October 2023 — Overview for the Month
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The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of October 2023
For the Synod: We pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level, and allow herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the peripheries of the world. (See also http://www.popesprayerusa.net/)
Feasts for October 2023
1. TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday2. Holy Guardian Angels, Memorial
4. Francis of Assisi, Memorial
5. Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos; St. Faustina Kowalska, Opt. Mem.
6. Bruno; Bl. Marie Rose Durocher (USA and CAN), Opt. Mem.
7. Our Lady of the Rosary, Memorial
8. TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
11. St. John XXIII, Opt. Mem.
14. Callistus I, Opt. Mem.
15. TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
16. Hedwig; Margaret Mary Alacoque, Opt. Mem.
17. Ignatius of Antioch, Memorial
18. Luke, Evangelist, Feast
19. John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions (USA), Memorial
20. Paul of the Cross, Opt. Mem.
22. TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
23. John of Capistrano, Opt. Mem.
24. Anthony Mary Claret, Opt. Mem.
28. Simon & Jude, Apostles, Feast
29. THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
Focus of the Liturgy
The Gospels for the Sundays in October 2023 are taken from St. Matthew from Year A, Weekdays follow Year I.
October 1st | Matthew 21:28-32: He changed his mind and went. Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven before you. |
October 8th | Matthew 21:33-43: He will lease his vineyard to other tenants. |
October 15th | Matthew 22:1-14: Invite to the wedding feasts whoever you find. |
October 22nd | Matthew 22:15-21: Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. |
October 30th | Matthew 22:34-40: You shall love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself. |
Highlights of the Month
October, as in all of Tempus per Annum, or Ordinary Time (formerly known as Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy does not focus on one particular mystery of Christ, but views the mystery of Christ in all its aspects. We follow the life of Christ through the Gospels, and focus on the teachings and parables of Jesus and what it means for each of us to be a follower of Christ.
This month the main liturgical feasts are:
Guardian Angels (October 2),
St. Francis of Assisi (October 4),
St. Faustina (October 5),
St. Bruno (October 6),
Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7),
St. Denis, St. John Leonardi and St. John Henry Newman (October 9),
St. John XXIII(October 11),
St. Callistus I (October 14),
Sts. Hedwig and Margaret Mary Alocoque (October 16),
St. Ignatius of Antioch (October 17),
St. Luke (October 18),
Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions (October 19),
St. Paul of the Cross (October 20),
St. John Paul II (October 22),
St. John Capistrano (October 23),
St. Anthony Mary Claret (October 24), and
Sts. Simon and Jude (October 28).
The commemorations of St. Thérèse (October 1), St. Teresa of Jesus (October 15), and St. John Paul II (October 22), fall on a Sunday so they are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.
Autumn Festivities
October usually is an enjoyable time of the year in the United States. The autumn season manifests itself with wonderful fall foliage in many parts of the country. The temperatures are cooler, inviting people outdoors for nature walks, apple or pumpkin picking. School routines are more established and football season is in full swing. The celebrations of the Church for the month of October are also wonderful and unique. The feasts of some of the most popular saints of the universal Church are celebrated during this month: St. Thérèse the Little Flower (France), St. Francis of Assisi (Italy) and St. Teresa of Avila (Spain). These saints come from different countries, and in honoring these saints we can include cultural dishes or activities from each country to make the feastday even more special. Read more about the lives of these saints. Perhaps the family can pick one virtue that each saint practiced well and try to implement it.
The feasts in October also include two of the most popular, time-honored devotions of Catholics, the devotion to the Holy Rosary (October 7) and the Guardian Angels (October 2). In October 2002 St. John Paul II wrote the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary)."
This letter introduced five new mysteries, called the Luminous or Mysteries of Light, which are:
- Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan
- Jesus' self manifestation at the wedding of Cana
- Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with the call to conversion
- the Transfiguration, and
- the Institution of the Eucharist.
Try to make a more concerted effort to pray the Rosary together as a family during the month of October, read the Apostolic Letter to understand the beauty of this devotion more deeply, and pray the Luminous mysteries.
Every person has a guardian angel assigned to them, and October 2 the Church celebrates the role of these Guardian Angels. We should show devout gratitude to God for placing these angels at our service. Having a guardian should give us confidence during all of life's difficulties. Every Catholic should know the Angele Dei (Angel of God) prayer and pray it often. The Directory on Popular Piety suggests that families pray it at morning and evening prayers or after the Angelus.
All Hallows' Eve or Halloween heralds the month of November with emphasis on the Communion of Saints, especially the Church Suffering (the Poor Souls in Purgatory) and the second coming of Christ or Parousia. This last day of October on the secular calendar is second only to Christmas in commercial preparations. The Christian focus is on the Communion of Saints and the Last Things. As Christians living a "Catholic Culture", we can try to explore the Christian roots of the Halloween festivities.
This item 12529 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org