The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.

-John 2:17, Douay-Rheims translation

Already we have come to the third week of Lent. There are not many feast days during these weeks, and it lends our minds liturgically to a more intense focus on Christ.

This week, we’ll discuss the great interior work to be accomplished in this season of penance through the lens of the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent.

Zealous

In the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent we hear the passage which reads, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” There are two other striking and helpful translations of this verse to consider.

The first is the Douay-Rheims: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.

The second is a translation from an English priest, Monsignor Ronald Knox. During his 13 years at Oxford as a chaplain, he translated his own version of the Latin vulgate bible.

Knox translates it: I am consumed with jealousy for the honour of thy house.

To think of being eaten up by an intense love for the House of the Lord easily appreciated, but jealousy is tougher to consider. We can think of it poetically, and draw on a kind of allegorical jealousy. But is the Lord asking us for something greater? Is it simply a nice thought?

What are these interchanged words? Let’s put the words next to each other:

Jealous and Zealous. Funny how the only difference is one letter - the first. As it turns out, that’s not a coincidence.

Zealous (adj): The sense "fervent, inspired" was earlier in English in jealous (late 14c.), which is the same word but come up through French.

Jealous (adj): In biblical language (early 13c.) "tolerating no unfaithfulness."1

We are starting to get a clearer picture for Christ in the Gospel, for the “jealous” God of the Old Testament that we are told of in the Sunday lectionary:

So he made a kind of whip out of cords, and drove them all, with their sheep and oxen, out of the temple, spilling the bankers’ coins and overthrowing their tables… And his disciples remembered how it is written, I am consumed with jealousy for the honour of thy house.2

and

“For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, 
inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness 
on the children of those who hate me3

There is no lack of intensity in these scriptures. But the readings this week tell us everything about what we are striving towards this Lent. We are reminded of the purging work God Himself is accomplishing in us.

How can he prepare us to be able to receive an everlasting love?

The Violent Purge of Vice

Take these away, do not turn my Father’s house into a place of barter.4

We admit freely the excellence of Christ driving out wickedness from the Temple in this violently brilliant way. But do we see it so graciously when he drives that same malice from our hearts?

We are those who have turned the Lord’s own temple into a market place, his temple of our souls and our bodies. We are most sacred persons whom the Lord purchased for himself by his crucifixion — with his very life.

Yet, we sell the treasure of ourselves for the profits of this world, of this lifetime.

Why do we make our own selves into bartered goods? He made us, redeemed us, to serve him with our whole mind, soul, body, heart, strength. But we give ourselves up to corruption.

Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Piety, Fear of the Lord. Faith and Hope — why do we sell these for Hatred, Sloth, Envy, Discord, Contention, Strife, Scandal, Folly, Negligence, Murder, Injury, Theft, Backbiting, Derision, Cursing, Timidity, Vanity, Presumption, Ambition, Gluttony, Drunkenness, Lust, Cruelty.

The fasting, prayer, and almsgiving of Lent teaches us once more to deny the pleasures of this world and spend ourselves in the service of the Kingdom of God.

We must let him drive out the money changers from within.

Lord, if it be thy will, thou hast power to make me clean.5

The Law Gives Life

One of the first ways we can allow Christ to drive away sin is by acknowledging the laws of the Lord and repenting of having broken his commandments.

The first reading of the Sunday liturgy is a passage from Exodus

but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation 
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.6

Catholics are well known for having a religion of rules, and it is a true perception. We have Laws, given by God himself.

The Psalmist tell us:

“The law of the LORD is perfect,
    refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to the simple.

They are more precious than gold,
    than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
    or honey from the comb.”7

Still, here we are, like the money changers — exchanging the law of the Lord for “gold.” We think because we do not live so elaborately as the famous and the wealthy that we do not abuse his creation and his justice. We think because we can point to those more apparently vicious, that we surely have nothing to surrender.

Let us never forget the profound image of the young man who comes before Christ in the Bible, and swears he has followed every commandment to the utmost degree:

If thou hast a mind to enter into life, keep the commandments.

I have kept all these, the young man told him, ever since I grew up; where is it that I am still wanting?

Jesus said to him, If thou hast a mind to be perfect, go home and sell all that belongs to thee; give it to the poor, and so the treasure thou hast shall be in heaven; then come back and follow me.

When he heard this, the young man went away sad at heart, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, Believe me, a rich man will not enter God’s kingdom easily.8

This is one of the most famous Gospel passages, and for good reason. It exhibits all the power of the New Law. That Christ does not demolish the law, but intends to make it perfect in our hearts. And we cannot have the law made perfect if we are pursuing the goods of this life at the expense of neighbor, of truth and love. If we are not ready to lose it all in an instant for Christ.

At hearing this, the disciples were thrown into great bewilderment; Why then, they asked, who can be saved? Jesus fastened his eyes on them, and said to them, Such a thing is impossible to man’s powers, but to God all things are possible.9

This echoes perfectly the second reading from the liturgy:

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, 
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.10

Why are we so reticent in believing in the wisdom of God? Why do we hesitate to trust Him when he says our sin will lead to nothing but unhappiness? He died for us that we would learn to believe in His love. Let us learn.

He Will Rebuild

It is no wonder so many stood in awe at the teachings of Christ — at His commands.

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, 
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, 
and you will raise it up in three days?”11

This skepticism towards Christ is our skepticism. Were we to destroy our false idols, our empty worships, the entirety of a sinful life — what would remain? Were we to let go of a lifetime of sin, could he truly rebuild a life for us — in mere days? These are familiar questions raised in letting go of disordered relationships, attachments, addictions. We are so scared of what will be left if we cut out the sin.

There is but one way to find out what glories await us. It is hard to hope, for we don’t always quite know what there is to hope for. But we often do know how to worry about everything that we will lose, or could lose.

This Lent, may we commit ourselves more resolutely than ever to believing in the promises of Jesus. He comes not to punish, but to make beautiful — more beautiful than we could ever hope for.

God so loved the world, that he gave up his only-begotten Son, so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life.12

Saints of the Week

March 4 — St. Casimir of Poland

• “Even though he lived in the royal household, Casimir refused to let luxuries obscure his loyalty to God. He dressed very plainly and slept on the bare ground. He prayed often and used fasting to sharpen his will and faithfulness. He had a great devotion to Mary and gave away what he could to the poor.”

March 7 — Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

• “O most brave and blessed martyrs! O truly called and chosen unto the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! Whom whoever magnifies, and honours, and adores, assuredly ought to read these examples for the edification of the Church, not less than the ancient ones, so that new virtues also may testify that one and the same Holy Spirit is always operating even until now, and God the Father Omnipotent, and His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, whose is the glory and infinite power for ever and ever. Amen.”

March 8 — St. John of God

• “And when I see so many of my brethren in poverty, and my neighbours suffering beyond their strength, and oppressed in mind or body by so many cares, and am unable to help them, it causes me exceeding sorrow. But I trust in Christ who knows my heart. Then I say, ‘Accursed is the man who puts his trust in men, and not in Christ alone.’ You will be separated from men, whether you like it or not. But Christ is faithful and is with us always, and he provides all things. We are right to give him thanks. Amen."

March 9 — St. Frances of Rome

• “In many ways, Frances of Rome is a perfect model for those times when we are forced to adjust our expectations, or adapt to new realities not exactly to our tastes. She sought a cloister cell; she got a castle. She hated going out in society; she practically invented social work. Once Frances figured out how to consent to God’s plan, and to cooperate with grace, there was nothing to look back upon with regret.”

Inspiration for the Week

• Rebel in the Ranks — Prof. Brad Gregory of Notre Dame

  • Lent is a good time to learn more about what happened in the Reformation and where Luther went astray from the Church. It is a time to consider what we lose if we do away with penance and almsgiving, yet his critiques help us to be more precise about what it is we’re aiming for in these essential parts of the Christian life.

• Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection — Pope Benedict XVI

  • One of the best known works of Pope Benedict is his Jesus of Nazareth series, and this book from Palm Sunday to Easter is perfect reading for the end of Lent to meditate on Christ in the Scriptures.

• A Lenten Album for Sin and Repentance — Sigh No More — Mumford and Sons

  • This is an old album, but it’s evergreen. It touches on so many elements of sin and redemption, and makes for a perfect playlist during Lent.

• How to Make a Good Examination of Conscience for your Lenten Confession

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Are you surprised to see that it is the First Week in Lent? The Lenten fast began last week, but it is only now the first “week” of Lent.

Why should all Christians not share in Christ’s fast? Why should the members not follow the Head? If we receive good from this Head, why should we not endure the bad?

Or do we wish to reject what is disagreeable but take our share of pleasure? If that were the case we would show ourselves unworthy to share the life of the Head. All that He suffered, He suffered for us.

If we are put off by being his collaborators in the work of our own salvation, how will we later show ourselves his coworkers? Surely it is no great thing for one who is to sit with Christ at the Father’s table to fast with him, no great thing if a member suffer with the Head with whom he will be glorified!

Happy is the member who clings to this Head through everything, and follows him wherever he goes!

-St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Principle of Fasting, Based on the Lord’s Words, “Anoint your head and wash your face.” 1

To Fast With Christ

St. Bernard gives a sort of amusing but helpful image in his Lenten sermon on fasting. He speaks of Christ as the head of the body of the Church, but he uses subtle images of the parts of the body choosing to flee or follow with the head.

It is a profound thought. If we are claiming to share in Christ’s own body through Baptism and the Christian life, we cannot choose any other life than the one chosen by the head. The arms and the feet cannot just dismember themselves and opt out of bodily participation. We remain together, we work together, in accordance with the directions from the head. We cannot be disobedient and flailing members.

There are so many lenses we can use to examine why we fast, especially the lens of cultivating the virtue of temperance. But we also like to reason our way around it sometimes or to diminish our penances. There are, of course, excellent reasons for everything, and we can find those answers if we wish.

Still, sometimes its helpful to remember whose perfect fasting we are participating in, other than over-rationalizing what we are doing or why. Who is the great teacher we seek to learn from and imitate?

At times we have to trust that God will open the eyes of our hearts to his Divine wisdom when we are ready. We may have to humbly accept that we don’t yet know what we need to learn. We can become quite blind to our mediocrities and vices, especially in relation to earthly desires.

St. Thomas Aquinas says that the virtue of temperance has to do with choosing when to withdrawal oneself from pleasure and its seductions. Fasting is one method by which we learn this temperance. But since certain pleasures like food and drink are indeed good for us and necessary, it can be hard to know what the proper limits should be. Fasting helps us to gain clarity about this, to learn to redirect ourselves and always be attentive to the way we allow our senses to lead us away from God.2

If we feel lukewarm towards uniting ourselves to Christ in fasting, let us simply commit to following Him regardless. He has gone to the desert for these forty days, and if He is the head of our ecclesial body, we must remain with Him. He will show us in due time the good towards which this body is being directed.

We know His plans are nothing but the grandest and most perfect that a soul could hope for. As the old hymn goes, “Teach us with you to mourn our sins // And close by you to stay.”

Hymns about Fasting

Lord, who throughout these forty days,
For us did fast and pray,
Teach us with you to mourn our sins,
And close by you to stay.

As you with Satan did contend,
And did the vict'ry win,
O give us strength in you to fight,
In you to conquer sin.

As you did hunger bear and thirst,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and always live
By your most holy word.

There are so many meditative hymns on this aspect of fasting with Christ. This version of Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days is a perfect piece to add to a Lenten playlist.

Saints and Feasts this Week

If you are someone who enjoys Church history, this is an excellent week of saints and feasts for you. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the vastness of our Catholic heritage, so here are a few starting points to deepen your appreciation of some wonderful people (and things!) the Church will celebrate this week.

St. Peter Damian

First there is Doctor of the Church, Peter Damian. He may seem lesser known today, but if we place him among similar saints of the 11th and 12th centuries, we’ll have a clearer picture.

You’ve likely heard of St. Anselm of Canterbury, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and, possibly, St. Hildegard of Bingen. They are all worth mentioning with St. Peter Damian because they were all Benedictine monks and reformers of their age. One sign of the great work of ecclesial reformation is the copious amounts of letters that were left by each of them. Reformers like to write letters. They also ought to be mentioned together because they are they four doctors of the Church from the 11th and 12th century and lived in Europe.

They all come to us in the height of the Benedictine monastic life before the rise of the mendicant orders. The Church Doctors who lived from the 13th and 14th centuries were all Dominican and Franciscan saints: Anthony of Padua, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Albert the Great, and Catherine of Siena.

Peter Damian followed the rule of St. Benedict and even lived as a hermit for some years. He wrote important works demanding change from priests and bishops in their many scandals and abuses, like we have known in recent years. He also wrote about the trinity and the divine power of God. So, there you have it!

He is a wonderful saint to learn about and learn from, and now you know a few places to begin.

The Chair of St. Peter

Next we have a chair. Well, St. Peter’s chair. Does that make it any less odd?

There could be a whole book’s worth of exploration around the history of this feast, but we’ll share some wonderful liturgical images:

In the baptistry at St. Peter’s in Rome, there was a chair the pope would use during the liturgy for confirming the baptized. This chair would be brought into the apse of the main Church for liturgical use on one single day, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter.

“That day the pope did not use the marble cathedra at the back of the apse but sat on this movable cathedra, which was, consequently, made of wood. The importance of this feast was heightened by the fact that 22 February was considered the anniversary of the day when Peter bore witness, by the Sea of Tiberias, to the Divinity of Christ and was again appointed by Christ to be the Rock of His Church.”3

The second significance of this day is that there was a belief that it was the day of Peter’s “election” by Christ as pope.

This celebration is not only about the physical chair of Peter, but what it signifies in our long history of the papacy, one way in which Christ’s promise to remain with us always is still felt today.

Like St. Peter Damian, this is another lesser known celebration that’s well worth embracing with renewed ardor.

St. Polycarp

And now, of course, for the strangely-named St. Polycarp! Have you ever met a Polycarp? We possess a great treasure to have a saint from this early in the life of the Church, as we believe he lived from about 69-155 AD, and was martyred for Christ.

Have you ever wondered when the church first defined what a martyr is?

We are told that he was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist through his disciples Irenaeus of Lyon and Eusebius of Caeseria, and they relate his being sent by the apostles to Asia. Thus, he was Bishop of Smyrna.

In an ancient work called The Matyrdom of Polycarp, we are not only told of how Polycarp died for Christ Jesus, but also we see “the first work in which a martyr is defined as one who dies for the faith.”4

But we’ll leave it to you to read about how this holy man came to die for Christ!

“The Martyrdom of Polycarp is the earliest existing account of the capture and death of an early Christian Martyr after St. Stephen. It is an exceptional valuable document since Polycarp is one of the most eminent figures of the 2nd century Church.  The letter provides evidence for the honor given to the martyrs and their relics as well as the practice of celebrating the Eucharist at the martyrs grave each year on the anniversary of their martyrdom. This, by the way, is the origin of the many Saints days in the Catholic liturgical calendar.”

Read more here!

February 21 — St. Peter Damian

• The 35 Doctors of the Church — Christopher Rengers, OFM Cap.

• Doctors of the Church — Pope Benedict XVI

February 22 — The Chair of St. Peter

• 9 Things You Need to Know about the Chair of St. Peter

• Pope Benedict XVI General Audience on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter 2006

February 23 — St. Polycarp

• Letters of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna

• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia Entry on St. Polycarp

Inspiration for the Week

• Stations of the Cross - St Alphonsus Liguori

• Uniting Suffering to the Cross - Prayer of Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot

• 40 Days at the Foot of the Cross: A Gaze of Love from the Heart of Our Blessed Mother

• Why Fast? a homily recording by Fr. James Hudgins of St. Theresa Parish in Ashburn, VA

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It is your hearts, not the garments you wear, that must be torn asunder. Come back to the Lord your God; he is ever gracious and merciful, ever patient and rich in pardon; threatens he calamity, even now he is ready to forgive.

Joel 2:13

With Ash Wednesday coming in just a few days, most of us are likely finalizing our Lenten plans. It can be stressful to either make decisions about our fasts or to feel daunted by the fast before it has even begun. Below we’ll share a few principles to take with you into Lent.

May the Lord bless and make perfect all your sacrifices.

How the Church Gives Us Wisdom for Lent

There are really only three things we all ought to be doing for Lent, and they are things that should be done whole-heartedly. There seems to be a frantic panic that surrounds Lenten penances.

We’re probably overcomplicating things.

We need not psycho-analyze ourselves to come up with some sort of prize-worthy plan. The church has always had a simple and salvific plan in place. There is no need to shun these words, prayer-fasting-almsgiving, in search of some great and self-inflicted bootcamp. We must be watchful in this regard.

Our egos are always drawing us away from the Lord.

Now, surely there is great work in examining ourselves and deciding what we might fast or detach from to make room for Christ. So we are best prepared when we look to the Church for guidance. We sinners like to do everything on our own terms, in the way that best suits me. The Church has always known it’s hard to see one’s own self clearly.

True self-knowledge is the hardest and most essential task of human repentance. Perhaps we do best to not begin Lent by presuming we have this self-knowledge, but in asking the Church, how might I come to have this moral clarity? And so she points us to prayer-fasting-almsgiving.

The Adventure of Lent

Of course morality is an inherently personal thing, and each man is moral according to his own body and soul; he does what only he can do — and in a way that only he can do it.

But there is room for the individual to be cracked open so grace may pour in within this threefold schema. And not on our own terms, or within our perfect control.

A final things to consider about entering Lent within the Church’s terms, and not our own, is that the Church is not only being provident for the individual, she is being provident for Christ’s whole body. This means that she will make use of us during Lent to be provident towards the other, and vice versa.

What a wonderfully exciting idea! The Lord is working, especially through Lent, to orient her members towards one another.

Lent is an ultimate adventure into the life of Charity and into Christ’s own heart. And this can only begin when we embrace the prescribed prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Prayer

When we pray, we unite our whole selves to Christ, but we also pray for any others the Lord brings to us. This Lent, we can tirelessly keep our hearts opened to others who need prayers.

Have you ever had someone come to you in desperate need for prayers? We all know the way a friend’s sufferings can bring us an acute awareness of the ability to pray constantly and in all things. Let us be searching this whole Lent for those people we can pray for with an unceasing earnestness.

This sort of prayer sharpens our minds and hearts, to always hold others in our hearts. We cultivate in ourselves a better sense of God’s providence, and that we participate in his providence for others. We start to understand that our lives are not just for ourselves.

How can I maintain this openness?

Consider adding some daily prayer to your life. Maybe a rosary or a divine mercy chaplet. When you resolve to give the Lord this prayer time daily, you may be surprised who He brings before you that needs your prayers. Simply commit to doing the prayer, and he will give you the intentions.

Fasting

This precept of Lent is a funny one today. We almost shy away from it, because of associations we may make with dieting or weight-loss. We think fasting is vain, because we know vain people who do it.

But to be frank, there is a real physical element of fasting the same way there is a real physical manifestation of gluttony. There are tangible signs we experience in our bodies when we are disordered towards food and drink, and there are real and tangible signs, like losing a little weight, when we are rightly ordered towards food and drink.

The problem is when we think everything about our moral powers can be determined by weight and dieting, and this is certainly a problem today. But it must not be one that deters us from true fasting.

The discomforts of fasting are an immense practice of bodily discipline, and we must be willing to endure these sufferings. Let us embrace hunger in a real way this Lent.

You’ve probably heard the Lenten hymn, “The Glory of these Forty Days.” It is an excellent meditation on why we fast.

The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise,
for Christ, by whom all things were made,
himself has fasted and has prayed.

Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God who gave the law.
And to Elijah, fasting, came
the steed and chariots of flame.

First, Christ himself fasted. He who was already perfect in his human and divine nature chose to abstain from worldly goods to teach us what is the way back to the Father. Let us honor the suffering he endured out of love for us by learning from Him. When he went to the desert, He hoped that every single one of us might learn from His example. Let us learn from Him.

Secondly, as we are told of Moses and Elijah, we learn that fasting re-orders our fallen human nature and then opens us up to receive the Divine.

Moses was able to receive God’s law because he prepared his flesh and his soul by fasting. When the Lord presented him with the commandments, his heart was ready. He had practiced relinquishing disordered loves, and he was ready to receive God’s law.

Elijah’s fasting opened him up to a supernatural grace, that carried him above the confines of earthly pleasure. Elijah took his earthly loves and emptied them from his heart, and the Lord filled those empty places with Himself.

When we fast, we hand over the good things we love to the Lord, that He might hand us better things in exchange. Virtues and graces beyond any of our own imaginings.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is the most underestimated Lenten practice today. St. Thomas Aquinas says that Almsgiving combines both prayer and fasting in one action. There is so much to be said on this essential aspect of the Christian life. But there are two things we need to know above all.

1. What is almsgiving?

2. Why must we give alms?

What is Almsgiving?

If you’ve ever looked up the Latin or Greek version of a word in your own language, you probably know there’s some real surprises to be found. Would you have expected the word for alms comes from a Greek word that means to pity or to mercy?

St. Thomas tells us that Almsgiving is : 1. a work of mercy, 2. which makes another’s misery one’s own 3. for God’s sake.

When we give alms, we allow ourselves to enter into the suffering of our neighbors and strangers, and we dare to take their own problems on as our own. We do this out of love for God, who dared to take on our own problem of sin and death out of love for us.

These works can be either spiritual in nature or corporal. If you’ve ever heard of the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy, those are excellent ways to begin giving alms.

By why must we do this?

St. Thomas says that “As love of our neighbor is a matter of precept, whatever is a necessary condition to the love of our neighbor is a matter of precept also. Now the love of our neighbor requires that not only should we be our neighbor's well-wishers, but also his well-doers.”

Simply, it is a matter of charity, of living a Christian life. Grace is God’s own life in the soul, and if we have grace, we should be living in a way that looks out from one’s own self. We should mirror Christ’s incarnate love, Christ’s love who died for us while we were yet sinners. Who took every single soul upon Himself.

In our littleness, we know that we are not God. But in our humility, we believe that He wants to use us according to his purposes. And using us means using our superfluous goods. The detachment of earthly goods, readily surrendered to another out of compassion, is indeed a sign that we are not storing up earthly treasures for ourselves.

I answer that the word for alms, eleemosyna, is from the Greek word meaning ‘service that is given to the destitute;’ and it is named from eleos, that is, pity or mercy, which makes another’s misery one’s own.

And so just as a man gets rid of as much wretchedness from himself as he can, in the same way the merciful man drives away another’s misery by succoring him: which succor indeed is done by sharing one’s own goods with him; and so the very sharing of one’s own goods with the wretched takes the name ‘almsgiving.’

Now this sharing cannot be meritorious and virtuous except when it is done for God’s sake. And so in the definition given all the things are touched upon that are needed for the perfection of almsgiving as something meritorious.

For the very misery of another, which is the principle of mercy, is referred to in its saying, to the needy; but mercy which is born in us out of the stranger’s misery, is touched on in its saying, out of compassion;

but mercy’s effect in easing the stranger’s misery as though it were our own, is referred to in saying, a work in which something is given: for this is essential to almsgiving itself; but the intention directed to God which gives it a meritorious character, is touched upon in saying, for God’s sake.

-St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Sentences

Saints and Feasts this Week

February 14 — Ash Wednesday // Sts. Cyril and Methodius // St. Valentine

• Sts. Cyril & Methodius Icon

• Sts. Cyril & Methodius Prayer Cards

• St. Valentine Coffee

• St. Valentine Novena

February 15 — St. Claude de la Colombière

• The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude De Colombiere

• Novena Prayers

Inspiration for the Week

• What is the Purpose of Lent - Fr. Mike Schmitz (Video)

• Entering Into Lent With the Shepherd and the Lamb - Blessed Is She

• Meditations for Each Day of Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas

Sources of Light

• Little Way Lent Bundle 2024

• Lenten Calendar Garland

• Light of the Saints Kids Book

• House of Joppa Begin Again Candle

• Catholic Stickers to Keep the Saints & Faith Close During Lent

  • All Saints Shop (That’s Us!)

  • Alice in Letterland

  • Just Love Prints

  • Gratia Design Co

• Saint Book Mark to Keep Your Place in Your Lenten Reading

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“Let us all praise that valiant woman with a manly heart, who, by the glory of her sanctity, everywhere shines gloriously.”

Today we would be quick to take a pessimistic approach to the hymn being cited above. What is the author attempting to say about saintly women? Are their “manly hearts” signifying to us that holiness itself is something more akin to being a man than a woman? There’s a way to interpret the author’s intentions that would probably surprise us.

This hymn is one that we find prescribed in the Liturgy of the Hours for days when we celebrate Holy Women. The breviary prayers have always been required praying for religious communities, priests, bishops, — the pope himself. This means the majority of those praying the Divine Office, and therefore singing this hymn, have historically been men. I think the “manly heart” is supposed to inspire men, especially, to be better men.

It’s almost a sort of taunt — if you want to be a man, how do you measure up to this woman? The hymn is a profound example of reverent humility before women who are saints. There are, of course, arguments to be made that you could translate the word “virile” as something more like courageous. But the contrast of the “man’s heart” in the saintly woman is more provocative, and therefore perhaps more evocative of holiness in the one praying.

So — high! Let us all our voices raise in praising the women we will celebrate in the liturgy this week. Spend some time reflecting on, listening to, and even singing this wondrous hymn. This website offers both the popular translation, but also a more direction translation from the Latin in the footnotes at the bottom. It is a hymn unfamiliar to most, but well worth getting acquainted with.

Fortem virili pectore / High Let Us All Our Voices Raise

Saints and Feasts this Week

February 5 — St. Agatha — Sicily and Breast Cancer Patients

• Saint Agatha Prayer Candle

• Saint Agatha Medal Necklace with Soil from Sicily

• Catania celebrates Saint Agatha every year with a 3 day festival, one of the largest annual festivals in the world

February 8 —St. Josephine Bakhita

• Bakhita: from Slave to Saint by Roberto Italo Zanini (Book)

• Bakhita: from Slave to Saint (Movie)

• Who is Saint Josephine Bakhita?

February 10 — St. Scholastica

• Saint Scholastica Art Print

• Saint Scholastica Tiny Saint

• Who is Saint Scholastica?

February 11 — Our Lady of Lourdes

• Our Lady of Lourdes Statue

• Awakening at Lourdes by Christy Wilkens

• Our All Saints Shop Design!

Inspiration for the Week

• The Song of Bernadette Movie

• Fulton Sheen’s Trip to Lourdes

• Our Lady of Lourdes on the Godsplaining Podcast

Catholic Women Favorites

• A Bible

  • One that’s great for journaling

  • Try out a different translation, like this one by the wonderful Msgr Ronald Knox

• An Heirloom-worthy rosary

• The Big book of Women Saints

• Ceramic Holy Water Bottle

• A Prayer Routine Kit

• Stunning Miraculous Medal Necklace

• Mary’s Garden™ Gold Rose Headband

• An Overview of the Various Scapulars & Their Devotions

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Holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, who hast created all things out of nothing, and by Thy command hast caused this liquid to become perfect wax by the labour of bees: and who, on this day didst fulfill the petition of the righteous man, Simeon: we humbly entreat Thee, that by the invocation of Thy most holy Name and through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin whose feast is today devoutly observed, and by the prayers of all Thy Saints, Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless and sanctify these candles for the service of men and for the health of their bodies and souls, whether on land or on sea: and that Thou wouldst hear from Thy holy heaven, and from the throne of Thy Majesty the voices of this Thy people, who desire to carry them in their hands with honour, and to sing Your praises; and that You would look with favour on all who call upon You, whom You have redeemed with the precious Blood of Your Son, who being God, lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. —Blessing of the Candles for Candlemas

You might be coming into this week’s newsletter a little confused - Candles & Groundhogs? We all get the candle part, sure. We see those all the time - candles during mass, baptismal candles, the candle sticks used for the blessing of the throats. But what do groundhogs have to do with the Catholic Church?

Don’t worry, we’ll explain - just keep reading to find out. And keep an eye out for a brand new saint design in the newsletter as well!

It’s unfortunate that Candlemas has become a lesser known liturgy in the recent decades. Candlemas really does serve as the the perfect book-end opposite to Easter - a Church feast to prefigure the paschal candle.

Christ is but a tiny infant in the Candlemas liturgy when Simeon rings out the beloved canticle of light, so it’s fitting that the candles during this feast are also tiny. But, in a few months, when Christ is arrayed in the glory of his Easter magnitude, the Paschal candle will come forth on the altar - the largest candle to be found in the whole church that day.

It is a small detail, but a beautiful one.

Another interesting bit is the relation of Goundhog Day to Candlemas:

Simeon’s prophecy and the focus on light also led to a peculiar folk belief that the weather on February 2 had a particularly keen prognostic value. If the sun shone for the greater part of Candlemas, there would be, it was claimed, forty more days of winter, but if the skies were cloudy and gray, there would be an early spring. In Germany this lore was amended by bringing into the equation the badger or the hedgehog, but when German immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania, they could find none of these creatures around. Instead they saw plenty of what the local Native Americans called a wojak or woodchuck. Since the [Native Americans] considered the groundhog to be a wise animal, it seemed only natural to appoint the furry fellow, as they say every year, “Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” The Feast of the Purification thus gave rise not only to a beautiful tradition of candle-blessing but to Groundhog Day. — The Purifying Orations of Candlemas

This week, we also celebrate the blessing of the throat on the feast of St. Blaise with candles. It is delightful and strange, especially for children. This year St. Blaise’s day falls on a Saturday, so all the more convenient to get to Mass and receive this special blessing.

Saints and Feasts this Week

January 31 — St. John Bosco

• Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco

  • This book has long been considered a classic of spiritual reading, and influenced many faithful in modern times with his astonishing visions of Hell.

    • If you’re interested in listening to this one as an audio book, you can get a free Audible trial on us and two free audio books!

• St. John Bosco: The Friend of Youth

  • This account of the lively John Bosco is, perhaps, a more helpful glimpse into the whole of Bosco’s life and motivations to begin the Salesian order. St. John Bosco himself came from a very poor family, and possessed a great compassion for the lowliest of boys. He understood God’s love for them, and Bosco made it his mission to educate and catechize hundreds and hundreds of boys in Italy

• All Saints Shop St. John Bosco Design!

February 2 — Candlemas

• Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

  • This book of Sermons written by St. Bernard are the Lenten and Easter installment of a 4 part series published by Cistercian Studies of sermons meant to be read seasonally by the monks of his abbey around the year. This edition begins with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Candlemas and takes the reader through Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.

February 3 — St. Blaise

• The Story of St. Blaise or St. Vlasios, as he’s called in the Eastern Church

  • “Along the way the saint healed the sick and worked other miracles. Thus, a destitute widow complained to him of her misfortune. A wolf had carried off a small pig, her only possession. The bishop smiled and said to her, "Do not weep, your pig will be returned to you..." To the astonishment of everyone, the wolf came running back and returned his prey unharmed.” 

• Icon of St. Blaise

• St. Blaise Tiny Saint Key Chain

• All Saints Shop St. Blaise Design!

Further, according to figures such as St Anselm of Canterbury, candles are an excellent symbol for Christ. The wax, made from the “virginal bee,” signifies the pure flesh of Our Lord taken from His Mother; the wick symbolizes His human soul; and the flame represents His divinity. Candles blessed on Candlemas Day can be taken home and used as sacramentals throughout the year.

— The Purifying Orations of Candlemas

Inspiration for the Week

• Of Bees, the Exultet, and Pius XII

• The Making of Candles at the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary

• The Purifying Orations of Candlemas

• The Five Prayers of the Candlemas Blessing and the Five Books of Moses

Tending Light

• Beeswax Candles Made by Benedictine Monks and Dominican Nuns

• Or, if you’re up for the challenge, make your own hand-dipped candles!

• Black Marble Candle Holder or White & Gold Detailed Candle Holders

• Classic Silver Candle Holder

• Bell Snuffer with Fleur de Lis motif

• Wick Trimmer

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“My Dear Brother, 

I close the year with giving myself the pleasure of wishing you all good for that which is coming. These mortal years pass away, dear brother; their months melt into weeks, weeks into days, days into hours, hours into moments; and after all, these moments are all that we can really call our own!

Even these we only possess as they pass away, setting forth how swiftly we too are passing away; a fact which might be willingly accepted if we consider how full of sorrow this life is, and how when it is ended it will be merged in that blessed Eternity which God in His Merciful Goodness has prepared for us, and to which our hearts continually tend, not through our own natural instincts, but through His Gracious drawing.

Dear brother, I never dwell upon the thought of Eternity without great delight, and this because I cannot do so without feeling that my soul would not be able to reach after so mighty a thought, were there not some true affinity between them. There must be some correspondence between the soul and that to which it tends; and when my longings fix themselves upon Eternity, my satisfaction becomes exceeding, because I know that we never long intensely save for that which God wills us to attain. Therefore my longing is a proof that I may attain that Eternal life; what more need I save to hope for it? And that hope is confirmed to me through my knowledge of the Infinite Goodness of Him Who would not have created a soul capable of meditating upon and longing after Eternity, without giving it the means whereby to attain thereto.

So, dear brother, we find ourselves at the foot of the Crucifix, which is the ladder by means of which we pass over these temporal seasons to the Eternal years. Well then, I wish for your dear self that the coming year may be followed by others here, and that they may all be well spent in winning Eternity. May you live long in holiness and happiness among those who love you in this brief life: and then live forever in that unchangeable blessedness to which we look. This is what my heart asks for you, pouring itself out with the confidence which rises from our deep affection, and makes me ever yours.1”

The Heart of a Saint

This is a letter that St. Francis de Sales wrote to a nobleman of Savoy, reflecting upon the turn of the New Year and the passing of former ones. They are probably not unfamiliar sentiments to most of us, “months melt into weeks, weeks into days, days into hours, hours into moments.”

In this book of letters of Francis de Sales, we need only to look at the table of contents to learn two things that will tell us much about the character of the man behind this letter.

The first is that he knew, probably was sought by, many women who had lost children, husbands, beloved brothers.

The second is that he also took the time to write and console them.

In this letter to his friend, we know not if there was a particular tragedy in Francis’s mind, but he certainly had borne suffering with his people as a priest and a bishop.

He sees another year before him, and he knows it will not be a year without its own hardships. He tells us that he finds himself, “at the foot of the Crucifix, which is the ladder by means of which we pass over these temporal seasons to the Eternal years.” This is a wonderful thought, to be able to bear the realization that there will be no easy way in life. Yet to believe there will be a blessed way. To find oneself perpetually at the foot of the cross could be a discouraging thought to some, but not for a saint, as we will see.

Certainly St. Augustine is echoed in Francis’ words, “when [life] is ended it will be merged in that blessed Eternity which God in His Merciful Goodness has prepared for us, and to which our hearts continually tend...” As Augustine said: “our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” What hope he must have had, that every time he found himself faced with sharing the grief and sorrow of another soul, he could not help but still believe in the love of God.

“Therefore my longing is a proof that I may attain that Eternal life; what more need I save to hope for it? And that hope is confirmed to me through my knowledge of the Infinite Goodness of Him Who would not have created a soul capable of meditating upon and longing after Eternity, without giving it the means whereby to attain thereto.”

When St. Francis de Sales was confronted with the reality of love and goods that had been lost permanently in this life, he set his hope in prayer. He believed God was so perfect in goodness, he would never let a soul feel a greater sorrow in this life than He would overcome with joy in the next.

Although the sorrow is an impenetrable mystery, and we have not the imaginations to conceive of any glory that could allow such sadness, St. Francis de Sales is able to echo the Gospel words of Martha to Christ, upon the loss of her brother Lazarus: “Yes, Lord, she told him, I have learned to believe that thou art the Christ; thou art the Son of the living God; it is for thy coming the world has waited.”2

This must be why relics of his heart were kept after he died. A heart of this magnitude has much to teach us about the Lord. St. Francis de Sales, Pray for us.

It is Paul who writes; a servant of Jesus Christ.

—Romans 1:1

It could be easy to overlook the magnitude of the feasts this week. During some weeks, like the previous one, there is clear thread where all saints share a specific time period or type of life or martyrdom. This week has its own theme if we look a little closer; it is the week of the mighty Christian pen.

Paul himself testifies in his life and martyrdom that no sword could ever be mightier than the pen he took up for Christ and the Gospel. We have before us the celebration of three spectacular writers and theologians spanning different periods and phases of the Church, all doing a distinctly different sort of writing: Paul, Thomas Aquinas, and Francis de Sales. St. Thomas and St. Francis themselves are celebrated as Doctors of the Church, and in his own crowning way, we could consider St. Paul the archetype of the Church doctors.

Another special connection this week is the pairing of the feasts of Paul’s conversion the day before we celebrate Sts. Timothy and Titus. We have a partial account from Paul of his conversion in his first letter to Timothy, a disciple of Paul: “I was the worst of all, and yet I was pardoned, so that in me first of all Christ Jesus might give the extreme example of his patience; I was to be the pattern of all those who will ever believe in him, to win eternal life.”1 The conversion of Paul was an inherently fruitful one, and it brought many conversions for the Church.

Pope Benedict wrote about Paul’s trust in Timothy and Titus, saying “Paul availed himself of collaborators. He certainly remains the Apostle par excellence, founder and pastor of many Churches. Yet it clearly appears that he did not do everything on his own but relied on trustworthy people who shared in his endeavours and responsibilities.”2 So it is fitting his conversion is be paired with his earliest disciples.

St. Bernard in his homily on the Conversion of St. Paul encourages us:

“Who, when oppressed by the weight of evil, can say, ‘I am not strong enough to rise to better things right now’, when on the very journey on which he was thirsting for christian blood and whole-heartedly puffing out deadly venom, this cruelest of persecutors was instantaneously changed into the most faithful of preachers? Indeed this one conversion marvellously puts before us both the great extent of mercy and the effectiveness of grace.”3

We also encounter two saints who are important patrons for Christian workers. St. Vincent of Saragossa is the patron of winemakers, an important celebration in many European countries. The other is St. Angela Merici, patron saint of teachers.

Saints and Feasts this Week

January 23 — St. Vincent of Saragossa

• Reflection on St. Vincent - A Time for Pruning & Partying

• Hand-Carved Italian Wood Statue of St. Vincent

January 24 — St. Francis de Sales, Patron of Catholic writers & the Catholic Press

• The Letter of Francis de Sales

• All Saints Shop St. Francis de Sales Design

January 25 — The Conversion of St. Paul, Patron of Missions & Theologians

• Thoughts on St. Paul by Pope Benedict XVI

• All Saints Shop St. Paul Design

January 26 — Sts. Timothy and Titus,

• Commentary on First and Second Timothy, Titus by George T. Montague

January 27 — St. Angela Merici, Patron of the Sick & those Grieving the Loss of Parents

• Life of St. Angela Merici by John Gilmary & François Joseph

• Novena to St. Angela Merici

January 28 — St. Thomas Aquinas, Patron of Students & Scholars

• Biography of Thomas Aquinas by A.G. Sertillanges, O.P.

• St. Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton

• The Foundations of Thomistic Philosophy by A. G. Sertillanges

Inspiration for the Week

• Self-Gift and the Literary Vocation — Katy Carl at Dappled Things

• Ep. 182 of the Godsplaining Podcast: St. Thomas Aquinas — 700 Years Canonized

• Learn to Pray Like St. Francis de Sales

The grace of the Lord came upon me in a full tide of faith and love, the love that is in Christ Jesus. How true is that saying, and what a welcome it deserves, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I was the worst of all, and yet I was pardoned, so that in me first of all Christ Jesus might give the extreme example of his patience; I was to be the pattern of all those who will ever believe in him, to win eternal life. Honour and glory through endless ages to the king of all the ages, the immortal, the invisible, who alone is God, Amen.

1 Timothy 1:14-17

The Writers Toolkit

• The first and most important instrument for a writer is his or her device for inscribing their words - there are a number of pens out there, but, if you’re like us, there’s one pen that you keep coming back to time and time again. Two of our favorites are:

  • The Pilot G2 (if you’ve used these before, you know the importance of making sure you get the 0.5mm)

  • The Sharpie S-Gel - for those who love the flow of a good gel pen

• Next, you’re going to need something to write on - stationary of some sort. Most people prefer a journal or notebook for this.

  • All of our saint designs (and a few special eitions) are available on both hard-cover and spiral notebooks!

  • This notebook features a cute and simple image of the Sacred Heart

  • For those who are fans of the traditional Moleskine Journals, this one’s for you

• Now if you find yourself inspired by the letters of St. Francis de Sales, you might consider stationary such as these Simple Holy Family Stationary

• And, of course, you’ll want to seal your letters - these adorable wax seal stamps are a great choice!

• If you find yourself wanting to write, but unsure what to write about, a great way to start is by adopting popular practices

  • The Lectio Divina is a great practice that combines studying the bible with meditation, prayer, and contemplation - which can come in many styles including writing down your thoughts and reflections

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“This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath.”

—Saint Anthony the Abbot, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers translated by Sr. Benedicta Ward, SLG

New Saint Design!

Saint Sebastian, renowned for his patronage of athletes and holy deaths, joined the Roman Army around 283, celebrated for his bravery and unwavering faith. His influence led to numerous conversions among Rome's elite. Famously surviving an attempted execution by arrows and nursed back to health by St. Irene of Rome, Sebastian soon after bravely confronted Emperor Diocletian about his injustices against Christians. His insistence on challenging Christian persecution, as vividly depicted in Jacobus de Voragine's "The Golden Legend," highlights his courageous stand against the Emperor.

‘The bishops of the idols deceive you evilly which accuse the christian men to be contrary to the common profit of the city, that pray for your estate and for the health of Rome.’ 

Diocletian said: ‘Art thou not Sebastian whom we commanded to be shot to death.’ 

And Saint Sebastian said: ‘Therefore our Lord hath rendered to me life to the end that I should tell you that evilly and cruelly ye do persecutions unto christian men.’

It was after this encounter that Dioceltion had Sebastian thrown into prison and condemned to be beaten to death - dying a martyr against the cause of Christian persecution.

St. Sebastian, Pray for Us!

View Our Design

Saints and Feasts this Week

January 17 — St. Anthony the Abbot

• Early Christian Lives, featuring the “Life of Antony” by St. Athanasius

• The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, translated by Sr. Benedicta Ward, OSB

January 20 — St. Sebastian

• A Tale of Death and Glory: The Acts of St. Sebastian and His Companions — St. Ambrose

• Our NEW All Saints Shop Design!

January 21 — St. Agnes

• The Lives of the Early Martyrs — Pedro de Ribadeneyra, SJ

• The Church of Apostles and Martyrs Vol I, Vol II — Henri Daniel-Rops

• All Saints Shop Design!

A Note on the Book Selections:

We hope you will enjoy tracking down some of these incredible accounts of the saints. Perhaps you already have one of these books and can take some time to revisit it.

There is a clear and brilliant connection between all the saints we are celebrating this week: It is their having lived (and died) during the Church’s earliest centuries. There is a powerful sense every Christian age has felt of the love shared between Christ and those first monks and martyrs. They are saints long remembered, celebrated, beseeched.

Even today you can visit any of the world’s great art galleries and find clear signs of the light these saints radiated upon the Christian imagination. There are countless paintings which proclaim the devotion to Christ they have aroused in the hearts of the faithful. These three saints of the early church are some of the most commonly appearing in Christian art. We find Sebastian pierced with arrows, Agnes with her lamb, Anthony with his staff, or a bell, and sometimes even a pig!

But something that also marvels us is to see that we are handed on accounts of their lives that were written by other saints of their time. The great Athanasius himself wrote of Anthony of Egypt, the great father of Eastern monasticism. St. Ambrose, the spiritual father of St. Augustine, wrote of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian and his companions — Sebastian himself being a native of Milan where Ambrose was bishop. We also have accounts of St. Agnes’ martyrdom from Ambrose, and sermons from Augustine as well. We even find pope Damasus as having heralded these saints, a pope with quite a colorful life and list of accomplishments, who himself had a life full of interactions with Sts. Basil, Jerome, Athanasius, and Ambrose. Damasus is credited with having written epigrams for Sts. Agnes and Sebastian at respective Roman churches, lauding their martyrdom.

Another fascinating relic of this early time is the traditional “Sayings of the Desert Fathers.” These passages of the early eastern monastic tradition have been incredibly preserved, to pass on remarkable wisdom from saints who cultivated their souls in the desert. It is wonderful to think men and women went to seek Christ in their strange way and learn from Him the way of perfection. The school of desert monasticism is one of the lovely quirks of Christian history, so strangely inviting to our modern selves. It is so ridiculous that it is obviously brilliant.

Inspiration for the Week

• Prayer to St. Sebastian

• The Novena to St. Agnes

• For our visual followers - A very cool walk-through of the The Monestary of St. Anthony and his cave

Habits like a Monk

There has been a resurgence in interests of Monastic life recently, especially for lay people living in a family context. I suppose it’s not a huge surprise, because it wasn’t too uncommon in medieval days for towns to slowly crop up around monasteries. I suppose lay people appreciated the influence of the monks then, just as we do today. Here are some of our favorite resources to put a little of the monastic wisdom into your own life.

• Monk Manual - It’s about doing the most important things well, and eliminating the rest.

• St. Benedict’s Rule

• Tsh Oxenrider’s Guide - Create Your Rule of Life

• Beeswax Candles - There is a deeper meaning of burning candles in prayer. It symbolizes a sacrifice of labor, both the work of the bees and human effort in candle making. By lighting it, we offer these efforts to God. This ongoing flame extends our prayer, embodying a meaningful tradition where our labor becomes a spiritual offering.

• 15 Minute Hourglass - An hourglass is a great option for setting a timer to get small tasks done, set time for prayer, or to stay on track reading.

• Icon of Christ the Teacher

• Online Breviary / Phone App - For those who like to keep everything in one place

• Breviary — Four Volume Set - For those who prefer the physical copy

• Breviary — Shorter Christian Prayer

• Breviary: Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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“Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift....We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.^”

— St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 40

Can you believe that we’re already a week into 2024?! What a better way to start off the second week of the New Year than with a feast day that is all about celebrating a new life with Christ.

This week, as you settle back into your day-to-day lives, we encourage you to take some time to think about the Sacrament of Baptism.

Maybe it’s taking a few minutes this morning to renew the Baptismal Promises made at your own Baptism. Reflecting on the graces bestowed in the first Sacrament of Initiation and how they have shown up in your life. Or thinking about how your identity as a Child of God through this Sacrament will shape your goals and actions throughout the New Year.

Again, since we’re just starting out here, we want to hear from you about the content of these newsletters. Let us know what you would like to see featured each week. Music? More books? Liturgical living items or Podcasts recommendations? Drop some suggestions in the comments about what you want to see or even saint recommendations for future newsletters!

Saints and Feasts this Week

January 8 — The Baptism of the Lord

• The Bible and Baptism: The Fountain of Salvation by Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, OP

• Godparents, this one’s for you! Do you remember and celebrate your godchild’s Baptism day? Just like a birthday, make a note of the date they were baptized in your planner so that you remember to say an extra prayer or even give them a call on that day!

January 13 — St. Hilary of Poitiers

• Homilies on the Psalms - Reflections by St. Hilary of Poitiers

Inspiration for the Week

• Renewal of Baptismal Promises

• Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Third Part, Question 66. The Sacrament of Baptism

• Christian Initiation - Louis Bouyer, Edited by Michael Heintz

• Baptized in Christ: A Catholic Study of the Sacrament of Baptism for Godparents and Parents

• The Baptism of Jesus — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Jesus answered, Believe me, no man can enter into the kingdom of God unless birth comes to him from water, and from the Holy Spirit. What is born by natural birth is a thing of nature, what is born by spiritual birth is a thing of spirit. Do not be surprised, then, at my telling thee, You must be born anew.

John 3:5-7

Resources to Celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism

• Chrism Scented Candle

• Be A Heart Baptism Party Cups & Scallop Shell Party Plates

• The Baptism of Christ Coloring Book Page

• Holy Water Font for Your Home - A daily reminder of your Baptismal Promises

• The Miracle Maker Short Film Movie for Kids

  • Free Streaming with Amazon Prime, Not a Member? Get a 30-Day Free Trial on us!

• The Ultimate Guide to Catholic Baptism, Ascension Press - Great for Parents & Godparents preparing for a Baptism or anyone who wants to learn more about the symbols, purpose, and graces that come from the Sacrament.

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Do not flee, do not fear. He is not coming with weapons, he is seeking not to punish but to save. And in case you are even now saying, I heard your voice and I hid myself, look, he is a baby and he has no voice. The sound of his crying inspires compassion more than trembling; if it strikes terror in anyone, it is not you.

He became a little child. The virgin mother wraps his tender limbs in swaddling clothes—and do you tremble with fear? Or will you realize from this that he has not come to destroy but to save you, not to bind but set you free?

— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Advent and the Christmas Season

January New Saint Design - St. Raymond of Penyafort

View The Design Here!

Welcome to the All Saints Shop Newsletter! In our discussions about how we can help enrich your daily journey with the saints, we've decided to start the New Year by introducing a weekly newsletter. Packed with new saint designs, book recommendations, and a curated selection of our favorite items that keep us connected to God and the saints all year round.

Let us know what sort of content you would like to see featured each week. Music? More books? Liturgical living items or Podcasts recommendations? Tell us what you want to see!

Saints and Feasts this Week

January 1 — Mary, Mother of God

• Meditations on Mary, Our Mother by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman

• This design is in our shop here!

January 2 — St. Basil and Gregory Nazianzen

• The Fathers Speak: St Basil the Great, St Gregory of Nazianzus, St Gregory of Nyssa

January 3 — The Most Holy Name of Jesus

• The Biblical Names of Jesus: Beautiful, Powerful Portraits of Christ

January 4 — St. Elizabeth Anne Seton

• Elizabeth Seton: American Saint

• This design is in our shop here!

January 5 — St. John Neumann

• Modern Saints: Their Lives and Faces Vol. 1

January 6 — Epiphany

• Epiphany: A Theological Introduction to Catholicism by Fr. Aidan Nichols OP

• This design is in our shop here!

January 7 — St. Raymond of Penafort

• The Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Dominican Saints

• This design is in our shop here!

Inspiration for the Week

• In Memoriam, [Ring out, wild bells] - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

• Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly by Fr. Gregory Pine, OP

• Setting Spiritual Goals on the Godsplaining Podcast

On seeing him, they discovered the truth of what had been told them about this child. All those who heard it were full of amazement at the story which the shepherds told them; but Mary treasured up all these sayings, and reflected on them in her heart. And the shepherds went home giving praise and glory to God, at seeing and hearing that all was as it had been told them.

Luke 2:17-20

Organizational Favorites for the New Year

It can seem cliché, but keeping on top of the day-to-day bits of living and seeing a bigger picture for the year can go a long way in living a more virtuous life. If you are someone who can get a little tunnel-visioned in various projects or have an “out of sight, out of mind” forgetfulness, these types organization tools can be essential for staying on track.

• Calendar Year Planner

• Project Planner

• Favorite Pens

• Favorite Binders

• Favorite Catholic Planner

• Fine Tip Sharpies

• Favorite Notebooks

• Binder Dividers and Folders

If you're reading this, it's likely because you subscribed to our newsletter at one point or another since the creation of All Saints Shop. If you’re wondering why you never saw anything before now, don’t worry, the whole newsletter idea never actually got launched ... until now.

It's been nearly 6 years since Emily and I started this endeavor. If you told the two of us sitting there in our parents’ living room on a random weekend that this project would take off the way it did, I don’t think we’d actually believe you.

Six years is a long time. While a lot has changed over the course of those years, our core mission and designs have stayed the same. It also should be noted that another thing that hasn’t changed is your support for our work - something that we could never express our gratitude enough for.

As we approach a new season, we’re thrilled to bring All Saints Shop with us, exploring a world brimming with opportunities.

We're excited to have you with us as we venture into this next chapter.

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