Thanks for all those who prayed for my wife, she's doing much better now and is back at home. šā¤ļø
Quote of the Day
"Let the Word of God come; let it enter the church; let it become a consuming fire, that it may burn the hay and stubble, and consume whatever is worldly; there is heavy lead of iniquity in many; let it be molten by divine fire; let the gold and silver vessels be made better, in order that understanding and speech, refined by the heat of suffering, may begin to be more precious."
St. Ambrose
Today's Meditation
āLet anger be guarded against. But if it cannot be averted, let it be kept within bounds. For indignation is a terrible incentive to sin. It disorders the mind to such an extent as to leave no room for reason. The first thing, therefore, to aim at, if possible, is to make tranquility of character our natural disposition by constant practice, by desire for better things, by fixed determination.ā
āSt. Ambrose, p.279
Daily Verse
"...it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:43b-45
St. Ambrose
Saint of the Day
St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340ā397 A.D.) was born in Gaul (modern France) and became a successful lawyer and governor in Milan, Italy. When the bishop of Milan died in 374 A.D., a movement arose among the people to demand that Ambrose take his place. At the time Ambrose was only a catechumen preparing for baptism; he was not yet a Christian. He went into hiding in an attempt to escape the ecclesiastical appointment. His attempts to hide were unsuccessful; the emperor forbade anyone to give him shelter, which forced him to give himself up and submit to the will of the people to be their bishop. Ambrose quickly received the sacraments, including Holy Orders, and was ordained the Bishop of Milan a week later. He became a very holy leader, giving his property to the poor and his land to the Church, and making himself directly available to the needs of all people. He also worked tirelessly to defend orthodox doctrine, especially against the pervasive Arian heresy which denied the divinity of Christ. St. Ambrose was the saint who introduced lectio divina, the practice of prayerfully meditating on the Sacred Scriptures, into the Latin Church. This informed his eloquent writing, preaching, and teaching, earning him the nickname āhoney-tongued doctor.ā Ambrose was the bishop who converted and baptized St. Augustine of Hippo. He is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, and his statue is one of four that upholds the Chair of St. Peter inside St. Peterās Basilica in Rome. St. Ambroseās feast day is December 7th.
Second Sunday of Advent
Feast Day
Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30th) and ends on December 24th. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning āarrivalā or āapproachā. After the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, God promised to send a redeemer. Godās people waited thousands of years for this promise to come true and we still experience this same longing for the coming of Christ even today! The second candle on the Advent wreath ā a purple one ā is often called the Bethlehem Candle. It is often said to symbolize Faith through the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
