TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!
Today, on this special feast day, we humbly pray for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, we pray for difficult marriages, for all widows and widowers, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor and needy. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away, we particularly pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and we continue to pray for the repose of 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 and souls of all the faithful departed 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 and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
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 the Clergy, persecuted Christians, for peace, love, justice 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
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | September 17, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 17, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | September 17, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 17, 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: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Reading 1, First Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 100:1-2, 3, 4, 5
Gospel, Luke 7:11-17
SAINTS OF THE DAY: SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR; SAINT HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 17TH: Today, we celebrate Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor; Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church and the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. 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 who are mentally and physically ill, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for the poor and needy, for all widows and widowers, 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…. Amen🙏
SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR: St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) was an Italian cardinal and theologian. One of the great saints of the Jesuit order, St. Robert has also been declared a Doctor of the Church and the patron of catechists. He was born in Montepulciano in Tuscany on October4,1542, on the feast of the Poverello of Assisi toward whom he always cherished a special devotion. St. Robert was a son of noble parents, the third of ten children. His mother, a niece of Pope Marcellus II, was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification. St. Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus in 1560, finishing his theological studies at Louvain, Belgium and after his ordination went on to teach at Louvain (1570-1576) where he became famous for his Latin sermons. His services to the Church were outstanding. In 1576, the Saint was appointed to the chair of Controversial Theology at the Roman College, becoming Rector in 1592; he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594 and Cardinal in 1598. The cardinal archbishop’s three years in Capua stood out as an example of fidelity to the reforming spirit and decrees of the Council of Trent. He was considered as a possible Pope in two successive elections, but the thought of becoming Pope disturbed him and in the end he was never chosen.
In the early years of the 17th century, the cardinal took a public stand for the Church’s freedom when it came under attack in Venice and England. St. Robert Bellarmine defended the Apostolic See against anti-clerical in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. He also attempted, though not successfully, to negotiate peace between the Vatican and his personal friend Galileo Galilei, over the scientist’s insistence that not only the earth, but the entire universe, revolved around the sun. He wrote books and composed an exhaustive apologetic work against the prevailing heresies of his day. His catechism, translated into many languages, spread the knowledge of Christian doctrine to all parts of the world. In the field of Church-State relations, he took a position based on principles now regarded as fundamentally democratic—authority originates with God, but is vested in the people, who entrust it to fit rulers. He was the Counsellor of Popes and spiritual father and director of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. He helped St. Francis de Sales obtain approval of the Visitation Order and in his prudence apposed severe action in the case of Galileo. As a religious he was a model of purity, humility and obedience; as a bishop and Cardinal, an example of great love for his flock. He has left many important writings, including works of devotion and instruction, as well as controversy. Cardinal Bellarmine retired due to health problems in the summer of 1621. Two years before, he had set out his thoughts on the end of earthly life in a book titled “The Art of Dying Well.” In that work, the cardinal explained that preparing for death was life’s most important business, since the state of one’s soul at death would determine the person’s eternal destiny. The day on which he died, September 17, 1621 is now the feast in honor of the stigmata of St. Francis. He was Beatified in1923; canonization followed in 1930, and on September 17, 1931 by Pope Pius XI, who declared him a doctor of the Church. He’s the Patron Saint of canon lawyers; canonists; catechists; catechumens; archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio.
PRAYER: God, in order to vindicate the faith of Your Church You endowed St. Robert, Your Bishop, with wondrous erudition and virtues. Through his intercession, grant that Your people may ever rejoice in the integrity of that faith. Amen 🙏
SAINT HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Hildegard (1098–1179) was born in 1098 A.D. in the Rhine region of present-day Germany to a large and noble German family. She was called the “Sibyl of the Rhine,” and became the most famous mystic and prophet of her time. She was a Benedictine abbess, composer, writer, theologian, philosopher, mystic and visionary, and also well-versed in scientific natural history. St. Hildegard began to have mystical visions at the age of three which continued throughout her life. Her parents, promising her to the service of God, sent her to be educated at the Benedictine Abbey by an anchoress when she was about eight years of age. At the age of fourteen she became a consecrated nun attached to the Abbey, where she lived a quiet life of prayer for many years. At the age of 38, after the anchoress’ death, she was chosen as the new leader of a growing group of nuns. St. Hildegard led a remarkable and unusual life for a woman of her day. She was an avid composer of sacred music and liturgy, in addition to poems and plays. She also wrote heavily on theology, natural medicine, and natural science. She was a biblical exegete, visionary, preacher, composer, and herbalist, who corresponded with the major royalty and church leaders of her day, including four popes. Her greatest vision came when she was forty-two, which is recorded in her famous Scrivias, or Know the Ways of the Lord, a treatise whose magnificence rivals William Blake’s visionary work. At the age of 42, at the command of God, St. Hildegard began writing down what she saw in her visions. Her works were widely read, even by the Pope, and leaders around the world sought her council. Her fame as a mystic and prophetess grew, earning her the name “Sibyl of the Rhine.” More nuns flocked to join her, causing St. Hildegard to establish a new monastery at Rupertsberg. She wrote proficiently on the harmony of created nature and man’s need to live in balance with it, especially in virtue, morality, and the love of God.
St. Hildegard’s spiritual writings found approval during her lifetime, and her lectures on the spiritual life drew crowds from all over Europe. She wrote prolifically, on topics as varied as history and drama, polictics and and liturgical poetry. Her monastery joyfully sang the praises she wrote. During the last year of her life, when she was eighty-one, she entered into a conflict with ecclesiastical authorities because she allowed a young man who had been excommunicated to be buried in her abbey cemetery, and her convent was placed under interdict. It is probably that, for this reason, Hildegard was never formally canonized, although she is found in all major saints’ books and her cult was approved locally because of so many miracles reported at her tomb. St. Hildegard died at the age of 81 in 1179 A.D. Although she has been honored as a saint for many centuries, but officially canonized a saint and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI on October 7, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI declared her the fourth female Doctor of the Church in 2012 alongside Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux. On January 25, 2021, Pope Francis ordered the inscription of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, into the General Roman Calendar. Because her works were far ahead of her time she is regarded as a historical phenomenon. St. Hildegard of Bingen is considered the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. St. Hildegard is celebrated each year as an Optional Memorial on September 17th.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI: Today is the commemoration of the Imprinting of the Holy Stigmata on the Body of St. Francis of Assisi. Two years before his death St. Francis retired to Mt. Alverno where he began a forty days’ fast in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. No one ever meditated more than Francis on the Passion of his Lord. There, while in a state of continual prayer and unceasing watching, he saw in a vision a six-winged Seraph with burning, dazzling wings whose feet and hands were nailed to a cross; received at the same time a painful wound of the heart, which seemed to transpierce it. When the vision ended St. Francis’ own hands and feet bore the marks of the angelic crucifixion which he had seen in the vision. He understood by his vision that the soul must come to resemble Christ by the ardors of its interior fire, rather than by any physical, exterior means.
Saint Francis, loved today by all who know of him—and few there are who do not—was like precious marble placed before an expert sculptor. The Holy Spirit chose the flesh of the seraph of Assisi to express His divine thought, thus manifesting to the world the very specific direction He intends to give to souls thereafter. This stigmatization offers a first example, a complete image, of the new labor the divine Spirit is meditating—total union, on the very Cross of Christ itself, of the mystical Body with the divine Head. St. Francis is the one honored by this primacy of choice; but after him the sacred sign will be received by others, who also personify the Church. From this time on, the Stigmata of the Lord Jesus will be at all times visible, here and there on this earth.
These stigmata were so fully verified subsequently that the Franciscans since the fourteenth century have celebrated a feast in honor of the event. Pope Paul V authorized September 17th as the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. The Feast of the Stigmata of Saint Francis, whom we will soon honor again on his feast of October 4th, is not only to glorify a Saint; it commemorates and signifies something which goes beyond the life of any single man, even one of the greatest of the Church. The feast is a reminder of the power of love, as seen in the opening prayer for the festal Mass:
“Lord Jesus Christ, who reproduced in the flesh of the most blessed Francis, the sacred marks of your own sufferings, so that in a world grown cold our hearts might be filled with burning love of you, graciously enable us by his merits and prayers to bear the cross without faltering and to bring forth worthy fruits of penitence: You who are God, living and reigning with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.🙏”
Patron Saint of Animals, Archdiocese of Denver CO, Archdiocese of San Francisco CA, Archdiocese of Santa Fe NM, Assisi Italy, Birds, Catholic Action, Colorado, Diocese of Salina KS, Dying Alone, Ecologists, Ecology, Embroiderers, Environment, Environmentalists, Families, Fire, Lace Workers, Laundry Workers, Merchants, Needle Workers Peace, Zoos
Saint Francis of Assisi ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 7:11-17
“Young man, I tell you, arise!”
“Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus responds with compassion to the need of a widow whose only son has just died. Without any prompting from anyone, without any plea for help from the widow, Jesus goes over to her and restores to her the son she had lost. Jesus takes the initiative to reach out to the widow of Nain who had just lost her son, without any request being made of him. St. Luke’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus saw her, He had compassion for her, and He then acted out of His compassion, restoring her son to her. Jesus reaches out to all of us in our need, without waiting for us to call on Him. He is there before us even before we seek Him. He is present to us in His compassion, whether or not we call upon Him. Our prayer does not make Him present; it is always a response to His presence. He comes towards us and our calling is to receive His coming. God’s compassionate visitation of us through His Son continues in our day. The risen Lord continues to respond to us in our need. Without waiting on us to call out to Him, He moves towards us out of compassion for us to heal our brokenness, to bring life out of our various deaths, to restore what we have lost. We are never alone in our times of loss, sadness and death. The Lord is always coming towards us in His compassionate love. Our calling is to recognize His coming and to welcome Him. Jesus reaches out to all of us in our need, without waiting for us to call on Him. He is there before us even before we seek Him. He is present to us in His compassion, whether or not we call upon Him. Our prayer does not make Him present; it is always a response to His presence. He comes towards us and our calling is to receive His coming. In our Gospel reading, Jesus reveals God to be one who brings new life out of death and who restores the loving relationship that has been broken by death. Jesus brought the deceased son of this widow back to life and then immediately gave him back to his mother. There is an image here of how God, through Jesus, continues to work in our lives. God is always at work bringing new life out of our various experiences of death, whether it is the physical death of our loved ones, our own personal death or all those anticipations of death that we experience in the course of our lives. The Gospel reading suggests that God’s work of bringing new life out of death involves bringing together again loved ones who have become separated from each other. We can be confident that in bringing us to new life beyond this earthly life, the Lord will restore us to our loved ones, as He restored the young man to his mother. Jesus reveals God to be a God of life and love, who works to bring new life out of death and to restore and enhance all our loving relationships.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, we are all reminded of the various gifts and graces that God had granted, and also the calling which He has made upon us so that we may follow the Lord in whatever missions and ministries that He has entrusted to each and every one of us, doing our part to reach out to those around us who may be in need of our help and guidance. St. Paul also spoke of the various gifts and areas where the faithful people of God could contribute their talents and abilities, as not everyone can be Apostles, prophets and teachers, and therefore each and every one of them should strive to do their best in whatever calling and missions that God had entrusted to them. This is why it is a reminder for all of us that we should embrace our own respective calling and missions in life as faithful and dedicated Christians instead of competing with each other and desiring another mission or calling, or looking down or negatively on other forms of calling and ministry in our Christian efforts and endeavours in this world. We should not think that our own ministry, calling and commitments should be less important or even less prestigious and important than the other one, as each and every ministries, missions and vocations are equally important and distinct in their scope and impact on the people around us. Each and every one of us as the ones whom God had called and chosen to be His disciples and followers ought to understand this and strive our best to fulfil what He has commanded us to do.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are reminded of the various gifts and talents, opportunities and blessings which God has granted to us, and we are reminded that all those things had been provided to us so that we may put them to good use in the various distinct opportunities and areas of our lives that we have been entrusted to by God. All of us should not squander these various gifts and blessings that He has given us but we ought to do our best to continue living faithfully in His Presence in this world, proclaiming His truth and love, His Good News and wonders by our every words, actions and deeds, in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all therefore do our part to accomplish our respective mission and calling in life, to make good use of the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provided us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us all the grace to serve Him faithfully and be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, doing all that we can to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. 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:
Most compassionate Lord, You are always attentive to our needs and our sorrows. Your Heart is filled with compassion for all. Please give me a truly empathetic heart so that I will see those in need. As I do, fill me with hope and faith that You will pour forth Your mercy upon them so that I will become an intercessor for all. 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 Mary; Saint Robert Bellarmine, Saint Hildegard of Bingen and St. Francis of Assisi ~ 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 and month of September!🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖