The Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 25 March

Quoted from etwn.com [1]:

This great festival takes its name from the happy tidings brought by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, concerning the incarnation of the Son of God. It commemorates the most important embassy that was ever known: an embassy sent by the King of kings, performed by one of the chief princes of his heavenly court; directed, not to the kings or emperors of the earth, but to a poor, unknown, retired virgin, who, being endowed with the most angelic purity of soul and body, being withal perfectly humble and devoted to God, was greater in his eyes than all the sceptres in the world could make a universal monarch. Indeed God, by the choice which he is pleased to make of a poor virgin, for the accomplishment of the greatest of all mysteries and graces, clearly demonstrates that earthly diadems, dignities, and treasures are of no consideration with him; and that perfect humility and sanctity alone constitute true greatness. God, who is almighty, can do all things by himself, without making use of the concurrence of creatures.

Quoted from Wikipedia [2]:

In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in Luke 1:26–38:

26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.30 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.33 And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

35 And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.36 And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren:37 Because no word shall be impossible with God.

38 And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.(Luke 1:26–38)

[1] https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/annunciation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-5189, quoted without bold type.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation, quoted without hyperlinks.

Feast Of The Holy Archangel Gabriel - 24 March

Quoted from St. Gabriel Church [1]:

In Gabriel’s best known and most celebrated appearance, he announced to Mary that she would bear a son, who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, and would be called Son of the Most High, and Savior of the World.   (Luke 1:26-38) 

The feast of St. Gabriel was included in the Roman calendar in 1921, for celebration on March 24, the day before the Feast of the Annunciation.  In l969, the feast day for St. Gabriel the Archangel was changed to September 29 for a combined celebration with the Archangels Michael and Raphael.

 

Quoted from Catholic 365 [2]:

Blessed Archangel Gabriel was the guardian angel of the Mother of God. It was Gabriel that was sent to Zachary to announce that his wife would conceive and bring forth a son who they should call John. John was the precursor of Jesus.

The angel Gabriel told Joachim and Ann that they would have a daugher [sic] named Mary and she would be the mother of the Savior of the world. Later Gabriel was the angel that saluted Mary as "full of grace". He told Mary she would become the mother of God.

St.Gabriel was the angel that comforted St. Joseph and told him not to fear taking Mary as his wife. He told St. Joseph that Mary would conceive by the Holy Spirit.

[1] https://www.stgabrielglendale.org/st-gabriel-the-archangel.html

[2] https://www.catholic365.com/article/254/the-importance-of-st-gabriel-the-archangel.html

Saint Benedict Of Nursia Feast Day - 21 March

Quoted from National Catholic Register [1]:

No one has been more important for the shape of religious life in the Catholic Church than St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-543). He laid the pattern for it in the West with the first major religious order, the Benedictines. One can also argue that all subsequent orders have, to a greater or lesser degree, been shaped in confrontation with the model of religious life St. Benedict established.

Benedict came into the world in Norcia (today’s Nursia), a little over 100 miles northeast of Rome. Most of what we know of his life is drawn from the “Dialogues” of St. Gregory the Great, who became pope shortly before Benedict’s death.

Benedict (and his sister, St. Scholastica) came from nobility. His father sent him to Rome for studies, during which he decided to commit his life to the Gospel. At first he went to Enfide in the hopes of living in what today we might call a “pious association” of others committed to living out the Gospel. That he still benefited from his nobility is evident in his taking with him his old nurse as a servant. Benedict performed his first miracle there, which spread his fame and caused him to withdraw further from society. He made his way to Subiaco where he encountered a hermit and lived as a hermit himself for three years.

Over the course of time, Benedict’s spiritual stature was recognized and he asked to lead the various monasteries that had grown up in the area but, when they met Benedict’s spiritual seriousness, many pulled back.  By 530, he left Subiaco and established other monasteries, the most important of which was Monte Cassino, south of Rome. He died there in 543.

Benedict’s feast used to be March 21, the day of his death but, because that date would always fall in Lent, where the days of Lent have their own proper liturgies, the 1970 Roman Calendar transferred his feast to July 11, which many believe was the day of his birth.

The “Rule of St. Benedict” was designed not so much as a constitution of a religious order as a guide for those who wanted to live a fuller Christian life. Nevertheless, it became the Rule of the community that bears his name. Its influence is such that many subsequent founders of religious orders either simply took over Benedict’s Rule or, if their charism was different, consciously modified it in light of that charism or their particular ministry.

Benedict’s motto was “ora et labora,” — prayer and work, the two defining characteristics of Benedictine spirituality. We should not underestimate its significance. Benedict’s vision had an enormous impact on the theology and spirituality of work. For much of the ancient world, physical labor was something held in disdain, the proper work of slaves. Free men were to devote themselves to “higher pursuits.” For the ancient Greeks, celebrated as authors of “democracy,” the free man engaged who in intellectual pursuits needed slaves to wash and bleach his togas. By putting his free monks to work, physical or intellectual, Benedict launched a revolution that affirmed the dignity of all labor. 

Some residue of that division still remains in our distinction between “white collar” and “blue collar” jobs. We often celebrated the latter as “heroes” during COVID-19, recognizing their jobs were “essential” — the telecommuting executive still needed food in the local grocery store or via Amazon delivery. Thank St. Benedict for appreciating the dignity of work, and share his insight into the dignity of workers.

[1] https://www.ncregister.com/blog/st-benedict-pray-for-us, quoted without hyperlink.

Feast Of Saint Joseph - 19 March

Quoted from Catholic Culture [1]:

St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster-father of Jesus, was probably born in Bethlehem and probably died in Nazareth. His important mission in God's plan of salvation was "to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David from whom, according to the prophets, the Messiah would be born, and to act as his father and guardian".... Most of our information about St. Joseph comes from the opening two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. No words of his are recorded in the Gospels; he was the "silent" man. We find no devotion to St. Joseph in the early Church. It was the will of God that the Virgin Birth of Our Lord be first firmly impressed upon the minds of the faithful. He was later venerated by the great saints of the Middle Ages. Pius IX (1870) declared him patron and protector of the universal family of the Church.

Quoted from Aleteia [2]:

Devotion to St. Joseph, husband of Mary, can be traced back to the beginning of the Church, with a local feast dedicated to St. Joseph confirmed in Egypt as early as the 4th century. One of the earliest dates for honoring St. Joseph was July 20.

However, a commemoration of St. Joseph was soon added to the Byzantine calendar on December 26. Many Eastern Churches continue this celebration, mentioning Joseph as “Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed.” According to the Orthodox Church, “Saint Joseph is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity. If there is no Sunday between December 25 and January 1, his Feast is moved to December 26.” This celebration of Joseph puts him near the feast of Christ’s birth, December 25, an event he was present for, according to the Gospel accounts.

In the Western Church, the feast of St. Joseph wasn’t fixed until the 15th century. According to some traditions, March 19 was the day of Joseph’s death, though there is little evidence to support it, as it is unclear when Joseph died. It is certain that he was present when Jesus was 12 and “lost in the Temple” but there is no mention of him at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, say at the wedding in Cana, when Our Lord turned the water to wine.

The Bible is entirely silent about his death and as a result, the Church relies on oral traditions passed down over the centuries.

By 1621 Pope Gregory XV extended a feast of St. Joseph to the entire Church and it was elevated even more when Pope Pius IX declared Joseph the “Patron of the Universal Church” in 1870. For many decades March 19 was a holy day of obligation on par with other major feasts in the Catholic Church.

[1] https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-03-19

[2] https://aleteia.org/2019/03/18/why-is-the-feast-of-st-joseph-on-march-19/

Feast Of Saint Patrick - 17 March

Quoted from Franciscan Media [1]:

Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.

Details of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.

After six years Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the good news to the Irish.

In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north–where the faith had never been preached–obtained the protection of local kings, and made numerous converts.

Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.

He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. In a relatively short time, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.

Patrick was a man of action, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rock-like belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused. One of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.

There is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in County Down in Northern Ireland, long the scene of strife and violence.

Quoted from Wikipedia [2]:

On Saint Patrick's Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks, green clothing or green accessories. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, which may have aided St Patrick in his evangelisation efforts.

[1] https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-patrick/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day, quoted without hyperlinks and references.

Feast Of Saint Gregory The Great - 12 March

Quoted from traditioninaction.org [1]:

St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) was born in Rome of a wealthy patrician family and received an excellent education. The broadness of his knowledge caught the attention of the Emperor, who appointed him prefect. His tenure in this position earned him fame in Rome for his learning and capacities.

When his father died, he inherited an enormous fortune. With it, he founded seven monasteries and, against his will, was elected abbot of one of them. He was made one of the seven papal deacons in 578 and later ordained by Pope Pelagius II. He served as papal nuncio to the Byzantine court in Constantinople from 579-585.

He set out to evangelize England, but was recalled to Rome by Pope Pelagius in 589 when plague struck Rome. With the death of Pope Pelagius, who was stricken by the plague, all of Rome acclaimed Gregory as Pope. He fled to a cave, but the people found him and brought him back to Rome, where he was enthroned on September 3, 590. He fought against Arianism, converted the Lombards, and wrote his seminal letter to the schismatic bishops of Istria.

He reformed the liturgy and established the style of chant thereafter known as Gregorian. He converted the last pagan temples into Catholic churches, and vigorously combated simoniacs, schismatics, and those who practiced witchcraft. He wrote many books and countless letters that had a great influence on the Middle Ages and earned him the title of Doctor of the Church. After thirteen years on the Throne of Peter, he died on March 12, 604.

 

Quoted from Wikipedia [2]:

On his father's death, Gregory converted his family villa into a monastery dedicated to Andrew the Apostle (after his death it was rededicated as San Gregorio Magno al Celio). In his life of contemplation, Gregory concluded that "in that silence of the heart, while we keep watch within through contemplation, we are as if asleep to all things that are without."

Gregory had a deep respect for the monastic life and particularly the vow of poverty. Thus, when it came to light that a monk lying on his death bed had stolen three gold pieces, Gregory, as a remedial punishment, forced the monk to die alone, then threw his body and coins on a manure heap to rot with a condemnation, "Take your money with you to perdition." Gregory believed that punishment of sins can begin, even in this life before death. However, in time, after the monk's death, Gregory had 30 Masses offered for the man to assist his soul before the final judgment.

 

[1] https://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j120sdGregoryGreat_3-12.htm

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I#Monastic_years, quoted without hyperlinks and references.

Forty Holy Martyrs Feast Day - 10 March

Quoted from cappadociahistory.com [1]:

40 Martyrs of Sebaste

  

In 313 Emperor Constantine the Great granted Christians religious freedom in the western half of the Roman Empire. But his co-ruler Emperor Licinius, a pagan, continued to persecute Christians in the eastern empire. In 320, the 12th Roman Legion in Sevaste (present-day Sivas, Turkey) was commanded to offer pagan sacrifices as a test of political loyalty. An elite company of forty Christian soldiers from Cappadocia refused, saying “We will not sacrifice. To do so is to betray our faith.”

Wishing to preserve the soldiers, Governor Agricola attempted to persuade them. “But what of your comrades? Consider – you alone of Caesar’s troops defy him! Think of the disgrace you bring upon your legion.”

“To disgrace the name of our Lord Jesus is more terrible still,” the men answered. 

“Give up this stubborn folly,” the governor commanded, “You have no lord but Caesar! I promise promotion to the first one of you who steps forward to do his duty.” None of the soldiers moved. The governor then switched tactics and threatened them with torture, imprisonment and death if they continued to refuse.

The soldiers stood firm. “You can offer us nothing that would replace what we would lose in the life to come. We have learned to deny our bodies where our souls are at stake.”

Governor Agricola had the stubborn soldiers flogged but not one surrendered. They were then imprisoned until Lysias, the commander of the 12th Legion arrived. Lysias again demanded that the soldiers submit to worship the Emperor or else pay the penalty of their defiance. The forty respectfully refused. As it was winter, Lysias then ordered that the soldiers be stripped and sent into the frozen lake until they either recanted or died of exposure.

The young men did not wait to be stripped but removed their clothing themselves and marched into the frozen lake singing. The commander posted guards to prevent their escape from the icy water. He also arranged a fire and a warm bath on the shore to tempt the unyielding soldiers to surrender.

Encouraging one another to stand firm, the Christian soldiers prayed, “Lord, we are forty engaged in this contest. Grant that forty may receive crowns of glory.”

During the night, one man broke and left his companions. However, when the man entered the hot bath, the sudden heat was too great a shock to his frozen body and he died. A guard named Aglaius, however, took off his uniform and joined the remaining thirty-nine martyrs in the lake. Aglaius was impressed by the martyrs’ courage and claimed to have a vision of crowns over their heads so that he too professed faith in Jesus and elected to die alongside them. Thus the number of forty remained complete.

At daybreak, the frozen bodies of the forty martyrs were burned and the charred bones and ashes thrown into the river. Christians, however, collected such remains as they could find, and these relics were later distributed throughout many cities to encourage the persecuted church.

[1] https://www.cappadociahistory.com/post/40-martyrs-of-sebaste ?, large font size original.  There are three images in the article cited, only one of them is copied here (see above).

Saint Thomas Aquinas Feast Day - 7 March

Quoted from The Irish Catholic [1]:

Originally his feast day was celebrated on March 7, the date he died, and this was later moved to January 28. Thomas Aquinas has been considered one of the greatest and most influential intellects of the Catholic Church. Before he was born his mother was told that he would become a great learner someday. This prediction became true and for this he is considered patron saint of students, academics and scholars.

Born into a wealthy family, he would later give up a life of luxury to become a poor Dominican friar. Growing up, he studied Aristotle. His early studies of the Greek philosopher and his religious studies combined were what made him one of the most influential intellects of the Catholic Church. It was from these studies that he wrote his most influential work called the Summa Theologica.

He joined a community of Dominican friars in secret in 1243 and a year later he received the habit. Displeased by his choice to follow this path, his family kidnapped him and held him captive at home for a year in an attempt to persuade him against being a friar. Thomas, however, held fast and his family gave in, allowing him to return to the Dominican order.

Ordained

He was ordained around 1250 and he continued his philosophical studies, learning under St Albert the Great and going on to teach theology. As learned as he was, he was humble about his intellectual accomplishments and his modesty led fellow students to believe him to be unintelligent. St Albert defended Thomas, proclaiming, “We call this young man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound throughout the world!”

His writings were of great importance to Thomas Aquinas but in 1273 he had a vision which changed his views on writing forever. During Mass celebrating the feast of Saint Nicholas, he is said to have heard a voice coming from the crucifix, praising his writings on God. While others urged him to continue writing, he could do no more as his vision touched him in a way that made his writings seem less of value.

Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274. Nearly 100 years later his remains were moved to Toulouse on January 28.

[1] https://www.irishcatholic.com/the-feast-of-st-thomas-aquinas/, bold-type original.