Daily Mass, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, Saturday, November 25, 2023

Daily Mass, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, Saturday, November 25, 2023 Good morning! Welcome to St. Gilbert Church! Almighty ever-living God, who gave St. Catherine of Alexandria to your people as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr grant that through her intercession we may be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s Story Patron Saint of: Lawyers, Librarians, Philosophers, Students & Teachers According to the Legend of St. Catherine, this young woman converted to Christianity after receiving a vision. At the age of 18, she debated 50 pagan philosophers. Amazed at her wisdom and debating skills, they became Christians—as did about 200 soldiers and members of the emperor’s family. All of them were martyred. Sentenced to be executed on a spiked wheel, Catherine touched the wheel and it shattered. She was beheaded. Centuries later, angels are said to have carried the body of Saint Catherine to a monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Devotion to her spread as a result of the Crusades. She was invoked as the patroness of students, teachers, librarians and lawyers. Catherine is one of the 14 Holy Helpers, venerated especially in Germany and Hungary. Reflection The pursuit of God’s wisdom may not lead to riches or earthly honors. In Catherine’s case, this pursuit contributed to her martyrdom. She was not, however, foolish in preferring to die for Jesus rather than live only by denying him. All the rewards that her tormentors offered her would rust, lose their beauty, or in some other way become a poor exchange for Catherine’s honesty and integrity in following Jesus Christ. --- From Franciscan Media, Saint of the Day, November 25, 2023 This stream is created with #PRISMLiveStudio