You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast, 2020. Today is also the feast day of St. Francis of Rome. So that's Francis with an E. So this is a woman. St. Francis lived in Rome, and she lived there at the end of

the 1300s. Now, from a very young age, she wanted to give her life totally to Jesus and become a

nun. However, her parents did not allow her to do that. Instead, they arranged a marriage for her to a good

and holy man. She became a wife

and a mother. But she became this really beautiful example of how holiness is not just something

that happens in the convent. Holiness is something that happens anywhere we are. It happens in homes.

It happens in schools. It happens everywhere if we are willing

to follow Jesus. So St. Francis had many struggles, even with her husband's family. And she lived in a

terribly difficult time. When she was a young mother, her husband was forced to flee Rome because

enemies were trying to kill him. And when he was gone, these roving armies that were invading

places in Europe at the time, they sacked Rome, destroyed the city, destroyed her home. And so she was taking care of her family and also

trying to minister to the poor. And then the plague came. If you don't know what the plague is,

it was a terribly contagious, deadly illness to which there was no cure at the time. Thousands of people died in Rome, and including

some of her children, and her husband was gone this whole time, and most of their house was

knocked down. So they were living in the broken down house wild, and yet she remained completely

devoted to God, willing to share the few things they had with the

poor and faithful. So she had a very difficult life, and yet she was willing to do all of these things

with love because of her relationship with Jesus Christ. And so, no matter what you're experiencing

today, I want you to just know that it can still be a joy-filled day where Christ is present, because he is always there, he is always working, and we always have a choice if we're going to follow him or not. At least that's what we learned from St. Francis of Rome. So today we are continuing to talk

about the Mass. We're going to start talking about what comes after the readings, which is the homily.

But before we get there, let's practice memorizing and praying the surrender prayer. In the name of the

Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Take Lord and receive all surrender prayer. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

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