Month: February 2024

FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 9, 2024

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 9, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 9, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 9, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 9, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 9, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, February 9, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 81:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Gospel, Mark 7:31-37

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 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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Teilo, Bishop; Saint Apollonia, Virgin and Martyr and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Religious. Through the intercession of our blessed Mother Mary, St. Apollonia (Patron Saint of Dentists, tooth disease, toothache) and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, for a courageous and holy death, especially the elderly, may beseech her to strengthen their faith as they weaken and approach death. And for people suffering from toothache and other dental diseases.

“O Glorious Apollonia, patron saint of dentistry and refuge to all those suffering from diseases of the teeth, I consecrate myself to thee, beseeching thee to number me among thy clients. Assist me by your intercession with God in my daily work and intercede with Him to obtain for me a happy death. Pray that my heart like thine may be inflamed with the love of Jesus and Mary, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 0 My God, bring me safe through temptation and strengthen me as thou didst our own patron Apollonia, through Christ our Lord….Amen.”🙏

SAINT TEILO, BISHOP: St. Teilo was a sixth-century monk and bishop who led the Church in the Llandaff area of present-day Cardiff. His time as bishop included a major disease outbreak, which forced the local church and its leader into temporary exile. St. Teilo was an important and revered figure, who became a popular namesake for churches in Wales. St. Teilo is sometimes known under alternate versions of his name, including Theliau, Elios and Eliud. According to tradition Teilo was born about the year 480 AD at either Gumfreston or Penally in south Pembrokeshire. There are indications that St. Teilo’s father was a man named Usyllt, who may have been canonized as “Saint Issell.” A clearer connection exists between St. Teilo and the well-known Welsh patron Saint David, Teilo’s fellow monk and bishop, who was also his cousin. Finally, it appears that Teilo’s nephew, St. Oudaceus, succeeded him as the Bishop of Llandaff.

St. Teilo’s education took place at two institutions directed by saints. The first was established by the renowned Church leader and educator Saint Dubric (or Dyfrig), while the second was the school directed by Saint Paulinus of Wales. Later, St. Teilo himself became a monk and headed a monastic school in Llandaff. According to tradition, St.Teilo’s made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with St. David and their companion St. Padarn, and that the three were made bishops by the Patriarch of Jerusalem in approximately 518. Afterward, St. Teilo purportedly went to France, serving the Church there for several years alongside his friend St. Samson of Brittany. St. Teilo became the bishop of Llandaff, he took over leadership after its previous bishop St. Dubric retired to a hermitage on Bardsey Island. St. Teilo earned the acclaim of the faithful as a worthy successor to St. Dubric. The depth of their trust became clear in 547, when a severe disease (Yellow Fever) outbreak prompted Teilo to lead a large portion of his flock into exile for several years to escape its effects. He and his followers fled to Cornwall, from Cornwall they travelled to Brittany, staying with St. Samson and waiting for the plague to pass. Almost eight years passed, during which time Teilo and his followers are said to have planted three miles of fruit trees before they returned to Wales. His admirable leadership continued in Llandaff for several years after the crisis, and he died peacefully in a local monastery in 566 AD. In the centuries that followed, St. Teilo was honored in parts of France as well as in  and Wales. Several churches in south Wales and Brittany are dedicated to St Teilo. A town in northwestern France, “Saint-Thelo,” still bears his name. He’s Patron Saint of Horses and fruit trees.

Saint Teilo, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT APOLLONIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Apollonia was a deaconess of advanced age and noted sanctity. She was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius about 250. After a life spent in self-sacrifice and works of charity, this holy woman fell prey to a howling mob venting its fury on any Christians it could find. Enraged at St. Apollonia’s courageous refusal to sacrifice to idols, some in the mob struck out at her and knocked out all her teeth. St. Apollonia was then threatened with being burnt alive in a fire that was enkindled. She asked for a few moments to think things over. Then, so anxious was she embrace martyrdom that she tore free from the hands of her tormentors and, prompted by the Holy Spirit, leapt into the fire before they were ready. And the pagans remained amazed to see a weak woman more anxious to die for Christ than the cruel pagans were to torment her.

The story of St. Apollonia’s martyrdom was told to Fabius, the Bishop of Antioch, by St. Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria (died 265), a contemporary. The Martyrology reads: “At Alexandria the holy virgin Apollonia—under the Emperor Decius (249-251) her teeth were beaten out; then the executioners built and lit a funeral pyre, and threatened to burn her alive unless she would repeat their blasphemies. After some reflection she suddenly tore herself loose from her tormentors and threw herself into the flames. The fire of the Holy Spirit that glowed within her was more intense than the burning pyre. Her executioners were astounded to see a weak woman willingly embracing death with such determination before they were ready to carry out their threats.”

Theologians have debated about whether St. Apollonia’s act of throwing herself on the fire could be considered suicide. This would have been the “honorable” choice of good pagan Romans or Greeks when public humiliation or fall from power was inevitable. But the Church has never condoned suicide and St. Augustine, among others, defended the saint’s actions as noble, showing that she preferred martyrdom to giving up her faith and that she was merely proceeding with the inevitable. As was true for many of the early martyrs, St. Apollonia was immediately revered as a saint. She was especially venerated in the West and, in the Middle Ages, became known as the saint whose intercessions could help with problems of the teeth. She is invoked against toothaches and dental diseases. She’s the Patron Saint of Dentists; tooth disease; toothache. We praise God for the fearless courage of those early saints and ask that those who are in danger of mob violence in our day may be aided by the prayers of St. Apollonia.🙏

PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Apollonia. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. Amen🙏

BLESSED ANNE CATHERINE EMMERICH, RELIGIOUS: Bl. Anne Catherine was born “Anna Katharina” on September 8, 1774 in Flamsche, Westphalia, Germany. She was a German nun and mystic whose visions were recorded in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1833) and The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1852), by the German Romantic writer Clemens Brentano. Bl. Anne Catherine was the fifth of nine children born to a poor farming family. Parents were Bernard Emmerich, Anne Hiller. From her earliest years she demonstrated religious devotion and the desire for a life of prayer. At that young age she received divine knowledge imparted to her through extremely detailed visions of the lives of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. As a child her guardian angel often appeared to her, and Jesus Himself visited her while she was tending sheep. The suffering souls in purgatory often called upon her assistance to offer prayers and penances on their behalf. Bl. Anne Catherine worked on the family farm which afforded her little opportunity to learn to read and write, however, her attempts to join a religious community were largely unsuccessful because of her family’s poverty. Bl. Anne Catherine’s failure to learn to play the organ undermined her admission to the Poor Clares, a Franciscan order in Münster. Finally, in 1802, at the age of 28, after many years of longing for the religious life, Anne Catherine entered the novitiate with the Augustinian community at Agnetenberg, but her poverty and intense devotion alienated her from the other nuns. In 1811 the convent was suppressed by order of Napoleon as part of his secularization of church property, and Bl. Emmerick was taken in as a housekeeper for a priest in Dülmen. She devoted her life to waging a spiritual battle for suffering souls, and in her great charity she accepted extreme physical, yet supernatural, sufferings which ultimately left her bedridden in 1813 after long suffering from illness and in great pain and remained so until her death 11 years later; her only nourishment during this time was the communion wafer. This strange phenomena of physical suffering for the spiritual condition of other souls was not always accepted by others, and she endured much ridicule due to the astonishing manner in which her experiences displayed themselves.

Bl. Anne Catherine soon received the stigmata and began to experience mystical visions of the Virgin Mary and, especially, of the sufferings and Passion of Jesus. Her experiences became widely known, and her visions were recorded and published by Brentano, who stayed with her from 1818 until her death. Brentano’s posthumously published The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary discusses Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerick’s visions of a house near the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (now in western Turkey) in which Mary, according to one tradition, spent her last years. In 1881 ruins of a house answering Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerick’s description were discovered by a French priest, and the site subsequently became a shrine. The house was visited by several Popes including, Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 visited the house and treated it as a Shrine and Holy Place.  Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich died on February 9, 1824 (aged 49) at Dülmen, Germany. She was Beatified on October 3, 2004 by Pope John Paul II, who emphasized her suffering, especially the stigmata and her generosity. She was beatified solely on the basis of her own personal sanctity and virtue. She had supernatural insight when working with the sick and poor. She was a model of heroic virtue for her contemporaries, and for us today. 

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Religious ~ 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 Readings for today, Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 7:31-37

“He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak”

“Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus healed a man who had been deaf and mute, and miraculously allowed the man to speak and hear well again, by His power and grace. According to the Gospel reading, people brought to Jesus this deaf man who had an impediment in his speech and they begged Jesus to lay His hands on the man. They lead him to Jesus and then they interceded with Jesus on his behalf because he couldn’t speak for himself. The people who brought the man to Jesus portray one element of our own baptismal calling. We are all called to bring each other to Jesus, and, like the people in the Gospel reading, to intercede for each other with the Lord, to pray for each other, especially for those who, for whatever reason, cannot pray for themselves. The Lord draws us to Himself in and through each other. He needs us if He is to do His life-giving work, just as He needed people to bring the deaf man who couldn’t speak to Him. Each of us is an important labourer in the Lord’s field. The Lord is dependent on every one of us. In the miraculous healing, when the Lord placed His hands on the man’s ears and tongue, proclaiming ‘Ephphata’, or ‘Be opened’, the Lord showed everyone who were there Who He truly was, the One promised by God to all of us mankind to be the source of His salvation and grace, and to show unto us the wonderful and ever present love of God, which He has always shown and presented to us. The Lord Jesus showed each and every one of us that God is always ready to welcome us back to His Presence, and through what He has done for us, He has brought us all back to His embrace, offering unto us the assurance of His love and compassionate mercy. We are reminded that we are all people who are sick and are in need of God’s help. We are reminded of how sinful we are and regardless of how big or small, or how significant those sins may be, all of us are in need of physical and spiritual healing from God. ‘May the Lord touch our ears to receive His word, and our mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’. Amen🙏

In our first reading today, Jeroboam was entrusted by God to be the ruler over the northern half of the kingdom of Israel against the descendants of David, during the time towards the end of the rule of King Solomon because Solomon had fallen from grace, disobeying the commandments and Law of God, refusing to do as God had commanded him to do despite being faithful and obedient for the earlier parts of his reign. Solomon was swayed and tempted by his vast collection of wealth and all the fame he had accumulated and gained because of his great might, wisdom and glory. Solomon’s many wives and concubines, his ties to the foreign powers and politics also muddled his mind and judgment, which resulted in him committing blasphemy and wicked deeds in raising altars for the pagan gods of his wives and concubines, leading to the people falling into sin as well. Solomon depended so much on his power and glory, and on all the political and diplomatic connections that he had established that he had become proud, arrogant and haughty, and God wanted to remind him that in the end, no matter what plans and things he had prepared, Solomon’s glory and greatness came from the Lord and depended on Him. His disobedience and lack of commitment to God would eventually cause the division of the kingdom of Israel, which the same Jeroboam would become the first king of the independent northern kingdom of Israel, while Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, would only rule in the southern kingdom of Judah over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. This is a lesson for all of us that we should not allow worldly temptations, glory and all those wickedness from misleading us down the path of ruin.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that if we do not put our trust and faith in God, in the end, we shall face the consequences of our disloyalty and lack of faith. We are also reminded that in the Lord alone is our hope and salvation, and through Him we shall receive the sure hope of liberation from our troubles and hardships. We must always seek the Lord and focus our attention on Him, and we shall find the path to freedom and grace. Each and every one of us have been blessed by the Lord, with His kindness, love and bounty, and all that He has promised to us, His kindness and compassion towards all of us, whom He had loved from the very beginning. However, we have often been distracted by the many temptations and wickedness present all around us, which can lead us astray into our downfall, away from the path towards God and His salvation. Let us all therefore reflect upon these readings we have received and heard from the Sacred Scriptures and see in what way we can live our lives better as Christians, so that by our every actions and efforts, and in each and every one of our daily moments, we will always be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and love, which He has always constantly shown and presented to us. It is through our lives, actions and works that the Lord will make His love and truth shown to all the whole world, and if we are truly faithful and committed to the Lord in all of our whole lives, then we should really show it through each and every moments of our lives, by our every words, every interactions and commitments to one another. May the Lord continue to strengthen us in faith and may He empower and encourage all of us so that we may always do our best in each and every moments of our lives, in striving to live with righteousness and virtue, and resisting the many temptations to disobey and therefore sin against God. Let us all remind and help one another so that we may grow ever more faithful in all things, and be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us. May through our good and worthy actions continue to lead more souls towards the Lord. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, be our Guide and may He grant us the grace to be humble and strengthen our resolve and commitment to live faithfully in His presence, always and at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He guide us to Himself, and help us to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My good Jesus, please open my ears to hear all that You wish to say to me and please loosen my tongue so that I will become a mouthpiece of Your holy word to others. I offer myself to You for Your glory and pray that You will use me in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I fully trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Teilo; Saint Apollonia and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as 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 💖

FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 8, 2024

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND AWARENESS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 8, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 8, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 8, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 8, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 8, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday February 8, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 11:4-13
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 106:3-4, 35-36, 37, 40
Gospel, Mark 7:24-30

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin and Saint Jerome Emiliani, Priest and Founder.

St. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors, on her feast day today, February 8th, has been designated the International Day of Prayer to Stop Human Trafficking. Saint Jerome Emiliani is the Patron Saint of Orphans and Abandoned Children.

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints Josephine Bakhita and Jerome Emiliani on this feast day, we humbly pray for orphaned and abandoned children and for an end to all forms of Human Trafficking. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. Amen🙏

St. Josephine Bakhita, whose love and hope transformed the wounds of slavery into forgiveness and freedom and St. Jerome Emiliani, helper and father of orphans …… Pray for us🙏

SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, VIRGIN: St. Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947), was a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan. St. Josephine was born in 1869, in a small village in the Darfur region of Sudan into a wealthy Sudanese family. She was kidnapped while working in the fields with her family and subsequently sold into slavery. Her captors asked for her name but she was too terrified to remember so they named her “Bakhita,” which means “fortunate” in Arabic. Retrospectively, Bakhita was very fortunate, but the first years of her life do not necessarily attest to it. She was tortured by her various owners who branded her, beat and cut her. In her biography she notes one particularly terrifying moment when one of her masters cut her 114 times and poured salt in her wounds to ensure that the scars remained. “I felt I was going to die any moment, especially when they rubbed me in with the salt,” Bakhita wrote. She bore her suffering valiantly though she did not know Christ or the redemptive nature of suffering. She also had a certain awe for the world and its creator. “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: ‘Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?’ And I felt a great desire to see Him, to know Him and to pay Him homage.”

After being sold a total of five times, Bakhita was purchased by Callisto Legnani, the Italian consul in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan in 1883. He treated her well. Two years later, he took Bakhita to Italy to work as a nanny for his colleague, Augusto Michieli. He, in turn, sent Bakhita to accompany his daughter to a school in Venice run by the Canossian Sisters. Bakhita felt called to learn more about the Church. In the meantime, Michieli wanted to take Josephine and his daughter back to Sudan, but Josephine refused to return. The disagreement escalated and was taken to the Italian courts in 1889. The Italian courts ruled that Bakhita was enslaved illegally and declared her a free woman because slavery was not recognized in Italy and it had also been illegal in Sudan since before Josephine had been born. She became enamored with the Catholic faith and chose to stay in Italy. Bakhita was baptized in 1890 and received her First Holy Communion from the future Pope St. Pius X. She took the Christian name of “Josephine Margaret”, and in 1893 entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity. She made her profession in 1896 and was sent to Northern Italy, where she dedicated her life to assisting her community and teaching others to love God. She was known for her smile, gentleness and holiness. St. Josephine Bakhita was affectionately called “Our Black Mother” by the Italians, as her amiable spirit and warm heart won the admiration of many people during her fifty years of religious life. She was known for her charity towards children and the poor, her indomitable spirit during the hardship of slavery, and her joy in religious life. She even went on record saying, “If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today.” She served as faithful Canossian for some fifty years. She died on February 6, 1947, and was revered by the people of her adopted land. She was beatified in 1992 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2000 by the same Pontiff, who has called her a “universal sister … who can reveal to us the secret of true happiness.” She is the first person to be canonized from Sudan and is the patron saint of the country. St. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors and her feast day, February 8th, has been designated the “International Day of Prayer to Stop Human Trafficking.”

PRAYER: O God, You led St. Josephine from abject slavery to the dignity of being Your child and a spouse of Christ. Grant us, we beg You, after her example to follow the crucified Lord Jesus with constant love and obtain Your mercy by persevering in charity. Amen🙏

SAINT JEROME EMILIANI, PRIEST AND FOUNDER: St. Jerome Emiliani (1481-1537) is the founder of the Clerks Regular of Somaschini. Bon in 1481, St. Jerome was a Venetian nobleman who joined the army and in 1508, he was the military commander of Venice, fighting the League of Cambrai, when he was taken, prisoner. In prison, he gave his life to Christ and was miraculously released. The miraculous liberation was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, he decided to begin a new life entirely devoted to charity toward the poor, especially orphans. In 1518, Jerome was ordained to the priesthood at thirty-seven and plunged into his real life’s work. He gave his whole life to the poor and suffering, founding orphanages, hospitals and shelters for prostitutes. In the year of plague and famine (1528), he seemed to be everywhere, and showed his zeal especially for the orphans, whose number had so greatly increased. He rented a house for them near the church of St. Rose and, with the assistance of some pious laymen, ministered to their wants. To his charge was also committed the hospital for incurables, founded by St. Cajetan.

In 1531 he went to Verona and induced the citizens to build a hospital; at Brescia he founded the first known orphanage of modern times, at Bergamo one for boys and another for girls. Here also he founded the first home for fallen women who wished to do penance. Two priests, Alessandro Besuzio and Agostino Bariso, now joined him in his labours of charity, and In 1532, St. Jerome established the religious society, congregation of Clerks Regular of Somascha, a secluded hamlet between Milan and Bergamo, which looked after the education of youth in colleges, academies, and seminaries. He was the first to teach children the Faith by using questions and answers. In the rule, Jerome puts down as the principal work of the community the care of orphans, poor, and sick, and demands that dwellings, food and clothing shall bear the mark of religious poverty. Jerome fell a martyr to his zeal; contracting a disease at Bergamo, he died at Somascha on February 8, 1537, a victim of an epidemic then raging, while ministering to those stricken by it. He was beatified by Benedict XIV in 1747, and canonized by Clement XIII in 1767. The Office and Mass in his honour were approved eight years later. He’s the Patron Saint of orphans and abandoned children.

PRAYER: God, Father of mercies, You made St. Jerome the helper and father of orphans. By his intercession help us to preserve that spirit of adoption by which we are called, and really are, Your children. 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 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 Readings today, Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 7:24-30

“The dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps”

“Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but He could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him. She came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to Him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then He said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was in Tyre, a predominantly pagan city on the Mediterranean coast. The reference to Jesus going into a house and not wanting anyone to know He was there suggests that He may have been seeking some time away on His own. Yet, a pagan woman burst into the house and threw herself at Jesus’ feet, begging Him to heal her daughter. The reputation of this Jewish prophet had reached the ears of this pagan woman. Having somehow come to hear that Jesus was in Tyre, the Syrophoenician woman wasn’t going to miss her opportunity. Jesus appeared to give her short shrift, ‘the children should be fed first’ (the people of Israel), certainly before the house dogs (the pagans). Yet, the woman’s determination that Jesus should heal her daughter was in no way deflected. With both humility and humour she retorted that the house dogs and the children can eat quite happily together. Jesus was disarmed. He recognized her tenacious faith and declared there and then that her daughter was healed. Just like the story in the Jewish Scriptures of Jacob wrestling with God, this woman was, in a sense, wrestling with Jesus, at least verbally. There can be an element of wrestling with God in our own faith. Our faith can be put to the test when the Lord does not appear to hear our prayer. At such times we need to be as tenacious in our faith as the Syrophoenician woman was. In our Gospel reading today, we are reminded that faith can be as powerful and even more powerful than the temptations all around us. The Syro-Phoenician woman in the story with the Lord Jesus reminded us that great faith in the Lord is what truly matters for Him, and not one’s status or background.

Our first reading today from the Book of Kings gives an account of the downfall of King Solomon of Israel, who had not remained faithful wholeheartedly to the Lord unlike that of his father, King David. According to the Scriptural account, Solomon was swayed in his old age and tempted by his many wives and concubines, by his greatness, power and glory, that he fell into the path of disobedience and sin. Solomon had been faithful in the early years of his reign and had been blessed bountifully by the Lord for his family’s trust and faith in Him, that the Kingdom of Israel reached the zenith of its might and glorious days under his reign. Unfortunately, he was eventually misled by the many worldly glory and attachments he grew to have, and he was no longer completely faithful to God. While we did not have much details beyond what was provided to us in the Scriptures, we can guess that it was likely because of his growing attachment to all the riches, wealth and fame he has attained over the years which made him to forget how he reached that height in the first place, and he became more stubborn and refused to obey the Lord. This showed to all of us how even a faithful man and great servant of God could be swayed by the temptations of sin if we allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by the various temptations present all around us, and most importantly if our faith in the Lord is not strong and vibrant, we may likely be tempted the way how King Solomon had been tempted by his many sources of temptations and distractions in life, be it his wives and concubines, his wealth and possessions, power and glory, and other pleasures of the world.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded of the need for all of us to have true and genuine faith in the Lord. We must always ever be vigilant in obeying the Lord and in doing His will, resisting the temptations of the world, and all the coercions and the corruptions of worldly glory and greed, of all the wickedness and evils of this world, which can mislead us down the path of ruin and damnation. We must always hold fast to this faith and trust that we should have in the Lord, and put ourselves in His hands, having that strong and enduring conviction to follow the Lord no matter what, not being easily swayed by all kinds of worldly glory and attachments that had mare so many of our predecessors to fall into sin. We are called to reflect on the lives and works of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially those who we celebrate today, St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita. Let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment to God, resisting the temptations and wickedness of this world that can coerce and tempt even the righteous into sin, as what had happened to King Solomon and many among our predecessors. Let us all turn away from sin and evil, and let us all strive to be good, worthy and pure in all things like what St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita had done. Let our lives be great examples for others, and let us all be inspiration for them, now and always. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to let our lives be shining beacons of God’s light and truth, inspiring many others to follow in our footsteps as we we continue to live our lives in faith, making use of all the gifts that God has given us. May God bless us always, and may He bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My merciful Lord, I trust in Your perfect love for me and for all peoples. I pray especially for those who carry heavy burdens and for those whose lives are deeply intertwined with evil. Please set them free, dear Lord, and welcome them into Your family so that they become true children of Your Father. May I have the humility and faith I need to help bring forth this abundance of grace for others. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Josephine Bakhita and Saint Jerome Emiliani ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe and fruitful week. May God keep us all safe and well ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 7, 2024

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 7, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 7, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 7, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 7, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 7, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 10:1-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40
Gospel, Mark 7:14-23

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Richard of Lucca, King; Saint Moses the Black, Hermit and Martyr and Blessed Rosalie Rendu, Religious.

SAINT RICHARD OF LUCCA, KING: St. Richard (c. 720 A.D.), also known as Richard the King or Richard the Pilgrim, was a Saxon king born in Wessex, England. St. Richard was a prince of the West Saxons in the 8th century but he was accorded the title of King by his people who held him in great veneration. He was related by blood to the royal house of Kent. His brother-in-law was St. Boniface, and three of his children are numbered among the saints: St. Willibald, St. Winnebald, and St. Walburga. When Willibald was gravely ill as a child, Richard’s prayers for his son are said to have saved his life. He wrapped his child in a blanket and took him to the foot of a large crucifix erected near their village, and the child recovered.

When Willibald was grown and a Benedictine monk at the monastery of Waltham, he convinced his father and brother, Winnebald to accompany him on a missionary pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. St. Richard agreed, renounced his royal estate, and embarked on the journey with his two sons, while his daughter entered a convent. After staying at Rouen for some time, they continued through France and northern Italy despite severe hardships. On the way they visited churches and shrines and nourished their faith and devotion. Exhausted by the lengthy and difficult journey, St. Richard became sick and died at Lucca in Italy about the year 720 and enjoys great veneration there. He was buried in Tuscany at the Church of San Frediano. Numerous miracles are reported to have occurred at his tomb. Some of his relics were transported to Eichstatt, Germany, where his son Winnebald would become Bishop. St. Richard’s sons helped their uncle, St. Boniface, the apostle of Germany, to evangelize the Franks. His daughter became abbess of Heidenheim and ran a school for the children of Frankish nobles.

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

SAINT MOSES THE BLACK, HERMIT AND MARTYR: St. Moses (330-405) was enslaved, committed murder, became leader of a gang, and then changed his ways forever. He was an ascetic monk born in Ethiopia in 330. Moses the Black also called the Ethiopian was known as a “Desert Father”. Moses didn’t start out a monk and for most of his early life, he lived on the wrong side of the law. St. Moses the Black was an Ethiopian with great physical strength, he was a large, imposing figure. He traveled to Egypt for adventure but got a lowly servant job. He was a house-servant (slave) to a government official in Egypt until he was dismissed by his own master because of immorality and brigandage – theft and suspected murder. Forced out on the streets, he roamed the Nile Valley with an infamous and violent gang of robbers. Moses quickly became the leader of a gang and was notorious for violence and robbery. On one occasion, a barking dog prevented Moses from carrying out a robbery, so he swore vengeance on the owner. Weapons in his mouth, Moses swam the river toward the owner’s hut. The owner, again alerted, hid and the frustrated Moses took some of his sheep to slaughter. Attempting to hide from local authorities, he took shelter with some monks in a colony in the desert of Wadi El Natrun, then called Scetes, near Alexandria. The dedication of their lives, as well as their peace and contentment, influenced Moses deeply. He soon gave up his old way of life, renounced his life of violence and became a Christian, was baptized and joined the monastic community at Scetes. He dedicated the rest of his life to prayer as a leader of a group of hermits in the desert. He had a rather difficult time adjusting to regular monastic discipline. His flair for adventure remained with him. His past did come in handy when a group of robbers attacked the monastery and tried to overpower him in his desert cell. Moses fought back, overpowered the intruders, and dragged them to the chapel where the other monks were at prayer. He told the brothers that he didn’t think it Christian to hurt the robbers, asked what he should do with them. The robbers astounded by what happened, repented and converted to the Christian faith and eventually joined the community of monks.

St. Moses was zealous in all he did, but became discouraged when he concluded he was not perfect enough. Early one morning, St. Isidore, abbot of the community, took Brother Moses to the roof and together they watched the first rays of dawn come over the horizon. Isidore told Moses, “Only slowly do the rays of the sun drive away the night and usher in a new day, and thus, only slowly does one become a perfect contemplative.” Moses proved to be effective as a prophetic spiritual leader. The abbot ordered the brothers to fast during a particular week. Some brothers came to Moses, and he prepared a meal for them. Neighboring monks reported to the abbot that Moses was breaking the fast. When they came to confront Moses, they changed their minds, saying “You did not keep a human commandment, but it was so that you might keep the divine commandment of hospitality.” Some see in this account one of the earliest allusions to the Paschal fast, which developed at this time. When a brother committed a fault and Moses was invited to a meeting to discuss an appropriate penance, Moses refused to attend. When he was again called to the meeting, Moses took a leaking jug filled with water and carried it on his shoulder. Another version of the story has him carrying a basket filled with sand. When he arrived at the meeting place, the others asked why he was carrying the jug. He replied, “My sins run out behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another.” On hearing this, the assembled brothers forgave the erring monk. St. Moses became the spiritual leader of a colony of hermits in the desert. At some time, he had been ordained priest. At about age 75, about the year 405, word came that a group of renegades planned to attack the colony. The brothers wanted to defend themselves, but Moses forbade it. He told them to retreat, rather than take up weapons. He and seven others remained behind and greeted the invaders with open arms, but all eight were martyred by the bandits. After years of humbly preaching forgiveness, he was killed trying to protect the monastery, but not before he saved 70 brother monks. St. Moses is venerated by many Christians around the world and is regarded by many as the Patron Saint of nonviolence, forgiveness and Africa. 

Saint Moses The Black, Hermit and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏

BLESSED ROSALIE RENDU, RELIGIOUS: Blessed Rosalie Rendu (1786-1856) was born in France during the chaotic French Revolution. Her life was one of prayer and charity which led her to enter the Daughters of Charity, eventually becoming the superior of the Paris convent. She served the poor, opened a free clinic, pharmacy, schools, orphanages, childcare centers, homes for the elderly, youth clubs for young workers, and cared for the wounded between both sides of warring revolutions.

Blessed Rosalie worked closely with Bl. Frederic Ozanam whose work became the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She died in 1856 of frailty and fatigue from a lifetime of incredible work. Blessed Rosalie Rendu Feast Day is February 7th.

Blessed Rosalie Rendu, Religious ~ 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 Readings for today, Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB |
https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 7:14-23

“What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him”

“Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Mark, the Lord continued with His discourse and teaching against the hypocrisy and the mistaken way of belief as propagated by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in how they all obeyed the Law and the commandments of God. The context was that the Lord and His disciples were confronted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who criticised them all for the disciples’ lack of observance and adherence to the customs, practices and rituals involved in the Law of God, as they did not wash their hands in the way prescribed by the Law, particularly in the manner that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves had prescribed. Jesus goes on to make a distinction between what is on the outside of a person and what is within. The religious experts of the time were very concerned about certain external rituals that needed to be performed if a person was to be right with God. Jesus declares that what is much more important in God’s eyes is what is within the heart of the person, because what is within a person determines a person’s moral behaviour, how they speak and how they act. This is what matters to God rather than various ritual washings of one kind or another or what people eat or don’t eat. As in yesterday’s Gospel reading, Jesus is saying that the religious experts of the time are not getting their priorities right. Their priorities are not God’s priorities. The most important part of a tree is its roots, which are invisible because they go down deep into the earth. Jesus is suggesting God wants us to look deeply into ourselves with a view to getting our depths right. Our inner life will determine the quality of our outer, observable life. Our underlying attitudes and values are what really matters. We need to keep working on our inner core, or, rather, allow the Lord to keep working on it, asking him to keep on renewing our heart so that it corresponds more to His heart.

Our first reading today details the famous encounter between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel, when Queen Sheba came to Jerusalem, to the land of Israel from her distant kingdom. Sheba is often associated with the region now known as Ethiopia, as a region and kingdom rich in gold, spices and other worldly goods, and the great riches of her kingdom was what the Queen of Sheba brought to Jerusalem with her, as she went on a journey to seek audience with Solomon, the famous King of Israel, full of Wisdom and grace of God, whose wisdom and power, glory and fame were without compare at that time. All of these were given to Solomon by God because of the great faith and righteousness of his father David, as well as because Solomon’s own faith and humility, as he asked the Lord for the wisdom to rule and reign wisely over the people of God. God truly blessed King Solomon as he showed the Queen of Sheba the great wealth and glory that God had granted him, in his palaces and his residences, his many attendants and all the food and things he possessed, as well as the great Temple that he had built for the Lord. As long as God’s blessings endured, Solomon would indeed be glorious and mighty in his reign, but, as has always been common for all those people with great riches and power throughout history, they became tempted and overcome by the glory of the world, and came to forget the need for all of them to be truly faithful and committed to God. As what eventually would happen to King Solomon himself, he would be swayed by all those glory and riches of the world, and ended up disobeying and sinning against God.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are called and reminded to keep our faith in the Lord, to trust in Him and to do what He has taught and commanded us to do. Today, we are all reminded that we should always be filled with God’s grace and wisdom at all times, so that we may truly be worthy of God, full of righteousness and grace, and not merely be formal Christians and disciples of the Lord, and yet having no true and genuine faith in us. This is not what we should be doing, as all of us should always be truly full of faith and love for the Lord, and be genuine in our commitment in following Him. Today therefore we are all reminded that we should not allow the temptations and the glory of this world to distract us from the path which the Lord has shown and led us into. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by these worldly attachments which had led so many people into their downfall all these while. We should strive to deepen our relationship with God and to grow ever stronger in our faith and love for Him. This is why we should always remind ourselves of everything which the Lord had done for us in His love and kindness, of all the things and wonders that He had blessed us with, so that through His Wisdom, He may continue to guide us to walk faithfully in the path of truth and righteousness, and not be swayed to go into the wrong path of sin and evil. May the good Lord be with us all, and may He continue to strengthen our faith in Him, and help us so that we may grow ever stronger in our love for Him, in each and every moments of our lives. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to dedicate ourselves thoroughly and completely to walk in His path, to obey His will and commandments, and to answer His call with firm resolution in our hearts. May God bless us all in our every good efforts, deeds and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My merciful Lord, help me to see sin for what it is. Help me, especially, to see my own sin—that sin within my own heart that defiles me as Your dear child. As I see my sin, give me the grace I need to reject it and to turn to You with all my heart so that I can become a new creation in Your grace and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Richard of Lucca; Saint Moses the Black and Blessed Rosalie Rendu ~ Pray for us 🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe and fruitful week and may God keep us all safe and well ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 6, 2024

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 6, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 6, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 6, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 84:3, 4, 5, 10, 11
Gospel, Mark 7:1-13

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

Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs and Saint Dorothy, Virgin and Martyr. 

SAINT PAUL MIKI AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS: St. Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit, and his twenty-five companions were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. They were the first martyrs of East Asia to be canonized. They were killed simultaneously by being raised on crosses and then stabbed with spears. Their executioners were astounded upon seeing their joy at being associated to the Passion of Christ. St. Paul Miki (1562–1597) and his twenty-five companions, known as the Martyrs of Nagasaki, were crucified for the faith in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1597. A Japanese layman of great nobility and wealth, St. Paul was converted to Christianity by St. Francis Xavier. Although the Christian missionaries did not meet with opposition initially, the Japanese rulers eventually launched a brutal campaign to wipe out its progress. The twenty-six men were forced to march 600 miles to meet their death, crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. The group included Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and Japanese converts. They were repeatedly offered freedom if they would renounce Christianity; they all declined. When the march ended the martyrs were tied to crosses. They prayed and sang while Paul Miki preached the Gospel in a loud voice. The martyrs were then stabbed to death while they hung on their crosses. Among those martyred were three Japanese Jesuits: Paul Miki, John Goto, James Kisai; six Franciscans, four of whom were Spanish: Peter Baptist, Martin de Aguirre, Francis Blanco, Francis-of-St.-Michael; one Mexican: Philip de las Casas; and one Indian: Gonsalo Garcia; the other seventeen were Japanese: lay people including a soldier, physicians, and altar boys, catechists, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his church. All were pierced with a lance like their Savior.

St. Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross St. Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” The crowd who witnessed the testimony of St. Paul Miki and his companions would immortalize his words and use them to further spread Christianity in Japan. When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862 by Pope Pius IX. With their canonization they became the protomartyrs of the whole Far East. Their collective feast day is February 6th.

PRAYER: O God, strength of all the Saints, who through the Cross were pleased to call the Martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions to life, grant, we pray, that by their intercession we may hold with courage even until death to the faith that we profess. 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 DOROTHY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Dorothy, (meaning the gift of God), also known as Dorothea or Dora, a young virgin from Caesarea in Cappadocia (now Turkey), born in 279 AD. St. Dorothy lost her parents as martyrs in the reign of the Diocletian prosecution. She was known for her strong virtues and angelic nature. The Governor of Caesarena sentenced the holy child away, planning to break her faith and steer her away from her strong beliefs. Roman soldiers captured her and treated her cruelly. She was placed on a rack and offered marriage, if she gave into sacrifice, and death if she refused. She claimed the Lord was her only spouse and she would choose death. Two women who had fallen away from their faith were placed in charge of Dorothy. The fierce fire of faith in her own heart repaired their faith and she led them back to Christ. She was sent back to the rack, and as she was being terribly tortured, the Governor was taken aback by the look of serenity and heavenly bliss she wore on her beautiful face. He asked her why she was so peaceful, and she told him “Because I have brought back two souls to Christ, and because I shall soon be in heaven rejoicing with the angels.” Her joy grew as she was pounded in the face and her sides burned with plates of red-hot iron. “Blessed be Thou,” she cried, when she was sentenced to be beheaded because she would not marry or worship idols, – “blessed be Thou, O Thou Lover of souls! Who dost call me to Paradise, and invitest me to Thy nuptial chamber.”

On her way to be executed, a lawyer who had a history of persecuting Christians, named Theophilus, called out to her and mocked her. He challenged her to send him apples and roses from the garden of her “Spouse”. Dorothy promised to grant his request, and she continued on her road to death. She died in 311 AD, Kayseri, Turkey. Just before she died, a child appeared holding three apples and three roses. St. Dorothy told him to bring them to the lawyer. St. Dorothy ascended to heaven, and when Theophilus saw how beautiful the fruit and flowers were, he knew they couldn’t have been grown on this earth, and stopped rejoicing in the Saint’s death. He then saw Christ in this angel child, received the gifts and cried out: “Truly indeed, Christ is God.” He was converted to Catholicism and soon he too died a martyr’s death for publicly confessing the faith. The shrine of St. Dorothy is in Rome. She’s the Patron Saint of: Brewers; brides; florists; gardeners; midwives; newlyweds.

PRAYER: Lord God, Saint Dorothy always pleased You by her chastity and in the end her martyrdom. May she obtain for us merciful pardon for our sins. Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the ame 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 torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. 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. We pray for all those who are sick, we particularly pray for sick children, the mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from breast cancer and other cancers and 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 peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. 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 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 Readings for today, Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 7:1-13

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition”

“When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus criticizes the religious experts of the time for giving more importance to their own religious tradition than to the word of God. He says, ‘you put aside the commandment of God to cling to human tradition’. He is saying that they are not getting their priorities right. Jesus makes a distinction between the commandment of God, the word of God, and human tradition. We all have traditions of one kind or another; we have traditional ways of doing things. The church too has its traditional ways of doing things. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the word of God must take priority over all human traditions, including religious traditions. The purpose of tradition should be to give expression to the word of God, to allow that word to take root in our own particular age and culture. It can happen that traditions that once served that purpose in the past may cease to do so in the present. When that happens we have to allow the word of God to purify the traditions that have ceased to serve that word. We have to keep returning to the word of God, which is in fact the church’s most ancient and authoritative tradition. The word of God remains alive and active throughout time; it works to peel away what is no longer serving the Lord in our own personal lives and in the life of our communities and institutions.

In our first reading today from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the King of Israel, the great and renowned King Solomon, dedicated the Temple that he had prepared and built for the Lord. The King prayed on behalf of the whole people, offering their prayers and thanksgiving to the Lord, before the Holy Presence of God present on the Ark of the Covenant. The King thanked and praised the Lord for all the wonders and great things which He had done on behalf and for the sake of all the people, and praised Him for the Covenant which He had made and constantly renewed with all of the people dearly beloved to Him, and showed the humility of the people upon God’s willingness to dwell among them in the humble House which the King had prepared and built for Him. That House, the Temple of God in Jerusalem, also known popularly as Solomon’s Temple, was far from simple or small, as it was well-known throughout history as a great marvel of mankind’s works, as a grand House and Temple that was built for the purpose of Divine worship. What King Solomon meant was that, no matter how glorious or grand the Temple of Jerusalem might have been, but there is truly no place could have been worthy enough to contain the Lord, the Master of all the whole Universe, the King of Kings and Almighty God, He Who is almighty and all-powerful. But yet, God willingly came down to us, to dwell in our midst, and He wanted to show His people that He truly loved them all, reaching out to them and gathering all of them back to His loving Presence. But in time, the people’s love and obedience for the Lord became merely a formality, and they did not love Him wholeheartedly anymore. Although King Solomon had been faithful to the Lord during the early years and period of his reign like David his father before him, but in the later part of his reign, he likely became corrupted by power and worldly glory, and he ended up being easily swayed by his many wives and concubines, who caused him to disobey God and to sin against Him, in doing what the Lord had forbidden, by raising altars and idols to the pagan gods to satisfy the needs of those wives and concubines, and this was when political and worldly desires trumped the need for one to be truly faithful and committed to the Lord. The later kings of Israel and Judah after Solomon also often did the same things, in disobeying the Lord and not being truly and wholly committed to Him, and thus leading the people into the path of sin and evil.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all called to remember the obligations and the focus that all of us should have in the Lord as Christians, that is as those who have believed in the Lord and accepted Him as our God and Saviour. Each and every one of us have been entrusted by the Lord with the Law and commandments which He has taught and shown to us. However, we cannot just be blind followers or merely paying lip service to the Lord through those Law, commandments and obligations. Instead, we must be truly genuine in obeying God, in our wholehearted commitment to follow Him and to do His will, and we must always be filled with love for Him, in committing ourselves wholly to the path that He has led us all into. We are called follow the lives of the Saints, especially those we celebrate today. The perseverance and faith of St. Paul Miki and his faithful companions in martyrdom, the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan, all of these have shown us all what it truly means to be Christians, to be full of love and commitment to God, and as they laid crucified on a hill in Nagasaki, their place of martyrdom, pierced by lances in mockery of the Lord’s Crucifixion, they never gave up on their faith and continued to keep their faith in the Lord to the very end, despite having many opportunities to recant their faith and live. They showed their ultimate commitment and love for the Lord, and therefore gained the promise of eternal glory and true happiness in Heaven with God. This is what we are all reminded of today, so that in our own lives, we may also strive to follow the great examples of our holy and faithful predecessors, the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to realise our calling and mission in life as Christians, as those whom God has called and chosen, to be the ones to carry out His will and to be the witnesses of His truth and love to all the people. May we follow in the footsteps of our courageous and faithful predecessors, those who have dedicated themselves and their lives to serve the Lord, to follow Him and to do their best for the greater glory of God. May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, Who has always loved us and cared for us, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. May the intercession of the Holy Martyrs of Japan be with us always. St. Paul Miki and Companions, Holy Martyrs of Japan, pray for us! Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My divine Lord, You and You alone are worthy of all worship, adoration and praise. You and You alone deserve the worship I offer You from the depths of my heart. Help me and Your entire Church to always interiorize our exterior acts of worship so as to give You the glory that is due Your holy name. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Paul and his Companions and Saint Dorothy ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe, and fruitful week. May God keep us all safe and well ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 5, 2024

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 5, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 5, 2024 on EWTN” |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 5, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 5, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 5, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, February 5, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 132:6-7, 8-10
Gospel, Mark 6:53-56

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

SAINT OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr.

SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Agatha (231-251 A.D.) was an illustrious Sicilian virgin, noble by birth but more so by her heroic virtue, was martyred (at Catania in 251 during the Decian persecution) for refusing the solicitations of a Roman senator. At a young age she made the decision to devote herself to Christ, resisting every offer of marriage. Struck by her beauty and wealth, a magistrate named Quintanius desired to marry her. He plotted to use his political power to force her hand, and threatened to prosecute her for the crime of Christianity unless she accepted his sexual advances. When she refused, he forced her into a brothel. Even there, she refused to relinquish her chastity. Furious, Quintanius imprisoned and tortured Agatha, ordering her breasts to be cut off. Upon this barbaric treatment, God sent St. Peter the Apostle to Agatha in a vision, and he healed her wounds. St. Agatha’s torture continued, when she continued to resist, she was then thrown upon red-hot coals. At this point, a violent earthquake shook the town, caused her captors to flee, two walls collapsed, burying two of the governor’s friends in the debris. Quintanius, fearing that people would rise up in protest, had Agatha returned to prison half dead. Here she offered her dying prayer: “Blessed Agatha stood in the midst of the prison and with outstretched arms prayed to the Lord: O Lord Jesus Christ, good Master, I give You thanks that You granted me victory over the executioners’ tortures. Grant now that I may happily dwell in Your never-ending glory.” Thereupon she died of her tortures shortly after in 251 at Catania, Sicily.

A year after her death the city of Catania was in great peril from an eruption on Mount Etna. Pagans, too, were numbered among those who fled in terror to the saint’s grave. Her veil was taken and held against the onrushing flames, and suddenly the danger ceased. Her grave is venerated at Catania in Sicily. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, mentioned by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her name is contained in Eucharistic Prayer I at Mass. St. Agatha is the Patron Saint of rape victims; torture victims; martyrs; single laywomen; sterility; nurses; wet-nurses; Bell-founders; jewelers; against breast cancer and diseases of the breast; invoked against earthquakes, fire, natural disasters; eruptions of Mount Etna; Catania, Italy; Palermo, Italy; Zamarramala, Spain.

“Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, You know my desires. Possess all that I am – You alone. I am Your sheep. Make me worthy to overcome the devil.” ~ St. Agatha

PRAYER: Lord God, St. Agatha always pleased You by her chastity and in the end her martyrdom. May she obtain for us merciful pardon for our sins. Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the ame 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 Saint Agatha, we humbly pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. 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. We pray for all those who are sick, we particularly pray for sick children, the mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from breast cancer and other cancers and 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 an end to war, political and religious unrest. We pray for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. For God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and for the Church ~ Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 6:53-56

“As many as touched it were healed”

“After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and His disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized Him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside He entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch only the tassel on His cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus amidst His ministry among the people of God, performed many miracles and healed many of the people who had come to Him with various ailments and sickness, troubles and difficulties. The Lord patiently cared for all of them, and healed all of those who came to Him. Ordinary people of Galilee hurry to Jesus, once they recognized Him, with many of them bringing with them the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard He was. According to the Gospels, the sick were one of the groups that were most open to Jesus. They flocked to Him in large numbers. Those who were broken in body, mind or spirit wanted to draw upon God’s power that was at work in and through Him. They asked Jesus that the sick be allowed just to touch the fringe of His cloak. They believed that would be enough for them to be healed. It was above all those in need of healing who reached out towards Jesus and sought to touch even the fringe of his cloak. They reached out to him because they recognized Him as the source of life and healing. We ourselves very often reach out towards the Lord with greatest energy in those times when we experience our own need of healing, whether it is physical or emotional or spiritual healing. The struggles of life, the brokenness and suffering we experience in the course of our lives, can make us more aware of our need of the Lord and more open to his presence. It is often the cracks in our lives that allow the Lord’s light to enter and shine on us. It can sometimes be through our experience of the cross that we grow in our relationship with the risen Lord. The path to the Lord today for many people is often through their brokenness. When we are desperate, for whatever reason, we tend to approach the Lord with the greatest earnestness and passion. It is in our brokenness that we recognize our poverty and our need of the one who came as strength in our weakness, life in our death, light in our darkness. The darker times of our lives can leave us more spiritually aware by bringing home to us our need of the Lord. It is in such moments that we truly make our own that prayer which forms part of a well-know hymn ‘Help of the helpless, o abide with me’.
In the Gospel reading the sick wanted to touch the fringe of the Lord’s cloak; they wanted not only a personal contact with Jesus. For us today, it is above all in the Eucharist that we touch the Lord and the Lord touches us. It is there above all that we bring our brokenness before Him for His healing touch. The Lord can come powerfully to us in our weakness if, like the people in today’s Gospel reading, we hurry towards Him.

In our first reading today from the Book of Kings, King Solomon completed the building project of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which would also become known as Solomon’s Temple. This was a grand project started and envisioned by Solomon’s father, King David, who had set aside and gathered large amount of resources in preparation for the building of the Temple and House worthy of God Himself to dwell in. The details of all these and the preparations are both in the Book of Chronicles as well as the other parts of the Book of Kings. After many years of construction and preparations, the Temple was finally completed and ready to be consecrated and dedicated to God, which was recorded in our first reading today. King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant, in the presence of all the elders and leaders of the people of Israel to the new Temple of God, as the key event and moment in the completion and preparation of the Temple of God as the place of Divine worship and as the place where God Himself dwells among His beloved ones, the people of Israel, whom He had first called and chosen from all the children of Adam and Eve. That Ark of the Covenant was indeed important aspect of this event, because throughout the time since it was crafted and made at the time of the Exodus, it has always been the tangible and real sign of God’s Holy Presence amongst His people. The Ark of the Covenant, the golden Cherubim crafted on top of it, was where God’s Presence descended upon and rested whenever He came among His people. Within the Ark was contained first of all the two slabs of stone on which the Ten Commandments, the centre of all of God’s Law and commandments were stored. It also stored the manna, the heavenly bread by which God had fed the Israelites throughout their entire time in the desert during the Exodus. Last of all it also contained the Staff of Aaron, the staff of authority and sign of God’s power, through which God had performed many wonders and signs, in liberating the people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt. All in all, the Ark of the Covenant is the tangible, real and symbolic reminder of God’s Covenant and Presence in this world, His Presence and ever enduring love for His people, and that it had been brought to the new Temple built by Solomon signified the renewal of this Covenant.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of God’s ever consistent and loving Presence in our midst. God has always been with us and He has never left us, no matter how much we have constantly caused Him to be angry at us because of our many wickedness, evils and sins. This is because of God’s ever enduring love for us, which He has always had since the very beginning of time. This love endures even when we have sundered ourselves off from His love and kindness, through our disobedience and sins. God has reached out to us, extending His love and compassionate mercy, which He has made ever ready to reconcile all of us to Him, for it was never His desire to condemn us to destruction. Let us all therefore also be inspired by the faith of the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly St. Agatha, whose feast we celebrate today, in all her commitment to God and the courage she showed in resisting all the efforts to turn her away from the Lord. Let us all be strengthened in faith in the Lord, being always reminded that God Himself has willingly dwelled in our midst, and He has always been loving and compassionate towards us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace, as we all place Him at the centre of all of our lives, and let us continue to live our lives worthily in accordance to what God has shown and taught us, that we may be truly exemplary and inspirational in our own way of life. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen 🙏

Let us pray

My healing Lord, I thank You for the spiritual healing You continually offer me, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins on account of You suffering on the Cross. Fill my heart with a greater desire to come to You so as to receive the greatest gift I could ever receive: the forgiveness of my sins. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

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

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled and fruitful week ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 4, 2024

28TH WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CONSECRATED LIFE (Celebrated on February 2nd and celebrated in parishes the following Sunday, February 3-4, 2024)

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family and Happy Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 4, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 4, 2024 on EWTN” |

HOLY MASS FOR WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CONSECRATED LIFE PRESIDED BY POPE FRANCIS | ST. PETER’S BASILICA | FEBRUARY 2, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 4, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 4, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 4, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), February 4, 2024
Reading 1, Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Reading 2, First Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel, Mark 1:29-39

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

28TH WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CONSECRATED LIFE: World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life –  February 2, 2024 (Celebrated in Parishes February 3-4, 2024): In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. On this Feast of Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life invites all the Church to reflect on the role of Consecrated Life within the Christian community. Those who choose to live a consecrated life do so for the sake of the Gospel. Some Christian women and men respond to God’s call to become followers of Jesus through profession of vows and a life dedicated to prayer and service. They live out the consecrated life in different ways. Religious sisters, nuns, brothers, religious priests and monks consecrate their lives through their profession of the evangelical vows and live as part of a community.   Secular institutes are another form of living the consecrated life as single people. Those who become followers of Jesus through the consecrated life bless the Church. And so, as we think about the many ways in which we are called to love in ordinary ways and do it extraordinarily well, let us not forget those women and men who have responded to God’s call to serve as a consecrated religious. This day Mass is dedicated to them throughout the world. On this World Day for Consecrated Life, may the lives of consecrated women and men be blessed with God’s overwhelming grace of love! May their lives inspire us to hear God’s vocational call. May this tune be forever in our minds and transform our hearts to say boldly: “Here I am, Lord, send me!”

The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church. This year, the World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated in the Church today, Friday, February 2, 2024 and in parishes over this coming weekend of February 3-4, 2024. Please let us all pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and let us appreciate them on their special day. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.

“BROTHERS AND SISTERS, GO FORTH! Remember the beauty of your first call. Jesus continues to call you today with the same full love and untamed grace. GO FORTH! There is always more to do, to encounter, to be grateful for, to be astonished by. Begin and end with the joy of prayer—the marrow of consecrated life. GO FORTH! Each of us has a role to play in the Church. Witness and sow well each day, and look to tomorrow with hope. GO FORTH! Grow in love for God so that others will be attracted by the divine light in you. Welcome the new vocations the Lord sends to continue the work of consecration. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God and first disciple of her son, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.” ~ Pope Francis

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL: For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits. We pray to the Lord… Lord hear our prayers. For those who have responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be a c+onsecrated person that they may experience the support of the Church as they continue their growth in holiness. We pray to the Lord…Lord hear our prayers… Amen🙏

LET US PRAY: Loving God, You call all who believe in You to grow perfect in love by following in the footsteps of Christ Your Son. Call from among us more men and women who will serve You as religious. Open the hearts of many, raise up faithful servants of the Gospel, dedicated, holy priests, sisters, brothers and deacons, who will spend themselves for Your people and their needs. Bless those who are serving now with courage and perseverance. Grant that many will be inspired by their example and faith. By their way of life, may they provide a convincing sign of Your Kingdom for the Church and the whole world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen 🙏

World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Link | https://www.usccb.org/committees/clergy-consecrated-life-vocations/world-day-consecrated-life

Holy Mass on the 28th World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life | Pope Francis | February 2, 2024 | https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2024/documents/20240202_omelia-vita-consacrata.html#:~:text=Holy%20Mass%20on%20the%2028th,(2%20February%202024)%20%7C%20Francis

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 1:29–39

“Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases”

“On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus healed and ministered to the mother-in-law of one of His disciples, that is St. Peter, whose mother-in-law was very sick. The Lord miraculously healed her, and made her well again. Having healed her, the whole neighbourhood found out about what happened, and many people in Capernaum came to the Lord bearing their sick ones, so that the Lord might hopefully heal all of them as well. Our Lord goes on to heal large numbers from Capernaum at the door of St. Peter’s mother-in-law home. Jesus spent a great deal of His time surrounded by suffering, by people who were in desperate need of healing of one kind or another. There must have been many broken people in great darkness of spirit He just couldn’t get to. According to the Gospel reading, one of the ways Jesus coped with all that human suffering that kept coming at Him was by taking time out on His own to pray. After His day’s work, after Jesus cared for those who had been brought to Him and He healed them all. Then, long before dawn, curiously, He got up and left the house of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, disappearing from the place, to the consternation from His disciples and the people and went to a lonely place and prayed there. He knew He needed to be alone with God if He was to keep doing God’s work. At the end of the Gospel reading, His disciples wanted Him to go back to Capernaum to continue His healing work, that was when Jesus replied and told the disciples that there were still many people that He had to minister to, and they all ought to move on to other places like the neighbouring country towns as well. The Lord Jesus could have stayed on in that place, where He was well-liked and adored by all the people who have witnessed and believed in His miracles. He could very well have gained a large following and popularity without much effort, and lead a rather comfortable and convenient work, instead of having to go from places to places, without proper accommodations and encountering oppositions and challenges throughout His efforts and journeys. Yet, the Lord obeyed the will of His Heavenly Father, Who had sent Him, the Son, into this world to proclaim the Good News and the salvation of God to more and more people. Hence, this is why the Lord carried out His mission faithfully and did everything not for worldly comfort or glory, but to fulfil the will of God, and to glorify Him. According to the Gospel, working with those who are burdened no doubt left Jesus burdened, as is the case for all of us. His prayer was a time when He could share His burden with the Father. In doing so, He found strength to continue. ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns’, He said to His disciples after His prayer. The best teaching is often by example. Jesus is teaching us here by His own example to lift up whatever may be in our hearts and minds to God and in doing that to find new strength.

Our first reading today from the Book of Job details the lamentations and sorrows which the man of God, Job uttered as he was reflecting upon the sufferings and hardships that he had been enduring and experiencing at that time. Job was a great and rich man, greatly blessed by God in all things on account of his great faith and righteousness, his commitment and dedication to Him. However, Job encountered great moment of trial and tribulation, hardship and difficulty when he was attacked by the devil, who struck him, his possessions and loved ones to test him and his faith in God. But Job remained firm in his faith and did not allow the devil and his machinations to dissuade him and to take him away from the faith that he had in the Lord. Despite suffering greatly and being ridiculed, rejected and ostracised by those whom he knew, even those who were near to him, Job remained faithful to the Lord, and trusted in Him regardless of what he had experienced. While his heart was filled with sorrow and pain, despair and regret of what happened to him, and blaming himself on occasions that everything happened because of his fault, but he still held on firmly to his faith in the Lord no matter what. And this is what all of us should be inspired to follow in our own lives, as we should also do whatever we can such that we may truly live our lives most worthily as best as we are able to, and despite the challenges and trials that we may have to encounter and face along our journey, we can always continue to persevere in righteousness and virtue, to be always ever worthy of God.

In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians spoke about how he cannot boast for whatever he had done in preaching the Gospel, in doing God’s works and in carrying out everything that had been entrusted to him by the Lord, all the missions and miracles he had performed. All these are reminders that in everything that we do as Christians, and as God’s people in this world should not be seeking personal glory and ambition, worldly attachments and matters, and we should not revel in worldly praise and jubilation, or to be proud and haughty because we have done great deeds in our lives. Instead, like St. Paul himself, we should always remain rooted in the Lord and continue to live our lives with Him as the centre and focus, and not the many worldly matters and attachments we have. That was also how Job managed to remain strong in faith despite having suffered many personal losses, of property, wealth and loved ones. If Job had placed his trust and immersed himself in those things, then losing all of them would have made him to despair and lose all hope. But he remained faithful to God and did not blame the Lord for his losses. He was also able to let go of his losses and accepted what he had suffered as his fate. St. Paul similarly endured many things throughout the period of his work and ministry, which he could do precisely because he trusted in the Lord, and he did not let himself to be misled and swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and ambitions. He trusted the Lord in everything that he has been entrusted to do, and followed the Lord wherever He led him to.

According to St. Paul in today’s second reading, he says of himself: ‘For the weak, I made myself weak’. God could say the very same: ‘For the weak I made myself weak; for the broken, I made myself broken’. If that is the God in whom we believe, then we need have no hesitation in bringing our brokenness to God in prayer. If Job who did not know Jesus had this freedom, we should have that same freedom to an even greater degree. As the saying goes: ‘A burden shared is a burden halved’. Sometimes it can be difficult to share our burden with another, even with the person we are closest to, with whom we may have shared most of our lives. If we cannot share a burden with our closest companion, it is not the case that the only alternative is to keep it to ourselves. We can share that burden with the Lord. The prayer of sharing, the prayer of the open heart, is a very authentic form of prayer. Sharing ourselves with God in this way is not quite the same as asking God for something, petitioning God. We are simply sharing; we are telling our story to God. We are opening up that story to God’s presence, to God’s influence. That is a very valid and worthwhile form of prayer.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, each and every one of us are reminded of the fickleness of our human nature and existence, and of everything which we have and which we are currently experiencing in this world. All that we have enjoyed and all the wonderful and marvellous things we possess, all these are ultimately illusory in nature, and they may even distract us from our true path and progress in life, from our true focus and commitment, which is none other than the Lord, our God Himself. We must remember that we have been entrusted by the Lord with many things, with blessings and opportunities that we may glorify Him by our lives, and we should therefore make good use of them for the greater glory of God at all times. Therefore, we are all reminded that as God’s faithful disciples and followers, we too should be filled with faith and trust in the Lord, and we should always continue to put God as the centre and the focus of our whole lives. We should not allow worldly temptations, attachments, glory, ambitions and our pride and greed, our desires and all other obstacles to prevent us from reaching ever closer to God, to His grace and salvation. Like Job, let us all detach ourselves from worldly matters and attachments, and remind ourselves that all the wealth and glory of the world are not lasting or permanent. Instead of seeking for worldly glory and greatness, we should seek the true joy and satisfaction which we can find in the Lord alone. Let us all hence be good role models and inspirations, and be the worthy bearers of the light of God, His grace and love for us all. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace and freedom to let go of our plans when the Lord’s life-giving purpose for our lives beckons to us and may the Lord bless us always, in our every good efforts, works and endeavours. Amen🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint  Joseph of Leonessa, Priest; Saint Joan of Valois, Queen of France and Saint Andrew Corsini, Bishop of Fiesole.

SAINT JOSEPH OF LEONESSA, PRIEST St. Joseph of Leonessa, OFM Cap.; was  born Eufranio Desideri at Leonessa in Umbria, Italy on January 8, 1556. He was the third of eight children. At baptism he was given the name Eufranio. Impressed by the example of Matthew Silvestri, who had left the medical profession to embrace the Capuchin life and whose holiness was evident, Eufranio was inspired to become a Capuchin.  After overcoming family opposition, he was admitted to the novitiate and received the habit and the name Joseph and made profession on January 8, 1573. On May 21, 1581, the Capuchin general vicar issued patents for preaching, the ministry in which Joseph would be engaged for the remainder of his life. Relying solely on grace and with a mission crucifix always tucked in his cincture, Joseph negotiated the most obscure, mountainous regions of Umbria, Lazio and the Abruzzi in an intense and extensive mission of evangelization among those who were poor. Joseph enjoyed such great success in preaching because of his intimate union with God which was cultivated by incessant prayer. He would pray and meditate on the road, while holding his crucifix. Assigned to  Constantinople he was appointed as chaplain to some 4,000 Christian slaves who worked in the penal colony of Qaasim-pacha. He immediately went to work bringing the gospel and charitable relief to those who were languishing in inhumane conditions. Many times he offered himself as a substitute in order to obtain the release of a slave who was near death. His offer was never accepted.

When the plague broke out in the penal colonies, the Capuchins immediately took up the ministry of assisting those who were sick and dying. Two Capuchins, Peter and Dennis, died doing so. Although Joseph became ill, he and Brother Gregory alone survived to remain at the mission. After converting a Greek bishop who had renounced the faith, Joseph devised a plan which entailed approaching the sultan, Murad 111, to seek the recognition of the right of freedom of conscience for anyone who was converted or returned to the Christian faith. When Joseph attempted to enter the sultan’s chambers, he was arrested and bound in chains. He was condemned to an immediate death by being hung on hooks. He was hung from the gallows with one hook through the tendons of his right hand and another through his right foot.  Near death, on the evening of the third day, the guards cut him down. Joseph quickly left Turkey and arrived at Rome where he and the converted Greek bishop presented themselves to Pope Sixtus V. Following Joseph’s return to Italy, in the autumn of 1589, he took up residence at the Carcerelle in Assisi. In the aftermath of the Council of Trent, Joseph spent much time and energy catechizing. He began a ministry of evangelization among shepherds who lacked even rudimentary knowledge of the faith, prayer and the commandments. He would walk through the streets ringing a bell, reminding parents to send their children to catechism class. When he became deathly ill, Joseph asked to be taken to Leonessa in order to pay his last respects to his relatives and friends. On Saturday evening, February 4, 1612, after beginning the divine office,which proved too difficult to continue, Joseph repeated his favorite prayer: “Sancta Maria, succurre miseris.”  Joseph was beatified by Clement XII in 1737 and canonized by Benedict XIV in 1746.

PRAYER: O God, You made St. Joseph and illustrious preacher of the Gospel. Through his intercession, enkindle us with love and with his zeal for souls that we may serve You alone. Amen🙏

SAINT JOAN OF VALOIS, QUEEN OF FRANCE: St. Joan of Valois (1464-1505) also known as Jane, Jeanne, Joanna of France. The second daughter of Louis X1, King of France, and Charlotte of Savoy, she was born on April 23, 1464. Joan’s father hated her from birth, partly because of her sex and partly because she was sickly and deformed.  Joan had a hump on her back and walked with a limp, suggesting that she had curvature of the spine. At the age of five, she was sent away to be brought up by guardians in a lonely country home, deprived of common comforts and sometimes even necessities. The neglected child offered her whole heart to God, and yearned to do some special service in honor of His blessed Mother. She developed a deep devotion to Our Lady, praying the Angelus daily. At the age of two months Joan was betrothed to Louis, Duke of Orleans, the future King Louis XII, and the marriage took place when she was just nine years old. The marriage was forced upon Louis and was never consummated.

After her marriage, Joan suffered even more than before. The duke hated the fact that she was imposed on him in the marriage, and even publicly insulted and humiliated her. In spite of this, Joan loved him and remained a devoted and faithful wife for twenty-two years. Joan saved her husband’s life when her brother, King Charles VIII decided to execute him for rebellion. When the duke ascended to the throne in 1498 and wanted to marry Ann of Brittany, he had Pope Alexander VI declare his marriage to Joan null.  Joan offered no objections and accepted the situation with the patience that marked her entire life.  “If so it is to be, praised be the Lord”, was her remark on this occasion. With humility, in imitation of Our Lady, she accepted the will of God. In 1500, along with her Franciscan director, Gilbert Nicolas, Joan founded the Order of the Annunciation, a community whose chief rule was to imitate the virtues of Mary, as shown in the Gospels. Jane died in heroic sanctity at the age of 41 on February 4, 1505, and was buried in the royal crown and purple, beneath which lay the habit of her Order. She was canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. Many miracles, particularly of healing, followed her death. St. Joan is the patron of those in difficult circumstances.

Quote:  “I am ugly in body but I want a beautiful soul.” ~ St. Joan of Valois

Saint Joan of Valois, Queen of France ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI, BISHOP OF FIESOLE: St. Andrew (1302 – 1373)
was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Florence Italy on November 30, 1302 to illustrious Corsini family and entered the Carmelite Order there. He was elected provincial of Tuscany at the general chapter of Metz in 1348. He was made bishop of Fiesole on October 13th, 1349, and gave the Church a wonderful example of love, apostolic zeal, prudence, and love of the poor.  A short time before the birth of Saint Andrew, his mother experienced a strange dream, in which she had given birth to a wolf which became a lamb upon entering a Carmelite church. After a dissolute youthful life Andrew repented, when one day in 1318 his desolate mother told him of her dream. He rose and went to the altar in the church where his parents had offered to God the child they hoped to obtain from His mercy; there he prayed to the Blessed Virgin with tears, then went to beg his admission to the Carmelite Order. He began a life of great mortification. Ordained a priest in 1328, he studied in Paris and Avignon, and on his return became the Apostle of Florence, and Prior of his convent there.

In 1360, despite his efforts to the contrary, he was made Bishop of Fiesole in Tuscany, near Florence, and gained a great reputation as a peacemaker between rival political factions and for his love of the poor. He was also named papal nuncio to Bologna, where he pacified dissenting factions and won the hearts of the nobility with whom he was associating. He wrought many miracles of healing and conversion during his lifetime. A man of austere penance, he fasted continuously, always wore a hair shirt, and prayed the penitential psalms daily. For humility’s sake he often washed the feet of the poor and beggars. His special gift from God was the grace to effect the conversion of hardened sinners. At the age of 71, while he was celebrating the midnight Mass of Christmas, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and told him he would leave this world on the feast of the Epiphany, to meet the beloved Master he had served so faithfully. In effect, he died on that day on January 6, 1373 in Fiesole, Italy, in the thirteenth year of his episcopacy. Miracles were so multiplied thereafter that Pope Eugenius IV permitted a public cult immediately. The city of Florence has always invoked him with confidence and happy results. Canonized on April 22, 1629 at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Papal States; by Pope Urban VIII. He’s Patron Saint: Against Civil disorder; Against riot; Florence; Fiesole; Diplomats;

Saint Andrew Corsini, Bishop of Fiesole ~ 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 ame 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 all those who are sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from the mental and physical 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. 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🙏

Let us pray:

Most glorious Lord, Your love and mercy are truly amazing. Please help me to continually see this in my life and to continually become enthralled by Your presence in my life. May I run to You always, giving You my full attention and love. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Mother Mary, Saint Joseph of Leonessa; Saint Joan of Valois and Saint Andrew Corsini ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled Sunday, and week. Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 2, 2024

FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CONSECRATED LIFE

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th ~ Novena prayer below]

Greetings beloved family. Happy Friday and Happy Feast of the Presentation of the Lord!

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 2, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 2, 2024 on EWTN” |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 2, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 2, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 2, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, February 2, 2024
Reading 1, Malachi 3:1-4
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:7, 8, 9, 10
Reading 2, Hebrews 2:14-18
Gospel, Luke 2:22-40

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/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. And on this special feast day we celebrate World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life (Celebrated in Parishes February 3-4, 2024). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this special feast of World Day of Consecrated Life, we humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy – Bishops, Priests, all religious, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits… Amen 🙏

THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD: The 2nd day in February is the feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, which is also called the “Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. Another name for this popular feast is “Candlemas Day”, the fortieth day of Christmas. Candlemas, the celebration of the Light of Christ revealed to all of the people of God and to all the nations. On this day, candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. This feast  commemorates the occasion when the Blessed Virgin Mary, in obedience to Jewish law, went to the Temple in Jerusalem both to be purified 40 days after the birth of her son, Jesus, and to present Him to God as her firstborn. The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord as the Law of Moses prescribed. They carried with them the usual offering of the poor, a pair of turtledoves. At the time of the presentation and purification there was in the Temple a just and God-fearing man named Simeon, who recognized the infant Messiah, and taking Him in his arms declared Him to be the savior, the Light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. According to the law of God, given by Moses to the Jews, ordained that after childbirth a woman should continue for a certain time in a state which that law calls unclean, during which time she was not to appear in public. The term was of forty days following the birth of a son, and double that time for a daughter. When the term expired, the mother was to bring to the Temple a lamb and a young pigeon or turtle-dove, as an offering to God. These being sacrificed to Almighty God by the priest, she was cleansed of the legal impurity and reinstated in her former privileges. A dove was required of all as a sin-offering, whether rich or poor; but as the expense of a lamb might be too great for the poor, these were allowed to substitute for it a second dove. Such was the case, Scripture tells us, for the Holy Family. (Luke 2:22-38)

The festival was formerly known in the Roman Catholic Church as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is now known as the Presentation of the Lord. This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than the Blessed Virgin Mary’s purification. The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as “The Encounter.” The earliest reference to the festival is from Jerusalem, where in the late 4th century, a Western pilgrim, named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to attend the celebration on February 14, 40 days after Epiphany (then celebrated as Christ’s birthday), and wrote of it in the Peregrinatio Etheriae. Etheria’s journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany (January 6), the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later on February 15. The observance soon spread to other Eastern cities and throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. In 542 Justinian I decreed that its date should be moved back to February 2 (40 days after Christmas). Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas.

By the middle of the 5th century the custom of observing the festival with lighted candles had been introduced, and the name Candlemas developed from this custom. In the East it is primarily a festival of Christ. In the West it was primarily a celebration of the Virgin Mary until the calendar reform of 1969. At the beginning of the eighth century, in the Western church, Pope Sergius I (687–701) instituted the festival in Rome and inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas. This feast is known as Candlemas, because candles are blessed on this day to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and the light of our life. There are two ways of celebrating the ceremony, either the Procession, which begins at a ‘gathering place’ outside the church with blessed candles and appropriate prayer, or the Solemn Entrance, celebrated within the church.” The blessed beeswax candles typify the humanity that God the Son assumed, and signify that Jesus Christ is the True Light of the world by His doctrine, grace, and example. They also represent the ardent faith, hope, and charity with which the Christian should follow Christ by humble obedience to His Gospel and imitation of His virtues. Blessed candles are lighted at Mass and other church services; at the administration of all the Sacraments except Penance; in imparting blessings, in processions, and in other liturgical ceremonies. There should be at least two blessed candles in every Catholic home for use when the Sacraments are administered to the sick, and at times of any special danger, blessing, or family devotion. The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter.

PRAYER: Almighty and ever-living God, on this day Your only Son was presented in the Temple as sharing our human nature. We humbly ask that we too may be presented to You with purified intentions. Amen🙏
 
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CONSECRATED LIFE: World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life –  February 2, 2024 (Celebrated in Parishes February 3-4, 2024): In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. On this Feast of Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life invites all the Church to reflect on the role of Consecrated Life within the Christian community. Those who choose to live a consecrated life do so for the sake of the Gospel. Some Christian women and men respond to God’s call to become followers of Jesus through profession of vows and a life dedicated to prayer and service. They live out the consecrated life in different ways. Religious sisters, nuns, brothers, religious priests and monks consecrate their lives through their profession of the evangelical vows and live as part of a community.   Secular institutes are another form of living the consecrated life as single people. Those who become followers of Jesus through the consecrated life bless the Church. And so, as we think about the many ways in which we are called to love in ordinary ways and do it extraordinarily well, let us not forget those women and men who have responded to God’s call to serve as a consecrated religious. This day Mass is dedicated to them throughout the world. On this World Day for Consecrated Life, may the lives of consecrated women and men be blessed with God’s overwhelming grace of love! May their lives inspire us to hear God’s vocational call. May this tune be forever in our minds and transform our hearts to say boldly: “Here I am, Lord, send me!”

The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church. This year, the World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated in the Church today, Friday, February 2, 2024 and in parishes over this coming weekend of February 3-4, 2024. Please let us all pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and let us appreciate them on their special day. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.

“BROTHERS AND SISTERS, GO FORTH! Remember the beauty of your first call. Jesus continues to call you today with the same full love and untamed grace. GO FORTH! There is always more to do, to encounter, to be grateful for, to be astonished by. Begin and end with the joy of prayer—the marrow of consecrated life. GO FORTH! Each of us has a role to play in the Church. Witness and sow well each day, and look to tomorrow with hope. GO FORTH! Grow in love for God so that others will be attracted by the divine light in you. Welcome the new vocations the Lord sends to continue the work of consecration. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God and first disciple of her son, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.” ~ Pope Francis

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL: For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits. We pray to the Lord… Lord hear our prayers. For those who have responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be a consecrated person that they may experience the support of the Church as they continue their growth in holiness. We pray to the Lord…Lord hear our prayers… Amen🙏

LET US PRAY: Loving God, You call all who believe in You to grow perfect in love by following in the footsteps of Christ Your Son. Call from among us more men and women who will serve You as religious. Open the hearts of many, raise up faithful servants of the Gospel, dedicated, holy priests, sisters, brothers and deacons, who will spend themselves for Your people and their needs. Bless those who are serving now with courage and perseverance. Grant that many will be inspired by their example and faith. By their way of life, may they provide a convincing sign of Your Kingdom for the Church and the whole world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen 🙏

World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Link | https://www.usccb.org/committees/clergy-consecrated-life-vocations/world-day-consecrated-life

Today, we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Canterbury, Archbishop.

SAINT LAWRENCE OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP: St. Lawrence (d. 619 A.D.) was born in the 6th century. A Benedictine Monk and was the second Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from about 604 to 619. He was a member of the Gregorian mission sent from Italy to England by Pope St. Gregory I the Great to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism. St. Lawrence, a Benedictine, was among the original band of Gregorian missionaries sent from Rome in 595 to evangelize England and he arrived at Thanet, Kent, with St. Augustine in 597. As a fruit of their labor the region’s most powerful ruler, King Æthelberht of Kent, became a baptized Christian along with many of his countrymen. St. Augustine was the 1st Archbishop of Canterbury, when St. Augustine died on May 26, 604, St. Lawrence succeeded him as archbishop in 604 and became Canterbury’s 2nd Archbishop to to ensure continuity in office. As Archbishop St. Lawrence was a zealous leader and urged the Celtic bishops to keep peace and unity with Rome. He attempted unsuccessfully to resolve differences with the native British bishops by corresponding with them about points of dispute.

Following the death of King Æthelberht of Kent on February 24, 616 A.D., St. Lawrence was faced with a crisis when the king’s successor, his pagan son, Eadbald abandoned Christianity. During St. Lawrence’s tenure there was a serious anti-Christian reaction in c. 617. The King’s son caused great damage to the faith of the people and the mission work which had been done among them; because of this, some of the missionaries fled to Gaul. When the Britons lapsed into pagan customs, St. Lawrence was so upset by the abandonment of Christianity among his flock that he considered abandoning his bishopric as well. St. Lawrence planned to return to France, but in response, St. Peter the Apostle appeared to him in a vision, rebuked him for abandoning his flock, and scourged him so badly that Lawrence had physical marks on his body from the encounter. St. Lawrence then remained in his see and relayed his vision to the king, showing him his wounds, the physical scars on his back, causing the local ruler King Eadbald to convert to the Christian faith as his father did. St. Lawrence died in Canterbury on February 2, 619 A.D. and was buried beside Augustine in the church of SS. Peter and Paul, Canterbury (St. Augustine’s Abbey).

PRAYER: Lord God, you counted Saint Lawrence, Archbishop of Canterbury, among your Holy pastors, renowned for the faith and love which conquers evil in this world. By the help of his prayers and intercession keep us strong in faith and love and let us come to share his glory. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, on this feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 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 special feast of World Day of Consecrated Life, we humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy – Bishops, Priests, all religious, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits… Amen. We pray 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. We 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 the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. 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. And we continue to 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. Please let us continue to pray for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World.🙏

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

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 2:22–40

“My eyes have seen your salvation”

“When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the elderly Simeon and the prophetess Anna both witnessed the coming of the Lord in the form of the little Child, presented there that day at the Temple and House of God. Simeon declares Jesus to be a light to enlighten the pagans, as well as being the glory of Israel. Today’s feast closes the Christmas festival of light. It is a joyful feast and, yet, a shadow is cast over this joyful scene in the Temple in Jerusalem. Having declared the child Jesus to be God’s light to enlighten the pagans and to bring glory to Israel, Simeon goes on to declare that this same child is also destined to be a sign that is rejected. Not everyone will welcome the light that He brings which is why this child, according to Simeon, is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel. Some in Israel will stumble over Jesus; others will be lifted up by Him. In the language of the fourth Gospel, ‘the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil’. We are all capable of turning away from the light, the light of God’s love and God’s truth shining through Jesus. We can be more comfortable with lesser lights. Yet, the light of God continues to shine through Jesus, the risen Lord. No amount of human rejection diminishes that light.

Simeon and Anna were both blessed with the gift of recognition or insight. They both recognized the true identity of the child who was carried into the temple by His young parents, Mary and Joseph. Simeon recognized Jesus as the light to enlighten the pagans and as the glory of Israel. Anna recognized Him as the Deliverer for whom people had been waiting. They both went on to proclaim to others what they had come to recognize for themselves.  Their gift of recognition was the fruit of their prayer. Simeon’s response when he met the infant Jesus was to pray; he blessed God. His prayer has become part of the official prayer of the church and is prayed every night by those who pray night prayer. Anna’s response on meeting the child Jesus was to speak about Jesus to others, especially to those who were waiting for God to visit them in a special way. Simeon’s meeting with Jesus and His parents led him to look upwards towards God in prayer; Anna’s meeting with Jesus and His parents led her to look outwards towards others in witness. Simeon and Anna have each something to say to us about how to receive the Lord. We too are called to respond to the Lord’s coming to us as light of the world, in the same two-fold way, in prayer and in witness. We bless God, we thank God, in prayer for the gift of his Son, the light to enlighten all people, and we also allow that light to shine through us before others, by witnessing to the Lord in the way that we live, by what we say and do. The Lord who entered the temple in Jerusalem as the light of the world has entered and is entering all our lives; today we look to Simeon and Anna to show us how best to respond to His gracious coming. Every day we are called by God to keep turning towards this radiant light of Jesus, after the example of Simeon and Anna in the Gospel reading. Today’s feast encourages us to keep presenting ourselves, our hearts, minds and bodies, to the Lord.

In today’s first reading, the Lord spoke to His people through prophet Malachi, who announces that the Lord will one day enter His Temple in Jerusalem as the refiner and purifier of His people, so that their worship will be as the Lord desires it. The Lord spoke of the Covenant which He has established with His people and the Envoy of this Covenant which was coming into the world. This prophecy was often referred to the promise of the coming of the Messiah, the Holy One of God and also His herald, St. John the Baptist. In the context of today’s celebration, we are reminded of the expectation of the coming of the Saviour from the Lord, which the prophets had been proclaiming and reassuring the people of God for ages. The prophet Malachi was one of the last prophets of the Old Testament era, who continued the traditions of the prophets in delivering the words of God to His people. Through his words and ministry, the people kept on waiting patiently for the coming of the Lord’s salvation.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures and rejoice today on this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, let us all also then take note that the Light of Christ has been passed on to us, just as we have the blessing of candles this day, to remind us of the Light of Christ that we all have received at our baptism. All of us have received the Light of the Lord and His Light having been present in us, should be the source of light for this world, for one another. What does this mean? It means that we should be beacons of God’s Light, His truth, love and all the hope which He has brought into our midst, taught and revealed to us. As Christians, all of us have received this truth and share this same knowledge and love of God, and we should therefore be the bearers of His Light in our world today. All of us have to live our lives to the best of our abilities so that we may become source of inspiration and hope for others, and that we may help others to find their way in obeying the Law and the commandments of God. Each and every one of us are parts of the Church’s effort to evangelise and to proclaim the truth of God to more and more of the people all around us, both within and outside the Church. Each one of us are the bearers of His Good News and truth, and through us many people may come to find our way to salvation and eternal life. May the Lord continue to lead and guide us down this path of righteousness. May all of us continue to strive to live our lives as best as we can in showing our faith truly through our every day actions, even in the smallest and the seemingly most insignificant things we do in life. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to keep our relationship with the Lord to the fore in all we say and do and may all of us continue to be encouraged to live our lives to the fullest, and may the Lord empower all of us to walk in His presence, and to glorify Him, as the beacons of His Light, righteousness, virtues and justice, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My spiritual Lord, I thank You for the countless ways in which You speak to me day and night in the depths of my own soul. Help me to be always attentive to You and to Your gentle voice as You speak to me. May Your voice and Your voice alone become the guiding direction of my life. May I trust in Your Word and never waver from the mission You have given to me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Joseph and Saint Lawrence of Canterbury ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as we begin this Ordinary Time. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year. Have a blessed, safe and fruitful month of February ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

We thank God for the gift of life and the gift of the new month of February. May His name be praised forever and ever~ Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 1, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 1, 2024 on EWTN” |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 1, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 1, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | February 1, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, February 1, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
Responsorial Psalm, First Chronicles 29:10, 11, 11-12, 12
Gospel, Mark 6:7-13

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/

SAINT OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Brigid of Ireland, Abbess and Virgin.

SAINT BRIGID OF IRELAND, ABBESS AND VIRGIN: St. Brigid of Ireland (450-525 A.D.), also known as St. Brigid of Kildare (also spelled Bridget, Brigit, Bride, Bridey, Irish Bríd) and “the Mary of the Gael” was a monastic foundress who together with St. Patrick and St. Columcille is one of the country’s three patron saints. St. Brigid directly influenced several other future saints of Ireland, and her many religious communities helped to secure the country’s conversion from paganism to the Catholic faith. St. Brigid was born in Fochart, near Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland about 450, born out of wedlock to a pagan Irish chieftain named Dubthach and a Christian slave mother named Broicsech. The cheiftain sold the child’s pregnant mother to a new master, but contracted for Brigid to be returned to him eventually. Being the daughter of a slave woman, she also was a slave, and worked as a dairy maid. According to de Blacam, the child was probably baptized as an infant and raised as a Catholic by her mother. Thus, she was well-formed in the faith before leaving Broicsech’s slave-quarters, at around age 10, to live with Dubthach and his wife. Within the new circumstances of the cheiftain’s household, Brigid’s faith found expression in feats of charity. From the abundance of her father’s food and possessions, she gave generously to the poor. Dubthach became enraged, threatening to sell Brigid, who was not recognized as a full family member, but worked as a household servant to the King of Leinster. But the Christian king understood Brigid’s acts of charity and convinced Dubthach to grant his daughter her freedom. Released from servitude, St. Brigid was expected to marry. But she had other plans, which involved serving God in consecrated life. She even disfigured her own face, marring her beauty in order to dissuade suitors. Understanding he could not change her mind, Dubthach granted Brigid permission to pursue her plan and material means by which to do so. Thus did a pagan nobleman, through this gift to his illegitimate daughter, play an unintentional but immense part in God’s plan for Ireland.

While consecrated religious life was part of the Irish Church before St. Brigid’s time, it had not yet developed the systematic character seen in other parts of the Christian world by the fifth century. Among women, vows of celibacy were often lived out in an impromptu manner, in the circumstances of everyday life or with the aid of particular benefactors. St. Brigid, with an initial group of seven companions, is credited with organizing communal consecrated religious life for women in Ireland. Bishop Mel of Ardagh, St. Patrick’s nephew, and later “St. Mel” accepted St. Brigid’s profession as a nun and she became Ireland’s first nun. According to tradition, the disfigurement she had inflicted on her face disappeared that day, and her beauty returned. St. Mel went on to serve as a mentor to the group during their time at Ardagh. Around the time of his death in 488, St. Brigid’s community got an offer to resettle. Their destination is known today as Kildare (“Church of the Oak”), after the main monastery she founded there. She formed Ireland’s first convent at “Cil-Dara” (Kildare) and became its abbess. She went on to found many other religious communities, as well as a School of Art famous for its metal working and illuminated manuscripts. St. Brigid was known for her extraordinary spirituality, even converting her father to the faith after he witnessed her fashioning the sign of the cross from strands of rushes.

St. Brigid’s life as a nun was rooted in prayer, but it also involved substantial manual labor: cloth-making, dairy farming, and raising sheep. In Ireland, as in many other regions of the Christian world, this communal combination of work and prayer attracted vast numbers of people during the sixth century. Kildare, however, was unique as the only known Irish “double monastery”: it included a separately-housed men’s community, led by the bishop Saint Conleth. From this main monastery, St. Brigid’s movement branched out to encompass a large portion of Ireland. It is not clear just how large, but it is evident that St. Brigid traveled widely throughout the island, founding new houses and building up a uniquely Irish form of monasticism. When she was not traveling, many pilgrims, including prominent clergy, and some future saints made their way to Kildare, seeking the advice of the abbess. Under St. Brigid’s leadership, Kildare played a major role in the successful Christianization of Ireland. The abbess’ influence was felt in the subsequent era of the Irish Church, a time when the country became known for its many monasteries and their intellectual achievements. St. Brigid of Kildare died around 525 and was buried in Downpatrick in the same grave as Sts. Patrick and Columba (Columcille). She is said to have received the last sacraments from a priest, Saint Ninnidh, whose vocation she had encouraged. Veneration of Brigid grew in the centuries after her death, and spread outside of Ireland through the work of the country’s monastic missionaries. As an abbess, Brigid participated in several Irish councils, and her influence on the policies of the Church in Ireland was considerable. Many stories of her younger days deal with her generosity toward the needy and the poor.  She’s Patron Saint of: Babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle; chicken farmers; children whose parents are not married; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Leinster; mariners; midwives; milk maids; newborn babies; nuns; poets; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers; watermen.

PRAYER: Lord, our God, grant that Your faithful spouse, St. Brigid, may kindle the flame of Divine love in us for the everlasting glory of Your Church ~ 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 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 them during this challenging time. We pray for an end to wars, political and religious unrest. 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 souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 6:7-13

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out”

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sent out His twelve disciples ahead of Him to share in His mission. They were to carry out their missions and works, in caring for the need of the people of God. They were told not to bring anything extra with them beyond just the minimum of what was necessary, except for a staff and the clothes that were on their bodies, with no food or money or bag on themselves. What this means is that, the disciples were told to trust in the Lord and in His providence, guiding them through the goodwill of all those to whom the disciples were sent to. He anticipates that not everyone will welcome their words or their works. There were bound to be those who would refuse to welcome them and rejected them, but there were also bound to be those who would accept them and embrace the truth and Good News which they brought with them. Jesus had just been rejected by the people of Nazareth in the reading immediately preceding our Gospel reading today. His disciples were prepared to expect something similar at times. As Jesus anticipated, the disciples will enter places where they will not be welcomed and where people refuse to listen to them. Yet, that experience of failure is not to discourage them, just as it did not discourage Jesus. They are to be faithful to their calling to share in Jesus’ mission, in season and out of season, regardless of how they are received. In spite of the experience of failure and rejection, the disciples did great good, proclaiming the Gospel and healing the sick. The Lord encourages us to keep being faithful to our baptismal calling, in spite of the setbacks along the way, whether they are failings in ourselves or failings in others. We are to be more attentive to the Lord’s call and promise than to the negative voices that come to us from others or from within ourselves.

According to the Gospel reading, Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs. Jesus clearly saw a greater value in sending out the twelve in twos. No one was to work alone; each would have someone else to work alongside. As disciples of the Lord today, we still need to work together, rather than as individuals or loners. When we work together we learn to receive from and give to each other and, thereby, the Lord is more fully present to others. He did say that where two or three are gathered He would be there in their midst. Even Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, was very aware of the debt he owed to what he called his co-workers. The Lord needs us to work together if His work is to be done in today’s world. As members of the Lord’s body, we are interdependent. In the life of faith, we never go it alone. The Lord needs us all if His work is to continue today, and just as He sent out the twelve in pairs, in six groups of two, He does sends us out not as individuals but with others. He can work through us most effectively when we work together, pooling our gifts and resources.

Our first reading today from the Book of Kings, details the moment when King David of Israel was about to die, and how he passed over the kingship to his son, Solomon, who would become the King of Israel after him. King David reminded Solomon of what he should be doing as the king and ruler over the whole people of God, in doing what God has commanded him to do and in the responsibilities that he would be having as king. David reminded Solomon that he should always firmly hold onto the Law and commandments which God had entrusted to His people, and if he did so, then the Lord would continue to bless him and his descendants, and keep their reigns secure and strong as how it has been during the days of David’s reign. Solomon took over from David as King of Israel and as we all should be familiar with, he was a truly mighty and wise king, whose reign was blessed by God in all things, and he was abundant in wealth and glory, and all of his works and designs were successful. Early in his reign, Solomon was faithful and obedient in following God’s commands and laws, and in doing what he has been entrusted to do. But, as the years gone by, and he grew ever more in wealth and power, gradually, he began to be swayed and tempted by power and corruptions, and he began to listen to his many wives and concubines instead of obeying God’s words, Law and commandments. That was how eventually Solomon fell into disobedience and sin against God, as he allowed pagan and idol worship to happen throughout the kingdom. All of those things happened because Solomon became enamoured and misguided by all the power, glory and wealth which he had gained and accumulated, and he ended up falling deeper and deeper into the trap of the worldly desires and temptations, which led him and many others from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. And as a result, eventually after Solomon passed away, the kingdom of Israel was torn apart into two, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, which reminds us all that what God had told Solomon through David, were not just merely instructions, but they are reminders that God is always true to His words, and He also expects each and every one of us to do what we are supposed to do as His followers and people, or otherwise, we will have to suffer the consequences of our disobedience and sins, just as King Solomon and the Israelites had experienced.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded that the Lord has entrusted to us many things and responsibilities which He has passed down unto us, giving us the means and the opportunities for all of us to do what He has called us to do, in doing our responsibilities and works for His greater glory. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with various missions in our respective lives, which God has given to us through His Church. Now, the choice is ours to make whether we want to follow His path and whether we want to commit ourselves to the missions and works which He has given to us. All of us have been called to embrace this calling and path, and be truly worthy and faithful in all of our actions and ways as Christians, as God’s beloved people.May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to help and guide us in our journey, so that in all the things that we do in this life, we will always strive to keep our faith in Him. May He empower each and every one of us and give us all the courage so that by our every commitment, works and deeds, by all of our whole lives and in each and every moments of our existence, we will continue to proclaim the truth and Good News of God, and remain truly in His grace and love, and continue to be faithful to Him, despite the many challenges and temptations present all around us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to remain faithful and entrust ourselves to Him and may He be with us always, may He strengthen and empower us with His love, His Wisdom, His grace and blessings, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

Let us pray

My trustworthy Lord, I accept Your call to go forth and to share Your love and mercy with others. Help me to always rely upon You and Your providence for my mission in life. Use me as You will and help me to trust in Your guiding hand for the upbuilding of Your glorious Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

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

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as we begin this Ordinary Time. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year. Have a blessed, safe and fruitful month of February ~ Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖