St Stephen (December 26) was hauled up before a Jewish court for rejecting sacrificial worship
Spiritual Life
Daily readings: December 26 – January 8
The week ahead
Scripture readings in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms
Christ’s birth shows that the family is the nursery of salvation
The word this week
The Feasts of the Nativity and Holy Family: Various readings
The Spanish abbot who liberated Christian slaves
Saint of the week
St Dominic of Silos (December 20) is an example of the remarkable possibilities open to low-born talent in the medieval Church
Daily readings: December 19 – 25
The week ahead
Scripture readings in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms
At Christmas we are not bystanders
The word this week
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24
The saint who was tormented by her conscience
Saint of the week
St Maria di Rosa (December 15) founded the Handmaids of Charity and died at the age of 42, exhausted by her good works
Daily readings: December 12 – 18
The week ahead
Scripture readings in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms
‘The eyes of the blind shall be opened, the tongues of the dumb sing for joy’
The word this week
Third Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 35: 1-6; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11
Daily Readings December 5 to December 11
The week ahead
Scripture readings in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms
















The atheist orthodoxy that drove me to faith
By Megan Hodder