During this week, which we begin with the start of the novena to the Immaculate Conception, let us reflect on Mary’s purity and her docility to the Holy Spirit. These are the qualities that truly make her “beautiful as the moon.” Above all, let us think of her readiness to say, “Here I am,” and, with Pope Francis, let us meditate: “Here I am is the key phrase of life. It marks the transition from a horizontal life, centered on oneself and one’s needs, to a vertical life, reaching upward toward God. Here I am means being available to the Lord; it is the cure for selfishness, the antidote to an unfulfilled life, one that is always lacking something. Here I am is the remedy for the aging caused by sin; it is the therapy that keeps us young within. Here I am means believing that God matters more than my own self. It means choosing to put our trust in the Lord, docile to his surprises. Therefore, saying Here I am to him is the greatest praise we can offer him. Why not begin our days this way, with a ‘Here I am, Lord’? It would be beautiful to say every morning: ‘Here I am, Lord; may your will be done in me today.’”
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Beginning of the novena to the Immaculate Conception
During these nine days, may our prayer be fervent. Let us place in the Immaculate Heart the joys and burdens we carry within us. Let us make Pope Pius XII’s prayer our own: “O Virgin, beautiful as the moon, delight of heaven, upon whose face the blessed gaze and in whom the angels see their reflection, grant that we, your children, may resemble you and that our souls may receive a ray of your beauty, which does not fade with the years but shines throughout eternity. O Mary, awaken life wherever there is death and enlighten spirits where there is darkness. As you reflect in the faces of your children, grant us a reflection of your light and fervor. Save us, O Mary, beautiful as the moon, radiant as the stars, strong as an army drawn up in battle, sustained not by hatred but by the flame of love.”
To learn more:
• Novenas to the Immaculate Conception and Holy Christmas
• Novena to the Immaculate Conception
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Saint Andrew the Apostle
The fisherman Andrew is the first of the apostles whom we meet in the Gospel: together with a friend, he follows the preaching of John the Baptist, who points out: “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:36). Andrew runs to inform his brother Simon (who would become Peter): “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). The two brothers return to their work as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, but suddenly leave everything when Jesus invites them to follow him and says: “I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). A Coptic text contains this blessing from Jesus to Andrew: “You will be a pillar of light in my kingdom, in Jerusalem, my beloved city. Amen.” According to tradition, the apostle was crucified in Patras on November 30, 64, and his relics are still venerated in Constantinople.
To learn more:
• On Your Word – Missal November-December 2021
• With Living Water – Daily Liturgy of the Hours November-December 2021
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe begins
Let us turn with confidence to Our Lady of Guadalupe and reflect more deeply on the words spoken by Saint John Paul II in the homily at Holy Mass for the 450th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe: “The Guadalupan message forcefully and uniquely highlights the constant reference to Mary’s virginal motherhood. Indeed, the faithful people have always retained a lively awareness of the fact that the good Mother of heaven to whom they cling in supplication is the ‘ever-perfect Virgin’ of the ancient Christian tradition […]. Another fundamental aspect proclaimed by the Guadalupan message is Mary’s spiritual motherhood toward all people, so intimately united with her divine motherhood. Indeed, from the outset Guadalupan devotion reveals this characteristic feature, which the Pastors have always emphasized and which the faithful have lived with firm trust.”
Under her maternal protection, we place all that we carry in our hearts.
To learn more:
• Pray, pray, pray
• Our Lady of Guadalupe
In this Advent season, let us make our own the prayer of Benedict XVI: “May Mary Immaculate teach us to listen to the voice of God who speaks in silence; to welcome his Grace, which frees us from sin and every form of selfishness; so that we may thus savor true joy. Mary, full of grace, pray for us!”
Have a good journey!
