NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

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

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

Greetings beloved family. Happy Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time!

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

Watch ” Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube | June 4, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 4, 2024 |

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

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

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 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: Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Reading 1, Second Peter 3:12-15, 17-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 90:2, 3-4, 10, 14, 16
Gospel, Mark 12:13-17

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, PRIEST AND SAINT FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 4TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Francis Caracciolo, Religious and Saint Filippo Smaldone, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, we pray for God’s divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the poor and the needy, for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, PRIEST: St. Francis Caracciolo (October 13, 1563 – June 4, 1608), was an Italian Catholic priest who co-founded the Congregation of the Clerics Regular Minor with St. John Augustine Adorno. He was born Ascanio Pisquizio, in Villa Santa Maria, Italy on October 13, 1563 and was given the name Ascanio at his baptism.  His mother was a relative of St. Thomas Aquinas. He lived a virtuous life as a youth and seemed inclined towards a religious vocation. He decided to adopt a religious life at the age of 22. Saint Francis is well known for been powerfully drawn to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, he fasted every Saturday in honor of the Virgin Mary, and he had a generous love for the poor. When he was 22 he contracted a form of leprosy which he begged God to cure him of.  He promised to follow what seemed clear to him as his calling to the priesthood immediately upon being cured. He was cured instantly upon making the promise, and left immediately for Naples to study for the priesthood.  On his ordination he joined the confraternity of The White Robes of Justice, who were devoted to helping condemned criminals to die a holy death, reconciled with God. Five years after he went to Naples, a letter was delivered to him which was in fact addressed to another Ascanio Caracciolo, a distant relative. The letter was an appeal from Father Giovanni Agostino Adorno (Fr. John Augustine Adorno), of Genoa, to this other Ascanio to join him in founding a religious order. Reading the lettter he realized that the vision of Fr. Adorno was in total compliance with his own ideas for a religious institute and he interpreted this as a sign of God’s plan. He responded to the letter and the two men spent a few weeks together in retreat to draw up the institutions and rule for the Order of Minor Clerks Regular.  The congregation was approved by Pope Sixtus V on July 1, 1588.

The congregation’s apostolate was preaching missions and performing diverse works of charity. The congregation lives both and active and contemplaive life, perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament being one of the pillars of their life.  They work with the sick, poor, prisoners and as missionaries. In addition to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, they have a fourth which forbids them to seek or accept ecclesiastical honors. Upon making his profession, Caracciolo took the name Francis in honor of the saint of Assissi. He was noted for his ardent devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, often being found in ecstasy, and frequently repeating the words of the Psalm, “Zeal for Thy house has consumed me.” He died of a severe fever on the eve of Corpus Christi in Agnone, on June 4, 1608, with his oft-repeated words on his lips. Those same words were found burned into the flesh of his heart when his body was opened after his death. “Zeal for Thy house has consumed me.” He was canonized by Pope Pius VII on May 24, 1807. He has been the Patron Saint of Eucharistic Congress of Abruzzo since 1925 and Patron Saint of Italian chefs since 1996 and Naples, Italy.

PRAYER: God, You adorned St. Francis, the founder of a new Order, with a zeal for prayer and love for penance. Help Your servants to make such progress by imitating him that by praying unceasingly and bringing their bodies into subjection they may be worthy to attain heavenly glory… Amen🙏

SAINT FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST: Filippo Smaldone (27 July 1848 – 4 June 1923) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (Salésiennes des Sacrés-Cœurs). Smaldone is best known for his extensive work with the deaf during his lifetime. Smaldone was a gifted preacher known for his commitment to proper catechesis and to the care of orphans and the mute, which earned him civic recognition. St. Filippo Smaldone was born on July 27, 1848 in Naples, Italy, during a time of upheaval and unrest both in Italy and in the Church. He was the first of seven children to Antonio Smaldone and Maria Concetta De Luca. He made his First Communion in 1858 and received his Confirmation in 1862. He decided to become a priest, and while in seminary he took on a personal apostolate of assisting the deaf and mute community in Naples. He dedicated so much time to this work that he barely passed his exams. He almost failed the examination for minor orders because he did not want to abandon his apostolate for his studies. He returned to Naples in 1876 – with the permission of the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples Sisto Riario Sforza – after a period of education in the Archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati. He was made a subdeacon on July 31, 1870 and ordained a deacon on March 27, 1871. Smaldone was ordained to the priesthood on September 23, 1871. After his ordination, he continued to assist the marginalized of his community, especially the sick and the deaf of Naples.  But at one stage he grew depressed, discouraged at the difficulty of the task and frustrated over his mute students. He asked to give up teaching in favor of going to the foreign missions. But his spiritual director convinced him to remain and to continue his work. When the cholera plague hit his city in 1884 he contracted it and almost dead, however, he was healed after praying to Our Lady of Pompeii / Madonna. He credited his survival to the Our Lady to whom he had a special devotion.

Dissuaded from the abandonment of his work by his confessor, St. Filippo committed his life’s mission to the needs of the deaf and mute, training a group of nuns in the work which grew into a new religious foundation. He later expanded his work to include children that were blind, orphaned, and abandoned. In 1885 he founded an institution for the deaf and for the mute at Lecce, with the assistance of Lorenzo Apicella and several nuns that he had under his care. He opened several other branches of his order in 1897 in both Rome and Bari. On December 18, 1912, his order was aggregated to the Order of Friars Minor. The order went on to receive the decree of praise from Pope Benedict XV on November 30, 1915 and full papal approval from Pope Pius XI after Smaldone’s death on 21 June 1925. St. Smaldone founded both the Eucharistic League of Priest Adorers and the Eucharistic League of Women Adorers to promote the Eucharist and he also served for a brief period of time as the superior of the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales. The civic authorities commended and recognized him for his work as did religious authorities who made him a canon of the Lecce Cathedral. In 1880 he was sent to Milan as an expert at a conference of teachers for the deaf. St. Filippo Smaldone died on June 4, 1923 at 9:00 pm at the age of 74 in Lecce, Kingdom of Italy from diabetes-related complications combined with heart difficulties. His remains were later relocated in 1942 to the order’s motherhouse. In 2005 there was a total of 40 houses with 398 religious in nations such as Rwanda and Moldova. St. Smaldone’s sainthood cause commenced in 1964 and in 1995 he became titled as Venerable under Pope John Paul II who soon after Beatified him in mid-1996. Pope Benedict XVI Canonized him as a saint of the Catholic Church on October 15, 2006 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City. He’s the Patron Saint of Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts; Deaf people; Mute peopl. His feast day is June 4th.

NOVENA TO ST. FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST: Dear St. Smaldone, in your earthly life you were a model of charity. Your love for those with disabilities especially the deaf brought you the beloved name “Apostle of the Deaf”. In your heavenly home please intercede for us here on earth that we may see Jesus in those hardest for us to love. Take our hand and gently guide us on the surest way to salvation. We humbly ask that you place our petitions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus. [Mention your needs here…Say 1 Our Father; 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory Be] Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible readings for today, Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060424.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 12:13-17

Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God

“Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the Lord and His disciples were faced with question from the Pharisees who wanted to test the Lord and potentially trap Him with the question regarding whether one should pay their taxes to Caesar or the Roman Emperor or not. At the time, this was indeed a very risky and politically charged issue which would have led to great trouble for the Lord and His disciples if that question was not answered in the right way. First of all, if the Lord had told the Pharisees that they all should pay the taxes to Caesar, then the latter could have assigned blame to the Lord as traitors to the people, as back then, Roman taxes were widely hated and despised by the people, who saw those taxes as sign of oppression. On the other hand, should the Lord mention that the people do not need or should not pay the taxes to Caesar, then the Pharisees could then accuse Him to the Romans of wanting to incite rebellion against them, as they eventually did against Him during the time of His Passion, His suffering and death on Good Friday. The Romans took particular emphasis on all those who went against their authority and rule, oppressing and punishing harshly all those who attempted insurrection and rebellion against them. As such, we can see that the Lord was faced with problems no matter what he decided to do. But, He wisely and wonderfully settled it, by saying to the Pharisees that one ought to pay to Caesar what belonged to Caesar, and to God what belonged to God. The coins that the people used to pay for their Roman taxes were minted by the Romans and were engraved with the image of the Roman Emperors, and hence, they indeed belonged to the Roman Emperors. Therefore, it is indeed lawful to pay what was due to the Caesars, just as one ought to pay what was due to God. And the latter was a reference and intention for the Lord to tell all of us to give our best to the Lord. Since all of us belong to the Lord, our Master and Creator, we must always strive to give Him the best of our lives, our every efforts to proclaim Him and His truth, to live worthily at all times, just as St. Peter had reminded the faithful earlier on as we heard in our first reading today. We must always strive to proclaim the Good News of God through our exemplary lives, and part of this is by our fulfilment of our obligations as citizens of our respective states in this world.

When J esus declared that people should give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give back to God what belongs to God, He meant certain loyalty is due to the political authorities but an even greater loyalty is due to God. Later in the Gospel, Jesus will spell out what is due to God. God is to be loved with all our heart, soul and mind. God is to be our first and greatest love. That certainly can never be said of any human authority, be it political or otherwise. Our primary loyalty is to the God whom Jesus reveals to us by His life, death and resurrection; all other loyalties are shaped by that primary loyalty.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Peter in which the Apostle spoke to all the faithful regarding what they all must do in the meantime as they were awaiting the coming of the Lord. He reminded all of them to do what was right and just, in accordance to the things that the Lord had taught them and led them through the Church. They must still continue to carry on living their lives worthily in the Lord and not to be idle or ignorant of their missions in life, and at the same time also reminding them to be careful and vigilant that they might not be tempted and swayed by the false teachings and ideas by those who might attempt to mislead them down the wrong path in life.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we have to always commit ourselves to the Lord wholeheartedly in each and every moments of our lives, in our daily living and in everything we do, while at the same time doing what we can to be good and dutiful citizens and members of our communities in this world. All of us must always be exemplary in our every lives and actions so that in whatever we do, we are both truly seen and witnessed as holy people of God, whose actions, words and deeds truly reflect His light, truth and love. At the same time, we must also be good and law-abiding in our world as best as we can, as long as the worldly laws are in accordance to Divine laws. Let us all therefore do what we can so that in each and every one of our actions in life, we may always be truly committed and faithful to the Lord, to give our best to Him, just as we live our lives dutifully as the citizens and members of the states and countries of this world. Let our lives and examples be great inspirations and role models for everyone else all around us, so that we may show the path of righteousness and virtue to everyone whom we encounter, and that we may help one another to come ever closer to God and His salvation. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord be with us always, and be with His Church, empower and strengthen us to live ever more worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JUNE: The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion.” These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – FOR MIGRANTS FLEEING THEIR HOMES: We pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence, find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.

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

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we begin this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Lord of all Truth, You are wise beyond all worldly wisdom, and You thwart the trickery of the evil one. Open my mind, dear Lord, to Your holy Truth so that I may be able to navigate through the challenges of life. Bestow Your wisdom upon me, dear Lord, so that I may follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

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

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

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖