Liturgical Calendar

Saint of the day

Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c.315-368)

Saint Hilary was born to a wealthy pagan family in France. He married, became the father of a daughter named Abra, and studied on his own. Through his studies he experienced a faith conversion. He began to study the Bible, and found that many of the things that he held to be real and true could be found in the Good News of Jesus. Hilary was converted to Christianity by the time he finished reading the New Testament. He was such a good Christian role model that he was appointed bishop of Poitiers, even though he was married and a father. Hilary was strongly opposed to the politically powerful Arians, who rejected the divinity of Jesus. When Emperor Constantius proclaimed that all bishops had to sign a condemnation of Saint Anthanasius, who also opposed Arianism, Hilary refused. Enraged, the emperor exiled him to Phrygia. While in exile, Hilary wrote many works explaining Christianity and converted many people. He was eventually allowed to return to Poitiers because he was converting so many. Saint Hilary was named a Doctor of the Church in 1851, and is the patron saint against snake bites.

Reflection

Saint Hilary discovered the power, joy, and truth of Scripture. Do you take time to let God's Word speak to you through Scripture reflection? Schedule some time each day to spend with the Good News. Pray for help to become a more faithful follower of Christ.

Prayer

Christ, my redeemer, I want to follow you. Enable me to be disciplined in my prayer life and my Scripture reflection so that I may be a faithful follower. (Taken from “Take Ten: Daily Bible Reflections for Teens.”)

Meditations

Meditation for Gospel

Luke conveys the heightened expectation of the Jewish people, who wait with great hope for the coming of the Messiah. During John the Baptist's time, those expectations had been high for decades. Several pseudo-messiahs had made their appearance, leaving people disappointed but with heightened anticipation. In this Sunday's Gospel, John announces that he is not the expected Messiah and says that the Messiah who is coming will be greater than he (3:16). Verses 21 and 22 of this Sunday's Gospel supply the definitive word that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Jesus is the one God claims as his own Son and with whom God is well pleased. Jesus, the one favored by God, will fulfill the promise that the unique relationship between God and human beings--lost through the original sin of Adam and Eve--will be restored. The message for us is that although we are waiting for the Second Coming of God, we are also celebrating God's first coming. This means we live at a time when Jesus has already freed us from the doom of original sin. His baptism marked the beginning of his public life, when he showed us what eternal life would look like. Our Baptism gives us the opportunity to carry out Jesus's ongoing mission of reflecting the eternal happiness of God here and now in our daily lives. (Taken from "Youth Engaging Scripture: Diving into the Sunday Gospels")