Month: March 2024

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, LAETARE ‘REJOICE’ SUNDAY (YEAR B)

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 10, 2024

NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH: Begins today, March 10–18, 2024 (in preparation for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19, 2024. Novena Links below.

Greetings beloved family! Happy Laetare “Rejoice” Sunday, Fourth Sunday of  Lent and Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, mothers to be and mother figures (celebrated today in the UK, Africa and other countries). May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journey🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | March 10, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 10, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 10, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 10, 2024 | https://youtu.be/-i4DUT2U2JY?si=EP3kab_O23t3slQR

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 10, 2024 | https://youtu.be/dTR4U5X2Qbs?si=lV72ENQp2LDe5gog

Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube | https://youtu.be/QAZKMbwZrEQ

Today’s Bible Readings: Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B), March 10, 2024
Reading 1, Second Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Reading 2, Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel, John 3:14-21

[Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection and readings for Year A may be used in place of this one]

Novena to St. Joseph – Full | EWTN – https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/st-joseph-full-novena-13879

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | https://shorturl.at/tvKPT

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Fourth Sunday of Lent: Sight | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/fourth-sunday-of-lent-sight/

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, LAETARE ‘REJOICE’ SUNDAY: Today is the halfway mark of Lent and we celebrate what is known as Laetare Sunday. The word Laetare has the meaning of ‘rejoice’ just as Gaudete is, both having similar meanings. This name Laetare comes from the beginning of this Sunday Introit at the start of the Holy Mass, namely, ‘Laetare Jerusalem, et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam…’ which means ‘Rejoice, o Jerusalem, and gather round, all you who love her…’ a reminder for all of us that amidst all the penitential and more sombre nature of this season of Lent, we are actually looking forward to the arrival of Easter, when we shall rejoice together commemorating the glorious Resurrection and the salvation which the Lord has shown us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord and Saviour. This Sunday is our foretaste of Easter joy, it marks the halfway point through the Lenten season of fasting, abstinence, and penance, and because of this it is a day of joy in anticipation of the close arrival of Easter.

Laetare Sunday is one of the only two occasions in the entire liturgical year when the color rose is used. The other occasion is the Gaudete Sunday during the season of Advent. Like that of its Advent counterpart, the Gaudete Sunday or the Third Sunday of Advent, which marks the joyful expectation of the coming of the Messiah in Christmas, Laetare Sunday marks this joyful expectation of the salvation of all mankind, amidst our deep and intense preparation and self-retrospection this Lenten season. Today, just as on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, we have a reprieve and more joyful celebration amidst the more sombre and penitential nature of this season. The Priests wear rose-colored liturgical vestments and the altar is decorated with flowers, often roses. We have something like a break amidst the usually more toned down nature of our Lenten observances, as music and flowers are allowed to be used again, unlike how it is during the other parts of the Lenten season. Why is that so? That is because the rose liturgical color which is used today is a reminder that all of these things we have practiced and prepared for this Lent, are all ultimately in expectation of the joy that is to come through Christ, Our Lord and Savior. We focus on the Joy that we are looking forward to and have been preparing ourselves for in these past few weeks of Lent. We look forward to the joy of the coming of Christ, and the salvation that He has given to all of us in Easter. All of our Lenten observances are meant to help us to be able to enter more deeply into the mystery and nature of the work of salvation which God has done in our midst through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Lord have mercy on us all. Happy Laetare “Rejoice” Sunday🙏

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare ‘Rejoice’ Sunday (YEAR B) | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 3:14–21

“God sent his Son so that the world might be saved through him”

“Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

In today’s Gospel reading this Sunday, our Lord Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus the Pharisee, who was quite sympathetic towards the Lord and His teachings. In that conversation, the Lord told Nicodemus that God has always loved His people, all of mankind, and He desired that all of them should be saved and brought back to His loving embrace. That was why He sent to this world His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Himself, because He loves us all and this world so much, that by giving His Son to us, He might bring us all to Himself, gathering us all from being scattered all over this darkened and sinful world, and leading us all into the path of His light, hope and salvation into the eternal life which God has promised to us. In our Gospel reading, Jesus says with reference to Himself: ‘Light has come into the world’. The Gospel reading also declares that the light that has come into the world in the person of Jesus is the light of God’s love. The Gospel reading declares, ‘God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him… may have eternal life’. The light of Jesus is not the probing light of the grand inquisitor that seeks out failure and transgression with a view to condemnation. Indeed, the Gospel reading states that God ‘sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world’. The light of Jesus, rather, is the inviting light of God’s love, calling out to us to come and to allow ourselves to be bathed in this light, and promising those who do so that they will share in God’s own life, both here and now and also beyond death.

At the beginning of our Gospel reading today, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man who must be lifted up. It was on the cross that Jesus was lifted up, and it was above all at that moment that the light of God’s love shone most brightly. It is a paradox that those who attempted to extinguish God’s light shining in Jesus only succeeded in making that light of love shine all the more brightly. God’s gift of His Son to us was not in any way thwarted by the rejection of His Son. God’s giving continued as Jesus was lifted up to die, and God’s giving found further expression when God raised His Son from the dead and gave Him to us as risen Lord. Here indeed is a light that darkness cannot overcome, a love that human sin cannot extinguish. This is the core of the Gospel. This is why the fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, Rejoice Sunday. When we are going through a difficult experience and darkness seems to envelope us, it can be tempting to think that we will never see the light again. This is the mood that is captured in today’s responsorial psalm: ‘By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept’. Today’s readings assure us that there is a light that shines in the darkness and that the darkness will not overcome, a light that heals and restores, in the words of today’s second reading, a light that brings us to life with Christ and raises us up with Him. It shines in a special way whenever we celebrate the Eucharist. As we gather around the table of the word and the table of the Eucharist, the light of God’s love revealed in the death and resurrection of Jesus shines upon whatever darkness we may be struggling with in our lives.

Our first reading this Sunday from the Second Book of Chronicles of Israel and Judah details the story of both the ruin and destruction of God’s people and their kingdom in Jerusalem and Judah, as well as the story of their emancipation and liberation afterwards by King Cyrus of Persia, who allowed them to return back to their own lands, after a long period of exile lasting traditionally for about seventy years. At that time, the kingdom of Judah where the people of God had lived in were destroyed by the Babylonians, who invaded and conquered Jerusalem and the whole of Judah, just as the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria had been destroyed by the Assyrians over a century earlier before. In both circumstances, many of the people of God had been uprooted from the lands that they and their ancestors had lived in for a long time. They were humiliated and made to wander in far-off lands, as exiles from their homeland. They had to bear the consequences of their rebelliousness and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God, as they had been warned with by the prophets and messengers of God. But as the Lord Himself told those people through the same prophets and messengers, that they were still loved by Him, and God still desired them to come back towards Him. He did not and He would not just abandon them to be destroyed, as if He wanted to do that, He could have done it from the very beginning. Instead, God’s great love for us endures and continues to flow out from Him unabated, undimmed and unhindered by the disobedience, stubbornness and all the sins that we have committed in this world. He brought His people back from the lands of their exile, delivering them from their troubles and humiliations just as He has promised to them, and He did fulfil that promise, through the same Cyrus of Persia who overthrew and conquered Babylon, declaring through Divine inspiration, the emancipation and liberation for all the people of Israel and their descendants, allowing them to return once again to their homeland. It is this joyful moment that we are all asked to reflect upon this Sunday. This is because all of us, by our many sins and wickedness, we have also disobeyed God and fell into the path of evil and darkness. We have also ended up in our spiritual Babylon, in exile and separation from God, from His love and grace. But God’s enduring love for us allowed us all to return to Him and to find our way back to Him, through the One Whom had sent into our midst, that like the figure of Cyrus the Great of Persia, this Messiah or Saviour, Who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, has delivered us all from our misery and troubles. He has brought upon us the assurance of eternal life and true joy by what He has done for our sake.

In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, St. Paul reminded all the people there of God’s love and great mercy, which He has shown them by giving to us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Who has been born unto us, to be our Saviour and Deliverer, as the One Who would lead us all into the path towards Heaven and eternal life. Through Him, God has revealed to everyone, and to all of us the fullness of His love, compassion and mercy, and therefore, His desire to be reconciled and reunited with us. That is why this day, we rejoice because of this great grace that we have received from our most loving and compassionate God.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, as the Church celebrates the occasion of Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday, we are all reminded this day that we are looking forward to celebrate the most joyful and glorious moments of the salvation of all mankind at the Lord’s Passion during the Holy Week and Easter, which were all possible because God has truly loved us all so much that He was willing to do everything for our sake, to liberate us all from the dominion and tyranny of sin, leading us all back to His loving care, embrace and filling us once again with His grace and kindness, blessings and love. That is why we should continue to do our best so that our Lenten observances and practices, our acts of deepening our prayer and spiritual life, our fasting and abstinence to control our worldly desires and temptations, as well as our charitable efforts and generosity may continue to bear rich fruits for our benefits, and to bring us ever closer to the Lord our God. As we have all been reminded of the great love of God and all that He has done for us, and as we anticipate the great joy of our full and complete reunion with Him in the world that is to come, in the everlasting life and bliss that He has promised and reassured us all, let us all therefore strive to be exemplary in all things, in doing God’s will and in coming ever closer to His Throne of mercy and love. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord, our ever loving and compassionate, most merciful and kind Master and Creator, our patient and loving Father be with us always and may He bless us in all of our good efforts and endeavours. Amen 🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT MACARIUS, BISHOP; SAINT JOHN OGILVIE, PRIEST; SAINT MARIE EUGENIE OF JESUS, RELIGIOUS, AND THE FORTY HOLY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Macarius, Bishop; Saint John Ogilvie; Saint Marie Eugenie of Jesus (Patron Saint of Religious of the Assumption Students) and The Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste (Patron Saint of Persecuted Christians). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for persecuted christians, that God would give courage, peace, and even joy to persecuted Christians to stand strong amidst suffering.🙏

“God, you know the plight of people far away oppressed by governments and vigilantes In places where Christianity is an unpopular choice. God, you knew that the day would come here when truth-telling would be despised and siding with the oppressed Part of the road less travelled.
Have mercy, O God, upon persecuted Christians there and here who are willing to suffer consequences for speaking your Name in word or in deed, in defiance or in advocacy. Grant courage and strength to all who would dare to live their convictions out loud…Amen”🙏

SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP: St. Macarius of Jerusalem (4th c.) was the Bishop of Jerusalem from 312-335 A.D. Little is known of his life before this time. He was a lifelong and staunch opponent of Arianism and fought strenuously against this pernicious heresy. He was present and took part in the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and vigorously opposed the Arian heresy, which greatly threatened the early Church. It is believed that he was one of the bishops who plated a large role in drafting drafting the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius, his contemporary, refers to St. Macarius as an example of “the honest and simple style of apostolical men.” After the council, St. Macarius accompanied St. Helen, the queen mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in her successful search for the True Cross that Jesus was crucified upon. It was he who suggested to St. Helen that she would identify the real Cross by touching all three of those she found to a seriously ill woman, and observe which one brought immediate healing. Following the discovery of the True Cross in this miraculous manner, Constantine wrote to Bishop Macarius requesting that he oversee the construction of a magnificent church in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, to commemorate the sites of the Crucifixion and Burial of Christ, which still exists today as one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. Later, he and his fellow Bishop of Palestine received another letter from Constantine to construct a church at Mamre.

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

SAINT JOHN OGILVIE, PRIEST: St. John Ogilvie (1579-1615) was born in 1579 at Drum, Keith, Scotland. His father, Walter Ogilvie was a Scottish noble who raised his son John in the state religion of Scotland, Calvinism. St.John converted to Catholicism at the age of 17 in Louvain, Belgium. Blessed John joined the Jesuits soon after in 1597, and was ordained to the Priesthood in Paris in 1610. He was sent to work in Rouen, France. He repeatedly requested assignment to Scotland where wholesale massacres of Catholics had taken place, but by this point the hunters were searching more for priests than for those who attended Mass. The Jesuits were determined to minister to the oppressed Catholic laity. When captured, they were tortured for information, then hanged, drawn, and quartered. Ogilvie’s request was granted, and he returned to Scotland in November 1613. He worked as an underground missionary in Edinburgh and Glasgow, dodging the Queen’s priest-hunters, disguising himself as a soldier named Watson. After 11 months in the field, St. John was betrayed, imprisoned, interrogated, then tortured for the names of active Catholics. He suffered in silence. During a long imprisonment, no tortures could force him to name any fellow Catholics. Though his courage was admired by the judges he was condemned as a traitor and hanged. He died hanged on March 10, 1615 in Glasgow, Scotland. The customary beheading and quartering were omitted owing to undisguised popular sympathy, and his body was hurriedly buried in the churchyard of Glasgow cathedral. He is the Church’s only officially recorded Scottish martyr. He was canonized by Paul VI on October 17, 1976.

PRAYER: God our Father, fountain of all blessing, We thank you for the countless graces that come to us in answer to the prayers of your saints. With great confidence we ask you in the name of your Son and through the prayers of St John Ogilvie to help us in all our needs. Lord Jesus, you chose your servant St John Ogilvie to be your faithful witness to the spiritual authority of the chief shepherd of your flock. Keep your people always one in mind and heart, In communion with Francis our Pope, and all the bishops of your Church. Holy Spirit, you gave St John Ogilvie light to know your truth, wisdom to defend it, and courage to die for it. Through his prayers and example bring our country into the unity and peace of Christ’s kingdom. Amen🙏

SAINT MARIE OF JESUS (ST. MARIE-EUGÉNIE DE JÉSUS), RELIGIOUS: St. Marie-Eugénie de Jésus (August 25, 1817 – March 10, 1898), was a French Roman Catholic professed religious and the foundress of the Religious Sister of the Assumption. She was born Anne-Eugénie Milleret de Brou on August 25, 1817 at Metz, Moselle, Kingdom of France and was raised in a family with no faith, although she did receive first Holy Communion on Christmas 1829 which seemed to transform her into a pious and discerning individual; As a young woman, she had a conversion experience and felt called to religious life after hearing the Lenten sermons of the Dominican priest Henri Lacordaire in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris which led her to found an order dedicated to the education of the poor. Although she lived with Visitation nuns for a brief time, she did not make vows as a religious. Her religious life was not without its own set of trials, for complications prevented her order from receiving full pontifical approval due to a select few causing problems as well as the deaths of many followers from tuberculosis in the beginning of the order’s life. During a pilgrimage in 1825, she felt called to establish a teaching institute. In 1839, she founded a congregation that came to be known as the Congregation of the Assumption. The community in 1888. In the last years of her life, Mother Marie Eugenie experienced a progressive physical weakening, which she lived in silence and humility – a life totally centered on Christ. She received the Eucharist for the last time on March 9, 1898 and on the 10th, she gently passed over to the Lord. Saint Marie-Eugénie died on March 10, 1898 at aged 80 at Auteuil, Paris, Île-de-France, French Third Republic. Her beatification was celebrated under Pope Paul VI on February 9, 1975 while her canonization was later celebrated on June 3, 2007 under Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. She’s the Patron Saint of Religious of the Assumption and Students.

PRAYER: O God, who called blessed Marie-Eugénie to seek your Kingdom in this world through the pursuit of perfect charity, grant, we pray, through her intercession that we may advance with joyful spirit along the way of love. 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🙏

THE FORTY HOLY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE: The Forty Martyrs were soldiers quartered at Sebaste in Armenia, about the year 320. When their legion was ordered to offer sacrifice to idols, they refused to betray the faith of their baptism, and replied to all persuasive efforts, “We are Christians!” When neither cajolings or threats could change them, after several days of imprisonment they were chained together and taken to the site of execution. It was a cruel winter, and they were condemned to lie without clothing on the icy surface of a pond in the open air until they froze to death. The forty, not merely undismayed but filled with joy at the prospect of suffering for Jesus Christ, said: “No doubt it is difficult to support so acute a cold, but it will be agreeable to go to paradise by this route; the torment is of short duration, and the glory will be eternal. This cruel night will win for us an eternity of delights. Lord, forty of us are entering combat; grant that we may be forty to receive the crown!” There were warm baths close by, ready for any among them who would deny Christ. One of the confessors lost heart, renounced his faith, and went to cast himself into the basin of warm water prepared for that intention. But the sudden change in temperature suffocated him and he expired, losing at once both temporal and eternal life. The still living martyrs were fortified in their resolution, beholding this scene. Then the ice was suddenly flooded with a bright light; one of the soldiers guarding the men, nearly blinded by the light, raised his eyes and saw Angels descend with forty crowns which they held in the air over the martyrs’ heads; but the fortieth one remained without a destination. The sentry was inspired to confess Christ, saying: “That crown will be for me!” Abandoning his coat and clothing, he went to replace the unfortunate apostate on the ice, crying out: “I am a Christian!” And the number of forty was again complete. They remained steadfast while their limbs grew stiff and frozen, and died one by one. Among the forty there was a young soldier named Meliton who held out longest against the cold, and when the officers came to cart away the dead bodies they found him still breathing. They were moved with pity, and wanted to leave him alive, hoping he would still change his mind. But his mother stood by, and this valiant woman could not bear to see her son separated from the band of martyrs. She exhorted him to persevere, and lifted his frozen body into the cart. He was just able to make a sign of recognition, and was borne away, to be thrown into the flames with the dead bodies of his brethren. Their bones were cast into the river, but they floated and were gathered up by the faithful.

The Forty Holy Martyr of Sebaste ~ Pray for you 🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My teaching Lord, Your sacred Truth is so deep, so profound and so transforming that it remains too much for me to fully comprehend and embrace. For that reason, I thank You for the mercy of speaking to me in veiled ways so as to continually draw me deeper in my faith and knowledge of You. Please continue to open my mind and heart to You so that, one day, I will understand Your Truth most fully. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Macarius, Bishop; Saint John Ogilvie; Saint Marie Eugenie of Jesus and The Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste ~  Pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

THIRD WEEK OF LENT

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

NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH: Begins tomorrow, March 10–18, 2024 (in preparation for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19, 2024. Novena Links below.

Greetings beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Third Week of Lent. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journey🙏

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

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

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 9, 2024 |

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

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, March 9, 2024
Reading 1, Hosea 6:1-6
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21
Gospel, Luke 18:9-14

Novena to St. Joseph – Full | EWTN – https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/st-joseph-full-novena-13879

Novena for the Solemnity of St. Joseph – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | https://shorturl.at/tvKPT

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Twenty-Two: Joy | Saturday of the Third Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-twenty-two-joy/

40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Twenty-Two – “Behold, Your King!” | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-twenty-two-behold-your-king/

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

*SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Frances of Rome, Religious (Patron Saint of Benedictine oblates; Automobile drivers; Widows); Saint Dominic Savio (Patron Saint of choirboys, choristers the falsely accused, and juvenile delinquents) and Saint Catherine of Bologna, Religious (artists, the liberal arts, against temptations and of Bologna). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being well-being of our children, all automobile drivers, travellers and artist, we pray for God’s guidance and protection. We also pray for all widows and widowers and all those who are mourning, please Lord comfort them and help them to abide in you forever even as they go through this difficult time. Amen🙏

SAINT FRANCES OF ROME, RELIGIOUS: St. Frances (1384-1440) was born to a noble family in Rome. As a young girl her desire to become a nun was refused by her father, who instead arranged her marriage at the age of 12. St. Frances accepted this as God’s will for her life and in obedience to her parents, she entered into a marriage contract with a wealthy nobleman named Lawrence Ponziani. In the matrimonial state the St. Frances led a very pious life, she was married for 40 years and had three children. As St. Frances became acquainted with her in-laws she found that the wife of her brother-in-law felt the same calling to the religious life that she did. From this point on, the two women began to work to help the poor. St. Frances never allowed her spiritual exercises or charitable work to interfere with her family life or domestic duties. She had to endure many trials, particularly during the great schism, when her husband was banished; but she suffered all with exemplary patience, blessing the holy will of God. After the schism St. Francis’s husband recovered his estates.

In St. Frances’ time, Rome was at war and the city was in chaos from political disarray and widespread disease. After the plague swept through Rome, two of her three children died from the plague. After the death of her children from the plague, St. Frances began to turn again to charitable work. She responded by converting her home into a hospital for the sick and poor. She gave up all her wealth to the sick and poor and began to go door to door raising money to aid the sick and the poor. She drove with a wagon into the streets and collected the sick and stranded in order to care for them. She miraculously cured many people, and also began the city’s first orphanage. She inspired many women to join her in this life of prayer and good works. As St. Frances became more deeply involved in charitable work, she began to realize the great need for it in the world and began to seek permission from the Pope to form a charitable society of women to do this work. In 1425, she eventually founded a congregation of lay oblates, to which she gave the Rule of St. Benedict, attached to the Benedictine monastery known as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome (the Oblate Congregation of Tor di Specchi). The women followed the ideals of the Benedictine order and carried on active charity and assistance of the poor. After setting up the foundation of this society, St. Frances continued to live with her husband until his death. After her husband’s death she entered religious life and received the habit in this community in 1437, and began to live as though she were the lowest of the sisters. Soon after, she was chosen superior of the group. God conferred upon her numerous favors in the supernatural order. One of the great mystics of her time, she dictated 97 visions and was visibly guided by her guardian angel throughout her life. She died March 9, 1440, at the age of fifty-six and was canonized in 1608 by Pope Paul V. St. Frances of Rome is the Patron Saint of many causes, including Benedictine oblates, motorists, pilots, women, widows, and against plague and the death of children. On her feast day many priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and automobile drivers.

PRAYER: God, in St. Frances You have given us a singular example of both the monastic and the conjugal was of life. Help us to persevere in serving You so that in all the vicissitudes of life we may both look to You and follow You. Amen🙏

SAINT DOMINIC SAVIO, CONFESSOR: St. Dominic Savio (1842-1857) was only fifteen when he died but he had already attained a high degree of sanctity. A pupil of the great St. John Bosco who loved him like a son, St. Dominic organized the Company of the Immaculate Conception to help St. John in running the Oratory. Though St. Dominic’s life was one of poverty, work, and suffering, it was filled with the cheerfulness and joy of sanctity. This model for youths once wrote to a friend: “Here we make sanctity consist in being joyful all the time and in faithfully performing our duties.” St. Dominic Savio was born in Riva di Chieri, Italy, on April 2, 1842. He looked so frail and weak on the morning of his birth that his father rushed him that same evening to the parish church for Baptism. But St. Dominic survived and began serving Mass when he was five years old, one of his greatest joys. He was often seen at five o’clock in the morning in front of the church on his knees in rain or snow, waiting for the doors to be opened. When, at the age of seven, he made his First Holy Communion, he formed the motto, “Death, but not sin!”,  the resolution to die rather than sin, as he had frequently expressed his determination and ambition to become a Saint. The village pastor at Mondonio, recognizing in Dominic a soul of predilection, arranged to have him enter Don Bosco’s Oratory at Turin. Don Bosco soon noted Dominic’s consuming quest for sanctity, and pointed out to the boy that the path to holiness is not necessarily among hair shirts and tortures of the flesh, but in the cheerful bearing and offering of each day’s small crosses. Steering the lad away from artificial practices, his loved master showed him that for a soul avid of penance, there is a superabundance to be had for the taking, through acceptance of the monotony and tribulations inseparable from the perfect fulfillment of the duties of one’s state of life.

After a few months of life in the environment of the Oratory and under the saintly care of Saint John Bosco, Dominic’s soul was fired with the zeal of his master, whose rule of life, Give me souls, Lord; You take the rest, the boy adopted for his own. Following the example of Don Bosco, who in season and out of season sought those souls wherever they were to be found, Dominic also went after them in his own little world. In the Oratory he founded and directed the Immaculate Conception Sodality, a group of boys who by prayer, word and example carried on an apostolate among their classmates and proved to be of valuable assistance to Don Bosco in his work. On one occasion Dominic broke up a vicious duel with stones. Standing between the boy-duelists with dramatic suddenness, he flashed a crucifix and said: This is Friday. Today Christ died for love of us. Can you look at Him and still hate each other? When Dominic’s health began to fail he was forced to leave the Oratory. Don Bosco and the boys were very sorry to see him leave; he had been a good friend to all. Don Bosco said of him: His cheerful character and lively disposition made him extremely popular even among those boys who were no great lovers of their faith. His death at his home on March 9, 1857, was sweet and peaceful. As he was dying, he burst out into an ecstatic exclamation, ”Oh, what a beautiful sight I see!” Saint Dominic Savio is the youngest Confessor in the Church’s calendar of saints, and stands out as a hero of school-boy virtue, the shining model of holiness. He was Beatified on March 5, 1950 by Pope Pius XII and Canonized on June 12, 1954 by Pope Pius XII. He’s the Patron Saint of choirboys, choristers the falsely accused, and juvenile delinquents. St. Dominic Savio’s feast is now celebrated on May 6th.

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

SAINT CATHERINE OF BOLOGNA, RELIGIOUS: St. Catherine (1413-1463)
was an Italian nun and artist born as Catherine de’ Vigri on September 8, 1413 in Bologna, Italy. She was the member of an aristocratic family and the daughter of a diplomat to the Marquis of Ferrara. St. Catherine was raised in the court of the marquis as a companion to the Princess Margarita. At the court she received a good education in reading, writing, and the arts. She was particularly skilled in painting, playing the viola, and Latin. The marquis’ daughter, Princess Margarita soon married, Roberto Malatesta, Prince of Rimini, and wanted St. Catherine to continue serving her. But St. Catherine felt called to religious life and chose to leave the court. In 1426, at 13-years-old, she entered the convent of Corpus Domini at Ferrara and became a Franciscan Tertiary. During this time, her convent disagreed in whether to continue following the Augustinian rule or to instead adhere to the Franciscan rule. A Rule is a specific expression of the Christian life which calls the men or women of a particular religious order to a daily pattern of prayer, work and charity. St. Catherine was determined to live a life of perfection, and was admired by her companions for her holiness. In 1432, St. Catherine and other young women of Ferrara founded a monastery of the Order of Poor Clares, an order founded by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. St. Catherine was openly willing to serve the more humble roles in the convent. She was a laundress, a baker and a caretaker for the animals. Through her efforts with Pope Nicholas V,  the Poor Clare convent at Ferrara erected an enclosure, and St.  Catherine was appointed Superioress. That office made her responsible for providing pastoral care and spiritual oversight to all of sisters. The reputation of the Community for its holiness and austerity became widespread. In 1456, St. Catherine returned to Bologna with her superiors and the governors there requested she found a second monastery of the same Order and be the Abbess of the convent.

St. Catherine continued to paint and to write beautiful spiritual guides and poetry. She wrote the Treatise on the 7 Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare. And, her painting of St. Ursula remains on display in a Venice gallery. Throughout her life, St. Catherine experienced visions of both Jesus Christ and Satan, which she documented in her treatise. In one instance, she had the baby Jesus placed in her arms by the Blessed Virgin Mary. During the Lenten season of 1463, St. Catherine became seriously ill, and on March 9th she passed away. She was buried without a coffin and her body was exhumed eighteen days later because of many cures attributed to her at her graveside and the sweet scent coming from her grave. Her body was discovered incorrupt and remains so today. That means it has not decayed. St. Catherine is dressed in her religious habit seated upright on a golden throne behind glass in the chapel of the Poor Clares in Bologna. Her skin has since been blackened due to exposure from oil lamps and soot. Saint Catherine was beatified in 1524 by Pope Clement VII and canonized on May 22, 1712 by Pope Clement XI. She is the Patron Saint of artists, the liberal arts, against temptations and of Bologna.

PRAYER: Dear saintly Poor Clare, Saint Catherine of Bologna, so rich in love for Jesus and Mary, you were endowed with great talents by God and you left us most inspiring writings and paintings for wondrous beauty. You did all for God’s greater glory and in this you are a model for all. Make artists learn lessons from you and use their talents to the full.
Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Saturday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 18:9-14

“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner”

“The tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee”

“Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the parable relates to prayer. ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray’. Both men did pray. One man prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and the other a prayer of petition. We all pray in petition and thanksgiving at different moments in our lives. The Pharisee prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, ‘I thank you, God, that…’. The tax-collector prayed a prayer of petition, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’. Yet, only one prayer was acceptable to God. Only one person ‘went home at rights with God’. The difference between the two men who prayed was what was in their heart when they prayed. The prayer of the Pharisee revealed a heart that looked down in judgement on a fellow worshipper. He thought of himself as morally better than the tax collector. The prayer of the tax collector revealed a heart that was humble and contrite before God. He knew that he had nothing to offer God and everything to receive from God, especially mercy. The journey to the Temple was an act of love for God, for both men. However, the heart of the Pharisee revealed a lack of love for the worshipper who stood close to him in the Temple. He considered him less acceptable to God than himself. The Pharisee was right to regard the tax collector a sinner, but he failed to recognize that he too was a sinner. Both men went up to the Temple in need of God’s mercy, but only one of them recognized that reality. We all stand before the Lord as sinners. We all come before Him in our poverty. No one of us can get into the business of deciding who is less, or more, of a sinner than me. That is best left to God. All we can do is open ourselves to the Lord in our poverty and allow Him to enrich us in His love, in other words, to pray the prayer of the tax collector.

In our first reading today, prophet Hosea reminds the people of God to turn away from their sins and to embrace once again God’s love and grace, to change their ways for the better and reject their old ways of sin and disobedience. The Lord has always been kind and patient with us, and He has always provided for us in our time of need. He calls us all to return to Him so that we may find our way and be saved through Him. Yet it was often our pride, ego and hubris, our inability to resist the temptations to sin which became great obstacles in our journey back towards the Lord. In the first reading, the people bring sacrifices and holocausts to God in the Temple, but in response God, speaking through the prophet Hosea, says, ‘what I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts’. God desired not our empty love and lack of true faith, but desiring that we all have a genuine conversion of heart, and a wholehearted commitment and dedication to His path, remembering His Law and commandments, His teachings and truth. God wants the love of us His people, a love that finds expression in the love of others.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, in both readings today, there is a contrast between what God wants and what people bring Him. The parable reminds us that when we come before the Lord in prayer, there is to be no room for comparing ourselves favorably with others, or looking down on others. Rather, we come before the Lord in prayer always aware of our own spiritual poverty and need, entrusting ourselves to the Lord as one who, in the words of today’s first reading, can ‘bring us back to life’. Let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples set by the Saints, and strive to follow the good examples and inspiration shown to us by the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly the Saints we celebrate today, St. Frances of Rome, and St. Catherine of Bologna, who have dedicated themselves and their whole life to serve the Lord and the people around them, that we may also live our lives with great faith in God, and ever always filled with generous love for one another. In this time and season of Lent, let us all continue to live our lives with ever stronger desire to follow the Lord our God, to commit ourselves to Him and to do His will. Let us all continue to do what we can so that our whole lives may continue to be good examples for everyone around us. During this season of Lent, all of us are called to deepen our relationship with God and be more attuned with ourselves and we are all called to live our lives with greater fidelity to God, and to humble ourselves more before Him, as sinners all coming to seek His mercy and forgiveness, depending on His ever generous love and compassion. Let us all turn away from sin and from all evil, and let us resist the temptations surrounding us so that we may be truly worthy of God in all the things we act, say and do. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us through our Lenten journey, and may He help us that we may draw ever closer to Him and find righteousness through following His path, and be fully reconciled with Him. May God bless us all and have mercy on us, now and always. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My merciful Lord, I thank You for loving me with a perfect love. I thank You for Your incredible depth of mercy. Help me to see all of my sin and to turn to You with honesty and humility so that I can be freed of these burdens and become justified in Your sight. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Frances of Rome, Saint Dominic Savio and Saint Catherine of Bologna ~  Pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

THIRD WEEK OF LENT

STATIONS OF THE CROSS (Link below)

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

Greetings beloved family. Happy Friday of the Third Week of Lent, and HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL WOMEN!

May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journey🙏

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

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

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 8, 2024 |

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

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, March 8, 2024
Reading 1, Hosea 14:2-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 81:6-8, 8-9, 10-11, 14, 17
Gospel, Mark 12:28-34

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

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

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Twenty-One: Tempting God | Friday of the Third Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-twenty-one-tempting-god/

40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Twenty-One – The Scourging and Mockery | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-twenty-one-the-scourging-and-mockery/

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John of God (Patron Saint of hospitals, nurses, the sick, the poor, heart patients, the mentally ill and the dying, alcoholics, firefighters, booksellers and printer). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, St. John of God and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all Healthcare professionals, the sick and the dying. We particularly pray for those suffering from mental disorders, heart disease, cancers and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s divine healing and intervention.🙏

Saint John of God, help us to act out of love as soon as we feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Help us learn to fight the little voices in our heads and hearts that give us all sorts of practical reasons to wait or delay in our service of God…Amen🙏

“Labour without stopping; do all the good works you can while you still have the time”. ~ Saint John of God.

SAINT JOHN OF GOD, RELIGIOUS: St. John of God (1495-1550), the founder of the Brothers Hospitallers lived through decades of sin and suffering before a profound conversion that led him to embrace poverty, humility and charity. St. John was born in Portugal during the year 1495 to humble but virtuous middle-class parents. Tragically, at the age of 8, he was kidnapped by a stranger and was later abandoned to homelessness in a remote part of Spain. He worked as a shepherd until age 22, when the opportunity came along for him to join the army of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. At that time he enlisted as a soldier in the Roman Emperor’s army to escape an offer of marriage to the shepherd’s daughter. However, this apparent stroke of fortune would eventually lead John into greater misery. For the next 18 years, John lived and fought among the emperor’s foot soldiers, first against the French and later the Turks. His morals began to decline, as he completely abandoned the piety of his earliest youth for a greedy and brutal way of life. St. John’s conscience was occasionally troubled, particularly by the memories of his early years before he was taken from his parents. And despite falling into a lifestyle of violence and plundering, he had a certain weakness for those who were poor or in extreme distress, and would give alms to them.  He was narrowly saved on two occasions from what seemed like certain death – once after instinctively uttering a prayer to the Virgin Mary after falling wounded in enemy territory; and again, when he was falsely suspected of theft and nearly executed but for another soldier’s intervention. Events such as these weighed heavily upon him, and when his regiment was disbanded he decided to amend his life. At the age of 40 he left the army and reformed himself, beginning with a penitential pilgrimage to Spain’s Santiago de (St. James) Compostella Cathedral along the “Way of St. James.” There, he confessed his sins and committed himself to living a life of repentance for the rest of his life. He was affirmed in this direction by a vision of the Infant Jesus and a sermon of St. John of Avila, who was to become his spiritual director. Soon after this, he returned to Portugal and discovered what had become of his parents. His mother had died, brokenhearted, after the loss of her son, after which his father had become a Franciscan monk.

At age 42, John returned to Spain and picked up nearly where he had left off 20 years before, working again as a shepherd. This time, however, he was committed to living out the faith in God that he had regained. He traveled briefly to North Africa, seeking to help Christians there who had been enslaved by Muslims. Eventually, however, he returned to Spain and settled for a time in the occupation of selling religious books and other goods, always encouraging his customers to live their faith sincerely. St. John of God’s later reputation as the patron saint of booksellers derives from this period of his life. Later, however, he felt compelled to give himself entirely to the service of the poor, sick, and vulnerable. He opened his house to them – allowing it to become a combined hospital, homeless shelter, and halfway-house, run entirely by John himself. When he was not bandaging wounded occupants or breaking up fights between them, he would go out begging on their behalf. The Bishop of Granada approved his work, and gave him the name “John of God.” A group of volunteers came to accompany him in his work, many of whom had first come to him while in dire need themselves. Others, who resented his work, assaulted st. John’s reputation by focusing on his past sins – but John, unfazed in his humility, would acknowledge the truth of what was said, as a testament to God’s grace in his life. He once offered to pay a woman to tell the entire city what she had been saying about him in private. In 1540, St. John hired a house to harbor sick persons, and thus laid the foundations of a new Order, the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God. He devoted himself to the care of the sick. St. John served the sick and poor for 15 years and after years of hard labor his health deteriorated and he met his death through an act of charity. He jumped into a freezing river and managed to save a drowning man, but came home shivering and weakened from the ordeal. He lay down in one of his own hospital beds, where his condition further declined. The Bishop of Granada came to administer the last rites. As the bishop prepared him for death, St. John expressed a number of anxieties.

“There are three things that make me uneasy,” he said. “The first is that I have received so many graces from God, and have not recognized them, and have repaid them with so little of my own.”

“The second is that after I am dead, I fear lest the poor women I have rescued, and the poor sinners I have reclaimed, may be treated badly.”

“The third is that those who have trusted me with money, and whom I have not fully repaid, may suffer loss on my account.”

The bishop, however, assured him that he had nothing to fear. St. John then asked to be alone, and summoned his last strength to rise from bed and kneel before a crucifix. He died in prayer, with his face pressed against the figure of Christ, on March 8, 1550, and was canonized in 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII. He’s the Patron Saint of the sick and the dying; heart patients; the mentally ill; alcoholics; the poor; nurses; hospitals; firefighters and
booksellers and printer.

“Labour without stopping; do all the good works you can while you still have the time”. ~ Saint John of God.

PRAYER:  God, You filled St. John with the spirit of compassion. Grant that by practicing works of charity we may deserve to be numbered among the Saints in Your Kingdom. Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Friday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 12:28-34

“The Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God”

“One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than He. And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that He answered with understanding, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask Him any more questions.”

In our Gospel reading today, our Lord Jesus was presented with a question from a teacher of the Law who was following Him, regarding the matter of which commandment of God was the most important of all of them. The context of this must be understood in the light of how the teachers of the Law as well as the Pharisees of the time were very particular and concerned about the details of the many rules, laws, commandments, rituals and the many aspects and tenets of the Law of God that had been passed down to the people through Moses and then preserved through many centuries. Throughout all that time, the Law of God had gradually become more and more bloated with many details and cumbersome rituals, designed to help the people to live their lives, but also with many modifications and changes that helped some to get away with certain requirements, which ended up also contradicting the original Law, its meaning and purpose. Essentially, by the time of the Lord Jesus, many of them had forgotten, or in their preoccupation with the details and the extent of the many laws, numbering about six hundred and thirteen in some traditions, they had overlooked why the Lord gave His people that Law and commandments in the first place. This was when the Lord then highlighted very clearly once again that God is truly Love, and fully filled with His ever generous and ever present love for His people, despite their often rebellious, stubborn and wicked attitudes and actions. That was where the Lord also presented the fact that the whole of the Law could indeed be summarised into two main Law, that is first and foremost, the obligation for one to love the Lord their God and Master with all of their might and strength, and then, secondly, to show that same love towards their fellow brothers and sisters. For if God has loved us all, how can we not love Him in the same way too? And how can we not love one another as well, if God loves everyone around us, as how can we hate those whom God Himself has loved?

Jesus declares that the greatest commandment of the law is to love God with all our heart. Our love of God is always in response to God’s love for us. As Saint John reminds us in his letter, ‘We love because God first loved us’. Jesus replied by giving the Scribe not just the first but the second as well. It seems that, for Jesus, these two commandments were intrinsically linked. In quoting those two commandments, Jesus speaks of three loves, the love of God, the love of neighbour and the love of self. He connects these three loves very closely together; He suggests that they are all of a piece. Yet, He clearly declares that the first love in our lives is to be the love of God. Jesus is saying that the most important relationship in our lives to get right is our relationship with God. That relationship is right if it is a relationship of love. God is to be loved not to be feared, and God is to be loved with all our being. Our love of God is always a response to God’s love of us. This is the love that is spoken about in today’s first reading, ‘I will love them with all my heart’. Knowing that God loves us with all God’s heart enables us to love God with all our heart. It is our loving relationship with God that will make it possible for us to recognize God in ourselves and in others, and to love ourselves and others as God’s good creation, as images of God. Genuine love of God in response to God’s love for us will always catch us up into God’s own love for humanity. The scribe in the Gospel reading who recognized the connection between these two commandments was declared by Jesus to be ‘not far from the kingdom of God’. God’s kingdom is always present among us whenever we open ourselves to God’s love for us and respond to that love by loving God in return and loving all whom God loves. This is what we are asking for when we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come’, in the prayer Jesus gave us to pray.

In our first reading today from the Prophet Hosea, God says to the people of Israel, ‘I will love you with all my heart’, even though they had repeatedly turned away from God. The Lord is calling on them to repent from their wicked and sinful ways, embracing His love and mercy, and returning to His loving grace and compassion. The Prophet Hosea back then lived and ministered to the people of God during the final decades and years of the northern kingdom of Israel, which were made of much of the ten of the twelve tribes of the Israelites that broke off from the rule of the House of David. That northern kingdom had spent most of its history and time in rebellion and disobedience against God, as their kings did not obey God and His Law, refusing to follow His commandments and words, and as such led the people down the path of sin and evil. They had been misled by their own wicked desires and the inability to resist the temptations of the world. That was why the Lord was angry at those people who had repeatedly rejected His kindness and love, hardened their hearts and minds and refused to listen to Him. Not only that, but they also even persecuted those prophets and messengers that God had sent into their midst to help and guide them down the right path. They had no regard for God and His truth, and preferred to live their lives in their own terms and ways. That led them further and further into the path of sin, and into their downfall. They were punished for their delinquence and stubbornness, and their enemies fell upon them one after another, as God pronounced His judgment over them, telling them how they would be scattered and having their homeland and kingdom destroyed by their own actions. But then, the Lord also told them that in the end, despite all that, God still loved them and cared for them. God did not want them all to end up being cast out into the utter darkness and destruction, as after all, He loves each and every single one of us, without exception, even to the worst of sinners among us. However, what He truly despises is our many sins and wickedness, and our refusal to listen to His words and reminders, our stubbornness and arrogance among other things. Those are the things that have often led many among us to continue to walk down the path of rebellion and evil, and hence, He calls on every one of us through what we have heard from the prophet Hosea, to turn away from all sorts of wickedness and evils, all the things that can often lead us down the path of sin and destruction. He wants us all to remember His Law and commandments, which He has presented before us so that they may become our guide and help in our journey towards His salvation and grace.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are reminded of the need for us to return to the Lord and to remember His love and mercy, particularly during this blessed penitential time and season of Lent, when we prepare ourselves for the upcoming celebration of Holy Week and Easter. We are all called to remember our responsibility and obligations as Christians, to be exemplary in our way of life and to obey the Law and commandments of God in all things. We are reminded to love God and our neighbours above all else, and even perhaps more than how we love ourselves. Definitely we should not allow our own selfishness and self-love to end up causing us to forget about our duties and responsibilities as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. Let us all take the good examples of the life and the works of all the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly the life of St. John of God, whom we celebrate today. He spent a lot of time in working for the good of all those whom he had given himself in service to, all the way to the last moments of his life. The examples and inspirations shown to us by this holy man of God should indeed inspire us to do the same with our lives as well, that is to love the Lord our God and to love one another with the same love, as best as we can. Let us all ask the Lord for the strength and grace that we may follow Him with great faith and commitment, from now on, and walk always ever in His path. May the Lord, our ever loving and generous God continue to love and care for us, and may He empower us all in our journey of faith and life, so that in each and every moments we will continue to show love in all things, towards God and to our fellow brothers and sisters. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and continue to guide us and bless us in our journey of faith throughout this life. May He continue to guide us all so that we may continue to be faithful in following Him, and in doing what is right, in accordance with His will. May God bless us always, in all of our good efforts and endeavours. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My loving Lord, Your love for me is infinite and perfect in every way.  I pray that I will learn to love You with every fiber of my being, holding nothing back, and to daily grow deeper in my love of You. As I grow in that love, I thank You for the overflowing nature of that love, and I pray that this love of You will flow into the hearts of those around me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints John of God ~  pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

THIRD WEEK OF LENT

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

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

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

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

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 7, 2024 |

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

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, March 7, 2024
Reading 1, Jeremiah 7:23-28
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel, Luke 11:14-23

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Twenty: Distortions |Thursday of the Third Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-twenty-distortions/

40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Twenty – The Innocence of the Lamb of God | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-twenty-the-innocence-of-the-lamb-of-god/

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs (Patron Saints of Mothers, Expectant Mothers, ranchers, butchers, Carthage, Catalonia). Through the intercession of our of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all mothers, expectant mothers and persecuted christians.

“Blessed Saints Perpetua and Felicity, please watch over all mothers and children who are separated from each other because of war or persecution. Give special attention to mothers who are imprisoned and guide them to follow your example of faith and courage…Amen.”🙏

“Stand fast in the faith, and love one another, all of you, and be not offended at my sufferings”. ~ St. Perpetua. May our faith never falter despite the trials and pain in life.🙏

SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITY, MARTYRS: St. Perpetua and St. Felicity (d. 203 A.D.) were friends who lived in Carthage, North Africa. They were both catechumens preparing to receive the Church’s sacraments: St. Perpetua (Vibia Perpetua) was a well educated recently married noblewoman nursing her first child, baby boy and St. Felicity was a pregnant Christian slave who worked as a household servant. Sts. Perpetua and  Felicity were arrested under the anti-Christian edict of 202 along with three fellow Christians, Saturninus, Secundulus, and Revocatus. All had been converted by Saturus, a layman, who joined them voluntary in the dungeon in which they were imprisoned for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. These two courageous women were martyred, along with the three heroic fellow Christian men, Saturus, Saturninus, and Revocatus. Secundulus is said to have died in prison. They were martyred as part of the persecution of Septimus Severus, the Roman emperor from 193 to 211 AD. Their deaths took place on March 7, 203, in Carthage, a city in North Africa located in the modern country of Tunisia. St. Perpetua and Felicity are held in such high esteem that they are two of only seven women on the second list of saints in the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I.

St. Perpetua was born in approximately 180 AD. She came from a family of nobility, was a catechumen, and at the age of twenty-two, was married and recently had given birth to a baby boy. St. Felicity, also a catechumen, was Perpetua’s servant. She was also married and late in her pregnancy. Sts. Perpetua and Felicity were apprehended because of their Christian faith and held under guard in a private home. St. Perpetua’s elderly pagan father came to the place and tried to convince her to repudiate her Christian faith, but she flatly refused. St. Perpetua yielded her nursing child to her pagan father but remained firm in her Faith in spite of his pleas. St. Felicity who gave birth to her child in prison, also remained steadfast in the Faith when the child was taken from her. The two catechumens were baptized, and shortly thereafter they were transferred to prison. St. Perpetua prayed for a vision to see if she would suffer or be released, and she was shown a golden ladder of great length that reached up to heaven. There was a huge dragon at the bottom which tried to frighten anyone from making the ascent, and there were dangerous weapons on the side that would mangle those who climbed carelessly or without looking upward. The vision confirmed her upcoming martyrdom, but also her final glorious destination.

St. Felicity gave birth to a baby girl in prison three days before suffering a martyr’s death despite her initial concern that she would not be permitted to suffer martyrdom with the others, since the law forbade the execution of pregnant women. While she was suffering from the pains of childbirth, one of the guards called out to her, “If you are suffering so much now, what will you do when you are thrown to the wild beasts?” “Now I suffer,” she answered, “but there Another will be in me, who will suffer for me, because I will suffer for Him.” When she was in travail she had sorrow, but when she was set before the wild beasts she rejoiced. The guard tried to persuade her to avoid martyrdom and save her life so she could take care of her newborn child by renouncing her faith. The guard’s plea fell on deaf ears. Her child was adopted by a fellow Christian.

Finally, all five were brought before Hilarion, the procurator of the province, interrogated, convicted as Christians, and sentenced to a gruesome death, to be killed by wild animals before a large crowd of spectators during the games in the amphitheater. As they were led to the arena, they went joyfully with cheerful looks and a graceful bearing, as if they were going to heaven. The three men were mauled by ravenous leopards, bears, and wild boars. Saturus perished almost instantly, while Saturninus and Revocatus, both bleeding profusely, still were breathing. Meanwhile, Perpetua and Felicity were attacked by a savage cow with sharp, curved horns. The heifer charged them, gored Perpetua, and crushed Felicity. Perpetua was in a state of spiritual ecstasy, and although wounded, she was oblivious to her pain. Seeing the others covered in blood, she exhorted them, “Stand firm in faith, love one another and do not be tempted to do anything wrong because of our sufferings.”

The sadistic and bloodthirsty crowd shrieked for more. The four were led to the middle of the amphitheater where they gave each other the kiss of peace. Gladiators advanced toward them, drew their blades, and thrust them through, to the crowd’s frenzied delight. Perpetua’s gladiator was inexperienced and his blow missed the mark, so she guided his knife to her throat herself. They “defied their persecutors and overcame the torment of death” (Collect). Saints Perpetua and Felicity are both buried in the basilica in Carthage. Their martyrdom became known throughout the Church—St. Augustine preached in their honor at least three times. Sts. Perpetua and Felicity are mentioned in the Roman Canon and are Patron Saints: Perpetua – Cattle, death of children, martyrs.  Felicity – Death of children; martyrs; sterility; to have male children; widows.

PRAYER: Blessed Saints Perpetua and Felicity, please watch over all mothers and children who are separated from each other because of war or persecution. Give special attention to mothers who are imprisoned and guide them to follow your example of faith and courage…Amen🙏

Heavenly Father, your love enabled the saints Perpetua and Felicity to have the courage to endure a cruel martyrdom. By their prayers, help us to develop in love of you. 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, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:14-23

“Whoever is not with me is against me”

“Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, He drives out demons.” Others, to test Him, asked Him for a sign from heaven. But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus had been healing the sick. Some of the people were amazed at what Jesus was doing, seeing it for what it was, a sign of God’s presence. However, there were others who saw what Jesus was doing as the work of Satan rather than the work of God. ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils’. Some of these people completely misunderstand the healing work of Jesus, when declaring that He heals by means of Satan’s power. Instead of acknowledging that God was powerfully at work in the life of Jesus, they declared that Satan was at work in His life. It is hard to conceive of a greater misunderstanding of Jesus than that. They were calling good evil. In response to their grave misjudgement, Jesus declared that His healing work was done through the finger of God. God was at work in Jesus and some of His own contemporaries could not see it. We can all be blind to the finger of God, to the working of God among us. We are graced in some way by God and we hardly notice it. The Lord blesses us and rather than recognize the blessing and giving thanks for it we focus on what we do not have or what is wrong in our lives. We need to keep on praying for the gift to see as Jesus sees, which is the opposite of how people in today’s Gospel reading saw. Jesus saw the working of God in creation, in the sower, the vineyard, the flowers of the field and birds of the air. He saw God’s presence in those whom many people had written off. Jesus teaches us to see with generous and hopeful eyes. When we see in this way, then, in the words of Paul, we will be inspired to give thanks in all circumstances.

In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and indirectly to the people of God living in the then kingdom of Judah, where Jeremiah had been sent to minister to the people, that they had committed grievous sins and wicked deeds in the sight of God and men alike, and despite all the reminders, help and guidance that the Lord had given them, they had not done what the Lord has taught and shown them to do, and instead, they continued to disobey Him and refused to follow Him. They even also persecuted and made it difficult for God’s prophets and messengers to work in their midst, as they continued to persist in their rebellious attitudes and actions. Jeremiah himself faced a lot of hardships, trials and persecutions during his time in ministering to the people of Judah, as they persecuted him and preferred to believe in the false prophets and messengers instead of in him and the message of the Lord that he has brought into their midst. He was labelled as a fear-monger and as traitor to the nation, having spoken of the disasters and the troubles that would befall both Jerusalem and Judah, all because of the sins and wickedness of the people of God there. He had to endure ridicule and rejection, and at one point, he was even almost killed, only managing to escape such fate because he still had those who sympathised with him and helped him to escape the predicament he was in. The people of Judah not only refused to follow and disobeyed Jeremiah, but they have also persecuted the Lord’s prophets and messengers, refusing to listen to them and making their lives and works very difficult, much as what Jeremiah himself endured during his time working and ministering to the people of God in Judah. Jeremy complains to God that nobody is listening to the message that God gave him to speak, ‘They have not listened to me, have not paid attention… Here is a nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God’. Listening to the Lord is always at the core of our relationship with Him. In the words of today’s responsorial psalm, ‘O that, today, you would listen to His voice’.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all called to listen to the Lord. When it comes to our relationship with the Lord, seeing is as important as listening. The Lord is always engaging with us, communicating with us, in different ways. He speaks to us and He shows Himself to us in a whole variety of ways. We constantly need a listening ear and a seeing eye in the Lord’s regard. We need ears and eyes that is open to the many ways the Lord communicates with us. We might pray for such open eyes and ears this season of Lent. Let us all be inspired by the good examples of the Saints, Holy men and women, especially St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, whose feast we celebrate today, in remaining faithful to God and in doing what is right and just according to God’s Law and commandments. We should not allow the temptations and the wickedness of the world to dissuade and mislead us away from the right path of the Lord, and we must do our best, particularly given this appropriate time and season of Lent, to repent from our sinful past actions, our mistakes and faults, and embrace once again God’s love and kindness, His grace and compassion. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace to remain faithful and entrust ourselves wholeheartedly to God and be an instrument of the finger of God in the way we relate to others. May the good Lord be with us throughout this journey of faith and repentance this Lenten season, and may He help and guide us always. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My glorious King of all, You are all-powerful and have full authority over all things. Please come and exercise Your authority upon my life. Come and establish Your Kingdom. I pray that my heart be always open to You and to the direction you give. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs ~  Pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SECOND WEEK OF LENT

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

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

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

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

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 2, 2024 |

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

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Reading 1, Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Gospel, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Sixteen: The Word of God | Saturday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-sixteen-the-word-of-god/

40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Sixteen – The Greatest of Miracles | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-sixteen-the-greatest-of-miracles/

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Angela of the Cross, who gave her life in service to the poor and Blessed Charles the Good, Martyr (Patron Saint of Crusaders, Counts, Diocese of Belgium). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the poor and the needy, for persecuted Christians, for an end to religious and political unrest, for justice and peace, love and unity in our world that is torn apart by war, terrorism, and countless other acts of violence against human life.🙏

SAINT ANGELA OF THE CROSS, RELIGIOUS: St. Angela of the Cross is the Foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. Born on January 30, 1846 in Seville, Spain, and given the baptismal name “Maria of the Angels” Guerrero Gonzalez, the future Saint was affectionately known as “Angelita”. Her father worked as a cook in the convent of the Trinitarian Fathers, where her mother also worked doing the laundry. They had 14 children, with only six reaching adulthood. Angelita was greatly influenced by the teaching and example of her pious parents, and was taught from an early age how to pray the Rosary. She could often be found in the parish church praying before the image of “Our Lady of Good Health”, while her mother prepared a nearby altar. In their own home, a simple altar was erected in honour of the Virgin Mary during the month of May, where the family would recite the Rosary and give special honour to Our Lady.

Angelita made her First Communion when she was eight, and her Confirmation when she was nine. She had little formal education, and began work as a young girl in a shoeshop. Her employer and teacher of shoe repair, Antonia Maldonado, was a holy woman; every day the employees prayed the Rosary together and read the lives of the Saints. Canon José Torres Padilla of Seville was Antonia’s spiritual director, and had a reputation of “forming saints”. Angelita was 16 years old when she met Fr. Torres and was put under his direction. Angelita’s desire to enter religious life was growing, and when she was 19, she asked to enter the Discalced Carmelites in Santa Cruz but was refused admission because of her poor health. Instead, following the advice of Fr Torres, she began caring for destitute cholera patients, because a cholera epidemic was quickly spreading among the poor. In 1868 Angelita tried once again to enter the convent, this time the Daughters of Charity of Seville. Although her health was still frail, she was admitted. The sisters tried to improve her health and sent her to Cuenca and Valencia, but to no avail. She left the Daughters of Charity during the novitiate and returned home to continue working in the shoeshop.

Fr Torres believed that God had a plan for Angelita, but this plan was still a mystery. On 1 November 1871, at the foot of the Cross, she made a private vow to live the evangelical counsels, and in 1873 she received the call from God that would mark the beginning of her “new mission”. During prayer, Angelita saw an empty cross standing directly in front of the one upon which Jesus was hanging. She understood immediately that God was asking her to hang from the empty cross, to be “poor with the poor in order to bring them to Christ”. Angelita continued to work in the shoeshop, but under obedience to Fr Torres she dedicated her free time to writing a detailed spiritual diary that revealed the style and ideal of life she was being called to live. On 2 August 1875 three other women joined Angelita, beginning community life together in a room they rented in Seville. From that day on, they began their visits and gave assistance to the poor, day and night.

These Sisters of the Company of the Cross, under the guidance of Angelita, named “Mother Angela of the Cross”, lived an authentically recluse contemplative life when they were not among the poor. Once they returned to their home, they dedicated themselves to prayer and silence, but were always ready when needed to go out and serve the poor and dying. Mother Angela saw the sisters as “angels”, called to help and love the poor and sick in their homes who otherwise would have been abandoned. In 1877 a second community was founded in Utrera, in the province of Seville, and a year later one in Ayamonte. Fr Torres died that same year, and Fr José María Alvarez was appointed as the second director of the Institute. While Mother Angela was alive, another 23 convents were established, with the sisters edifying everyone they served by their example of charity, poverty and humility. In fact, Mother Angela herself was known by all as “Mother of the Poor”. Mother Angela of the Cross died on 2 March 1932 in Seville. She was Beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 5, 1982 and Canonized on May 4, 2003, Madrid, Spain, by Pope John Paul II. With her characteristic humility, she once wrote these words:  “The nothing keeps silent, the nothing does not want to be, the nothing suffers all…. The nothing does not impose itself, the nothing does not command with authority, and finally, the nothing in the creature is practical humility

PRAYER: Blessed Angela, your decision to serve and live with the poor leads me to examine my own attachment to wealth and comfort. Amen🙏

BLESSED CHARLES THE GOOD, MARTYR: Blessed Charles the Good (1083–1127), also known as Charles I and the Count of Flanders, was born in Denmark, the only son of King Canute IV (St. Canute) and Adela of Flanders. He was five years old when his father was assassinated in the Odense Cathedral, after which he and his mother fled for their lives to the court of Robert, Count of Flanders, his maternal grandfather. He grew up in the royal court in that country, he became a  Knight and accompanied his maternal grandfather, Robert, a Count, on a crusade to the Holy Land where he distinguished himself; on their return. After his grandfather, Robert’s death,  his son Baldwin succeeded him and designated Charles as his heir. Blessed Charles became an advisor to the next Count, his uncle. At the same time, he arranged for Blessed Charles’s marriage to the daughter of the Count of Clermon. During Baldwin’s rule, Charles was closely associated with him, and the people came to have a high regard for his wise and beneficent ways as well as his personal holiness. Blessed Charles also fought against the English with his uncle. At Baldwin’s death, in 1119, the people made his cousin their ruler, Blessed Charles became Count. He was highly regarded by the people for his holiness and virtue. Blessed Charles ruled his people with wisdom, diligence, and compassion; he made sure that times of truce were respected and fought against black marketers who hoarded food and were waiting to sell it at astronomical prices to the people and opposed the prominent Erembald family who gained their financial prosperity through this unjust practice. This incurred their undying wrath and one day on March 2, 1127, while Charles was in church of St. Donatian praying, he was slain by soldiers loyal to the Erembald family, in the same manner his father was killed. His death sparked a public outcry and uprising against the Erembald family, while Blessed Charles was immediately looked upon as a martyr and saint. His feast day is March 2nd. He’s the Patron Saint of Crusaders, Counts, Diocese of Belgium.

PRAYER: Almighty, ever-loving God, You enabled Blessed Charles to fight to the death for justice. Through his intercession enable us to bear all adversity and with all our strength hasten to You Who alone are life. Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

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

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

“Your brother was dead and has come to life”

“Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’“

In today’s Gospel reading, the aspect of God as a loving and forgiving Father, is revealed to us in the famous parable of the prodigal son, a perfect parable for this time and season of Lent. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father of two sons represents the Lord Himself, and the elder and ‘good’ son being a representative of those who have lived their lives virtuously and righteously in accordance with God’s ways, while the younger, ‘prodigal’ son is a representation of all those who have sinned against God by their disobedience and refusal to follow the Law and commandments of God, in doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight. Jesus’ depiction of the father in the story of the prodigal son is really a portrayal of God the Father, as well as being a portrayal of His own ministry. Jesus portrays a God who welcomes those who turn back to Him when they stray. Indeed, Jesus reveals a God who seeks out the lost and the straying, just as the Father sought out his lost son by running to him while the son was still a long way off. Jesus was saying to His critics, ‘if God is like the father in this story, then I must seek out tax collectors and sinners and eat with them’. Yet, the story does not end with that memorable moment of the father’s welcome of his rebellious son. There is a second son. He is the dutiful son, but his sense of duty has also made him resentful. Why should his father show such hospitable love to a son who has brought shame and dishonour on the family? The subsequent meeting between the father and this older son is a much more tense affair than the father’s earlier meeting with his younger son. It is the same father reaching out in love towards a son. Whereas the younger son, in his brokenness, received his father’s love, we are left to wonder whether the older son, in the end, received the father’s love. The parable suggests that God the Father’s love is never in doubt. What is in doubt is our openness to receive this love which transcends all human loves. We are called to allow ourselves to be found by God who never gives up searching for us in love.

In our first reading today, from the Book of the Prophet Micah, he speaks of God’s great love and mercy, reminding the people of God of everything that He had done for them, all the kindness and mercy that He has shown them, in leading them out of their slavery in Egypt, in the care and love He has shown them in each step of the way, even when they had rebelled and disobeyed against Him time and again. God never ceased to love His people. Prophet Micah also uttered the prayer on behalf of the people of God, those who sought to be reconciled with God, asking Him to be merciful upon them and to give them His forgiveness and kindness. They had sinned a lot against Him and they had wandered off far away from His path, but that should not have prevented them from coming back to God if they so decided for it. God has always patiently cared for them all, for their descendants and everyone that He had loved. He truly desired for all of them to return to Him, penitent and repentant, regretting their sinful ways and wickedness and with the desire to be reconciled with Him and to live once again in His grace and fullness of love. God has given us many avenues and means to reach out to Him and to find His mercy and forgiveness, and He has done so again and again, over all the time, until this very day.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded of God’s ever enduring and persistent love for us in this season of Lent, let us all keep in mind what we have been given all these times, the many opportunities and chances for us to turn away from sinful paths and from all the things that had separated us from the fullness of God’s love and grace. During this time of Lent, let us all turn away from our sins and our disobedience from God, and once again discover the love that we all should have for our loving Father and Creator. Let us all humble ourselves before Him, realising just how sinful we have been, and how we are in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy, and resist the temptations of our pride and ego, our greed and ambition, and the many other things that separate us from God and His love. Therefore, having been reminded of God’s ever generous love and mercy, let us all hence be grateful and thankful that God has shown His great love, compassion and mercy. Let us all strive to commit ourselves ever more to Him and do our best especially during this time and season of Lent, to return to Him once again with repentance and contrite hearts. May the good Lord, our most loving and forgiving Father, continue to be with us and guide us in our journey of faith towards Him, that we, His prodigal sons and daughters, may come back to Him with faith. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and help us all in our journey especially during this Lent, that we may come ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My most generous Lord, You are compassionate beyond what I can fathom. Your mercy and goodness far exceed what any of us deserve. Help me to be eternally grateful for Your goodness and help me to offer that same depth of mercy to those in most need. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Angela of the Cross and Blessed Charles the Good ~ pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SECOND WEEK OF LENT

STATIONS OF THE CROSS (Link below)

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

Greetings beloved family and Happy Friday of the Second Week of Lent!

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

On this day, with special intention, we pray for the eternal repose of the soul of our beloved Late Uncle and Archbishop, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, MOST REVEREND JOSEPH EDRAH UKPO on the first year memorial anniversary of his passing to eternal glory. We thank the good Lord for blessing us all with the special gift of Late Archbishop Emeritus Ukpo, for his faithful, selfless, generous, dedicated and loving service in the Lord’s vineyard. We are all consoled knowing that he’s now resting in the bosom of the Lord, where there is neither pain nor sorrow. He’s an Angel watching over us all. We continue to keep Late Archbishop Ukpo’s family, Catholic Diocese of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria and the entire Churh in our thoughts and prayers as we celebrate his one year rememberance today.

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

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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

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

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 1, 2024 |

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

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, March 1, 2024
Reading 1, Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Gospel, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

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

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

40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Fifteen: Power | Friday of the Second Week of Lent | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-fifteen-power/

40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Fifteen – Hearing and Observing the Word of God | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-fifteen-hearing-and-observing-the-word-of-god/

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

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

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

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

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

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s 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 trade” 

THE POPE’S 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 late Fr. Thomas Kennedy, Archbishop Joseph Ukpo, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. 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 the gentle soul of Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Tom Kenedy and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint David of Wales, Bishop (Patron Saint of Wales; Pembrokeshire; Naas; vegetarians; poets; newborns) and Saint Albinus of Angers, Bishop and miracle-worker (Patron Saint invoked for children in danger of death; invoked against pirate attacks). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for poets who speak the Word and for the safety and well-being of our children and children all over the world🙏

SAINT DAVID OF WALES, BISHOP: St. David of Wales (6th c.), also called Dewi Sant by the Welsh, was a missionary priest, Celtic monk, archbishop, miracle-worker, and the founder of many monasteries in Wales and western England during the sixth century. St. David was a popular namesake for churches in Wales prior to the Anglican schism, and his feast day is still an important religious and civic observance. He was descended from Welsh royalty, and in medieval times many believed he was the nephew of the famed King Arthur. St. David lived during the golden age of Welsh Saints in the 5th and 6th centuries. His mother, Saint Nonna, or Nonnita, is also reckoned a Celtic saint, has her traditional feast day on March 3. St. David appears to have been the cousin of his contemporary Saint Teilo, another Welsh bishop and monk and was a cousin of St. Cadoc, who founded the great monastery at Llancarfan.

St. David studied under St. Paulinus, another of the learned monks of the age, and in turn began his ministry as a founder of missions in southwestern Wales. St. David served as the Bishop of Menevia, an important port city linking Wales and Ireland in his time. The last monastery he founded was in Mynyw (Menevia) in far Southwestern Wales. Twelve monasteries have their founding ascribed to St. David. He lived by a strict monastic rule that was patterned after the Desert Fathers of Egypt and developed a reputation for strict asceticism. His monks modeled their lives on the earliest desert hermits – combining hard manual labor, silence, long hours of prayer, and a diet that completely excluded meat and alcohol. The monks did not use animals to take care of their fields, and lived off of only bread, vegetables, and water. His great leadership abilities gave him influence over many Church affairs.

St. David is often depicted standing on a mound with a dove on his shoulder. According to legend, one day while preaching a dove rested on his shoulder, and the earth rose to lift him above the crowd so that all could hear him speak. During a battle with the Saxons, St. David advised the Welsh soldiers to wear leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves from their enemy; this is the origin of the leek as an emblem of Wales. St. David is one of the great saints of the 6th century whose work helped to establish Christianity in Europe. He is the patron saint of Wales, and his feast, “St. David’s Day,” is a popular cultural celebration. The Cathedral of St. David’s in Pembrokeshire was built over his remains and became a pilgrimage destination for centuries. St. David of Wales died in the 540s at an advanced age.  Pope Callistus II canonized St. David of Wales in 1120. St. David is  remembered as a missionary bishop and the founder of many monasteries and the Patron Saint of Wales; Pembrokeshire;  Naas; vegetarians; poets; newborns.

St. David’s dying words to his monastic brethren: “Brothers and sisters, be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.”

PRAYER:  O God, who graciously bestowed on your Bishop Saint David of Wales the virtue of wisdom and the gift of eloquence, and made him an example of prayer and pastoral zeal; grant that, through his intercession, your Church may ever prosper and render you joyful praise. 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🙏

SAINT ALBINUS OF ANGERS, BISHOP: St. Albinus of Angers (470-550) also known as Aubin of Angers, Albino of Angers was a French Bishop, Confessor, Monk, Abbot, miracle-worker. St. Albinus was a monk and from 504 C.E. Abbot of Tintillac. His reputation spread during the twenty-five years in which he served as abbot. St. Albinus was so well known for working miracles that faithful people all over Europe, from Spain to Poland, prayed for his intercession. Many French parishes are named after him to this day. St. Albinus was born in 470 to a noble Gallo-Roman family  at Vannes, Brittany, northern France. His family landed there from England or Ireland. In his early youth he was fervent in the practice of piety and as a young man embraced the monastic state at Cincillae, a nearby monastery near Angers. In 504, at thirty-five years of age, he was chosen Abbot, which office he filled for twenty-five years, until he became Bishop of Angers when Angers, France, needed a bishop in 529, the people turned to him. He governed his diocese until his death, which occurred about the year 550.

As a monk, St. Albinus was a perfect model of virtue, especially of prayer, mortification of the senses, and obedience. He was entirely dead to himself, living only for Christ. As Bishop, St. Albinus governed his See with zeal, restoring discipline everywhere, while in his private conduct he lived the same life of sanctity as he had liven when a monk. His humility equaled his other virtues, so that he looked on himself as the most unprofitable among the servant of God. Many Christians of his diocese had fallen into slavery through the invasions of the barbarians, and Saint Albinus used every resource available to him for their redemption. He preached every day, and took great care of the sick and the poor. He had a special care for widows who were raising large families. He also was famous for his work ransoming captives. Nearby barbarian forces would raid the cities, and he spent large amounts of money to buy back prisoners who had been enslaved. Once, the king himself carried off a beautiful young girl and locked her away for his own pleasure. When Albinus heard about it, he went directly to the castle and demanded her freedom. The guards dared not oppose him and handed her over. The king did not pursue, but had the gall to demand a ransom for her freedom, which Albinus paid himself.

St. Albinus was known for freeing captives, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and even raised the dead, one boy named Alabald. St. Albinus died on March 1, 550 AD, Angers, France of natural causes after making a long journey which he undertook to consult Saint Cesarius, Bishop of Arles, concerning matters of episcopal government. He had been the benediction of his diocese for twenty-one years. He’s the Patron Saint invoked for children in danger of death; invoked against pirate attacks.

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

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

“Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46”

“This is the heir; let us kill him”

“Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ”The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? “Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable in which the son of a vineyard owner is killed by the tenants. In this way Jesus points ahead to His own rejection and death. Having spoken the parable, Jesus quotes from one of the psalms, ‘It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone’. Here Jesus points ahead to His resurrection. Although He was rejected by the religious and political leaders of the day, Jesus rose from the dead and in so doing became the keystone of a new temple, the temple of the church, the community of those who believed in Him. According to the Gospel, Jesus would be rejected in the most violent way imaginable. Yet, God raised Him from the dead, thereby establishing Him as the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The image of the rejected stone becoming a keystone is a powerful image of how God can work powerfully in situations of weakness, to use the language of St. Paul. For St. Paul, God worked powerfully through the weakness of Christ crucified on behalf of all humanity. God can turn our own rejected stones into keystones. God can work powerfully through those experiences in our lives which we reject as useless, worthless, of no value. As St. Paul declares in his letter to the Romans, ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’. The experience of Jesus teaches us that what is rejected can often turn out to be of crucial importance. What we might be initially inclined to reject can be the means through which God may want to speak to us. Those aspects of our own lives that we may be prone to reject and slow to accept may be the very channels through which the Lord can work most powerfully in our lives and, through us, in the lives of others. The experience of Jesus also suggests that God always has a purpose for what is rejected. God is not in the business of rejecting. Although we can reject God, God never rejects us.

Our first reading today from the Book of Genesis details what happened to the sons of Jacob, also known as Israel, the ones who would become the progenitors of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. Jacob had a total of twelve sons, born from different wives and from the servants of his wives. The most beloved among all those sons were naturally Joseph and Benjamin, who were born to Jacob through his most beloved wife Rachel. We have a somewhat extreme case of sibling animosity. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him and would have done so were it not for the intervention of one of the brothers, Ruben. As a result, Joseph suffered the lesser fate of being thrown into an empty well. It was jealousy that drove the antagonism of Joseph’s brothers. They recognized that he was their father’s favourite, his coat of many colours being a symbol of that favouritism. In the language of today’s Gospel, Joseph was the stone rejected by the builders. Yet, that rejected stone went on to become the cornerstone. Joseph was eventually taken captive into Egypt. There his natural abilities resulted eventually in his having a very important position in the Egyptian civil service. When famine struck the land of Israel, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for food, and who was the Minister for Food when the brothers arrived, only their brother Joseph. The one they had rejected became their saviour. The early church saw in the story of Joseph a symbol of the story of Jesus. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus clearly identifies with the son of the landowner who was killed by the tenants. He is the stone rejected by the builders. Yet, beyond His rejection, His crucifixion, He became, as risen Lord, the cornerstone of a spiritual building, the church.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, the story of Joseph and Jesus reminds us that God can turn even our worst instincts to a good purpose. God is always working to bring good out of the mess we sometimes create. That realization can keep us hopeful when we are tempted to get discouraged by the consequences of our own failings. We are reminded not to dwell in our worldly desires, temptations and the many other things that may distract us and keep us away from the path of God and His salvation, from His righteousness and justice, just as our predecessors had done, in their failure to resist those temptations and instead, allowing those things to cloud their judgment and made them to commit grievous errors and sins. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may He continue to watch over us and strengthen us, and guide us in our journey especially during this time of Lent, that we may continue to lead a more holy and worthy life, truly worthy of the Lord and His grace. May God bless us all and be with us always, and may He empower us to be more courageous and committed in our lives, to be ever more faithful and able to resist the many worldly desires, attachments and all the things that often led us down the path towards damnation. May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to bless and guide us all in all things, and may He lead us all through the path of righteousness and grace, as we continue to walk down this path, and as we continue to mortify ourselves, our sins and evils, resisting all the temptations of the world during this time and season of Lent. May we draw ever closer to the Lord, and may we all be good examples for one another in how we live our lives, at all times and may all of us have a blessed season of Lent. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My glorious King, I pray that Your Kingdom will grow and that many souls will come to know You as their Lord and God. Use me, dear Lord, for the upbuilding of that Kingdom and help all my actions in life to bear abundant and good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint David of Wales and Saint Albinus of Angers ~ Pray for us🙏

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖