Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

Today, December 24th , as we celebrate the final day of Advent, our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (51: 17---52: 2, 7-10) entitled "The good news is brought to Jerusalem ". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholi...

Today, December 23rd, as we celebrate the final days of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (51: 1-11) entitled "The salvation promised to the children of Abraham". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise against the heresy of Noetus by Hippolytus. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designate...

Today, December 22 nd , as we celebrate the final days of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (49: 14---50: 1) entitled   "The restoration of Zion". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on Luke by Venerable Bede, priest. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholic Churc...

Today, December 21 th , as we celebrate the final days of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (48: 12-21; 49: 9b-13) entitled   "The new Exodus". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on Luke by Saint Ambrose, bishop. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholic Church to...

Today, December 20 th , as we celebrate the final days of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (48: 1-11) entitled   "God alone is Lord of the future". Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother by Saint Bernard, abbot. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by...

Today, December 19 th , as we celebrate the final days of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (47: 1, 3b-15) entitled   "Lament for Babylon". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholic Churc...

Today, December 18 th , as we celebrate the final days of Advent, our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (46: 1-13) entitled "The Lord opposes the idols of Babylon". Our treasure, which follows, is from a letter to Diognetus. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholic Church to prepare for t...

Today, December 17 th , as we celebrate the final days of Advent, our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (45: 1-13) entitled "The salvation of Israel through Cyrus". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope. The days at the end of Advent, from December 17 to Christmas, are designated by the Catholic Church...

On Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (30: 27-33, 31: 4-9) entitled "Jerusalem is delivered from the power of Assyria". Our treasure, which follows, is from The Imitation of Christ. The Imitation of Christ , a deeply spiritual book by Thomas à Kempis which speaks often of  humility, suffering for Chri...

On Monday of the Third Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (30: 18-26) entitled "The promise of future happiness". Our treasure, which follows, is from a discourse On the Contemplation of God by William of Saint Thierry, abbot. William of Saint Thierry was a theologian  and mystic, and so called from the  monastery  of whi...

On the Third   Sunday of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (29: 13-24) entitled   "The judgement of the Lord is announced". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop. Saint Augustine was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restlessly searched for the truth until he was converted...

Today, December 13, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, we are invited to read and reflect on a passage from the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (7: 25-40), entitled "Christian chastity". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon On the Dress of Virgins by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr. Saint Lucy was a young virgin martyr in Syracuse, Sicil...

Today, December 12, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe we are invited to reflect on a passage from the first book of Chronicles (17: 1-15), entitled "A prophecy concerning David's son". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop. Saint Sophronius was a courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh ce...

Today, December 11, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Damasus I, pope, we are encouraged to read and reflect on a passage of the apostle Paul to Titus (1:7-11:2:1-8), entitled "The teaching of the Apostle on the qualities and duties of bishops". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise against Faustus by Saint Agustine. bishop. The son of a Roman priest, possibly of Spanish extractio...

Today, December 10, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of the Our lady of Loreto we are invited to read and reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Galatians (3:22 – – 4:7), entitled "Through faith we are the sons and heirs of God". Our treasure, which follows, is from a letter by Pope John Paul II. This title of Mary, Our Lady of Loreto, refers to the house in which she...

Today, December 9, as our Church celebrates the optional memorial of Juan Diego, we are invited to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Revelation (15:5---16:21) entitled "The seven bowls of God's wrath". Our treasure, which follows, is from a decree of Pope John Paul II. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474–1548), also known simply as Juan Diego  was a  Nahua   peasant  and  Marian vi...

Today, December 8, as our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception we are first invited to read and reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Romans (5: 12-21) entitled "Where sin abounds, there is an abundance of grace." Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Ambrose, bishop. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which refe...

On the Second Sunday of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (22: 8b-23) entitled   "Against the pride of Jerusalem and Shebna". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on Isaiah by Eusebeus of Caesarea, bishop. Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–c. 340) is known as the "father of church history." He was the first to write a "c...

Today, December 6, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Nicholas, bishop, we are invited to read and reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Paul to Titus (1:7-11; 2:1-8), entitled "The teaching of the Apostle on the qualities and duties of bishops". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise on John by Saint Augustine, bishop. The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nichola...

On Friday of the First Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaia( 19: 16-25) entitled   "The future conversion of Egypt and Assyria". Our treasure, which follows, is from the Proslogian by Saint Anselm, bishop. Saint Anselm was born in 1033 or 1034 at Aoste in what is now north- western  Italy . A religious man even from his yout...

Today, December 4, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of John Damascene, Priest and Doctor, we are invited to reflect on a passage from the book of Sirach (39: 4-10), entitled "The wisdom of a man who is learned in the Scriptures". Our treasure, which follows, is from The Statement of Faith by Saint John Damascene. Saint John Damascene, also known as John of Damascus, was a Syrian monk, priest,...

On Tuesday of the First Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (2:6-22; 4:2-6) entitled   "The judgement of God". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzen, bishop. Isaiah, one of the greatest of the prophets, appeared at a critical moment in Israel's history. The Northern Kingdom collapsed, und...

On Monday of the First Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (1: 21-27: 2: 1-5) entitled   "The judgement and deliverance of Zion. The gathering of the nations". Our treasure, which follows, is from a pastoral letter by Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop. St. Charles Borromeo was born at Arona in Lombardy in the year 1538. Altho...

On the First Sunday of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (1: 1-18) entitled   "The reproof of the people". Our treasure, which follows, is from a catechetical instruction by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop. Cyril of Jerusalem was a theologian of the Early Church. About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusa...

On Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Jude (1-8, 12-13,7-25) entitled   "The punishment of the evil and an exhortation to the faithful". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop. Saint Augustine was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restl...