Intro to the day: “Jesus Christ said of Himself: I am the Living Bread descended from Heaven. Therefore, Bethlehem, the place where our Lord was born, has been called the House of Bread; for He who fed our hearts to satiety appeared there in the substance of flesh.” – St. Gregory I.

Today is Thursday of the Second Week of Advent. We are praying for the faculty, staff, and families of St. Brendan School in San Francisco, CA.

The saint of the day is Pope Saint Damasus I, who became pope in 366, battling Arianism and Appollinarianism. During his papacy, Christianity became the official religion of Rome and commissioned St. Jerome to translate the Vulgate.

Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15

Saint of the Day: St. Thomas Aquinas on the question “​Should God Have Become Incarnate at the Beginning of the World?” from Summa Theologica

Marian prayer for the day: Alma Redemptoris Mater

Mother of Christ, hear thou thy people's cry

Star of the deep and Portal of the sky!

Mother of Him who thee made from nothing made.

Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid:

Oh, by what joy which Gabriel brought to thee,

Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.

V. The Angel of the Lord announced unto Mary.

R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts: that as we have known the incarnation of Thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an Angel, so too by His Cross and passion may we be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Amen.

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