Daybreak

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Nicholas of Flue, 1417-1487; born in Switzerland; married and had ten children by his wife; after serving in various civic posts, with the consent of his wife and family, he embraced the life of a hermit; he is reputed to have survived solely on the Holy Eucharist for the final 19 years of his life; known for his holiness and wisdom, he was regularly visited by civic leaders, powerful personages, and simple men and women with a variety of needs; affectionately known as "Bruder Klaus"; patron saint of Switzerland Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/21/24 Gospel: John 8:51-59

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Cuthbert, 634-687; became a monk at Melrose Abbey, and did missionary work; became prior of Lindisfarn, and then received permission to live as a hermit; elected bishop of Hexham in 685, and swapped sees with St. Eata to become bishop of Lindisfarn; spent the last two years of his life caring for the sick of the plague that decimated his diocese, working numerous miracles of healing, and gifted with the ability to prophesy; died at Linisfarn Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/20/24 Gospel: John 8:31-42

Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, Patron of the Universal Church Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/19/24 Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-386; when he became bishop of Jerusalem, conflict arose with a neighboring Arian bishop; Cyril was condemned, driven from Jerusalem, and later vindicated; this experience was repeated twice; when he returned to Jerusalem, he found it torn with heresy, schism and strife, and wracked with crime; even Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who was sent to help, left in despair; they both went to the Council of Constantinople, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/18/24 Gospel: John 8:1-11

Fifth Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/17/24 Gospel: John 12:20-33

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Finian Lobhar; Sixth Century Irish abbot and disciple of St. Columba; born in Leinster, Ireland; founded a church and monastery at Innisfallen; after a stay in Clonmore, he became abbot of Sword's Abbey, near Dublin; he was called "Lobhar," "the leper," because he contracted the disease from a young boy whom he had cured; died 560 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/16/24 Gospel: John 7:40-53

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Aristobulus; one of the seventy-two sent out into the world by the early Church; possibly mentioned by St. Paul; believed to be Zebedee, the father of James and John; Aristobulus preached in Britain, though documentation is lacking; died in the First Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/15/24 Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Mathilda, 895-968; given in marriage to Henry the Fowler, who eventually became King of Germany; as queen, Mathilda visited and comforted the sick and the afflicted, instructed the ignorant, succored prisoners, and endeavored to convert sinners; when King Henry died, Mathilda gave up all worldly pomp; of her three sons, Otho afterward became Emperor, Henry was Duke of Bavaria, and St. Bruno  became Archbishop of Cologne Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/14/24 Gospel: John 5:31-47

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Agnellus of Pisa, 1195-1236; received into the Franciscans by St. Francis of Assisi, who sent him to Paris to start a Franciscan mission; Agnellus was then sent to England, where they began the Franciscan English province; he became friends with King Henry III, who called upon him to avert a civil war; during negotiations, Agnellus became ill, and died at Oxford Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/13/24 Gospel: John 5:17-30

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Nicomedia; a chamberlain at the court of Diocletian; arrested for being a Christian during the last great persecution of the Church at Diocletian's command; tortured and martyred in 303 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/12/24 Gospel: John 5:1-16

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Eulogius of Cordoba; a noted scholar of scripture, he was arrested in 850; after his release, he was named bishop of Cordoba; before being consecrated, he aided Leocritia, a young Moorish woman who had converted to Christianity; they were caught and beheaded in 859 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/11/24 Gospel: John 4:43-54

Fourth Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/10/24 Gospel: John 3:14-21

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Frances of Rome, 1384-1440; attracted to the religious life in her youth, but her parents had picked a nobleman for her husband; Frances and her brother-in-law's wife set out to serve the poor together; Frances requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows--they simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/9/24 Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Friday of the Third Week of Lent Commemoration of St. John of God, 1495-1550; came to a true conversion at the age of 40, when he went to Africa, hoping to be martyred; he was advised that this was not spiritually sound, so he returned to Spain and a religious goods store; he was moved by a sermon of St. John of Avila, and publicly beat himself, begging mercy; he was committed to a mental hospital, where he was visited by St. John of Avila, who advised him to become involved in tending to the needs of others; John of God established a house to tend to the needs of the sick poor, and lived a deep interior life; 20 years after his death, his followers formed the Brothers Hospitallers Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/8/24 Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Commemoration of Saints Perpetua and Felicity; lived in the Third and Fourth Centuries in Carthage, North Africa; Perpetua, 22, was a noblewoman with an infant son; she refused to deny her Christian faith; Felicity was a slavewoman and expectant mother; they and three companions were sent to the public games in the amphitheater; Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded, the others were killed by beasts in 203 A.D.; Perpetua's diary ends the day before the games, and it was finished by an eyewitness Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/7/24 Gospel: Luke 11:14-23

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Colette, 1380-1447; orphaned at 17, she became a Franciscan tertiary, living in Corby Abbey, near Picardy, France; she left in response to a dream directing her to reform the Poor Claires; she founded seventeen convents with the reformed rule, and reformed several older convents; known for her sanctity, ecstasies, and visions of the Passion; prophesied her own death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/6/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. John Joseph of the Cross, 1654-1739; became a Franciscan at the age of 16; three years after his profession, he was sent to found a monastery in Piedmont; he built another convent, and became master of novices, and later, provincial of the province of Naples; he suffered much, and was the victim of numerous calumnies, but succeeded in his work of instilling in his subjects a double spirit of contemplation and penance  Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/5/24 Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

Monday of the Third Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Casimir, 1458-1483; even as a teenager, he lived a highly disciplined life, sleeping on the ground, spending much of the night in prayer, and dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy; nobles in Hungary asked Casimir's father, the king of Poland, to send his son to take over the country; Casimir found that his army was outnumbered, and returned home, where his father exiled him for three months; Casimir returned to prayer and study; he briefly served as king of Poland during his father's absence; he died of lung problems at the age of 25 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/4/24 Gospel: Luke 4:24-30

Third Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/3/24 Gospel: John 2:13-25

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Agnes of Bohemia, 1200-1282; daughter of King Ottocar and Queen Constance of Hungary; betrothed to Emperor Frederick II of Germany, but refused the marriage and became a Poor Claire; gifted with miracles Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/2/24 Gospel: Lukke 5:1-3, 11-32