WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22
First day of the novena to Saint Catherine Labouré

Saint Catherine Labouré was called “the saint of silence.” No one, except her confessor, ever knew during her lifetime, until the final days before her death, that she herself was the protagonist of the extraordinary events that had given the world the Miraculous Medal.
Let us ask the Lord for the gift of humility and hiddenness, love for simple things, and faithfulness above all in small matters, without seeking recognition or rewards.

For further reading:
• The Miraculous Medal
• The Miraculous Medal and Catherine Labouré

You may also be interested in:
• Silver Miraculous Medal with gold plating

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25
The Nativity of the Lord

“The Word made flesh is here, at this very moment, […] because all the eternal life to which we are called, the paradise we would like to experience, is found in this moment, right now. The question is whether we have eyes to recognize that eternal life is now, that the kingdom of God is here and that it is among us, and that the Word became flesh and came to dwell among us. Are we willing to welcome this, here and now? Are we willing to stop escaping forward or backward, into nostalgia for the past or anxiety about the future? Are we willing to reclaim the only time that makes us Christians, which is the present?” 
Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by these words of Father Luigi Maria Epicoco (Novena to Christmas, code 8045, Shalom Publishing), let us open our hearts to the newness that Jesus came to bring into our lives, and let us not let this Christmas pass without making any significant change. Let us take the first step to “be reborn within.” Jesus comes among us to remind us that we are precious in his eyes and that we too have a mission to fulfill. And may the tenderness that the Child Jesus inspires in our hearts be the attitude with which we look at the world, our brothers and sisters, and our own lives. Merry Christmas!

For further reading:
• Gospel and Acts of the Apostles
• Admirabile signum. Apostolic letter of the Holy Father Francis on the meaning and value of the nativity scene
• The wonder of Christmas

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

« “The covenant of love and fidelity, from which the Holy Family of Nazareth lives, illuminates the principle that gives shape to every family and makes it better able to face the vicissitudes of life and history. On this foundation, every family, despite its weakness, can become a light in the darkness of the world. ‘Here we understand the way of living as a family. May Nazareth remind us what a family is, what the communion of love is, its austere and simple beauty, its sacred and inviolable character; may it show us how sweet and irreplaceable education within the family is, and teach us its natural function in the social order’”» (Pope Francis, Amoris laetitia, 66). 
Today we remember all married couples and all families, especially those going through crises and difficulties. May the example of the Holy Family always be present in their daily actions, a beacon illuminating each day.

For further reading:
• The Rosary to the Holy Family of Nazareth
• The Holy Family of Jesus

You may also be interested in:
• Silver painting of the Holy Family
• Silver painting of the Holy Family

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
First day of the novena to Saint Angela of Foligno

“I have not loved you as a joke,” Jesus says to Saint Angela of Foligno. Let us confidently invoke the intercession of one of the greatest mystical voices of all time. When God asks her, “What do you want?” Angela replies: “I want neither gold nor silver, and even if you gave me the whole world, I would want nothing but you.”

For further reading:
• Novena to Saint Angela of Foligno