Liturgical Calendar

Saint of the day

Saint Adelaide (931-999)

Saint Adelaide married King Otto of Germany after her first husband passed away. After Otto's death, Adelaide had a rocky relationship with her son, Otto II, most likely due to the hateful nature of his wife, Theophano. When Otto II became ill, he met with his mother to implore her forgiveness for his actions. Adelaide not only forgave her son, but she was also able to forget his past wrongdoings toward her. When Otto II died, Theophano became regent for her son and used her new power to banish Adelaide from the royal court. After Theophano died, Adelaide returned to court to act as regent for her grandson. She used her influential position to set a good example for him by helping the poor, evangelizing, and restoring monasteries and churches. When her grandson, Otto III, became old enough to rule, Adelaide retired to a convent. Although she never took vows to become a nun, she spent the rest of her days in devout prayer. Saint Adelaide was canonized in 1097 and is the patron saint of brides, parenthood, and victims of abuse.

Reflection

Even though Saint Adelaide was treated unkindly by her son, she accepted his apology, and even forgot his past wrong-doings towards her. Do you hold grudges against family members when they do something wrong? Ask the Lord to help you forgive and forget the mistakes of your family members, so you can be an ambassador for love and peace throughout your family.

Prayer

God of peace, give me wisdom to identify the causes of conflict in my family, my community, and our world. Let me be your ambassador of peace by addressing these causes before they lead to more violence. (Taken from “Take Ten: Daily Bible Reflections for Teens”)

Meditations

Meditation for Gospel

This Sunday's spirit of rejoicing that God is near is the joyful attitude with which we can respond to God's nearness all the time. God comes to us in love, whether or not we are ready to receive him. Like the crowds with John the Baptist, we wonder what to do in response to God's nearness. Do we avoid God because of fear or apathy due to lost hope? Or do we respond joyfully as John the Baptist suggests, being generous and honest, just and fair, and aware of our responsibilities as son or daughter, brother or sister, student or friend, employee or teammate? Our challenge is to bring the hope we have found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of a God who is near, to everyone. (Taken from "Youth Engaging Scripture: Diving into the Sunday Gospels")