MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Saint Giuseppe Moscati

Today we remember Saint Giuseppe Moscati, an excellent and deeply religious doctor who cares not only for his patients' bodies but for the whole person. He tries to understand what others need; he always has a kind word, a smile, and a caress. He speaks to everyone about the love of Jesus. He is also a keen researcher, passionate about science, at the forefront of research, always ready to come to his neighbor's aid. Saint Giuseppe Moscati is a saint for our times, who knew how to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary; a saint who speaks to us in a special way during this period of pandemic, because he lived his profession as a true mission, seeking the face of Christ in every sick person; being a doctor was for him a path to holiness.
We entrust to him all the sick, doctors, and healthcare workers who, with selflessness, are on the front line to help the many people affected by illness.

For all people
O Saint Giuseppe Moscati,
an eminent physician and scientist,
in the practice of your profession
you cared for the bodies and spirits of your patients,
look upon us too
to whom we now turn in faith
through your intercession.
Grant us physical and spiritual health
and once again
be the dispenser of divine favors.
Alleviate the suffering of those in pain,
give comfort to the sick,
consolation for the afflicted,
hope for the discouraged.
may young people find in you a model,
an example for workers,
the elderly comfort,
the dying hope
of eternal reward.
Be a sure guide for all of us
of diligence, honesty, and charity,
so that we may fulfill them as Christians
our duties and give glory to God
our Father. Amen.

For further reading:
• Saint Giuseppe Moscati. Great in charity

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Beginning of the novena to Blessed Giacomo Alberione

Blessed Giacomo Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family, is commemorated by the Church on November 26. Starting today, you can ask for his intercession by praying the novena. It is an excellent opportunity to begin exploring his spirituality, which can be summed up in three words: Eucharist, Madonna, Pope, that is, Church. From these principles comes his emphasis on the primacy of prayer. “Prayer first of all, prayer above all, prayer as the life of everything”: this is the formidable legacy he leaves to each of us, to journey without fear and with serenity along the paths of the world!

For further reading:
• In prayer with Blessed Giacomo Alberione

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles

In the liturgy of the Roman Church, Saints Peter and Paul are always celebrated together in a single celebration, signifying ecclesial unity in diversity. The two basilicas dedicated to Peter and Paul were erected over the tombs of the two apostles, who, according to tradition, were martyred in Rome: Peter at the foot of Vatican Hill, and Paul in the area of the Tre Fontane. The basilicas, destinations of uninterrupted pilgrimage through the centuries, are signs of the unity and apostolicity of the Church of Rome. Now that they had reached the end of their lives, the two saints were prompted by circumstances to attempt a brief assessment of what the Lord had accomplished through them. Their status as “saved,” their ministry among the people of God, and finally their supreme witness through martyrdom drew a devotion to Peter and Paul, of which the basilicas whose dedication is commemorated on this day are a clear manifestation; they were dedicated respectively by Popes Sylvester (314-335) and Siricius (384-399). Today, therefore, as we recall the anniversaries of the consecration of these two basilicas, we venerate in them the glorious remains of the Princes of the Apostles, which, then as now, are destinations of continuous pilgrimage.

For further reading:
• On your word. November-December 2020

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This is one of the feasts most dear to the East, which has celebrated it since the sixth century. Rome accepted it into its calendar only from the fourteenth century onward. By retaining this memorial, the new calendar intended to present Mary as a complete figure who helps us exalt God for his marvelous work of salvation. The origin of the feast is linked to the dedication of the church of Saint Mary the New in Jerusalem in 543. Mary, having «found favor in the sight of God», became the mother and powerful help of Christians. Every Christian, like Mary, «finds favor» with God in the Holy Spirit, through the mediation of Christ, and becomes the «Ark of the new covenant» and the Temple of the Lord through the consecration of the Spirit in Baptism and the Eucharist.

For further reading:
• The holy journey with Mary. Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s Consecration to the Virgin Mary

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

The feast of Christ the King was introduced in 1925 by Pope Pius XI with the encyclical Quas primas. Jesus himself, standing before Pilate, categorically affirmed his kingship. Pius XI taught that the kingdom of Christ is eminently spiritual, but extends over all created things and societies, and is opposed solely to the kingdom of Satan and the powers of darkness. In instituting this feast, the Pope aimed to «work toward the restoration and strengthening of peace… through the restoration of the Kingdom of Our Lord». It currently coincides with the last Sunday of the liturgical year to highlight its eschatological aspect: Christ the Redeemer is Lord of history and time, the Alpha and the Omega, as Revelation proclaims (cf. Rev 21:6).

For further reading:
• “The Life of Jesus Christ” “Meditations on the Gospels”