Author Archives: Steve Benner

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/y4eddx4h Arise, Jerusalem, and look to the Eastand see your children gathered from the rising to the setting of the sun. Baruch 5 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secrets are hid:Cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love youandContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, February 6, 2025”

The Martyrs of JapanIn 1597 twenty-six Christians (some priests or monks, but mostly lay folk, including three altar boys) were put to death near Nagasaki as part of a persecution aimed at wiping out Christianity in Japan. Sub-sequently, many more Christian converts were put to death. The teaching of Christianity was proscribed until the middleContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, February 5, 2025”

Cornelius the CenturionAll that we know about Cornelius is contained in the Acts of the Apostles (chapters 10–11). He was the first Gentile converted to the Christian faith, along with his household. A centurion was commander of a company of one hundred men in the Roman army, responsible for their discipline, both on the fieldContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, February 4, 2025”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/p478xrzb To you, I lift up my soul, O my God.In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame.Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame. Psalm 25 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secretsContinue reading “Oremus for Monday, February 3, 2025”

The Presentation of Jesus in the TempleThis day marks the completion of forty days since the birth of Jesus, when Mary and Joseph took the child to the Temple in Jerusalem. The requirement in Levitical law was for Mary to be ‘cleansed’, the completion of her purification following the birth of a male child. UntilContinue reading “Oremus for Sunday, February 2, 2025”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/pdbx9vkb Your merciful love, O God,we have received in the midst of your temple.Your praise, O God, like your name,reaches the ends of the earth;your right hand is filled with saving justice. Psalm 48 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secrets are hid:Cleanse the thoughts of our heartsbyContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, February 1, 2025”

Menno SimonsMenno Simons (1496 – January 31, 1561) was an Anabaptist religious leader from Friesland (today a province of The Netherlands). His followers became known as Mennonites. Against the reputation that Anabaptists had earned for disrupting society and for violence, Menno Simons was a man of peace. Although small in number, the movement he inspired has made aContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, January 31, 2025”

Coretta Scott KingAlthough best known for being the wife of famed civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King created her own legacy in the movement to end injustice. She also worked to continue he husband’s legacy after his death.Coretta Scott was born in Marion, Alabama on April 27, 1927. King’s parents wereContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, January 30, 2025”

Lydia, Dorcas and PhoebeThe commemoration of these three devout women follows directly on the observance of three of Paul’s male co-workers in the Lord. It is a reminder that though the first century was a patriarchal time from which we have very few women’s voices, the apostles and indeed the whole early church depended onContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, January 29, 2025”

Thomas AquinasThomas Aquinas was the greatest thinker and teacher of the medieval church. He was born in 1225 and became a Dominican. He offered the church a deep theological understanding of the physical world as conveying divine truth, even though faith is needed for other aspects of God’s truth. His profound thought and gentle spiritContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, January 28, 2025”