TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 24, 2024
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF RANSOM (OUR LADY OF MERCY)
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 Tuesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time!
Today, on this special feast day of Our Lady of Ransom, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of all those in captivity, we pray for God’s grace and divine mercy upon them. We pray for our children and children all over the world. 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 24, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 24, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | September 24, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 24, 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: Tuesday September 24, 2024
Reading 1, Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
Gospel, Luke 8:19-21
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
FEAST AND SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST OF OUR LADY OF RANSOM (OUR LADY OF MERCY) AND MEMORIAL OF SAINT PACIFICUS OF SAN SEVERINO, PRIEST AND SAINT GERARD SAGREDO OF CSANÁD, BISHOP AND MARTYR: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom (Our Lady of Mercy) and the Memorial of Saint Pacificus of San Severino, Priest and Saint Gerard Sagredo of Csanád, Bishop and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Mercy and the Saints on this feast day of Our Lady of Ransom, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of all those in captivity, we pray for God’s grace and divine mercy upon them. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are sick with mentally and physically ill, chronic pain 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🙏
OUR LADY OF RANSOM (OUR LADY OF MERCY): Our Lady of Ransom, also known as ‘Nuestra Señora de la Merced’ is a Roman Catholic liturgical Marian feast. This feast was extended to the whole Church in thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin, for having in the thirteenth century inspired St. Peter Nolasco and St. Raymond of Pennafort found a religious order for the release of Christians captured by the Saracens, the ransom of Christians from Muslim captivity. The Mercedarians vowed to give themselves up as hostages for the imprisoned Christians when ransom and military means failed. Their heroism saved countless souls from apostasy and despair.
Our Blessed Mother Mary appeared on August 1, 1218, in separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, along with his confessor, St. Raymond of Penafort and James I, king of Aragon, to verify the Divine inspiration of this mission, asking them to found a religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens or Moors, who at the time held a great part of Spain. On August 10, 1218, King James established the royal, military, and religious Order of our Lady of Ransom (first known as the Order of St. Eulalia, now known as the Mercedarian Order). The new religious foundation, called the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (the Mercedarians), was established and approved by Pope Gregory IX. Word of the Marian apparition soon spread to the entire kingdom. The members were granted the privilege of wearing their own arms on their breast. Most of the members were knights, and while the clerics recited the divine office in the commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. The order worked to raise money to ransom Christians who had been captured and enslaved by Muslims and to offer themselves, if necessary, as payment for their release. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ransom of Christians and often gave themselves up in exchange for Christian prisoners. The feast was instituted under the title of Our Lady of Ransom, and this feast, kept only by the Order, was extended to the whole Church by Innocent XII in the 17th century. “Today, in our world, there are Christians being held captive, and they need ransoming. In fact, the whole world is now in a state of captivity, requiring supernatural deliverance and rescue through ransom payment. We all need to be ransomed.” “Truly we are passing through disastrous times, when we may well make our own the lamentation of the Prophet: “There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). Yet in the midst of this tide of evil, the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes like a rainbow as the arbiter of peace between God and man.” (Pope Saint Pius X). This feast is observed on September 24, later extended to the entire Church. Patrons Saint of Barcelona, Spain; people named Clemency, Mercedes, Mercedez, Merced, or Mercy.
PRAYERS FOR THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF RANSOM:
“O God, through the glorious Mother of Your Son, you enriched the Church with a new religious congregation dedicated to freeing Christians from slavery among the heathens. We venerate Mary as the foundress of this institution and pray that she may also deliver us from our sins and the slavery of the devil through her own merits and intercession. Through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen🙏
“Our Lady of Mercy, Immaculate Mother of God, hear our prayer. You responded in love to the captives who cried out to you from their oppression, breaking the chains of their bondage. Be with us as we seek to be heralds of God’s love and freedom. The word of God became flesh through your fervent and pure love. We ask you, dear Mother, break the chains of our slavery (mention any need or addiction or difficulty) for free of them, we are able to imitate your Son, Jesus Christ… Amen🙏
HAIL MARY: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.🙏
THE MEMORARE: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen 🙏
SAINT PACIFICUS OF SAN SEVERINO, PRIEST: St. Pacificus (1653 – 1721), also known as St. Pacific, whose name means “Peace,” was an Italian Roman Catholic priest known for being a miracle-worker. St. Pacificus of San Severino was born at San Severino as the son of Carlo Antonio Maria Divini and Mariangela Bruni on March 1, 1653. St. Pacificus Bruni never really got to know his parents, was orphaned when he was quite young, and his parents died soon after his Confirmation when he was aged three and was raised by an uncle. He suffered hardships until December 1670, at the age of seventeen, when he took the Franciscan habit in the Order of the Reformati at Forano in the March of Ancona. St. Pacificus was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1678, at the age of 25, and served as professor of philosophy from 1680 to 1683 for the newer members of the order. He taught novices in his order, and he gave parish missions. Following this, he was assigned to minister to the Apennine mountain villages of Italy. He worked for four or five years as a missionary in the surrounding area. After a successful apostolate of some seven years, he was stricken with an incapacitating illness and resigned himself to thirty years as a semi-invalid.
When St. Pacificus was only 39 years old his health began to fail, so he had to spend his final 29 years of life lame, deaf, and blind. Suffering lameness and deafness in addition to blindness he was unable to continue giving missions. He then cultivated the contemplative life filled with prayer and — like St. Joseph of Cupertino — he received ecstacies. St. Pacificus also became known as a miracle worker. Subject all his life long to intense bodily pains, “he sought for comfort and relief in God alone, and was by him favored with marvelous supernatural graces and with the gift of working miracles”. He was said to have “borne his ills with angelic patience, worked several miracles, and was favored by God with ecstasies.” He transformed these years into an intense apostolate of prayer and became famous for his patience, austerity, and gift of prophecy. Though he was in constant suffering from 1692 to 1693, he held the post of Guardian in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Severino, where he later died on September 24, 1721 and was beatified 65 years later by Pope Pius VI on August 4, 1786; Pope Gregory XVI canonized him on May 26, 1839. St. Pacificus is considered the Patron Saint of those with chronic pain. His feast day is September 24th.
PRAYER: God, the giver of all gifts, You adorned St. Pacific with the virtue of unusual patience and with love of solitude. Through his intercession, may we walk in his footsteps and obtain a like reward. Amen 🙏
SAINT GERARD SAGREDO OF CSANÁD, BISHOP, AND MARTYR: St. Gerard Sagredo of Csanád (980–1046 A.D.) was the first Bishop of Csanád in the Kingdom of Hungary from around 1030 to his death. He was born in the Republic of Venice, Italy, to a Venetian noble family, associated with the Sagredos or Morosinis in sources written centuries later. After a serious illness, he was sent to the Benedictine San Giorgio Monastery at the age of five. He received excellent monastic education and also learnt grammar, music, philosophy, and law. From an early age, he desired to dedicate his life to God, and as a young man, became a Benedictine monk. He first served as abbot at a monastery in Venice but left Venice to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 1020, but a storm compelled him to break his journey near Istria He decided to visit the Kingdom of Hungary. He met Maurus, Bishop of Pécs, and Hungarian king, Stephen I of Hungary convinced him not to continue his pilgrimage, emphasizing that St. Gerard’s preachings could accelerate the conversion of the Hungarians. The king, St. Stephen asked him to stay in his country to evangelize and minister to his people, and St. Gerard agreed. Before long, St. Gerard went to the Bakony Hills to live as a hermit near Bakonybél. King Stephen I made him bishop of the newly established Diocese of Csanád (encompassing present-day Banat in Serbia, Romania and Hungary) around 1030 and the royal tutor of the Hungarian prince, the king’s son and heir, Emeric. He ministered tirelessly among the Hungarian people and helped to convert the whole country to Christianity, for which he is called the “Apostle of Hungary.” Benedictine monks who could speak Hungarian helped him to preach among the local inhabitants. St. Gerard’s Long Life dedicates two chapters to his family and childhood.
After the death of King St. Stephen, there was a pagan uprising against the Christians, and St. Gerard was martyred for the faith along with two others. His death took place on a hill in Budapest, which is now named after him; according to one tradition, he was placed in a barrel lined with spikes and rolled down the hill. St. Gerard Sagredo died on September 24, 1046 Buda, Kingdom of Hungary. He was Canonized and declared a Saint in 1083 AD by St. Pope Gregory VII. He is the Patron Saint of Hungary, Budapest. St. Gerard Sagredo of Csanád Feast is September 24th.
Saint Gerard Sagredo of Csanád, Bishop, and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092424.cfm
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 8:19-21
“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it”
“The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
In today’s Gospel reading, the members of Jesus’ family, His mother and brothers, go looking for Him, probably out of concern for Him. They might have expected that when He came to hear that they were outside the house where He was teaching He would come out to them straight away. After all, blood is thicker than water. Yet, instead, He sent out someone to tell them that He was now forming a new family, the family of His disciples. All those who hear the word of God, as He preached it, and put that word into practice were now His mother and brothers and sisters. This must have been difficult for the members of Jesus’ blood family to hear. He no longer belonged to them in any special way. Instead, they were being invited to become members of His new family. We who worship and receive the Holy Eucharist are members of Jesus’ new family. It is striking to think that when He looks out upon us He recognises us as His brothers and sisters. This is the quality of the relationship that He desires to have with each of us, one that is akin to and even deeper than our relationship with the members of our blood families. The Gospel reading assures us that if we try to listen to the Lord’s word and live by it, we can consider ourselves His spiritual siblings.
According to the Gospel reading, Jesus takes this opportunity of the approach of His family of origin to make the wonderful declaration that all who hear the word of God and put it into practice are now His new family, His mother and brothers and sisters. Jesus had just told the parable of the sower. He is saying that to the extent that we try to be the good soil that receives the seed of God’s word, we will be His brothers and sisters and, thereby, brothers and sisters to one another. We tend to relate to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that we are also called to relate to Him as our brother.
In our first reading today from the Book of Proverbs, we are reminded that if we choose the path of wickedness and evil, all these eventually will lead to destruction and death. None of these will lead us to true happiness, satisfaction and joy. At that time, many among the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants had not been truly faithful to God, and they had spent a lot of time indulging in all sorts of worldly distractions and temptations, pleasures, desires and ambitions, all the pursuits which had led them deeper and deeper into the fallen path, into the path towards their condemnation, destruction and downfall. All these things can happen to us as well if we are not careful and vigilant.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded by Christ to continue to obey the Lord and to do His will as we all should have. We are constantly being reminded yet again and again that each and every one of us as Christians are called to be righteous and full of virtue in everything that we say and do, in our every parts of life, in all the things we take part in. All of us cannot be idle in the living of our faith and we should not ignore the things and opportunities which we have that may allow us to do more for the benefit of those around us, in loving one another most generously and tenderly just as the Lord has taught and wanted us all to do, to be truly filled with His love and kindness, His generosity and compassion at all times. Each and every one of us are reminded to love one another ever more generously and to commit ourselves to the path that the Lord has shown and taught us, and best still following the path which His Mother, Mary, our own loving Mother has treaded and persevered through in her most faithful and committed life, in doing whatever she could to follow her Son and to do God’s will. Each and every one of us have to realise that we are all also part of this same Church, this same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and hence, we are part of the same missions and efforts which the Lord had entrusted to His Church. We cannot dwell anymore in indulging ourselves upon worldly pleasures and desires. Instead, we should endeavour to renew our faith, commitment, dedication and obedience to God. As Christians, it is always important that we continue to remind ourselves to be active in reaching out to those around us, especially those who are in need and those who are struggling, either physically, mentally or spiritually. Each and every one of us are brothers and sisters in the same Lord, and we are all called to be truly loving and life-giving in all things, in each and every moments of our lives, down to the smallest things, in all of our interactions and the time we spent with one another. The Lord our God should always be at the centre of our lives and existence, and He should always be the reason why we do things with love, inspired by His own most loving and generous examples, and also through His Mother’s loving intercession and help for all of us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord continue to help and bless us all in our every works, efforts and endeavours, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us so that by our commitments to Him and by our every exemplary and inspiring examples in life, we may continue to bear forth His light and truth, hope and love to all the people whom we encounter daily in our lives, 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:
My divine Lord, Your love for Your earthly mother was perfect in every way. That earthly bond was transformed and elevated by Your spiritual union with her on account of Your mutual obedience to the will of the Father. Please draw me into Your divine Family by helping me to listen to and to obey all that the Father speaks. 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; Mother of Mercy, Our Lady of Ransom; Saint Pacificus of San Severino and Saint Gerard Sagredo of Csanád ~ 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💖