The December 31, 2020 Reflection – Time to pick a saint!
Time to pick a saint! December 31, 2020 Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas St. Sylvester 1, Pope Dear Family of Mary! As 2020 draws to a close, and we enter into a New Year, this is a good time to choose a new saint for 2021! Our Mary TV family has a tradition of choosing a saint for the year, by printing out a list of saints which is then cut up, so that each saint is presented on a slip of paper. The saints are then placed in a container. On New Year’s Day the family or prayer group can gather and pray for each person for a blessing, and the person can then pick a saint from the container. That saint is the saint that chooses them!! Our Lady has encouraged us to take the saints as our examples and to follow their example. Here is one message: October 25, 2020 “Dear children, At this time, I am calling you to return to God and to prayer. Invoke the help of all the saints, for them to be an example and a help to you. Satan is strong and is fighting to draw all the more hearts to himself. He wants war and hatred. That is why I am with you for this long, to lead you to the way of salvation, to Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Little children, return to the love for God and He will be your strength and refuge. Thank you for having responded to my call.” The saint that chooses us can become a daily example and help to us of how to live in the light, and an encouragement on the way to holiness. It is amazing how meaningful the saint that we receive can be. Here is an example that I shared last year: On the way out of church on Sunday, our parish had baskets of saints prepared for choosing a saint, and each parishioner was invited to choose a saint for 2020. It was wonderful to see the people praying and then diving into the container to receive their saint. One man was encouraging his children to choose a saint, and he seemed so excited. As we passed, he said to us, “This is just wonderful! I just chose my saint, and guess who it is!!!” Then he held up the paper and on it was written, “The Sacred Heart of Jesus”. His face was filled with joy and light!! Having Jesus as his saint for 2020 was an inexpressible joy!! He told us he was so very happy and stunned!! Choosing a saint can actually change your life! So if you haven’t started this tradition in your family or parish, I am including a PDF of our list of saints for 2020 (since I haven’t been able to update the list this year). You can print this list out, and cut it up, and then pray together for the saint that will choose you!! Let’s not forget that tomorrow is the Feast of the Mother of God. This title of Mary is so important and earth shaking!! Let’s pray to understand it more and more! May 2021 be the year that the Mother of God will triumph in the sinful world and be crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth for all to see!! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2020 Here is the link to find the list on our website: https://res.cloudinary.com/marytv/images/f_webp,q_auto/v1680627699/Website/Saints-List-2020_48713da33/Saints-List-2020_48713da33.pdf?_i=AA