NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

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

FEAST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY, MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES

MEMORIAL OF SAINT MÉDARD, BISHOP AND SAINT WILLIAM OF YORK, BISHOP

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Mother Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces!

On this special feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, with special intention we pray for all families and for the safety and well-being of our children and children all over the world. We continue ro pray for the Church, the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Cardinals, Bishops, all Priests, that they be sanctified in their ministry to God’s people. We pray for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world suffering from political and religious unrest. May God protect us all and keep united in peace, love and faith… Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass on EWTN on YouTube | June 8, 2024 |

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

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

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

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 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, Saturday, June 8, 2024
Reading 1, 2 Timothy 4:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22
Gospel, Luke 2:41-51

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060824.cfm

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY; FEAST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY, MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES; MEMORIAL OF SAINT MÉDARD, BISHOP AND SAINT WILLIAM OF YORK, BISHOP ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 8TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Feast of Our Blessed Mother Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces and we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Medard, Bishop and Saint William of York, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, the Immaculate Heart and Mediatrix of All Graces and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for those going through difficulties especially during these incredibly challenging times, we pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases, those with toothache and other dental and those who are mentally ill. We also pray for the poor and the needy, for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We also pray for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for captives and those who are imprisoned. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY: Today, the church celebrates the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost, the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart, which is celebrated on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. The coming together in this way of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary brings home to us the unique relationship between Jesus and His Mother Mary. The closeness of the two celebrations shows how the heart of Mary is close to the heart of her Son. The word ‘Immaculate’ comes from the Latin noun ‘macula’, which in English means a spot or stain, and the Latin adjetive ‘maculatus’, which means stained. Immaculatus, then, is unstained. When we speak of the immaculate heart of Mary we are stating that her heart was free of all moral stain. It was a heart that was completely given over to God, and to her Son, who was God incarnate. She is to be found among ‘the pure in heart’, whom Jesus declares blessed because they will see God. Mary had that purity of heart or intention; she was single minded in her devotion to God and to her Son, who was also God’s Son. This devotion honors Mary’s perfect purity of heart in virtue of her Immaculate Conception, and the perfect union of her heart—on fire with love for God and her spiritual children—with the heart of her Son, Jesus. The traditional image of the heart of Jesus is of a pierced heart, a heart that has suffered because of love. The heart of Mary is also a pierced heart. When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon said to Mary, ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’. This memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrates Mary as one whose heart is given over completely to God’s will and purpose for her life. The Sacred Heart of Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us all. Mary’s immaculate heart reveals her total love for God, with all her heart, mind, soul and strength. In two passages in the Gospel of Luke we have reference to Mary treasuring and pondering in her heart the sacred events of Jesus’ life, which became the foundation of the pious devotion to the Heart of Mary in the Church.

In the midst of the second world war Pope Pius XII put the whole world under the special protection of our Savior’s Mother by consecrating it to her Immaculate Heart, and in 1944 he decreed that in the future the whole Church should celebrate the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is not a new devotion. In the seventeenth century, St. John Eudes preached it together with that of the Sacred Heart; in the nineteenth century, Pius VII and Pius IX allowed several churches to celebrate a feast of the Pure Heart of Mary. Pope Pius XII instituted today’s feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the whole Church, so as to obtain by her intercession “peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue” (Decree of May 4, 1944). We commemorate this Feast in honor of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus Christ, and her motherly and compassionate love for all mankind. Traditionally, the Immaculate Heart is depicted pierced with seven swords or wounds, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary and roses, usually red or white, wrapped around the heart. Patron Saint of Apostleship of Prayer, Ratnapura Diocese, Alliance of Sacred Hearts, Russian Territories, Scotland, Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Ecuador, Panama, Minglanilla, Cebu, Philippines, and, Georgia.

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

THE MEMORARE: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen🙏

PRAYER: Lord our God, you made the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary the home of your eternal Word and the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Give us a heart that is free from sin and attentive to your will, that, faithful to your commandments, we may love you above all things and seek to help others in their need. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen🙏

FEAST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY, MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES: Mediatrix of all graces is a title given to our Blessed Virgin Mary; as the Mother of God, she mediates the Divine Grace. Pope Leo XIII declared in his Encyclical of September 22, 1891: “We may affirm that nothing, by the will of God, is given to us without Mary’s mediation, in such way that just as no one can approach the almighty Father but through His Son, likewise no one, so to speak, can approach Christ but through His Mother.” Pope Leo XIII declared in his Encyclical Octobri Mense (On The Rosary) of September 22, 1891: “With equal truth may it be also affirmed that, by the will of God, Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ.” In addition to Mediatrix, other titles are given to her in the Church including: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress. In a papal encyclical of 8 September 1894, Pope Leo XIII said: “The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace.” The Second Vatican Council referred in its document Lumen gentium to Mary as “Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix and Mediatrix”.

On this feast of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces, all the graces which flow from the redemption of Jesus Christ are granted to the human family through the motherly intercession of Mary. Mary mediated Jesus Christ, the Author of all graces, to the world when she agreed to be the human mother of God made man (cf. Lk 1:38). And from the cross at Calvary (Jn 19:26) and as the final gift to humanity, Jesus gives Mary as a spiritual mother to us all: “Son, behold your mother” (cf. Jn 19:26). For this reason, Vatican II refers to Mary as a “mother to us in the order of grace ” (Lumen Gentium, n. 62) and several twentieth century popes have officially taught the doctrine of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces, quoting the words of St Bernard: “It is the will of God that we obtain all favours through Mary.” The Mediatrix performs this task in intimate union with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, with whom she began the drama of our Lord’s Redemption at the Annunciation (cf. Lk. 1:35).Thirdly, Mary is our Advocate for people of God, in that she takes the petitions of her earthly children, especially in times of difficulties, and brings them through her maternal intercession before her Son and our Lord Jesus.

In the Old Testament, the Queen Mother brought the petitioned needs of the people of Israel to the throne of her son the king (cf. 1 Kings 2:19). Now Mary is the new Queen Mother and Advocate in the new Kingdom of her Son, who brings the petitioned needs of the people of God to the throne of her glorious Son, Christ the King, particularly in our present difficult times. The universal mediation of the Mother of Jesus as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate for the people of God is already contained in the official and authoritative teachings of the Church’s Magisterium. Now, at the summit of the Marian era, what remains is the final proclamation by the Church of this final Marian doctrine as Christian dogma revealed by God.

PRAYER: O Lord Jesus Christ, our Mediator with the Father, Who hast deigned to appoint the Blessed Virgin, Thy Mother, to be our Mother also and our Mediatrix with Thee, graciously grant that whosoever goes to Thee in quest of blessings may be gladdened by obtaining them all through her, Thou Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end… Amen🙏

THE MEMORARE TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.. Amen🙏

SAINT MÉDARD, BISHOP. He’s also known as Saint Medardus  (456–545) was the Bishop of Noyon, France. St. Médard or Medardus was one of the most honored bishops of his time, often depicted laughing, with his mouth wide open, and therefore he was invoked against toothache. Legend says that a sudden shower once fell, soaking everyone except St Médard who remained perfectly dry, because an eagle had spread its wings over him. Ever since, Médard was known as maître de la pluie—master of rain. In religious art, an eagle shelters Médard from the rain. St. Médard of Noyon was born at Salency (Oise), Picardy, France  about 456. His father, Nectardus, was of Frankish origin, while his mother, named Protagia, was Gallo-Roman. It is believed that St. Gildardus, Bishop of Rouen, was his brother. Under the care of his pious parents he made rapid strides in virtue, evincing particularly a great charity for the poor. His youth was entirely consecrated to the practise of Christian virtues and to the study of sacred and profane letters. He often accompanied his father on business to Vermand and to Tournai, and frequented the schools, carefully avoiding all worldly dissipation. At thirty-three years of age he was ordained to the priesthood and became a bright ornament of that holy state, preaching to the people by both word and example. His exemplary piety and his knowledge, considerable for that time, decided the Bishop of Vermand (d. 530) to confer on him Holy Orders, and caused him to be chosen as his successor. In 530, St. Medard became Bishop of Augusta Verumanduorum, being consecrated by St. Remigius, who had baptized King Clovis in 496. Forced, in spite of his objections, to accept this heavy charge, he devoted himself zealously to his new duties. In an effort to accomplish those duties in greater security, since Vermand and the northern part of France in general were then generally troubled by wars and exposed to the incursions of the barbarians, he removed his episcopal see in 531 from Vermand, a little city without defence, to Noyon, the strongest place in that region. The year following, St. Eleutherius, Bishop of Tournai, died and St. Médard was invited to assume the direction of that diocese also. He refused at first, but being urged by Clotaire himself he at last accepted. This union of the two dioceses lasted until 1146, when they were again separated.

Although he was then seventy-two years old, he redoubled his labors, extending his zeal wherever the honor of God seemed to require it. He bore persecutions in silence and with patience. Though he had the affliction of beholding his diocese ravaged by the Huns and Vandals, it gave him a fresh opportunity to practice charity. In 544, Radegondes, Queen of France, received the religious veil from the Saint’s hands, and she was made a deaconess with the consent of her husband, King Clotaire, who, doing penance for the sins of his youth, allowed himself to be guided by the counsels of St. Medard. The holy man died in his episcopal city on June 8, 545, Noyon, Oise, Picardy, France and the whole kingdom lamented his loss. A celebrated Benedictine abbey afterward arose over his tomb at Soissons. King Clotaire, who had paid him a last visit at Noyon, had his body transferred to the royal manor of Crouy at the gates of the city of Soissons. Over the tomb of St. Médard was erected the celebrated Benedictine abbey which bears his name. St. Médard was one of the most honoured bishops of his time, his memory has always been popularly venerated in the north of France, and he soon became the hero of numerous legends. One of which says that if it rains on St. Médard’s feast day it will be followed by forty days of rain; and forty days of sunshine will follow if it is clear. St. Médard was one of the most honoured bishops of his time, his memory has always been venerated in northern France, and he soon became the hero of numerous legends. Each year on his memorial the Rosiere is awarded to the young girl who has been judged the most virtuous and exemplary in the region of Salency, France; she is escorted by 12 boys and 12 girls to the church, where she is crowned with roses and given a gift of money. This is a continuation of a yearly stipend or “scholarship” he apparently instituted when bishop. His younger sister was the first to be crowned the Rosiere. He’s Patron Saint of weather; invoked against bad weather, against toothache, against imprisonment; against sterility; brewers; captives; harvests; for good weather; for rain; imprisoned people; mentally ill people; peasants; prisoners; vineyards.

PRAYER: God, Light and Shepherd of souls, You established St. Medard as Bishop 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 WILLIAM OF YORK, BISHOP: St. William of York (d. 1154) also known as William Fitzherbert or William of Thwayt was Archbishop of York. He was born to a powerful family in England, the nephew of King Stephen, whose sister Emma was believed to have married Herbert of Winchester, treasurer to Henry I. St. William became a priest, and about 1130 he was canon and treasurer of York Minster Cathedral at the time when the English crown was contested by two grandchildren of William the Conqueror. In 1142 when the Archbishop of York died, St. William was chosen to take his place at the insistance of the king, in opposition to the candidature of Henry Murdac, a Cistercian monk. Kind-hearted and generous to the poor, St. William was well-liked by the people; however, he faced political and ecclesiastical opposition from the rival to the English throne. The validity of the election was disputed on the ground of alleged simony and royal influence, and Archbishop Theobald refused to consecrate him pending an appeal to Rome. St. Bernard exercised his powerful influence against St. William in favour of Murdac, but in 1143 the pope decided that St. William should be consecrated, if he could clear himself from the accusation of bribery, and if the chapter could show that there had been no undue royal pressure. St. William proved his innocence so conclusively that the legate consecrated him archbishop at Winchester 26 September, 1143. He set himself at once to carry out reforms in his diocese, and his gentleness and charity soon won him popularity; but he neglected to obtain from Cardinal Hincmar the pallium which Lucius II sent him in 1146, and the pope died before William had been invested. Because he was consecrated without papal approval, William was accused of wrongdoing by those who wanted their preferred prelate in the position; even St. Bernard of Clairvaux opposed him. Although he eventually confirmed William’s appointment, the Pope died before the pallium was given, and the new pope took the side of William’s detractors. The new pope, Blessed Eugenius III, was himself a Cistercian, and the English Cistercians soon renewed their complaints against St. William, which St. Bernard supported. Meanwhile Hincmar carried the pallium back to Rome, so that, in 1147, St. William had to travel there to obtain it, raising the expenses of his journey by sale of treasures and privileges belonging to York. This afforded fresh matter of complaint and finally the new pope suspended him from his functions on the ground that he had enthroned the Bishop of Durham without exacting the pledges required by the former pope.  

A new archbishop was ordained in St. William’s place and he took refuge with his friend, the King of Sicily and went to live as a monk with his uncle, a bishop, in quiet prayer and penance. But his partisans in England took an unwise revenge by destroying Fountains Abbey, of which Murdac was now prior. This further inflamed St. William’s enemies, who again approached the pope, with the result that in 1147 he deposed the archbishop from his seat; and on the failure of the chapter to elect a successor, he consecrated Murdac in his stead. St. William devoted himself to prayer and mortification at Winchester till 1153, six years later when the pope and St. Bernard were both dead. He then appealed to the new pope, Anastasius IV, for restoration to his see, a request which the death of Murdac in October made it easier to obtain. The new pope made St. William the successor. St. William having received the pallium, returned to York, where he showed the greatest kindness to the Cistercians who had opposed him, and promised full restitution to Fountains Abbey. The people were overjoyed at his return—so many came to greet him as he entered the city that a bridge collapsed under their weight; the fact that no one was hurt was considered a miracle. A few months later, after celebrating Mass on Trinity Sunday, St. William became ill and died. Poisoning was suspected but never confirmed. Miracles took place at his tomb which gave rise to his canonization in 1227 by Pope Honorius III. In 1283 his relics were translated to a shrine behind the high altar of York Minster, where they remained till the Reformation. His feast day is June 8th.

Saint William of York, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060824.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 2:41-51

“His mother kept all these things in her heart”

“Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus, at the young age of twelve, displays that single-minded devotion to God and to God’s purpose and work, as He says to His worried parents, ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ Jesus’ single-minded, single-hearted, devotion to God His Father, was a trial for His mother, Mary. The Gospel reading says that she did not understand what her young son meant. She had to learn to let Him go to God’s purpose, God’s work and the Gospel suggests that it was a struggle for her at times. Yet, she allowed her own heart to be given over to what God wanted for Jesus and for herself, even though it did not always come easy to her. Her struggle to do this is the struggle of each one of us. When it comes to God and His Son, we are tempted to have a divided heart, to give just some of our heart to God. The heart of Jesus is the heart of God, a heart full of love for humankind. It is a heart that can be , it was on the cross. The heart of Mary is the heart of a mother, a heart that is full of love for her aschild, a heart that is easily broken because whatever affects her child affects her deeply.  Today’s memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary places Mary before us as an inspiration and encouragement to us in our struggle. Her human heart is the perfect human response to Jesus’ Sacred Heart of love and that is why we can turn to her with confidence and ask her to pray for us sinners now, as we try to respond to the love of Jesus in the wholehearted way that she did.

On today’s memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are being invited to recognize Mary as one in whom the Lord made both integrity and praise to spring up. A wonderful example of her praise of God is her great prayer, the Magnificat, to be found at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. As well as being a woman of praise, she was a woman of integrity. There was nothing false about her. She gave her heart to God and her life was an expression of that dedication of herself to God. Her heart was immaculate in the sense that there was no trace of sin or self-centredness there. She lived for God, surrendering to God’s purpose for her life, ‘let it be to me according to your word’. She was the prime example of what the Gospels call the ‘pure in heart’.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after the celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, reminds us all of the special link and connection that Jesus our Lord has with His mother Mary, and just how the loving, Immaculate Heart of Mary is truly a reflection of her own Son’s Most Sacred Heart. Mary’s heart is full of love for all of us, her adopted children, as we all have been entrusted by the Lord to her to be our own mother, and as we also become her own children by faith. Therefore, today, as we commemorate this Feast in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of God and also our own mother, let us all hence commit ourselves anew to love the Lord, our God and Saviour, through the examples that our beloved mother herself had shown, in how Mary had dedicated her whole life to love her Son, and how she had dedicated her whole life to obey God’s will and becoming the perfect example for all of us in how we should live our own lives as Christians. Let us all henceforth renew our faith in the Lord our God, entrusting ourselves in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, His Mother, as well as in His Most Sacred Heart, that we may strive from now on, in our best ability and effort to walk ever more faithfully in His presence, distancing ourselves from sin, and turning once again into the path of righteousness and justice, following the path that God has shown us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to turn to our Blessed Mother Mary with confidence and ask her to pray for us sinners and continue to guide us in our journey of faith through life, that we may always ever be faithful, at all times. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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 & the Holy Spirit forever & ever. Amen🙏

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

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

Let us pray:

Most Immaculate Heart of Mother Mary, you reveal to us the perfect way to love your Son and to be devoted to Him. Fill me with the love you had for your Son by interceding for me. Thank you for the witness you gave to us all and help us to imitate the countless virtues that flowed from your heart. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Most Blessed Mother Mary, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces and Saint Médard, Bishop and Saint William of York, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen🙏

Thanking God for the gift of the special  feasts of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and we continue to pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe and relaxing weekend🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖