Month: May 2024

SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 11, 2024

MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS DI GIROLAMO, PRIEST AND SAINT MAMMERTUS, ARCHBISHOP OF VIENNE

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT ~ DAY TWO: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning, Friday, May 10-18, 2024 (link below)

Greetings beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter!

Today, we pray for all priests, especially those recently ordained and those who will be ordained soon. We pray for their well-being, for God’s guidance and protection upon them as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | May 11, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 11, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 11, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 11, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 11, 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 11, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 18:23-28
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
Gospel, John 16:23-28

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning, Friday, May 10, 2024 (link below): Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts | EWTN | The novena – May 10-18, 2024 | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309

[This Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.]

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Prayed in preparation for DAY TWO: May 11, 2024, Saturday, 6th Week of Easter

Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. ‘They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls.’

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen🙏

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE; Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, ‘Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.’ Amen🙏

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen🙏

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, Who did instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit,grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation,through Christ, our Lord. Amen🙏

Novena to the Holy Spirit: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost (link below)
Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts | EWTN: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309

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/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS DI GIROLAMO, PRIEST AND SAINT MAMMERTUS, ARCHBISHOP OF VIENNE: ~ MAY 11TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Francis di Girolamo, Priest and Saint Mammertus, Archbishop of Vienne. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We also pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, for the sick and dying, for the poor and needy and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT FRANCIS DI GIROLAMO, PRIEST: St. Francis di Girolamo (1642-1716), also known as Francis de Geronimo was the eldest of eleven children born to honorable and virtuous parents in Naples, Italy in 1642. As a child he was drawn to God and a life of prayer. After making his first Communion at the age of 12, he went to live with a community of priests in his town. They could clearly see that he was special, and began to entrust to him greater roles in the congregation, including teaching the catechism and he received the tonsure at 16. He later went to Naples in order to learn canon and civil law and was ordained a priest in 1666, receiving a special dispensation because he was under 24 years old. For four years, St. Francis taught in the Jesuit Collegio dei Nobili; Realizing his vocation to Holy Orders, at the age of 28, he joined the Society of Jesus. After successfully completing a difficult year in the novitiate, his superiors sent him to help the preacher Father Agnello Bruno in his mission work among the peasants of Otranto. After three years of diligent work, St. Francis was recalled to Naples to finish his theological studies and complete his profession as a Jesuit. He became a renowned public preacher due to his distinguished and eloquent voice. His sermons were short and vigorous, and he touched many hearts. He was described as “a lamb when he talks, and a lion when he preaches.” He had a heart for the missions after his patron St. Francis Xavier, but instead of traveling to distant lands he accepted his hometown of Naples, Italy. He is known as the Apostle to Naples because that is where he spent most of his time and energy. He was a successful and effective preacher. He conducted at least 100 missions in the provinces.

St. Francis Di Girolamo went as a missionary priest into country towns and villages for open-air preaching in the streets. He was tireless in working to convert sinners and reaching out to the poor, winning many people to greater faith. He sought to convert sinners wherever they were—in brothels, prisons, hospitals, asylums and galleys of ships — on one Spanish ship, he is said to have converted 20 Turkish prisoners. One of his most notable penitents was a Frenchwoman, Mary Alvira Cassier, who had murdered her father and fled to the Spanish army, impersonating a man. Under St. Francis, she repented and became very devout. He converted a number of Muslim or Moorish and Turkish prisoners of war to the Christian faith, rescued chidren from dangerous and degrading situations, and opened a pawn shop for charity. Organized laymen into a group called Oratio della Missione to help fellow Jesuit missioners. St. Francis de Girolamo relentlessly sought out sinners on their own turf and won many to the faith. The fruit of his labor was abundant. He converted many souls, even hardened sinners, and made them virtuous. He is said to have converted 400 hardened sinners every year. Everyone knew him for his holiness and zeal. St. Francis was credited with many miracles in his lifetime, but he humbly attributed numerous cures to the intercession of Saint Cyrus, to whom he had a special devotion. He also had a reputation for being a miracle worker during his lifetime and after his death. After spending 40 years in apostolic labor in Naples, he died of a painful illness from which he suffered greatly without complaint on May 11, 1716 at the age of 74. His coffin was thronged by the people of Naples during his funeral procession. He was beatified by Pius VII, on the feast of St. Joseph in 1806, and canonized by Gregory XVI, on Trinity Sunday 1839. A few of his letters have survived, but no sermons. He’s the Patron Saint of Grottaglie, Italy. His feast day is May 11th.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres when he is tempted, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life.” (Jas 1:12)

“If we wish to be saved, let us lose our lives to the world as those who have been crucified with Christ. Let us glory in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” ~ St Francis

PRAYER: Glorious St Francis, help me to become more selfless so that I may live as one who is given up to Christ, Amen. Almighty, eternal God, You dedicated the joy of this day to the glorification of St. Francis. 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 MAMMERTUS, ARCHBISHOP OF VIENNE: St. Mammertus, also known as Mamertius, Mamertus was born near Lyons, France. He was Archbishop of Vienne in Gaul – present day France, during the 5th century. He’s a Theologian and Writer, a prelate renowned for his sanctity, learning, and miracles. He instituted in his diocese the fasts and supplications called the Rogations, during the three days before the Ascension, to remedy the neglect of religion which brought down on ancient Gaul many chastisements. His primary contribution to ecclesiastical practice was the introduction of litanies prior to Ascension Day as an intercession against earthquakes and other disasters, leading to “Rogation Days.” Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The major rogation is held on April 25th, the minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday.  The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning “to ask”, which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of His anger and for protection from calamities. A miracle worker, he is reported to have ended an urban disaster – through prayer he stopped a fire that was destroying the city of Vienne one  Easter night.

Almighty God, to punish the sins of the people, had visited them with wars and other public calamities and awakened the city of Vienne in particular from spiritual lethargy by the terrors of earthquakes, fires, and ravenous wild beasts, which were sometimes seen in the very market place. These evils were ascribed by the impious to blind chance, but religious and prudent persons considered them as tokens of the divine anger, which threatened their entire destruction. Amid these scourges, Saint Mammertus received a pledge of the divine mercy. A terrible fire broke out on Easter night in the city of Vienne, which baffled the efforts of men; but by the prayers of the good bishop the fire suddenly went out. This miracle strongly affected the minds of the people. It was on this occasion that the holy prelate conceived the project of restoring the Rogations, which had fallen into oblivion. The Church of Auvergne, where Saint Sidonius Apollonarius was bishop of Clermont, also adopted this pious institution before the year 475, and in a very short time it became a universal practice. His pious reform was received by all the churches of France after the first Council of Orleans under Clovis the Great, and then by the Church of Rome under the authority of Leo III. Saint Mammertus died about the year 477 in Vienne, France of natural causes but his body was transported to Orleans, France and placed in its cathedral. There, until the 16th century, it remained in great veneration, then was burnt by enemies of the Church. Relics burned by Huguenots in the 16th century. His feast day is May 11th, the first of the Ice Saints. 

Saint Mammertus, Archbishop of Vienne ~  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, Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 16:23b-28

“My Father loves you because you have loved me and believed in me”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus at the last supper tells His disciples that a day is coming when He will no longer need to pray to the Father on their behalf, ‘I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you’. This is because on that day the disciples themselves will enjoy an intimacy and communion with God that up until then has belonged to Jesus alone. The ‘day’ that Jesus refers to there is the day of Easter, the day of Pentecost, the day of the church. Through the outpouring of the Spirit we are caught up into a relationship with God, which is a sharing in Jesus’ own relationship with God. As Saint Paul says, the Spirit that has been poured into our heart cries out ‘Abba, Father’ as Jesus does; through the Spirit we receive adoption as sons and daughters of God, sharing in Jesus’ own relationship with God. Through the Spirit we can pray directly to the Father as Jesus does. Such is the depth of our communion with God through the Spirit that Jesus does not have to stand between ourselves and God to make representation on our behalf. One of the principal messages of John’s gospel is that Jesus has come to draw us into that same communion with God the Father that He has enjoyed from all eternity. That is why what Jesus says of Himself can often apply to all of us. At the end of the gospel reading Jesus says, ‘I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I leave the world to go to the Father’. This is the essential truth about Jesus’ life, but it is also the essential truth about our lives as well. We have come from God the Father and we are on a lifelong journey to the Father. As we approach the feast of Pentecost we need to pray for an increase of the gift of the Spirit among us, as Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, ‘Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete’.

Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles gives us an insight into how members of the early church supported and helped one another in their faith. St. Paul is described as encouraging all the followers. Reference is made to Apollos, a member of the church in Ephesus, a very gifted and impressive figure; he had a sound knowledge of the Scriptures; he spoke with great eloquence, and had been given instruction in the faith, in the Way of the Lord but not fully formed in the faith. A married couple, named Priscilla and Aquila, took a great interest in him and gave him further instruction in the faith, sharing their deeper understanding of the faith with him. Then when Apollos decided to journey from Ephesus to the church in Corinth, the members of the church in Ephesus encouraged him. They didn’t want to keep him for themselves; they realized that others could benefit from his gifts. They not only encouraged him but they sent a letter of recommendation ahead of him to the church in Corinth. When Apollos arrived in Corinth we are told that his knowledge of the Scriptures was a great help to the believers there. Today’s reading paints a wonderful picture of the church at its best – believers helping, supporting and encouraging each other in the faith, helping one another to grow in the Lord. This is what the church is called to be in every generation; this is the church in which the Spirit of Christ is alive and active. We need each other’s faith if we are to grow in faith. We need the believing community if we are to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Within the community of faith we have an opportunity to give from our own faith and to receive from the faith of others. As members of the body of Christ, we all have something to offer and we all have something to receive. When it comes to the faith and our relationship with the Lord we are always interdependent. We need the church, the living community of faith; we cannot do it alone.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all called to be His witnesses and to proclaim His same truth and love to all the people, as we believe that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, has come into our midst from the Father in order to reveal the love of God to all of us. Just as we have received these from Christ, our Lord and Saviour, hence, each one of us have been called to pass them on to many others who have not yet known Him. May the Lord Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Saviour, be with us always, and may the Holy Spirit give us the strength and encouragement so that all of us may devote ourselves, our time and energy, courageously in the path of evangelisation, and commit ourselves in our everyday living, in our every words, actions and deeds to glorify the Lord always, so that more and more people may come to believe in the Lord as well, and be saved together with us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless all of us and our every good endeavours and works, for His greater glory. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My precious Jesus, Your hour of glory upon the Cross is the clearest and fullest revelation of the Father’s love. On the Cross, You show us all how deeply we are loved by You and Your Father in Heaven. Please do open my mind, dear Lord, to all You wish to reveal to me, so that as I come to know You, I will also come to know Your Father in Heaven. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Francis di Girolamo and Saint Mammertus ~ 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 and grace-filled Sixth Week of Easter and relaxing weekend!🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 10, 2024

MEMORIAL OF SAINT DAMIEN JOSEPH DE VEUSTER OF MOLOKAI, PRIEST; SAINT JOHN OF AVILA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; SAINT SOLANGE, VIRGIN AND MARTYR; SAINTS GORDIANUS AND EPIMACHUS, MARTYRS AND SAINT ANTONINUS, BISHOP OF  FLORENCE

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT ~ DAY ONE: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning today, Friday, May 10, 2024 (link below)

Greetings beloved family and Happy Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter!

May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of Easter🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | May 10, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 10, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 10, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 10, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 10, 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 of the Sixth Week of Easter, May 10, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 18:9-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Gospel, John 16:20-23

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning today, Friday, May 10, 2024 (link below): Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts | EWTN | The novena – May 10-18, 2024 | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309

[This Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.]

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
Prayed in preparation for Pentecost

DAY ONE: Friday, May 10, 2024, 6th Week of Easter

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared–sin? Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for ‘The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us.’

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen🙏

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE; Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, ‘Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.’ Amen🙏

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen🙏

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, Who did instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit,grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation,through Christ, our Lord. Amen🙏

Novena to the Holy Spirit: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost (link below)
Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts | EWTN | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309

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/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT DAMIEN JOSEPH DE VEUSTER OF MOLOKAI, PRIEST; SAINT JOHN OF AVILA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; SAINT SOLANGE, VIRGIN AND MARTYR; SAINTS GORDIANUS AND EPIMACHUS, MARTYRS AND SAINT ANTONINUS, BISHOP OF  FLORENCE ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 10TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster of Molokai, Priest; Saint John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church; Saint Solange, Virgin and Martyr; St. Antoninus, Bishop of Florence and Saints Gordianus and  Epimachus, Martyrs. Through the intercession of the Saints, we humbly pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We also pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, for the sick and dying, for the poor and needy and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT DAMIEN JOSEPH DE VEUSTER OF MOLOKAI, PRIEST: St. Damien de Veuster (1840–1889), also known as St. Damien of Molokai. He was born Jozef De Veuster on January 3, 1840. St. Damien was a Roman Catholic Priest from Belgium belonging to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious institute. He was recognized for his ministry, which he led from 1873 until his death in 1889, in the Kingdom of Hawaii for people with leprosy (Hansen’s disease), who lived in government-mandated medical quarantine in a settlement on the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Molokai. St. Damien had a special devotion to St. Francis Xavier and desired, like him, to be a missionary. His desire was fulfilled when he was sent to minister in Hawaii in place of his brother, a religious of the same congregation, who was assigned to go but was unable due to illness. The island was suffering from an influx of unknown diseases brought by foreigners, among them Hansen’s disease (leprosy). The island of Molokai became quarantined as a leper colony, and all lepers were forcibly exiled there. The local bishop believed that the people living on the island, numbering over 800 at the time, needed a priest. Yet, the bishop knew that ministering to a people of this contagious and deadly disease would be a death sentence for the priest who went. The bishop asked for priests to volunteer to serve in Molokai. After serving in Hawaii for nine years, Fr. Damien was the first to volunteer. He began his ministry to the lepers in 1873. He built a church on the island and did much to improve the morale and joy among the people. The young priest worked hard to better the living conditions of the people both physically and spiritually. He administered basic medical care to them and built shelters, dug graves, erected a water supply, created a village, and built a primitive hospital.

St. Damien insisted that the lepers should be accorded the same respect, kindness, and courtesy that was due to all God’s children. And he treated each of them with respect, diligently, washing and bandaging them. St. Damien lived and ministered at the Kalaupapa leper colony for 15 years, fully knowing that this decision would eventually cause him to contract and die of the horribly mutilating disease. In 1885, the saintly man contracted leprosy, but he did not let that interfere with his working habits. He continued to aid the sick in their needs and changed forever the manner in which those with leprosy were viewed. St. Damian died of leprosy on April  15, 1889 at the age of 49. At the time of his death St. Damien was aided in his work by three priests and three Franciscan sisters. He became known as a “martyr of charity” and the “Apostle to the Lepers.” He’s the Patron Saint of People with Leprosy. He was beatified on June 4, 1995, by Pope John Paul II, who called him a “Servant of Humanity.” Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009 during the Year of Priests. He’s the Patron Saint of People with Leprosy. His feast day is May 10th.

PRAYER: God, light and Shepherd of souls, you established Blessed Damien as Priest in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us through his intercession to keep the Faith he taught by his word and follow the way he showed by his example. Amen. Saint Damien de Veuster of Molokai🙏

SAINT  JOHN OF AVILA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. John of Avila (1499 – 1569) was a Spanish  priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic. He is called the  “Apostle of Andalusia”, for his extensive ministry in that region. St. John of Avila was born on January 6, 1499 at Almodóvar del Campo, Kingdom of Toledo, Crown of Castile in Spain. St. John was sent at the age of 14 to the University of Salamanca to study law. He later moved to Alcala, where he studied philosophy and theology before his ordination as a diocesan priest. After John’s parents died and left him as their sole heir to a considerable fortune, he distributed his money to the poor. In 1527, he traveled to Seville, hoping to become a missionary in Mexico. The archbishop of that city persuaded him to stay and spread the faith in Andalusia. During nine years of work there, he developed a reputation as an engaging preacher, a perceptive spiritual director, and a wise confessor. Because John was not afraid to denounce vice in high places, he was investigated by the Inquisition but was cleared in 1533. He later worked in Cordoba and then in Granada, where he organized the University of Baeza, the first of several colleges run by diocesan priests who dedicated themselves to teaching and giving spiritual direction to young people.

St. John of Avila was friends with and influenced Saints Francis Borgia, Ignatius of Loyola, John of God, John of the Cross, Peter of Alcantara, Teresa of Avila and Ven. Louis of Granada. St. John of Avila worked closely with members of the Society of Jesus and helped their growth within Spain and its colonies. St. John’s mystical writings have been translated into several languages. He died on May 10, 1569 (aged 70) at Montilla, Kingdom of Córdoba, Crown of Castile. He was Beatified on November 12, 1893 by Pope Leo XIII and Canonized on May 31, 1970 by Pope Paul VI. He was declared a doctor of the Church on October 7, 2012. He’s the Patron Saint of Andalusia, Spain, Spanish Secular Clergy St. John of Avila’s liturgical feast is celebrated on May 10th

QUOTES OF SAINT JOHN OF AVILA:
“Turn yourself round like a piece of clay and say to the Lord: I am clay, and You, Lord, the potter. Make of me what You will.”

“Withdraw your heart from the world before God takes your body from it.”

PRAYER: Almighty and eternal God, who gave your holy Church blessed John of Avila as Doctor, grant that what he taught when moved by the divine Spirit may always stay firm in our hearts; and, as by your  gift we embrace him as our patron, may we also have him as our defender to entreat  your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. St. John of Avila ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT SOLANGE, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Solange (died May 10, 880) was a Frankish shepherdess born to poor vineyard workers, but devout family in the town of Villemont, near Bourges, France. She was a locally venerated Christian  Saint and cephalophore, whose cult is restricted to Sainte-Solange, Cher. Saint Solange was the patron of the traditional Province of Berry, of which Cher is a part. St. Solange consecrated her virginity at the age of seven, the young  virgin  shepherdess took a personal vow of chastity, devoting herself to God alone. When she said her prayers in the field, a star shone over her head. Reported to have the gift of healing, especially of animals, according to some, her mere presence cured the sick and exorcised devils.

Her beauty attracted the lustful attention of a noble in Poitiers, Bernard, son of the Count of Poitiers, who was her landlord. He murdered her for resisting his sexual advances. The son of the count of Poitiers was highly taken with the beauty and popularity of St. Solange and approached her when she was tending to her sheep, but she rejected his suit. He argued with her to no avail, and so he decided to abduct her. At night, he came and kidnapped St. Solange, but she struggled so violently that she fell from his horse while he was crossing a stream. Her abductor grew enraged, pursued her and beheaded her with his sword. According to the fully-developed legend, St. Solange’s severed head invoked three times the Holy Name of Jesus, and like Saint Denis and other saints in Gaulish territories,  St. Solange picked up her head in her own hands and walked with it as far as the church of Saint-Martin in the village of Saint-Martin-du-Crot (which now bears the name of Sainte-Solange, the only commune in France to bear this name), and the head preaching to the people, only dropping truly dead there. Immediately, a cult surrounding her grew up. Many miraculous cures were attributed to her intercession. In 1281, an altar was erected in her honor at that church, and it preserved her severed head as a relic and began to call itself the church of St. Solange, while a nearby field where she had prayed began to be referred to as the “Field of St. Solange”. It was a habit of the locals, in times of great stress, to form a procession through Bourges with the reliquary head before them and to invoke her against drought. St. Solange is the Patron Saint of Berry, France; Bourges, France; children; drought relief; for rain; rape victims; shepherdesses and shepherds. St. Solange’s feast day is May 10th

PRAYER: God, You showed heavenly gifts on St. Solange. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven… Amen. Saint Solange, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINTS GORDIANUS AND EPIMACHUS, MARTYRS: Sts. Gordianus (also known as Gordian) and Epimachus were Roman  Martyrs. St. Gordianus was a Roman judge who converted to Christianity by a Holy Priest, whom Julian The Apostate would have liked him to condemn. He was tortured and finally beheaded. Saint Gordian was Martyred towards 360 A.D., and was buried in the Crypt on the Via Latina where already lay the remains of the Martyr Saint Epimachus (+ 250 A.D), brought from Alexandria. The two saints gave their name to the cemetery of Sts. Gordianus and Epimachus. They are jointly Venerated by The Catholic Church with a Feast Day of May 10th in The Tridentine Calendar. There are Churches Dedicated to the Saints in: Aitrach, Germany; Legau, Germany; Merazhofen, Germany; Pleß, Germany; Stöttwang, Germany; Unterroth, Germany; Blevio, Italy. Relics of both Saints were owned by Kempten Abbey in Bavaria.

Saints Gordianus and Epimachus, Martyrs ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT ANTONINUS, BISHOP OF  FLORENCE: Original name Antonino Pierozzi, or Antonino de’ Forciglioni, Antonino also spelled Antonio, (born March 1, 1389, Florence – died May 2, 1459, Florence; canonized 1523; feast day May 10 – please refer to May 2nd Saint post for details). An archbishop of Florence who is regarded as one of the founders of modern moral theology and Christian social ethics. He was a member of the Dominican Order. In the exercise of his pastoral charge he showed great charity. He died in 1459.

PRAYER: Eternal God, you blessed Saint Antoninus with a marvelous gift of counsel. By the help of his prayers, while we walk in the darkness of this life, may we learn from the light of Christ all that we ought to do. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen🙏

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, Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 16:20-23

“No one will take your joy away from you”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is again speaking in the setting of the last supper, the night before He was crucified. He is aware that His disciples are in great distress at the prospect of His leaving them. Jesus compares their suffering to that of a woman in childbirth. The pain of childbirth is for the mother the prelude to the birth of new life. Her suffering heralds the joy of looking upon her new born child for the first time. In a similar way, Jesus is saying, the suffering of His disciples is the prelude to the joy of new life. Their sorrow at Jesus’ departure will very quickly give way to their joy at His coming back to them again as risen Lord and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is referring here to the joy of Easter. It is more than just ordinary human happiness, which, inevitably, passes away. The joy Jesus speaks about endures. As Jesus says to His disciples in the Gospel reading, it is a joy that ‘no one shall take from you’. This is the joy we are all invited to savour in this Easter season and, indeed, every day of our lives. It is a joy which is the fruit of our relationship with the Lord, a sharing in the Lord’s own joy. It comes from the conviction that the risen Lord is with us, is among us and is within us. It flows from the experience of His great love, a love that is stronger than sin, stronger than death, a love that shines brightly in every darkness. When St. Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi from a Roman prison he is full of this Easter joy, in spite of his grim situation. His joy flows from his total conviction that, as he states in that letter, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’. In times of deep sorrow it can be hard to envisage times of joy. Yet, the Gospel reading today suggests that sorrow is not destined to have the last word. Jesus says to His disciples and to all of us, ‘Your sorrow will turn into joy’. ‘The Lord is risen’, and because we live in the presence of the risen Lord, we know that life is stronger than death, and joy will triumph over sorrow. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the risen Lord, and St. Paul speaks of joy as the fruit of that Spirit. This joy is the deep-seated joy which comes from knowing that we can do all things in the risen Lord who strengthens us.

In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul and his continued ministry and journey is recounted to us, as he went on to the region of Achaia in what is now modern day Greece. Back then, he had encountered significant persecutions and hardships, had been plotted on and arrested on several occasions, attacked by his opponents and enemies, and was left almost dead in some of those instances. But God was with St. Paul and his companions, and we heard in our reading today that the Lord continued to encourage and strengthen St. Paul as he continued his missionary work. In Achaia, St. Paul would encounter even more opposition and challenges to his mission, as the local Jewish community, likely siding with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin against St. Paul and the Christian missionaries, plotted to have him arrested and punished. They made all sorts of false accusations against him, much like how the Lord himself was treated when He was rejected, persecuted, arrested and eventually condemned to death. St. Paul suffered similar persecution, but fortunately the Roman governor was not convinced by the Jewish community and did not arrest St. Paul. St. Paul was free then to continue with his mission there and elsewhere.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the joy that will come to us as disciples and followers of our Lord, even if we may have to encounter hardships, trials and challenges along the way. We must realise that as we walk along this path shown to us by God, we are never alone, and God will always be with us, guiding us and strengthening us on our way, helping to get through whatever persecutions and oppositions that we may have to endure as we continue to be faithful and dedicated Christians, in each and every days of our lives. Let us all continue to commit ourselves to the Lord in our own ways, and endeavour to live actively our Christian faith from now on. We should no longer be just idle onlookers or to be on standby mode anymore. As Christians we are all expected to follow the Lord faithfully and to spend our effort and time to glorify Him more and more each days, now and always. 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 bless us all and strengthen us that we too may do great things like what the saints had done, for the glory of God and the salvation of all people. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My glorious Lord, You endured Your passion with perfect virtue. You never wavered from fulfilling the will of the Father, and the fruit of Your perseverance was the glory of the Resurrection. Please help me to patiently endure the crosses in my life and give me hope to see that from them You will bring forth the good fruit of eternal joy. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster of Molokai; Saint John of Avila; Saint Solange; Saint Antoninus and Saints Gordianus and Epimachus ~ 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 and grace-filled Sixth Week of Easter and relaxing weekend!🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

[Please note: Some dioceses celebrate the Ascension today. While in some dioceses the Ascension is transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter]

THURSDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 9, 2024

MEMORIAL OF SAINT PACHOMIUS, ABBOT AND BLESSED CAROLINE GERHARDINGER, RELIGIOUS

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning tomorrow, Friday, May 10, 2024 (link below)

Greetings beloved family and Happy Feast of Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of Easter🙏

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy on Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord” | May 9, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | May 9, 2024” |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 9, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 9, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 9, 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: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Ascension Thursday), May 9, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Reading 2, Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel, Mark 16:15-20

Today’s Bible Readings : Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter (When the Ascension is transferred to Sunday), May 9, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 18:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Gospel, John 16:16-20

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Prayed in preparation for Pentecost. Beginning tomorrow, Friday, May 10, 2024 (link below): Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts | EWTN | The novena – May 10-18, 2024 | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309

[This Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.]

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/

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (ASCENSION THURSDAY): The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Sunday, also called Ascension Thursday. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, and among the oldest and most solemn feasts on the liturgical calendar. The Feast of the Ascension commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. On this feast day, we remember the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven to the ‘right hand of the Father’. This feast day is important to Christians as the ascension shows that Jesus not only overcame death but that He will live forever. It falls ten days from the end of the Eastertide period, a period which is joyous in tone as Christians celebrate the “glorious risen Christ”. After Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead, He continued to appear to His disciples for a period of 40 days. After this time, with His Apostles gathered around Him on the Mount of Olives, Jesus was taken up bodily into heaven, as recorded in the Gospels. To comfort them in His physical absence, He promised to send them a Consoler and Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with them and to guide them into all truth until the end of the world.

In the Eastern Church this feast was known as analepsis, “the taking up”, and also as the episozomene, the salvation, denoting that by ascending into His glory, Christ completed the work of our redemption. The terms used in the West, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by His own powers. Tradition designates Mount Olivet near Bethany as the place where Christ left the earth. The feast falls on Thursday. It is one of the Ecumenical feasts ranking with the feasts of the Passion, of Easter and of Pentecost among the most solemn in the calendar. The feast has a vigil and, since the fifteenth century, an octave which is set apart for a novena of preparation for Pentecost, in accordance with the directions of Leo XIII.

Traditionally the Ascension of Our Lord was held 40 days after Easter, falling on a Thursday. In the United States, the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia have retained the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension on the proper Thursday. However in most dioceses in the United States and in many dioceses in the world the observance of the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the following Sunday, this year it’s celebrated on May 12, 2024 superseding the 7th Sunday of Easter. 

Save Us, Savior of the World🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Please note: There are two reflections today: For those dioceses that celebrate the Ascension today (Refer to Sunday Scripture Reflections ~ The Ascension of the Lord | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050924-Ascension.cfm

Scripture Reflections for Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter is used in those dioceses where the Ascension is transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Refer to today’s Scripture Reflections ~ Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050924-thursday.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 16:15-20
(The Ascension of the Lord)

“Jesus said to His disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus speaks to His disciples, proclaiming His guidance and providence to all of them, reassuring them that as long as they continue to proclaim His truth and Good News, while they might indeed encounter hardships and difficulties, challenges and tribulations, but they shall be protected and guarded, and the Lord would always be by their side, suffering and enduring all those things with them, and through His Holy Spirit, the Church and all the faithful servants of God will continue to be strengthened and empowered even through their greatest moments of hardships and their deepest trials. The Lord would guide and bless them so that they might indeed continue to live their lives worthily of Him, and to continue to proclaim His truth and Good News to all the people of all the nations.

If the Resurrection proved that the Lord had conquered death itself, and broken the chains of sin and evil which had dominated us from the beginning of time, from the moment of our downfall, then the Ascension proved that the Lord truly had come down from Heaven itself, and He rose gloriously by His own power, to show that He is indeed the same Almighty God and Creator of all, one in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through His Incarnation, the Lord has shown us all His love and His Presence, manifested and made approachable to us in the flesh, and reminding us that we mankind are indeed made in the image of God. And He has also reassured all of His disciples and followers that He would still be with them even though He has ascended into Heaven and can no longer be physically present with them in the form they are familiar with.

Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, gives an accounts of the moment when the Lord ascended into Heaven. As mentioned, He reassured all His disciples that the Holy Spirit would be with them, guiding and strengthening them throughout their journey and ministry. The Holy Spirit would indeed come upon all the Apostles and disciples of the Lord at the Pentecost, ten days later, on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection at Easter, which we will celebrate soon as the Pentecost Sunday. Through the guidance, wisdom and strength provided to them through the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s disciples and followers were strengthened and encouraged to go and continue their works and missions in answering God’s call and in fulfilling what they had been entrusted to do, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to the nations. This is the main purpose and mission which the Lord had entrusted to all of us the members of His Body, the Church of God, all the faithful and holy people who have received the truth and light of His salvation and grace. And since He has revealed to us all these, therefore each and every one of us are also entrusted with the same mission which the Lord had placed upon His Church, also known as the Great Commission, that is to make Him known to all the people of all the nations, and to proclaim His Good News and salvation in all the whole world, to lead the world and all mankind to return back towards God and be reconciled with Him. Then this will lead to the whole world to acknowledge that Christ is truly the Lord and Master of all, and receive baptism in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, St. Paul the Apostle spoke to the faithful reminding them all to remain united as one Body of Christ and one united community of believers, encouraged and strengthened by the same Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit Whom God had sent into this world, to dwell in His Church and among all of His faithful ones. The Apostle reminded all of them of the mission which the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of them through the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, by Whom God had guided and led His Church to continue the good works and missions which He Himself had begun in this world. He has bestowed upon His Church and the faithful many gifts and blessings, the many opportunities and chances for them all to proclaim the Gospel to all. That was why St. Paul the Apostle also reminded all of the faithful in Ephesus and beyond, that each and every one of them have received those various and diverse gifts, blessings and talents, and everyone have their own calling and mission in life, in doing their part to contribute to the overall great and wonderful works of the Church. Some are meant to be preachers, while others are called to show their contributions in other ways, in their own daily living and actions, while others teach and help others to understand better the meaning of the Christian faith, and many more diverse calling and ministries are present in the Church. This applies to all of us even to this day, just as we all have been given diverse blessings, talents and opportunities in the Church, and in our world today, to which we are all called to minister as God’s disciples and followers.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, marking the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection from the dead, ascended in glory to His heavenly Throne. The Lord Jesus ascended in glory by His own power, leaving behind this world but not abandoning His disciples and followers. He ascended to prepare for us all our places by His side in Heaven, to welcome us all in the end of time, to prove to us that we all truly have something to look forward to in our faithful and dedicated life. Through His Ascension, He returned triumphantly and gloriously to where He had come from, the Throne of God as the only begotten Son of God and the Divine Word Incarnate, and to prepare a place for all of us, His disciples and followers in the world that is to come. Let us all therefore realise well that we are all called to continue the good works that the Lord had begun with His Apostles and our holy predecessors. There are indeed still many opportunities and chances presented to us in our world today, with its unique challenges and difficulties, and with many are still lost to the Lord, or having forgotten His love and truth, in their pursuit of worldly glory, ambition and pleasures. It is up to us then to make good use of the blessings, talents and opportunities that God has given to us so that we may continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another, at all times. Through our lives and examples, we may indeed be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, proclaiming His Good News to all the people around us and beyond. May the Risen Lord Who had ascended in glory into Heaven, as He takes up His Throne, continue to be with us all His Church, and continue to guide and strengthen us all in our path. May He continue to empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to see things through and to persevere despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to encounter and endure in our respective paths in life and in our respective vocations and ministries. May the Lord, ascended in glory onto His Throne in Heaven, most excellent and almighty, continue to guide us all His Church and all of us His beloved ones, in our path and way of life so that we may truly be the inspirational and worthy beacons of His light, truth and love. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always and may all of us continue to strive to be faithful in all things, and do our best to be good role models and inspiration as the missionaries and disciples of our Lord in our world today, ever inspired, strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit. Amen🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PACHOMIUS, ABBOT AND BLESSED CAROLINE GERHARDINGER, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 9TH Today, on this Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Pachomius, Abbot (founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism) and Blessed Caroline Gerhardinger, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from terminal diseases. We also pray for the safety and well-being of the poor and the needy all over the world. We pray for peace, justice, love and unity in our families and in our divided and conflicted world. We continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, for the sick, the poor and needy and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT PACHOMIUS, ABBOT: St. Pachomius (c. 292 – May 9, 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the Founder of Christian Cenobitic Monasticism (monks who live in  community). St. Pachomius was born about 292 in the Upper Thebaid in Egypt (modern-day Luxor, Egypt) to pagan parents. According to his  hagiography, at age 21, St. Pachomius was swept up against his will in a Roman army recruitment drive and was inducted into the Emperor’s army, a common occurrence during this period of turmoil and civil war. With several other youths, he was put onto a ship that floated down the Nile and arrived at Thebes in the evening. Here he first encountered local Christians, who customarily brought food and comfort daily to the conscripted troops. This made a lasting impression, and St. Pachomius vowed to investigate Christianity further when he got out. The great kindness of Christians at Thebes toward the soldiers led to his  conversion after his discharge. He was able to leave the army without ever having to fight, was converted and baptized. After being baptized, he became a disciple of an anchorite, Palemon, and took the habit. The two of them led a life of extreme austerity and total dedication to God, combining manual labor with unceasing prayer both day and night.

In 318, St. Pachomius, aided initially by Palemon, built a monastery on the banks of the Nile at Tabennisi, though enlarged several times, soon became too small and a second was founded at Pabau (Faou). In a short time some one hundred monks joined him, and St. Pachomius organized them on principles of community living. Soon St. Pachomius was obliged to establish ten other monasteries for men and two nunneries for women. Before his death in 348, there were seven thousand monks in his houses, and his Order lasted in the East until 11th century. St. Pachomius was the first monk to organize hermits into groups and write down a Rule for them. The rule that St. Pachomius drew up was said to have been dictated to him by an angel, and it is this rule that both St. Benedict in the west and St. Basil in the east drew upon to develop their better famous known rules of cenobitic life. Hence, thought St. Anthony is usually regarded as the founder of Christian Monasticism, it was really St. Pachomius who began monasticism as we know it today. Represented in hermit’s garb, or crossing the Nile on the back of a crocodile. St. Pachomius died on May 9, 348.

PRAYER: Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection that You have given us in St. Pachomius. Amen🙏

BLESSED CAROLINE GERHARDINGER, RELIGIOUS: Blessed Caroline Gerhardinger (1797-1879), also known as Mother Maria Theresa of Jesus, was born into a working class family in Bavaria on June 20, 1797.  She was a German Roman Catholic religious sister who founded the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Bl. Caroline Gerhardinger served as an educator in Bavaria until the establishment of her order, which provided free  education to the poor and soon expanded in Europe. Her giftedness as an educator was apparent early in her life, and she became a certified teacher at the age of 15. Although Bl. Caroline was drawn to a quiet, contemplative life, her desire was to teach young girls to aspire to their full potential. For this she was greatly loved by her students. Responding to the needs of the time, and under the spiritual guidance of her bishop, Bishop George Michael Wittmann (1760-1833), Bl. Caroline gradually recognized God’s call to found a religious community in order to respond to the needs of the times through education. She began a new religious order dedicated to education called the Poor School Sisters of Notre Dame. This was during a period when all religious orders were closed by decree of the Bavarian government.

In 1822, Caroline Gerhardinger had written, “The love of Jesus sees into the future.” As foundress, she endeavored to give the new congregation a future. She sent her Sisters in groups of twos and threes into the local villages to teach the poor young girls who would otherwise have no opportunity for education, a novelty in her day which grew into a new form of apostolic religious life. In this way she sought to remedy social ills through education, which she believed was just as necessary for a child as love, food, and shelter. When the Vatican negotiated the reopening of Bavaria’s religious communities in 1828, the Sisters moved into a convent. On November 16, 1835, Bl. Caroline professed her religious vows and took the name, Mary Theresa of Jesus. Her love for God, nourished and strengthened by her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, enkindled the burning desire of her life: to know God and to do God’s will. God’s cause was the only concern of her heart. Blessed Theresa anchored her community in poverty and dedicated it to Mary. The congregation experienced rapid growth and acceptance, but Blessed Theresa and her sisters also suffered great hardship and painful struggle. In 1865, the rule and constitutions of the School Sisters of Notre Dame were finally approved by Pope Pius IX. Blessed Theresa then continued to govern the congregation as its general superior until her death in Munich on May 9, 1879. At the time of her death her order had grown to 2,500 sisters. On November 17, 1985, Mary Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger was declared “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Her feast day is May 9th.

Blessed Caroline Gerhardinger, Religious  ~ 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🙏

Let us pray:

My ascended Lord, all things throughout history were but a preparation for the moment when You drew fallen humanity into Heaven to be with Your Father forever. Help me to always heed Your holy words, so that I, too, will share in Your Ascension. Use me, dear Lord, to also go forth and to draw many others to You so that the Kingdom will be filled with all those whom You have called. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Pachomius and Blessed Caroline Gerhardinger ~ 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 Ascension Thursday and fruitful Sixth Week of Easter!🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

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💖

SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 7, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Tuesday 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 7, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 7, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 7, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 7, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 7, 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/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT ROSA VENERINI, RELIGIOUS AND BLESSED GISELE, WIDOW ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 7TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint  Rosa Venerini, Religious and Blessed Gisele, Widow. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the poor and the needy, we pray for all mothers and women all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being. We also pray for all youths and all teachers that they may be good examples to their students.🙏

SAINT ROSA VENERINI, RELIGIOUS: St. Rosa (February 9, 1656 – May 7, 1728) also known as St. Rose, recently-canonized Italian educator who founded Catholic schools for girls and young women during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Saint Rosa Venerini lived consumed by two great passions: passion for God and passion for the salvation of souls. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2006, who spoke in his canonization homily of her courageous work for “the spiritual elevation and authentic emancipation of the young women of her time.” Her work is continued today by the “Venerini Sisters.”

St. Rose Venerini was born in the central Italian city of Viterbo on February 9, 1656, she was the daughter of an accomplished pious doctor, Goffredo, who raised four children with his admirable wife,  Marzia. At the age of seven she made a vow to consecrate her life to God. However, tjis resolution was tested during her adolescence. She was later conflicted between her vow and living in the world. At the age of 20 she knew she must make a decision between marriage and the cloister, the only two options available to women of her day, both of which she esteemed. After much prayer and suffering she entered a monastery. St. Rosa briefly joined a Dominican women’s community during 1676, but returned home to comfort her mother after her father, Goffredo’s unexpected death. One of Rosa’s brothers, Domenico, also died at age 27. Her mother, Marzia was heartbroken and died within months. In the wake of these family crises, St. Rosa invited local women to her home to pray the Rosary in a group. However, she was soon dismayed by the deficiencies she saw in their education and religious formation. This eye-opening experience shaped Rosa’s future, pointing her toward her ultimate vocation in the field of teaching. In 1685, with the help of two friends and the approval of her local bishop, Rosa opened Italy’s first public school for girls. It was supported by some Church and state officials, though others resisted an educational model that was, for its time, unconventional. Many of these critics were silenced by the school’s clear success in uplifting the character of young women. St. Rosa left Viterbo and founded ten schools in the Diocese of Montefiascone between 1692 and 1694. She also trained a local successor, the future Saint Lucia Filippini. Only after several years, and one disappointing failed attempt, did Rosa manage to start a school in Rome, during 1713. Three years later, Pope Clement XI paid a visit accompanied by eight cardinals. Witnessing the work of Rosa Venerini’s teachers, the Pope personally thanked her, declaring: “With these schools you will sanctify Rome.”

The acceptance of Rosa’s work also increased her daily responsibilities. Governors and cardinals asked her to open schools in their areas. She undertook difficult journeys for the sake of her work, while maintaining a strong prayer life that kept her oriented toward God’s will in all of her undertakings. Spiritual direction from Jesuit priests helped her to combine an active apostolate with a life of contemplative prayer. She cultivated a close daily relationship to God while working to found over 40 schools. Over the course of her life she opened 40 schools across Italy dedicated to the education and promotion of women for the uplifting and ennobling of society. St. Rosa Venerini’s last illness came to an end during the evening of May 7, 1728 at the age of seventy-two. Her religious congregation, known in Italian as the “Maistre pie Venerini,” maintains an international presence. After having made its contribution to the Italian immigrants to the USA from 1909 and in Switzerland from 1971 to 1985, the Congregation extended its apostolic activity to other lands: India, Brazil, Cameroon, Romania, Albania, Chile, Venezuela and Nigeria. “Educate to save” became her motto. Her feast day is May 7th. 

PRAYER: O God, who raised up blessed Rose Venerini in your Church to show others the way of salvation, grant us, by her example, so to follow Christ the master, that we may come with our neighbor into your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

BLESSED GISELE, WIDOW: Blessed Gisele also known as Gisela of Hungary or Gisele, Gizella of Bavaria (c. 985 – May 7, 1065) was the first queen consort of Hungary by marriage to Stephen I of Hungary, and the sister of Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor. Blessed Gisele was given in marriage to St. Stephen of Hungary in 1008. She bore his a son, who went on to become St. Emeric, and fully supported him in his work of evangelization. Blessed Gisela had great influence on the conversion of the Hungarians. After the death of her husband, Blessed Gisele retired to the Benedictine Abbey of Niederburg (later becoming its Abbess) and spent her time in prayer and self-denial until her death on May 7, 1065.

PRAYER: God, You inspired Blessed Gisele to strive for perfect charity and so attain Your Kingdom at the end of her pilgrimage on earth. Strengthen us through her intercession that we may advance rejoicing in the way of love… Amen🙏

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. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

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

Gospel Reading ~ John 16:5-11

For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus, on the night before He died, addresses Himself to the sadness of the disciples. They are sad because they have heard Him talk about going away. On this evening, full of foreboding, they sense that He is referring to His imminent death. We always experience sadness when someone who has been significant for us, someone we have loved and valued, is taken from us in death. We need to grieve the loss of our loved ones. Yet, Jesus wants to bring some light into the sadness, the darkness of spirit, of His disciples. He does so by assuring them that, in going from them, He will be able to do something for them that He would not otherwise be able to do. In returning to the Father, He will be able to send them the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. In and through this Spirit, Jesus will be present to His disciples in a new and very intimate way, and He will be present in this manner not just to His disciples gathered with Him that evening but to all future disciples, including us all. Jesus’ death and His resurrection from the dead leads to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us all, and, in and through the Spirit, Jesus is within us and among us. That same Spirit is with us in all our dark and difficult times, in all our times of painful loss. The Spirit assures us of the Lord’s loving presence at such moments, so that even in our sadness we can experience something of that joy which is the fruit of the Spirit.

Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, gives an account how St. Paul and St. Silas, one of his partners in missionary works across the Mediterranean region, faced great trouble in Philippi in the then Roman Greece, as they were despised by the slave owners of the region, who found their messages of Christian hope and emancipation, of the coming of the Lord’s help and assistance, and the equality between all mankind a truly dangerous one, as that had turned more and more of their own slaves into the Christian faith, and not few among those slave owners must have thought that there was a chance that the slaves might even turn against their own masters or disobey them because of the teachings of the Christian missionaries. Sts. Paul and Silas were put in prison after they were flogged and made to suffer, and they suffered, although not for long, because the Lord was always with all of His disciples, and He would aid and help them in their time and hour of need, according to His will. It was not the time for St. Paul or St. Silas yet to suffer prison for a long time or martyrdom back then, and hence, an earthquake happened, which broke open their prison and made many others to be free as well. The jailor was so afraid of the repercussions of what had happened, that he almost took his own life if not for the intervention from the two disciples, who convinced him not to do so. And not just that, the jailor and his whole family was even convinced and became members of the Church, gotten baptised because of this event. In a sense, the occasion of the earthquake was truly very symbolic indeed. As it did not just physically broke the chains holding the disciples, but also that of the many other people that were imprisoned with them. And with regards to the jailor himself and his whole family, this represented the breaking of the chains of sin and evil that had held them up, dominated them and kept them from the salvation in God. The Lord was not just protecting His faithful ones, but He even used the opportunity to open up the doors to more people who came to believe in Him because of the misfortune that had faced His disciples, and what was a hard time for the disciples of the Lord, became even yet another opportunity for the salvation of more souls.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are encouraged and strengthened by the words and the stories of how the Lord had guided, protected and provided for His people in their hour of need. We are constantly being reminded again and again, that the Lord is always with us, by our side, guiding and helping us to go through the journey of our lives, as we follow Him faithfully and as we walk in His presence, carrying out His will and doing our part as Christians, that is as those whom God had called and chosen, and all of us who have accepted Him as our Lord, Saviour and King. Each and every one of us are truly fortunate because all the great love that God has always shown us. Let us all hence turn towards the Lord, our most loving God with renewed conviction and faith. Let us all embrace the Lord with renewed dedication and commitment to Him, and let us strive to seek Him and to walk down the path that He has shown us, embracing the love and compassion that He has always given us all these while. Let us be strengthened with hope and be encouraged by the examples of the Holy Apostles and disciples of the Lord. Let us not easily be disheartened especially if we faced hardships and persecutions by the world, oppressions and challenges from those who disagree with us and refuse to believe in the Lord like us. Instead, let us all make use of every opportunities to allow the Lord to lead and guide us ever more, as we continue walking down the path that He has led us all into. 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. And may God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all in our every good works and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My dear Jesus, You prepared Your disciples for the new life of grace that they would receive after Your death and Resurrection. Though fearful and uncertain, they embraced the new life You called them to live, and You did marvelous things through them. Please open my heart to the full embrace of my vocation and any changes that You desire for my life. I say “Yes” to You, my Lord, and pray that You work powerfully through me by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Rosa Venerini, Religious and Blessed Gisele, Widow ~ Pray for us sinners🙏

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💖

SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 6, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Monday 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 6, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 6, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 6, 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: Monday, May 6, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 16:11-15
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9
Gospel, John 15:26-16:4

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/

FEAST OF SAINT JOHN BEFORE THE LATIN GATE; SAINT EVODIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP; SAINT DOMINIC SAVIO, CONFESSOR; SAINT PETER NOLASCO, FOUNDER AND BLESSED EDWARD JONES AND ANTHONY MIDDLETON, MARTYRS ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 6TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John before the Latin Gate, Saint Evodius of Antioch, Bishop, Saint Dominic Savio, Confessor;  Saint Francis de Laval, Bishop, Saint Peter Nolasco, Founder and Blessed Edward Jones and Anthony Middleton, Martyrs. 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. We also pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all youths and Christians all over the world🙏

SAINT JOHN BEFORE THE LATIN GATE: St. John before the Latin Gate (95 A.D.), a tradition mentioned by St. Jerome, which goes back to the second century, says St. John the Apostle was taken to Rome under the Emperor Domitian and plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil; by a striking miracle he came out safe and sound from this torture. A church dedicated in honor of St. John was built near the Latin Gate, the spot referred to by the tradition.

In the year 95, Saint John the Evangelist, the only surviving Apostle, who was governing all the churches of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), was apprehended at Ephesus and sent in chains to Rome. The Emperor Domitian did not relent at the sight of the venerable old man, but condemned him to be cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. The martyr doubtless heard, with great joy, this barbarous sentence; the most cruel torments seemed to him light and agreeable because he hoped they would unite him forever to his divine Master and Saviour. But God accepted his will and crowned his desire; He conferred on him the honor and merit of martyrdom while suspending the operation of the fire, just as He had formerly preserved the three children from injury in the Babylonian furnace. The seething oil was changed for him into an invigorating bath, and the Saint came out more refreshed than when he had entered the cauldron.

The glorious triumph of Saint John happened just beyond the gate of Rome called the Latina. A church which ever since has borne this title was consecrated there, in memory of the miracle. Domitian saw this miracle without deriving the least advantage from it, remaining hardened in his iniquity. Nonetheless, he contented himself afterwards with banishing the holy Apostle to the little island of Patmos. Saint John returned to Ephesus during the mild reign of Nerva (96-98), who during his short imperial government lasting one year and four months, merely labored to restore the faded luster of the Roman Empire.

Reflection. Saint John suffered above the other Saints a martyrdom of love, being a martyr and more than a martyr, at the foot of the cross of his divine Master. All Our Lord’s sufferings were by love and compassion imprinted in his soul, and thus shared by him. O singular happiness, to have stood under the cross of Christ! O extraordinary privilege, to have suffered martyrdom beside Jesus, and been eye-witness of all He did or endured! If nature revolts within us against suffering, let us call to mind those words of the divine Master to Saint Peter: Now thou knowest not why, but thou shalt know hereafter. (John 13:7)

SAINT EVODIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP: St. Evodius was one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, and Catholic tradition has always held that he was the first bishop of Antioch after St. Peter. However, we are not sure in what year he assumed the position. As bishop of Antioch, he was the first to coin the word “Christian” to refer to the disciples of Jesus. He probably died between the years 64-67, when he was then succeeded by St. Ignatius of Antioch. Saint Evodius of Antioch, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT DOMINIC SAVIO, CONFESSOR: St. Dominic Savio (1842-1857) was only fifteen when he died but he had already attained a high degree of sanctity. A pupil of the great St. John Bosco who loved him like a son, St. Dominic organized the Company of the Immaculate Conception to help St. John in running the Oratory. Though St. Dominic’s life was one of poverty, work, and suffering, it was filled with the cheerfulness and joy of sanctity. This model for youths once wrote to a friend: “Here we make sanctity consist in being joyful all the time and in faithfully performing our duties.” St. Dominic Savio was born in Riva di Chieri, Italy, on April 2, 1842. He looked so frail and weak on the morning of his birth that his father rushed him that same evening to the parish church for Baptism. But St. Dominic survived and began serving Mass when he was five years old, one of his greatest joys. He was often seen at five o’clock in the morning in front of the church on his knees in rain or snow, waiting for the doors to be opened. When, at the age of seven, he made his First Holy Communion, he formed the motto, “Death, but not sin!”,  the resolution to die rather than sin, as he had frequently expressed his determination and ambition to become a Saint. The village pastor at Mondonio, recognizing in Dominic a soul of predilection, arranged to have him enter Don Bosco’s Oratory at Turin. Don Bosco soon noted Dominic’s consuming quest for sanctity, and pointed out to the boy that the path to holiness is not necessarily among hair shirts and tortures of the flesh, but in the cheerful bearing and offering of each day’s small crosses. Steering the lad away from artificial practices, his loved master showed him that for a soul avid of penance, there is a superabundance to be had for the taking, through acceptance of the monotony and tribulations inseparable from the perfect fulfillment of the duties of one’s state of life.

After a few months of life in the environment of the Oratory and under the saintly care of Saint John Bosco, Dominic’s soul was fired with the zeal of his master, whose rule of life, Give me souls, Lord; You take the rest, the boy adopted for his own. Following the example of Don Bosco, who in season and out of season sought those souls wherever they were to be found, Dominic also went after them in his own little world. In the Oratory he founded and directed the Immaculate Conception Sodality, a group of boys who by prayer, word and example carried on an apostolate among their classmates and proved to be of valuable assistance to Don Bosco in his work. On one occasion Dominic broke up a vicious duel with stones. Standing between the boy-duelists with dramatic suddenness, he flashed a crucifix and said: This is Friday. Today Christ died for love of us. Can you look at Him and still hate each other? When Dominic’s health began to fail he was forced to leave the Oratory. Don Bosco and the boys were very sorry to see him leave; he had been a good friend to all.

Don Bosco said of him: His cheerful character and lively disposition made him extremely popular even among those boys who were no great lovers of their faith. His death at his home on March 9, 1857, was sweet and peaceful. As he was dying, he burst out into an ecstatic exclamation, ”Oh, what a beautiful sight I see!” Saint Dominic Savio is the youngest Confessor in the Church’s calendar of saints, and stands out as a hero of school-boy virtue, the shining model of holiness. St. Dominic was Beatified on March 5, 1950 by Pope Pius XII and Canonized on June 12, 1954 by Pope Pius XII. He’s the Patron Saint of choirboys, choristers the falsely accused, and juvenile delinquents. St. Dominic Savio’s feast is now celebrated on May 6th (formerly celebrated on March 9th)

PRAYER: Lord God, You alone are holy and no one is good without You. Through the intercession of St. Dominic help us to live in such a way that we may not be deprived of a share in Your glory. Amen🙏

SAINT FRANCIS DE LAVAL, BISHOP: Saint Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708) was one of eight children born to one of France’s most illustrious families. He learned his piety from his mother, and like his namesake desired to become a priest and missionary. This dream was realized when he was appointed by Pope Alexander VII to be the first Apostolic Vicar of New France (Canada). His territory covered all of what is now Canada and the central section of what would become the United States, an enormous frontier which he undertook as a great spiritual work. He landed in Quebec in 1659 when the population was just 500 people. He supported the missions, built a cathedral to the Immaculate Conception, taught devotion to Our Lady under this title, founded a seminary and an industrial school, and began the first Catholic school system in Canada. In all seasons he made long and perilous journeys by land and water to minister to his flock. When Quebec became a diocese he was consecrated as Canada’s first bishop. He fought the sinister alcohol trade to the Indian tribes by having it outlawed within his territory and excommunicating those involved with it. He converted and baptized an Iroquois chief who then became a promoter of the Christian faith and won other converts among the local tribes. St. Francis de Laval was a man known for his great influence and holiness of life. His feast day is May 6th. Saint Francis de Laval, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT PETER NOLASCO, FOUNDER: St. Peter Nolasco (1189-1256) was born at Mas-des-Saintes-Puelles, Languedoc, today’s France in 1189 to Bernard Nolasque, but later settled in Barcelona, Spain. After taking part in the Crusades against the Albigensians, he used his inheritance to free Christian prisoners held by the Moors. He later founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercedarians) beginning in 1218 devoted to ransoming Christians. One night while St. Peter Nolasco was praying, the Blessed Virgin appeared (1228) and told him how greatly pleased she and her divine Son would be if a religious order were established in her honor for the express purpose of delivering Christians held in bondage by the infidels. In compliance with her wish, St. Peter, together with St. Raymond of Penafort and James I, King of Aragon, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives. Besides the usual vows, all members were required to take a fourth, one by which they bound themselves to become captives of the pagans, if necessary, to effect the emancipation of Christians.

On one occasion Peter Nolasco ransomed 400 at Valencia and Granada; twice he traveled to Africa as “the Ransomer,” not without peril to his own life; and records show that through his personal efforts a total of 890 Christians regained their liberty. He died on May 6, 1256, Valencia, Spain with these words from Psalm 110 on his lips: The Lord has sent redemption to His people. Saint Peter Nolasco, Founder ~ Pray for us🙏

BLESSED EDWARD JONES AND ANTHONY MIDDLETON, MARTYRS: Bl. Edward Jones from Wales and Anthony Middleton from Yorkshire, were both educated at the Douai College in Rheims. They became priests and were sent to the English mission in the time of Elizabeth II. Middleton was the first to arrive in England, in 1586, and pursued the ministry for some time without being discovered, helped considerably by his youthful appearance and slight stature. Jones followed, in 1588, and quickly became known by the English Catholics as a devout and eloquent preacher.

The two men of God were hunted down and captured with the aid of spies posing as Catholics, and they were hanged before the very doors of the houses in Fleet Street and Clerkenwell where they were arrested. Their trial is regarded as full irregularities; the reason for the summary justice dispensed to them was spelled out in large letters: “For treason and foreign invasion.” After offering their death for the forgiveness of their sins, the spread of the true Faith, and the conversion of heretics, they died on May 6, 1590.

PRAYER: Lord, we devoutly recall the sufferings of Blessed Edward and Anthony. Give success to our joyful prayers and grant us also constancy in our Faith. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

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

Gospel Reading ~ John 15:26-16:4a

“The Spirit of truth will testify to me”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells His disciples that after He takes His leave of them they are to become His witnesses. Although Jesus will no longer be in the world in an embodied form, in another sense He will be in the world in an embodied form in and through His disciples who will be His witnesses. That remains our calling today as the Lord’s disciples, to witness to Him so that He can be present in the world in an embodied form through us. In our Gospel reading Jesus highlights two reasons why the disciples will be able to witness to Him. One reason is the Holy Spirit, because the chief witness to Jesus is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit witnesses to Jesus in and through the lives of the disciples. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us and empowers us to be the Lord’s witnesses. Another reason why the disciples can be the Lord’s witnesses is that they have been with Him from the beginning, from the time of His baptism. Only those who have been with Jesus can witness to Him. We have not been with Jesus in the sense that the first disciples have, but if we are to witness to Jesus we need to be with Him in prayer. We need to be present to Him prayerfully if the Holy Spirit is to witness to Him through our lives.

Our first reading today gives an account of St. Paul’s visit to the city of Philippi to preach the gospel there. Philippi is in the eastern part of Greece today. This was the first time the Gospel was preached in what we would call today the continent of Europe. It was a very significant moment in the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem. According to our reading, a group of women were among the first to hear St. Paul’s preaching of the Gospel on the European mainland, and one of them, a woman called Lydia from Thyatira, a dealer in expensive purple cloth, opened her home to Paul while he preached the Gospel in Philippi. This God-fearing lady, Lydia became a believer, and her whole entire household were baptised in the Lord. More and more believers came to follow the path of the Lord, and more gave themselves to be baptised, growing the early Church from a very small community in the very beginning into a rapidly burgeoning assembly of the faithful, spreading from cities and towns, from place to place. As Lydia had received the gift of the Gospel from St. Paul, in that way she showed gratitude to him. According to the Gospel reading, Jesus tells His disciples to expect hostility because of their faith in him and their witness to that faith. St. Paul himself experienced a great deal of hostility because of his witness to his faith in Jesus. Yet, every so often, he also experienced great support and kindness from people like Lydia. St. Paul needed people like Lydia who supported his mission. Lydia knew what it meant for her concretely, showing hospitality to Paul. The Lord will also make clear to us what it might mean for us concretely to give from what we have received. We all need such people on our faith journey. We need the support of one another, especially in the times we are in. The supportive faith presence that Lydia was for St. Paul, we are all called to be for one another. As Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help his disciples in their witnessing to him in the Gospel. Lydia was a channel of that Holy Spirit to St. Paul and we are called to be channels of that Holy Spirit to one another, so that we can all be encouraged in our efforts to follow the Lord as His witnesses in the world.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are called and reminded to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and dedicate ourselves to His works and ministry, and all that He has entrusted to all of us to do in our lives. Each and every one of us have been called to be good and faithful Christians in all things, to be role models and exemplary in our lives and actions so that we may be beacons of God’s light, truth and love in our various communities, proclaiming His Good News and truth to all the people all around us. That is what we have been called to do as Christians, and we will do well to heed this calling and to do what the Lord has commanded us to do, and to live our lives to the best of our abilities, in walking down the path that God has shown us. May the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, our Saviour, King and Good Shepherd be with us always and be with His Church, that each and every one of us may ever be empowered, encouraged and strengthened to live our lives worthily as Christians, to be worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and love at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace, may He bless us all and bless our every endeavours, our every good works for the greater glory of His Name. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Most glorious Jesus, You promised to send upon Your disciples and also upon me the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Spirit of Truth. Holy Spirit, I welcome You into my life and offer myself to You without reserve to be used to give testimony to the Truth. Please do use me, my God, and touch many lives through me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint John before the Latin Gate, Saint Evodius, Saint Dominic Savio, Saint Peter Nolasco and Blessed Edward Jones and Anthony Middleton, Martyrs ~ Pray for us sinners🙏

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💖

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR B)

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 5, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Sixth Sunday 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 5, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 5, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 5, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 5, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 5, 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: Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B, May 5, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
Reading 2, First John 4:7-10
Gospel, John 15:9-17

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/

Today’s Bible Readings: Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year B), Sunday, May 5, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
Reading 2, First John 4:7-10
Gospel, John 15:9-17

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

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

Gospel Reflection ~ John 15:9–17

“No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says to His disciples, ‘I call you friends’. The disciples represent us all. What Jesus says to them, He says to each one of us. We probably have many images of Jesus. The image of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading is that of a friend. He offers Himself to us as a faithful friend. He says that He reveals His friendship for us in two ways. Friends trust one another enough to share what is deepest in their hearts. In our Gospel reading, Jesus says He has done just this with us all, ‘I have made known to you, everything I have learnt from my Father’. What was deepest in Jesus’ heart was His relationship with God, His Father, and He has shared that relationship with us. In the words of the second reading, He has revealed God to be Love. He hasn’t simply spoken to us about God’s love but has given expression to God’s love in His whole way of life and, especially, in His death. Like a trusting friend, Jesus has opened up His heart, God’s heart, to us. There is a second way in which Jesus says He reveals his friendship for us. A faithful friend will go the extra mile for us. They will make sacrifices for us, not because of some sense of duty, but just out of the love they have for us. They will stand by us to the end because it is what they want to do in their heart of hearts. Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice for us. In the Gospel reading He says, ‘A man can have no great love than to lay down his life for his friends’. Jesus revealed the depth of His friendship for us by laying down His life for us. His great mission in life was to reveal God’s love to us, and He was faithful to that mission even though He paid for that faithfulness with His life. In laying down His life for us, He showed the extent and depth of His friendship for us. This Sunday, we are invited to hear those words of Jesus as addressed to each of us personally, ‘I call you friends’. His friendship is His incredible gift to us, and it is a gift He will never take back. He is the ultimate and supreme ‘faithful friend’.

Jesus also says in the Gospel reading that He has befriended us in this complete way, ‘so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete’. The gift of true friendship is a blessing which always brings us joy. A faithful friend is one of the great joys of life. Jesus Himself knew the joy of God His Father’s friendship. By befriending us, He wants us to share in His joy. By loving us as God loves him, he wants us to know a joy that nothing in this world can give us, a joy that is complete. We can seek happiness in all kinds of places, but true joy, a joy that is deeply rooted and lasting, is found when we open ourselves up to the gift of the Lord’s faithful friendship. We will only fully experience the joy Jesus speaks about in eternal life when we will be fully opened up to God’s love, but here and now Jesus wants us to begin to experience this joy by receiving the gift of His friendship. We can sometimes struggle to receive this gift of the Lord’s faithful love, just as at the Last Supper Peter struggled to allow Jesus to wash his feet. ‘Never’, he said, ‘you shall never wash my feet’. Yet, the Lord keeps offering us this gift in the hope we will receive it or, in the words of the Gospel reading, that we will remain in His love, His friendship. The Lord’s friendship is faithful, it remains, but He needs us to remain in h
His friendship, to remain in His love, if His friendship is to be fully alive in us. The primary way we remain in His loving friendship, Jesus says, is by allowing His faithful love to flow through us and embrace the lives of others. We are to love one another as He loves us, to find ways of befriending one another as He has befriended us. Jesus poured out on us the love He received from God is Father, and we are to pour out on others the love we receive from Jesus. When this happens, then our joy will be complete.

Our first reading this Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles details the experiences of St. Peter the Apostle, who went to the town and region of Joppa which was by the Mediterranean coast, where he encountered a Roman centurion named Cornelius who was well respected by the local community and his family, in which prior to that he experienced a vision from the Lord Who showed him all sorts of food and animals which the Jewish laws and customs had considered to be unclean, and how the Lord told St. Peter to eat of those, which initially he refused to do because those were unclean according to the old Jewish customs and laws. The Lord told St. Peter that whatever He had deemed to be clean, should not be deemed as unclean. This was in fact a premonition of what St. Peter would soon encounter in his journey in Joppa as he encountered Cornelius and his family, and saw the great faith which they had in the Lord, the honour they showed to the Lord and His Apostles, and how they were willing to embrace God and His truth. However, at that time, the common perception among the Jewish people, especially those among the Pharisees was that the non-Jewish people, also known and called collectively as Gentiles, consisting of mainly the Romans and the Greeks, the Egyptians and other people of the region, all of them were commonly seen and considered as pagans and unworthy of God, and as recorded in the Gospels, this went to the extent that associating or going to the house or residence of a Gentile would render one unclean according to the Jewish laws and customs. However, the Lord revealed that His grace and love, His mercy and compassion are extended towards everyone, and all the Gentiles have also been called and led into God’s love, as He sent to them the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that He has sent to all of His Apostles and disciples. This was the testimony which St. Peter himself presented to the whole assembly of the faithful as they discerned and debated on what they ought to do regarding the believers who came from among the non-Jewish origins. We heard how the Holy Spirit descended upon the converts from among the Gentiles, as they received the same gifts that the Apostles had received, and hence, we heard how St. Peter baptised all those among the Gentiles who had been called by God and embraced Him as their Lord and Saviour.

In our second reading this Sunday from the Apostle St. John in his Epistle directed to all the faithful people of God reminding them all of the truth of God’s loving nature, and how He loves every one of His beloved children and people, and manifesting this great and most generous love for us in His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour, the perfect example and manifestation of His eternal and ever-present love for each and every one of us. It is the same love which He has shown us all most generously, and which the Lord Himself said that God truly loved the world and all of us so much that He has given us all His only begotten Son, Jesus Himself, to be the bearer of God’s love and salvation for all of those who are truly precious to Him. The love of God has been manifested in the flesh, and became tangible, approachable and reachable to us all. While once God was transcendent and far beyond our ability to comprehend Him and His love, but through His Son, all of us have received the assurance of His ever enduring love for us, and we have received from Him the perfect gift of His love and commitment to everything which He has promised to us since the very beginning of time. By the actions which the Lord Jesus had done, in His ministry and works in our midst, in His revelation of God’s truth and love, in explaining the Law and commandments that God had bestowed on us, out of His ever constant and enduring love, and ultimately, by His own perfect and most loving sacrifice on the Cross, each and every one of us have received through Christ the assurance of life eternal.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, all of us are reminded yet again of why we celebrate most joyfully during this time and season of Easter, that is because the Lord has shown His love, kindness and compassion towards each and every one of us, and manifested that perfect and most wonderful love in His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom He has shown us all His ever enduring love and compassion, as He constantly reached out to us with great patience and ever-enduring care, seeking to reunite us with His loving Father and our Creator. God has indeed been so generous with His love and compassion that we should always be grateful and be reminded of His ever present love in our midst. Let us all as Christians always be full of God’s love and commit ourselves ever more to the Law and commandments which He had taught and shown us, so that by our every actions, words and deeds, and by our way of life, we will show everyone we encounter and meet in life, how we should truly live our lives so that we may truly be worthy of Our loving God, our Lord and Creator. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always, and be with His Church, and may He continue to show us His ever generous love, just as we too share His love with one another, now and always. Amen 🙏

SAINTS OF THE SAINTS: MEMORIAL OF SAINT GOTHARD,  BISHOP; SAINT JUDITH (JUTTA) OF PRUSSIA, RELIGIOUS; SAINT ANGELUS OF JERUSALEM,  PRIEST AND MARTYR AND BLESSED CATERINA CITTADINI, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 5TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Gothard,  Bishop; Saint Judith (Jutta) of Prussia, Religious; Saint Angelus of Jerusalem, Priest and Martyr and Blessed Caterina Cittadini, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, we particularly pray for those who are suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases. 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 souls 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. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for the youths, 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🙏

SAINT GOTHARD,  BISHOP: St. Gothard (960 – May 5, 1038 AD), also known as Gothard or Godehard the Bishop, was a German abbot and archbishop, who helped foster the development of Hildesheim and who played an important role in the imperial campaign to reform and reorganize the Bavarian church. St. Gothard was born in the Bavarian village of Reichersdorf about 960. St. Gothard was educated by the Canons of that area and showed so much promise that he attracted the attention of Archbishop Frederick of Salzburg. He became a priest and in 990 when the Benedictine Rule was restored to the Abbey of Heidr-Altaich he received the monastic habit. He became Prior and eventually Abbot of the Abbey. There was such good discipline under St. Gothard that the Emperor, St. Henry II, entrusted him with the reform of other monasteries. Over the course of twenty-five years he formed nine Abbots for various houses, and when St. Bernward died in 1022, St. Gothard was made Bishop of Hildesheim in his place, despite his pleas of age and lack of suitable qualifications.

In typical fashion, this dedicated servant of God set about reforming his diocese with all the vigor of a young man. He built and restored churches, fostered education, especially in the Cathedral school, established order throughout the diocese, and erected a hospice for the poor and sick at the edge of Hildesheim. St. Gothard died on May 5, 1038. The pass and railroad tunnel from Switzerland into Italy takes its name from this Saint in whose honor the nearby hospice for travelers and its chapel were dedicated. He was Canonized in 1131, Rheims by Pope Innocent II. He is the Patron Saint of travelling merchants; invoked against fever, dropsy, childhood sicknesses, hailstones, the pain of childbirth, and gout; invoked by those in peril of the sea.

PRAYER: God, You made St. Gothard 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 JUDITH (JUTTA) OF PRUSSIA, RELIGIOUS: St. Judith of Prussia (13th c.), also known as St. Jutta, Jutta of  Kulmsee, Jutta of Thuringia and Jutta of Sangerhausen, was a German aristocrat who became a hermit on the frontier of Prussia and is honored as the patron saint of that region. St. Judith was born to a wealthy family in Thuringia in what is now Germany. She desired to model her life after another noble saint from her country, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who lived in the previous century. St. Judith married young at the age fifteen to a man of equal rank, and together they raised a family. She had several children, all of whom embraced a religious life, in various Orders. Despite their great wealth, St. Judith desired that they should live in a simple way and share their fortune generously with the poor. Her husband was at first displeased with her because he desired a lifestyle according to their means and rank. However, Judith persevered and eventually won him over to join her in a life of greater humility and piety.

St. Judith’s husband later died while on a pilgrimage to Palestine, the Holy Land, leaving St. Judith to raise her children alone. Once her children were grown, St. Judith rid herself of her costly clothes, jewelry, and other possessions and joined the Third Order of St. Francis. She committed herself to serving the poor and the sick, especially lepers for which she incurred mockery due to her noble rank in society. She was favored with visions. In the final years of her life she relocated to Prussia to live as a hermitess in a simple hut. There she spent her days in prayer and penance for the conversion of the pagan Prussians. After she died many miracles occurred at her grave, and she became the Patron Saint of Prussia, in Eastern Germany. Her feast day is May 5th.

Saint Judith (Jutta) of Prussia, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT ANGELUS OF JERUSALEM,  PRIEST AND MARTYR: St. Angelus of Jerusalem (1185-1220), priest, martyr, hermit, mystic, reformer, thaumaturge, missionary, convert from Judaism and a professed Priest of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. He is also known as St. Angelus of Sicily and St. Angelo. St Angelus was born in Jerusalem to a Jewish family in 1145 and died by being stabbed to death in 1220 at Licata, Sicily.  His mother converted to Christianity and Angelo, along with his twin brother John, were Baptised and converted along with her. His parents died while he was in his childhood and the Patriarch Nicodemus oversaw their education until the twins turned eighteen. He and his brother John entered the Carmelites then, at the Saint Anne convent near the Golden Gate to commence their novitiate. They were well learned and already spoke Greek, Latin and Hebrew. When he was twenty-six, Angelo was Ordained in Jerusalem and travelled throughout Palestine. Various miraculous cures were attributed to him as he travelled. His “Acta” tells us that he sought to avoid fame and when he was becoming known for his miracles, he withdrew from society to a hermitage to avoid the pilgrims who were following him. St. Angelus withdrew to a hermitage on Mount Carmel, until he was instructed by Christ in a vision, to leave Mount Carmel for Italy to preach against the Albigensians, Bulgars and other heresies.

He set off on a Genoese ship on April 1, 1219 and stopped first in Messina before heading off to Civitavecchia before he ended up in Rome to meet with the pope. The friar preached in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran while in Rome where he met both Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic. He foretold that Francis would receive the stigmata while Francis foretold his premature death. From there he was a guest of the Basilians in Palermo where he was for about a month, before preaching in Agrigento for over a month before settling in Licata. He had healed seven lepers and the ailing Archbishop of Palermo Bernardo de Castanea while in Palermo. He settled on the Sicilian island though his fame as a wonderworker caused crowds to flock to him. He also had success in converting some Jews though most Jews in Palermo came to despise him for this since he himself was once Jewish. He wanted to convert a Knight named Berenger. Catholic tradition states that Berenger was living in incest and that St. Angelo convinced the knight’s companion to leave him. Berenger became enraged and arranged to have him attacked and murdered, in front of the Church of Saints Filippo and Giacomo in Licata. He didn’t die from the attack until four days after the attack and during that time, he prayed for his assassin and asked the civil authorities to pardon him. He showed the ultimate in forgiveness, setting an example for all those that he preached to. He was buried at Saints Filippo and Giacomo Church. His sepulchre at Licata quickly became a site of Pilgrimage. The Carmelites venerated him as a saint from 1456 and Pope Pius II Canonised him in 1459. His relics were translated to a new Church in Licata, Saint Maria del Carmine. It was through St Angelo’s intercession that the plague in the Kingdom of Naples was halted.

Saint Angelus of Jerusalem, Priest ~ Pray for us🙏

BLESSED CATERINA CITTADINI, RELIGIOUS: Bl. Caterina Cittadini was an Italian Roman Catholic religious from Bergamo who established the Ursuline Sisters of Saint Jerome Emiliani. The order was dedicated to the education of girls in Bergamo and in the surrounding areas and has since expanded outside of the Italian nation. Bl. Caterina was a daughter of Giovanni Battista and Magherita Lanzani. Her mother died when Caterina was seven, and her father abandoned the girl and her younger sister Giuditta. They were accepted and grew up at the orphanage of the Conventino of Bergamo. There she developed a strong faith, a big sister’s sense of responsibility, and a devotion to Our Lady and Saint Jerome Emiliani. The sisters left the orphanage in 1823 to live with their cousins Giovanni and Antonio Cittadini, both parish priests at Calolzio, Italy. Caterina became a teacher at a girl‘s public school in Somasca in 1824. The sisters felt a call to the religious life; their spiritual director recommended that they should stay in Somasca, and become the basis of a new congregation.

In 1826 the sisters rented a house in Somasca, bought and furnished a building, and in October opened a boarding school for girls. Bl. Caterina taught religion, managed the school, and instituted the oratory style of education for her girls. Word of her success spread, attracting more students. The sisters established another “Cittadini” private school in 1832, and another in 1836. Giuditta directed these new schools until her sudden death in 1840. Bl. Caterini’s cousin, Father Antonio Cittadini, died in 1841, followed quickly by her spiritual director from the orphanage. The rapid succession of tragedy ruined Bl. Caterina’s health, and she fell gravely ill, but was cured through the intercession of Saint Jerome Emilani. Bl. Caterina quit her public teaching position in 1845 to manage the schools, care for the orphans, and guide the three companions who help her. To help organize the work and lives of her companions, she wrote the beginnings of a new rule similar to that of religious orders. In 1850 she obtained permission to build a private oratory to keep the Blessed Sacrament at her boarding school. In 1851 she applied for approval of her new religious family. In 1854 her bishop encouraged her work, and told her to write the rules of the new order; her first attempt, based on the Constitution of the Ursulines of Milano was rejected. A second attempt was accepted on September 17, 1854 under the title Orsoline Gerolimiane (Ursuline Sisters of Somasca). On December 14, 1857, six months after her death, the bishop of Bergamo gave his approval; the order achieved papal recognition on July 8, 1927. The order’s mandate is to teach, and to care for the abandoned; today they work in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, Bolivia, India, and the Philippines. Bl. Caterina died on May 5, 1857 in Somasca, Bergamo, Italy of natural causes.

Blessed Caterina Cittadini, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

Let us pray:

My God and true Friend, You offer me everything in life. You offer me Your perfect love, given fully and without reserve. I pray that I will reciprocate that depth of love and offer to You all that You deserve. I offer You my love, worship and obedience, dear Lord. May this mutual love form a bond that will never end. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Gothard; Saint Judith (Jutta) of Prussia; Saint Angelus of Jerusalem and Blessed Caterina Cittadini ~ Pray for us sinners🙏

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 Sunday of Easter and Week 🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 4, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Fifth 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 from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 4, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | May 4, 2024” |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 4, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 4, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 4, 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 3, 2024
Reading 1, First Corinthians 15:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5
Gospel, John 14:6-14

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/

MEMORIAL OF SAINT FLORIAN, MARTYR AND THE FORTY MARTYRS OF ENGLAND AND WALES ~ FEAST DAY – MAY 4TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Florian, Martyr (He is invoked against danger from fire or water) and The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Florian and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all Firefighters and all those who are faced with life threatening situations, we pray for their protection, safety and well-being. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints Philip and James, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are terminally ill. We pray for all Pharmacists, for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all Christians, for the poor and needy and for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and all over the world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of 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. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for the youths, 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🙏

SAINT FLORIAN, MARTYR: St. Florian (C. 250-304 A.D.) was born in the third century in what is present day Austria. He became a commander in the Roman army. One of his duties was leading the firefighting brigade. St. Florian was a Christian during a time of persecution of Christians. He served during the reign of Emperor Diocletian about 304, who violently persecuted Christians. St. Florian was secretly a Christian and was known for miraculously saving a town from being destroyed by fire; after praying to God for help, he extinguished a raging fire with a single bucket of water. Word reached the Emperor that Florian was not enforcing the ban against Christianity in his territory. He was put under investigation and was discovered to be a Christian.

St. Florian refused to participate in the persecutions the army was ordered to do. He also refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. He was then condemned to be tortured and executed for his Christian faith. When Florian’s beliefs became known it was suggested that he be burned to death as many Christians were during that time. St. Florian stated that he would climb to Heaven on the flames of the funeral pyre which was made for him. The soldiers then decided to use a different method to execute him. Refusing to recant, St. Florian was then flogged and flayed alive, scourged, and martyred. A large stone was tied around his neck and he was set on fire before being thrown into the Ennis River to drown. His body was later recovered, and brought to the Augustinian Abbey of St. Florian near Linz. Later, the body was transferred to Rome. In 1138, Pope Lucius III gave some of the Saint’s relics to King Casimir of Poland and to the Bishop of Krakow. Today his relics are venerated at a church named for him in Kraków, Poland. Devotion to this Saint grew throughout Central Europe. Many miracles of healing are attributed to his intercession, and he is invoked against danger from fire or water. He’s the Patron Saint of Firefighters, brewers, Chimney Sweeps, Soap boilers, protector from fire, floods, battles, drowning victims, Upper Austria, Linz, Austria; Kraków, Poland, Chimneysweeps.

PRAYER: God of power and mercy, through Your help St. Florian has overcome the tortures of his passion. Help us who celebrate his triumph to remain victorious over the wiles of our enemies…Amen🙏

Prayer to Saint Florian for Firefighters (Recited for Firefighters)

Oh, Almighty God, whose great power and eternal wisdom embraces the universe, watch over all Firefighters. Protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to fight fire, save lives, and preserve property. We pray, help them to keep our homes and all buildings safe day and night. We recommend them to Your loving care because their duty is dangerous. Grant them Your unending strength and courage in their daily assignments. Dear God, protect these brave persons. Grant them Your Almighty protection and unite them safely with their families after duty has ended… Amen🙏

THE FORTY MARTYRS OF ENGLAND AND WALES: The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of Catholic, lay and religious, men and women, executed between 1535 and 1679 for treason and related offences under various laws enacted by Parliament during the English Reformation. The individuals listed range from Carthusian monks who in 1535 declined to accept Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy, to seminary priests who were caught up in the alleged Popish Plot against Charles II in 1679. Many were sentenced to death at show trials, or with no trial at all. They are to be differentiated from the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Fifty-four were beatified in 1886; nine were beatified in 1895; and 137 more received beatification in 1929. The first wave of executions came with the reign of King Henry VIII and involved persons who did not support the 1534 Act of Supremacy and dissolution of the monasteries. Carthusian John Houghton and Bridgettine Richard Reynolds died at this time. In 1570 Pope Pius V, in support of various rebellions in England and Ireland, excommunicated Queen Elizabeth, absolving her Catholic subjects of their allegiance to her. The crown responded with more rigorous enforcement of various penal laws already enacted and passed new ones. The made it high treason to affirm that the queen ought not to enjoy the Crown, or to declare her to be a heretic. “An act against Jesuits, seminary priests, and such other like disobedient persons”, the statute under which most of the English martyrs suffered, made it high treason for any Jesuit or any seminary priest to be in England at all, and a felony for any person to harbor or aid them. All but six of the forty had been hanged, drawn and quartered, many of them at Tyburn.

The martyrs are: St. John Almond; St. Edmund Arrowsmith; St. Ambrose Barlow; St. John Boste; St. Alexander Briant; St.  Edmund Campion; St. Margaret Clitherow; St. Philip Evans; St. Thomas Garnet; St. Edmund Gennings; St. Richard Gwyn; St. John Houghton; St. Philip Howard; St. John Jones; St. John Kemble; St. Luke Kirby; St. Robert Lawrence; St. David Lewis; St. Anne Line; St. John Lloyd; St. Cuthbert Mayne; St. Henry Morse; St. Nicholas Owen; St. John Payne; St. Polydore Plasden; St. John Plessington; St. Richard Reynolds; St. John Rigby; St. John Roberts; St. Alban Roe; St. Ralph Sherwin; St. Robert Southwell;  St. John Southworth;  St. John Stone; St.John Wall; St. Henry Walpole; St. Margaret Ward; St. Augustine Webster; St. Swithun Wells; St. Eustace White

Following beatifications between 1886 and 1929, there were already numerous martyrs from England and Wales recognised with the rank of Blessed. The bishops of the province identified a list of 40 further names; reasons given for the choice of those particular names include a spread of social status, religious rank, geographical spread and the pre-existence of popular devotion. The list of names was submitted to Rome in December 1960. In the case of a martyr, a miracle is not required. For a martyr, the Pope has only to make a declaration of martyrdom, which is a certification that the Venerable died voluntarily as a witness of the Faith or in an act of heroic charity for others. The Archbishop of Westminster, then Cardinal William Godfrey, sent a description of 24 seemingly miraculous cases to the Sacred Congregation. Out of 20 candidate cases for recognition as answered prayers, the alleged cure of a young mother from a malignant tumor was selected as the clearest case. In light of the fact that Thomas More and John Fisher, belonging to the same group of Martyrs, had been canonized with a dispensation from miracles, Pope Paul VI, after discussions with the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints, considered that it was possible to proceed with the Canonization on the basis of one miracle. Pope Paul VI granted permission for the whole group of 40 names to be recognised as saints on the strength of this one miracle. The canonization ceremony took place in Rome on October 25, 1970. In England, these martyrs were formerly commemorated within the Catholic Church by a feast day on October 25th, which is also the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, but they are now celebrated together with all the 284 canonized or beatified martyrs of the English Reformation on 4 May. In Wales, the Catholic Church keeps October 25th as the feast of the Six Welsh Martyrs and their companions. The Welsh Martyrs are the priests Philip Evans and John Lloyd, John Jones, David Lewis, John Roberts, and the teacher Richard Gwyn.[9] The companions are the 34 English Martyrs listed above. Wales continues to keep May 4th as a separate feast for the beatified martyrs of England and Wales.

PRAYER: Merciful God, who, when thy Church on earth was torn apart by the ravages of sin, didst raise up men and women in England who witnessed to their faith with courage and constancy: give unto thy Church that peace which is thy will, and grant that those who have been divided on earth may be reconciled in heaven and be partakers together in the vision of thy glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050424.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ John 15:18-21

“You do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells His disciples on the night before He was crucified that they can expect the same hatred from the world that He Himself has experienced. In that regard, as in others, He remarks that a ‘servant is not greater than his master’. In many parts of our world today, Christians are being persecuted. St. John’s Gospel speaks about God’s love for the world. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the world’s hatred for Him and for His followers. In St. Luke’s Gospel Jesus calls on His disciples to love their enemies and to do good to those who hate them. The Gospels suggest that Jesus was realistic about the hostility that would come His own way and the way of His followers. Yet, He wanted His followers to relate to the world not on the basis of how the world relates to them but on the basis of how God and Jesus relate to the world. In the Gospel reading Jesus says, ‘A servant is not greater than His master’. That can be read in two ways. One way is, ‘if the master experienced hostility so will the servants’. The other way is, ‘if the master washed the feet of the servants, including the feet of Judas, the one who betrayed him, the servants must do likewise; they must reveal the love of God to others regardless of how they relate to them’. That saying of Jesus, ‘a servant is not greater than his master’ gives us much to ponder. It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can be like the master in every respect.

In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke, the author gives us a strong sense of the early church being guided by the Holy Spirit. St. Paul and his companions travelled through the countryside of the Roman province of Galatia, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in the Roman province of Asia, both provinces being in modern-day Turkey. The Spirit would not allow them to cross into the province of Bithynia either, so, instead, they came to the city of Troas, on the North West coast of modern-day Turkey. There St. Paul experienced the prompting of the Spirit once more in the form of a vision in which a person from Macedonia in Northern Greece called on St. Paul and his companions to come over and help them. Luke was showing that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church, especially the missionary journeys of Paul. We can be confident that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the church today. The church is not just a human organization, a kind of religious multi-national corporation. Yes, it has elements that are typical of any world-wide organization. It is a human institution. More fundamentally, however, the church is a spiritual reality. The risen Lord, through the Spirit, is present in the church, shaping it and guiding it. The church cannot be shaped by opinion polls. It can only be shaped by the Lord and His Spirit. Sometimes, as Jesus says in the Gospel reading today, this will put the church into conflict with the prevailing culture, ‘if they persecuted me, they will persecute you too’. The church is in the midst of the world, but it is not of the world. As Jesus declares in the Gospel reading, ‘you do not belong to the world’. The really important question for the church is not, ‘what do people think of us?’ but ‘what is the Lord saying to us’ or ‘Where is the Spirit leading us?’ Answering those questions requires prayerful discernment from us all.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us have been called from the world and chosen to be God’s own beloved people, as we have embraced His love and truth, His salvation and assurance of eternal life for all of us. All of us as His beloved and holy people have been called and expected to live our lives worthily of God, that we may do our very best in proclaiming His truth and love in our respective communities, in every opportunities and responsibilities entrusted to us. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called to be those who are truly exemplary and inspirational in our lives and actions so that by our every actions, words and deeds, we may continue to inspire and touch the lives of many others around us. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the gifts, abilities and opportunities which the Lord had provided to us and blessed us with. With these comes the responsibilities and calling through which we should commit ourselves in even the smallest ways that we will always continue to show the Lord’s Good News and truth, His love and ways to everyone whom we encounter and interact with. We should always strive to be the bearers of God’s truth and be good and worthy role models for one another. Like that of the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord before us, who have inspired us with their exemplary lives and actions, we should ourselves therefore be good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord as well, in living our own lives led and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. May the Risen Lord continue to be with us and guide us in all of our journey and efforts throughout life. May He continue to strengthen our resolve to live our lives worthily of Him and to endure all sorts of trials, challenges and tribulations, so that despite whatever it is that we may need to face in our lives, we will always be strong and inspired to follow His path, and the examples of the holy men and women who had gone before us, so that by our lives and perseverance, our own faith and commitment, more and more may come to believe in the Lord as well and be saved through God’s light and salvation. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless each one of us in our every endeavours and good works and may He be with His Church, now and always. Amen🙏

Let us pray

My persecuted Lord, You endured the hatred and ridicule of many who were engulfed by the false values of the world. I pray that I may share not only in Your life of love and mercy but also in Your strength during the times that I also endure the world’s hatred. I commit myself to You and pray that You continually take me out of the world and bring me close to Yourself. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Florian, and The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales ~ Pray for us sinners🙏

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 Fifth Week of Easter🙏

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: MAY 3, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Friday of the Fifth 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 from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 3, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | May 3, 2024” |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | May 3, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 3, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | May 3, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Readings: Friday, May 3, 2024
Reading 1, First Corinthians 15:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5
Gospel, John 14:6-14

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/

FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES ~ FEAST DAY ~ MAY 3RD: Today, we celebrate the Feast of two of the twelve Apostles of Jesus, Saints Philip and James, Apostles. Saints Philip and James are linked on this feast because they shared the patronage of an ancient Roman basilica, known today as the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Rome. Both were martyred in the 1st century. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints Philip and James, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are terminally ill. We pray for all Pharmacists, for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all Christians, for the poor and needy and for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and all over the world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of 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. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES THE LESSER, APOSTLES: Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of not just one but two of the great Apostles of the Lord, namely that of St. Philip and St. James, two of the Twelve Apostles, part of the innermost circle and closest collaborators of our Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry and work. Both of them like that of the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord, went through many hardships and trials, and went from places to places to proclaim the Good News of the Lord, delivering the truth and love of God to more and more people who have not yet heard of Him or known Him. They laboured for many years in distant lands and in foreign places, among foreigners and others so that many more may come close to the salvation in God. Through their efforts and hard work, many have come close to the Lord and found the path to His grace, and not few followed in the footsteps of the Apostles. Sts. Philip and James are linked on this feast because they shared the patronage of an ancient Roman basilica, known today as the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Rome. Both were martyred in the 1st century.

SAINT PHILIP: St. Philip was born in Bethsaida in Galilee and was one of the 12 Apostles that Jesus called the day after St. Peter and St. Andrew. The Apostle Philip was one of Christ’s first disciples, called soon after his Master’s baptism in the Jordan. The fourth Gospel of St. John gives the following detail: “The next day Jesus was about to leave for Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him: Follow Me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him: We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote, Jesus the Son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him: Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him: Come and see” (John 1:43ff). After receiving the Holy Spirit, immediately, Philip began to preach the Gospel, in Scythia and Phrygia, converting great numbers to the faith, finding his friend Nathaniel and telling him that Jesus was the one whom Moses and the other prophets had foretold. According to tradition, St. Philip was then a married man, and he had several daughters, three of whom reached eminent sanctity. Like the other Apostles, St. Philip left all things to follow Christ. His name is frequently mentioned in the Holy Gospels.

St. Philip is eighth in the Apostolic list of the Roman Canon; in the Synoptic Gospels he is named after the two groups of brother, Peter and Andrew, James and John (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). In St. John (I:43-44), we read that he was called after St. Peter to follow Jesus, and the Gospel adds he was of Bethsaida, as were Andrew and Peter. Philip introduced Nathaniel, who we know as the Apostle Bartholomew to Jesus (cf. St. Bartholomew). This same Gospel of St. John mentions Philip once again (John 14:9), in the passage, read at Mass, which serves also as the Antiphon of the Alleluia and for the Communion: “Philip, he that sees Me sees the Father also”; elsewhere (John 12:21) it tells us that certain Gentiles wishing to see Jesus had recourse to Philip, and in chapter 6 Jesus says to Philip, before the multiplication of the loaves, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” These little incidents, though they tell us nothing about St. Philip’s inner life, show us that in the intimate companionship of the Apostles he played a distinct part. The Breviary story tells us that he evangelized Phyrgia, and that, at Hierapolis, he was fastened to a cross, crucified and then stoned at Hierapolis, in Phrygia. It adds that his relics, with those of St. James, were taken to Rome and placed in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles. This church was once one of the most venerated in Rome. It corresponds to the famous church of Byzantium called the Apostoleion or Church of the Apostles. St. Julius I (341-352_ erected it, Pelagius I (556-561) rebuilt it, and finally John III (561-574) dedicated it to the memory of all the Apostles, especially SS. Philip and James, whose relics were enshrined therein. St. Philip is the Patron Saint of pastry chefs, Hatters, jockeys and horsemen, Uruguay, Luxembourg.

PRAYER: O Saint Philip, chosen disciple of the Lord, who brought Nathaniel to Christ, who most zealously preached thy Lord, Jesus Christ, and out of love to Him willingly gave thyself to be nailed to the cross, and put to death, obtain, I beseech thee, for me, and for all men, grace with zeal to bring others to the practice of good works, to have a great desire after God and His truths, and, in hope of the eternal blissful contemplation of God, to bear patiently the adversities and miseries of this life…Amen🙏

SAINT JAMES THE LESSER: James the Lesser is called “Lesser” because he was younger than the other Apostle by the same name, James the Great. St. James was the son of Alpheus (also known as Cleophas), the brother of Saint Jude. St. James the less was related in some way to Jesus, a cousin of Our Lord, whom he is said to have resembled. His mother Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes called the brother of the Lord. After Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, he became the head of the Church in Jerusalem. He was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Saint Paul tells us that he was favored by a special apparition of Christ after the Resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:7) On the dispersion of the Apostles among the nations, Saint James remained as Bishop of Jerusalem, where the Jews held in such high veneration his purity, mortification, and prayer, that they named him the Just. He governed that church for 30 years before his martyrdom. Hegesippus, the earliest of the Church’s historians, has handed down many traditions of Saint James’s sanctity.

Saint James was a celibate Nazarite consecrated to God; he drank no wine and wore no sandals. He prostrated himself so long and so often in prayer that the skin of his knees was hardened like a camel’s hoof. It is said that the Jews, out of respect, used to touch the hem of his garment. He was indeed a living proof of his own words, The wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, modest, ready to listen, full of mercy and good fruits. (James 3:17) He sat beside Saint Peter and Saint Paul at the Council of Jerusalem. When Saint Paul at a later time escaped the fury of the Jews by appealing to Caesar, the people took vengeance on James. One day, being requested to preach against Christ, he publicly proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, in Whom men were bound to believe, at which the Jewish priests became so enraged and crying out, The just one has erred! stoned him to death. They threw him down from a pinnacle of the temple, cast stones upon him, and finally killed him outright with a fuller’s rod. During his martyrdom he prayed for his persecutors in the same words pronounced by Jesus: Heavenly Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. He was martyred in the year 62. St. James the Lesser is the Patron Saint of Apothecaries; druggists; dying people; Frascati, Italy; fullers; milliners; Monterotondo, Italy; pharmacists; Uruguay.

PRAYER: O Saint James, who lived so temperately and strictly, who, like thy master, prayed so earnestly and constantly for thy tormentors, I beseech thee that thou wouldst procure us from Jesus grace, after thy example, to live sober and peniteptial lives, and to worship God in spirit and in truth. Obtain for us, therefore, the spirit with which thou didst write thine epistle, that we may follow thy doctrine, be diligent in good works, and, like thee, love and pray for our enemies…Amen🙏

Lord God, You give us joy every year on the feast of Your Apostles Sts. Philip and James. Through their prayers let us share in the Passion and the Resurrection of Your only-begotten Son and help us merit the eternal vision of Your glory… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050324.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ John 14:6-14

“Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me?”

“Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the words of Philip to Jesus, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and we shall be satisfied’, might well resonate with us. Perhaps we too sense that we will really only be satisfied when we see God, or, in other words, when we are in Heaven. Yet, Jesus replies to Philip that God the Father whom he longs to see he already sees in Jesus, ‘to have seen me is to have seen the Father’. The Lord told His disciples that He has indeed come from the Father, showing them all the fullness of God’s love and truth to them, and seeing Him is in truth the same as having seen God in His fullness of glory and love. That is because He was indeed the Love of God made manifest and perfect in this world, incarnate in the flesh as the Son of God and as the Son of Man. In those words, Jesus is letting us all know that He has already begun to satisfy our deepest longings, our longing for God. Jesus has shown us the face of God in Himself, in His life, death and resurrection. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus we will already begin to see the face of God and the Heaven for which will become a present reality, to some extent. Jesus is reminding St. Philip and all of us that we have already been given a great deal. What we need to do is to appreciate what we have been given, to experience the presence of God in the person of Jesus who is with us always until the end of time; He is with us in His word, in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and in each other. God has not hold back from us even His own most beloved Son, but sending Him into our midst so that all of us may experience the fullness of God’s love manifested in the flesh, as He appeared before us as the Son of Man, born of His blessed mother Mary, becoming the tangible expression of God’s ever generous love and grace. Through Christ His Son, God wants us all to experience the fullness of His love, and He wants us all to pass that love to more and more people we encounter in our own lives.

Our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, describes the testimony of faith that St. Paul delivered to the faithful in the city of Corinth, reminding them all to pass on the truth, knowledge and the wisdom of God’s truth which they had received from the hands of the Apostles and the other missionaries. St. Paul shared with them how he himself has received the same truth and teachings from the Apostles, who shared and passed on to him the truth about what happened in the Lord’s ministry, in everything that He had done for the sake of the salvation of the whole world. St. Paul himself did not witness everything that had happened but he received the same truth from the hands of the other Apostles and also through the wisdom and inspiration from the Holy Spirit. The Apostles have been called and chosen to bring the Good News of the Lord to the nations, and in the case of St. Paul, while he himself never journeyed together with the Lord and His group, and in fact was an ardent and overzealous persecutor of Christians in his early moments, but this did not prevent the Lord from calling St. Paul and making him to be one of His greatest missionaries, proclaiming the message of His truth to more and more people that had not yet known Him and had not yet heard His words of truth and experienced His love. St. Paul hence shared to the people of God, the faithful in Corinth that each and every one of them ought to be missionary and evangelising as well, in committing their lives and works to the glorification of God and the proclamation of His truth and salvation. St. Paul lists James as one of those to whom the risen Lord appeared and then to all the Apostles. On this feast day, we celebrate and mark the great memories of these two wonderful saints, the Holy Apostles of Our Lord, St. Philip and St. James, we are all called to reflect on ourselves and on our own calling in life. Each one of us as Christians are disciples and followers of the Lord, and we are all called to the same mission that the Lord has entrusted to His Apostles. The Lord has given to us the mission to reach out to more people among the nations, that we may be the genuine witnesses of His truth, love and resurrection among all the people of God. We are the ones to be the beacons of God’s light in our respective communities today.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are reminded that we should walk in the footsteps of the Holy Apostles. We are all reminded to do our best to serve the Lord by our every contributions, even to the smallest and seemingly least significant actions we do. For it is by our combined works and efforts that God will extend His reach and works ever more gloriously among His people. Let us all spend more time in building up our relationship with God and in deepening our understanding of our faith, so that we may be truly inspirational to all those who witness our lives and works. Let us walk in the path of the Apostles and do whatever we can to proclaim the Lord in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all therefore be inspired by the dedication and examples showed by the Holy Apostles, St. Philip and St. James, and be strengthened and inspired to walk in the same path that they had walked. Let us all turn towards the Lord faithfully and dedicate ourselves to Him thoroughly, doing our very best to be faithful missionaries and evangelisers of our Christian faith, not just through mere words only, but also through genuine actions and works, in doing God’s will and obeying His Law and commandments, becoming true shining beacons of the Light of Christ in the midst of our community. May the Lord continue to be with us always and may He empower each one of us to walk in His presence at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, bless us always and grant us His grace in our every efforts and good works, now and forevermore. St. Philip and St. James, Holy Apostles and devout servants of God, pray for us all. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My divine and personal Lord, it is the deepest desire of Your Sacred Heart to know me and to love me. Fill my heart with this same desire so that I will not only know You, dear Lord, but also the Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your perfect love and pray that I may open myself to that love more fully each and every day. Saints Philip and James, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saints Philip and James, Holy Apostles of the Lord ~ Pray for us sinners🙏

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 Fifth Week of Easter 🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖