Chapter One
January 1
1. the feast of the circumcision
Since he was born of observant Jews, the newborn Christ Child was, "after
eight days," according to the Gospel of Saint Luke, genitally mutilated.
Saints Jerome and Bernard concur that the surgery was performed by none other
than His Virgin Mother Mary, and that this ritual bloodshed was the first of her
Seven Sorrows. In after years the Divine Foreskin was a much-prized relic, once
bestowed by Angels upon the Emperor Charlemagne; a reliquary jar said to contain
it still is venerated at a parish church in Calcata, Italy.
the feast of saint clarus
Obscure French prelate, 660
Patron of the shortsighted; invoked against myopia * (emblem: abbot appeasing a
flooded river)
This humble French monk was so holy that he was appointed spiritual director of
the convent in which his own widowed mother was a nun. Despite the many miracles
attributed to Clarus, it is because of his name, which in Latin means
"clear," that his heavenly aid is sought by those whose vision isn' ... read full excerpt from The Birthday Book of Saints: Your Powerful Personal Patrons for Every Blessed Day of the Year ebook
