Thought for the Day
Solemnity of All Saints
1 November 2025
Poem for All Saints Day
Blessed are they whose baby-souls are bright,
Whose brows are sealed with the cross of light,
Whom God Himself has deign’d to robe in white –
Blessed are they!
Blessed are they who follow through the wild
His sacred footprints, as a little child;
Who strive to keep their garments
undefiled –
Blessed are they!
Blessed are they who commune with the Christ,
Midst holy angels, at the Eucharist –
Who aye seek sunlight through the rain and mist –
Blessed are they!
Blessed are they – the strong in faith and grace –
Who humbly fill their own appointed place;
They who with steadfast patience run the race –
Blessed are they!
Ada Cambridge
mypoeticside.com
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The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
2 November 2025
On 2 November, it is especially important to recall the Church’s teaching that there is indeed a Purgatory in which the souls of the saved but imperfect are awaiting the fulfillment of their purification and healing, and that these souls can be greatly helped by the prayers, sacrifices and Masses offered by the living. This is an aspect of the Catholic patrimony that must not be forgotten or de-emphasised. Justice demands that our brothers and sisters in the faith who have died find in us faithful friends who acknowledge that It is indeed a good and pious thing to pray for the dead.
Michael Monshau OP
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The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
9 November 2025
Jesus behaves in a divinely provocative manner. In order to shake the obtuseness of humankind and lead people to make radical changes, God sometimes chooses to act in a strong way to bring about a break in the situation. With his action, Jesus wants to introduce a change of pace, a change in direction. Many saints shared that same style: some of their behaviour that was incomprehensible from a human point of view, was the result of intuitions caused by the Spirit, with the intention of arousing their contemporaries and helping them understand that ‘my thoughts are not your thoughts’ (Is 55:8).
Pope Francis
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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
16 November 2025 • World Day of the Poor
Drawing near to the poor in our midst will touch our lives. It will remind us of what really counts: to love God and our neighbour. Only this lasts forever, everything else passes away. What we invest in love remains, the rest vanishes. Today we might ask ourselves: ‘What counts for me in life? Where am I making my investments?’ In fleeting riches, with which the world is never satisfied, or in the wealth bestowed by God, who gives eternal life? This is the choice before us: to live in order to gain things on earth, or to give things away in order to gain heaven. Where heaven is concerned, what matters is not what we have, but what we give.
Pope Francis
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Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
23 November 2025
He is not our King if we do not listen to him, love him, serve him, and follow him. We belong to his Kingdom only when we try to walk with him, when we try to live our lives fully in the spirit of the Gospel and when that Gospel spirit penetrates every facet of our living. If Christ is really King of my life, he must be King of every part of my life, and I must let him reign in all parts of my life. By cultivating in our lives the gentle and humble mind of Christ, we show others that Jesus Christ is in indeed our King and that he is in charge of our lives.
Fr Antony Kadivil
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First Sunday of Advent
30 November 2025
It might seem odd that Advent begins, not with preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, but his coming for us at the end of life’s journey. Yet life is a journey from God our Creator back to God our final destiny. When this large circle of life is forgotten, life becomes a directionless succession of unconnected moments. The digital watch represents the mind of many today as it shows no past or future but only the dancing digit of the present moment. Without roots in the past or vision of the future, one lives only for the present moment. And if this collapses, as in a broken relationship or some defeat, everything falls apart.
capuchinfranciscans.ie
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