MONDAY, JANUARY 17
Saint Anthony the Abbot

The biography of the most illustrious monk of the ancient Church, who died more than a hundred years old (250-356), was written by Saint Athanasius, who was Anthony’s friend and devoted disciple. 
Born in Coma, Egypt, into a very wealthy family, at the age of 18, upon entering a church, he heard: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you possess…” (Mt 19:21). He immediately returned home, sold all his possessions, and distributed the proceeds to the poor; then he withdrew into the desert and began a life of work, penance, and prayer. He first took refuge in a deserted and inhospitable region and then on the shores of the Red Sea, where he led a solitary life for eighty years. The devil unleashed the fiercest temptations against him to persuade him to return to the world, but he always emerged victorious. Very many young people, attracted by his virtues, went to him and learned the way of holiness: the desert became populated by monks eager to follow his teachings. His life was not without moments of profound darkness, crisis, and inner struggle; so much so that, when Jesus appeared to him one day, the saint said to him: “Where were you? Why did you not appear from the beginning to relieve my sufferings?” and he heard this reply: “Anthony, I was here with you and witnessed your struggle…”

To learn more:
• Pray, pray, pray
• “On Your Word” Missal, January-February 2022

You may also be interested in:
• Holy card of Saint Anthony the Abbot with a prayer on the back
• Bookmark featuring Saint Anthony the Abbot

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18
Beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

This year, the theme chosen for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is: “We saw his star at its rising, and have come to worship him” (Mt 2:2). The star is the sign that guides the Magi from distant places and different cultures toward the child Jesus, and represents an image of how Christians unite in communion with one another as they draw closer to Christ. Christians are called to be a symbol like the star, which leads all peoples toward Christ. They must be the means through which the Most High guides all peoples to unity. When Christians find themselves in the presence of the Lord and pray together, they are like the Magi who kneel, pay homage to Jesus, and open their treasures. In common prayer, we too open our treasures, exchange gifts, and become a sign of the unity that God desires for all his creation.
Christians are called to be a sign of God's unity in the world. During this week of prayer for Christian unity, let us turn toward the stars of the East to worship together the incarnate Son of God.

To learn more:
• The Holy Bible
• The Gospel and Acts of the Apostles 
• “On Your Word” Missal, January-February 2022

You may also be interested in:
• Postcard of Saint Paul of Tarsus with the Hymn to Charity on the back

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21
Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr

Agnes was born in Rome in the third century to Christian parents belonging to an illustrious patrician family. When she was only twelve, a persecution broke out; Agnes, who had decided to offer her virginity to the Lord, was denounced as a Christian by the son of the prefect of Rome, who had fallen in love with her but was rejected. Agnes triumphed over violence and the abuse of power: although still a young girl, she had the courage to face threats of death rather than sacrifice to idols; not only did she remain faithful to her vocation to virginity, but she glorified God with her body, like a holocaust pleasing to him. Agnes is the symbol of the purity of faith and fortitude in the face of the world's allurements. Her example is always relevant, as she is an authentic witness to the primacy of God in her life and to fidelity to the “Creed” of Christian life, even when it conflicts with the prevailing mentality. Many virgins in subsequent centuries would follow her on the path of complete self-giving to Christ and prefer to die rather than renounce Christ. A Latin play on words associates Agnes with agnus, meaning lamb; for this reason, in iconography she is depicted with a lamb at her side.

To learn more:
• “On Your Word” Missal, January-February 2022

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22
First day of the novena to Saint John Bosco

John Bosco, the saint who revolutionized education and ministry among young people, was born on August 16, 1815, at Colle dei Becchi, now Castelnuovo Don Bosco. While still a boy, he began entertaining his peers with games alternating with prayer and catechism. After years of sacrifice, he became a priest in Turin and devoted himself to educational work for young people. He began his ministry among the young by founding the Oratory and placing it under the protection of Saint Francis de Sales. He educated the boys with “religion, love, and reasonableness.” His guide was Mary Help of Christians, and under her watch he founded the Salesian Congregation and the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Our Lady explained the development of the work to him through a vision in which Don Bosco walked beneath a pergola of roses covering the ground: “Know that the path you have traveled among the roses and thorns signifies the care you will have to take for the young. You will have to walk wearing the shoes of mortification. The thorns signify the troubles and sufferings that will come upon you. But do not lose courage. With charity and mortification, you will overcome everything and reach the roses without thorns.” Exhausted by his work, he died on January 31, 1888.

To learn more:
• Don Bosco
• Pray, pray, pray

You may also be interested in:
• Saint John Bosco statue
• Saint John Bosco bookmark

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23
The Marriage of Mary and Joseph

The origins of this feast seem to date back to the early 1400s. In the 1500s, various religious orders (the Franciscans, the Dominicans, and the Servants of Mary) adopted it among their celebrations.
Before Mary and Joseph, we can only imagine their extraordinary journey as they sought to fulfill God's will in everything. They form the holiest couple on earth. Let us recall a definition of Saint Joseph by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer: “He is the saint of profound humility, the constant smile, and the shrug of the shoulders”: he meant Mary's spouse's complete willingness to fulfill God's will at every moment, confident and serene even in the face of difficulties, always attentive to the people God had placed under his care. Joseph was a man of faith, just as his wife was a woman of faith. Mary and Joseph believed, and their faith was the best attitude in the face of the wonders God was working. Mary believed the angel Gabriel when he announced the virginal birth to her, and Joseph too believed the angel who told him in a dream that Mary's motherhood was the work of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are those who believe in God's marvelous works. May the faith of Mary and Joseph be an example for us on the sometimes winding journey of our lives. On dark days, as on bright ones, let us look to these two holiest spouses and imitate their attitude of trusting abandonment to God, their docility to the action of the Holy Spirit.

To learn more:
• The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph. Reflections and prayers

You may also be interested in:
• Postcard of the Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph
• Crown for spouses
• Crown for spouses