Month: May 2024

EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 31, 2024

FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART: Novena dates: May 29 – June 6, 2024
June 7, 2024: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (Novena link below)

Greetings beloved family and Happy Feast of the Visitation!.

We thank God for the  gift of life and for bringing us safely and successfully to the end of the month of May. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all now and always…. Amen🙏

We pray for the safety and well-being of our children, youths, students and children all over the world. With special intention for all students graduating this year. May God continue to grant them all wisdom, knowledge and understanding and may He empower them as they walk into the future with faith, hope, and love guided by the Holy Spirit through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 31, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 31, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 31, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 31, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 31, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, May 31, 2024
Reading 1, Zephaniah 3:14-18
Responsorial Psalm, Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
Gospel, Luke 1:39-56

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART: Novena dates: May 29 – June 6, 2024
June 7, 2024: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-prayer-to-the-sacred-heart-311

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY: MAY 31ST Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Mother Mary who was pregnant with our Lord Jesus visited her cousin, Saint Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Let us on this feast day reflect on our Mother Mary’s goodness and humility in serving her cousin Elizabeth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this special feast day of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we humbly pray for all expectant mothers and those seeking for the fruit of the womb. We pray for the safety and well-being of all mothers, our children and our families. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: The Feast of the Visitation celebrates the providential meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, when two of the Church’s greatest prayers were first spoken. After being told by the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Son of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, in the mountains about six miles west of Jerusalem, who was then pregnant with John the Baptist. In the presence of Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, Elizabeth exclaimed through the Holy Spirit, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!” ~ Luke 1:42. Mary, overflowing with joy, responded with her Magnificat (Mary’s Song): And Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;  he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,  just as he promised our ancestors.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. ~ Luke 1:46-56

The Mass of today salutes her who in her womb bore the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the world, the Son of the Eternal Father, the Sun of Justice. It narrates the cleansing of John from original sin in his mother’s womb. Hearing herself addressed by the most lofty title of “Mother of the Lord” and realizing what grace her visit had conferred on John, Mary broke out in that sublime canticle of praise proclaiming prophetically that henceforth she would be venerated down through the centuries. In his great Apostolic Letter on Devotion to Mary, Pope Paul VI summarized this feast as follows: “The Liturgy recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying her Son within her, and visiting Elizabeth to offer charitable assistance and to proclaim the mercy of God the Savior.” “Mary set out and journeyed in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zachariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? Behold, the moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.’ “Then Mary said: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit finds joy in God my Savior’ ” (Luke 1:39-47).

The feast of the Visitation was instituted in 1389 by Urban VI to obtain the end of the Western schism, and it was inserted in the Roman Calendar on July 2, the date on which it had already been celebrated by Franciscans since 1263. The feast has now been assigned to the last day of May, between the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and the Birth of St. John the Baptist, to conform more closely to the Gospel account. Patronage: St. Elizabeth: Expectant mothers.

PRAYER: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death… Amen🙏 

Almighty and eternal God, under Your inspiration the Virgin Mary, pregnant with Your Son, visited St. Elizabeth. Grant that we may follow the guidance of the Spirit and praise You eternally with her in heaven… Amen🙏

SAINT OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PETRONILLA (PETRONILLE), VIRGIN AND MARTYR: On this special feast day, we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Petronilla, Virgin and Martyr.  St. Aurelia Petronilla, who was guided in the Faith by St. Peter, the first pope. She died three days after refusing to marry a pagan nobleman, Flaccus.

SAINT PETRONILLA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Aurelia Petronilla also known as St. Petronille (1st c.) is an early Christian Saint, venerated as a virgin martyr in the Church in Rome. She is remembered for being beautiful, for refusing marriage to a pagan king due to her vow of chastity, and for suffering martyrdom for her unwavering faith. According to tradition, it is probable that Aurelia Petronilla was of the imperial family of the Flavii and she was connected to St. Peter the Apostle; she may have been either his natural daughter, servant, convert (spiritual daughter), or co-laborer in the faith. She was guided in the Faith by St. Peter, the first pope. It is also a tradition that St. Petronilla was cured of palsy by St. Peter. The early traditions of the Church speak of her as being the spiritual daughter of the Prince of the Apostles; and though she did not, like Domitilla, lay down her life for the faith, she did offer to Jesus that next richest gift, her virginity. According to tradition, a Roman Patrician, by name Flaccus, having asked her in marriage, she requested three days for consideration, during which she confidently besought the aid of her divine Spouse. Flaccus presented himself on the third day, but found the palace in mourning, and her family busy in preparing the funeral obsequies of the young virgin, who had taken her flight to heaven, as a dove that is startled by an intruder’s approach. She died three days after refusing to marry the pagan nobleman, Flaccus.

In the 8th century the chapel containing her relics became the burial place of French kings. This is due to the fact that she was the supposed daughter of St. Peter, and the French kings were considered the “adopted sons” of St. Peter; therefore, St. Petronille was invoked as an intercessor for all treaties between the Holy See and the French crown. Later in the eighth century, the holy Pope Paul I had the body of Petronilla taken from the cemetery of Domitilla, on the Ardeatine Way. Her relics were found in a marble sarcophagus, the lid of which was adorned, at each corner, with a dolphin. The Pope had the relics of St. Petronilla enshrined in a little church, which he built near the south side of the Vatican Basilica. This church was destroyed in the sixteenth century, in consequence of the alterations needed for the building of the new Basilica of St Peter; and the relics of St Petronilla were translated to one of its altars on the west side of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was but just that she should await her glorious resurrection under the shadow of the great Apostle who had initiated her in the faith, and prepared her for her eternal nuptials with the Lamb. On her feast day Mass at St. Peter’s is offered for France and attended by French residents living in Rome. St. Petronille is the Patron Saint of the dauphins of France; mountain travellers; treaties between Popes and Frankish emperors; invoked against fever. Her feast day is May 31st.

PRAYER: “Thy triumph, O Petronilla, is one of our Easter joys. We lovingly venerate thy blessed memory. Thou didst disdain the pleasures and honors of the world, and thy virginal name is one of the first on the list of the Church of Rome, which was thy mother. Aid her now by thy prayers. Protect those who seek thine intercession, and teach us how to celebrate, with holy enthusiasm, the solemnities that are soon to gladden us”… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053124.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 1:39-56

“And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”    And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;    my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,    for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed:    the Almighty has done great things for me,    and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him    in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm,    he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,    and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things,    and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel    for he has remembered his promise of mercy,    the promise he made to our fathers,    to Abraham and his children for ever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Blessed Mother Mary sets out from Nazareth in Galilee into the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She set out in response to the message of the Angel Gabriel that Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Even though she herself was with child, Mary set out on a journey of love to give support to her older cousin. Mary brought herself to Elizabeth but she also brought Jesus, the Lord, whom she was carrying in her womb. Mary graced Elizabeth by her journey. As a result of Mary’s visit, we are told that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth declares Mary blessed. In her response to Elizabeth’s greeting Mary acknowledges that ‘all generations will call me blessed’. In other words, Elizabeth’s recognition that Mary is blessed is only the beginning of a long line of believers who will declare Mary blessed. Elizabeth declared Mary blessed because of the child she is carrying, whom Elizabeth refers to as ‘my Lord’, and because of Mary’s faithful response to God’s word of promise, God’s call. We declare Mary blessed today for the same two reasons. She is the mother of our Lord and she exemplifies a faithful response to God’s word. In a sense, the latter is more important than the former. It is because of her faithful response to God’s word that she became the mother of the Lord. She is the mother of the Lord because she is firstly the Lord’s disciple, the one who does the will of the Father in heaven. It is her faithful response to God’s word that we can all imitate. Her surrender to what God wants, ‘let it be to me according to your word’, anticipated Jesus’ own surrender to what God wants, ‘not my will but yours be done’. She shows us what surrendering to God’s purpose looks like. When we pray in the Our Father, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, we are praying as she did.

Just as Mary was initially perplexed that the Lord should visit her through Gabriel, Elizabeth is perplexed that the Lord should visit her through Mary. Both Mary and Elizabeth were humbled by the Lord’s visit to them. The story of Gabriel’s visit to Mary and Mary’s visit to Elizabeth reveals an important truth about our own lives as the Lord’s disciples. The Lord visits each of us, as He visited Mary and Elizabeth. He comes into our lives in different ways, sometimes in very ordinary ways, such as through the visit of a friend, at other times in more mystical ways, such as during a time of prayer. We are called to receive the Lord’s visit with the same openness and humility that Mary and Elizabeth showed. Having received the Lord’s visit, we are then called to bring the Lord to others, as Mary brought the Lord to Elizabeth. The Lord who visits us always wishes to visit others through us.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, we are reminded that this day is truly a joyful celebration because of the great things that the Lord had done for His faithful servants, for Mary and Elizabeth, in performing great and miraculous deeds through them and their respective conceiving of their children. The prophet Zephaniah was conveying the great joy that the people of God ought to experience because of everything that the Lord had shown them, in the faithfulness and steadfastness that He had shown towards His Covenant with all of His beloved people, and in many other things that He has done for us. And most importantly, as mentioned, through Mary and Elizabeth, the light of God’s salvation and Good News was finally revealed to us, through our Lord and Saviour Himself, and through His Herald, St. John the Baptist.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, as we celebrate this Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us all remind ourselves of the faith that we should have in the Lord, and how Mary, the Mother of God showed us this faith. Let us recall how the Lord had performed His great and wonderful deeds through those two great and holy women, Mary, Mother of God and Mother of us all, and St. Elizabeth, the Mother of St. John the Baptist, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us also share in their grace and the love which God has shown both of them. All of us are also beloved children, the sons and daughters of God by adoption through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Therefore, all of us, having been made sharers in our Lord’s plan of salvation and the New Covenant that He has established with us, the Church that He has established in this world as the tangible and real Communion of all those who are faithful to Him, all of us have also received the same assurance of salvation and eternal life, and we should emulate both Mary and Elizabeth in their response and faith. Each and every one of us have been blessed and provided by the Lord with a variety of gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities, unique to each one of us and our various circumstances. Therefore, all of us are called and sent out to do God’s will in our various capacities and opportunities, and we should do whatever we can to glorify God in all things, and in our every actions and works, in even the smallest and least significant of the things we do. We should live our lives with zeal and commitment, entrusting ourselves to the Lord and doing whatever we can to carry out His will and to follow Him as best as we are able to. We should not be idle or ignorant of what we can contribute to the good works of the Church, but do our best always, at all times to serve the Lord and to inspire each other by our own lives and actions. Let us emulate the faith that Mary and Elizabeth had in the Lord and let us do what we can to make good use of the blessings and opportunities provided for us so that we may help to lead more and more souls back towards the Lord and that we may proclaim God and His Good News among more people and in more places, that we do not waste these opportunities provided for us. Each one of us can serve our role and parts as members of God’s Church and as an integral part of the work of the Church’s mission in evangelising the world. Each one of us should help others to fulfil their parts and roles in loving God and loving one another, that the Lord’s works become ever more tangible in this world, and more and more may come to experience God’s great love and glory. May the Lord continue to guide us in our path, and may He empower all of us to walk ever more faithfully in His ways, providing us the courage and strength to do His will, and the perseverance and commitment to endure the challenges and trials that may come our way. May the Lord give us the Spirit to walk ever more faithfully like Mary and Elizabeth had done, so that we may be more and more like them and through His Blessed Mother Mary, and all the great saints, holy men and women who had dedicated their lives to God, all of us may also be more inspired to live in the same way that they had done, be ever more worthy of God in all of our actions, words and deeds. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always, now and evermore. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners and help us to live our lives in the manner you have lived yours. Amen🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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:

Dearest Mother Mary, I love you and consecrate my life to You, trusting in your motherly care and mediation. Help me, dear Mother, to be open to all that you desire to bring to me from your Son, Jesus. I am honored and humbled that you would care for me and desire to bring to me the mercy of the Heart of your Son Jesus.  Mother Mary, pray for us. 

My holy infant Jesus, as You dwelt in the sacred womb of Your own dear mother, Your presence caused much rejoicing in her heart and in the hearts of Elizabeth and John. Help me to see Your presence in our world and in my life, so that I, too, will be filled with the joy of You constantly coming to me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Most Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Petronilla ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and relaxing weekend!🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 30, 2024

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST  [FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI] – JUNE 2, 2024

[Thursday after Holy Trinity or, where this is not a holy day of obligation, on the following Sunday. In the United States it is always transferred to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity. May 30, 2024 (Where celebrated Thursday). June 2, 2024 (Where transferred to Sunday)]

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART: Novena dates: May 29 – June 6, 2024
June 7, 2024: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (Novena link below)

Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!

We pray for the safety and well-being of our children, youths, students and children all over the world. With special intention for all students graduating this year. May God continue to grant them all wisdom, knowledge and understanding and may He empower them as they walk into the future with faith, hope, and love guided by the Holy Spirit through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 30, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 30, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 30, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 30, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 30, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, May 30, 2024
Reading 1, 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12
Responsorial Psalm, Psalm, 100:2, 3, 4, 5
Gospel, Mark 10:46-52

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART: Novena dates: May 29 – June 6, 2024
June 7, 2024: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-prayer-to-the-sacred-heart-311

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOAN OF ARC, VIRGIN AND SAINT DYMPHNA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 30TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Joan of Arc, Virgin and Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of all those in the military, for captives and those in prison. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We also pray for the sick and dying especially those suffering from cancer and and those with mental illness. We pray for the poor and the needy and we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT JOAN OF ARC, VIRGIN: St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431), nicknamed “The Maid of Orléans; La Pucelle,” was born in 1412, at the obscure village of Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France, near the province of Lorraine during the Hundred Years War between France and England. St. Joan was a daughter of poor pious tenant farmers Jacques d’ Arc and his wife, Isabelle Romée. St. Joan learned piety and domestic skills from her mother. Never venturing far from home, St. Joan took care of the animals and became quite skilled as a seamstress. She was a pious child, and from age 13 she received visions of saints, most notably St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria, who became her special Patrons. Through these visions, voices, and other interior promptings, St. Joan understood that she was to go help the King of France regain his throne and reconquer his kingdom from the invading forces of England and Burgundy. In 1428, she traveled to Vaucouleurs and requested to be taken to Charles. Her request to see the king was rejected twice, but she was finally given an escort to meet Charles at Chinon. After their interview, overcoming her own reluctance, and oppositions and convincing members of the court, the military and the Church ecclesiastical authorities, Charles sent St. Joan to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief army, she was given a small army. She arrived at the city on April 29, 1429, and quickly gained prominence during the fighting. She heroically led the French army in battle. She charged into battle bearing a banner which bore the names “Jesus” and “Mary” as well as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. A national heroine of France, at age 17 Joan of Arc led the French army to victory over the English at Orléans. Due to her leadership and trust in God, she was able to raise the siege of Orleans on May 8, 1429. St. Joan and her army went on to win a series of battles, they fought to drive the English out of France and recaptured Orleans and Troyes. Because of her efforts, the king was able to enter Rheims, which allowed Charles VII to be restored to the throne of France, as the French king. He was crowned with St. Joan at his side. All the while she wore the dress of a soldier to protect her virtue and modesty.

The following year, as St. Joan was attempting to relieve Compiegne, she was eventually captured by the forces of Burgundy in May of 1430. When her own king and army did nothing to save her, she was sold to the English. She was imprisoned for a time and then placed on trial under accusation of heresy and witchcraft. Bishop Peter Cauchon of Beauvais presided over her trial. His hope was that in being harsh with St. Joan, the English would help him become archbishop. She was treated unjustly and illegally during her captivity, and her trial became a circus. On May 29, 1431, the tribunal announced St. Joan of Arc was guilty of heresy. On the morning of May 30th, under political pressure she was condemned to death on counts of heresy, witchcraft, and adultery, even though she proved herself to be blameless and fearless in character and faith. She was taken to the marketplace in Rouen, France and burned alive at the stake, before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. As she burned she kept her eyes on a crucifix and repeatedly called on the name of Jesus. She was 19 years old when she died on May 30, 1431. One legend surrounding the event tells of how her heart survived the fire unaffected. Her ashes were gathered and scattered in the Seine. A second Church trial twenty-five years later nullified the earlier verdict and found her innocent of all charges, paving the way for her veneration as a saint. St. Joan of Arc was Beatified on April 18, 1909, Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome by Pope Pius X and Canonized as a Roman Catholic saint more than 500 years after her death, on May 16, 1920, Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome by Pope Benedict XV. In 1456, twenty five years after her death, Pope Callixtus III authorized an inquisitorial court to investigate the original trial. The court nullified the trial’s verdict, declaring it was tainted by deceit and procedural errors, and Joan was exonerated. Since her death, Joan has been popularly revered as a martyr. After the French Revolution she became a national symbol of France. St. Joan was declared a secondary patron saint of France in 1922. She is the Patron Saint of France; martyrs; captives; rape victims; military personnel; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; soldiers; women who have served in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service); and Women’s Army Corps. Her feast day is May 30th.

QUOTES OF ST. JOAN OF ARC, VIRGIN
☆“About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know, that they are just one thing
and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.”
☆“If I be not in a state of grace, I pray God place me in it, if I be in it, I pray God keep me so.”

PRAYER: God, You chose St. Joan, Your virgin, to defend her country against its invader. Through her intercession enable us to work for justice and to live in peace… Amen🙏
Saint Joan of Arc, Virgin ~  Pray for us🙏

SAINT DYMPHNA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Dymphna was born in the 7th or 9th century. Her father, Damon, an Irish chieftain of great wealth and power, was a pagan. Her mother was a very beautiful and devout Christian. St. Dymphna was raised as a Christian, and she consecrated her virginity to Christ at a young age. St. Dymphna was fourteen when her mother died. St. Dymphna’s father loved his wife deeply. When her mother died, Dymphna’s father was so overcome with grief that he became mentally unstable. He sent messengers throughout his own and other lands to find some woman of noble birth, resembling his wife, who would be willing to marry him. When none could be found with equal character and beauty to his first wife, his evil advisere told him to marry his own daughter. He attempted to marry Dymphna due to her close resemblance to her mother. Upon learning of her father’s wicked plan and incestuous interest, Dymphna fled across the sea into Belgium along with her tutor and confessor, Father Gerebernus and two companions. They then built an oratory at Gheel where they lived as hermits. Her father pursued them and eventually discovered their location by tracing the foreign money they used along the way. St. Dymphna’s father search led to Belgium. There an innkeeper refused to accept his money, knowing it was difficult to exchange. This told Damon that his daughter was close – it would be unusual for a village innkeeper to know a lot about foreign currency, and his knowledge indicated that had recently seen it. The king concentrated his search in the area. Tracked down by Dymphna’s father, he found them in Gheel, the two companions and the priest, Fr. Gerebernus were murdered by his men, and Dymphna was beheaded by her father when she refused his plea to return with him to Ireland to be his wife. He cut off her head in a mad rage. She was then only fifteen years of age. St. Dymphna received the crown of martyrdom in defense of her purity.

Many miracles have taken place at her shrine, the Church built on the spot where she was buried in Gheel, Belgium, near Antwerp. There have been numerous accounts of those afflicted with epilepsy and mental illness visiting her tomb and receiving miraculous cures through her intercession. Because of this, St. Dympha is the Patron Saint of those suffering from nervous and mental affections;  neurological disorders and illnesses, as well as of mental health professionals; against sleepwalking; against epilepsy; against insanity; family happiness; incest victims; loss of parents; martyrs; mental asylums; mental health caregivers; mental hospitals; mentally ill people; nervous disorders; possessed people; princesses; psychiatrists; rape victims; runaways; sleepwalkers; therapists. There is now a well-known institution on the site, and her relics are reported to cure insanity and epilepsy.

PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. DYMPHNA: Lord Jesus Christ, You have willed that St. Dymphna should be invoked by thousands of clients as the patroness of nervous and mental disease and have brought it about that her interest in these patients should be an inspiration to and an ideal of charity throughout the world. Grant that, through the prayers of this youthful martyr of purity, those who suffer from nervous and mental illness everywhere on earth may be helped and consoled. I recommend to You in particular, (name). Be pleased to hear the prayer of St. Dymphna and of your Blessed Mother. Give those whom I recommend the patience to bear their affliction and resignation to do Your divine will. Give them the consolation they need and especially the cure they so much desire, if it be Your will. Through Christ, our Lord… Amen🙏

PRAYER: Hear us, O God, our Savior, as we honor St. Dymphna, Patroness of those afflicted with mental and emotional illness. Help us to be inspired by her example and comforted by her merciful help. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:46-52

“Master, I want to see”

“As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Bartimaeus, a blind man of Jericho after hearing that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me’. When some of the crowd around Jesus gave out to him and told him to be quiet, he only shouted out his prayer all the louder. He was determined to make contact with Jesus and would not succumb to the pressure of others to hold his tongue. It is not always easy to bear witness to our faith in Jesus in today’s world. Like the blind man by the roadside in today’s Gospel reading, we can feel a certain pressure to keep quiet, to become invisible with regard to our faith in the Lord. Yet, this tenacious man encourages us to keep the Lord in view, regardless of the pressure to do otherwise. In the gospel reading, Jesus’ response to the man was very different to the crowd’s response to him. They wanted to silence him. In contrast, Jesus asked the very people who were trying to silence the man to call him over. In the midst of the hostility towards him, the Lord called him. In a similar way, the Lord keeps calling out to us even in those contexts that are not supportive of our relationship with Him. If we try to respond to the Lord’s call as generously as Bartimaeus did, the Lord will be as generous with us as He was with him.

Our first reading today is the continuation of the exhortations of St. Peter the Apostle in his Epistle to the faithful people of God in which he reminded each and every one of them that they are all God’s holy and chosen people, and therefore, every one of them ought to live their lives worthily in accordance with the way and path of the Lord, because He has given us all His beloved Son, to be our Saviour, to deliver us all from the destruction because we truly belong to the Lord, as His holy people, consecrated and dedicated to Him. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, we have been reconciled with God our loving Father and Creator, and through this, we have been called and chosen to be His flock and people. Because of this, as we have all been made to be God’s people, His possessions and belongings, therefore, we must truly be holy just as He is all holy and perfect. Once we have been sundered and separated from God because of our sins, born of our disobedience and disregard for God’s Law and His ways, as we followed instead the whims and the temptations of our desires, and the pleasures of the world. This was why we have been lost to God and had to suffer and wander in this world because of our rebelliousness and stubborn disobedience. But God has always loved us and He wanted us all to follow Him regardless, reaching out to us with His ever patient and enduring love. He wants us all to be healed and fully reconciled with Him, to be holy and worthy once again, to be worthy in His Presence once again. We must always endeavour and put the effort to resist the temptations of sin and evil, and to do what is right and just in all things.

As we reflect on the words from the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we have been so fortunate to have been called and chosen by God, to be so beloved by Him that we receive such great graces and love that He had made manifest to us through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him we have all received the assurance of God’s salvation and grace, the light of His hope and truth, which He has revealed to us all. All of us as the holy people of God are called and expected to live a life that is truly righteous, full of virtue and worthy of the Lord, so that we are not merely just believers in the name only but also in our every words, actions and deeds, in our whole lives and in our way of interacting with one another. Let us all therefore as Christians, as God’s holy, chosen and beloved people continue to follow the Lord and His path, doing whatever we can in each and every moments so that our whole lives may truly be righteous, just and worthy of the Lord. Each and every one of us should always continue to strive for the kingdom of God, in doing what we can for the greater glory of God. We should not be idle in the living of our faith, but we must instead commit ourselves ever more, each day, to do what God has called us to do, to be ever more faithful in all things, to be holy just as He is all holy and perfect, and to rid ourselves of the sins and wickedness of our past. May the Lord continue to watch over us all in our respective journeys and paths in life, so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to focus ourselves and our attention on the Lord, and that we will always do whatever we can so that we may be good role models and examples, inspiration and strength for each other. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all in our every endeavours, our efforts and works, in each and every moments of our lives. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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 merciful Jesus, You are constantly passing by, drawing me to Yourself by Your divine presence. Give me the grace I need in order to see my need and to call out to You with all my heart. May I never be deterred from this fervent prayer, dear Lord, and when temptation sets in, may I call out all the more. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Joan of Arc, Virgin and Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 29, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!

We pray for the safety and well-being of our children, youths, students and children all over the world. With special intention for all students graduating this year. May God continue to grant them all wisdom, knowledge and understanding and may He empower them as they walk into the future with faith, hope, and love guided by the Holy Spirit through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 29, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 29, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 29, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 29, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 29, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday May 29, 2024
Reading 1, First Peter 1:18-25
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Gospel, Mark 10:32-45

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PAUL VI, POPE; SAINT MAXIMINUS OF TRIER, BISHOP; SAINT URSULA (GIULIA) LEDÓCHOWSKA AND SAINT BONA OF PISA, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 29TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paul VI, Pope; Saint Maximinus of Trier, Bishop; Saint Ursula (Giulia) Ledóchowska and Saint Bona of Pisa, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of the Church and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for those going through difficulties especially during these incredibly challenging times, we pray for the sick, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases, for the poor and the needy, for peace, love and unity in our families and our world.  And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT PAUL VI, POPE: St. Paul VI (Pope: June 21, 1963 – August 6, 1978) was born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini on September 26, 1897, in Concesio, Italy. Ordained in 1920, he spent many years working in the Vatican Secretariat of State. While there, he organized the Vatican’s massive relief work for political refugees during World War II. After being named “Pro-Secretary of State” in 1952, Montini was appointed Archbishop of Milan the following year and became known as the “archbishop of the workers.” He revitalized the diocese, preaching the Gospel’s social message and promoting both Catholic education and the Catholic press. St. Paul VI was canonized and added to the liturgical calendar on January 25, 2019, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Giovanni Battista Montini was born on September 26, 1897, in a village near Brescia Concesio. On May 29, 1920, he was named Archbishop of Milan. He became Pope on June 21, 1963. He presided over the completion of the Second Vatican Council. He died On August 6, 1978.

Saint Paul VI, Pope ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT MAXIMINUS OF TRIER, BISHOP:
St. Maximinus was Bishop of Trier, Germany, from 332, and a miracle worker. He was probably born at Silly, France, and a native of Poitiers, France. St. Maximinus left for Trier early in his life, drawn by the saintly reputation of its Bishop, St. Agritius. He received his education there and eventually succeeded to the episcopacy upon the death of St. Agritius in 325 as bishop of Trier. This provided an ideal base for Maximinus to carry on his lifelong battle with Arianism, since Trier at that time was the usual residence of the Emperors of the West and the capital of the Western Empire. He gave refuge to St. Athanasius in 336. St. Maximinus deemed it an honor to have St. Athanasius living under his protection during his first exile from 335 to 337; and he later provided equal protection for St. Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople, when the latter was banished by the same Emperor, Constantius. St. Athanasius praised the nobility, vigilance, and courage of his host who was famous for miracles. St. Maximinus was an ardent enemy of the Arian heretics, opposing them in the councils of Milan, Sardica, and Cologne. St. Maximinus convened the Synod of Cologne that declared Euphratas a heretic and removed him from his See; he also participated in the Council of Sardica in 347. Perhaps his finest moment came when he was coupled with the great St. Athanasius and anathematized by Arians at their Council of Philippopolis. This provided irrefutable evidence of his redoubtable opposition to Arianism and his marked success in that regard. He was a known miracle worker and apologist for orthodox Catholicism and was called “one of the most courageous bishops of his time” by St. Jerome. Unfortunately, though he seems to have written much, we do not possess any of the works of this intrepid defender of the true Faith, who died about the year 346. He’s the Patron Saint of Trier; invoked as protection against perjury, loss at sea and destructive rains.

PRAYER: Father, You gave us St. Maximinus to defend the Divinity of Your Son. Grant that we may enjoy his teaching and protection and grow continually in our knowledge and love of You🙏
 
SAINT MOTHER URSULA OF LEDÓCHOWSKA, RELIGIOUS: St. Ursula Ledóchowska (1865-1939), an Austrian-born religious leader. She became a Roman Catholic nun and founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus. She is a prominent member of the Ledóchowski family. Canonised on May 18, 2003 by Pope John Paul II at Vatican Basilica.  At her canonization, the pontiff proclaimed:

 “Mother Ursula  Ledóchowska made her life a mission of mercy for the most deprived. Wherever Providence took her, she found young people in need of instruction and spiritual formation, poor, sick or lonely people, battered by life in various ways, who expected of her understanding and concrete help. In accordance with her means, she never refused help to anyone. Her work of mercy will remain engraved forever in the message of holiness, which yesterday became part of the whole Church.”

Saint Ursula Ledóchowska died May 29, 1939. Her body is incorrupt, it was transferred to the Gray Ursuline motherhouse in Pniewy, Poland on May 29, 1989.

Saint Ursula Ledóchowska, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT BONA OF PISA, RELIGIOUS: St. Bona (1156 – 1207 A.D.) was born in Pisa, Italy. She experienced visions at a young age which led her into an ascetical life of penance and fasting. She dedicated herself to God at the early age of ten and became an Augustinian tertiary. At the age of fourteen she went on her first pilgrimage to Jerusalem where her father was fighting in the crusades. On her trip home she was captured and wounded by Muslim pirates and imprisoned, later being rescued by her fellow countrymen. She became fond of making pilgrimages and returned to the Holy Land many times. She also led a large pilgrimage group along the Way of St. James (Santiago de Compostela), a 1,000 mile journey. She had a great devotion to St. James, whom she had seen in a vision as a child. She was named an official guide of the ancient route by the Knights of St. James. St. Bona made the Way of St. James a total of nine times. On her tenth trip she had to return home due to illness, and died soon after. St. Bona of Pisa is the Patron Saint of travelers, couriers, tour guides, pilgrims, flight attendants, and the city of Pisa. Her feast day is May 29th.

Saint Bona of Pisa, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:32-45

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over”

“The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, ‘We can.” Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was letting His disciples know that in the city of Jerusalem towards which they were journeying He would be condemned and put to death. It had already been said by the evangelist that the disciples were apprehensive as they travelled with Jesus to Jerusalem. What Jesus said could only have made them more apprehensive. Two of the disciples, James and John, immediately strike a very different note to the one Jesus had just struck. They ask Him for places of honour when Jesus enters His glory. Jesus had spoken of the cross and shame, and they immediately speak of glory and greatness. He has to bring them back to the painful reality of what lies ahead with the question, ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I must be baptized?’ There is an implicit reference to both Eucharist and baptism in Jesus’ question. Every time we drink the cup of the Lord at the Eucharist we are saying ‘yes’ to our baptismal calling to share in the Lord’s work of giving of ourselves in the service of others. Jesus will drink the cup of suffering, not because He is in love with suffering, but because suffering will be the inevitable outcome of His life of loving service of all. As He says of Himself at the end of the Gospel reading, He is the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for all. His loving service of us all was a service unto death. Jesus goes on to teach His disciples that within the circle of His followers glory and greatness consist in self-emptying service of others. The Lord wants to continue His mission of loving service of others through each one of us. Whenever we give of ourselves in some way in the service of others, we are making present in the world the Lord’s self-emptying love and we will be considered great in the eyes of the Lord.

In our first reading today from the First Epistle of St. Peter, the Apostle continued with his exhortation to all the faithful people of God in the Church to remind them all of everything which God had done through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit that He had sent into the world, to strengthen all of His beloved people despite the trials and challenges that they might have to face. St. Peter also quoted the prophets of the days past, who had foretold of the coming of the Lord and His salvation in Christ, who did not know of the full details and truth, and yet longed to see the salvation and light of God. Those prophets themselves also faced a lot of hardships and struggles as we all will know well if we read through the Old Testament. St. Peter was preparing the faithful for the trials and tribulations that they might have to face and endure amidst those challenging moments, when their faith would be tested by those who seek the destruction of the Church and the Christian faith. He was telling them all not to give up on their faith and to remain true to their commitment and dedication to God, so that in everything that they say and do, they would continue to obey the Lord, following His path and being true to their Christian faith despite the challenges and trials that they might have to suffer from. This would indeed come true as the Church would face lots of hardships, persecutions and trials from not only the Jewish authorities, but also the Roman government and other organisations and figures that refused to believe in the Lord and His truth.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded of the need for us all as Christians to be always committed to God at all times, so that by our every efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, we will always be faithful to God. We are all also called to be holy as our Lord is Holy, and to be exemplary in all that we do that despite the challenges we may be facing in life, we will always inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brothers and sisters to persevere through those many challenges that we may have to face amidst those difficult moments. We are reminded that as Christians we may have to bear through difficulties and sufferings in our journey just as the Lord Himself had suffered. Let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord despite the difficulties and challenges that we may be facing now in our lives. Let us all remember that God Himself has sent to us His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, to be with us and to suffer for our sake. He has suffered the most grievous and most painful death for our salvation, to journey together with all of us and to carry His Cross together with the crosses that we carry in our own respective lives. Let us all be ever grateful and appreciative of everything that He had done for our sake, for the salvation of our souls and the liberation from the power of sin and death. And let us all be generous in helping one another to endure these various sufferings and burdens that each one of us have to endure as well. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord our most loving God and Master continue to be with us in our every efforts and endeavours, in all of our journeys and works, in everything that we do for the sake of His greater glory and for the salvation of many souls, our fellow brothers and sisters. May He continue to strengthen us all that we may continue to be good and worthy role models in every moments of our lives, that we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News to all the people. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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 generous Lord, You ask everything of me. You ask me to abandon everything in my pursuit of Your perfect will. Give me the grace I need to answer Your call and to live sacrificially for You without counting the cost. You are generous beyond description, dear Lord, and I trust that following You will produce an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Apostles and Saint Paul VI, Pope; Saint Maximinus of Trier; Saint Mother Ursula (Giulia) Ledóchowska and Saint Bona of Pisa ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 28, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!

We pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected by the recent storms and extreme weather conditions. For the gentle repose of the souls of all those who lost their lives. May the good Lord grant them eternal rest and comfort their families. 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 | EWTN on YouTube | May 28, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 28, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 28, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 28, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 28, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Reading 1, First Peter 1:10-16
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
Gospel, Mark 10:28-31

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT GERMANUS, BISHOP OF PARIS, SAINT BERNARD OF MONTJOUX, PRIEST AND BLESSED MARGARET POLE, COUNTESS OF SALISBURY, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 28TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Germanus, Bishop of Paris; Saint Bernard of Montjoux, Priest and Blessed Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this special feast, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, particularly pray for those who are terminally ill and for those going through difficulties especially during these incredibly challenging times, we pray for the poor and the needy and we also pray for the safety and well-being of all travelers. We pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT GERMANUS, BISHOP OF PARIS: St. Germanus (Germain), one of the glories of France in the 6th century, was born about 496 near Autun in what is now France, to noble Gallo-Roman parents. He was known as Germain d’Autun, rendered in modern times as the “Father of the Poor”. He was renouned for his miracles which were recorded by Bishop Fortunatus. St. Germain studied at Avallon in Burgundy and at Luzy under the guidance of his cousin Scallion, who was a priest. At the age of 35, he was ordained by Agrippinus of Autun and subsequently chosen Abbot and administrator of the nearby Abbey of St. Symphorianus in one of the suburbs of Autun. He was known for his hardworking and austere nature; however, it was his generous alms-giving which caused his monks to fear that one day he would give away all the wealth of the abbey, resulting in their rebellion against him. While in Paris in 555, Sibelius, the bishop of Paris, died, and King Childebert had him consecrated as the bishop of Paris but he continued to lead his former austere life. His example and his preaching brought about the conversion of many sinners and careless Christians. The King himself abandoned his total absorption in worldly affairs, and became a benefactor of the poor and the founder of many religious establishments.

Throughout his episcopate St. Germanus remained unwearying and fearless in his endeavors to halt civil strife, curb the licentiousness of the nobles, and check the viciousness of the Frankish Kings—but to no avail. He founded a monastery in Paris in whose church he was buried after his death on May 28, 576; it went on to become very famous under the name of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. At his death, he was mourned by the people and King Chilperic, who composed the Bishop’s epitaph, extolling his virtues, miracles, and zeal for the salvation of souls.

PRAYER: God, Light and Shepherd of souls, You established St. Germanus as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Helps us through his intercession to keep the Faith he taught by his word and follow the way he showed by his example. Amen🙏
 
SAINT BERNARD OF MONTJOUX, PRIEST: St. Bernard of Montjoux (c. 923–1008 A.D.), also known as St. Bernard of Menthon, was born to a wealthy and noble family in the Kingdom of Arles (present day France and Switzerland) in 923, probably in the castle Menthon near Annecy, in Savoy. He received a thorough education. As an adult he refused an honorable marriage proposed by his father and decided to devote himself to the service of the Church. Placing himself under the direction of Peter, Archdeacon of Aosta, under whose guidance he rapidly progressed, St. Bernard was ordained priest in northern Italy and on account of his learning and virtue was made Archdeacon of Aosta (966), having charge of the government of the diocese under the bishop. Seeing the ignorance and idolatry still prevailing among the people of the Alps, he resolved to devote himself to their conversion. For forty two years he continued to preach the Gospel to these people and carried the light of faith even into many cantons of Lombardy, effecting numerous conversions and working many miracles.

St. Bernard spent more than four decades doing missionary work in the Alps and was the founder of the Alpine hospices of Saint Bernard. He built schools and churches, and is especially known for aiding travelers. The area where he ministered had an ancient, snowy, and dangerous pass winding through the mountains along which pilgrims traveled to and from Rome. To serve the pilgrims St. Bernard built a hospice at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea level. Later he founded another hospice along another smaller pass. St. Bernard obtained papal approval for communities of priests to serve in the hospices, which have generously aided travnelers for more than a millennium. The priests and their well-trained dogs (the St. Bernard breed named after the saint) would seek and rescue lost pilgrims. St. Bernard is the Patron Saint of Alpinists; travelers in the mountains. mountaineers and was declared the Patron Saint of skiers and mountain climbers by Pope Pius XI in 1923.

Saint Bernard reminds us of the epistle of Saint Peter: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever… Amen”🙏 ~1 Peter 4: 7-11

Saint Bernard of Montjoux, Priest ~ Pray for us🙏

BLESSED MARGARET POLE, COUNTESS OF SALISBURY, MARTYR: Bl. Margaret Pole (1473-1541) was born Margaret Plantagenet on August 14, 1473, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Farleigh Hungerford in Somerset, United Kingdom into the ruling dynasty. She was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence. Her father, the Duke of Clarence, was brother to both Edward IV and Richard III. This meant that all her life she was seen as a threat to the ruling monarchs, as she had a legitimate claim to the throne and was therefore a potential figurehead in any revolt against the crown. Indeed as soon as the Tudors came to power they imprisoned Bl. Margaret’s brother, the Earl of Warwick, and eventually executed him. The Tudors sought to defuse her potential threat by keeping her close to them, marrying her to Sir Richard Pole, who was related to Henry VII, and keeping her close at court. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1487–1504 and bore five sons, including Reginald Cardinal Pole.

Bl. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess to Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and lady in waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, Spain, beginning a lifelong friendship. At first Henry favoured Margaret, restoring to her lost family lands and titles, but this came to an end at the time of his divorce from Catherine. Her loyalty to Catherine, and to Mary, as well as to her Catholic faith, brought her into conflict with the King at the time of his divorce and remarriage to Anne Boleyn. She opposed Henry’s mar­riage to Anne Boleyn, and the king exiled her from the court, although he called her “the holiest woman in England.”  If her own opposition to Henry’s behaviour, and her position as a possible contender for the throne when the Tudor dynasty was looking shaky were not enough, her son Reginald Pole was needling the King from overseas and encouraging opposition to him. When Reginald Pole, denied Henry’s Act of Supremacy, this made Bl. Margaret’s position very dangerous indeed. Although the King described her as ‘the holiest woman in England’ she was arrested on the grounds of treason, and imprisoned for some time at Cowdray in the Tower of London, United Kingdom for two years in 1538-9, although she never faced trial and there was no credible evidence against her. In spite of this she was executed by beheadinimmg on May 28, 1541, at the age of about 70. Reportedly the inexperienced executioner took ten blows to sever her head. In 1538, her oI oll her son Reginald Pole, now a cardinal, heard of his mother’s death, he is reported to have said: “Hitherto I have thought myself indebted to the divine goodness for having received my birth from one of the most noble and virtuous women in England; but from henceforth my obligation will be much greater, for I understand that I am now the son of a martyr. May God be thanked and praised. We must rejoice, because now we have one more patron to intercede for us in Heaven.” Bl. Margaret was one of just two women in 16th-century England to be a peeress in her own right without a husband in the House of Lords. Blessed Margaret Pole was beatified with other martyrs of penal times in 1886.

Blessed Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052824.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:28-31

“You will receive a hundred times as much persecution in this present age, and eternal life in the age to come”

“Peter began to say to Jesus, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Peter declares to Jesus, ‘We have left everything and followed you’. He spoke the truth. He and his companions had left their family and their fishing business to follow Jesus. Jesus goes on to acknowledge that Peter and the others did indeed leave their household, family and possessions for his sake. He assures them that their leaving family will open them up to an experience of a new kind of family, brothers, sisters, mothers, children in the here and now. Jesus is talking here of the family of disciples, what we have come to call the church. Most of us have not been asked by the Lord to leave our families and livelihood in order to follow Him. Yet, our following the Lord will often require some form of letting go on our part. By the standards of this age, there may appear to be a loss involved in our remaining faithful to the way of the Lord. Yet, Jesus assures us in the Gospel reading that in losing our lives for His sake we will gain something new. Our faithful follower of the Lord, even at a cost to ourselves, will open us up to an experience of a new spiritual family, the family of the church. In giving our lives to the Lord we will receive abundantly from Him in and through the community of His followers, the church. This is a community that extends beyond this life into eternal life.

In our first reading today, from the First Epistle of St. Peter, the Apostle continued with his exhortation to all the faithful people of God in the Church to remind them all of everything which God had done through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit that He had sent into the world, to strengthen all of His beloved people despite the trials and challenges that they might have to face. St. Peter also quoted the prophets of the days past, who had foretold of the coming of the Lord and His salvation in Christ, who did not know of the full details and truth, and yet longed to see the salvation and light of God. Those prophets themselves also faced a lot of hardships and struggles as we all will know well if we read through the Old Testament. St. Peter was preparing the faithful for the trials and tribulations that they might have to face and endure amidst those challenging moments, when their faith would be tested by those who seek the destruction of the Church and the Christian faith. He was telling them all not to give up on their faith and to remain true to their commitment and dedication to God, so that in everything that they say and do, they would continue to obey the Lord, following His path and being true to their Christian faith despite the challenges and trials that they might have to suffer from. This would indeed come true as the Church would face lots of hardships, persecutions and trials from not only the Jewish authorities, but also the Roman government and other organisations and figures that refused to believe in the Lord and His truth.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded of the need for us all as Christians to be always committed to God at all times, so that by our every efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, we will always be faithful to God. We are all also called to be holy as our Lord is Holy, and to be exemplary in all that we do that despite the challenges we may be facing in life, we will always inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brothers and sisters to persevere through those many challenges that we may have to face amidst those difficult moments. We are reminded that as Christians we may have to bear through difficulties and sufferings in our journey just as the Lord Himself had suffered. Let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord despite the difficulties and challenges that we may be facing now in our lives. Let us all remember that God Himself has sent to us His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, to be with us and to suffer for our sake. He has suffered the most grievous and most painful death for our salvation, to journey together with all of us and to carry His Cross together with the crosses that we carry in our own respective lives. Let us all be ever grateful and appreciative of everything that He had done for our sake, for the salvation of our souls and the liberation from the power of sin and death. And let us all be generous in helping one another to endure these various sufferings and burdens that each one of us have to endure as well. May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to be with us in our every efforts and endeavours, in all of our journeys and works, in everything that we do for the sake of His greater glory and for the salvation of many souls, our fellow brothers and sisters. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may He continue to strengthen us all that we may continue to be good and worthy role models in every moments of our lives, that we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News to all the people. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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 generous Lord, You ask everything of me. You ask me to abandon everything in my pursuit of Your perfect will. Give me the grace I need to answer Your call and to live sacrificially for You without counting the cost. You are generous beyond description, dear Lord, and I trust that following You will produce an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Germanus, Bishop of Paris; Saint Bernard of Montjoux and Blessed Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit on this special feast day of the Holy Trinity and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, and grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

MONDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 27, 2024

Greetings beloved family. Happy Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Memorial Day!

On this Memorial Day, we pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, we particularly remember, honor and pray for all those in the military who sacrificed their lives to make the world a better place for all of us. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls 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 | EWTN on YouTube | May 27, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 27, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 27, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 27, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 27, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://youtu.be/vVc782kcDds

Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, May 27, 2024
Reading 1, First Peter 1:3-9
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 111:1-2, 5-6, 9, 10
Gospel, Mark 10:17-27

SAINT OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 27TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Augustine of Canterbury on this feast day, we humbly pray for those going through difficulties especially during these incredibly challenging times, we pray for the sick, those suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases. We also pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for the poor and needy. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP: St. Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604 A.D.), also known as St. Austin, was prior of monastery of St. Andrew in Rome, before being called by Pope Gregory the Great to be a missionary to the British Isles. Under the direction of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, St. Augustine founded the famous See of Canterbury and preached the Catholic faith to the country’s Anglo-Saxon pagans during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. St. Augustine was born in Rome and died in Canterbury, England, in 604. St.. Augustine’s date of birth cannot be established, nor are any details of his early life known. Most likely born in Rome to a noble family, he entered monastic life as a young man. The community he joined had been recently founded by a Benedictine monk named Gregory, who would go on to become Pope and eventually be known as St. Gregory the Great. The friendship between St. Gregory and St. Augustine had great historical consequences, as it was the Pope who would eventually send his fellow monk to evangelize England.

Around 595, five years into his 14-year pontificate, Pope Gregory set to work on a plan for the conversion of the English people. The Catholic faith had already been preached and accepted among England’s original Celtic inhabitants in earlier times, but from the mid-fifth century onward, the country was dominated by Anglo-Saxon invaders who did not accept Christianity, and were not converted by the small number of isolated Celtic Christian holdouts. Thus, England largely had to be evangelized anew. For this task the Pope chose a group of around forty monks – including St. Augustine, who was to represent the delegation and communicate on its behalf. Though he was not explicitly chosen as its leader at that time, that was the role he ended up taking on with Gregory’s support. The group left for England in June 596, but some of the missionaries lost their nerve after hearing fearsome reports about the Anglo-Saxons. St. Augustine ended up returning to Rome, where he got further advice and support from the Pope. Persuaded to continue on their way, the missionary-monks reached their port of departure and set sail for England in spring of 597. After arriving they gained an audience with King Ethelbert of Kent, a pagan ruler whose Frankish wife Queen Bertha was a Christian. Speaking with the king through an interpreter, St. Augustine gave a powerful and straightforward presentation of the Gospel message, speaking of Christ’s redemption of the world and his offer of eternal life. King Ethelbert would later convert, and eventually even be canonized as a Saint. But his initial response to St. Augustine’s preaching was only mildly positive: he would receive the missionaries with hospitality, and permit them to evangelize without any restriction. Despite his early ambivalence, however, the king became a generous patron of the monks. They made their home in Canterbury, after dramatically entering the city in procession with the Cross and an image of Christ.

The Canterbury community lived according to the Rule of St. Benedict, as they had in Italy, but they also preached in the surrounding area in accordance with their mission. St. Augustine and his companions succeeded in converting King Ethelbert himself, while Queen Bertha also became more zealous in her practice of the faith after her husband’s baptism. St. Augustine traveled to Gaul, where he was consecrated as a bishop for the English Church. By Christmas of 597, over ten thousand people were actively seeking baptism from the missionaries. Through his written correspondence, Pope Gregory continued to guide the work of St. Augustine – the first Archbishop of Canterbury – and the other Catholic missionaries. The great Pope, and the “Apostle of England,” would both die during the same year, 604. Though St. Augustine had not managed to sort out some disagreements with the native Celtic bishops, he had given the faith a firm foothold among the Anglo-Saxons. Canterbury would continue on for centuries as the ranking see of English Catholicism, until its fall into schism during the 16th century. Although St. Augustine’s labor among the pagans was slow and difficult, his work bore much fruit and England eventually became a Christian nation. St. Augustine died on May 27, 604 as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He’s the Patron Saint of England.

Saint Augustine of Canterbury’s quote

“God, in His promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it; but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him, and hurt yourself by preferring to Him a creature which He framed: Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him, ‘Thou, O Lord, are my portion.’ Let others choose to themselves portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance.” ~ Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury

PRAYER: O God, who by the preaching of the Bishop Saint Augustine of Canterbury led the English peoples to the Gospel, grant, we pray, that the fruits of his labors may remain ever abundant in your Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052724.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:17-27

“Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor”

“As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

In today’s Gospel reading, a rich man ran up to Jesus with the question, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ When Jesus asked him to go beyond the Ten Commandments he had been keeping and to sell all he owned and follow Jesus along the way, he couldn’t live with that answer. According to the Gospel, he walked away sad. Jesus did not ask everybody He met to sell everything and to journey with Him, but He did ask this man. This was this man’s particular calling. Like this rich man, we can often find ourselves faced with a call to do something which seems beyond us. The temptation can be to walk away from the call, even though to say ‘yes’ to the call would be the path to life for us. The Lord can call any one of us beyond where we are; He can call on us to grow in our relationship with Him, to be more generous in our response to His presence. We may not be able to answer that call in our own strength, but we will be able to answer it with the Lord’s strength. In the Gospel reading, Jesus declares that ‘everything is possible for God’. When the Blessed Virgin Mary was called to become the mother of Jesus and she hesitated, that was the message she heard. The Angel declared to her ‘Nothing will be impossible with God’. It is the message we too will hear whenever we seek to answer the Lord’s very particular call to each of us. Today’s Gospel is a reminder to us that Jesus needs our co-operation if His purpose for our lives is to come to pass. He calls but He cannot force a response, as He couldn’t force the response of the idealistic man who had run up to Him with such energy. The story reminds us that following Jesus will often mean letting go of something that we are holding onto for dear life. We may struggle to let go of what we need to let go of; it may seem impossible to do so at times, but we have the reassuring words of Jesus to the disciples after the rich man had left, ‘everything is possible for God’. With God’s grace we can do the seemingly impossible.

In our first reading today from the first Epistle of St. Peter, the Apostle spoke of the great joy that all of the faithful ought to experience and commemorate because of everything that the Lord Himself had done for them, in sending His own Son to be our Saviour, to lift us all up from our sorry state in this world, to uplift us from all of our sufferings and to assure us of the everlasting life that will be ours if we put our faith and trust in Him, and if we continue to uphold the faith which we all should have in Him and in all the things He has done for us. At the same time, St. Peter also reminded the faithful and hence all of us that there will likely be sufferings and challenges facing us, just as there will be joy for us in being the followers and disciples of the Lord. This is a reminder for all of us that we must always do whatever we can so that our lives and our whole existence will always be focused and centred on the Lord, our God in all things. We must not allow the many temptations and coercions present all around us from tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We must also not easily lose our faith in Him, especially whenever we are facing hardships and difficulties in the midst of following God and His commandments. There may be time when all the challenges and hardships facing us may tempt us to give in to the pressures of the world all around us, but we should always be strong and we should inspire one another to remain faithful to God.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that to be true and genuine Christians, often times we may have to face hardships, challenges and trials, all of which may be part of our path and journey in life. We have also been reminded of the need for all of us to follow and obey God’s Law and commandments, all the things which He had revealed and given to us to be our guide and help in our journey towards Him, as a means to help us to keep a most worthy and virtuous life, that by our every words, actions and deeds, everyone will know that we are indeed Christians, those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. This is what God had entrusted to us, and what God has also expected for us to do in each and every one of our live. Today, we are called to emulate the Saints. Especially St. Augustine of Canterbury, who we celebrate today, his commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to him by the Lord and the Pope, and everything that he had done for the propagation of the Christian faith. Let us all continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another, and be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all times. May the Lord continue to help us to persevere amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless our every endeavours and may He strengthen all of us in our various vocations and missions in life, that we may be holy and missionary, courageous and evangelising as St. Augustine of Canterbury had done. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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 generous Lord, You call me to perfection. You call me to turn from everything that hinders my perfect love of You and my full embrace of Your will. Please help me to sincerely turn to You every day, seeking only Your full will in all things. As I do, please set me free from all that keeps me from the life of perfection to which I am called. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit on this special feast day of the Holy Trinity and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, and grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (YEAR B)

THE FIRST WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 26, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Trinity Sunday, Feast of the Most Holy Trinity!

On this special feast day, as we celebrate the 1st World Children’s Day, we pray for our children and children all over the world. We lift them all up before the throne of God and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, we pray for their safety and well-being 🙏

Watch “The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and the 1st World Children’s Day and Angelus Prayer with Pope Francis | Live from the Vatican, St. Peter’s Square | May 26, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity | EWTN on YouTube | May 26, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 26, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 26, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 26, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2024
Reading 1, Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
Gospel, Matthew 28:16-20
Reading 2, Romans 8:14-17

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY: Today, the first Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Most Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The dogma of faith which forms the object of the feast is this: There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God! The Father is not more God than the Son, neither is the Son more God than the Holy Spirit. The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person, begotten from the nature of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son. No mortal can fully fathom this sublime truth. But I submit humbly and say: Lord, I believe, help my weak faith. This revealed doctrine of God’s nature as Three but also One at the same time is one of the distinguishing marks of Christianity and what made us unique when compared with other great world religions or other monotheistic beliefs. This is the central and greatest mystery of the Christian faith and the one that we all held to be the only Universal truth above all else. An everlasting and loving union with the Holy Trinity is the final end for which mankind is created. The divine inner life of the Holy Trinity is generously given to us as sanctifying grace through the Church’s Sacraments, which is fully and perfectly possessed by the saints in heaven. We believe in a God who is characterized by both unity and diversity. We believe that God is a community of three, without ceasing to be one. And we all believe that God, our Supreme Lord and Master, the Creator of all things and the whole entire universe, of all existence and time, is this Most Holy Trinity, the Triune God.

Why is this feast celebrated at this particular time? It may be interpreted as a finale to all the preceding feasts. All three Persons contributed to and shared in the work of redemption. The Father sent His Son to earth, for “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son.” The Father called us to the faith. The Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, became man and died for us. He redeemed us and made us children of God. He ever remains the liturgist par excellence to whom we are united in all sacred functions. After Christ’s ascension the Holy Spirit, however, became our Teacher, our Leader, our Guide, our Consoler. On solemn occasions a thanksgiving Te Deum rises spontaneously from Christian hearts. The feast of the Most Holy Trinity may well be regarded as the Church’s Te Deum of gratitude over all the blessings of the Christmas and Easter seasons; for this mystery is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, should make us mindful that actually every Sunday is devoted to the honor of the Most Holy Trinity, that every Sunday is sanctified and consecrated to the triune God. Sunday after Sunday we should recall in a spirit of gratitude the gifts which the Blessed Trinity is bestowing upon us. The Father created and predestined us; on the first day of the week He began the work of creation. The Son redeemed us; Sunday is the “Day of the Lord,” the day of His resurrection. The Holy Spirit sanctified us, made us His temple; on Sunday the Holy Spirit descended upon the infant Church. Sunday, therefore, is the day of the Most Holy Trinity.

The feast of the Blessed Trinity was introduced in the ninth century and was only inserted in the general calendar of the Church in the fourteenth century by Pope John XXII. But the cultus of the Trinity is, of course, to be found throughout the liturgy. Constantly the Church causes us to praise and adore the thrice-holy God who has so shown His mercy towards us and has given us to share in His life. The understanding of God as Trinity not only speaks of the richness of God’s way of relating to us but also of the rich diversity in how we can relate to God.

PRAYER: God our Father, who by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made known to the human race your wondrous mystery, grant us, we pray, that in profession the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity | May 26, 2024 | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the First World Children’s Day on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity | 25-26 May 2024 | https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/bambini/documents/20240302_messaggio-bambini.html

Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 28:16–20

“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

“The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ instructed His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Making the sign of the cross over ourselves while expressing our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a very ancient custom in the church. It was a form of mutual recognition among Christians in the early centuries when Christians had to keep a low profile or risk persecution and death. It remains a form of mutual recognition among Christians today. When you see someone bless themselves, you recognize them as people of Christian faith. It is a very public act and it can be a very powerful and courageous, statement of faith in these days when the public expression of faith is often frowned upon. Whenever we bless ourselves, we are expressing our faith in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is a Trinitarian shape to our faith. Jesus was a Jew, and at the core of the Jewish faith is the conviction that there is only one God. There aren’t many gods, as other nations believed. That fundamental conviction of the Jewish faith is expressed in our first reading, ‘the Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, He and no other’. As a Jew, Jesus shared this fundamental conviction. Yet, Jesus revealed that within the life of this one God was a set of loving relationships. Jesus revealed the life of God to be a life of love, and there is always a relational or communal dimension to love. God is a community of love. Jesus spoke of God as Abba, Father. He had a uniquely intimate relationship with God, as Son to Father. Jesus also spoke a great deal about the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit belonged to God in a unique way, but Jesus showed that He Himself also had a unique relationship with the Holy Spirit. He was full of the Holy Spirit in a way that no one else was. Jesus showed us that the life of the one God had a wonderful relational quality. The church came to express this communal quality of the life of God by expressing its faith in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God as Father is the origin of our lives, our Creator and also the goal of our lives, towards whom we are journeying. Jesus, the unique Son of God, is the greatest gift that God has given to the world. When we look upon Jesus, we are looking upon God, such is the intimacy of their relationship. He is God-with-us and He is the way to God the Father. The Holy Spirit is the shared gift of God the Father and His Son to us. It is through the Holy Spirit that God the Father and Jesus come to live in the depths of each one of us. The Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, and it is through the Holy Spirit that the love of the Father and the Son enters our lives and makes us loving persons. Just twenty five years or so after the death and resurrection of Jesus Paul could conclude his second letter to the church in Corinth with the blessing, ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all’. The love of God the Father was expressed in the grace or the gift of Jesus to us; that love is poured into our lives through the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is communion, loving relationships between us all.  The role of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to live lives that reflect the community of love that is God.

In our first reading this special Solemnity from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses spoke to the people of Israel during the time of the Exodus about their great privilege to have been called and chosen as the holy people of God, as the ones whom God had first made to be His own people, to be loved and cared for by Him. Why did God then create all of us if He is already perfect and all good? First of all, we must understand that the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is united by the perfect bond of love, which overflows from the Holy Trinity to all of us. God is Love, and He is so full of love that He wants to share this love with each and every one of us. We were created so that we may share in God’s love. That was why from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the people of just how much God had loved them, taken care of them and provided for them despite of their many disobedience and rebellious attitudes. God is so full of love that He has done all that were necessary to bring them out of their slavery and bondage in Egypt, and providing them with the means to survive the long journey in the desert, protecting them all from harm and from their enemies. And while they were also chastised and punished by the Lord for their disobedience and rebellion, but God did so with the intention to help His people to find their way back towards Him, and for them all to realise that their attitudes and actions were causing them to be sundered and separated from His wonderful love, grace and kindness.

In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, he spoke of how every one of them have become and have indeed been made to be the children of God, as through His Spirit and by His Son sharing in our human nature and existence, all of us have received this adoption, by becoming members and parts of the Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that just as Christ Our Lord called God the Father as His Heavenly Father, thus we are all also able to call the Lord our God as our Father as well. This is what all of us have received from the Lord Himself, showing us just how loving and compassionate He is, and how fortunate all of us indeed are, to have been beloved in such a way.

What we all now need to do as Christians is that we need to first of all remember this core tenet of our faith in the Most Holy Trinity, our Lord and God, Creator and Master of all the Universe, Who is One, but having Three Divine Persons in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have to appreciate and understand the significance of this Trinitarian Doctrine so that we may help many others both within and outside the Church to know what it is that we all as Christians truly believe in the Lord, in one God Who manifested Himself in the Three Divine Persons, co-equal and co-eternal, distinct and yet indivisible from one another. We must also give thanks to Him Who has loved us so much that this overflowing love from the perfect bond in the Holy Trinity has been outpoured on us from the very beginning. Then, reflecting upon the unity within the Most Holy Trinity, let us also remember our own community of believers as Christians, who are all members of the same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. If Our Lord Himself is perfectly united in the indivisible bond of love in the Most Holy Trinity, then we ourselves cannot and should not be divided against each other. Unfortunately and sadly, such divisions are quite common both in the past and present, as there were various schisms and heresies that led to the splintering of the unity of the Body of Christ, the One Church of God. This is why on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we must renew our faith in the Lord and strive to advance and champion unity among all the believers in Christ, our Lord. Let us all therefore as Christians, as those who believe in the One Lord in Three Divine Persons, the Most Holy Trinity and Triune God, continue to live our lives most worthily, so that by our most exemplary lives, we may truly be the bearers of Our Lord’s truth and Good News, and be the worthy bearers of His love and compassion, His ways and examples into this world.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord, our Triune God, He Who is One and yet existing in the perfect harmony of Three Divine Persons. Let us all ask the Father to bless us all and continue to love each and every one of us at all times, and the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ to be with us through our journeys of faith in life, inspiring us with His obedience to His Father and His loving sacrifice on His Cross, and the Holy Spirit, for the guidance and the strength, the courage and power to carry out our mission of evangelisation in our world and communities today with faith. Let us all do whatever we can to believe wholeheartedly in Him, and entrusting ourselves to His Providence so that we may truly live our lives worthy of God, guided by the will of the Father, led by the examples of the Son, and encouraged by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. May our lives be the shining beacons of light and truth of God to many others who journey together with us and encounter us at each and every moments. O Most Holy God, forever worthy of praise, honour and worship, Our Lord and God in the Most Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us all sinners and be with Your Church, so that in all that we do and in our every good efforts and endeavours, may You continue to bless and guide us all in our path, in serving You at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord, the Most Holy Trinity, continue to bless us and guide us throughout our lives, now and always, forevermore. Amen 🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PHILIP NERI, PRIEST AND SAINT ELEUTHERIUS, POPE AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – MAY 26TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest and Saint Eleutherius, Pope and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, especially those suffering from terminal diseases. We also pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for the poor and needy. We pray for all those in the military. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT PHILIP NERI, PRIEST: St. Philip Neri (1515–1595) was born in Florence, Italy in 1515, to the noble class. He was a dutiful child with a cheerful disposition, making him popular with all who knew him. From his sixth year he was characterized by most perfect obedience toward his parents. He lived a spotless childhood in Florence. At the age of 18 he was to begin an apprenticeship for a career in business and was sent to his uncle, Romolo, a wealthy merchant at San Germano, a Neapolitan town near the base of Monte Cassino, to assist him in his business, and with the hope that he might inherit his uncle’s fortune. He gained Romolo’s confidence and affection, but soon after coming to San Germano St. Philip had a religious conversion. From then onward, after having a mystical experience, his life was radically changed, he no longer cared for things of the world, and decided in 1533 to live in Rome.

He traveled to Rome and entrusted himself completely to God’s providence. While in Rome, he found living accommodations with a fellow Florentine nobleman in exchange for tutoring his sons, which Philip did with great skill. He then enrolled in philosophy and theology classes at a local monastery in order to become a priest. Although he excelled in his studies, eventually St. Philip became bored of learning, he suddenly quit in order to spiritually serve the people of Rome. So he sold all of his books, gave the money he received from them to the poor, and visited the sick under the guidance of the Augustinians. At that time, indifference, luxury, and corruption were widespread characteristics of the Roman clergy. Churches were neglected, flocks were abandoned, and the loss of faith was widespread. St. Philip Neri, with his commitment to a life of asceticism, was a contradiction to all of this malaise. With his characteristic good-naturedness, he lead many to a life of virtue and love for God as he traveled through the streets of Rome.

He began an oratory for laymen to gather together and practice greater spiritual discipline, which grew and became famous. In obedience to his spiritual director he finally became a priest at the age of 36, ordained in June 1551. His desire to save souls caused him to establish the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity in 1548, with the object of serving pilgrims and the sick. Many people converted thanks to St. Philip’s preaching and example. Many people came to him for confession. He also began to work with youth. Pope Gregory XIV wanted to make St. Philip a cardinal, but the priest declined. The saintly priest now began to dwell in a small community near the Church of St. Jerome, continuing his mortified life. He then founded the Congregation of the Oratory, also known as the Oratorians, dedicated to preaching and teaching, and they still exist today. In 1575, Gregory XIII approved it, and in 1583 gave to St. Philip the new Church of La Vallicella, which is still called La Chiesa Nuova—The New Church. Here the Saint lived, edifying all Rome by his virtues and laboring zealously for souls in the ministry of the confessional. He enjoyed the favor of Popes Pius IV and V, Gregory XIII and XIV and Clement VIII, and the friendship of many great men, among whom was St. Charles Borromeo. After a life of penance and of eminent usefulness, St. Philip died May 27, 1595, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. St. Philip Neri is known as the “Apostle of Rome.” He is the Patron Saint of Rome and the U.S. Army Special Forces.

PRAYER: God, You never cease raising Your faithful servant to the glory of holiness. Grant that we may be inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit that so wonderfully burned in the heart of St. Philip. Amen🙏

SAINT ELEUTHERIUS, POPE AND MARTYR: Pope Eleutherius, also known as Eleutherus, was the thirteenth bishop of Rome of the Catholic Church from c. 174 to his death in 189. St. Eleutherius, who governed the Church for more than 15 years, after the persecution of the Emperor Commodus. Faith, at the time, made great progress in the whole world. He ruled between Soter and Victor I and ruled longer than any pope who came before him.

Eleutherius was born at Nicopolis in Greece. He was a deacon of Pope Anicetus, and was chosen to govern the Church during the reign of the emperor Commodus. At the beginning of his pontificate he received letters from Lucius, king of the Britons, begging him to receive himself and his subjects among the Christians. Wherefore Eleutherius sent into Britain Fugatius and Damian, two learned and holy men; through whose ministry the king and his people might receive the faith. It was also during his pontificate that Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, went to Rome, and was kindly received by Eleutherius. The Church of God was then enjoying great peace and calm, and the faith made progress throughout the whole world, but nowhere more than at Rome. Eleutherius governed the Church fifteen years and twenty-three days. He thrice held ordinations in December, at which he made twelve priests, eight deacons, and fifteen bishops for diverse places. He was buried in the Vatican, near the body of St Peter. I ì, O Almighty God, and since the burden of our deeds is grievous to us, grant that the glorious intercession of blessed Eleutherius Thy martyr and bishop may protect us… Amen🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help me to know You and to love You. Help me to discover the love You share within Your own divine life. In that discovery, help me to also love others with Your heart. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, please draw me into a relationship of love with You Who are one God and three divine Persons. May the mystery and beauty of Your life become more known and loved by me each day through the gift of transforming mystical prayer. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Philip Neri and Saint Eleutherius ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit on this special feast day of the Holy Trinity and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, and grace-filled Trinity Sunday and week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 25, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch ” Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 25, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 25, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 25, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, May 25, 2024
Reading 1, James 5:13-20
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 141:1-2, 3, 8
Gospel, Mark 10:13-16

Today, we enter once again into the season of Ordinary Time, which will continue until the end of this current liturgical year in November this year. Please let us all continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World🙏

MEMORIAL OF SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST AND DOCTOR; SAINT GREGORY VII, POPE, RELIGIOUS; SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE PAZZI, VIRGIN ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 25TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor; Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious and Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, especially those suffering from terminal diseases. We pray for Scholars, Writers and Historians. We also pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for the poor and needy. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST AND DOCTOR: St. Bede (672–735 A.D.), was an English priest, monk, and scholar and sometimes known as “the Venerable Bede” for his combination of personal holiness and intellectual brilliance. St. Bede was born during 673 near the English town of Jarrow to a wealthy family. His parents sent him at a young age, at the age of seven to the Benedictine monastery to be  educated by the monks. He studied at the monastery founded by a Benedictine abbot who would later be canonized in his own right as St. Benedict Biscop. The abbot’s extensive library may have sparked an early curiosity in the boy, who would grow up to be a voracious reader and prolific writer. Later, St. Bede returned to Jarrow and continued his studies with an abbot named Ceolfrid, who was a companion of St. Benedict Biscop. The abbot and a group of other monks instructed St. Bede not only in scripture and theology, but also in sacred music, poetry and the Greek language. St. Bede’s tutors could see that his life demonstrated a remarkable devotion to prayer and study, and Ceolfrid made the decision to have him ordained a deacon when he was 19. Another Benedictine monk and future saint, the bishop John of Beverley, ordained St. Bede in 691. He studied for 11 more years before entering the priesthood at the age of 30, around the beginning of the eighth century. Afterward, St. Bede took on the responsibility of celebrating daily Mass for the members of his Benedictine community, while also working on farming, baking, and other works of the monastery.

As a monk, St. Bede gave absolute priority to prayer, fasting and charitable hospitality. He regarded all other works as valueless without the love of God and one’s neighbor. However, St. Bede also possessed astounding intellectual gifts, which he used to survey and master a wide range of subjects according to an all-encompassing vision of Christian scholarship. St. Bede declined a request to become abbot of his monastery. Instead, he concentrated on writing, and produced more than 45 books –  primarily about theology and the Bible, but also on science, literature, and history. He also taught hundreds of students at the monastery and its school, which became renowned throughout Britain. During St. Bede’s own lifetime, his spiritual and intellectual gifts garnered wide recognition. His writings on scripture were considered so authoritative that a Church council ordered them to be publicly read in English churches. Some of the most illustrious members of English society made pilgrimages to his monastery to seek his guidance, and he was personally invited to Rome by Pope Sergius. St. Bede, however, was unfazed by these honors. Perhaps inspired by the Benedictine monastic ethos, which emphasizes one’s absolute commitment to the monastic community, he chose not to visit Rome, or to travel any significant distance beyond the Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul in Jarrow, during his entire adult life.

Instead, the world came to him – through the visitors he received, according to the Benedictine tradition of hospitality, and through his voluminous reading. And Bede, in turn, reached the world without leaving his monastery, writing books that were copied with reverence for centuries and still read today. He is one of the last Western Christian writers to be numbered among the Church Fathers. But St. Bede understood that love, rather than learning, was his life’s purpose. “It is better,” he famously said, “to be a stupid and uneducated brother who, working at the good things he knows, merits life in heaven, than to be one who –  though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a teacher – lacks the bread of love.” St. Bede died at Jarrow,  England on the vigil of the feast of the Ascension of Christ in 735, shortly after finishing an Anglo-Saxon translation of the Gospel of John. He wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture and treatises on theology and history. He is well known as an author, teacher (Alcuin was a student of one of his pupils), and scholar, and his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, gained him the title “The Father of English History”. He’s the Patron Saint of Scholars, English writers and historians; Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England, San Beda University, San Beda College Alabang.

PRAYER: O God, who bring light to your Church through the learning of the Priest Saint Bede, mercifully grant that your servants may always be enlightened by his wisdom and helped by his merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SAINT GREGORY VII, POPE, RELIGIOUS: Pope St. Gregory VII sought to reform the Church and secure its freedom against the intrusion of civil rulers during his 11th century pontificate. He was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He was a monk of Cluny. Before ascending to the papacy, he fought against the abuse of lay investiture, the source of the evils from which the Church was suffering. His energetic stance as Pope Gregory VII earned for him the enmity of Emperor Henry IV. He was exiled to Salerno where he died. The future Pope St. Gregory VII was born Hildebrand of Sovana, in the Italian region of Tuscany sometime between 1020 and 1025. His father Bonzio is thought to have been a carpenter or peasant farmer, while his mother’s name is unknown. His uncle Laurentius was abbot of a monastery in Rome. Sent to the school run by his uncle’s monastery, Hildebrand entered a world of discipline and fervent devotion. After his primary education, he entered religious life as a monk. Hildebrand served as chaplain to his mentor John Gratian who had a brief and turbulent reign as Pope Gregory VI. In 1046 Hildebrand left Rome for Cologne along with Gratian, who was forced to leave Rome and resign from the Papacy. After the former Pope’s death in 1047, Hildebrand left for France and spent more than a year in the monastery at Cluny. During 1049 he made the acquaintance of Bruno of Toul, who would soon become Pope Leo IX. Under his reign, Hildebrand was put in charge of a historic monastery, which he rescued from structural and administrative ruin through a series of reforms. Hildebrand served Leo IX as an adviser and legate until the Pope’s death in 1054. While others considered him a possible successor to Leo, Hildebrand did not wish to be elected, though he continued his work as an influential and respected cardinal during several subsequent pontificates.

In April 1073, Hildebrand was finally elected as Pope Gregory VII. Though he still did not want the office, his electors praised him as “a devout man … mighty in human and divine knowledge, a distinguished lover of equity and justice, a man firm in adversity and temperate in prosperity.” Overwhelming challenges confronted the new Pope – including scandalous corruption among the clergy, a hardening schism between the churches of Rome and Constantinople, and a struggle against civil rulers who claimed a right to choose the Church’s clergy and control its properties. In March of 1074 Gregory promulgated a sweeping set of reforming decrees. These met with widespread opposition, but the Pope stood his ground. The resulting standoff pitted him against the German Emperor Henry IV, who sought to depose the Pope when threatened with excommunication. The Pope carried out his threat and declared that the emperor’s subjects were no longer bound to obey him as their ruler. The emperor was forced, in 1077, to come before the Pope as a penitent, spending three days waiting in the snow before he was received and given the conditions of his reconciliation. Though temporarily reconciled, Henry was excommunicated for later attacks, which included supporting a rival Pope and invading Rome. Pope St. Gregory never gave up his pontificate, but was forced to flee the city in 1084. “I have loved justice and hated iniquity, therefore I die in exile,” he proclaimed, just before his death in Salerno on May 25, 1085. Remembered as a champion of the Church’s freedom against state intrusion, St. Gregory VII was canonized by Benedict XIII in 1728. He’s the Patron Saint of Diocese of Sovana.

Pope Gregory VII Quote: “It is the custom of the Roman Church which I unworthily serve with the help of God, to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to some, following the spirit of discretion rather than the rigid letter of the law.”

PRAYER: Give to your Church, we pray, O Lord, that spirit of fortitude and zeal for justice which you made to shine forth in Pope Saint Gregory the Seventh, so that, rejecting evil, she may be free to carry out in charity whatever is right. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen 🙏
 
SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE PAZZI,  VIRGIN: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi (1566-1607) was an Italian noblewoman, Carmelite nun and mystic of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries who became a Carmelite nun distinguished for her intense prayer life and devotion to frequent Holy Communion. St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was born in Florence on April 2, 1566 to a noble Florentine family. The future “Mary Magdalene” was given the name of Caterina at the time of her birth. She was the only daughter of her parents, who both came from prominent families. Caterina was drawn to the Holy Eucharist from a young age, and she resolved to serve God as a consecrated virgin shortly after receiving her First Communion at age 10. Late in the year 1582 she entered a strictly traditional Carmelite monastery, where Holy Communion was – unusually for the time period – administered daily. Receiving her religious habit the next year, she took the name of Mary Magdalene. From March to May of 1584, St. Mary became seriously ill and was thought to be in danger of death. On May 27 of that year she made her religious vows while lying sick upon a pallet. Her recovery marked the start of an extended mystical experience, which lasted 40 days and involved extraordinary experiences taken down by her religious sisters in a set of manuscripts. St. Mary served the monastery in a series of teaching and supervisory positions, while also contributing to her community through manual work. Her fellow Carmelites respected her strict sense of discipline, which was accompanied by profound charity and practical wisdom. Her experiences of suffering and temptation helped her to guide and inspire others.

Extraordinary spiritual occurrences were a frequent feature of this Carmelite nun’s life, to a much greater degree than is typical in the tradition of Catholic mysticism. Many of her experiences of God were documented by others in her community, although St. Mary herself disliked the attention and would seemingly have preferred for these events to remain private. She did wish, however, to call attention to God’s love, which she saw as tragically underappreciated and unreciprocated by mankind. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi is remembered for making dramatic gestures – running through the halls of her monastery, or ringing its bells at night – while proclaiming the urgent need for all people to awaken to God’s love, and respond in kind. The last three years of Mary’s life were characterized by intense bodily and mental suffering, yet she prayed to suffer more, so great was her love for Jesus Christ Crucified. Her earthly life came to an end on May 25, 1607, after the excruciating illness, shortly after Pope Leo XI, whose elevation to the papacy and subsequent death she had foretold. St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was Beatified in 1626, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Urban VIII and was canonized in 1669 by Pope Clement IX. She’s the Patron Saint against bodily ills; against sexual temptation; against sickness; sick people; Naples (co-patron).

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI marked the 400th anniversary of St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi’s death in a letter to the Archbishop of Florence, her birthplace. He described her as “a symbolic figure of a living love that recalls the essential mystical dimension of every Christian life.” “May the great mystic,” the Pope wrote, “still make her voice heard in all the Church, spreading to every human creature the proclamation to love God.”

PRAYER: God, the lover of virginity, You conferred heavenly gifts on St. Mary the Virgin who was inflamed with love for You. Help us to imitate the example of purity and love given us by the one whom we honor this day. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052524.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:13-16

“Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it”

“People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the reference to people bringing children to Jesus is reflected in the parents who bring their children for baptism. The Lord blessing the children speaks of the wonderful way He blesses them through baptism. The contrast between how the disciples, on the one hand, and Jesus, on the other, reacted to the parents bringing children to Jesus is very striking. The disciples turned the parents and their children away, whereas Jesus insisted that the children come to Him and that nothing be placed in the way of their coming to Him. Jesus suggests that we all have to do what we can to bring children into a relationship with Himself, to support them in coming to Him. Jesus also declares in the gospel reading that as well as the responsibility we have to children we also have a lot to learn from them. We have to learn to welcome the kingdom of God as children do. Children are very receptive to good things, to gifts that come their way, including the gift of the kingdom of God, the gift of the Lord. They are open to that gift; they are very receptive to it. We can easily loose that receptiveness, the openness to the Lord, as we grow older. As adults we have to keep on recovering it; we need to keep learning to become like children so that we can welcome the gift of the Lord as openly as they do. This is the essence of the first beatitude, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. James, the Apostle continued with his exhortations to the people of God. He told the people not to give in to the many temptations of the world, highlighting the fact that all those temptations had led to many people to fall into the path of sin and destruction, which leads only to damnation and suffering for us, and that was why the Apostle exhorted all the faithful to stay away from the path of temptation, disobedience and sin, all the things which could lead the people astray from truth and therefore into their downfall and defeat. St. James told the faithful to stay rooted in their faith in God and to have genuine relationship and connection with God. Through prayer and the building of genuine commitment and relationship with God, we mankind can continue to live through our lives with renewed faith and that important connection that can help anchor us all in the faith. We must use the many opportunities, chances and moments that the Lord had given us so that we may build and establish a truly vibrant and living relationship with Him, strengthened through prayer and quality time, and through the faithful living of our lives as Christians.

As we reflect on the words from the Sacred Scriptures today, we are again constantly being reminded of the need for us all as Christians to be truly genuine in our faith and obedience to God. We should not be hypocrites who profess to believe in God and yet in our daily living, in how we live our lives, in how we act and behave, in what we say and do, we do not truly believe in the Lord, and we even sully and profane His Holy Name because our actions had been contrary to what we believe in, to our Christian faith and calling. We are called to emulate the Saints, holy men and women of God, in how they dedicated themselves and their whole lives to the Lord, let us all therefore strive to do our best to follow in their footsteps and to carry out whatever it is that God has entrusted to us to do so that by our every lives, actions and deeds, in our whole entire way of living, we may truly be worthy and will be great inspiration ourselves for all those who have witnessed us and our lives. Let us resist the temptations of worldly glory and desires, and the temptations of our ego, ambition, pride and other things that can lead us down the path towards our downfall. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always, and may He empower each one of us to live ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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:

Loving Father, I turn to You in complete trust as a small child turns to a loving parent. May I never become so self-sufficient that I fool myself into thinking I am capable of finding my own fulfillment in life. Instead, may I always see You as the one and only source of true fulfillment and always trust in You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.mɓ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Bede the Venerable; Saint Gregory VII and Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and relaxing week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 23, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch ” Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 23, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 23, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 23, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 23, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 23, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://youtu.be/vVc782kcDds

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, May 23, 2024
Reading 1, James 5:1-6
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 49:14-15, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20
Gospel, Mark 9:41-50

Today, we enter once again into the season of Ordinary Time, which will continue until the end of this current liturgical year in November this year. Please let us all continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DEI ROSSI, PRIEST; SAINT JULIA OF CORSICA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR; SAINT JANE (JOAN) ANTIDE THOURET, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT WILLIAM OF ROCHESTER, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 23RD Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Baptist Dei Rossi, Priest; Saint Julia of Corsica, Virgin and Martyr; Saint Jane (Joan) Antide Thouret, Religious and Saint William of Rochester, Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, particularly pray for those who are terminally ill and those suffering from pathologies of the hands and the feet. We pray for the poor and the needy all over the world. We continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world🙏

SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DEI ROSSI, PRIEST: St. John Baptist Dei Rossi (1698 -1764) known as the “The Apostle of the abandoned” was was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. He was born Giovanni Battista de’ Rossi on February 22, 1698 at Voltaggio, Italy. St. John received an excellent education and was ordained in 1721. Shortly thereafter he was afflicted with epilepsy and devoted his ministry to the poor of the Campagna. For the nest forty years he performed labors that would have taxed the strength of a robust man. He served as the canon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin after his cousin, who was a priest serving there, died. He was a popular confessor despite his initial fears that his epileptic seizures could manifest in the Confessional. St. John Rossi opened a hospice for homeless women not long after his ordination, and he became known for his work with prisoners and ill people, to whom he dedicated his entire ecclesial mission.

St. John ministered to the sick and poor in St. Gall, the night hospice for paupers founded by Celestine III, and in the hospital of the Trinity. Early in the morning and late every night he sought out the cattle-drivers and teamsters in the Roman market, gaining their confidence, instructing them, and preparing them for the Sacraments. Another class of people to whom his pity was extended comprised the homeless women and girls who wandered around begging or walked the streets by night. With the pittance he received in Mass stipends he rented a house behind St. Gall and housed them there. As an assistant priest John spent many hours hearing confessions, especially of the poor and unlearned. On succeeding to the canonry of St. Mary in Cosmedin in 1735, he turned over all income to charitable causes and lived most frugally. He was given the unusual faculties of hearing confessions in any demand for parish missions. Often, he preached five and six times a day in churches, chapels, convents, hospitals, barracks and prisons. Such extraordinary zeal and labor eventually took its toll and Saint’s health broke down. He retired from the hospital of the Trinity, which he had so often frequented, and died of a stroke on May 23, 1764. Since he died without a penny, this “Hunter of souls” was buried at the expense of the hospital. He was “The Apostle of the abandoned.”  He’s the Patron Saint of Voltaggio. He was canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII.

PRAYER: Dear St John, you drew people to Jesus through the sacrament of confession. Help me to seek the healing of this sacrament…Amen.🙏

Almighty, eternal God, You dedicated the joy of this day to the glorification of St. John. Mercifully grant that we may always strive to retain and complete by our works that Faith which he continually proclaimed with unwearying zeal… Amen🙏

SAINT JULIA OF CORSICA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Julia, also known as Saint Julia of Carthage, was born in Carthage to a noble family. In 616, the city was conquered by the Vandals and she was captured by the Genseric and sold as a slave to the pagan merchant in Syria, Eusebius. In the most mortifying employments of her station, by cheerfulness and patience she found a happiness and comfort which the world could not give. Whenever she was not employed in household affairs, her time was devoted to prayer and reading books of piety. St. Julia’s beauty, her faithfulness, and abilities as a hard worker proved her worth to her master. Her master, who was charmed with her fidelity and other virtues, thought proper to take her with him on one of his voyages to Gaul. In 620, while traveling to France, Eusebius stopped at a pagan festival. When he reached the northern part of Corsica, he cast anchor and went ashore to join the pagans of the place in an idolatrous festival. Julia was left at some distance, because she would not be defiled by the superstitious ceremonies, which she openly spurned. The governor of the island, Felix, a bigoted pagan, asked who this woman was who dared to insult the gods. The merchant informed him that she was a Christian, and that all his authority over her was too weak to prevail upon her to renounce her religion; nonetheless, he found her so diligent and faithful he could not part with her.

The Governor tried to make Julia sacrifice to their gods but she refused. He even offered to buy her from Eusebius. The governor offered him four of his best slaves in exchange for her. But the merchant, Eusebius replied, “No; all you are worth will not purchase her; for I would lose the most valuable thing I have in the world rather than be deprived of her or lose her.” So while the inebriated merchant, Eusebius was asleep, the governor Felix attempted to compel her to sacrifice to his gods. He offered to procure her liberty if she would comply. The Saint made answer that she was as free as she desired to be, as long as she was allowed to serve Jesus Christ. The pagan, offended by her undaunted and resolute air, in a transport of rage caused her to be struck on the face, and the hair of her head to be torn off. Finally he ordered her to be hanged on a cross until she expired. St. Julia was kidnapped, tortured and crucified by governor Felix. Certain monks from the isle of Gorgon transported her relics there, but in 763 the king of Lombardy transferred them to Brescia, Italy at a Benedictine Abby where her memory is celebrated with great devotion. She’s the Patron Saint of torture victims, pathologies of the hands and the feet, Corsica, France, Brescia and Livorno, Italy.

PRAYER: Jesus, owing to Your death on the cross and Your resurrection, the faithful have a hope for eternal life that lets them boldly counter life hardships. Let the example of Saint Julia be a motivation for us to stay by You forever. You live and reign for ages and ages. Amen. Saint Julia of Corsica, Virgin and Martyr  ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT JANE (JOAN) ANTIDE THOURET, RELIGIOUS: St. Jane also known as Joan Antide or Jeanne-Antide Thouret (1765-1826) was a French Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Thouret sisters. She was a Sister of Charity who worked tirelessly for the faith amidst persecution during the French Revolution. St. Jane Thouret’s life was one of service to children and the ill across France in schools and hospitals – some of which her order established. This active apostolate did not cease when the French Revolution forced her into exile in both Switzerland and the Kingdom of Prussia. St. Jane was born in Sancey, France in the diocese of Besançon on November 27, 1765 to a poor family. Her pious mother died when she was 16 years old. The Saint took on many family responsibilities and cared for younger brothers and sisters. After many hesitations, St. Jane’s father permitted her to enter the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (Vincentian Sisters) in Paris in 1787 at the age of 22. She worked in various hospitals caring for the sick, until the Revolution in France brought about the dispersion of the Congregations when many religious and priests were killed. She was ordered to abandon her religious habit and return home to a secular life in 1792, but refused and fled the authority; she was struck so violently that she remained for eight months between life and death.

In 1793 she finally returned from Paris to her native village of Sancey on foot, begging her bread; there she cared for the sick and opened a small school for girls on August 15, 1797 until she was forced to flee when times were growing ever more difficult. Sister Thouret again had to depart, this time journeying to Switzerland, where she assisted a French priest who had gone into exile with a few members of his little community. Again she cared for the sick; but the entire group was forced to move once again and go to Germany. She fled to Germany before returning again to Switzerland two years later to the village of Landeron in Switzerland. There she met the Vicar General of Besançon, and he asked her to found a school and a hospital in that city. On August 11, 1799 the foreseen school was opened at Besançon, she founded  a new congregation in Besançon called the Institute of the Daughters of St. Vincent de Paul (Thouret’s Sisters). With a few novices the Foundress began work in France again. The community eventually expanded into France and Italy. She wrote a rule for her Daughters of Saint Vincent de Paul, as she called them to distinguish them from the larger group, the Sisters of Charity, of whom they were independent. The Congregation’s members multiplied, as did their works; in 1802 they were given the direction of a house of detention at Bellevaux, sheltering more than 500 prisoners. They opened schools in eastern France and Switzerland. The foundress was invited to go to Naples to take on the direction of a hospital and initiate other works; she accepted this invitation in 1810. She remained in Naples until 1818, obtaining from Pope Pius VII the approval of her Institute in 1819. Problems arising in Besançon caused her many sufferings, when the new bishop there desired to maintain the Community under diocesan authority. Saint Joan Antide died in Naples on August 24, 1826 of natural causes, having left for her Sisters many examples of heroic virtue. She was canonized in 1934 by Pope Pius XI, who invited the French nation to exult with joy on seeing its crown enriched by a new flower of holiness. She’s the Patron Saint of Sisters of Divine Charity.

Saint Jane (Joan) Antide Thouret, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT WILLIAM OF ROCHESTER, MARTYR: St. William of Rochester (d. 1201), also known as St. William of Perth, was a Scottish saint born in Perth, Scotland and martyred in England. He was a wild youth who matured into a devoted man of God. He became a baker, and out of his charity he would always set aside bread to feed the poor. One day, while walking into the church for Mass, he found an abandoned baby boy on the church steps. He adopted the child, raised him, and taught him his trade. Years later St. William made a vow to visit the sacred sites of Our Lord’s life on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, along with his adopted son. The two set out on their journey. While traveling through England his son deceived him, slit his throat, and stole the money he had saved for their pilgrimage. St. William’s abandoned body was discovered and mourned over by a mentally deranged woman. She made a crown of flowers and placed it on the head of St. William’s murdered corpse, then afterwards put the garland on her own head. Upon doing this, she was immediately cured of her mental illness. The local monks learned of this miracle and carried St. William’s body to the Rochester cathedral to give him the proper burial of a saint. His shrine later attracted many pilgrims. St. William died in 1201, Rochester, United Kingdom and Canonized in 1256 by Pope Alexander IV. St. William of Rochester is the Patron Saint of adopted children. His feast day is May 23rd.

Saint William of Rochester, Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052324.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 9:41-5

“It is better for you to enter into life with one hand, than with two hands to go into Gehenna”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

In today’s Gospel reading, at the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples, ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward’. Jesus is reminding us that the smallest gesture of kindness towards someone has enormous value in the sight of God. We can sometimes get discouraged because we may feel that we are not doing enough. Yet, Jesus is suggesting that God does not measure success in the way that the world tends to measure success. The love which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit can express itself in ways that are seemingly small and insignificant by normal human standards. Today’s Gospel reading encourages us never to underestimate the significance and life-giving impact of even the smallest of loving gestures. If the Lord can work powerfully through the young boy’s few loaves and fish, feeding a multitude with them, He can work powerfully through our own gestures of loving kindness, no matter how small they are.

According to the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about stumbling blocks. He is very critical of those who are a stumbling block to the faith of others, those who undermine and weaken other people’s faith. He issues a warning against leading others astray, leading them away from God. Part of our baptismal calling is to nurture the faith of one another; to do the opposite is considered by Jesus to be a very serious matter indeed. He moves on from how people can be a stumbling to others in their relationship with God to how we can be a stumbling block to ourselves. The hand, the foot, the eye can be a stumbling block to our own relationship with the Lord. When Jesus says, ‘if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out’, He does not intend to be taken literally. It is simply a striking image to bring home the seriousness of what he is saying. The positive calling of the Gospel reading is that every aspect of our embodied existence is to serve and nurture our relationship with the Lord. Our calling is to give our whole selves to the Lord and to His way, to gather up all the elements that go to make us up and point them all in the one direction, the direction of the Lord and his will for our lives.

In our first reading today, from the Epistle of St. James, the Apostle continued to speak against the wickedness of those who have allowed themselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly ambitions and glory, those who have allowed the allure of wealth and worldly possessions to lead them to bring about actions that hurt others around them. Many people throughout time and history had acted in manner that bring about suffering and hardships to others, through exploitation and manipulation of those who were weaker, so that those who acted in this selfish and wicked manner could enrich and empower themselves at the cost of those people whom they had stepped on amidst their pursuit for power, riches and worldly glory. It was against all those people and all those temptations that St. James the Apostle had been speaking out about, an important reminder for all the faithful not to be corrupted by wealth, power and glory that they end up committing things that are against God’s ways and teachings. Too often throughout time and history mankind had been swayed by all those worldly temptations and end up benefitting from the sufferings of others, or even purposefully causing harm to others just so that one could gain profit and benefit to oneself from such heinous and selfish action. St. James also reminded the faithful that all those worldly things and ambitions ultimately would come to nothing as none of those things would last forever or remain amidst the passing of time and none would also bring their worldly wealth and glory beyond the world. That is why he urged the faithful people of God not to follow that same path to ruin and damnation. He reminded the people that if they allowed themselves to be swayed in such a manner, they would be in serious danger as the temptations of wealth, worldly glory and ambitions are indeed slippery slope that many had found hard to escape from, and if we are not careful, we may find ourselves in a most precarious situation, falling ever deeper into the traps of sin and evil that lead us into our destruction. This is not what the Lord wanted to happen to us, and this is what we all should always be wary of, as we continue to live our lives in our world today. We should also remind one another not to live in such a wicked manner.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded to always be vigilant against the temptations of the world. We must always be careful as the evil one and all of his forces are always ever ready to strike at us with all their might, as they are looking for the opportunity to snatch us away from God and His salvation, trying to pull us into our destruction and downfall through the various worldly temptations and desires, just as they had done many times to us and our predecessors in the past. We must keep in mind that each and every one of our actions, words, deeds, interactions and all that we say and do, all will be held accountable by the Lord our God, at the time of our reckoning. The Lord has given us all many opportunities and means for us to do what He has taught us to do in our lives, to resist the temptations of worldly pleasures and evils, and to embrace once again the path of His grace and love. With our bodies, all the means and blessings that He has given us, He wants us to use them for good and worthy purposes. All these things are not themselves evil, be it money, material possessions and other things in life which we have, as they can be used either good or evil uses and purposes. There are a lot of good things that we can do with whatever blessings which we have received, as well as evil things, and the choice is ours on what we want to do with them. Unfortunately, it was our excessive and unhealthy attachments to those worldly goods and things which had led to us falling into the traps of the evil one, losing our sight on the light and truth of God. Therefore, having heard of the reminders from both the Lord Himself and from St. James the Apostle, let us all continue to live our lives from now on with ever greater love and commitment to the Lord. Let our lives by the inspiration and strength to everyone all around us, to be the beacons of the light of God and His Good News to all the people of all the nations. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord continue to bless us all in our endeavours and efforts, and may He empower each and every one of us to always be faithful to His path, to shun evil and wickedness in our lives and to be worthy Christians at all times. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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:

Most merciful Lord, You desire that all of Your children come to the full revelation of Your truth and mercy. Please use me as You choose to reach out to those who struggle with their faith and need to be treated with the utmost care. May I never be a stumbling block to them but always be a bridge to You and Your abundance of grace. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint John Baptist De Rossi, Saint Julia, Saint Jane (Joan) Antide Thouret and Saint William of Rochester ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 22, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

Watch ” Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN on YouTube | May 22, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 22, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 22, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 22, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 22, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Reading 1, James 4:13-17
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11
Gospel, Mark 9:38-40

Today, we enter once again into the season of Ordinary Time, which will continue until the end of this current liturgical year in November this year. Please let us all continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World🙏

SAINT OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT RITA OF CASCIA, RELIGIOUS ~ MAY 22ND: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Rita of Cascia and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We pray for all parents and all marriages, especially pray for those marriages going through challenges and spouses who are abused in their marriages, we pray for peace, love and harmony and God’s divine intervention.🙏

SAINT RITA OF CASCIA, RELIGIOUS: St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint is referred to as, “a disciple of the Crucified One” and an “expert in suffering” by late Pope John Paul II. She is known in Spain as “La Santa de los impossibiles” (the saint of the impossible), St. Rita has become immensely popular throughout the centuries. She is invoked by people in all situations and stations of life, since she had embraced suffering with charity and wrongs with forgiveness in the many trials she experienced in her life: as a wife, widow, a mother surviving the death of her children, and a nun.

St. Rita of Cascia was born Margherita Lotti in 1381 at Spoleto, Italy during an era of violent strife between cities and warring family tribes. As a child she repeatedly requested to enter the convent, but instead her parents arranged her marriage to a rich, ill-tempered, and violent man. He became physically abusive, in anger he often mistreated his wife, yet she met his cruelty with kindness and patience. He taught their children his own evil ways. St. Rita tried to perform her duties faithfully and to pray and receive the Sacrament frequently. During her eighteen years of marriage she bore two sons whom she loved deeply. After many years of persistent prayer she eventually won her husband over to greater civility and kindness. After nearly twenty years of marriage, St. Rita’s husband was stabbed by an enemy but before he died he repented because St. Rita prayed for him. When he was murdered, her sons plotted a bloody vendetta against the culprits. St. Rita labored to guide her children into forgiveness, without success. She earnestly prayed that God would change her sons’ murderous intentions, or allow them to die rather than commit a mortal sin. God heard St. Rita’s prayers, and soon both of her sons became ill and died and St. Rita was alone in the world. Prayer, fasting, penances of many kinds, and good works filled her days. St. Rita was then free to join the convent, however, she was rejected due to her family’s connection with the local violence. She finally obtained entry only after much prayer, humility, patience, and perseverance. She asked the intercession of Sts. Augustine, Mary Magadalene and John the Baptist. St. Rita joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters at Cascia in Umbria, where she lived the last 40 years  of her life and was known both for practicing mortification of the flesh and for the efficacy of her prayers and service to the people of Cascia. St. Rita’s life in the convent was marked by heroic charity and penance as she closely united herself and her life of deep suffering to Christ. In a life-long and terrible malady her patience, cheerfulness, and union by prayer with almighty God, never failed her. Sister Rita had a great devotion to the Passion of Christ. “Please let me suffer like You, Divine Savior, “ she said one day while praying before the Crucifix and suddenly one of the thorns from the crucifix struck her on the forehead. She mystically received the mark of a thorn on her forehead (stigmata) from Jesus’ Crown of Thorns. It left a deep wound that did not heal and that caused her much suffering for the rest of her life. In the last 15 years of her life, the stigmata-like thorn wound that she received in answer to her prayers made her more profoundly conformed to the passion of the Lord Jesus. St. Rita was bedridden for the last four years of her life, consuming almost nothing except for the Eucharist.

St. Rita died of tuberculosis at the age of 70 on May 22, 1457. St. Rita was canonized by Pope Leo XIII on 24 May 1900. Her feast day is celebrated on May 22nd. At her canonization ceremony, she was bestowed the title of Patroness of “Impossible Causes” and hopeless circumstances because of her difficult and disappointing life. Through her trials God used her in remarkable ways. In many Catholic countries, St. Rita came to be known as the patroness of abused wives and heartbroken women. Her incorrupt body remains in the Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia. Various miracles are attributed to her intercession, and she is often portrayed with a bleeding wound on her forehead, which is understood to indicate the partial stigmata. She’s the Patron Saint of Lost, impossible causes and hopeless circumstances, sickness, wounds, sterility, abuse victims, loneliness, marital problems, abuse, widows, mothers, difficult marriages, parenthood, the sick, bodily ills and wounds.

On the 100th anniversary of her canonization in 2000, Pope John Paul II noted her remarkable qualities as a Christian woman: “Rita interpreted well the ‘feminine genius’ by living it intensely in both physical and spiritual motherhood.”

PRAYER: Father in heaven, You granted to St. Rita a share in the Passion of Your Son. Give us courage and strength in time of trial, so that by our patient endurance we may enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Your Son. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 9:38-40

Whoever is not against us is for us

“John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

In today’s Gospel reading, from the Gospel of St. Mark, the Lord and His group encountered a person who was driving out demons by using His Name, and the disciples complained about the person to the Lord, Who told them that they should not go against the person, or make complaints, as in the end, if the person was doing good works of the Lord, in accordance to the manner that God had done and taught us all, then all those works are equally valid and worthy, and God may have indeed called the person to do His will too, without us knowing about it. What is significant from this event is that the Lord made it clear that salvation is truly meant for everyone, even if not necessarily those belonging to the group, as there might be cases and occasions when there are people whom not by their fault or deliberate action, not fully belonging to the group of the Lord’s followers. Back then, the disciples of the Lord must have been jealous and unwilling to let the others to have the same gifts, abilities and opportunities to do what they themselves had been entrusted to do. Essentially, the attitude and actions of the disciples were based on worldly desires and jealousy, and that was wrong. This is therefore a reminder to each and every one of us that we should not allow all sorts of worldly temptations, our ego and pride, our desires for pleasure and for worldly things to sway our decisions and distract us in our path towards God. We must always be resolute in our efforts to resist those temptations and pressures, which are usually always ever present around us, so that we may continue to walk faithfully in God’s path and be the worthy and ever faithful bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all more. We can be partners in mission with those who are ‘not one of us’ in the strict sense. In these times we need the generous vision that Jesus displays in today’s Gospel reading rather than the much narrower one displayed by His disciples. Through our lives and examples, we should always strive to proclaim the Lord to everyone whom we encounter in our journey throughout life.

In today’s first reading, from the Apostle St. James in his exhortation to the faithful people of God, told those who’re making all sorts of plans for the future, ‘You never know what will happen tomorrow… the most you should say is, “If it is the Lord’s will, we shall still be alive to do this or that”’. St. James told them all that they must not be so busy worrying and preparing for their plans in the world, with all their preoccupations and all the busy things they carried out to prepare for the next day, for the next week, the next month, and even for the next few years. All these things can prevent us from truly following the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly, as they may end up dragging us down the path of the pursuit of worldly ambitions, fame and glory. When we focus so much on our lives in this world and our desires for all sorts of worldly goods and matters, it is easy for us to get distracted and to abandon our faith in God, as we may end up putting our trust more in those worldly things and attachments that we have, such as money, wealth, possessions, worldly pleasures, glory, fame among many other things. Throughout history, it has been proven that many in the Church and among the faithful fell into the path of evil and wickedness because they gave in to those temptations, even those high in position within the Church, corrupted by the worldly desires and temptations. We need to keep growing more fully into the Lord’s generous vision and way of being.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that as Christians, God’s people and followers, we must always strive to put our faith and trust in the Lord above all the other things, and we must not let ourselves to be swayed or distracted by the many temptations of worldly glory, ambitions and desires, all of which can lead us astray and bring us away from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations, we may end up falling into the path towards eternal damnation and destruction. Through the examples and commitment showed by all the Saints. Holy men and women, especially St. Rita of Cascia, who we celebrate today, we can see how we can also commit ourselves so that we can continue to live worthily in the path that the Lord has shown us, by distancing ourselves from worldly ambitions and pursuits, and placing our focus in life on the Lord and on doing His will rather than pursuing glory and greatness, which as we have seen from the life of the Saints like St. Rita of Cascia, to be rather pointless, meaningless and futile, and which often lead us only down the path of destruction and damnation instead of the path of righteousness and virtue. May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our journey, and may He continue to bless us all, empowering us to live faithfully as His good and devout servants, proclaiming His Good News and salvation to everyone. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and may He guide us always in our paths through life, now and always. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MONTH OF OUR LADY: In addition to the myriad feast days honoring Our Lady under her many titles and virtues, the entire month of May is especially given to her praise. In the words of Pope Paul VI, May is “a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God … For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MAY – FOR THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS: We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.🙏

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

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/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. 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 soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. 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:

Lord of power and might, You accomplish countless good through the generosity and fidelity of Your people. You constantly use all who follow You to bring forth Your will. Please use me, dear Lord, as an instrument of Your will, and help me to always rejoice in the ways that You bring Your grace forth through others. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖