Epiphany of the Lord
Meditating on the example of the Magi, Saint Anthony of Padua said: "Thus, also true penitents offer [the Lord] the gold of total poverty, the incense of devout prayer, the myrrh of voluntary suffering".
Saint Edward the Confessor
He was canonised in 1161 by Alexander III (and called "the Confessor", a title then given to saints who had died from natural causes and, in his case, to distinguish him from Saint Edward the Martyr).
Saint Angela of Foligno
The first teaching left by saint Angela of Foligno is the importance of a good confession, as a source of regeneration for every Christian, which, in her case, marked the beginning of her conversion.
Most Holy Name of Jesus
"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." The words of Our Lord in John's Gospel stress the importance of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, actually venerated from the earliest centuries of Christianity.
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus
Doctors of the Church, they distinguished themselves by the ability to communicate their faith to Greek-speaking intellectuals, to whom they demonstrated the perfect compatibility of Christianity with true philosophy.
Mary Most Holy Mother of God
With the solemnity of Mary Most Holy Mother of God the Church celebrates and confesses that the Blessed Virgin truly is the Theotókos (in Greek: "She who gives birth to God").
Saint Sylvester I
He saw the transition from the persecutions of Christians to the establishment of freedom of worship in the Roman Empire.
Saint Felix I
He ordered to celebrate Masses on the tombs of the martyrs, which is probably a trace of the liturgical custom of the Masses "ad corpus".
Holy Family
The Holy Family fulfils to the highest degree the two commandments of love. Jesus, Mary and Joseph indicate that the family is an image of the Holy Trinity and, to reflect this image, is called to place God at the centre.
Holy Innocents
Their celebration appears in all Eastern and Western liturgical calendars and dates back to at least the 4th century.
St. John the Evangelist
He has been depicted with an eagle as his symbol because he contemplated the immensity of the divine Word and outlined it in his writings like no other before.
Saint Stephen
The first Christian martyr testified his faith in the Risen Christ without fear of death and, as a faithful in Christ, imitated him to the exent of asking God to forgive his executioners.
