January 6
"The woman's humanity is realized in the specific ways of a woman. She is a complete human being no less than the man, but according to her own nature. Her sex is not a mere accidental condition that could be abstracted. Her sex, on the contrary, is a reality that fundamentally defines her being and action and corresponds to the specific design of the Creator. Her physical and psychological qualities proclaim clearly what it truly means to be woman."
-Jutta Burggraf
January 5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."
-Jeremiah 1:5
January 4
"What are you doing, O Magi? Do you adore a little Babe, in a wretched hovel, wrapped in miserable rags? Can this Child be truly God? … Are you become foolish, O Wise Men … Yes, these Wise Men have become fools that they may be wise."
-St. Bernard of Clairvaux
January 3
“People can pass thirty nights in dancing and no one complains about it, but if they watch through a single Christmas night they cough and claim their stomach is upset the next morning. Does anyone fail to see that the world is an unjust judge, gracious and well disposed to its own children but harsh and rigorous towards the children of God?”
-St. Francis de Sales
January 2
"O Father, in your Truth... you have humbled me. He was humbled in the womb of the Virgin, needy in the manger of the sheep, and homeless on the wood of the Cross. Nothing so humbles the proud sinner as the humility of Jesus Christ’s humanity."
-St. Anthony of Padua
January 1
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
"Arise, all ye nobles and peasants; Mary invites all, rich and poor, just and sinners, to enter the cave of Bethlehem, to adore and to kiss the feet of her new-born Son. Go in, then, all ye devout souls; go and see the Creator of heaven and earth on a little hay, under the form of a little Infant; but so beautiful that he sheds all around rays of light. Now that he is born and is lying on the straw, the cave is no longer horrible, but is become a paradise. Let us enter; let us not be afraid."
-St. Alphonsus Liguori
December 31
"Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men."
-St. Ambrose of Milan
Facing a new year of life that is filled with unknowns can leave many souls feeling anxious. Some put their trust in God, but others resort to all kinds of superstitions in an effort to make sure their fate remains in their own hands.
December 30
“A God who became so small could only be mercy and love.”
-St. Thérèse of Lisieux
December 29
“Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore.”
-St. Augustine
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