Month: February 2024

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT OSWALD OF WORCESTER, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK; SAINT AUGUSTE CHAPDELAINE, PRIEST AND MARTYR AND BLESSED ANTONIA OF FLORENCE OSC, WIDOW

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT OSWALD OF WORCESTER, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK; SAINT AUGUSTE CHAPDELAINE, PRIEST AND MARTYR AND BLESSED ANTONIA OF FLORENCE OSC, WIDOW

    SECOND WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 29, 2024 (LEAP YEAR)

    Greetings beloved family. Happy Thursday of the Second Week of Lent and Happy Leap Year, 2024!

    We thank God for the gift of life and for bringing us all successfully to the end of the month of February. May His name be praised forever and ever. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we continue our Lenten journey. Amen🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | February 29, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 29, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 29, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 29, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 29, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday February 29, 2024
    Reading 1, Jeremiah 17:5-10
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
    Gospel, Luke 16:19-31

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Fourteen: Presumption | Thursday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-fourteen-presumption/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Fourteen – “Do Whatever He Tells You” | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-fourteen-do-whatever-he-tells-you/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved late Fr. Thomas Kennedy, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. 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, Fr. Tom Kenedy and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Every fourth year, the month of February is one day longer, reminding us that every fourth year is a Leap Year. Leap Year is a necessity. The Earth we live on revolves around the sun in about 365.242189 days. Or, to be precise, a total of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds.

    On this Leap Year, today, four of the many Saints assigned for commemoration on the 28th of February are repeated on the 29th: Blessed Antonia of Florence, St. Auguste Chapdelaine, St. Oswald of Worcester, and Pope, St. Hilary (refer to February 28th post).

    SAINT OSWALD OF WORCESTER, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK: Saint Oswald of Worcester was born in 925 AD, in Denmark. He was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death of natural causes on February 29, 992 AD (age 67 years), Worcester, United Kingdom. St. Oswald was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. His Feast day is  29 February (leap years); 28 February (common years); 19 May (POCSP).

    St. Oswald’s parents came from Denmark to England before his birth and he was born when his parents had just relocated to England. Saint Oswald was the nephew of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Saint Odo the Good. The Archbishop played a crucial role in St. Oswald’s early life, raising and educating him. He became a Priest in the diocese of Winchester, England. St. Oswald decided to travel abroad to France to further his education. While in France, he felt called to become a Benedictine monk at Fleury-sur-Loire France. He was chosen and served as the Bishop of Worcester in England in 962 AD working with Saint Dunstan and Saint Ethelwold to revive the monastic and ecclesiastical discipline in England. He later became the Archbishop of York in 972 AD. As Archbishop, St. Oswald instituted many helpful reforms and established several monasteries, including the abbey at Ramsey and the monastery at Winchester. He wrote theological treatises, and worked for the improved theological training of his clergy. He invited leading scholars in astronomy and mathematics to these monasteries to improve the intellectual lives of the monks. St. Oswald had a deep love of the poor. Daily washed the feet of poor people. When Lent began in 992, St. Oswald resumed his customary tradition of washing the feet of 12 poor men every day. On February 29, Saint Oswald passed on to his heavenly home after washing, blessing, and kissing the feet of the 12th poor man of his final day.

    REFLECTION: Saint Oswald had a deep love of the poor, and welcomed ministering to them in any way that he could. He even made it a point to wash the feet of 12 poor men each day during the season of Lent. Do you make ministering to the poor, lonely, or forgotten a priority in your life? Spend a few quiet minutes in prayer, talking to the Lord. Ask him to help you in your ministry to the poor.

    PRAYER: God present in the poor, help us to realize that serving the needs of others is something all of us are called to do. Let us be generous in giving to others. Let us give not only of our surplus but also of our time and energy. 🙏

    SAINT AUGUSTE CHAPDELAINE, PRIEST AND MARTYR: St. Auguste Chapdelaine (1814-1856), was a French Priest and member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. A priest, missionary, and martyr, who converted hundreds of souls before his martyrdom in China. St. Auguste was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on October 1, 2000. He was born on January 6, 1814 at La Rochelle-Normande, France to Nicolas Chapdelaine and Madeleine Dodeman in the tiny northwestern French village of La Rochelle-Normande. Youngest of nine children born to Nicolas Chapdelaine and Madeleine Dodeman, who were farmers. Following grammar school, St. Augustus dropped out to work on the family farm. He early felt a call to the priesthood, but his family opposed it, needing his help on the farm. He was strong, and for this reason his parents were reluctant to “lose” him to the priesthood since they needed able-bodied people to work their land, especially as they grew older. However, the sudden death of two of his brothers caused them to re-think forcing him to ignore his life’s vocation, and they finally approved. He entered the minor seminary at Mortain on  October 1, 1834, at age 20, studying with boys half his age. It led to his being nicknamed Papa Chapdelaine, which stuck with him the rest of his life.

    St. Auguste was ordained on  June 10, 1843 at age 29, and after several months waiting for an assignment at home, his bishop appointed him as a parochial vicar in Boucey, France. Associate pastor from 1844 to 1851. Before this appointment, he had told another one of his brothers, “I did not become a priest for those who already know God but for those who don’t.” Nonetheless he bided his time, and for seven years served the roughly 650 souls in the village. Finally, around 1851, he was able to join the Foreign Missions of Paris (PIME). He finally obtained permission from his bishop to enter the foreign missions, and was accepted by French Foreign Missions; he was two years past their age limit, but his zeal for the missions made them approve him anyway. He stayed long enough to say a final Mass, bury his sister, and say good-bye to his family, warning them that he would never see them again. Left Paris, France for the Chinese missions on 30 April 1852, landing in Singapore on September 5, 1852.

    Due to being robbed on the road by bandits, St. Auguste lost everything he had, and had to fall back and regroup before making his way to his missionary assignment. He reached Kwang-si province in 1854, and was arrested in Su-Lik-Hien ten days later. He spent two to three weeks in prison, but was released, and ministered to the locals for two years, converting hundreds. Arrested on 26 February 1856 during a government crackdown, he was returned to Su-Lik-Hien and sentenced to death for his work. Tortured with and died with Saint Lawrence Pe-Man and Saint Agnes Tsau Kouy. One of the Martyrs of China. St. Augustus Chapdelaine was beheaded on  February 29, 1856 in Su-Lik-Hien, Kwang-Si province, China. St. Auguste Chapdelaine was beatified in 1900. Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Augustus and other Chinese Christian martyrs on October 1, 2000, the same day (perhaps not coincidentally) as the anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The next day the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily released an article showing all the ways those canonized were actually bandits and other types of miscreants. It accused St. Auguste of raping women, of living with a woman named Cao, and of bribing officials on behalf of “bandits.” Needless to say, the charges were the sorts of lies and politically motivated propaganda at which all communists excel. God have mercy on their piddling souls.

    St. Auguste Chapdelaine, Priest and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏

    BLESSED ANTONIA OF FLORENCE OSC, WIDOW: Blessed Antonia of Florence OSC (1401-1472) Widow, Abbess of the Monastery of Corpus Christi in L’Aquila. Bl. Antonia was born in 1401 in Florence, Italy. Married and a mother of one. Widowed. Franciscan tertiary. Poor Clare nun. Spiritual student of Saint John Capitran. Abbess at Aquila, Italy from 1433 to 1447. Founded a Observant-oriented house of Poor Clares in Aquila. Sick the last 15 years of her life and died on 29 February 1472 in her Convent at Aquila, Italy of natural causes. Her Feast Day is, therefore, celebrated on 28 February in non-Leap years. Her body is incorrupt. Bl. Antonia was Beatified in 1847 by Pope Blessed Pius IX (cultus confirmed).

    Blessed Antonia of Florence was born of a noble family in Florence, Italy, in 1401. She entered the married state at a very early age, in compliance with the wish of her parents. She and her husband had one child, a son. When her husband died in 1428, she allowed nothing to induce her to contract a second marriage but resolved to withdraw from the world and live only for God and the salvation of her soul. These were the years in which Saint Bernardino of Siena, with some companions, spread the Observance movement and the return of an original “Franciscanism” in many Italian cities. Most of the sermons were given in the square, the churches were unable to contain the crowds that punctually flocked. Brother Bernardino preached in Santa Croce in Florence from 8 March to 3 May 1425. Bl. Antonia, listening to him, responded yes, without conditions, to God’s call. She had known the experience of married life, she was a mother, but the Lord gave a turning point to her life. Four years later, once family matters were settled, she entered the religious life. In 1429, after ensuring the comfort and care of her son, she entered the Convent of Tertiaries which Blessed Angelina had founded at Florence. Here she so distinguished herself by virtue and wisdom that after a few years, the Superiors called her to Foligno to preside as Superior of the Convent there.

    Although, in her humility, she found it difficult to accept the advancement, she was happy to carry out the appointment under the guidance of Blessed Angelina, who, as Superior General of the several Convents she had founded, dwelt at Foligno. Bl. Antonia so availed herself of the opportunity to profit by the holy example and the good counsel of the Foundress that she could be honoured as an example of how a Superior should conduct herself and her responsibilities. In consequence, after a few years, Blessed Antonia of Florence was sent to establish a Convent in Aquila. There, under her maternal direction, a veritable sanctuary of holiness budded forth, the fame of which brought joy to that City and the entire vicinity. Although the religious community zealously served God according to the rule of the Third Order, it did not satisfy Blessed Antonia in her yearning for personal perfection. She felt strongly drawn to a stricter life, to more perfect poverty and to more complete renunciation of the world, as practiced in the Order of St Clare. At a visitation she communicated her desire to her spiritual Coinfessor, St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456). He approved it and, at his suggestion and with the sanction of the Holy Father, in 1447, a new Convent of the Poor Clares was founded at Aquila which ,Antonia with twelve consecrated virgins, entered. She was appointed Superior and Abbess but, while she occupied the highest place, she always strove to find the last. The lowliest tasks, worn clothes, the most disagreeable occupations she assigned to herself, while she shunned all honour and distinction. In all she did and said, there shone forth the most sincere humility.

    Just as pronounced was the patience with which Blessed Antonia bore the burdens of her position, the weakness of all her subjects, the many importunities of her relatives and finally, the sufferings of a lingering illness. While she was extraordinarily severe with herself, she possessed truly motherly concern for her Sisters. They, in turn, clung to her with filial love and, when after seven years of administration, she was relieved of the burden, she was still considered, by the sisters, as their mother and model. God distinguished His faithful servant with special graces. Blessed Antonia’s prayer amounted to perfect contemplation of heavenly things, the ardour of her devotion sometimes causing her to be raised aloft bodily. Once a glowing sphere was seen suspended over her head. Blessed Antonia of Florence reached the age of seventy-one years and died on 29 February 1472, addressing words of comfort and holy exhortation to her sorrowing fellow Sister, who were gathered around her. Numerous miracles occurred at her tomb and her body is a constant miracle, for, up to the present time, it is preserved wholly incorrupt and is of an extraordinary freshness and beauty which is emphasised by the open eyes. The uninterrupted veneration which began with the day of her death received the sanction of Pope Pius IX. Feast Day, February 29th.

    Blessed Antonia of Florence OSC, Widow ~ Pray for us 🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Thursday of the Second Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel ~ Luke 16:19-31

    “Good things came to you and bad things to Lazarus; now he is comforted while you are in agony”

    “Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’“

    In today’s Gospel reading, the parables Jesus tells are intended to make us think and reflect. In the parable, two people lived side by side, a rich man in his great house and a poor man at the gate of the house. These two men were from very different ends of the social spectrum, one very rich and the other very poor. Even though they lived in close proximity to each other, there was a great gulf between them. The rich man treated the poor man as if he was not there, as if he did not exist, even though he was only a short distance away. He refused to notice him. His failure was a failure to notice, to pay attention, and, having done so, to respond to the poor man’s needs. We don’t always notice one another; we don’t always pay attention to one another. Even though we can be physically close to people, there can be, in reality, a great gulf between us. If we fail to notice, to pay attention, the reality that we have ignored for so long can suddenly hit us in the face, as happened to the rich man in the parable. After death, he was suddenly confronted with what he had ignored for so long. Noticing others, paying attention to them, entails stepping out of our own world and attending to the world of the other, whoever that other happens to be. It could be someone in our own home. Being attentive, noticing, is one important expression of authentic love. In today’s Gospel, we are reminded that the little we can do can make an enormous difference in the lives of those in need. Lazarus would have been happy with the scraps that fell from the heavily laden table of the rich man. Those scraps would have made a huge difference to him. It was within the gift of the rich man to give Lazarus what he needed, but he didn’t bother to do so. Very little was being asked of him, and that little would have made a huge difference, but he neglected to do the little he could have done. We all need to do the little we can do, whatever situation we are confronted with.  We can never underestimate the power of our giving, even when what we give is very small. Jesus declares that those who give even a cup of cold water will not lose their reward. The parable challenges us to enter the world of the other and to allow the other to enter our world. That, in a sense, is what Jesus did; He entered our world and invited us to enter His world. We can do the same for each other. When we cross the threshold into the world of the other, into the world of those who are very different from us in all kinds of ways, we may discover that we not only have something to give the other but a great deal to receive as well.

    In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah through His prophet, Jeremiah regarding how they all should not put their trust in mankind, and how they should instead believe in the Lord and place their faith in Him. The context for this was that, at the time, the kingdom of Judah, to whom the Lord had sent Jeremiah to, had been beset by many troubles and difficulties, and was in fact in the last years of its existence, just before it was wiped out and destroyed by the Babylonians, who would conquer and destroy Jerusalem, ransack and tear down the Temple of God that King Solomon had built for the Lord, and carry many of the people of Judah into exile in distant lands. At that time, the prophet Jeremiah had been sent by God to the people of Judah to call them to repent from their sins and wickedness, warning them all that everything would happen just as the Lord has always reminded them, their fated destruction and sufferings, because of their disobedience and refusal to believe in God, their failures to obey the Law and the commandments of God. But many of the people refused to listen to Jeremiah and persisted in their rebellious and sinful ways, choosing to believe in the many false prophets and leaders who claimed that the Lord would bless them and protect them against their enemies despite their many sins and disobedience against Him. Those people advocated the king and the people to seek help and support from the worldly powers like the Egyptians in their struggle against the Babylonians. In today’s reading, the fates of the righteous man and the wicked man were put plainly before everyone. The ones who have faith in the Lord and believed in Him shall always have the blessings and grace of God, with God as their firm foundation and assurance, with Him as their source of strength and hope. Meanwhile, the wicked shall never find their true happiness and satisfaction, unless they seek the Lord and turn towards Him wholeheartedly. We are all reminded that following the Lord requires us to distance ourselves from the path of evil and wickedness, of evil and selfishness, distancing ourselves from all the desires and temptations of the world.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scripture today, we are all reminded of how our actions in this life in this world can have great consequences for us in the future, a consequence that can last for eternity. Let us all be more generous in giving, in giving our love for others around us, those who need our help, like what St. Frances of Rome and all the Saints we celebrate today many others have done. Let us not forget that as Christians, it is our calling and in fact, obligation to do what the Lord had always called on us to do, in serving Him and in loving our fellow men and women. As we continue to progress through this season of Lent, we are called to make a conscious effort to choose the right path for us before it is too late for us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to attend to those in need and may He continue to bless and guide us in our journey of faith, especially as we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in faith, and be ever more devoted to Him, our ever loving and compassionate God and may we always ever be committed to Him, to the very end. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My Lord of true riches, You chose to be poor in this world as a sign to us that true riches come not with material wealth but with love. Help me to love You, my God, with all my being and to love others as You love them. May I be wise enough to make spiritual riches my single goal in life so that these riches will be enjoyed for all eternity. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Pope Saint Hilary (Hilarius); Blessed Antonia of Florence, St. Auguste Chapdelaine, and St. Oswald of Worcester ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled second week of Lent ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF POPE SAINT HILARY (HILARIUS); SAINT ROMANUS OF CONDAT, ABBOT AND BLESSED  DANIEL BROTTIER, PRIEST

    MEMORIAL OF POPE SAINT HILARY (HILARIUS); SAINT ROMANUS OF CONDAT, ABBOT AND BLESSED  DANIEL BROTTIER, PRIEST

    SECOND WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 28, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we continue our Lenten journey🙏

    SECOND YEAR MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF FR. THOMAS KENNEDY: It’s been 2 years since our beloved Fr. Thomas Kennedy went to be with our Lord. On this two year rememberance of his passing to eternal glory, with special intention, we pray for the eternal repose of his gentle soul. We thank the good Lord for blessing us all with the special gift of Fr. Tom Kennedy, for his faithful, selfless, generous and loving service in the Lord’s vineyard. We are all consoled knowing that he is resting in the bosom of the Lord, where there is neither pain nor sorrow. He’s an Angel watching over us all. We continue to keep Fr. Tom’s family, the Priests and our St. Joseph Parish, Arlington Texas and the entire Churh in prayers as we celebrate the Memorial of Fr. Tom today.

    Eternal rest grant unto Fr. Thomas Kennedy, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May his gentle soul and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… 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🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | February 28, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 28, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 28, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 28, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 28, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
    Reading 1, Jeremiah 18:18-20
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
    Gospel, Matthew 20:17-28

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Thirteen: Identity | Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-thirteen-identity/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Thirteen – A Mother’s Ponderings | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-thirteen-a-mothers-ponderings/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, 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 🙏

    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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Pope Saint Hilary (Hilarius); Saint Romanus of Condat,  Abbot (Patron Saint of drowning victims, insanity, mental illness, mentally ill people) and Blessed Daniel Brottier, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed; the sick and dying, we particularly pray for those
    suffering from mental illness and terminal diseases. May God grant them His divine healing and intervention.🙏

    POPE SAINT HILARY (HILARIUS): Pope St. Hilary (or Hilarius) was the Bishop of Rome from November 19, 461 to his death on February 29, 468 and guardian of Church unity. He rose to prominence in the Church when he became archdeacon under Pope St. Leo the Great, working closely with him as a trusted aid. Replacing a man like Pope Saint Leo the Great was not easy, but the next pope, St. Hilary was a man after St. Leo’s heart, then was archdeacon Hilary. St. Hilary was a Sardinian who had joined the Roman clergy and had been sent by St. Leo as one of the papal legates to the council at Ephesus in 449. This council, intended to settle the Monophysite affair, got out of hand. Packed with Monophysites and presided over by Dioscorus, the patriarch of Alexandria, the assembly refused to listen to the protests of the papal legates. Dioscorus steam-rollered through the council a condemnation of the orthodox and saintly Flavian, patriarch of Constantinople, and an approval of the Monophysite leader Eutyches. There St. Hilary fought bravely against the monophysite heresy, for which his life was threatened. He was forced into hiding and fled back to Rome for safety. He had to fly in fear for his life and hide in a chapel of St. John the Evangelist. It was only with difficulty that he got back to Rome. In vain Hilary protested. No wonder St. Leo called this Ephesus council a gathering of robbers! St. Hilary was so highly esteemed that after Pope Leo’s death he was elected to the papacy.

    As Pope, St. Hilary worked hard to foster order in the Gallic hierarchy. When a certain Hermes illegally made himself archbishop of Narbonne, two Gallic delegates came to Rome to appeal to Pope St. Hilary. He held a council at Rome in 462 to settle the matter. He also upheld the rights of the see of Arles to be the primatial see of Gaul. From Spain also came appeals of a similar nature. To settle these Hilary held a council at Rome in 465. This is the first Council at Rome whose acts have come down to us. According to the “Liber Pontificalis” he sent a letter to the East confirming the ecumenical councils of Nicaea, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, and the famous dogmatic letter of his predecessor St. Leo to Flavian. He also publicly in St. Peter’s rebuked the shadow-emperor Anthemius for allowing a favorite of his to foster heresy in Rome.

    As pope, St. Hilary fought for the rights of the papacy in spiritual matters against the Roman Emperor, and increased organization and discipline between the bishops and the Holy See. He also did much work in building, remodeling, and decorating Roman churches and other public places. St. Hilary deserves great credit for his work in building and decorating churches in Rome. Of especial interest is the oratory he built near the Lateran, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. The Pope attributed his escape from the wild Monophysites at Ephesus to the intercession of the Beloved Disciple, and to show his gratitude he built this beautiful oratory. Over its doors may still be seen the inscription, “To his deliverer, Blessed John the Evangelist, Bishop Hilary, the Servant of Christ.” Hilary built two more churches and spent freely in decorating still others. The gold and silver and marble used so lavishly by this Pope in adorning the Roman churches indicate that the wealthy families of Rome must have saved something from the grasping hands of Goths and Vandals. St. Hilary died on February 29, 468. His feast is celebrated on February 28.

    Pope St. Hilary (or Hilarius) ~ Pray for us 🙏

    SAINT ROMANUS OF CONDAT, ABBOT: St. Romanus was abbot of Gallo Roman descent. He adopted the life of a hermit in the Jura Mountains, France, at the age of thirty-five, left his family and entered a monastery at Lyons. Here he remained a short time before taking with him the constitutions and conferences of the celebrated monastic author, Cassian, to retire to a spot in the solitude of Mont Jura. His occupation consisted in prayer, reading and manual labor. Later his brother Lupicinus and some other joined him. These were followed by such a large number that the two brothers thus found it necessary to establish two monasteries, at Condat and Leuconne, and a convent for women at La Beaume, which no men were allowed ever to enter, which was governed by their sister and where St. Romanus chose his burial-place. The two brothers governed their monasteries in great harmony, though Lupicinus was the more inclined to severity of the two. Lupicinus used no other bed than a chair or a hard board; never touched wine, and would scarcely ever suffer a drop either of oil or milk to be poured on his pottage. In summer his subsistence for many years was only hard bread moistened in cold water so that he could eat it with a spoon. His tunic was made of various skins of beasts sewn together,. with a cowl; he used wooden shoes, and wore no stockings unless when he was obliged to go out of the monastery.

    The abstinence they prescribed for their monks was milder than that observed by the Orientals and by the monks of Lerins. The principal reason for this was that the physical constitution of the Gauls required more nourishment. However, they always abstained from every kind of meat, and only used milk and eggs in time of sickness. St. Romanus was famed for his healing of two lepers at Saint Maurice. He died on February 28, 463 on his return from a pilgrimage and was buried at La Beaume. His brother,  St. Lupicinus survived him and toiled for seventeen more years on earth and also achieved the crown of sanctity—his feast is on March 21. He’s the Patron Saint of drowning victims, insanity, mental illness, mentally ill people.

    PRAYER: Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. Romanus. Amen🙏
     
    BLESSED  DANIEL BROTTIER, PRIEST: Bl. Daniel Jules Alexis Brottier,  C.S.Sp. (September 7, 1876 – February 28, 1936), was a French Roman Catholic Priest in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (who currently refer to themselves as Spiritans). Blessed Daniel Brottier was born in La Ferté-Saint-Cyr, a commune in the Loir-et-Cher Department of France on September 7, 1876, the second son of Jean-Baptiste Brottier, coachman for the Marquis Durfort, and his wife Herminie (née Bouthe). A story from his childhood recounts that his mother asked him what he would like to be when he grew up. Bl. Daniel’s answer was, “I won’t be either a general or a pastry chef—I will be the Pope!” His mother reminded him that to be the pope, he would first have to become a priest. Little Daniel piped up, “Well, then I’ll become a priest!” At the age of 10, Brottier made his First Communion, and enrolled a year later in the minor seminary at Blois. In 1896, at the age of 20, he did one year of military service at Blois. He was ordained on October 22, 1899, after which he was assigned to teach for three years at a secondary school in Pontlevoy, France. His zeal for spreading the Gospel beyond the classroom or the confines of France made him to join the Spiritan Congregation.

    He was sent on missionary work to Senegal, West Africa. After eight years there, his health suffered and he went back to France where he helped raise funds for the construction of a new cathedral in Senegal. Even after he had left Senegal, Bl. Daniel Brottier was asked by Bishop Hyacinthe Jalabert, the Apostolic Vicar of Senegal, to conduct a fund-raising campaign to build a cathedral in Dakar. To this end, Brottier was appointed the Vicar General of Dakar, even though he was residing in Paris. Bl. Daniel  Brottier focused on this project for seven years over two periods (i.e., 1911–1914 and 1919–1923), the interlude being a result of the First World War. The so-called “African Memorial Cathedral” was consecrated on February 2, 1936, just a few weeks before Bl. Daniel Brottier’s death.

    At the outbreak of World War I Bl. Daniel became a volunteer chaplain. He was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Légion d’honneur for his services as a chaplain during World War I. He attributed his survival on the front lines to the intercession of Saint Therese of Lisieux, and built a chapel for her at Auteuil when she was canonized. After the war he established a project for orphans and abandoned children “the Orphan Apprentices of Auteuil” in the suburb of Paris. Bl. Daniel Brottier gave up his soul to God on February 28, 1936 in the Hospital of St. Joseph in Paris. Fifteen thousand Parisians attended his funeral Mass. He was buried in the Chapel of St. Thérèse in Auteuil on April 5, 1936. He was declared venerable in 1983, and then beatified only 48 years ago on November 25, 1984, by Pope John Paul II.

    Blessed Daniel Jules Alexis Brottier, Priest ~ Pray for us ❤️

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 20:17-28

    “They will condemn the Son of Man to death”

    “As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to Him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus told His disciples clearly of the hardships and the struggles that He Himself was soon to endure, in facing oppression, persecution and rejection from the chief priests and all those who were opposed to Him and His teachings. The Lord Jesus made it clear to all of them that He had to face those hardships as part of what He had been sent to do, in suffering and embracing all of the punishments due to our sins and wickedness, that by His sufferings and ultimately through His death on the Cross, He might lead us all into freedom from the bondage and the tyranny of sin, darkness, evil and death. And at the same time, it also means that those who follow Him may likely face the same oppressions, sufferings, trials and difficulties as He Himself has suffered. In the Gospel reading, Jesus asks James and John, ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ He was asking them if they were prepared to share His cup, to throw in their lot with Him, to follow where He leads, even though it may mean the cross. In the garden of Gethsemane  Jesus prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me’. Yet, He went on to drink that cup to the full on the cross. At the last supper, He drank of the cup, and then gave the cup to His disciples, who also drank from it. Yet, a little later, they deserted Him and fled. In spite of James and John’s expressed desire to drink from the Lord’s cup in today’s Gospel reading, they would not follow where He would lead when the time came. As we drink from the Lord’s cup, the cup of the Eucharist, we are expressing our willingness to going where the Lord leads, walking in His way, even when it means the way of the cross. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus speaks of that way as the way of self-giving service of others, as against lording it over others. We pray that in taking the body and the cup of the Lord at Eucharist, we would be faithful to what that action signifies, walking in the footsteps of the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve.

    In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the prophet lamented for the persecutions, hardships, oppressions that he faced from the people of God, the people of the kingdom of Judah that he had been sent to minister by the Lord. Prophet Jeremiah was sent to the people and kingdom of Judah during its final years and days, reminding God’s people and calling on them to turn away from their wicked and sinful ways, and trust once again in the Lord instead of the falsehoods of the pagan idols and the false prophets that had been running rampant in ruining the kingdom and the people with their lies. Those same false prophets and idolaters hated Jeremiah and his works, plotting against him. Prophet Jeremiah asked, ‘Should evil be returned for good?’ Jeremiah expected the answer ‘no’ to his question, as would we. However, Jeremiah’s own experience did not bear out that answer. He was trying to do good by proclaiming God’s word to the people and, yet, all he got in response was ‘evil’, people’s deadly hostility. Just like our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave expression to that goodness in all He said and did. Yet, He experienced the terrible evil of death by Roman crucifixion. Despite the opposition and plotting against Jeremiah by the false prophets and idolaters, Jeremiah continued to work against them in proclaiming God’s truth to His people. Jeremiah trusted in the Lord and placed his fate in His hands, and he followed the Lord and His providence, walked in the path that he had been shown, persevering even against the many challenges that he had to endure for the sake of his faith in God, as well as for the sake of the remnants of the people and the kingdom of Judah. He endured the sufferings and trials, and remained true to his faith to the end, as a truly exemplary role model to all of us Christians, God’s followers and people.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, and as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, let us all realise that we have to be truly committed and faithful to the path which the Lord has shown and led us into as Christians, as those whom He has called and chosen. All of us have been reminded that as Christians, it is likely that we will encounter some forms of hardships and challenges, trials and persecutions in our path in life, just as our Lord and Saviour has been rejected and persecuted for everything that He had done for our sake. If we have not suffered for being Christians, then it is likely that we have not truly lived our lives with true and genuine faith as we should have done. Our Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to us, reminding us to remain faithful to Him despite the challenges and trials that we may face in the midst of our journey of faith through life. We are reminded that following the Lord may not be as easy as it seems to be, and that just as the Lord Himself had faced a lot of rejection and opposition, hence we also have to be prepared to be treated in the same way. During this season of Lent, let us all therefore make good use of this season of Lent to redirect our efforts and attention in life, away from worldly excesses and sin, and instead focus our attention more on God and His Law and precepts, and do whatever we can to walk faithfully in His path, shunning worldly glory and ambition, now and always. Let us help each other in our journey of faith towards the Lord, and help one another to persevere through the many challenges and trials we may have to face for the Lord’s sake. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to remain steadfast despite the challenges and trials we may have to face in our path and may He empower us to live ever more worthily in His presence and keep our faith and trust in the Lord at all times. May our Lenten season and observance be truly fruitful, in all the things we say and do, all for the greater glory of God. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My suffering Lord, You freely embraced the injustice of the Cross with love and courage. You saw beyond the apparent scandal and suffering and transformed the evil done to You into the greatest act of love ever known. Give me the grace to imitate Your perfect love and to do so with the strength and confidence that You had. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Hilary (Hilarius); Saint Romanus of Condat and Blessed Daniel Brottier~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful, and grace-filled second week of Lent ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS (SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI), CLERIC; SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT LEANDER OF SEVILLE, BISHOP

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS (SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI), CLERIC; SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT LEANDER OF SEVILLE, BISHOP

    SECOND WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 27, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we continue our Lenten journey🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | February 27, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 27, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 27, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 27, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 27, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
    Reading 1, Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
    Gospel, Matthew 23:1-12

    *40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Twelve: Perseverance | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-twelve-perseverance/

    *40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Twelve – A Shared Suffering | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-twelve-a-shared-suffering/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (Gabriel Possenti), Cleric (Patron Saint of Clerics, Students, Youth, Seminarians,  Novices,  Catholic Action and Abruzzi); Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church and Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all the ministers, the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Seminarians, all religious and we pray for our children, students and youths all over the world. We particularly, pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life.

     “By the shining example of St. Gabriel, you, dear young people, draw the courage to be faithful disciples of Christ” ~ St. John Paul II

    Dear Saint Gabriel, your very name recalls your particular devotion to Christ, the Man of Sorrows, and to Mary, his Afflicted Mother. You died young as a Passionist religious but left to us all an example of a life of Christlike sacrifice. Intercede for our seminarians and young religious, who are in desperate need of your patronage amid today’s sensual and selfish world… Amen🙏

    SAINT GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS (SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI), CLERIC: St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was an Italian Passionist clerical student, he gave up ambitions of a secular career to enter the Passionist congregation. St. Gabriel (1838 – 1862) was born on March 1, 1838 at Assisi, Italy. This Saint of modern times was originally named Francisco Possenti after the great Saint of his native city Assisi. Born into a professional family, was the eleventh child of Sante Possenti and Agnes Frisciotti. The first year of his life was spent away from his family with a nursing woman who cared for him because his mother was unable. In 1841 Sante moved the family to Spoleto where he was appointed magistrate. In that same year, the youngest Possenti child died at just six months old; Francis’ nine-year old sister, Adele, soon followed. Just days later, his heartbroken mother was too called to eternal life. Francis had lost his mother at just 4 years old. Tragedy continued to plague the family during his youth. In 1846 Francis’ brother, Paul, was killed in the Italian war with Austria. Another brother, Lawrence, later took his own life. Such events, however, did not rob Francis of his spirit and cheerfulness. During his formative years, Francis attended the school of the Christian brothers and then the Jesuit college in Spoleto. He was lively, intelligent and popular at school and was a great favorite with his fellow students and professors. Fastidious in manner and dress, he was fond of literature and the theater. As a young man he enjoyed the society and the worldly life of a typical teenager. He was known as a fancy dresser and a good dancer, he possessed good horsemanship and marksmanship, he frequented parties, and twice was engaged to be married. However, he decided to leave the world after being miraculously cured from two bouts of illness. At sixteen, he suffered a life-threatening illness. Praying for a cure, Francis promised to become a religious. With recovery, however, Francis quickly forgot his promise. But God’s call would not be denied, and Francis soon turned his heart to the Congregation of the Passionists. Sante Possenti was less than pleased with his teenage son’s decision. Determined to show Francis the joys of a secular life of theater and society parties, Sante continued to hope Francis would find pleasure in a social life. But the young man was not to be dissuaded.

    Immediately after completion of his schooling, Francis was guided by our Lady into the Passionist Institute, he left for the Passionist novitiate in Morrovalle. In the novitiate, he cultivated a great love for Christ Crucified. Francis received the Passionist habit on September 21, 1856, which that year was the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother. He was given the name: Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother and he became a veritable Apostle of her Sorrows. A year later he took his vows. His monastic life preparing for the priesthood made Gabriel a secluded, non-public figure. His writings reflect his close relationship with God and His mother. During that period, it was a difficult and tumultuous times in Italy. The new Italian government issued decrees closing religious Orders in certain provinces of the Papal States. The new Passionist province of Pieta, to which Gabriel belonged, was in the center of this chaos. By 1860, the Passionists had ceased apostolic work due to the growing threats surrounding the community. During this period various Italian provinces were overrun by soldiers who robbed and terrorized the towns with little mercy. In 1862, at twenty-four years of age, he was struck with tuberculosis and died on February 27, 1862 at Isola del Gran Sasso d’Italia, Italy, a year before his ordination to the priesthood but having already attained to a heroic degree of sanctity by a life of self-denial and great devotion to Our Lord’s Passion. His fidelity to prayer, joyfulness of spirit and habitual mortifications stand out in his otherwise ordinary life. He was Canonized on May 13, 1920, Rome, Italy by Pope Benedict XV. The people of Isola would always remember him as “their Gabriel.” St. Gabriel, in life, did not perform any miraculous events, but after his death (in 1862) many miraculous occurred at his tomb in Isola di Gran Sasso, Italy including the healing of St. Gemma Galgani.  Thousands of divine favors are attributed to his intercession with Christ Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother Mary. He’s the Patron Saint of Youth, especially of young religious, Clerics, Seminarians, Novices, Students, Catholic Action and Abruzzi.

    PRAYER: Lord, You inspired St. Gabriel of our Lady of Sorrows with a special love for Your Mother and compassion for her sorrows. Through her, You raised him to the heights of holiness. Grant us great devotion to her sorrows, that we may known her as our loving Mother. Amen🙏

    SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: Saint Gregory (c.950 – c.1005) was born in a village on the shores of Lake Van in 950, the son of an Armenian Archbishop. When his mother died Gregory and his older brother were raised by a scholarly uncle who had them educated at the Narek monastery where he was a monk. The monastery was a prominent center of learning located in what is now Turkey. Gregory too entered the monastery and was ordained in 977. He was raised and lived most of his life in the Monastery of Narekavank in Turkey, teaching, and writing. St. Gregory was a priest/monk, poet, theologian, mathematician, and scientist. He wrote the Encyclopedia of Prayer for all Nations, that’s considered a classic in Armenian literature. The Book of Lamentations, his masterpiece, was completed just before he died at age 90. Today he’s known as “the Watchful Angel in Human Form” because of the many miracles started with prayer. A professor of theology, St. Gregory wrote a mystical interpretation of the Song of Songs, and a long mystical poem called the Book of Prayer or the Book of Lamentations. He described his poem as “an encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” This classic of Armenian literature has been translated into 30 languages. The Russian text of the Book of Lamentations was set to music in 1985. Little else is known about St. Gregory, other than he died in the early 11th century and was buried within the walls of the Narek monastery where he had spent his life.

    In 2015 as the world observed the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Pope Francis concelebrated a Mass at the Vatican with Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni and declared the monk, poet, and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church. His liturgical feast is celebrated on February 27th.

    Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church ~ Pray for us 🙏

    SAINT LEANDER OF SEVILLE, BISHOP: St. Leander was born of an illustrious family at Carthagena in Spain. He was the eldest of five brothers, several of whom are numbered among the Saints. He entered into a monastery of Seville very young, where he lived many years and attained to an eminent degree of virtue and sacred learning. These qualities occasioned his being promoted to the see of Seville; but his change of condition made little or no alteration in his way of life, though it brought on him a great increase of solicitude. Spain at that time was held in possession by the Visigoths. These Goths, being infected with Arianism, established that heresy wherever they came, in such wise that at the time Saint Leander was made bishop, it had already reigned in Spain a hundred years. This was his great affliction. Nonetheless, by his prayers to God and by his most zealous and unwearied endeavors, he became the happy instrument of the conversion of that nation to the Catholic faith, as his story makes clear.

    St. Leander, the holy archbishop of Seville had converted, among others, his own nephew Hermenegild, who was the king’s eldest son and heir apparent, and for this he was banished by King Leovigild, his own brother-in-law. The pious Catholic prince, now known as Saint Hermenegild, was put to death in prison by his unnatural father in the following year, for refusing to receive Communion from the hands of an Arian bishop. Afterwards, touched by grace and filled with remorse, the king recalled Saint Leander. When Leovigild fell sick and found himself past hopes of recovery, he sent for Saint Leander, and recommended to him his other son Recared. This son, by listening to Saint Leander, became a Catholic, and finally brought the whole nation of the Visigoths to the faith. The new king Recared also brought the Suevi back to Catholic unity; they were a people of Spain whom his Arian father Leovigild had perverted.

    Saint Leander was no less zealous in the reformation of morals than in restoring the purity of faith, and planted the seeds of the zeal and fervor which produce martyrs and Saints. He received from Saint Gregory the Great a painting of the Mother of God by the hand of Saint Luke, Evangelist, since known as Our Lady of Guadelupe (of Spain). It is he who, as a refutation of Arianism, added to the liturgy of Spain the recitation during Mass of the Nicene Creed, which practice spread to Rome and then to the entire Church. This holy doctor of Spain died about the year 596, on the 27th of February (On leap years, the feast day of this Saint is celebrated on February 28)

    Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 23:1-12

    “They preach but they do not practice”

    “Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Lord spoke to His disciples and followers, and to the people who were assembled to listen to Him, about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law and why they should listen to them but not to follow what they had been doing, in how they practiced their faith and in their actions, in parading their piety and actions before everyone so that they could be praised and honoured for all of those actions. The crux of the problem here is that, many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord acted high and mighty, lording over the others whom they deemed and considered as less worthy and less pious than they were, and they even persecuted those who did not practice the Law in the manner that they had done. According to the Gospel reading, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as those who tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders. In contrast, Jesus had said earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. Jesus’ work consisted in lifting unnecessary burdens from people’s shoulders rather than laying such burdens on people’s shoulders. Most of us have to deal with burdens of one kind or another as we go through life. Some burdens are necessary and unavoidable; they are the burdens of love, the burdens that come to us from giving ourselves to others in one way or another. Jesus is critical of those who impose unnecessary burdens on others. We can all be guilty of doing that from time to time. Rather than imposing unnecessary burdens on others, our calling is to help carry each other’s burdens, to make life less burdensome for each other. In doing that we will be acting in the spirit of the one who said, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. The Lord helps us all to carry our burdens, both the necessary and inevitable ones and the unnecessary ones. Saint Paul was very burdened as he wrote to the church in Philippi from his prison cell. Yet, he could say to that church, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’. The Lord strengthens us to carry our burdens so that we can help to carry the burdens of others. As St. Paul writes to the churches of Galatia, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ’. The law of Christ, which is the law of love, the fruit of the Spirit, is not about burden imposing but burden lifting.

    As Jesus says towards the end of the Gospel reading, ‘the greatest among you must be your servant’. Jesus defines greatness in terms of service of others. Jesus calls on His disciples to give attention to others. It is those who humble themselves in the service of others who will be exalted, whereas those who exalt themselves and look for honour for themselves will be humbled. Jesus gives expression to His teaching in His own life. Paul says of Jesus that He emptied Himself taking the form of a servant and that He humbled Himself, even to the point of death, death on a cross. We are called to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. Lent is a time when we try to enter more fully into the mind and heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah showed us all the Lord’s clear reminders and warnings to His people, the people of Israel and Judah, about the dangers of sin and what sin and evil could bring about for them, ruin and destruction, just as it had happened in the past. The Lord presented the example of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were infamous for their great wickedness and sins, the evils and disobedience which they had committed, and also their refusal to listen to the Lord and His messengers, that the two cities were destroyed by the great rain of fire and brimstone from Heaven, and henceforth, the two cities were eradicated from the face of the earth, never to be populated or remembered again. By mentioning those two cities, and remarking that His people were like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord was in fact making a clear point before all of them that they had all been disobedient and wicked in their way of life and in their actions, and the Lord certainly knew about all that they had done. He therefore warned them of what they would also suffer if they continued to persist in their path of rebellion and evil, and if they refused to repent from their many sins, wickedness and faults. However, at the same time, the Lord also presented to His people a clear avenue and pathway for them to come back to Him, telling them that even if their sins were truly terrible, He would still welcome them back to His loving Presence and forgive them, if they would reject their sinful ways and abandon their evil and wickedness.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded to be humble and righteous in all of our actions and deeds, in each and every moments of our lives. We have to be humble and attuned to our sins and faults, all the wickedness we have committed, and endeavour to overcome them, replacing them instead with righteousness and virtue. We are reminded to turn away from sin and to embrace God’s path, His love and grace. Let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed heart and mind, with the strong and genuine desire to be forgiven and to be reconciled with Him, with the strong desire to repent and turn away from our many sins and wickedness. Let us all seek the forgiveness and mercy of God, and do our best so that our lives from now on may be truly worthy of Him in all things, which we can gain inspiration from the life and faith of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially Saint Gregory of Narek who we celebrate today. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace during this season of Lent and may He empower us all to live ever more courageously in His presence, now and always. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My humble Lord, thank You for the witness of Your humility. You chose to put all people first, even to the point of allowing Yourself to experience the suffering and death which was a consequence of our sins. Give me a heart that is humble, dear Lord, so that You can use me to share Your perfect love with others.  Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Gabriel, Saint Gregory and Saint Leander ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled second week of Lent ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT PORPHYRIUS, BISHOP OF GAZA

    SECOND WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 26, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Monday of the Second Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we continue our Lenten journey🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | February 26, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 26, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 26, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 26, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 26, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, February 26, 2024
    Reading 1, Daniel 9:4-10
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 79:8, 9, 11, 13
    Gospel, Luke 6:36-38

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Eleven: Creation | Monday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-eleven-creation/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Eleven – Living in Exile | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-eleven-living-in-exile/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINT OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Porphyrius, Bishop and Patron Saint of Gaza. St Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, and guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. Through the prayers of the Saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. We humbly pray through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary,  Saint Porphyrius and all the Saints for God’s divine healing upon those who are sick, we pray for  persecuted christians and the conversion of sinners. Amen🙏

    Saint Porphyrius, pray for us that we will show by our daily example the teachings of Jesus Christ ~ Amen🙏

    SAINT PORPHYRIUS, BISHOP OF GAZA: St. Porphyrius (c. 347-420 A.D.) also known as Porphyry was Archbishop of Gaza, was born in about the year 347 in Thessalonica in present-day Greece. His parents were people of substance, and this allowed St Porphyrius to receive a fine education.  Although a wealthy man, having the inclination for monastic life, in 387, at the age of twenty-five, he left home and friends to consecrate himself to God among the monks of Scete in Egypt. In Egypt he lived in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of St Macarius the Great (January 19). There he also met St Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries. After five years spent there in monastic exercises, he went to Palestine on a pilgrimage to visit the holy places of Jerusalem, and to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), then he took up his abode in a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds, where he passed five more years. After five years, St Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. He decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. As he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, St Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. He beheld Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and preserve it.” Coming out of his trance, he found himself healthy and free from pain. Then he gave away all his money to the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. For a time he supported himself by working as a shoemaker. The words of the Savior were fulfilled when the saint was forty-five years old. The Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained St Porphyrius to the holy priesthood and appointed him custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord.

    In 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. The local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrius. With fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, and with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience. In Gaza there were only three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols. During this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. The pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. St Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; he then served an all-night Vigil, followed by a church procession around the city. Immediately the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. Seeing this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ is indeed the only true God!” As a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this.

    The pagans continued to harass the Christians. They passed them over for public office, and burdened them with taxes. St Porphyrius and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. St John Chrysostom (September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them. Ss. John and Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. Eudoxia very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. Through the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. As a result of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza and the restoration of privileges to Christians. Moreover, the emperor gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple. St Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, and guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. Through the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. The holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years, and reposed on February 26, 420 at an advanced age. He’s the Patron Saint of Gaza.

    PRAYER: God, You made St. Porphyrius an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and added him to the roll of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may persevere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory.
    Amen🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Monday of the Second Week in Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Luke 6:36-38

    “Forgive and you will be forgiven”

    “Jesus said to His disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Himself tells His disciples to be merciful just as the Father is and has been merciful to all of them. He told them all that they should all continue to love one another and to be kind, compassionate and merciful, because they themselves have been shown great mercy, love and forgiveness from God. Jesus calls upon us not to judge and not to condemn. He did so in the knowledge that judging and condemning others can sometimes come all too easily to us. In judging and condemning others we can easily forget that we are not paragons of virtue ourselves. In contrast to judging and condemning others, Jesus calls on us in our dealings with others to be compassionate and to grant pardon. These are contrary attitudes to judging and condemning, and Jesus implies that there are much more in keeping with how God relates to us than judging and condemning are. It seems that God is much more in the business of showing us compassion and granting us pardon when we seek it, than He is in the business of judging and condemning us. As people made in the image of God we are to be as compassionate and as pardoning as God Himself. Jesus of course was the perfect image of God and He gave expression to God’s compassionate and pardoning love in the most complete way possible. In the Gospel reading, Jesus asks us to be as compassionate and as merciful as God is, which will mean being slow to judge, slow to condemn others. We live in a culture where there is so often a rush to judgement. Jesus calls on us to take our lead not from the culture but from God who never rushes to judgement. The Gospel reading assures us that when, like Jesus, we are God-like in our dealings with other, then we open ourselves to receive an abundance from God.

    Our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Daniel is the prayer and supplication which the prophet Daniel made on behalf of all the people of Israel, many of whom at that time were suffering in exile away from their homeland, having been brought out of the Promised Land and the land of their forefathers by their conquerors, the Assyrians and the Babylonians, who sent them to the far-off lands, to be exiled and humbled, to be reviled and humiliated by the nations, for their sins and evils, their wickedness and failures to obey the Lord’s Law and commandments. They have abandoned the path that the Lord had taught and shown them, and they have rejected the many prophets and messengers sent to them to remind and help them to return to the right and virtuous path. The Book of Daniel is one of the great acts of sorrow to God for sin in the Bible. It is prayed on behalf of the whole people. It is a prayer that expresses both a great sorrow for sin and a great confidence in God’s mercy, ‘we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God, mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed Him’. Humility and trust are very clearly revealed in the prayer. We need both when we come before the Lord, the humility to acknowledge that we have not always lived as God calls us to live, and the total trust in God’s mercy which is always stronger than sin. 

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all called to show kindness and compassion in our lives, in each and every moments of our daily living, in all of our actions, words and deeds, so that through us Christians, God’s love and mercy may be shown to the whole world, and more people may come to believe in Him and know Him. That is because we model ourselves based on the love and compassion which He Himself has shown us from the beginning. During this blessed season of Lent, let us all make great use of this opportunity given to us that we may be ever more truly faithful in life, and no longer just remaining idle as Christians. Let us spend more time with the Lord and do what we can as Christians to reach out to others with love, care, affection and mercy. Let us also be ever more forgiving and let go of the anger and fears in our hearts. As we enter more deeply into this time of reconciliation and call to repentance that is characteristic of this season of Lent, we are all reminded that God is our refuge, our salvation, our hope and the light amidst the darkness that surround us in this world. In Him alone lies our true happiness and freedom, and it is for this purpose that we observe this blessed season of Lent. All of our fasting, abstinence, almsgiving and other actions during this Lent are meant to lead us ever closer to God. May God watch over us and strengthen us all in faith, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may remain ever more deeply attuned to Him, and be ever more courageous to say no to Satan and all of his temptations and all the falsehoods he presented to us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may He guide us in this journey, and in His ever generous love and grace, and all the compassion and kindness which He has always shown us, continue to love us all wonderfully and help us in our journey of faith towards Him. May He empower and strengthen us all in our path, so that in our every good efforts and endeavours, we will always do what is pleasing to Him, and that we may grow ever closer to Him, rejecting all the temptations of evil and sin, and becoming ever more worthy and righteous in all of our every words, deeds and actions. May God bless us all, and may He lead us all ever more into His Holy Presence, and bless our Lenten observances and journey. Amen 🙏

    Let us pray:

    My most merciful Jesus, I thank You for Your infinite mercy. Help me to see clearly my sin so that I, in turn, may see my need for Your mercy. As I do, dear Lord, I pray that my heart will be open to that mercy so that I can both receive it and share it with others. Make me a true instrument of Your divine grace. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Porphyrius, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe and fruitful and grace-filled second week of Lent ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT WALBURGA, ABBESS AND BLESSED SEBASTIAN OF APARICIO, RELIGIOUS

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT WALBURGA, ABBESS AND BLESSED SEBASTIAN OF APARICIO, RELIGIOUS

    SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR B)

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 25, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Second Sunday of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journey🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Sunday of 2nd week of Lent, February 25, 2024 |

    Watch “Holy Mass Readings and Homily on Sunday of 2nd week of Lent, February 25, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 25, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 25, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 25, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Readings: Second Sunday of Lent (Year B), February 25, 2024
    Reading 1, Genesis 22:1-2, 9, 10-13, 15-18
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
    Reading 2, Romans 8:31-34
    Gospel, Mark 9:2-10

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Eleven – Second Sunday of Lent: Contrast | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/second-sunday-of-lent-contrast/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

    Bible Readings for today, Second Sunday of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Mark 9:2–10

    “This is my beloved Son”

    “Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus takes His disciples, Sts. Peter, James and John away from the sea of Galilee, up a high mountain, Mount Tabor. There, on that mountain, they were given a new perspective on Jesus. They saw Him as they had never seen Him before, transfigured, his clothes dazzling white. According to Mark’s Gospel, it was immediately after the encounter between Jesus and His disciples at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus took them up to the mount of transfiguration. The Lord was revealed in His Divine Glory to His three disciples, St. Peter, St. James and St. John, at Mount Tabor. It was there that the Lord was Transfigured in glory, as His Divinity that has been hidden in His Humanity shone through, and made it clear that He is truly the Son of God, the Divine Word of God Incarnate, and not just merely the Son of Man or a Prophet. There, Jesus revealed another face of God, the glorious face of God, and Jesus Himself was declared to be the Son of God. It is through this revelation that our Lord Jesus has shown us the love of God made flesh, personified and becoming tangible and approachable to us all. He offered on our behalf the perfect offering of His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, on the Altar of His Cross, at Golgotha or Calvary, which was exactly at the same site of Mount Moriah. Jesus’ disciples saw Him in a way they had never seen Him before. They saw Him with new eyes. The glorious face of God was a face that Peter was very much at home with. Indeed, Peter wanted to prolong this moment as much as possible. ‘It is wonderful for us to be here’, he exclaimed, ‘let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. However, Peter had to learn that the glorious Son of God who so enthralled him was also the suffering Son of Man who so repelled him. That is the significance of the word from the mountain addressed to St. Peter and the other disciples, ‘Listen to Him’, listen to Jesus when He speaks of Himself as the Son of Man who has to suffer and die. The two faces of God that Jesus displays, the suffering face and the glorious face have to be held together. Fundamentally, Jesus only reveals one face of God, the face of love. God’s love for us, God’s loyalty to us, was such that God was prepared to allow His Son to die for our sakes. St. Paul declares in today’s second reading, ‘God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up to benefit us all’. In our first reading today, Abraham’s loyalty to God was so great that he was prepared to sacrifice his son to God. Even though God did not ask this of Abraham in the end, the incident reveals human loyalty to God at its most complete. Abraham’s loyalty to God is a sign of God’s loyalty to us. God is so loyal, so faithful, to us that God is prepared to give us His Son, even though that entailed His cruel and untimely death. Jesus declared that no one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus’ death on the cross revealed the face of God to be the face of a greater love.

    As St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans reminds us in today’s second reading, God revealed His greater love for us also in raising His Son from the dead, in giving His Son back to us, the Son who now stands at the right hand of God pleading for us. Here indeed is a love that is beyond any human love, a love that prompts St. Paul to ask his triumphant question at the beginning of today’s second reading: ‘With God on our side, who can be against us?’ St. Paul the Apostle spoke of how Christ, the Son of God, has redeemed us all by His suffering and death, as He offered Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, through which all of us are forgiven and made whole once again, reunited and reconciled to God, our loving Father and Creator. God did not spare His own Beloved Son for our sake, in showing His ever strong and enduring love for us, and as the tangible and real example of how He is and has always been faithful to the Covenant that He had established with us all.

    Our first reading today from the Book of Genesis details the moment when God called on Abraham to bring his beloved son, Isaac, the promised one, to Mount Moriah to be offered and sacrificed to God. Isaac was the son whom God had promised to Abraham, which he and his wife, Sarah, would have even though they were unable to have any child beforehand. God had given Isaac miraculously and then suddenly, as we heard, He asked Abraham to offer and sacrifice this same precious son to Him. Yet, despite any sorrow or surprise that Abraham might have experienced, he obeyed the Lord and listened to Him. Abraham brought Isaac to Mount Moriah to be offered and sacrificed to the Lord, and he faithfully obeyed the Lord as he has always done, not sparing even his precious son in doing so. The Lord saw all that Abraham had willingly done, and therefore told Abraham later on, that he had been truly faithful to Him, and to the Covenant which he had made with him, that he did not spare even his own son, and faithfully obeyed God in this matter. Thus, God sent an Angel to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son, and a ram to be offered and sacrificed instead of Isaac, on top of that Mount Moriah. Thus, Isaac was spared and protected from harm, while God blessed Abraham and his descendants for the faith which he had shown. Mount Moriah is a very important and significant place, as later on, it would be the site where the great city of Jerusalem would be established and built. And it was in Jerusalem, at the same site of Mount Moriah, that the Lord Himself would send us His Son to be offered, sacrificed and broken up for our sake, in parallel to what Abraham and Isaac had experienced many centuries previously. There is a clear parallel between the occurrence in the case of Abraham’s offering of Isaac and the Lord offering His own Son, to be a worthy sacrifice for the sake of the atonement of our many sins. Not only that God had sent to us His Beloved Son, but He also spared us all from certain destruction through the same Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

    We can fail to appreciate what is all around us; we can devalue what is really worthwhile. We can even be tempted to destroy what is deserving of our love and appreciation. Abraham in our first reading climbed a mountain to destroy his son, believing this was what God was asking of him. Sacrificing children to the gods was part of the pagan religious culture in which Abraham lived. Abraham had to learn that this was not what God was asking of him. God’s words, ‘Do not harm him’, stopped Abraham in his tracks. On the mountain, God was calling Abraham to cherish life not to destroy it. In a similar way, God calls us to cherish life, to celebrate the wonder of life in all its forms, as the disciples celebrated the wonder of Jesus on the mountain. Then we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is wonderful to be here’. Our calling as people who have been so loved by God in this way is to show the face of Christ to others. It is that face alone that will do us justice as people who have been baptized into the body of Christ and who have received the Spirit of Christ. Our ultimate destiny in heaven is to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Our calling is to show forth something of that image here and now. As God invited the disciples on the mountain to see Jesus more deeply, He invites us to see each other more deeply, to relate to each other in a way that acknowledges the wonder of our being.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Lent, all of us are presented with the story of the sacrifice and offering of Isaac by Abraham on Mount Moriah as asked by the Lord in our first reading, and then, we heard about how God offered and gave us all His own Beloved and only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, so that He could be the source of our salvation and hope, as elaborated by St. Paul in his Epistle in our second reading. Lastly, we also then heard of the account of the glorious Transfiguration which the Lord Jesus experienced at Mount Tabor, before three of His disciples, which revealed to them and all of us, of the true nature of the Lord, and of His mission henceforth. Let us all therefore make good use of this time and season of Lent which has been provided for us, so that we may reevaluate our path in life. Let us all remember the great love which God has shown us through His giving of His Son for us, to suffer and die for us on the Cross, so that by His death and glorious Resurrection, He has provided us all with the sure path out of the darkness and evil. Let us all turn away from the path of wickedness and evil, and embrace wholeheartedly from now on, the way of the Lord. During this season of Lent, may our every actions, words and deeds henceforth be truly filled with faith and commitment to God, and may we become good role models and inspirations for our fellow brethren all around us. Amen 🙏

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Walburga, Abbess (Patron Saint against plague, rabies and coughs, sailors, mariners, and farmers, and against hydrophobia, famine, and storms) and Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio, Religious (Patron Saint of Travelers, Drivers, Road builders and Transportation industry). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for Saint Walburga to help all those who are sick and dying and those suffering from the Coronavirus Pandemic and may Blessed Sebastian intercede for all travelers, drivers and all those who work in the transportation industry, we pray for their safety and God’s protection especially during this inclement weather.🙏

    Saint Walburga and Blessed Sebastian ~ pray for us🙏

    SAINT WALBURGA, ABBESS: St. Walburga (710 – 779 A.D.) was born in 710 near Devonshire, in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in southern England.  She was the daughter of St. Richard the Pilgrim (Saxon King)  and Wuna and sister to Sts. Willibald and Winebald. Her parents prayed with their family of at least six children at the cross on their country estate. In 720, when St. Walburga was about  eleven years old, her father and two elder brothers set off as pilgrims to the Holy Land in Rome. St. Richard died at Lucca, Italy, but the youths reached Rome where St. Wunibald (c.701-761) became a monk, while St. Willibald (c.700-787) went on to the Holy Land. While her father and family went on the pilgrimage, she was placed in a convent famous for its holiness. She was well educated according to her rank, became a nun, and lived there for twenty-six years. When Abbess of Heidenheim, St. Walburga chose her nun Huneberc, a kinswoman, to write their biographies.  Thus we discover that her great kinsman was St. Boniface (c.675-754), the Apostle of Germany, who needed missionaries. Her uncle, St. Boniface, then brought her to what is now Germany to help him evangelize that country and establish the Church there. In 741, St. Boniface created the diocese of Eichstätt, consecrating St. Willibald, also a Benedictine monk, as its first bishop. In 752 Walburga’s family founded a monastery at nearby Heidenheim with St. Wunibald as its abbot. In this missionary activity she joined her brothers who were also laboring for the faith in that country. Because of her education she was able to document the travels of her brother in the Holy Land, and for this work she became the first female author of England and Germany. According to Legend, in about 748, the zealous St. Walburga left England to aid the work of evangelization. She went to Tauberbischofsheim, Germany where St. Lioba, the Wimborne-educated abbess and fellow kinswoman of St. Boniface, was to help Saint Boniface in his missionary work. When St. Wunibald died in 761, she was asked to become abbess of Heidenheim.  Obediently she came with some nuns to face the difficult task of ruling both monks and nuns. One dark night, according to a legend significantly derived from a living tradition, she went alone to a noble’s home, prayed all night at this dying child’s bedside and by dawn the girl was healed. Prayerfully and patiently she persevered until her death on February 25, 779 and was buried at Heidenheim. She was known as a miracle worker and healer both in her life and after her death. St. Walburga’s relics have the miraculous property of exuding oil to which many cures have been ascribed through the centuries.

    During the 870s, St. Walburga’s remains were solemnly brought to Eichstätt for re-interment in the cathedral beside St. Willibald’s.  However, the oxen drawing the cart refused to go further than a small church to which some canonesses were attached. This was taken as a sign from God, and there she was interred.  In 893 as some of her relics were being transferred elsewhere a cripple, on touching the holy reliquary, was healed and devotion to her developed rapidly. In 1035 the Eichstätt canonesses were replaced by the foundation of Abtei St. Walburg, a Benedictine monastery of nuns existing to our own day, and over the centuries countless pilgrims have prayed at her shrine.  From the 1850s these nuns have founded daughter houses in the U.S.A. and England, and devotion to her has spread far and wide. It is from this same monastery that the founding Sisters were sent forth to the “American missions” in 1931 at St. Vincent Archabbey, Seminary and College, Latrobe, PA. She is renowned for her powerful and compassionate intercession on behalf of the sick, the dying, the distressed and all who pray with deep faith, she was a noted healer. She was canonised on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Saint Walburga is the Patron Saint against plague, rabies and coughs, sailors, mariners, and farmers, and against hydrophobia, famine, and storms.

    PRAYER: Saint Walburga, through your intercession, we pray for all those who are sick and dying with special intentions for those who are terminally ill and those suffering from the coronavirus disease… Amen🙏

    BLESSED SEBASTIAN OF APARICIO, RELIGIOUS: Bl.Sebastian (January 20, 1502 – February 25, 1600) was born in 1502 into a poor family of Galicia, Spain, his parents were Spanish peasants. Bl. Sebastian worked at a domestic servant and laborer. In 1531, he emigrated to Mexico, settling first in Varacruz and later in Puebla of the Angels. After transporting freight and then mail, eventually he built roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce. He became rich by building roads. Yet, he continued to lead a simple life, sleeping on a mat and eating the poorest food while contributing generously to the needy.  His 466-mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the indigenous peoples along the way.

    In 1552, Bl. Sebastian retired to a place near Mexico City where he cultivated the ground and bred livestock. In time Bl. Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. Later at over sixty years of age he wed twice—but each time he was quickly widowed. His first wife’s motivation may have been a large inheritance; his was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the same reason; his second wife also died young. At the age of seventy, he felt the call to the religious life. Giving all his wealth to the Poor Clares, he joined the Franciscans in Mexico City as a brother. Bl. Sebastian was sent to Tecali then assigned to the large community of more than 100-member of friars at Puebla de los Angeles south of Mexico City. St. Sebastian went out collecting alms for the friars and spent the last 25 years of his life as a begging brother. To obtain food for such a large community, he had to use large carts, drawn by oxen, and traveled donated by charitable people. His charity to all earned him the nickname “Angel of Mexico.” Bl. Sebastian worked day and night without complaining and in union with his Redeemer. as a result, the images of this venerable old man and his large cart have remained inseparably linked in the history and traditions of the City of Puebla of the Angels. Bl. Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny. He died on February 25, 1600, at the advanced age of ninety-eight and was beatified on May 17, 1787 by Pope Pius VI. He’s Patron Saint of Travelers, Drivers, Road builders and Transportation industry.

    PRAYER: O God, You were pleased to give us Blessed Sebastian as a model and exemplar of Christian charity by sanctifying the activities of his daily life. Through his intercession, enable us to serve You ever with a pure heart in all the circumstances of our lives. Amen🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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🙏

    Let us pray:

    My Transfigured Lord, You spoke Your divine will to the great leaders of old on a high mountain. You also entrusted Your mission to the disciples on a holy mountain. Please give me the grace and determination I also need to journey with You up the mountain of prayer so that I will be entrusted with the mission You give to me. My Transfigured Lord, You revealed Your glory to these disciples as a way of helping them accept Your Cross. Help me to also embrace Your Cross in my life and to see clearly the glory that results from its embrace. I trust in You, dear Lord; help me to trust You more. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Walburga, Abbess and Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled Sunday and fruitful 2nd week of Lent ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT ETHELBERT, KING OF KENT AND BLESSED THOMAS MARIA FUSCO, PRIEST

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 24, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Saturday of the First Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on our Lenten journey🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 24, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 24, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 24, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 24, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, February 24, 2024
    Reading 1, Deuteronomy 26:16-19
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8
    Gospel, Matthew 5:43-48

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Ten: Tempter Saturday of the First Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-ten-tempter/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Ten – The Sword of Sorrow | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-ten-the-sword-of-sorrow/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Ethelbert, King of Kent and Blessed Thomas Maria Fusco, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the conversion of sinners and we pray for God’s grace and mercy upon us all…Amen🙏

    “O blood and water, which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I/we trust in You”

    Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful Saviour of the world, we humbly beseech You, by Your most Sacred Heart, that all the sheep who stray out of Your fold may in one day be converted to You, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls, who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end….Amen🙏

    Lord God, You alone are holy and no one is good without You. Through the intercession of St. Ethelbert help us to live in such a way that we may not be deprived of a share in Your glory… Amen🙏

    SAINT ETHELBERT, KING OF KENT: St. Ethelbert was a descendent of Hengist, the legendary ancestor of the Jutish House of Kent. He became King in 560 and extended his power to all England south of the Humber. He married a Christian princess, Bertha, who was the daughter of the Frankish King Charibert. This resulted in the first introduction of Christianity into Anglo-Saxon England, since her father insisted that his daughter should be free to practice her Faith in England.

    When St. Augustine of Canterbury arrived in England in 597 with his Roman mission, he was accorded a pleasant welcome by Ethelbert who was himself still a heathen. Inspired by the example of his wife’s Faith as well as St. Augustine’s zeal, Ethelbert was converted and baptized on Pentecost in 597. He thus became the first Christian English King and thereafter gave his full support to the cause of Christ in his realm.

    St. Ethelbert was constantly concerned to promote the welfare of his people. He enacted wholesome laws that were held in esteem in succeeding ages in England. He abolished the worship of idols throughout his kingdom and turned their temples into churches or shut them down. He was also instrumental in converting Sebert, King of the East Saxons, with his people, and Redwald, King of the East Angles. St. Ethelbert was the first Anglo-Saxon king to leave a code of laws, which included a law protecting the clergy and churches by exacting very high compensation for damage done to them.  He died on February 24, 616 and was buried beside Bertha in the side chapel of Saint Martin in the church of the monastery of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which he earlier had built outside the walls of Canterbury.

    PRAYER: God our ruler and guide, we honor you for Queen Bertha and King Ethelbert of Kent who, gently persuaded by the truth of your Gospel, encouraged others by their godly example to follow freely the path of discipleship; and we pray that we, like them, may show the goodness of your Word not only by our words but in our lives; through Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen🙏

    BLESSED THOMAS MARIA FUSCO, PRIEST: St. Thomas (1831 – 1891) was born to a noble family in 1831 in Pagani, Italy. He was the seventh of eight children. When he was only six years old, his mother died of cholera. A few years later, his father also died. He became orphaned at a very young age. His uncle, a primary school teacher, took charge of Thomas’ education. The canonization of St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1839 stirred aspirations for the priesthood in Thomas’ heart. He entered the seminary in 1847 and was ordained a priest in 1855 at the age of 24. Immediately Thomas opened a morning school for the formation of boys and organized evening prayers for youth and adults. During these years, Thomas nurtured a deep devotion to the crucified Christ and to his Blessed Sorrowful Mother because of the deaths of his uncle and younger brother.

    In 1862 he opened a school of moral theology in his home to train priests for the ministry of confession. That same year he also founded the priestly Society of the Catholic Apostolate for missions among the faithful. In 1873, Thomas was deeply moved by the plight of an orphaned street girl. After careful discernment, he founded the Congregation of the “Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood”. In addition to all of this, Fusco was also a parish priest, a confessor to a group of cloistered nuns, and a spiritual father to a lay group at the nearby Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For the remainder of his years, he was completely dedicated to his priestly ministry, preaching spiritual retreats and missions, teaching catechism to youth and organizing prayer for young people and adults at his parish. He worked to build a strong devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus among the people he served. In 1891, Bl. Thomas died of liver disease at the age of 59.

    The cause for his beatification was opened in 1955 and the decree of his heroic Christian virtues was published in 2001. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 2001. At Thomas’ beatification, Pope St. John Paul II presented him as “an example and a guide to holiness for priests, for the people of God and for his spiritual daughters, the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood.”

    Blessed Thomas Maria Fusco, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Saturday of the First Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 5:43-48

    “Pray for those who persecute you ….. So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect”

    “Jesus said to His disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus highlighted to His disciples and all the people that the commandments of God are all ultimately and essentially about Love, first of all, loving God their Lord and Master with all of their strength, might and capacity, and then showing the same kind of love towards all of our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Without these kinds of love, then we cannot truly consider ourselves as being obedient to the Law and commandments of God. Jesus calls on His disciples and us all not only to love our neighbour, which is a call or command to be found in the Old Testament. He also calls on them, on us, to love our enemy, which goes beyond anything to be found in the Old Testament. Many of us might be hard pushed to think of someone who could be described as our enemy. We might struggle to identify an enemy. Yet, we may be able to think of people who have hurt us or who damaged us in some way. We are not likely to have warm feelings towards such people. When Jesus calls on His disciples to love their enemy, He is not talking about warm feelings or feelings of any kind. Jesus is talking about the will rather than feelings. At the very least, Jesus is calling on His disciples to wish their enemies well, all that is good. In the Gospel reading, Jesus identifies one expression of such love as prayer, praying for our enemy, praying for those who have hurt us and who have given us good reason to dislike them. ‘Love your enemy and pray…’ Jesus suggests that to pray for those who persecute us is to do something that has a divine quality to it. It is to give expression to the love of God which goes out to all, even to those who least deserve it.

    In our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy, words of the Lord spoken to His first chosen people, the Israelites, during their Exodus from Egypt. The Lord spoke to them through their leader, His servant Moses, in which He reminded them all to stay true and obedient to the Law and the commandments which He had revealed and passed to them, namely the Ten Commandments, as well as the many other rules, precepts and practices which He has given to them, for them all to follow and inculcate in each and every moments of their lives. Those laws and commandments were meant to show them and to teach them how they should behave and act as a people that God has chosen and blessed. Moses, the leader of the people of Israel in their Exodus from Egypt, told the people to follow the Lord, His Law and commandments, for they had been chosen by God to be His own people and to be counted among His blessed ones, as God Himself has made a Covenant with them, renewing the Covenant that He once made with Abraham, their forefather. And as part of that Covenant, just as God would bless them and keep them safe, caring for them, therefore the people had to keep their part of the Covenant, which is to follow the Law and commandments of God.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded to always strive to follow the Lord and His examples in loving us, in how we should always focus ourselves and our whole lives on God, on His love, compassion and mercy. We should also restrain and resist all those temptations of the world, the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures, and also of our pride, ego, greed, ambition and desires, so that we do not end up falling into the trap of sin and evil. Let us all be humble before the Lord, and listen to Him speaking to us, and ask Him to help and guide us in our journey of faith and life, that we do not falter and end up falling into the wrong paths. We are all called to fulfil God’s Law and commandments, to live our lives wholeheartedly according to the way that He has shown to us. We are all called to love one another generously and unconditionally. This means that we cannot just love those who love us or give us happiness and benefit, but love has to be universal and unconditional. This was just exactly how the Lord Himself has loved us, as Jesus pointed out that God still loved and cared even for the wicked and for the greatest of sinners, blessing them just as He had done for the good ones. Let us all therefore make great use of this time and season of Lent to seek the Lord with contrite hearts and minds, willing to humble ourselves, we sinners who are in need of God’s forgiveness and compassionate love. Let us rediscover the love that we ought to have for God, and let us turn once more towards Him with genuine faith. May the Lord continue to be with us in this journey of faith and life. May He encourage and strengthen us to be generous in loving one another too, to all men and to all people, even those who have not loved us back or even hated us. And may God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us in all the things we say and do, that through our Lenten observances, we will be purified and renewed, drawing ever closer to God. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My most perfect Lord, I thank You for loving me despite my many sins. I thank You for also calling me to share in the depths of Your love for others. Give me the eyes to see all people as You see them and to love them as You love them. I do love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others more. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Ethelbert, King of Kent and Blessed Thomas Maria Fusco, Priest ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe and relaxing weekend and grace-filled Lenten Season ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT POLYCARP, BISHOP AND MARTYR

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT POLYCARP, BISHOP AND MARTYR

    FIRST WEEK OF LENT

    STATIONS OF THE CROSS (Link below)

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 23, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Friday of the First Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on our Lenten journey🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 23, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 23, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 23, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 23, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 23, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, February 23, 2024
    Reading 1, Ezekiel 18:21-28
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
    Gospel, Matthew 5:20-26

    STATIONS OF THE CROSS | EWTN |
    https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/stations-of-the-cross-12706

    STATIONS OF THE CROSS (WAY OF THE CROSS) – SHORT VERSION | https://lordcalls.com/dailyprayer/stations-of-the-cross-way-of-the-cross-short-version

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Nine: Penance | Friday of the First Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-nine-penance/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Nine – Unwelcomed by the World | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-nine-unwelcomed-by-the-world/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr (Patron Saint of Earache sufferers and against dysentery). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Polycarp of  this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from hearing disorders, the coronavirus disease and those who are terminally ill.

    “Keep looking forward in prayer, and persevering in fasting; beseeching in supplications the all-seeing God to lead us away from temptation.”

    St. Polycarp, the early Church martyr who was miraculously preserved from burning at the stake…pray for us🙏

    SAINT POLYCARP OF SMYRNA, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69-155 A.D.) became a Christian in his youth, about the year 80, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. St. John ordained him Bishop of Smyrna (in modern day Turkey) probably before his own exile to Patmos in 96. From this position St. Polycarp became one of the most illustrious of the Apostolic Fathers. His closeness with the Apostles, and the long life that he lived, enabled him to protect the Church against heresy. Polycarp governed that See for seventy years, and among his disciples were St. Irenaeus and the writer Papias. The former has recorded that his master knew St. John and others who had seen Jesus.

    From Eusebius, St. Irenaeus, and St. Jerome we learn that about the year 155 St. Polycarp went to Rome to consult Pope Anicetus regarding the date of the Easter celebration, as there was a difference between the East and the West. It was agreed that both might follow their own custom. In the fourth general persecution, under the Emperor Lucius Versus and Marcus Aurelius, the Saint was apprehended and brought before the proconsul. Refusing to deny Christ, he was condemned to be burned at the stake in the amphitheater of Smyrna and was then taken to a public arena to be killed. He gave an outstanding testimony, declaring that he had served Christ for 86 years.

    The account of his martyrdom is well-preserved and is one of the earliest in the Church. Knowing the government was seeking his life, he received a vision while praying that he would be burned alive.The authors of the Act tell that they were witnesses of his execution who saw the flames surround his body without burning it, but formed an arch over his head and that Polycarp began to glow and emit a sweet aroma. This amazed the crowds, and his executioners were then ordered to stab him to death, thereupon, he was pierced with a sword; such a great amount of blood issued from the wound that it extinguished the fire. The death of the Saint occurred about the year 155 on February 23rd. His body was burned, but his bones are preserved in the Church of San Ambrogio in Rome. St. Polycarp has been venerated as a Saint since his death in 155. He’s the Patron Saint of Against ear ache, dysentery.

    QUOTE: “For eighty-six years I have served Him and He has never wronged me. How can I renounce the King who has saved me?”~ St. Polycarp

    PRAYER: God of all creation, You led St. Polycarp into the company of the Martyrs. Through his intercession we ask that, as we share in Christ’s cup of suffering, we may one day rise to eternal life. Amen🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Friday of the First Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 5:20-26

    “Go first and be reconciled with your brother”

    “Jesus said to His disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus calls His disciples to a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and Pharisees. One of the ten commandments of the Jewish Law was ‘You shall not kill’. However, the call of Jesus goes deeper than that; it looks beyond the action of killing to the underlying attitudes and emotions which lead people to kill or injure each other. Jesus invites us to look below the surface of what we do to why we do it. He calls for a renewal of the heart and mind; that is what we mean by ‘repentance’ or ‘conversion’. That deep-seated renewal that Jesus calls for is not something we can bring about on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to work that kind of deep transformation within ourselves. A prayer that has been traditional within the church acknowledges that very clearly: ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart, and kindle in me the fire of your love’. It calls on the Holy Spirit to recreate deep within us the love which shaped the person of Jesus; it calls on the Spirit to form in us the roots of that deeper virtue which Jesus speaks about in today’s Gospel reading. Our Lord Jesus reminded His disciples and all of us once again to be truly full of faith and love for God, and to be sincere in how we live our Christian lives, our dedication to God in all things. We should always do our best in all of our actions and words, in every moments to follow God’s path, to do His will and to love one another, as we should always do. We should not hold grudges and hate each other, and we must learn how to forgive and to let go of our anger and emotions, forgiving each other just as the Lord Himself has been so merciful and forgiving towards us. We must keep in mind this love and kindness shown to us, and we must do the same in our own lives as well, that we ourselves may be good examples and inspirations to others.

    In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord told His people through Ezekiel that He did not desire the death and destruction of any one of His beloved children, that is all of us. The Lord has expressed the truth that His love for us is enduring even despite all the disobedience and rebelliousness that we have often displayed all these while, and He has always been willing to be reconciled with us, calling us to return to Him with contrite hearts and repentant attitudes, desiring to reject our sins and evils. He also reminded all of us that all of us will be judged by our deeds and all that we have done in this world, whether by words or real deeds and actions. And no one is truly beyond God’s salvation and grace, as He mentioned how even the sinners will be saved should they repent and turn away from their sins, just as much as the righteous will perish and be judged against by their evil deeds, if they persist in doing so. What the Lord wanted to point out is that there is truly no limit to His love, mercy and compassion, and each one of us are called to share in this love.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded to be righteous and good in all of our actions and deeds, and to be truly faithful to God. Otherwise, we will be judged by whatever wicked and evil things we have committed, by whatever sins we have done, just as our good deeds will also be weighed in our judgment. In the end, those who are truly faithful to God will flourish while those who are lacking in faith will fall into damnation and eternal suffering. The Lord has reminded us of this as we enter into this season of Lent for our own benefit. Let us all therefore strive to do our best to be better Christians in each and every moments of our lives. We are called to follow the examples of the Saints, Holy men and women, especially St. Polycarp, who we celebrate today, his great courage and faith in the Lord should inspire all of us to have that kind of strong and unwavering faith in God as well. This Lent is the best time for us to begin charting our path forward in being faithful to God and in living our lives to the best we can as Christians in our respective communities and places. May God in His infinite grace and mercy,  grant us His grace and may He empower each and every one of us to walk with Him faithfully each day, living virtuously, now and always. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My most merciful Lord, I thank You for forgiving me and for loving me with such perfection and totality. Thank You for reconciling with me despite my imperfect contrition. Give me a heart, dear Lord, that always seeks to love the sinner in my life. Help me to offer mercy to the fullest extent in imitation of Your divine mercy. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr ~ pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe and relaxing weekend and grace-filled Lenten Season ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARGARET OF CORTONA, RELIGIOUS

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARGARET OF CORTONA, RELIGIOUS

    FIRST WEEK OF LENT

    FEAST AND SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 22, 2024

    FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER, APOSTLE

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the First Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on this journey of the Lenten season🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 22, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 22, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 22, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 22, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 22, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, February 22, 2024
    Reading 1, First Peter 5:1-4
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
    Gospel, Matthew 16:13-19

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Eight: Thirst Thursday of the First Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-eight-thirst/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Eight – Fidelity in All Things | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-eight-fidelity-in-all-things/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    FEAST AND SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the Apostle of Christ, the first Bishop of Rome, and the “rock” upon whom Jesus built His Church. This feast is an ancient feast that has been kept at Rome since the fourth century; it celebrates the role of the Bishop of Rome as a symbol of unity for all Christians. Today, we humbly pray and we thank God for Pope Francis whose teachings in their various forms have been an inspiration not only to people of faith within the Catholic church but to people of faith in other churches, in other religious traditions, and to those of no particular religious faith. We pray that we ourselves would be attentive to what this particular successor of Peter is saying to us today. Lord, on this Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, bless the successor of St. Peter, Pope Francis, and all the ministers, the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, all religious and people of your Church, as we witness to your presence in the world… Amen🙏

    On this feast of the Chair of St. Peter, let us pray for the Pope and for the Church. Saint Peter, Apostle and Saint Margaret of Cortona ~ Pray for us🙏

    FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER, APOSTLE: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” ~ Matthew 16:18

    Today, the Church celebrates the glorious Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. This Feast celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. The seat of authority which is traditionally ascribed to St. Peter, the Prince and Chief of all the Apostles, the one whom the Lord had entrusted His Church to, as His Vicar in this world. It brings to mind the mission of teacher and pastor conferred by Christ on Peter, and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope. We celebrate the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle, and renew our assent to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, extended both to truths which are solemnly defined ex cathedra, and to all the acts of the ordinary Magisterium. The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter at Rome has been celebrated from the early days of the Christian era on 18 January, in commemoration of the day when Saint Peter held his first service in Rome. The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter at Antioch, commemorating his foundation of the See of Antioch, has also been long celebrated at Rome, on 22 February. At each place a chair (cathedra) was venerated which the Apostle had used while presiding at Mass. One of the chairs is referred to about 600 by an Abbot Johannes who had been commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to collect in oil from the lamps which burned at the graves of the Roman martyrs.

    In the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, where the tomb of St. Peter and the largest and one of the most important churches of all Christendom now stands, there is a wooden chair, gilded and covered partly in gold, which according to Church and Apostolic traditions had been used by St. Peter the Apostle himself while he was in Rome, as the seat of his authority as the first Pope and Bishop of Rome. This chair is now enshrined above the Altar of the Chair at one end of the Basilica of St. Peter. The chair of the bishop of a diocese, which is a structural and administrative division in the Church, is also known as a Cathedra, and this seat represents the Divine-granted authority, power and teaching of the bishop, his leadership, guidance and shepherdhood over the people of God entrusted under his care. This Cathedra is located in the church which is then considered as the Mother Church of the whole diocese, and this church is thus also known as a Cathedral. Just as the Cathedra is the seat and the symbol of the bishop’s authority and power, thus the Cathedral is the central hub and focus of the spiritual life and a symbol of unity of the whole diocese, and all the faithful there. A particular chair or seat is not what determines the ‘Chair of the Bishop’ akin to today’s celebration of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, but rather, that authority and power have been granted to each bishops through the Holy Spirit, from God, and by the power granted and authorised to the Church and its leadership, chief of which is the Pope, the Vicar of Christ and Successor of St. Peter, this power and authority have been passed down from the Apostles to the bishops of the Church today, in what is known as the Apostolic Succession.

    Thus, the Cathedra is just symbolic of the Bishop’s authority and power to rule over the flock of the faithful people of God in his respective diocese, and usually when a new bishop is consecrated and ordained, during or soon after his ordination, he is led to take his place on this Cathedra or any other equivalent chairs, in the case of auxiliary bishops, to represent this Apostolic Succession of the episcopal duty and authority entrusted to them by the Lord. And above all the bishops of the whole world, the Bishop of Rome as the Successor of St. Peter the Apostle in his unique role as the Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of Christ, as the one whom the Lord had entrusted His Church to, from St. Peter to his successors, right down to Pope Francis, our current Pope, they all have been given the duty and responsibility over the whole entire Universal Church. This Chair of St. Peter is not merely just a chair like any other chair out there. There is indeed a historic relic of the actual chair used by St. Peter the Apostle. This Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle is more than just celebrating the actual chair upon which our first Pope and Vicar of Christ had exercised his solemn God-given authority over the Church.

    St. Peter’s original name was Simon. He was married with children and was living and working in Capernaum as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve Apostles. Jesus bestowed to Peter a special place among the Apostles. He was one of the three who were with Christ on special occasions, such as the Transfiguration of Christ and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was the only Apostle to whom Christ appeared on the first day after the Resurrection. St. Peter, in turn, often spoke on behalf of the Apostles. When Jesus asked the Apostles: “Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?” Simon replied: “Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus said: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: That you are Peter [Cephas, a rock], and upon this rock [Cephas] I will build my Church [ekklesian], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven”. (Mt 16:13-20) In saying this, Jesus made St. Peter the head of the entire community of believers and placed the spiritual guidance of the faithful in St. Peter’s hands.

    However, St. Peter was not without faults. He was rash and reproached often by Christ. He had fallen asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane instead of praying, as Jesus had asked him to do. He also denied knowing Jesus three times after Christ’s arrest. St. Peter delivered the first public sermon after the Pentecost and won a large number of converts. He also performed many miracles and defended the freedom of the Apostles to preach the Gospels. He preached in Jerusalem, Judaea, and as far north as Syria. He was arrested in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa I, but miraculously escaped execution. He left Jerusalem and eventually went to Rome, where he preached during the last portion of his life. He was crucified there, head downwards, as he had desired to suffer, saying that he did not deserve to die as Christ had died. The date of St. Peter’s death is not clear. Historians estimate he was executed between the years 64 and 68. His remains now rest beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

    PRAYER: Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle – Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen 🙏

    SAINT MARGARET OF CORTONA, RELIGIOUS: St Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297) penitent, was born to a peasant family in Italy in the village of Umbria in 1247. At seven her mother died and two years later, her father remarried.  Unfortunately, her stepmother did not care for her. She was a very attractive girl, who thirsted for the affection denied her at home. As her stepmother turned out to be harsh and unsympathetic, Margaret tended to go her own way. She missed her mother, but always remembered a prayer she taught her: “O Lord Jesus, I beseech thee, grant salvation to all those for whom thou wouldst have me pray.”

    When she was seventeen, she heard that a wealthy young nobleman from Montepulciano needed a servant in his castle. Margaret went there, knowing, that she would be free from her stepmother and, within limits, could live as she pleased. The nobleman began to take notice of the beautiful girl who had an air of independence and he paid her his attention. He gave her luxurious garments and gold chains for her hair and soon they became lovers, but although Margaret lived as his mistress for nine years and they had a son, he did not marry her, causing her great scandal. Once while her lover was absent for a few days visiting his estates, his dog returned without his master. Margaret, sensing something amiss, followed the dog to discover his murdered body in a forest. At the sight, she began to blame herself for his irregular life, and to loathe her beauty which had fascinated him. She immediately felt great remorse at her estrangement from God and her family. She gave all the possessions, the jewels, clothes and property he had given her back to his family or to the poor and returned home to attempt a reconciliation with her father.  Taking her son with her, Margaret returned to her own family, wanting to live as a penitent. However, at the urging of her stepmother, her father refused to take in Margaret and her son. She then made a total commitment to Jesus, who had already begun to give her glimpses of Himself in mystical prayer.

    In desperation she sought refuge with the monks of St. Francis in the town of Cortona. But arriving there, a Franciscan brother told her, “You are too young and too pretty”. She met two ladies, Marinana and Raneria, who took pity on her and took her and her son into their home and later introduced her to the Franciscan monks who counseled her. A Franciscan, Brother Giunta Bevignati, became her confessor and wrote an account of her life and visions. She made a general confession which took a week to complete. At the end, she had the joy of hearing Jesus call her his daughter. She struggled against the temptations of her prior life, alternately going through periods of exultation and despair. St. Margaret led a life of public penance, undertaking severe mortifications. She once wanted  to disfigure her face with a razor, so as to destroy her beauty, but her confessor forbade it. She sought to fight temptation by exhibiting her penitence in excessive ways such as going to mass at Montepulciano with a rope around her neck, but the friars counselled her against such excesses and recommended that she try to find peace by helping others. She followed that advice and started a life of prayer and caring for the sick and poor. She devoted herself to prayer and earned her living by looking after sick ladies. Later she gave her service, without pay, to the sick poor. She moved from the house of the women who had taken her in to a small cottage, where she lived on alms which she used primarily for the poor, keeping very little for herself. In three years she was able to overcome her temptations and reach a higher plane of spirituality. Impressed with the sincerity of her conversion, the Franciscans were convinced of her sincerity, they admitted her to the third order of St. Francis. Soon after, her son entered school away from home. He was sent to school at Arezzo, and later joined the Franciscan Order and eventually became a Franciscan. She seemed to have reached a level of spirituality where she developed a deep and personal relationship with God.

    In 1286 the Bishop of Arezzo granted her a charter to continue her work for the sick and poor on a permanent basis. Eventually she opened a hospital with other Franciscan women whom she formed into a congregation. With the Franciscan Tertiaries the hospital she founded looked after prisoners. She lived in a cell near the convent of St Francis and counselled penitents who began to seek her as her fame for sanctity spread. Although her fear of herself was never far away, she gradually grew in confidence because she knew that now she was loved by Jesus who would not fail her. But her trials were not over.  Because of St. Margaret’s prior sinful life there were those who doubted her sincerity and began casting aspersions on her relationship with the friars. Accusations were made against her, even suggestions that she had an affair with Friar Giunta. The pressurre from these scandalous rumors were such that the Franciscans transferred her principal spriritual advisor, Fra Giunta, to a distant monastery to stop them. For a time even her ability to pray was affected. However, she bore these trials patiently and persisted in prayer, meekly and humbly accepting God’s will. One day in prayer she heard God’s call to summon others to Him by preaching. St. Margaret began to preach repentance. Her efforts were rewarded, and her fame spread. Conversions through her preaching were many, and people came from all over Italy, Spain, and France. Miracles of healing also occurred through her. Even the people of Cortona, who had distrusted her, were won over.

    In 1288, however, the Franciscan authorities, alarmed by her excess of devotion and her familiarity with the brothers, asked her to leave. She withdrew to a more isolated cell near the citadel of Cortona where she devoted herself entirely to contemplation, and remaining there alone, except for the visits of her priest until her death. After 23 years of rigorous penance, in the 50th year of her life, God called the great penitent to the Beatific Vision. She died at the age of fifty on February 22, 1297. She was buried in the Church of St Basil in Cortona, where her incorrupt body still remains. St. Margaret was publically proclaimed a Saint on the day of her death, and the people of Cortona built a church in her honor. Although she was immediately venerated as a Saint, she was not officially canonized until 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII.  Her feast day is celebrated on February 22.

    St. Margaret of Cortona did not start life as a Saint and showed great weakness to temptation, which she overcame through prayer and good works. She is surely a Saint for our troubled times, and someone to whom we should pray for conversion for ourselves and the society in which we live. St. Margaret of Cortona ~ Pray for us 🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 16:13-19

    “You are Peter. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven”

    “When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

    In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is portrayed as giving St. Peter a very distinctive role. He is to be the foundation stone of the church, the community of believers, holding it together in unity. He is given keys, symbolic language for some kind of authoritative role in the church. The language of binding and losing suggests the nature of this authoritative role. It is a teaching role with the authority to declare which elements of Jesus’ teaching are binding and which are not. St. Peter is to interpret the message of Jesus for the church. Within our own Roman Catholic tradition, we consider this role of St. Peter to reside in a special way with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, who is understood to be St. Peter’s successor in this regard. In every age the church looks to him as the focal point of unity for all disciples of the Lord and as the authoritative interpreter of the message of Jesus for the church and the world. There have been good and bad Popes in the history of the church. In recent decades we have been very fortunate to have Popes who have been faithful to the role given to St. Peter in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus was willing to give St. Peter this role because St. Peter had displayed a deep insight into the identity of Jesus, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. This was a God-given insight, as Jesus said to him, ‘it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven’. St. Peter’s unique understanding of Jesus was the basis of the authoritative role Jesus went on to give him. Whereas St. Peter’s role was unique, the question of Jesus is addressed to us all, ‘Who do you say I am?’ It is a very personal question addressed to each one of us, a question that calls us to renew our faith in Jesus, recognizing him as Son of God and Lord of our life. Such a faith insight into Jesus is always God given; it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is the Spirit who leads us to the complete truth about Jesus. Insofar as we come to know Jesus as he truly is, our own faith will be authoritative, in that it will empower others to believe. As our own relationship with the Lord deepens, the Lord will work through us to lead others to Him. We look to Pope Francis, and to each Pope, to proclaim the teaching of Jesus in a way that speaks to the issues and concerns of our times. Jesus was aware that His words, His teaching, would need to be re-interpreted continually for every age. Today we ask for the grace to listen to Pope Francis who, we believe, is especially inspired to interpret the teaching of Jesus for us for this age.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, as we celebrate this Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, it is important that we all reaffirm our unity, obedience and adherence to the teachings and the rules and ways of the Church as contained within its laws and precepts, and as governed and guided by the Pope, united with all of his brother bishops all throughout the world, who as the successors of the Apostles, had been tasked with keeping faithfully the teachings of the Lord, His Good News and truth, and this important deposit of faith, all of our Christian beliefs and practices, through which, many of us can come ever closer to the Lord, to His grace and love. We must always support the good works of the Church, and pray for our Pope in particular, as well as for the other bishops who help to guide and steer the Church in often turbulent and difficult times. Let us all continue to support the Church, especially to all those who have been entrusted with the leadership of the Church, like the Pope and the many bishops, our own diocesan bishops and others entrusted with the guidance of the flock of the faithful people of God. Let us all strive to do our part as the Christian faithful, holy people of God so that we may continue to glorify God by our lives, and contribute in whichever areas we have been called and entrusted to by the Lord. Let us all do our best that our every words, actions and deeds will continue to proclaim God’s truth and Good News, in all things. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our path, strengthening and encouraging us in our journey of faith and life, as part of the Universal Church, especially during this Lenten season, and may He continue to bless our Pope, the Successor of St. Peter. Amen 🙏

    Let us pray:

    My glorious Bridegroom, You have instituted the Church upon the rock foundation of Peter’s faith. Peter and all of his successors are Your precious gift to us all. Help me to see beyond the sins of others, the scandals and divisions, and to see You, my Lord, leading all people to salvation through Your bride, the Church. I renew my faith, this day, in the gift of this One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Peter, Apostle and Saint Margaret of Cortona ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all as we begin Lent today, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled Lenten Season ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; SAINT SEVERIANUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND BLESSED BROTHER DIDACE PELLETIER

    MEMORIAL OF SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; SAINT SEVERIANUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND BLESSED BROTHER DIDACE PELLETIER

    FIRST WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 21, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the First Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on this journey of the Lenten season🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 21, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 21, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 21, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 21, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 21, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
    Reading 1, Jonah 3:1-10
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19
    Gospel, Luke 11:29-32

    *40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Seven: Heat| Wednesday of the First Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-seven-heat/

    *40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-seven-a-lowly-servant-of-the-lord/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Patron Saint of those with Sleep Disorders, Against Insomnia, Headache Sufferers). In the Traditional Pre Vatican II calendar, we also celebrate Saint Severianus, Bishop and Martyr and Blessed Brother Didace Pelletier. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for those who are sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from headaches and sleep disorders and we also pray for those who are physically and mentally suffering from stressful life events at these incredibly challenging times.

    Saint Peter Damian, you urged others to live with heroic virtue by your own example ~ Pray for us🙏

    SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Peter Damian (1007-1072 A.D.) was a Benedictine monk and a devoted collaborator of Pope St. Gregory VII and, like him, a Benedictine, St. Peter Damian was one of the most glorious lights of the Church in the 11th century. St. Peter Damian was born during 1007 in the Italian city of Ravenna, the youngest of a large and noble yet poor family.  He lost both his father and mother early in life. An older brother took the boy into his household, yet treated him poorly. But another of St. Peter’s brothers, a priest, took steps to provide for his education; and the priest’s own name, Damian, became his younger brother’s surname. St. Peter excelled in school while also taking up forms of asceticism, such as fasting, wearing a hair shirt, and spending long hours in prayer with an emphasis on reciting the Psalms. He offered hospitality to the poor as a means of serving Christ, and eventually resolved to embrace voluntary poverty himself through the Order of Saint Benedict. The monks he chose to join, in the hermitage of Fonte Avellana, lived out their devotion to the Cross of Christ through a rigorous rule of life. They lived mainly on bread and water, prayed all 150 Psalms daily, and practiced many physical mortifications. Peter embraced this way of life somewhat excessively at first, which led to a bout with insomnia. Deeply versed in the Bible and the writings of earlier theologians, St. Peter developed his own theological acumen and became a skilled preacher. The leaders of other monasteries sought his help to build up their monks in holiness, and in 1043 he took up a position of leadership as the prior of Fonte Avellana. Five other hermitages were established under his direction. Serious corruption plagued the Church during St. Peter’s lifetime, including the sale of religious offices and immorality among many of the clergy. Through his writings and involvements in controversies of the day, the prior of Fonte Avellana called on members of the hierarchy and religious orders to live out their commitments and strive for holiness. In 1057, Pope Stephen IX became determined to make St. Peter Damian a bishop, a goal he accomplished only by demanding the monk’s obedience under threat of excommunication. Consecrated as the Bishop of Ostia in November of that year, he also joined the College of Cardinals and wrote a letter encouraging its members to set an example for the whole Church.

    With Pope Stephen’s death in 1058, and the election of his successor Nicholas II, Peter’s involvement in Church controversies grew. He supported Pope Nicholas against a rival claimant to the papacy, and went to Milan as the Pope’s representative when a crisis broke out over canonical and moral issues. There, he was forced to confront rioters who rejected papal authority. St. Peter, meanwhile, wished to withdraw from these controversies and return to the contemplative life. But Nicholas’ death in 1061 caused another papal succession crisis, which the cardinal-bishop helped to resolve in favor of Alexander II. That Pope kept the Cardinal Bishop of Ostia occupied with a series of journeys and negotiations for the next six years. In 1067, St. Peter Damian was allowed to resign his episcopate and return to the monastery at Fonte Avellana. Two years later, however, Pope Alexander needed his help to prevent the German King Henry IV from divorcing his wife. Peter lived another two years in the monastery before making a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino, the birthplace of the Benedictine order. In 1072, St. Peter returned to his own birthplace of Ravenna, to reconcile the local church with the Pope. The monk’s last illness came upon him during his return from this final task, and he died after a week at a Benedictine monastery in Faenza during February of that year, 1072. He wrote many works on ascetical theology. Never formally canonized, St. Peter Damian was celebrated as a saint after his death in many of the places associated with his life. On September 27, 1828, due to his academic prowess and prolific theological writings, Pope Leo XII placed his feast on the Universal Calendar and made him a Doctor of the Church and extended the observance of his feast day throughout the Western Church. He’s Patron Saint of those with Sleep Disorders, Against Insomnia, Headache Sufferers.

    PRAYER: “St. Peter Damian, you were an insomniac for  a long period of time. You understand how difficult it is to function after a sleepless night, how hard it is to be kind, understanding and loving when you are exhausted, how frustrating it is to be tired and unable to do your best. Please intercede for those who are sick, particularly those suffering from sleep disorders or stressful life events, lift them before the throne of God and ask that if it be God’s will that they be able to rest peacefully at night and no longer suffer with insomnia. If it is not God’s will at this time, I ask for them to have the grace to use any sleepless hours as a time of prayer, offering that sleeplessness for the souls who most need God’s love and mercy. St. Peter Damian, thank you for your prayers”…Amen🙏

    Almighty God, help us to follow the teachings and example of St. Peter. Placing Christ above all things, may we be ever active in the service of Your Church and attain the joys of eternal light. Amen🙏

    QUOTE: “Do not be depressed. Do not let your weakness make you impatient. Instead, let the serenity of your spirit shine through your face. Let the joy of your mind burst forth.” ~ Saint Peter Damian

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Wednesday of the First Week in Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:29-32

    “No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah”

    “While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

    In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Luke, the same story of Jonah and the people of Nineveh were also presented to us, in the manner how the Lord Jesus used that together with the story of the coming of the Queen of the South or the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem, in order to highlight how many of the people to whom the Lord had been sent to, were lacking in their faith and trust in God, that they failed to believe in the One Whom God had sent into their midst, despite the obvious signs and all that the Lord Jesus Himself had done, in fulfilling everything that God had promised to His people from the very beginning of time. This was also presented as an irony and comparison, between the attitudes of the people of that time with those in Nineveh and that of the Queen of the South. Jesus addresses His contemporaries as people who fail to appreciate Him; they do not recognize the significance of His person, His presence, someone greater than Jonah, greater even than Solomon. If the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah and if the Queen of the South responded to Solomon, how much more should Jesus’ contemporaries respond to Him. The same Jesus who was present to His contemporaries is present to us as risen Lord. We too can fail to appreciate the Lord who stands among us. Like Jesus’ contemporaries, we can look for signs without recognizing the powerful signs of His presence that are all around us. The greatest sign of the Lord’s presence, a sacred sign or sacrament, is the Eucharist. In the Eucharist the Lord is present to us under the form of bread and wine, saying to us, ‘This is my body… This is my blood’. In coming to the Lord in the Eucharist we are coming to someone greater than Jonah or Solomon. The Lord is present to us in other ways also. We take His presence seriously by responding to His call and following in His way, as the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s call,. Having been graced by the Lord’s presence, we are to respond to His presence by living in a graced way.

    In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Jonah, the Lord sent His servant Jonah to the city and the people of Nineveh, then the great capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire. Contextually and historically, as the Assyrians had conquered numerous nations and peoples, they were a very proud people and nation, and their glory and power unparalleled. Yet, they had also committed great atrocities and sin before God, and the Lord sent Jonah to them to warn them of this and the retribution that they were to face. Immediately upon hearing the news of the revelation of their impending destruction, the king and the whole entire people of Nineveh believed in the Lord and in His words, and they immediately humbled themselves before the Lord, went into mourning and contrition, dressed in sackcloth and regretting all the sins which they had committed before God and men alike. And seeing the actions and the sincerity of the people of Nineveh in believing in Him and in repenting from their sinful ways, God spared Nineveh from destruction.

    As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded to have faith in the Lord and to trust in Him, believing in all that He has done for us and shown us. We must be strong in faith and do not waver amidst the trials and challenges, the many temptations we may be facing in this world. And through what we have heard from the Scripture readings today, both Jonah and Jesus call on us to be open to and attentive to the workings of God’s Spirit in the lives of those whom we might be tempted to dismiss. This call is especially timely in a period of war and conflict in our world. During this season of Lent, let us all make good use of the examples shown to us by the Saints, holy men and women, especially this holy man of God who we celebrate today, St. Peter Damian, in all that he had done for the sake of God’s Church, and also remind ourselves of the need for us to repent and turn away from all of our many sins and wickedness. Let us all be the beacons of hope and strength for one another, doing whatever we can so that by our loving examples and inspirational actions, filled with love and grace of God, we may help many others to come ever closer towards God, and to be redeemed from their sins, like how the people of Nineveh had done in the past, in embracing God with great desire to be forgiven and to be redeemed from their sins. Let us all come towards the Lord with contrite hearts and minds, and seek Him with ever greater commitment from now on, especially as we journey through this blessed time of Lent. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to believe in the Lord and turn towards Him with heart full of love and contrition especially throughout this journey of faith and life, and throughout this Lenten season. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    My crucified Lord, I gaze upon the crucifix and see in Your death the greatest act of love ever known. Give me the grace I need to follow You to the tomb so that Your death will triumph over my sins. Free me, dear Lord, during the Lenten journey so that I will be able to fully share in Your new life of the Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saints Peter Damian; Saint Severianus, Bishop and Martyr and Blessed Brother Didace Pelletier ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful, and grace-filled Lenten Season ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

  • MEMORIAL OF SAINTS JACINTA AND FRANCISCO MARTO AND SAINT EUCHERIUS OF ORLEANS, BISHOP

    FIRST WEEK OF LENT

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 20, 2024

    Greetings beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the First Week of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on this journey of the Lenten season🙏

    Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 20, 2024 on EWTN” |

    Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 20, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 20, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 20, 2024 |

    Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 20, 2024 |

    Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

    Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, February 20, 2024
    Reading 1, Isaiah 55:10-11
    Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19
    Gospel, Matthew 6:7-15

    40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Six: Solitude | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-six-solitude/

    40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Six – A Leap of Joy Remembered | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-six-a-leap-of-joy-remembered/

    A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen 🙏

    God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amen🙏

    LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

    For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards

    Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

    DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.

    On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

    During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over 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/

    SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of  Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto (Patron Saint of Bodily ills; Portuguese children; Captives; People ridiculed for their piety; Prisoners; Against sickness) and Saint Eucherius of Orleans, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those who are sick with cancer and other  terminal diseases and those suffering from the coronavirus disease. We also pray for peace, love and unity in our families and the world. Amen🙏

    SAINTS JACINTA AND FRANCISCO MARTO: St. Francisco (1908-1919) and St. Jacinta Marto (1910–1920) were siblings and the youngest of the three shepherd children, who, along with their cousin, Lúcia Santos, witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 while tending sheep in the countryside of Fatima, Portugal. The apparitions of our Blessed Mother Mary is now commonly known as Our Lady of Fatima. Jacinta and Francisco were entrusted by Our Lady of Fatima with many messages and warnings for the world, and that they were to do penance and pray for the conversion of sinners. During the first apparition, which took place May 13, 1917, Our Lady asked the three children to say the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the conversion of sinners. Both became prayerful mystics, much wiser than their age, on account of these visits. Although only young children, they faithfully offered up many sacrifices as Our Lady requested, by praying the rosary daily, giving their lunches to the poor and going without food themselves, denying themselves water on hot days, wearing a rough rope next to her skin, calmly facing ridicule on account of the apparitions, they offered up their daily crosses and bravely enduring the suffering that ended in their deaths. One time she said to her mother, “Oh Mama … do you see Our Lady of the Cova da Iria?”

    In October 1918, Francisco and Jacinta became seriously ill with the Spanish influenza. Our Blessed Mother appeared to them again and told Francisco and Jacinta that they would die young and that she would soon come to take them to heaven. Jacinta explained: Our Lady came to see us and she said that soon she will come to get Francisco to bring him to heaven. Francisco died first. Bed-ridden, Francisco requested his first Communion. The following day, Francisco died, April 14, 1919. Jacinta the next year suffered a long illness as well with two hospitalizations. She was eventually transferred to a Lisbon hospital and operated for an abscess in her chest, but her health did not improve. She died alone on February 20, 1920, at age 9. Their feast is marked on the anniversary of Jacinta’s death, February 20.

    Pope John Paul II beatified Francisco and Jacinta on May 13, 2000, on the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. Pope Francis on May 13, 2017 officially declared Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints of the Catholic Church. They were canonized on the 100th anniversary of the first Apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in front of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Fatima, Portugal – teaching us that even young children can become saints. Saints Francisco and Jacinta are the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized in the history of the Church. They are the Patron Saint of Bodily ills; Portuguese children; Captives; People ridiculed for their piety; Prisoners; Against sickness.

    Saint Jacinta once said, “Tell everybody that God grants us graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; that people are to ask her for them; and that the Heart of Jesus wants the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be venerated at His side. Tell them also to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God entrusted it to her”.

    PRAYER: Saints Jacinta and Francisco, pray for us that we will remain committed in our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary for peace in our homes, families and our divided and conflicted world ~Amen🙏

    SAINT EUCHERIUS OF ORLEANS, BISHOP: St. Eucherius was born at Orleans of a very illustrious family. St. Eucherius was the nephew of Suavaric, bishop of Auxerre, who was the Bishop of Orléans. At his birth his parents dedicated him to God, for his mother had been advised in a vision that he would some day be Bishop of the city of Orleans. They took great care to form both his mind and his heart. His improvement in virtue kept pace with his progress in learning; he meditated assiduously on the sacred writings. His meditations on the Epistles of St. Paul influenced him to abandon the world, especially on Saint Paul’s manner of speaking on the world and its enjoyments, calling them mere empty shadows which deceive us and vanish away. These reflections at length sank so deeply into his mind that he resolved to leave the world. To put this design in execution, about the year 714 he retired to the abbey of Jumiege in Normandy, the diocese of Rouen and soon acquired a reputation for sanctity, where he spent six or seven years in the practice of penitential austerities and obedience.

    When his uncle, Suaveric, the Bishop of Orleans, died, the senate and people with the clergy of that city, begged permission to elect Eucherius to the vacant see. Charles Martel, mayor of the palace, who practically governed France, granted their request, despite his own lack of favor toward the Saint. The Saint entreated his monks to screen him from the honors threatening him; but they preferred the public good to any private inclinations, and resigned him to accept that important charge. Thus, St. Eucherius left his beloved solitude to assume the episcopal dignity and he was consecrated with universal applause in 721.

    Saint Eucherius apostolic zeal was tempered with such meekness that he was beloved by all who knew him. Charles Martel, to defray the expenses of his wars and other undertakings, often stripped the churches of their revenues. Saint Eucherius reproved these encroachments with so much zeal that in the year 737, Charles banished him to Cologne. The extraordinary esteem which his virtue procured him in that city caused Charles to have him taken to a fortress in the territory of Liege. The governor of that country was so charmed with his virtue that he made him the distributer of his large alms, and allowed him to retire to the monastery of Sarchinium, or Saint Tron’s. Here prayer and contemplation were his whole employment until the year 743, in which he died, on the 20th of February.

    PRAYER: God, Light and Shepherd of souls, You established St. Eucherius as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us through his intercession to keep the Faith he taught by his word and follow the way he showed by his example ~ Amen🙏

    PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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, Tuesday of the First Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

    Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 6:7-15

    “This is how you are to pray”

    “Jesus said to His disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.   “This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,    thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

    In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Lord Jesus talked to His disciples and followers about the matter of praying to God. He told them all that when they pray, they must not be like those who often said a lot and made a lot of words and yet, they did not truly embody and understand what they were saying. The Lord also spoke against all those who spoke many words and did not even understand what prayer is all about. Jesus says, ‘Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him’. Hence, He taught all of His disciples on how they should be praying, with the prayer which He Himself has made, the prayer that we now know well as the Pater Noster, or ‘Our Father’, also known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ because it is He Himself Who has taught us this perfect prayer. This is the only prayer in the Gospels that Jesus teaches His disciples, and all of us, to pray. It has had a privileged place among Christian prayers because it has been given to us by the Lord Himself. Jesus says that prayer is not about informing God about  something God is not aware of. There is no need for many words, He says, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Our prayer does not inform God. Rather, our prayer forms us. In praying we acknowledge who God is and who we are before God. In doing so we grow in our relationship with God and we become more fully the person God is calling us to be. The prayer that Jesus gives us, the Lord’s Prayer, has two parts to it. In the first part, we acknowledge who God is and in the second part who we are before God. In those opening petitions we acknowledge the priority of God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will. In a sense, we invite God to be God. In the following petitions we acknowledge who we are before God, dependent on God for our fundamental needs, our physical needs symbolized by bread and our spiritual needs, our need for forgiveness for our sins and for strength in time of temptation by evil. This very short prayer is both a prayer in itself and a teaching on prayer. It is a prayer that shows us what is at the heart of all prayer. According to Jesus’ prayer, we need to pray for forgiveness for our sins against God and God’s people, while being ready to forgive the sins of others against us. Finally, we need to pray for the grace to remain faithful to the Lord’s way, especially when we are tempted to take a path that is not God’s will for us.

    In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to His people regarding His Word, Whom He sent into the world to do His will, to bless and to provide for all of us, His beloved ones. This was in fact a premonition and also a prophecy on what was to happen and come, with the coming of the Word of God, incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, Who had been sent into our midst to save us all from certain destruction and damnation, and to fulfil what God has always desired to do with us, and that is to love us all and to bring us all back to Himself, so that we will be reconciled with Him, and made perfect and good once again. And to this extent, that was why He gave us all the most perfect gift of all in His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, the Divine Word Incarnate. God is truly full of love for each and every one of us, and He is indeed a loving Father to each and every one of us. No one is truly beyond the great love and compassion of God, which has endured throughout all time, from the very beginning. God could have erased us from existence and destroyed us because of our disobedience and wickedness, which had led to us committing sins against Him. Sin has separated us from the love and grace of God, and brought us all into this state of corruption, tainting us by the vileness of disgrace and the filth of evil. Yet, despite all these, God’s love for each one of us endures and remains, because nothing can overcome this love, and not even the power of sin. What God despises is our sins and wickedness, and not us. That is why, as a loving Father, He sent unto us His Son to save us. By embracing our human nature and existence, taking up our human flesh and becoming as one of us, Christ, the Son of God Who has also become the Son of Man, has united us all to His Sonship, and since He is the Son of the Father, He has made us all His brothers and sisters, and thus also the adopted sons and daughters of God, Who is truly our Father and Creator. That is why, we should really be thankful and grateful, appreciative and understanding, just how fortunate we all are to have been beloved so much by our God and Father. God’s will is truly to bring us all to redemption through His Son, by His perfect obedience and most selfless offering of Himself so that each and every one of us may be saved and gain new life through Him. We must not take this for granted and we must always do what we can so that we reciprocate the love which our loving and merciful Father has always shown us, listening to Him and communicating with Him.

    As we reflect on the words of the  Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are reminded of the virtue of obedience and the importance of prayer in our lives as Christians. This is because it is through prayer and obedience that all of us will likely come closer to God and His salvation, as it is through those that we will grow ever stronger and better in our Christian living, and each one of us will come to share in the grace of God, our loving Father and Creator, Whose love and compassion for us are truly boundless and wonderful. We are called to cultivate in us the habit of good and true prayer, prayer that is genuine from our hearts and not prayer that is merely recited without meaning or understanding. We are all called to pray more and to spend more time in quality moments with God, which we can achieve through that prayerful time and silence, as we come to Him with a contrite and loving heart, remembering His most generous love and compassionate mercy, all that He had done for us, all these while. The Lord has shown us His great willingness to welcome us back to His embrace and to love us once again, and we are all called to remember this love and mercy at all times. Each and every one of us are beloved by God, and that is why He has given us all the most wonderful and perfect gift of His own Son, the One He sent to us to become our Saviour. Let us all therefore spend more good and quality time with the Lord our God, through prayers and other means, and seek to understand and know better the will of God which He has presented to us through His Son, and through our interactions with Him. As Christians, let us all always be role model for one another, so that by our examples and dedication, we may inspire one another in faith, and in doing more and more to come ever closer to God and His grace. This season of Lent is a time for us to reflect deeply on ourselves and our path in life, a perfect time for us to redirect our focus and attention once again at God. Let us all make great use of this ample opportunity during this blessed season of Lent to come ever closer to God. Let us all be inspired by the great examples of our predecessors, to walk in the path of Our Lord and His Saints. Let us all make this Lent a truly meaningful and good one for all of us, that we may each and all come to God’s presence, and be worthy of God and His love and grace. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace this Lenten season to be steadfast in our prayer. Amen🙏

    Let us pray:

    Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.  Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

    Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Saint Eucherius of Orleans, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

    Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled Lenten Season ~ Amen🙏

    Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖