*St. John Bosco.........January 31

"Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you."

St. John Bosco

Read about Saint John Bosco

*Hummel, Mission Mary........January 30

"Place yourself in Mary's hands;

she will think of everything and provide for the needs

of soul and body.

Therefore, be at peace,

be at complete peace,

with unlimited confidence in her!"

St. Maximilian Kolbe

*Rest in Peace..........January 29

"The bitterest tears shed over graves

are for the loving words left unsaid

and kind deeds left undone.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Latin words:

"Hail, O Cross, the only hope!"

*St. Thomas Aquinas..........January 28

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer;
a man who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman;
but a man who works with his hands and his brain
and his heart is an artist. "

St. Thomas Aquinas

Read about St. Thomas Aquinas

*In the Folds of Her Mantle.........January 27

" Listen and let it penetrate your heart....do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?"

Our Lady of Guadalupe

German words:
"Immaculate Queen of peace, pray for us!"

*Charity..........January 26

"Charity may be a very short word,

but with its tremendous meaning of pure love,

it sums up man's entire relation to God

and to his neighbor."

St. Aelred of Rievaulx

*One Month Ago Today..............January 25

Are you still celebrating Christmas?

"Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ."

St. Paul of the Cross

*Feast of St. Francis de Sales.......January 24

"Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and fearful imaginings. Trust in the Giver of all good gifts."

St. Francis de Sales

Read about St. Francis de Sales

*Bird in His Hands.........January 23

Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best.

Henry Van Dyke

*Mary in Prayer..........January 22

"The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us, but that we will finally hear God."

Unknown Author

*Feast of St. Agnes..............January 21

"Christ made my soul beautiful
with the jewels of grace and virtue.
I belong to Him whom the anels serve."

St. Agnes

Read about St Agnes

*His Divine Presence..........January 20

Be sure to click on the holy card for an enlargement that shows it's true artistic beauty.

"It is happiness to be in heaven, no doubt,

because it is to be with Jesus;

but have we not almost the same happiness here?

Do we not possess Him in the Most Holy Sacrament? Did we but know how to profit by His Divine Presence, we should in some way have no reason

to envy the inhabitants of the Heavenly City."

Marie Estelle Harpain (1814-1842)

"ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE -- One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water." (John 19:34)

*Our Lady of the Catechism........January 19

The seeds of first instructions are dropped into the deepest furrows.

Martin Farquhar Tupper

*Jesus is my Everything..........January 18

"There are so many religions and each one has

its different ways of following God.

I follow Christ:

Jesus is my God,

Jesus is my Spouse,

Jesus is my Life,

Jesus is my only Love,

Jesus is my All in All;

Jesus is my Everything."

Mother Theresa

French words at bottom of card:

"Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee."

*Shepherd of Youth..........January 17

"A Shepherd of tender youth,
Guiding in love and truth,

Through devious ways;

Christ, our triumphant King,

We come Thy name to sing,

And here our children bring,

To shout Thy praise.

St. Ambrose

*Birds..........January 16

"God loved the birds and invented trees.

Man loved the birds and invented cages."

Jacques Deval

Obviously God didn't "invent" trees and caged birds are man's way to enjoy God's nature indoors. Maybe what the quote could mean is that we shouldn't hold within us (caged) the good we can share with others as God has shared His world with us??????

*The Mass..........January 15

"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit

if people had it offered in their lifetimes,

rather than having it celebrated

for the relief of their souls after death."

Pope Benedict XV

It has come to my attention while searching for the source of this quote that there needs further explanation.

Please read this page

I'm leaving the quote up because I still think it is a good idea but certainly doesn't come with any guarantees.

*St. Joseph..........January 14

At the end of the day,

Thank God.

“ Some saints are privileged to extend to us their patronage with particular efficacy in certain needs, but not in others, but our holy patron, Joseph , has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking.

St Thomas Aquinas

French words, at top and bottom, have this meaning:

"Heed St. Joseph.

At the end of the day,

thank God for the good that He has sent you."

*Jesus in Cradle Silhouette....January 13

Can you see what the silhouette is?

Announce to the nations,

"The Lord is King!

The world stands firm,

never to be shaken,

and he will judge its people

with fairness."

Psalm 96:10

"The Word of God became man;

we have seen his glory."

John 1:14

*Embrace, Turn, Hold and Beg..........January 12

"Embrace him, the one you have sought;

turn to him, and be enlightened;

hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste,

beg him not to leave you."

St. Ambrose

Latin words (which are from a translation of Psalm 116, verses 12 and 13):

"What return shall I make?

I shall accept the chalice of salvation,

and I shall call upon the Name of the Lord."

*Baptism of the Lord..........January 11

"And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. And behold a voice from heaven, saying "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

(Matthew 3:16,17)

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

One God, the father of all."

Ephesians 4:5-6

*Key of David..........January 10

John the Evangelist, wrote that Christ is the One "who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open."

(Revelation 3:7).

*His Holy Will..........January 9

"All highest, glorious God,

cast your light into the darkness of my heart.

Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity

and profound humility with wisdom and perception,

O Lord,

so that I may do what is truly Your holy will."

St. Francis of Assisi

*Happiness..........January 8

"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful,

but gratefulness that makes us happy."

(Unknown Author)

*Jesus Can..........January 7

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."

Rabindranath Tagore...from srpat@calledbyjoy.com

(But HE can!)

*Jesse Tree..........January 6

Ask Mary for the grace to love our Lord

as she loves Him

and to remain faithful to Him

in life and in death."

St. Bernadette

The Latin words mean, "

The Root of Jesse has blossomed."

The Croatian words at the bottom mean,

"Merry Christmas

*Let Us Be Kings..........January 5

Yes, we can be "kings" also.

Rememer

"The three Gifts.

The Gold of Love,

the Myrrh of Self-denial,

and the Incense of Prayer."

*The Epiphany..........January 4

"May Jesus,

who is all meekness,

receive you,

like the wise men,

in His divine heart."

from a French holy card

*Feast of St. Genevieve..........January 3

Genevieve was only a poor peasant girl, but Christ dwelt in her heart. She was anointed with His Spirit, and with power; she went about doing good, and God was with her.

The life of St. Genevieve was one of great austerity, constant prayer, and works of charity.

St. Genevieve is my "patron saint" for the year 2009.

See picture on left side-bar.

More about St. Genevieve

*Choose Christ..........January 2

"The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry:

the garment hanging in your wardrobe

is the garment of him who is naked,

the shoes that you do not wear

are the shoes of one who is barefoot;

the money that you keep locked away

is the money of the poor;

the acts of charity that you do not perform

are so many injustices that you commit."

St. Basil
St. Basil (feast day January 2)

Artwork by Mary Hilger

www.spiritualhands.org

*Solemnity of Mary Mother of God..........January 1

"Mary is both the Mother of the Shepherd

and the Mother of the Lamb.

That is why she is all our confidence

and all our hope!"

St. Germanus