The season of Advent is a special opportunity to delve deeper into the mystery of God. Through the saints, their teachings, and their lives dedicated to faith and love, we find inspiration and guidance. Reflecting on their lives and writings helps us remember that God is love and prepares us for the coming of the Savior. These “Advent Saints” are true role models during the four weeks leading up to Christmas.
December 3: St. Francis Xavier, Priest
St. Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain, on April 7, 1506. He was a prominent Jesuit missionary, a founding member of the Society of Jesus along with Ignatius of Loyola. His missionary work in Asia, especially in Japan, earned him the title of “Apostle of the East.” Francis Xavier was beatified on October 25, 1619 and canonized on March 12, 1622. He died on December 3, 1552 and is the patron saint of the missions.
From the Letters of St. Francis Xavier to St. Ignatius:
“We visited the villages of the neophytes, who had received Christian initiation a few years before. This land is not inhabited by the Portuguese, since it is extremely sterile and poor, and the native Christians, deprived of priests, only know that they are Christians.
There is no one to celebrate Mass for them, no one to teach them the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary or the commandments of the law of God.
For this reason, since I arrived here, I have not given myself a moment of rest: I have dedicated myself to traveling through the villages, to baptizing the children who had not yet received this sacrament. In this way I purified a great number of children who, as they say, could not distinguish their right hand from their left. The children would not let me recite the Divine Office, nor eat or rest, until I taught them some prayer; then I began to realize that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Therefore, as I could not in a Christian way refuse such pious desires, beginning with the profession of faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I taught them the Apostles’ Creed and the prayers of the Our Father and the Hail Mary. I noticed in them a great disposition, so that, if there were someone to instruct them in Christian doctrine, they would undoubtedly become excellent Christians.
Many in these places are not Christians, simply because there is no one to make them such. I often feel like going through the universities of Europe, especially in Paris, and crying out like one who has lost his mind, urging those who possess more knowledge than charity, with these words: “Alas, how many souls, through your laziness, are excluded from heaven and are thrown into hell!”
If only they would put into this matter the same interest they put into their studies! In this way they would be able to give an account to God of their knowledge and the talents entrusted to them. Many of them, moved by these considerations and by the meditation of divine things, would train themselves to listen to the divine voice that speaks in them and, leaving aside their human ambitions and affairs, would dedicate themselves entirely to the will and the discretion of God, saying from the heart: “Lord, here I am; what do you want me to do? Send me where you want, even as far as India.”
December 6: St. Nicholas, Bishop
St. Nicholas was born in Patara, Turkey, in the 3rd century. He came from a wealthy family and dedicated his life to charity and the Christian faith. He was bishop of Myra and is known for his generosity towards the needy, children and the poor. He died in the mid-4th century and his relics rest in Bari, Italy. St. Nicholas has been a venerated figure especially since the 10th century.
December 7: St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
St. Ambrose was born in Trier in 340. He was a prominent theologian and archbishop of Milan. Recognized for his influence on the Church after the persecutions, Ambrose is one of the Fathers of the Church and one of the 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church. He died on April 4, 397.
From the letters of St. Ambrose:
“You have received the priestly office and, seated at the stern of the Church, you steer the ship against the battering of the waves. Hold fast the helm of faith, so that you may not be troubled by the violent tempests of this world. The sea is indeed wide and spacious, but do not fear: He founded it on the seas, He established it on the rivers.
Therefore, the Church of the Lord, built on the apostolic rock, stands unshaken among the rocks of the world and, supported by that solid foundation, stands firm against the blows of the wild waves. She is surrounded by the waves, but not broken, and, although often the elements of this world may shake her with great noise, she has the safe harbor of salvation to welcome the weary sailors. However, even though the sea is tossed about, it also sails on rivers, perhaps those rivers of which the psalm says: The rivers lift up their voice. These are the rivers that will flow from the bowels of those who drink the drink of Christ and receive the Spirit of God. These rivers, when they are overflowing with spiritual grace, lift up their voice.
There is also a living stream that, like a torrent, runs through its saints. There is also the flow of the river that gladdens the calm and peaceful soul. Whoever receives from the fullness of this river, like John the Evangelist, Peter or Paul, raises his voice; and, just as the apostles spread the voice of the evangelical preaching to the ends of the earth, so also he who receives from this river will begin to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
You too receive from the fullness of Christ, so that your voice may resound. Gather the water of Christ, that water that praises the Lord. Gather water from the many places where the clouds of prophets pour it.
He who gathers water from the mountains, or draws it from the springs, can send forth his dew like the clouds. Fill the bosom of your mind, so that your earth may be swollen and you may have the fountain in your own house.
He who reads and understands much is filled, and he who is full can water others; that is why Scripture says: If the clouds are full, they pour down rain on the ground.
Let your preaching be fluid, pure and clear, so that, in moral exhortation, you infuse goodness into the people, and the charm of your word captivates the favor of the people, so that they will willingly follow you wherever you lead them.
Let your speeches be full of intelligence. As Solomon says: The lips of the wise are the weapons of intelligence, and, in another place: Let the sense bind your lips, that is to say: let your expression be brilliant, let your intelligence shine, let your discourse and your exposition not need foreign sentences, but let your word be capable of defending itself with its own weapons; in short, let no useless and senseless word come out of your mouth.”
December 9: Saint Juan Diego, layman
Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was born in 1474 in Cuauhtitlán, Mexico. Of Chichimeca origin, he converted to Christianity thanks to the Franciscans. The Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to him in 1531, an event that transformed the faith in Mexico. He was beatified in 1990 and canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. Saint Juan Diego died on May 30, 1548.
Words of Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Saint Juan Diego:
“His lovely figure is inseparable from the Guadalupean fact, the miraculous and maternal manifestation of the Virgin, Mother of God, both in the iconographic and literary monuments as well as in the secular devotion that the Church of Mexico has shown for this Indian, beloved of Mary.
Like the ancient biblical characters, who were a collective representation of all the people, we could say that Juan Diego represents all the indigenous people who welcomed the Gospel of Jesus, thanks to the maternal help of Mary, always inseparable from the manifestation of her Son and the establishment of the Church, as was her presence among the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.
The truth about Juan Diego and the Guadalupe event has long been well-rooted in the life and religious feeling of the Mexican people, being an example of perfect integration between Christian liturgy and popular feeling.
For those who claim that there is no historical proof of this important religious event, here are clear and obvious testimonies, which can at least be described as reasonable and sufficient.
For the contemporary and rationalist man, there are more convincing methods than chronicles and documents. What makes the existence of Juan Diego, the apparition of the Virgin and the extraordinary importance that this event gave to the evangelical message, true, for example, is the accumulation of historical facts that occurred after the event.
Indeed, beginning on December 9, 1531, the baptism of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people is a sufficiently recorded and proven fact. The subsequent reconciliation of those peoples, during the 16th and 17th centuries, through the acceptance of the Catholic faith and the Virgin of Guadalupe as their Patroness, is a reality that no Mexican can ignore.
December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on December 9, 1531 on the hill of Tepeyac, Mexico. This event marked the faith of a continent and her image is a symbol of hope and faith for millions of people. The Virgin of Guadalupe was proclaimed patron of Latin America by Pope John Paul II.
From the homily of Pope Francis:
“The Virgin Mother does not want anything else from us than to continue to let herself be looked at by her, to be called by our name, to make us feel her maternal presence. She does not want anything else than to continue giving us her Son Jesus. Because in her Son and through Him, every revelation of the true face of God, all the pedagogy of the Church, is realized.
Dear brothers, dear friends. This is the reason for Mary’s joy. There is no other. She wants nothing else. She wants to give us her Son. Those who have children should know this. Those who have their mother in their hearts and feel her at their side should know this. Mary gives us her Son, she presents her Son to us. And she tells us: “Do whatever He tells you.”
With the Virgin Mother we can live a new adventure, a different journey, distinct, because everything is different when God makes Himself present, when God draws near, when God is in our midst. Everything changes. Everything changes.
And Mary tells us today: “Let Him look at you, let Him guide you, let Him accompany you. Do whatever He tells you.”
With a joyful and grateful heart for this great gift, let us ask that, through the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Lord grant us to be always filled with his presence and love.”
December 13: Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr
Saint Lucy was born in Syracuse, Italy, around the year 283. She was a young Christian martyred during the Diocletian persecution. She is venerated for her courage and dedication to the faith, as well as for her intercession in cases of eye diseases. Lucy was canonized and her feast day is celebrated in many countries, especially in Italy and Scandinavia.
December 14: Saint John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church
Saint John of the Cross was born in Fontiveros, Spain, on June 24, 1542. He was a Carmelite mystic, reformer of the order and poet. His spiritual work, especially “The Dark Night of the Soul,” is fundamental in mystical literature. John of the Cross was canonized in 1726 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1926. He died on December 14, 1591.
From the letters of St. John of the Cross:
“God is so supremely a maker and lover of equality that at the slightest sign of disposition that a soul makes him, with infinite liberality he inclines to it and communicates his being to it, whatever it disposes, now in one way, now in another, according to the amount of its disposition; and in this way, it becomes much more loving, and God becomes more loved by it.”
December 27: St. John the Apostle and Evangelist
St. John the Apostle was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and is traditionally considered the author of the Gospel of John, the three Epistles of John and the book of Revelation. He was the brother of James the Greater and one of Jesus’ closest disciples. St. John is known as “the beloved disciple” and his feast day is celebrated on December 27.
From the first letter of the apostle St. John:
“Dear brothers, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. This is how the love of God was made manifest among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
These saints and their teachings are a beacon of hope and faith during Advent, reminding us of the importance of living in love, charity, and devotion. May their lives and examples inspire us to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ in this holy season.
Source: Spanish Episcopal Conference
