Birth of Mary (September 8th)

The Church rightly calls birthday or nativity the death of a saint, in which the elect ends life on earth to be born to the real life in heaven. Nevertheless, the liturgy makes three exceptions and celebrates the natural birth of three persons: Jesus, Mary and St. John the Baptist.

Mary is the Immaculate Virgin and the tabernacle of the eternal Word. She came into this world free from sin as befitted one chosen to be the Mother of God. Today's feast had its origin in the Orient; it served to fix the date of the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th.

Let us strive to imitate Mary's lifelong desire to please God in all things.

The Beginning of Joy
The birth of Mary filled the world with great joy. "Your birth brought joy to the whole world," says the Church. Mary is the joy of the Father who was delighted with Mary, His masterpiece. Mary is the joy of the Son who contemplated in her the tabernacle wherein He was to take flesh. Mary is the joy of the Holy Spirit who saw in her His most pure and faithful spouse on whom He would descend to form Christ. Mary is the joy of the world, who at last would have in her a holy Mother, bearer of salvation. Before it had only the remembrance of an unhappy mother, Eve. Mary is the joy of our soul, because she is the reason and cause of our joy, of our good and of our eternal happiness.

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Triumph of the Cross (September 14th)

In the paschal mystery-the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus - we find salvation. The cross on which Christ died has ever since been a constant reminder to every Christian of the price the Redeemer paid for our sins.

Let us celebrate His total victory over sin and death by living His law of love.

Shall We Be Reproached?
If we do not read the entire Bible at least once, we shall deserve a rebuke when we appear before the judgment of God. "You did not read my word, you were not concerned enough about knowing my will. You did not read the letter I wrote to men."

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Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15th)

The devotion to our Lady's sorrows and the observance of this feast were already practiced by the Servite Order. Pope Pius VII extended this feast to the entire Church in 1817. The day after the feast of the Holy Cross we are reminded of how Mary took part in Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary. Today's feast tells us of all the compassion the Mother of God feels for the Church which is still suffering and tormented.

Let us increase in love for and devotion to the Mother of God.

The Word of God and Commitment
After reading the Bible we feel renewed in strength and have greater determination to make our life holy. Let us ask ourselves how we view Scripture, how we love it, how we meditate on it, how we put it into practice and how we make it known.

When a person acquires the habit of speaking to, meditating on and knowing the heart of God through Scriptures, he ends by having the heart, the thoughts and the sentiments of God.

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St. Matthew - Apostle and Evangelist (September 21st)

St. Matthew, a native of Galilee, was a tax collector at Capernaum when Jesus called him. He was both an apostle and an evangelist. His Gospel was written in Aramaic and later translated into Greek. It is said that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia. His remains are in the Cathedral of Salerno.

Let us be apostles by winning souls to Christ through an exemplary life.

Christ's Secretaries
Jesus preached. He did not write His Gospel. He communicated His doctrine through the medium of preaching. But four "evangelists," who were moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote down a part of His preaching. They were: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John.

St. Matthew wrote to show that Jesus was the Messiah promised by the prophets. And so, because Jesus is the envoy of God, His law and His Church must be accepted.

So, let us accept Jesus Christ and the redemption offered us.

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St. Vincent de Paul (September 27)

Vincent is the founder of the Vincentians and of the Sisters of Charity. Born in France in 1580, son of a peasant farmer, Vincent attended university and was ordained at 20. His first inclination was to earn a good income, but, appointed to the Queen's household, he came under the influence of Berulle (later Cardinal), and became a changed man. Vincent organized groups to provide the poor with food and clothing and established a congregation to preach and to train clergy. He collected large sums of money for his many projects and his influence spread from France across Europe. He died in 1660, was canonized in 1737 and is the patron saint of charitable societies.

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Sts.Michael, Gabriel and Raphael - Archangels (September 29th)

The feast of St. Michael has been celebrated on September 29, since the fifth century. The name Michael means: "Who is like God." It was St. Michael who was at the head of the angels in the battle against the devil; he is also at the head of our Guardian Angels. He is the protector of the Church and presents our prayers to the Most High.

In times of temptation have recourse to St. Michael.

St. Gabriel is one of the three Archangels whom the Bible calls by name. He is called the Messenger of the Redemption. In fact, he was sent to Daniel to enlighten him as to the time when Christ would be born; to Zachary, to announce when John the Baptist would be born; and to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Let us imitate the Archangel's promptness in fulfilling the will of God.

Raphael, which means "Medicine of God," is one of the seven Archangels who always stand before the Lord. They bless Him in eternity and offer Him the incense of our prayers. His mission is connected with the story of Tobias.

In sickness or in necessity, invoke St. Raphael's intercession.

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St. Jerome - Priest and Doctor (September 30th)

St. Jerome was born in the present-day area of Yugoslavia, in 340. This great "student" and "scholar" of the Bible was ordained a priest; he rendered important services to the Supreme Pontiff. He translated the Holy Bible from the original languages into Latin. Jerome's Vulgate was made the official text of the Catholic Church. St. Jerome died in 420.

Let us form the habit of reading the Holy Bible daily.

Insistence on Bible Reading
Sacred Scripture never speaks only to the contemporaries of the sacred writers but addresses itself to all men of all times. In each treatise taken during our sacred studies we were taught to find texts from St. Paul and we became familiar with him. He is a master and doctor in everything and he knew how to give us his great teaching. For this reason, we can rightly associate with him, among others, St. Jerome, the most authoritative interpreter and greatest Doctor of Sacred Scripture. How earnestly St. Paul invites us to read the Scriptures! Everyone knows the quotations in his Letters, particularly what he writes to St. Timothy: "Every Scripture, divinely inspired, is useful for teaching, for refuting errors, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be holy."

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