TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 2, 2024
Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy Monday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Labor Day (USA)! We thank the good Lord for the gift of life and the gift, blessing, and opportunity of work. Praying for God’s strength and grace, and may He continue to bless the work of our hands. We lift those seeking work into God’s hands. Amen 🙏
On this feast day, we humbly pray for the poor and those in need, 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 and 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 | September 2, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 2, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” |September 2, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 2, 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: Monday, September 2, 2024
Reading 1, First Corinthians 2:1-5
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
Gospel, Luke 4:16-30
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT INGRID OF SWEDEN, VIRGIN AND SAINT AGRICOLUS, BISHOP, SAINT BROCARD, HERMIT ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 2ND: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Ingrid of Sweden, Virgin; Saint Agricolus, Bishop and Saint Brocard, Hermit. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for all widows and widowers, and all those who mourn. We pray for the safety and well-being of 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.🙏
SAINT INGRID OF SWEDEN, VIRGIN: Saint Ingrid, also known as Ingrid Elofsdotter of Skanninge or Ingrid Elovsdotter. Was born in the 13th Century in Skanninge, Sweden and died in 1282 in Skanninge, Sweden of Natural Causes. Blessed Ingrid of Sweden was the sister of Saint Bridget of Sweden. Blessed Ingrid lived under the spiritual direction of Pete of Dacia, a Dominican priest. She was the first Dominican Nun in Sweden and in 1281 she founded the first Dominican Cloister there, called Saint Martins of Skanninge.
St. Ingrid died in 1282 surrounded by an aura of sanctity. Miracles obtained through her intercession followed and led to a popular cult of this Saint. In 1405, a canonization process was begun and the Swedish Bishops introduced her cause at the Council of Constance. An inquest was held in Sweden in 1416-1417 and the results were inconclusive. In 1497, the cause was reactivated and in 1507 her relics were solemnly translated, and a Mass and Office were composed—but formal canonization seems never to have occurred. During the Reformation, her cult came to an end, and her convent and relics were destroyed.
PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on Blessed Ingrid the Virgin. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. Amen 🙏
SAINT AGRICOLUS, BISHOP: St. Agricolus was the son of a Gallo-Roman senator named Magnus and Bishop of Avignon. St. Agricolus entered the monastery about the age of 14, possibly after the death of his mother, and acquired a great reputation for piety and learning. Meanwhile, his widowed father, Magnus, received Holy Orders and became a monk. Magnus was named bishop of Avignon 16 years later, and he consecrated his son, who by then had been a priest for quite some time, to become coadjutor bishop. St. Agricolus succeeded his father ten years later and became famous for preaching and aid to the sick and poor. St. Agricolus built a church in Avignon to be served by the monks of Lerins and also a convent for Benedictine nuns. By his blessing, he put an end to an invasion of storks.
Depicted with a dragon, St. Agricolus, like Sts. George, Arsacius, and Margaret of Antioch, is considered to have done battle with the devil–not utilizing his own weak human will, but shielded with a crucifix, much prayer, fasting and faith in His Redeemer. St. Agricolus (Agricol), bishop between 650 and 700, is the patron saint of Avignon. As bishop of Avignon, St. Agricolus worked all the harder for the sake of his flock. He was named Patron Saint of Avignon in 1647. He’s the Patron Saint of Avignon, Storks; invoked against the bubonic plague and misfortune of all kinds. Devotees prayed to him for good weather, fine harvests, and rain.
Saint Agricolus, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT BROCARD, HERMIT: St. Brocard (d. 1231 A.D.) was a Frenchman, born in Jerusalem; traveled to the Holy Land to enter into religious life there. Fired with the desire of giving himself to God, he entered the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. He was among the first group of hermits to establish a community of monks on Mount Carmel. Here he grew so famous for his holiness that upon the death of Saint Berthold of Calabria around 1195, who was the first Latin General and considered to be the founder of the Carmelites. St. Brocard was raised to St. Berthold place with the unanimous consent of the Brethren. St. Brocard, as the new leader of the community, anxious to further regular observance, desired to formalize the monks’ way of life on Mt. Carmel. He requested that St. Albert, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, write and establish a rule of life for the community, which he then imposed on the group as their discipline. The Rule of St. Albert established the Carmelites as a new religious order. It was wonderful to see how, under his government, the original Order grew in numbers and in excellence.
The Blessed Patriarch, St. Albert, seeing his prudence and his holiness, sent St. Brocard to Damascus to arrange a truce with Saladin, King of Syria and Egypt. St. Brocard, in carrying out this mission, gained all that he wished; and being gifted with great sagacity, he quickly brought matters to a settlement. The Viceroy of the Sultan was then suffering from leprosy and from a contraction of the hands. St. Brocard led him to the waters of the Jordan, and there baptized him, whereby he cleansed his body together with his soul. Having made him a loyal defender of the name of Christ, St. Brocard carried him to Carmel, where he took the habit, and lived without reproach, according to the Rule of the Order, until he passed hence to Christ. St. Brocard was considered an expert on Islam and Eastern affairs and was to accompany St. Albert to the Fourth Lateran Council, were it not for St. Albert’s murder before the Council convened. The Council suppressed the creation of new religious orders, which put the Carmelites in a tenuous position as they were not approved by the Holy See prior to this new decree. St. Brocard led the community through an uncertain period until they achieved special approval from the Holy Father. Famous for these remarkable works and others of alike kind, yet did not the holy man lack the glory of miracles, for he raised a youth to life and gained him for the Order. When he entered into his agony, in the eightieth year of his age, he thus admonished the Brethren: “My sons, God, by His providence, has called us to the Order and number of hermits, and by His special favour we are named the friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Beware, lest you should falsely claim this title after my death. Be steadfast in good, abhor riches, despise the world, and model your lives rigidly after the example of Mary and Elias’. Having spoken these words, he gave up the ghost. Details of St. Brocard’s life are scarce, various details of his life are legendary. St. Brocard’s feast day is September 2nd.
Saint Brocard, Hermit ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 4:16-30
“He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor. No prophet is accepted in his own native place”
“Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.”
In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ came back to His hometown of Nazareth, where He spoke and taught in the local synagogue, explaining to them the words of the prophecies of Isaiah the prophet, which was actually concerning Himself, to reveal to them the fulfilment of those prophecies and the coming of the salvation in God. The Gospel reading shows Jesus being rejected by those who initially accepted Him. When He went to His home town of Nazareth and preached there, the Gospel tells us that ‘He won the approval of all’ and people ‘were astonished by the gracious words that came from His lips’. Within a relatively short space of time, that acceptance changed, first to skepticism, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’, and, finally, to outright and murderous rejection, ‘they took Him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw Him down the cliff’. According to the Gospel reading, in response to His rejection in Nazareth, Jesus simply ‘slipped through the crowd and walked away’. Jesus continued on with His mission of proclaiming the good news of God’s favor to all people, including those who had rejected Him. Jesus was not held back, much less embittered, by the experience of rejection because he was rooted and grounded in God’s love. At His baptism He had heard the words, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you’. Our own lives too are rooted in that same faithful love of God; what God said to Jesus He says to all of us.The conviction that God’s love for us is faithful and enduring can keep us strong and free of bitterness in those times when we too might experience misunderstanding or rejection because of our beliefs.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the region of Corinth in Greece, the Apostle spoke of the works which he had done in proclaiming to them the Christ, the Lord Jesus, the crucified Messiah Who has suffered and died for the sake of the whole world. St. Paul also mentioned to the people in Corinth that he did not do them all by his own power, eloquence or abilities, but rather through the guidance and strength of the Lord which He had given to him and the other disciples and missionaries through the Holy Spirit. By the power of God and by His guidance, St. Paul had performed many great things and spoke wonderfully of His truth and love, His Good News and the message of His salvation to the people, many of whom had listened and accepted the Lord to be their Saviour.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded not to dwell on worldly power and glory, or all the temptations of worldly desires, and not to be tempted by our pride, ego, ambition and arrogance. We must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by our thinking that we are somehow better and more superior than others around us. It is this mistaken sense of pride and superiority over others that often brought us down as we became proud and arrogant, thinking that we could not be mistaken or wrong in our paths in life. This will likely end up leading us to shut our hearts and minds to the Lord, not being able or willing to listen to Him, or to embrace His truth and love. We have to realise just how much the Lord wants to lead us all to Himself, calling upon each and every one of us to follow Him. However, in order to do this, we need to be willing to listen to Him calling on us and turn away from our path of wickedness and evil. We should not allow the many temptations and pleasures of the world from keeping us separated from our most loving God and Father, our Creator and Master. We have to allow Him to lead us in our path and not let ourselves be tempted into the wrong path because we sought for worldly pleasures, glory and satisfactions. As Christians, it is imperative that we strive and continue to remind ourselves to put our focus and emphasis always on the Lord, our loving God, so that He is always ever the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence. May the Lord continue to bless and strengthen us in each and every endeavours, efforts and works we have done and which we will do for His greater glory. May He continue to empower and encourage us to walk through this path that He has shown us, so that we will continue to do what is right, worthy and just, and commit ourselves ever more thoroughly to His cause, at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to continue to strive to remain ever more faithful in God and allow the Lord to continue to guide our path and may He bless us always in all things, in all of our good efforts and endeavours, and may He continue to sow in us, His love and grace, His truth and Good News, now and forevermore. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER:
MONTH OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS:
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as our Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa)! Since the 16th century, Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The Church dedicates the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15th. Devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary dates from the twelfth century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard.
This devotion recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary’s spiritual martyrdom in virtue of her perfect union with the Passion of Christ. This was her role in salvation history and what merited her place as the spiritual Mother of all Christians. This is symbolized by a single sword, or seven swords, piercing Mary’s suffering heart, as foretold in Simeon’s prophecy. Traditionally the Church meditates on the “Seven Sorrows” of our Blessed Mother: the prophecy of Simeon; the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus for three days; the meeting of Mary and Jesus as He carried His cross; Jesus’ crucifixion and death; Jesus’ sacred body taken down from the cross; and Jesus’ burial. All the sorrows of Mary (the prophecy of Simeon, the three days’ loss, etc.) are merged in the supreme suffering at the Passion. In the Passion, Mary suffered a martyrdom of the heart because of Our Lord’s torments and the greatness of her love for Him. “She it was,” says Pope Pius XII, “who immune from all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love. As a new Eve, she made this offering for all the children of Adam contaminated through his unhappy fall. Thus, she, who was the mother of our Head according to the flesh, became by a new title of sorrow and glory the spiritual mother of all His members.” The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) is September 15th.
INVOCATIONS: Mary most sorrowful, Mother of Christians, pray for us. Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us 🙏🏾
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=762
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER – FOR THE CRY OF THE EARTH: We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.
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, and 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:
My challenging Lord, You desire that all Your children turn to You with their whole heart. Your chastisements are acts of mercy meant to move us out of indifference. Please speak to me the truths that I need to hear this day and use me to share Your holy word with others, especially those of my own family. 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 Ingrid of Sweden; Saint Agricolus and Saint Brocard ~ 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 month of September 🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖