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Solemnity of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/25/23 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14

Fourth Sunday of Advent/Christmas Eve Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/24/23 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty, 1390-1473; a country boy who did well in the city and University of Krakow, Poland; after ordination, he became a professor of theology; he was then sent to be a parish priest; he returned to Krakow and taught scripture for the remainder of his life; he slept little, ate sparingly, and took no meat Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/23/23 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66

Friday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Zeno; martyred soldier at Nicomedia (modern Turkey); he was seized and condemned to death for laughing while Emperor Diocletian offered a sacrifice to the Roman god Ceres; Zeno had his jaws shattered and was then beheaded in 303 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/22/23 Gospel: Luke 1:46-56

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, 1521-1597; born in Holland; he had edited and written several volumes on Church history and theology, been a delegate to the Council of Trent, and reformed the German universities from heresy; he was called to Vienna to reform their university, and administered the diocese for a year; in 1565, the pope called on him to distribute the decrees of the Council of Trent to the European bishops Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/21/23 Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Dominic of Silos, 1000-1073; Benedictine abbot who refused to surrender some of the order's lands to the crown, so he was exiled to Castile; King Ferdinand I made him abbot of St. Sebastian Abbey at Silos, now called St. Dominic's; Dominic reformed the abbey, built the cloisters in Romanesque style, and started a scriptorium that became famous; Dominic also rescued Christian slaves from the Moors, and was noted for miracles of healing Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/20/23 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Anastasius I; a Roman by birth, elected pope in 399; he was among the first to condemn the works of Origen; he also urged the church in North Africa to continue its struggle against Donatism; died in 401 and was buried in the cemetery of Pontian Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/19/23 Gospel: Luke 1:5-25

Monday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Winebald; born in Wessex, England, the brother of Saints Willibald and Walburga; traveled to Rome, and at the invitation of St. Boniface, gathered together a group of English missionaries and went to Germany in 739; with his brother, he founded the monastery of Heidenheim, Germany, where he served as abbot with his sister as abbess; helped to make the monastery one of the leading ecclesiastical centers in Germany Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/18/23 Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

Third Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/17/23 Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide, 932-999; entered an arranged marriage at about 15 to Lothair of Italy; when Lothair died, his successor tried to force Adelaide to marry his son; she appealed to Otto of Germany, who conquered Italy and married Adelaide; the two became rulers of the Holy Roman Empire; after Otto's death, Adelaide established many monasteries and churches; she died at the convent at Seltz, which she founded Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/16/23 Gospel: Matthew 17:9-13

Friday of the Second Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Maria Crocifissa di Rosa, 1813-1855; born in Brescia, Italy; cared for the spiritual needs of young girls working in her father's mills, volunteered at the Brescia hospital during the cholera epidemic of 1836, and founded a home for girls and a school for deaf mutes; in 1840, she became superior of a group of religious who cared for the sick, the Handmaids of Charity of Brescia Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/15/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent Memorial of St. John of the Cross, 1542-1591; Carmelite priest who, along with Teresa of Avila, vowed himself to the primitive rule; in his efforts at reform of the order, he encountered increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, and imprisonment; in prison, his spirit came into the light, revealing him as a mystic-poet; John died at the age of 49 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/14/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15

Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr; lived in Syracuse, and was martyred in the persecution of Christians in the early Fourth Century; legend has it that her mother arranged for her to marry a pagan, after she had promised her life to Christ; Lucy prayed to St. Agatha, who appeared to Lucy in a dream, said that Lucy's mother would be cured of her illness, and Lucy used this to convince her mother to give the dowry money to the poor; but the rejected bridegroom betrayed Lucy's faith to the governor, and she was executed Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/13/23 Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/12/23 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Monday of the Second Week of Advent Optional Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, 304-384; when elected pope, Damasus had to endure the existence of an antipope, Ursinus, elected and consecrated by a minority; this resulted in violent battles between two basilicas; supporters of the antipope even had Damasus accused of a grave crime, from which he had to clear himself in civil court and a Church synod; during his pontificate, Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state, and Latin became the liturgical language Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/11/23 Gospel: Luke 5:17-26

Second Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/10/23 Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

Saturday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Juan Diego, 1474-1548; Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531; the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady; in time he lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac, revered as a holy, unselfish, and compassionate catechist, who taught by word and especially by example Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/9/23 Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5-8

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Friday of the First Week of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/8/23 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Thursday of the First Week of Advent Memorial of St. Ambrose, 337-397; he was an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day; in his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the principle: “The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church”; Ambrose was largely responsible for the conversion of St. Augustine Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/7/23 Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, 270-343; Fourth-Century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor; the best known legend of St. Nicholas has him secretly helping a poor man to provide dowries for his marriage-age daughters; by a twist of the tongue, St. Nicholas, in legend, became Santa Claus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/6/23 Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37