SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

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

THE FEAST OF THE APPARITION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter!

We thank God for the  gift of life and for the gift of the new month of May. The entire month of May is dedicated to our beloved Mother Mary, the Mother of God. May she continue to intercede for us and may God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of Easter🙏

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

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

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

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

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 8, 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 7, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 16:22-34
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 138:1-2, 2-3, 7-8
Gospel, John 16:5-11

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/

THE FEAST OF THE APPARITION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL; SAINT DESIDERATUS, BISHOP; SAINT ARSENIUS, DEACON AND MONK; SAINT ACHATIUS, MARTYR AND SAINT VICTOR MAURUS, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 8TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel; Saint Desideratus, Bishop; Saint Arsenius, Deacon and Monk; Saint Achatius, Martyr and Saint Victor Maurus, Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for seminarians, for the Church, for all youths, for persecuted christians and for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. We also pray for the sick and dying, we particularly pray for those who are suffering from the coronavirus disease, cancer, severe headaches and those who are terminally ill. We pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray the poor and needy and all over the world. And on this Mother’s day through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, we pray for all mothers, expectant mothers and all those who act in the capacity of a mother in any manner. May God bless us all…Amen🙏

THE FEAST OF THE APPARITION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL: The feast commemorates an apparition of St. Michael on the summit of Monte Gargano, in Italy on the Adriatic coast, and the dedication of the sanctuary built on the site of the apparition.

According to tradition, St. Michael the Archangel appeared to an Italian bishop in 493 and consecrated a nearby cave. This became known as the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano, more commonly referred to as Monte Gargano. It is one of the oldest shrines dedicated to St. Michael and was the center of Christian pilgrimages.

St. Michael said to the bishop, “I am the archangel Michael, and I have chosen to dwell in that place on earth and to keep it safe.” When they arrived to consecrate the cave, St. Michael said, “It is not necessary that you dedicate this church that I myself have consecrated with my presence.”

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL: St. Michael the Archangel, Defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host By the power of God Cast into hell Satan, and all evil spirits Who prowl about the world Seeking the ruin of souls…Amen🙏

SAINT DESIDERATUS, BISHOP: He was the son of a wealthy couple from Soissons, France, who spent all their time and possessions in helping the poor.  They were a good influence on Desideratus, and his brothers, Desiderius and Deodatus.  All three became saints.  King Clotaire made Desideratus Secretary of State.  He was a holy man and lived a holy life despite the splendors of the royal court.  He was a good influence on the King. He wanted to retire to a monastery, but the King reminded him to put the peoples welfare before his own.  He became Bishop of Bourges and during that time he was known as a peacemaker and wonderworker.  He was a member of the Fifth Council of Orleans and the Second Council of Auvergne. He attended several councils that condemned Nestorianism and Eutychianism, was reputed to have performed miracles and was known for his peace making abilities. He died May 8, 550.

PRAYER: O God, You made St. Desideratus an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and added him to the roll of saintly pastors. Grand by his intercession that we may persevere in Faith and love, and become sharers of his glory… Amen🙏

SAINT ARSENIUS, DEACON AND MONK: The Monk Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. Having studied the secular sciences and mastered to perfection the Latin and Greek languages, the Monk Arsenius acquired profound knowledge, combined with a pious and virtuous life. His deep faith impelled the youth to leave his preoccupation with the sciences and choose service to God. When he entered into the ranks of the clergy at one of the Roman churches, he was then elevated to the dignity of deacon. Saint Arsenius, while still living in the palace, prayed to God, saying, Lord, show me the way, how I can be saved. And a voice came to him, saying, Arsenius, flee men, and you will be saved. He, having withdrawn to the solitary life, prayed again, saying the same thing. And he heard a voice saying to him, Arsenius, flee, be silent, be still. For these are the root of sinlessness.

PRAYER: God, You called St. Arsenius to seek Your Kingdom in this world through the pursuit of perfect charity. Grand that we may be strengthen by his intercession and advance in the way of love with joyful hearts… Amen🙏

SAINT ACHATIUS, MARTYR: A Fourteen Holy Helper. Saint Achatius is reckoned among the Holy Helpers who, as a Roman soldier, died for Christ. Achatius was a native of Cappadocia and as a youth joined the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, attaining the rank of captain. One day, when leading his company against the enemy, he heard a voice saying to him, “Call on the God of Christians!” He obeyed, was instructed, and received Baptism. Filled with zeal, he henceforth sought to convert also the pagan soldiers of the army. When the emperor heard of this, Achatius was thrown into prison, then placed on the rack, bound to a post and scourged, because he refused to offer sacrifice to the idols. When all these tortures availed nothing, he was brought before the tribune Bibianus. Eventually, Flaccius, the proconsul of Thracia, who imprisoned him for five days, and meanwhile read the records of his former trials, then he ordered him to be beheaded. Achatius suffered death for Christ on May 8, 311. He’s Patron Saint against headaches and at the time of death’s agony.

PRAYER: O GOD, Who didst fortify Thy holy Martyr Achatius with constancy and trustful reliance on Thee in death; grant us through his intercession at the hour of our death to be free from all anxiety and victorious in our last combat with the enemy. Through Christ our Lord…Amen🙏

SAINT VICTOR MAURUS, MARTYR: St. Victor Maurus (d. 303 A.D.), also known as Victor the Moor and Victor of Milan, was born in Mauretania (North Africa) in a Christian household. He later relocated to Milan, Italy, as a soldier of the Praetorian Guard that served Roman Emperor Maximian during his persecution of Christians. Although Victor was a Christian since childhood, this fact was not widely known until he destroyed an altar to a pagan god. The Emperor, infuriated, had Victor imprisoned and starved for six days. The Emperor then gave him every chance to recant his faith, including offering him riches, but Victor refused each attempt. He was then tortured mercilessly, unless he would offer sacrifice to the gods, by being stretched on the rack and having molten lead poured over his body. Victor remained steadfast and boldly proclaimed his faith in Christ, declaring that the Roman gods were demons. Finally the saint was beheaded on May 8 in the year 303 A.D. The Emperor refused him burial so that wild beasts would consume his body. However, after six days the body was discovered untouched with two beasts guarding it at the head and foot. The local bishop then received permission to bury the body. A church was later erected over Victor’s grave and many miracles occurred there. St. Victor’s feast day is May 8th.

Saint Victor Maurus, Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS:* During this season of Easter, 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🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 16:12-15

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth

“Jesus said to His disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells His disciples that when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will lead them to the complete truth. The complete truth is always beyond us and it is the Holy Spirit who will lead us there. We are all seekers after truth, the truth about ourselves, the truth about other people, the truth about our world, the truth about God. In John’s Gospel Jesus says, ‘I am the truth’. Jesus is the truth in that He throws a penetrating light on all of reality, on our lives as human beings, on our world, on God. When Jesus tells His disciples that the Spirit of truth will lead them to the complete truth, He is really saying that the Holy Spirit will lead them to Himself, to Jesus. As Jesus says in that Gospel reading, ‘all He tells you will be taken from what is mine’. That is the role of the Holy Spirit in all our lives, to lead us towards the complete truth, who is Jesus, the Word made flesh. John’s Gospel suggests that we cannot make our way to Jesus on our own. We need the help of the Spirit that Jesus sends to make our way to Him. We need to surrender to the Paraclete if we are to really know Jesus, if we are to really grasp Him with our mind, our heart and our soul. That is why the prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit’, should never be far from our lips and our hearts. As we approach the feast of Pentecost, we ask the Spirit to renew our relationship, our friendship, with the Lord, and, so lead us to the complete truth.

In our first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, we are reminded by what St. Paul told the people of Athens, to those who were assembled in the Areopagus, the area of public discourse and discussion, regarding the nature of the pagan worship then carried out by the Greeks in general and the people of Athens in particular. St. Paul came to Athens bringing the Good News of Christ, our Lord and Saviour, as he revealed unto those people Who the Lord really truly is. He compared how the people were irrational and folly in their belief in the pagan gods and idols, in their trust and worship of beings that came out from our awe of the nature’s wonders, which were merely reflections of the glory of the true Creator and Master of all things. According to our first reading, the town council of Athens on the Areopagus that St. Paul preached to were enlightened pagans. He took his cue from an altar he noticed that was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God’. He proceeded to tell them that this unknown God had made himself known in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As Christians, we recognize Jesus as the one who has made God known. In the words of the first chapter of the Gospel of John, ‘No one has ever seen God. It is God, the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known’. As we come to know Jesus, we come to know God. Yet, we never come to know Jesus fully in this life. We are always on a journey towards knowing Him. This knowing Jesus, which we never fully attain in this life, is not so much an intellectual knowing as a knowing of the heart, a knowing that is the fruit of love. We are always on the way towards that kind of knowing of Jesus. That is why Jesus says in the Gospel reading that when the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead us to the complete truth. If Jesus makes God known to us, the Holy Spirit makes Jesus know to us. He leads us to the complete truth, to Jesus who said of Himself, ‘I am the truth’. Every day, the Holy Spirit works to take us on this journey towards Jesus, the complete truth, if we allow Him. It is the Holy Spirit who makes the love of Jesus tangible for us, and it is the Holy Spirit who moves us towards that love of Jesus which brings us to know him ever more fully.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded to remain true to our faith in the Lord, the One and only true God, Who reigns over all things and is the Source of all things, and hence, He alone is worthy of worship and adoration. As Christians, each one of us are called to be the faithful disciples of the Lord, in doing everything we can to glorify the Lord by our lives, and to proclaim His truth and Good News to more and more people among the nations. All of us are called to entrust ourselves to the Lord more, that is to allow Him to lead us and guide us in our path, helping us all to remain firmly faithful in all of our works and deeds, in our every day living and in our every interactions with each other so that we may be good and dedicated beacons of His light and truth. May the Risen Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, our most loving God and Good Shepherd, be with us always, be with His Church, and may the Holy Spirit be our inspiration, strength and guide. May the Lord bless our every works and good efforts for His greater glory, and may He help us all to persevere through all the hardships and challenges that we may have to face in this world. May He, the One and only True God, shine the light of His truth and love to the whole of this darkened world. And may God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord be glorified through us and our actions, and may He be with us always and guide us in our lives, from now and henceforth, leading ever more souls to Himself. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

God of all truth, You, Your wisdom, Your love and all of Your glorious attributes are infinite in nature and are beyond my complete comprehension. As I humble myself before these holy truths, dear Lord, please bestow upon me the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, so that I may open my mind more fully to You by Your grace. May the process of deep discovery be one of great joy and become for me a process that continues into eternity. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Michael the Archangel; Saint Desideratus, Saint Arsenius,  Saint Achatius and Saint Victor Maurus ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to  priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Sixth Week of Easter!🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖