SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 4, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday, Weekday of Christmas season!
Watch “Catholic Daily Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy | Wednesday, January 4, 2024 on YouTube |
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Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday January 4, 2024
Reading 1, First John 3:7-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 7-8, 9
Gospel, John 1:35-42
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY – MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph and told him that the Child’s name should be called Jesus, meaning “God Saves.” According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesus’ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram “IHS,” (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.
On this feast day, we continue to remember our beloved late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the first memorial anniversary of his death. We pray for the repose of his gentle soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the gentle soul of Pope Benedict XVI and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
Please let us continue to pray for peace all around the world, particularly in the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious [In the Dioceses of the United States].
SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON, RELIGIOUS: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821) was born in New York City to a wealthy, virtuous, and influential family. She was the first native-born American citizen to be canonized as a saint. She was raised Episcopalian (Anglican), but later converted to Catholicism. Through the struggles and tragedies she faced in life, she remained devout. She is the founder of the first Catholic schools in the United States and is the Patron Saint of Catholic schools, widows, and seafarers. She was born on August 28, 1774 to a prominent Wealthy Episcopalian (Anglican) family in New York City. Her grandfather was the rector of St. Andrew’s Church on Staten Island, and Elizabeth grew up with a strong faith and prayer life. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, was a doctor and the first anatomy professor at Columbia, one of the first health officials in NewYork. Her mother, Catherine, died in 1777 when St. Elizabeth was three years old. Her father remarried Charlotte Roosevelt-Barclay, who took Elizabeth with her in her social ministry in the Church. Together they fed the poor and nursed the sick and dying among family, friends, and needy neighbors. At age nineteen, St. Elizabeth married William Magee Seton (25) a wealthy businessman, an importer on January 25, 1794 and together they lived on Wall Street. They attended an Episcopalian church where Elizabeth was very active in charitable works to the poor. Together they had five children, Anna Maria, William, Richard, Catherine, and Rebecca. And when her father-in-law, William’s father died, she became like a mother to her husband’s six younger siblings, they took in William’s six younger siblings in addition to her own five children. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton enjoyed a full life of loving service to her family, care for the underprivileged, and religious development in her Episcopal faith.
In the late 1700s, a double tragedy visited Seton. Events moved quickly from there with devastating effect. Both William’s business and health failed. He was finally forced to file a petition of bankruptcy and the Seton family’s life took a turn when her husband William became ill. He suffered from tuberculosis and continued to grow worse. Hoping to improve his health, the couple and their eldest daughter Anna Maria decided to go to Italy in a final attempt to save William’s health, the Setons sailed for Italy, where William had business friends. On November 19th, they arrived in Leghorn and were placed in quarantine. They were released from quarantine on December 19th. William died 8 days later on December 27, 1803. Waiting to return to the United States, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Anna Maria spent several months with the Filicchi brothers who were business associates of her husband. While in Italy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton learned about Roman Catholicism for the first time. She was especially drawn to the doctrine of the Eucharist as the real body of Christ.
She returned to New York in June 1804. After her return, she continued to feel conflicted between the Episcopal and Catholic faiths. After almost a year, she officially converted to Roman Catholicism on March 14, 1805. She was confirmed in 1806 and chose Mary as her confirmation name. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton admired the Virgin Mary and chose her as a saint to continue to guide her spiritually. St. Elizabeth’s favorite prayer was the 23rd Psalm and she developed a deep devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture, and the Virgin Mary. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s choice to convert resulted in three years of financial struggle and social discrimination. After losing her family fortune, St. Elizabeth spent her life working to improve education and provide for the poor, as well as the needs of her family. She opened a boarding house for boys. When the student’s parents discovered that she was Catholic, they removed their children from the home. St. Elizabeth and her family were invited by several priests to move to Baltimore, Maryland. They moved in June 1808 to open a school for girls, the first Catholic school. Catholic women from around the country came to join her work and, over time, they created a convent. The women soon moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where they formally began their religious life as Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s on July 31, 1809. This was the first sisterhood in the United States. The first American congregation of Religious Sisters, the Sisters of Charity. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was named first Superior and given the title of “Mother.” She served in that role for the next twelve years. Mother Seton saw her small community of teaching sisters grow expand from Emmitsburg (1809) to New York (1814), Cincinnati (1829), Halifax (1849), New Jersey (1859), Greensburg (1870), and St. Louis (1909). As the community took shape, St. Elizabeth directed its vision.
On July 19, 1813, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and eighteen other sisters made vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and service to the poor. They would renew these vows annually. In 1814 the community accepted its first mission outside Emmitsburg, an orphanage in Philadelphia. By 1817 sisters had been sent to staff a similar work in New York. While in Emmitsburg, two of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s daughters died from tuberculosis, Anna Maria in 1812 and Rebecca in 1816. By that time, she herself was weak and increasingly subject to poor health. She spent the last years of her life directing St. Joseph’s Academy and her growing community. She died January 4, 1821, at 46 years old. Although she passed away at a young age, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s legacy lived on. She was declared holy (beatified) by Pope John XXIII on on March 17, 1963. She was canonized, or officially made a Saint, September 14, 1975, by Pope Paul VI. She was the first native-born Saint of the United States. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the Patron Saint of Catholic schools, widows, those who have lost parents or children, seafarers, those with in-law problems, against the death of children, the death of parents, and opposition of Church authorities.
PRAYER: Lord God, You blessed St. Elizabeth Seton with gifts of grace as wife and mother, educator and foundress, so that she might dedicate her life to the service of Your people. Through her example and prayers may we learn to express our love for You in love for others. Amen🙏
Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this feast day, we humbly pray and thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, our Savior Jesus Christ! We pray for the safety and well-being of all our children and school children as they return to school this new year after the Christmas holiday. We pray for God’s guidance and protection upon them. We pray for peace, love and unity in our marriages, our families and our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for an end to wars, political and religious unrest. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today~ Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 1:35-42
“We have found the Messiah”
“John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.”
Our Gospel reading today suggests that our coming to Jesus is often in and through each other. John the Baptist directs two of his disciples to Jesus, with the words, ‘Look, there is the Lamb of God’. Jesus goes on to personally call these two disciples, saying, ‘Come and see’, but it was John the Baptist who put them in the way of that call. According to the Gospel reading, one of these two disciples of John the Baptist was Andrew. He directs his brother, Simon, to Jesus with the words, ‘We have found the Messiah’. Jesus goes on to personally call Simon with the words, ‘You are to be called Cephas’, but it was Andrew who put Simon in the way of that call. As a result, the fisherman became the leading member of the twelve. The Lord uses all of us in different ways to put others in the way of the call of Jesus. He uses us as intermediaries to bring people to Him. We cannot make people respond to the call of Jesus, no more than John the Baptist could have made his disciples respond to the call of Jesus or Andrew could have made Simon respond to Jesus’ call. We can only do so much. We can find ourselves very frustrated at how little we can do. Yet, we can all do something. As we strive to grow in our faith and in living that faith to the full we will inevitably put people in the way of the call of Jesus. We then have to step back and allow the mysterious dialogue between the Lord and others to unfold and take its course. The Lord calls each of us by name; He invites each one of us to come and see. He wants to personally meet with us and for us to have a personal encounter with Him. We can facilitate that personal encounter for one another as John did for his two disciples and Andrew did for Simon Peter. We cannot be the Lord for others in the full sense, but we can be the gate through which others come to encounter the Lord in all His fullness. There is no more loving service we could render one another than that.
In our first reading today, from the Apostle St. John in his Epistle to the faithful people of God regarding the reminder that all the faithful must always hold on to the faith which they have in the Son of God, the Saviour born unto us through Mary, His blessed Mother. Today’s first reading begins with the call, ‘Do not let anyone lead you astray’. We all have the potential to lead others astray when it comes to our shared journey towards the Lord. For even at the time of the Apostles, of St. John and the other earliest leaders of the Church, there had been significant troubles and divisions affecting the Church and the faithful due to those selfish, wicked and unscrupulous people seeking to mislead and misguide the people of God down the wrong paths. Even since the earliest days of the Church there had been those who subverted and changed the teachings of the Lord to suit their own desires and wishes, their own ambitions and purposes. As such, the Apostles and the other leaders of the Church, and then their successors, the Popes and bishops all throughout the past two millennia of the history of the Church has to contend and oppose all those who seek to divide and mislead the flock of the Lord’s faithful. Everyone has always ever been reminded of their obligation and faith in the One and only True God, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, Who has shown unto us the Love of God manifested in the flesh, appearing before us that we all may know that whatever we are believing in is not just a bluff or myth, unlike the many other beliefs and faiths in the pagan idols and gods. Our faith in God, in the one and only True God, is the foundation of our lives and existence in this world. It is very important therefore that we all take our faith in God seriously.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the calling which all of us have received as Christians to be faithful followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in all things and at all times. We are all reminded that as Christians we are all God’s called and chosen people, and we have received from Him the assurance of joy and eternal life that will be ours if we keep our faith in Him, our Lord and Saviour. He shall never abandon us, and everything will be fine for us if we continue to walk in the path that He has shown to us. We are all reminded that the very reason why we celebrate Christmas season that we are still very well within, is indeed Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas, and our Christmas celebrations would have been meaningless and without purpose. Let us all therefore commit ourselves to a new life and existence in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, putting Him back at the centre and as the main focus of our lives. Let us all remember the faith that the Lord’s Apostles, His countless saints and martyrs, who had given their all in following and serving the Lord. Let us all walk in their footsteps and be inspired to continue carrying out whatever missions and vocations that the Lord had called us to do, in our own respective lives. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always, and may He continue to bless us and empower us all so that we may always be filled with His Wisdom, strength and the Holy Spirit, in enduring the challenges and trials of life, and in being ever faithful and committed to Him, and not being swayed by worldly temptations and the allures of worldly glory. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
Lord, You continuously invite me to come to You, to be with You and to sit with You in Your divine presence. Please help me to hear this gentle invitation of Your love. As I do, please open the eyes of my soul to see You, know You and love You more fully. And as I see You, give me grace and strength to follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton ~ Pray for us 🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Journey mercies for all those traveling during this Christmas season and new year. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year! Amen🙏
Blessings and love always, Philomena💖
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