TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ SEPTEMBER 30TH
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 beloved family and Happy Monday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time!
We thank God for the gift of life and for bringing us all successfully to the end of the month of September.
Today, on this special feast day through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and St. Jerome, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. Amen 🙏
We pray for the sick, especially those who are critically ill. For the gentle repose of the soul of our loved ones who recently passed away, we 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. 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 30, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 30, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | September 30, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 30, 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 30, 2024
Reading 1, Job 1:6-22
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 17:1, 2-3, 6-7
Gospel, Luke 9:46-50
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
We thank God for granting us the grace to successfully complete our Novena to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux- The Little Flower today.
SAINT OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JEROME, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Jerome on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of our children, we pray for all students, teachers, librarians, Bible Scholars and all those who proclaim the Gospel. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are sick 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 JEROME, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Jerome (347 – 420), Priest, Monk and Doctor of the Church, one of the greatest Biblical scholars of Christendom, renowned for his extraordinary depth of learning and translations of the Bible into Latin in the Vulgate. St. Jerome was born to a wealthy pagan family at Stridon in Dalmatia around the year 347. Educated at the local school, he then he was sent to Rome for his schooling for eight years, there converted to Christianity, being baptized by Pope Liberius. In Rome he studied theology, Latin and Greek, devoted himself to oratory, and finally pleaded at the bar. For a time he gave himself up to the world, but his piety returned to him after he began to travel. He traveled widely to the important intellectual and theological centers across the newly-established Christian Empire. Having made a tour of Gaul, he went again to Rome, where he received Baptism, which at that time was frequently deferred until a mature age. Whether this Sacrament was administered before or after his journey to Gaul is not certain. From Rome, he journeyed to the East, and visited the Anchorites and other persons of sanctity. After sojourning a while at Antioch, he took up his abode in the desert of Chalcis in Syria, with the holy Abbot Theodosius. Here he spent four years of prayer and study; and here, temptations in the form of recollections of the past assailed him. To distract his mind from these he began the study of Hebrew. At Antioch the Saint received Holy Orders about the year 377, under the stipulation that he should not be obliged to serve in the ministry. After traveling in Palestine, he visited Constantinople, where St. Gregory Nazianzen was then Bishop. Again returning to Palestine, he departed for Rome, where he filled the office of secretary to Pope St. Damasus, who asked him to revise the Latin versions of Sacred Scripture then in use. After the death of St. Damasus, St. Jerome returned to the East, in 385. On his way he visited St. Epiphanius at Cyprus, and arrived at Jerusalem in the winter, leaving soon after for Alexandria to improve himself in sacred learning. Returning to Palestine, he retired to Bethlehem. His wanderings were now at an end, and his solitary life at Bethlehem began the career of study that has immortalized him.
His Scriptural works, above all, have been unparalleled in the history of the Church. Besides this branch of sacred learning, he attacked, like the other Fathers of that age, the various errors of his day. The fame of St. Jerome spread far and wide, and people came to consult him from all sides. Accompanied by Paula and Eustochium, Jerome went to Bethlehem. There he lived for thirty-four years in study, prayer, labor, and ascetcism till his death on September 30, 420. He built a monastery over which he presided and a convent headed first by Paula and after her death by Eustochium. The saint set up a hospice for the countless pilgrims to that place. His scholarship, his polemics, his treatises and letters often provoked anger and always stimulated those who read them. ‘Plato located the soul of man in the head,’ he wrote, ‘Christ located it in the heart.’ St. Jerome once said, “I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: ‘Search the Scriptures,’ and ‘Seek and you shall find.’ For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” For his important scholarly contributions St. Jerome was named a Doctor of the Church. St. Jerome is the Patron Saint of archeologists; archivists; Bible scholars; librarians; libraries; schoolchildren; students; translators. St. Jerome’s feast day is September 30th.
QUOTES OF SAINT JEROME:
☆”Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!”
☆”Those who persevere in sin are those who are held in abhorrence by God, but those who abandon the ways of sin are loved by the Lord.”
☆“Martyrdom does not consist only in dying for one’s faith. Martyrdom also consists in serving God with love and purity of heart every day of one’s life”
☆“Thank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world.”
☆”Love is not to be purchased, and affection has no price.”
☆“There are things in life that are bigger than ourselves. Life is short, live it well.”
☆“Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no-one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”
☆“Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.”
☆“So valuable to heaven is the dignity of the human soul that every member of the human race has a guardian angel from the moment the person begins to be.”
PRAYER BY ST. JEROME, TO INVOKE GOD’S MERCY: “Show me, O Lord, Your mercy, and delight my heart with it. Let me find You whom I so longingly seek. Behold, here is the man whom the robbers seized, manhandled, and left half dead on the road to Jericho. Kind-hearted Samaritan, come to my aid! I am the sheep who wandered into the wilderness. Seek after me and bring me home again to Your fold. Do with me according to Your Will, that I may abide with You all the days of my life, and praise You with all those who are with You in heaven for all eternity. Amen.”🙏
PRAYER: God, You gave St. Jerome, Your priest, a great love for Holy Scripture. Let Your people feed more abundantly on Your word and find in it the source of life. Amen 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/093024.cfm
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 9:46-50
” The one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest”
“An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus identifies Himself with the least, in response to the disciples’ argument as to which of them was the greatest. He identifies Himself with a child, and children in that culture were regarded as among the least, in that they were without status or power or influence. They had none of the qualities that the disciples were chasing after in their dispute as to which of them was the greatest. The Lord identifies in a special way with what the world does not consider important. He is saying to His disciples and to us that we meet Him above all in the weak, the vulnerable; we meet him in the ordinary, in those who are struggling, in those who seem to have least to offer. Because we meet Him in these very ordinary ways, it is easy to miss Him. There can be a truly sacred dimension to our dealings with others without our being aware of it. Yes, we meet the Lord in a special way in the Eucharist, but our meeting with Him in the Eucharist alerts us to the many ordinary, day-to-day, ways in which we meet him and he meets us. In God’s kingdom, true greatness consists in welcoming and serving the least, those without status or standing, as was the case with children in the world of Jesus. The way of the Lord consists not in competing with the other but in welcoming others, especially those who may appear to have least to offer us.
In our first reading today from the Book of Job of the servant of God named Job, who according to Scripture experts might have not existed or might be a metaphor for a suffering and yet obedient servant of God, while some others said that he truly existed. But regardless, the story of Job should serve as inspiration for all of us on how to remain faithful to the Lord despite the challenges and difficulties that we have to encounter and face in life. As we all heard how the life of Job was truly blessed before his misfortune, as a rich man with great family and many possessions, and then, through Satan’s attack and efforts, all of those things were taken from him, while not even his body and health was also spared, in Satan’s effort to tempt him and see if he would abandon God. If we were to continue reading through the Book of Job, we would then hear how Job remained firm in his faith despite all of his predicaments, and despite everything that he had to endure throughout the ordeals, including being attacked and criticised by his own friends and peers, he did not give up faith and hope in the Lord. And while he did encounter moments of despair and hardships, desolation and difficulties on the way, Job continued to remain strong in his beliefs and remained faithful to the end, and God rewarded him greatly, restoring everything that he had lost and in fact blessed him double than what he had before. Job’s perseverance in faith and devotion to God was known to God and He blessed him greatly for that. It is a reminder for us all that first, our lives as Christians may not always be smooth sailing and we may encounter trials, hardships and challenges in our ways, and we may have to endure sufferings and challenges in our paths in life. However, if we remain firm in our faith and trust in the Lord, we will then be strengthened and empowered by God Who is always with us and by our side, as He has constantly reassured and shown Job all throughout, and also showed to all of us throughout the whole journey, that He is with us, leading us patiently by our side, ever always guiding and strengthening us through all the challenges and tribulations that we may have to go through. God has not left us all alone and He always provided for our needs, supporting us and encouraging us in this path.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the futility of worldly glory, pleasures, ambitions, desires and all the things which often distracted us in our path towards God and His salvation and grace. Each and every one of us are constantly being reminded this day so that we may continue to live our lives worthily in the manner that God has wanted us all to live our lives, in lives that are truly centred and focused on Him, and not on the many distractions and temptations present all around us in this world, all those things which can keep us away from the Lord and His salvation. We are all reminded yet again of just how fortunate we are to have been beloved by God so much, that He has provided us with such great graces, in sending us His most wonderful guidance and help throughout all these time, and how He gave us the assurance of His salvation that He has fulfilled perfectly and completely through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Lord has loved each and every one of us so much that He has given us the perfect gift, the manifestation of His wonderful love in His Son, that through Him, all of us have been shown and led to the path towards eternal life and true joy. As we reflect on the faithful examples of the Saints, especially, St. Jerome, who we celebrate today. St. Jerome has shown us all how we should live in great faith and commitment to God, in living our lives with focus on the Lord and to be holy just as He is holy. St. Jerome’s works and commitment should inspire all of us to live our lives worthily of the Lord as well, with focus ever directed towards God and not upon our own personal ambitions and desires. We should also help one another in putting our faith and trust ever more in God, and in doing what we have been all called to do as Christians, as God’s people. There may be difficulties and challenges, as St. Jerome himself encountered throughout his life and missions, but we must not be disheartened or discouraged by all the challenges and trials that we have to face in this journey. Instead, like Job and St. Jerome before us, as well as the innumerable saints and martyrs, holy men and women of God, let us all continue to be faithful to the Lord, trust in His love and providence, and do our best so that our lives may truly be great inspiration to others and glorify the Lord at all times. Each and every one of us should always be filled with the desire to love the Lord our God and to have constant faith in Him, at all times. We should not easily be swayed or distracted by the many temptations and challenges present all around us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace and be with us always, and may He strengthen all of us in our devotion to Him. May the Lord, our ever loving and generous God, be with us always, now and forevermore. St. Jerome, holy man of God, and devout servant of God, pray for us all sinners. 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 most merciful and gentle Jesus, I thank You for the many ways in which You come to me, revealing Your love and grace. Please help me to see clearly the ways that I must change, so that even the beginnings of the smallest sin in my life may be rooted out. I love You, my Lord. Help me to love You with all my heart. 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; Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church ~ 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 fruitful week 🙏🏽
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖