THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
MEMORIAL OF SAINT GALDINUS, ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN; BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION, RELIGIOUS; SAINT PETER OF SAINT JOSEPH BETANCUR, MISSIONARY AND SAINT APOLLONIUS, MARTYR
Greetings, beloved family and Happy Thursday 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 18, 2024” |
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Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 18, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 8:26-40
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
Gospel, John 6:44-51
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 Galdinus, Archbishop of Milan; Blessed Mary of the Incarnation (Barbe Avrillot) and St. Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, the poor and the needy in our world. We also pray for all Christians, for increase in faith and devotion to God.🙏
SAINT GALDINUS, ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN: St. Galdinus was born in 1100 to the renowned Della Scala family of Milan, Galdinus became a priest and served as chancellor and archdeacon under two Archbishops of Milan. He diligently carried out his duties and gained the confidence of the people. At the election of Pope Alexander III in 1159, a few disgruntled Cardinals sought to establish a rival Pope who was more favorable to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his schemes to extend his power. However, the people chose to accept Alexander as their Pontiff and so aroused the ire of Barbarossa. Galdinus and Archhbishop Hubert were forced to flee, seeking exile outside the city for a time in 1161 when Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa took revenge on Milan in the dispute with the Holy See.
St. Galdinus was elected archbishop and created a cardinal in 1165. Galdinus was made a Cardinal and –the next year upon the death of Archbishop Hubert—Archbishop of Milan. In this position, Galdinus assisted in rebuilding Milan in the wake of Barbarossa’s occupation, which had begun in 1160. The Saint preached continuously and aided and comforted the poor. He restored discipline among the clergy, directed his wisdom against the schism, and strove to overcome the teaching of the Cathari, who were making inroads into Lombardi. He was a fierce opponent of the Lombards. In 1176, St. Galdinus died in the pulpit after delivering a passionate sermon against false teachings. That same year, the Lombard league overwhelmed the imperial army at the Battle of Legnano. In the wake of this defeat, in 1177 Barbarossa went humbly to meet the Pope in Venice, abjured his schism, and made his peace with the Church. St. Galdinus was known for his sweetness and goodness, welcoming all as equals, except in the case of defending his position, when he was an example of fortitude and vigor. He is remembered also for his charity in Milan to the poor and to those imprisoned for debt. He is a Patron Saint of both Lombardy and Archdiocese of Milan.
PRAYER: God, You made Your Bishop St. Galdinus an outstanding minister of Your Church by his prayer and pastoral zeal. Through his prayers grant that Your faithful flock may always find pastors after Your heart and salutary pastures. Amen🙏
BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION, RELIGIOUS: Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, also as Madame Acarie or Barbe Avrillot (1566-1618) was the foundress of the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order in France, who later became a lay sister of the Order. She has been called the “mother of Discalced Carmel in France”. Blessed Mary of the Incarnation was born in Paris on February 1, 1566; both of her parents were members of the most ancient families of that great city. Before she was born, several other children had seen the light of day, but all died in their infancy. During the time her mother awaited this child, she vowed her to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Claude, promising to clothe her in white until the age of seven and to offer her in a church of the Blessed Virgin. She was born a very healthy babe, and baptized with the name of Barbara, on the day after the Purification of Our Lady. She was of a gentle temperament and an angelic modesty, and at the age of eleven was placed as a intern student in a religious house of the Order of Saint Clare near Paris, where she had a maternal aunt. She continually advanced in virtue and felt great distaste for all the things of this world, along with an insatiable ardor for those of heaven. When she returned home at the age of fourteen, she wished to enter a religious Order for the care of the sick in Paris, but her parents opposed this plan. Her mother informed her she would never permit her to become a nun. The young girl believed God was speaking to her through her mother and obeyed. Several offers of marriage were presented, and before her eighteenth birthday she married Pierre Acarie de Villemor, a man of great nobility, piety and charity. Six children were born to them, and their pious mother raised them with great care. She taught them never to complain of circumstances or persons, inspired in them horror for lying, and strove to make them recognize in their hearts any sentiments of vainglory. Her three daughters became Carmelites, and her three sons entered, in turn, the magistracy, the priesthood and the military career. In spite of her household duties and many hardships, she attained the heights of the mystical life. She was distinguished by her spirit of prayer and her zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith.
When her husband encountered difficulties of a political nature, his household was seized, and the very furniture where the family was seated at table was removed from beneath them. She accepted these circumstances without growing troubled, and in fact defended her husband in court, drafting memoirs, writing letters and furnishing proofs of his innocence. He was acquitted and enabled to return to the city after three years. Blessed Mary was so sage in her almsgiving that during a famine the wealthy persons who desired to help the poor caused their alms to pass through her hands, and this holy woman was universally honored. She entered into the spirit of the current reforms of the religious Orders and the foundation of new Congregations which were reviving the spirit of piety in France. Through her efforts she merited the title of Foundress of the Carmelites in France. Six nuns from Spain brought the spirit of Saint Teresa with them, and soon the principal cities of France had a house of this Order. Blessed Mary of the Incarnation also contributed to the works of the first Ursulines in Paris for the education of youth, and to the establishment of the Oratorians of Italy in France. Her worthy spouse died in 1613; she then requested admission to the Carmelite Order herself. She arrived saying, I am a poor mendicant who begs of you the divine mercy, and that I may cast myself into the arms of religion. At Amiens where she dwelt, her own daughter was Superior; and a perpetual contest in humility began, observed by all. She died in 1618, on Wednesday of Easter week, at the age of fifty-two years, loved and praised by all who had known her. She was Beatified on April 24, 1791 at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Papal States by Pope Pius VI; her mortal remains are in the chapel of the Carmelites of Pontoise. She’s the Patron Saint of those with Hepatitis and the poor.
Prayer From Blessed Mary of the Incarnation
“Lord Jesus “conform my spirit to your blessed humanity, filling my mind with knowledge and my memory with a continual recollection of You, my will with an ardent affection for your Majesty, [conform] my soul to your very holy soul… Enlighten me inwardly with the light of your Divinity, all the more so as I believe, by it, that you are totally within me. By this means, I very humbly beg you to look from now on through my eyes, speak by my tongue, and accomplish by all my members and senses the things which are agreeable to you.”
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you gave Blessed Mary of the Incarnation heroic strength in the face of the adversities she met along life’s road, and zeal for the extension of the Carmelite family. May we your children courageously endure every trial and persevere to the end in your love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever… Amen. Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏
SAINT PETER OF SAINT JOSEPH BETANCUR, MISSIONARY: St. Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur y Gonzáles or Pedro de San José Betancur (1626-1667), also known as Hermano Pedro, was a Spanish saint and missionary in Guatemala. He was born on March 21, 1626 in Vilaflor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain in the Canary Islands, into poverty to Amador Betancur and Ana Garcia Gonzalez Betancur. He was a shepherd until the age of 24 at which time he traveled to Guatemala, then the capital of New Spain, hoping to connect with a relative and to begin training to be a priest. The journey so impoverished him that he entered a bread line served by the Franciscans. He took up work in a textile factory and later entered a Jesuit college to study for the priesthood. Being too poor to continue his studies, he instead became a Franciscan tertiary. He dedicated his life to helping the poor and oppressed in jails and hospitals, as well as ministering to African slaves, Native Americans, and anyone else in need. He also founded a hospital, a school for the poor, and a homeless shelter. He also preached to the rich, inviting them to repent of their sins.
Because of his effective apostolate he became known as “St. Francis of the Americas.” People were attracted to his way of life and followed him, leading to the founding of the Order of Bethlehemite Brothers and Sisters, Instituto de Hermanas Bethlemitas. In addition to serving the poor, they had the charism of special devotion to the Divine Child and the Blessed Virgin, and offered prayer and sacrifices for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Each night St. Peter would carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets as a form of penance and evangelization. It is also said that he was the first to start the Posadas procession during Advent. He died on April 25, 1667 at Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala and was buried at Iglesia Católica San Francisco el Grande, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II as the first saint from Central America. His feast day is April 18.
St. Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur, Missionary ~ Pray for us🙏
SAINT APOLLONIUS, MARTYR: St. Apollonius the Apologist or Saint Apollonius of Rome was born in Rome Italy and died April 21, 185. He was a 2nd-century Christian martyr and apologist. His Apologia, or defense of the faith, is considered one of the most priceless documents of the early Church. Apollonius was a Roman senator who was denounced as a Christian by one of his slaves. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius had persecuted the Christians, but his son Commodus, who in 180 succeeded to the throne, was favorable to them, out of regard to his Empress Marcia, an admirer of the Faith. During this calm the number of the faithful greatly increased, and many persons of first rank, among them Apollonius, a Roman senator, enlisted themselves under the banner of the cross. He was already very well versed both in philosophy and Holy Scripture, as we learn from Saint Jerome, who had read and admired his discourse in the Senate of Rome on behalf of the Christian religion. The loss of this document is much regretted.
In the midst of the peace which the Church enjoyed, Saint Apollonius was publicly accused of Christianity by one of his own slaves. What followed evokes our surprise. Marcus Aurelius, during his reign, had published an edict ordering that the accusers of Christians be put to death, but he had done so without repealing the former laws against convicted Christians. Thus the slave was immediately condemned to have his legs broken and be put to death; but immediately afterwards, to ascertain whether the accusation was true, the same judge sent an order to Saint Apollonius to renounce his religion if he valued his life and fortune. The Saint courageously rejected such ignominious terms of safety, whereupon the judge referred him to the Roman senate, to give an account of his faith to that body, very hostile to Christians. Persisting in his refusal to comply with the condition, Saint Apollonius was condemned by their decree and beheaded.
Saint Apollonius, Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏
PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth 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, Thursday of the Third Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 6:44-51
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven”
“Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus declares both ‘everybody who believes has eternal life’ and ‘anyone who eats this bread will live for ever’. It appears that eating Jesus the bread of life is an image for believing in Jesus. However, when Jesus goes on to say, ‘the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world’, the term ‘bread’ begins to acquire a Eucharistic meaning. Jesus will go on to speak about the need to eat his flesh and drink His blood, which has even clearer Eucharistic overtones. Yet, eating the bread that is Jesus, in the sense of believing in Jesus, comes before eating His flesh or His body in the Eucharist. The Eucharist, like all the sacraments, presupposes faith. We first come to Jesus in faith before we come to Him in the Eucharist. At every Mass we first have the Liturgy of the Word, and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The word nourishes our faith, and it is out of that nourished faith that we come to the Eucharist. The bread of the word prepares us for the bread of the Eucharist. The bread of the word is a necessary first course, as it were, that prepares us to receive the Eucharist well. We find a similar pattern in the first reading. The faith of the Ethiopian is first nurtured by Philip through his proclamation of the word before the Ethiopian comes to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism, like the Sacrament of the Eucharist, also presupposes faith. In the case of infants, it is the faith of the parents and family and the faith of the believing community that is presupposed. Through our Lord, all of us who have received and shared in our partaking of the Eucharist, we have received God Himself in the flesh, in His Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, and consequently, all of us who have received Him, have already received the Lord Himself dwelling in our amidst, among us and within us. We have become the Temples of His Holy Presence, and He has extended to us the most perfect form of unity and the most tangible link between us and His heavenly Father, our most loving God and Creator. For He is the perfect manifestation of God and His love in the flesh, such that man is no longer separated from God by our sins. As Jesus declares in the Gospel, that all who come to Him have been drawn to Him by the Father, ‘No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me’. God is always drawing us towards His Son, who says of Himself in the Gospel reading, ‘I am the bread of life’. God draws us towards His Son as the one who can satisfy the deepest spiritual hunger of our heart. God often draws us to His Son in and through other people of faith.
In the first reading today, an Ethiopian eunuch who served at the court of the queen of Ethiopia came to Christ. The Ethiopian court official comes to faith in Jesus.The Ethiopian returning home from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, stops to read the Scriptures and he is very touched by a passage from the prophet Isaiah. It leads him to ask questions which eventually results in his receiving baptism into the church at the hands of Philip. The Holy Spirit had a major role to play in bringing the Ethiopian to Jesus, but Philip the evangelist and the Ethiopian himself had their roles to play as well. It was the Holy Spirit who prompted Philip to meet the Ethiopian. It was presumably the Spirit who prompted the Ethiopian to read the passage of Scripture that so intrigued him. The Ethiopian asked Philip to explain the Scripture he was reading and Philip responded to his request. A little later the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him and Philip responded to that request too. Even though the Spirit was at work in all of this process, there was a genuine human element at work too. Without the desire of the Ethiopian and the responsiveness of Philip, the work of the Holy Spirit would not have come to pass. Today’s reading reminds us that we need the Holy Spirit to come to Christ and to grow in our relationship with Him, but the Spirit, in turn, needs our contribution, our own good desires and our willingness to respond to the call of others. We are reminded that an encounter with the Lord in His word is often prior to an encounter with Him in the Sacraments. The word of the Lord nurtures our faith in preparation for our encounter with Him in the Sacraments. Linking to our first reading passage today, in which we heard of the baptism of the Ethiopian official, through that act of baptism and acceptance by the Ethiopian official of the truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who has died on the Cross and Risen fromt the dead, is his Lord and Saviour, that Ethiopian official had become part of the Church, just like all of us. Through our own baptism, whether we were baptised as infants or as teenagers or as adults, or even those of us who got baptised in the old age, or at the doors of death, all of us have become partakers and sharers in the New and Eternal Covenant that the Lord Himself has sealed with us and for us. Through baptism we have been made parts and sharers of the Lord’s missions and works in His Church, and all of us are members of His Body, the one united Communion of all the faithful.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, our calling as the bearers of the Good News and truth of God, as those who truly believe in the truth of Our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, the Living Bread Who came down from Heaven. Let us all be genuine Christians in being joyful and dedicated in our willingness to proclaim the Lord and His truth in the midst of our various communities and places, doing whatever we can so that we may indeed bear forth the light of God’s truth to more and more people. All of us as parts of God’s Church have the same responsibilities and duties in being good role models and inspirations in faith that our every words, actions and deeds, our every interactions and works may become the inspiration and help for many others, such that many more will come to believe in God through us and our good works. May the Risen Lord, our God and Saviour Jesus Christ continue to be with us and guide us always, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us so that we may persevere faithfully and continue to commit ourselves to His path, much as how our early Christian predecessors had done, in their missionary and evangelising zeal. May God be with His Church always, and bless its every works and good efforts. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may He empower and strengthen us to do His will faithfully, at all times and in every place we are at. May our Risen Lord be ever glorified through us. Amen🙏
Let us pray:
My Eucharistic Lord, You are truly the Bread of Life, and all those who eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood will inherit eternal life. I do believe this, dear Lord. I believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is You, Your Soul and Divinity, given to me so that I can share in Your holy life. Give me the grace I need to deepen my faith in the Most Holy Eucharist so that I will be drawn more fully into the joys of Your Eternal Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Galdinus; Blessed Mary of the Incarnation; Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur and Saint Apollonius ~ 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💖