TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 16, 2024
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, may our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls 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🙏
On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We 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 🙏
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | October 16, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 16, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 16, 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 Reading: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Reading 1, Galatians 5:18-25
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
Gospel, Luke 11:42-46
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS; SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN; SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST; SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT GALL, ABBOT – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 16TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin; Saint Gerard Majella, Redemptorist, Marguerite d’Youville, SGM, Religious and Saint Gall, Abbot. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for all Mothers, especially expectant mothers, unborn children and all those seeking for the fruit of the womb. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, 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. 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 HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS: St. Hedwig was born in 1174 in Bavaria, the daughter of the Duke of Croatia. She was the maternal aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She married Duke Henry of Silesia and raised seven children, with the boys being quite a handful. She outlived all but one of her children, Gertrude. Hedwig persuaded her husband to use her dowry to found a Cisterian monastery for nuns at Trebnitz. Their daughter Gertrude later became abbess of the monastery. Hedwig led a life of piety and solicitude for the sick and poor, including their religious education. She lived a life of poverty and humility, despite her prominent position. Every day, even in winter, she would walk barefooted, so her feet were in bad shape. A story tells us her husband sent her a pair of shoes, insisting that she not be without them — so she kept them under her arm. After the death of her husband Hedwig completely renounced the world and entered the monastery of Trebnitz which she had founded. She died on October 15, 1243 and is venerated as patroness of Poland. She was canonized by Clement IV, 26 March, 1267. She’s the Patron Saint of Bavaria; brides; duchesses; death of children; marital problems; Silesia; victims of jealousy; widows.
PRAYER: Almighty God, may the venerable intercession of St. Hedwig obtain heavenly aid for us, for her life constitutes a wonderful example of humility for all. Amen 🙏
SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN: (22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690), was a French Roman Catholic Visitation nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form. After a girlhood marked by painful illness and even more painful family discord, Margaret Mary Alacoque entered the Visitation convent of Paray-le-Monial, France, at the age of 22. She was ignorant, sickly, and clumsy, but she had great charity and humility. Our Lord chose her to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart, at a time when rebellion without (Protestantism) and heresy within (Jansenism) were doing their best to separate Catholics from their faith and their God. She died on October 17, 1690. She was Beatified on September 18, 1864, Rome by Pope Pius IX and Canonized on May 13, 1920, Vatican City, by Pope Benedict XV. She’s the Patron Saint of those suffering with polio, devotees of the Sacred Heart, loss of parents
PRAYER: Lord, pour out upon us spirit with which You enriched St. Margaret Mary. Help us to know the love of Christ, which is too great for human knowledge, and to be filled with the fullness of god. Amen 🙏
SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST: (April 9, 1726 – October 16, 1755), was an Italian lay brother of the Congregation of the Redeemer, better known as the Redemptorists. Born very frail and unhealthy, Gerard was immediately baptized as his parents feared the worst for their newly born child. But from childhood, the Lord granted this boy many favors even if they were followed by many hardships too. He became a full-time tailor at the age of only twelve as his father passed away and he was responsible for caring for his mother and siblings. Gerard didn’t like his job and longed to become a priest. But twice he was denied the religious cloak due to his poor health. Gerard was such a holy and gentle soul that eventually his perseverance paid off and became a brother monk. He spent his life evangelizing the faith, converting many. He is known for his countless miracles and was called the “Wonder Worker” and his wonderful and well authenticated life was a series of supernatural phenomena — bilocations, reading of consciences, prophecies, multiplying of food, etc. He was canonized in 1904. He’s the Patron Saint of childbirth; children; expectant mothers; falsely accused people; good confessions; lay brothers; motherhood; mothers; pregnant women; pro-life movement; unborn children.
PRAYER: God, by Your grace St. Gerard persevered in imitating Christ in His poverty and humility. Through his intercession, grant that we may faithfully follow our vocation and reach the perfection that You held out us in Your Son. Amen🙏
SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM RELIGIOUS Marguerite d’Youville was a French Canadian widow who was born on October 15, 1701, Varennes, Canada and died on December 23, 1771, Montreal, Canada. She founded the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal. She and her companions welcome and cared for the poor, the elderly, the sick, and the mentally handicapped, without distinction of sex, race, or ethnicity. They give shelter to both French and English soldiers who were wounded during the Seven Years’ War. Marie-Marguerite died on December 23, 1771, leaving behind the memory of an extraordinary woman guided by a profound spirituality and a great sensitivity to human suffering. In 1959 Pope John XXIII declared Marguerite d’Youville Blessed and conferred on her the title of Mother of Universal Charity, and on December 9, 1990, Vatican Basilica, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II. She’s the first native-born Canadian to be declared a saint. She’s Patron Saint of widows, difficult marriages, death of young children.
Saint Marguerite d’Youville, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT GALL, ABBOT: (c. 550 – c. 645 CE), also known as Saint Gallus, was an Irish monk who lived in what is present-day Switzerland during the 6th century CE and was one of twelve companions of Saint Columbanus’ Christian mission to the European continent. Associated with various legends, myths, and miracles, Gall is chiefly remembered for this role in the spread of Christianity in Switzerland and as the founder of a hermitage that would eventually become the Abbey Cathedral of St. Gallen. St. Gall is thus subsequently claimed additionally as the founder of the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland and remains the city’s patron saint. Saint Deicolus was the elder brother of St. Gall. He died at the age of ninety-five around 646–650 in Arbon. He’s the Patron Saint of birds, geese, poultry, Switzerland, St. Gallen.
Saint Gall, Abbot ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
*Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:42-46
“Woe to you Pharisees! Woe also to you scholars of the law!”
“The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is the guest at the table of one of the Pharisees. In the course of the meal he is addressed by a lawyer, someone who would have been considered an expert in the Jewish Law and in the interpretation of that Law. As Jesus had earlier criticized the Pharisees, He now criticizes the lawyers for loading unendurable burdens onto people; having done so, they make no effort to help people carry those burdens. Jesus is clearly contrasting the teaching of the lawyers with His own teaching. Jesus saw Himself in a very different light. On one occasion, according to Matthew’s Gospel, He declared, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. Far from burdening people, Jesus worked to release them from unnecessary burdens. He has come to proclaim good news, not to burden people and then leave them to their own devises. He spoke of Himself as the bridegroom and His followers as the wedding guests; His ministry is a time of celebration, a time to rejoice that the lost were being found. He came to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, when good news would be preached to the poor and release to captives. That is not to say that His message was not challenging and demanding; it was. However, His message was essentially good news for people, not bad news. If our faith becomes a burden, and nothing else, we have somehow managed to lose its essence. The Lord’s call can be demanding, but it is demanding in the way that love can be demanding. The Lord’s path can be difficult, because of what it asks of us, but along that path we are promised a joy and a peace which the world cannot give. The path Jesus called people to take was the way of life. Jesus came so that people might have life, and have it to the full. The Gospel is not a burden; it is a joy because it is good news, the good news of God’s enduring love for us in Christ. The Gospel is a light in the darkness, a source of hope when all seems hopeless, a giver of strength when weakness seems to overpower us. If we respond to the Gospel and allow it to shape our lives, we will become more alive, more complete as human beings, more loving. If we really live the Gospel, then, like Jesus, we will bring rest and peace to those who find themselves burdened for whatever reason.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, the Apostle continue to speak to the people about the matter of true obedience to the Law of God, referring to the Law in this instance as a reference to the way how the Law of God that was revealed through Moses had been interpreted and practiced by the Jewish authorities, such as by the Pharisees and the other members of the Jewish High Council, and which some of them were also influential among the members of the Jewish diaspora in Galatia. At that time, St. Paul, who had embarked on several missionary journeys and travels all throughout the Mediterranean region, proclaiming the Good News of God in all of those occasions, including the region and people of Galatia. There in Galatia, there were quite a few Jewish people in diaspora away from their homeland who embraced the Lord as their Saviour and Master together with the non-Jewish people like the Greeks, Romans and other local populations who also believed in the Lord and chose to become Christians. And there were those among the Jewish converts who claimed and even forced the non-Jewish converts to follow the ways and customs of the Jews, claiming that they are necessary for salvation. This also happened in the many other places that St. Paul had ministered in, and it was one of the main issues that St. Paul consistently wanted to settle by reminding all the faithful that the obedience and the ways of the old Jewish customs and laws are no longer binding on the people of God, because they have received the fullness of truth through Christ, and they should instead obey what the Lord has taught them. He reminded them all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, of love and all the other good fruits which are distinct from the ones offered by the world, from all the corruptions of evil and sin, and highlighting the difference between following the Law that is mostly human made and which had been flawed and wrongly applied by the religious leaders of the time with the true obedience to God’s Law which all the faithful ought to have, not in the superficial and external faith, piety and obedience to the rules and rituals which those religious leaders had practiced and enforced to the people of God, but rather, a true commitment and love for the Lord, which are often lacking, is what God had wanted. As mentioned in the Scriptures, that what the Lord wanted is love and not sacrifice. Without true love and commitment to God, no amount of piety and sacrifice can be meaningful.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while. We continue to be reminded as we have been in previous days of the need for us to truly follow the Lord wholeheartedly and faithfully, distancing ourselves from all the worldliness and all the temptations and wickedness which had been present all around us in this world. We have to embrace the Lord’s path faithfully, doing whatever we can so that we truly embody our faith in Him fully and not just merely practicing all the external applications and practices but inside, there is no space for the Lord in our hearts and minds, which can indeed happen to us, as how it had happened to many among our predecessors as mentioned in our Scripture readings today. Let us all reflect on the lives and great examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially those who we celebrate today, both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Having discern the words and message from the Sacred Scriptures earlier on, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives worthily of the Lord at all times, and to show true love and devotion to Him, as St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the innumerable other saints had done in their lives. Let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. We should not be paying mere lip service and obedience to the Law of God like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, but truly embody the Law and love of God in every parts and moments of our lives, from now on and always, evermore. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all and may He guide us all into everlasting life, and give us the inheritance that He has promised us His faithful ones. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
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 courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My challenging Lord, You are constantly speaking to me in various ways. Sometimes You are gentle, and at other times You lovingly rebuke me. Please help me to see my sin. As I do, I pray that I will not become defensive or dismissive, rationalizing my erroneous actions. May I learn to rejoice in all that You say to me, especially when You speak Your rebukes of love. 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 Hedwig; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque; Saint Gerard Majella; Marguerite d’Youville and Saint Gall…. 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 October 🙏🏽
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖
Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com
Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org
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