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. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖
TWENTY- FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: AUGUST 29, 2024
Greetings and blessings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special feast day, the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, we humbly pray for persecuted Christians, for those who fight for truth, peace and justice, for the sick and dying, especially those who are suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We continue to pray for our children and children all over the world. With special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for their safety and well-being, especially those beginning the new school year. May God grant them the courage to face new challenges and wisdom to make good choices. We pray for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and for God’s guidance and protection upon them during this school year and always. We pray for safe travels, to and from school. We also pray for all teachers, staff and parents, and guardians. May the good Lord provide for those in need. And we continue to pray for peace, love, and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe andh well. Amen 🙏
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” ~ James 1:5
On this day, we especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and 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🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube | August 29, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | August 29, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” |August 29, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| August 29, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, August 29, 2024
Reading 1, Jeremiah 1:17-19
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17
Gospel, Mark 6:17-29
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF THE PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST AND SAINT SABINA OF ROME, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: AUGUST 29TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Sabina of Rome, Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints John the Baptist and Sabina on this feast day, we humbly pray for persecuted Christians, for those who fight for truth, peace and justice, for the sick and dying, especially those who are suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for those who mourn. We also pray for the poor and needy and for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏
THE PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST: On this day, the universal Church marks the beheading of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. The Church, having celebrated the earthly birthday of St. John the Baptist on June 24, today honors the anniversary of his martyrdom. Besides our Lord and our Lady, St. John the Baptist is the only one whose birth and death are thus celebrated. St. John the Baptist was the son of Zachary and Elizabeth and cousin of Jesus and his mission was to preach repentance to Israel in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. St. John began his ministry around age 27, preaching a message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem. St. John, faithful to the inspiration of Divine grace, spent most of his life in the wilderness, and became the model of the many anchorites who later served God in the same manner. When thirty years old, he appeared before the world on the banks of the Jordan, after the Spirit inspired him, he went about preaching that the people should repent of their sins and be baptized in order to prepare for the Messiah. He was a preacher of penance, the precursor of Jesus Christ and “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” St. John converted many and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. He had the honor of Baptizing his Divine Master, our Lord Jesus Christ and pointing Him out as the Lamb of God. After which he stepped away and told his disciples to follow Jesus.
The occasion for the Saint’s martyrdom soon presented itself. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, the slayer of the Innocents, was then ruler, or tetrarch, of Galilee. He is the same one whom our Lord called a “fox”, and by whom the Savior was sent to Pilate. On a visit to Rome he had made the acquaintance of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and he took her as his wife. His own spouse, the daughter of Aretas, an Arabian King, fled to her father, and a war in which the army of Herod was defeated resulted. St. John boldly denounced this adulterous and incestuous marriage. St. John the Baptist had the courage to blame Herod to his face for the scandal of his illegal union with his sister-in-law Herodias, whose husband was still alive. When John rebuked King Herod for his unlawful union with Herodias, his brother’s wife, Herodias contrived to make Herod imprison him. But Herodias wanted greater revenge: nothing but the head of her enemy, John the Baptist, could satisfy her. Herodias took advantage of an unexpected opportunity to obtain through her daughter Salome the beheading of the saint. On his birthday, Herod celebrated with a great feast as Salome, the daughter of Herodias, pleased him exceedingly by a graceful dance before his guests. Herod, pleased with Salome’s performance, promised to give her whatever she asked for, even up to half his kingdom. On the advice of her wicked mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod was grieved by this request, for he esteemed John the Baptist; yet he had the weakness to yield and to abide by his impious oath. Herod regretfully ordered the execution. An officer was dispatched to the prison, and St. John was beheaded to satisfy the revenge of a voluptuous woman. The death of St. John occurred about a year before of our Lord. St. John died in 30 AD.
According to the Roman Martyrology, this day marks “the second finding of his most venerable head.” The body of the saint was buried in Samaria. In the year 362 pagans desecrated the grave and burned his remains. Only a small portion of his relics were able to be saved by monks and sent to St. Athanasius at Alexandria. The head of the saint is venerated at various places. That in the Church of St. Sylvester in Rome belongs to a martyr-priest John. Also in the Dominican church at Breslau the Baptist’s head is honored. St. John the Baptist is the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, highly venerated by the Church. St. John the Baptist is the Patron Saint of Farriers, convulsions, epilepsy, hailstorms, baptism, converts, lambs, Jordan. The feast of his martyrdom is August 29th.
PRAYER: God, You chose St. John the Baptist to be the forerunner of Your Son Who was born and died for us. Grant that, as St. John was martyred for truth and justice, so we may energetically profess our faith in You. Amen 🙏
SAINT SABINA OF ROME, MARTYR: St. Sabina (d. 126 A.D.) was a wealthy Roman noblewoman, a widow and the daughter of Herod Metallarius. She was born in Vindena, Umbria, and became the wife of a notable person having the name Valentine. St. Sabina was converted to Christianity by her virtuous female slave, St. Serapia, a devout Christian virgin from Antioch who entered into voluntary slavery with Sabina after forsaking marriage and consecrating herself to Christ. Following her conversion, St. Sabina’s home became a secret meeting place for Christians where the sacraments were celebrated. St. Serapia was discovered to be a Christian and was burned alive and beheaded. When Serapia died a martyr’s death (her feast occurs on September 3), St. Sabina gave her servant’s holy body an honorable burial. St. Sabina recovered Serapia’s body and buried it in a tomb.
On that account St. Sabina was cast into prison by Emperor Hadrian and brought before the judge Elpidius. “Are you Sabina, illustrious by family and marriage?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” came the reply, “but I thank my Savior Jesus Christ that through His servant Serapia He has freed me from the power of hell.” Due to her contempt of the gods, she was condemned to death. Within the same year St. Sabina was also martyred for her faith and Christians buried her body in the same grave along side her teacher in the faith, St. Serapia. After Christianity was legalized in the 5th century, a basilica was built over St. Sabina’s home on Aventine Hill. Originally dedicated to both saints, it is known today as Santa Sabina, one of Rome’s most ancient churches. St. Sabina’s feast day is August 29th.
Saint Sabina of Rome, Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 6:17-29
“I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist”
“Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”
In today’s Gospel reading, John the Baptist was executed because he had challenged Herod for acting against the Jewish Law by marrying his brother Philip’s wife. St. John was a courageous witness to God’s will for our lives. According to the Gospel reading, John the Baptist stands out as a beacon of light against the darkness of the other characters, that unholy trinity of Herod, Herodias his wife, and her daughter. Between them they managed to eliminate what the Gospel reading refers to as a ‘good and holy man’, just as Jesus, the ultimate ‘good and holy man’, would be eliminated by another coalition of darkness. As said of Herod in today’s Gospel reading, he knew John the Baptist to be a good and holy man. That is a good description of what we call a saint, a good and holy person. Towards the end of June, precisely June 24th, we celebrated the birth of this good and holy man, John the Baptist. Today, we remember his death. In spite of the fact that Herod knew John to be good and holy and wanted to protect him, he had him beheaded. Having made a rash promise in public to his wife’s daughter from a previous marriage, he felt honour-bond to keep his promise. Instead of protecting John the Baptist, he gave priority to protecting his own honour, even though this meant executing someone whom he knew to be good and holy. Herod betrayed his best self, his deepest self. In contrast to Herod, John was faithful and true to what was deepest and best in himself, even though that meant incurring the anger of the powerful. John was faithful to the call of the Lord, even unto death. Herod heard the call of the Lord through John’s preaching; the Gospel reading says that Herod liked to listen to John. Yet Herod was not faithful to that call; he ended up responding to a different, more superficial call, the call to protect himself, his reputation, his honour. Herod’s dilemma is that of every human being, of every believer. The Lord calls from deep within us; we hear that call but we don’t always respond to it. We can end up responding to other calls that can be in conflict with the Lord’s call. John is an inspiration and an encouragement to us to keep responding generously and courageously to that deeper call in our lives, the Lord’s call that sounds from deep within us. It is in responding to that call that we will find life, both here and now and in eternity. John the Baptist is a great inspiration to us to allow the light of our faith to shine, the light of the Gospel, even when it is not popular or convenient to do so. Our calling is to allow the light we have received in Baptism to shine brightly, in season and out of season.
In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord reassured His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom the Lord had sent Jeremiah to, that they should not be afraid or fearful of all their enemies and all those who sought to destroy them because He would be with them and protected them much as how He had done so in the earlier ages and eras. The Lord had always been with His people despite their many insubordinations, rebellions and refusals to obey Him and His Law, His commandments and ways. He had built His protections and barriers around them, coming in between them and their enemies, destroying many of those who plotted against them and sought their destruction on many occasions. And yet, they still hardened their hearts and minds against Him despite all these things which He had done for them. The Lord had patiently helped and showed them His messengers, His servants and more to help and lead them towards Him. Many of these were persecuted and oppressed by those who refused to listen to their words and reminders, which brought about God’s anger against them and their stubbornness. Yet, despite having shown them this displeasure and anger, warning them of the dangerous consequences should they continue in their rebellious paths, which was one of the major message theme that Jeremiah brought to the people of Judah, the Lord also reassured them at the same time that He would be willing to welcome them back should they choose to repent from their sins and trust in Him again.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, on this feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, we are all reminded of the suffering, the great love and the commitment which a great servant of God had dedicated himself to His Lord and Master. This Passion of John the Baptist refers to the moment when St. John the Baptist suffered for his faith and dedication to the Lord, similar to that of the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, which we commemorate during the Holy Week in each liturgical year. St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, the bearer of the Good News of the Lord’s imminent coming, all that this man of God had done for the sake of the people of God and for his love for them, and how he stood up courageously for the sake of God’s truth, resisting the evils and immoral ways of the world, persisting even against those who were powerful and mighty. The courageous story of the faith of St. John the Baptist, reminds all of us that we are called as Christians to received and respond to God’s call to serve Him faithfully in the manner that St. John the Baptist had done, in standing up for our faith in the Lord and in defending the important Christian values and teachings. Each and every one of us are called to be courageous champions and defenders of our faith, and at every available and possible opportunities, we may be called to be witnesses of the Lord and to be missionaries of faith, following in the footsteps of the Saints and martyrs. Today we ought to reflect in what way our lives can glorify God so that in all the things we say and do, we will always proclaim the truth and love of God. All of us have the important obligation and duty to follow the Lord and His ways in all things and at all times. However, we must also realise that there will often be a lot of obstacles and temptations that may distract and drag us away from the path towards God and His salvation. And if we are not careful, we may end up also being dragged into the sins and immorality found aplenty in this world. This is where we have to be inspired by St. John the Baptist and his examples, in giving our all to God. We must not easily allow the temptations of the world, the allures of worldly pleasures and desires to mislead us down the path of evil and vice, as it had done to King Herod, Herodias, many among the Pharisees and many others. On this day, we honor St. John the Baptist who had shared in the sufferings of the Lord, as the one who had prepared His path as His herald, and who therefore suffered and died before his own Lord and Master, courageously defending what he had believed in and everything that he had laboured for throughout his whole life. Therefore, as we reflect on the life and actions of the most courageous and faithful servant of God, St. John the Baptist, particularly in his sufferings and martyrdom, the memory of his Passion which he had gone through for the sake of the Lord and all that he has been entrusted to do, let us all therefore reflect upon our own lives and ask ourselves what we can do to commit ourselves to the Lord with the same fervour, dedication, zeal and commitment, not fearing the hardships and persecutions of the world. We should not allow ourselves to be dissuaded by the opposition, challenges, troubles and difficulties that we may have to endure, and instead, like St. John the Baptist, we should strive so that our lives and examples may inspire those around us so that we may help others who are struggling in their faith in God to remain strong and firm in their faith and commitment. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith and may He encourage and empower us to persevere through the many challenges and trials that we may have to face in the midst of our journey in life, in our dedication and faith in Him, at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant us His grace and may St. John the Baptist, His herald and faithful servant continue to inspire us all and pray for each and every one of us, holy and beloved people of God as we keep on going with our daily struggles and perseverance in faith. May God bless us in our every endeavours, good works and efforts, now and always. Amen 🙏🏾
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST:
MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY: August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! The Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that Mary is the Immaculate Conception; that is, in preparation for the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb, she was conceived without the corruption of sin through the foreseen and infinite merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, as saints and theologians reflected on how Mary pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Christ in her holy heart, as attested in Scripture, her pure heart was recognized as something to be imitated. Devotion to Our Lady’s purity of heart began to flower—so much so that in the 17th century, St. John Eudes promoted it alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion rose to a new level after the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, when Mary revealed an image of her Immaculate Heart to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco.
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST – FOR POLITICAL LEADERS: We pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and for the common good, especially caring for the poor and those who have lost their jobs.
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 Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, 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 🙏🏾
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. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our 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 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 glorious Lord, You invited Saint John the Baptist to prepare the way for Your coming and Your death. He gave his life as a martyr, and this sacrifice bore an abundance of good fruit. Please give me the grace to walk in his footsteps by faithfully fulfilling my mission in life with courage and strength. May I never waver in the face of injustice so that I can embrace it and make it my spiritual offering to You. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Virgin Mary; Saint John the Baptist and Saint Sabina of Rome, Martyr ~ 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. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖