May 26, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 1 Peter 1:10-16 Reflect on the Word // It is a weighty matter to tell a child about a sin. As a student teacher this past year and as a mother of three teens, a ten-year-old, and a newborn, I have found myself often in the position of advising young people in moral matters. It almost seems easier at times to let them continue on in ignorance than to shape their consciences with advice and God’s law. But on the other hand, as a parent and educator, I have been given a special call to share the Good News and to trust the Holy Spirit to guide me in saying the true and correct thing. Our first pope, Saint Peter, writes about the prophets in the First Reading, how they knew that the words they were being given were for the salvation of the souls of those to whom they spoke. The Holy Spirit was sent to them to show them what to say. The Holy Spirit is also sent to us, and in our Baptism we are also prophets, called to listen for God’s promptings and speak the truth to others. The Lord tells us to “[b]e holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). And He does not abandon us to do this alone. When we set our hopes on His grace, we can trust that He will help us lead others out of the darkness of ignorance. We can trust that those who receive our advice will have the help they need to live in the light of truth. Only when we know the truth can we live in true freedom. Sister, the world will always tempt us to take the easy way out—to look the other way when we notice people doing wrong (even our children or students) or to give into slothful negligence of our own duties. But we are no longer ignorant. We are meant to live in the light of truth. We are meant to be holy, and He Who calls us will help us every step of the way. Relate to the Lord // Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire your words today. Strive to speak with truth and charity. 

April 4, 2026 // Holy Saturday Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s the First Reading for tonight’s Easter Vigil: Genesis 1:1-2:2 Reflect on the Word //  “It’s not fair how good you are to me. / How can I bear such prodigality? / In the valley down below or up on the mountain peak, / There’s crystal sky above and soft earth beneath my feet.” Every morning these days I turn on the song “Good” by the Hillbilly Thomists as I get dressed; it has been both a theme song of this year of major life changes and a reminder of how good God is. The song continues to talk about God’s love and care for us—a love that led to the Son becoming incarnate and dying for us.  Tonight’s first of the Easter Vigil Readings is the first telling of creation in Genesis. God creates light, land, plants, animals, and finally humans, saying: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). And then He looks at all He has made and finds “it very good” (Genesis 1:31). Good. He made all things good; He made us good. He looked down from Heaven, after our first parents sinned, and saw that they were made for good. He knew how all of history would unfold, with all of its evils, and still proclaimed us good. He still uses the goodness of creation to lead humanity back to Him. All He creates is good.  The Son became Man so that our goodness could be complete. He came to draw us—who are made in the image of the Trinity—back into God’s likeness. He poured Himself out in love, so that we will pour ourselves out in love. And every bird of the air and creature that crawls on the ground, every fish of the sea and plant that bears seed and fruit are here to show God’s goodness. Sister, on this Holy Saturday, all creation holds its breath, waiting for God to show how good He is yet again. We can enter into the waiting expectation and anticipate with faith the truth that Jesus rose on the third day, and hope for our own rising with Him.  Relate to the Lord // Reflect on God’s goodness throughout your life and Salvation History. Rest in Who He is.

March 28, 2026 // Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 11:45-56 Reflect on the Word //  “If that baby had not miscarried, I would not exist.” The words of my daughter were startling, but even more so was her brother’s repetition of her words about another baby who had died in utero. If my mother had not become terminally ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), our family would not have come together in love and prayer to care for her and my father. If I had not suffered from Lyme disease for nearly a year, my husband and I would not have grown closer in self-giving love. In our fallen, suffering world, God has a way to redeem every circumstance, no matter how challenging.  In today’s Gospel, God works through the evil intentions of the high priest Caiaphus as the chief priests and Pharisees plan to put Jesus to death. As high priest, Caiaphus has the gift of prophecy, and his words that seem like a political move—to protect the Jews from their Roman rulers—has a deep spiritual meaning: “He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God” (John 11:51). Caiaphus did not know nor did he believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah that the Jews were waiting for—he likely saw Jesus as a rival teacher. But God worked through the evil acts of the priests and Pharisees, and brought about salvation for their nation as well as the whole world, through Christ’s offering of Himself and Resurrection. Sister, we will all have trying times in our lives—unexplained losses, illnesses, division between family and friends. The Lord invites us to bring our suffering to Him, to join Him on the Cross, to offer these deep sufferings in and through His ultimate sacrifice. He already has and will continue to redeem all that is lost. Entrust your suffering to His care. Offer Him your loved ones. Sometimes all we can do is pray and let the Lord do the work of changing hearts. Relate to the Lord // Look at Jesus in prayer today and give Him permission to change your heart and redeem your sufferings.

March 7, 2026 // Saturday of the Second Week of Lent // Optional Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Reflect on the Word // I do the same thing again and again—the sins I cannot get out of, the habits that I don’t want to keep, the embracing of the uncharitable attitudes and thoughts which flutter into my mind. I squander my “share of [the Father’s] estate” daily (see Luke 15:13). I do not usually do this in big, dramatic ways but in little acts of turning away that harden my heart to those I am called to love—God, my family, my co-workers, my students, my friends. I freely waste the grace God gives me, and then find that the grace is gone, that I am living in a famine. And then my whole being cries out for a change, for I know what it is to live in the Father’s house, to feast at His table. I then return to the Lord, Who is waiting for me—in the person of the priest in the Confessional, in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. Like He did for the prodigal son in today’s Gospel (see Luke 15:1-3, 11-32), the Lord is watching and waiting for my return. He is ready to cover me in His “finest robe,” put His ring on my finger and sandals on my feet, to claim me as His daughter again. He wants to transform me into Himself, take me into His divine life, make me one with Him. And He does this when I accept His love, receive His Sacraments with devotion, turn back to Him with my whole heart, repent of squandering my inheritance in Him, and resolve to stay close to Him. Sister, at our Baptisms we were made God’s adoptive daughters. Nothing can undo that. He is always waiting for us, always ready to cover us in His grace, whether we have wandered far or let our little sins accumulate over time. This Lent, He calls us back. This Lent, He wants to make us whole again. And at Easter, He will celebrate with us, that His daughter who “was dead [. . .] has come to life again” and who “was lost, has been found” (Luke 15:32). Relate to the Lord // How is Jesus making you whole this Lent?

January 31, 2026  // Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17 Reflect on the Word // The bitter, accusing words rolled off my lips. Instead of winning the argument for me, however, they sank into my heart. I only recognized these failings in my neighbor—and likely wrongly so—because I had these sins and bad habits myself. This situation has occurred countless times in my life (usually in conversations with members of my family). When I judge others, the judgment turns back on me. King David had a similar experience in today’s First Reading. The prophet Nathan came to him with a case for the king to judge, which turned out to be a parable. A rich man took the possession of a poor man, when the rich man had no need of the possession. David had taken another man’s wife and had the man strategically placed to be killed in battle, even though, as the king, David had many wives already. Nathan’s words, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7) struck David to the core, and they should strike us as well.  I am the sinner who acts without thinking. I am the sister and daughter who acts selfishly, the wife who holds back from the call to love, the mother who complains. Nathan tells David that the child born of his sin “must surely die” (2 Samuel 12:14), and David does penance in reparation for his sin. The Lord forgave David, and the Lord forgives us. But the fruit of our bad habits and sin must die in our lives. We must offer them to the Lord to root out. My habits of selfishness and failure to love must die and be replaced with a grateful self-gift to God by loving those in my daily life.  Sister, the Sacrament of Confession is the gift Jesus gave us as a means to heal us of our sins. Jesus does not want to condemn us, but to forgive us and make us whole. We must go to the Sacrament again and again to let Him root out the sin in our lives. While the realization of our failures is painful and repentance takes courage and humility, restoration in God’s love is better than anything.  Relate to the Lord // Ask the Lord to reveal to you the places you need deeper healing, a more pure heart, or His fortifying love. Let His love restore you.

Saturday, December 27, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, The Gospel for tomorrow’s Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph tells us how Saint Joseph rose in the night and fled with Mary and the Infant Jesus to save Jesus from Herod’s command to his soldiers to kill the baby boys of Bethlehem. We can imagine what it must have been like, knowing God had a plan for the newborn, needing to keep the baby quiet, rushing to pack, and slipping out into the dark. How the hearts of Mary and Joseph must have raced on that night. But we can also imagine how God’s grace sustained them, how their lives reflected the words of Saint Paul as “over all” their virtues “they put on love” (Colossians 3:14). We celebrate the Holy Family tomorrow, so that we can know how to live in our own families. Saint Paul describes to us in tomorrow’s Second Reading what a family must do to become holy: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another” (Colossians 3:12-13). Scripture tells us to honor our parents, submit to our spouse in love, to not discourage our children, but we cannot do this without grace. Grace is how the Holy Family did it as well; they completely relied on God and we can also. This Sunday, ask the Holy Family to pray for you, to bring you into the love of their family, so that you can love with God’s love. When we do this, our families will be blessed: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” (Psalm 128:1) In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph: First Reading // Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm // Psalm 128:1-5 Second Reading // Colossians 3:12-21 Gospel // Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, December 27 // Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist  Sunday, December 28 // Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Monday, December 29 //  Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr Wednesday, December 31 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sylvester I, Pope Thursday, January 1 // Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God // The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord // Holy Day of Obligation Friday, January  2 // Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church  

Saturday, December 20, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory” (Psalm 24: 7c, 10b). Christmas is so close, we can almost feel it, but still we wait on the cusp of hope for the gift of our God coming as a little Baby. On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, Saint Paul writes to us about what God “promised previously through his prophets in the Holy Spirit” which is “the gospel about his Son descended from David according to the flesh, but established as the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:3-4). Jesus is both God and Man and entered our world through our Blessed Mother’s yes to God’s request of her. The prophet Isaiah foretold this birth long before it came about writing that “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  Emmanuel—“God is with us.” In the Gospel, we hear Saint Joseph described as a righteous man, meaning he wants to follow the law of God and to do what is right. He is afraid and uncertain when Mary is found with the Child. How often do we fear God’s will or do not understand His plan for us even when we want to do the right thing? We can relate to Joseph’s uncertainty. Waiting for Christmas, for God to fulfill His plan of salvation for the world, is also a time for us to wait for the fulfillment of His promise to us. God is with us now, just as He was with Mary and Joseph. The words of the Gospel are for us too: “[D]o not be afraid” (Matthew 1:20). Do not be afraid, sister, to do what God is asking of you. He will give you the grace you need. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent: First Reading // Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm // Psalm 24:1-6, 7, 10 Second Reading // Romans 1:1-7 Gospel // Matthew 1:18-24 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, December 21 // Fourth Sunday of Advent Wednesday, December  24 // Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent // Christmas Eve Thursday, December 25 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) // Holy Day of Obligation Friday, December 26 // Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr

Saturday, December 13, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Gaudete! Rejoice! The liturgy for this Third Sunday of Advent reminds us to rejoice in our hopeful waiting for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The First Reading is soaked through with this hope promising that “[t]he desert and the parched land will exult” (Isaiah 35:1). We may feel dry and worn out now, but the Lord is doing something great in our lives now, just as He did in those days He walked in Israel, when John the Baptist sent word to ask Who Jesus was. Jesus’ response in the Gospel is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who promised that when the Savior came, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the deaf ears be clear; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35: 5-6). The people of Jesus’ day witnessed these very things happening around them both in physical healings and in deeper, whole person healings.  Sister, the Lord is still working His healing power in the world. Our coming celebration of Christmas is an annual reminder of His healing love for us. There are many ways in which we are blind, deaf, and lame—unable to see the truth, hear God’s word clearly, and do the Lord’s work as we are called. The Lord offers us special grace at Christmas, the grace of healing. From the moment our God became Man, He began the work of our redemption. This Advent, pray to be set free from your captivity to your sins and inability to trust in Him (see Psalm 146:7). He will come soon. And as the world swirls around you, “[y]ou too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-10). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent: First Reading // Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm // Psalm 146:6-10 Second Reading // James 5:7-10 Gospel // Matthew 11:2-11 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, December 13 (today!)  // Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr  Sunday, December 14 // Third Sunday of Advent  

Saturday, December 6, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Matthew 3:3), the baptist cries in his clothing of camel hair. Saint John preached the coming of Christ while in the desert. Our world is also a desert, one that is spiritually barren. On the Second Sunday of Advent, John’s words apply to our lives as well as the people in his time; we must use this holy time to prepare for Christ to come into our hearts more fully at Christmas, to water us in His grace. As we prepare, we can imitate John, living differently from others in the world, being witnesses to a life of repentance and love of God and others. We hear from the psalmist that “justice shall flower in his day and profound peace” (Psalm 72:7). In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah gives us an image of the coming peaceful kingdom that will come at the end of time, when Christ, the incarnate Son, rules over all. His kingdom is also here now, for death has already been defeated. The same Spirit that rests upon Jesus, He has sent to us—with the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and fear of the Lord to help us live His kingdom now. Allow these gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide you this Advent as you navigate these weeks of preparation and waiting. It is not always easy to live our faith with the pressures of our culture ready to rush past Advent into Christmas, but we have a “God of endurance and encouragement” (Romans 15:5), Who will help us on our way. And we have each other in the Church and our Blessed is She community for love and support. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent: First Reading // Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm // Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Second Reading // Romans 15:4-9 Gospel // Matthew 3:1-12 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, December  6 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint  Nicholas, Bishop Sunday, December  7 // Second Sunday of Advent Monday, December  8 // Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary  // Holy Day of Obligation in the USA Tuesday, December 9 // Optional Memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin Wednesday, December  10 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto Thursday, December 11 // Optional Memorial of Saint Damasus I, Pope Friday, December 12 // Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

November 29, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, “Stay awake!” Jesus tells us on this First Sunday or Advent, “For you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). The first part  of Advent is a time of waiting for the Lord to come at the end of time. We keep our focus on Christ as our King, ruling all things, and coming again soon. The world will pressure us to jump right into the festivities of Christmas, but the Church asks us to hold back from the joys to come. When we follow the secular culture without preparing our hearts for the Lord’s coming, we are like people asleep. “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). In the Second Reading, Saint Paul directs our focus to the ways in which we are not ready for the Lord to come, the ways we are complacent, doing the “works of darkness” (Romans 12:12)  Advent is a time to enter deeper into prayer, to go to Confession, to prepare seriously for the coming of Christ. As we reflected last week, Christ’s Kingdom is here and now, and we have the grace available to us to live in it. Sister, “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain to the house of God” (Isaiah 2:3). Let us make Advent count this year, so that when the Lord comes, we will have allowed Him to make us holy with His grace and with joy enter into the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, our eternal home. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the First Sunday of Advent:  First Reading // Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm // Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading // Romans 13:11-14 Gospel // Matthew 24:37-44 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, November 30 // First Sunday of Advent Wednesday, December 3 // Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest Thursday, December 4 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Damascus, Priest and Doctor of the Church

November 22, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, This Sunday, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, begins the last week of the liturgical year. All month we have been oriented by the Church toward Heaven and our own end on this earth. We have been praying for the souls of those who are dead, and in the Northern Hemisphere we have been watching nature change from autumn into winter. We live in the tension of time. On the one hand our Lord Jesus Christ is King of the Universe and “all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). But on the other hand, we are still amidst our fight against sin and carrying our crosses. Jesus our King was enthroned on His Cross, and when we join our suffering to His suffering we enter into His Kingdom like the good thief on tomorrow’s Gospel. Sister, we must remember that the Kingdom of God is here and our King reigns from Heaven. Like David in the First Reading, He shepherds us his people, keeping us within His fold in this life. We will always have struggles and trials in our lifetime, and we will question whether God is really the King when there are so many terrible things going on in his world. This Sunday let us remember that it is already a reality that the Father has  “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption” (Colossians 1:13). Let us let this reality enfold us in the love of our King and may we “go rejoicing to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe:  First Reading // 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Psalm // Psalm 122:1-5 Second Reading // Colossians 1:12-20 Gospel // Luke 23:35-43 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, November 22 (today!) // Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr  Sunday, November 23 // The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Monday // November 24 // Memorial of Saint Andrew Dŭng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Tuesday, November 25 // Optional Memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr Thursday, November 27 // Thanksgiving Day (USA)

November 15, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, The end is coming soon—the end of the liturgical year during which time we remember the end times, when Jesus will come again “to rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity” (Psalm 98:9). Tomorrow is the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last ordinary Sunday we will have this year. In the First Reading, Saint Paul gives us instructions on how to live as we await the end. He encourages us to “work quietly” and not concern ourselves with “the business of others” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12). We each have our own call, and it is not the same as our sister, brother, parent, friend, or colleague. When we meet the Lord at the end of our lives, we will want to show Him how we lived out His call to us.. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of a time of persecution, of wars, of insurrections, of “earthquakes, famines, and plagues” (Luke 21:11). Every generation since He walked the earth has seen these things; we see them more now than ever because of how quickly the media spreads the news. It is easy for us to be overwhelmed by fear and give into worry and despair. We must remember, as we do the work Jesus asks of us, that He is with us giving us the wisdom we need to live in the times that we have been born into. And the Lord promises us in the First Reading: “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Malachi 3:20a). Let the Son’s healing rays cover you, sustain you, and be with you in all you do this week.  In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Malachi 3:19-20a Psalm // Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9 Second Reading // 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Gospel // Luke 21:5-19 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, November 15 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Sunday, November 16 // Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, November 17 // Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious Tuesday, November 18 // Optional Memorial of Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles // Optional Memorial of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin [In the USA]

Saturday, November 8, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the pope’s basilica as the bishop of Rome. While it may seem funny to have a feast for a building, we have to remember that there is more to a physical church than the building and decor. It signifies a higher reality—the temple of Christ’s Body which is the whole Church. In the Gospel, we see Jesus filled with zeal for the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, which is being used as a place of commerce instead of just for worship. He speaks “about the temple of his Body” and prophesies His coming Death and Resurrection (John 2:21-22). Jesus is the new temple built of each member of the Church and His Sacrifice is the fulfillment of all of their temple sacrifices. Saint Paul in the Second Reading talks about how we each are a temple of the Holy Spirit. In the Jewish temple, God dwelt in the Holy or Holies, present behind the veil. After Christ died and rose, God now dwells in each of the baptized who have been brought into covenant with Him. We are meant to honor ourselves as dwelling places of God, caring for ourselves spiritually and physically. And from the Church, grace flows like the water from the temple in the First Reading. We are “watered by the flow from the sanctuary” everytime we pray and every time we receive the Sacraments, and when we allow the grace to refresh us and listen to the movements of God, we “bear fresh fruit” (Ezekiel 47:12). May this stream gladden us as “the holy dwelling of the Most High” (Psalm 46:5).  In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome:  First Reading // Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 Psalm // Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 Gospel // John 2:13-22   Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, November 9 // Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome  Monday, November 10 // Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Tuesday, November 11 // Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop Wednesday, November 12 // Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr Thursday, November 13 // Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin [In the USA]

Saturday, Nov 1, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints where we honor all the people who have been brought into Heaven after their labors on earth; and tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of All Souls where we offer prayers for all the souls of people who are in Purgatory. They died loving God and repentant of their sins but not ready to enter into full union with God in Heaven. The whole month of November is a time that the Church prays for the dead and that we remember our own deaths.  The First Reading for today’s solemnity gives us a look at what that heavenly joy will look like. Saint John writes, “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue” (Revelations 7:9). The people we honor today are already there. The people we pray for tomorrow are on their way, being purified of their last attachments that keep them from loving God fully. And we, dear sister, hope to one day be together with all of our loved ones.  The Lord desires for every human to be with Him and loves us all greatly. Saint John writes in the Second Reading for today, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1). What a gift it is to be made children of God at our Baptism, so that all of our suffering and hopes on earth will be fulfilled in eternity. Today and tomorrow are days of hope: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” (Matthew 5:12). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints:  First Reading // Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 Psalm // Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 Second Reading // 1 John 3:1-3 Gospel // Matthew 5:1-12a Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, November 1 (today!) // Solemnity of All Saints (not Holy Day of Obligation this year) Sunday, November 2// The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)  Monday, November 3 // Optional Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, Religious Tuesday, November 4 // Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

Saturday, October 25, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Last Sunday, the Readings encouraged us to persevere in prayer. On the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church has given us Readings that tell us how we should pray. We hear that “the one who serves God willingly is heard” and the “prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (Sirach 35:16). When we seek the Lord’s will in our daily lives, He will help us follow Him. We may not have many outward, material blessings, but when we live His call for us, He will give us what we need to stay close to Him and to be with Him forever. Our hope in this life is to keep the faith, like Saint Paul in the Second Reading, to compete well and to finish the race. The Lord will stand by us and give us strength (see 2 Timothy 4:17). In the Gospel, Jesus shows us an example of two people praying before God. The first is self-reliant and justifies himself before God. The second realizes that he is a sinner, that all that he has came first from God and that only God can redeem him. The Lord desires us to rely on Him. He has given us all we have and are, and wants us to give ourselves back to Him in trust and love. Sister, lean into the Lord’s grace as you seek to follow Him each day. Remind yourself that you are the poor, the weak one who has nothing without Him. And when you are one of the poor, the Lord will hear your cry; and your soul will “glory in the LORD” (Psalm 34:3). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Gospel // Luke 18:9-14 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, October 26 // Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Tuesday, October 28 // Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles  

Saturday, October 18, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, The Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time encourage us to grow in the virtue of perseverance in our prayer and in our daily living of our faith. In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable “about the necessity [. . .] to pray always without becoming weary” (Luke 18:1). At times, it may feel like the Lord is like the judge in the parable, not listening to the widow and not answering our prayers. However, we know our God is not a “dishonest judge” (Luke 18:6). Even when we feel He is not listening, we must have faith that He hears us and deeply cares about all of our needs. We have to remember that His timing is not our own timing, and He will answer us speedily when the time is right.  Like Moses in the First Reading, we may have to raise our hands to the Lord for an unbearable length of time, and rely on the help of others to hold us up (see Exodus 7:12). That is the beauty of being together in the Church, the Body of Christ—when we are weary, we help each other. Saint Paul tells us to “proclaim the word” to each other. He reminds us to “be persistent” as we “convince, reprimand, [and] encourage through all patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Let us build each other up, carry each other in prayer, and remain faithful on behalf of those who are losing hope. We remind each other that our “help is from the LORD,” that “he will guard [us] from evil,” and “guard [our] coming and [our] going both now and forever” (Psalm 121:2, 7, 8). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm // Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Gospel // Luke 18:1-8 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, October 18 (today!) // Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist // Saturday Sunday, October 19 // Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, October 20 // Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States] Wednesday, October 22 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope Thursday, October 23 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest Friday, October 24 // Optional Memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop  

Saturday, October 11, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, On the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear about the miraculous healing of people from the disease of leprosy (which was otherwise incurable at that time) in both the First Reading and the Gospel. In these stories, we see two people outside God’s covenant with Israel come to faith in the one, true God and offer Him thanksgiving and worship. Like the men in the Readings, we too have been healed of a disease we cannot cure on our own—the disease of our sin. The Lord has made a way for us to “obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:10). He wants to heal us as many times as we fall, because He wants us to be with Him forever.  In our Baptism, we are plunged into the water like Naaman was plunged into the Jordan, and we are made clean (see 2 Kings 5:14). Saint Paul tells us that we “have died with him” in Baptism so that “we shall also live with him” (2 Timothy 2:11). Naaman had to plunge into the Jordan seven times, and like him the Lord invites us to plunge into His grace many times. When we fall into sin, we are invited to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation—ministered to us by a priest—and receive the Lord’s cleansing grace again and again. It does not matter how many times we turn away in unfaithfulness, our God will always remain faithful. Let us turn to Him in thanksgiving for the gift of healing and salvation and “sing to the Lord a new song”of praise (Psalm 98:1). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // 2 Kings 5:14-17 Psalm // Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Gospel // Luke 17:11-19 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, October 11 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint John XXIII, Pope  Sunday, October 12 // Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Tuesday, October 14 // Optional Memorial of Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr Wednesday, October 15 // Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Thursday, October 16 // Optional Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious // Optional Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin Friday, October 17 // Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr