FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 10, 2024
NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]
Greetings beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 10, 2024 on EWTN” |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 10, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 10, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 10, 2024 |
Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 10, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, February 10, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 106:6-7, 19-20, 21-22
Gospel, Mark 8:1-10
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, 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
Please let us 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/
NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th]
NOVENA PRAYER: Most Holy Mother Mary, at Lourdes you asked us to do penance and to pray for the conversion of sinners. Obtain for each of us the grace of true repentance. Help those for whom we pray, and especially those who most need God’s mercy. Your Divine Son so loves every soul that He gave His life to pay the price for our redemption. Help us to return His love by making the sacrifices needed to keep his commandments. Most Holy Mother you offered your Divine Son to the Eternal Father when you presented Him in the temple; offer us to the Father as your other children; watch over us and guide us. Blessed Mother, obtain for me the grace I most need, and especially these favors that I ask in this Novena, if they be in keeping with God’s will. Amen.
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, preserved from the slightest stain of sin, and enriched with all the treasures of divine grace, I thank you for the many blessings I have received through your most powerful intercession. You know my needs, my trials, my sufferings. Mother of mercy, I beseech you to hear my prayer, and to obtain for me of your Divine Son the favors I seek in this Novena. (Here make your requests.)
THE MEMORARE: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen🙏(Add your daily Rosary)
Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Link | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-our-lady-of-lourdes-297
We thank God for the successful completion of our Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes in preparation for the FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES tomorrow, February 11, 2024. May our Blessed Mother Mary continue to intercede for us… Amen🙏
SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin and Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río, Martyr.
Saint Scholastica is the Patron Saint of Convulsive children; Nuns; Against rain and storms. And Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río is the Patron Saint of Persecuted Christians; Children; Adolescents; Sahuayo. Through the intercession of our Mother Mary, Saint Scholastica and Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río, we humbly pray for Nuns and all religious and we pray for all those who are sick, particularly sick children and those suffering from convulsive disorder and mental illness. We also pray for youths, children and persecuted Christians all over the world. We pray for God’s Divine healing and intervention… Amen🙏
SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN: St. Scholastica (480–543 A.D.) was born in Nursia, Italy on March 2, 480, to a noble Roman family, along with her twin brother, the famous St. Benedict of Nursia. Their mother died in childbirth. St. Scholastica, like her twin brother, St. Benedict was dedicated to God as a child, and from a young age both siblings sensed a special divine calling. They both entered religious life and established communities within five miles of each other; St. Scholastica led a convent near Monte Cassino where St. Benedict established his world-renowned monastery. Because of the isolated nature of their vocations, the siblings only met once a year at a local farmhouse to discuss spiritual matters. Inspired by St. Benedict’s teaching, St. Scholastica devoted her whole life to seeking and serving God.
Information on the virgin Scholastica is very scanty. In his Second Book of Dialogues (Ch. 33 and 34) Pope St. Gregory has described for us the last meeting between brother and sister, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica: “His sister Scholastica, who had been consecrated to God in early childhood, used to visit with him once a year. On these occasions he would go to meet her in a house belonging to the monastery a short distance from the entrance. For this particular visit he joined her there with a few of his disciples and they spent the whole day singing God’s praises and conversing about the spiritual life. When darkness was setting in they took their meal together and continued their conversation at table until it was quite late. Then the holy nun said to him, ‘Please do not leave me tonight, brother. Let us keep on talking about the joys of heaven till morning.’ ‘What are you saying, sister?’ he replied. ‘You know that I cannot stay away from the monastery.’ The sky was so clear at the time, there was not a cloud in sight.
At her brother’s refusal Scholastica folded her hands on the table and rested her head upon them in earnest prayer. When she looked up again, there was a sudden burst of lightning and thunder accompanied by such a downpour that Benedict and his companions were unable to set foot outside the door. By shedding a flood of tears while she prayed, this holy nun had darkened the cloudless sky with a heavy rain. The storm began as soon as her prayer was over. In fact, the two coincided so closely that the thunder was already resounding as she raised her head from the table. The very instant she ended her prayer the rain poured down. Realizing that he could not return to the abbey in this terrible storm, Benedict complained bitterly. ‘God forgive you, sister!’ he said. ‘What have you done?’ Scholastica simply answered, ‘When I appealed to you, you would not listen to me. So I turned to my God and He heard my prayer. Leave now if you can. Leave me here and go back to your monastery.’ This, of course, he could not do. He had no choice now but to stay, in spite of his unwillingness. They spent the entire night together and both of them derived great profit from the holy thoughts they exchanged about the interior life. The next morning Scholastica returned to her convent and Benedict to his monastery.
Three days later as he stood in his room looking up toward the sky, he beheld his sister’s soul leaving her body and entering the heavenly court in the form of a dove. Overjoyed at her eternal glory, he gave thanks to God in hymns of praise. Then, after informing his brethren of her death, he sent some of them to bring her body to the abbey and bury it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. The bodies of these two were now to share a common resting place, just as in life their souls had always been one in God.” St. Scholastica died on February 10, 543 A.D. at Monte Cassino, Italy. Her tomb is at Monte Cassino, Italy. St. Benedict followed her soon after she died. She was Canonized Pre-Congregation by St. Peter III. She’s the Patron Saint of convulsive children; nuns; Against rain and storms.
PRAYER TO SAINT SCHOLASTICA: “Loving mother, Scholastica, with a woman’s love and confidence in God, you moved the heavens with your tears for the sake of love. Teach me to live in love and share generously the gifts God has given to me. Show me how to surrender everything to God in full trust, even my smallest hopes and desires. Help me to grow in gentle patience. May the trials of daily life never take me away from the joy of living in God’s loving presence and grace. Intercede for my loved ones. May your prayers help them to live in the Way of God as did your prayers for your brother, Benedict. In Jesus Name we pray… Amen.”🙏
Quote of Saint Scholastica: “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and He did listen.”
PRAYER: God our Father, today we celebrate the memory of St. Scholastica. Grant that, following her example, we may serve You with perfect love and rejoice in experiencing Your goodness. Amen🙏
SAINT JOSÉ LUIS SÁNCHEZ DEL RÍO, MARTYR: Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río (1913 – 1928) was born on March 28, 1913, Sahuayo, Mexico. He was a Mexican Cristero born to Macario Sánchez and Maria del Río. He lived during the turbulent Catholic persecution in Mexico, by the Calles government, called the Cristero War. St. Jose had a love for Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Blessed Sacrament. He pleaded to be a Cristero at the young age of 13 and was finally allowed. During a fierce battle, the general’s horse was shot in which St. Jose, gave him his own horse. This cost him his life. He was captured and imprisoned. St. Jose’s captures ordered him to renounce his faith, but with courage he would not, yelling “Viva Cristo Rey and Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe”. He died on February 10, 1928, Sahuayo, Mexico after being tortured, without a trial, at 14 years old. Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río was put to death by government officials because he refused to renounce his Catholic faith. His death was seen as a largely political venture on the part of government officials in their attempt to stamp out dissent and crush religious freedom in the area. Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río was dubbed “Joselito.”
Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río was declared to be venerable on June 22, 2004, by Pope John Paul II and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI – through the Cardinal-Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints – on November 20, 2005, in Mexico. Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to him on January 21, 2016, allowing for his canonization to take place; a date was determined at a consistory on March 15, 2016, and he was proclaimed to be a saint on October 16, 2016. Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río is the Patron Saint of Persecuted Christians; Children; Adolescents; Sahuayo.
Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río, Martyr ~ 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 peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We continue to pray for all those who are sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. 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. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the 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 perfect 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. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world. Please let us continue to pray for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Reading for today, Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 8:1-10
“They ate and were satisfied”
“In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Our Lord Jesus Christ miraculously fed a multitude of many thousands of people with merely seven pieces of bread. This large crowd of hungry people were in a deserted place with no means to feed them. The crowds were so drawn to Jesus that they were willing to spend three days with Him, listening to Him in a deserted place despite the fact that they were without food. They chose Jesus and His teaching over food and over the comfort of their own homes. This reveals the unwavering interest that the people had in Jesus and in His teaching. It reveals how drawn they were to Him. It’s as if nothing else mattered. They simply wanted to be with Jesus. The Lord had pity on all the people who had come to listen to His teachings and to bring their sick ones for healing. The disciples on the other hand, find themselves faced with a situation which they feel is beyond them. Their desperation comes through in the question they ask Jesus, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ There are times in all our lives when we feel like the disciples. We find ourselves faced with a situation which seems beyond our capacity to deal with. We wonder how we are going to manage. In the Gospel reading the disciples discovered that the Lord enabled them to deal with the situation and to feed the crowd. Working with very few human resources, seven loaves of bread and a few fish, Jesus made it possible for the disciples to feed the crowd. Sometimes in our own lives too, the Lord enables us to do something that we would be quite unable to do if left to our own resources. The Lord can work powerfully through the few resources that are at our own disposal if we offer them to Him and invite Him to come and use them. When we allow the Lord’s compassion to shape our own lives, we too will create spaces for the Lord to exercise His servant leadership in our own place and time. This is a reminder to each and every one of us that in God alone lies true satisfaction and happiness, which the world cannot truly provide us. Saint Paul knew this from his own experience. He wrote in his letter to the Philippians, ‘I can do all things through Him who gives me strength’.
Our first reading today, details the story of Jeroboam, the King of Israel, whom God had entrusted with the rule over ten out of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, after King Solomon’s disobedience had led him to sin against God. That led to the division of the kingdom of Israel after the death of King Solomon. Ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel, except that of Judah, from where the House of David hailed from, and Benjamin, rebelled against Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and successor as king of Israel. Hence, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah were formed, led respectively by Jeroboam and Rehoboam. However, according to today’s reading, Jeroboam grew fearful of the possibility that all those under his rule might betray him and return back to their past allegiance to the House of David. This was because at that time, the great Temple of God which King Solomon had built and established in Jerusalem as the House of God is the place where all the Israelites ought to go to worship God, and hence, despite the division of the kingdom, the people in the northern kingdom ruled by Jeroboam still went to Jerusalem regularly and periodically, which brought to the fear and jealousy of Jeroboam, who was worried that the rule of his kingdom, his power and dominion would slip from his hands because of the people being reminded of the glorious rule of King David and King Solomon whenever they went to Jerusalem and visited the City of God and the Holy Temple which Solomon had built there to worship God. Hence, Jeroboam built his own rival temples, and set up two golden calves as idols in Bethel and Dan, at the extremities of his kingdom. King Jeroboam promoted the worship of those golden calf idols and discouraged the people of his kingdom from going to Jerusalem to worship God there as they should have done. Not only that, but he also appointed his own priests, which according to the Scriptures and tradition, were not from among the Levites as the Law of God had dictated. These violations of the Law of God and Jeroboam’s own disobedience against God kind of mirror that of Solomon’s own disobedience and sins. And in both cases, they were all due to the inability of mankind to resist the temptations of their own desires, their ambitions and the allures of worldly glory, pleasures and power. In our world today, Political leaders can often be tempted to use religion to serve their own purposes. We don’t have to look far to find contemporary expressions of this phenomenon. It was the very close association of religious and political authority that resulted in Jesus being crucified. He exercised authority in a very different way to how the religious and political authorities of his day exercised it. He once declared to His own disciples, who were tempted by to follow the way that authority was usually exercised, ‘’whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all’.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded once again that in God alone that we can have true hope and strength, fulfilment and satisfaction, and we must not allow the desires and ambitions of the world to mislead us down the path of wickedness and ruin. We must always strive to put God at the centre and as the focus of our whole lives, or else, we may end up being swayed, coerced and pushed into the wrong path in life, the path of rebellion and sin against God. We have to be firm in faith, be strong and vigilant in each and every moments of our lives that we can remain in God’s grace, and not fall into the path of evil like what the Scriptures had highlighted to us in the story of King Jeroboam of Israel. Let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples, piety and faith of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially those whom we celebrate today, Saint Scholastica and Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río. Who
have shown us, in all of their life and work, dedicating themselves wholly to the Lord and to His path. Let us all reject the temptations of worldly power and glory, and remind ourselves that we do not end up being swayed by all those things and fall into the path of sin and evil. Let us instead deepen our relationship with God by spending more quality time with Him, through prayer, charity and almsgiving, and by our exemplary way of life at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and look kindly upon us and show us His mercy, love and compassion and continue to bless us in everything that we say and do, and may He empower all of us to live ever more faithfully in His presence, now and always, and be good role models and inspirations to many others all around us. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My providential Lord, You know my every need and are concerned for every aspect of my life. Help me to trust You so completely that I always put my love of You as my first priority in life. I do believe that if I can keep You and Your will as the most important part of my life, all other necessities in life will fall in place. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Scholastica and Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río ~ Pray for us🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this year and praying for justice, peace, love, and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe, and relaxing weekend. May God keep us all safe and well ~ Amen🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖
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