Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

The Month of December Dedicated to Advent and the Coming of Christ

Our Lady of Loreto

Saints: Pope Saint Melchiades (d. 314); Saint John Roberts (1575-1610); Saint Edmund Gennings (1567-1591); Saint Eustace White (1559-1591); Saint Polydore Plasden (1563-1591); Saint Swithin Wells (c.1536-1591)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 57 The Artisans of the Monastery

Mass: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11; Resp Ps 80; Mt 17:9a, 10-13

Protect what your right hand has planted.

OUR LADY OF LORETO,

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Savior.

(Entrance Antiphon, Mass for the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto)

God is praised on this Saturday that concludes the Second Week of Advent 2022. During this month of December dedicated to the Incarnation Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus, today we commemorate Our Lady of Loreto. There are many places to read about the Holy House of Loreto which now sits in the village of Loreto, Italy. It is the holy house where Mary was born and raised, the one where the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin called Mary and is believed to have the original walls of the house where Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, the home where the Christ Child Jesus was raised. Tradition holds that angels miraculously transported the house from Nazareth in Galilee to Loreto in the 1294.* It seems a good day, then, to take out the Litany of Loreto, and ask Mary, Queen of families, to pray for us. I can never decide what title for Mary is my favorite in the Litany of Loreto. It seems to depend upon the day. At the same time, it never hurts to come up with our own title for Mary. Mary, Queen of all hearts, pray for us.

Let us honor Mary, then ... with all the affections of our hearts and all our prayers, because that is the wish of him who desires us to possess all things through Mary.

(Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, "Sermon for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary")

POPE SAINT MELCHIADES,

SAINT JOHN ROBERTS,

SAINT EDMUND GENNINGS,

SAINT EUSTACE WHITE,

SAINT POLYDORE PLASDEN,

SAINT SWITHIN WELLS,

PRAY FOR US.

* See the University of Notre Dame (faith.nd.edu), Catholic News Agency, and Weekend Loop from Catholic Vote.

Today's photo: For Our Lady of Loreto. Lord, make us turn to you.

© Gertrude Feick 2022