Today's final Ornament of Grace for Sunday of the Octave of Christmas is Mary, Mother of God.
Luke 2:16-21
The Shepherds went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger; once they saw, they understood what had been told them concerning this child. All who heard of it were astonished at the report given them by the shepherds. Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. …
Mary, of all the saints, is the most important, so it is ideal that we honor her first in the New Year. She is the Mother of Jesus and, through Him, our mother as well. Those who celebrate this feast realize the loving care Mary has for us and how powerful her intercession is for us. We know she wants to be involved in our lives every single day, and we can ask her to help us give ourselves completely to whatever God calls us to be and to do, just as she did.
Mary understood, from the beginning, the importance of not just jumping into anything we think is a call from God. She reflected, as today’s Gospel says, on all that was happening. Growing up as a faithful Jew, Mary would have been familiar with the words of the Old Testament prophesying the coming of the Messiah. So, when the Angel Gabriel came to her, she understood the Angel’s words in the context of the Old Testament. They resonated with truth. Also, Mary was unafraid to ask for specifics on how this could happen, and she listened to the Angel’s explanation. Of course, she said to let everything happen to her in accordance with God’s will. Finally, the Angel told her about her cousin Elizabeth being with child. So, Mary set off to help Elizabeth, and Elizabeth confirmed what the Angel had told Mary.
These are good lessons for us, too. Let us listen to the voice of God as He speaks in our hearts, but let us not be afraid to ask the Lord to confirm what we believe we have heard. Is what we heard in keeping with Scripture? It is important to check. Is there someone holy and truthful who can pray with us to help confirm what we think God is asking? Is it really of God? Do we feel the peace of Jesus and Mary within us as we accept our call? Do we continue to reflect on the Spirit’s actions in our lives and on how those around us are benefiting from our choices? The shepherds certainly rejoiced because of Mary’s acceptance of God’s call, and we find joy that Mary helped to bring us God’s salvation in Jesus.
Since Mary has the most successful experience in discerning and accepting the will of God, let us ask her for help. Mary treasured her child’s life from the beginning all the way to the end. She treasures, as our mother, all that happens in our lives as well; so, we would be wise to turn to her with whatever needs we have. She will nurture us along our journey; she will rejoice with us when we are happy, and she will hold us close in times of sorrow. She will never desert us.
At the Annunciation, she said, “Let it be done to me according to your will.” At Cana, she directed, “Do whatever he tells you.” She reinforced with words what she had already shown by example. She accepted her call to be our mother as Jesus was dying on the Cross and said, “Behold your mother.” As her children, we are brothers and sisters of all. Embracing our brothers and sisters everywhere is the only path to peace.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can you show that you are a true child of Mary by embracing a brother or sister who is different than you in some way, perhaps racially, socially, religiously, or politically?
John 1:1-18
…Any who did accept him, he empowered to become children of God. These are they who believe in his name – who were begotten not by blood nor by carnal desire, not by man’s willing it, but by God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love…
Today we are blessed with a Gospel that will make us want to rejoice, celebrate, make joyful noise, dance, and welcome in the New Year with happiness. God lives with us, right here and now. He sent His Son to bring us the fullness of love!
Tonight is New Year’s Eve, so what kind of resolutions do you have on your list? Maybe you can take some ideas from the saints you have studied this season before making resolutions.
St. Francis of Assisi: “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
St. Andrew, the Apostle: “We have found the Messiah.”
St. Angela Merici: “Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve (the poor) than they have of your service.”
St. Francis Xavier: “The better friends you are, the straighter you can talk, but while you are on only nodding terms, be slow to scold.”
St. John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
St. Sebastian: “The devil strains every nerve to secure the souls who belong to Christ.”
St. Nicholas: “The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic His giving, by grace, through faith.”
St. Monica: “This only I ask, that you remember me at the Lord’s altar, wherever you be.”
St. Vincent Ferrer: “If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire.”
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne: “He will never let the trial surpass the strength He gives you, and at the very moment you think yourself overwhelmed by sorrow, He will lift you up and give you peace.”
St. Paul of the Cross: “Meditation on Jesus Christ crucified is a precious balm which sweetens all our pains.”
St. Angela of Foligno: “Humility exists only in those who are poor enough to see that they possess nothing of their own.”
St. Elizabeth Hesselblad: “I understood that I could respond to that love only through sacrifice and a love prepared to suffer for His glory and for the Church.”
St. Gianna Beretta Molla: “Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God.”
St. Anthony of Padua: “The breadth of charity widens the narrow heart of the sinner.”
St. Stephen: “Lord Jesus, do not hold this sin against them.”
Mary: “Let it be done to me, according to your word.”
Jesus, the Christ: “Love one another, as I have loved you.”
Let us follow the example of these Ornaments of Grace throughout this whole new year.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What God-centered resolutions do you have for this new year?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Friday of the Octave of Christmas is the Holy Family.
Colossians 3:12-17
Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these virtues, put on love which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. …
St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading that we are chosen and beloved by God, a God who does not make mistakes. Since we are chosen and loved, we are called to practice mercy, kindness, meekness, patience, and love. We cannot do this alone. We do this as part of our human family.
God, Who loves us, deigned that we would be born to an earthly mother and father. We might not know the mother who gave birth to us or the one who fathered us, but someone made sure we survived as babies and children. From that person or those persons, we learned about life from an early age. Jesus was no exception. Happily, He had two very holy people as parents: Mary and Joseph. They taught Him to pray, to read Scriptures, to do household chores and to ply a trade. Best of all, they taught Him, by example, to obey God and to find joy in doing so.
Jesus did not grow up alone; nor do we grow up alone, even if we have no living parents, no cousins or siblings. We grow as part of a community, and we can, at any age, choose to grow within a community of faith. When we embrace our brothers and sisters in a community of faith, we learn to love. As God’s children, we will find joy in learning to practice the virtues St. Paul outlines in today’s reading. If we practice these good habits, God will wrap them all together in love, making them perfect.
Jesus needed to practice how to bear with others in His community as He grew. People are sometimes unkind, cruel, thoughtless or unaware. Bearing with all kinds of people along His early journey helped Jesus endure His later journey, one filled with difficulties and sorrows. He had to be patient in teaching His followers and in facing the challenges the Pharisees and Sadducees threw at Him. He had to endure desertion by his good friends when He needed them most.
Horrific suffering followed by a death on the Cross were His lot; yet, He forgave those who put Him to death. Families today need to learn endurance as well, how to bear with one another within community; for no life is without difficulties that try faith and have the power to destroy it.
Joseph and Mary obeyed God and found joy in that obedience. Look at Joseph’s quick and unquestioning response when the angel told him to flee to Egypt. He did not groan about losing material possessions or worry about what he would do to support his family in a new land. He obeyed immediately, saving Jesus’ life.
Read Mary’s joyful song of praise in the Magnificat. She did not question God’s calling her to be the Mother of the Messiah, even though it might bring public disgrace and an uncertain future. She simply trusted, finding great joy in humble obedience.
So, while Jesus was blessed with great example from His parents, we might not be. Nevertheless, God will always supply what we need – teaching us to love. We are His beloved children, born into a holy family, the whole human family. Let us find joy in practicing forgiveness, patience, humility, and kindness. That way, we can live together in peace with our whole human family.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can you help your family prepare for difficult days ahead by obeying God joyfully?
1 John 2:3-11
The way we can be sure of our knowledge of him is to keep his commandments. …Dearly Beloved, it is no new commandment that I write to you, but an old one which you had from the start. …The man who claims to be in light, hating his brother all the while, is in darkness even now. The man who continues in the light is the one who loves his brother… .
Today’s Gospel speaks of a holy old man named Simeon. He exemplifies John’s words in the first reading since he lived in the light. Simeon could recognize Jesus as soon as Mary and Joseph brought their Son into the Temple to present Him to the Lord because his sight was not merely human sight. There is no way he could, with ordinary human vision, have picked out Jesus from all the other little boys being brought to the Temple day in and day out, including the day recorded in the Gospel. Simeon had waited patiently many years for this moment. Because he lived a life of faithful, patient prayer, he could see with the eyes of the Holy Spirit Who lived within him. The Spirit is light.
John’s letter today tells us that if we want to live in the light and not be blinded by darkness, then we need to love one another. This is the command he heard from Jesus; the command he saw Jesus carry out in His earthly life. Simeon, while born long before Jesus, knew the command. He prayed, and so he was in relationship with the God of love. He understood how he was loved, and he knew how to love others. He studied scripture and waited patiently for the Messiah to come. What joy he had when he picked up Jesus and held Him after so many years! He was so excited that he lifted up this prayer, “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word. For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed displayed for all the peoples to see: a revealing light to the Gentiles, the glory of your people Israel.”
If we want to recognize Jesus in our midst as Simeon did, we need to walk in the light. Simeon called God His Master and himself, God’s servant. Simeon was called by God to serve in the Temple, to wait patiently in prayer, to look for the Messiah and to welcome Him. He did this right up until the end of his life, and his life ended in joy because he had light enough to reach for Jesus.
We are called to serve, but we have been given a vision of Jesus through the Gospels, something Simeon did not have. We know Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” We know He went about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, teaching those who wanted to know about God, praying, and forgiving. At the Last Supper, washing His disciples’ feet, He called us to serve one another in the same way. Finally, Jesus offered His life for us.
The Old Law required love of neighbor to protect the other’s life, interests, and welfare. Jesus brought love to a whole new level, asking His followers to love unconditionally. Sharing in another’s delight, showing compassion to a person in pain, and patiently waiting in prayer, we can begin to have light – not night – vision, the kind of vision Simeon had.
To really see Jesus and reach out to hold Him this Christmas season and always, we need to see Him among the many who stream into our lives each day. That kind of vision only comes if we live in the light of love.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How has the light of the Holy Spirit helped you love intensely, making you eager to serve others?
Today's Oranments of Grace for Wednesday of the Octave of Christmas are the Holy Innocents.
1 John 1:5 – 2:2
Here, then, is the message we have heard from him and announce to you: that God is light; in him there is no darkness. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while continuing to walk in darkness, we are liars and do not act in truth. But if we walk in light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Today’s first reading is, like that of yesterday, from John. Today he does not mince words. He tells Christians to quit pretending that they are good and holy if they continue doing sinful deeds. Of course, everyone sins, and that is why Jesus came to save us. But hypocrisy runs rampant in our country and our world, dividing people and causing little children the greatest harm. We cannot say we are for life if we fail to act in life-giving ways.
Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a day when we remember those boy babies under the age of two who were slaughtered in and around Bethlehem by order of King Herod. Herod, thinking Jesus could be the Messiah, wanted to eliminate him for fear he would someday usurp his power. Herod’s lust for power caused unimaginable suffering. Lust for power still does today.
An average of around 15,000 children under the age of 5 die each day. Some die because of preterm birth or birth trauma, some from infectious diseases, others from injuries and drowning. Most die from treatable diseases and other preventable causes. Poverty, inequality, discrimination, and illness still stalk and kill our children. War and other conflicts deny children the safety they need to grow in security. They lack healthcare and intact family life in war-torn regions, so they cannot be properly nurtured.
Children everywhere, even in our own country, lack proper nutrition. Many more children are in school than ever before, but more than half the children do not achieve even minimal educational goals. Often, in some countries, girls are denied education altogether. Children of all ages often suffer violence or the threat of violence in their own schools and neighborhoods.
Walking in the light means working so that all the children have clean water, clean air and a safe climate. Obviously, our changing climate is endangering the lives of many – if not all – children. It contributes to drought, flooding, and the destruction of crops. Malnutrition and starvation result. Many children die painful deaths daily. Others have to flee from their homes due to increasing natural disasters driven by climate change. Some die in the process of migration; others make it to a new destination, only to live in dire poverty, with little or no healthcare, facing a slow death.
Nearly 300 million children live in areas with severe toxic outdoor pollution – air, groundwater, toxic waste areas. Over 600,000 of these are under five and will die. Those who survive will suffer damage to their bodies and minds. If we do not work against all these evils, then we walk in darkness, not in the light.
Little children are the first victims of war and poverty. How are we working for peace in order to save our Holy Innocents today?
Herod, by other names, still seeks to kill the little children. God entrusted the care of his children to us. Let us walk in the Light of Love.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How will we help to stop Herod’s forces today – forces of environmental degradation, war, poverty, hunger, fear – from killing our little ones?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday of the Octave of Christmas is St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.
1 John 1:1-4
This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched – we speak of the word of life. …This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, our purpose in writing you this is that our joy may be complete.
Today’s first reading is from the short letter of John, proclaiming the same idea as the Gospel of John with a slightly different emphasis. In John’s Gospel, the divine nature of Jesus is prominent. We hear about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead today. But, by the time the letter of John is written well after the resurrection, some people based everything on Jesus’ divinity and tended to forget that He was truly human as well. So, John’s letter reminds us that Jesus, while one with God, became one of us, truly sharing in our humanity.
Having just celebrated Christmas, when Jesus became man, it is a good time to remember that Jesus spent His time on earth loving. That is John’s message over and over. God is love, and Jesus is love in the flesh. Love, for Jesus and in John’s messages, is not an abstract concept. It is love embodied in human actions. John says today that Jesus invites us into communion with His Father and with Him. So, we, too, embody love in the way we speak, in the way we are present to one another, in our actual living in this human community.
John’s emphasis is also on joy. If we live in right relationship with God and one another, then he says our joy will be complete. John knew Jesus personally and loved Him as a human walking this earth; he heard Jesus, touched Him, and saw Him reaching out to the poor, the sick, the marginalized. John knew what Jesus was about and, therefore, what we need to be doing if we want to experience true joy.
John, along with his brother James, was among the first apostles called by Jesus, after Peter and Andrew. Early in Jesus’ ministry, John witnessed many signs and miracles performed by Jesus. He was present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. Jesus took him up the mountain at the Transfiguration, where he witnessed Jesus’ glory and heard the voice of the Father. He heard Jesus prophesy about the last days when they were on the Mount of Olives, and he was nearby when Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus trusted John with the care of his beloved mother when he was dying on the Cross. John saw the empty tomb after the resurrection, and he was in the upper room when Jesus appeared. John was present at Jesus’ last appearance at the Sea of Galilee prior to the Ascension. Likely, these are just the highlights, but John knew Jesus extremely well and wants us to know Him, believe in Him and love as Jesus did so that we, too, can know perfect joy.
In establishing the early Christian Community, John worked first in Jerusalem along with Peter. He was with Peter when he healed a lame man in the Temple. When Peter went to confer the Holy Spirit upon the Samaritans converted by Philip, John accompanied him. His mission of preaching never ended during his life, and he tells us today the same message: God is Love. We can listen to John, for he knew Jesus intimately.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What difference has your relationship with Jesus made in your life?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Monday of the Octave of Christmas is St. Stephen, the Martyr.
Matthew 10:17-22
Be on your guard with respect to others. They will haul you into court; they will flog you… You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings… When they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you will say it. When the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say…The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death.
As we begin the Octave of Christmas, we continue to celebrate Jesus’ coming. Yet, the happiness of Christmas seems to stand in stark contrast with the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel today remind us that Jesus’ birth cannot be somehow separate from His death and resurrection. Neither can our birth by baptism be separated from our death and resurrection in Jesus.
After Jesus’ resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles needed more help to serve the growing early Christian community. Disputes began to arise between the Greek-speaking Jews and the Hebraic Jews about fair food distribution to their widows. The Greek-speaking Jews felt their widows were not being treated as well as the others. Stephen was highly respected as a man of faith and fairness. An added benefit was that he spoke Greek. So, the Apostles asked Stephen to be one of seven deacons to distribute food and other necessities to those in need.
Stephen had many talents, though, and he not only served food, but he preached in the synagogues of the Greek-speaking Jews. There, he spoke powerfully and worked miracles among the people. The prominent members of these synagogues argued with him. Stephen engaged in their debates and showed all the truth of his teachings.
Unfortunately, winning the debates humiliated those who had challenged Stephen. So, the leaders of the synagogues made up lies, saying Stephen had showed contempt for God and a lack of respect for Moses. Such blasphemy was considered a serious crime, a crime that would have to go to trial before the supreme court of the Jewish elders, the Sanhedrin.
Angry members of the synagogues dragged Stephen before the Sanhedrin for trial. There, they accused him of preaching against the Temple and the Law of Moses. Stephen must have remembered Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel because he did not get upset. He gave a long speech to the Sanhedrin, carefully outlining his understanding of the history of Israel. Speaking of Abraham, the patriarchs, and Moses, he explained how the Chosen People disobeyed God and needed the Messiah. He showed how Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not to destroy it.
Stephen bravely told those before him how they were, by falsely accusing him, doing what their ancestors had done by persecuting the prophets. He warned them that they were not listening to the Holy Spirit, and he reminded them that they even killed the Messiah who came to save them.
Stephen’s words angered the crowd who began to throw stones at him. Stephen looked up to heaven and cried out, “Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God!” As he died, he asked the Lord to receive his spirit and forgive those who stoned him.
We will suffer in following Jesus, but Christmas reminds us that He lives among us to give us everything we need to stay faithful in the moments, days, or years ahead.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
Who are some people who have spoken ill of you? Have you forgiven them?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Christmas Day is Jesus, the Christ.
Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us; not because of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs, in hope, of eternal life.
Advent is over, and the wonderful celebration of the Christmas Season is here! St. Paul in his letter to Titus, from the second reading of the Mass at Dawn, calls us to rejoice that Jesus, God among us, is here to save us. He reminds us that we have not done anything to deserve saving; there is nothing we will ever be able to do to merit such love. But, God, in his infinite mercy, wants to save us so we can be one with Him.
Today is a good day to give thanks for our Baptism, our new birth in the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, Jesus renews our birth in His birth so that we can become pure and holy. We can share Jesus’ birthday in the truest sense, for we – like Christ – have been born through salvation today. Let us sing, dance, eat, celebrate, and never forget to do good works.
St. Paul tells Titus we are heirs in hope. I know someone who is totally bored with her life. She is not particularly depressed, but she is looking for something exciting to do all the time. Do you know anyone like that?
She has eaten at every restaurant within miles, gone to every gallery, taken courses, and shopped at every kind of store. Still, the boredom returns. Christmas decorations, gifts, foods, maybe a church service with uplifting music, and some visitors may bring her a little fleeting happiness today. But, what about tomorrow? What about all of us tomorrow? Will we hold onto Christmas joy then and throughout the year?
St. Paul’s letter to Titus reminds us that the Holy Spirit has been lavished on us. Lavished! The Holy Spirit has given us these gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Using these gifts, we bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Using the gifts of the Holy Spirit to do good works will help us put down the roots to our life’s tree, and that tree will bear much good fruit.
Throughout Advent, we looked at saintly people’s lives. We have seen people who prayed (piety), studied God’s Word (knowledge), and used all the Spirit’s gifts. Their fruits of love, joy, peace and more were evident as well. So, Jesus, Our Savior, came to bring us the fullness of life in the Spirit. Let us, human like the saints, use our hands and feet, our talents, whatever we have to offer to make the saving love of Jesus real for people around us today. Deep joy will follow.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI knows this. He said, “Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us…”.
May we all find joy in the Holy Spirit Who has been lavished on us because Jesus, wanting to be one with us, chose to be born long ago as a helpless child and chose to give His life that we might live – and do the same as He did.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What is the best gift you can give a person on Christmas, and how will you present it to that person?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent is Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Luke 1:67-79
Then Zechariah, …filled with the Holy Spirit, uttered this prophesy: “…He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered the holy covenant he made, the oath he swore to Abraham our father he would grant us: that, rid of fear and delivered from the enemy, we should serve him devoutly and through all our days be holy in his sight…”.
Advent is coming to an end, and today’s Gospel cites Zechariah’s beautiful canticle. His prophetic song of praise reminds us that God is faithful to His promises, that He calls us to walk the path of peace, and that He brings us eternal salvation. One person who followed a path of just peace was Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Born in Turin, Italy, in 1901, Pier’s father was a newspaper man who became a senator and then an ambassador to Germany. His mother was an excellent painter. From an early age, Pier had a desire to help the poor. Once, when Pier was a child, a mother came with her son to the Frassati’s door, begging. The little boy had no shoes, so Pier gave his shoes to the boy.
Pier became a lay Dominican, influenced by Dominican Saints Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Siena. A deeply prayerful person who attended daily Mass, he dedicated himself to caring for the poor and to changing social systems for the good of all. Well-liked by many because of his kind, humorous ways, he brought a lightness into heavy situations. Active athletically, he especially enjoyed mountain climbing and swimming.
Pier participated in anti-fascist rallies. He hated violence and had a calming presence wherever he went, even at the protests. Never afraid, he was often physically attacked by fascists. Arrested many times for peacefully protesting, he once had to fight back when the police became violent at a Church-backed demonstration. When people lauded his courage, he said, “One ought to go and one does. It is not they who suffer violence who should fear it, but those who practice it.”
Pier Giorgio studied at a university in Turin to become a mining engineer in order “to serve Christ among the miners.” In his free time, he served the poor, giving all he had to those in need. Once he gave his bus fare away and ran the long distance home on foot. Often, he gave up summer vacations at his family estate outside Turin because he felt that if everyone left the heat of the city, no one would be around to care for the poor.
Frequently spending his nights adoring the Blessed Sacrament, he meditated on St. Paul’s letters, especially 1 Corinthians 13, on the excellence of the gift of love.
Pier contracted polio in the summer of 1925, probably while caring for the sick. Boating with friends on June 30, he complained of pains in his back and returned home on July 1 with a severe headache and fever, only to find that his grandmother had died that day. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he mourned with his family until he became too ill on July 2. He could not move when the doctor arrived. On the night before he died, his hand was partially paralyzed; yet, he wrote directions so that a friend would take needed medicine to a poor man Pier had served. His last words before he died on July 4, 1925 at only 24 years of age, were these: “May I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.”
The Turin poor turned out in droves, lining the streets on the day of his funeral. Pope St. John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio Frassati in 1990, calling him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes.”
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can we, like Pier Giorgio Frassati, serve the Lord faithfully and devoutly without fear?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent is Dr. Takashi Nagai.
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me … But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. He will sit refining and purifying, and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord…
Today’s Scripture passage urges us to prepare the way for God’s coming into our hearts by our facing the metal refiner’s fire and cleansing with strong soap. Dr. Takashi Nagai emerged from fire and cleansing, shining with love and forgiveness.
Born in Matsue, Japan, in 1908, Takashi Nagai’s family was well-educated and raised him in the Shinto religion. In 1920, Takashi began higher studies at a boarding school and became interested in Christianity. Eight years later, he entered the Nagasaki Medical College. His mother died in 1930. This sadness prompted him to read Pascal’s works that focused on reasons for God’s existence. He boarded while in school with a joyful Catholic family, the Moriyamas, who led him to embrace Catholicism.
After a farewell party a few days before graduation from medical school in 1932, Takashi walked home in the rain and fell asleep soaking wet. The next morning, he had a severe infection which caused partial deafness, so he chose work in radiology since he could not use a stethoscope.
Beginning his required military service in 1933, Takashi cared for wounded soldiers in Manchuria, among other duties. Upon his return from the brutal war totally exhausted, he continued studying the Catholic faith. Baptized and confirmed a Catholic in 1934, he proposed to and married Midori Moriyama the same year. The couple eventually had four children.
Takashi joined the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, visiting not only his patients but the many poor in the area, bringing them food and whatever comfort he could. Food was scarce and conditions cramped in many places, so tuberculosis ravaged many. At this time, he met Fr. (later saint) Maximilian Kolbe who was living in a suburb of Nagasaki. War soon broke out between China and Japan, and Takashi was called back again to serve as surgeon. While in service, his father and daughter died. He returned home, grieving and weary, in 1940. He continued his demanding x-ray work and contracted leukemia from leaking radiation in the x-ray machines.
Japan declared war on the United States in December, 1941. On April 6, 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Takashi labored to serve the wounded. On April 9, the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, where Takashi was serving in the College Hospital Radiology Department, again caring for the wounded in spite of suffering a severe head wound himself.
On August 11, Takashi found his wife dead and his home destroyed. A few months later, he was near death due to the severity of his head wound. Praying through the intercession of his friend, Fr. Kolbe, unaware until later of the priest’s bravery in Auschwitz, Takashi received the strength to carry on his work for a little longer. He wrote a best seller, The Bells of Nagasaki, and used the money he made from it to plant hundreds of cherry trees to bring hope, saying, “… we pray to God: Grant that Nagasaki may be the last atomic wilderness in the history of the world.”
Confined to bed for his last five years, Dr. Nagai lived in his hermitage with his relatives, promoting love, forgiveness, and peace. Nearing death, he prayed: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, into your hands I entrust my soul.”
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can we work for peace and the end of storing nuclear weapons so that Christ’s peace may reign in our world?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent is St. Anthony of Padua.
1 Samuel 1:24-38
Once Samuel was weaned, his mother Hannah … presented him at the temple of the Lord in Shiloh, … approached Eli and said: “Pardon, my lord! … I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.”
Fernando Martins de Bulhões, known as St. Anthony of Padua, was born in 1195 to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal. Fernando dedicated himself to God from an early age. He joined the Canons Regular Order outside Lisbon around 1210. Well liked by family and friends, he found their frequent visits distracted him from prayerful study and asked to be transferred to the Order’s main house near Coimbra where he studied Latin and theology.
By 19, Fernando had been ordained a priest. As the one in charge of welcoming guests for the Canons Regular, he met Franciscans staying in the St. Anthony the Great Hermitage nearby. These Franciscans witnessed to God by their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, by their simple lifestyle, and by their mission to share the Gospel with all people. While there, the Franciscans got news that five of their Order had been beheaded in Morocco, the first of the Franciscan martyrs. Such courage inspired Fernando, so he asked his superiors to leave the Canons Regular and join the Franciscans. Upon entering the small hermitage of St. Anthony the Great, Fernando took the name Anthony.
Shortly, Anthony set out for Morocco where he became seriously ill. Trying to return to Portugal by sea, his ship was blown off course, ending up in Sicily. From there, he went to Tuscany and joined a Franciscan Convent. Due to his frailty, he was assigned to a hermitage near Forli, Italy, where he prayed and studied. Many Dominican friars came to Forli to participate in an ordination. Dominicans, known for their excellent preaching, were expected to give the homily. But they, as guests of the Franciscans, assumed the Franciscan friars would preach. So, the head of the hermitage asked Anthony to say whatever the Holy Spirit directed him to say. With his in-depth knowledge of Scripture and an excellent voice, all present were moved by Anthony’s words.
From Forli, Anthony was sent to Bologna. There, the young priest met St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis entrusted the studies of young members of his Order to Anthony, whom he found shared his vision. In Bologna, Anthony had written his many teaching notes in a Book of Psalms which was stolen by a novice who left the Order. A poor Franciscan would have found it difficult to replace such a book, so Anthony prayed to God to help him find it. The novice returned the book and also returned to the Order. Probably this is why we pray to St. Anthony when things are lost or stolen.
Later, Anthony was chosen Superior of the Order in Northern Italy, and he chose the city of Padua as his base; hence his title as St. Anthony of Padua. He died at the age of 35 from accidentally eating fungus-infected grain. Amazingly, less than a year later, he was canonized because, even in his own day, he was loved as a saint.
Since the 17th century, Anthony is often shown holding up the Christ Child. Jesus gave up His appearance as God, becoming a humble child, in order to be one with us. He kept God’s promise to save us. Anthony, adopting a poor and humble life, held up the Christ Child as an example for all through his preaching and loving works of caring for the poor.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can we hold the Christ Child up so that many will want to know His love?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent is St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
Luke 1:39-45
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy. Blest is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.
Gianna Beretta Molla, an Italian wife, mother, and doctor, was born on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi in 1922. Always attentive in prayer, Gianna Molla made the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola prior to beginning university studies. Her schooling was interrupted in 1938-1939 due to poor health. But in 1942 she began her studies in Milan, getting a diploma in medicine from Pavia University there in 1949.
Since her brother Giuseppe was a missionary priest in Brazil, Gianna wanted to help there with gynecological services for the poor. She soon realized she could not do that due to her chronic health issues. In spite of her own frail condition, she enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. Always reaching out to the poor in her area, she offered whatever services she could. In 1950 she began a practice in Mesero, Italy, and in 1952 pursued a specialty in pediatrics from the University of Milan.
Gianna met Pietro Molla, an engineer, in 1954; the pair married the following year. Just before their marriage, she wrote to Pietro: “Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and women.” Together they had four children who lived. One of her daughters, Mariolina, died as a young child. So, certainly this was a great suffering for Gianna, Pietro, and Mariolina’s siblings.
In spite of the suffering that often accompanies parenthood, Gianna and Pietro wanted to have more children and desired to bring them up in a loving and Christ-centered home. They would have recognized the joy that Elizabeth and Mary share in today’s Gospel. Gianna was inspired to help those in need by Mary, who ran to help Elizabeth. She had, like so many working mothers and fathers, to learn to trust God completely as she balanced family, prayer, professional duties, and outreach work.
Toward the end of September 1961, Gianna was just two months pregnant when she began having great pain. A uterine fibroma was discovered. The doctors told Gianna she could have an abortion, have a hysterectomy, or just have the tumor removed. She chose to just have the fibroma removed to preserve the life of her child. Her son later wrote that his mother loved her children unconditionally, and her first concern was her unborn child. He also said she wanted to have more children, so that may have influenced her choice as well. She understood all the implications since she was a pediatric surgeon herself. The surgery was successfully performed. For seven months, Gianna prayed for the safety of her child, that the baby would not suffer any pain in her womb.
On Easter Sunday morning in April, 1962, a baby girl whom Pietro and Gianna named Gianna Emanuela was delivered by Caesarean section. Yet, after the birth, Gianna continued to have excruciating pain. Suffering from septic peritonitis, Gianna died one week later as she prayed, “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.” Baby Gianna Emanuela grew up to become a physician and gives thanks to God that her mother loved her enough to give her life for her.
Gianna was beatified in 1994, and her husband Pietro and her children were able to attend her canonization in 2004.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What kind of relationship with Jesus empowers you to make decisions for the sake of others before yourself?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday for the Fourth Week of Advent is Bl. Maria Gabriella Sagheddu.
Isaiah 7:10-14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered: “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord.” Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men; must you also weary my God? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
Born to shepherds in the Sardinian Region, an island to the west of Italy, Maria Sagheddu recognized the sign given by a loving God as Immanuel, God with us! She learned to trust Him even in difficult times. Unlike Ahaz who was a king and rejected a prophet’s guidance, Maria let Jesus be her king, allowing Him to care for her.
Maria’s father and one brother died in 1919 when she was only five; two more brothers died in childhood. Such grief surely brought little Maria to an early understanding of how quickly life on earth can pass. Though excelling in school, she had to leave after an elementary education to help her mother care for the other children and the home.
Maria’s sister, Giovanni Antonia, just a year younger, was her closest sibling in every way. In 1932, Giovanni died at age 17. After that, Maria’s devotion to the Lord grew. She began to teach religion to children and teens. She also reached out to help elderly people in the area in any way she could. These good works seemed to spur Maria to spend more time in prayer and study.
Soon, she felt called to religious life. With the help of her Jesuit confessor, she entered the Trappist Convent near Rome and received the name Maria Gabriella. Making her vows on the Feast of Christ the King in 1937, she entered wholeheartedly into the Trappist way of life and learned much about the need for ecumenism, a closer relationship among all Christian churches. She suffered from bouts of anxiety, but abandoned herself completely into the hands of God and found relief. The Sisters found her trusting, humble, cheerful, and always ready to do the most tiring jobs happily.
Maria Gabriella gave thanks to God for allowing her to be at one with Him through her vowed life. Still, she longed for all Christians to grow in understanding of one another and to develop a relationship with one another in Jesus. In January, 1938, during a time of special prayer for Christian unity, Maria offered herself as a spiritual sacrifice so that all might be one. This sacrifice, in God’s plan, was not only to be spiritual but physical as well. By May of the same year, doctors told her she had incurable tuberculosis. After suffering with the disease for over a year, Maria peacefully gave herself to the Lord and died on April 23, 1939. It was Good Shepherd Sunday, and the Gospel proclaimed “… and there will be one fold and one shepherd.”
During her very short life of 25 years, her love for unity had been welcomed by the Anglican Church and other believers as well. After her death, vocations flocked to her religious community. St. Pope John Paul II referred to Maria Gabriella in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That They May Be One) as an example to follow: someone who realized it is our duty at all times, everywhere, to pray and work for unity. The Pope beatified her on January 25, 1983.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can you work for greater unity among all Christian faiths?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent is St. Elisabeth Hesselblad.
Luke1:5-25
Then, when Zechariah’s time of priestly service was over, he went home. Afterward, his wife Elizabeth conceived. She went into seclusion for five months, saying: “In these days, the Lord is acting on my behalf; he has seen fit to remove my reproach among men.”
We know from today’s Gospel that Elizabeth, trusting the Lord to come to her aid, became pregnant in her old age. Her trust brought us John the Baptist who pointed the way to Jesus. St. Elizabeth Hesselblad also trusted God. She did not bear a son named John, but she herself was fruitful in pointing the way to the Savior for many.
Born in 1870 to Lutheran parents in Sweden, Elizabeth Hesselblad was the fifth of thirteen children. By the time she was sixteen, she had to go to work to help support the family. Emigrating to the United States in 1888, she studied nursing in New York City and provided home health care to many of the poor. Some of those she served were Catholic, and they influenced Elizabeth profoundly.
Elizabeth gave herself to prayer and study, wanting to know and follow the Lord’s plans for her. So, it was with joy on the Feast of the Assumption, 1902, that she embraced the Catholic faith. Later, reflecting on her conversion, she wrote: “In an instant the love of God was poured over me. I understood that I could respond to that love only through sacrifice and a love prepared to suffer for His glory and for the Church. Without hesitation I offered Him my life, and my will to follow Him on the Way of the Cross.”
A short time after her conversion, Elizabeth left for Europe where she made a pilgrimage to Rome. There she visited the house of Bridget of Sweden, then a Carmelite Monastery. She wanted to join the Carmelites in Rome, but her health was not good due to her care for the sick poor in New York City. The Order felt the life would be too difficult for her, but they welcomed her as a guest on probation. Elizabeth fell critically ill there, so she could not join the Carmelites. Still, feeling called to religious life, she asked the Pope to allow her to make vows under the Rule of the Order St. Bridget had founded. She professed her vows to her Jesuit spiritual director in 1906.
Elizabeth, knowing the Order was strong in Sweden prior to the Protestant Reformation, wanted to bring it back to life. She was unsuccessful in that attempt but proposed a new Order dedicated to care of the sick. By the end of 1911, three women had joined her to pray and work. The Order grew, and Elizabeth continued caring for the sick poor. In 1928 the Carmelites left their Monastery in Rome, and Elizabeth’s new Order of Bridgettines moved in, establishing a foundation in Rome.
During World War II, the convent in Rome was a place where she, as Superior, hid twelve Jews fleeing the holocaust. The Germans occupied Italy in 1943, sending many Jews to Auschwitz. This particular family of Jews roamed the countryside for some months but eventually returned to Rome. Friends suggested they take refuge in the Bridgettine Monastery. Elizabeth and her community welcomed them, risking their lives. The Jews were able to hide in the monastery until they could safely leave after the liberation of Italy in 1944, a period of six months. Like nursing the sick, Elizabeth offered her life for all her brothers and sisters.
Elizabeth became quite ill on April 23, 1957. She raised her hands to bless her sisters saying, “Go to heaven with hands full of love and virtues.” She received the sacraments and died early the next morning. Pope Francis canonized her in 2016.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can we reach out and provide safety for the poor, the sick, and those whom society has cast aside?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Sunday of the Fourth Week of Advent is St. Angela of Foligno.
Romans 1:1-7
Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart to proclaim the gospel of God…Through him we have been favored with apostleship, that we may spread his name and bring to obedient faith all the Gentiles, among whom are you who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Paul, in today’s second reading, reminds us that, like him, we are called to be servants of God who proclaim the Good News in obedient faith. St. Angela Foligno took this calling seriously, at least later in life.
Born to a wealthy family around 1248 in Foligno, a town in central Italy not far from Assisi, Angela’s father died when she was young. Her mother did not have much interest in passing along the faith to her daughter. Intelligent and beautiful, Angela married early and had several children. Her focus, like many today, was on amassing wealth as well as bettering her social position. When she was about 40 years old, she began to realize that, although she loved her family, working for wealth and social position had not brought her true joy. She felt empty inside. Perhaps a serious earthquake, a war, and a wild hurricane around that time also pushed her to consider more lasting things.
Angela sought help from God in prayer. In the Sacrament of Penance, a wise confessor told her to ask God to forgive her sins, pray, and give her life to good works. About three years later, her mother died. Several months after that, her husband and children also died. At that point, Angela began divesting herself of all her possessions. She joined the Franciscan Third Order and asked a Friar Arnoldo to be her spiritual director and confessor. Friar Arnoldo served in this capacity until around 1296 when Angela’s mystic revelations became, he said, too complex for him. Up until then, he had directed her to write down all her experiences and the knowledge she attained from her deep prayer life. She continued to do this for the rest of her life.
Prayer was Angela’s central theme. One translation of her many works states, “No one can be saved without divine light. Divine light causes us to begin and to make progress, and it leads to the summit of perfection. Therefore, if you want to begin and to receive this divine light, pray. If you have begun to make progress, pray. And if you have reached the summit of perfection and want to be super-illumined so as to remain in that state, pray. If you want faith, pray. If you want hope, pray… .”
She advised all to pray with Scripture. Prayer for Angela was oneness with God. And, for her, oneness with God meant oneness with all. That is why she served those in need.
Between 1296 and her death in 1309, her sanctity drew both men and women to follow her as Third Order Franciscans. Later, she gathered a group of women in the Third Order who took vows to be in community as well. Her group realized they could not be enclosed in a cloister – as most women religious were at the time – because they felt called to be out serving those in need.
At Christmastime in 1308, Angela told her sisters in community that she would die shortly and that Jesus, Himself, said He would come to take her to heaven. She died as she slept peacefully in early January, 1309. Pope Francis canonized St. Angela in 2013.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
If you have a particular virtue you are striving for this Advent, what advice do you think St. Angela would give you?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Saturday of the Third Week of Advent is St. Peregrine.
Genesis 49: 2, 8-10
…Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts – who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people’s homage.
Today’s first reading is one of the blessings Jacob is giving his sons on his deathbed. Jacob is saying that Judah will assume leadership over his brothers, but it is a prophesy about Jesus coming from the tribe of Judah, a promise that took around 640 years to get to King David but some 1600 years to be fulfilled in Jesus. If Advent seems long, just think how long the Chosen People waited for the Savior!
Advent is a time of waiting, but it is also a great time to think about how Jesus is the One Who leads us to salvation. Knowing this, we can trust that His promise to care for us will be fulfilled, no matter how long it seems to take. Sometimes, when we are ill or in pain or a loved one is suffering, time seems to stretch out. It is easy to allow ourselves to forget that Jesus will help us. A saint who never forgot Jesus’ promise is St. Peregrine.
Peregrine Laziosi was born in Forli, a town in Northern Italy which was, at the time, part of the Papal States. His family, along with many in that town, was against the Pope. Others were for the Pope, so a deep divide caused problems among the townspeople. To try to get the two factions to reconcile and unite, the Pope sent the Superior of the Servite Order, Philip Benizi, to preach to the people. Eighteen-year-old Peregrine, whose family had taught him to hate representatives of the Pope, dragged Philip from where he was preaching, mocked him, and beat him.
Peregrine felt bad about what he had done and asked for Fr. Philip’s forgiveness. The priest looked up at the young man and smiled, treating him with kindness. After that, Peregrine began to spend much time in prayer and in works of mercy. A few years later, he joined the Servites and was ordained a priest. He preached powerfully and spent his life caring for others, especially the poor and sick, and doing penance. People sought his advice, sensing he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Peregrine was 60, he developed a severe cancerous infection in his leg and foot. The pain was excruciating, and the doctor decided the leg needed to be amputated. Peregrine spent the night before surgery in prayer before a fresco of the crucifixion. He fell into a trance there and saw Jesus coming down from the Cross and touching his leg. When the doctor arrived the next morning, he found no sign of the cancer.
While Peregrine did experience a wonderful miracle, the main thing is that he put himself in the heart and hands of Jesus, whom he knew had always and would always care for him in the best way possible.
Peregrine went on preaching the good news, caring for the poor and sick, and continuing his life of prayer, penance, and praise. Patiently he waited for the day he would see his Savior. He died of a fever at the age of 85, after a long life trusting in Jesus. Peregrine is the patron saint of those suffering with cancer or other potentially fatal illnesses.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
When you are ill, how might Peregrine’s life help you to trust that Jesus will keep His promise, no matter how long it might seem to take?
Today's Ornaments of Grace for Friday of the Third Week of Advent are Priscilla and Aquila.
Isaiah 56:1-3a, 6-8
Let not the foreigner say, when he would join himself to the Lord, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people”; nor let the eunuch say, “See, I am a dry tree.” And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants –… them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer…
Priscilla and Aquila are introduced to us in the Acts of the Apostles; they are also mentioned in Paul’s letters to the Romans, the Corinthians, and Timothy. This power-couple had much to do with the spread of Christianity. Priscilla, mentioned before Aquila in four of six Scriptural references, might have been the more influential since the wife was generally not mentioned before the husband in those days, if mentioned at all. Nevertheless, the couple worked together to live and teach the Good News.
Isaiah, in today’s Reading, speaks of how the Lord welcomed “foreigners” and would make them joyful in His presence. The Lord did this for and through Priscilla and Aquila. The couple were among the earliest Jews converted to Christianity and were living in Rome. When Emperor Claudius came to power and began to purge the Jewish population, they fled to Greece and set up a tent making business in Corinth.
Paul, in his own words, said he came to Corinth in fear and trembling. We are unsure of the reason he felt this way, but Priscilla and Aquila welcomed him there. They gave him an ideal job because he was also a tentmaker. The couple invited him to live in their home, and Paul did so for a year and a half. Since Priscilla and Aquila had been refugees, they understood the need Paul had for support in a new place. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he sends greetings to the people not only from himself but from Priscilla and Aquila as well. This may mean that he considered them co-founders of the Church in Corinth; at the very least, they were instrumental in helping it thrive.
After 18 months, Paul felt called to continue his missionary journey. Paul was planning to head to Syria but stopped in Ephesus (modern-day Turkey) on the way. Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him, and Paul left them in Ephesus to continue sharing the Good News. In Ephesus, the couple met a wonderful preacher named Apollos. Apollos taught about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. However, he taught the baptism of John the Baptist, rather than that of Jesus. So, Priscilla and Aquila, already in a new land themselves, welcomed the Egyptian Apollos into their home. There, they explained to him how Jesus’ baptism was not only a sign of repentance as John preached, but was also a sharing in the very life of Jesus.
Priscilla and Aquila continued their work in the early church. Paul says in his letter to the Romans that Priscilla and Aquila risked their lives for him, so we know they remained connected to the early church even if we do not know what specific risks they took for Paul.
While little is known beyond this about the couple who, refugees themselves, welcomed others, tradition holds that they died together as martyrs. They could embrace missionary life because they realized that their real home was in Jesus Christ.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
Who might Jesus be asking you to welcome into your home or heart?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Thursday of the Third Week of Advent is Venerable Carla Ronci.
Isaiah 54:1-10
Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear, break forth in jubilant song, you who were not in labor, for more numerous are the children of the deserted wife than the children of her who has a husband, says the Lord. Enlarge the space for your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly.
Today’s reading from Isaiah reminds us that barrenness can be a great sorrow for a woman, but we can learn from those women who opened their hearts in love to receive the Lord as their spouse and found joy, even if they could not bear children. One woman who enlarged the tent of her heart to make room for those who might otherwise be left outside was Venerable Carla Ronci.
Carla Ronci was born in Rimini, Italy, in 1936. Carla was a good child, full of life, happy, and charismatic. After finishing elementary school, she learned to be a seamstress.
When Carla was 14, she received the grace to give her life to God. She began to teach the faith to young people, encouraging them to reach out to those in need. Her teaching brought her into contact with the Ursuline Nuns. Carla often attended meetings at the Ursuline convent, especially during the Holy Year of 1950.
In 1956, Carla made private vows of poverty and chastity. She then decided to enter the Ursuline novitiate but realized, after a very short time, that this was not her vocation. Wanting always to do God’s will, she asked Jesus, “What is happening to me? Why do I feel so weird and unsatisfied with my new life? What do you want from me, my Lord? When will I know with certainty where you want me to serve you?” Leaving the convent, she returned to her former life.
Trusting the Lord would lead her, Carla threw herself back into sharing the Good News with the young, caring for the poor, and spreading joy wherever she went on her motorbike, her Vespa. The Lord certainly rode with her. In 1960 she met Teresa Ravegnini who introduced her to the secular institute “Ancelle Mater Misericordiae.”
After studying the rules of the Institute, Carla knew where she belonged. She could stay in her hometown working, teaching religion, and reaching out to all in need. At the same time, she could take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Witnessing to Jesus’ presence in everyday life would be her ministry. In 1961, she applied to become part of the Institute and was accepted.
Carla knew Jesus had answered her question about where and how He desired her service. In her journal, she wrote happily: “Lord, thank you for being so good to me.” Gratitude to the Lord defined her life. Her almost constant smile showed this. It fueled her service and gave her the eyes to see Christ in everyone and everything. It was for love of her spouse, Jesus, that she bore fruit. She said, “It is only for him that I am committing myself for my life to be a living witness, everywhere I may be, and in everything I may do.” People in her area called her the joyful saint, the smiling saint, or the Vespa saint.
In 1969, Carla was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her loving response was this: “Lord, you can no longer suffer in your own body, so take mine to continue your passion and redemption.” Less than a year later, on April 2, 1970, at the age of 33, she was lying on her deathbed, hands folded in prayer. Her last words were, “Here comes the spouse.”
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What kinds of barrenness do you sometimes suffer, and how can you change that to fruitfulness?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent is St. Paul of the Cross.
Luke 7:18b-23
“John the Baptizer sends us to you with this question: ‘Are you ‘He who is to come’ or do we look for someone else?” ...Jesus gave this response: “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men are raised to life, and the poor have the good news preached to them. Blest is that man who finds no stumbling block in me.”
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist was suffering in prison. Probably having doubts about whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, he sent a couple of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was truly the Anointed One of God. John did the right thing. When we have doubts, we simply need to go and share those doubts with Jesus and hear His answer.
St. Paul of the Cross understood the suffering that doubt can bring, but he also knew to bring his doubts to Jesus. He suffered the darkness of doubt for forty years, but he moved ahead with his ministry, trusting in the power of God to give him strength. He knew that Jesus would not forget him in his emotional prison of doubt.
Born in 1694 in Italy, Paul of the Cross died there in 1775. His father read to Paul and his brother John about the lives of the saints. When the boys had difficulties in life, their mother would point to the crucifix and remind them of Jesus’ love for them.
After leaving school, Paul worked for his father in a dry goods store. Always active in the Church, Paul dedicated himself to the Passion of Christ at age 19. At 21, he became a soldier but soon realized that was not his vocation. So, returning to the family business, he dedicated himself to many hours of prayer and penance. Five years later, Paul began to have visions of founding a community dedicated to Jesus’ Passion. His bishop encouraged him. Paul made a 40-day retreat during which he wrote a Rule for the future community. They were to pray, do penance, and live the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their ministry was to teach the poor and marginalized, emphasizing meditation on Christ’s suffering and death.
Paul’s first recruit was his brother John. A Cardinal in Rome heard about the two and invited them to come to Rome to help him start a hospital. Paul and John nursed the sick and taught the staff how to pray with Jesus in His Passion. The two also took a course in theology and were ordained priests in 1727. After ordination, they taught in many parishes, especially remote regions which had difficulty finding priests to provide Mass and the sacraments.
While Paul was extremely popular as a preacher and greatly loved for his kind acts, his community, known as Passionists, grew very slowly. Their life was demanding, and his prayer was often dry, and he continued to be assailed by doubt. Still, by the grace of God, the community had 180 members by the time Paul died. He had also founded an Order of nuns dedicated to the Passion of Jesus Christ.
Paul of the Cross, like John the Baptist, knew where to bring his doubts. Since he buried them in the wounds of Jesus and trusted they would be healed eventually, he had the spiritual energy to share Jesus’ love with others. His last years were filled with consolation. He found no stumbling block in Jesus. He found joy.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How might it be helpful to meditate on the passion and death of Jesus, even in Advent, when we are remembering His coming in history, welcoming his coming in mystery, and anticipating His coming in majesty?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent is St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord…
In 1769, Rose Philippine Duchesne was born to a prominent family of Grenoble, France. The parish her family attended welcomed missionary priests who served in Louisiana, colonized by the French. Rose listened and wished she, too, could serve the Native Americans there. Later, this desire would be realized, but it took a long time.
When she was around twelve, Rose was sent to a monastery to be educated by the Visitation nuns. When Rose’s father found out she was becoming enamored with monastic life, he brought her home to be tutored. Yet, Rose’s desire to enter religious life did not go away. In 1788, she entered the Visitations against her family’s wishes.
Just four years later, revolutionaries shut down the monastery during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, scattering the nuns. Rose returned to live with her family in a country home, trying to remain faithful to the Visitations’ Rule of Life while caring for her family, prisoners, and others impacted by the Reign of Terror. When Napoleon came to power in 1801, Catholics were again allowed to practice their faith openly. Rose returned to the monastery only to find it practically destroyed. By this time, most of the nuns were elderly and found it too difficult to live there. Rose, now the Superior, had only three companions.
In northern France, Madeleine-Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, an active order educating young women. Wanting to establish a community in Grenoble, southeastern France, Barat was introduced to Rose by her spiritual director. The women agreed to merge their communities since they shared an educational ministry. After the Napoleonic Wars, Barat sent Rose to establish a convent and open a school in Paris. A bishop from Louisiana visited the convent in 1817, seeking religious to teach the Indian and French children of his diocese. Rose’s childhood desire was reawakened, and she asked Barat to send her there.
Rose, with four other Sisters, went to New Orleans in 1818. After a ten-week trip at sea, they arrived to find the bishop had arranged no housing for them. So, taking a steamboat up to St. Louis, Missouri Territory, they settled in nearby St. Charles. There, they established the first free school west of the Mississippi, a simple log cabin. A year later, the bishop moved them to Florissant, Missouri, where they opened a school and novitiate.
Many settlers were very poor, and the new foundation struggled. The Sisters had to learn English and suffered from the cold in poor housing. They lacked money for school, convent, and novitiate needs and often went hungry. Still, by 1828, the group had established six communities and was operating several schools.
Asked by the Jesuits to join them in educating the Potawatomi Indians in Kansas, the Sisters went enthusiastically. Rose, now elderly, could not teach there because she could not master their language, but she was sent to pray. That is what she did until she became too feeble and returned to St. Charles. There, in a cramped room under the stairway, she lived the rest of her life. Blind, weak, with little companionship, she felt no human or divine consolation. Still, Rose Philippine Duchesne faithfully sought refuge in the Lord until she died at 83.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can faith help us seek refuge in the Lord and trust in His love even when we feel like a failure, are fearful, or suffer sickness?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Monday of the Third Week of Advent is Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Zechariah 2:14-17
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
Today is surely a day to sing and rejoice – and maybe even dance! This is a time for celebration, for we know that the Lord does dwell with us. Realizing this, even in a very small way, should bring us deep joy and true excitement.
Before the Incarnation, God’s Chosen Ones waited in expectation while the prophets offered them hope. One choice for today’s reading is from Zechariah. It explains that God is about to do something totally unexpected and wonderful for all nations. People then did not have the gift of knowing how Jesus came to live with us. Today we may know it in our minds, but we might need someone to help us open our hearts to such a wonder. Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast we celebrate, might just be the perfect someone to help us because she loves us so much.
This is a true, familiar story to many. Briefly, Juan Diego, an indigenous man in what is now Mexico, had a vision of Our Lady on this day in 1531. She directed Juan Diego to tell the bishop to build a church at the site of her appearance so that all would know that she, the Mother of God, was their mother too. The bishop needed to be sure of the apparition, so he asked Juan for a sign from heaven as proof. When Juan asked Mary for the sign, she told him to gather roses from a rocky, wintry hillside. He did so. Then he went to the bishop, opened his cloak, and the roses fell out. Greater still was the image of Our Lady imprinted on Juan Diego’s cloak.
If you have the good fortune to have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, you see her eyes are cast down in humility. Juan Diego would easily have recognized her beautiful dark skin and hair as one of his own people. She is looking lovingly at her beloved child. Around her waist is a band indigenous women wore when pregnant. On her loose cloak or mantle are stars. These 46 stars represent the constellations visible over Mexico on Dec 12, 1531. While we cannot see the sun because Our Lady’s image blocks it from our view, it is surely present, as the rays emanate from behind her. She stands on the moon. The picture might remind us of a passage from the Book of Revelation: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child…”.
The best news is that Our Lady of Guadalupe promised all who come to her that she would hear and answer them, for she is our mother and loves us as her children.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
What in the story or in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe draws you to prayer?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Sunday of the Third Week of Advent is Jeremiah the Prophet.
James 5:7-10
Be patient… until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil. He looks forward to it patiently while the soil receives the winter and the spring rains. You, too, must be patient. Steady your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is at hand… As your models in suffering hardships and in patience… take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Jeremiah, because he had a tender heart and cared about his people, is sometimes called the “Weeping Prophet.” He did weep before the Lord as we might in challenging times, but he did whatever God asked of him. When the Chosen People did not listen to God’s truth, Jeremiah patiently waited in great suffering for God’s redemption.
Born into a priestly family around 650 BC in a town just northeast of Jerusalem, Jeremiah heard God’s call as a young man. He felt that call as if it were a burning fire within him. Trying to resist, he told God he was too young and could not speak for Him. But God assured young Jeremiah that He would put His words into the prophet’s mouth; so, Jeremiah accepted his call, trusting God.
Jeremiah lived during a period of transition in the Near East. The Assyrians had been the world power for about two hundred years, but, as with all world powers, their empire declined. Tiny Judah, which had been under Assyrian control, realized a brief bit of independence. Babylonia, which includes present-day Iraq and parts of Syria, emerged as the strongest power in the region.
The Babylonians had been decent to Judah, though they expected payment because they provided protection from other invaders. During the reign of good King Josiah, the tribute arrangement worked out. After Josiah’s death, his son Jehoiakim refused to pay tribute to the Babylonians. Jeremiah told the King to pay tribute and all would be well; the prophet also warned that, if Jehoiakim did not pay tribute, Judah would be destroyed.
The King did not listen, but he died before he saw total disaster. His son then assumed the throne and also refused to listen to God’s guidance through Jeremiah. So, the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem; the King of Judah surrendered and went into exile with many of his subjects. The lucky ones died in the battle. Jeremiah’s word had proved true. Yet, the faithful prophet had to live through the attack, watch Jerusalem be destroyed, and see his people taken into captivity,
For forty years, Jeremiah suffered intensely to bring God’s message to all who would listen. Early on, his own family wanted to kill him. Over and over, he was beaten, attacked, threatened by kings, mocked, thrown into jail, and even left to die in an empty well. God rescued him, not from suffering, but from death, and Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry continued – alone. God had commanded him not to marry or have children, so even that comfort was denied him.
Though he argued with God, weeping before Him many times, Jeremiah continued to urge the people of God to listen to their Maker. Moreover, he gave them hope for the future. He wanted them to wait for the refreshing rains that would pour salvation into the world. He told them, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How can the virtue of Hope help us to patiently prepare the soil of our hearts to receive Jesus this Advent?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Saturday of the Second Week of Advent is St. Vincent Ferrer, OP.
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
…The disciples put this question to him: “Why do the scribes claim that Elijah must come first?” In reply, he said: “Elijah is indeed coming, and he will restore everything. I assure you, though, that Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him and did as they pleased with him. The Son of Man will suffer at their hands in the same way.” The disciples then realized that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptizer.
Today’s Gospel picks up just after the Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah and being transfigured. Jesus showed these disciples that he valued the law and the prophets. Now Jesus explains to them that John the Baptist is the new Elijah preparing the way for the Messiah. Jesus also shows that true prophets must suffer as John suffered and warns the disciples of His own suffering to come.
St. Vincent Ferrer was a follower of Jesus and lived much like John the Baptist in preparing people of his time to recognize Jesus as Savior through true repentance. Like John, Vincent got an early start in knowing the Lord. Finishing his classical studies at 8 years of age, he began to learn theology and philosophy at 14. By 18, Ferrer had decided to enter the Dominican Order where, in the novitiate, he suffered great temptations to leave. Through penance, he conquered these desires, was professed, and, by age 29, was ordained a priest. He then earned a doctorate in theology and taught at the university level. He served as spiritual director for one of the three men claiming to be Pope at the time. Soon, Vincent set out to evangelize Western Europe.
Though mild-mannered and kind, Vincent was an eloquent, fiery speaker like John the Baptist before him. He converted many over twenty-plus years. Vincent practiced penance, showing by his life the beliefs he promoted, offering his suffering so that others could desire eternal life.
Vincent did not eat grasshoppers or wear animal skin as John the Baptist had, but he wore very poor clothing and lived simply. Fasting constantly, he would rise at 2:00 a.m. to pray. Every day he celebrated Mass, preached for hours, tended the sick, and carefully prepared his homily for the next day before retiring. In Jesus’ name, he worked miracles.
While Vincent is known for converting many Jewish people to Catholicism, he would not consider that his goal. One source said that he led mobs to seize a synagogue and make it into a church, but another reliable source relates that the Jewish converts made their synagogue into a church. No one is perfect, and we do not know the whole truth. Another reliable source explains that Vincent stopped riots against Jews and, with his eloquence, talked people bent on persecuting the Jews to be at peace with them. Since he was mild-mannered by nature, it is hard to imagine he used his voice for anything other than good.
What we know for sure is that Vincent, called by God as all of us are, used his gifts and his life to prepare the way for Jesus, our Savior, to come into their hearts. Was he imperfect? Yes. Is that hopeful for us all? Yes.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
This Advent, how can we, like St. John the Baptist or St. Vincent Ferrer, use our gifts to prepare our own heart and the hearts of others to receive the Savior?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Friday of the Second Week of Advent is Tran Minh Nhat.
Matthew 11:16-19
“What comparison can I use to describe this breed? They are like children squatting in the town squares, calling to their playmates: ‘We piped you a tune but you did not dance! We sang you a dirge but you did not wail! In other words, John appeared neither eating nor drinking, and people say: ‘He is mad!’ The Son of Man appeared eating and drinking, and they say, ‘This one is a glutton and drunkard, a lover of tax collectors and those outside the law!’ Yet, time will prove where wisdom lies.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls out those who write off John because they did not like his way of life; they specifically complained about John’s sacrificing food and drink. Then, this same group apparently finds fault with Jesus because He eats and drinks. Obviously, it’s not a lesson about food or no food. Rather, Jesus confronts harmful biases and unfair preconceived opinions of others. He shows the childishness of quick, closed-minded decisions to shut a person out.
Of course, our human brains are wired to categorize almost instantly based on our experiences, our education, and much more. This can be handy. If we need to pick up fruit from the produce department, we don’t have to head down the cereal aisle. It’s not so good, however, if we do not allow ourselves to find true wisdom because we categorize people, writing them off before really trying to understand them.
Being open to understanding both the gifts and the needs of all our brothers and sisters can be costly. Jesus welcomed all: the tax collectors, the outcasts, the poor, the sick, and those from other regions and faiths, and it cost Him everything. If we try to do the same, we can expect to suffer, too. Yet, what wisdom it is to know the joy awaiting those who suffer for justice!
As a Catholic Christian, Tran Minh Nhat understood the need for openness to opposing views and to just practices. As a journalist, he wrote articles for the Vietnam Redemptorist News, established by The Catholic Order of Redemptorists who have been bringing the Good News of Jesus to the poor and abandoned of Vietnam since 1925. Tran’s articles focused on human rights, social justice, and religious freedom.
In 2011, Tran Nhat wrote in support of a multi-party political system and for freedom of speech. He also organized protests against China’s mining operations in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and other toxic practices. For these good works, he was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City for “…activities aiming to overthrow the people’s government.” This was a legal clause that empowered the Vietnamese government to criminalize people promoting democracy in any form.
In 2013, Tran was sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of probation. Prison conditions were inhumane, and he did not receive needed medicines; nor was he allowed reading materials. He went on a hunger strike to protest not only his own treatment, but also the treatment of his fellow prisoners who suffered grievously. Finally, he was released in 2015. Still, even after his release, Tran and his family continued to suffer almost constant verbal and physical harassment. He was beaten and subjected to toxic substances. His family’s plants and property were damaged and then burned.
Tran Minh Nhat chose truth and justice, Jesus’ way, over safety. This Advent, let us be as courageous as Tran. Let us listen in love to all our brothers and sisters before we judge too quickly, miss the light of wisdom, and lose our way to Bethlehem, Calvary, and, finally, eternal joy.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
How do your biases and prejudices sometimes keep you from listening and perhaps learning from someone with a different viewpoint?
Today's Ornament of Grace for Thursday of the Second Week of Advent is The Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens! God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love...
Today is a solemn feast of Mary, our Mother. Sometimes people think of this Advent feast as being about Mary’s conception of Jesus, but it is not. Still, it is appropriate for Advent. For Mary’s Conception was God’s way of preparing a mother for Jesus. He preserved her from original sin from the instant she was given life. That is why today we celebrate Mary’s conception in the womb of her mother, St. Anne.
Pope Pius IX stated the teaching of the Immaculate Conception in an encyclical titled “Ineffabilis Deus,” which means “Ineffable God,” a God too great to be expressed in words. In this letter the Pope said, “…from the moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin.” Our Lady herself, appearing to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in 1858, confirmed this. She told Bernadette: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
According to Tradition but based upon non-canonical sources, Mary’s mother Anne (Hannah in Hebrew) was born in Bethlehem, and she married Joachim. After their marriage, they lived in Nazareth, leading holy lives. They did not have any children, so Joachim suffered ridicule at the Temple. He went away to the country to seek help from God. Anne, missing him, suffered even more from being childless. So, she asked God to please let her bear a child. If she did conceive, she promised God she would dedicate that child to Him. We can conclude that Joachim returned to Nazareth. Anne, grateful to have her husband back with her, conceived. And, she certainly seems to have kept her promise to dedicate her child to God.
We may not know much about Anne and Joachim factually. Still, we can surmise a great deal about them. The Holy Spirit would have prepared their hearts to bring such a child as Mary into the world. We can guess that they were loving parents to raise Mary, and excellent grandparents for Jesus. Surely, they taught Mary to listen to God, to trust in His promises, and to do as He asked. They certainly instructed her in the Scriptures and taught her to pray, something they would have known well. Mary, then, would have been given by her parents, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the foundation she needed to be the holy Mother of God.
We do know that Mary learned well the Word of God, contemplated it, and obeyed it. So, when we celebrate the Immaculate Conception, we might also remember Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim, and their part in our salvation history. How they would have rejoiced when they knew they could bring a child of God into the world, a joy so many parents find when they know they will be sharing in God’s act of creation.
On this feast, let’s share the happiness of Anne and Joachim that our own Blessed Mother was conceived, lived a sinless life, and said “Yes” to God for each of us. She made it possible for us to receive, as St. Paul says in today’s letter to the Ephesians, “… every spiritual blessing in the heavens!”
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
In addition to participating in Mass, what are some ways we can celebrate this wonderful feast of the Immaculate Conception?
Mary, Mother of God - Ornaments of Grace
6:42
Saintly Wisdom - Ornaments of Grace
8:06
The Holy Family - Ornaments of Grace
8:22
Simeon - Ornaments of Grace
8:06
The Holy Innocents - Ornaments of Grace
6:56
St. John, Apostle & Evangelist - Ornaments of Grace
6:26
St. Stephen - Ornaments of Grace
6:34
Jesus, the Christ - Ornaments of Grace
7:05
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati - Ornaments of Grace
7:00
Dr. Takashi Nagai - Ornaments of Grace
7:20
St. Anthony of Padua - Ornaments of Grace
6:49
St. Gianna Beretta Molla - Ornaments of Grace
7:54
Bl. Maria Gabriella Sagheddu - Ornaments of Grace
6:39
St. Elisabeth Hesselblad - Ornaments of Grace
6:30
St. Angela of Foligno - Ornaments of Grace
6:31
St. Peregrine - Ornaments of Grace
6:27
Priscilla and Aquila - Ornaments of Grace
6:02
Venerable Carla Ronci - Ornaments of Grace
6:48
St. Paul of the Cross - Ornaments of Grace
7:19
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne - Ornaments of Grace
6:35
Our Lady of Guadalupe - Ornaments of Grace
5:40
Jeremiah the Prophet - Ornaments of Grace
6:13
St. Vincent Ferrer, OP - Ornaments of Grace
6:12
Tran Minh Nhat - Ornaments of Grace
6:51
The Immaculate Conception of Mary - Ornaments of Grace
6:21