where we want to vacation, who our friends are, what we are going to do this very moment. But the most important choice we make in life is to decide whether to love and serve God or to deny him. God’s greatest, natural gift to us is free will, and with it we direct our own destiny. What a truly beautiful soul who chooses to spend his life serving God! Clearly opting for God and his ways gives direction to a person’s life and provides clarity in moments of darkness and trial.

2. The Time to Prepare for a Storm Is Now: The worst time to clean out the gutters is in the middle of a thunder storm. And that roof would have worked a lot better had it been fixed before a week of rain. The concept of being prepared is so hard for us human beings. Christ told his disciples, “Watch and pray, that you may not undergo the test” (Matthew 26:41). He was saying, “Be prepared. You never know when temptations or tough times are going to strike.”

3. Holding the Fort: The spiritual life is a lot like a castle. A castle has its strong points and its not-so-strong points. It has a moat, high stone walls and turrets, but it also has a gate made only of wood. Each of us has one or two things that can be likened to that wooden gate. We all have our weaknesses, but do we know what those weaknesses are? One of the keys to being able to resist sin is self-knowledge. If we know ourselves, we can avoid putting ourselves in compromising situations. We can use our strong points to fight the enemy and fortify those areas that are the weakest. In the end, the strongest weapon we have both to resist and to fight is our dependence on the Lord – our prayer and fidelity to his will!

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I don’t want to base my life just on feelings and on what makes me happy. I want to live for you, to take a risk for you.

Resolution: I will start a constant prayer life by praying the Rosary every day this week.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

November 23, 2017

In the first reading we see the fidelity of Mattathias and his family to Yahweh their God and to their people’s covenant with Yahweh, despite the order of King Antiochus that they abandon their religion or suffer death.

In the Gospel reading Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: he wept not only because Jerusalem rejected his teaching and salvation but also because the city itself would be destroyed and annihilated, “they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and leave not a stone within you, for you did not recognize the time and visitation of your God.”

Jesus loved Jerusalem: it was the city of David, it was the seat of the temple of Solomon, it was the seat of the Holy of Holies. It was the city of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

Yet Jerusalem did not recognize and welcome the Messiah when he same. Instead Jerusalem crucified the Messiah on Calvary, just outside its walls.

We pray that we may “recognize the time and visitation of our God” in our lives. We pray that our eyes may see and recognize him, that our ears may hear and listen to him and that our hearts may embrace and love him.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 6

<< Thursday, November 23, 2017 >>

Pope St. Clement I St. Columban Bl. Miguel Augustín Pro

1 Maccabees 2:15-29
View Readings

Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15

Luke 19:41-44
Similar Reflections

"DAY BY DAY"

"God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments." �1 Maccabees 2:21

How do we relate to the opposition in our daily life? What do we read? Who do we listen to? We are to kill the enemy, that is, the temptation within, by our zeal to obey God's law and be purified, to cast out that which leads us away from the Lord (see 1 Mc 2:26). People "make a covenant with death" (Is 28:15) by daily choosing death in the little things. Mattathias recognized the time of his visitation and was ready to choose the Lord and make any lifestyle changes required. Like Mattathias, spring up and kill these temptations (see 1 Mc 2:24).

We cannot have two masters (Mt 6:24). We can't "straddle the issue" (1 Kgs 18:21) between the world and the Lord. "A man is marked out as God's enemy if he chooses to be the world's friend" (Jas 4:4; Phil 3:19).

It's the little things we let into our lives � the magazine articles, the YouTube videos, the TV shows � that make us recognize or miss the time of our visitation (see Lk 19:44). People often choose death in small ways day by day. If this trend is not changed, after a time we have grown so far from God that we easily miss His visitation to us. On the other hand, we can choose to seek the Lord daily. Daily Mass, daily prayer, and daily Bible reading builds us up one day at a time to a place of strong commitment to the Lord. The choice is set before you, life or death. Choose life (Dt 30:19).

Prayer: Father, give me a deep contrition.

Promise: "We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree." �1 Mc 2:22

Praise: Bl. Miguel Pro proclaimed "Viva Christo Rey!" at his martyrdom.

[Salvation]

Parents' Prayer

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of Mary, I thank you for the gift of life you have entrusted to my care. Help me be a parent both tender and wise, both loving and forgiving.

Mary, Holy Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Christ, and our Motherly Queen of Heaven, nourish our family with your heavenly grace. Help us to remain faithful to The Most Holy Trinity, in all our sorrows and joys.

Joseph, Earthly father to our Lord God, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

Holy Family of Nazareth, help our family to walk in your footsteps. May we be peace-loving and peace-giving. Amen.