Christian Today

30th November - Saint Andrew - Independent Catholic News : Apostle and martyr. Patron saint of Scotland and Russia. Andrew was a brother of Simon Peter. A fisherman who lived at Capernaum, he was a follower of John the Baptist. When Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee he saw Peter and Andrew fishing and told them: 'Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.' Andrew went to his brother Simon and said: 'We have found the Messiah.' So he was the first apostle and the first missionary.

Pope Francis: Faith is not a theory - it is an encounter with Jesus - Independent Catholic News : Christian faith is not a theory or a philosophy - it is the encounter with Jesus. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. The Pope emphasized that in order to truly encounter Jesus we undertake the journey with three attitudes: to be vigilant in prayer, industrious in charity, exultant in praise. Pope Francis based the homily on the theme of the encounter with the Lord. He noted first that in this period of the year, the Liturgy shows us many encounters with Jesus: with His Mother in the womb, with Saint John the Baptist, with

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: The Temptation of a Martyr: Blessed Alexander Crow... : Wikipedia has this brief entry for today's martyr: Alexander Crow (died 1586/7) was born in Yorkshire around 1550. He took up an earl...

Advent: Our Hope is Not in This World : In my experience, paring down the material side of Advent and Christmas greatly deepens the spiritual dimensions. I do not spend my Advent stuck in traffic, pushed around in stores, or struggling to maintain patience in the face of widespread rudeness. In paring back, and focusing on Christ in Advent, I am more prepared for the realities offered in the mystery of Christmas.

29th November - Saint Brendan of Birr - Independent Catholic News : Irish abbot. St Brendan was one of the early monastic Irish saints. He was a friend and disciple of St Columba. Brendan of Birr is said to have been of a noble Munster family. He studied at the Clonard monastery and it was here that he became a friend and companion of Ciarán of Saigir and Brendan of Clonfert. It is said that the average number of scholars under instruction at Clonard was 3,000.

29th November - Saint Brendan of Birr - Independent Catholic News : Irish abbot. St Brendan was one of the early monastic Irish saints. He was a friend and disciple of St Columba. Brendan of Birr is said to have been of a noble Munster family. He studied at the Clonard monastery and it was here that he became a friend and companion of Ciarán of Saigir and Brendan of Clonfert. It is said that the average number of scholars under instruction at Clonard was 3,000.