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Let us come before the Lord, giving thanks.

Year: C(I). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Green.

St Hilary of Poitiers (- 367)

Hilary was born at the beginning of the fourth century. He was elected Bishop of Poitiers in 350. He fought strongly against Arianism and was exiled by the Emperor Constantius. His works are full of wisdom and learning, directed to the strengthening of the Catholic faith and the right interpretation of Scripture. He died in 367. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1851.

Other saints: St Kentigern or Mungo (518 - 603)

Lancaster, Scotland: 13 Jan

Liverpool: 14 Jan

Kentigern was born in about 518. At the age of 25 he went as a missionary on the Clyde. A community grew up around him, known as “Clasgu” (“dear family”), and this is now the city of Glasgow. He was consecrated as bishop in 540. A strong anti-Christian movement forced him into exile in Wales, where he founded a monastery at what is now St Asaph’s. After 573 he spent eight years at Hoddam in Dumfriesshire before returning to Glasgow in 581. He died there on 13 January 603. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.

About the author of the Second Reading in today's Office of Readings:

Second Reading: Pope St Clement I

Clement was Bishop of Rome after Peter, Linus and Cletus. He lived towards the end of the first century, but nothing is known for certain about his life. Clement’s letter to the Corinthian church has survived. It is the first known Patristic document, and exhorts them to peace and brotherly harmony.

Liturgical colour: green

The theological virtue of hope is symbolized by the colour green, just as the burning fire of love is symbolized by red. Green is the colour of growing things, and hope, like them, is always new and always fresh. Liturgically, green is the colour of Ordinary Time, the orderly sequence of weeks through the year, a season in which we are being neither single-mindedly penitent (in purple) nor overwhelmingly joyful (in white).

Mid-morning reading (Terce)	Romans 13:8,10
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Noon reading (Sext)	James 1:19-20,26
Be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger. Nobody must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion.

Afternoon reading (None)	1 Peter 1:17,18,19
You must be scrupulously careful as long as you are living away from your home. Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ.