WEEKDAY OF CHRISTMAS TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 2, 2025
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Thursday, Weekday of Christmas time!
On this special feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for peace all around the world, particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine-Russia and other parts of the world. We pray for an end to the wars and conflicts, and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. We continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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🙏
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏
Watch “Catholic Daily Holy Mass and Holy Rosary – Daily TV Mass – EWTN | January 2, 2025 on YouTube |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | January 2, 2025 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | January 2, 2025 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| January 2, 2025 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
OPENING OF THE HOLY DOORS SCHEDULES
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door Ushering in the Jubilee of Hope | ‘Hope is Alive’ | Vatican News | December 24, 2024 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/25/pope-francis-opens-the-holy-door-ushering-in-the-jubilee-of-hope-hope-is-alive-vatican-news-december-24-2024/
- On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the First Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.
- On Christmas Day, Pope Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi message to the people of the city of Rome and the world from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at noon.
- On 26 December, for the first time in the Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis opened a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison, a gesture of hope that shows his ongoing closeness to detainees.
- On Sunday, 29 December, the Pope opens the Holy Door of his cathedral, Saint John Lateran, which on 9 November this year celebrated the 1700th anniversary of its dedication.
- Then, on 1 January 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major will be opened.
- Lastly, Sunday, 5 January 2025, will mark the opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
These last three Holy Doors will be closed on Sunday, 28 December 2025.
SAINTS OF THE DAY: SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN, BISHOPS AND DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH – FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 2ND: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church.
SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN, BISHOPS AND DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH: In the revision of the calendar the Church has seen fit to honor these two great Doctors of the Church and friends on the same day. Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen were among the most devoted defenders of the faith in the fourth century. Both were bishops and both are now saints and doctors of the Church. These two men met while studying in Caesarea Cappadocia and strengthened their tight friendship in Athens. After Basil’s death, Gregory wrote of their bond, “We seemed to have one soul, inhabiting two bodies.” Both saints came from families of saints.
SAINT BASIL THE GREAT: St. Basil (330 – 379 A.D.) was born to wealthy and pious parents in Caesarea of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in 330. His family was renowned for their great sanctity. St. Basil’s grandfather was martyred under the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian, and his maternal grandmother was a martyr; his paternal grandmother, both of his parents and several of his siblings are honored and numbered among the Saints. He attended school in Caesarea, as well as Constantinople and Athens, where he became acquainted with St. Gregory Nazianzen in 352. A little later, he opened a school of oratory in Caesarea and practiced law. Eventually, St. Basil decided to become a monk and founded a monastery in Pontus which he directed for five years. He wrote a famous monastic Rule of life that has proved to be the most lasting of those in the East. St. Basil studied under the finest teachers and was a respected man of great learning, as well as a zealous defender of orthodoxy against many heresies that threatened the Catholic faith, especially Arianism. After founding several other monasteries, he was ordained and, in 370, made Bishop of Caesarea and in this role became one of the most influential saints in Church history. In this post as Bishop (until his death in 379) he constituted to be a man of vast learning and constant activity, genuine eloquence and immense charity. His life of deep prayer, austerities, and humility, combined with his uncommon preaching and teaching gifts, guided him in leading one of the most politically and ecclesiastically important Sees of the day, for which he earned the title of “the Great” during his life and Doctor of the Church after his death. He is a Doctor of the Church, and one of the group of three saints called the Cappadocian Fathers, together with his brother, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and his lifelong friend, St. Gregory of Nazianzus. St. Basil is the Patron Saint of monks, hospital administrators, reformers, monks, and Russia. St. Basil’s feast day is celebrated on January 2nd, a shared feast day with his close friend St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
SAINT GREGORY: St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329–389) was born at Arianzen in Cappadocia of parents who both honored among the Saints. St. Gregory’s father was converted to Catholicism by his wife. After his conversion, he was ordained a priest and then consecrated as Bishop of Nazianzen. He served as bishop for about 45 years, living into his 90s. These saintly parents had three children, all of whom became saints. St. Gregory studied at Caesarea, Alexandria, and Athens, in which latter city he had as fellow pupils St. Basil and Julian the Apostate. On his return to Nazianzen he was baptized by his father and began to lead a most holy life. In 358, he joined St. Basil in the solitude of Pontus and remained until his father (who was Bishop of Nazianzen) recalled him shortly after and ordained him a priest, much against his wishes. He was appointed Bishop of Sasima, a small town, in 372 by St. Basil. St. Gregory preferred a life of quiet solitude and reflection, but circumstances always conspired to call him away from it. In 379, he was made Bishop of Constantinople and remained there until 381 when he was finally able to resign and return to his solitude up to his death in 389. The depth of his theological knowledge and the vastness of his eloquence have made him one of the greatest Doctors of the Greek Church. St. Gregory is the Patron Saint of harvests and Christian Poets.
At the time that Saints Gregory and Basil lived, the Church, the body of Christ, was suffering from the pandemic of Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Christ. This heresy was like a disease infecting the Church. Arianism entered the bloodstream of Christ’s body and weakened every limb and muscle, causing convulsions, violent outbursts, and deep divisions among both bishops and the faithful. The clear teaching and brave episcopal leadership of Saints Basil and Gregory helped the Church to heal, to eradicate this heresy, and to restore unity of faith in the East. But not all warmly welcomed their efforts. They both suffered greatly. From the emperor, many bishops, and other clergy and laity, they received many abuses, calumnies, physical attacks, and threats. Through it all, they remained faithful to their preaching and calm and focused in their resolve, restoring a deeper and more ancient unity to Christ’s faithful. Today, their voluminous writings are among the most inspiring, insightful, and convincing teachings of the early Church, particularly as they pertain to Christ’s divinity and the Most Holy Trinity. These two men did not become saints simply because they were smart, they were also holy. And their holiness came from a life of deep prayer. After they both received an excellent education at the finest universities, they mutually sought to live as hermits, with Basil leading the way by forming what would become the model for monasticism in the East. They both spent years in solitude and prayer at different stages of their lives. Their interior communion with God through prayer, more than anything else, prepared them for their common mission.
PRAYER: Saints Gregory and Basil, you were called by God to be a light in the midst of darkness during a time of great turmoil within the Church. Please pray for me, that I will never live enveloped in the darkness of this world but will always carry the light of Christ to scatter falsehood and sin, so that God may be glorified and souls may be saved.
Lord God, You desired to enlighten Your Church by the life and teachings of Sts. Basil and Gregory. Grant that we may learn Your truth with humility and faithfully put it into practice with love… Amen. Saints Basil and Gregory, ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 1:19-28
“There is one who is coming after me”
“This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”
In today’s Gospel reading, the priests and Levites ask John the Baptist two questions, ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Why are you baptizing?’ The more fundamental of the two questions is the first one, because the answer to the first question determines the answer to the second question. It is because of who we are that we do what we do. ‘Who are you?’ is one of the really important questions of life, John the Baptist is asked. We can spend most of our lives trying to answer the question, ‘Who am I?’ It is not a question that lends itself to a quick and easy answer. There is a sense in which we never really come to know ourselves fully. A first step in knowing ourselves is knowing who we are not, so that we don’t try to be someone we are not. John the Baptist comes across in the Gospel reading today as knowing who he is not. He is not the Messiah, he is not Elijah, and he is not the prophet. John does not claim to be someone he is not. He not only knows who he is not, he knows who he is – the voice crying in the wilderness preparing people for the Lord’s coming. He is the witness, the person who points to Jesus and leads others to Him. In a very real sense, that is what we are all called to be. Even though we might have difficulty fully answering the question, ‘Who are you?’ we can all give the answer, ‘I am a witness’. That is our calling, to point towards the Lord and to lead others to Him by our lives. We are all called to be the voice to the Word, the lamp to the Light and the friend to the Bridegroom. This is how we can answer the question, ‘Who are you?’ Our calling is to point to Jesus with our lives, to proclaim His presence by our way of being present to others and to reflect the light of His love by the way we relate to others.
In our first reading today, from the Epistle of St. John to the faithful people of God and the Church, details a lot of those who threatened to derail our path towards the Lord, how there were antichrists and false prophets, false teachers and messengers, all those who taught different messages and Gospels from what has been delivered and taught by the Apostles. St. John warned the faithful against all of those, the heresies which had risen even as early as the beginning of the Church, as those who sought to subvert and change the Church teachings and doctrines to suit their own desires and wishes, caused divisions among the faithful and confusion, which led to some of the faithful falling into heretical ways. Among those heresies were those that denied the Divinity of Christ, or even denying the existence of Christ Himself, and those who considered the Lord Jesus as a false Messiah, and claiming to be the Messiah themselves. Those false leaders and teachers harmed the unity of the Church and led many to the wrong paths, which then caused many to fall away from the path of righteousness and truth. It is really easy for all of us to fall astray and to be misled into the path towards our downfall, which was indeed the intention of the evil one and all of his wicked forces, that had led to this proliferation of lies and falsehoods, of salvation and joy that do not have their origin in Christ, Our Lord. That is why as Christians all of us ought to take a firm stand in defending our faith and in remaining true to our calling at all times, to proclaim the truth of God and to keep our focus in Christmas on Christ. St. John reminded all the faithful and us all of everything that they had received from the Lord, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the anointing which has been given to them and us through baptism and chrism, and the Wisdom and strength which they had received so that they might all persevere amidst all the challenges, trials and all the false leads that they had to face.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, as we are still progressing through the season and time of Christmas, we’re continuously being reminded of the Lord and His coming into this world, the salvation and truth that He has brought into our midst among other things. The Lord and His coming into this world has brought upon us all a new hope and renewal, as Christ assured us all that if we have faith in Him, we shall receive the guarantee of eternal life and grace. May the Lord continue to guide us all to Himself, and through the good examples of all the Saints, especially St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen who we celebrate today. Let us all always be inspired by the great faith, commitment and humility which they have shown us, and do our best that our lives will always be centred and focused on the Lord as well. Let us all live a more devoted and holy Christian living at all times, drawing ever closer to God in all things. Let us all continue to renew our faith in the Lord and keep our focus in God as we continue to progress through this season of Christmas, as we keep reminding ourselves Who it is that we are celebrating for, that is for Christ our Lord and Saviour, and not for ourselves. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to lead us down the path of righteousness, in the path of His servants, especially St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us always and may He empower all of us to live ever more faithfully in His presence. May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us in our journey of faith and life so that we may be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love, now and always. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY
MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph told him that the Child’s name should be called Jesus, meaning “God Saves.” According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth, a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesus’ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram “IHS,” (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12538
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY – FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION: Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2025
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
Let us pray:
Lord, I give all glory and praise to You and You alone. You are the source of all good; without You I am nothing. Help me to continually humble myself before You so that I may share in the glory and greatness of Your life of grace. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Our Lord Jesus Christ…have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen ~ Pray for us 🙏
Please find below links to the websites for Daily Reflections, Foundation and interesting topics and articles about our Catholic faith and doctrines:
DAILY REFLECTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
FOUNDATION | https://gliopiepehe.org
SIR G.L.I OPIEPE’S HEALTH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION | https://youtu.be/gB31nuOFx0A?si=mSoZs-wiByhGsY
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/03/the-liturgical-year-in-the-catholic-church/
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/
Thanking God for the gift of this new year 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. Journey mercies for all those traveling during this Christmas season and new year. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous, fruitful, and grace-filled New Year! Amen🙏
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2025!!!
Blessings and love always, Philomena💖
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