About Today
Sunday 30 November 2025
1st Sunday of Advent
Let us adore the Lord, the King who is to come.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
In other years: St Andrew the Apostle
He was born in Bethsaida, in Galilee, and worked as a fisherman. He may have been a disciple of St John the Baptist. He became one of the first to follow Jesus and introduced his brother, Simon Peter, to him. As one of the twelve Apostles he was widely venerated in ancient times, and became patron saint of Scotland because according to legend some of his bones were brought there and buried at the place where the town of St Andrew’s now stands.
Other saints: St Cuthbert Mayne (1543-1577)
30 Nov
Plymouth: 29 Nov
Cuthbert Mayne was born at Youlston, near Barnstaple, Devonshire, in 1543 and was executed at Launceston, Cornwall, 29 November 1577. He was the son of William Mayne; he was educated at Barnstaple Grammar School and Oxford, where he got to know a number of men who were favourable to the Catholic cause, notably Edmund Campion and Gregory Martin, who themselves went over to Douai. He was persuaded of the truth of the Catholic cause but held back initially for fear of losing his appointments and his income. Late in 1570 a letter from Gregory Martin to Cuthbert fell into the Bishop of London’s hands. He at once arranged for Cuthbert and others mentioned in the letter to be arrested. Being warned, Cuthbert managed to escape and got to Douai. There he was received into the Catholic Church, and was ordained priest in 1575. He soon left for the English mission. He went to live with Francis Tregian, of Golden Manor, in St Probus’s parish, Cornwall, who was subsequently imprisoned for harbouring him. Cuthbert was arrested in June 1577, taken to Launceston and put on trial in September. He was found guilty of high treason, and was sentenced accordingly. The trial attracted considerable attention partly because he was the first so-called ‘seminary priest’ to be tried; a legal distinction was made between ‘Marian’ priests who had been ordained in England, and ‘seminary’ priests who had studied and had been ordained overseas. His execution was delayed because one of the judges, Jeffries, altered his mind after sentence and sent a report to the Privy Council. They submitted the case to the whole Bench of Judges, which was inclined to Jeffries’s view. Nevertheless, for motives of policy, the Council ordered the conviction to stand “as a terror to the papists” and a warning to priests coming from abroad. A rough portrait of the martyr still exists.
A correspondent asks us to make it clear that the “Bishop of London” who had Cuthbert arrested was not the Catholic Bishop of London. Indeed, there was no Catholic Bishop of London at that time, and there has never been one since. The last Catholic Bishop of London was deprived of his see in 1559 and died in prison ten years later.
First Sunday of Advent
Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Reflection on the Vintage Advent Calendar
And so we come to the first day of Advent. In its origins, this four-week period known asAdvent (from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming”) began as a time of preparation for earlyconverts to Christianity who were preparing for their baptism. Over the centuries, it evolvedinto the season we now know: a sacred time of expectant waiting for the birth of Our Lord. Italso marks the beginning of our new Liturgical Year.
Today’s artwork is an Advent calendar dating from 1903. The tradition of the Advent calendarcan be traced back to the mid-19th century, particularly in the Protestant regions ofGermany. Religious families would mark the days of December by drawing a chalk line on thewall or lighting a candle for each day until Christmas Eve. Some families even hung onedevotional picture per day as a visual countdown to Christ’s coming.
Soon this practice evolved into printed calendars that could be hung in the home. By theearly 1900s, these calendars included small hinged doors, each revealing a Scripture verse orholy image when opened. It wasn’t long before the custom developed further, with childrenbeing delighted to find small chocolates, pictures, or prayers tucked behind the flaps.
The tradition almost disappeared during the Second World War when cardboard wasrationed and the Nazi regime prohibited the printing of religious images. But in 1946production began again, and Advent calendars quickly spread across Europe and beyond.One doesn’t see these Advent calendars very often in our shops anymore. And when Adventcalendars do appear, they are so often completely secularised, reduced simply to sellingchocolates, beauty products, or toys, rather than inviting us to open little doors that reveal averse of Scripture, a prayer, or a glimpse of the mystery we are preparing to celebrate.
I remember clearly, as a child, having such an Advent calendar at home. It was thrilling eachmorning to wake up, rush over, and open that day’s little door — and yes, to discover thechocolate inside (I have to admit!). It remains a beautiful way of involving children in thejourney towards Christmas, helping them count the days until the light of Christ breaks intoour world once again.
Weihnachts-Kalender, Im Lande des Christkinds, Drawn and issued by Richard Ernst Kepler (1851-1930),Colour print on cardboard paper,Issued in 1903
1st Sunday of Advent
Let us adore the Lord, the King who is to come.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
In other years: St Andrew the Apostle
He was born in Bethsaida, in Galilee, and worked as a fisherman. He may have been a disciple of St John the Baptist. He became one of the first to follow Jesus and introduced his brother, Simon Peter, to him. As one of the twelve Apostles he was widely venerated in ancient times, and became patron saint of Scotland because according to legend some of his bones were brought there and buried at the place where the town of St Andrew’s now stands.
Other saints: St Cuthbert Mayne (1543-1577)
30 Nov
Plymouth: 29 Nov
Cuthbert Mayne was born at Youlston, near Barnstaple, Devonshire, in 1543 and was executed at Launceston, Cornwall, 29 November 1577. He was the son of William Mayne; he was educated at Barnstaple Grammar School and Oxford, where he got to know a number of men who were favourable to the Catholic cause, notably Edmund Campion and Gregory Martin, who themselves went over to Douai. He was persuaded of the truth of the Catholic cause but held back initially for fear of losing his appointments and his income. Late in 1570 a letter from Gregory Martin to Cuthbert fell into the Bishop of London’s hands. He at once arranged for Cuthbert and others mentioned in the letter to be arrested. Being warned, Cuthbert managed to escape and got to Douai. There he was received into the Catholic Church, and was ordained priest in 1575. He soon left for the English mission. He went to live with Francis Tregian, of Golden Manor, in St Probus’s parish, Cornwall, who was subsequently imprisoned for harbouring him. Cuthbert was arrested in June 1577, taken to Launceston and put on trial in September. He was found guilty of high treason, and was sentenced accordingly. The trial attracted considerable attention partly because he was the first so-called ‘seminary priest’ to be tried; a legal distinction was made between ‘Marian’ priests who had been ordained in England, and ‘seminary’ priests who had studied and had been ordained overseas. His execution was delayed because one of the judges, Jeffries, altered his mind after sentence and sent a report to the Privy Council. They submitted the case to the whole Bench of Judges, which was inclined to Jeffries’s view. Nevertheless, for motives of policy, the Council ordered the conviction to stand “as a terror to the papists” and a warning to priests coming from abroad. A rough portrait of the martyr still exists.
A correspondent asks us to make it clear that the “Bishop of London” who had Cuthbert arrested was not the Catholic Bishop of London. Indeed, there was no Catholic Bishop of London at that time, and there has never been one since. The last Catholic Bishop of London was deprived of his see in 1559 and died in prison ten years later.
First Sunday of Advent
Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Reflection on the Vintage Advent Calendar
And so we come to the first day of Advent. In its origins, this four-week period known asAdvent (from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming”) began as a time of preparation for earlyconverts to Christianity who were preparing for their baptism. Over the centuries, it evolvedinto the season we now know: a sacred time of expectant waiting for the birth of Our Lord. Italso marks the beginning of our new Liturgical Year.
Today’s artwork is an Advent calendar dating from 1903. The tradition of the Advent calendarcan be traced back to the mid-19th century, particularly in the Protestant regions ofGermany. Religious families would mark the days of December by drawing a chalk line on thewall or lighting a candle for each day until Christmas Eve. Some families even hung onedevotional picture per day as a visual countdown to Christ’s coming.
Soon this practice evolved into printed calendars that could be hung in the home. By theearly 1900s, these calendars included small hinged doors, each revealing a Scripture verse orholy image when opened. It wasn’t long before the custom developed further, with childrenbeing delighted to find small chocolates, pictures, or prayers tucked behind the flaps.
The tradition almost disappeared during the Second World War when cardboard wasrationed and the Nazi regime prohibited the printing of religious images. But in 1946production began again, and Advent calendars quickly spread across Europe and beyond.One doesn’t see these Advent calendars very often in our shops anymore. And when Adventcalendars do appear, they are so often completely secularised, reduced simply to sellingchocolates, beauty products, or toys, rather than inviting us to open little doors that reveal averse of Scripture, a prayer, or a glimpse of the mystery we are preparing to celebrate.
I remember clearly, as a child, having such an Advent calendar at home. It was thrilling eachmorning to wake up, rush over, and open that day’s little door — and yes, to discover thechocolate inside (I have to admit!). It remains a beautiful way of involving children in thejourney towards Christmas, helping them count the days until the light of Christ breaks intoour world once again.
Weihnachts-Kalender, Im Lande des Christkinds, Drawn and issued by Richard Ernst Kepler (1851-1930),Colour print on cardboard paper,Issued in 1903