This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, November 8th is from Matthew 25:1-13.
“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
“The early church assumed that Christ would return very soon. They believed that the Second Coming was right around the corner. Let God-given wisdom give us the urgency we need each and every day to live out our baptism by putting on Christ and lighting the way.” Source: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2020
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast) – “The cathedral church of Rome (the pope’s local parish as bishop of Rome) was dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in 324. Originally called the Most Holy Savior, it is called St. John Lateran because it was built on property donated by the Laterani family and its baptistry is named after St. John. May we celebrate our unity today with this church that is ‘the mother and head of all churches of the city and of the world.’”
Tuesday Titus 2:1-8, 11-14; Luke 17:7-10
Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – “As pope, Leo the Great “was known for his peacekeeping efforts, in particular for his encounter with Attila the Hun, whom he persuaded not to plunder Rome. His writings include pastoral sermons on faith and charity and on the incarnation.”
Wednesday Titus 3:1-7; Luke 17:11-19
Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop (Memorial) – “As bishop of Tours [France], he worked ceaselessly to spread the faith. An excellent administrator, he invented the division of dioceses into parishes.”
Thursday Phil 7-20; Luke 17:20-25
Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial) – “John Kuncewicz was born in present-day Ukraine. Upon entering the Order of St. Basil, he chose the name Josaphat. Ordained a priest of the Byzantine rite and archbishop of Polotsk, Russia, he worked for the renewal of the diocese and for the union of the Ukrainian Church with Rome. He was slain by his opponents. Josaphat became the first Eastern saint to be formally canonized, in 1867.”
Friday 2 John 4-9; Luke 17:26-37
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin (Memorial) – “Maria Francesca Cabrini, born in Italy, began teaching in an orphanage at age twenty-four; six years later, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. In 1889, at the request of Pope Leo XIII, she traveled to the United States to work with Italian immigrants. Her congregation spread throughout the United States, Italy, South and Central America, and England. In 1946, she became the first American citizen to be canonized.”
Saturday 3 John 5-8; Luke 18:1-8