Devotions from January 10 to 16, 2022
In contemporary society, we are overwhelmed by information, incessant words, and phrases aimed more at disturbing than at presenting positive examples that can bring out the good. The good is there, working in silence; it is up to us to become its bearers and to show it to others, especially to the young. How? Saint Francis de Sales suggests it to us: “An ounce of good example is worth more than a hundredweight of words.” Yes, that is exactly how it is: example is worth more than a thousand speeches; too many words stifle the Word.
Let us take the example of the saints whose novena we are beginning this week.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14
Beginning of the novena to the holy Spouses
In the marriage between Mary and Joseph, “none of the requirements that constitute it was lacking: ‘In those parents of Christ, all the goods of marriage were realized: offspring, fidelity, and the Sacrament. We know the offspring, who is the Lord Jesus himself; fidelity, because there is no adultery; the Sacrament, because there is no divorce’ (St. Augustine, De nuptiis et concupiscentia, I,11,13: PL 44,421; cf. the same author, Contra Julianum, V, 12, 46: PL 44,810). In analyzing the nature of marriage, both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas consistently place it in the ‘indivisible union of souls,’ in the ‘union of hearts,’ in ‘consent’ […], elements that were manifested in an exemplary way in that marriage. At the culminating moment of salvation history, when God reveals his love for humanity through the gift of the Word, it is precisely the marriage of Mary and Joseph that realizes in complete ‘freedom’ the ‘spousal gift of self’ in accepting and expressing such love” (Saint John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 7).
During these days, let us pray for all couples, that they may constantly look to the radiant example of Joseph and Mary and not lose the path of fidelity and deep affection.
For further reading:
• The holy spouses Mary and Joseph. Reflections and prayers
• “On Your Word” Daily Missal January-February 2022
• Pray, pray, pray
• The Holy Family of Jesus
You may also be interested in:
• Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph postcard
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15
Beginning of the novena to Saint Francis de Sales
“I would rather err through excessive kindness than excessive strictness,” said Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622). His first assignment as a young priest was the parish of Chablais (Switzerland), where only about a hundred people were Catholic, while the rest of the population had embraced Calvinism. He devised a new way of preaching: he had leaflets bearing religious thoughts distributed under people’s doors. His weapons in this undertaking were prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and above all gentleness! In five years, he succeeded in bringing the entire population back to the faith. A precursor of the universal call to holiness, he said: “Wherever we are, we can and must aspire to the perfect life.”
For further reading:
• Philothea
• 24 Steps in Everyday Life vol. 1
• 24 Steps in Everyday Life vol. 2
• Open Your Heart Wide!
• Pray, pray, pray
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16
Beginning of the novena to Saint Paul the Apostle
Saint Paul writes in the First Letter to Timothy (1:12-14): “I give thanks to him who has made me strong, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he has judged me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance, far from the faith, and so the grace of our Lord overflowed for me, together with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” This bears witness to the powerful experience he had of God’s grace, an experience that became a decisive dividing line between what he was before, a persecutor, and what he later became, an apostle of Christ. Let us reread his letters over these nine days and explore his extraordinary life in greater depth.
For further reading:
• The Holy Bible
• The Gospel and Acts of the Apostles
• “On Your Word” Daily Missal January-February 2022
You may also be interested in:
• Postcard of Saint Paul of Tarsus with the Hymn to Charity on the back
“Dear Philothea, renew and often repeat your good resolutions to serve God; otherwise you run the risk of falling back into your former state, or rather, into an even worse state.” As we begin this year, let us welcome the advice that Saint Francis de Sales gave Louise de Charmoisy. Every day, take one step forward in order to progress along the journey and arrive at the maturity of an adult faith.
Have a good journey!
