Saints and Feasts of the Liturgical Year: Volume Two: April–June

By John Paul Thomas

If a list were made of the greatest human beings who have ever lived, those reflected upon in this four-volume series would be at the top of that list. Though historians often attempt to judge greatness from their own subjective perspective, there must be an objective criteria by which human greatness is judged. The only Person Who is capable of establishing that criteria is God. The criteria that God has established are the virtues, as identified by Jesus and revealed by Him through the holy Gospels.

The goal of this four-volume series is to present each saint found on the Catholic liturgical calendar (as a Solemnity, Feast, or Memorial) in such a way as to identify the Godly virtues that place them on the top of that list. Though their greatness has already been established and their heroic virtues confirmed by the Church, God chose the men and women found in these pages, not only for greatness in their lifetimes but also as models of holiness in ours. These men and women are gifts to you, given by God through the Church.

Every saint is unique, but every saint is similar because each one became living witnesses to Christ and living Gospels for a world in need. Some saints were united to God through martyrdom, some through virginity and chastity, some through works of charity, and some through lives of intense prayer. The saints have come from every culture, every socio-economic background, every level of education, and every personality type. Through every saint, God shines forth, radiating His abundant mercy through the diversity of their lives. In the end, it is not their personality, preferences, gifts, or any other unique qualities that unite them as the one communion of saints. It is God and God alone Who floods their souls and forms them into a united song of praise of God’s eternal glory.

Why read about the saints? Why learn about their lives? Why ponder what they said and did? The answer is simple. You are called to be among their company. You are called to become as holy as they were, transformed by God’s grace, and to radiate that grace in the world today.

At first, the virtues of the saints might seem to be out of your reach. The saints can appear to be superhuman. The truth is that the saints became fully human by becoming who they were created to be. They rejected the deceptions of the devil, the seductions of the world, and the weaknesses of the flesh. Instead, they discovered the truths of God, sought out the riches of Heaven, and became filled with the strength of every virtue.

As you read about the lives of the saints, ponder their words and actions, study their heroic virtues, and learn from their lives of prayer, allow yourself not only to be inspired by them but also to desire to imitate them. Nothing is stopping you from being counted among the saints in Heaven. God promises to lavish every grace upon you that you need to walk down that holy path. Only when you refuse His grace is that mission thwarted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: My Catholic Life Inc.
• Release date: Dec 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215137567

John Paul Thomas

"John Paul Thomas" is the pen name this Catholic priest chose in honor of the Apostles Saints John and Thomas and the great evangelist Saint Paul. This name also evokes the memory of the great Pope Saint John Paul II.John is the beloved apostle who sought out a deeply personal and intimate relationship with his Savior. Hopefully the writings in this book point us all to a deeply personal and intimate relationship with our God. May John be a model of this intimacy and love.Thomas is also a beloved apostle and close friend of Jesus but is well known for his lack of faith in Jesus' resurrection. Though he ultimately entered into a profound faith crying out, "my Lord and my God," he is given to us as a model of our own weakness of faith. Thomas should inspire us to always return to faith when we realize we have doubted.As a Pharisee, Paul severely persecuted the early Christian Church. However, after going through a powerful conversion, he went on to become the great evangelist to the gentiles, founding many new communities of believers and writing many letters contained in Sacred Scripture. His letters are deeply personal and reveal a shepherd's heart. He is a model for all as we seek to embrace our calling to spread the Gospel.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Holy Week & Easter

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion—Solemnity

Sixth Sunday of Lent

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Holy Saturday

Easter Sunday—Solemnity

Divine Mercy Sunday—Solemnity

Eighth Day of of the Octave of Easter

Feasts at the Conclusion of the Easter Season

The Ascension of the Lord—Solemnity

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter or on the Seventh Sunday of Easter

Pentecost Sunday—Solemnity

Sunday after the Seventh Week of Easter

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church—Memorial

Celebrated the Monday after Pentecost

The Most Holy Trinity—Solemnity

First Sunday after Pentecost

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ—Solemnity

Thursday after Holy Trinity or, where this is not a holy day of obligation, on the following Sunday. In the United States, it is always transferred to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity.

Sacred Heart of Jesus—Solemnity

Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost

Immaculate Heart of Mary—Memorial

Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost

April

April 2: Saint Francis of Paola, Hermit—Optional Memorial

April 4: Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

April 5: Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest—Optional Memorial

April 7: Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Priest—Memorial

(Optional Memorial if Lenten weekday)

April 11: Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

(Optional Memorial if Lenten weekday)

April 13: Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

April 21: Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

April 23: Saint George, Martyr—Optional Memorial

April 23: Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial

April 24: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr—Optional Memorial

April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist—Feast

April 28: Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr—Optional Memorial

April 28: Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest—Optional Memorial

April 29: Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church—Memorial

April 30: Saint Pius V, Pope—Optional Memorial

May

May 1: Saint Joseph the Worker—Optional Memorial

May 2: Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor—Memorial

May 3: Saints Philip and James, Apostles—Feast

May 10: Saint Damien de Veuster of Molokai, Priest—USA Optional Memorial

May 10: Saint John of Ávila, Priest and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

May 12: Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

May 12: Saint Pancras, Martyr—Optional Memorial

May 13: Our Lady of Fátima—Optional Memorial

May 14: Saint Matthias the Apostle—Feast

May 15: Saint Isidore—USA Optional Memorial

May 18: Saint John I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest—Optional Memorial

May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr and Companions, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia—Optional Memorial

May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor—Optional Memorial

May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious—Optional Memorial

May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin—Optional Memorial

May 26: Saint Philip Neri, Priest—Memorial

May 27: Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop—Optional Memorial

May 29: Saint Paul VI, Pope—Optional Memorial

May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Feast

June

June 1: Saint Justin Martyr—Memorial

June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

June 3: Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs—Memorial

June 5: Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

June 6: Saint Norbert, Bishop—Optional Memorial

June 9: Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor—Optional Memorial

June 11: Saint Barnabas the Apostle—Memorial

June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor—Memorial

June 19: Saint Romuald, Abbot—Optional Memorial

June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious—Memorial

June 22: Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop—Optional Memorial

June 22: Saints John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr and Thomas More, Martyr—Optional Memorial

June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist—Solemnity

June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor—Optional Memorial

June 28: Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr—Memorial

June 29: Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles—Solemnity

June 30: First Martyrs of the Church of Rome—Optional Memorial

Holy Week & Easter

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion—Solemnity

Sixth Sunday of Lent

Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest. ~Matthew 21:9

This day could be thought of as a contradiction. The Mass begins with the reading of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His joyous reception by the crowds who strewed palm branches before Him, crying out, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest. Today, processions of the faithful commemorate this inspiring scene by carrying palm branches into their churches. The contradiction, however, is experienced as the full narrative of the Passion of Christ is read, culminating with Jesus’ death on the Cross.

But is it a contradiction? Is His glorious entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week in any way opposed to His crucifixion? Certainly not. From a worldly perspective, for someone who lacks the ability to penetrate this mystery with the eyes of faith, the week ends in tragedy. But from the perspective of the Eternal Father, the welcome Jesus receives as He enters Jerusalem is the welcome given to the Savior of the World. His Cross would become the culmination of that act of salvation. For that reason, His entrance into that holy city was rightly celebrated with great joy, even though the people did not yet understand that the throne their new King would mount was the Cross.

As early as the fourth century, the diary of one traveler to Jerusalem records how the faithful reenacted Jesus’ triumphal entry:

And as the eleventh hour approaches, the passage from the Gospel is read, where the children, carrying branches and palms, met the Lord, saying; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the bishop immediately rises, and all the people with him, and they all go on foot from the top of the Mount of Olives, all the people going before him with hymns and antiphons, answering one to another: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord. And all the children in the neighborhood, even those who are too young to walk, are carried by their parents on their shoulders, all of them bearing branches, some of palms and some of olives, and thus the bishop is escorted in the same manner as the Lord was of old (The Pilgrimage of Etherea).

Though very few Christians are able to celebrate Passion Sunday in Jerusalem, walking from the Mount of Olives to the city gate, we are all invited to do so spiritually, meditatively, and interiorly. Our participation is not just the recalling of a historic event; it’s a real participation in that event. Our hearts must begin outside of Jerusalem’s gate today, and we must courageously and joyfully accompany our Lord into that holy city. During that first Holy Week, the people’s joy arose from their belief that Jesus would be an earthly ruler Who would free them from Roman oppression. Today, we are privileged to express our joyous acclamations as we spiritually accompany our Lord to the city of His crucifixion, because we know that Jesus’ Kingship is so much more than an earthly triumph. His triumph is an eternal one that invites us to share in His Eternity. His triumph is a sacrificial one that invites us to share in His Sacrificial Love. His triumph is a glorious one that invites us to share in the Glory of His Resurrection.

Walk with our Lord today into that holy city of Jerusalem. As you do, know that the earthly city of Jerusalem is also now a spiritual one. The events that took place there two millennia ago transcend and permeate all time. As a result, the events of Holy Week today are just as significant as they were long ago. Through the Mass, we are there. We walk with our Lord, witness all He accomplished, receive His Body and Blood sacrificed on the Cross and memorialized in the Eucharist, and are resurrected with Him on the third day. Commit yourself to this journey today, an eternal pilgrimage with our Lord to the Eternal City of Heaven.

Most glorious King, blessed are You Who continuously comes to us, leading the way to Heaven. Hosanna in the highest! As I begin this most Holy Week, commemorating Your gift of salvation, I pray that this commemoration will also be a real and transforming participation in Your life, death, and resurrection. Thank You for redeeming us, dear Lord. Please open my heart to receive Your grace fully. Jesus, I trust in You.

Holy Thursday

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. ~Luke 22:19–20

Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, which is translated mandate. It is on this night that our Lord gave the mandate to do this in remembrance of me. That mandate was the command to celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist until the end of time, a mandate that the faithful continue to keep.

According to Sacred Scripture, Holy Thursday was a power-packed day and night. It began with Jesus sending Peter and John ahead to prepare the Upper Room for the celebration of the Passover meal. That meal would become the beginning of the New Passover. During the meal, Jesus gave a witness of selfless, sacrificial service by fulfilling the role of a servant and washing the feet of the disciples. After that, Jesus transformed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity for the very first time, and the disciples received Holy Communion. By commanding them to do this in remembrance of me, Jesus instituted the new sacramental priesthood. He also predicted that one of those priests would betray Him and another would deny Him, a sign that His chosen priests then and now are sinners. In John’s Gospel, Jesus gave a lengthy discourse and then went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray in agony as He awaited His arrest. Peter, James, and John went with Him but fell asleep, abandoning our Lord in His last agony. Jesus was arrested, endured the scrutiny of the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas, and then was imprisoned so that He could be sent for judgment by Pilate. During the interrogations, the disciples fled, and Peter, the future leader of the Church, denied he knew Jesus three times.

Was this truly a holy night? Indeed. True holiness is not a matter of having everything in your life be easy. It’s not about having the most entertaining and comfortable life possible. It’s not about avoiding every obstacle and difficulty that might befall you. Holiness is about fidelity to the fulfillment of the will of the Father in Heaven. Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will that night flawlessly. He set the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit, instituted the Sacraments, and prepared to empower those Sacraments with His very life, which would be sacrificed the following day.

During the evening of Holy Thursday, after the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful accompany Jesus on a procession from the church to an altar of repose where our Lord’s sacred Body is placed until midnight. Whether you are able to kneel before that altar tonight or not, be with our Lord in prayer. Keep vigil with Him. Hear our Lord say to you, My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me (Matthew 26:38). If you struggle with accompanying our Lord in prayer, then hear Him say to you what He said to Peter, So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:40–41). If you bring burdens with you tonight, say with our Lord, My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done! (Matthew 26:42). With a concerted effort, remain recollected throughout this night, tomorrow, and Saturday. It all begins tonight but culminates with Easter joy on Sunday. Enter Jesus’ suffering and death so that you can also share in His Resurrection!

My agonizing Lord, You endured every human suffering imaginable out of love for me and all Your children. Please give me the grace I need to accompany You through Your suffering and death. May I unite my sufferings with Yours, embracing them freely and with love, so that I may fulfill the Father’s will, sacrificially laying my life down for others, and may one day share fully in the glories of Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.

Good Friday

Let him be crucified! But he said, Why? What evil has he done? They only shouted the louder, Let him be crucified! ~Matthew 27:22–23

Perhaps one of the most surprising practices on Good Friday is that the Mass is not celebrated. Instead, Jesus’ saving Sacrifice is commemorated by the full reading of the Passion account, the veneration of the Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion that was consecrated the day before. Why wouldn’t we celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass on Good Friday? Saint Thomas Aquinas gives a profound answer to this question in his masterful work, Summa Theologica (See III.83). In part, he says:

Reply to Objection 2. The figure ceases on the advent of the reality. But this sacrament is a figure and a representation of our Lord’s Passion, as stated above. And therefore on the day on which our Lord’s Passion is recalled as it was really accomplished, this sacrament is not consecrated.

A careful reading of that passage, as well as the rest of that article, tells us that there is great power in the Liturgical Year, and in our annual Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. We celebrate Mass daily throughout the year, except on Good Friday, so that we can receive the fruit of the Passion every day. The Church teaches that Mass is an efficacious sign, meaning that the Mass both signifies Christ’s sacrifice and actually makes it present. But on Good Friday, we celebrate our Lord’s Passion in the reality of time. Therefore, in terms of grace, nothing is lost by the absence of Mass on Good Friday. Instead, we must understand that the day of Good Friday itself becomes a powerful instrument of grace. Our liturgical Commemoration of our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday enables us to share in His saving act of redemption, just as the Mass does every other day of the year.

Setting aside the profound depth of theology present in this teaching, what does this mean, practically, for those who participate in the Good Friday Liturgy today? Here are a few thoughts for pondering.

As you prayerfully participate in the Liturgical Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, know that this day itself is endowed with grace and power. The grace does not come through the sacramental Memorial of the Lord’s Passion but from the reality encountered in this once-a-year Commemoration. This day itself is a real and sanctifying participation in the fruit of Jesus’ saving Sacrifice.

To better understand this, look into your own soul and consider any ways that you have experienced God’s grace powerfully and uniquely on Good Friday. Perhaps, in years past, you entered into the Triduum in a prayerful and recollected way. Call that experience to mind, and understand that this deep encounter with our Lord was especially made possible because those days are holy.

Today, as you celebrate Good Friday, understand that the floodgates of Heaven are opened to you in a way unlike any other day of the year. Seize this moment in time. Seize this once-a-year opportunity to enter into our Lord’s suffering and death. Do so prayerfully, meditatively, truly, and intentionally. Especially honor the hours between noon and three o’clock. Try to set that time aside for nothing other than prayer and recollection. This day is sanctified. Time is sanctified. By entering into prayer during these hours of sanctified time, you will discover that God is especially present to you.

Read the Passion. Pray the Stations of the Cross. Recite the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Gaze at a crucifix. Fast, keep vigil, be attentive, and be open to the abundance of grace our Lord wishes to bestow upon you this Good Friday, especially by participating in the liturgical Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion during the sacred hours when our Lord hung on the Cross. Today, the figure ceases on the advent of the reality. Today, the reality is here, captured in time, made present to you. Stand before His sacred Cross, and allow His mercy to pour forth upon you from His wounded side.

My suffering and sacrificial Lord, You have sanctified this day and endowed it with grace. As I commemorate Your saving sacrifice, draw me into this mystical act of love. Help me to remain prayerful and recollected throughout this day and into tomorrow. Invite me to stand before Your Cross and to gaze upon Your beaten and torn body. As I do, pour forth the abundance of Your mercy flowing from Your wounded side. Jesus, I trust in You.

Holy Saturday

My Lord, today all is silent. You have given Your precious life for the salvation of the world. You died a horrific death, poured out all Mercy from Your wounded Heart, and now You rest in peace in the tomb as the soldiers keep vigil.

Lord, may I also keep vigil with You as You sleep. I know that this day ends with Your glorious triumph, Your victory over sin and death. But for now, I sit quietly mourning Your death.

Help me, dear Lord, to enter into the sorrow and the silence of this Holy Saturday. Today no Sacraments are celebrated. Today the world waits in mourning in anticipation of the glory of new life!

As I keep vigil, awaiting the celebration of Your Resurrection, fill me with hope. Help me to look forward to the celebration of Your Resurrection and also to look forward to the hope of my own share in the new life You won for the world. I entrust my whole being to You, dear Lord, as You lie lifeless and still. May Your rest transform the brokenness of my own soul, my weaknesses, my sin, and my frailty. You are glorious, and You bring the greatest good out of Your apparent defeat. I trust in Your power to do all things, and I entrust my life to You. Jesus, I trust in You.

Easter Sunday—Solemnity

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of his glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples… ~Excerpt from The Exsultet

Today’s glorious solemnity is the ultimate cause of all joy, fulfillment, happiness, and glory. If Jesus only died on the Cross, destroying death, something would be missing—the restoration of life into a transformed and glorified living. Easter is not only about the forgiveness of sins, it’s about the temporal and eternal glorification of every human soul that dies and rises with Christ. When we focus upon the Gospel and consider the many lessons Jesus taught and the example He set, the Cross is often considered the difficult message and Easter the easy message. But is that the case?

The message of the Cross, as presented to us through Jesus’ teachings and His lived example, is certainly challenging. Each one of us is called to the same depth of selfless surrender of our lives to the Father’s will. We must each die completely to ourselves. We must be purified from every sin and every attachment to sin, from every bad habit and every worldly thought, and from everything that is not God and God alone. When we clearly understand, with the saints, our calling to die with Christ and to embrace His Cross, we Christians become overwhelmed at the seemingly daunting and impossible task of dying in and with Christ.

One might be tempted to say that it is easy to accept the message the Resurrection presents. New life in Christ, the fullness of joy, complete transformation, and eternal beatitude in Heaven—these initially appear easy to embrace. However, the challenge that the profound reality of Easter presents to us is that we can be certain that our current understanding of what it means to share in the Resurrection of Christ is but the faintest shadow of the reality. In truth, very few people in this life have come close to understanding the glory to which we are called on account of the Resurrection. Saints Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, to name a few, are among those who penetrated the mystery of Easter while still here on earth. They achieved this spiritual knowledge only by fully dying with Christ through a life of profound prayer, penance, and charity that completely united their souls to the Most Holy Trinity.

As we celebrate Easter, it is important to know that we do not yet know all that is promised to us by the Resurrection of Christ. If we can at least understand that, then our spiritual appetites will make us hungry for that knowledge. Too often, Christians go through life satisfied with the most basic understanding of the Gospel. We know that God became man, lived His life, gathered followers, taught and performed miracles, died on the Cross, rose again, ascended into Heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, we have hope in His promise that if we remain in His grace, then we will share in Heaven after we die. But this is an exceptionally incomplete view of the full reality that the saints comprehended in their lives. It is their understanding we must seek with every power of our souls.

What does it mean to share in the new life of Christ? What does it mean to share in the glory of the Resurrection? What will Heaven be like for those who enter into the highest realms of glory in this life compared to those who only do the basics? What will the New Heavens and the New Earth be like when Jesus returns in all His glory for the Final Judgment? If these are questions you have never deeply pondered and probed, then know that the answers that await you are more glorious than you could ever imagine. In other words, if you were to sit quietly and spend all day trying to imagine the best and most glorious life, trying to use your mind to draw a picture of the happiness and full joy of Heaven, you can be certain that you could never even come close to imagining the reality. That humble fact ought not discourage you; it should fill your conscience with a desire to know what you do not know. That is the first step.

A deep and vast spiritual comprehension of the joy of sharing fully in the Resurrection of Christ can only come from a direct infusion of grace by God Himself. When a soul receives this infused knowledge, it becomes so overwhelmed with wonder and awe that it realizes that committing even the smallest sin is absolute foolishness and the path to the loss of everything. It realizes that if it were to gain everything this world has to offer—every comfort, wealth, power, and prestige—it would be absolutely miserable compared to the soul that shares fully in the Resurrection. It realizes that the only worthwhile thing is the complete abandonment of one’s life to the will of God, a willingness to suffer anything and everything for Christ, to serve and not be served, to forgive everyone completely, to love with every fiber of its being, and to continuously remain in a state of prayerful recollection with God.

If living such a life seems impossible, it’s not. It only seems that way when we fail to grasp the prize that awaits those who strive for the perfection of divine union. The Easter message and mystery are not just about being good and happy. It’s not just about trusting in the