St. Leo the Great 11/10 461 St. Leo the Great was born in Tuscany. As deacon, he was dispatched to Gaul as a mediator by Emperor Valentinian III. He reigned as Pope between 440 and 461. He persuaded Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in an edict in 445.
The doctrine of the Incarnation was formed by him in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who had already condemned Eutyches.
At the Council of Chalcedon this same letter was confirmed as the expression of Catholic Faith concerning the Person of Christ.
All secular historical treatises eulogize his efforts during the upheaval of the fifth century barbarian invasion. His encounter with Attila the Hun, at the very gates of Rome persuading him to turn back, remains a historical memorial to his great eloquence. When the Vandals under Genseric occupied the city of Rome, he persuaded the invaders to desist from pillaging the city and harming its inhabitants. He died in 461, leaving many letters and writings of great historical value. His feast day is November 10th.

St. Ambrose 12/7 397 Saint of the Day December 07 Ambrose of Milan Bishop (RM) Born in Trier, Germany, c. 340; died in Milan 397.
397 Medioláni deposítio sancti Ambrósii Epíscopi, Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris; cujus stúdio, inter cétera doctrínæ et miraculórum insígnia, témpore Ariánæ perfídiæ, tota fere Itália ad cathólicam fidem convérsa est.  Ipsíus tamen festívitas séptimo Idus Decémbris potíssimum recólitur, quo die Epíscopus Mediolanénsis ordinátus est.
      At Milan, the death of St. Ambrose, bishop and confessor, doctor of the Church.  By his zeal, besides other monuments to his learning and miracles, almost all Italy returned to the Catholic faith at the time of the Arian heresy.

This famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and in false beliefs. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much, that he could not see or understand the Divine Truth anymore. Through the prayers of his holy mother and the marvelous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion. Yet he did not become a Christian then, because he thought he could never live a pure life.
One day, however, he heard about two men who had suddenly been converted on reading the life of St. Antony, and he felt terrible ashamed of himself. "What are we doing?" he cried to his friend Alipius. "Unlearned people are taking Heaven by force, while we, with all our knowledge, are so cowardly that we keep rolling around in the mud of our sins!"

St. Basil 1/2 379 St. Basil the Great  vast learning and constant activity, genuine eloquence and immense charity Patron of hospital administrators. St. Basil the Great was born at Caesarea of Cappadocia in 330. He was one of ten children of St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia. Several brothers and sisters are honored among the saints. He attended school in Caesarea, as well as Constantinople and Athens, where he became acquainted with St. Gregory Nazianzen in 352. A little later, he opened a school of oratory in Caesarea and practiced law.
Eventually he decided to become a monk and found a monastery in Pontus which he directed for five years. He wrote a famous monastic rule which has proved the most lasting of those in the East. After founding several other monasteries, he was ordained and, in 370, made bishop of Caesaria. In this post until his death in 379, he continued to be a man of vast learning and constant activity, genuine eloquence and immense charity. This earned for him the title of "Great" during his life and Doctor of the Church after his death.

St. Bede, the Venerable 5/25 735 Venerable Bede  Bede was the first to date events from the birth of Christ. 735 {1899 Pope Leo XIII}
Sancti Bedæ Venerábilis, Presbyteri, Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris; qui migrávit in cælum octávo Kaléndas Júnii.
     St. Venerable Bede, priest, confessor, and doctor of the Church, who went to heaven on the 25th of May.
Venerable Bede Bede was born near St. Peter and St. Paul monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England.  He was sent there when he was three and educated by Abbots Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid. He became a monk at the monastery, was ordained when thirty, and except for a few brief visits elsewhere, spent all of his life in the monastery, devoting himself to the study of Scripture and to teaching and writing. He is considered one of the most learned men of his time and a major influence on English literature.  His writings are a veritable summary of the learning of his time and include commentaries on the Pentateuch and various other books of the Bible, theological and scientific treatises, historical works, and biographies.  His best-known work is HISTORIA ECCLESIASTICA, a history of the English Church and people, which he completed in 731.  It is an account of Christianity in England up to 729 and is a primary source of early English history. Called "the Venerable" to acknowledge his wisdom and learning, the title was formalized at the Council of Aachen in 853. He was a careful scholar and distinguished stylist, the "father" of English history, the first to date events anno domini (A.D.), and in 1899, was declared the only English doctor of the Church. He died in Wearmouth-Jarrow on May 25.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux 8/20 1153 St. Bernard of Clairvaux Abbot Doctor of the Church eminently endowed with the gift of miracles.  Fearing the snares and temptations of the world, he resolved to embrace the newly established and very austere institute of the Cistercian Order, of which he was destined to become the greatest ornament. He also persuaded his brothers and several of his friends to follow his example. In 1113, St. Bernard, with thirty young noblemen, presented himself to the holy Abbot, St. Stephen, at Citeaux. After a novitiate spent in great fervor, he made his profession in the following year. His superior soon after, seeing the great progress he had made in the spiritual life, sent him with twelve monks to found a new monastery, which afterward became known as the celebrated Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was at once appointed Abbot and began that active life which has rendered him the most conspicuous figure in the history of the 12th century. He founded numerous other monasteries, composed a number of works and undertook many journeys for the honor of God. Several Bishoprics were offered him, but he refused them all. The reputation of St. Bernard spread far and wide; even the Popes were governed by his advice. He was commissioned by Pope Eugene III to preach the second Crusade. In obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff he traveled through France and Germany, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm for the holy war among the masses of the population. The failure of the expedition raised a great storm against the saint, but he attributed it to the sins of the Crusaders. St. Bernard was eminently endowed with the gift of miracles. He died on August 20, 1153.   

St. Gregory the Great 9/3 Gregory the Great Elected 64th Pope by unanimous acclamation on 3 September 590, the first monk to be chosen.
Also known as Gregory I; Gregory Dialogos; Father of the Fathers
Memorial 3 September
Profile Son of Gordianus, a Roman regionarius, and Saint Silvia of Rome. Nephew of Saint Emiliana and Saint Tarsilla. Great-grandson of Pope Saint Felix III. Educated by the finest teachers in Rome. Prefect of Rome for a year, then he sold his possessions, turned his home into a Benedictine monastery, and used his money to build six monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. Benedictine monk. Upon seeing English children being sold in the Roman Forum, he became a missionary to England.

Elected 64th Pope by unanimous acclamation on 3 September 590, the first monk to be chosen. Sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury and a company of monks to evangelize England, and other missionaries to France, Spain, and Africa. Collected the melodies and plain chant so associated with him that they are now known as Gregorian Chants. One of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. Wrote seminal works on the Mass and Office.

St. Isidore 4/4 636 St. Isidore of Seville  In a unique move, he made sure that all branches of knowledge including the arts and medicine were taught in the seminaries
 Híspali, in Hispánia, sancti Isidóri Epíscopi, Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris, sanctitáte et doctrína conspícui; qui zelo cathólicæ fidei et ecclesiásticæ observántia disciplinæ Hispánias illustrávit.
       At Seville in Spain, St. Isidore, bishop, confessor, and doctor of the Church.  He was conspicuous for sanctity and learning, and had brightened all Spain by his zeal for the Catholic faith and his observance of Church discipline.

Morning Prayer and Hymn

Arise, bless the Lord, your God, from eternity to eternity, alleluia! (cf. Neh.9:5) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!
O Light that knew no dawn, That shines to endless day, All things in earth and heav’n Are brightened by thy ray; No eye can to thy throne ascend,
Nor mind thy brightness comprehend.
Thy grace, O Father, give, That I might serve in fear; Above all gifts, I pray, Grant me thy voice to hear; From sin thy child in mercy free, And let me dwell in light with thee.
That, cleansed from stain of sin, I may true homage give; And pure in heart, behold Thy beauty while I live; Clean hands in holy worship raise, And thee, O Christ my Savior, praise.

The LORD, secures justice for the oppressed, Give food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. Rx
The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those those who were bowed down; The LORD loves the just. The LORD protects strangers. Rx
The fatherless and the widow he sustains, But the way of the wicked he thwarts, The LORD shall reign forever; Your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.Rx
Jesus tells us today in the gospel that “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
And again, “… he (Jesus) must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
Because the Kingdom of God on earth is a perfect mystery to human beings, God allows us to comprehend it with our mind to a certain degree but not with our human eyes because he said in the gospel that it cannot be observed. God's nature, which is his kingdom, is far beyond us exteriorly, but ever so close interiorly when we pray. Prayer is turning humbly to see God's face with the eyes of our thoughts, memories, and imagination. This is the interior kingdom of our soul where God dwells.
The Almighty came to us in God's holy Word, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin, to make us aware that our souls or kingdoms are really already within or near the kingdom of God on earth. Faith and belief reveal it to us when we pray and turn to our Creator with love, trust and surrender to his will. It is within our reach through the power of our hearts and minds. That is why Jesus said today: "Behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." Each human person is around us daily- for this is the normal way of most of our lives- and possesses the hidden kingdom, and is actually among us.
Earth was no paradise for Jesus nor is it for us today, because we both will have to experience pain, hardship and suffering. Jesus' suffering for us was voluntarily to show us his great love for us and we too can do to the same by reciprocating if we choose and if we want to show our love for him.
Jesus wants us to give him our pain so that he can use it for others exactly as our heavenly Father gave us Jesus who offered his pain for our benefit. This is why Jesus warned his followers in this gospel that "He must suffer greatly" even though he is God and especially so, for He is the Lamb of God, our sacrifice, for our salvation. All we have to do is to stay united to him so that our pain and suffering - because we are going to have to experience it whether we like it or not- can be united with Jesus voluntarily. In this way, we can merit his gifts and rewards for ourselves and others.
The meditation below reveals how our Lords defeats death, suffering and pain and became for us our perfect Victim for sin by destroying death, sin and defeat through his infinite love and generosity toward his Father and toward us. With these actions and virtues we are empowered to do the same. We too, with Jesus, will pass from the hidden kingdom of God on earth to the visible kingdom of God in heaven alit with beauty, grace and eternal love forever with God's own majesty and benevolence surrounding us unendingly.