TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 15, 2024

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

On this special feast day, 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 to 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 and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube | June 15, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 15, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” |June 15, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 15, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 15, 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 15, 2024
Reading 1, First Kings 19:19-21
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10
Gospel, Matthew 5:33-37

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT GERMAINE COUSIN, VIRGIN AND SAINTS VITUS,  MODESTUS AND CRESCENTIA, MARTYRS ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 15 On this day, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Germaine Cousin, Virgin and Saints Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, Martyrs. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for victims of abuse, the poor and the needy. We also pray for the sick and dying, particularly those who are sick with terminal diseases and dying, those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases, we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, with special intention for all Priests as we begin this Novena, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏

SAINT GERMAINE COUSIN, VIRGIN: Today, the Church celebrates a hidden saint: Saint Germaine Cousin, Virgin. St. Germaine Cousin (1579–1601) was born in 1579 in Pibrac France, a remote French village to a peasant farmer. She was born with a deformed right arm and a disease that causes abscesses in her neck. Her mother died when she was an infant, and her father remarried. Due to St. Germaine’s deformities, her stepmother was thoroughly disgusted with her.  She grew acquainted with suffering from an early age, she endured many labors with much patience until her death at the age of twenty-two. She was abused as a child and spent her short life as a shepherdess and lived her life in humility and poverty. Pope Pius IX enrolled her among the virgin saints and she became well-known for many miracles. To read the story of her life rends the heart. From her birth in 1579 until her death in 1601, the short life of this remarkable servant of God was filled with sickness and suffering. St. Germaine after losing her birth mother as an infant, she grew up with a deformed hand and contracted scrofula at an early age. Scrofula causes swelling and lesions to grow on the skin around lymph nodes, especially around the neck. Because of this disease, her step-mother and father had her live in the barn away from the home while growing up. And, they made her a shepherdess that guarded the family flock in order to keep her isolated and away from the family. She faced abuse as a child, abandonment by those called to care for her, and was falsely accused of stealing from the house. She never knew affection from her father, was subjected to constant mistreatment by her stepmother, and was denied a real place of her own in the family home. She was relegated to tending sheep around the surrounding area of Toulouse, France, and practically forbidden to come into contact with her stepbrothers and stepsisters. St. Germaine had every excuse to become a person embittered by life. And, yet, the youth in the area began flocking to her for prayers and guidance. St. Germaine’s burning love for God spilled over into love for her neighbors. She often gathered the local children about her and taught them the rudiments of the faith, and she fed the poor with crusts of dry bread that were doled out to her. Once her stepmother angrily accused the Saint of stealing bread and hiding it in her apron; but when the apron was opened it exposed a bunch of beautiful summer flowers.

Her demeanor evinced peace, humility, and a quiet joy. Like the Suffering Servant, Jesus, she bore these diseases and mistreatments while at the same time helping the poor, the hungry, and the outcast in the area. The greatest joy in Germaine’s life became the relationship she fostered with Jesus and Mary. Her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and for His Virgin Mother helped the saint. She assisted daily at the Holy Mass. When the bell rang, she will fixed her sheep-hook or distaff in the ground, and leave her flocks to the care of Providence while she heard Mass. Although the pasture was on the border of a forest infested with wolves, no harm ever came to her flocks. She practised many austerities as reparation for the sacrileges perpetrated by heretics in the neighbouring churches. She frequented the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist, and it was observed that her piety increased every time on the approach of any feast of Our Lady. The Rosary was her only companion, and her devotion to the Angelus was so great that she used to fall on her knees at the first sound of the bell, even though she heard it when crossing a stream. During her short life, her prayers began to heal people in the area. Her closeness to Jesus began inspiring others to love Jesus more. When her family saw this they began to change, and finally came to believe it, they invited her to live in the house with them. But, Germaine insisted that she remain in the barn. St. Germaine died at the age of twenty-two in 1601, succumbing to her poor living conditions. About half a century after her death, her body was found to be incorrupt, and when exposed for a year it became the object of veneration and the source of miracles. Villagers began praying for her intercession and receiving miraculous cures, resulting in her canonization in 1867 by Pope Pius IX. She’s the Patron Saint of victims of abuse and child abuse; of abandoned people; of people with disabilities; against poverty; girls from rural areas; illness; impoverishment; loss of parents; shepherdesses; sick people; unkind people; unattractive people, peasant girls, handicapped people; abandoned people; physical therapists.

PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Germaine the Virgin. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. May Saint Germaine, watch over those children who suffer abuse as she did. May she help us to give them the love and protection she only got from God. Give us the courage to speak out against abuse when we know of it. Help us to forgive those who abuse the way she did, without sacrificing the lives of the children who need help… Amen🙏

SAINTS VITUS, MODESTUS AND CRESCENTIA, MARTYRS: In Rome, The Holy Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia suffered for Christ and were martyred during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). During the Middle Ages, St. Vitus was one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He was born around c.290 in Sicily. His intercession was invoked for epilepsy and similar conditions. Saint Vitus, sometimes called Guy, was a child nobly born, who had the happiness to be instructed in the Faith under the tutelage of his Christian nurse, Crescentia, and Modestus, his preceptor. His father was not aware of his baptism. The boy received the gift of miracles. Before he reached the age of twelve, Valerian came to Sicily representing Diocletian, less to be governor of that island than persecutor of Christians. Vitus was denounced to him as one of them, and Valerian sent for his father, telling him to use his paternal authority to bring his son into line, and have him practice the religion of the empire. Hylas promised to do so. Finding St. Vitus unmoved by his tears and embraces, his warnings of what he would lose if he did not acquiesce to the emperor’s wishes, and every persuasion based on the grief his son would cause him by continuing to adore a man who died on an ignominious cross, Hylas delivered Vitus up to Valerian. The governor in turn could not change this child’s mind; when Valerian asked him why he resisted his father’s will and did not submit to the emperor’s laws, Vitus answered, I only disobey the emperors and my father to obey God, my sovereign Lord and first Father. He did not fear chastisement, he said, or death, and would gladly endure all things rather than adore demons, the sworn enemies of men.

Valerian ordered that he be scourged; but the arms of the executioners grew limp, and even the hand of Valerian, which he had raised to give the command, withered. They accused him of being a magician, but Saint Vitus cured them, to show them that the spirit of Jesus Christ is one of gentleness, and that His true disciples have only love for all their enemies. Hylas, his father, furious at his son’s refusal to comply with all efforts to change him, resolved to put him to death. But Modestus, his tutor, was told by an Angel to flee with him and his nurse, Crescentia, to Italy. There all three would win the crown of martyrdom. Diocletian himself, hearing of the miracles of Saint Vitus, sent for him but then imprisoned him, after Vitus had delivered the emperor’s son from a demon, but had refused to deny Jesus Christ. A furious lion would not harm the young Christian, but lay down at his feet and licked them. When he and his two Christian preceptors were attached to racks and tortured, their protecting Angel released them, but not until after lightning had struck the idol temples and caused them to fall, amidst a terrible storm. Many idolater among the spectators were converted on this occasion. They were set free after this incident, but Saint Vitus prayed that their souls might finally be released also, and his prayer was answered. Died boiled in oil in c. 303 (age 12–13); Lucania, modern-day Basilicata, Italy. They were buried at the place to which they had first come in Italy, in the kingdom of Naples. The relics of St. Vitus (also known as St. Guy) were transferred to various places — an arm is in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague. Vitus is one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers” (he is invoked against epilepsy and St. Vitus’ dance). He’s the Patron Saint of actors; against animal attacks; against dog bites; against lightning; against oversleeping; against storms; against wild beasts; comedians; Czechoslovakia; dancers; dog bites; dogs; epilepsy; Forio, Italy; lightning; Prague, Czech Republic; rheumatic chorea; Saint Vitus Dance; snake bites; storms.

PRAYER: We beseech Thee, O Lord, to graciously grant us through the intercession of Thy blessed Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, that we may not proudly exalt ourselves, but serve Thee in humility and simplicity, so as to avoid evil and to do right for Thy sake. Through Christ our Lord. Amen🙏

PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. VITUS: Grant us, O God, through the intercession of St. Vitus, a due estimation of the value of our soul and of its redemption by the precious blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ; so that, for its salvation, we bear all trials with fortitude. Give this Thy youthful servant and heroic martyr as a guide and protector to Christian youths, that following his example they may after a victorious combat receive the crown of justice in Heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061524.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 5:33-37

“I say to you, do not swear at all”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.”

In today”s Gospel reading, the Lord told His disciples not to swear or make oaths, to make promises by any means or on anything that is sacred and holy, and He told them instead that they should always strive to be truthful, virtuous, good and worthy in all of their words, actions and deeds. Unless they do this, they were really nothing better than hypocrites and unbelievers. Those who truly believe in the Lord would do their best to obey His commands, trusting in Him and doing whatever He had entrusted and told to them to do, just as the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and many others of the holy men and women had done. According to the Gospel reading, the implication of Jesus’ prohibition on oath taking within the community of faith is that, members shouldn’t need to have recourse to oath taking to have their words taken seriously. People should be able to rely on the Lord’s disciples to speak the truth, without the need to take an oath to ensure the truth is spoken. The disciple is called to say what they mean, what they know to be true. In practice, this general principal may need to be interpreted, according to the circumstances in which people find themselves. The call of love may require that the whole truth is not spoken to someone who is too fragile to hear it. In some situations, love for another’s well-being may entail speaking the truth to them, but not necessarily the whole truth, which may be too painful for them to take on board at any one time. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes, ‘speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ’. The supreme value for St. Paul, and for Jesus, is love. Love never requires that truth be compromised, but it does require us to be sensitive as to how truth is communicated, and how much truth is communicated at any one time. In John’s gospel, in the setting of the last supper, Jesus says to His disciples, ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now’. He promised to send them the Spirit of Truth ‘who will guide you into all the truth’. The Holy Spirit would gradually reveal, over time, the truth about Jesus to them. Some dimensions of truth can only be unfolded over time, either because the truth is so profound or our capacity to receive it is limited. Truth must always be shaped by love. As St. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, ‘if I understand all mysteries and all knowledge… but do not have love, I am nothing’.

In our first reading from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the prophet Elijah went to find the man whom God had identified to be his successor in the mission and ministry to the Israelites, namely that of Elisha. Elisha was to be the one to continue the great works and the ministry which Elijah had pioneered among the Israelites, to continue to shepherd, guide and help the people of Israel in their journey to find salvation and righteousness in God. The Israelites back then were rather stubborn, refusing to listen to the Lord and His messengers, and even persecuting all those whom the Lord had sent to them to help and remind them, like that of Elijah himself. And Elijah had indeed gone through a lot and suffered. These were then the challenges and sufferings which anyone who were to succeed Elijah would have to bear with them, but Elisha obeyed the Lord’s commands, and put his trust completely in Him. He left behind everything he had, all of his works and things, following Elijah and becoming God’s prophet and messenger to the people of Israel. Elisha dedicated himself henceforth to the Lord’s missions, just as Elijah had done before him. He committed himself to the shepherding of the people of God despite the challenges and stubbornness that he had to endure amidst the missions, and the Lord indeed did many great things through Elisha just as He had done earlier on through the prophet Elijah.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded through them to be truly faithful and obedient to the Lord in all things, and to be His committed disciples, giving our very best in all things so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we will continue to do what is necessary to be ever committed to God. We have all been called so that our whole lives may be pleasing to the Lord and to be exemplary to every one who witness our ways of living our lives and our interactions with one another. Unless we are truly faithful to the Lord and are obedient to Him, to His Law and commandments, how can we then call or consider ourselves as Christians, as His beloved disciples and followers? Let us all therefore renew our commitment and desire to love the Lord our God ever more wholeheartedly, and let us dedicate all of our time and efforts to follow the Lord in all of His will, His Law and commandments like that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the many saints, holy men and women who had gone before us. May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in our lives and endeavours, so that we may continue to walk ever more faithfully in our Christian living and in everything that we do, all for the greater glory of God. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us all and bless our every works and good endeavours, our every efforts in all things. 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: During 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, You are the source of all truth, and You are Truth Itself. Please help me to become a daily instrument of that Truth in all that I say and do. I choose You and Your holy will always, and I choose to be Your instrument for all to see. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Most Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Germaine Cousin and Saints Vitus, Modestus and Crescentia, Martyrs ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit  and praying for justice, peace, love, and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled, and relaxing weekend🙏