TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
NOVENA TO SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX – THE LITTLE FLOWER: Starts September 22-30 – Traditionally, it is prayed from September 22nd through September 30th. Her Memorial Feast Day is October 1st. | Novena link below
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!
Today, on this special feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world. We pray for the poor and needy, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world.
We continue to 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 those who mourn, for all widows and widowers. May the good Lord comfort them. 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🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | September 23, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 23, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | September 23, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 23, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, September 23, 2024
Reading 1, Proverbs 3:27-34
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
Gospel, Luke 8:16-18
NOVENA TO SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX – THE LITTLE FLOWER: Starts today, September 22-30 – Traditionally, it is prayed from September 22nd through September 30th. Her Memorial Feast Day is October 1st. | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/novena-to-st-theresa-the-little-flower-11867
MEMORIAL OF SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA (PADRE PIO), PRIEST; SAINT LINUS, POPE AND MARTYR; SAINT THECLA, FIRST VIRGIN MARTYR AND SAINT CONSTANTIUS: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest; Saint Linus Pope and martyr; Saint Thecla, First Virgin Martyr and Saint Constantius 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 all widows and widowers. We pray for the poor and needy, 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 PIO PIETRELCINA (PADRE PIO), PRIEST: St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968), was an Italian Franciscan priest better known as “Padre Pio”. He was an Italian Capuchin saint known for his suffering, humility, and miracles. Throughout his entire lifetime, he was given extraordinary gifts from God — the stigmata, the gift of prophecy, the gift of the priesthood, and the gift of faith. Yet despite such notoriety, he would often say, “I only want to be a poor friar who prays.”
Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione to his parents Grazio and Maria in 1887 in a small village of Pietrelcina in the south of Italy. His parents, peasant farmers, had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. They taught the five surviving children to live their faith through daily Mass, family prayer of the rosary, and regular acts of penance. Padre Pio (Francesco) had already decided at a young age, about 5 years old he practiced a life of penance and made the decision to dedicate his entire life to God. At age 10, he felt inspired by the example of a young Capuchin Franciscan and told his parents: “I want to be a friar – with a beard.” Francesco’s father spent time in America, working to finance his son’s education so he could enter the religious life. Francesco grew up working in the fields. On January 22, 1903, Francesco (Padre Pio) joined the Capuchin Friars at the age of sixteen and donned the Franciscan habit for the first time. He took the new name Pio, a modernized Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Pope St. Pius V. He made his solemn vows four years later and received priestly ordination seven years later on August 10, 1910, at the age of 23. Along with the mystical but real wounds, Padre Pio also suffered health problems that forced him to live apart from his Franciscan community for the first six years of his priesthood. By 1916, he managed to re-enter community life at the Friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, his superiors sent him to the friary in San Giovanni, Rotondo in his village. He lived there until he died. For fifty years, Padre Pio, as he came to be known, was a much sought-after spiritual advisor, confessor, and intercessor whose life was devoted to the Eucharist and prayer. People came from all over the world to see him celebrate Mass and ask for his help. He handled many duties as a spiritual director and teacher, covering for brothers drafted into World War I. During 1917 and 1918, Padre Pio himself briefly served in a medical unit of the Italian army. He later offered himself as a spiritual “victim” for an end to the war, accepting suffering as a form of prayer for peace. On August 5, 1918, Padre Pio first received the Stigmata, the wounds of Christ, present in his own body. He was to carry these wounds for the next fifty years. He received intermittently the invisible stigmata. Christ’s sacred wounds were invisibly imprinted on his hands, feet and side. The wounds could not be seen, but the pain and swelling of them were there. On September 20, 1918, at 31 years of age, a piercing cry escaped his lips during his thanksgiving after Mass. He was pierced and bleeding from five wounds in his hands, feet, and side. The stigmata had become visible and was to remain with him for 50 years until shortly before he died. He was the first priest to be so honored! There have been about 300 stigmatisms in the history of the Catholic Church.
Padre Pio’s Franciscan spirituality was characterized by a life of poverty, love of nature, and charity to those in need, especially to those who were his “spiritual children.” St. Padre Pio had many spiritual gifts and was a great miracle-worker. These were well-documented from multiple reliable sources and included bilocation, levitation, reading souls, and physical healing by touch. Against his own wishes, the friar’s reputation for holiness and attending miracles began to attract huge crowds. Word of his holiness spread, and people both pious and curious flocked to see him, especially to have him hear their confession. He is the first priest known to have received the stigmata, for which he suffered suspicion and investigation. Many Church officials and doctors examined his wounds. Some of them thought that he might be faking his wounds. However, after examining him, almost all were convinced that his Stigmata was truly from God. Padre Pio would especially suffer while he was celebrating Holy Mass each day. It was as if he were experiencing just what Jesus did on the Cross. Like Jesus, he would lose blood from his wounds. He would always offer up these suffering for the salvation of the world. Padre Pio ate very little and slept even less. All his time was devoted to prayer and meditation and serving God’s people, especially hearing their confessions and offering spiritual advice.
Because of the unusual supernatural phenomena surrounding his life, he is considered one of the great visionaries and mystics of the Church. Some Church officials, however, denounced the priest and had him banned from public ministry in 1931. Pope Pius XI ended the ban two years later, and his successor Pius XII encouraged pilgrimages to Padre Pio’s friary. During his ling life, Padre Pio accomplished many deeds that were far beyond the scope of ordinary mortals. Known for patient suffering, fervent prayer, and compassionate spiritual guidance, Padre Pio later in his life also lent his efforts to the establishment of a major hospital, the “Home to Relieve Suffering” that would take care of not only the people’s physical needs but also their spiritual needs in 1956. The hospital served 60,000 a year. Today, there are over 400,000 members worldwide in prayer groups begun by Padre Pio in the 1920s. After an entire life lived for God, doing good works and even miracles, Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968 at the age of 81 at 2:30 AM with the words “Jesus and Mary” on his lips and his Rosary in his hands. So many people believed that Padre Pio was a Saint that by the next year, the Capuchin friars asked the Church to consider canonizing him. Over the next several years, all of the friar’s writings and actions were examined, and by 1983, the official process was in work. Padre Pio was beatified in May 1999 by Pope John Paul II and canonized and declared a Saint of the Catholic Church in Rome, “Padre” Pio of Pietrelcina, OFM Cap. by the same Pontiff, Pope St. John Paul II on June 16, 2002, with over 500,000 people in attendance. Three years after his death, Pope Paul VI marveled at his simple and holy life in an address to the Capuchin Order. “A worldwide following gathered around him … because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk, and was – it is not easy to say it – one who bore the wounds of our Lord,” Pope Paul explained. “He was a man of prayer and suffering.” Because of the many miracles he performed during his life, he is commonly invoked as a healing saint for various ailments. Padre Pio’s feast day is September 23rd.
QUOTE OF PADREPIO PIETRELCINA: “Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God.”
PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT PIO PIETRELCINA (PADRE PIO), PRIEST: “Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the firts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son. Endowed with the gift of discernment, St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional for the salvation of souls. With reverence and intense devotion in the celebration of Mass, he invited countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, I confidently beseech You to grant me the grace of (state your petition)… Amen.”🙏
PRAYER: God, through a singular grace You enabled Your Priest St. Pio to participate in the Cross of Your Son and through his ministry You renewed the wonders of Your mercy. Grant that by his intercession we may be continually united with Christ’s Passion and reach the glory of his Resurrection. Amen 🙏
SAINT LINUS, POPE AND MARTYR: Pope Linus was the second pope and second leader of the Christian Church. His papacy lasted for roughly nine years and occurred directly after the Papacy of Saint Peter. He was second Pope, and the first to be chosen in Rome, Italy. According to Irenaeus, he is the Linus mentioned by Saint Paul in 2 Timothy 4. His name is mentioned in the prayer “Communicantes” in the Canon of the Mass. Saint Pope Linus, believed to be the son of Herculanus, was Italian from the region of Tuscany. He was born in Volterrae, Italy, which is now known as Volterra. He was born circa 10 AD and died circa 76 AD in Rome. His papacy began circa 67 AD and ended circa 76 AD. His successor to the papal throne was Anacletus who was also known as Cletus. Though Pope Saint Linus is honored and recognized as a martyr, there are no records relating to his death or martyrdom. Nothing else is known of his life, and ancient documents about his papacy have proven to be inaccurate or apocryphal.
Saint Linus, Pope, and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT THECLA, FIRST VIRGIN MARTYR: St. Thecla, a virgin of Asia Minor in the early days of the Church. Her cultus, which is very ancient, goes back to the second century. She is considered the first woman martyr. This child of St. Paul is honored by the Fathers of the Eastern Church as proto-martyr and “near apostle.” According to a popular second century tale, Acts of Paul and Thecla, she was a native of Iconomium who was so impressed by the preaching of St. Paul on virginity that she broke off her engagement to marry Thamyris to live a life of virginity. St. Paul was ordered to be scourged and banished from the city for his teaching, and Thecla was ordered burned to death. When a storm providentially extinguished the flames, she escaped with St. Paul and went with him to Antioch. There, she was condemned to wild beasts in the arena when she violently resisted the attempt of Syriarch Alexander to kidnap her, but again escaped when the beasts did no harm to her Nor did she suffer injury during confinement in a snake pit. Because of these marvels, many pagans accepted the faith. She rejoined St. Paul at Myra in Lycia, dressed as a boy, and was commissioned by him to preach the Gospel. She did for a time in Iconium and then became a recluse in a cave at Meriamlik near Seleucia. She lived as a hermitess there for the next seventy-two years and died there peacefully at the age of ninety (or in Rome, where she was miraculously transported when she found that St. Paul had died and was later buried near his tomb).
Saint Thecla, First Virgin Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT CONSTANTIUS: According to St. Gregory the Great, St. Constantius, a layman, was sacristan of the famous Cathedral of St. Stephen at Ancona, Italy, in the fifth century. In monastic garb, he attended to his duties with a great spirit of perfection that belied his slight stature. He was known as a wonder-worker, and one of his deeds consisted in keeping the lamps of the church lighted even with water or oil in them. Word of his holiness and extraordinary powers spread far and wide, prompting many to ask spiritual favors of him. The character of the Saint is best illustrated by a story told about him. One day a rude fellow happened into the church and at the sight of the Saint on a ladder, attending to the lamps refused to believe in his sanctity. Instead, he began to insult and ridicule the man of God, calling him a liar and a man full of pride; St. Constatntius, hearing this tirade, ran to the man and embraced and kissed him in gratitude for having seen him as he was and telling him so. As St. Gregory remarked, he thus gave conclusive proof that he was as great in humility as in miracles.
PRAYER: God, through the intercession of St. Constantius, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we always serve You with the humility that pleases You through his merits and example. Amen 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 8:16-18
“A lamp is placed on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light”
“Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus uses the image of a lighted lamp which should be placed on a lamp stand so that people may see the light when they enter the room. It is an image which calls on us to allow the light within us to shine on others, the light of Jesus, the light of our faith, hope and love. As Jesus says in the Gospel reading, no one would light such a lamp and then cover it with a bowl or put it under a bed. It would make no sense. The image suggests that if the lamp of faith is lit in a human life, it is not meant to be covered or hidden; rather we must allow it to shed light. We are called to allow the light of our faith to shine through how we live, what we do and how we do it. If we are to do that, we need to nurture that light of faith. The Gospel reading suggests that one of the ways we nurture the light of faith is by listening to the Lord’s word. Jesus says in the Gospel reading, ‘Take care how you hear, for anyone who has will be given more’. By listening to the Lord’s word, the light of faith will grow more brightly and will shine through how we live our lives. When that happens we are a support to one another on our shared journey of faith. When I let the light of my faith shine, I make it easier for other people of faith to do the same. Jesus asks us to listen carefully to His word, to what He says. He promises that does who are attentive to His word, ‘anyone who has’, will receive a great deal from the Lord, they ‘will be given more’. Whereas, those who close their ears to His word, ‘anyone who has not’, will begin to lose what they have been given from the Lord, ‘what they think they have will be taken away’. Jesus is saying that we need to listen to Him, if our relationship with him is to grow, or, to put it negatively, if our relationship with Him is not to weaken. We live in a world of much noise, of many voices. It can be quite a struggle to make room and time in our lives to listen to the voice of the Lord. Today’s Gospel reading, however, assures us that it is a struggle worth engaging in; it is an effort worth making.
Our first reading today from the Book of Proverbs is the reminders from the Lord to His beloved people that they must not do what is evil and wicked in the sight of God and man alike, and they should not treat their fellow brethren with wicked intentions and contempt. Instead, each and every one of them must always be righteous and full of virtue in all things, and they should always be exemplary in their actions, words and deeds so that they may not be counted among those who were wicked and unjust, and therefore would have to face the reckoning from the Lord for all of their wicked deeds and sins, which they had to account and answer for. The Lord wants each one of them to know that if they do good to others, then good things shall be given to them as well, while if they do bad and evil to others, then they too shall face the just consequences for those things.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to be truly righteous and worthy in everything that we say and do in our lives, in our every interactions with one another, so that each and every one of our works will truly be worthy of the Lord, and that we may always be the great beacons of God’s light and grace to the nations, to everyone who have encountered and been interacting with us, in each and every moments of our lives, even to the smallest actions, the seemingly least significant words, efforts and deeds. All of us should always do our part to proclaim the Lord by our exemplary actions and deeds so that everyone may experience God’s works and love through us. All of us therefore are also reminded that we should also commit ourselves and our every actions, words and deeds, our every efforts to proclaim the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all therefore do our part to proclaim the Lord our God faithfully as how the Holy men and women and Saints, particularly the Saint we celebrate today, St. Padre Pio, St. Pius of Pietrelcina who had lived his life, in being good and worthy beacons of God’s light and hope, His love and salvation to all others around us. Let us all continue to walk ever more worthily in God’s Holy Presence from now on, helping and inspiring our fellow brethren in faith, committing more of our efforts and time to glorify the Lord by our lives. May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each and every one of us to live our lives henceforth with the strong zeal and fervour, to continue to love Him and to love one another ever more generously, in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. May God, in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to reflect on our Christian faith. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to bless us in our every good effort and endeavours, now and always, 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:
Living Word of God, my Lord and my King, I thank You for the way in which You come to me and all Your children through Your written Word. Fill me with a love for that Word so that I will daily engage my mind in the deep truths revealed within it. May I meet You, dear Lord, and grow in an understanding of Who You are and what You wish to reveal to me. 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 Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio); Saint Linus; Saint Thecla and Saint Constantius ~ 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, and grace-filled week and month of September!🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖