FIFTH WEEK OF LENT
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 19, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy Feast of Saint Joseph!
May Saint Joseph, Husband of our Blessed Virgin Mary, foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Protector of the Holy Family and the Protector of the Church, intercede for us all and may God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journey. Amenđ
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, March 19, 2024, on EWTN” |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 19, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 19, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 19, 2024 |
Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 19, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUALđšJOYFULđšLUMINOUSđšSORROWFULđšGLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Reading 1, Second Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
Reading 2, Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Gospel, Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51
40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Thirty: Anger or Patience? | Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-thirty-anger-or-patience/
40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Thirty â âFather, Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Doâ | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-thirty-father-forgive-them-for-they-know-not-what-they-do/
A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, âO people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.â Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen đ
God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amenđ
LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards
Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the âpaschal fastâ to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: âHis was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lordâs father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lordâs father, because to him were entrusted, and by him were faithfully fulfilled, the duties of a father, in protecting Him, giving Him a home, sustaining and rearing Him, and providing Him with a tradeâÂ
THE POPEâS MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – For the new Martyrs: We pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world inflame the Church with their courage and missionary enthusiasm.
During this Liturgical season of Lent, we continue to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in His death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind.
On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls 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 their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ⌠Amen đ âď¸đŻâď¸đŻâď¸đŻ
During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen đ
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. Amenđ
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 đ
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
FEAST OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Prince and Patron Saint of the Universal Church, unborn children, fathers, families, immigrants, workers, employment, explorer, pilgrims, traveller, carpenters, engineers, realtors, doubt and hesitation, and of a happy death. As we celebrate this great Solemnity of St. Joseph, let us all seek the intercession of this great protector of the Church, and ask him to pray for our sake, for the Church of God facing all sorts of challenges and persecutions. We also pray for all Fathers and workers all over the world. Let us all devote ourselves to the Lord through His role model, St. Joseph as our model and example that through this season and time of Lent we may become ever closer to God and be ever more attuned to His will and His truth.đ
SAINT JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: The Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is also called Saint Joseph’s Day. St. Joseph has two feast days: St. Joseph the Husband of Mary on March 19th, and St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. However, when St. Josephâs feast day on March 19th falls on a Sunday it is moved to the Monday and celebrated on March 20th. St. Joseph (1st c.) the pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of our Blessed Lord, was an ordinary manual laborer although descended from the royal house of Israel’s King David. He was probably born in Bethlehem and probably died in Nazareth. His important mission in God’s plan of salvation was “to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David from whom, according to the prophets, the Messiah would be born, and to act as his father and guardian”. The darkest hours of his life may well have been those when he first learned of Mary’s pregnancy with the Son of God; but precisely in this time of trial Joseph showed himself great. After a time of uncertainty, was encouraged by an Angel to continue with the marriage plans. Because of his complete faithfulness and obedience to the will of God, St. Joseph was chosen to become the spouse of the Mother of God and the adoptive father of Jesus Christ. St. Joseph is the virtuous and âjust manâ of the New Testament, the lowly village carpenter of Nazareth, who among all men of the world was the one chosen by God to be the husband and protector of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. To his faithful, loving care was entrusted the childhood and youth of the Redeemer of the world. This feast encourages us to look at St. Josephâs role as husband and head of the Holy Family. As the divinely-appointed earthly guardian and protector of the Holy Family, St. Joseph provided and cared for the material needs of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Child Jesus. After the Mother of God, not one of the children of men was ever so gifted and adorned with natural and supernatural virtues as was St. Joseph, her spouse. In purity of heart, in chastity of life, in humility, patience, fortitude, gentleness, and manliness of character, he reveals to us the perfect type and model of the true Christian. Poor and obscure in this worldâs possessions and honors, St. Joseph was rich in grace and merit, and eminent before God in the nobility and beauty of holiness. Because St. Joseph was the representative of the Eternal Father on earth, the divinely appointed head of the Holy Family of God, the Church of Christ, on December 8, 1870, Pope Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the foster-father of Jesus as patron and protector of the Universal Church, and from that time his feast has been celebrated on March 19th as one of his high rank. In some places it is observed as a Holy day of Obligation but not a holy day of obligation for Catholics in the United States.
In the West, the oldest reference to the cult of Saint Joseph (Ioseph sponsus Mariae) connected with March 19th appears around the year 800 in the north of France. Thereafter, reference to Joseph, the spouse of Mary, becomes more and more frequent from the 9th to the 14th centuries. In the 12th century, the crusaders built a church in his honor at Nazareth. But it was in the 15th century that the cult of Saint Joseph spread due to the influence of Saint Bernadine of Siena, and especially of Jean Gerson (+ 1420), Chancellor of Notre Dame in Paris, who promoted the cause that a feast to Saint Joseph be officially established. There were already some celebrations in Milan in Augustinian circles, and in many places in Germany. It was in 1480, with Pope Sixtus IVâs approval that the feast began to be celebrated on March 19th. It then became obligatory with Pope Gregory XV in 1621. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church, and Pope Saint John XXIII inserted his name into the Roman Canon of Holy Mass in 1962. More recently, Pope Francis approved seven new invocations in the Litany to Saint Joseph: Guardian of the Redeemer, Servant of Christ, Minister of Salvation, Support in difficulties, Patron of exiles, Patron of the afflicted, and Patron of the poor.
Devotion to St. Joseph, fervent in the East from the early ages, has in later times spread and increased in such a marvelous way that in our day the Catholics of all nations vie with one another in honoring him. At present are the two major feasts in honor of St. Joseph. On March 19th our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while on May 1st we honor him as the patron of workmen throughout the world and as our guide in the difficult matter of establishing equitable norms regarding obligations and rights in the social order. Promulgated in 1955, it replaced the older âSolemnity of St. Josephâ which had been celebrated since 1847âfirst as the âPatronage of St. Josephâ on the third Sunday after Easter and after 1913 as the âSolemnity of St. Josephâ on the Wednesday before the third Sunday after Easter. While Pope John XXIII inserted the name of St. Joseph in the Roman Canon of Holy Mass in 1962, Pope Francis, in 2013, added his name to the three other Eucharistic Prayers. On December 8th, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called âWith a Fatherâs Heartâ, in which he recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion of this Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis proclaimed a âYear of Saint Josephâ from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021. In his Apostolic Letter, the Pope describes Saint Joseph in a number of very striking ways – as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.
From his throne of glory in heaven, St. Joseph watches over and protects the Church Militant, and no one who calls on him in need ever calls in vain. There are indications that he died before the beginning of Christ’s public life. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Blessed Mother Mary. He is the model of a perfect Christian life and the patron of a happy death. His patronage extends over the Mystical Body of Christ, over the Christian family, the Christian school, and all individuals who in their need appeal to his charity and powerful intercession, especially in the hour of death; for he who, when dying, received the affectionate ministry of his foster-Son, Jesus, and his Virgin spouse, Mary, may well be trusted to obtain for us the mercy of God and the grace of a peaceful and holy death. St. Joseph is invoked as patron for many causes and many religious orders and communities are placed under his patronage. He is the patron, guardian and protector of the Universal Church. He is the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed. He is also the Patron Saint of fathers; families; married couples; children; unborn children; expectant mothers; workers; laborers; carpenters; cabinet makers; social justice; emigrants; engineers; immigrants; bursars: interior souls; dying people; happy death; holy death; house hunters; people in doubt; people who fight Communism; travelers; confectioners; craftsmen; protection of the Church; against doubt; against hesitation; Americas; Austria; Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Belgium; Bohemia; Canada; Carinthia; China; Croatian people (in 1687 by decree of the Croatian parliament); Florence, Italy; Korea; Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire; Mexico; Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee; New France; New World; Oblates of Saint Joseph; Peru; pioneers; Diocese of San Jose, California; diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; social justice; Styria, Austria; Turin Italy; Tyrol Austria; Universal Church; Vatican II; Vietnam; Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston West Virginia; wheelwrights.
PRAYER:Â Almighty God, You entrusted to the faithful care of Joseph the beginning of the mysteries of our salvation. Through his intercession may Your Church always be faithful in her service that Your designs will be fulfilled. Amenđ
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen đ
(Prayer from the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, written by Pope Francis)
PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages, and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amenđ
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-readin
Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 1:16, 18â21, 24a
“Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him”
“Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, âJoseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this szzz,,child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.â When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
OR
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 2:41â51a
“Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety”
“Each year Jesusâ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, âSon, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.â And he said to them, âWhy were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Fatherâs house?â But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.”
In today’s Gospel readings, the two Gospel choices we have both highlighted the actions of St. Joseph. From the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Joseph obeyed God and took care of the Holy Family, of the Lord and Mary, His mother. St. Joseph is portrayed as being in a moment of crisis, a crisis of intimacy. St. Joseph was betrothed to Mary. As betrothed, he and the Blessed Virgin Mary were legally husband and wife, but they would only live together as husband and wife after their marriage ceremony. The future happiness of this young man is suddenly clouded by an event of which he can make little sense, Maryâs pregnancy. What is he to do in this unexpected and confusing situation? The Jewish Law would have required him to take a course of action that went against all his natural feelings for Mary. In that moment of personal crisis, according to the Gospel reading, St. Joseph experienced God as Emmanuel, God with him. God communicated with St. Joseph at this difficult time in his life and St. Joseph was open to hearing Godâs word to him, a word that directed him beyond what the Law required, prompting him to marry his betrothed, to take her home as his wife. The story of Joseph in todayâs Gospel reminds us that God continues to communicate with us in the challenging situations of our own lives, including crises of intimacy. There is no personal dilemma that need cut us off from God. God speaks a word of love and wisdom to us even in the most unpromising moments of our lifeâs journey. Jesus reveals God to be Emmanuel, God with us, and God is with us, guiding us and supporting us, especially in our own difficult family experiences.
Then our Gospel reading today from St. Luke, gives an account of the moment when the Lord Jesus stayed behind in the Temple of Jerusalem at the age of twelve. St. Joseph was there together with Mary, His mother, as they searched for Him and found Him in the Temple. It was mentioned how the Lord obeyed His parents and went back with them to Nazareth, and how He grew in stature and wisdom in the world, in the eyes of God and man alike. According to the Gospel readings today, St. Joseph was not only open to Godâs presence but revealed Godâs presence to Mary, showing her great care and sensitivity in a disturbing and unsettling moment. St. Joseph inspires us not only to be open to Godâs presence in difficult family moments, but to reveal Godâs loving and tender presence to each other, to look out for one another, when events come along that are disruptive and disturbing. St. Josephâs care for the vulnerable, for the pregnant Mary, and later for Mary and his young son when faced with exile, might prompt us to ask his intercession for all who have been rendered so vulnerable by life’s crisis, especially those facing political and religious unrest in our conflicted and. divided world.
In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Samuel, God spoke to the prophet Nathan the words that he was to deliver to King David of Israel, detailing what God had intended for him and his family. King David was one of the most righteous and greatest among the kings of Israel, and he was full of love for the Lord and was also a great shepherd, guide and leader for the people entrusted to his care by God, just the way how he cared for his sheep when he was still a shepherd in his youth. God therefore reassured David that his rule and reign over Israel, and that of his descendants, the reign of the House of David will last forever, and the descendants of David will always sit on the Throne of Israel. God had blessed David and his house, his descendants, and as long as they were faithful to the Lord, the kingdom of the people of God flourished and prospered. However, it was not always that the kings, the descendants of David had been faithful to God. Many of the kings beginning with Solomon himself, the son and successor of David, and the kings of Judah were unfaithful to God and were wicked in their way of life and actions. Thus, the fortunes of the kingdom of Godâs people waned and eventually, as many of them remained unfaithful to God and committed great sins against God, the kingdom was destroyed and crushed, and the people of God scattered to many places. Yet, God still provided for those whom He loved, including even those who have sinned against Him. He gathered back the Israelites and preserved the descendants of David, through whom eventually St. Joseph was born, as the heir of David. It was through St. Joseph that the Lord Jesus became known as the âSon of Davidâ or the âHeir of Davidâ. Despite them not biologically related, but the legal marriage of St. Joseph to Mary, the Lordâs Mother, made Jesus to be the legal heir of David.
In our second reading today from St. Paul and his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, of the Lordâs promises made to Abraham and his descendants, of the Covenant that He has established with all of them. The Lord called Abraham from the land of his ancestors and for his faithfulness, righteousness and commitment to Him, He established a Covenant with him and his descendants, promising that he would become the father of many nations, and everything that God had promised did come true in the end. This was just like what He has promised to David, and God showed His promises coming true in all occasions, of which Christ is the culmination and fulfilment of all those promises. That is because through Christ, Who has come into this world as the Son of God born in the flesh and adopting our human nature, all of us have been made children of God by adoption as well, and every one of us through this spiritual link to Abraham, have made the latter our father in faith as well. Not only that, but God also fulfilled the promises He made to David, for Jesus Christ came to be the One to sit on the Throne of David for eternity, to be the one true and eternal King over all of Godâs people, and hence, the House of David does indeed last forever as God had intended it. Yet, it was their righteousness, those of Abraham and David, as well as St. Joseph, that brought about this justification and grace in the first place. God saw what was inside manâs heart, even to the deepest parts within us that we may not even be aware of. He saw in all of these faithful predecessors of ours, a strong and dedicated love for Him, and the love for righteousness and justice in all things, and the desire to follow Him wholeheartedly, as they had done in their whole lives. St. Joseph in particular was known to be an upright figure, righteous and hardworking, dedicated and committed to God much in the same way as his ancestors, Abraham and David had lived their lives.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this great Feast and celebration of St. Joseph, head and protector of the Holy Family, Foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour, and the Spouse of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, we are all called during this season of Lent to look upon the good examples set by St. Joseph. Let us all be inspired by all the good examples, righteousness and faith which St. Joseph has shown each and every one of us. We are called to emulate him in our own lives, reminding ourselves to be more righteous and just, more committed to follow the Lord by following the examples of St. Joseph, who laboured hard in life with honesty and justice, not minding his own personal desires, ambition, ego or greed. He placed God above all else and the mission that He has entrusted to him, he has carried out with patience and virtue all the same. Great and holy Patron, St. Joseph, pray for all of us and pray for the Church of God, so that we will continue to be good role models and inspirations to everyone through our way of life, actions and works. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may He empower each and every one of us that we may always walk faithfully in His presence and may He bless all of our actions and works, and may St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family and the Protector of the Church, intercede for us always, and help us through his inspirations and his prayers, that we may always walk courageously as he himself had done, in the path of his foster Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. St. Joseph, holy Saint of God, pray for us! Amenđ
Let us pray:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you, God entrusted his only Son; in you, Mary placed her trust with you. Christ became man. Blessed Joseph to us too, show yourself a father, and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen đ
(Prayer from the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, written by Pope Francis)
Lord, enable me to walk by faith each and every day. Allow my mind to rise above human wisdom alone and to see Your divine plan in all things. St. Joseph, pray for me that I may imitate the faith you lived in your own life. St. Joseph, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amenđ
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ Pray for usđ
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love, and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times, and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love, and faith. Have a blessed, safe, and grace-filled Fifth Week of Lent ~ Amenđ
Blessings and Love always, Philomena đ
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