Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

In other years: All the Saints of Ireland; All Saints of Africa; Saint Illtud or Illtyd (early 6th century); Saint Leonard of Noblac, Hermit (6th century); Saint Nuno Alvares Pereira (1360-1431); Blessed Josepha Naval Girbes (1820-1893)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 30 The Manner of Reproving Boys

Mass:  2 Macc 7:1-2, 9-14; Resp Ps 17; 2 Th 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38

Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

May Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God Our Father, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word ...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

(2 Th 2:16-17; 3:5)

Something was said about Maltese fr. Marius Zerafa, O.P. (1929-2022), a great man who died recently, that seems, among other things, fitting for today. Another Maltese Dominican friar said this about fr. Marius: "Marius lived his earthly life to the fullest and now he is enjoying eternal life in God's presence." I had the privilege of having fr. Marius as a teacher of art history during my studies in Rome. I remember him fondly, a man who certainly knew the God of the living. He was most definitely "a beloved teacher, scholar, art historian, and member of the Angelicum community for many decades" (Angelicum website). Among other notables, fr. Marius was the mastermind behind the successful recovery of Caravaggio's Saint Jerome that had been stolen from St. John's Co-Cathedral [Valletta, Malta] in the 1980s." I remember his account of the drama. It is true what a cousin of his wrote: "He risked his life, and sanity, and dealt with the threat of being kidnapped in the process, all for the love of art" (L. Boffa, "Fr Marius Zerafa, my naughty cousin," Times Malta, November 1, 2022). 

May we live our lives to the fullest, here, there, and in ways small and not so small. God is praised even in the details. United in faith and prayer, and as we march on to Glory, may we live this earthly life to the fullest and look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. May the souls of all the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ. And don't forget about us! Amen.

May Christ bring us all together to everlasting life.

(Rule of Saint Benedict 72:12)

ALL THE SAINTS OF IRELAND,

ALL SAINTS OF AFRICA,

SAINT ILLUD OR ILLTYD,

SAINT LEONARD OF NOBLAC, 

SAINT NUNO ALVARES PEREIRA,

BLESSED JOSEPHA NAVAL GIRBES,

PRAY FOR US.

Friendly reminder: Don't forget to add another saint's name to your collection. A saint is busy looking for you, to be your companion throughout the new liturgical year, coming soon. ☺🎕

Today's photo: For a Sunday. Attend to my outcry.

© Gertrude Feick 2022