THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 15, 2024
MEMORIAL OF SAINT PATERNUS (PADARN), BISHOP AND SAINTS BASILISSA AND ANASTASIA, MARTYRS AND SAINT HUNNA, THE HOLY WASHERWOMAN
Greetings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Third Week of Easter!
We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | April 15, 2024” |
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Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 15, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 15, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 15, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, April 15, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 6:8-15
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
Gospel, John 6:22-29
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 Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received 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 POPE’S 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. 🙏
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 buried… 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! Amen🙏
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 🙏
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 Lord’s 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 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🙏
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
As we continue to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paternus (Padarn), Bishop; Saints Basilissa and Anastasia, Martyrs, and we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Hunna, Known as “the Holy Washerwoman”. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on feast day, we humbly pray for the Church, for persecuted christians and the conversion of sinners and for Christians all over the world.🙏
SAINT PATERNUS (PADARN), BISHOP: St. Paternus (482-565), also known as Pair or Padarn, Bishop of Avranches lived in the fifth-sixth centuries. He built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. He was known for his preaching, charity and mortifications. St. Paternus was born around the year 482, at Poitiers. His mother gave his father, also named Paternus, permission to leave the family and go to Ireland where he lived and died as a holy recluse. St. Paternus was inspired by his father’s example of piety and decided to enter a monastery. St. Paternus emulated his example and embraced monastic life in the diocese of Poitiers. He joined the monks at the abbey of Ansion. In his zeal and desire to attain the perfection of Christian virtue, he went to Wales where he founded a monastery called Lian-patern-vaur (The Church of the great Paternus). His father was still living at this time and St. Paternus visited him in Ireland. He was soon called back to his first monastery of Ansion. After a few years, he and another monk named Scubilion (later St. Scubilion) after receiving permission from the Bishop, retired to a remote area where there were many Druids. They embraced a hermit’s life in the forest of Scicy, forest of the diocese of Coutances near the sea, they embraced an austere anchorite’s life resembling that of Angels more than of men. Here he converted a number of idolaters and was able to bring them many idolaters to the Faith and extended his apostolic labors as far as Bayeux, with several priest as his fellow laborers. Paternus was able to convince the people there to tear down a pagan temple, which had been held in great veneration by the ancient Gauls. An abbot of that region who knew of him recommended Paternus to the bishop of Coutances, who ordained him a deacon and then a priest in 512. He and Saint Scubilion then evangelized the western coasts and established several monasteries, of which he was the abbot general. Many miracles honored his apostolate among the pagan populations.
At an advanced age St. Paternus was consecrated Bishop of Avranches by Bishop Germanus of Rouen. While his former companion, Saint Scubilion, had become abbot of a monastery founded by the two missionaries. St. Paternus shepherded his flock for thirteen years before he fell ill and he felt his end was near, and he sent to his dear friend to come and assist him in his last illness. But the same fate had befallen St. Scubilion, who for his part had sent a messenger to St. Paternus. The two hermit-missionaries, Sts Paternus and Scubilion, each of whom had become the spiritual father of many, departed this life on the same day, April 16, 565, the thirteenth year of the pontificate of Saint Paternus. They were afterwards buried on the same day in the church of the monastery of Scicy, a region they had evangelized together, which is now the parish of the Church of St. Pair (Paternus). Apart from in Wales and Brittany, St. Paternus is also venerated in some regions of England, especially in the West Country (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset) where his name was included in the early calendars of a number of churches. The relics of St. Paternus, along with the relics of St. Gaud are found in his church, the Church of St. Pair in Scicy.
Reflection. God richly blesses the friendships of those who love and fear Him, for He Himself is its source and the bond which unites.
PRAYER: God, You made St. Paternus an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and added him to the roll of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may persevere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory. Amen. Holy Father Paternus, pray to God for us!🙏
SAINTS BASILISSA AND ANASTASIA, MARTYRS: Saints Basilissa and Anastasia (died 68 AD) are early Christian martyrs of Rome, put to death during the reign of Nero. They were among the first converts to Christianity in the 1st century after Christ. They were noble Roman women, who were converted to the Christian Faith by Saints Peter and Paul. The Holy Women Martyrs Basilissa (Vasilissa) and Anastasia lived in Rome where they were converted to Christianity by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. They devoted themselves to the service of the Lord. Sts. Basilissa and Anastasia were described as “Roman matrons of high rank and great wealth”. They were disciples of and might have been baptized by the apostles Peter and Paul and might have given them “honorable burials” after Peter and Paul’s martyrdom in Rome on the same day in 67 AD. The location of the two tombs eventually became St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
According to history, when the emperor Nero (54-68) persecuted Christians and gave them over to torture and execution, Saints Basilissa and Anastasia took the bodies of the holy martyrs and gave them reverent burial. They recovered the remains of martyred Christians including the remains of Sts. Peter and Paul for burial. The burials might have exposed Sts Basilissa and Anastasia to more persecution, and they were arrested for collecting the relics of and burying the bodies of other martyred Christians. Rumors of this reached Nero, as a result, they were arrested, tortured but refused to forsake Christianity. Saints Basilissa and Anastasia were locked up in prison. They subjected them to cruel tortures but the holy martyrs remained unyielding, they refused to recant their Christian faith and bravely confessed their faith in Christ the Savior. By Nero’s command, they were beheaded with the sword (+ ca. 68AD) after being tortured, including scourged with whips, having their tongues torn out, their skins scraped with hooks, being burned with fire, and their breasts and feet cut off. Their relics are at Santa Maria della Pace Church in Rome. Their feast day is April 15, are venerated by both the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, and are honored as the Patron Saints of tailors. A statue of Basilissa is among the statues that line the colonnade overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
PRAYER: Lord, hear our prayers, which we offer on the commemoration of Saints Basilissa and Anastasia, Holy Martyrs. May we be inspired by their humility and sacrifices. Through their teachings and intercession, may we faithfully serve You all the days of our lives… Amen. Saints Basilissa and Anastasia ~ Pray for us🙏
SAINT HUNNA, THE HOLY WASHERWOMAN: St. Hunna, Known as “the Holy Washerwoman”, was a 7th century noblewoman who cared for and bathed the poor of Strasbourg, France. St. Hunna (d. 679 A.D.) was born in Alsace, France. She was the virtuous daughter of a duke, and she married a similarly virtuous nobleman and aristocrat, Huno of Hunnaweyer. St. Hunna and her husband did not indulge in unnecessary luxuries according to their high state in life, and instead detached themselves from their riches by opening their home to the poor and assisting them in their need. St. Deodatus, a bishop who resigned from his See, came to live with the holy couple for a time. St. Hunna and her husband greatly profited from his religious instruction and grew in sanctity as a result. When Hunna bore a son, she named him after St. Deodatus. This child, raised by such holy parents, later joined a monastery and also became a saint. After her husband’s death Hunna continued to spend her life serving the poor, especially women. No task was too menial for her. She tended to the poor and the sick and regularly, including their laundry and mending, even to the point of exhaustion. For this she was nicknamed the “Holy Washerwoman.” She also gave away her wealth and property to build churches and monasteries. So many miracles were attributed to her that Pope Leo X canonized her in 1520. St. Hunna is the Patron Saint of laundresses and her feast day is April 15th.
PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts and humility on St. Hunna. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. 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 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. Amen🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Third Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 6:22-29
“Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life”
“[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus presents Himself as the only one who can truly satisfy the deeper, spiritual, hunger in our lives. Jesus makes a distinction between food that cannot last and food that endures to eternal life. He had just fed the people in the wilderness with bread and fish; He was very aware that people’s physical hunger needed to be satisfied. As the people continued to look for more of this physical food, Jesus called on them to look for food that endures to eternal life, food that satisfies the deepest hunger in our lives. Jesus has come not just to give people physical food but to give them the spiritual food of God’s presence, God’s life and God’s Spirit. The Gospel reminds us that, while the physical and material is vital because we are physical and material beings, our searching must not stop at the physical and the material. There is a great deal more to life than the satisfaction of our physical needs. We have deeper, spiritual hungers and thirsts as well that we need to attend to if we are to live a truly balanced life and be at peace within ourselves. In the Gospel reading Jesus offers Himself to us as the one who offers us the food that endures to eternal life. We cannot ignore our physical hunger; when we are hungry, we eat. We can ignore those deeper hungers which Jesus alone can satisfy. This is why He draws attention so strongly in today’s Gospel to the importance of working for the food that endures to eternal life. Our Lord Jesus can satisfy the deepest hungers and thirsts in our hearts. Our seeking must ultimately be directed towards Him; it cannot stop at or be satisfied with anything less.
In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Stephen, one of the first seven holy Deacons of the Church, appointed to assist in the works and mission of the Church, was confronted by those who opposed the Lord and His teachings, as they debated about the things which St. Stephen has been proclaiming and teaching to the people, regarding the truth and the Good News of the Lord, as well as His Resurrection from the dead. St. Stephen spoke with great wisdom, courage and strength despite all the challenges and the plotting against him. His opponents even bribed people to give false testimonies and accusations against St. Stephen, twisting the truth and the words that the Lord Himself has spoken, accusing St. Stephen for spreading the teachings of the Lord Jesus among the people. Those people were trying hard to drive the sentiments of the assembly and the members of the Sanhedrin to go against St. Stephen, with efforts and attempts to discredit the servant of God and to persecute him. However, no matter whatever accusations and falsehoods they tried to blame on him, St. Stephen, empowered, strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit, full of the Wisdom of God, broke through all of their arguments and wicked falsehoods, and he refuted all of their nonsense arguments and lies. As mentioned in the first reading today, St. Stephen’s face appeared before all the assembled people like as if the face of an Angel, a manifestation of the great strength, power and Wisdom that the Lord has bestowed upon Him through the Holy Spirit. As mentioned, this was one proof of how the Lord never abandoned His faithful ones in their hour of need.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are reminded of our calling as Christians to be the disciples and followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Risen Messiah, and to proclaim His Resurrection, His truth and love to all the people of all the nations. We are also reminded that in doing our mission and calling, in our ministry and life as Christians, there may be hurdles, trials and obstacles facing us, and yet we have to stay strong and devout in faith, and we should not lose faith and hope because the Lord is and has always, and will always ever be with us, journeying with us by our side. All of us are reminded that we all should stay by the Lord and remain truly faithful to Him, and to trust always in His guidance and providence for us. We must believe in Him and follow Him, even if things in life go against us, and that is what we are being reminded this day. Let us therefore by the examples showed by the faithful servants of God, the many saints and martyrs who have gone before us, especially that of St. Stephen and all the Saints we celebrate today. Let us all be inspired by their trust and faith in the Lord, and their humility and willingness to allow the Lord to lead them in the right path, as they carried out their ministry faithfully. Let us all be inspired and strengthened by them, be courageous and strong in our faith. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, be with us all and may He bless us all in our every good endeavours, efforts and works, always. Amen🙏
Let us pray:
My most glorious Lord, You are the Food that is eternal. You are the Food for everlasting life. Give me the wisdom I need, dear Lord, to turn my eyes from the passing and least important things of this world and to turn, instead, to that which is eternal. May I keep my eyes upon You and be nourished by my faith in You. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Paternus (Padarn); Saints Basilissa and Anastasia and Saint Hunna, the Holy Washerwoman ~ Pray for us🙏
Thanking God for the gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and praying for us all as we celebrate the resurrection of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed, safe, joyous, and grace-filled Third Week of Easter🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖