Calendar Class of September 7, 2025
- Andrea Kirk Assaf
- Sep 7
- 5 min read
A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
Liturgical: Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Gospel is from St. Luke 14:25-33 and teaches us that the essential condition for true discipleship, demanded by Christ, was, and still is, total dedication, total commitment of oneself to Him. There can be no such person as a half-Christian. "He that is not with me is against me," He said on another occasion. We cannot be for Christ on Sunday and against Him for the remainder of the week. To be His true disciples, His true followers, we must live our Christian life every day and all day.
Pope Leo's Sunday Angelus address today and the canonization Mass. Here is a video just of the Holy Father's homily at the Mass today.
Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon: Are You Ready for Serious Discipleship?
Fr. Plant's Homily-Scripture Lesson: Take up your cross and follow me.
Sanctoral: Saint Cloud, A.D. 522–560
Saint Cloud had a lot of reasons to worry during his 38-year stint on this earth, but he learned to turn those worries into prayer.
Cloud was born into the royal family in France in 522 AD. When he was young, his father was killed in battle, and this set off a vicious power struggle within the family. Two of Cloud’s brothers were brutally murdered by their own uncles. Cloud managed to escape this fate by fleeing to bishop Regimus, who would later become a saint. Later, he was able to find protection under his grandmother, Saint Clotilde.
Though Cloud’s life presented plenty of reasons to worry, he continually turned to God in prayer. Each time he did, his trust in God grew.
Human: 2025--Canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the first saints of Pope Leo XIV
National Grandparents Day is always celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In 2025, that’s Sunday, September 7! While we honor our grandparents daily, take an extra moment to appreciate all the joy and wisdom that grandparents bring to our lives. The official flower is the forget-me-not. The official song is Johnny Prill’s “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa.” Most grandparents don’t care what activity they do to celebrate today's holiday—they just want to spend time with their grandchildren. If you have a grandparent, ask them to show you one of their favorite hobbies. Let your grandparents teach you a skill, like how to fish. Or, perhaps, they enjoy garden walks or nature hikes. If your grandparent would prefer a calm day, ask them to show you their favorite classic movie. It would also be fun to make arts and crafts together. We have a bunch of seasonal crafts to try, from making hollyhock flower dolls to creating an autumn nut wreath.
Maybe you can bring them some treats, like Grandpa’s Banana Bread. Or, try making one of the dishes that your grandparents usually make for you.
If your grandparent does not live nearby, make sure to give them a call and send a card! Even if it doesn’t arrive for Grandparents Day, they’ll always appreciate a handwritten note. Here are a few simple tips on how to write a proper thank you note (we’ll bet your grandparents know this!).
Natural: It is the night of the Full Corn Moon! The nearly-full, brilliantly white moon shone down like a huge spotlight last night, truly a "midnight sun." The other traditional names for the full moon of September are Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota), Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine). The behavior of animals is also a common theme, with Child Moon (Tlingit) referring to the time when young animals are weaned, and Mating Moon and Rutting Moon (both Cree) describing the time of year when certain animals, like moose, elk, and deer, are looking to mate. Usually, the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day; but around the time of the autumnal equinox, it rises only around 30 minutes later in the United States—even less in Canada. Frost occurring in the dark of the moon kills fruit buds and blossoms, but frost in the light of the moon will not.
The full moon this year is perfectly timed to light the paths of the campers at the Wheatland Music Festival, and the pilgrims' pre-dawn path in Rome, to the canonization that took place this morning at St. Peter's Basilica.
Scientists tune in to the brain’s emotional response to music
Italian: Mangiarsi le mani (to kick oneself)
Quote: "Dear friends, Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces. They encourage us with their words: “Not I, but God,” as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: “If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.” This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven."
--from Pope Leo's homily today at the canonization of our two newest saints
“Everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies.”
“The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven. When we face the sun we get a tan ... but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.”
“Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”
“Our ultimate goal must be the Infinite and not the finite.”
-St. Carlo Acutis
“To live without faith, without a heritage to defend, without battling constantly for truth, is not to live but to ‘get along’; we must never just ‘get along.’”
“The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.”
“A Catholic cannot help but be happy; ... They are happy even through suffering.”
“What wealth it is to be in good health, as we are! We have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who do not have it.”
“Foolish is he who follows the pleasures of this world, ... The only true pleasure is that which comes to us through faith.”
--St. Pier Giorgio Frassati
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