FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR C)

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 1, 2024

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena Starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th [Novena link below]

SAINT ANDREW’S CHRISTMAS NOVENA
[The Saint Andrew’s Christmas Novena prayer below is traditionally prayed 15 times a day from November 30, the Feast of Saint Andrew, through Christmas Eve.]

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy First Sunday of Advent!

We thank God for the gift of life and for giving us the grace and opportunity to usher in December, the last month of the year. May His name be praised forever and ever… Amen. May God be with us all.🙏

On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world and we continue to remember the souls of the faithful departed and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their abors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | December 1, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | December 1, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | December 1, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| December 1, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: First Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 1, 2024
Reading 1, Jeremiah 33:14-16
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Reading 2, First Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Gospel, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

ADVENT PRAYER – FIRST WEEK: The following prayer should be repeated each day during the first week. After the prayer, the family’s youngest child lights the first purple candle. (Family members can also take turns lighting and blowing out the candles on each night.)

LEADER: O Lord, stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come, That by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen🙏

(The candle is allowed to burn during evening meals for the first week.)

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/novena-to-the-blessed-virgin-mary-the-immaculate-conception/

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: INTRODUCTORY PRAYER: O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen 🙏

INTERCESSORY PRAYER ~ DAY THREE: O Blessed Virgin Mary, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church and Mother of our Lord, speak for us to the Heart of Jesus, who is your Son and our Brother. O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception did enter the world free from stain, in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus the special favor which we now so earnestly seek.

(State your personal intention here.)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from Him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen 🙏

SAINT ANDREW PRAYER: Beginning today, on this Feast of St. Andrew (November 30th), the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”🙏

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year for the Church. Advent is the time of year we celebrate the arrival of Christ on earth and His salvation for mankind.

ADVENT SEASON AND IT’S SIGNIFICANCE IN THE LITURGICAL YEAR: Happy New Year! Today, December 1, 2024 is the First Sunday of Advent. While a month yet remains in the civil year, the Church is celebrating the beginning of a new Liturgical year. Advent is the time of year we prepare and celebrate the arrival of Christ on earth and His salvation for mankind. There are two main focus of the season. The first is the preparation to celebrate the first coming of Christ in history. That first coming of Christ was His birth. We prepare with joy to celebrate the birthday of our Savior on December 25th. The second focus of the season is the Second coming of Jesus at the end of the time. Jesus promised to come back. Advent is a kind of wake-up call to us for the second coming of Christ. Advent from the Latin word ad venio, means “to come”. It is the liturgical season anticipating the Adventus Domini, that is the “coming of the Lord.” While the days grow shorter and colder, we prepare for the “Sun of Justice” who comes to kindle our hearts with His light and his love.

There are always four Sundays in Advent, though not necessarily four full weeks. The liturgical color of the season is violet or purple, except on the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, when optional rose vestments may be worn. The Gloria is not recited during Advent liturgies, but the Alleluia is retained. The prophecies of Isaiah are read often during the Advent season, but all of the readings of Advent focus on the key figures of the Old and New Testaments who were prepared and chosen by God to make the Incarnation possible: the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, Sts. Elizabeth and Zechariah. The expectancy heightens from December 17 to December 24 when the Liturgy resounds with the seven magnificent Messianic titles of the O Antiphons. The Advent season also has a Marian and pro-life focus. We meditate on this wonderful mystery of the Word Made Flesh with as much eagerness as his Mother, Mary prepared and awaited the birth of her son. In the USA and many countries around the world, we celebrate the special feasts of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States of America, on December 8, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, on December 12. Other saints’ days traditionally associated in with our preparation for Christmas include St. Nicholas, patron saint of children whose feast falls on December 6, and the saint of light, St. Lucy on December 13. Advent season is an invitation to set your mind off of the stresses of the year. We can take our focus off of the crazy hustle that can be associated with the Christmas season that often threatens to produce more hassle than delight. Advent is a chance to focus our thoughts on the gift God has given us in His son Jesus who stepped down from Heaven and took the form of a man so that we might believe.

First Sunday of Advent Symbolism and Wreath Candle: The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” Advent in the 4th and 5th centuries was a time of preparation for the baptism of new Christians. Christians would spend 40 days in prayer and fasting to prepare for the celebration that accompanied the baptism of new believers. Over time, advent was connected to the coming of Christ. Originally Christians used this term to reference Christ’s second coming, but by the Middle Ages, Advent was connected to Christ’s first coming that we celebrate at Christmas. Today, we celebrate Advent over the four weeks leading up to Christmas each year. This year we begin advent today, November 27th and end this season of prayerful anticipation on December 24th.

The tradition for the first Sunday of Advent includes lighting the candle of hope: “The Light of Hope” (Hope Promised – 1 Corinthians 13:13; Hope Lost – Luke 24; Hope Restored – Hebrews 6:19). The first candle is called the “Candle of Hope. It symbolizes our faith in God keeping His promises to humanity through the long awaited hope of The Messiah and Our Lord – Jesus Christ. We light this candle of hope, and dare to express our longing for His continued anointing, for love, for healing upon all mankind. The lighting of the first of our Advent candles in this dark time of the year reminds us of that hope-filled truth. This first Sunday of Advent we read, pray, and reflect on the hope God’s plan gives us (foretold by the prophets and fulfilled by the life and death of Christ), and we meditate on the promise of Christ’s coming glory-filled return. On this first Sunday of Advent, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity; let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. Over this Advent, we pray that hope would rise up in our spirits in a tangible and life-giving way.

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Father, let your hope arise in our hearts! Lift our eyes up to see that you alone are where our hope comes from. Help us to shake off the anxiety, discouragements, and distractions that have filled this year. May we pause to remember that we have hope in you. You know the end of our stories, and we give thanks because you have promised that it will be a victorious ending. Give us the grace we need to wrap up this year joyfully. We invite your Spirit into this beautiful Advent season. Renew our sense of holy anticipation! Let us be those who are waiting eagerly for Jesus to come again. More than anything, we ask that you be glorified in this season of expectation… Amen.🙏

BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH: It starts at the evening meal on the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent with the blessing of the wreath. (The head of the household is the one designated to say the prayers, following which various members of his family light the candles. If the group is not a family, then a leader may be selected to say the prayers and others appointed to light the candles.) The following prayer can be used.

LEADER: Our help is in the name of the Lord. ALL: Who made heaven and earth.

LEADER: O God, by whose Word all things are sanctified, pour forth Your blessing upon this wreath and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from You abundant graces. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.🙏

The wreath would then be sprinkled with Holy water. Then follows the prayer which is said before the evening meal each night of the first week in Advent.

FIRST WEEK: The following prayer should be repeated each day during the first week. After the prayer, the family’s youngest child lights the first purple candle. (Family members can also take turns lighting and blowing out the candles on each night.)
LEADER: O Lord, stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come, That by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.🙏 (The candle is allowed to burn during evening meals for the first week.)

SECOND WEEK: The prayer that follows is to be repeated each day of the second week. After the prayer, the oldest child lights the first and second purple candles.
LEADER: O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for Thy only begotten Son, that through His coming we may be made worthy to serve Thee with pure minds. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.🙏 (The two candles are allowed to burn during the evening meals of the second week.)

THIRD WEEK: The joyful Sunday in Advent (known as “Gaudete”) is represented by rose (or pink) instead of the penitential purple color. Each night during the third week the mother of the family lights the pink, as well as the two previously burned purple candles, after the following prayer has been said.
LEADER: O Lord, we beg Thee, incline Thy ear to our prayers and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.🙏 (The three candles are allowed to burn during the evening meals of the third week.)

FOURTH WEEK: The prayer that follows is to be repeated each day of the fourth week. After the prayer, the father lights all four candles.
LEADER: O Lord, stir up Thy power, we pray Thee, and come; and with great might help us, that with the help of Thy Grace, Thy merciful forgiveness may hasten what our sins impede. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.🙏 (The four candles are allowed to burn during the evening meals of the fourth week.)

After the fourth week, the penitential season of Advent is over and the time to rejoice is at hand. The Advent wreath is transformed into a Christmas wreath. Ribbon and candles are replaced with red ribbon and long red or white tapers (to be lighted at breakfast on Christmas morning) and, if desired, other festive decorations can be added.
Our relationship with the Lord is not a relationship of equals. He alone is Lord. His will takes priority over our will. We grow in our relationship with the Lord, when we grow in our freedom to do what he wants, to live as he desires us to live. St. Paul in the second reading today calls on us, ‘to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live, the life that God wants’. Advent is a season that calls on us to let God be God in our lives, so that what God wants shapes what we do and say. Mary, the great Advent saint, shows us the way. She was truly watchful; she was awake to what was most important, to what God wanted. Her prayer, ‘Let it be to me according to your word’, captures that spirit of attentiveness to what God wants which the season of Advent puts before us.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the First Week of Advent | USCCB
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120122.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:25–28, 34–36

“Your redemption is at hand”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the Advent call to ‘Watch’, to ‘Stay awake’. The call to watch can be understood as a call to pay attention to what is really important. For us as Christians, what is ultimately important is our relationship with the Lord. That relationship is the foundation of all our other relationships; it shapes how we live our lives. Advent invites us to pay attention to that most important of relationships. The great prayer of Advent is, ‘Come, Lord, Jesus’. In Advent, we invite the Lord to come into our lives more fully. We express our longing to grow in our relationship with Him. Our relationship with the Lord is not a relationship of equals. He alone is Lord. His will takes priority over our will. We grow in our relationship with the Lord, when we grow in our freedom to do what he wants, to live as he desires us to live. St. Paul in the second reading today calls on us, ‘to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live, the life that God wants’. Advent is a season that calls on us to let God be God in our lives, so that what God wants shapes what we do and say. Mary, the great Advent Saint, shows us the way. She was truly watchful; she was awake to what was most important, to what God wanted. Her prayer, ‘Let it be to me according to your word’, captures that spirit of attentiveness to what God wants which the season of Advent puts before us.

Today’s Gospel reading speaks of the final coming of the Son of Man.The Lord Jesus Himself tells His disciples about the signs of the time and events to come, that is especially about the return of the Son of God and Son of Man into this world. This is a promise which Our Lord Himself had made, showing that just as He has predicted His own suffering, persecution and death, and then glorious Resurrection from the dead, hence, He will one day return in glory to complete all that the Lord our God had planned for us and for our eternal salvation and life with Him. He reassured us all that He will return in triumph and we will all share in His glory and joy if we remain firm in our faith and trust in Him. Whether we understand that coming of the son of man as happening at the end of time or at the end of our own personal time, the end of our lives, we believe that there will be a final coming of the Lord for each of us. It is in the knowledge of that final coming that we pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. We pay attention to the Lord now and to what he wants, so that when he comes at the end he will not be a stranger to us. The Gospel reading calls on us to ‘stay awake, praying at all times for the strength… to stand with confidence before the Son of Man’. Prayer is one important way we pay attention and remain awake to the Lord now, so that we stand with confidence at his final coming. Advent is a season which highlights the importance of prayer in our lives. When we pray, we attend to what is ultimately important, we attend to the Lord, and we leave ourselves open to His will for our lives. Today’s responsorial psalm is a true Advent prayer, ‘Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth’. Advent is a time when we express our longing to walk in the Lord’s ways, the Lord’s paths, the Lord’s truth.

Advent is a short season. It can easily pass us by. The early arrival of Christmas in our shops and in the media makes it more difficulty for Advent to establish itself. Yet, it is worth seizing the opportunity that the season of Advent gives us to take stock of our priorities and to pay attention to what is important – the Lord who is always coming into our lives. In living Advent in this way, we prepare ourselves to celebrate Christmas well. Advent is a season when we try to enter into that attitude of Mary before God, ‘Let it be with me according to your word’. It is an attitude that is cultivated above all in prayer, especially in what we might call the prayer of surrender. This was the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he said to God in prayer, ‘Not my will, but yours be done’. It is the prayer of giving ourselves over to what God wants, to God’s way, God’s timing, even though we may not fully understand it. It is the prayer of waiting on God. Advent is a season of prayer, especially that prayer of letting go to God, waiting on God, allowing God to be God of our lives. In the Gospel reading, Jesus calls on us to ‘Stay awake, praying at all times’. The call to pray at all times is not a call to be on our knees or in church at all times, but a call to be prayerfully attentive to God and to what God wants at all times, as we go about our daily life. God is always attentive to us and the call of Advent is to be prayerfully attentive to God, whatever we happen to be doing, wherever we are. This is the spirit of waiting on God that Advent invites us to enter into. We tend to be very attentive to those we are waiting for. Jesus goes on to assure us in the Gospel reading that if we pray at all times, we will be given the strength to survive all that is going to happen. We can never be sure of what is going to happen. Jesus’ reference to people ‘dying of fear as they await what menaces the world’ has a contemporary sound to it. Yet, Jesus assures us that our prayerful attentiveness to God and to Himself will enable us to stand with confidence when the world seems in turmoil, and, from that stance, to become a source of strength and hope to others.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the prophet spoke of the Lord’s words to the people of God living in the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of the divided old Kingdom of Israel, which at that time was merely a shadow of the once glorious and mighty kingdom during the heyday of King David and King Solomon centuries earlier. At that time, the people of God in Judah had been facing a lot of hardships and misfortune, being surrounded by powerful enemies and humbled by them, and at the same time, their northern neighbours, the people of the kingdom of Israel, had been conquered and scattered into exile by the mighty Assyrians. The same fate would eventually befall the people of Judah as well. And all those things happened because of the lack of faith that the people of God had shown, their disobedience and frequent refusals to follow the path which they had been taught and shown through their ancestors, and the Law and commandments which God has presented to them. All of these happened even after the Lord had sent them His messengers, prophets and servants to help and remind them of their true path and dedication to God. Instead, they had chosen to follow the path of sin and wickedness, leaving behind the truth of God and His love for the comforts and pleasures of the world, and the false paths shown by the false gods and idols of their neighbours, the Canaanites. But God still loved all of His people even if they had been rebellious and unfaithful. That was why He gave them His message of reassurance through His prophets, so that they would remember His love, His most patient kindness and desire to welcome them all back to His embrace. Despite all that the people had done, God was still willing to forgive them all, and this is what we are reminded of today, that is the Hope which God has given us all through His Son, and how by this Hope we can gain sure entry into the kingdom of God, into the eternal life and true joy which the Lord has promised us and reassured everyone. We must not give up on this hope, and in fact, we should devote ourselves ever more strongly to the Lord by this renewal and reminder of God’s promise and reassurance as we celebrate annually this time of Advent to prepare for the joy of Christmas.

Our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Thessalonica in Greece, we are reminded that the Lord’s salvation has been given to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and as He has generously given us all this perfect and most tangible manifestation of His love and compassion, His mercy and kindness through His Son. As such, all of us who believe in Him, in the salvation offered by the Son of God for us, we must truly follow Him in all of our ways, and truly believe in Him wholeheartedly, embracing His teachings and truth with all of our hearts and minds, with all of our strength and might. And this is our calling and mission as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, this Sunday we mark the occasion of the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Season of Advent, which is the time of preparation for the coming joyful and glorious Christmas Season. This day also marks the very first day in the new liturgical year in our liturgical calendar, in which the First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. And hence we ought to commit ourselves anew to the Lord as we enter into this time of spiritual preparation and renewal, so that we may truly be ready to celebrate the upcoming Christmas in a few weeks’ time. And this Sunday, we focus on the first aspect of Advent that we commemorate, which is Hope. This is why as we enter into this Advent season, this time of reflection and renewal of our faith and life, we are all called to refocus our attention and efforts to the Lord, turning away from all the hustle and bustle of the world, and we are all reminded to prepare ourselves well and properly so that we may truly be able to celebrate Christmas with true understanding, appreciation and knowledge of what it is that we truly celebrate and are rejoicing about. We are reminded that this season is a time to look upon the Lord with renewed Hope in Him, Hope that only God Himself can provide us, not the false hope and promises of the world, or all the other distractions and temptations present all around us. Therefore, as we enter into this blessed Advent season and continue to prepare ourselves well to welcome the Lord into our midst this Christmas, let us all centre all of our preparation, especially in our spiritual preparation that we are all celebrating the Hope that we can find in God alone, and the Hope in the eternal life, the salvation from sin, evil and darkness which we all have been suffering from. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace, and may the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and patient God and Father continue to love us all most generously and grant us all His strength and wisdom so that we may make very good use of this time of Advent that we have received, to prepare ourselves and to make ourselves ever more worthy of Him, now and always. May all of us have a truly blessed and fruitful Advent. Amen.🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT ELIGIUS, BISHOP; SAINT FLORENCE OF POITIERS, LAYWOMAN; SAINT EDMUND CAMPION, PRIEST AND BLESSED CHARLES EUGENE DE FOUCAULD, PRIEST AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – DECEMBER 1ST: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Eligius, Bishop; Saint Florence of Poitiers, Laywoman; Saint Edmund Campion, Priest and Blessed Charles Eugène de Foucauld, Priest and Martyr.

SAINT ELIGIUS, BISHOP: St. Eligius (588-660), a French priest and bishop of Noyon and Tournai. He was born on June 11, 588 AD, Chaptelat, France and died on December 1, 660 AD, Noyon, France. A goldsmith at Paris, was commissioned by King Clotaire to make a throne. With the gold and precious stones given him he made two. Struck by his rare honesty, the king gave him an appointment at court, and demanded an oath of fidelity sworn upon holy relics; but Eligius prayed with tears to be excused, for fear of failing in reverence to the relics of the Saints.

On entering the court he fortified himself against its seductions by many austerities and continual ejaculatory prayers. He had a marvellous zeal for the redemption of captives, and for their deliverance would sell his jewels, his food, his clothes, and his very shoes, once by his prayers breaking their chains and opening their prisons. His great delight was in making rich shrines for relics. His striking virtue caused him, a layman and a goldsmith, to be made Bishop of Noyon, and his sanctity in this holy office was remarkable. He possessed the gifts of miracles and prophecy, and died in 660. He’s Patron Saint of veterinarians, craftspeople (of all trades), electricians, computer scientists, mechanics, miners, security guards, gas station workers, taxi cab drivers, farmers, servants, coin collectors, Horses, jockeys.

SAINT FLORENCE OF POITIERS, LAYWOMAN: St. Florence (died 366) was the daughter of a Roman colonist who was residing in Asia Minor on the road that led from Frigia to Seleucia. Convert, brought to the faith by Saint Hilary of Poitiers while he was in exile. St. Hilary of Poitiers met her during a stop on his journey toward Seleucia where the Synod of 359 was to be held. Florence requested Baptism from the holy Bishop and followed him on his return to Pointiers the next year. The Saint then retired to Comblé, Vienne, France, where she led the life of a hermit. She communed with God day and night, practicing much penance and combating the assaults of the devil. Finally worn out by her labors, she died in 366 at twenty-nine years of age in Poitiers France from natural causes. Her relics were transferred to the Cathedral of Pointiers in the 11th century.

PRAYER: God, You inspired St. Florence to strive for perfect charity and so attain Your Kingdom at the end of her pilgrimage on earth. Strengthen us through her intercession that we may advance rejoicing in the way of love. Amen 🙏

SAINT EDMUND CAMPION, PRIEST: St. Edmund Campion (1540–1581) was born in London, England, the son of a bookseller. He was a promising student and went on to become an esteemed and celebrated Oxford scholar, winning the high regard of Queen Elizabeth who admired his wit and pleasant disposition. Although raised Catholic, he was ordained an Anglican deacon. Unsettled by his move away from the Church, he repented and returned to the Catholic faith. While in disguise to protect his safety following his reversion, he witnessed the martyrdom of a fellow scholar and recognized his vocation. He went to Rome and became a Jesuit priest, and while assigned to minister in Moravia he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who foretold his martyrdom. He later returned to England as an undercover priest during the severe persecution of Catholics upon the Pope’s excommunication of Queen Elizabeth.

St. Edmund’s mission was to strengthen Catholics wavering under government pressure and win converts among the Protestants. St. Edmund was eventually hunted down, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and tortured. After being found guilty of treason, he said, “In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops and kings, all that was once the glory of England — the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.” After spending his last days in prayer, he was dragged with two fellow priests to be hanged, drawn, and quartered on December 1st, 1581 at 41 years of age. His feast day is December 1st.

Saint Edmund Campion, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏

BLESSED CHARLES EUGÈNE DE FOUCAULD, PRIEST AND MARTYR: Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) known as Brother Charles of Jesus was a French Catholic religious and priest, who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was born in Strasbourg, France on September 15th, 1858 into an aristocratic French Catholic family but rejected the faith as a teenager and led a desolate life in the army. Bl. Charles was orphaned at the age of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their grandfather in whose footsteps he followed by taking up a military career. He lost his faith as an adolescent. His taste for easy living was well known to all and yet he showed that he could be strong willed and constant in difficult situations. He undertook a risky exploration of Morocco (1883-1884). He was inspired to resume his faith while in Algeria, by witnessing the devotion of Jews and Muslims. Seeing the way Muslims expressed their faith questioned him and he began repeating, “My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.” On his return to France, the warm, respectful welcome he received from his deeply Christian family made him continue his search. Under the guidance of Fr. Huvelin he rediscovered God in October 1886. He was then 28 years old. “As soon as I believed in God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live for him alone.”

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land revealed his vocation to him: to follow Jesus in his life at Nazareth. Bl. Charles joined the Trappists, and spent 7 years as a Trappist, first in France and then at Akbès in Syria. Later he began to lead a life of prayer and adoration, alone, near a convent of Poor Clares in Nazareth. Then he was a sacristan for the Poor Clares, and was ordained a priest at 43 (1901) he left for the Sahara, living at first in Beni Abbès and later at Tamanrasset among the Tuaregs of the Hoggar. He wanted to be among those who were, “the furthest removed, the most abandoned.” He wanted all who drew close to him to find in him a brother, “a universal brother.” In a great respect for the culture and faith of those among whom he lived, his desire was to “shout the Gospel with his life”. “I would like to be sufficiently good that people would say, “If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?” Bl. Charles’ intention returning to Algeria to lived among the Tuareg people was to start a religious order that offered hospitality to all people regardless of their faith. On the evening of December 1st 1916, Blessed Charles was shot to death at the beginning of World War I. He was assassinated outside the door of the fort he built for the protection of the Tuareg by a band of marauders. He had always dreamed of sharing his vocation with others: after having written several rules for religious life, he came to the conclusion that this “life of Nazareth” could be led by all. His inspiration and writings led to the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus among other religious congregations. Today the “spiritual family of Charles de Foucauld” encompasses several associations of the faithful, religious communities and secular institutes for both lay people and priests. Blessed Charles de Foucauld was Beatified in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Blessed Charles Eugène de Foucauld, Priest and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER:*

MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Chosen before time to be the Mother of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, God created Mary perfect and full of grace, preserving her from the stain of Original Sin. Mary Immaculate is the most beautiful fruit of the work of redemption accomplished by her Son, thereby making her the perfect model of holiness for all Christians.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – FOR PILGRIMS OF HOPE: We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of Advent, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all parents, all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My revealing Lord, I pray that I will always know Your will and be led only by Your gentle but unmistakable promptings of grace. Please lead me, dear Lord, so that I will be perpetually prepared for Your glorious and final coming the moment it arrives.  Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Eligius; Saint Florence of Poitiers; Saint Edmund Campion, Priest and Blessed Charles Eugène de Foucauld ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled 1st Sunday of Advent 🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |