Calendar Class of December 7, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe desertum mare! Today's Gospel reminds us, through St. John the Baptist, to go out into the desert, the wilderness, to prepare a way for the Lord during Advent. The homilies linked below all expound upon that theme, particularly that of Fr. Plant. Coincidentally, before I watched those homilies I woke early to watch the sun rise over a different kind of wilderness, the vast and untamed sea. Now, in this moment, I am standing in a sea of consumerism on a street near St. Peter's, where all the shops are decked out in tinsel, belching out sentimental holiday sing-a-longs as fatigued faces drift in and out of the stores. Without a doubt, the forerunner chose the better place to clear a path for the adventus of the Christ Child.

Liturgical: Second Sunday of Advent

In the time of the Roman Empire, rulers rode from city to city for the purpose of official visitations. Their appearance, called epiphany or parousia, was a great event, one preceded by months of preparation. Something analogous takes place in the Jerusalem of our souls. From a high watchtower we see the Lord coming afar off. Suddenly John the Baptist appears; he hurries into the city to announce the King's approach. God condescends to manifest Himself to us in grace; but He demands the proper reception.

—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch

The days of Advent are like a quiet knocking at the door of our smothered souls, inviting us to undertake the risk of stepping forward toward God's mysterious presence, which alone can make us free.

—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which is Above

Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon: The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Fr Plant's Homily-Scripture Lesson: Repent!

Sanctoral: The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Ambrose (340-397), who was born at Treves in Gaul, a territory which embraced modern France, Britain, Spain, and part of Africa. He studied in Rome and later became governor of Liguria and Aemelia with residence at Milan. While supervising the election of a new bishop of Milan in 374, he himself was suddenly acclaimed the bishop. He was only a catechumen at the time and was ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop on December 7. He wrote much on the Scriptures and Fathers, preached a homily every Sunday, resisted the interference of the secular powers with the rights of the Church, opposed the heretics, and was instrumental in bringing about the conversion of St. Augustine. He composed many hymns, promoted sacred chant, and took a great interest in the Liturgy.

He is the patron saint of beekeepers.

Human: 43 BC Roman orator and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero is assassinated in Formiae by soldiers under the command of Mark Antony

​1941 The Imperial Japanese Navy, with 353 planes, attacks the US fleet at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, killing 2,403 people

1965 Roman Catholic Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift the mutual excommunications that led to the split of the two churches in 1054 during the Great Schism

1988 PLO delegation led by Yasser Arafat proclaims the State of Palestine and recognizes the existence of the State of Israel for the first time

2022 After widespread public protests, China announces a major loosening of COVID-19 restrictions for the entire country, allowing home quarantine and scrapping QR codes, effectively ending China's zero-COVID policy

Natural: 1909 Inventor Leo Baekeland patents the first thermosetting plastic, Bakelite, sparking the birth of the plastics industry

Italian: Dare buca a qualcuno (to stand someone up)

Quote: "Advent is a time to wait, not quite time to celebrate. Light the candles one by one, 'til the Advent time is done. Christmas day will soon be here, time for joy and time for cheer." -- Advent rhyme in Italy