We are preparing to experience intense moments of faith in this month of December, so rich in feasts and solemnities. The month opens with the remembrance of Blessed Charles de Foucauld. The monk who «wanted to be… “the universal brother,”» as Pope Francis writes in the encyclical Fratelli tutti, will soon be proclaimed a saint.
On December 8, we will celebrate the great solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Virgin, «although living in a world marked by sin, is not touched by it: Mary is our sister in suffering, but not in evil and sin. Indeed, evil was defeated in her even before it could touch her, because God filled her with grace» (Pope Francis). Let us live this solemnity with deep faith. On December 10, we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto. We entrust every one of our sorrows and worries to her. December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is of great importance in the lives of Catholics in Latin America.
On the 13th, we celebrate Saint Lucy, the beautiful young woman from Syracuse who was martyred during the time of Diocletian.
On December 25, with joy in our hearts, despite the troubled period we are all going through, we celebrate the solemnity of Holy Christmas. Pope Francis reminds us that «the “great joy” truly announced… to the shepherds is “for all the people.” In those shepherds, who were certainly not saints, we too are present, with our frailties and weaknesses».
On the 26th, we celebrate the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen, who sealed with his blood his faith in the one who shed his blood for humanity. December 27 is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; a feast that emphasizes that Jesus, too, needed a family, an environment in which he could be surrounded by the affection and care of his loved ones.
On the 28th, we remember the Holy Innocents, martyrs and unwitting victims of the bloodthirsty King Herod. We also remember Blessed Mattia Nazzarei, abbess of the Order of Poor Clares in Matelica.
We conclude the year by remembering Saint Sylvester, the pope during whose pontificate the Council of Nicaea (325) was held and proclaimed the divinity of Christ, and Saint Catherine Labouré, who had a vision of the Miraculous Medal and whom Pius XII called the “Saint of silence.”
May all these occasions help us live this time that the Lord gives us as an ever-new opportunity to allow his love to expand, reach us, and fill us. Let us gather all our thank-yous and place them in the Lord’s hands.