SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER; THE EIGHTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER (YEAR B)
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY: THE FEAST OF MERCY
Greetings beloved family and Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, The Eighth Day in the Octave of Easter, we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first eight days of the Easter season (Easter octave) are celebrated as solemnities of the Lord. Each day is another little Easter. The Alleluia verse is repeated throughout the octave: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!” May God’s grace and mercy be with us all on this Divine Mercy Sunday, during this Easter season and alwaysš
Watch “Mass in Honor of Divine Mercy Sunday | Divine Mercy Celebration From Vilnius Lithuania | April 7, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7, 2024 on EWTN” |
Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 7, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 7, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 7, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUALš¹JOYFULš¹LUMINOUSš¹SORROWFULš¹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Divine Mercy Sunday (Year B), The Eighth Day in the Octave of Easter, April 7, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 4:32-35
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Reading 2, First John 5:1-6
Gospel, John 20:19-31
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY: THE FEAST OF MERCY:Ā Today is the eighth and final day of the Octave of Easter. On this day, the Octave of Easter, we celebrate the Feast of Mercy. From ancient times the Easter octave, culminating on the 8th day, has been centered on the theme of Godās mercy and forgiveness. The final day of the octave celebration of Easter is meant to be a day of thanksgiving to God for His goodness to mankind through the Paschal mystery, that is, the Passion, death, and Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Second Sunday of Easter was named Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope St. John Paul II. On May 5, 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter, the Octave of Easter, would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday following a request from Our Lord in His private revelations to St. Faustina Kowalska in Vilnius Lithuania.
The feast was established by the Pope after he canonized Saint Faustina, a humble Polish nun to whom Jesus revealed His message of divine mercy. On this day Jesus promised to open the floodgates of His inexhaustible mercy and shower abundant graces on those who participate in this feast day. A plenary indulgence is granted (under the usual conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father) to the faithful who, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus.
The Original Image of Divine Mercy is venerated in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania. What is spelled out in the Original Image of Divine Mercy is that Divine Mercy comes from the Body of Christ. And the Mystical Body of Christ is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. And that Divine Mercy flows from the Mystical Body of Christ through the hands of the Holy Catholic Priesthood, in, with, and through Jesus, who is the High Priest.
Saint Faustina writes in herĀ Diary:
On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened (Diary #699).
“He who knows how to forgive prepares for himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart.” ~ Diary 390
āEternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.ā
“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.ā
“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.āā¦ Amenš
Jesus, I trust in You!
Prayer for Trust in The Divine Mercy of God
Most merciful Jesus, I turn to You in my need. You are worthy of my complete trust. You are faithful in all things. When my life is filled with confusion, give me clarity and faith. When I am tempted to despair, fill my soul with hope.
Most merciful Jesus, I trust You in all things. I trust in Your perfect plan for my life. I trust You when I cannot comprehend Your divine will. I trust You when all feels lost. Jesus, I trust You more than I trust myself.
Most merciful Jesus, You are all-knowing. Nothing is beyond Your sight. You are all-loving. Nothing in my life is beyond Your concern. You are all-powerful. Nothing is beyond Your grace.
Most merciful Jesus, I trust in You, I trust in You, I trust in You. May I trust You always and in all things. May I daily surrender to Your Divine Mercy.
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, Pray for us as we turn to you in our need. Amenš
“How to Recite the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy | The Divine Mercy
https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet”
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Second Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 20:19ā31
“Eight days later Jesus came and stood in their midst”
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, āPeace be with you.ā When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, āPeace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.ā And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, āReceive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.ā Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, āWe have seen the Lord.ā But he said to them, āUnless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, āPeace be with you.ā Then he said to Thomas, āPut your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.ā Thomas answered and said to him, āMy Lord and my God!ā Jesus said to him, āHave you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.ā Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”
In today’s Gospel reading from John 20:19-31, the disciples were struggling with emotion of āfearā. There they are locked behind closed doors, for fear of the Jewish leaders, terrified that what happened to Jesus could happen to them. Fear, guilt, regret, these are powerful human emotions we have all struggled with in different ways at different times of our lives. According to our Gospel reading, on the evening of the first day of the week, what we would call Sunday, the risen Lord stood among His disciples, and His opening words to them were, āPeace be with youā. Jesus was offering them the gift of peace; He wanted them to be at peace about what had happened. He was revealing Godās forgiveness to them. He was assuring them that their failure, their flight, was not the last word as far as He was concerned, as far as God was concerned. They had broken communion with them, but Jesus was now working to restore that communion. He immediately went on to renew the initial calling that they had received from Him, āAs the Father sent me, so am I sending youā, and as He said that, He breathed the Holy Spirit into their hearts, āReceive the Holy Spiritā. Having experienced forgiveness, He sent them out as mediators of the Lordās forgiveness to others, āFor those whose sins you forgive, they are forgivenā. For the original disciples, the experience of Easter, the experience of the risen Lord, was an experience of a love that was faithful to them, in spite of failure; it was an experience of forgiveness, an experience of renewal, of new beginning. In the risen Lord, they encountered the Lord who forgives everything. That is at the heart of our experience of Easter too. Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. We are no different to those first disciples. Like them, we have broken communion with the Lord in different ways. Like them, we may have turned from Him because we judged that to be faithful to His calling would have been too costly for us. Sometimes our breaking communion with the Lord takes the form of breaking communion with other people through whom the Lord is trying to reach us and calling out to us. In turning away from the call of others we can be turning away from the Lord. Thomas in our Gospel reading today is an example of that form of turning from the Lord. When the other disciples experienced the joy of the Lordās presence, the joy of His peace and forgiveness, they ran to Thomas, breathless, āWe have seen the Lordā, they said. The Lord was reaching out to Thomas through them. Yet, he rejected their approach, their initiative, āI refuse to believeā. He was like a solid wall that stopped their good news cold. Yet, just as the Lord stood among His disciples earlier, He now stood before Thomas and said to him what He had said to them, āPeace be with youā. Thomas, too, was offered the gift of the Lordās peace, the Lordās forgiveness. The risen Lord stands before us all, every day of our lives, saying to us, āPeace be with youā. He graces us with His forgiveness; He assures us of His faithful love. We can make no better response to that gift than to say with our lives what the disciples said, āI have seen the Lordā, or what Thomas said, āMy Lord and my Godā, and then to go forth as messengers of His forgiving and faithful love to others.
Our first reading this Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles, 4:32-35 details how the earliest Christian communities lived their lives. How they cared for one another and showed genuine care and charity in all of their actions. They shared their possessions and goods among them, with the Apostles governing over them and helping them to manage their lives. Every one who had extra with them shared with all those who had less or insufficient amount, such that as mentioned, everyone had enough for themselves and their needs. This is used as a good example of Christian charity and love, and as an inspiration for all of us in how we should act towards our fellow brothers and sisters. Back then, the Christian community was still relatively small and closely knit together and hence it was relatively easy for them to pool and share their resources in the manner that they had done. However, this way of living soon encountered many challenges, as if we read on further in the Acts of the Apostles, there were disagreements and complaints because certain members of the Christian community were overlooked, particularly those from the non-Jewish origins, which was why the Apostles later on instituted the order of the Diaconate or the Deacons to help serve the rapidly growing Christian community. Nonetheless, we should be inspired by the manner how those early Christians lived their lives as they truly gave their all to serve the Lord and to focus their lives upon Him. They trusted in the Lord and in one another, showing genuine love and care for each other just as the Lord has told and taught them to do. They truly embody the joyful spirit of Easter, living righteously and worthily as the chosen people of God, not worrying about earthly concerns and desires but focusing themselves upon the Lord and their calling to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord. While the circumstances and conditions are different now, but it does not mean that we cannot strive to live in the manner that enriches the faith of everyone around us by our own exemplary way of life.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter, the last day of the Easter Octave that began last Sunday with the glorious celebration of Easter and our Lordās Resurrection from the dead. Today, we are all called to be faithful and dedicated witnesses of Our Lordās truth, His love and resurrection, His mercy and compassion. We continue to rejoice greatly for the Lordās triumphant victory over sin, evil and death through His Resurrection, showing all of us the certain hope and way out from the dominion, tyranny of sin and evil, breaking their hold and control over us mankind. Through the Risen Lord we have received the hope of eternal life, the liberation from the darkness surrounding us all, that we now once again can rejoice fully with God as a people whom He has called and chosen to be His own. Through the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that our faith in the Lord must always be firm and strong, and we must remember that in our own limitations and inability to comprehend the whole truth of God, His many mysteries including that of His Resurrection and the nature and Aspect of His Divine Mercy, we must entrust ourselves ever more strongly to the Wisdom of God, to the teachings of the Church which we have received throughout all these years of our lives. Most importantly, we must also embody this faith and belief in our own actions, words and deeds in each moments of our lives or else, we are no better than hypocrites who claim to believe in God and yet did not have true faith in Him. Let us all hence renew our faith in the Resurrection of Our Lord, in His great love and compassion for us, that He, as the Divine Mercy, continues to show us His desire to forgive us our sins and to embrace us all when we come back to Him with regret and sorrow for all the sins and wickedness we have committed in our lives. Let us all also be the good and faithful witnesses to His Resurrection, His truth and Good News, His Love and most generous Mercy to all, that by our lives, the Risen Lord will always be glorified and proclaimed to the nations. May God, the Divine Mercy, in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and continue to shine His loving face and show His most merciful and compassionate love towards us. And may all of us draw ever closer to His love and mercy, and do our best in each and every moments of our lives to be ever more exemplary sons and daughters of God, and as genuine and faithful Christians, beloved ones of the Lord, at all times. Let us all draw ever closer to Him, to the Divine Mercy, to the Lordās Throne of Mercy, beseeching Him to remove from us the blight of these sins we have committed. May the Risen Lord, the Divine Mercy continue to bless and guide us all to Himself, and may He remain with us always, now and at all times. Eternal Father, I offer You, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! Amenš
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of ChristāHis Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinityāreceived into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.
THE POPEāS MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. š
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buriedā¦ But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amenš
During this Easter season, 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 š
On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lordās Vineyard. We also 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 Christā¦ Amen š āļøšÆāļøšÆāļøšÆ
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. Amenš
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE, PRIEST; SAINT HEGESIPPUS, A PRIMITIVE FATHER OF THE CHURCH AND BLESSED HERMAN JOSEPH OF SEINFELD, PRIEST, APRIL 7, 2024
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, as we continue to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (He’s a Patron Saint of Teachers; Educators; School Principals, Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer and Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools Lasallian Educational Institutions.); Saint Hegesippus was a Primitive Father of the Church and Blessed Herman Joseph of Steinfeld, Priest (Patron Saint of Children; Students and Watchmakers). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we pray for all teachers, students and all children, we pray for their safety and well-being, especially during these incredibly challenging times.
Almighty God, We come to you today and give thanks for all our teachers. Thank you for the way in which they give of themselves each day in the classroom, Serving and instructing the next generation of this land. We thank you for them all now. Father, please fill teir hearts with courage now by your mighty Spirit. Fill them with your strength, so they may rise to every challenge and not grow weary. Fill them with your wisdom, so that they may be able to make good judgement when guiding and helping others. Fill them with your peace, so that when stress and anxiety comes it would not overwhelm them. Fill them with your joy, so that the passion they have for their subject may become an infectious passion that spreads. We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesusā¦ Amen.š
QUOTES OF SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE
ā”The way you behave should be a model for those you teach.ā
āāWhen you are at Mass, be there as if you were on Calvary. For it is the same sacrifice and the same Jesus Christ Who is doing for you what He did on the Cross for all human beings.ā
āāWe must strive to place ourselves completely in Godās hands. Then He will cause us to feel the effects of His goodness and protection ā which are, at times extraordinary.ā
āJesus Christ came to this earth to reign here but not, says Saint Augustine, as other kings do, to raise tribute, enroll armies and visibly do battle against his enemies, for Jesus Christ assures us that His kingdom is not of this world but to establish His reign within our souls, according to what He Himself says,
in the holy Gospel, that His kingdom is within us.ā
SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE, PRIEST: St. John Baptist de la Salle was a French priest, educational reformer, and known for promoting and reforming Christian education, especially amongst the poor. HeĀ is also the founder of theĀ Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools, which now teaches around the world. St. John Baptist de la Salle is called the father of modern pedagogy. He was one of the first pedagogues to emphasize classroom teaching in the vernacular instead of in Latin. He also founded three teachers’ colleges and, in 1705, he established a reform school for boys at Dijon. Generations of schoolboys have been taught by the Christian Brothers, and their founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle, is familiar in their prayers and devotions. “Brothers Boys” are scattered all over the world and all of them have fond memories of their “De la Salle” days. St. John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719) was born in Rheims, France, to a noble family of 10 children on April 30, 165. He was pious and smart, and his parents took great care over his moral and intellectual training. After completing his education he desired to enter the priesthood, he entered seminary and was ordained at the age of twenty-seven in 1678 and received his Doctorate in Theology in 1680. In St. John Baptist’sĀ era, only the noble and wealthy classes had access to a good education.Ā Observing that the poor of his day were grossly neglected as far as their education was concerned, St. John became the first to set up training colleges for teachers who would instruct the poor. Soon after ordination he was put in charge of a girls’ school, and in 1679 he met Adrian Nyel, a layman who wanted to open a school for boys. Two schools were started, and Canon de la Salle became interested in the work of education. He took an interest in the teachers, eventually invited them to live in his own house, and tried to train them in the educational system that was forming in his mind. This first group ultimately left, unable to grasp what the saint had in mind; others, however, joined him, and the beginnings of the Brothers of the Christian Schools or Christian Brothers. They took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but not Holy Orders. The Christian Brothers expanded, and in many parts of France parish priests sent young men to be trained by St. John Baptist to serve as schoolmasters in their villages.
Seeing a unique opportunity for good, Canon de la Salle resigned his canonry, gave his inheritance to the poor, and began to organize his teachers into a religious congregation. Soon, boys from his schools began to ask for admission to the Brothers, and the founder set up a juniorate to prepare them for their life as religious teachers. At the request of many pastors, he also set up a training school for teachers, first at Rheims, then at Paris, and finally at St.-Denis. Realizing that he was breaking entirely new ground in the education of the young, St. John Baptist de la Salle wrote books on his system of education, opened schools for tradesmen, and even founded a school for the nobility, at the request of King James of England.In 1695, St. John drew the Rule for his Brothers (which he later revised in 1705) and also wrote The Conduct of Christian Schools, which set forth his pedagogical system and has become a classic in the field of education. The congregation had a tumultuous history, and the setbacks that the founder had to face were many; but the work was begun, and he guided it with rare wisdom. In Lent of 1719, he grew weak, met with a serious accident, and died at St. Yon, Rouen on Good Friday, April 7, 1719. Canonized on May 24, 1900, Saint Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo XIII and proclaimed patron of schoolteachers by Pope Pius XII in 1950. He’s the Patron Saint of Teachers; Educators; School Principals, Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer and Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools Lasallian Educational Institutions.
PRAYER: Our Father, You chose St. John Baptist de la Salle as an educator of Christian youth. Give Your Church good teachers today, who will dedicate themselves to instructing young people in human and Christian disciplesā¦ Amen. Saint John Baptist de la Salle ~ Pray for us š
SAINT HEGESIPPUS, A PRIMITIVE FATHER OF THE CHURCH: Saint Hegesippus was a Primitive Father of the Church (c. 110 ā c. 180 AD), also known as Hegesippus the Nazarene was born in c.110 AD. Born Jewish, he became an adult convert to Christianity. He was aĀ Christian writer of the early ChurchĀ who may, in spite of his Greek name, have been a Jewish convert and certainly wrote against heresies of the Gnostics and of Marcion. Saint Hegesippus was by nation a Jew who joined the Church of Jerusalem, when the disasters attaining his unhappy land opened his eyes to see their cause. His writings were known to Saint Jerome and Eusebius and were praised by them and by all of antiquity. Saint Hegesippus journeyed to Rome, stopping to visit all important churches along his way, afterwards remaining there for nearly twenty years, where he researched the early Church, from the pontificate of Pope Saint Anicetus to that of Saint Eleutherius.
St. Hegesippus was the first to trace and record the succession of the bishops of Rome from Saint Peter to his own day, and is considered the father of ecclesiastical history. Little of his writings survive, but he was highly recommended by other early writers including Eusebius and Saint Jerome. Compiled a catalogue of heresies during the first century of Christianity. Saint Hegisippus wrote in the year 133 a history of the Church entitled Memoirs, which was composed of five books and covered the time from the Passion of Christ until that year, that is, one hundred years; the loss of this work, of which only a few fragments remain, is extremely regretted. In it he gave illustrious proofs of his faith, and placed in evidence the apostolic tradition, proving that although certain men had disturbed the Church by broaching heresies, yet even to his day no episcopal see or individual church had fallen into error. This testimony he gave after having personally visited all the principal churches, both of the East and the West, with the intention of gathering all authentic traditions concerning the life of Our Lord and of the Apostles. During the time of the latter he returned to the Orient, where he died at an advanced age, probably in Jerusalem in the year 180 AD; Jerusalem, Palaestina according to the chronicle of Alexandria.
Saint Hegesippus, a Primitive Father of the Church ~ Pray for usš
BLESSED HERMAN JOSEPH OF SEINFELD, PRIEST: Blessed Herman Joseph of Steinfeld (1150-1241) was a German Priest, Premonstratensian Canon regular and mystic. Born in 1150. From his earliest years, was a devoted client of the Mother of God. As a little child he used to spend all his playtime in the church at Cologne before a statue of Mary, where he received many favors. One bitter winter day, as little Herman was coming barefooted into church, his heavenly Mother, appearing to him, asked him lovingly why his feet were bare in such cold weather. Alas! dear Lady, he said, it is because my parents are so poor. She pointed to a stone, telling him to look beneath it; and there he found four silver pieces, with which the family could buy shoes. He did not forget to return and thank Her. She enjoined him to go to the same spot in all his wants, and disappeared. Never did the supply fail him; but his comrades, moved by a different spirit, could find nothing. Once Our Lady stretched out Her hand, and took an apple which the boy offered Her in pledge of his love. Another time he saw Her high up in the sanctuary, with the Holy Child and Saint John; he longed to join them, but saw no way of doing so. Suddenly he found himself placed by their side, and was able to hold sweet conversation with the Infant Jesus.
At the age of twelve he entered the Premonstratensian monastery at Steinfeld, and there led an angelic life of purity and prayer. His fellow-novices, seeing what graces he received from Mary, called him Joseph; when he shrank from so high an honor, Our Lady in a vision took him as Her spouse, and told him to accept the name. Jealously She reproved the smallest faults in Her beloved one, and for Her dowry, She conferred on him the most cruel sufferings of mind and body, which were especially severe on the great feasts of the Church. But with the cross Mary brought him the grace to bear it bravely, and thus his heart was weaned from earthly things, and he was made ready for his saintly death, which took place about on April 7, 1241. Never formally canonized, in 1958 his status as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church was formally recognized by Pope Pius XII. He’s the Patron Saint of Children; Students and Watchmakers.
Blessed Herman Joseph of Steinfeld, Priest ~ Pray for us š
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 during this Easter 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. Amenš
Let us pray:
Glorious Divine Mercy, pour down upon me; open my mind to Your depth and breadth. Help me to begin to contemplate You in Your fullness so that I can begin my eternity with You now. My loving Savior, You have revealed so much about Your Mercy. May I not only learn about this Gift but also receive it into my life.
My Lord, You are The Divine Mercy, the source of all grace and the Bestower of this grace in superabundance. I thank You for the infinity of Your generosity and pray that my soul will be more fully disposed to receive You. Please stretch the capacity of my soul through my ongoing journey of purification and conversion so that I will receive all that You wish to bestow. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen š
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint John Baptist de la Salle; Saint Hegesippus and Blessed Herman Joseph of Steinfeld ~ Pray for usš
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled Divine Mercy Sunday and weekš
Blessings and Love always, Philomenaš